Worldkiller, p.33
Worldkiller, page 33
part #7 of Variant Series
The remark was good-natured, and not intended as an insult. Decimus clearly knew it, given the craggy smile on his bearded face.
"So, Victor," Perses finished, showing himself to be a very level-headed ruler, cautious at times, and greatly respectful of the words of those around him. "Where do you see our chances right now? What would you propose?"
Harkin considered things for a moment or two, the room eagerly awaiting his voice. It was nice to see. Despite his slight wobble the previous day, he still commanded a great deal of respect and influence among these eminent figures.
"I should start by saying that I don't generally share General Decimus's bullish, optimistic nature, as you put it, Perses." He looked to Decimus, the two grizzled old men sharing a friendly exchange. "I am a naturally cautious man, and have not grown up with that impenetrable Neoroman belief that, whoever the enemy is, you will win, and win well."
I found my eyes on the Neoromans in the room - Domitian, Ares, and by adoption, my father and Kira. All had the same look on their faces. That pride at being Neoroman. That unwavering belief, as Harkin was saying, that they had the strength to defeat all foes.
"In saying that, I do find myself thinking of all that we have gone through to get here," Harkin went on, gradually easing into one of those inspirational addresses of his. "I think of how these four great nations have come together, in defence of our people, our way of life. I think of how close we have come to falling apart." He looked over at me, standing with my friends. "In Neorome, when the virus was first released. And then yesterday, when the same thing happened again. On both occasions, we might have been crippled, were it not for the ingenuity of these young Variants, who I have been so proud to lead and work with." He shook his head firmly. "Yet, we are still here."
He drew a breath, turning his eyes around the room, as the rain continued to patter on the roof, thunder gently rumble in the skies. "I have used the word fate in the past," he continued. "And, I am happy to use it again. Here, right now, I see fate. I see providence. I see the aligning of the stars in the skies, the turning of the tides. All that may make me sound like a mystical man, but I'm not. I am just a man who has, for many long decades, lived with the belief that we could come to this day eventually." He shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "I didn't know how, or when it would happen. I didn't know if I would even be alive to see it. But, and I say this with all sincerity, it makes me so proud that I am. So proud to see us all here, united, despite the tragedies we've suffered, still refusing to give in. Still standing, when our enemy thinks we will crumble and fall. Still bullish," he said, looking at the Neoromans with a smile, "until the last."
He drew a much needed breath, growing more quiet, more sombre. I saw even Konig, even Hatcher, stone-faced as they were, watching on, drawn to the passion of the man's words, the weight of history in his eyes.
"I lost my oldest friend yesterday," Harkin continued, turning again to look at our group. "A man I fought with for decades, who helped me build the VLA into what it would one day become. Without him, none of us would be here now. This cause was his life and he fought for it every damn day. The same is true of so many others. So many others who have fallen. And now, only a handful remain. Will they retreat?" he asked, looked at us. "Would they ever turn back, after all they've gone through to be here?"
"No," came the voice of Blair, a tear running down her cheek. "Never. I'll fight and die for this cause. I'll fight and die for you, sir."
He smiled at her fondly.
"And I," called out Cash, taken by the moment. "I will follow Lenny to the grave, or else mourn him when this is done. There is no in-between."
Harkin shared a nod with the man, then turned his eyes to Murtagh.
"You know where my thoughts lie, Victor," the redheaded operative said coolly. "I'm behind you, always."
"So am I," said Ford quietly. "For all those we've lost."
I took his hand, knowing he was thinking of his father. I looked up and found Harkin's eyes on me.
"I'm in this to the end as well," I said quietly, though firmly. "Death doesn't scare me, sir. Not anymore."
Harkin smiled at me, looking across our beleaguered little group, an expression of great pride on his face. A moment passed - one that was just for us - before he turned to look at the room again, speaking more loudly, as the rain continued to grow heavy.
"When we set out to find support for this cause, we could never have hoped for what we discovered. Yes, up to five thousand soldiers may already have been lost, and that is an unimaginable tragedy for you to all bear, but the soldiers we have left are still more than I could ever have expected."
He paused before speaking again. "I am with General Decimus," he said. "We have enough. We are in the ascendency. They have played their trick twice, and still, we come again. Believe me when I tell you, it is they who are frightened of us, not the other way around. They have fired their best shots and hit only flesh. Our vital organs are still working. And now...now we have no choice." He narrowed his eyes. "Now, we take the fight to them."
The room went quiet. Heads began to nod, even those more cautiously minded, like Perses and Secretary Burns, seeming in agreement. Retreat just didn't seem like an option at this point. If we left now, there would be no guarantee that we'd ever return. Northbank would be allowed to continue operating in secret, designing new ways to destroy us. Yes, perhaps we'd be able to immunise the public against the virus, but what if they developed new, more deadly pathogens? What if they came up with other biological weapons of mass destruction?
No, we couldn't allow that to happen. It really was now or never. This was our shot, and we had no choice but to take it.
"So, you propose that we attack, then?" came the voice of Kaiser Konig, less haughty, more subdued than normal. "To march in and take the city soon?"
