Overrun Read online

  Once inside and out of the fires, troops pounced from still-smoldering vehicles and swarmed inside the dying dome. A large team headed directly to the command center and entered hastily through its exploded walls.

  Quickly and efficiently, the J.G.U. accessed the command terminals and information network. Data was transferred to small portable network devices and beamed directly to overhead satellites. Any and all relevant technological information was seized along with location coordinates to the other hidden U.S. domes.

  When the information network had been completely accessed, copied and transmitted, the masked J.G.U. troops slipped back through the swaying flaming metal. Tanks and jeeps turned around and retreated back through the blast hole as quickly as they had come.

  A handful of soldiers remained to detonate the large explosives that had been set about the dome’s perimeter. Once the vehicles had completely cleared back out, they armed the detonators and sprinted towards two jeeps that had remained behind.

  The J.G.U. force rolled slowly away from the broken wreckage of the first dome to fall in the war.

  When they were a safe distance away, the J.G.U. force reassembled and headed deeper into the countryside with the precise location of three more United States domes plotted into their navigation systems.

  Dome 26 stood silent and destroyed behind them. Except for the tall licking flames and the black billowing smoke swirling through the wreckage, there wasn’t any movement to be seen.

  The air was still and the night was quiet when the largest blast yet finally came.

  In the wake of the retreating J.G.U. force, Dome 26, along with its more than one million massacred dead, left the world in a flash of blinding light.

  Chapter 22

  President Ford pulled himself closer to his desk and leaned his elbows across. His advisors sat ahead of him. All three looked as if they hadn’t rested in weeks.

  Ford took another long sip of the slightly warm coffee near his arm. He ignored its foul taste as it went down and set the mug back on his desk. He tried to control the noticeable shake in his hand. Without even looking in a mirror, he knew his eyes were bloodshot and red.

  "As you know gentlemen, the war is not going as we planned," he started softly. "It's become something more than any of us have ever prepared for. The J.G.U. are pressing inward at an unexpected and alarming rate. Nothing we've done so far has been effective in containing their advance. The Vulture ambushes are not working."

  The President raised his head and watched Baldwin's skin fade to a pasty white. War Minister Faulken shifted his weight slightly next to him in his seat.

  “Troop and aircraft losses have been phenomenal, way more than anyone ever feared." Ford paused for a moment and waited for the echo of his words to settle throughout the large room. "More than half of our Vulture troops are already gone."

  "Mr. President," Faulken held his hand up to interrupt. "These numbers are high, yes, but…"

  "One of our domes was recently located,” Ford cut him off. “Located and destroyed. Everyone inside was lost.”

  Faulken sat back like he had been slapped in the face.

  "When?" Baldwin asked. His hoarse voice barely escaped his throat.

  “Yesterday. We lost contact yesterday. We feel that was at least when they were attacked. We don’t think distress signals ever went out. It happened that quick. Their network was accessed and everything contained within has been compromised."

  "Oh, my God…," Baldwin choked.

  "Sir, this is something we shouldn't be surprised to have happened," Faulken raised his head and confidently spoke. "Even if the network was accessed, that doesn't mean any of the information they obtained holds any value to them. It’s all completely encrypted. Everything is. It’s been standard practice at those facilities for years.

  “Only network administrators at each specific site would be able to access anything. And if these men are dead…" his cold voice dropped off ominously.

  "If these men are dead…?," Baldwin began to repeat irritably.

  "The fact these men are dead is of no importance, War Minister," Ford cut Baldwin off. "Not even you can deny the fact that the J.G.U. are becoming aware of our strategies. They know what's been done and what we plan to do. That dome was a target. Our forces were baited in Boston. They caused us to initiate our demolition launches early. And this is the end result."

  "What?" Baldwin questioned incredulously.

  "They sent small shadow forces into the city," Faulken spoke again. "They knew exactly what areas we monitored with satellites and even where the dome lookouts would observe them and alert us to an invasion force going in. They feinted an attack…and we went for it.”

  "Knowing all along that dome was there," Ford added gravely. "The small shadow force went in, and we destroyed it with the planned responsive Vulture attack while a sizeable force of cloaked ships waited it out at sea. When it was over, they landed the ships and drove right on in."

  "What about precautions against something like this happening?" Baldwin stared accusingly at Faulken. "You don't just blow a port city without running oceanic detection scans or launching blasts out toward the water. What the hell is going on out there for Christ's sakes?!"

  "Even the preciseness of this plan can be altered by the unpredictability of the human element," Faulken answered him slowly his words laced with the feel of sharp ice.

  "Altered by the unpredictability of the human element?!” Baldwin’s voice almost screamed. “What we are talking about right here is the end of life as we know it. The J.G.U. have breached the perimeters of our countryside. After overrunning that dome and accessing its information network, they now have exact locations of our troops, weapon placements and other dome facilities. And the only cause to which we can trace any blame is the unpredictability of the human element?!"

  "Lower your goddamn voice when you talk to me," Faulken warned coolly.

  Baldwin leaned back slightly in his chair. His anger whirled through the room with every blink of his eyes.

