A subtle agency omnibus, p.22
A Subtle Agency Omnibus, page 22
part #1 of The Metaframe War Series
The stone masonry of the wall started to ablate and flake away. Disintegrating before the ferocious barrage of the twin guns. Giant sparks flew as thick reinforcing steel cables wilted under the titanic hammer of the heavy fire. Grit and dust spewed from the hole in a billowing cloud. Suddenly the bullets were through and the diesel generator exploded in a ball of flame that shot out through the gaping hole in the wall.
The guns fell silent. Veering to the left, the nightfalcon made its way back to its original landing spot in the parking lot.
James heard cheers from the onlookers. They were crowding the police line and waving American flags. He momentarily considered the idea of simply letting them stay and get their minds blown away by what would go down this night, then thought better of it. He called out a quick command, “Wesson, get those BPD clowns to clear the street and the houses back to the end of the side streets. I want a clear perimeter out to a mile until this is done.”
“Yes, Sir. On it,” she replied, jogging off toward the police line and the BPD Officer in Charge.
James returned to his laptop, the Panopticon satellite feed with an infra-red filter showed a sizable fire raging against the right wall. As he watched, the fire started to die, first slowly, and then quickly.
“A fire suppressant?” James murmured. This site was proving to be quite resilient and he mused to himself, These guys have a lot of tricks.
As the fire died, three faint human contacts came back into view, spread out on the far side of the warehouse. He noted silently, Well, now you’re blind and when night comes you will be sitting in the dark. Let’s see what you do while we wait for General Armitage to arrive.
* * *
Anton, Gang, and Li regrouped in the middle of the warehouse.
The air was tinged with acrid smoke, but the quick response of the fire suppressant system around the diesel generator had prevented the warehouse from becoming a smoke-filled death trap.
Gang gripped both their shoulders and instructed in decisive tones, “Their strategy is clear, they want to make us powerless and keep us here until sunset; when no doubt the vampires will arrive in force.” He glanced at his watch and thought for a moment. “Sunset is about twenty minutes past eight which means that we have five and a half hours before they arrive.”
Anton observed, “With the power out, we’re not going to be able to use our crane traps.”
“And once it gets dark, it’s really going to be to the vampires’ advantage rather than ours, it would be much better to have lights,” Li remarked.
“Is there any way that we can fix it?” Anton asked.
Gang frowned. “Not that I know of.”
Li’s face lit up and she declared with an excited smile, “Father! The fire suppressant system was operating while the generator was on fire and the main power lines had been cut. What’s its power source?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s look.”
The three of them moved through the maze, coming to the right-side wall where the diesel generator lay in ruins. They moved cautiously around to make sure they were not presenting any opportunities for a sniper to get a shot through the gaping hole in the wall where the diesel generator had stood.
They reached the wall to the left of the ruined generator. There was an array of eight silvery-gray rectangular cabinets along the wall. Each one was about eight feet high, three feet wide and about two feet deep. Heavy cables ran above them and connected at the top of each cabinet. Anton looked down the wall toward the dock, the cables ran the distance of the wall and there was another array ten yards further along.
Anton suggested, “I think this equipment runs the length of the wall.”
“That’s a lot of battery power,” Li observed.
“Anton, this is typical of your grandfather - he believed in defense in depth,” Gang remarked.
“They’re always watching,” Anton noted. “We’ll need to be able to test this without letting them know that we still have power.”
“Speaking of which,” Li stated decisively, pressing a red button near the array. “Now they’re all disconnected. They will hold their power, and not show up on some Shadowstone operative’s fancy surveillance system. But testing this without giving the game away will take time, I’ll have to inspect the power cables, and I can run micro-currents through the system to see that the circuits are still complete.”
“Good girl,” Gang affirmed with a grin. “You start on that. Anton and I will continue with prepping the tricks, traps and general mayhem for our much-anticipated guests.”
Li left to collect the equipment she needed. Gang pulled Anton aside and suggested, “I think we should make a call, this phone of mine is not so dumb. Francis was able to send me an app, which I installed, it provides an encrypted text capability beyond the capacity of Shadowstone to decipher.”
“Cool.”
Gang sent a text message using the secure app, which read, ‘We are at the Boston Warehouse and Shadowstone are here. Gang.’
About twenty seconds later a reply came back which read, ‘We have seen it. They have you surrounded. We have a long way to come, we will be there after sunset. I will text details before we arrive. F.
Anton read the message over Gang’s shoulder, and remarked sarcastically, “So, they will arrive with the vampires - wonderful.”
Gang shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “Well … there is nothing to be done to speed their arrival, or slow the passage of the sun.”
Anton lifted his hands and queried, “Does the Order have a problem with daylight operations?”
“Everyone has a secret to keep,’ Gang replied. “We’re the same as the vampires in that respect.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for us to simply ‘out’ the truth about the vampires?” Anton suggested.
Gang smiled wryly. “Do you think you would be believed?”
Anton’s shoulders slumped, then he straightened. “There must be a way to convince people of what is going on.”
“The vampires own, through layered proxies, all the major media outlets. The truth would be squashed, and the Order would be painted as Nazi loving, death worshiping, satanic child-thieving cannibals out to drown the world in blood. Everyone would be turned against us, and we can’t fight everyone.”
