[FIC] Knockin' On The Gates of Hell (part 3 of 3) {Ch. 14}
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2003 2:44 am
Tessa was willing to take all manner of risks, it seemed. She ran down the hallway of the TDD-1, realizing that every second may count. She didn't keep track of how many times she tripped and fell, or how many people she ran into during her all out sprint...if she had, she would have been mortified. At a time like this, she was VERY envious of Kaname Chidori, both for her athletic ability and for her unflappable nature. "Just another thing to add to my growing list of envies" she thought, shortly before arriving at her destimation.
She pushed a button on the intercom near the door, spoke, and heard Mr. Kalinin answer on the other end. "Madame Captain, are you alright?" he asked.
"I-I'm...a b-bit winded, Mr. K-Kalinin...and...and a b-bit b-bruised..." Tessa replied, pasuing to catch her breath.
"Captain?...Madame Captain?"
"I'm OK, Mr. Kalinin. I am about to enter the chamber. Were you able to locate Sgt. Sagara?" she asked.
"Yes, Captain. He has been informed. He is on his way to guard you while you are incapacitated." Kalinin replied.
"Thank you Captain." Tessa said, feeling stronger now.
"Good luck Captain...be sure you bring yourself back to us."
"I will do my best, Mr. Kalanin" Tessa said, trying to reassure Mr. Kalinin and herself both.
She entered a code number into a security touchpad and heard a pleasant chime when her entry was accepted. A doubly-reinforced panel slid open, revealing a control panel with a small number of dials and switches. After she finished with the neccesary adjustments, she pushed the switch that opened the large glass canopy of the chamber at the center of the room. As Sousuke was not there yet, and time was of the essence, she removed her lipstick from her uniform pocket and drew a circle around the switch that would close the assembly.
She hesitated a moment. Was there time? No! She reconsidered. Yes, there was time if she moved quickly. She walked over to a blank section and wrote a message on the wall. If she never had a chance to put her thoughts into words, this may be the only way. She didn't want to die, leaving certain things unsaid. Shortly after she finished the last word, Sousuke ran into the room.
"Madame Captain, I got here as soon as I can. Are you ready. Should we begin?" Sousuke said. He saw the Captain flinch, then quickly rub her hand over a section of the wall that he couldn't see from his vantage point.
"Uh--Yes, Sousuke. We should move as quickly as possible." She ran to the chamber and climbed up into the reclining bed within...but not before Sousuke could see that her palms were colored a deep pink color.
"Captain, what should I do next?" he asked.
"You need to press a switch now, Sousuke. I have drawn a circle around it. Hurry. There is something I want to..." Tessa said, unable to keep Sousuke's attention as he ran to comply.
Souske threw the switch.
The canopy closed ever so slowly as the computer assessed its occupant's physical size and vital signs, automatically adjusting bed shape and configuration to best fit her needs. Tessa quickly made a request. "Sousuke, before the top is down...I may not recover from this, so...I...I" She faltered.
"Captain?"
"Souske...could...could you please call me Tessa?" she asked, her heart beating quickly, bedeviling the medical assessment program.
"Yes. Tessa. Please come back...." That was all Tessa heard before a very weak concentration of anesthetic gas helped her rapidly reach the state required for operation of the system. Small mechanical arms lowered measurement and stimulus electrodes to gently caress her face.
"Yes. Tessa. Please come back to us all. We could never find another Captain like you" Souske had said. He had called her 'Tessa.' She was placing herself at risk for the benefit of other people. Sousuke would do no less.
Walking over to stand at a point on the floor that would allow him the best view of the room and quick access the the control console, Sousuke finally allowed his attention to focus on the discolored area of the wall. He saw handwriting and a big indecipherable smear. In dark pink. Similar in color to the Captain's palms.
Souske
I XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (smear)
Tessa
He could readily make out his own name and that of the Captain's...and the letter 'I.' The rest could not be made out. The spacing of the words resembled that seen in personal notes and communications.
What had the message said? Why had the Captain rendered it unreadable if she was the one who had written it in the first place? Sousuke developed reasonable conjectures. He was correct.
Fading into her targeted mental state, Tessa heard "Tessa. Please come back" repeated slowly, almost dreamlike, as she gave control of herself over to her Whispered talents.
************************************************************
The Pakastani F-16 released two CEM munitions, with each bomb itself giving birth to a number of hockey puck-sized bomblets, raining the small explosive packages over Urzu 4 and bouncing some off the shield surrounding the Dhanush missile. The resultant explosions sounded like a louder version of the universal firework strings often set off on national holidays worldwide.
The T80 and T59 tanks had switched targetting to Urzu 2. A few rounds from the he first wave of HEAT rounds impacted on the back carapace and left leg of Melissa's Arm Slave, burning away small areas of the outer armor layer in those areas. Melissa hoped they would not hit those same areas again, but was more concerned they would switch over to armored piercing projectiles. She swiched priorities, knowing that the missile transport section could not make it past the twisted wreckage she had created from the factory door.
Kurz had not seen the explosion that enveloped Urzu 4, as he had already switched his attention from the Dhanush missile to another incoming flight of aircraft. Damn. A-10s, and three of them. He had no desire to face the snarling maw of those old monsters. They were slow...he should have little trouble taking them out...but in battle things often don't go the way you expect!
The rapid succession of explosions drew Kurz' attention back to the missile...and to Urzu 4. The Arm Slave was down, and showed dark black pock marks over its right side and rear...but, it had begun to stand up again. The missile, as he had expected, was untouched. The clock inside his head ticking, Kurz began to sweat. The cruise missile was on its way. The Dhanush missile remained invulnerable. And he didn't know how much longer he would have before some clever pilot(s) decided Urzu 6 would make a nice dumping ground for a whole shitload of hurt.
If he were taken out of the picture before the launch? Best not to think about that. He heard slow eerie bells ringing, and almost freaked out, wondering if he was experiencing some bizarre...and ultimately fatal...precognitive episode. No, no tunnel of light...and no burning flames.
Inside Urzu 4, Sgt. Conrad swore when he read the computer assessment of his M9's combat capabilities. Weapons down. Near breeches in multiple areas of armor. Most sensors out of operation. He had some visual left, and that was about it. He had focused so myopically on that damn missile, that he had negelected to correctly assess and deal with the threats around him.
A clever man...and a brave man...he had no trouble coming up with the only thing left that he could do of value.
He moved the appropriate control devices, coaxing his M9 into an unhappy lurching half walk/half crawl. After reaching the front area of the Lambda driver driven shield, he reclined his M9 flat upon its back and started the Self Destruct sequence. He didn't have an abundance of time to reach a safe distance.
