Dark Zero: The Chronicles of Lieutenant Novak Read online

  The Subaru has an almost full tank of fuel, which I’m thankful for but Harry will be taking an ancient but trustworthy Landcruiser. We can’t afford to be stuck in the event of breakdowns and the larger vehicle is a great ramming tool. The woman lives further up in one of the mountain villages so we need to pass through some potentially unfriendly territory. They’re not all bad here. As always, it’s the evil minority directing the rest through bribes and threats. More stick, less carrot. I hope she doesn’t make a fuss – I feel for her predicament.

  We’re packed. Harry sends the woman a prearranged, short text. Her phone will always be on silent so he’ll be patient for the reply, up to a point.

  His phone beeps. We’re on.

  Chapter Four

  Visibility is down to twenty yards as we set off for the village - I'm grateful for the Captain's tail lights guiding the way. It looks like the middle of the night yet it's only late afternoon as total blackness dims even the strongest lights from the base. It'll take us an hour on the highway, maybe longer in this storm, cutting through jungle as the poorly made road points us in the direction of the distant rising hills and mountain passes.

  Johnny's quiet as usual and I'm glad - I need my full concentration keeping in line with Harry's cruiser - he's the best driver and he knows the way. There shouldn't be any military patrols as we head further into the bandit zone as from recent evidence, any army units out there have returned to base to wait out the weather. It makes no difference to us, storm or not - we give equal effort whatever the level of discomfort.

  On the highway, hard silver rain illuminates ghostly shapes on each side as scrub leads to jungle - we're moving fast and straight as the tyres fly over the watery surface - I try not to think of aquaplaning as the Subaru glides with stubborn abandonment of the laws of physics.

  This is the first time we've ventured out with dog tags - we don't know if we're returning to the house so everything we need is with us now. The information on them is regular army - our names are real but there's nothing to indicate we're anything other than regulars. This is no reconnaissance trip - we've one mission and nothing can get in the way.

  Johnny's Browning is in his hand and despite the movement of the car, the gun is as steady as if he's on the range.

  I think of the car that sped from the base as everyone else was rushing back. For Major Williams to call us out of here so fast, something's already gone wrong or is about to. I hope it's not Harry's contact - if her identity's blown, it may be too late. Answering a text doesn't equate to safety - I say a quick prayer in the hope that nobody's holding her and we're being lured into a trap.

  I think of my wife as my jaw sets hard in steely determination - nothing will stop me seeing her again.

  The cruiser's brake lights flicker as Harry starts to slow, before swerving left and right. He's avoiding great chunks torn out of the road as I realise too late, the car thumping down, jolting my stomach like I’m on a dodgy fairground ride.

  He's driving straight again but the storm's increasing in ferocity, side winds somehow skirting the high trees before bashing both sides of our vehicles as I grip the steering wheel, countering the twin effects of vicious gusts and rising water. New vibrations from the car floor feel like the ground's shifting - please, no, not an earthquake, not now.

  The road holds together in one piece as the rumbles subside then start again. A new noise disrupts the regular pattern of driving rain as treetops sway violently, producing huge ripping sounds as roots are forced above ground with enormous pressure.

  There's nothing else on the road but then who'd be reckless enough to travel in this? It's likely a quake and I believe it's over. The rain still hammers, accompanied by a savage roar in the background. It's the sea and it's not happy having its natural rhythm disturbed. Tsunamis do occur on this coastline but they're not known here for destroying inland villages. It sounds bad though.

  The Landcruiser begins to bear to the left as the highway narrows, forking to give the choice of coastal inlets or the one we're following - the mountain road.

  This is more like a wide track, poorly maintained, the Subaru's headlights picking out large, jagged surface cracks, alongside potholes swimming with brown pools of muddy water. The sucking sound of dislodged sludge amplifies our presence as our cars make their slower journey up the mountainside, the extra fitted silencers barely subduing the growl of the powerful engines.