Harkin nodded. "Our enemy cannot know how quickly we have licked our wounds and contained the virus," he said. "They will expect it to take us days, at least, to manage it, and likely with much greater loss of life than we have experienced. That may give us an opening. If we wait much longer, the Bends will be completely overrun. We need to march in and secure it before that happens, and then continue right on into Northbank. We determine our targets and attack. Blitzkrieg, ladies and gentlemen, can be very hard to contain when properly utilised."
I found myself slightly surprised by Harkin's proposal, given his typically risk-averse attitude. But, what choice did we really have, right now? Harkin was right, and Northbank can't have known how badly our forces had been ravaged, or how many we'd managed to immunise. Now was the time to take advantage of the remaining strength we had. To go hard, and fast, and not stop until it was done.
We've been one step behind our enemy so far, I thought. Now, perhaps, it's time for us to leap ahead.
"I rather like blitzkrieg," said General Decimus. "In Neorome, we use it commonly to overwhelm our adversaries. It's effectiveness, however, is always balanced by the capabilities of an enemy. Do we know what the latest enemy numbers are within the Bends?"
"Many thousands," answered Harkin. "It's hard to be much more specific than that, but we estimate that a large portion of the Northbank army have assembled there, to secure that part of the city."
"I agree," added my father, who had gone in himself before dawn, along with Columbus, on the latest recon mission. "Many of the streets are blockaded and it's become very hard to move. From what I witnessed, a number of mobile gun placements have been set up in preparation for a possible invasion. I also spotted several armoured mechs on the streets, keeping order. According to Victor, those are new."
I looked at Harkin. I hadn't heard anything about that.
"Yes, they're not something we've seen before," said Harkin.
"And, what are they exactly?" frowned Konig.
"Armoured, mechanical suits, essentially," answered Harkin. "They're large, almost twenty feet tall, and powerfully armed and armoured. It's hard to know whether they are run by a human driver, or an AI system, but I'm inclined to believe the former."
"So they're essentially like...super Reapers," said Blair, raising her eyes.
Harkin nodded. "Something like that, yes," he said. "If we attack in force, however, we should be able to overwhelm the enemy forces and their blockades, and clear a path toward Northbank. The Bends, as we know, is the best way into the heart of the city. The bridges and river will be heavily defended, but once we get into the Eastbends, north of the river, we will have no such barriers to stop us reaching Northbank. We can fight our way through the streets and defences and take the city before they know what's hit them."
Harkin stepped over to the table at that, rearranging the maps there. We gathered around more closely, trying to get a better look. The table was large enough for us all to see.
He began drawing his finger around the map, pointing out certain landmarks for those who weren't aware of the city's defences. The main members of the war council would be, but others just here for the briefing may not.
"As you can see, the Bends covers both sides of the river, the Westbends in the south, and Eastbends in the north. Why aren't they called the Southbends and Northbends?" he asked, posing the rhetorical question. "Beats me. Probably because the river winds like a snake, hence the name - the Bends - so the two regions are, technically, east and west of one another, but either way, it doesn't matter."
He drew a breath, finger moving a little west of the Eastbends, to where the tall buildings of Northbank loomed high. "Northbank, obviously, is north of the river," he went on "The best route in is through the Eastbends, as I say, but that territory is fully controlled by a Reaper called Mantis, under the orders of Henry Vance. Here, we can expect to see the greatest resistance. Mantis has held that territory for some time, so they will be well prepared. However, once we take it, the heart of Northbank will be close. That is where we will find the city leaders."
"How can you know that for sure?" Konig asked.
"Call it an educated guess," said Harkin, looking over at Blair with a wink.
She smiled. It had been her suggestion, when we first arrived, to attack immediately and assume we'd find the Controller, Vance, and all the rest hidden away in their fortress in Northbank. It seemed that, now, her usually pragmatic grandfather was following her lead, rather than the other way around.
"We'll hunt them down, if they're not there," added Ares, speaking for the first time in that restrained, though still thunderous voice of his. "They can run but their factories and fortresses cannot. Those will also need to be destroyed, or else taken under our own control. But above all, it is the enemy army and military forces that we need to disable. And it sounds to me, as though we will meet them in the Eastbends."
Harkin nodded. "That is where this war will be won," he agreed.
Or lost...
"Then it seems we have the bones of a plan," noted Konig, looking eager to get a taste of the action himself. "However, we still need to add the flesh. We will have to attack from different angles, to ensure we cover as much ground as possible." He turned to the maps, pointing with a meaty finger. "Some can come up from the Westbends, crossing the river at the bridges, here. Others can cross the river further to the east, just outside the city, and approach in from that angle. We spread the point of our combined attack and close in from various sides, giving them no space to breathe or escape."
The leaders nodded, seeming in agreement of the idea.
"We'll need to send our best scouts and assassins ahead," added my father, "to take out any lookouts. The longer we can keep our approach a secret, the better. As soon as we reach the larger garrisons along the river, however, the strength of our attack will be exposed. We'll have to be prepared to move fast and fierce, cross the river at various points as quickly as we can, and then spread through into the Bends. The more synchronised we are with this, the better."