Melissa, cursing loudly and near incoherently within her M9's enclosure, brought her full wrath upon the tanks that had DARED to damage her Arm Slave. Discharging two flights of Javelin missiles, four missiles per flight, she wiped the ground clean of the offending vehicles, leaving an exploding and burning pile of turrets, tracks, and tank bodies. Had she bothered to look, she wouldn't have noticed anything that still remotely resembeled a human being. The repeated jerking motions her M9 made was a clear indication that she had been hit again. She needed to assess the damage.
***I"m a rollin' thunderr...a pouring rain......I'm coming on like a hurricane...My lightning's flashing across they sky......Your'e only young...but you're gonna die***
Oh! That's where the bells were coming from. Kurz thought momentarily about shutting the song off...but the groove was going to be just too tight! He might need the extra adrenalin soon enough.
Scanning the area, he saw Urzu 4 move and lay down in front of the missile, and assumed he knew what Conrad was doing. But, the blast still wouldn't penetrate the shield!
He switched his view briefly to Urzu 2, just in time to see Melissa open a substantial can of whoopass. "YOU GO GIRL!!!" he shouted. She was hit, but still standing...still moving.
He checked his Doppler: the A-10s were looking before they leapt. They circled a bit before heading in, each taking a successively wider flight path, seeking to arrive from different directionss and at roughly the same time. Shit...THAT may end up being trouble. Shit again...he saw flashes from each aircraft, but from under the wings, not from the nose. They were going to take him on with missiles from a distance, then close in and try to turn him unto a freakin' collander with those multiple-barrel high speed guns of theirs. Funny, he'd checked the menu before leaving the TDD-1...he could swear he didn't see 30mm depleted uranium projectiles on the list!!!
***I won't take no prisoners...won't spare no lives......nobodys puttin' up a fight...I got my bell...I'm gonna take you to Hell......I'm gonna get you, Satan get you***
Sgt. Conrad opened the access hatch, and jumped down from the M9, gaining a number of small burns from the remaining flames caused earlier by his Hellbore. Thankfully, there were no ground troops in his vicinity at the moment. He quickly checked all aspects of the sky. Not sighting anything headed in his direction, he looked to find the best place to run to. Quickly. Now!!! Deciding that Urzu 2 might be his only reasonable chance for survival, he located the Arm Slave and sprinted towards it, using the factory wall as cover.
Melissa turned her attention back to 'her' Dhanush missile. A few unsuccessful shots from her 57mm told her the shield was still operational. Unable to destroy the missile, she could still render it useless. She fired a salvo of rockets at the ceiling above the launch assembly, burying the shield and its cocooned missile deep under a large mound of rubble. "There you go, you motherf@ckers!!! Dig your sorry asses out of THAT!!!"
She turned her attention back outside, heading off to see how Urzu 4 was doing with the other missile.
The massive explosion from the self destruct mechanism within Urzu 4 threw Sgt. Conrad to the ground, covering him with a thick blanket of charred soil and small stones. He lay still, but was still breathing.
Kurz saw the tremedous explosion, and felt a rain of dirt and stones at his location as well. He didn't need to have the dust and smoke clear for him to see the immense sea of flames surrounding the central area of the explosion. The charge had ignited the remaining reservoir of the Hellbore!!! It would be a few moments before he could visualize the missile. If it weren't for the lapping flames, the enemy could have launched the missile and Kurz might not have been able to see it.
He got up and moved again, determined not to be a stationary target for whatever dogs were on his trail. He got only five steps before the first of the camera-guided AGM65 Maverick missiles exploded on the rooftop, the shock wave throwing him agains a rooftop aerial. Looking quickly around him, he saw for a split second the burning wall of flames below, and the quick flash of missiles headed in his direction.
***Hell's Bells...Yeah, Hell's bells......you got me ringin'...Hell's bells........my temperatures high...Hell's bells***
Sgt. Conrad got to his feet slowly, shaking off litres of soil, spitting out pebbles, and testing his abililty to stand on his injured right leg. He hobbled away as quickly as possible, sweating profusedly in the great waves of heat eminating from the fire. He couldn't see the launch assembly, and had no clue whether his gamble had worked. He silently gave thanks to the pile of dirt at his feet: that covering may well have kept him from being singed by the roaring fireball that followed the initial explosion.
Melissa had her M9 running at top speed, heading back in the direction of the other Arm Slaves. She zoomed in on a small speck of movement and located Sgt. Conrad.
An explosion drew her attention to a rooftop, where she saw Urzu 6, moments before multiple missile impacts on that rooftop collapsed the structure and dropped Kurz' M9 out of sight. Holy Shit!!! Kurz!!! No time to worry about him now. With Urzu 6 out of sight and Urzu 4 totally obliterated, it was up to her to take out that remaining missile. Her long-range communicator buzzed. Oh Hell, that's all she needed at that moment!!!
The galant sacrifice of Urzu 4 was effective...but only partially so. Technicians within the factory building peered outside through binoculars, assessing the situation. They were serving as forward spotters, afraid to run because they knew their lives would be forfeit if they were caught...their lives, and the lives of their families. The missile controls were being manipulated by radio waves, the transmitter located a few blocks away.
The operator demanded that the technicians judge the nature of the situation, and they were proceeding as ordered. The explosion had created a large pit in front of the missile, and had lowered its trajectory by five to ten degrees, but no more than that. The flight path of the missile appeared to allow enough leeway for correction after lauch without the missile being in danger of hitting a building or veering sufficiently away from the programmed flight path. Things still looked good for a "Go" signal. It remained a matter of timing.
***I'll give black sensations...up and down your spine......you're into evil...you're a friend of mine......see my white light flashing...as I split the night***
The flames, the fall, the song, and the incoming missiles raining down like arrows caused Kurz to flash back to his days of reading classical literature.
"Shit!!! The only things missing here are centaurs and a freakin' river of boiling blood!!!"
It had seemed that he, the great Kurz Weber , had a one way ticket punched for the 7th bolgia of Hell...departure site for the The Violent. And he had been hoping for the molesting whirlwind of the 2nd bolgia...the punishment site for the Lustful.
Ears still ringing loudly from the explosions, Kurz quickly monitored the functions of his Arm Slave. He had to MOVE. He couldn't leave that damn missile unwatched!!! His M9 had very little function in the right leg and none in the left. Half of his external sensors were either twisted wreckage or covered with paint.
Cassie looked to be intact. "Good girl! We're an item you and I!"" Heh heh heh. If he got out of this alive, he'd have to tell the story to Lt. Concepcion. Maybe over a bottle of chilled champagne? Oh Yeh!!!
"Up and at'em Kurzie boy." His M9 made its way towards an opening in the unstable wall, crawling slowly.
Sgt. Conrad cursed when he saw Urzu 2 bound past...but he didn't curse Melissa: he knew without a doubt that he would be doing the same thing if that unholy missile still remained and he was the only one left who could treat it in the manner it deserved. Godspeed, Sgt. Major.
