The Fight for Peace (14 page)

“You getting what you need?” Derrick asked, anxious to head southwest.

“Yeah. It should be easy enough to isolate the city, with or without shields. Can’t imagine why they’d build on an island.”

“Looked nice?” Derrick suggested, trying a joke to see if it eased his nerves. “Certainly looks like they didn’t take a lot into consideration, between nuclear fallout across the farmland and that they’re building right to the water’s edge. They look like they have too many people and not enough space similar to Irkrist.”

“That’s a good point. I wonder if the shields work in water. Otherwise this place is going to be a pain.”

Derrick opened his mouth to ask what Jared was talking about when he saw a new warning light. “Captain, we have company coming in from the north.”

Jared swore. “Figures they’d have planes. Friggen old American bases. I got the controls. Hold on.”

To Derrick’s relief, Jared rolled the dactyl to alter their course westward and hit the accelerator, rather than turning to face the two planes pursuing them. Their radar signatures fell behind before they even had visual.

“Dammit,” Jared cursed as the Pacific glistened on the horizon and he eased off the throttle. “Arinna is going to be pissed.”

Chapter 16

DANIELLE LE MARC

BREWING TROUBLE

“You don’t think Europe has enough problems at the moment?” Isabella asked, managing to keep her tone low, though it bordered on a hiss.

“Why do you assume I have something to do with the articles over the lack of scheduled elections?” Danielle asked, sipping her tea and regarding Byran’s wife who sat, uninvited, across from her.

Isabella had tracked her down, which was Danielle’s fault. She’d agreed to meet Chris for lunch at a restaurant where Danielle, Byran, and Isabella had worked together. The woman was tenacious enough to check every possible haunt every afternoon until she’d finally located Danielle. There was nothing to be done other than to get rid of her as quickly as possible.

“Because you are using every contact I created for promoting the election proposal. Not to mention following the same sequence in articles,” Isabella pointed out.

Danielle sighed. Isabella was also organized enough to recognize her own work. “Fine, I’ve written
some
of the articles. I worked very hard on the election proposal too and hate seeing it derailed. Actually,” Danielle said, setting her cup down with a hard click. “Considering how much I worked with Byran, and how good of a team we made, I’m a little hurt he didn’t ask me to be on his Cabinet.”

Isabella stared at Danielle without a flicker despite Danielle’s bait about being a team with her husband. “Besides helping to arrange to have his family killed, I can’t imagine what else may have kept Byran from asking you to be one of his secretaries,” Isabella said with a cool smile.

If Danielle didn’t hate her so much, she would really have liked Isabella. “I had nothing to do with the attack on your family. Parliament released me. I’m sure you remember that?”

“For lack of evidence,” Isabella replied.

From the look in Isabella’s eyes, Danielle was happy Isabella wasn’t serving the tea and hadn’t been alone with the pot. Trying to convince herself she was getting paranoid, Danielle tried a more friendly entreaty.

“I’m just as surprised as you are about the protests. I thought an article or two would push Byran to rethink delaying elections or might bring back some of the Senators who remained away after break. That people would march or compare Europe’s government to that of the former militarized US ... the idea is absurd!”

A flicker of doubt replaced the hostility on Isabella’s face. Danielle pressed her opening. “How is Byran doing? He looked tired, worn even, when he spoke to Parliament last week. To have to go back to renegotiate the terms ... he must be so tired.”

“It would be less trying if there weren’t protests in Europe to deal with as well,” Isabella snapped. “From what I’ve heard, you led just about every debate against the terms the European delegates negotiated. If you want to help, Danielle, really want to help, stop what you are doing.” Isabella stood without waiting to hear any further comment. She breezed by Chris as he entered, his glance freezing on Isabella with recognition before glancing toward Danielle with startled curiosity.

“Did I interrupt something?” Chris asked.

Danielle answered with a lingering kiss. Unfortunately, it didn’t sidetrack Chris. Danielle blamed the Guard training for that.

“If you were having lunch with the Prime Minister’s wife, I could ...”

“No, we were done,” Danielle said, taking Chris’ hand. “I know how to schedule my day to keep work and pleasure separate.”

