Ghost Company Read online

  “Step back, heretic,” ordered someone from the other side of the door.

  Sheridan had just moved back a couple of paces when the heavy door swung open, missing his face by millimeters. A man with a pistol in his hand greeted him. “I was told to guard you, not feed you.”

  “Yeah, but I bet you weren’t told to starve me to death either. How about a sandwich or a bowl of soup?”

  “I’ll ask, but I doubt anyone will want to waste food on a nonbeliever like yourself. Now step back and take a seat on your bed while I send someone to ask.” The guard pulled the door shut and called out to someone.

  Sheridan grumbled under his breath, turned around, and hobbled back to his cot. The ribs on his right side ached from the last beating he had taken. He gritted his teeth as he lowered himself down. The sound of an insect buzzing near his ear added to Sheridan’s miserable mood. He raised a hand to swat it away but froze when he thought he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

  “I’m going mad,” said Sheridan.

  “No, you’re not,” replied Cole through a tiny, but powerful, speaker built into the underside of the drone. “Now sit still and listen up.”

  Sheridan lowered his hand as the UAV landed behind his right ear. His heart began to race. He couldn’t believe his friend was somewhere nearby. His despondent mood faded by the second.

  “You’re a hard man to find,” said Cole. “Listen to me. We don’t have a lot of time to waste talking. Keep your answers short. Are you fit enough to make it out of there on your own two feet?”

  “No,” whispered Sheridan.

  “Not to worry, I’ll figure something out. How many guards do they have in there?”

  “Let me think. Four . . . maybe five.”

  “Weapons?”

  “Military-issue assault rifles and pistols. I haven’t seen any heavy weapons.”

  “Okay, sit tight but be prepared to move as best you can when I bust you out of there.”

  “Thanks, Alan,” said Sheridan, his voice cracked with emotion.

  “Don’t thank me yet; I haven’t gotten you out of there.”

  Cole lowered his watch from his face and looked around. He grinned when he saw a couple six-wheeled, all-terrain vehicles parked outside of a small apartment block. Cole brought a finger up and tapped his ear. “Red, did you catch all of that?”

  “I sure did,” replied Wendy. “I take it you’re going to alter the pre-arranged escape plan?”

  “Yeah. We have no choice but to go with the alternate extraction point. Captain Sheridan won’t make it down the mountain.”

  “Okay, I’ll let Snow White know. Call me when you’re on the move, and we’ll meet you at extraction point Bravo.”

  “Will do.” Cole took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He knew it was now or never. After taking one last look over at the complacent guards, Cole strode straight toward the ATVs and jumped into the driver’s seat of the nearest vehicle. He pressed the start button. Its electrical engine started up. Cole placed the vehicle in gear and backed up. He swung the wheel around and pressed his foot down on the accelerator. The vehicle’s tires dug into the dirt road and propelled the ATV forward. Cole calmly drove past the guards and made his way to the back of the building. He parked the vehicle, jumped out, and ran to the nearest door. Cole wasn’t surprised to find it was bolted from the inside. A locked door wasn’t going to slow him down. He reached into his vest, brought out a small aerosol can and pressed down on the nozzle. A red foam shot out, covering the door handle. Less than a second later, the thermite foam reacted with the air and melted the lock.

  With a loud creak, the door swung open.

  In one fluid motion, Cole drew one of his concealed pistols and brought it up, cautiously stepping inside. He glanced down at the map of the building on his watch his drone provided. Sheridan was being held in a storeroom down the hall and to the left of where Cole was. With his pistol at the ready, he walked down the corridor until he came to the end. Cole took a quick glance around the corner and spotted three men standing outside of the cell, chatting.

  He would have had no regret in killing all three men, but he needed to keep things as quiet as possible. If just one of the men survived to sound the alarm, his escape plan would fail. Cole thought about his dilemma for a few seconds before rummaging through the pockets of his jacket. He pulled out a small metal ball, pressed down on a red button, and counted to three in his head. When he reached three, Cole dropped to one knee, turned the corner, and rolled the ball down the hall at the men.

