Reverence Read online

  “Foreign planes have been seized, foreign bases searched, and I have come to the conclusion that for some reason, there are still those who remain our enemies. Why can’t they see what the world has accomplished? Sadly, the planes were en route for the UNR. Apparently, some feel the privilege of being a citizen of this beloved country is something to be forsaken. We shelter them, we feed them, and yet they still aren’t satisfied. I find this intolerable, and I assure all of you, these acts will not go unpunished. Never will I allow these atrocities. I will bring the full force of our nation upon the participants, those of whom we have already identified.”

  Everyone listened closely to the Chancellor’s speech, but Will and Luis knew the crowd was focusing on them to some extent. The cyborgs would be called upon to exterminate the traitors. They would once more be called on to serve their country. Will was restless with anticipation, although he sensed the struggle would end abruptly at his hand. In the midst of the speech, the roar of an engine was heard.

  Down the street from the ceremony, one of the news vans went into reverse from the others that were parked alongside it. It was only a few feet away from the conference and the vehicle soon came into view for all to see. Everyone rushed to avoid the van as it slammed into the Chancellor’s parked limousine. The vehicle flipped over immediately from the impact and skidded down the street, as glass and metal flew everywhere. The news van suffered only minor damage.

  Luis’ reaction was automatic, pulling out his FN-P90 submachine gun. Will did the same. The news van was headed right for them, already veering through the grass. Panic was imminent, as the gathered civilians began to flee wildly. Two UNR troops were brutally hit, the still corpses lying among the scrambling spectators. Not all of the innocent people were able to escape and some were unfortunate enough to share their fate.

  Hans, Cisco, and the others readied themselves. This was definitely a surprise, but no matter, it wouldn't slow them down.

  “What's our situation?” Hans said into his intercom. He waited impatiently for a reply:

  “Hostiles! The news van is closing in on the Chancellor's position,” reported Luis, “we’ve got casualties down here, both UNR forces and civilian.”

  “Is that so?” he replied. “Kid, let's get to work shall we?”

  “Yes, sir!!” Cisco yelled.

  Hans did admire the boy’s valor if nothing else. It looked as if the rookie would get his chance at greatness after all. About five ace snipers were lined along the roof of the building, all of them now aiming at the chaos below. They’d taken their positions. Spotters knelt down next to their partners, readying for the battle.

  “Now...,” said Hans, just as he heard the sounds of cans rolling. What the hell? He looked down at his feet to see three medium sized canisters. Flowing out of them was an orange haze of smoke. Only seconds later the UNR troops found themselves struggling to breathe. Hans and the others were quickly brought to their knees. There was no fighting it, and they soon lay splayed out on the ground.

  The Chancellor and his assistant took cover behind the cyborgs, and several more UNR guards rushed to the scene. They had been on street corners securing the conference, but no one had expected this. Still, well over thirty soldiers assembled, along with Major Johnson and Bia Lui. Simultaneously, they all fired on the approaching van. The wheels were torn apart under the spray of bullets, as well as the headlights. It was only ten meters away at this point.

  Luis smiled and raised his gun an inch higher.

  “Got ya,” he said.

  As the driver of the van moved in, a bullet zipped past missing him by inches, and putting a hole in his headrest. Cotton fluffed out of the seat like fluid. Not one second later the next bullet found its target, going cleanly through his throat. Suddenly he found himself coughing up warm blood. Breathing became virtually impossible. Ducking in the passenger seat, Angie saw it all.

  “Miles!” she yelled out. She placed a hand on his arm, not sure what she could do for him. There’s nothing I can do. The man’s eyes now locked with hers. His mouth moved to say something, but there was no way he could speak now.

  As Luis watched the van swerve to a stop, he lowered his gun. The tinted window had taken a beating, and the latest hole allowed Unit 18 to see the dead man inside. The others kept their weapons at the ready. The crowds, including the news crews, were some distance away, but nonetheless watching closely. An eerie calm followed, an aura of dead silence creeping over the area.

  “Come in primary evac, what’s the holdup?!” Will said angrily into his intercom.