*************************************************************
Her body shrinking and growing, breaking off into many pieces and coalescing back again, Tessa's Whispered form talked to colors...touched thoughts...and drank time...and it all seemed so simple and so peaceful. THE sense of purpose was there, and SHE did not enjoy the twisting swirling dance. The sense of purpose forced her Whispered self to send out webs of thought and reel them back in again to see what she had caught. She tossed out lines of farseeking energy, waiting for something to pull on a line. Light came and went. Sound too. Smells. Sensations of every type. Erotic. Sensual. Reserved. Chaste. Feelings faded in and out of being too. Love. Anger. Fear. Curiosity. Confusion...Everything.
The further her whispered self reached, the more the earthbound Tessa shivered. The more energy she used, the more she cried out. A watchful Sousuke was very concerned, not knowing what Tessa was doing...and not knowing what she was doing to herself. He felt professionally impotent, and had no way to offer her strength, reassurance, or comfort. He turned away after seeing her go through a partcularly agonizing series of convulsions. At first she whimpered pitifully...then she laughed hysterically.
Soususke walked over to the control panel to see if any of the indicators were showing in the red. He saw the Captain's lipstick sitting on the counter. He looked at the message on the wall.
After recalling some of what he had learned over the past few days, he decided on a quick course of action. He could do this and then return his attention to the Cap-...to Tessa. He took the lipstick and walked over to the wall. His plan somehow felt childish, but he was determined to do it for Tessa. Again, If she could risk so much, why shouldn't he? It would be 'Tessa.' At least for today.
Tessa
It's OK. I'm growing too.
XXXXXXXXXXXX Sousuke
The smear covered an area where he had originally written Sgt. Sagara. He changed that. Tessa definitely deserved 'Sousuke.' He stared almost in wonder at his hand, its palm deep pink...just like Tessa's.
When he turned back to check on Tessa, he was surprised. She had her arms outstretched as far as the canopy would allow, as if she were pointing.
************************************************************
The viewscreen in the conference room came on of its own accord, startling the busy team of people nearby. Satellite image flashed by, too fast to decipher. GPS coordinates came and went...glowing, fading, and glowing again, all the while darting across the screen like a frightened flock of birds. Eventually one image stayed on the screen. One set of coordinates refused to move. A ghostly representation of a naked Captain Testarossa floated across the room, passing by Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, Mr. Windham, and the assembled members of the Intel Department. The ghostly Tessa pointed to an area on the image, and that area increased in resolution, showing a cluster of buildings.
Kalini quickly wrote down the coordinates and told Lt. Concepcion to download that image directly into the search data base. For the first time in a while, the people in that room had hope.
A second cruise missile was launched...the assembled professionals would use the time alloted by its flight to better define the target parameters.
An unspoken thought ran through the room, but did not squelch the new found enthusiasm. The threat behind the Pakistani cabal had been clever and effective. Hopefully, they hadn't had the forethought or resources to set up a number of lambda drivers to serve as red herrings.
*************************************************************
The enemy had made a concerted effort to move increasing numbers of medium and long range howitzers into range, and the fruits of their endeavors were showing up as a steadily increasing steel rain. First a slight drizzle. Then a medium downpour. Later, a deluge.
The advancing front moved inexorably towards Melissa's M9 as the ground spotters supplied coordinates to artillerymen located far outside of visual range. A few laser guided Copperhead round were in the mix, forcing Melissa to pilot her Arm Slave in a random dance of movement.
The enemy's new approach was a double edged sword. Obviously, the Dhanush could NOT launch at this time. That was fortuitous. Obviously, the enemy must think that by saturating the target area, they could obliterate the invading forces. They may well be correct, Melissa thought. And, if it they WERE...well, that would be distinctly less than fortuitous.
Melissa looked at her console. A highly significant countdown had made its way down 10:00. Ten minutes. That was all the time she had left to reach a mission objective that would allow her to call off the patiently waiting cruise missile. At the appointed time, when the clock read 00:00, the circling death would default to its terminal path, and destruction would come crashing down from the sky.
Damn it Kurz! Are you still alive, still functional? Why haven't you showed up? Why haven't you ansewered the radio? She watched the countdown again. If she was disabled, and saw no sign of Urzu 6, she would send out a signal that would immediately call the cruise missile in.
Kurz had managed to drag Urzu 6 to a point where he could see the missile. He could also see Urzu 2. As he reached a more open location, his remaining operational threat sensor started to complain incessantly. He had to find someway to let Melissa know. Dammitt! He had lobbied for them all to carry longer range sensors, but 'flexibility' had won out over 'caution.' Or, as Melissa had said, 'paranoia.'
"When we get back, Melissa..." he started smugly, before stopping.
"IF...if we get back. If we BOTH get back..."
His radio was broken, and he could not waste a single shot from Cassie. He thought of two alternatives. He would use the white phosphorus grenade as a last resort, lest he damage any remaining sensors in either Arm Slave. Instead, he went with a plan that would appeal to an expert marksman...and a man way too full of himself.
The flames had died down to a point that they themselves no longer presented a threat to the Dhanush. Fortunately, the ongoing artllery barrage precluded missile launch. At least until the enemy stopped being cautious.
Pushing his M9 up on one arm, Kurz brought the other arm forward briskly, throwing his anti-armor dagger.
***'Cause if God's on the left then I'm stickin' to the right***
The dagger missed. Kurz swore and cursed his aim. However, he shouldn't have been so quick to lambast his efforts. Melissa had caught sight of the motion of the M9's arm, and had quite obviously turned her Arm Slave towards Kurz' position. Hoping she'd see, and hoping she'd catch on, he pointed the exposed arm of his M9 skyward.
Melissa, just as quick in mind as she was quick on her feet, DID get the message. She turned just in time to see an incoming flight of A-10s, staggered horizontally, vertically, and from front to back. The rain of shells continued behind her too. Looks like she was going the get it from the front and from the rear at the same time. Oh! Good thing Kurz didn't hear the words she just thought!
All three A10s fired at once. As the advancing rain of death began to fall heavily around her, Melissa had the happy bonus of seeing three rows of stinging death advance along the ground towards her current site. She knew it was certain death to stand still. She headed quickly towards the open factory door, hoping could could make it to cover in time. And hoping the missile wouldn't launch while she was inside.
Kurz cursed. He had lost a number of cartridges of Cassie's ammunition during his fall or soon thereafter.
"Sorry pretty lady. I'll make it up to you. Will dinner and dancing suffice?!" he said while checking on the internal load of the anti-aircraft cannon.
Three shots left. It would be wise to save all three, just to be as safe. But, his confidence still high despite his miss with the dagger, he figured he just might be able to spare one round. Seeing what Melissa was trying to do, he was about to fire on the A-10 closest to the factory door.
His 'shoulder angel' spoke for the first time that day, and told him to hold his fire. If an enemy observer hadn't seen the thrown dagger or the movement of the M9's arm, that observer might think that Kurz was down for the count. The enemy might feel overconfident and launch the missile: it would be a sitting duck for good old Kurzeroo!!! He couldn't risk being detected.