  As we climb higher, away from the umbrella of jungle tree canopies, lights are now visible in the tough mountain shacks dotted around in no regular formation. I'm hoping the woman and her son are ready. From across a nearby pass, I hear a muffled engine sound, followed by a quick flash of twin beam headlights. The cruiser increases its speed as the road twists to the right.

  Johnny’s on high alert as I let Harry slightly increase his distance in case he needs to stop sharply. At the next bend, he does. Through the driving rain, I can hear the woman’s hysterical crying – even in the reduced light, she looks young, more like a girl. We leave the car, following Harry into a small wood and corrugated iron shack just off the road. As her sobbing reduces enough for her to speak, I feel my heart racing so fast that I fear an explosion in my chest. Harry listens, before turning to us.

  “The boy’s been taken. A large man grabbed him after he’d thrown the girl against the wall. She says he had a large mole on his face. It’s Kim,” he says grimly.

  “I think I saw his car, heading back down the mountain,” I say, but the Captain saw it too. He’s already heading back out the door as his contact follows, her worst nightmare coming true before her.

  “There’s a track that goes around in a circle,” Harry says, shouting through the wind and rain. “I’ll chase that way while you two retrace our route, see if we can box him in.”

  Jumping back in the Subaru, I spin the wheel sharply, sending mud and stones flying as Harry and the girl have already disappeared around the bend, heading off-road to the track. The Captain doesn’t need to say anything – we know we’re being lured into a trap by Kim - otherwise, why didn’t he just kill the woman while he had the chance. It’s true then - our cover’s been blown wide open.

  Chapter Five

  I resist the temptation to drive recklessly in our pursuit of Colonel Kim. I'm sure he's not the only leak but he's in charge - no doubt creaming a second pension from the cartel. He can't take the boy back to the base so I'm guessing he'll turn left at the bottom corner of the mountain road, heading to the inlets. If he's planning an ambush, he's either brave, confident, or incredibly stupid. He'll have the lad but we've dealt with hostage-takers before and he's a larger target than most.

  The four heavy rally wheels, used to a pounding, spin once as the Subaru finds a hole in the road, gouged out by the continuing downpour but it grips and straightens - it's working as its design intended – for rough, unusual conditions. From my peripheral, I see the cruiser's tail lights from across the mountainside - as expected, Harry's ahead. The best scenario would be to grab sight of Kim before he has the chance to hide and wait, or worse, gather reinforcements around him. We're highly trained but we're a small unit - the law of averages will win if there are too many opponents.

  I see the road end as it meets the highway, the car sliding as it's forced into a violent turn before quickly gaining traction and speed as I move up the gears. It's now a race - storm or not. The roar of the encroaching sea is louder now as the waves gain momentum, ferociously hammering the shore as it forces its way through man-made and natural barriers alike. I can feel it's close but I don't divert from my task. Johnny also looks straight ahead, his close-cropped sandy hair shining unnaturally bright in the light from the pounding, silver rain, his jaw set tight in concentration.

  We must be close to the inlet now as the bay curves, holding the mountains in a protective hug. The hills will be safe but anything else is at risk of being washed away as the roar of displaced water fights to establish its superiority over the thunder-crashin
g sounds of the tropical storm.

  A stone wall, built at a forty-five-degree angle, perhaps fifteen feet high, stands each side of the highway, stretching a couple of hundred yards in, announcing the entrance to the inlet. It narrows my view of the road ahead as car lights deflect the driving water – it’s likely to be Harry and the Colonel.

  I start to brake as the two vehicles come into view, standing thirty feet apart at odd angles. There's a man on the floor, moving but only just - it's Harry. Bending over him, the hulking outline of Colonel Kim looks startled by our headlamps, lighting up his furious face. Johnny's already out and running as Kim throws Harry's tags towards us, firing at Johnny as he weaves through the rain. The boy escapes from the passenger door of the pickup, running low and fast towards his mother as she beckons him urgently from a crouching position to the side of the cruiser.

