Echo Effect Read online

  “Clear!” Daniel said.

  “Clear, all targets,” Butch confirmed.

  “Butch, get Eve on it… Now,” Lieutenant Wheeler ordered.

  “Done.” Butch unstrapped his satchel and pulled out a compact drone named Eve. From the drone, a set of four bipedal twiggy legs retracted, making her about knee high. Eve was their explosives expert. Her body was shaped like a small metal dog, but had a round, light blue sphere for a head. Her front arms sported human-like hands with six long fingers.

  Eve trotted over to the warhead sealed inside a metal container. The container was about the size of a trunk storage in a full-sized car. Eve appeared excited, like a dog that had found a treat. She looked back up at Butch for approval as her antenna tail wagged back and forth.

  “We’ve already found it for you, Eve. Get after it,” Butch ordered as the rest of the Rangers stood watch.

  Eve’s left hand flattened and morphed into a circular saw spinning at high velocity. It made a sound similar to a chainsaw, but a miniature, muffled version. She cut through the metal bands and locks around the container to open it. Sparks flew up into the air as she ripped through the seals.

  “Come on, Eve.” Michael checked his men, all taking a knee in an outward facing circle from the bomb. No jokes, no more chatter. Their eyes bounced around at all the possible ambush points. This was not an easy position to defend. It was cluttered with cargo boxes and had multiple entrances.

  As she broke the last seal, the top lid of the container popped loose. The Rangers opened the heavy container, revealing a complex array of holographic instruments around a roadside cone sized warhead.

  “Amazing these little shits can kill a billion people,” Daniel said under his breath.

  “This one won’t. We’ll defend from the back of the truck. Let Eve work her magic, and we’ll wait here to make sure the job’s done,” Michael said. The Rangers hopped up into the back of the flatbed, overlooking the warhead through the shooting slots in the armored canopy.

  “Good idea,” Daniel agreed.

  Just before Eve started working, she projected a fake holographic image throughout her body. The hologram displayed a North Korean guard dog, complete with an authentic collar and emblems.

  “Whoa,” Michael said, glaring at Butch.

  “That’s a cool trick, but it’s not going to fool anyone if they come over here,” Daniel said, criticizing Eve’s tactic. “Why on earth would a guard dog be standing over an exposed nuclear warhead like that?”

  “It’s bizarre enough to make someone stop and think for a second, which gives us time to react,” Butch replied.

  “Hostiles approaching Eve to her left. Again, hostiles approaching.” Butch finally took his eyes off of the computer.

  “I should have kept my damn mouth shut,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

  Suddenly, two guards stormed the warhead with their guns drawn. They froze at the sight of their dead comrades littered about, then the “guard dog” perched over the warhead. Eve turned around, facing them before sitting down. Her hologram even looked guilty, like walking in on a dog that had torn the sofa to shreds.

  The soldiers shuffled about aimlessly. One of them attempted to push Eve away from the warhead with his foot. “Move!” the soldier bellowed in Korean.

  When he made contact, his foot tapped metal, not fur, and the image of the guard dog flickered.

  “Fire!” Michael led by example.

  Eve darted between his legs as the Rangers lit them up with invisible and silent laser strikes. One of the dying men pulled his weapon’s trigger as he fell. The loud, unsilenced gunshot from the fallen North Korean echoed throughout the compound. It was far louder than even Michael’s weapon.

  “Shit! We can’t stay here. We need to extract, Sergeant.” Wheeler scrambled to his feet.

  “Status?” Michael asked.

  “Eve’s at 62%,” Butch said.

  “Hey, the truck they’re using to transport. Can you drive this thing, Daniel?”

  “I’ll figure it out. You just watch out for the cops!” Daniel joked as he punched buttons until the engine roared to life. “Easy enough.”

  “Pull the truck up next to the warhead, Daniel. Butch, load Eve up in the back. We gotta ride,” Michael ordered.

  Daniel pulled forward as four Rangers surrounded the container. They hoisted it up swiftly and carefully, sliding it into the bed of the truck while the other Rangers defended the entrances. Eve jumped into the bed of the truck effortlessly.

