Swords Of Exodus Part 34

She spoke through gritted teeth. "We are Exodus."

"Yeah, now get your a.s.s back to the chopper before you pa.s.s out," I ordered. She shook her head, being stubborn. I saw Roland standing nearby. The man that he was trying to help had just stopped breathing. "Roland! Get Svetlana back to the chopper." He quickly complied, helped her to her feet, grabbed her sniper rifle, and half-escorted, half-carried her back in the direction we had come from.

Ibrahim sprinted up to the pit. Behind him was the a.s.sault team, each of them carrying climbing rope, tools, and explosives. The doors of the silo itself had been designed to withstand a nuclear war and would take hours to break through, so they were going to go down the same shaft I'd used when I had visited before, but they'd probably still have to cut through multiple blast doors to reach Jihan's quarters.

I noticed for the first time that in addition to his stubby .308, Ibrahim also had a sword on his belt, an actual friggin' scimitar, and it looked like an antique, complete with rubies on the hilt. I had to admit, these guys had style. The Exodus commander surveyed his men as they circled the top of the silo. He spoke when he saw me. "Lorenzo, take your team and get your brother. I will be out of contact from here on out. Fajkus is now leading the operation." He was very somber. "G.o.dspeed, my friend."

I nodded once, then went after Bob.

Chapter 21: Poor Life Choice.

VALENTINE.

The Dam March 25th The interior of the dam was dark and smoky. Many of the lights had been shot out in the firefight. I pulled a small flashlight from my vest and used it to help me navigate.

The narrow corridors were filled with the low-pitched hum of the dam's turbines. Above that, voices echoed throughout the structure. Scattered Exodus personnel hurried to and fro, carrying supplies and moving the wounded. An aid station had been set up just inside the doorway. A pair of medics tended to the wounded and covered the dead.

I ran into Ling in the upper level of the dam, almost literally, as she and another Exodus operative were hurrying the other way. "Michael!" She threw her arms around me and embraced me tightly, for just a moment. My slung rifle clattered against the SIG 551 that hung from her shoulder. The air was cold but she was warm.

The other Exodus operative maintained a poker face and said nothing. Ling stepped back, blushing slightly, and cleared her throat. "I was worried when you didn't arrive with us."

"I got left at the truck crash."

"As I feared. And your driver?"

"Yeah, the kid didn't make it," I said. "His name was Paolo."

Ling closed her eyes for just a moment, and took a deep breath. "There is no time to mourn now. We must hurry. The raid on Sala Jihan's main compound is well underway. I just heard Ibrahim on the radio, they're about to breach Jihan's personal quarters. Come with me," she said, and I followed her back outside.

"What kind of nutjob lives at the bottom of a missile silo?" I asked, as we stepped back out into the night air. "And how much longer until the explosives are in place?"

"Not long," Ling replied, before shouting orders to some other personnel in Mandarin.

"How will you be initiating it?"

"Two ways. We're going to have time-fuse as a backup. Our primary means of initiation will be radio. We'll spool a firing wire out to the surface, hooked to a receiver, as we withdraw across the dam. It's redundant."

That was good. If for whatever reason this huge demo shot misfired, it was very unlikely we'd be able to get in, fix the problem, and get back out alive. We only had one shot and Exodus was leaving as little to chance as possible.

Ling changed the subject. "I'm glad that you're well, I truly am. We need every able body we can find now."

That sounded ominous. "What's happening?"

"Reinforcements are coming from the mines."

I closed my eyes tightly and sighed. It wasn't exactly a surprise, but it was far from good news. "How many?"

"Many. Lorenzo's man has a small drone that is tracking them with thermal cameras. They're on their way here now. I don't know what's happening. The Montalban Exchange's mercenaries do not seem to have begun their attack on the garrison in town."

"That's not good. How are things going at the fortress?"

"I have no news of Mr. Lorenzo, if that's what you're asking. Though no one has called me to tell me that he is dead. So far, all seems to be going according to plan there."

