Cyber Dreams 2.35 - Madera Canyon

Well, things are heating up. Let me know what you think :)

-Plum

The Grave installation up in the canyon proved to be a series of dome-shaped, plasteel structures nestled between two peaks in what used to be a popular hiking destination. Juliet learned from one of the local employees while they ate breakfast one morning that Grave bought the entire canyon at auction from Cybergen while they were restructuring. Now the facility was used to field-test things like paragliding cybernetics, arm-mounted rappelling launchers, and powered exoskeletons designed to make climbing steep, rugged terrain nearly effortless.

Only thirty-two employees lived and worked at the facility, and a scavenger gang—scavs—had been encroaching on their field tests, making threats and demands, but White, along with Juliet and the others, had put an end to that on their third day in the canyon. White had ordered them all to gear up, then they’d hiked down to the ancient parking lot where the scavs were living out of beat-up old motorhomes and tents and surrounded it.

They’d used their AUI displays to maintain a perfect half-kilometer perimeter around the scavs. Juliet had been east and a bit downslope from White when she heard his gauss rifle bark and the terrible sound of a dozen heavy-alloy needles breaking the sound barrier several times. Then she’d seen one of the motorhomes, where the big engine sat under the driver’s compartment, shred apart as though a meteor had hit it. Metal, fluids, and fiery debris sprayed out of it over the cracked, weed-ridden asphalt.

Juliet had been shocked to see the destruction wrought by the gauss rifle. When she’d asked Angel about it, the PAI explained that at high ranges, with the right kind of—very expensive—needles, the payload could reach velocities that delivered enough kinetic energy to make explosives seem mild. Seeing it in action, Juliet knew the weapon White was using was on an entirely different level from the “gauss rifle” made by Grave that she’d shot in the range.

“Hold your positions,” White said into comms. “I’ll give them a few more reasons to get running.” True to his words, that rifle of his fired again and again, each time sending screaming fiery metal into vehicles, piled gear, and crates of supplies. After the first shot, the scavs had gone into a frenzy, and quite a few of them, probably something like a dozen, began to fire blindly into the forested hillside. When White continued to demolish their camp, their resistance petered off, and most began to run, ride, or drive—if they could find a working vehicle—down the canyon.

Before White had the unit spread out, he’d given everyone careful instructions to hunker behind boulders or very thick trees; scavs were usually fairly low-tech, but there were occasional outliers with good ocular implants or visors capable of detecting heat signatures. There were bound to be a few with powerful weapons and who knew how to use them. It was Houston’s job to identify those and neutralize them, and he did so with a vengeance.

Of course, some of the others, most vocally, Addie, had wanted to get in on the action, but White had insisted they wait in reserve, saving their firepower for only the most dire of emergencies; he’d said they’d either know it when the time came, or he’d call for them to engage.

It had been moot, however; Houston downed a couple of the more dangerous scavs, and then the entire gang was hightailing it out of the canyon, and White never gave them any relief, dropping deadly ordinance on them from his high vantage for more than a mile, shredding tires, blasting craters in the ancient roadway, and generally keeping the scavs panicking and desperate in their flight.

“I think they’ll keep clear of the canyon for a while, Sarge,” Houston had announced after the smoke had cleared and the last of the scavs had run, panting and desperate, down the long canyon road.

“Ayup,” White had said. And that had been that; their reason for coming to Madera Canyon satisfied.

It had been two days since, and Commander Garza had still not recalled them. Juliet didn’t mind, if she were honest—the time up in the fresh air away from people in suits and the constant supervision of hostile-seeming sergeants and commanders was doing her good. White was about as hands-off as a sergeant could be, and Houston, well, Houston was Houston.

It was midday on a Saturday, and Juliet wouldn’t have realized that if not for her AUI, the days were all the same up there, especially in the middle of winter. Gray skies and cool temps, even frost in the mornings, and not a concrete tower in sight helped them all forget about the usual routine and hustle of Phoenix. She and Addie sat on a log watching White and Houston compete for the last cinnamon roll by throwing their issued vibroblades at a thick tree trunk fifteen meters away.

