The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell (121 page)

  “Yes sir.”

(19)

  “Oh shit! It found us! Everyone take cover!” Grumett yelled at everyone. They were being tracked by a EOD Robotic Enforcement Drone. It had only one simple program – kill all retreating personnel who don’t have authorization to do so. It’s one reason why the EOD forces are just so damn tough. Lenkov never had the chance to deactivate them. Maxwell left it up to Grumett and she forgot. And now she has no way to do it even if she wanted to.

  “I thought that damn thing was supposed to have been deactivated.” One of the AWOL personnel said under his breath. Everyone looked at Grumett.

  “I… I um… I must have…” Grumett was responding.

  “Here it comes.” The same AWOL personnel responded through his teeth.

  “We have to shoot that fucker down.” A Petty Officer – Third Class mentioned. Everyone knew that is far easier said than done.

  “Oh God! I was the one who activated it. Procedures.” The Petty Officer – First Class mentioned.

  “That’s okay ma’am. It happens.” The Senior Crewman responded.

  “Oh shit it detected us!” The Crewman shouted out. He then opened fire only to be cut down. It also release three heavy robotic gunners. The bird then moved into flanking position to prevent them from escaping. Anyone who got near was cut down.

  “Take up defensive positions!” Grumett ordered everyone.

  Rather it is the bird or the three ground robots the defenders had their work cut out from them. They knew that these wretched robots will not quit until every one of them is dead. But unfortunately these robots was designed to take on hundreds of deserters. Worse still they have the most advanced combat AI ever conceived. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Hastati Sector (weapons control system) on The Hammer of Doom is running on emergency mode (like so much of the ship) then the ship would still be in control of them. Lenkov would have known what is going on and deactivated them.

  Fifty-seven of the AWOL personnel made the mistake of doing a flanking attack. Three of them was killed outright and another four was wounded. The remaining fifty took cover and started to return fire. In an effort to protect them from the bird twenty-five personnel opened fire upon it. The mechanical bird was able to kill eighteen of them before it broke off in an effort to change tactics. The rest of the personnel was wounded. Seeing an opportunity seventy-six personnel rushed one all in an effort to take up a strong defensive position. Unfortunately for them twenty-three was killed before they could reach the position. What’s more, another eight was wounded and could not be rescued. And that only left one more of the damn robot monsters to engage.

  “Ma’am… we got one more of them to deal with and…” The personnel was informing Grumett. A shell landed nearby throwing up dirt everywhere. “…we have no way to take up a strong defensive position! What are your orders!?”

  “We need to lure it to a strong defensive position!” Grumett responded.

  “And how do you propose that!?”

  “First we need to engage that damn fucking vulture! Then find a strong defensive position and then figure out the rest!”

  For the next ten minutes they tried their best to engage the vulture but it wouldn’t take the bait. And then three Chief Petty Officers had the idea to flank it and get it in the crossfire. But it took them five minutes and seven lives with four wounded before they could get into position. In that same length of time the last remaining machine was trying to flank the group. Maybe it “knew” what they were trying to do and was trying to stop them. But as Sayaka would have put it, ‘who knows what the algorithm could, or couldn’t, come up with. You’re not dealing with real intelligence.’ Nevertheless it made it harder upon them to take that position.

  “Ma’am… we are not able to acquire the defensive position! What are your orders!?” The personnel asked Grumett. She was starting to feel depressed because she was blaming herself for this.

  “For our own salvation we must distract it so that other’s may take their defensive position! I am so sorry for not deactivating them! But please understand that I was dealing with a bunch of psychos who didn’t care about life or death! I’m sorry! But we need to do our job in an effort to get away! Lenkov does not know what we are going through! If he did then he would stop them and let us go! I need you to come with me so that we can give others the chance to get away! Are you, or are you not with me!?” Grumett shouted to them. She had to shout to them because one: the machines were disrupting their helmet communications and two: the sounds of battle.

  Grumett led the charge against the final machine with 120 personnel. By the time her assault was over fifty-six of her personnel was dead and the rest, along with Grumett, was wounded. Grumett herself, took a round to her right hip which shattered her pelvic bone. After she fell she still return fire all in an effort to give her people the chance to stop it from further advancing. By that point in time there was 107 dead and, along with Grumett, 88 wounded. Nevertheless it allow her personnel to finally secure the strong defensive position. And now the only thing that they could do is wait. Wait for what? They didn’t even know.

(20)

  Mazzinghi watched in horror as the enemy rushed through the defensive positions and begin their assault upon the lab complex. Lenkov’s defensives was pointless by this point in time and Mazzinghi realized that if something is not done he will die there. And so he cried out to Captain Iverson for help and the Captain informed him that he will wait for the help and that he (Iverson) is no miracle worker. It took almost seven hours before Iverson return back to the system. Of course Iverson got as close to the action as he could all in an effort to get Captain Maxwell back into the action as soon as possible. But it will take three-and-a-half hours before Maxwell will arrive at the lab complex.

  “What the fuck is going on here Peter?” Maxwell asked Mazzinghi after he finally arrived at the lab complex. Maxwell was drunk.

  “What does it look like? The enemy is attacking and Grumett, along with 500 personnel, just went AWOL.” Mazzinghi responded.

  “What!?” Captain Maxwell said. He was in no mood to deal with such indifference.

  “Well it’s true… she did.”

  “And the enforcement drones?”

  “They’re tracking them down.”

  “You did know that Lenkov did not wanted that to happen? Didn’t you?”

  “Well yes but…”

  “Chief Petty Officer!” Maxwell ordered him.

  “Now look I’m still the…!” Mazzinghi was saying.