"Sorry, Melissa. Please be well!!!"
Sgt. Conrad had definitely seen better days. With death all around him, he figured his number had come up. It was just a matter of time. His pending death certainly bothered him...but his inability to do perform any additional usueful act bothered him even more. He saw Urzu 2 make a quick dash-and-leap towards the open factory door. He also saw the bottom half of the Arm Slave almost literally fall to pieces at it was caught in the converging fire from all three A10s. He hobbled off to see if he could be of any assistance, even though he figured that they had all failed. He was guessing that Melissa would have arranged for some external source of massive destruction to cover for their mistakes.
The surviving portion of Melissa's M9 rolled awkwardly through the factory like an ovoid bowling ball, knocking over stacks of equipment as it passed. When it came to a stop, there was no movement inside.
The wave of incoming artillery fire hadn't ceased yet, despite the disappearence of all Arm Slaves from sight. In fact, like an invisible and infernal pair of hedgeclippers, the widening breadth of incoming fire began to chop away at the walls of the factories bordering both sides of the open area. Perhaps the enemy had mistakenly taken out their own spotters.
Either it was Kurz' lucky day, or his shoulder angel had called in a flight of guardian angels. The destruction passed him by like the eye of a hurricane. He was still there. And, of course, that damn missile was still there. He wanted that damn thing to launch! He laughed when he realized just how politically incorrect that wish was.
*************************************************************
A number of airborne American remotely piloted vehicles were diverted towards the coordinates supplied by Mithril operatives, and one of the 'secret' scramjet powered high-altitude ultra-high-speed reconaissance crafts had launched from an equally 'secret' base at the infamous Skunk Works in time to be of assistance.
*************************************************************
Tessa, a blank expression on her face, waved to Sousuke, and pointed to the console. Correctly interpreting her actions, Souske activated the switch that he believed would open the canopy. He was relieved when the canopy began to move.
He headed over towards the enclosure where Tessa sat, and saw that she had put her hands over her eyes, and had lowered her head down into her lap. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She lifted her head back up again. The look on her face made Sousuke suspect she wasn't fully cognizant yet. Nonetheless, he felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw her smile
*************************************************************
Sgt. Conrad saw that he would not make shelter in time. He dropped to his knee and offered a prayer just before the rain of explosions passed by him and through him, erasing his future existence.
*************************************************************
The downwardly counting digital display remained the only thing purposely moving in Urzu 2. The ragged breathing and gentle rise and fall of Melissa's chest indicated that she was still alive. The small amount of blood running from the corner of her mouth was evidence that she was not entirely intact.
*************************************************************
The rain of artilery shells stopped. Kurz' mind snapped into even greater focus. This was the calm before the storm...the red and yellow lights before the green one that would send the dragsters down their track.
Kurz was too busy to see his life flash before his eyes, so he turned that channel off. He guessed that he would meet his end in the violent embrace of an incoming cruise missile, but that didn't change the task at hand. This was a tag team match. If the cruise missile ruined the cabal's day, the good guys would still win...even if the incredibly handsome Kurz Weber died. No strike that!!! 'Even if the incredibly handsome and exceedingly wonderful' Kurrz Weber died.' No no no. 'Even if the incredibly handsome and exceedingly wonderful babe magnet Kurz Weber died.'
But until the Kurz Weber who IS became the Kurz Weber who WAS, he had a job to do. That Dhanush wasn't going anywhere before the cruise missile arrived!!!
Kurz made an important systems check, careful not to take his eyes away from his target for too long. Yes IT still worked. "Oh yeh!!!" Kurz cued up another song to help pass away the time.
***Is it any wonder, you got me comin' under fire......coming like thunder...you know you make me walk the wire***
Kurz kept his fingers crossed. He wanted very much to make it across that deadly tightrope they had all been walking on this day. If any one of them could make it across that wire and successfully accomplish the mission, he felt that he could die in peace. He may well be the only one left standing. He could NOT let himself fall.
The seconds ticking away inexorably, Kurz prayed fervently. "Please! Please let it be soon!" They had been relatively fortunate so far, with the volume of enemy threats they had faced. No doubt, much larger numbers of aircraft were closing in, and helicopter-carried troops would soon be on the scene. He was more concerned about being spotted than he was about being fired upon.
A flash of light caught his avid attention. Flames shot out of the back of the Dhanush, and it slowly made its way into the sky.
Kurz blew a quick kiss to Cassie, sighted, and fired.
Fortunately, the fall had not damaged the Starbust. Of equal good fortune, one of the rare but catastrophic misfires of that relatively new weapon did not occur at that inopportune moment. Of greatest good fortune, Kurz' shot rang true, and the missile burst first into pieces and then into flames. Kurz put his head down and closed his eyes.
Hell's bells, indeed!!!
*************************************************************
The American drones had picked up the destruction of the Dhanush and relayed their electronic messages in time to avert the impending cruise missile strike on the Hydrogen Peroxide plant area. But it was only a temporary stay of execution.
Another set of drones had seen the third missile on the move exactly where Captain Testarossa had insisted it would be. The second cruise missile changed it from a threat to an afterthought.
An anonymous message of warning had been sent to remaining Pakistani military officials, tersely describing the plot led by the cabal, the nation of Pakistan's involuntary culpability in that plot, and the service that had been done for their country by means of exposure and destruction of that plot. They were informed how much time their forces would be given to leave the area of the factory complex and the site of the third Dhanush before additional cruise missiles would close pandora's box by obliterating any traces of Black Technology in those areas. Strong warnings were given regarding the danger of the unknown group behind the cabal.
There was jubilation in the ready room of the TDD-1, and everywhere else the message of success had reached. The tone was somewhat hushed though, as no one knew the fate of the three brave pilots who had contributed to the day's great victory.
The threat behind the cabal still remained, but that was a mystery for another day. It was time for some well-deserved relaxation.
*************************************************************
Sousuke helped Tessa from her enclosure, and caught her when she stumbled. Seeing her cry quietly, he enfolded her in a gentle embrace and held her until the tears stopped.
When she was able to speak again, she looked up and spoke to Souske.
"Sousuke, were we successful? Did we get all three missiles?"
As I understand it captain, we did. One missile was apparently shot down. One missile is assumed to be buried and no longer a threat. And the Dhanush that you located was destroyed by our second cruise missile" Sousuke said.
"I'm glad to hear that." Tessa said.
Yes, Tessa. I am too." She smiled at his use of her name.
"It also seems that the cabal will be hoisted by it's own pitard. They did indeed call for American assistance, as Mr. Windham expected they would. The Americans responded to their request, and will be sending in an overly large number of special forces squads...of course, they are calling them anti-terrorist inspectors. I am am certain it is only a linguistic mistake" Sousuke said, grinning.
"I think I can walk now, Sousuke. If you support me, I think I can make it to the sickbay." Tessa said.