  I'm out of the car, down on one knee as I ignore the battering rain whipping my head, taking aim at the towering bulk of Kim. Even with his size, I need to get closer as Johnny's forced to dive and roll as bullets rip into the highway and dividing walls. We need to eliminate this traitor to get to Harry - I've no idea if he's still alive. As I move closer to the Colonel, my right eye catches a scene of horror as a huge wall of water closes in. I shout to Johnny but he's already seen it as he continues firing in Kim's direction, the Colonel's head snapping back as the bullets finally find their mark.

  The girl's already dragging Harry behind the cruiser but she's going the wrong way - the water's going to hit, pounding the three of them and there's nothing we can do about it. Scrambling back through the walled entrance and into the car, the first massive waves hit, spinning the Subaru like a child's toy. I can't believe we're still upright as I realise we've been sideswiped at least a hundred yards. Looking through the gap in the walls, towards the last place I saw the cruiser and pickup, there's a gigantic, gaping hole where the road and earth has just washed away.

  Johnny's bleeding from a deep head wound but he's already mopping up. To my disbelief, the Subaru starts first time but it's stupid to risk driving towards the devastation in front. I climb out, wading through debris-strewn water towards the new end of the road to see if by some miracle, any of the three have survived. I stop before the giant crater, skirting it carefully to see what's on the other side. I look down in the ghostly silver-specked darkness to see a new cliff face moulded from the mass of shifted earth. There's nothing but a black void.

  *

  I spin the car in a wash of muddy foam, amazed at the traction in this floating river of sludge. Johnny's bleeding through the cloth on his head - he's opening a field dressing as our Captain's steel tags fall onto his lap. He's been gripping them so tight they've cut into his hand, adding to his injuries.

  We're silent amidst the horror symphony of storm and tsunami - I don't know how we got out alive. I'm grateful but my heart feels as heavy as a millstone as I think of the three wasted lives. I think of Harry's wife, Aveline, and the unborn child who will never know her father. Yes, Harry was told he's to have a daughter. Through the satellite link, they already agreed on a name. Mercy Anne. I like it - solid, like her dad.

  Much of the immediate jungle on either side has succumbed to the force of water as I constantly swerve, avoiding scattered trees, and ripped up highway. The tyres have stood it so far but even if they blow, we'll ride back on metal - we need to get out of this place fast.

  "Are we checking on the house?" Johnny asks quietly, taping his hand.

  "We can go quickly," I say..."let the boys know we're leaving for the airfield straight away. If they can't bring the flight forward, then we'll still be safer there than at a base with people we can't trust. It wasn't just Kim, was it?"

  Johnny shakes his head, wincing for a split second. I noticed – we’re allowed to feel pain, but he hates to show it.

  "No, it can't have been. He was the head of the snake but I bet there's a network of them. We'll never know. Better we get out of here before we start cracking heads for answers we'll never get."

  As I turn the battered car off the smashed highway, I hope the troopers have packed as instructed - we've no time to mess about. Turning the final corner of the track, I feel wet mud turn into loose gravel at the house approach. I stop the car, wiping my brow with a torn, wet sleeve, before looking ahead towards a large, empty space.

  The house has disappeared, along with the Jeeps and six Special Forces soldiers.

  Chapter Six

  Smashed wood and breeze blocks litter the space that was our base within a base, but even this debris is sparse - the water has slammed into the building, crushing, carrying the remains, and dropping bits around, until its spent force would have dumped the scattered pieces as the higher land resisted its progress.

  This is a guess but in the morning light I reckon that's what will show. We don't intend to find out. Shouts can be heard above the howling wind as the military personnel see to their problem of a decimated base and certain loss of life - we have our own issues and the first is to find fuel, make sure the Subaru's tank is refilled, and check for axle and wheel damage.

  I see army lorries overturned, thrown by the raging water, but they're diesel - we need to find something with petrol. Our car's greedy supercharged engine eats gallon upon gallon but its power and resilience kept us on the road this evening when at times, the highway resembled a fast-moving, debris-strewn lake.

