Chapter 39

The trees didn't grow all the way to the edge of the cliff, because the stone that made up the hill was not all that stable. That meant that there was a sloping clearing of rubble stone and scrub brush, about sixty-five meters deep by two hundred meters wide. It was, however, unwise to approach any closer than ten meters to the edge of the cliff, as that might mean a quick trip down to the scree that was piled at the cliff's base. Since the M18A1 claymore AP mines had an optimal kill distance of fifty meters the General's people didn't have a chance—they and all but two of their devices were shredded like so much stew beef.

As it happened there were enough technicians standing between the two surviving missile devices, and the claymore mines, that the devices were not destroyed. They were only slightly damaged ... just enough to set off the self-destruct sequence.

The detonation of the multiple missiles released the weak grip that the rocks and dirt had at the cliff's top, to the bedrock. That caused a landslide that grew to monumental proportions! As the slide moved downward, it picked up more and more debris. In the end there was enough momentum that the slide roared into the base at the speed of an express train, destroying most of the buildings.

Fortunately John and Donna had the foresight to include underground bunkers, storerooms and a system of tunnels that connected almost every building when they were constructing the base. There were also firemen's poles for a quick exit from the above ground spaces ... the stairs were too slow, though they were there. Even with all of the preparations, though, some people were caught before they were able to get deep enough into the tunnels.

A comatose Scott lay on a gurney as Ann and her day nurse Gwen installed the short IV pole onto the frame of gurney near Scott's head, and then moved the IV bags onto the new stand. Next they switched the monitors to battery and placed them between Scott's legs.

They ran out of time!

The massive moving wall of debris slammed into the small clinic building, obliterating it just as the two women had maneuvered the gurney onto the ramp leading to the subterranean network of tunnels, killing all three instantly.

In the main lodge building Joseph and Lena were helping Mary down the stairway into the tunnels when the landslide hit that building. The three were far enough down the stairwell into the lower level that they were not immediately killed. However, the gust of air that rode ahead of the destruction pushed the three elderly people down the long flight of stairs. As they lay broken and bleeding at the foot of the stairs a small amount of debris managed to make it passed the twists and turns of the stairwell to land on the three wounded people. A large chunk of concrete hit Mary in the head ending her long mourning period for her beloved John.

Though pummeled with bits and pieces of the building above, Joseph and Lena survived. However, they were trapped and would bleed to death if not found and rescued, soon.

Meanwhile out along the north and south perimeters, the two teams of Odin's Own were running for their lives, not from the landslide but from the impending explosions of the two missile sites. When the explosions came they were appallingly intense. A great crater at each site was formed as rock and earth, plus whole and shattered trees, were blown into the sky. They arched outward, and fell back to earth on top of the fleeing teams.

Yumi was the first of Valkyrie to be hit. A very sharp piece of stone grazed her head and cut a deep, wide furrow down her face from hairline to chin, taking out her eye, and knocking the woman unconscious.

Asha was next, as she was hit by a group of splinters. None were fatal, but enough of her back muscles were damaged so as to prevent her from ever running a field op again.

The other two members of the team were hit at the same time by the same tree trunk. Both women received enough significant damage to their legs that they would never be able to work in the field again, either.

Thor's Hammer fared no better. None died but all received injuries that were significant enough to prevent the men from ever working in the field again. Asha's man was hurt the worst, as he lost the lower part of his left leg. His men though injured themselves, saved Evan's life. Their quick application of a tourniquet stanched his arterial bleeding.

Donna ordered new drones up, to check for more enemy activity. None was spotted, and soon two choppers were moving toward the two teams. It was not an easy rescue because the choppers had to hover above the broken forest and lift the injured people in a drop-basket.

Back at the base, a head count was going on. It was found that Joseph, Lena, Mary, Ann, Gwen, and Frank (the ordnance officer) with his entire family, were missing. Donna immediately sent out search rescue teams. Of Frank's family none but the youngest child and the family pet were found. She and her dog had been behind a large rock outcropping, and were missed by the landslide. Joseph and Lena were also found in time to save their lives.

Ann had done her job well. She had trained others to take her place in case of an emergency, and those people were able to stabilize Odin's Own along with Joseph and Lena.

Donna ordered constant flights of the drones that were equipped with FLIR throughout the night and then the standard drones all of the next day.

A full evacuation was not possible, due to the rubble that had landed on the runway. It would take at least one whole day to clear the tarmac and another to fix the holes left from the falling debris. However, the Med-evac flights were able to get out in the choppers.

As Rianna practiced her powers, she had left a connection to Donna and Scott. When the attack came Rianna was frozen with fear for her friends and loved ones. Then she felt the disconnect from Scott. She knew, instantly, that her husband, her beautiful beloved husband was gone!

She screamed out her hatred as a white-hot anger filled her! All of the misery that General Vezza had visited upon her and her loved ones rushed back into her memory, all of the running, all of the deaths. Rianna sent out a search for the General. With her newly enhanced powers she quickly found him and inserted herself into his mind. Through his eyes she could see that he was sitting at his desk waiting for the report of the attack on Donna's group.

She also found out who the mole was: Colonel William S. Flarety, Jacob's third officer. The man's bitterness was driving him toward madness. He had been passed over for promotion to second in command, THREE TIMES! Rianna inserted herself into the man's mind and caused him to have a massive stroke. As the man was dying Rianna exited him.

She reentered the mind of General Vezza and said, "Hello, General," in a sickeningly sweet way.

Startled, the man pulled out his side arm and asked, "What? Who's there?"

"Why, I'm the person that you have been looking for all of these years," she answered sweetly with just a touch of sarcasm.

"What are you going on about? Who are you? Show yourself!" The man was now standing and swiveling angrily and intently looking for a target. No one entered his domain without permission.

"Oh, General, I'm not actually there with you in the physical realm. I'm inside your head. Now sit down. We are going to have some fun."

"Where are you? Come out and show yourself, you coward!"

"Did you notice how heavy your gun is getting, you piece of shit? It's so heavy that you can't hold it up anymore."

Suddenly the general's hand dropped to his side as he tried in vain to retain his grip on his weapon—it was a custom made .45 caliber 1911A pistol that had been hand made out of Damascus pattern steel with curly maple handgrips and was a thing of exquisite beauty. The pistol was getting heavier by the second and soon Vezza was unable to retain his grip. The gun fell to the floor with a loud thunk. Quickly, the General stooped to pick up the pistol. He couldn't even move it enough to get his fingers under it, let alone pick it up, due to its perceived weight.