Chris’ eyes lit at that in the way sent tremors through her. Damn she wanted to kiss his mouth again. He leaned into his chair and signaled the waiter. “She didn’t look happy. Must have been something serious you were meeting over?”

“The protests,” Danielle said, folding her napkin across her lap to avoid looking at Chris. He made too much of a distraction. “Isabella wanted my advice on what to do regarding them. I told her the best thing would be for to Byran to schedule the elections. I think she is worried it would jeopardize his position.”

Chris’ grunt didn’t indicate if he believed her or not. The look he flashed her made Danielle think he didn’t care, and maybe they could get away with not ordering lunch and just head to her house. Until he spoke again, “There isn’t enough going on after the bombing last month and now a peace negotiation?”

“He could always schedule something for spring,” Danielle snipped.

She stayed mad at him until they were in her bed and he’d turned the heat she’d felt into contentment. Chris chuckled as he traced his fingers up the length of her arm.

“You were feeling feisty today, more so than normal,” he added as Danielle glanced at him.

“One of those days. You really have to go back tonight?” she asked, annoyed with herself that his nod disappointed her. “How are things with the Guard? Still quiet, I’d imagine, with the peace negotiations getting closer to an agreement?”

Chris shrugged. “Not that I should be the one telling you anything,” he said, tapping her nose. “But they are keeping us on alert. There is enough unrest across the countryside that sensitive areas have added protection.” Danielle stared at him blankly enough that he continued, “The FLF started in the US with sporadic civil unrest. They take any disturbance and use it to create chaos.”

“Oh, I hadn’t ... put that together,” she said, meaning it. The idea gave her chills, especially that she’d help create the growing protests. “But there isn’t a sign of anything like that, is there?”

“You worried now?” Chris asked with a half smile.

“I’m not a fan of war really. It eats into leisure activities.”

Chris laughed as he kissed her again. “That is very true.”

He had to leave soon after, buttoning his shirt as he hurried from her bedroom. Danielle did her best to make his dressing cumbersome by untucking his shirt to feel his smooth skin and pulling at his belt as he fought for his shirt.

“Enough,” he said, laughing though he stepped out of her reach to finish dressing. “If you get me in trouble for being late, I’ll end up confined to base and on latrine duty, then you won’t get to see me at all.”

“It you are punished with latrine duty, I don’t think I’d want to see you,” she said. He swatted her behind, kissed her hard once more, and then ran out the front door.

Danielle sighed as she closed the door, preventing herself from watching him run down the drive to his horse. She tried to ignore the fact she hadn’t asked once about Captain Vries or the Lady Grey. Questioning him on the Guard was how she rationalized the affair. But his statement about the FLF had distracted her from trying to discover anything useful. It hadn’t been how he’d kissed or could make her scream in pleasure better than any other lover she’d taken.

Danielle trembled at the memory of the afternoon, walking firmly away from the front door to draw a bath. She had company that night and she really needed to clear her head enough to focus.

When Evan and Sari arrived, Danielle felt much more composed and strategic. She had arranged the articles they’d published so far and the ones to be sent next along the long table in the formal dining room.

“Been busy?” Evan asked as he surveyed the room.

“Considering the reports of protests from New London down to Roma, I think
we’ve
been busy,” Danielle said. “I think it is time to stop hiding. We should allow our names to be printed with the next articles.”

Sari dropped the page she’d been reading to the table. “You’re serious? But there could be repercussions ...”

“Many people already suspect it is us, or at least that I have something to do with it. It makes sense considering my involvement with the election proposal. But adding your names so that people know it isn’t just one Senator, I think it is time for that. We may get more traction in Parliament to know we already have an alliance.”

Sari frowned thoughtfully. “What repercussions are you afraid of?” Evan asked her.

“The attack on Byran Vasquez’s home and family doesn’t make you nervous?” Sari asked both of them.

Danielle snorted. “It was proven MOTHER was behind that, only they meant it to be a ruse to put themselves officially in power. David Eldridge was too oblivious to realize the man he’d hired to pretend to be FLF, or whatever game they had afoot, was FLF. The Guard is on alert. Prague is protected. We will be fine,” Danielle assured her.