  “Sergeant, lots more hostiles approaching. At least twenty, judging by the comm chatter,” Wheeler said excitedly. The remaining Rangers piled into the back of the truck, each taking a firing position from the bed, covering every angle.

  The path ahead was clear of obstacles, minus the small detail of the front gate’s concrete barricade. “Go! We’re all in! I called the bird in. It’s five minutes out.” Wheeler rattled.

  “This should be fun...” Daniel smashed the accelerator. As he took off, enemy rounds pounded the transport truck. Some must have been armor piercing as they gouged holes throughout the cabin. Daniel winced and grabbed his shoulder. “Arrgghhh! Shit, that burns!”

  “You need me to take over?!” Michael slapped a self-adhesive field dressing on him. The exotic composite material sealed the wound and applied pressure as needed, even releasing a topical anesthetic to dull the pain.

  “Nah… I got it!” Daniel kept both hands on the wheel somehow. Eve resumed disarming the nuke as the Rangers returned fire all around her.

  “Great job, but don’t slow down!” Wheeler bellowed from the backseat.

  “Left side, seven hostiles,” one of the Rangers whistled over his buzzing laser rifle.

  “Six…five...hostiles. Now three,” Butch replied as the Ranger’s suppressive fire mowed the field. Daniel mashed the accelerator, barreling toward the gate as gunfire erupted back and forth.

  “Tank!” Daniel yanked the wheel just as an armored turret popped out from behind a storage container.

  The tank fired at point blank range, narrowly missing them. It was too close to swivel its turret, but the force jarred the Rangers’ vehicle. It rolled on two wheels for a moment before slamming back down, dust ejected from the impact before leveling out.

  “Y’all want to take it easy up there? Don’t wake the baby!” Butch waved his tablet at the ripped open nuke.

  “Damn backseat drivers...” Daniel hit 40mph just before reaching the gate, but he sideswiped a parked Jeep attempting to evade the tank, knocking it aside. Enemy soldiers at the gate ran and jumped out of the way. Some seemed confused by the scene. That was their truck just moments ago. The Rangers ping-ponged through a set of barricades before straightening up, all while taking and returning fire.

  “Keep going. Get away from that damn tank! Don’t drive in a straight line. Zig zag!” Michael ordered. He swung back to Eve and laughed at her latest holo projection. “Why the turtle, Butch?”

  “Uhhh, this bumpy road is slowing her down. Maybe she can’t work as fast? She might be telling us to find a smooth surface,” Butch replied. A couple of the Rangers chuckled, but one of them started coughing.

  A wet, warm cough.

  One of the Rangers slumped down, but kept his weapon trained out of his damaged firing port.

  “Sergeant Clements!” The team medic bounded across the flatbed and laid Clements out straight. Clements was one of the older Rangers, the silent type. A family man.

  “Ahh, whatda we got? Um, let’s see. Small laser scorn in the chest cavity. No problem.” Despite his cheery tone, he shot Michael a grim glare while Clements slipped out of consciousness.

  Michael almost cursed aloud, but he held it in, scanning the men around him.

  He’d been in this position before in combat. It didn’t get easier, but he understood now wasn’t the time to get upset.

  Lieutenant Wheeler tapped the mic on his shoulder. “Snipers, break contact and head to the extraction site.
I have a chopper headed this way.”

  “Mike! That tank… It’s moving on us…fast. It’s a blister tank…” Butch muttered. Blister tanks were known for their straight-line speed.

  No way to outrun one in a cargo truck.

  “Eve?”

  “She’s at 93%... It’s the road. It’s too bumpy…” Butch said, observing the mountainous portion of the terrain.

  Michael had to think fast. That tank crew probably had no idea they were chasing the warhead, so they were coming for blood. A direct hit could set off the nuke. Not only was Michael concerned for his men, but for all the civilians nearby.

  Wheeler took a deep breath. “All right… Daniel, slow down. Everyone is getting off this truck now, except me and Eve. We’ll regroup later, but I—”

  “I thought you said no hero shit, sir. No one’s leaving you behind.” Michael barked as several of the other Rangers voiced their agreement.

