Paul Kirk - Devastation Point

Daubney held the radio to his ear. “Sir, Mickey says he caught at least five men in the blast.”

“Excellent news, captain. Tell him to haul ass and return back here with the team ASAP. I’m worried about a pincer movement when we get closer to Route 51. With his force of equipment and men, catching us from behind is a concern.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let all the teams know to form up at our primary rendezvous before we exit to the secondary.”

“You don’t think we can hold them off, colonel?”

“With all the shit that went down, they’re gonna be coming hard and fast. We need to be gone. Like now. We’ll take Route 51 south down into Uniontown and meet up at the hospital rendezvous.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You seem unconvinced, captain. Speak your mind.”

“Sir?”

“You’ll see what you’re up against soon enough, captain. Probably before the hour is out—trust me on this.”

“Yes, sir, I will. But the road’s blown and they’re too far back. They can’t possibly interfere now. They won’t mount a full attack at night or until they make a working corridor for their trucks and supply line.”

“I think you’re wrong, captain. Phoenix will make good use of side roads to regain Brownsville on the other side of that hole. I expect he’ll engage a shitload of men on foot to try to overwhelm us.”

“His trucks will be delayed, colonel.”

“Yes, of course. So will his cavalry. He probably doesn’t want them running hard at night. He’ll need to explore side streets and find a path. That adds at least a mile to his pursuit—maybe more if he makes a wrong turn. But he’s sharp enough to know that the trucks are not the primary factor of engagement in driving his assault forward right now. He’ll set that up for later, but he’ll send everything he’s got on foot and that’s a considerable force. He’ll probably keep the quads and bikes in check to conserve the batteries at night. Until dawn, those vehicles won’t be a factor.”

Captain Daubney sighed heavily, unconvinced but hesitant to ask further questions of his new commanding officer.

“Captain?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I was serious when I told you to speak freely. I already value your input and I know you bring substantial military expertise to the conversation. You wouldn’t be a captain on Starkes’ staff if you were any less of a soldier and tactician. So, please continue to voice your concerns. And don’t worry—I don’t get off on command. I’ve fought too many times to get the right man to make the right decision. I welcome your input, captain—believe it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Remember that’s not my style. Period. Now, I’m not saying I won’t be pissed off at you every now and then, but you’re an intelligent part of this army and I wouldn’t be a very good commanding officer if I didn’t value your judgment. So… let’s have it.”

“Okay, sir,” said the captain hesitatingly. “Why’d we waste the C4 to blow that hole if it doesn’t allow us to complete the extraction at Route 51?”

“That C4 changes the tactical playing field. Now, Phoenix is playin’ my game.”

“I don’t understand, colonel.”

“We’re gonna separate and annihilate, captain. And our target is Phoenix the Puta.”

“What?”

“You’ve heard of Genghis Khan?”

“Of course, sir.”

“We’re spreading Phoenix’s army out much more than he’d like. We’re testing his emotional stability as a commander right now. We’ll have him placing his flexibility and mobility out front now and testing the limits of our engagement with him. That’s what I want, even though it’ll push us past the primary rendezvous and into our secondary options.”

“We’re running away, sir? Why can’t we dig in and defend, colonel?”

“Right now, captain, I’m real interested in sapping his flexibility and mobility. With that many men, horses, and machines coming down on us, we’ll have to keep our fade on like a finely tuned machine.”

“You’re talking retreat, you know that colonel? You give that prick Phoenix too much credit, sir.”

“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a awhile, captain. Phoenix is no slouch. He’s got control of those men—he’s built a formidable army—no small task. He took the Hall of Fame pretty quickly without the element of surprise. You guys barely got out despite your excellent security. Imagine if he had maintained that element of surprise.”

“I see what you mean, sir.”

“Over the past week or so, captain, he’s made some doggedly solid progress toward me and my team. We definitely interrupted his plans to snatch the president and her bird and Phoenix is an unforgiving man.”

“I’ll admit, he’s very persistent, sir.”

“You know, I actually thought we got away from Cleveland without a scratch—except for Amanda. Her situation was unknown at the time. Let me tell you something captain… finding out that scumbag and an entire army was on our ass earlier today was a real eye-opener. In fact, it makes me want to meet this man—so I can put a bullet in his brain.”

The captain’s radio squawked and he held it to his ear. After listening for a few moments, he spoke quickly. “Move out, Mickey. All teams must prepare to converge on secondary rendezvous. Prepare for all night travel—primary rendezvous is a no go. Repeat, primary is a no go. Out.”

Connor’s team had never slowed their pace—Connor and Daubney had taken turns checking behind them to verify they hadn’t lost anyone. The captain filled him in with the progress of the other teams.

“Mickey says there’s a whole slew of men barreling down the road on foot. The road on the other side of the hole is filled with men, quads, bikes, and some horses.”

“Go on, captain.”

“Yes, sir. He says those men are hauling ass—pouring over and around the crater like pissed off ants who got their nest poked with a stick.”

“Yeah, we did some poking, that’s for sure.”

“Whatta your orders, colonel?”

“All teams are cleared to fire at will during their fallback. But they need to get their asses back here, right now.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s a big-ass C4 hole, Phoenix.”

“C4? You sure?”

“I’ve seen my share,” said Larry Reed.

“He’s right, sir,” said Tippy Cup, standing nearby. “Seen a bit myself. The smell’s still in the air.”

“Why are you still alive, Tippy? Weren’t you up front here?”

“Yes, sir… I lucked out sittin’ on some of their team that were hiding behind that building when this explosion took out JJ’s team.”

Tippy Cup pointed to a red-bricked apartment complex with no visible glass left intact.

“And you’re here now and not with Luke?”

“Luke nearly killed me when we recovered.”

Tippy Cup removed the scarf held tight to his neck. Blood seeped from a deep slice.

“Said I shoulda seen them setting the trap. But, I told him… I told him I was nowhere near this side.”

Phoenix gritted his teeth, staring beyond the large crater that effectively blocked any progress of his main army vehicles.

“Dammit! Where’s Luke now, uncle?”

“Going after the assholes that blew this hole.”

The sound of faint gunfire exchanges reached their ears in between the rumbling of truck engines, quads and bikes. Quick three-shot bursts of automatic weapons. Larry glanced behind him to see all the trucks had reached the point where they jammed up, until, brigade leaders began turning the vehicles around based on new orders.

“Find secondary or alternate routes around this. Now ,” said Larry Reed into the handheld, “Keep two men with each truck while you figure this out. Send men into the side streets. Find a route back to this Brownsville Road or onto Route 51. Have the quads and bikes follow. Keep the cavalry with us, for now.”