The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell (143 page)

  “Joseph B. Dawson.” The individual responded.

  “Why that name?” Martinez asked.

  “He’d served. I served. It’s all know.” JB Dawson responded.

  “Then lead the way sir.” Martinez responded.

  “What is your experience in dealing with these machines?” JB Dawson asked Martinez after they came across the machines protecting the Golem.

  “Attack, or be attack. Ignore, or be ignore.” Martinez responded.

  “I need a diversion.  I want each of you to create a choke-point at the following coordinates. My reason for thinking is that we must get these people outta here.” JB Dawson responded.

  “Understood sir.” Martinez responded.

  Martinez, Jaguar 42R and Viper 33X found themselves in a death battle. Everything change when JB Dawson came to their rescue with reinforcements. It took time but the four of them was able to achieve their objective. Nevertheless, getting this group out of the factory was no easy task. Despite the pain of the difficulties the four of them was able to collect Intel (indirectly) and get everybody out.

  “I want the three of you to head out first.” JB Dawson mentioned. The four of them was standing near the opening that will lead them to the outside.

  “What about the guns?” Viper 33X asked.

  “Don’t deviate twenty feet from this point. We are in it’s blind spot.” JB Dawson responded.

  “We have friendlies!” Martinez mentioned loudly when he got near to Wilcox’s line. The media was simply shellshock when they saw who those friendlies were. But they also loved it.

  “How did you subdue these monsters!?” A reporter shouted at Martinez.

  “First of all let me inform you that they are not monsters! Do not be deceived for the EOD will never admit to it, but contained within their so-call genetic monstrosities is a human! And with this group of individuals, yes you heard me correctly, we will be a force that will take down the EOD! Please, I beg of you, do not dishonor me, look upon these individuals the same way that I do! As a friend! Do not look upon them as anything less! For I do believe that I will not be here without them! They are my… friend!” Martinez shouted back. He’d climbed on top a nearby news van in order to give the speech. It was quite intimidating to see him standing with those creatures.

  “Martinez… you never fail to amaze me.” Ramirez said as he was coming near.

  “Oh my god. Sir, you made it out.” Martinez responded.

  “Where’s the rest of our team?” Jaguar 42R asked.

  “Ask the Golems. Yet again one of them left and went on it’s own way.” Wexler responded.

  “Hey sir, if you don’t mind me asking you, but what is your name?” Ramirez asked JB Dawson.

  “Anything other than Dawson. What do you want Lieutenant Commander?” The creature asked Ramirez. Whatever he should be called (JB Dawson that is.), he was eating.

  “Lenkov’s contacts sent me Kronos and…” Ramirez was saying.

  “What!?” JB Dawson responded out of shock.

  “Yes sir. But it is in it’s neutral state. I know that they want me do something with it, but alas I have no idea as to what. I was hoping that you might have an idea.”

  “We have to assume that they already know about the Golems. So it must be related to them.”

  “That’s what I was thinking sir. But I don’t see how it, let alone the program that Sayaka left us could defeat the Golems.”

  “And what is that program?”

  “It is nothing more than a hacking tool in a nutshell.”

  “Now I can see the dilemma that you are in. I wish that I could help you… but alas… I cannot. I have to keep my people alive. But I do believe that we have a far more pressing problem on our hands.”

  “Wilcox?” Ramirez asked.

  “Yes. From what I could gather from his record… he is a far better ship captain than a ground one. We must, or should I say you must, avoid him.”

  “Not an easy thing to do sir.”

  “He hates the media. He calls them vultures. That’s how you avoid him.”

  “So what do you think will be the outcome of when the Golems attack?” Ramirez asked.

  “Don’t ask. It’s a another reason why you and your team should avoid Wilcox. He is a good leader if someone is throwing a hand grenade at him.”

  “Any ideas on the other captains from RTF Group Tactical SC-15?”

  “Yeah… either one of them should be here and not Wilcox. Don’t worry about them… Lieutenant Commander… they are a fully capable commander. A great deal of blood and treasure will be lost but somehow the Golems will be defeated.”

  “Thank you sir. I wish you and your people the best of luck.” Ramirez stated as he saluted his officer and then left.

  Ellis already had experience in dealing with Renegades. He encountered them at least three times and he’d freed them. Ramirez, like Wexler, never encountered them. Everyone knew that they exist but not that many people ever encountered them. The media was having a field day in asking (annoying) this new group of individuals. All of Golden Hyperion was watching as the media (vultures) was asking their questions to this new group of individuals.

  “Just what is your attention in dealing with the people of this world!?” The reporter asked one of the Demon Xs.

  “What!? Just what in the hell are you talking about?” The Demon X responded.

  “Your kind brought a lot of death and destruction to this world and…”

  The Demon X then scuffed and walked off. The way that everybody was looking at them told these Renegades that humans will always see them as nothing more than monsters. They were created to be a killing machine from a heartless cold institution. The genetic drift within them will always guarantee that they will never be able to breed. They have no hope for a future other than that of death. Humans know that and don’t really care about them. They are nothing more than bullets coming out of a rifle. So who cares if that bullet doesn’t hit it’s target.

(26)

  “I do believe that we have achieved our mission. Now let’s get outta here.” Taylor mentioned.

  “It’s about time.” Coté responded.