"How long do we have?" I asked.

"Maybe ten minutes, fifteen if we're very fortunate. I need you to help me get everything organized up here. Katsumoto is down below with our engineers and demolitions men, supervising the final placement and priming of the explosives. Right where he should be, as that is the primary mission. I have been charged with holding the line up here until we are ready to leave."

"Is there any chance that we can get out of here before they get to the road at the bottom of the hill and cut us off?"

"That is the hope," she said. "But it is not likely."

"We'll hold them, Ling," I promised.

We spent the next few minutes hurriedly trying to reorganize the defense of the dam. The focus was now on the west, where we'd come from, instead of east, even though the east side hadn't been completely cleared and we couldn't ignore it. If we were pushed back across the dam, there probably wouldn't be any escape for us. The terrain on the east side was too rugged for vehicles, and we wouldn't last long hiking around the mountains on foot.

Everybody that could hold a weapon, wounded or not, was put on the line. We were likely outnumbered. If they broke through, none of us would survive. Certainly no one wanted to be captured and taken to Sala Jihan alive.

Our barricade was moved to the very west end of the dam, near where I had parked my stolen truck. The BTR-70 that was still intact rolled into position, once again sideways, blocking off almost the entire road by itself. The other trucks were lined up in such a way that they could leave in a hurry once the explosives were in place, a.s.suming they had anywhere to go.

Sala Jihan's forces would face the same kilometer-long uphill battle that we did. Unlike us, they lacked the element of surprise, they lacked night vision, most of them lacked body armor, and they faced a much more competent foe.

On the other hand, there were less than forty of us that weren't preoccupied setting the charges. Hundreds of Jihan's slave soldiers were on their way from the mines, and more could come from town at any time since the Montalbans had not begun their diversion for some reason.

It wasn't looking good. Skunky joined me on the line, and he seemed to read my mind. "Having second thoughts?"

"Honestly?" I began, as I took up a position behind the armored personnel carrier. "I kind of am. I'm beginning to think this may have been a poor life choice." I cracked a smile, and my friend laughed.

The levity was forced. Beneath it, I was grappling with the growing realization that I was probably going to die in this G.o.dforsaken place. Everything I'd managed to survive, from Mexico, to Zubara, to North Gap, and look what I'd gotten myself into: outnumbered with no hope of rescue on the a.s.s-end of the world, fighting somebody else's d.a.m.ned war. I swear to G.o.d, it's the story of my life.

I looked over at Ling. She briefly smiled at me, then returned her attention to what she was doing. My bitterness faded. I'd come here for her. I'd had nothing to live for, so I'd gone along to help somebody who did.

The cloud cover had been thinning all night. The moon was now high in the sky, and pale gray light poured over the land and reflected brightly off the snow. Even without my lost night vision goggles, it was easy to see a long way through the darkness. What I could see wasn't comforting. At the bottom of the hill, turning onto the road the led to the dam, was a long line of vehicles carrying Sala Jihan's soldiers. Their headlights pierced the darkness in front of them as they rounded the corner and started up the hill in a single column.

I zoomed my rifle's scope in to maximum magnification and clicked the elevation k.n.o.b up to 800 meters. Our best bet was to pour fire on the advancing forces as they climbed the hill. They were vulnerable and we could make them pay for every inch of ground they covered. I was glad that I'd brought a lot of ammo.

The BTR-70 opened fire first with its turret-mounted 14.5mm machine gun. The weapon's roar would have been deafening if not for my hearing protection, and even so it was loud as h.e.l.l. Tracers speared out into the night, peppering the convoy from a range of nearly a thousand meters. The machine guns mounted on the trucks opened up next, followed by a few crew-served machine guns manned by Exodus troops. The symphony of automatic weapons fire pulsed in my chest with each shot as the Calm enveloped me in its cool, leveling embrace.

