Sons of Abraham: Pawns of Terror (17 page)

He held his breath and pulled back on the controls as far as they would go. The wheels spun for a second before catching traction, just before the tank surged backward. The cockpit still hanging on the back of the tank crashed into the quarter wall as the pair broke free from the wall. Bearden swung the controls to the left, forcing the back end of the tank into the wall. He pushed forward, dragging the cockpit against the walls as the tank charged forward. Sparks flew as the harrier circled around, lining up its next shot just as the cockpit of the fallen harrier broke free from the back of the tank. The vehicle surged forward as Bearden struggled to maintain control, swerving left and right, trying to avoid the wall to his left.

The harrier fired a missile that found the spot where the tank had previously occupied. The ground below the rear tires exploded upwards, driving the nose of the tank into the ground. The wheels continued to spin as the tank moved forward, blinding the forward cameras with sand. The rear tires returned to the ground as Bearden pulled the stick to the right, diving away from the hallway that was breaking out in front of his path. The harrier continued to circle around, keeping itself away from the turret that was still pointed backward.

Bearden calculated his path, swinging the vehicle around to the right as he aimed for the rock formations that were scattered around the facility. The harrier was directly overhead as he swung around the first formation that jutted twenty feet above the ground. The harrier fired at the rocks, sending debris crashing down on top of the tank as it passed the collapsing formation.

Janys reached Central, thankful that the doorway hadn’t collapsed under the impact of two mortar shells. Bits of the walls and ceiling had fallen, forcing her to climb over the burning wreckage. She slid down a long piece of the roof, her feet failing to catch a grip on the floor as she slid into a pile of bodies, burned beyond her recognition. She ignored the gruesome display, finding her feet and continuing on her journey. Her feet reached the metal grating of the hallway as shots ricocheted off the wall to her left.

She swung around and ducked as more shots sailed over her head. She saw the soldier, pinned beneath the rubble of the collapsed roof, his upper body sticking out with a rifle in his hand. She took aim and squeezed the trigger. Three shots burst from the tip of the gun, the first and second breaching the man’s skull as his face exploded from the impact. She turned and continued on her way, forcing her aching muscles to return to a jog.

She was thankful that the turn came up quicker than she’d anticipated as she hung at right at the crossroad and continued down the next hallway. She estimated that another half-mile of halls remained before she would make the final turn. Janys hadn’t a clue what the defensive turrets would offer her, but hope was all she had left at the moment, forcing her to continue forward.

Bearden swung the tank left, aiming to pass under an archway of rock as the harrier fired two more missiles. The shots fell on both sides of the tank, a little closer than the Sargent cared for as the hull bent inwards, the screen of the forward cameras blanked out once more for the debris and sand. He took a deep breath and held the controls true, hoping that he wouldn’t smash into the rocks that lay before him. At this speed, he doubted he would survive the impact of a head-on collision, but it was better than taking a direct hit from the harrier.

The screen cleared, showing him that he’d cleared the hole between the rocks. The tank hit a hill, the tires hanging in mid-air for a second before the vehicle crashed down, bottoming out against the ground. He slid forward in his seat but managed to keep the controls steady as he swung the controls to the left. The tank slid, skidding outwards in an arch as the nose of the tank went left. He swung to the right, sending the tank into a drift. The right side of the tank grazed a rock, but the damaged hull managed to take the impact. The blow straightened out his path, sending the tank forward once more. In the distance, he could see the defense turrets, their guns aimed down to keep sand from pouring into the barrels. All he could do was pray that she made it safe and in time.

Janys made the last turn, heading down the lone hallway to the defense turrets. She jumped over the bottom frame of the open door, her rifle lifted and ready. A sigh of relief escapes her chest as she saw no one in the room. She slung the rifle over her shoulder and brought the controls to the turrets to life. The screen told her the system was rebooting, forcing her to swear aloud as she watched the bar fill, left to right. Her mind told her that only a few seconds passed as the system recalibrated from the power down, but she had no way of knowing if those seconds were desperately needed or not. The system came alive as she brought up the turrets.

Bearden smiled as the turrets from the facility lifted up and slowly swung to his direction. A deep breath was filling his lungs as the ground exploded in front of him. The screen died as he realized the shot had destroyed the front cameras, leaving him blind. He thought back to his last image, trying to remember where the next rock formation lied. The defensive turrets had a gap of around thirty yards, then a long line of rock, thirty feet high. He pulled a little right on the controls, trying to ease his way around the rock formation. He swore to himself as he was unable to remember how long the formation was. He swung the controls further to the right, decided it was best to be safe than sorry. The tank swerved to the right as he pressed the controls forward, not wanting to take another missile like the last one.

Warning……Warning…..Proximity Alert……

“What now?!” he moaned, looking at the useless screen.

Now reaching end of gravitational field………Warning…….Warning…….

“Oh, that’s nice,” he mumbled.

Janys locked in on the harrier and fired two rockets. The turrets launched as she watched the smoke trail chase after the hovering aircraft. The shots exploded, one in the cockpit, the other in the tail as the harrier was ripped to pieces, sending debris and fire cascading to the ground. She slammed the panel in joy, just as she watched the tank lift off the ground.

Bearden heard the blast overheard, but the empty shell floating next to him was the biggest concern he faced at the moment. He’d pulled back all the way on the controls, but the tires had already lifted from the ground as he passed the end of the gravity field. He slammed his fist on the black screen, daring it to come back to life.

“Well, I’m fucked,” he snapped.

“Sarge, come in!” the speaker inside the tank cracked.

He looked around the inside of the vehicle as his butt lifted off the seat. He grabbed the edge to avoid smacking his already aching head on the overhead support beam. His eyes went left, seeing the radio that the empty shell had crashed into when the first harrier slammed into them. He flung himself towards the radio, frantically hitting the button on the cracked screen.