  “Sergeant, that’s not an option. It’s an order. Off this truck. Now. I appreciate everyone’s loyalty, but this is not about that. This is about saving lives. The lot of you are weighing this vehicle down. I need as much speed as possible.” Michael cocked an eyebrow in newfound respect for the LT. Deep down, Michael didn’t think the extra weight mattered much, but Wheeler needed to find a way to get them out of the vehicle.

  “Tank will be within range in fifty seconds, Mike,” Butch said, glancing down at his tablet.

  “Everyone, file out and get off the road. Stay low. That tank won’t care about anything other than this truck. Get to the extraction zone the snipers have set up. Once you get onboard, have that pilot haul ass out of here. Go!” Wheeler started shoving troops as Daniel hit the brakes.

  Michael grunted at the Rangers, all still refusing to budge. “You heard the lieutenant. An order is an order.”

  Everyone stepped off, except for Michael, Wheeler, and Daniel. He struggled to heft Clements’s lifeless corpse over the side to the waiting Rangers.

  “Give me a hand, sir?”

  As soon as Wheeler grabbed Clements’s feet, Michael released the body. “Sorry sir, can’t let you do it.” With one smooth motion, Michael kicked the LT in his armored vest, knocking both men over the side. Michael shook his head as he watched Wheeler tumble a few times before standing up slowly.

  “Go!” Michael yelled at Daniel in the cab.

  “Shit. How far along is Eve?” Daniel asked.

  “97%”

  Suddenly, a streak of light flew over the truck, momentarily lighting up the entire wilderness. It was immediately followed by a thunderous boom in the distance.

  “That’s getting close.” Michael said.

  “I know. Maybe slide the nuke container closer so we can watch Eve from up here.” Daniel said.

  Michael dragged the box as far as he could and plopped down in the passenger seat. He glared over at Daniel. “Now it’s your turn.”

  “For what?” Daniel asked.

  “To get out. Do I have to knock you out first?”

  “Ahhh…you know, I figured out another reason why you needed to get back to Vala in a hurry…” Daniel sighed, looking in his rearview mirror.

  “Yeah?”

  “Because you would die for us out here if it came down to it.” Daniel shook his head. “This was supposed to be your last one, man.”

  “Daniel, I’m going home too, I need this warhead disarmed. Regroup with the guys and get them out of here. The LT needs someone to keep him grounded. He’s a good dude, but lacks experience.”

  “No talking you outta this?” Daniel asked. He dropped his head and opened the door.

  “Nope. Watch that shoulder.” Michael took over the wheel. Daniel punched his arm. “I won’t forget this.”

  He tucked and rolled without another word. Michael watched him in his side view mirror. He hurried off the road, just as he was ordered.

  “Good luck, buddy. You’ll need—”

  A blast right behind the back wheel lifted the truck. Shrapnel bounced off his helmet and armored back as the truck slammed sideways into a guardrail. The truck skidded down the steel rail as sparks flew into the air.

  “Damn!” Michael regained control. He glanced at the mirror and saw the tank was only about 500 meters away and approaching fast.

  He spun around to check Eve’s status, but she wasn’t there. The container had been slung up against the side of the truck and was propped on its side.

  “EVE!?”

  He scanned ahead to get a visual on the road. It appeared to be straight with no curves. He wedged his rifle between the throttle and the seat and let off the steering wheel slowly, gauging to see if it would hold a line. “Come on!”

  Michael darted back to the bed of the truck. “Eve, dammit. Where the hell—”

  His eyes scanned all around, but she was nowhere to be found. Then he spotted the missing tail gate. “Oh no… She was thrown out.”

  Michael ran over to the nuke, and surprisingly, it had already been disarmed.

  “She did it…”

  A rush of heat filled his body as a shockwave flung him up. His helmet smashed against the armored truck roof, rupturing his eardrums with a screeching rip. For a moment, time seemed to stop. He was floating, gazing out at the stars in the night sky from the rear gate of the truck. Then, suddenly, something crushed his upper back and then his side.

  The tank had landed a round just behind the truck, flipping it end over end. It felt like being in a giant washing machine. Michael eventually opened his eyes, but he couldn’t keep them open. He was blacking out.