If I was to die here, then so be it. I looked over at Skunky, who was holding fire. His SIG 551 was equipped with an Aimpoint, not ideal for long-range shooting. He shook his head slightly at me, smiling in the darkness. "You're kind of scary when you're in the zone like that, you know that, brother?" he said, raising his voice to be heard over the cacophony of gunfire.

Tracers were zipping up at us from the hill now. Sala Jihan's forces were returning fire. PING! DING! Incoming fire ricocheted off the armored hull of the BTR-70. PING! BING!

I set my scope's reticle on a set of headlights midway through the convoy and squeezed the trigger. My rifle recoiled over and over again as I cracked off an entire magazine. "Reloading!"

"I've got you covered!" Ling said. She leaned around the front of the BTR and fired off several short bursts from her carbine. Bullets buzzed overhead. They were shooting back at us, but inaccurately so far.

"I wish I had my M14!" Skunky said, firing over the rear of the armored personnel carrier. An RPG rocket streaked down from our position, detonating as it impacted a vehicle in the convoy. The truck rolled to a stop and was quickly enveloped in flames. Burning men jumped out of the back and rolled in the snow, trying to extinguish themselves. My active hearing protection allowed me to hear their agonizing screams between bursts of machine gun fire from the BTR. The convoy didn't stop. Not a single vehicle, other than the ones we immobilized, stopped. No one got out to aid the wounded or recover the dead. They hardly even slowed down.

"Keep firing!" Ling shouted. "Kill as many of them on the road as possible!" Sala Jihan's forces continued their relentless push. Several of their vehicles had been disabled or destroyed, but the rest drove around them. Troops dismounted and began to run up the hill at us, screaming like madmen the whole while. The enemy's incoming fire was taking its toll on our defensive position now. One of the trucks with a 14.5mm machine gun mounted on it was shot to pieces. RPGs streaked up and down the hill.

Struggling to overcome the chaos, I fired shot after shot, magazine after magazine, as rapidly as I could accurately manage. My rifle was hot to the touch. The enemy convoy was almost on top of us. Two vehicles, beat-up old cars, swerved out of the line and sped around the others. They accelerated up the hill toward our position. The gunner in the BTR-70 turned his attention to it, pouring fire into the car. Riddled with huge holes and burning, it veered off into the snow bank and exploded. The concussion from the blast rattled us all.

The other car was already on top of us.

"VBIED!" I screamed, p.r.o.nouncing it "vee-bed," but it was already too late. I barely had time to get down as the little car crashed into the side of the BTR-70 and detonated.

The next thing I knew, I was face down on cold pavement. My ears were ringing. m.u.f.fled sounds of gunfire and screams swirled all around me, but I just couldn't focus. A bright orange light was behind me, and I felt heat on my back. The BTR-70 was ablaze. The big truck next to it, closest to the four-foot wall that marked the northern edge of the dam, was mangled. The stench of diesel and burning interior filled my nostrils.

I pushed myself up to my elbows and tried to focus. Someone ran past me, coming around the burning APC, then stopped in his tracks. He was dressed in camouflage pants, a tattered brown great coat, and carried a Mosin Nagant carbine with the bayonet locked into place. His eyes were wide as saucers. He leveled the rifle at me and screamed as he charged.

I rolled to my right and pulled my revolver. No time to align the sights, I just shoved it out and rocked the trigger. It bucked in my hand as it roared. The fanatical young soldier's stomach splashed red. His scream turned into a shriek, but he kept coming, stumbling, falling, rusty spike bayonet slicing the air toward my face. I pushed myself out of the way just as the point of the bayonet struck the pavement. The screaming fanatic was carried forward by his momentum, pivoting around his rifle and landing on top of me.