  None of the guards saw the ball coming toward them until it was too late. With built-in sensors, the anti-personnel device detected the body heat from the men and jumped up into the air. In the blink of an eye, several small darts shot out of the grenade. Each one contained enough stored electrical charge to drop a grown man.

  Cole didn’t wait for the last man to drop. He got back up on his feet and strode toward the locked cell. On the wooden floor, the guards writhed in agony before passing out from the powerful charge running through their bodies.

  Cole brought his watch to his lips. “Captain, are you ready to get the hell out of here?”

  “Damn right I am,” replied Sheridan.

  Cole saw there was a keypad on the wall which controlled access to the room. He regretted not taking one of the men and pounding the passcode out of him. If Cole entered the wrong code, he knew an alarm would sound. Cole placed a hand on the steel door and realized that his can of thermite foam wouldn’t be sufficient to open it. He tapped his foot on the floor while he thought. Cole smiled when he remembered he still had one more trick up his sleeve. He removed a small container from his pocket, pulled off the lid, and tapped out the contents into his other hand. Two small ant-sized robots sat in the palm of his hand. The heat in his hand activated the minuscule devices. He placed his hand next to the keypad and gave the command, “Open.”

  The two robots scurried off Cole’s hand and crawled up onto the keypad. Within seconds, they found a way inside and disappeared from sight. With nanocomputers built into the bodies of the two machines, they looked for a way to open the closed door. Not one to blindly trust technology, Cole could see himself taking the time to learn more about small robots in the future.

  With a loud click, the cell door opened.

  Cole pulled the door all the way open and walked into the room. He forced himself not to grimace when he saw how roughed up his friend looked.

  “What took you so long?” asked Sheridan as he got to his feet.

  “You know me, sir. I had to stop for a pint or two before coming to rescue you,” replied Cole.

  Sheridan took a step forward, only to buckle at the knees in pain.

  Cole dashed forward, scooped up his friend in his right arm, and lifted him up over his shoulder. “Hang on, sir. I’ll have you out of here in no time.”

  Sheridan didn’t answer. He had passed out.

  Cole moved back into the hallway and began to run. When he arrived at the all-terrain vehicle, he gently laid Sheridan down in the passenger seat. Cole removed his vest and jacket and draped them over Sheridan to hide him from view.

  He tapped his ear. “Red, I have the package. He’s in bad shape. I’m leaving for the RV. I expect to be there in the next ten minutes or less.”

  “Roger that,” answered Wendy. “We are beginning our descent from orbit.”

  An alarm blared over the loudspeakers spread throughout the town. Cole swore. Someone must have found the incapacitated guards. He leaped into his seat and started up the vehicle. He placed it in drive and floored the accelerator. Cole turned the ATV around and drove as fast as he could away from the jail.

  Up ahead, Cole saw a man holding a rifle step out onto the street and raise a hand. Cole wasn’t going to stop for anyone. He clenched the steering wheel tight in hands and aimed the ATV at the armed man. With less than a couple of meters to go, the man threw his gun down and ran for his life.

&nbs
p; The whip-like cracking sound of projectiles flying over his head made Cole duck. He glanced over at the driver’s-side mirror and swore when he saw a couple of armed men firing in his direction. Cole turned the wheel in his hands. The ATV careened over to the right and then to the left as Cole hoped to throw off his attackers’ aim. It worked, but not before a burst of gunfire struck the vehicle, tearing apart the rear lights and a box of supplies strapped to the back.

  Cole took the next corner at full speed. His stolen ATV’s worn tires slid across the dirt and hit the back of an eight-wheeled transport vehicle, crushing in the front end of the ATV. Cole hadn’t bothered with a seatbelt and shot forward, slamming his chest into his steering wheel. He saw bright flashes of white light before his eyes. Cole let out a pained moan as the air escaped his lungs. He didn’t doubt he had bruised a rib or two in the crash. With his chest feeling as if it were on fire, Cole climbed out the wreck and looked around for another vehicle. His eyes fixed on a stationary hoverbike on the other side of the street. Cole had never driven one before, but he didn’t care. He reached down, hauled Sheridan’s limp body over his shoulder, and jogged over to the bike.