"Indeed, Commander. In which case, we will need our very best units attacking those targets," noted Decimus. "They can punch holes through the enemy line, for the remainder of our forces to follow. We will also have to maintain a reasonable presence back here. We have over a thousand soldiers, across our armies, who are neither infected, nor vaccinated yet. They will stay and defend the camp, should it come under attack."
He thought for a moment, turning his eyes to the top of the marquee, before continuing. "The storm is growing heavier," he noted. "If we're to move, we should do so quickly. The rains and winds may further cover our approach, as will the setting of the sun. I want you all ready for when darkness falls. Make sure that your men are fed and well rested. Those still starting to show symptoms from the virus must still be quarantined. Anyone who has suffered serious adverse side-effects from the vaccine, should also be omitted from the invasion force." He turned to Harkin. "Victor, if you can spare some of that Rest-Less drug of yours, now is the time."
Harkin nodded, smiling faintly. Even from beyond the grave, old Lenny would have his say.
"OK," Decimus continued. "I will stay here and develop our assault plans. The senior leaders can stay too if they wish, to help and advise. All junior commanders, however, should go, now, and prepare their respective armies..."
As he spoke, a guard stepped out from a side room, just as he had before. Decimus noticed his arrival and turned to him abruptly. "Yes?"
The guard reached out and handed Decimus another note, before stepping back. There was clearly a small comms room back there that I hadn't seen yet.
The General read the note over quickly, reacting with a raised eye.
"What is it, General?" asked Burns.
Decimus turned to look at the group. "A man has been apprehended, approaching from the northwest," he said. "He says he comes with a message." He turned his eyes around the room. "It seems the bastards wish to parley."
34
I stood out in the rain, watching as a figure approached through the gloom from the north of camp. He wore a raincoat, his eyes covered in a blindfold, flanked at the sides by, to my surprise, the figures of Marcus and Columbus. There were several other guards walking behind, as well, watching carefully as they helped escort the messenger through the camp.
Clearly, they were taking no chances. Not at a time like this.
As they drew nearer, Marcus broke away, stepping quickly toward myself and Ares, the two of us waiting outside the main command post. Over the last few minutes, many of those present at the briefing had gone off to prepare their soldiers, under orders from General Decimus. That left the senior leaders behind, along with our group from the VLA, whom Decimus had requested stay, just in case any of us knew the man.
"Has he been thoroughly checked over, Captain?" rumbled the voice of Ares, as Marcus moved toward us.
The young captain nodded. "Yes, Commander," he said, speaking over the sound of the rain. "No weapons. No hidden explosives. We vetted him thoroughly at the border, long before he got near camp. He came alone. It seems he has no ill-intent."
Ares nodded, turning to the approaching figure. He'd been ordered by Decimus to step out and make certain the man could be safely let inside the tent. Given the functions of my headset, I'd also been ordered to join him.
"Paige, do you see anything we cannot perceive?" Ares asked, standing like a skyscraper at my side.
I performed a quick scan with my headset, working through its functions, but could see nothing of concern. Except...
"Just one thing, Commander Ares," I said. "He has a small chip inserted into his brain. We've seen it before. It's nothing to worry about, really."
He frowned. "What does it do?"
"It basically protects him from telepathic intrusion," I said. "It means that the Emperor, or Secretary Burns, won't be able to read his mind."
"I see," said Ares. "Well, no matter. Take him inside, Captain. The others are waiting."
Marcus nodded, and marched sharply over to where the man was standing, a little outside the tent, with Columbus at his flank. He gave his older brother a cooperative nod and then took the man's arm, leading him toward the marquee.
"Atticus," said Ares, gesturing for Columbus to step over.
He did so immediately, now perfecting the military precision of his gait. I'd only really seen him in passing over the last few days, but had been told by my father that he was becoming the true epitome of a model soldier. His role, as before, had been to engage in scouting and recon missions, and watch the borders of the camp. I hadn't had much opportunity to spare him any thought recently, but it was nice to see him doing so well.
"Sir," he said, coming to a swift stop before us, as Marcus eased into the marquee with the messenger. "You have a task for me, Commander?"
"No, soldier, just a report," he said. "How are things going out there? Any sign of enemy movement beyond the outer ruins of the city?"
"Nothing, sir," said Columbus, glancing at me with a quick smile. "I've been patrolling out there, sweeping back and forward, and I've seen nothing at all. Not until our new friend appeared, anyway."
Ares nodded. "Good."
"You're concerned about an attack?" asked Columbus.
"Well, now would be the time for it," said Ares, turning his eyes to the sky. "The best time to attack an enemy is when they're on their knees."
"Aren't they too busy in the Bends right now?" I asked him. "And anyway, they probably don't think they need to attack. Why risk the soldiers, when the virus is doing the job for them?"
"Yes, you're probably right, Paige," Ares agreed, eyes pensive. He turned back to Columbus. "Head to your tent for some rest, Atticus," he said. "I know you can go a long time without sleep, but we need all our soldiers well rested for tonight."
"Sir?" frowned Columbus. "Captain Marcus won't like it if..."
