Mitheral
"Growf!"
Eve of Skydark (2037)
Braxton had already researched all the emergency shelters, hospitals, police, border patrol routes - everything he needed to stay off the grid - and everything he needed in an emergency. He had picked the Carlsbad area for its proximity to Mexico in case he needed to cross a border.
He had no time to waste. Things were spiraling out of control according to his sources. The news offered only a pale shadow of what was to come if the nations didn’t find a common ground and end the posturing. The current problems were even worse than the mess when Ukraine had been invaded by Russia. Russia hadn’t stopped there. And they were using national security as their excuse. The US was upping the ante. Both sides had mobilized, escalating a precarious situation. China had mobilized as well as had Iran. all it was going to take was the drop of a hat - any hat.
Most of the world was oblivious to the true level of the threat. But the USA was posting forces at its borders in response to the possibilities if invasions. What now interested James Braxton was the USMC mobile medical unit stationed on an exercise near Carlsbad, NM. He knew the real reason they had been stationed there - the top secret facility noone was supposed to know about in the caverns. Some were detached from the Los Alamos Demolition Facility - specialists in nuclear radiation treatments. The rad poisoning part was merely a happy coincidence. What he needed was a battlefield surgeon - someone who could remove bullets.
He hacked in and tracked ALL the medical personnel via their smart cars. These days the interstate system required all cars to have autopilots. Of course many side roads and more rural areas lacked the upgrades to use them. But Federal law had mandated their use by 2025. His, of course, was disabled. He selected an experienced combat surgeon with high marks and came up with a strong candidate. His gut twisted for some reason, but he cast the pain aside. He didn’t have time for a shrink. And he was sure that was all it was.
He tracked the doctor to a grocery store and parked along side. Then he waited as calmly as possible. He timed his exit and moved around to the sliding side door which not by coincidence was next to her driver door. He made himself look busy until she walked by, excused himself and jabbed the atropine of sedative into her butt as she walked by. From there he spun and caught her, depositing her into his van, setting the groceries aside, and sliding the door shut. He wasted little time in pulling away.
+++++++++
By the time the woman woke up the van was well out of town on backroads, rolling at a good clip. Braxton had taken the time to stop and secure her, making use of zip ties to bind hands and feet professionally. He hadn’t bothered to tape her mouth shut though.
“Good. You’re awake. I need a doctor. No, I can’t go to a hospital. I have no intention of hurting you. But I have no time to waste. I have a teenaged girl with gunshot wounds. She’s unconscious, but I put her in one of those fancy new autodocs. Not sure if you have even seen one yet. They have only made it to elite military units like Special Forces. They’re meant to replace you. All they can really do is diagnose and advise, and keep someone alive. Really it is more of a robotic paramedic.”
He debated whether to discuss who had shot his daughter and himself. He had been both lucky and wearing body armor. But the woman might object to whom he had been forced to kill. As bad as things had gotten this might become a one way trip for her. He fought a wave of nausea, but passed quickly.
The ground suddenly dropped out from under the car and they were driving downward at a steep angle in a dark tunnel. This part of the trip didn’t last very long. Unfortunately this was a panel van - no windows to stare out. But judging from his rough the road had been they were probably well off the beaten track. Even if she escaped she might not make it to civilization. She might even be in Mexico.
“We’re almost there.” He stopped the van and shut it off. He ignored her for a moment while he walked around to the sliding door. Beyond him she could see a Humvee 3 - a military one, not a civilian Hummer. He reached in to grab her ankle and drag her out with one hand. Then she was flopped over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. It was more than a little undignified.
That was when she spotted the mini UAV’s - not one but 4. And they were most definitely armed. They lit up briefly as if to welcome Braxton home. He shifted her so they could see her. “We have company. She's going to fix up Natalya. For the next hour this is the Red Line. She is not authorized to cross it without my permission.” The UAV’s made cybernetic noises, then went dark again.
He walked a short ways past the drones. “They have guided bullets. Expensive, but great for antipersonnel ops.” He set her down, Pulled out his survival knife and cut the bonds. “You could run, but you wouldn’t make it very far.” He paused. “Natalya’s 13. She hates my guts. Her mother is dead. I’m all she has left. I am going to ask you not to let a 13 year old girl die.” He slipped the M120 Mod 4 sniper rifle from his back and handed it to the doctor. “You can shoot me now, wait an hour, then take the van and drive right out of here. Or you can shoot me and save my daughter. But if you take her to a hospital, both you and she will die. Your own people will do the killing. The less you know the better. You tell anyone you saw me or her, you’ll die - probably after an interrogation.”
He gestured to an elevator door. They were covered by a blast door. This was a bomb shelter. "Sick Bay is that way. Your choice."
