Weapons of War (13 page)

While potable water had been easy to capture thanks to the heavy rains, food had been a different story. They had hurried away from the silo without pausing to take any of the stockpiled food, though Diaz had insisted on pausing at the Collection to locate the teddy bear her father had given her when she was only three years old. The plasma rifles they carried were useless for hunting, which had meant spending time every day foraging as best they could, or in some cases going hungry. None of them had been carrying a lot of extra weight when they had started the walk. Now they were all as lean as they could be.

"Where did he live?" Soon asked.
 

"My great-grandfather?" Diaz replied.

"Yes."

"Near the city center, close to the Barrio de San Sebastian. He died in the invasion. My mother told me he urged her father to get her away from the city when the news reports of the Dread ships started coming in. He practically threw them out himself." She smiled at the memory. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him."

"It's still hard to look at," Soon said.
 

"It doesn't get easier," Donovan replied. "You tell yourself that you get used to it, but you don't. Our world isn't supposed to look like this."

Soon stared at the city. His initial wonder and intrigue over the planet had faded within the first few days, replaced with the cold, hard reality of not only what had occurred, but also how it was still affecting them all today. He had nearly come to tears as they had walked along the side of the highway, where hundreds of old cars had come to a final rest and the wild around them had started to cover it over. Some of the cars had bodies in them. Few carried any food. There had been so little time to try to escape, and the Dread had seen to it that they hadn't.

Donovan had talked to the pilot at length about that reality and how it compared to life at the human settlement on Calawan. They had wound up both agreeing they would rather be there than here, where freedom was a constant, daily battle, and usually meant little more than bare survival.

They had talked about other things as well, and most importantly about General St. Martin and his son, Gabriel. Soon had nothing but praises for both of the men, and firm conviction that not only would they return, but when they did the Dread would be truly challenged for the first time since their arrival. Soon had told him that the New Earth Alliance had a fighting force at their settlement, one that had been raised to wage war against the Dread. Once they could arm them properly, it would only be a matter of time.

"There's no use crying about it," Diaz said, moving ahead of them. "Don't get sad. Get even."

She hopped over a small, half crumbled wall, vanishing behind the uneven ground. The tip of her rifle appeared a moment later, signaling that she had expected the drop.
 

"This way," she said.

Donovan motioned for the rest of them to follow. For all Diaz's talk, she seemed to be taking their current situation the hardest. She had always been tough, but she had also managed to maintain some edge of softness, a genuine heart that beamed through the hardened exterior. Donovan had watched that light fade into a constant, desperate anger. She wanted to reach Austin. She wanted to get the weapons in the hands of someone who might be able to decipher them from the ground. She didn't want to depend on anyone else. Not General St. Martin, and not even him.
 

She had lost too much and was hurting too much. The more he tried to get her alone, to get her to open up, the more she withdrew. She said she didn't blame him for Matteo. That might have been true in the first few days. He knew that was bullshit, now. They had known one another all of their lives and had always shared a connection through her brother. Now that he was gone, the connection was gone.
 

It would have been harder to take if he didn't have Ehri.

As much as he tried to deny it, as much as he wanted to make it about the mission, and about the war, he couldn't help the feelings that were prompted whenever he was near her. Whether they were talking about human or bek'hai society, or simply sitting in silence, her very existence grew more important to him every day. He often found himself ruminating on the kiss they had shared back in the silo. When he had done it, he had thought that it was because he wanted to win her over to their side, and maybe he had. Now he wanted to do it again for the emotional value and connection. To show her how he felt.
 

Love? That might have been taking things a little too far. He had a definite crush on her. It was a strange feeling, one that made him both excited and uncomfortable. She was a replica of General St. Martin's wife. That fact alone made it strange. He also didn't know if she felt the same way. He was certain they were friends, but beyond that? She had never treated him in a way that suggested anything more. Was it because she didn't know anything about it? Or was it because those feelings just weren't there? It was maddening for him to think about, and at the same time, he wasn't going to make any romantic move on her.
 

They had enough problems.

They scaled the wall, dropping down into a narrow alley. Donovan turned when he reached the bottom, reaching back and helping Doc Iwu down. She was doing her best to hold her own, but she was older than the rest of them by at least twenty years, a child during the invasion. She struggled to keep up at times, though she had done so with the same poise and dignity that came so naturally to her.

"Thank you," she said, reaching the ground.

"Of course," Donovan replied.

Diaz was on point, her hand up to keep them stationary in the alley. Donovan could see by the way her head was darting back and forth that she was trying to find a route through the rubble. Their goal was to locate a market or a shelter, or some other building that may have been holding canned food and hope that it hadn't already been picked clean.
 

They had to be careful. The Dread weren't the only concern. There were plenty of random groups of humans who would rather prey on one another than wage war against the common enemy. General Rodriguez had always referred to them as jackals.

Diaz signaled for them to wait and then took off at a run, crossing an open area and ducking back into another narrow alley. She turned around when she reached it, looking back at them. Then she motioned them to get down.

Donovan dropped with the others, ducking into the shadows as a Dread fighter streaked over the position. The flybys were common in the morning and evening. They had been rare at this time of day.
 

It wasn't a good sign.

Seconds passed. Donovan finally stood and motioned to the others to do the same. Diaz was on her feet on the other side. She waited a few seconds before signaling them to cross.