Struggling to sit up, I tried to push the dead weight off of me. Two more soldiers appeared around the side of the burning armored personnel carrier. One had some kind of pump shotgun in his hands and was firing from the hip. The other carried nothing but a satchel full of hand grenades. The shotgunner noticed me just as I acquired him in my sights. The .44 Magnum roared two more times as I ended him. The grenadier had a frag in his hands, pin pulled, when I shot him. He fell over backwards. I barely had time to hide my face behind the dead body on my chest before the grenade exploded.

We were being overrun. There was no time to lie under a corpse in a daze. I managed to sit up and pushed the slave soldier's body off of me. Someone grabbed my arm. Every muscle in my body tensed. I swung my revolver around to fire over my right shoulder. The tritium front sight aligned on Skunky's face.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" he cried, eyes wide. "Holy s.h.i.t, it's me!"

"I almost shot you in the face!" I snarled, hand suddenly shaking. "f.u.c.k!"

"C'mon, dude," he said, helping me to my feet. "We need to get out of here. We've been- Get down!" My friend pushed me back, snapped his carbine to his shoulder, and cranked off half a dozen shots. Hot 5.56 bra.s.s bounced off my shoulders and burned the back of my neck. "d.a.m.n it, they're everywhere!"

I picked up my rifle and came to my feet. "We need to fall back. We can't hold them here." Everyone else seemed to be engaged in a fighting retreat back to the superstructure of the dam. "Wait, where's Ling?"

"I don't know!" Skunky said, quickly changing magazines. "Come on, we have to go!"

"Ling!" I yelled, trying to make myself heard over the chaos. Bullets snapped past us in both directions. The Exodus operatives were running and gunning their way back across the dam. The extremely motivated, but completely disorganized, slave soldiers were still trying to take advantage of the hole they'd punched in our defensive position. Their own vehicles had piled up, and many seemed to be milling about without direction. They had no leadership and weren't sure what to do. It gave us a brief opportunity to regroup. "Ling! Where are you? Ling!"

Skunky shook his head. "Come on, man, she's probably on her way back to the dam. We can't stay here! We gotta go!" The smoke from the burning vehicles was so thick that it was impossible to see very far. Despite the moonlight, we were enveloped in darkness. Ling was out there somewhere, and I couldn't just leave her.

Her voice rang through the h.e.l.lish scene, clear against the low-pitched roar of battle. She called my name.

"Where are you?" I shouted back. Skunky looked around frantically. We couldn't see but a few feet in any direction now.

"I'm here!" Ling said, stumbling through the smoke. "I'm he-" her words were cut off in a fit of coughing.

"Ling! Oh my G.o.d!" I ran to her and grabbed her arm. She'd been injured. Blood trickled from under her wool cap down her pretty face. Her cheeks were smeared with soot. "What happened?"

She was in a daze. "I don't know. I . . . we have to get to the . . . the . . ."

"Come on, we're going back!" Ling only nodded. She was too out of it to argue.

I raised my voice as loud as I could. "Exodus! Fall back! If you're still here, fall back to the east! Move, move, move!" Several shouts of acknowledgment rang through the haze. With Skunky's help, I used the smoke as cover and led Ling back toward the superstructure of the dam.

The chaos caused by the enemy's vehicle-borne improvised explosive device gave us enough of a break in the onslaught to retreat back across the dam. That was the only good news, though. We were now stuck on top of the dam. The only way we had to retreat was east, which would put us on the wrong side of the river and leave us stranded. We had too many wounded to move without vehicles.

I told the remaining Exodus operatives to set up a defensive perimeter around the superstructure of the dam. We'd lost our trucks and our heavy machine guns, but there were still a couple belt-feds on the line. Sala Jihan's forces now had to come from the west, straight across the top of the dam, with no cover. It would cost them dearly. But they were utterly relentless and oblivious to their own casualties. There weren't enough of us left to win a battle of attrition.

Skunky joined the defensive position outside as I led Ling into the dam. I called for a medic and had her sit down against the wall. The Exodus medic, a young woman whom I guessed was from India, knelt next to Ling and began to administer aid.