  "This wasn’t anything unexpected. Probabilities for scenarios like these were all considered and outcomes calculated way before the onset of this war. Misguided human action and emotion caused Dome 26 and the city of Boston to be prematurely destroyed. Human actions affected by a horrific war. That is all. As in all wars fought on this planet before, it is something that is going to happen.”

  “With the fate of the country and this planet hinging on every action that is made out there, that is your explanation, your justification for what has occurred?” Baldwin asked scornfully.

  "Vulture leaders do not report in to a home facility for authorization when they finalize their launch on a city. Decisions were made in the field. Launches went fast. They took the bait and unleashed the attack at the first sign of coming forces before properly scanning what was out past their port.

  “These actions were ill-advised at best. Ill-advised but not unexpected in the least. Something like this was bound to happen. A perfect war cannot be fought. Not when you are at the mercy of the actions of men.”

  "Ill-advised actions?” Baldwin questioned again flatly. “This is blatant negligence. Do you realize what we have lost in just that quadrant of the war theater alone? And with a dome finally gone, what now could probably occur?”

  "Like I said, this is not something unexpected," Faulken finished. “Similar situations will present themselves again. How we react and move forward is what is of importance now.”

  "This ill-advised act may have just triggered the death of this country. How do we move as a nation forward from that?"

  "Gentlemen," the President said forcefully to end the escalating debate.

  Ford stared at Faulken whose hands gripped the arm of his chair so hard his knuckles were white. Faulken’s eyes raged with a fury that he himself had not yet been able to feel. Since Plan Zero was launched, all he had felt was a distant defeat. But as this conversation progressed, the sentiment seemed much clos
er and more foreboding than it did before.

  "Gentlemen," Ford uttered again, this time more quietly.

  His advisors became silent. The echoes of their raised voices slowly lessened and disappeared from the vastness of the room.

  “Dome 26 is lost. Divisions and accusations now will not bring those people back. We must concentrate on what is still at hand. It’s the other coast I am concerned about. Our most prized scientific resources are hidden out there. This is where this war could be ultimately lost. Are the scientific domes in Four Quadrant still threatened?"

  "Sir, everything in this country is now threatened," Baldwin responded coolly.

  "Vulture forces have been dispatched to most of that area," Faulken ignored Baldwin's last statement. "Much has been decided and secured within the last thirty-six hours. The J.G.U., especially near Domes 32 and 19, have lost sizeable forces in both areas."

  "What about Science Dome 15 right along the coast, Mr. Faulken?" the President’s voice became suddenly harsh. "That's where we house the Beam Cannon Hardware, is it not? I believe it is in this region, then, that we should assess the severity of this country's threat."

  "We've not been able to implement any aspect of Plan Zero in that region, yet, sir."

  "So discovery is still a danger?"

  "Discovery is a danger."

  "How much of a danger?" Baldwin asked sitting higher in his seat.

  "Yes. How much?" the President queried again. "War Minister Faulken, I know I needn't remind you of the severe danger and perils involved should the J.G.U. successfully overtake another of our domes."

  "No, sir, that is not something that needs reminding," Faulken's words rasped from his mouth like he was choking on pointed knives. His face and skin glowed dark red from his rage.

  "Especially one sheltering one of the most premiere scientific communities in the country," the President continued. "If the J.G.U. acquire the beam cannon technological hardware, then this war may as well be over. If both countries possess the power to create artificial ozone layers, there will be nothing left to fight about. Everyone will be equal. And the world will never change."

  "Sir, our first launch into the area was less than successful," Faulken recovered himself slightly. “J.G.U. ground teams were somehow already in the area and ambushed the Vulture personnel. All insertion aircraft were destroyed before any deliveries could be made.

  “We weren’t able to get anyone in. Either by air or humping in on foot. Since that time, the J.G.U. have locked the area down. We haven't been able to slip anything in or out. They know they have something there, sir, but they don’t know what. So as of this moment, the dome is still not threatened. The main concentration of their forces is massing within Beuford."

  Ford settled back into his oversized chair as if waiting for the war minister to continue. When after a few minutes he didn’t, Ford leaned back across the desk towards the two men sitting across from him.

  "I want to know what is behind what I’ve been hearing about military personnel already being inside,” Ford said icily. “What in the god’s green fuck is going on over there? Why are we having this conversation at all?"

  "Sir, like you said, the security of this area is of great and serious importance to the outcome of this war."

  "So why has this city not yet been destroyed?” Ford’s skin now turned a bright blazing red. “Especially if we already have people inside. From what I hear, for some goddamn time! Why are more lives being jeopardized and lost by sending in an assassination team?!”

  "Insertion of an assassination team was deemed necessary in Beuford, Mr. President."

  "I don't believe that for a goddamn second," the President responded coolly back.

  Baldwin turned in his seat to look at Faulken. Faulken returned a wicked glare from tired bloodshot eyes.

  “I want bombing units in there today,” Ford spoke again. “And I want them in soon.”