“If you are that nervous, we can leave your name off,” Evan added.

Sari glared at him. “So you can take the credit too? No. Put my name on it as well, as long as both of you are doing the same, and you are right in one thing, Danielle. Considering how we’ve praised the Guard, I’m at least not nervous about receiving their protection.”

It took two days for the next article to appear. Danielle arranged for it to be printed in Prague, wanting the story that revealed which Senators were behind the reports to hit in the heart of the government.

The parliamentary chambers were quiet the next morning, and not just because it was barely half filled. Gazes followed her, Evan, and Sari as they entered for morning session and walked to their seats. Danielle smiled at the echoes of quiet whispers. Session began with more seriousness than most mornings. There was a different weight to the air in the room when she spoke for or against a measure. By the end of the day, Danielle stopped wondering if this was similar to the leverage that Byran or her father commanded. Instead, she reveled in the fact this was hers.

Chapter 17

CADET CORIANNE HEYLOR

GRADUATION

Cori scanned the moonlit hillside below her for movement. Shadows cast by boulders offered hiding places for enemy troops but were separated by wide swaths. She’d be able to see anyone sneaking between them. Or would be able to if she weren’t so tired her eyes couldn’t focus. Cori blinked, trying to clear her vision, and looked down the rifle scope again. She let out a slow breath. No movement, she was sure of it. Her team couldn’t fail again and not because she screwed up.

Two weeks from graduation and it seemed that her platoon was either the best or the worst depending on the hour and the task. They’d done double duty time and time again due to oversights and failures. Mistakes made by team members threatened to rupture the allegiance they had to each other after a recent failure sent them back out for another round of survival training in a mock set up of what Pyotr had survived on his journey in FLF territory. Only the Sergeants were the FLF.

A soft hoot sounded from behind her. Cori clicked. Pyotr scrambled forward.

“Your shift is up. See anything?” he asked, lying down on the pebbles next to her.

“No. There are some good hiding places down there, but this vantage is pretty good,” Corianne said.

“OK, get some sleep,” Pyotr replied, resting his rifle where she’d kept hers propped on a flat rock.

Cori shimmied backward, standing only when she’d made it to the shadows of the forest. Quiet as a wraith, she slipped between the trees, standing no higher than the shrubs scattered amidst the undergrowth. Only halfway back to the camp, Cori’s form dissolved. She caught herself on a tree, banging her hand against the rough bark. Pain erupted up her arm and all she could think was it was her trigger hand. With a tearful gasp, Corianne sunk to the duff and leaned against the tree, fighting the urge to cry.

She was cold and so tired of being dirty and hungry. If this is what Pyotr had done crossing the Wasteland to reach Irkirst, she didn’t know how he survived it. Moments like this she considered quitting, but she had nowhere to go but home. Dirty, tired, and miserable as she was, this was better than a life with no future and awkward stares.

A twig snapped and Corianne yanked her rifle into position, sighting on the shadow walking towards camp. With a stinging finger, she kept light pressure on the trigger, holding her breath as she waited for a shot.

“Tony,” Cori hissed when her platoon mate walked into the moonlight. “I could have shot you!”

“It’s just an electronic sensor,” Tony said, unfreezing when he realized who spoke and where Cori sat. He scampered over to her.

“You’d still be considered dead and out of the mission. We need everyone. This is hard enough,” Cori said, relaxing against the tree again.

Tony sighed and sat next to her. “Yeah, no kidding. I never thought I’d miss that damn cot in barracks.”

Cori giggled. Tony glanced at her with his boyish smile. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Kiss wasn’t quite the description. Her lips brushed his before he realized what she was doing. Tony leapt to his feet, keeping his balance by staying low.

“Shit, Cori. What are you doing?” Tony hissed, more alert now than he had been on his walk back to camp.

“Oh come on, it wouldn’t be my first time. You know that. What? Is it yours?”

Tony stared at her a moment before he approached again, kneeling in front of her. It wasn’t passion in his eyes.

“Not interested in me, huh? Not that I blame y
o—
”

“Dammit, Cori, it isn’t that. Not in your unit. You heard Lieutenant O’Dell. Seriously, I need a bath. And sleep. So do you.”