As she walked towards the door, Tessa caught sight of Sousuke's message. She stopped. She read the message several times. She began to cry again. "Thank you Sousuke. Thank you." She said.
"It's not a problem. Tessa" Sousuke said.
************************************************************
Finis
She pushed a button on the intercom near the door, spoke, and heard Mr. Kalinin answer on the other end. "Madame Captain, are you alright?" he asked.
"I-I'm...a b-bit winded, Mr. K-Kalinin...and...and a b-bit b-bruised..." Tessa replied, pasuing to catch her breath.
"Captain?...Madame Captain?"
"I'm OK, Mr. Kalinin. I am about to enter the chamber. Were you able to locate Sgt. Sagara?" she asked.
"Yes, Captain. He has been informed. He is on his way to guard you while you are incapacitated." Kalinin replied.
"Thank you Captain." Tessa said, feeling stronger now.
"Good luck Captain...be sure you bring yourself back to us."
"I will do my best, Mr. Kalanin" Tessa said, trying to reassure Mr. Kalinin and herself both.
She entered a code number into a security touchpad and heard a pleasant chime when her entry was accepted. A doubly-reinforced panel slid open, revealing a control panel with a small number of dials and switches. After she finished with the neccesary adjustments, she pushed the switch that opened the large glass canopy of the chamber at the center of the room. As Sousuke was not there yet, and time was of the essence, she removed her lipstick from her uniform pocket and drew a circle around the switch that would close the assembly.
She hesitated a moment. Was there time? No! She reconsidered. Yes, there was time if she moved quickly. She walked over to a blank section and wrote a message on the wall. If she never had a chance to put her thoughts into words, this may be the only way. She didn't want to die, leaving certain things unsaid. Shortly after she finished the last word, Sousuke ran into the room.
"Madame Captain, I got here as soon as I can. Are you ready. Should we begin?" Sousuke said. He saw the Captain flinch, then quickly rub her hand over a section of the wall that he couldn't see from his vantage point.
"Uh--Yes, Sousuke. We should move as quickly as possible." She ran to the chamber and climbed up into the reclining bed within...but not before Sousuke could see that her palms were colored a deep pink color.
"Captain, what should I do next?" he asked.
"You need to press a switch now, Sousuke. I have drawn a circle around it. Hurry. There is something I want to..." Tessa said, unable to keep Sousuke's attention as he ran to comply.
Souske threw the switch.
The canopy closed ever so slowly as the computer assessed its occupant's physical size and vital signs, automatically adjusting bed shape and configuration to best fit her needs. Tessa quickly made a request. "Sousuke, before the top is down...I may not recover from this, so...I...I" She faltered.
"Captain?"
"Souske...could...could you please call me Tessa?" she asked, her heart beating quickly, bedeviling the medical assessment program.
"Yes. Tessa. Please come back...." That was all Tessa heard before a very weak concentration of anesthetic gas helped her rapidly reach the state required for operation of the system. Small mechanical arms lowered measurement and stimulus electrodes to gently caress her face.
"Yes. Tessa. Please come back to us all. We could never find another Captain like you" Souske had said. He had called her 'Tessa.' She was placing herself at risk for the benefit of other people. Sousuke would do no less.
Walking over to stand at a point on the floor that would allow him the best view of the room and quick access the the control console, Sousuke finally allowed his attention to focus on the discolored area of the wall. He saw handwriting and a big indecipherable smear. In dark pink. Similar in color to the Captain's palms.
Souske
I XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (smear)
Tessa
He could readily make out his own name and that of the Captain's...and the letter 'I.' The rest could not be made out. The spacing of the words resembled that seen in personal notes and communications.
What had the message said? Why had the Captain rendered it unreadable if she was the one who had written it in the first place? Sousuke developed reasonable conjectures. He was correct.
Fading into her targeted mental state, Tessa heard "Tessa. Please come back" repeated slowly, almost dreamlike, as she gave control of herself over to her Whispered talents.
************************************************************
The Pakastani F-16 released two CEM munitions, with each bomb itself giving birth to a number of hockey puck-sized bomblets, raining the small explosive packages over Urzu 4 and bouncing some off the shield surrounding the Dhanush missile. The resultant explosions sounded like a louder version of the universal firework strings often set off on national holidays worldwide.
The T80 and T59 tanks had switched targetting to Urzu 2. A few rounds from the he first wave of HEAT rounds impacted on the back carapace and left leg of Melissa's Arm Slave, burning away small areas of the outer armor layer in those areas. Melissa hoped they would not hit those same areas again, but was more concerned they would switch over to armored piercing projectiles. She swiched priorities, knowing that the missile transport section could not make it past the twisted wreckage she had created from the factory door.
Kurz had not seen the explosion that enveloped Urzu 4, as he had already switched his attention from the Dhanush missile to another incoming flight of aircraft. Damn. A-10s, and three of them. He had no desire to face the snarling maw of those old monsters. They were slow...he should have little trouble taking them out...but in battle things often don't go the way you expect!
The rapid succession of explosions drew Kurz' attention back to the missile...and to Urzu 4. The Arm Slave was down, and showed dark black pock marks over its right side and rear...but, it had begun to stand up again. The missile, as he had expected, was untouched. The clock inside his head ticking, Kurz began to sweat. The cruise missile was on its way. The Dhanush missile remained invulnerable. And he didn't know how much longer he would have before some clever pilot(s) decided Urzu 6 would make a nice dumping ground for a whole shitload of hurt.
If he were taken out of the picture before the launch? Best not to think about that. He heard slow eerie bells ringing, and almost freaked out, wondering if he was experiencing some bizarre...and ultimately fatal...precognitive episode. No, no tunnel of light...and no burning flames.
Inside Urzu 4, Sgt. Conrad swore when he read the computer assessment of his M9's combat capabilities. Weapons down. Near breeches in multiple areas of armor. Most sensors out of operation. He had some visual left, and that was about it. He had focused so myopically on that damn missile, that he had negelected to correctly assess and deal with the threats around him.
A clever man...and a brave man...he had no trouble coming up with the only thing left that he could do of value.
He moved the appropriate control devices, coaxing his M9 into an unhappy lurching half walk/half crawl. After reaching the front area of the Lambda driver driven shield, he reclined his M9 flat upon its back and started the Self Destruct sequence. He didn't have an abundance of time to reach a safe distance.
Melissa, cursing loudly and near incoherently within her M9's enclosure, brought her full wrath upon the tanks that had DARED to damage her Arm Slave. Discharging two flights of Javelin missiles, four missiles per flight, she wiped the ground clean of the offending vehicles, leaving an exploding and burning pile of turrets, tracks, and tank bodies. Had she bothered to look, she wouldn't have noticed anything that still remotely resembeled a human being. The repeated jerking motions her M9 made was a clear indication that she had been hit again. She needed to assess the damage.