“Angel, this is something I wouldn’t mind cheating on; are you taking note of their form? White seems to be a little more accurate,” she subvocalized as Addie cheered for Houston’s latest throw, just an inch outside of where White’s blade hummed and buzzed, buried to the hilt in the sappy wood.

“Yes! I’m so glad you asked, Juliet! Try to match their posture as closely as possible, and I’ll be there to guide you.”

“Looks like neither of you hit the center,” Juliet called, standing up. “Mind if I try?”

“Oh? You throw knives, Roman?” Houston asked, cocking one bushy, brown eyebrow. He reached up to rub at his stubble—all the men had forgone shaving at the wilderness camp. “Wanna put some money on her, Sarge?”

“Hmm? Bet on the skills of a raw recruit?” White feigned a scandalized expression, then laughed and, after giving Juliet a long, appraising look, said, “Fifty bits says she misses the tree.”

“You’re on, Sarge!” Houston pumped his fist and added, “I think she’ll surprise you.” He winked at Juliet and backed away from the line in the dirt they’d drawn as the throwing mark. Juliet tugged her vibroblade out of its sheath and gripped the hilt as she’d watched the two men do.

“Can I get in on the action?” Addie called. “I bet she beats both of your throws.”

“You’re on!” Houston laughed. Juliet looked at Addie and grinned—the two of them had been getting along just fine the last few days. Now that Juliet knew what was irritating the other woman about her, it had been easy to smooth things over. She encouraged her, talked her up in front of White, and did her best not to stand out too much when the recruits worked head-to-head on a new skill or PT.

As she approached the line, she put her feet the way she’d seen White do it, then she reached back with the knife and whipped it forward, releasing it at just the right moment—thanks to Angel. She’d been about to hold onto it too long, but Angel helped, pushing her throw into the perfect replica of White’s and guiding her arm, wrist, and fingers to ensure she was on target. The knife buzzed through the air and sank into the tree, nearly dead-center—closer than both of the men’s blades.

“Whoo!” Addie howled, jumping up. “Pay up, boys!”

“You gotta be shitting me,” White groused, jogging toward the tree to retrieve the knives.

“Damn, Roman,” Houston laughed. “Remind me not to piss you off if you’re holding a v-blade.”

“Thanks,” Juliet laughed, walking over to take hers from White. “I’m glad these are weighted for throwing. I like this one better than my personal knife.”

“Grave makes good blades,” White nodded. His face went a bit distant as Juliet sheathed her knife, and she assumed he was looking at something on his AUI or listening to a message.

“Huh,” he said after a while, then he looked at Houston and said, “Go round up Jensen and Granado. Something’s up. Switching to team comms.” He turned away from the camp perimeter and started walking. There was no wall, but five feet of electrified fence kept the wildlife and occasional wandering vagrant from intruding on the Grave employees.

As White strode purposefully toward the barracks they’d been set up in, he spoke into their comms, “One of the teams testing some gear for climbing rocks saw a gray, unmarked fluttercraft land and take off from near the canyon’s entrance. Hunter, Roman, and I are going to get some high ground and scope things out; I’m picking up one of the camp's drones. Roman, you can operate it, right?”

“Yes, Sarge.”

“Yeah, I don’t like the description of the craft and the fact that it came in and left without any alarms going off. Something’s screwy.”

“Yep, seconded,” Houston said into the comms. “What about us, Sarge?”

“You take Jensen and Granado down to the top parking lot, where we sent the scavs packing. Get good cover and wait for instructions.”

“Roger. Let’s move, grunts!” Houston barked, and Juliet grinned, imagining his joy at ordering around some subordinates.

Juliet, Addie, and White crashed into their barracks, separating and grabbing gear from their bunks, and then they met at the door where White popped the latches on a white plastic case. When he pulled the cover off, a sleek pale-blue drone sat within. “Touch the pairing button, Juliet,” Angel prompted. She leaned in and tapped the little silvery button near the top of the drone, and then it began to blink with a yellow LED. A second or two later, a new HUD appeared on her AUI.

“I got it, Sarge. What should I do with it?”

“Send it high, and then get some infra and motion scans of the first mile or so of the canyon. They can’t be much higher than that yet.”

“They?”

“Whoever the fuck was in that fluttercraft.” He hoisted his gauss rifle, snapping it into his belt harness, and started jogging straight for the camp’s only rolling, chain-link gate.