  As the three of them got near any of the airplanes, helicopters or even ground vehicles the Golem’s protectors drove them back. Unfortunately they just couldn’t simply walk off the base nor acquire a vehicle. They were trapped with no way to get out. The base defensives in that sector was still trying to target them. They could see the robotic targeting eye looking at them. They had no explosives to take out those defensives. If only those damn Golems would let them have one single vehicle. Just one, any one would do. They were more than willing being shot down than to stay on that airbase a moment longer. They had no food, just energy tablets. For the past two days that’s all that they had. (Actually for at least ten days they were on a reduced diet since they only had enough food for four days.) And they were running through those energy tablets left and right.

  “Oh my god! A drone! It’s one of ours!” Nakada shouted out, out of joy.

  The drone then flew lower and circled overhead three times denoting that the pilot saw them. Help will come, but when they do not know. They just had to hold out until help arrived and it came in the form of artillery bombardment of the base defensives. It went on for quite some time for entire day to be exact. But most of the shots were missing their targets due to being thrown off course by the base counter measures.

(27)

  “What? Did you noticed our captain?” Ramirez asked the pilot who was controlling the drone.

  “No sir.”

  “Take another look at the Golem.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Shit.” Ramirez said slightly under his breath when he realized that there was only one.

  Ramirez then left to inform the rest of his team. In the distance they could see Wilcox’s command HQ that he’d set up. All the other captains (including JB Dawson who now wants to be called simply Captain Red) was there discussing any and all possible tactics. Ramirez thinking about the fact that the rest of Task Force ZH-3C has no food, decided to go and tell those captains of his idea on mounting a rescue mission. (He already knew what they would say: no. But he had to ask anyway.) As he got near he could tell that they were in a dispute concerning each other’s tactics.

  “Sirs, I hate to bother each of you, but the rest of my team was discovered at the airbase. I would like to mount a rescue mission to exfiltrate them. One of the Golems is there and I didn’t notice where the other one is. I do believe that my captain is pursuing that one.”

  “Hold on one moment Lieutenant Commander.” Captain Red responded.

  “Then our suspicions are confirmed.” Captain Peterson mentioned.

  “What about the transport ships in orbit?” Captain Wilcox asked.

  “Since the elites of this world is caring more about their own selfish interest we should give them something to think about. The old EOD saying ‘blood is for spilling’ comes to mind. We must inform the media that for the good of this world we are taking over. Any transport ships attempting to land will be destroyed. Any elites who is deem an enemy to this world will have all assets siege. Those who resist shall be taken down.” Captain Brunner responded.

  “And who will take them down might I ask?” Captain Red asked.

  “I will. I do have the training.” Captain Brunner responded.

  “Begging the pardon, but you’re not that good.” Captain Red responded.

  “But you are better at infiltration and sabotage. Isn’t that, combine with using as many air vehicles as possible, is what it is going to take in order to destroy the airbase?” Captain Brunner asked.

  “I see where you are going with this. We, the Renegades, go in to take down the vehicles so that the Golems can’t use them and…” Captain Red was saying.

  “Now hold on a minute!” Captain Brunner interrupted him stated.

  “No, you hold on a minute!”

  “I will not! You won’t let me explain!”

  “No it’s you who won’t let me explain!”

  “Goddamn it will you let me explain!  The crew of…!”

  “I know what you are going to say and I already knew it! Now let me finish what I was going to say!” Captain Red shouted.

  “You know I’m starting to get a headache with the two of you arguing all the time.” Wilcox said with a sigh that shows that he was getting sick and tired of it.

  “Captain Red, please continue with what you were going to say.” Captain Peterson added.

  “We, the genetically grown monsters of the EOD, have no real future other than that of death on the battlefield. Don’t believe me? Ask Jaguar and Viper how they see their future. Even if we can breed it doesn’t mean that it would lead to us becoming a far more populace. Let us die with dignity, not as the monsters that we are called, but rather as a Renegade. Isn’t that what this world is becoming? A world filled with a growing number of people who is rebelling against the EOD? I will lead the charge. But I doubt that you, or this world, will ever see any of us again.” Captain Red stated. He then got up and left to prepare his people.

(28)

  Vaistll was recovering from her hangover. She now remembers how much she hated being drunk. It was effecting her ability to perform her duties. Throwing up and feeling miserable and knowing that is what alcohol does. It is a mind altering drug, a depressant. She is lucky that she never had the craving for it like some of her old friends back home on her home world. She is starting to realize that this will be her last mission one way or the other. Death before dishonor for her rage at being drunk was giving her the strength to take on the Golem.

  She pursued the Golem to the best of her abilities vomiting and drinking water so that she can get that nasty poison out her system. While moaning because of the misery and the depression that the alcohol was causing her to feel, not having the energy to continue, she finally realized a certain truth about the Golem. It has a military grade tactical computer straight from a starship. And like an AI opponent from the game of chess, it can’t think. It can only out calculate.

  She found a cafeteria and stayed there for a while trying her best to overcome the effects of alcohol. After she finally overcome the effects from her binge drinking, she stood up and started to feel freer than before. This lone trooper, as old as she is, as tough as she is, finally found her peace in life. She was able to think more clearly than before. And she realized where the Golem was heading: to the base data center. It contained all of the codes that the Golem would need. It was a tactic. It was a calculation pure and simple on the part of the Golem.

  She raced ahead as fast as she could to the data center. She would set traps to slow down the Golem. Using it’s strength to out calculate against it. In order to solve the trap the Golem must think. She had to work fast and hard. A strange joy overtook her as she was outwitting her enemy.

(29)

  “Oh my god. The whole universe came.” Coté responded as she stood there in sheer awe at the total number of air vehicles coming to the base.