***I"m a rollin' thunderr...a pouring rain......I'm coming on like a hurricane...My lightning's flashing across they sky......Your'e only young...but you're gonna die***
Oh! That's where the bells were coming from. Kurz thought momentarily about shutting the song off...but the groove was going to be just too tight! He might need the extra adrenalin soon enough.
Scanning the area, he saw Urzu 4 move and lay down in front of the missile, and assumed he knew what Conrad was doing. But, the blast still wouldn't penetrate the shield!
He switched his view briefly to Urzu 2, just in time to see Melissa open a substantial can of whoopass. "YOU GO GIRL!!!" he shouted. She was hit, but still standing...still moving.
He checked his Doppler: the A-10s were looking before they leapt. They circled a bit before heading in, each taking a successively wider flight path, seeking to arrive from different directionss and at roughly the same time. Shit...THAT may end up being trouble. Shit again...he saw flashes from each aircraft, but from under the wings, not from the nose. They were going to take him on with missiles from a distance, then close in and try to turn him unto a freakin' collander with those multiple-barrel high speed guns of theirs. Funny, he'd checked the menu before leaving the TDD-1...he could swear he didn't see 30mm depleted uranium projectiles on the list!!!
***I won't take no prisoners...won't spare no lives......nobodys puttin' up a fight...I got my bell...I'm gonna take you to Hell......I'm gonna get you, Satan get you***
Sgt. Conrad opened the access hatch, and jumped down from the M9, gaining a number of small burns from the remaining flames caused earlier by his Hellbore. Thankfully, there were no ground troops in his vicinity at the moment. He quickly checked all aspects of the sky. Not sighting anything headed in his direction, he looked to find the best place to run to. Quickly. Now!!! Deciding that Urzu 2 might be his only reasonable chance for survival, he located the Arm Slave and sprinted towards it, using the factory wall as cover.
Melissa turned her attention back to 'her' Dhanush missile. A few unsuccessful shots from her 57mm told her the shield was still operational. Unable to destroy the missile, she could still render it useless. She fired a salvo of rockets at the ceiling above the launch assembly, burying the shield and its cocooned missile deep under a large mound of rubble. "There you go, you motherf@ckers!!! Dig your sorry asses out of THAT!!!"
She turned her attention back outside, heading off to see how Urzu 4 was doing with the other missile.
The massive explosion from the self destruct mechanism within Urzu 4 threw Sgt. Conrad to the ground, covering him with a thick blanket of charred soil and small stones. He lay still, but was still breathing.
Kurz saw the tremedous explosion, and felt a rain of dirt and stones at his location as well. He didn't need to have the dust and smoke clear for him to see the immense sea of flames surrounding the central area of the explosion. The charge had ignited the remaining reservoir of the Hellbore!!! It would be a few moments before he could visualize the missile. If it weren't for the lapping flames, the enemy could have launched the missile and Kurz might not have been able to see it.
He got up and moved again, determined not to be a stationary target for whatever dogs were on his trail. He got only five steps before the first of the camera-guided AGM65 Maverick missiles exploded on the rooftop, the shock wave throwing him agains a rooftop aerial. Looking quickly around him, he saw for a split second the burning wall of flames below, and the quick flash of missiles headed in his direction.
***Hell's Bells...Yeah, Hell's bells......you got me ringin'...Hell's bells........my temperatures high...Hell's bells***
Sgt. Conrad got to his feet slowly, shaking off litres of soil, spitting out pebbles, and testing his abililty to stand on his injured right leg. He hobbled away as quickly as possible, sweating profusedly in the great waves of heat eminating from the fire. He couldn't see the launch assembly, and had no clue whether his gamble had worked. He silently gave thanks to the pile of dirt at his feet: that covering may well have kept him from being singed by the roaring fireball that followed the initial explosion.
Melissa had her M9 running at top speed, heading back in the direction of the other Arm Slaves. She zoomed in on a small speck of movement and located Sgt. Conrad.
An explosion drew her attention to a rooftop, where she saw Urzu 6, moments before multiple missile impacts on that rooftop collapsed the structure and dropped Kurz' M9 out of sight. Holy Shit!!! Kurz!!! No time to worry about him now. With Urzu 6 out of sight and Urzu 4 totally obliterated, it was up to her to take out that remaining missile. Her long-range communicator buzzed. Oh Hell, that's all she needed at that moment!!!
The galant sacrifice of Urzu 4 was effective...but only partially so. Technicians within the factory building peered outside through binoculars, assessing the situation. They were serving as forward spotters, afraid to run because they knew their lives would be forfeit if they were caught...their lives, and the lives of their families. The missile controls were being manipulated by radio waves, the transmitter located a few blocks away.
The operator demanded that the technicians judge the nature of the situation, and they were proceeding as ordered. The explosion had created a large pit in front of the missile, and had lowered its trajectory by five to ten degrees, but no more than that. The flight path of the missile appeared to allow enough leeway for correction after lauch without the missile being in danger of hitting a building or veering sufficiently away from the programmed flight path. Things still looked good for a "Go" signal. It remained a matter of timing.
***I'll give black sensations...up and down your spine......you're into evil...you're a friend of mine......see my white light flashing...as I split the night***
The flames, the fall, the song, and the incoming missiles raining down like arrows caused Kurz to flash back to his days of reading classical literature.
"Shit!!! The only things missing here are centaurs and a freakin' river of boiling blood!!!"
It had seemed that he, the great Kurz Weber , had a one way ticket punched for the 7th bolgia of Hell...departure site for the The Violent. And he had been hoping for the molesting whirlwind of the 2nd bolgia...the punishment site for the Lustful.
Ears still ringing loudly from the explosions, Kurz quickly monitored the functions of his Arm Slave. He had to MOVE. He couldn't leave that damn missile unwatched!!! His M9 had very little function in the right leg and none in the left. Half of his external sensors were either twisted wreckage or covered with paint.
Cassie looked to be intact. "Good girl! We're an item you and I!"" Heh heh heh. If he got out of this alive, he'd have to tell the story to Lt. Concepcion. Maybe over a bottle of chilled champagne? Oh Yeh!!!
"Up and at'em Kurzie boy." His M9 made its way towards an opening in the unstable wall, crawling slowly.
Sgt. Conrad cursed when he saw Urzu 2 bound past...but he didn't curse Melissa: he knew without a doubt that he would be doing the same thing if that unholy missile still remained and he was the only one left who could treat it in the manner it deserved. Godspeed, Sgt. Major.
*************************************************************
Her body shrinking and growing, breaking off into many pieces and coalescing back again, Tessa's Whispered form talked to colors...touched thoughts...and drank time...and it all seemed so simple and so peaceful. THE sense of purpose was there, and SHE did not enjoy the twisting swirling dance. The sense of purpose forced her Whispered self to send out webs of thought and reel them back in again to see what she had caught. She tossed out lines of farseeking energy, waiting for something to pull on a line. Light came and went. Sound too. Smells. Sensations of every type. Erotic. Sensual. Reserved. Chaste. Feelings faded in and out of being too. Love. Anger. Fear. Curiosity. Confusion...Everything.