“Then why haven’t the vampires tried that?”
“They have, are you aware of the witch craze in Europe and North America from the 15th through to the 18th century.”
“Yes.”
“A lot of innocent people, including some members of the Order, were murdered by the authorities of the day. The whole thing was instigated by the vampires. It was a great cover; they could go into a village pretending to be witch finders, kill any Order members in the village, and then depopulate it to hide what had actually happened. The local authorities would then thank them for it.”
“Why don’t they try the same tactic now?”
“Society has moved on, fewer people would believe it. I think Crane is simply weighing the risks. A public campaign against the Order risks his own exposure, so he has more to lose than to gain by such a strategy. So, both camps live in the shadows and fight our battles in secret.”
Anton nodded. “It’s a pretty messed up world we’re living in.”
“That it is,” Gang agreed. He looked at his watch. “Time’s getting on Anton, let’s get these fireworks in place on the maintenance walkways. I also have some claymores to set up around that hole in the wall and throughout the maze, and we still have to set up our ammunition reloads so they’re easy to pick up.”
Anton smiled and agreed, “You’re right, we can solve these problems another time – perhaps over a beer.”
Gang smiled and winked.
The two men set to work.
* * *
Anton lined up the modified M18 claymore mine next to the base of a container and spooled out a net of thin electrical fibers in front of it.
The net stretched forward from the bottom of the mine, blending in with the concrete floor of the warehouse. The tripwire net created an area ten-feet wide and twelve-feet deep in front of the claymore where anyone making a single step would fire the mine on a three second ‘Sneaker’ delay - designed to allow more than one person to enter the area of deadliest effect. Anton circled around the net, reached down and flicked an arming switch on the mine.
He took a step back from the armed mine. It covered a square forty yards on a side surrounded by stacked shipping containers. There were two other entrances into the trap that would funnel anyone entering the square toward where Anton stood. This was the last of twenty mines he’d positioned in accordance with a map provided by Gang.
He stood between two containers, a ten-foot wide gap in the maze wall. He prepared himself, ramped, making a vertical leap that brought his feet to the top of the first container. He pushed off again, landing in a crouch on top of the opposite pair of containers. In two vertical leaps, he’d ascended nearly twenty feet.
He rose up from his crouch and adjusted the fit of the automatic shotgun he carried diagonally across his back. The weapon rested next to the scabbard for the Blue Dragon sword. At his hip, he wore a holster for the H&K MP7 A2 submachine gun.
He looked for Gang, finding him on the second mezzanine level. The mezzanine was still accessible by stairs from the floor. The stairs had survived the partial destruction of the first mezzanine level when the diesel generator had exploded more than three hours earlier.
“Gang, I’m done,” Anton called out. He only had to raise his voice a little to be heard across the warehouse.
“Good work. Meet me at the front doors.”
“Sure,” Anton agreed, jogging along the top of the maze toward the front of the warehouse. In moments, he arrived, jumping down to the ground below. Gang showed up a few seconds later with two of the Milkor MGLs, the ones with a splash of red paint across their thick barrel.
Anton felt his excitement rise as he recalled Gang’s words. ‘The red ones carry a standard high-explosive round with a shaped charge that is best against a vehicle, and can also be used as an anti-personnel weapon versus humans or vampires.’ He asked excitedly, “You need my help with one of these?”
Gang tilted his head quizzically and frowned. “Those men out there are someone’s son, if they die today at our hand, it’s not a cause for excitement.”
“What?” Anton blinked, nonplussed by Gang’s attitude. “Are you sure of that? Look at the choices they’ve made. As bad or worse than those triad thugs that attacked the Noodle House.”
Gang shook his head and instructed, “I would be happier if you were calmer. The ideal is to find a center of peace in the midst of combat. Your excitement borders on lust for their deaths.”
“A center of peace?” Anton hissed. A tight ball of fury ignited in the depths of Anton’s soul. He pointed fiercely past the gates at the front of the warehouse. “What the Hell! Those bastards covered up the torture and murder of my mother and the abduction of my father to some crazy fucking insane vampire torture. They all volunteered at some point to wear those uniforms. They deserve whatever punishment I can give them.”
Gang stroked his chin and then wagged his finger in Anton’s face. “Shortly after I first met you, we spoke briefly about vengeance and justice. Do you remember? I see now that nothing has changed.”
Anton frowned, his eyes narrowed in barely controlled rage, and he snapped, “Something about walking in the shadow of vengeance and the light of justice.”
“Something like that,” Gang offered quietly.
“I don’t see anyone else stepping up to the plate to deliver justice for my parents. It will have to be me.”
Gang stepped in, clapped Anton on both shoulders and pulled him close with enough strength he couldn’t resist if he wanted to. “Anton, there is no room for a personal vendetta on this journey. You must let this anger and hatred go.”
“They destroyed my family. I have every right to feel this way. I promise you. I will not stop until I have destroyed Armitage, Shadowstone, and the Vampire Dominion.”
Gang sighed, and his grip relaxed. “Perhaps it would be best if you were not here.”
