Princess Rescue Inc (5 page)

“Damn
that thing was hauling,” he said rolling to his feet. He checked the truck,
noting it was rolling far enough to be out of the way and then he turned back
to the vortex. He was even more wary than before now.

“This
could be a problem. It's moved,” he said, looking at it. The vortex had moved
closer to the cliff edge. It was smaller and was changing shape. It seemed to
ripple, energy tearing at the ground. He looked at the smoldering ground around
it, then back. Each transit had knocked the vortex back and deformed it for a
brief time. It was within a hundred yards of the edge of... something. He
pulled off his suit and tossed it to the ground as he walked off to one side,
then up towards the side of the vortex. He wanted to come in on this thing's
flank not dead on in front of the next poor sap coming through the express ride
to hell.

“Please
don't be... please don't be...Ah hell,” he whispered, seeing the edge. “Cliff!”
He turned looking at the others then pulling out his radio. He swore softly as
he put the radio batteries in, and then clicked it on.

“It
might help if someone else had theirs hooked up,” he sighed noting the others
were still suited up. “Leave that shit for later!” he bellowed, seeing several
of the scientists trying to unpack gear. One had a camera up and was trying to
take video but was shaking like a leaf. “Get the hell out of the way!” he
yelled again waving to them.

Max
waved, adding his own full throated bellow to the mix. Scientists moved, none
to their assigned tasks but at least they weren't making a mess of the LZ.
“What a cluster fuck,” Perry sighed as a second supply truck bounced through
the portal. Its driver hit the brakes right away, slamming it to a halt. Its
trailer bucked up by the sudden stop then flipped. Cursing Max and Perry ran
for it.

“Oh
crap, this is going to suck,” Max hollered over the storm.

“Yeah
think?” Perry snarled back, trying to right the trailer. “We've got to drag the
fucker if we can't move it!” Max said between crackles and thunderous pops. He
looked over his shoulder to the portal. “Damn, is it moving?”

“Probably,”
Perry said, looking himself. Indeed, the portal was creeping backwards closer
to the cliff's edge.

“If
this keeps up we're going to have a serious problem. I make it three minutes
between resets. That means we've got less than a minute to do something about this,”
Max grunted, trying to pull at the trailer.

“Leave
it Max!” They both looked up to see Ryans leaning out of the cab. “I've got it
running.” The truck stalled, and then rumbled to life. Slowly it moved dragging
its trailer behind it. Bits of gear littered its wake.

“Go!”
Perry said running to the side to get clear as the portal pulsed, warning of an
impending transit. Suddenly a third truck was there; it slammed into the edge
of the trailer and then careened off to the left toward the other trucks. The
trailer's tongue shrieked and then snapped under the strain. The safety chains
held it to the ma deuce truck, however. It rolled upside down, spraying some of
its load and then slowly toppled back down onto one side. Equipment and
material now littered the area. Perry ducked as a three meter long wire holding
rolls of riggers tape came loose and went end over end. Perry watched it go
briefly and then dusted himself off.

“Ah,
why me?” Max half moaned, half growled, getting up from the ground. He brushed
himself off with his ball cap then waved to Ryans. “Gun it!” he hollered.

“What
the hell do you think I'm trying to do?!” Ryans called back.

Perry
looked around. “What a cluster fuck,” he sighed. At least the LAV's were out on
perimeter and there weren't any reporters on hand to record this. They had one
or two more supply trucks to go before the civilian vehicles and the Colonel
came through. Hopefully they could get this shit under some sort of order
before the brass showed up.

His
radio squelched. He could just barely hear a voice repeat something. “LAV's are
out on perimeter,” Master Sergeant Waters reported over the net. “The
engineering and hospital rigs are clear.”

Perry
nodded, “Good. Glad something is going right. Get the civilians sorted out and
get everyone on radio. Get Patterson to try to punch a signal through that and
warn the following wave that they are about to run out of plateau,” Perry said,
touching his mike. He looked up to the sky.

