Philip Simpson - Tribulation

Dodging fire, Sam and the other U. S soldiers followed Grace as she led them to the rear of the heli-pad. There was a ladder leading down to the stern of the huge ship. Sam could just see the wake starting to boil as the ship’s engines came to life. Crewmen were casting off. They had only moments to get off the ship.

The squad slid down the ladder just as the ship started to pull away from the dock, forcing them to jump. The two soldiers at the rear never made it, caught by enemy fire as they leapt. They plunged into the swirling water and disappeared. Grace, already crouching on the dock, returned fire, giving Sam and the remaining two members of her squad breathing room.

The dock was a whirl of activity with trucks, loaders and scores of soldiers going about their tasks. Lights illuminated some areas but many, including the part of the dock where they had landed, were thankfully in darkness. Most of the enemy troops appeared to be busy scanning the skies or watching the river and the departing fleet to notice the arrival of Sam and his group of relatively insignificant figures. Their presence was, however, noted. An Astaroth streaked down from the night sky, claws and swords extended.

Grace and the other soldiers, suddenly aware they were in danger, began firing on the massive demon as it descended, thus drawing the attention of every enemy soldier on the dock. In the uncertain light, few bullets found their mark on the Astaroth. Sam readied his swords, knowing he would need them in a few moments.

The roar of heavy machine gun fire rang out. The Astaroth, about to flatten the four of them, was suddenly hit by multiple shots. It disappeared, raining ash down on Sam and the others. Unnoticed earlier, a black helicopter swung into view. A spotlight first played upon Sam and his small group, suddenly switching towards the enemy soldiers on the dock, responding to small arms fire. The door mounted M134 mini-gun opened up again, mowing down any soldiers who didn’t take cover.

The helicopter came into land. As it did, Sam saw it more clearly, recognizing it for what it was: a Blackhawk — one of several that Sam had seen at the Beightler Armory. It looked like the cavalry had arrived.

The rotor continued to spin rapidly, not slowing even as the Blackhawk touched down. Grace, Sam and the two remaining members of her squad crouched uncertainly in the shadows, unsure what their course of action should be. The Blackhawk looked to be on their side, but first impressions could be deceptive. Suddenly, next to a soldier manning the mini-gun in the door of the chopper, another figure appeared. Sam breathed a silent prayer. It was Adam. He gestured towards them — unmistakably signaling to them to hurry up and get in the chopper.

They didn’t have to be told twice.

Crouching low, the four of them made a run for it. The door gunner provided covering fire as they tumbled into the opening. The chopper pilot didn’t waste any time. As soon as they were on board, he lifted off again.

Sam, Grace and the two remaining members of her squad strapped themselves in. Adam handed Grace and himself a headset as the Blackhawk banked sharply to the south.

“Thanks,” said Sam. “Lucky you were here when you were.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it. Grace told me where you’d be,” said Adam.

Grace said, “Went to check on you and found the guard unconscious and your cell empty. Figured the only way to get out undetected was through the sewers so I gathered up my squad and we set off after you. Ran into this surfer dude trying to get back in. He’d been asking about you earlier and seemed unnaturally interested in your whereabouts. When we found him in the sewers, he seemed pretty agitated. We managed to persuade him to tell us where you were.”

“But how did you get here?” asked Sam

“Took the Brooklyn battery tunnel,” she said, looking pleased with herself.

“But that’s blocked,” said Sam.

“That’s what the Resistance wants everyone to think. There’s ways through if you know how. I explored it a couple of days ago.”

Sam made eye contact with her for a moment and then dropped his gaze. He didn’t know what to say. ‘Thanks’ seemed a little clumsy. He glanced out the window, lost in thought. Maybe it had been Grace that the Watcher had referred to all that time ago? Had Samyaza been talking about Grace and not his mother as he’d previously suspected? He wanted — no — needed his mother back and a part of him believed that she was the key to his salvation — hence the reason he was so desperate to find her. But it was Grace who had saved him. Had come through for him when he needed her the most. It was a sobering thought.

Even though it was still hours before dawn, a bright glow was coming from the river below them. It was vaguely ship-sized.

“Our fire ship,” said Adam, noticing the direction of Sam’s gaze.

“What?” said Sam and Grace together.

“Fire ship,” repeated Adam. “Old tactic. Back when ships were made of wood, admirals would load one with combustibles, set fire to it and point it in the direction of an enemy fleet. We’re doing the same thing here.”

Suddenly, Joshua’s disappearance and the rapid departure of his fleet were explained. They were trying to get out of harm’s way.

“What is it?” asked Sam. “It looks huge.” Indeed it did. It filled half of the Hudson River.

“It’s an old oil tanker. We found it abandoned on the coast and relatively sea worthy. Even had a fair bit of oil left if you knew how to get at it. We siphoned off what we needed and kept the rest on board for this.”

Sam watched as the helicopter banked over the massive ship. It was only a few hundred feet away from the dock containing the invasion fleet now, heading directly for them. Even as Sam watched, the Battlecruiser and its two escorting Destroyers were frantically powering out of harm’s way. They’d left their run a little late though. Almost in slow motion, the sheer scale of the impact creating awe in anyone watching, the oil tanker ploughed into the Destroyer on the Battlecruiser’s flank. The bow of the tanker broke the Destroyer in half but diverted the impact away from the Battlecruiser which was probably the Captain’s intention. Both ships erupted in flames. Oil from the breached tanker sprayed over a wide area, encompassing the Battlecruiser and igniting flames along its hull.

Sam lost sight of the unfolding drama as the helicopter banked again, heading towards another large ship coming into view at the river mouth.

“Sorry,” said Adam. “Can’t hang around. Both our choppers and jets have limited flight time. The ash plays havoc with their air filters. Even getting them airborne for this long was a mission.” He pointed in the direction of the new arrival. “Our flag ship,” he explained. “It’s the last aircraft carrier remaining to the U. S fleet. Nimitz class. The George Washington. We got lucky with this as every other carrier got wiped out by tsunamis.”

“What’s happening with Colonel Wheat?” asked Grace.

Adam frowned. “I don’t know. We lost contact with them.”

“What!” exclaimed Sam. “Didn’t anyone warm him about the Holland Tunnel? It’s teeming with Lemure!”

“No,” said Adam. “Grace told me but the warning came too late. We’d already lost contact with him by then.”

“Turn us around,” said Sam.

This changed things. If Colonel Wheat was lost then the U. S forces wouldn’t stand a chance against the invasion fleet. Unless he took out the leadership. That meant his brother. The Antichrist. And the sooner the better. They really couldn’t delay. He could’ve kicked himself for not killing Joshua when he’d had the chance. With any luck though, the fire ship might get him yet. “I have to get to the Chrysler building.”