  An angry-looking man walked out of a building, waving his fist at Cole. “Hold on a minute, mister!” yelled the man. “You idiot. You hit my truck. What’s your name?”

  Cole brought up his pistol and fired a shot over the man’s head, sending him running for cover. At the hoverbike, Cole placed Michael down on the driver’s seat before getting on in front of his friend. He took a hold of the arms on the jacket he had put on Sheridan and wrapped them around both of their waists. It wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t have anything better to use to keep his friend from falling off the bike. Cole looked down at the vehicle’s control panel and found the start button. The vehicle’s jet engine roared as the hoverbike lifted up off the ground to the height of a man and hovered there motionlessly. Cole looked down at the running boards and saw a pedal. He placed his foot over it and gently pushed down. The bike jumped forward a few meters, startling Cole. He recovered quickly, leaned forward, and gently applied pressure to the pedal.

  With a loud whine from the engine, the hoverbike shot off down the road. Cole aimed the vehicle toward the tunnel he had come in from and hoped he could figure out how to stop it when the time came.

  On the ground beside him, Cole noticed a dark shadow closing in fast. He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head when he saw another hoverbike flying in the air about twenty meters back from him. Cole leaned over and steered his bike down an alleyway, trying to make it hard for his pursuer to get off a clean shot. Dirt and debris flew up in the air behind his bike as he raced down the tight passageway.

  Automatic gunfire from above struck the building beside Cole, showering him with plaster chips. He turned his body slightly and fired off a burst at his tormentor. The other bike, struck several times on its undercarriage, peeled away.

  Cole burst from the alley and turned his hoverbike back toward his escape route. He floored the accelerator. The tunnel entrance came into view. Cole looked up at the steering bar for the vehicle’s brake. He didn’t want to speed into the darkened mine with a vehicle going well over sixty kilometers an hour. Cole was about to place his hand on the only lever he could see, when the bike in pursuit dove out of the air and took up a position right next to him. The other driver brought up his pistol to fire. Cole reached for his weapon but realized the other man had the jump on him. There was only one thing he could do. Cole tapped the brake lever with his hand. His bike fell back just as Cole’s pursuer opened fire.

  The bullets went wide of their mark.

  Cole grabbed his pistol and shot a long burst into the other driver, sending his body tumbling off his hoverbike. Without a rider, the bike plummeted to the ground and crashed into the side of an abandoned hut, smashing it to pieces.

  The tunnel was now less than fifty meters away. Cole applied the brake and felt the vehicle decelerate. As the bike came to a stop, its jet engine stirred up a cloud of dust, enveloping the bike. Cole switched off the power and jumped from the hoverbike. With Sheridan balanced over his shoulder, Cole ran into the darkened passageway. He willed himself to ignore the burning pain he felt in his chest. Cole reached into a pocket and pulled out two anti-personnel devices. He activated them both and threw them back down the tunnel. If anyone was foolish enough to follow him, they were in for an unpleasant surprise.

  It didn’t take him long to make his way back to his hidden equipment. With minutes to go before Tarina and Wendy arrived, Cole knew it would be pointless wasting time putting his survival suit back on. Besides, Sheridan was still unconscious and unable to dress himself. Cole dug through his pack and took out two rebreathers. He placed one over Sheridan’s mouth and the other over his own. With enough air for ten minutes, Cole was counting on his friends’ timely arrival to save them from asphyxiation. He opened the door to the elevator and laid Sheridan on the floor, before pressing the up button.

  Cole tapped his ear. “Red, this is the Big Bad Wolf, we’re on our way up. What is your ETA?”

  “One minute,” replied Wendy.

  Cole smiled. “See you soon.”

  There wasn’t a better flight team anywhere in the Sixth Fleet. He was lucky to count the two women among his closest friends. Cole felt his ears pop as the elevator depressurized on its way to the surface. The second the door slid open, Cole picked up his friend and jogged down the rocky passage until he reached the opening.