“Everyone
on radio, check the people next to you and make sure they have their radios on.
Buddy up.  Get to your assigned tasks people. Let's move it!” Waters
bellowed, pointing to a knot of scientists nearby. “You! Yeah you numb nuts get
your radio on and secure your gear. Play with your toys later or I'll kick your
ass up between your shoulder blades!” he snarled. He pointed to another
miscreant. “You...”

Perry
snorted as the Master Sergeant took the civilians in hand. “It's going to be
close,” Ryans said eying the vortex. He turned his eyes to the sky, frowning at
the thunderheads approaching. He looked over the edge of the cliff, and then
whistled. “Long freakin' way down.” The base of the cliff was covered in jagged
rocks. Storm surge was already affecting the waves; they were already white
capping and crashing into the rocks with ferocious intensity.

“Not
good.” He ducked instinctively as the supply truck materialized, bounced then
rolled out. “Not good, not good, not good,” he huffed watching the vortex scoot
back another five or six meters. He felt so helpless. There wasn't a damn thing
he could do and he knew it.

“We're
running out of time,” Perry said watching the vortex creeping slowly away.

Ryans
scowled, face bleak. “You mean we're running out of land. Yeah, we need electromagnets
in front or behind to get this thing stable. That storm is drawing it out to
sea away from these rocks.”

“Ask
me for anything but time,” Perry muttered.

Max
waved then touched his radio. “Doc Roshenko thinks this plateau has an iron
ferrite core. He's found quite a few rusty red rocks. It's screwing up our
electrical systems and messing up the radio. Want me to set up the weather
array?”

Ryans
shook his head. “No, get the vehicles and as much gear as you can salvage clear
of the path of the vortex and to high ground. Work with Waters. Police the
ground for any debris but stay out of the path of the landing zone,” he replied
absently looking at the red rocks nearby. “Get Patterson to break out the long
range transmitter and try to punch a signal through to base to warn them about
the vortex.”

“What
about it?” Max asked then looked at the streak of burnt grass then to the cliff
beyond. He looked at their concerned voices and nodded. “Ah, Okay, gotcha
boss.” He turned to view Patterson, but she waved him off. “Looks like she's
already on it boss,” he said turning back. He winced as another supply truck
came rumbling through. Its trailer bucked and pitched up and down but wonder of
wonders stayed upright. He was surprised, that one was a water tank.

“Two
more of those, the living quarters, science vehicle, flatbed, the backup
hummer, the command hummer, and the pusher vehicle to go. Think they'll make
it?” Waters asked coming up beside them. Perry was busy pulling off the bottom
half of his lead suit.

“Hell
if I know. I hope so,” he grumbled. Ryans grimaced as he pulled his own suit
off then folded it and set it aside.

“Perimeter's
set. I've got a couple of eggheads who are breathing down my neck to get
started though,” Waters reported. He was man enough not to roll his eyes at
such stupidity.

“Tell
them they can wait a damn minute,” Ryans said as another truck appeared and
rumbled past. He pulled out his ball cap and put it on. “Shit,” he whispered as
the vortex wiggled back and forth then seemed to jump back even further than
before.

“Son
of a...” Waters said eying the vortex. “Well, you don't see that every day. And
if they don't get the lead out we're in trouble. If that thing leaves are we
going to lose our ticket home?” he asked suddenly flint eyed.

“Ah,
no idea Master Sergeant, I'll put the eggheads on it first chance we get,”
Ryans answered.

“Yeah,
you do that little thing,” Waters answered sarcastically, bobbing a head as the
last ma deuce truck rumbled past. “Least we've got our supplies,” he smiled grimly
waving. “And a bit more organized.” He waved to the team.

The
military people were out on perimeter. Max had Sergio Velenkov and Ben Jarvic
chaining the truck to the rear of a disabled Stryker to tow it clear. It looked
like they had the routine down now. People were starting to recover from the
transit, starting to think and react properly.

“Not
bad,” Perry nodded watching them.

“We
need mass, or a positive force behind the vortex, between the storm and it to
be precise,” Sydney the video tech and physicist said over the vox.