  From where he stood, all the armored vehicles remained still, which was inexcusable considering there was supposed to be a driver stationed inside all five of the nearby posts. What Will couldn’t see from his vantage point was that each driver was already dead. If he wanted to move the Chancellor, it’d have to be through the open grass area.

  ***

  The gas began to clear as two men now stood among the incapacitated soldiers. Both wore gas masks and had few weapons really, aside the gas canisters. One held a handgun, equipped with a silencer, the other an RPG. The plan had gone perfectly up until this point. They would make sure it stayed that way. One of the fallen soldiers seemed to move, as if he was regaining consciousness, or perhaps it was just a twitch. Either way, the man put a bullet in him quickly, and the movements ceased. He then took aim at a younger one, only to be interrupted by his partner.

  “Ay, Vic, come on! Let's get on with it! We ain't got much time,” Hayes reminded him.

  “Right,” Vic said as he put his gun away, picking up one of the M25 sniper rifle.

  ***

  “Hold on, Chancellor,” said Bia.

  At the moment, Venloran held his wife’s hand tightly. He hadn’t felt her grip this fervent since the birthing of their son. The man didn’t look her in the eyes for now. He knew he’d see too much pain.

  All had only one concern at the moment – getting the Chancellor to the armored vehicles. But, to get to them, they would have to risk any further attacks. The van was now sitting quietly between the UNR forces and the armored cars. Major Johnson stepped forth.

  “All right,” he said, pointing at three other guards, “you three come with me, you too, Will. We’ll bring the armored cars to this spot.”

  “Yes, sir!!” they responded.

  As they began to jog for the vehicles, gunshots pierced the air. Will recognized it, the sound of a fully automatic MP5SD. Another hostile within the van. The remaining glass of the front window was blasted away, and death followed soon after for the advancing UNR soldiers. Two of them were hit, and Johnson received two bullets into his left leg. The Major hit the grass along with the dead soldiers, watching as the third and last one ran for the armored vehicles. Will, however, ran to the side of his fallen comrade.

  “What are you doing? Get to the car!!” the major yelled.

  Will lifted his fellow soldier easily and rushed back to the group at the statue. As the remaining troop ran for the armored car, an echoing gunshot went off. Blood spurted from the soldier’s helmet as it split in two.

  Luis saw Will running back to them now, but more was on his mind. He could tell, from the angle and the sound that it wasn’t the MP5SD that had gunned down the other soldier. He looked around with no luck. There was no other hostile in sight, which confirmed his suspicion. There are more enemies dug in where we can’t see them apparently. More men and women were being shot indiscriminately, littering the grass with bodies. Soldiers and civilians alike, it made no difference. A motion to spark panic, Luis recognized.

  “And he's down,” said Vic. People were running in almost every direction, like a scattered herd of cattle on the open plains.

  Hayes took steady aim with the RPG as he waited for the command. His partner spoke into an intercom, “All right, Point B is secured,” he hesitated for a bit, “and, we’re ready. Operation Second Strike is a go.”

  “I understand,” responded Angie, “pre
pare to fire.”

  Just like that, the channel went dead. Hayes wiped a tear from his eye before he switched the channel to another, “Lieutenant, we’re all set.”

  “Copy that, Hayes. You and Vic give ‘em hell, all right? Priority is to eliminate the Chancellor. After that get out of there.”

  “Yes, sir. Over and out here.”

  Vic turned off his intercom now. He marveled at the selflessness of his brothers and sisters. They were giving this mission their all. Miles was already gone, and Angie had only one last thing to give.

  As Will continued to observe the horror the van suddenly exploded. Flaming wreckage nearly hit the group, and everyone ducked for cover. Thankfully, it wasn’t large enough to cause any harm. Will, Luis, and a few other soldiers were already huddled around their leader, ready for whatever came next. The cyborgs could see it had been the work of a UNR rocket launcher nearly a hundred meters away, but no one cheered. Silence descended upon them now, and it was somehow worse than the gunfire and screams.

