Red Zone - 21

A Novel

2

“I don't mean to restate the obvious, but your boys are here to commit random acts of euphemasia on everything in reach.”

“Say again?”

“Extended adjustment, accelerated reacquisition. Anytime someone uses 8 syllables of nounjedtive instead of one or two syllables of verb.”

“Hah hah, Jovan. What do you know about decency?”

“I never pretended to be anything but an uncouth barbarian.”

“I've checked your records, you studied on Earth.”

“Mere accident of an admission to TsingHua.”

Keisha looked at the Jovan. “Old Earth club.”

“Membership has its privileges.” It came out in an exaggerated drawl.

“So, what are we going to...” Distant sonic booms rumbled over the dome, slapping the panes, and creating a high-pitched whine. “... do?”

The avatar slowly walked up to them, it was a practiced step from the knees, as if, even under Martian conditions, he was bearing a deep weight, and yet wanted his footfalls to come softly.

“I can delay them, but you must go.”

Keisha looked at the other three males turned and started walking. “One of us has a vehicle.”

“Two of us do, I have a tank in storage.”

The Jovians spoke first: “Now that's my idea of getting home in style.”

“Then we need to get to it.”

Behind the Avatar had dialed up a hologram of the flight leader of the next formation of scrams.

“This is Avatar Wilson. I am, under Karma Imperative, requesting evacuation from this war zone.”

“This is Colonel Li of the 2nd wing, no can comply. You are ordered to evacuate this zone: it is under military control.”

“That is not acceptable. I do not answer to the military, only to the Avatar Council, and to the Dominion-directorate. I am a soul bearer and have priority over military suppression activities.”

“No can comply. You are ordered to evacuate this zone. I will give you 5 minutes.”

“In one minute, a commsat crests the horizon here. At that time, I will report to Phobos. I can tell you for a fact, Colonel, that if you persist in attempting to enforce an illegal order, neither you, nor your men, nor any member of your families, will ever incept. No avatar will do it. 50 seconds for your reply.”

There was a pause.

“No can comply.”

“That is an unfortunate choice.”

Run, they think this is a bluff. He had to mentally push his muscles to get them moving. No stimulant.

“Run.” Keisha pointed at the far elevator.

The trio tore off towards it, or rather, Deeshandir ran, the Jovians took long strides, and Keisha slid on her superconducting boots. Each covered their head with a helmet. On the back of Keisha's, he could read “LV.”² A designer helmet, and they do not have the ability to save their sick children. At this point, four streaks slammed into the ice beyond the dome. The screams listened to the imperative, even if the pilots did not. The three piled into the elevator, only to watch the dome be ripped apart by incoming fire. It was not from above but from the same level. The dome structure seemed to collapse inward, and then blow outwards. An exdecom wind began sucking loose objects and air outwards into the cold. The Avatar stood, calmly as loose wound spindles and other small bits of the base apparatus swept by him. They could see massive hulking figures of black-suited Heavy Infantry blasting through the bottom of the dome.

The door snapped shut.

“Damn, the station sensor system is off.”

“And that means, for us hicks?”

“We are blind, Lt. Colonel. We are blind.”

There was a rattling thump from above.

“Looks like we are going to have to make a run for the Lagrange. I spent 300 Terran standard days on Patroc³ once.”

There were more rattling thumps. Then a heavy one.

The Jovians nodded to Deeshandir. They are on top of the elevator. At least one is. He went scissors, and we can't defend with stone. So...

Deeshandir pointed at the door and made a pushing gesture.

Tony nodded and loaded his lance.

Keisha twirled her hands and opened her fingers apart, causing the roof of the elevator to snap open as an iris valve. Moments later a very surprised Heavy Infantryman dropped down. Before he could even react, the ordinary door snapped open. At this point the Marine was ready, he focused his lance high on the heavy infantryman's chest and fired a pulse. The was a splay of sparks off the armor, which absorbed the hit, but the heavy topped backward out of the elevator.

With two hands Keisha closed both entrances, with only one stray shot from above harmlessly hitting the floor. There was a jolt as the elevator continued, and then another as it shifted from moving vertically to moving horizontally. Keisha was gesturing furiously and staring into her tablet.

“They are coming in through the dome and are going to swarm us.”

“Can you tell what is happening above?”

She showed the tablet to the other two, on it was a clear screenshot of the avatar walking toward a group of heavies. They fired at him, but the stream of the projectiles seemed to part in front of him and spray off in every direction, even as the avatar methodically walked towards them.

Finally, only two meters from them, almost close enough for them to lunge for him, one unslung a short rapid-fire pulse energy weapon. He fired the spark plug straight at the gut of the Avatar – who seemed to be a squat but solid and human presence, before the unnaturally elongated pair of heavies. A spatter of energy appeared around him, creating a glowing shower. The second continued firing, until their weapons stopped.

There was no sound, but it seemed as if he was conversing with them. Finally, one doubled his fists and raised them high over his head. And froze in that position. The other moved but was no longer moving in a hostile way. He has their kill switches.

After this, the avatar simply strolled passed them and walked firmly. He picked up a large box that he had left on the ground, but which had been obscured by its meta-skin deflecting the light. As soon as his hand was on the handle, it became visible as a blue-white box with an elaborate insignia. He disappeared into the gloom of the dark Martian polar night, into the smoke and soot. Two new heavies arrived, saw him, and turned to fire, and they too froze in place.

At this moment, the elevator stopped, and the door opened.

“It's not the best drive, but it is here.”

Before them was a turboprop sleigh, a low-slung black needle-nosed affair, it was 5m long and had two runners and seats for four, one crouched behind the other.

“Nice to see civilization here. Jovians manufacture. CTW is a good maker.”

“That is because you have more empty ice than the rest of the solar system.”

“Calisto's racing circuit...” he took a breath and looked like he was about to recount some memory or race.

“Let's go boys. Operative word being: boys.”

The Jovians swung his leg in and crouched down with a practiced move. Keisha took the driver's position, leaving Deeshandir with a choice of two passenger seats. He chose one… and hunched down. The fan spun up hard, its two rows of teeth biting at the thin air. The Julia turbine whined, and the heated wind began blowing over and around Deeshandir. It has to be strong if I can feel it, or perhaps I am imagining.

“Where to, V?”

He loaded the coordinates.

“Where is that Deesh?”

“The ambush site. I trust you can avoid the heavies?”

“People don't see me go, V. Only come.”

Packed in like this, he realized that he was going to spend much of this trip staring straight at the cupped curves of her behind, a soft crease running down the middle.

Oh, my brothers, how I thought I was cured of her.