  He tried to stand, but neither leg would so much as twitch. North Korean voices chirped around him. “Vala…she…needs me…” A rifle butt slammed into Michael’s temple as he reached for his sidearm, knocking him unconscious. He went into a deep sleep, reliving the last time he’d seen her.

  “Everything ready? Your unit’s flight leaves in forty minutes.” Vala stamped her foot and peeked over the mountain of bulging duffel bags. She tugged at her blonde hair, nearly ripping them out by the purple roots, and fiddled with the fraying tips.

  Michael kept his broad back to her, as he’d done all day, and snapped the case shut on an ancient 9mm Berretta. The expensive and carefully maintained pistol was full of moving parts.

  “I guess so. Seems like every time I come home on leave, I cram a year’s worth of shopping into a month. You know...”

  “So tell me again, what would happen if you just didn’t go to North Korea?” Vala smirked.

  “Let’s see, desertion during war time? We’re looking at five years in prison and a dishonorable discharge realistically.”

  “You’ve actually considered it. Wow. I could tell by your tone and how fast you rattled that off.” Vala suspected.

  “For a split second, yeah. It’s an irrational thought though. But it boils my blood the Army won’t cover your treatment, even after we get married.” Michael explained.

  He clammed up and scratched his short, dark hair while grinding his teeth to nubs. He pressed his Army dress blues in last. Vala glided over, squeezing Michael’s hand and pressing it against his chest.

  “It falls under ‘research’ they say. In other words, it could cost them millions.” Vala mumbled.

  “Ridiculous.”

  Michael glanced over at the full body mirror of them embracing one another. They were a young couple, each twenty-six years old. Michael stared at the scars on his thick, muscular forearms as Vala caressed her fingers up and down them.

  He drank in her scent while gently pushing her off. “We’re running short on time, let’s load up.”

  “Ok. If you’ve left anything behind, I’ll have to take up a second job so I can ship it to North Korea.” Vala grinned and hefted one of his bags with both hands, but could only drag it across the room.

  “Wait, you had a first job!?” Michael spun around, smirking.

  “Funny. If EBay puts the bacon on the table, then EBay it is. Matter of fact, if you do l
eave anything here of value maybe I’ll just—”

  “Haha, yeah,” Michael smiled. He stepped in, pecking her with a kiss on the lips. “Please just don’t sell Uncle Sam’s stuff, Vala.”

  “Please don’t get my fiancé hurt, Uncle Sam,” Vala said under her breath.

  Michael shut the rear gate to his SUV. Vala was already waiting for him in the passenger seat. With her knees pointed towards the drivers side, her green eyes tracked his every move as he came around and got in. Michael felt like she was soaking up everything she could, she knew he could be gone a long while.

  Vala flipped down the sun visor and opened up the mirror, briefly checking what little makeup she had on.

  “So, not to bring up the worst case scenario here, but what if I start showing symptoms while you’re deployed?” Vala asked. Michael sighed.

  “For now, we stick to the plan.” He stared off into the horizon casting an orange tint across the San Diego suburbs. The light reflected off the windows of twin high rises on both sides of the road, creating an illuminated arch effect as they approached.

  “I’m dedicating my life to solving this problem,” Michael said.

  “I know, but you heard the doctor. He said it could be two weeks or two years before my symptoms show up. They just know so little about it, that’s what makes it terrifying.” She said.

  “The doctor’s diagnosis has been playing on repeat in my mind for weeks.” He said.

  “God forbid what if something happens to you while you’re over there?” she asked.

  “Nothing will happen. I’m coming back and we’re tackling this, together.” Michael said looking away. He bit his lip.

  “Just be realistic. You don’t know that, Mike. Do you think Mrs. Chandler next door expected to see that Army priest? We watched her, do you remember that haunting sound she made on her front porch when she found out about her husband? I do. I never thought I’d get a disease that could paralyze me either. It’s just how life goes.”

  Michael pulled over his SUV, throwing it in park. He turned on his emergency flashers, then stared forward. “You know me. You know us.” He turned toward her.