“You heard him, Angel,” Juliet subvocalized. “Let’s get this thing airborne and down there.” She knew Angel could handle the drone easily; she’d seen her manage three at a time, so Juliet hurried after White and wasn’t surprised to hear the drone buzz to life and rocket into the air, the sounds of its engines fading away as it gained altitude and distance.

“What if they have chill suits?” Juliet asked, and White glanced over his shoulder, giving her an appreciative glance.

“Well, keep your eye peeled on the footage for movement or shadows that look wrong.”

“Sarge,” Addie said, hurrying to keep pace. “We should take the southbound trail out of the saddle; there’s an escarpment up that way where we can get a view of most of the canyon.”

“My thoughts exactly, Hunter.”

Juliet glanced at Adelaide, saw her carrying the bolt-action rifle White had been training her on and smiled. It was nice that Addie had the gun, but it couldn’t compete with White’s gauss rifle; he could realistically take shots at things miles away, especially if she could help him calibrate with the drone. Addie’s .308 wouldn’t be much help in a scenario like that. Still, it would be good if any of the—presumed—hostiles got close to them, the same as Juliet’s electro-shotgun.

“Angel, I know you can review that drone footage better and faster than I can. Do you think you’ll be able to spot people in chill suits?”

“Certainly, given enough time and given that they move at all.”

“Awesome.” Juliet could see the drone’s feed in a window of her AUI, but she couldn't make much of the details unless she stopped walking and maximized it. No, this was the kind of job PAIs were made for, and Angel was the best PAI in the world.

“Awesome?” White asked, huffing as he hurried up the trail.

“My PAI was giving me an update on the drone’s position.”

He just grunted in reply and picked up the pace, and Juliet had to scramble to keep up. Addie, on the other hand, had made it clear to anyone that she could run uphill, over rough terrain, for hours on her legs, the only limiting factor being their charge; they had bio-batts like Juliet’s arm and would recharge slowly over time from chemical reactions in her body, but if she depleted them, they became very heavy, weak limbs until that process had a chance to bring them to a baseline.

“Scout ahead, Hunter,” White said, clearly tired of having her stalking in his shadow, impatient and agitated by the excitement of the sudden drill. Juliet thought about that word—was this a drill? Was White just trying to keep them on their toes? Had there really been a mysterious fluttercraft?

Addie didn’t need to be told twice. She bolted up the path, her legs humming and thudding into the hard-packed dirt, and then she turned a corner and was gone. “Almost makes me want to have elective leg replacements,” White grunted.

“Almost,” Juliet agreed.

“I’m surveying the specified area. I see evidence of a fluttercraft landing in the field west and south of the canyon,” Angel said, her words quick and precise.

“Sarge, there was a fluttercraft in the area you indicated. I’m marking the landing location on our team map.”

“Good. Find these uninvited guests, Roman.”

“Working on it, Sarge.” Juliet huffed, glad for all the PT she’d done over the last weeks, proud that she could keep up with a man like White as he powered up the slope, switchback after switchback. By the time they’d gained the elevation they wanted and had turned along a narrow trail that hugged the side of one of the mountains that made up the canyon, Juliet was drenched in sweat but feeling good. The air was brisk, and the thrill of potential combat was palpable as the team kept each other abreast of their progress and suspicions.

Houston’s team had descended to the parking lot and were hunkered down amid the wreckage of old vehicles and a decommissioned public restroom. They hadn’t encountered anything unusual, but they were ready if anyone approached to mount the trail that led up to the saddle and the Grave facility. Houston had just speculated that the “bird” might have been bringing some “rich assholes” for a picnic and was long gone when Angel intruded with an excited announcement:

“I’ve found them, Juliet. There are seven individuals wearing chill suits and wending their way up the canyon along the creek bed.”

“Sarge! We have them! Seven of them in chill suits. They’re a mile up the canyon, following the creek bed, not the trail.” Juliet couldn’t contain her excitement and subvocalized, “Angel, you’re the most amazing PAI in the universe!”

“Thank you!” Angel sounded exceedingly proud.

“Fucking-A, Roman,” Houston said before White could form a reply. He huffed and grunted, picking up his pace even more before he cleared his throat and spoke.