She should have been insulted, especially at the needing a bath comment. But she did and it was funny. Or she was so tired it was funny. Cori giggled again, trying hard to stay quiet. Tony offered a tentative smile.

“I’m sorry, Tony. Shit, I’m so tired I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Tony wrapped an arm around her as he pulled her to her feet. “We’re all so tired none of us know what we’re doing,” Tony said as he headed toward camp. “It is probably the point.”

Cori stopped so quickly Tony stumbled. “What are we doing?”

He looked at her like he was afraid she’d totally lost it. “We are heading to camp to get some sleep? Shit, I hope you don’t mean doing out here playing soldier.”

She smacked his arm. “I know that. I haven’t gone daft like Clarissa. I mean what are we doing other than exhausting ourselves waiting for the Sergeants dressed up like FLF to come in and take us out? Again.”

“That about sums it up.”

“Why don’t we take them out first?” she asked. Tony stared at her.

“We don’t know where they are,” Iva said in response to Cori’s idea when she shared it with the rest of the platoon at base camp.

“We can’t find out? They’ve been training us for scouting and this is supposed to be their territory, FLF territory. Even if they suspect we are here, they should be more relaxed. Right? The FLF you saw in the Wasteland, Pyotr, didn’t know you were even there.” Cori argued.

They’d pulled Pyotr off guard duty since he was the platoon leader. He scratched his blond scruff and eyed both Iva and Cori.

“No, they didn’t know we were there.” Pyotr said. “But the Sergeants have this set up to be serious. I’m sure they’ll not make it easy. Possibly a rigged fake camp.”

Emery snorted. “Yeah, the FLF love to rig traps.”

“So we find the fake one and then look for the real one,” Simmons argued. “Look I’m with Cori. I’m sick of sitting here waiting to be shot.”

“But we’re exhausted,” Liisa said. “You want to go hunt down seasoned officers? They’ll shoot us.”

“And win anyway,” Cori said. “But at least we’ll go down fighting. I’m sick of losing by someone falling asleep on watch.”

“Heck, I’m in now,” Evans said. “Maybe I can at least shoot Kirkpatrick before I get killed.”

“You can have Kirkpatrick. I want to shoot Menendez,” Tony said.

“She’ll knock you on your ass before you get close to her,” Iva said with a laugh.

“Well I guess we are going to take out our commanding officers aka the FLF. How do you want to lead it, Cori?” Pyotr asked.

Cori had a hitch in her quick breath, so she let it out slow. “Well since you mentioned fake camps, maybe the best way to get them isn’t to track them down.”

“Not when we can bring them to us,” Iva said with a grin.

Their current camp was the perfect setup. They’d already scouted all the weak points. It was a great location on a steep bluff with its thatch of forest on the crest. Which is why they’d chosen it. Which is why they knew their Sergeants would know they had chosen it.

They built the fire up a bit, leaving most of their gear before dispersing into uncomfortable but hidden locations overlooking the best access points to sneak into where the camp lay.

Cori ordered a buddy system. “We are all tired. Make sure one person is awake. Otherwise keep each other awake, just stay quiet.” At her order the platoon spread out in silent pairs, sneaking through the shadows at staggered intervals to their assigned places. Then they waited.

The hardest part was staying alert, especially in the cold after midnight. Flat on her belly in the gravel for the second time that night, Corianne fought the urge to shift. The desire to warm up stiff legs or fidget to fight off sleep were a distraction she couldn’t afford. And either would make noise and give away the location where she and Iva waited. They lay side by side, keeping alert for minutes that stretched on impossibly long.

Heaviness had settled onto her eyelids when a sharp breath and tenseness from Iva brought Cori back to attention. “Where?” she whispered.

“Glimpsed movement on the far side of the hill, just the profile of a head. I think. We can’t really see that spot from here,” Iva answered.

“No. That is where Pyotr is though. “He and Liisa will have a clear view and shot.” 

If they’d had radios, Corianne would have been tempted to call Pyotr and ask. But the situation had been set up to reenact an isolated platoon that had lost most equipment. Signaling each other beyond hoots and clicks was impossible. They could only trust each other to be ready.

