“Not sure yet. Either they cycle through the spread spectrum range we use until they happen upon the right frequency at the right time, or they just sit on a frequency until we jump to it. Once the weapon gets a connection, it blasts a short megajoule burst. It's enough to burn right through the EMP buffers.”
“And into the poor driver's brain.” Liz whistled. “Bastards.”
“And here's the kicker. It's not Iranian.”
“Some local insurgent's doing it?”
“One guy, according to intel. Wrote the code, built the microwave beamer, the whole works.”
“He lives in that village east of the FOB, doesn't he?” Liz said.
“Bingo. And we need to take him out before the Iranians get wind of what he's doing.”
“So, what,” Liz said, “we just go in and kill the guy?”
“That's the plan.”
“No questions asked? No chance to surrender? That ain't us.”
“It's gotta be,” Gardner said. “We can't risk him getting away and spreading his technique.”
“We can't just march him back to the FOB at gunpoint?”
“Say we get ambushed. He slips down a narrow alley, or up a stairway, someplace our drones can't follow. Then what?”
She was silent for a long moment. “Then let's do it. Hooah.”
Liz had the squad assembled in the Active Combat Room by the time Gardner arrived. He found himself surrounded before he could close the door behind him.
“What gives, LT?” Maria said. “I hear we're getting rigged to some shiny new drones.”
“Yeah, the techs are talking,” Kyle said. “I wanna keep my sniper.”
“We're going in urban assault drones. They want us light and fast. Except you, Kyle. You'll still be using a sniper drone.”
“Damn straight.”
“I don't get to fly?”
“We're down two guys, Josè. We need you on the ground. An air force wing from Texas will provide air support.”
Josè opened his mouth, but Liz cut him off. “What's the plan, LT?”
“We're going after the bastard that built the pulse weapon they've been using on us.”
“About time,” Maria said.
“Brass is pretty sure there's only one prototype, so we stop it cold right now.”
“What's it look like?” Kyle asked.
“Not sure. But it takes a lot of power, so it's probably not very portable. Probably mounted on a vehicle or hidden in a building.”
“Right,” Liz said. “Techs set up a code word. You see you're about to get hit with that thing, just say 'Dixie' and they’ll pull your plug.”
“If you see it,” Maria said. “Whatever ‘it’ looks like.”
“Exactly,” Gardner said. “So keep your eyes open. They're playing for keeps.”
“Wait,” Kyle said. “We could actually get killed out there. I didn't sign up for that.”
“The hell you didn't,” Gardner said. “Soldiers fight wars. People die.”
“But—”
“They took out two of our own. Not just anyone, our people. Joel is dead. You wanna tell his mom you were afraid to go after the son of a bitch that killed him? You gonna tell Hailie?”
“He's just a little spooked,” Liz said. “Nobody's gonna pussy out on you. Right, squad?”
A few mumbles greeted her.
“I can't hear you, soldiers.”
“Right!”
“Okay, get your rigs on,” Gardner said. “Let's do this.”
Trainees had driven the drones out to the village. Gardner's vidstream kicked in and he found himself engulfed in black smoke.
“The hell is this?” Maria said.
“The Air Force took out any insurgent fortifications they could find. Trainees must have approached under cover of the smoke.”
“Why couldn't the flyboys just torch the whole village and save us the danger?”
“You want a few thousand civvie casualties on your conscience?”
There was no answer, so Gardner formed up the team and rolled into the village. Heavily damaged sandbag fortifications flanked the main road leading into the hotspot, and a pair of burning Hummers blocked the way.
“Liz, take Josè and clear a path.”
“Righto, LT.”
“Kyle, deploy your stabilizers. Put a bullet in anything that threatens them.”
“Roger.”
“Insurgents only, no civvies.”
“How the hell you expect me to tell the difference?”
“Just be careful.”
Gardner watched Liz's vidstream as she approached. The first bunker had a crater and smoldering debris right in the middle. Josè's stream showed the same on his side.
“And barely a scratch on the surrounding buildings,” Liz said. “Kudos to the flyboys.”
Gardner switched back to his own vidstream and watched Liz and Josè push one of the Hummers off the road. “Get ready to move out.” He waited for Kyle to retract his stabilizers and rolled into the village behind his point team.
Wind whistled down the deserted street, carrying sand that pinged against Gardner's armor. Nothing moved. He rolled into the town square and scanned all four ways.
“The town's not much more than a crossroad,” he said. “Kyle, set up here and cover us. Liz, take Josè east. Maria, let's have a look down south.”
“Roger.”
He rolled past clay huts, houses or storefronts, most boarded shut. Liz's vidstream showed pretty much the same thing.
“Did you hear that?” Maria said.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“I think something moved in that hut.”
He zoomed on the hut. Door shut tight. Window dark. “I got nothing. Kyle, you see any—”
Ping!
His drone recoiled with an impact from behind. He turned to return fire. Just as the window slid from his view, he caught a glimpse of metal.
“RPG!”
He turned his treads at full power. Impact threw him forward, setting red telltales blinking. The EMEG rig damped the rumble of the explosion.
“You okay, Maria?”
Her guns chattered.
He turned and fired at a window on the opposite side of the street. “Maria?
“Can't get traction with my left tread.”
“Damn. Liz, get your ass over here.”
“Taking fire of our own, LT.”
“I'm on it, Boss,” Kyle said.
Gardner moved to cover Maria. Rounds pinged against his armor. Enough. He readied his RPG and fired through the window. Debris rained down around him.
Josè's voice registered in the back of his mind. “Whoo, these things really are fast!”
“Dixie!”
“Maria?” Gardner said. “That you?”
Nothing. Her drone stood motionless.
“Base, you evac Maria?”
Bullets pinged against his armor. He moved to take cover behind Maria's inert drone.
“She's out,” base replied.
“Watch your six!” Josè's voice was followed by a muffled rumble.
“Hooah!” Liz shouted.
An RPG impacted Maria's drone, sending shrapnel flying. Gardner sent a few rounds into the window the shot came from. A bullet caught him from another direction and ricocheted off his armor.
Where the hell is that superweapon? One hit from that—
He turned to the direction of the incoming bullets and lobbed another RPG. Four more.
A noise to his right. He swiveled to put the remnants of Maria's drone in front of him. A head and shoulder, clad in desert cammo, poked through an open doorway. His hand aimed an antenna dish directly at Gardner.
Damn. Break cover to take a shot, and lights out.
Motion behind him. Double damn. “I could use an eye on my six, guys.”
Kyle said, “On my way, Boss.”