Wasteland Rules: Born to Fight (The World After Book 2) (26 page)

   He stripped the bodies and examined them closely.
Rora watched in horrified fascination as he searched them. There was nothing at
all on the bodies except for a small black mole they all had on the back of
their neck, so small it was almost imperceptible. They had no scars or tattoos
or birthmarks. Even their fingerprints didn’t seem to exist. They had no
identification or anything that would indicate who they worked for. Their gear
had no tags or markings, even the headsets they wore didn’t have a manufacturer
mark. These guys were virtually untraceable.

   Then Derek noticed that the body he was examining
was very warm to the touch and getting warmer. He jumped back as the body got
too hot to touch and watched in amazement as it melted into a puddle of goo.
The other bodies melted at almost the same time, leaving almost no trace of the
gunmen. They really didn’t want any evidence left. He picked up one of the M4s
with the grenade launcher the gunmen were carrying and two bandoliers of 40mm
grenades. Extra firepower was always good. He grabbed a few clips for good
measure. Rule #18, you can never have enough ammo.

   “Who were these guys?” Rora asked in a baffled
tone.

   “I have an idea, but I thought it was just an
Agency myth. I will have to check with the Voice when we can, to confirm.”
Derek replied slowly after considering the possibilities. “What is most
interesting is that they don’t have any protective gear. They weren’t expecting
to go back. Someone sent them in on a suicide mission to kill us.”

   “Do you think the Collective or U.S.T.G. want us
dead that badly?” Rora asked with concern.

   “I don’t think so.” Derek told her. “The U.S.T.G.
hasn’t been shy about sending uniformed troops and the Collective has used
locals. I’m afraid this is someone new.”

   “Just what we need, more people trying to kill
us.” Rora said sardonically.

   Derek laughed. “Come on; let’s get the heck out
of here. We don’t have much time to make the airport in time for our pickup.”

   Rora agreed and they headed back to the elevator.
They made it there uneventfully, but Derek was still cautious. The attackers
had been wearing headsets so they may have been communicating with someone
else. There may still be more of the gunmen up top. He burst out of the
elevator, gun ready, but found no one there. They advanced cautiously to the
hole and found it empty as well. Multiple ropes hung down into the basement where
the gunmen had entered.

   Derek listened carefully but heard no movement.
Exiting the hole would be the perfect time for an ambush, but they couldn’t
stay in the hole so he had no choice except to climb up and check it out. He
flew up the rope and rolled out of the hole. No bullets greeted his exit so he
took a quick look around. The area was clear of any active gunmen, but there
were piles of goo and clothing near the wreckage of their LTATV. He assumed it
was gunmen that had been wounded by the booby trap and left to die by their
comrades. Shaking his head, Derek returned to the hole and pulled Rora up.

   She groaned when she saw the LTATV. “Great. You
lost another one, Derek.” She said with a sigh. “How are we going to get back?”

   “The gunmen got here somehow.” He replied calmly.
“We just need to find their ride and take it.”

   A few minutes of searching the area revealed two
non-descript older model Chevy Suburban SUVs painted a faded black. The SUV was
armored and had heavy bulletproof glass. On the inside was a minigun that
popped up through a hatch in the roof. Like the gunmen and their gear, the vehicles
had no markings and any serial numbers had been removed. They were completely
clean inside and it looked like the GPS devices and car black boxes had been
removed. Again, everything was completely untraceable.

   These guys had obviously not expected Derek and
Rora to survive their assault, they hadn’t posted guards on the vehicles and
they had left the keys. They had seemed very professional coming out of the
elevator, but their behavior overall was very amateurish. He had no idea who
they were and that should have bothered him. But he shook his head and got in
the SUV, there were almost too many people after him to keep track of it
anymore.

   “Get in.” He called to Rora. “We don’t have much
time until the pickup.”

   She jumped in and they raced off towards the
airport. They hadn’t gone far when he noticed two more Suburbans fall in behind
them. Derek swore and ordered Rora to take the wheel. They carefully switched
places while only slowing slightly. He climbed into the back and examined the
mini-gun. It was cleverly designed to pop up from concealment on a hinged rig
and the shells fell through a grate in the floor. The only problem was that it
could only be fired in a forward arc.

   The heavy rattle of rounds bouncing off the back
of their ride, let Derek knew their pursuers had caught up to them. The armored
body of the SUV would probably protect them, but the bulletproof glass was
another story. If enough rounds hit it, the glass would crack and then shatter.
That probably wouldn’t take too long with the amount of firepower the mini-guns
possessed.

   He couldn’t figure out where these guys kept
coming from. It was like every gunman, thug, mercenary, soldier, and psychotic
cyborg in the wasteland was chasing them. There seemed to be no end to number
of people trying to kill them and take the device. How many more would he have
to kill to complete the mission? Well, at least he was having fun.

   He popped up through the hatch and looked back.
The two SUVs chasing them were still a good distance back, but they had begun
firing as soon as they were in range. Both of them had men in black manning
their mini-guns and firing wildly. More gunmen hung out of the windows waiting
to get closer before opening fire. Derek popped a grenade into the carbine’s
underslung launcher and took careful aim at the lead pursuer.

   Rora swerved just as he fired and the shot sailed
wide, blasting a pile of rubble. Derek risked a quick glance forward and
realized they were coming through an area full of debris and rubble. Rora
hadn’t slowed down and she was weaving through or over the obstacles at full
speed. Their SUV started bouncing and swinging about crazily. It was going to
be tough to take a clean shot at the gunmen behind them.

   That made it harder for the pursuing gunmen to
hit them, but the chopper wouldn’t land for a pick up if Derek and Rora were
under fire. He had to get rid of them before they got to the airfield. He
dropped back down into the vehicle and stuck his head over the center console
next to Rora.

