Chapter 27

In the middle of the night, a persistent beeping dragged Janice from sleep. Leaving Pete to his slumber, she followed the sound to where the screen of her mobile phone was flashing insistently. She keyed the respond button and took the call, listening while a voice left her with no will to disobey.

Managing to scratch a hasty note for Pete, she dressed and walked out to her car. A general recall was unprecedented but as she drew closer to the Facility, it became clear that something serious was in the pipeline. She detected several other vehicles making their nocturnal return.

A supervisor met her at the main entrance but didn't provide any clues as to the nature of the emergency. "Make your way over to the east loading dock. You'll receive further instructions when you get there," he instructed.

Confused, and angry to have been dragged out of bed so early, Janice nevertheless complied. The staging area was seething with activity and a technician took her name then left her in the care of an Infiltrator called Beverly.

"What's happening?" Janice demanded.

"You've been assigned to my assault team. Get out of those clothes and put on some fatigues and a combat vest. The armourer will provide you with weapons and equipment."

"What are you talking about? I don't know the first thing about combat."

"Just spin up, point the gun at your target and pull the trigger."

"But ... But..." Janice stuttered but Beverly had already moved away to deal with another arrival.

A tech helped her change, fitting poorly tailored coveralls and heavy body armour around her. Finally, a grey-haired man pushed a nine millimetre pistol and GR7 sub-machine gun into her arms, then furnished her with a field radio and a large quantity of ammunition. With a dexterous slight of hand, she recovered her mobile phone from her purse and slipped it into an inner pocket of her coveralls.

Another Infiltrator was going through a similar procedure and Janice queried what she knew.

"They've located the insurgents. We're going to hit them at first light."

Janice stared in stunned silence, unable to comprehend how she'd wound up in such a precarious situation. Tempted to return to her car and flee, she knew that security would probably intercept her before she even left the grounds.

She suddenly realised that the freedom she'd been experiencing was illusory; Syntel owned her just like they did all the other synthetics and would use her to achieve their goals whenever it suited their purpose. She followed a dozen others as they were loaded onto the back of a truck and joined a convoy that headed out towards the insurgent's stronghold.

The phone dragged Sands struggling from semi-consciousness. His head was splitting in two from the after-effects of the strong liquor and his stomach lurched as he sat up and tried to identify the source of the disturbance. Staggering downstairs, he was surprised not to detect any sign of Janice as he fumbled around for the handset.

"It's me," Greg spoke edgily.

"What time is it?" Pete asked as the drum in his head launched into an ear-splitting cacophony.

"Six."

"Let me go back to sleep," Sands grumbled.

"Not until you tell me what Janice did last night."

"I don't understand."

"I've just had a blazing row with Valerie. She's furious at Janice for meddling with her mental state and the rest of us for taking advantage of it. She stormed out of the apartment in a huff and refuses to answer any of my calls."

"Sorry mate. I wish I could help but Janice has a mind of her own at times."

"What exactly did she do?"

"I'm not sure but she said the effects would wear off by morning."

"They certainly did and boy was she pissed off. I've never heard her use some of the language that she did. Where's Janice? I want to give her a piece of my mind for ruining my relationship."

"I'm not sure," Sands admitted, suddenly spotting the note pinned to the message board. "Summoned to the Facility. Be back soon. Don't worry."

"What's that?" Greg demanded.

"She left me a note. She's gone to visit Syntel for some reason."

"After the stunt she pulled last night, she may need them to put her back together after I get finished with her."

"Lighten up. There was no harm done. Valerie will come around, just you wait and see."

"She'd better or I'll be holding you both responsible," Greg snapped as he hung up in exasperation.

Dozens of vehicles trundled along the potholed track leading into the wooded valley where the farmhouse was situated. An armoured tractor unit towed a Command and Control trailer that would co-ordinate the attack and network the hundred or so Infiltrators and HKs involved. Six technicians and a military strategist on loan from Army Special Forces were the only human representatives of the assault group. They would remain just outside the combat zone and feed tactical data and intelligence into pick-ups interfaced into the headsets of the strike teams.