Donovan stayed in the rear, covering them as they passed the wider passage. They made it across without incident and then ducked a minute later when another Dread fighter went over.

"Do you think they spotted us?" he whispered to Ehri.

"I don't think so. They're moving too fast."

"D, look," Diaz said, pointing toward the sky.

A Dread transport had appeared behind the fighters. It was moving much slower, and coming in low enough that Donovan could make out the ripples of the armor that covered it.

"You're sure they haven't seen us?" Donovan asked.

"As sure as I can be," Ehri replied.
 

"Major," Iwu said. "Something's moving over there."

Donovan crawled to Iwu. She was near the corner of the rubble, also on her stomach. He watched as two people ran across the open area. They were dressed in rags and filthy. Scavengers.
 

The transport shifted direction, turning slightly toward them. Plasma cannons released rounds of bolts that decimated the area, raising a cloud of smoke, dust, and debris. The transport continued, disrupting the rising cloud as it passed and allowing Donovan to catch a glimpse of the scavengers.
 

They were both dead.

"There must be a small settlement here," Diaz said, joining him. "They'll have already picked the markets and pantries clean, but at least we can use the cover to get through the city."

Donovan looked back at her. "We should help them."

"Are you loco? There's five of us against an entire transport of them, plus two fighters."

Donovan considered, and then slid back to where Ehri was positioned. "If we can get to that transport, would you be able to fly it?"

"If it has been modified for lor'hai use, yes. Not all of the transports have."

"How can you tell?"

"If the transport only contains clones, it is likely that I can fly it. Otherwise, there is a good chance it has a drumhr pilot."

Shouts echoed in the distance, along with sporadic gunfire. Donovan had to make a decision. Escape the city on foot, knowing it would take them at least another sixty days to reach Austin, or make a play for the transport.
 

"I say we go for it," Soon said, unprompted. "We're already beaten and hungry, and if we manage to win?"

"If we manage to win, we'll piss off the Domo'dahm more than he is already," Donovan said. "That might be a mistake."

"He sent an entire transport to kill the people here," Ehri said. "Listen."

Donovan did. The gunfire was random, and already decreasing in volume.

"They aren't soldiers. They aren't fighters. He's destroying them anyway. He wants to kill every last one of us."

"Us?" Donovan said, surprised by the remarks.

Ehri froze for a moment, having surprised herself. Then she nodded.
 

"This is our war, Major. Let us fight."

Donovan crossed over a smaller pile of debris, turning the corner, leading with the end of the Dread rifle. The shouting and screams were louder now. Closer. They had closed the gap between the fighting and their original position, though the Dread transport was still out of sight.

He looked back at Soon, using the hand gestures he had taught the pilot to direct him around a separate pile of rubble. Then he glanced over at Ehri, pressed against a solitary standing wall to his left. He saw a Dread clone ahead of her, facing away from them. He signaled her a warning.

A soft whistle beyond his line of sight gave him Diaz's position. He had sent her to find the transport and report back if she saw any of the bek'hai, an indication that they might not be able to use the vehicle. Not that it would stop them from attacking. It was almost too late for that.

A clone came around the corner, shooting at something Donovan couldn't see. He was cautious with his power levels, taking the few seconds to aim before pulling the trigger and sending a bolt into the clone's abdomen. The enemy soldier fell.
 

Now it was too late.

Ehri broke around the corner, taking the clone by surprise. She didn't shoot him, using the rifle as a club instead. She hit him hard in the jaw, knocking him over. She fell on top of him, letting her weapon fall to her side and freeing her hands. She shifted on him, twisting his head with enough force that Donovan heard the crack of his neck. She grabbed her rifle and sprang back to her feet, signaling the all clear to him a second later.

It wasn't clear on the other side. An entire squad of clones had appeared ahead of Soon. One of them must have spotted him, because he was crouched behind the rubble, staying clear of the incoming plasma fire.
 

Donovan gestured to Ehri, and they made their way around the position, getting a better angle of attack on the soldiers. They fired in tandem, efficiently dropping them one at a time. Soon stood when the shooting stopped, giving them the thumbs up.

Diaz whistled again. Donovan ran to Soon's side.
 

"Head back to Doc Iwu, help her through this mess," he said.

"Yes, sir," Soon replied, falling back. "Thanks for the save."

"Anytime."

Donovan and Ehri went forward in the direction of Diaz's signal. He didn't know how she managed to evade the enemy so well, but he was glad for it.
 

A scream close to their left forced them off course. Donovan made his way past a somewhat intact building, spotting the scavengers before he saw the soldiers. They were trying to hide between two old cars, the plasma fire keeping them pinned down and frightened.

The soldiers never saw him or Ehri coming. Two plasma bolts dropped them, freeing the scavengers.
 

One of them was too scared to move right away. The other stood.
 

"Who are you?" she asked.

"The resistance," Donovan replied.

"The resistance is gone," the woman said.

"Who told you that?"

"Our leader, Murphy. He said that the base in Mexico City was wiped out and that the Dread are sending their armies after the rest. He said even the peaceful settlements and the jackals weren't safe. That's why we were trying to hide here. We thought we could escape their attention." The woman paused. "That's one of their weapons, isn't it?"