  The Chancellor remained motionless beside his wife, who clung to him tightly. Venloran’s instincts from his youth in the Corps had reignited, his eyes darting about and his ears listening to the slightest of sounds. In the heat of all this, though, he still held his wife’s hand tightly, not once letting up.

  “Just hold on a little longer, Janet,” he said calmly, not a touch of fear in his voice, “I’m getting you out of here.”

  She said nothing in response, only grasped his hand even tighter.

  The sirens of approaching UNR cavalry were drawing ever nearer. Already reinforcements from further down the street were approaching on foot, cautious but clearly visible. Presumably, it was over. Perhaps. Will wasn't too sure, though. The primary threat was indeed down, but he had a lot of questions. Hans, what the hell happened to him? With his vantage point, he should’ve…and then it hit him. He turned to his right, atop the tall building known to everybody as Tom & Benicios, and saw exactly what he feared. As he opened his mouth to yell, Luis beat him to it,

  “WATCH YOUR SIX!!”

  Will turned back to the events on the ground to see what appeared to be civilians opening fire on the advancing soldiers. He saw only two and they were gunned down fast enough, but the sounds of gunfire were coming from seemingly all angles of Rock Creek, and even down the street. Once again, the group surrounding the Chancellor buckled down by the legs of the statue, and Will knew it was to the satisfaction of the pair on the rooftop far above. It had only been a few seconds since his revelation, and the next minute would decide everything.

  “Chancellor, WE HAVE TO MOVE! THIS POSITION IS COMPROMISED!”

  Luis, Venloran, Kearney, Bia, and Johnson all stared past Will’s pointing finger, and they all now saw what he did. Janet’s lip quivered.

  “No, no, no…”

  Hayes fired the RPG, the single missile now in flight. It streaked downwards, a terror from the sky no less. Will and Luis watched as it approached with pristine clarity. The two could easily leap out of the way in time, but the fate of the rest of the group was now in the hands of God. There were far too many people to protect and only two of them. The duo knew their priorities.

  Kearney knew what he’d been entrusted with from the start and began to pull the screaming Janet away from her husband. Venloran held his ground. They’re gunning for me, so let them. Janet, I love you. Please, stay safe.

  The projectile hit the ground close to another UNR troop, and the boom that followed knocked everyone off their feet. Will was closest to the explosion, the eruption flinging him helplessly.

  “That's a hit,” reported Hayes, “you're up, Vic.”

  Vic took aim. At first, there was too much smoke, but it soon cleared. The results were as expected. Most of the UNR troops lay dead or unable to get up. Even the two cyborgs it seemed, were down. His scope panned in on one of them recovering and trying to stand up after the blow. He got ready. Time for you fucks to pay.

  Luis stood on his knees, angry more than anything else at the moment. The soldier he'd protected was unharmed and that was a relief. He looked down at Bia as she opened her eyes. The first thing he saw on her face after realizing what had just happened was shock. For a few seconds she soaked it all in with a speechless stare. Luis took off his overcoat, the back soaked in blood.

  “Jesus,” she remarked, “Luis, are you hurt?”

  “Just caught some shrapnel in my back. I think I’m more along the lines of livid,” he said calmly.

  Atop Tom & Benicios, Luis spotted a sniper. He saw everything clearly now. The missile, the van, it had all been a diversion for this very moment. The moment when the Chancellor would be out in the open and vulnerable. Damn it! He saw his submachine gun laying a distance away. If he could get it, there was a chance he could take the man out. For a cyborg, it would be a moderately easy task, but he also knew if he moved for the weapon, he would be open to enemy fire. Any single bullet could easily strike Bia, and despite his speed, he was well aware he wasn’t fast enough to grab the gun and kill the bastard before he got off a few shots.

  She tried to hand her P-90 to him, but he pushed it away. Luis didn't want to give the shooter any reason to pull the trigger, least of all, in her direction. As much as he hated submission, if he wanted to keep Bia alive, this was his only option. Sure enough, he saw the sniper turn in the direction of the Chancellor. Luis felt his own body go cold in that instant. He wanted to protect the Chancellor, the highest directive there was, but his body would not allow him to do it. Bia read all of this on his tortured face. I should…but she didn’t know what to do or say. The assailant pulled the trigger.