Nothing had been left to chance. An aerial drone had already flown over the area and confirmed the encampment was occupied and unsuspecting of any attack. The plan was to approach as close as possible using natural cover then launch a decisive strike that would catch the insurgents unawares and minimise their own casualties.

Elisabeth watched as her three fellow Hybrids dismounted the XM300 autocannons from the Jeeps and carry the thirty kilogram weapons as though they were made of cardboard. Each gun held a two hundred round magazine of explosive ammunition that discharged at a rapid rate of fire.

Initially they intended to remain in reserve but Elisabeth instructed them to move into position to support the assault. She entered the Command and Control trailer to observe the technicians booting up the tactical Quantums and distributing visual feeds between the advancing soldiers.

The doors to the trailer sealed, insulating them from all external threats. A self-contained air filtration system removed vulnerability to poison gas and nerve agents whilst thick reactive armour protected against likely projectile weapons.

Janice watched the ongoing preparations and felt nauseous with the thought of the likely impending loss of life. The sight of the three Hybrids bearing such devastating weapons horrified her and she realised that they'd soon be fighting their own kind. Elisabeth had taken sanctuary in the command trailer, no doubt to help orchestrate the slaughter.

They'd chosen their sides, as had Emily and Claire, but the thought of the upcoming conflict was still daunting in the extreme. She tried to think of a means of warning the insurgents but without a viable means of communication, it seemed a hopeless task. She wondered if Valerie was secretly in contact with Emily or Claire and decided to try to find out before portentous events were set into motion.

One of the enhancements of her recent upgrade was an experimental mode of operation known as Hyperspin. It enhanced the regular spin mode of the Hybrid and Infiltrator by adding a further fivefold increase in perception and propulsion. It didn't come without cost; a two second burst of Hyperspin would elevate the internal temperature of her Quantum to critical levels and also run the risk overheating and destroying her motor servos. After checking that she was not observed, she engaged the mode and vanished from sight.

A second of time dragged out eternally as she passed members of the attack force that appeared frozen like statues. She emerged from Hyperspin three quarters of a second later and over a hundred metres from her original position. Her core temperature had risen fifty degrees but not even that could eclipse the feeling of elation at what had just happened.

She squatted behind the cover of large rock and extracted her phone. Dialling Valerie's number yielded a ring tone that ended abruptly as the call was rejected. Cursing, Janice tried twice more before abandoning further attempts and leaving a terse message on her voicemail.

Greg answered on the second ring and sounded exceedingly irate.

"You've got some nerve calling after last night," he snapped.

"I've no time to explain. I need to speak to Valerie urgently. I've been co-opted into taking part in a raid on the insurgent's position and I need to find a way to warn them."

"What? Where are you?"

"Somewhere in the mountains overlooking New Arizona. There's a dense wood separating us from the farmhouse where they're based, and in about ten minutes over a hundred synthetics are going to unleash total carnage."

"How can Valerie help?"

"I hoped she'd have a means of communicating with either Emily or Claire."

"If she has then I know nothing about it," he admitted truthfully.

"I was hoping for better news than that. As if things aren't bad enough, the strike force have got three heavily armed Hybrids with them."

"Where exactly are your loyalties Janice?"

"I've been assigned to protect the flank of the attack force but I'm loath to get involved. I don't have the training or experience for any of this."

"I'll try and speak to Valerie but she's not talking to me at the moment."

"I was just trying to help you have a bit of fun. I didn't mean to cause a rift between you."

Greg's tone softened. "Do what you can out there and try not to get yourself killed."

Janice was about to reply when the call dropped and the message 'No Service' flashed on the screen. The command trailer had started emitting a cellular jamming signal prior to the commencement of the assault. She returned the phone to her pocket then jogged up to the skirmish line in preparation for the start of hostilities.

"Confirm comm link operational," one of the techs advised as a row of indicators in front of him turned green.

"Two armed hostiles in sight," a voice reported, "awaiting instructions."

"Copy that," a technician replied

Two teams of eight Infiltrators were circling the farmhouse through the woods, intending to strike from the side and rear, cutting off any possible line of retreat. Their orders were to terminate all life within the target zone and take no prisoners.

