“Okay, sir,” said the captain hesitatingly. “Why’d we waste the C4 to blow that hole if it doesn’t allow us to complete the extraction at Route 51?”
“That C4 changes the tactical playing field. Now, Phoenix is playin’ my game.”
“I don’t understand, colonel.”
“We’re gonna separate and annihilate, captain. And our target is Phoenix the Puta.”
“What?”
“You’ve heard of Genghis Khan?”
“Of course, sir.”
“We’re spreading Phoenix’s army out much more than he’d like. We’re testing his emotional stability as a commander right now. We’ll have him placing his flexibility and mobility out front now and testing the limits of our engagement with him. That’s what I want, even though it’ll push us past the primary rendezvous and into our secondary options.”
“We’re running away, sir? Why can’t we dig in and defend, colonel?”
“Right now, captain, I’m real interested in sapping his flexibility and mobility. With that many men, horses, and machines coming down on us, we’ll have to keep our fade on like a finely tuned machine.”
“You’re talking retreat, you know that colonel? You give that prick Phoenix too much credit, sir.”
“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a awhile, captain. Phoenix is no slouch. He’s got control of those men—he’s built a formidable army—no small task. He took the Hall of Fame pretty quickly without the element of surprise. You guys barely got out despite your excellent security. Imagine if he had maintained that element of surprise.”
“I see what you mean, sir.”
“Over the past week or so, captain, he’s made some doggedly solid progress toward me and my team. We definitely interrupted his plans to snatch the president and her bird and Phoenix is an unforgiving man.”
“I’ll admit, he’s very persistent, sir.”
“You know, I actually thought we got away from Cleveland without a scratch—except for Amanda. Her situation was unknown at the time. Let me tell you something captain… finding out that scumbag and an entire army was on our ass earlier today was a real eye-opener. In fact, it makes me want to meet this man—so I can put a bullet in his brain.”
The captain’s radio squawked and he held it to his ear. After listening for a few moments, he spoke quickly. “Move out, Mickey. All teams must prepare to converge on secondary rendezvous. Prepare for all night travel—primary rendezvous is a no go. Repeat, primary is a no go. Out.”
Connor’s team had never slowed their pace—Connor and Daubney had taken turns checking behind them to verify they hadn’t lost anyone. The captain filled him in with the progress of the other teams.
“Mickey says there’s a whole slew of men barreling down the road on foot. The road on the other side of the hole is filled with men, quads, bikes, and some horses.”
“Go on, captain.”
“Yes, sir. He says those men are hauling ass—pouring over and around the crater like pissed off ants who got their nest poked with a stick.”
“Yeah, we did some poking, that’s for sure.”
“Whatta your orders, colonel?”
“All teams are cleared to fire at will during their fallback. But they need to get their asses back here, right now.”
“Yes, sir.”
CHAPTER 9.14-A Promotion
“That’s a big-ass C4 hole, Phoenix.”
“C4? You sure?”
“I’ve seen my share,” said Larry Reed.
“He’s right, sir,” said Tippy Cup, standing nearby. “Seen a bit myself. The smell’s still in the air.”
“Why are you still alive, Tippy? Weren’t you up front here?”
“Yes, sir… I lucked out sittin’ on some of their team that were hiding behind that building when this explosion took out JJ’s team.”
Tippy Cup pointed to a red-bricked apartment complex with no visible glass left intact.
“And you’re here now and not with Luke?”
“Luke nearly killed me when we recovered.”
Tippy Cup removed the scarf held tight to his neck. Blood seeped from a deep slice.
“Said I shoulda seen them setting the trap. But, I told him… I told him I was nowhere near this side.”
Phoenix gritted his teeth, staring beyond the large crater that effectively blocked any progress of his main army vehicles.
“Dammit! Where’s Luke now, uncle?”
“Going after the assholes that blew this hole.”
The sound of faint gunfire exchanges reached their ears in between the rumbling of truck engines, quads and bikes. Quick three-shot bursts of automatic weapons. Larry glanced behind him to see all the trucks had reached the point where they jammed up, until, brigade leaders began turning the vehicles around based on new orders.
“Find secondary or alternate routes around this. Now,” said Larry Reed into the handheld, “Keep two men with each truck while you figure this out. Send men into the side streets. Find a route back to this Brownsville Road or onto Route 51. Have the quads and bikes follow. Keep the cavalry with us, for now.”
With Tippy Cup holding the flashlight, they reviewed the faded map of Pittsburgh found a few days ago.
“Where’s the Ninth brigade?”
“Coming up a road called Nobles Lane off Route 51 up onto Brownsville Road. Making slow progress, but on their way.”
“Send ’em back down and tell ’em to continue heading up the bottom of Route 51 south to the intersection of Brownsville.”
“Okay. Yes, sir.”
“Let the Ninth know that it’s not likely that they’ll meet up with this rat-fuck team before Brownsville road, but to try to not get themselves blown up if they can fucking help it.”
“Understood.”
“I want everyone else not on a bike or quad running fast-footed after those fuckers like their lives depended on it.”
“For sure.”
“Make sure the log-sups set up a supply line for essentials and ammo only. Hold back a brigade to assist. Load as much extraneous supplies and equipment as you can onto the trucks. Keep ten men guarding the base supplies until we establish a new route and can come back for ’em.”
“Got it, Phoenix.”
“Find me a way around this pigshit! Now!”
“Working on it.” Larry relayed orders to his brigade commanders. He saw men gathering up loose equipment and move toward the wreckage near the library. They pushed a small winding passageway through the mess and there was a frenzied excitement in the air. Each man was eager to engage in battle.
“Tell each commander that the brigade that brings me the leader of this running Rat-Pack gets 40,000 credits when we return to Cleveland.”
“I’ll pass it along, nephew.”
“Make it clear that they’re to capture the boy and girl.”
“That’s already a standing order.”
“Tell Luke to keep an eye out for the next batch of explosives, that is, if he doesn’t fuckin’ mind. Let him know I’ll hold him personally responsible if any more of my men are blown up on this road.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How much C4 would it take to blow a hole that size, Tippy?”
“I dunno, a pound, maybe a pound and a half.”
“You think they got any more?”
“Based on my time in, top covert units carried at least two pounds as standard protocol.”
“You think this is a top-shelf unit we’re after?”
Phoenix swung closer to Tippy Cup, staring intently and waiting for an answer. Tippy Cup took a second to slip his left hand into his jean pocket while his right hand continued to hold a scarf pressed to his neck. “I dunno, sir.”