“Ah...
Not going to happen. No time,” Ryans said shaking his head as the research
vehicle rumbled through the vortex. “Four more to go. Come on...” He turned to
see Patterson.

The
slender brunette Corporal was bent over her equipment, intent on punching a
signal through. He sighed as she slapped at the box, clearly frustrated. That's
not a good sign he realized.

“When
all else fails hit it. That's not a good sign,” Perry muttered.

“Yeah,”
Ryans agreed with a nod. “I think we better get the rappelling gear out. And
someone ready in case of emergency,  Paramedic too.” He warned, looking at
Perry. Perry cocked his head looking away. He yelled something and then rushed
off to a knot of people arguing over getting into the research vehicle.

“Great,”
Ryans sighed. He touched his throat mike. “Patterson?” She looked up.

“Sorry
sir, no joy. I'm getting a signal out, but the interference is too incredible
to get a return so I can't tell if we're getting through or not, most likely
not. Batteries are weak too, the discharge must have...” She threw herself to
the ground as a bolt of energy slammed out from the vortex and struck the
antenna pointed at it. Her radio exploded in a shower of sparks and debris. “Damn
it!” she yelped slapping at the fire on her leg.

“Medic!”
Perry called turning to the explosion. The fight over the research vehicle
paused, and then people seemed a bit sheepish as they turned to watch or help.

“Better
move Patterson. NOW!” Ryans called as the habitat RV emerged and bounced along.
Patterson's eyes widened comically.

“Oh
shit!” she yelped, rolling to the side. The RV bounced a few more times, then
pitched to one side and rolled off to the left.

“Looks
like the driver's out of it,” Max called sounding disgusted. The RV was rolling
down the field, obviously a dead stick. She careened off of every rock, bush,
and pot hole. “I've got a Stryker going after it,” he reported and waved. A
Stryker moved off in the wake of the RV.

“Good,”
Perry nodded just as static burst over his radio. He winced, and then froze as
he caught the distorted voice of the lieutenant Colonel. From the sounds of it
the Colonel wasn't happy about not getting a sitrep.

He
touched his hand to the mike. “Sir come in. This is Perry ah, alpha five come
in six. You’re breaking up.” He looked around then to the vortex. The flat bed
passed but no one was really paying attention to it.

His
heart flew to his throat as he saw the vortex creep over the edge. “Come in,
urgent six. Do
NOT
I repeat. DO
NOT
cross over.
Danger
!
Portal is in the air!” he called. “ABORT! ABORT!”

“Shit
he can't hear me.” He looked around suddenly frantic. “What the hell can we
do?”

“Stop
dithering and start planning for one,” Ryans said standing next to him.
“Gunnery Sergeant, you've got rappelling duty. Assemble a team and get a hummer
with a winch to the cliff edge next to the vortex ASAP! That means yesterday!”
he yelled, touching his mike and forgetting it would carry his voice to the
others.

He
turned on the knot of scientists who were either looking around or at him in
concern. “You lot prep for wounded. Study later. Survive now!” he yelled
waving. They exploded in different directions. “Doc... ah, Doc Carter, set up
for...”

“Possible
wounded. I gathered that already the first two times you said it,” Carter's
voice replied dryly coming over the radio. “We're getting it done.”

“No...”
Perry breathed. Ryans turned to him. “Shit,” Perry muttered. Ryans turned from
looking at the now cussing lieutenant to the vortex. The vortex was about two
meters away from the cliff, sinking slowly. “No freaking way,” Perry said
running to the cliff edge. The next hummer passed him, clipping the edge of the
cliff and throwing itself up into the air before rebounding and bouncing down
the burnt landing strip. Its front end was a bit chewed up.

Perry
felt a force slam him to the ground. He bit his tongue and scraped his chin. He
opened his eyes to see the air above him purple and glowing. He rolled enough
to look back to see Ryans holding his legs. The air crackled and sizzled around
them.

“You
can thank or yell at me later,” Ryans said getting up warily watching the
vortex. Perry looked up as well.