Braxton had already researched all the emergency shelters, hospitals, police, border patrol routes - everything he needed to stay off the grid - and everything he needed in an emergency. He had picked the Carlsbad area for its proximity to Mexico in case he needed to cross a border.
He had no time to waste. Things were spiraling out of control according to his sources. The news offered only a pale shadow of what was to come if the nations didn’t find a common ground and end the posturing. The current problems were even worse than the mess when Ukraine had been invaded by Russia. Russia hadn’t stopped there. And they were using national security as their excuse. The US was upping the ante. Both sides had mobilized, escalating a precarious situation. China had mobilized as well as had Iran. all it was going to take was the drop of a hat - any hat.
Most of the world was oblivious to the true level of the threat. But the USA was posting forces at its borders in response to the possibilities if invasions. What now interested James Braxton was the USMC mobile medical unit stationed on an exercise near Carlsbad, NM. He knew the real reason they had been stationed there - the top secret facility noone was supposed to know about in the caverns. Some were detached from the Los Alamos Demolition Facility - specialists in nuclear radiation treatments. The rad poisoning part was merely a happy coincidence. What he needed was a battlefield surgeon - someone who could remove bullets.
He hacked in and tracked ALL the medical personnel via their smart cars. These days the interstate system required all cars to have autopilots. Of course many side roads and more rural areas lacked the upgrades to use them. But Federal law had mandated their use by 2025. His, of course, was disabled. He selected an experienced combat surgeon with high marks and came up with a strong candidate. His gut twisted for some reason, but he cast the pain aside. He didn’t have time for a shrink. And he was sure that was all it was.
He tracked the doctor to a grocery store and parked along side. Then he waited as calmly as possible. He timed his exit and moved around to the sliding side door which not by coincidence was next to her driver door. He made himself look busy until she walked by, excused himself and jabbed the atropine of sedative into her butt as she walked by. From there he spun and caught her, depositing her into his van, setting the groceries aside, and sliding the door shut. He wasted little time in pulling away.
+++++++++
By the time the woman woke up the van was well out of town on backroads, rolling at a good clip. Braxton had taken the time to stop and secure her, making use of zip ties to bind hands and feet professionally. He hadn’t bothered to tape her mouth shut though.
“Good. You’re awake. I need a doctor. No, I can’t go to a hospital. I have no intention of hurting you. But I have no time to waste. I have a teenaged girl with gunshot wounds. She’s unconscious, but I put her in one of those fancy new autodocs. Not sure if you have even seen one yet. They have only made it to elite military units like Special Forces. They’re meant to replace you. All they can really do is diagnose and advise, and keep someone alive. Really it is more of a robotic paramedic.”
He debated whether to discuss who had shot his daughter and himself. He had been both lucky and wearing body armor. But the woman might object to whom he had been forced to kill. As bad as things had gotten this might become a one way trip for her. He fought a wave of nausea, but passed quickly.
The ground suddenly dropped out from under the car and they were driving downward at a steep angle in a dark tunnel. This part of the trip didn’t last very long. Unfortunately this was a panel van - no windows to stare out. But judging from his rough the road had been they were probably well off the beaten track. Even if she escaped she might not make it to civilization. She might even be in Mexico.
“We’re almost there.” He stopped the van and shut it off. He ignored her for a moment while he walked around to the sliding door. Beyond him she could see a Humvee 3 - a military one, not a civilian Hummer. He reached in to grab her ankle and drag her out with one hand. Then she was flopped over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. It was more than a little undignified.
That was when she spotted the mini UAV’s - not one but 4. And they were most definitely armed. They lit up briefly as if to welcome Braxton home. He shifted her so they could see her. “We have company. She's going to fix up Natalya. For the next hour this is the Red Line. She is not authorized to cross it without my permission.” The UAV’s made cybernetic noises, then went dark again.
He walked a short ways past the drones. “They have guided bullets. Expensive, but great for antipersonnel ops.” He set her down, Pulled out his survival knife and cut the bonds. “You could run, but you wouldn’t make it very far.” He paused. “Natalya’s 13. She hates my guts. Her mother is dead. I’m all she has left. I am going to ask you not to let a 13 year old girl die.” He slipped the M120 Mod 4 sniper rifle from his back and handed it to the doctor. “You can shoot me now, wait an hour, then take the van and drive right out of here. Or you can shoot me and save my daughter. But if you take her to a hospital, both you and she will die. Your own people will do the killing. The less you know the better. You tell anyone you saw me or her, you’ll die - probably after an interrogation.”
He gestured to an elevator door. They were covered by a blast door. This was a bomb shelter. "Sick Bay is that way. Your choice."
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