Cliff Ryder - The Ties That Bind

As he neared the cavern, he turned on the tracking radar, which would send signals into the cavern and bounce them back as three-dimensional images of what was going on above the surface.

"Damn," he muttered, seeing the outlines of Tina and Jesse hiding behind a large stack of crates and firing their weapons. They were making their stand right where he'd told them to and fighting for their lives while they were doing it. Each passing second made it more likely that one or both of them would be wounded or killed.

He scanned the rest of the cavern and counted heads. At least a dozen or more guards were opposing them.

He pushed the engines even harder, dodging a large cluster of ice and skirting a rock outcropping. The images on the screen flickered as the extra power went from the computer to the engines. He could make it inside the cavern and join them within two or three minutes if he pushed the machine to its limits.

Suddenly, alarms began to blare inside the Scorpion, and Jason saw that the two minisubs were on his radar and moving in on his position. This time, he knew, he would sink them both. If Jesse and Tina had done their jobs, they hadn't been loaded with the nuclear weapons yet, and he didn't want to give anyone who survived this operation a free means of getting any other weapons away from the area.

"All right," he muttered, guiding the Scorpion toward the two minisubs. "Let's see how the new and improved Scorpion fares this time."

He punched up the controls for the weapons system, and the Scorpion's extendable arms rotated, bringing up an underwater launcher and a gas-powered minigun that fired .50-caliber rounds. A voice said, "Targeting system online. Voice-activated fire control at your command." This time, he fully intended to fight in ways they didn't have any means to counter.

The first sub closed in on his right and he spun the Scorpion on its axis. "Target acquired," the computer said.

"Launcher, fire!" Jason said.

There were two dull thumping sounds as the launcher fired, and in the short distance between himself and the other sub, he saw the rounds closing in on their target. The operator of the minisub tried to turn, but his momentum took him directly into the path of the shells, which impacted the side of his craft and stuck. The outside covering of the shells was magnetic.

A second later both of them exploded, and in the flare of underwater light, Jason saw the hole blown in the side of the craft. The operator was already dead from the blast and his vessel spun wildly out of control, sinking rapidly.

He felt the other sub ram him at nearly full speed and he heard the sound of bending metal.

The controls suddenly felt sluggish in his hands.

The computer was flashing repair warnings all over his screen. His right wing had been damaged, and he didn't have nearly the maneuverability he really needed in a fight. He could go up or down, forward or back, but he could only turn to the left.

"Marvelous," he said. He yanked on the controls with all his strength and revved the engines, causing the Scorpion to spin to the left while ascending toward the surface.

"Target acquired," the computer said. Then it corrected, "Target lost."

"Oh, shut up," he said. "Minigun, fire!"

The computer may not have understood the "shut up," but thankfully, it did open fire. As he spun, the other minisub came briefly into view and he saw the .50-caliber slugs slam into its view screen and burst through it, killing its operator instantly. The slugs must have damaged his controls, as well, because it veered wildly, then began to sink as the engines failed and water poured into the open cavity.

He pulled once more on the controls, feeling a bit dizzy, and allowed the Scorpion to continue its ascent. He eased into the cavern, and managed to get the three-dimensional radar working again. Jesse and Tina were still holding their own and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He guided the wounded Scorpion into the minisub docking bay nearest to them, but when he tried to rotate the arms and have it climb out of the water, the computer said, "System failure. Retractable land arms unavailable."

"Well, so much for clearing the area with the .50-caliber," Jason said. He moved to the top hatch and opened it, then ducked back down as a shot ricocheted off the metal hatch door.

"It's me, damn it," he yelled at Jesse, who'd seen someone out of the corner of his eye and was in full instinct mode.

"Come ahead," his brother yelled back.

He climbed out and ran for their position, dragging his gear bag with him and zigzagging among the boxes and crates to narrowly avoid being shot.

"You're alive!" Tina said, throwing her arms around him.

"Ouch," he gasped.

She held him at arm's length. "You're hurt," she said. "How bad?"

"Bad enough that hugging is really out of the question right now," he said. He looked around and realized where they had positioned themselves. Their backs were to the wall on one side and the water on the other, barricaded behind a large stack of crates. They were cornered.

He looked down at the crates Tina and Jesse were using to kneel on. "I know I said to sit on the nukes, but I didn't mean it quite so literally," he added.

"What are you talking about?" Tina asked, ducking down between shots.

"That crate that you're kneeling on holds a nuclear warhead," he replied.

Tina stared accusingly at Jesse.

"Hey," he said. "All I knew was they were in this room. I didn't know you were going to choose one as your personal sofa, but it's as good a place as any to die."

Jason peered over the boxes and saw that the guards were getting closer and closer to their position. They were also shooting more rapidly, forcing all of them to stay under cover rather than shoot back.

If they didn't do something fast, the front door wasn't going to be an option at all — and they needed to get out. There were still two nuclear warheads to get rid of, as well as Feng Li and Boris to deal with.

He moved closer to Jesse, leaning in so he wouldn't have to shout. "Is there another way out of here?" he asked.

His brother shook his head. "Just the way we came in from upstairs and the water — neither of which look like a great option at the moment."

"We've got to get rid of the nukes and get out of here," he said.

"I'm all ears," Jesse replied. He peered around one end of the crate stack and fired off a round. A man screamed in pain. "There's one less to deal with anyway."

Jason thought rapidly, then an idea came to him. It wasn't perfect, but it would do for now. "How deep is the water here in the cavern?"

Jesse shrugged. "It goes down a ways," he said. "Maybe two or three hundred feet. It's a long way — I can tell you that."

"Perfect," Jason said. "Do you have any of those smoke grenades left?"

"A couple," he replied, handing him one. "Why?"

"Good," Jason said. He opened his bag and pulled out the sniper rifle, popping in a new clip and switching it to full auto. "When I tell you, give Tina and I some covering fire, okay?"

"It's your show, man," Jesse said. "Run it the way you want."

Jason didn't bother with any additional explanations. He moved back to Tina and gave her a gentle shove off her perch. "Hey!" she said, landing on her butt. "That's my nuclear couch!"

"Funny," he replied dryly. "Grab an end and get ready."

She grabbed the crate handles on her end and Jason pulled the pin on the grenade, then counted off almost every second the fuse had before he tossed it overhead to land on the other side of their crate pile. Smoke began to billow upward, filling the air and making it hard to see more than a few feet at best.

"Now," he said, and Jesse peered around the corner and fired off a quick burst. To Tina, Jason said, "Lift!"