“Keep eyes on them. Mark them on our HUDs, and prep your PAI to calibrate with my rifle. I’m opening a wireless port. These people absolutely cannot be up to any good, and we won’t let them get close enough to show us how dangerous they are.”

“Hoorah!” Jensen said into comms, speaking for the first time since leaving the camp.

“They’re probably going to scatter and seek cover when I blast the first of them, so be ready up the canyon; if they don’t flee, they might decide to go loud, and we don’t know what they’re packing.”

“Sarge,” Juliet said, purposefully not speaking into comms, “what if they’re, like, not hostile?”

“Absurd,” he barked. “This is Grave territory, and they aren’t Grave personnel. If they were here for a hike, they wouldn’t be wearing chill suits. Have you ID’d their armaments?”

“Working on it,” Juliet said, feeling rather stupid. Of course, they weren’t innocent bystanders sneaking up into a canyon like that. She supposed some part of her was wondering if they were operators, out for a score and utterly unaware of the danger they’d stumbled upon with White and his gauss rifle . . . and Juliet and Angel.

“I’ve identified automatic submachine guns, high caliber rifles, and the silhouettes of explosive ordinance. I also see a Karter & Rollins assault drone backpack on the man third from the end of their column,” Angel supplied, thankfully hard at work while Juliet was worrying about how White was about to drop the hammer on some potentially “innocent” people.

She relayed the information, and White grunted into comms, “We’ll target the drone operator first. Have you connected to my gun yet, Roman?”

“Doing it now, Sarge.”

“Why didn’t they launch their drone, Sarge?” Addie asked.

“Probably working their way to one of the old houses or forestry buildings, thinking they can set up a base of operations before they move on us. Damn, but we’re lucky those mountain climbing nerds spotted that fluttercraft. Hunter, we’re three minutes from your position. You have a clear LOS to the targets Roman has marked?”

“Aye, Sarge.”

“Good. Keep down; these goons are going to have high-grade optics.” Two minutes later, White and Juliet were crawling over the rocky dirt trail to Addie’s position, and then, huffing, sweating, and covered with a fine layer of dirt, they slid up beside her, and White began to set up his rifle. Angel had synced with the gun, and Juliet knew she’d be able to provide targeting data to him via the drone, probably better than any targeting assistance he’d ever had.

While waiting for White to get ready, Juliet watched the seven highlighted figures making their way along the trail. From the drone’s vantage, using targeting filters, they looked like gray-scale humanoids, devoid of much detail, especially with the bright outlines Angel had painted on them for the sake of the humans seeing the footage. She spotted the guy with the drone case on his back right away; he was the only one with a pack that bulky. In a minute, she’d be helping White to erase him from existence.

“Sarge,” she tried again, using a different angle, “have you heard from Commander Garza? Are we absolutely certain these guys can’t be from Grave?”

“No reply from Garza, but, and I’m only humoring you because I like you, kid, this is protocol. An incursion of unknown, armed, stealthy types on Grave property is categorically supposed to be met with force. They’d have checked in with us if this was a Grave unit. Now, help me target that drone operator.”

“Aye, Sarge.” Juliet said, then subvocalized, “Angel, help him target that gun, make your adjustments, and all that.”

“I will.” While Angel did her thing, Juliet expanded her vid feed window from the drone and watched as a bright yellow X appeared, centered on the drone carrier and tracking him perfectly as he moved up the rocky slope next to the old streambed.

“Am I clear to shoot?” White softly asked.

“There are several small trees in the line of fire,” Angel said.

“Several trees in the LOF, Sarge.”

“Setting for two bursts. Firing in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .” White’s gun barked twice, each burst of needles a fraction of a second apart. The projectiles ripped through the air of the canyon, the sound echoing off the high mountainsides, and Juliet watched through the drone footage as several tree trunks were vaporized, and then the top half of the drone operator disappeared in a spray of gray-scale mist. She was endlessly grateful for the lack of color in the feed.

“Look alive!” White barked, “They’re scattering. Acquiring the next target. Roman, keep that targeting info coming. Hunter, watch for incoming ordinance; we don’t know if they’ve got any surprises.”