"Incursion squad one in place. Incursion squad two in place," the lead Infiltrators of each team advised over the radio.

"Confirm," the military liaison broadcast. "You have a clearance to engage on my mark. Three, two, one, mark."

The two defenders stationed outside the farmhouse flew backwards as high calibre rounds tore into their bodies, ripping them to shreds and killing them instantly. Three waves of thirty Infiltrators and HKs sped across the open ground, trying to cover the distance to the buildings in the minimum time possible.

From her camouflaged position, Emily flipped the safety off the M120 heavy machine gun and waited until the advancing synthetics were within twenty metres of her position before opening fire. She fired off twelve short bursts, one every half second; each struck an attacker in a critical region and dropped him to the ground. Karl lay beside her ready to reload whilst she used two GR7 machine pistols to unleash death whilst he did so. A short distance away, Janus watched a spun-up Claire in action, hardly able to follow her hand as the Weston pistol flicked from target to target.

"Reload," she screamed over the deafening cacophony.

Another weapon lay ready and he struggled to change the clip in the first before the second gun was also empty.

Talbot and his team let loose with automatic rifles from the farmhouse, raining misery down on the exposed assault force.

Grenades exploded in the trees, dismembering several of the Infiltrators and sending the rest scattering for cover. One managed to spin up and kill three of the defenders before a lucky shot from a dying insurgent ended his challenge.

Janice looked on impotently as several defenders were massacred by spun-up Infiltrators. The trees provided little cover as the accelerated machines dodged bullets and returned fire with lethal accuracy. The hidden Improvised Explosive Devices proved far more effective, showering the attackers with razor sharp shrapnel. Several fragments sped towards her but the Hyperspin proved an invaluable lifesaver. The shards slowed to a deathly crawl and made it a relatively easy task to avoid them.

With all but one of the Infiltrators taken out of action, she observed the solitary machine advancing on a fallen defender that lay unarmed on the ground, clutching a bleeding leg. Filled with murderous intent, the Infiltrator levelled his weapon at the youngster's head and prepared to execute him in cold blood.

The young insurgent looked up from his agony and begged for mercy he knew would not be forthcoming. With a loud, high-pitched buzz, a second machine appeared beside the first. The blonde woman held a GR7 against the Infiltrator's head and sprayed its Quantum over the forest floor. The youth gasped as the machine collapsed on the spot and the woman looked around for signs of further danger.

After a second, she stooped to rip narrow strips from the Infiltrators jacket then use them to bind his leg. "Keep the pressure on the wound or you'll bleed to death," she told him.

Unable to express his gratitude due to the shock and pain of his injuries, he watched the blonde stand motionless for several seconds as though waiting for some sort of signal. The woman's shape suddenly blurred and she vanished into thin air.

The HKs sprayed the farmhouse with depleted uranium, killing several men and women as the high velocity rounds easily penetrated the stone structure.

"The bastards were waiting for us," the military coordinator spat from within the air-conditioned cocoon of the trailer.

"That's because I warned them," Elisabeth informed him placidly.

Shocked, the man reached for his side arm but Elisabeth had already opened her jacket to expose the mass of high explosives strapped to her chest. The command trailer disintegrated in a devastating blast.

With their command, control and communication network destroyed, the HKs hesitated and the advantage passed back to the defenders.

"Sleeper, now," Emily screamed into her radio.

Buried in the middle of the field and fully charged, the EMP generator pulsed and twenty attackers dropped, their minds wiped in an instant. Emily and Claire both groaned and fainted as their Quantums were disrupted and it was several seconds before they rebooted and rejoined the fight.

Most of the strike force suffered a similar outage and it took some time before they crawled back to their feet. Beverly searched and located the hidden device then fired several rounds into it, rendering it useless. A volley from the farmhouse strafed her and she looked down at the blood pouring from several severe chest wounds before collapsing to the ground.

The Infiltrators struggled to take control of the Hunter Killer force now that contact with the command trailer was lost. Seeing their numbers decimated, they panicked and ordered an immediate retreat. Quiet descended as the thirty or so that remained sprinted for safety.