“Jan…..” she heard through her speaker.

The visual of the empty shell whizzing past her and slamming into the screen of the radio returned to her memory, putting a pit in her stomach. She took a deep breath, deciding to be thankful that he was able to hear her at all.

“Sarge, you need to fire your front guns, now!” she snapped.

Bearden heard the request, but it was heavily broken. His mind thought through what she had said, applying the keywords to his predicament. He was sailing forward and up though he had no clue how far he’d traveled past the barrier, nor how far off the ground he was. He pieced it together and pulled himself to the controls, his feet dangling out behind him. He pulled the triggers as the high-caliber machine guns shot out. His nose nearly touched the screen as the tank stopped moving forward. He held the trigger down, but couldn’t tell if he was gaining any ground.

“Lay off!” she shouted over the speaker. “Conserve your ammo Sarge. You’re not moving forward anymore, but you’re not going backward either.”

This time, the message came in through the speaker, perfectly clear. He pulled himself to the floor, then over to where the ammo was loaded into the front machine guns. The boxes of five-inch shells, was over half empty, deepening the pit in his stomach.

“I got an idea,” she continued. “Only fire the front left machine gun. Don’t move your ammo to the left gun yet, though, you might need it to straighten yourself out.”

Bearden pulled himself back to the controls and pulled the left trigger. The gun fired as he squeezed and released a few times, trying to look over and keep an eye on his ammo reserves. He had no clue if it was working or not, so he waited for further instructions.

“Okay, you’re at one o’clock now, fire one more burst, and make it quick, you’re still going up,” she continued.

He squeezed the left trigger twice, but only the first squeeze resulted in the gun firing. He swung back to his left, seeing the empty container below the floor. He tried to recall everything he knew about gravity. If the tank was turning, then it should continue to turn without any more firing from the left gun.

“Alright, that outta do it,” she continued. “You’re getting pretty high up now, so I need you to listen and do everything exactly when I tell you. When I say, I want you to fire the right cannon for three quick burst. Then, I want you to go to the back and fire the turret as many times and you can. After that, I’ll shout for you to strap yourself in. You’re getting pretty high, so move your ass. Ready? Fire!!!”

Bearden squeezes the right trigger. Once, twice, and then the third time. He was already moving to the back of the tank when Janys came back onto the speaker.

“Fire the turret!!!” she screamed.

He lunged towards the back, sailing weightlessly across the vehicle, the controls to the turret drawing nearer. His aim was off, forcing him to reach out with his right hand, his fingers barely curling around the base of the controls. His feet swung around, his fingers threatened to lose their grip. He reached out with his left hand and squeezed the trigger. The shot erupted from the turret as the empty shell shot towards the floor, bounced off the corner, and flew towards him. He managed to bat it away as he squeezed the trigger again. The cannon fired, but the empty casing got stuck, mid-ejection. The first empty shell sailed to the front of the tank, but he had no way of knowing if it meant the tank was moving back to the gravity field or not.

“Strap in!!!” she yelled.

With his mind already made up, he pulled himself into the empty chair for the turret and pulled the shoulder harnesses over his arms. They were heavily padded pieces on an upside-down ‘U’, fitting a little too snug against his massive frame. He pulled the belt from the base of the seat, drew out as much slack as he could manage, and snapped it shut over his lap.

“Just hang tight Sarge,” she continued. “The turret was still pointed up, so you’re coming down and towards the gravity field at the same time. I can’t tell when you’ll start to fall, so just stay ready.”

He wished he could talk back to her, but the screen was too far away for him to hit the button. His mind poured over everything he would say, but none of it seemed fitting. She’d saved his life more than once today. If she got him through this, his ass was hers. He laughed at the thought, wondering if she’d ever want that offer. She did kiss him, after all, but she probably assumed he was going to die.

The shells floating in mid-air kept his mind occupied. They were all slowly spinning, inching their way towards the ceiling. He had no way of knowing if he was descending fast enough, but he was certain fate would see him through. There was no way in hell he’d survived everything today, just to die from falling. He was about to pray when the spinning, floating shells stopped rising up. He held his breath and watched as the shells slowly came downwards. He’d reached the edge of the gravity field.

Janys watched the screen, praying the tank would drop another twenty feet before the gravity kicked in. By her guess, he was still thirty or forty feet in the air. She closed her eyes, her mouth moving as she begged God to see the Sargent through this. She opened her eyes, only to see the tank falling face first to the ground. It crashed into the sand, tumbling onto its top as Janys raced back down the hallway.

Her feet were light, but her mind told her to run faster as she headed towards the south wing. She ran through the cafeteria, the man she’d brutally murdered still lying face up, his face unrecognizable. She grazed the doorway to the kitchen with her shoulder but managed to make the sharp turn as she turned sideways and slid out the exterior exit. The sand slammed her body as she sprinted towards the garage. To her right, she noted a few of the dead bodies from earlier, now partially buried in the sandstorm. She shoved her way through the door to the garage and made straight for the cutting torch. The long shaft, cord, and portable power cell was meant to be carried on a cart, but the wheels would only get stuck in the sand. She threw her rifle over her shoulder, grabbed the entire ensemble, and headed over to the last rover available.

The engine fired to life as she wheeled through the hole the tank had made. The pulled hard on the wheel, lined up her destination the best she could, and slammed on the accelerator. The rover screamed to life as the six wheels tore through the sand. It took twenty minutes to reach the wreckage, barely visible through the sand that had piled on top of the upturned tank.

She slammed on the brakes, killed the motor, and dove through the back hatch to the cargo hold. Her fingers clutched the cutting torch as she jumped out of the back, stomping through sand up to her shin, and made her way to the tank.