  Venloran heard it, the sound of the M25 sniper going off. He looked at the two people he was closest to in life. His wife’s eyes were locked on him in sheer terror, her mouth agape. Over everything else, Venloran only wondered what horrors his wife’s heart was enduring at the moment.

  Kearney knew he had to put distance between her and what was about to happen and he cried even as he fought her struggling. There was no time for him to run and no place for him to take refuge. It was over, but Venloran would not cower. He was no stranger to gunfire, after all. If now the darkness beckoned him, he would appear at his finest. Swiftly, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up to see one of the cyborgs, S.S.C. Unit 21. He watched the cyborg’s face cringe as the first bullet landed right around his neck.

  “Stay down, Chancellor.”

  “SHIT!!” yelled Vic, as he pulled the trigger again, again, and again. He used up every bullet in the weapon before having to reload, ten shots in all. Each a direct hit, to no avail. If it had been an ordinary man, the bullet would've gone straight through him and still finished off Venloran. A macabre realization, but a truthful one. And now the others had arrived. It was time to get the hell out of here.

  Hayes began to panic at this point.

  “Come on, let's go!!” he told Vic, “Put your mask back on.”

  Vic threw the sniper rifle and ran for the entrance to the stairwell. Hayes threw four canisters down the stairs, filling it with gas, merely a precaution to avoid any silently waiting foes. The two men ran, their hearts racing. Their sacrifices were useless, their plans ruined, and all thanks to a sole being. But, all that mattered now was getting to the rendezvous point. The gas made an impenetrable barrier, and would also take care of any bastards trying to follow them. They held onto the railings as they continued downwards, when a voice came out of the darkness:

  “It's over.”

  The two stopped dead in their tracks. The voice belonged to a female, but that wasn't what disturbed them most. The voice had not been muffled. It was in fact, clear as day. Whoever the voice belonged to, smooth yet stern, was not wearing a mask.

  Impossible, thought Vic silently to himself.

  He pulled out his pistol. It became dead quiet again, as both men tried to steady their breaths. Faster than either one of them could possibly react, a bullet went into Vic's leg. He fell and
then opened fire blindly. The figure rushed forward from the gloom, stepping firmly on the hand holding the gun. Both crunched, as the man yelled in pain. Hayes ran back up the stairs as Vic's screams were silenced. He soon was on the roof again, the sound of footsteps following slowly behind him. There, he threw his handgun, picking up a sniper rifle.

  He waited. The doorknob twisted. He fired six shots into the wooden door, but the knob still turned. The door opened and smoke billowed out. Hayes backed up against the edge of the building's rooftop. His fierce desire to fight subsided as the figure revealed itself, a young and beautiful woman. She was wearing armor very similar to that of the cyborgs' below, plus a red overcoat to match. Hayes set the weapon down without even thinking about it as the woman stepped forward, no weapons drawn, to within two meters of him.

  “On your knees and hands on your head,” she commanded. Indeed, it was the same voice.

  Hayes felt as if he was on the verge of collapsing. Things had ended horribly. The entire plan was ruined, burned to the ground, after all the planning, and sacrifices. Coupled with absolutely no fruit for their labors, the mission had all been absolutely meaningless. And now this emerald-eyed woman, with her flowing black and blond hair, sealed his fate, along with his companion’s.

  “Did you kill him?” he asked silently, as he put his hands on his head.

  “Yes. How did you think it would end? He chose to fight till the last breath. Luckily you were smart enough to save yourself and put the gun down.”

  The man was crying now, glaring at her in pain. He quivered as if his body was afflicted by an unseen host. The female soldier recognized these signs and took a step forward slowly.

  “God, forgive me, please,” he said right before leaping over the edge. The woman rushed to stop him, but didn't make it in time. The cyborg looked over the side of the building, to see the man lying on his face, splattered all over the sidewalk. By now, a large squad of fellow UNR troops had joined her on the rooftop.