   “Why aren’t you shooting at them?” She yelled.

   “Because you are moving around too much for me to
get a clean shot.” He said calmly.

   “What do you want me to do?” She snapped. “Drive
through that wall ahead?”

   “No.” He replied, still calm. “I need you to
drive backwards so I can use the mini-gun.”

   “Are you insane?” She screamed.

   “I have to be, to be enjoying this so much.” He
chuckled. “Step on the gas and brake simultaneously and spin the wheel. Then
throw it into reverse when you have swung one hundred and eighty degrees. This
vehicle should be heavy enough not to flip over.”

   “If we wreck it’s not my fault.” Rora grumbled,
but prepared to do as asked.

    Derek climbed back to the hatch and popped the
mini-gun up. He grabbed a hold of the hatch frame and hung on as Rora slewed
the car around and started driving backwards. They slowed dramatically and the
pursuing vehicles caught up. He cut loose as soon as they were in his arc of
fire. He directed the steady stream of lead from the mini-gun at the front
tires of the lead pursuer. They were surely solid rubber, but the mini-gun
should be able to chew them up and slow down the vehicle.

   His rounds struck home and shredded the front
driver side tire of the SUV chasing them. The driver started to lose control
and the vehicle struck a small pile of rubble. It flipped sideways as one side
left the ground and launched into the air. It came down with a crash and slid
to a stop upside down in a shower of sparks. The second SUV just barely avoided
hitting the wrecked vehicle and roared closer.

   The gunmen in the windows were now close enough
to start firing grenades at Derek and Rora’s SUV. The two vehicles were
swerving wildly through the rubble strewn streets and were getting to almost
point blank range. Bullets ricocheted off both vehicles sending sparks flying.
Neither could seem to strike the other a crippling blow. But the pursuers had more
firepower and it was only a matter of time before they got lucky. Derek ducked
down just in time as a grenade struck the mini-gun and blew it clean off.

    “Spin back around.” He ordered Rora. “We need to
gain some distance.”

   She gratefully obliged and swung them back
around. He could tell that driving backwards had been nerve-wracking, but she
had done amazingly well. She was a natural at this. It was hard to believe she
had never had any military training. Once they were turned back around she accelerated
away from the other SUV. Carrying less weight, they were able to get a little
separation. As they pulled away a grenade blew out the rear of their SUV,
sending glass spraying inside. They needed to get these guys off their tail.

   Popping back up, Derek surveyed the area ahead
and found what he was looking for. A pedestrian bridge was still miraculously
standing ahead of them. He fired two grenades as they approached and they
passed under it just as it began to collapse. The bridge fell blocking the path
of the pursuing SUV behind them. He knew it would just make a detour and right
back behind them. Time to turn the tables.

   “Turn right and stop before the next
intersection.” He instructed Rora.

   She took a hard right and screeched to a halt just
short of the next intersection. The rubble of the building provided cover from
the pursuing SUV. Derek took careful aim with the grenade launcher and waited.
He didn’t have to wait long as the SUV chasing them came flying through the
intersection. He could see the surprised look in their wide eyes as he fired
the grenade at the driver’s door.

   The blast blew in the glass and the explosion
plus flying glass nearly decapitated the driver. The now driverless SUV swerved
out of control and crashed into a ruined car. The collision sent the ruined car
flying and brought the SUV to a complete halt. Before they could recover, Derek
sent a second grenade in through the open window. The grenade exploded inside
the vehicle, instantly killing all the gunmen inside.

   Rora gave a small cheer as the second SUV was
neutralized and stepped on the gas. They lurched forward and she raced off to
the airport at breakneck speed. They made it back just in time and popped the
purple smoke that indicated a clear landing zone. The transport helicopter
circled and then landed to pick them up. They scrambled on board, relieved to
be leaving the creepy desolation of the Nuke Zone.

   The chopper took off almost as they were getting
in, the pilot apparently not wanting to spend any more time than necessary
there. The abandoned and ruined airport quickly faded from view as the pilot
went full throttle. Once they had gained altitude and enough distance, the
phone beeped in Derek’s ear to let him know it had a signal. He immediately moved
to the back of the chopper and called the Voice.

   “Yes Major, were you successful?” The Voice
answered smoothly.

   “No.” Derek replied simply. “It turned out to be
a trap. The part was never there.”

   “That is interesting.” The Voice replied. “What happened?”

   “Someone at NASA must have given us false
intelligence to get us into the facility under CIA headquarters. Once we were
inside we encountered a crazy Doctor Strahn, who was conducting experiments on
animals.”

   “Doctor Strahn?” The Voice interrupted, almost
incredulous. “He is still alive?”

   “That wasn’t the craziest thing.” Derek told him.
“We were attacked by Faceless.”

   “That is just an Agency myth, Major.” The Voice
told him after a momentary pause. “They do not exist.”

   “I saw them with my own eyes.” Derek assured him.
“All of our attackers had no face and then they melted into a puddle of goo
shortly after dying.”

   “That is…disturbing.” The Voice finally said.

   “So you agree that’s what they were?” Derek
asked.

   “That is how they were described to me once.” The
Voice confirmed.

   “What do you mean, ‘described to you once’?”
Derek asked pointedly.

   As if realizing he had said too much, the Voice
changed the subject. “How do you plan to fix the shuttle then?”

   Derek knew the Voice knew more than he was saying
but let it go. The slip was confirmation enough that what he and Rora had faced
in the hallways of the CIA facility were indeed Faceless. They had been rumored
to be created by a rogue element in the CIA to replace any enemy agent. Their
face was a blank slate on which plastic surgery could recreate anyone’s face.
They would then be sent in as a double agent or used for infiltration missions.