  "Mr. President, factions are growing against us on the outside. They’re growing at alarming rates. Much faster than we ever expected. Many are escaping the city demolitions. They are getting out and spreading what knowledge they have of the domes and their locations. It’s why these facilities have started to fall."

  Baldwin stood and stomped heavily across the room. He stopped near the large table at its center and rummaged through a thick set of papers he pulled from a locked case. Not speaking and with his footsteps creating quiet echoes through the chamber, Baldwin returned and tossed them in a heap across the President's desk.

  "Holovid transcripts," Baldwin said levelly before Ford could ask. "You will find in them, Mr. President, the reason we are even in that area. You will also find the reason an assassination team was sent in. And you will also see that right now the bombing can be accomplished. It could be taking place as we speak. But as of now, it is not."

  "Mr. Baldwin…!" Faulken's voice raised further in pitch while the President sifted through the pile of papers in front of him.

  "It’s a complete disaster over there. We are in more trouble than we thought. If you read close enough, you will also understand the great many reasons, like the people don't have enough already, why the people are escaping. Why there is a great danger of an internal revolt. One that may kill us all before the J.G.U. ever do."

  “These are top priority message transcripts from high level Vulture military," Ford said raising his eyes. "Who are these names…?"

  "Those names…," Faulken began.

  "One name is Commander John Kirken," this time it was Baldwin's turn to raise his voice. "He is the reason Faulken personally called for an insertion team to be sent in. As you go further, you will find that he is active dome military trapped inside Beuford. And the only reason he is there at all is to rescue his children. He is not in there leading factions or inciting revolts. He is only there to get his children out. It is the only reason he is there.”

  "Kirken has been deemed a threat. He should have been retired, jailed or banished years ago as an outside sympathizer," Faulken said tightly.

  "He is also the reason you've been able to get into that city. Especially after the Vulture crash!" Baldwin returned angrily.

  "What in God's name does this have to do with an insertion team?!" the President's own strong voice added to the fierce echoes reverberating about the presidential chamber. “You are risking the very outcome of this war by withholding an attack.”

  "Kirken could very well be aiding the J.G.U. and constructing an organized revolution. We need to ensure he does not escape. We have to know he’s dead."

  "He's not organizing a rebellion!" Baldwin shouted. "He opened up the city enough to get a bombing team in. He is doing exactly what you're telling him. And despite the fact he is out there on his own, so far he has survived. And he has survived, because you are strong-arming him with threats against his daughter.

  “And to ensure his compliance, you sent in the insertion team. You dispatched assassins after a little girl. It’s people like you that are the reason this country is in this kind of war."

  "Mr. Baldwin!" Faulken roared. "John Kirken is a known sympathizer who may be responsible for instigating a national revolt!"

  "A national revolt?!" Baldwin's voice was almost three levels past a scream. "Do you know what I'm starting to think? I'm starting to think that maybe we're bombing the wrong people. The sickness isn't out there. It's right in here, you son of a bitch! The ones inside the domes are the ones that are diseased. Maybe we should all just stop and think about that!"

  "Baldwin, do you know what I think?" Faulken's voice could barely be heard. An intense redness still colored his face. "I'm starting to think that maybe you're a traitor too. A sympathizer like the rest of them out there. It’s people like you that are preventing this war from being won. People like you that brought this whole situation on by sabotaging and causing that Vulture crash. Maybe that's something you should think about."

  Ford sifted briefly through the many pages Baldwin had throw
n across his desk seemingly unaware of the outbursts.

  "Why are we bothering with a man like this?" he asked without looking up.

  "Mr. President," Faulken's tone dropped somewhat. "This was the best solution to the scenario at hand."

  "The solution as I see it is to send the bombing team in there," the President sighed and pushed away the large pile of loose paper.

  He paused briefly and locked eyes with Baldwin. "Our situation, as it is now, does not allow for mercy or compassion. And it does not allow us to examine, punish or even correct any wrongs that have been done. Not now. Not in this horrible time.

  “Our responsibility is to follow through on what we have started and continue the plan until it is complete. Especially considering the scientific community that is hidden near there. That is the sole responsibility that we can pledge ourselves to now, gentlemen. No matter what else occurs down the line. Is that completely clear?"

  President Ford stood up from behind his desk.

  "Yes, sir," both men said and stood with him.

  The skin under Baldwin's left eye had begun to twitch. Neither looked at the other as they rigidly faced the President.

  "We're already bloody," Ford said dismissing them. "There is nothing left to understand. There is only what is left to be done."

  Both men nodded respectively and moved away from his desk. The President stared after them until they were both through the doorway and finally gone.

  Chapter 23

  From atop the sandy hill more than a quarter mile away, Kirken scanned the area surrounding the armory with his extended range glasses. When the night's heat warmed its plastic to where it was uncomfortable against his face, he dropped his arms to his side and set them on a rock near where Brandon sat.

  Watching his son was maddening. Not being able to reach his daughter was even worse. Kirken tugged gingerly at the tightness that had returned to his throat and tried to swallow down the thick choking taste of his fear and guilt.