The further her whispered self reached, the more the earthbound Tessa shivered. The more energy she used, the more she cried out. A watchful Sousuke was very concerned, not knowing what Tessa was doing...and not knowing what she was doing to herself. He felt professionally impotent, and had no way to offer her strength, reassurance, or comfort. He turned away after seeing her go through a partcularly agonizing series of convulsions. At first she whimpered pitifully...then she laughed hysterically.
Soususke walked over to the control panel to see if any of the indicators were showing in the red. He saw the Captain's lipstick sitting on the counter. He looked at the message on the wall.
After recalling some of what he had learned over the past few days, he decided on a quick course of action. He could do this and then return his attention to the Cap-...to Tessa. He took the lipstick and walked over to the wall. His plan somehow felt childish, but he was determined to do it for Tessa. Again, If she could risk so much, why shouldn't he? It would be 'Tessa.' At least for today.
Tessa
It's OK. I'm growing too.
XXXXXXXXXXXX Sousuke
The smear covered an area where he had originally written Sgt. Sagara. He changed that. Tessa definitely deserved 'Sousuke.' He stared almost in wonder at his hand, its palm deep pink...just like Tessa's.
When he turned back to check on Tessa, he was surprised. She had her arms outstretched as far as the canopy would allow, as if she were pointing.
************************************************************
The viewscreen in the conference room came on of its own accord, startling the busy team of people nearby. Satellite image flashed by, too fast to decipher. GPS coordinates came and went...glowing, fading, and glowing again, all the while darting across the screen like a frightened flock of birds. Eventually one image stayed on the screen. One set of coordinates refused to move. A ghostly representation of a naked Captain Testarossa floated across the room, passing by Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, Mr. Windham, and the assembled members of the Intel Department. The ghostly Tessa pointed to an area on the image, and that area increased in resolution, showing a cluster of buildings.
Kalini quickly wrote down the coordinates and told Lt. Concepcion to download that image directly into the search data base. For the first time in a while, the people in that room had hope.
A second cruise missile was launched...the assembled professionals would use the time alloted by its flight to better define the target parameters.
An unspoken thought ran through the room, but did not squelch the new found enthusiasm. The threat behind the Pakistani cabal had been clever and effective. Hopefully, they hadn't had the forethought or resources to set up a number of lambda drivers to serve as red herrings.
*************************************************************
The enemy had made a concerted effort to move increasing numbers of medium and long range howitzers into range, and the fruits of their endeavors were showing up as a steadily increasing steel rain. First a slight drizzle. Then a medium downpour. Later, a deluge.
The advancing front moved inexorably towards Melissa's M9 as the ground spotters supplied coordinates to artillerymen located far outside of visual range. A few laser guided Copperhead round were in the mix, forcing Melissa to pilot her Arm Slave in a random dance of movement.
The enemy's new approach was a double edged sword. Obviously, the Dhanush could NOT launch at this time. That was fortuitous. Obviously, the enemy must think that by saturating the target area, they could obliterate the invading forces. They may well be correct, Melissa thought. And, if it they WERE...well, that would be distinctly less than fortuitous.
Melissa looked at her console. A highly significant countdown had made its way down 10:00. Ten minutes. That was all the time she had left to reach a mission objective that would allow her to call off the patiently waiting cruise missile. At the appointed time, when the clock read 00:00, the circling death would default to its terminal path, and destruction would come crashing down from the sky.
Damn it Kurz! Are you still alive, still functional? Why haven't you showed up? Why haven't you ansewered the radio? She watched the countdown again. If she was disabled, and saw no sign of Urzu 6, she would send out a signal that would immediately call the cruise missile in.
Kurz had managed to drag Urzu 6 to a point where he could see the missile. He could also see Urzu 2. As he reached a more open location, his remaining operational threat sensor started to complain incessantly. He had to find someway to let Melissa know. Dammitt! He had lobbied for them all to carry longer range sensors, but 'flexibility' had won out over 'caution.' Or, as Melissa had said, 'paranoia.'
"When we get back, Melissa..." he started smugly, before stopping.
"IF...if we get back. If we BOTH get back..."
His radio was broken, and he could not waste a single shot from Cassie. He thought of two alternatives. He would use the white phosphorus grenade as a last resort, lest he damage any remaining sensors in either Arm Slave. Instead, he went with a plan that would appeal to an expert marksman...and a man way too full of himself.
The flames had died down to a point that they themselves no longer presented a threat to the Dhanush. Fortunately, the ongoing artllery barrage precluded missile launch. At least until the enemy stopped being cautious.
Pushing his M9 up on one arm, Kurz brought the other arm forward briskly, throwing his anti-armor dagger.
***'Cause if God's on the left then I'm stickin' to the right***
The dagger missed. Kurz swore and cursed his aim. However, he shouldn't have been so quick to lambast his efforts. Melissa had caught sight of the motion of the M9's arm, and had quite obviously turned her Arm Slave towards Kurz' position. Hoping she'd see, and hoping she'd catch on, he pointed the exposed arm of his M9 skyward.
Melissa, just as quick in mind as she was quick on her feet, DID get the message. She turned just in time to see an incoming flight of A-10s, staggered horizontally, vertically, and from front to back. The rain of shells continued behind her too. Looks like she was going the get it from the front and from the rear at the same time. Oh! Good thing Kurz didn't hear the words she just thought!
All three A10s fired at once. As the advancing rain of death began to fall heavily around her, Melissa had the happy bonus of seeing three rows of stinging death advance along the ground towards her current site. She knew it was certain death to stand still. She headed quickly towards the open factory door, hoping could could make it to cover in time. And hoping the missile wouldn't launch while she was inside.
Kurz cursed. He had lost a number of cartridges of Cassie's ammunition during his fall or soon thereafter.
"Sorry pretty lady. I'll make it up to you. Will dinner and dancing suffice?!" he said while checking on the internal load of the anti-aircraft cannon.
Three shots left. It would be wise to save all three, just to be as safe. But, his confidence still high despite his miss with the dagger, he figured he just might be able to spare one round. Seeing what Melissa was trying to do, he was about to fire on the A-10 closest to the factory door.
His 'shoulder angel' spoke for the first time that day, and told him to hold his fire. If an enemy observer hadn't seen the thrown dagger or the movement of the M9's arm, that observer might think that Kurz was down for the count. The enemy might feel overconfident and launch the missile: it would be a sitting duck for good old Kurzeroo!!! He couldn't risk being detected.
"Sorry, Melissa. Please be well!!!"