"You have a gash on your head," the medic told Ling. "It's not very deep. You are very fortunate. Two centimeters closer and this would have killed you."

"She was close to the vee-bed when it detonated," I told her. "The car bomb, I mean. She may have been close to the blast." The blast overpressure is the most destructive component of an explosion. It has a very short lethal radius, depending on the size of the blast, compared to fragmentation. Being caught in it can do instant, horrific damage to the human body, including traumatic brain injury. Having experienced a TBI myself, I was very worried about Ling.

As the medic talked to her, she seemed to come around. "I think it is just a case of shock," the medic said with a slight accent. "She's responsive. Her wound is dressed and I have not found any other injuries. Please stay with her, I need to attend the others."

I nodded and the medic ran off, aid bag in hand. There were many wounded and we were likely running low on medical supplies. Inside the concrete superstructure, the sounds of gunfire outside echoed throughout the corridors. The lights dimmed and flickered with the occasional grenade or RPG detonation.

Ling sat up against the wall and just slowly shook her head. She then buried her face in her hands. I moved closer to her and put my hand on her shoulder. She didn't look at me, but she put her gloved hand on top of mine.

"Michael, I am so sorry," she said.

We didn't have time for her to be sorry. But she needed a moment, she needed help, and I was all she had. "You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"I do," she insisted. "I'm afraid I've led you to your death. I don't think any of us are getting out of here."

"What's going to happen? Will Katsumoto blow the dam even if we're still on it?"

Ling shook her head. "Not if there's any way for us to retreat to safety. I don't think we'll have that chance, though. I think today is the day we die." She squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry, Michael. You've been through so much. You've seen enough of war. I pulled you out of h.e.l.l and led you right back into it, and I had no right."

I managed a smile for her. "I'm supposed to be here." She actually laughed in that musty, dimly lit corridor. "And I haven't given up yet. Come on now," I said, standing. "Can you walk?" She nodded. "Okay. Your people need you now. They need a leader. If there's any chance at all of us getting out of this alive, it'll be up to you and Katsumoto to make that happen."

Ling nodded again. "You're right, of course. You're right. Thank you."

"They're holding the line up there for the moment. I don't think the enemy has regrouped for their final push yet. Let's go downstairs and see how things are going. Katsumoto needs to be up here leading this fight." I turned down the corridor, but Ling grabbed my sleeve.

I turned around. "What-" Ling stepped forward, closed her eyes, and kissed me. The warmth of her lips, her breath, her body against mine contrasted starkly against the cold, dingy air of the old hydroelectric plant.

She stepped back after a moment, blushing slightly. "I wish we had more time," she said with a sad smile. "There is . . . much I would like to say."

I didn't know what to say, or what to do. I hadn't touched a woman since Sarah died. Before Ling pulled me out of North Gap, I hadn't even seen a woman, except for Dr. Silvers, in months. Ling was beautiful, with dark almond eyes and shiny black hair. There was no denying that I was attracted to her. Tailor had teased me about it when we first met Ling, a lifetime ago in Mexico.

You don't have time for high school drama, G.o.dd.a.m.n it, I scolded myself. I looked into Ling's eyes. "We're not dead yet," I managed, trying to sound rea.s.suring. "Come on, let's get going."

We found Katsumoto and the Exodus engineers in the heart of the dam. Explosive charges had been placed all around the roaring turbines, and daisy-chained together with many strands of red, yellow, and green det cord.

"Katsumoto-sama," Ling said, using a formal honorific. "We are out of time. Our perimeter has collapsed and most of our vehicles have been destroyed. If we wait much longer will we be overrun completely and the mission will fail."

Katsumoto, though small of stature, was a proud man who commanded great respect. His demeanor hinted at a quiet intensity, but he was completely calm and collected. "I know," he said simply. "And I am sorry. The placing of the charges took too long. This is my responsibility. I fear I may have killed us all. This is why I wanted to just destroy the dam. We would not have taken nearly so long to place the charges."