  The rain hasn't stopped since this afternoon, belting down onto my head as I take two fuel containers from the boot. Giving one of the red, hard plastic cans to Johnny, we set off on foot - I've a length of tubing and a small metal bar, fashioned with a hardened steel prong and crowbar tip - if the petrol cap's locked, I'll rip it off.

  There's plenty of movement several hundred yards away as survivors search through remaining wrecked buildings for possible survivors or anything they can salvage. A couple of portable arc lights have been set up but they're being used for damage assessment, not security. We can't trust anyone, not after their commandant revealed himself to be the head snake.

  We move quickly, keeping well away from the beams - there are some trees left standing but not much else can give us cover. Many of the vehicles used on base will be multi-fuel but it's hard to tell in next to zero light until I smell it. Most of the Jeeps will probably be diesel - if we find anything left intact.

  Johnny gives a soft whistle as I see him point to the right. An old Toyota lies on its side in a huge pool of stagnant water. We tip it back onto its wheels as I hope it has what we need. The cap pops open with a smooth click as I say a silent prayer - we need to be fast. At first sniff I know it's petrol, the tubing making a satisfying swishing sound only a few inches in. I suck hard through light gauze on the other end for a few seconds as the fuel fills the pipe, before transferring it to the containers.

  Johnny fills the Subaru's tank - I want to get spares but we're pushing it here, the storm's not relenting and the growl of the ocean is once again growing in intensity. I hear vehicles attempting to start across the base - some are succeeding after a few motor turns, others just flat dead from water damage. I'm surprised they weren't all washed away but nature has a way of saving as well as destroying.

  I briefly think of Harry, our solid, dependable friend, lost while trying to help others. Banishing the last image of the girl trying to help him before the water hit, I turn the key, starting the car first time. We'll mourn everyone later - if we don't get out of here soon we'll be joining them.

  Screeching off the gravel, a blast of acceleration drops my stomach as the car slides sideways in protest of the sludge that was once the track. To go too slow, I risk losing momentum, giving the wheels cause to slow and stop - to over-do the speed can make the Subaru spin and, once again, get stuck. Either way, it's a hard drive. I compromise, changing direction frequently in the hope the tyres find just enough traction to carry us back to the highway.

  A new noise overlaps the racket of the storm as I check the rear-view mirr
or - I thought it was a lorry convoy but it's much worse. As I press my foot hard on the pedal, the car catapults over debris, hitting the highway as I yank the steering wheel to the left, spinning us through two full turns before righting it, allowing me to speed down the highway as a double-sided wall of road water blasts upwards through the rain.

  I drive to save our lives as from my peripheral, I see another wave, not as high as the first but blacker than the sky, speeding towards us with a deep roar and rumble, sounding like its earthquake cousin in its ability to spread instant fear through the heart. I can't guess its width - all I can do is try to out-run it as it takes and throws what the first one missed.

  As the Subaru stubbornly grips the soaking road, a black curtain appears, swiping the car in vicious circles of vertigo, making anything I try to do completely useless.

  *

  We've stopped spinning. The car's sitting at a right-angle, facing the way we've just come, thirty yards to the side of the highway. As my breathing slows to a steadier pace, I look to my left to see the wave slamming into the distant hills. I'm almost hypnotized as Johnny's deep, urgent voice snaps me back to our predicament.

  "The outer edge caught us but we need to move again - if it rolls back it can sweep us away."

  I nod, turning the key as a small piece of joy breaks through my fear - the car roars in unexpected, majestic defiance.

  It’s a two-hour drive to the airfield which thankfully is further inland. As I think of my beautiful wife, Alice, my thoughts turn to our Captain, of his wife, and a body we won’t be escorting home. A stubborn image won’t leave my mind as I picture Harry receiving military honours – it’s inconceivable he’s dead but how could anyone survive that? There was nothing but a deep pit, plunging hundreds of feet as the earth was ripped away. I need to face it and accept it – our friend has gone.