Sgt. Conrad had definitely seen better days. With death all around him, he figured his number had come up. It was just a matter of time. His pending death certainly bothered him...but his inability to do perform any additional usueful act bothered him even more. He saw Urzu 2 make a quick dash-and-leap towards the open factory door. He also saw the bottom half of the Arm Slave almost literally fall to pieces at it was caught in the converging fire from all three A10s. He hobbled off to see if he could be of any assistance, even though he figured that they had all failed. He was guessing that Melissa would have arranged for some external source of massive destruction to cover for their mistakes.
The surviving portion of Melissa's M9 rolled awkwardly through the factory like an ovoid bowling ball, knocking over stacks of equipment as it passed. When it came to a stop, there was no movement inside.
The wave of incoming artillery fire hadn't ceased yet, despite the disappearence of all Arm Slaves from sight. In fact, like an invisible and infernal pair of hedgeclippers, the widening breadth of incoming fire began to chop away at the walls of the factories bordering both sides of the open area. Perhaps the enemy had mistakenly taken out their own spotters.
Either it was Kurz' lucky day, or his shoulder angel had called in a flight of guardian angels. The destruction passed him by like the eye of a hurricane. He was still there. And, of course, that damn missile was still there. He wanted that damn thing to launch! He laughed when he realized just how politically incorrect that wish was.
*************************************************************
A number of airborne American remotely piloted vehicles were diverted towards the coordinates supplied by Mithril operatives, and one of the 'secret' scramjet powered high-altitude ultra-high-speed reconaissance crafts had launched from an equally 'secret' base at the infamous Skunk Works in time to be of assistance.
*************************************************************
Tessa, a blank expression on her face, waved to Sousuke, and pointed to the console. Correctly interpreting her actions, Souske activated the switch that he believed would open the canopy. He was relieved when the canopy began to move.
He headed over towards the enclosure where Tessa sat, and saw that she had put her hands over her eyes, and had lowered her head down into her lap. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She lifted her head back up again. The look on her face made Sousuke suspect she wasn't fully cognizant yet. Nonetheless, he felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw her smile
*************************************************************
Sgt. Conrad saw that he would not make shelter in time. He dropped to his knee and offered a prayer just before the rain of explosions passed by him and through him, erasing his future existence.
*************************************************************
The downwardly counting digital display remained the only thing purposely moving in Urzu 2. The ragged breathing and gentle rise and fall of Melissa's chest indicated that she was still alive. The small amount of blood running from the corner of her mouth was evidence that she was not entirely intact.
*************************************************************
The rain of artilery shells stopped. Kurz' mind snapped into even greater focus. This was the calm before the storm...the red and yellow lights before the green one that would send the dragsters down their track.
Kurz was too busy to see his life flash before his eyes, so he turned that channel off. He guessed that he would meet his end in the violent embrace of an incoming cruise missile, but that didn't change the task at hand. This was a tag team match. If the cruise missile ruined the cabal's day, the good guys would still win...even if the incredibly handsome Kurz Weber died. No strike that!!! 'Even if the incredibly handsome and exceedingly wonderful' Kurrz Weber died.' No no no. 'Even if the incredibly handsome and exceedingly wonderful babe magnet Kurz Weber died.'
But until the Kurz Weber who IS became the Kurz Weber who WAS, he had a job to do. That Dhanush wasn't going anywhere before the cruise missile arrived!!!
Kurz made an important systems check, careful not to take his eyes away from his target for too long. Yes IT still worked. "Oh yeh!!!" Kurz cued up another song to help pass away the time.
***Is it any wonder, you got me comin' under fire......coming like thunder...you know you make me walk the wire***
Kurz kept his fingers crossed. He wanted very much to make it across that deadly tightrope they had all been walking on this day. If any one of them could make it across that wire and successfully accomplish the mission, he felt that he could die in peace. He may well be the only one left standing. He could NOT let himself fall.
The seconds ticking away inexorably, Kurz prayed fervently. "Please! Please let it be soon!" They had been relatively fortunate so far, with the volume of enemy threats they had faced. No doubt, much larger numbers of aircraft were closing in, and helicopter-carried troops would soon be on the scene. He was more concerned about being spotted than he was about being fired upon.
A flash of light caught his avid attention. Flames shot out of the back of the Dhanush, and it slowly made its way into the sky.
Kurz blew a quick kiss to Cassie, sighted, and fired.
Fortunately, the fall had not damaged the Starbust. Of equal good fortune, one of the rare but catastrophic misfires of that relatively new weapon did not occur at that inopportune moment. Of greatest good fortune, Kurz' shot rang true, and the missile burst first into pieces and then into flames. Kurz put his head down and closed his eyes.
Hell's bells, indeed!!!
*************************************************************
The American drones had picked up the destruction of the Dhanush and relayed their electronic messages in time to avert the impending cruise missile strike on the Hydrogen Peroxide plant area. But it was only a temporary stay of execution.
Another set of drones had seen the third missile on the move exactly where Captain Testarossa had insisted it would be. The second cruise missile changed it from a threat to an afterthought.
An anonymous message of warning had been sent to remaining Pakistani military officials, tersely describing the plot led by the cabal, the nation of Pakistan's involuntary culpability in that plot, and the service that had been done for their country by means of exposure and destruction of that plot. They were informed how much time their forces would be given to leave the area of the factory complex and the site of the third Dhanush before additional cruise missiles would close pandora's box by obliterating any traces of Black Technology in those areas. Strong warnings were given regarding the danger of the unknown group behind the cabal.
There was jubilation in the ready room of the TDD-1, and everywhere else the message of success had reached. The tone was somewhat hushed though, as no one knew the fate of the three brave pilots who had contributed to the day's great victory.
The threat behind the cabal still remained, but that was a mystery for another day. It was time for some well-deserved relaxation.
*************************************************************
Sousuke helped Tessa from her enclosure, and caught her when she stumbled. Seeing her cry quietly, he enfolded her in a gentle embrace and held her until the tears stopped.
When she was able to speak again, she looked up and spoke to Souske.
"Sousuke, were we successful? Did we get all three missiles?"
As I understand it captain, we did. One missile was apparently shot down. One missile is assumed to be buried and no longer a threat. And the Dhanush that you located was destroyed by our second cruise missile" Sousuke said.
"I'm glad to hear that." Tessa said.
Yes, Tessa. I am too." She smiled at his use of her name.
"It also seems that the cabal will be hoisted by it's own pitard. They did indeed call for American assistance, as Mr. Windham expected they would. The Americans responded to their request, and will be sending in an overly large number of special forces squads...of course, they are calling them anti-terrorist inspectors. I am am certain it is only a linguistic mistake" Sousuke said, grinning.
"I think I can walk now, Sousuke. If you support me, I think I can make it to the sickbay." Tessa said.
As she walked towards the door, Tessa caught sight of Sousuke's message. She stopped. She read the message several times. She began to cry again. "Thank you Sousuke. Thank you." She said.
"It's not a problem. Tessa" Sousuke said.
************************************************************
Finis
). That could be resolved as an aside somewhere down the road.