  Cole cursed when he saw that the storm hadn’t abated. Sand flew through the air, stinging his exposed skin. He brought up a hand to block the wind and looked up into the darkened sky. A second later, a flashing red light came into view, followed by several more. Cole stepped back inside the tunnel as Tarina brought her ship down until it was level with the opening.

  On the side of the craft, a door slid open. Wendy stood there in her survival suit with a harness on to prevent her from being knocked out of the ship by the powerful winds buffeting it.

  “Let’s go,” said Wendy in Cole’s earpiece.

  Cole never hesitated. With a burst of speed from his legs, he ran straight for the open door. At the last second, he leaped up into the air and landed inside a small cargo bay. Behind him, Wendy slammed her hand on a button, closing the door.

  “I’ve got them,” said Wendy.

  “Hang on, I’m taking us out of this storm,” announced Tarina over the ship’s speakers.

  Cole gently placed Sheridan down in a chair and then sat down as the craft shot straight up. It took mere seconds for Tarina to bring her Fury-class, long-range, scout vessel well above the planet’s surface.

  The red warning lights in the back of the ship switched off. The vessel’s computer said, “Re-pressurization complete, it is now safe to remove all breathing devices.”

  Cole pulled down his and Sheridan’s masks.

  “How is he?” asked Wendy.

  “I’m not sure,” replied Cole. “His body is covered in bruises and scars. It looks like the bastards back there had a great time torturing him.”

  “Any sign of Harry Williams?”

  Cole shook his head. “I never stopped to ask. Perhaps the good captain will be able to tell us when he wakes up. Do you have something I can give him?”

  Wendy handed Cole an emergency medkit. “I have to go up front and help Tarina with the jump. I’ll be back as soon as we’re on our way.”

  “How long will it take us to rendezvous with our support ship?”

  “Two and a half days.”

  Cole opened the first aid container and got to work. He was far from being a doctor, but he had patched up enough people on the battlefield that he knew enough to keep his friend alive until a trained medic could look at him.

  The sound of the ship’s engines making the jump to faster-than-light travel filled the back of the ship before turning silent as the vessel raced through the stars.

  “Oh, God, he looks like he’s barely alive,”
said Tarina as she slid into the chair next to Sheridan. She reached over and ran a hand through her lover’s matted hair. Tears filled the corners of her eyes.

  “He’ll be okay,” said Cole, trying to reassure Tarina. “He’s actually been through worse.”

  Tarina canted her head, telling Cole she didn’t believe him.

  “Well, almost as bad as this.”

  “Wendy said you have no idea if Williams was, or had ever been, in the cult’s camp.”

  “That’s correct. I was a bit too busy to chat with the locals.”

  “I hope all of this was worth it.”

  “I’m sure it was,” said Cole, trying to say what he thought Tarina wanted to hear. “Come on, let’s get him into a bunk so he can rest properly until we RV with our support vessel.”

  2

  The door to the medical bay slid open.

  Michael Sheridan turned his head and smiled when he saw Cole and Tarina walk in together. Cole was carrying a tray of food with him. Sheridan’s long black hair had been cut short. His scraggly beard was also gone.

  “Thought you might like something other than hospital food,” said Cole. “You need to put some weight back on your slender bones. I’ve seen the crap they’ve been feeding you, and I wouldn’t give it to a Kurgan prisoner to eat.”

  “Thanks,” said Sheridan as he took the tray and placed it on his lap. He lifted the plastic cover and saw a healthy helping of spaghetti with meat sauce. His stomach rumbled at the thought of eating real food.

  Cole and Tarina grabbed a couple of chairs and sat down. Their voyage back home was nearing its end. They had been in transit for seven days and would be ending their jump in less than six hours’ time above Illum Prime, the home of the Sixth Fleet.

  “I spoke with Doctor Kim and she says you’re doing remarkably well,” said Tarina.

  “Uh-huh,” replied Sheridan between mouthfuls of food.

  “In fact, aside from some reconditioning and exercise, you’ll soon be fit enough to resume your regular duties.”