Cori searched the shadowy line of the gully their position overlooked with renewed interest. A bush rattled. She trained her sights on the faint movement, waiting to see what had caused it. She wasn’t going to blow everything over a rabbit.

A darker shadow moved into the fading moonlight and Corianne caught her breath with a smile as she recognized the black wool fabric of a military issue coat given to those acting as the FLF.

“You see them? How many?” Iva whispered.

“Two, going up the gully,” Cori answered as she watched a second officer slip through the same moonlit bare patch. “We’ll have a clear shot when they reach the steep section near the top. I’ll take the first one if you get the one behind.”

Iva readied her rifle. “Hopefully nothing happens to turn them back first. I really want to at least get one kill on this mission.”

The timing ended up being perfect. A shot followed by two more in quick succession paused Cori and Iva’s targets on the edge of shadow and light. It was a tough shot based on a guess and faint movement, but Cori took it. Iva fired a second later. Two faint electric lights indicated targets were hit.

“Come on,” Cori said, nudging Iva. “Just because we got our two doesn’t mean it’s over.”

They slinked from their spot, covering each other as they moved to surround the FLF who had surrounded their empty camp as new gunfire rang through the night.

Despite having the advantage in surprise, it wasn’t an easy fight. The training officers had split their forces and did have communications equipment. Both sides lost soldiers as “FLF” reinforcements arrived. Dawn rose to a stalemate.

“We should rush them,” Tony said, bleeding on his cheek from a fall during the night. “I think there are only two left.”

Cori was exhausted, sore, and so cold she wasn’t sure she could feel her trigger finger anymore. Ending it sounded wonderful. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

Pyotr gave her a glance like she were crazy and then shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

With only six left “living” in the platoon, they put distance between themselves. On the signal, all six rushed the ring of boulders where the last of the enemy held defense. Cori did her best to stay low and dodge between cover while running ahead, but a shot got her anyway, buzzing the receiver worn under her jacket. She dropped to the ground with a sigh that held a bit of relief and watched as Simmons, Pyotr, and Liisa pointed weapons at their training officers and demanded surrender. From the hill where they’d set up camp came the sound of applause.

They’d suffered heavy losses, but it turned out no other platoon had beaten the Sergeants, much less managed to take two prisoner. It was a win and Cori’s platoon was given a day of rest as well as lauded to the other Cadets.

“I’m going to shower for half an hour, and then eat, and then sleep all day,” Tony said as they walked to their barrack.

Liisa giggled. “Only half an hour? I’m wondering if there is a rule about bringing food into the shower?”

“Now there’s a thought,” Tony replied.

Baked by a hot shower and in clean clothes, an hour later Cori joined most of her platoon in the mess where word of their victory had them applauded and recounting the night’s events. Her mates cracked yawns and started to peter out the door for the day of relaxation promised. But hearing her name praised that it had been her idea gave Cori a tingling boost despite her exhaustion. Looking across the emptying hall, her eyes caught another Cadet’s.

“You heading off to sleep like the rest of Blue Romeo?” he asked, voice carrying an accent that wasn’t quite Spanish.

“I’m thinking I might need a walk. Still keyed up, you know?” she said, looking him over. He had dark hair and deep brown eyes set against tanned skin. “You’re one of the volunteers from Argentina, right?”

“Yes, Mateo Ramose.” He held out a hand. “I’m free for another hour if you wouldn’t mind some company.”

She buzzed with a different sort of warmth at his steady gaze. “I’d love your company.”

They headed out together, keeping a companionable distance until they were in the privacy of the vehicle storage sheds. Mateo turned and pulled her into a kiss so fast that they both stumbled against the side of the building.

Cori laughed against his lips, pulling his shirt free of his belt. The skin of his waist was warm despite the cold day. He kissed her with hard urgency as he pulled at her clothes, his hand slipping beneath her pants as she undid his belt.

“You can’t find any place more private?”

The voice made them both freeze. Cori looked over Mateo’s shoulder.

“Shit, Emery, I thought you’d gone to the barracks to sleep,” Cori hissed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Wondering why you aren’t heading back to sleep as well,” he said, crossing his arms. He didn’t look like he was leaving.