“However, I do agree with you about mobility. This area will merely be our base camp. From here, we spread out through the ruins, systematically checking every street every building.”
The former sergeant scratched his ear. “I don’t know, Baron. That might drive her into the desert.”
“I’m prepared for that,” Leonard replied, watching a team of specially chosen hunters head out into the dunes. They were his insurance. If this should fail, their job was to track the woman until they brought back her head. The families of the hunters would stay safe and warm in Alphaville as security to guarantee their allegiance to the task. Fear and hunger made all men obedient. In a well of emotions, his chest ached with the thought of his slain father, then the youth forced himself hard again. Only the strong survived, and the weak didn’t rule.
“Baron, the area is secure,” a sec man reported, crisply saluting. “The buildings on both sides of us are clear, cellar to roof.”
“Good. Thank you,” Leonard replied, wiggling uncomfortably in his new stiff boots. Sneakers were more comfortable, but didn’t look impressive. Power knew no pain. His father had also told him that many times over dinner, or at an execution.
“Any footprints or tire tracks?” Zanders asked brusquely.
“None, sir.”
“Well, they didn’t fly away, moron. Have the trackers search again.”
Another salute. “Yes, sir.”
Zanders slapped the hand down. “And stop doing that, ya gleeb. The boss looks bad enough in his new uniform. You want to tell a sniper exactly who to shoot at?”
Walking slowly forward, the Cadillac right behind him, the baron arched an eyebrow at the statement, but didn’t speak. Was he overdressed? Damn. Mebbe.
“Oh.” The sec man had obviously never considered that. “Sorry, sir.” His hand twitched but stayed at his side.
“Better,” the captain grumped. “Now, have we checked the skyscraper yet?”
Watching a squad of men dig foxholes, Leonard turned and interrupted. “Is that necessary, Captain? The top is so far away, what weapon could possibly…”
His words faded as a contrail of white smoke moved across the sky from the top of the tall building, traveling straight for them.
“Incoming!” the captain bellowed, diving for the ground, pulling the baron with him.
The contrail arced down to impact directly inside the mouth of the tunnel. The world shuddered from the explosion, bricks and tiles shotgunning out to fell scores of screaming men. Another contrail streaked in to punch through the bulldozer, the ground underneath the machine rising to tear it to pieces. Then a third and fourth contrail hit the tunnel again, cracking apart the concrete apron in strident fury. With the groan of a dying giant, the tunnel crumbled apart, the steel support beams screaming as they twisted out of shape. In slow grandeur, the opening crashed shut, spewing thick billowing clouds of acidic concrete dust.
“Rockets!” a man yelled in panic. “They’ll wipe us out! We surrender! We surrender!”
Rising, Leonard drew his blaster and shot the man where he stood, the .50-caliber round from the Desert Eagle spinning the man like a top before he fell over.
“There are no more rockets,” the young baron shouted, holstering the piece, his wrist aching from the recoil. “If they had more, they would have used more. Do you hear any more explosions? No. The attack is over.”
Sullenly, the troops got to their feet and retrieved dropped weapons. For most of them, this was a lot different than bullying civvies or shooting escaped prisoners.
“Captain, I apologize,” Leonard said, offering the man assistance. “Get a squad up there immediately. Or should we set fire to the building?”
There was no response from the still form, and the young baron noticed an unbroken tile sticking out of the back of Zanders’s head, his exposed brains a pulpy mass of soggy red tissue dribbling onto the dry soil. Leonard turned away from the corpse, his eyes stinging, his heart pounding. So fast, it had happened so fast.
“Lieutenant Kelly, you are now in charge of the men,” he barked. “Get a team to the skyscraper and kill anybody you find. Then set fire to the bastard thing!”