Anton shrugged off Gang’s hands, stepping back, his face filled with shock. “You would send me away?”
“For your own sake - yes.”
Anton’s anger melted away. Gang and Li were the closest people to a family he had now, he would rather die than lose them. Working past a knot in his throat, Anton asked, “Why would you send me away?”
“Anton, you are a good man, perhaps a very good man with a great capacity for love and courage, but right now, your life is on a moral knife-edge and you could either step into the light or fall into darkness.”
Gang waved at the warehouse. “Why are we here today? Why is Shadowstone assembled for war out there in broad daylight? It’s unheard of. The vampires are coming tonight, and so is the Order of Thoth. There has not been a major battle in the last twenty years. What’s different Anton? It’s you, it’s your presence here, the hidden Slayne, perhaps the last Slayne. You had a direct male line ancestor that lived in the time of Hakron the Scribe, who was part of the original post-Ahknaton Order of Thoth. That man was entrusted with the protection of the Papyrus of Hakron the Scribe, and it remained in the safe keeping of your family up until a few short weeks ago. Life is a strange mix of fate and choice, and I think that the next few hours will be more about you and your choices than about anyone else.”
A poignant sadness almost overwhelmed Anton and he asked, “You truly believe that my choices matter that much?”
Gang nodded and declared with quiet certainty, “More than you can understand.”
Ashamed by his outburst in front of Gang’s steadfastness, Anton offered quietly, “What do you need from me?”
“Your help.”
“You’ve got that anytime you want it,” he affirmed solemnly.
Gang pointed to where the rails of the cranes passed through holes in the front of the warehouse and explained, “The maintenance walkway up there will give you a sight on the Shadowstone positions in the parking lot. We need to thin these guys down before night falls, or else, we will have all of them and the vampires to fight at the same time. We need to take out their helicopters, they’re a key asset for them, and so that’s what we will use the MGLs for.”
Gang gave one of the MGLs to Anton and showed him how to operate the simple weapon. He directed, “Now you take the right-hand side, and I will take the left. Watch my angles, I will show you before I fire. Fire the first three rounds only, that will take a second, then immediately pull right back to our first defensive position, they’re bound to fire back at you. We have the element of surprise, but that’s only good for the first shot, Li will cover our rear at the dock.”
“Will do,” Anton agreed, following Gang back to the mezzanine stairs. Ascending to the top level, they were able to access the maintenance walkways that spanned the roof of the warehouse. Anton took up position on the walkway next to the right-side crane rail at the front of the warehouse. He spotted Li as she took up a position on the maintenance walkway at the river end. She carried a large sniper rifle, two of the MP7 submachine guns holstered at her hips, and the Green Dragon in its scabbard over her shoulder.
Anton wanted to be at her side, but she’d her job, and he had his. He focused on the task at hand. He glanced across at Gang, who was sliding backward on his belly from the gap in the warehouse wall. He stood up, signaling Anton with a thumbs up, and pointed to his MGL, which he held at an angle up from the horizontal.
Anton mimicked his position and readied himself to Ramp. He would have to move forward, sight the target, pull the trigger, and once the first three rounds had fired, pull back off the maintenance walkway to the top of the maze below. He watched as Gang held up his right hand, counting down the seconds with his fingers, first holding up five, then four, then three, then two. Anton ramped, watching Gang move in slow motion as he held up his last finger, then Gang ramped, flashing forward. Anton moved a fraction of a second later. He came to a halt level with the gap in the wall of the warehouse. In front of him were two of the nightfalcon helicopters, the one on his side was spooling up, its rotors spinning faster and faster. In his peripheral vision, he saw a grenade shoot out from Gang’s position toward the other helicopter, the noise of the shot reaching him a moment after he saw it. He raised his MGL to the same angle as Gang had demonstrated, lined it up on the helicopter and pulled the trigger. The grenade sailed away from him with a solid ‘choof’ sound, the revolver like barrels of the MGL began turning and a second and a third grenade quickly followed the first.
Gang’s words rang in his mind. ‘Then immediately pull right back to our first defensive position. Anton waited. He wanted to make sure that the target had been hit. The helicopter to the left was struck by the first of Gang’s grenades and went up in a huge fireball as its fuel tank exploded, the second and third grenades bracketed the exploding helicopter, adding to the mayhem amongst the men nearby. He saw the first of his grenades just miss the top of the helicopter, and then the second and third followed to land harmlessly along the edge of the parking lot.
What the hell? He’d missed. Anton’s ramp stuttered, the world flicking back into normal motion.
More than a dozen Shadowstone operatives responded to the threat, swinging their weapons toward him and the other walkway. Gang had already disappeared back into the warehouse. He was safe.
He dived back into silence and his ramp took flight. The first of the muzzle flashes from the assault rifles started popping along the cordon. He lowered his weapon slightly, pulling the trigger of the MGL. It fired a fourth grenade toward the remaining nightfalcon. A couple of bullets whizzed past his head. A dozen more shattered the stone near his shoulder, sending splinters into the left side of his face. Twisting away, he leaped back along the walkway and out of the line of fire. Behind him, he heard another large explosion out in the parking lot.