  “Kill him.” Maxwell ordered the officer.

  “Now hold on a minute…!” It was Mazzinghi last words before he was shot to death.

  “Deactivate those damn things!” Maxwell ordered to his second-in-command. It took fifteen minutes before Maxwell got a hold of Grumett. The AWOL personnel kept on telling him that they were doing all that that could in finding her.

  “Sir you wanted to talk to me?” Grumett asked Maxwell.

  “How’s your people?”

  “Sir we have 107 killed and, including myself, 88 wounded.”

  “Understood. I have a message from Lenkov to all of you. ‘Citizens. You are dismissed. God speed.’ Maxwell over and out.”

  “And the enforcement drones?”

  “As you wish.”

  Grumett had her personnel destroy those enforcement drones. It was bitter sweet for all of them. Half of them upon learning that Mazzinghi was dead decided to return back to the lab complex. They had that much respect for both Lenkov and Maxwell. And the rest? They wanted to get their wounded comrades to safety before it was too late.

(21)

  The ZXC heavy attack ships, along with the infiltration ship, finally arrived at Golden Hyperion. It should be noted that the lead Captain knew Sayaka about a year before she met Lenkov. That Captain became obsessed with her. He even went so far as to join the EOD just to get near her. He was never in a relationship with her but that’s not what he told everyone. Lenkov heard of the rumor and, although there was enough information not to believe it, there was also what appeared to him at that time period information to support it. Lenkov started to believe it and started to let her go (not to pursue her that is) but all of that change when five days later after he heard the rumor Sayaka came out and dispelled it. If she had waited two to three days later Lenkov would have fully let her go. Yes Lenkov wanted her for a few years before he finally ended up with her, but unlike Vaughan, Lenkov was not obsessed with her. That was proven by his willingness to let her go. It was all fate and now fate is showing just how cruel it can be.

  “This is Captain Iverson, it’s about time Captain Levine that you and your ships got here. We can really use your assistance.”

  “Oh… you were going by my alias. My real name is Captain Vaughan. Lincoln “Mark 13” Vaughan. I think Sayaka knows who I am.”

  “You’re going to have to give me a moment to check up on that.” Captain Iverson responded. It took five minutes before Vaughan got his response – Sayaka attempted to hack his fleet.

  “This is Captain Vaughan… you can tell Sayaka that I know all of her dirty little tricks. And when I’m done with that dirty little whore she will feel my big hard dick in her soft little ass.” Vaughan was saying. Sayaka then used the TIA starbase between both ships that constitute The Hammer of Doom to block all communication with Captain Vaughan to his fleet.

  “This is Fleet Captain Lenkov to the ZXC fleet… you will report in or I will issue your termination orders! Captain Easton report!”

  “Here sir!” Captain Easton reported in.

  “Captain Irwin report!”

  “Here sir!” Captain Irwin reported in.

  “Captain DeVore report!”

  “Here sir!” Captain DeVore reported in.

  “Be advise that by Captain Vaughan using an alias instead of his real name he has lost all command over you!” Lenkov informed them.

  “Sir that will be problematic since he is commanding the infiltration ship.” Captain Irwin responded. That pissed off Lenkov.

  “Understood. I’m putting your fleet under the command of Captain Maxwell.”

  “Understood sir.”

  “Captain Maxwell report!”

  “Yes Fleet Captain!”

  “You are urgently needed to command the ZXC fleet in orbit above Golden Hyperion. The name of Captain Levine was nothing more than a ruse. We are dealing with Lincoln “Mark 13” Vaughan. He is in command of the infiltration ship. We need the Dragon Clones to infiltrate and neutralize the enemy. What is their status?”

  “They are currently doing air support sir.”

  “Take them off. We need them to infiltrate the infiltration ship.”

  “Yes sir.” Maxwell responded. He knew that it was a death sentence for the ground forces but he, like the Dragon Clones themselves, knew that they had no other choice. They had to do it.

(22)

  “What the hell is going on up there?” The reporter asked Grumett who just arrived at the hospital. She was in no mood to deal with these vultures.

  “And what do you have to say about the reports that both Lenkov and Omori are dead?” Another one asked her. Although on film it look like Grumett was in pain, it was more like the pain of listening in on these reporters opining about what is going on.

  “How many more people must die before help comes to our rescue?” Another reporter asked.

  “Is this world still under EOD control?” The reporter asked.

  “What!? No! No it isn’t!” Grumett shouted back. She knew that neither Lenkov nor Maxwell would care about that statement. Besides it serves their purpose. But that one single comment created a media firestorm which would affect the whole world. It forced everyone to finally accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, the EOD was no longer in control of that world.

(23)

  “You know…” It was Captain Iverson. He really upset both Lenkov and Omori by coming over to The Hammer of Doom. “…the media is under the suspicion that both of you are dead.”

  “That’s okay. It only adds to our mystique.” Sayaka responded.

  “So why did you come here?” Lenkov asked him. Iverson was still in the hangar.

  “Because of Vaughan.” Iverson responded.

  “Come again?” Lenkov responded.

  “I knew that he could hack any communications that I sent to you. And I wanted to come over to talk to both of you in private.” Iverson mentioned.

  “Other than needlessly risking your life, what did you wanted to talk about?” Sayaka asked him.

  “Any Intel that you may have on Captain Vaughan that may assist my crew and I in our efforts in assisting you  in defeating him.”

  “I’m thirteen years younger than Joseph who is eight years older than Vaughan. Who is fat, gross, perverted, moronic, and thus… It’s not surprising that he would become obsess with me. He’s a loser. What more can I say?” Sayaka responded.

  “I understand now how to deal with him. How are the two of you holding out?”