James Axler – Rat King

reinforcements and his own panic.

Shit, blast and damn them all to the deepest rad pit.

RYAN GRINNED as he heard the exchange between Wallace and Murphy. There was

nothing like knowing in advance what the enemy was going to be doing. He turned

to the back of the wag.

“Okay, everybody out, blasters ready. Keep alert or be chilled. We’ve got

time—not a lot, but just enough— to take up positions. Let’s do it.”

As they left the wag, he saw that Jak had directed the passengers of his wag in

a similar manner.

Reinforced-concrete arches stood near the entrance to the redoubt, buoying the

doorway and keeping its shape intact. None of them had seen anything quite like

this in previous redoubts, but the workmanship on the arches was rough and

ready, not the work of skilled builders. Possibly it was the work of sec men

shortly after sky-dark, refashioning the arch when the first wave of quakes had

swept the land.

For whatever reason they had been built, they now proved to be a piece of

serendipity. As silently as possible, moving from the back of one wag to

another, Ryan came to where Jak had marshaled the people in his wag. As with the

front wag, they were currently standing to the rear, covered by the vehicle.

Ryan directed them to spread out to the arches, using them as cover, those at

the back of the wag covering the progress of those heading for the arches.

The people in his own wag were doing the same.

Ryan swiftly repositioned himself behind the forward arch, where he was joined

by Krysty and Mac.

“They’re too quiet, lover,” Krysty whispered, not wanting to break the heavy

silence that had fallen. The engines of all the wags had ceased, and there was

no movement from the two wags with Murphy’s men.

“Mebbe Murphy’s too scared,” Ryan mused.

“Mebbe he has a plan that Wallace doesn’t know about. When that door goes up,

that’s when we’ll know for sure.”

The one-eyed warrior gestured with his Steyr at the sec door beyond the two

wags. It had closed as soon as the wags had screeched to a halt. Beyond it lay

the rest of the redoubt, the mat-trans they needed to get out, and Wallace…

Ryan cursed the fact that they had lost their contact with the Gen’s plans by

having to leave the wags and the radio, but they would have been a sitting

target. At least out there they were spread out, and Wallace would have a clear

shot at the enemy when they came.

MURPHY SAT in his wag, biting his nails and thinking as swiftly as his terror

and the changing circumstances allowed him. This could be his big chance. Most

of the military was on his side, plus some of the civilian scientists. It was a

good opportunity. Wallace had never had anyone invade his base before. Let him

make a mess of things, then step in to clean up. That way Murphy could avoid any

blame, as well. He allowed himself a brief wave of optimism. This might just go

his way.

“Murphy!” Wallace barked, his tone harshened by the reception of the radio. “Get

yourself ready, boy— we’re coming in…now!”

He turned to the other sec men in the wag. “This is it, men, Operation Munich.”

The sec men exchanged puzzled and worried glances. “Now, sir?” one of them asked

in a nervous quiver.

“Hell, yeah!” the sec chief exclaimed, trying to hide his own nervousness behind

an exterior of bravado. “What better time? These scum can fight it out with the

Gen and his people, then we pick up the pieces and take control.”

“Uh, how do we let the others know?” one of the nervous sec men asked.

“Word of mouth, boy,” Murphy replied. “Now, heads up. It’s all starting to come

down.”

The sec door was grinding to life, rising slowly.

FROM HIS POSITION behind the arch, Ryan could see how slowly the door was

rising. And to his amazement he could see the sec men on the other side just

standing there, waiting for the door to finish its job. Standing unprotected and