Iron Empire

Forty-Five: Impact Zone

Report: Quinn
A valley in the Annamite Mountains.
Vietnam.
The exterior of an abandoned missile silo.
Wartime designation unknown.

I watched the trail of smoke from Dan's command capsule fade into the air.

Long before he had joined the Chinese-Canadian Alliance, Dan had worked in this complex, under the guidance of my father.

Nuclear signature or no, I needed to see the inside for myself.

I stood just west of the complex's centre. The hexagonal shape of The Crater's main building stretched high into the sky, cutting off my view of the battle. It had seen better days, yet something told me that it had been kept up to date longer than any of the surrounding buildings.

The thumping sounds of plasma cannon fire brought me back to my senses. I heard a crackling sound in my right ear, followed by a mumble. The static noise quieted.

"Testing, one two three!" Dan called. "Jackson, you idiot, can you hear me?"

I smiled. Dan was safe and feeling fine.

"Yeah, I can hear you!"

I heard a sigh. Something in the distance exploded, making me flinch.

"Okay," Dan breathed, "if you really want to do this, you need to get inside the main building of the complex. The signature is coming from somewhere in there."

I stared up at the massive, pyrimidine shape of the main building and spoke my mind.

"How the hell do I get in?"

Dan mused silently for a moment.

"Do you see the factory doors?" Dan asked.

I grunted a confirmation. How could I miss them? Two massive metal doors dominated the north and south sides of the building, each one easily the height of a mech.

"Those doors lead to the factory floor," Dan continued. "It'd be empty now, but when I worked there one of the two doors would never fully close. It drove your father crazy. Perhaps you could slide under?"

I frowned. From where I stood, I couldn't see any gaps beneath the massive sheets of steel. But there was only one way to find out.

"On my way," I breathed, then took off running.

I had eight minutes if I was lucky, ten if the warhead's ancient launch system was slow. Once that time was up, the crater would be bathed in fire from either a launch or a detonation. I did not want to stick around to find out if Centrepoint was trustworthy.

I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me, combat boots kicking up dirt and chunks of long grass as I ran. It had to be half a kilometre from the warhead to the main base, and on foot I was vulnerable. I switched comm channels, becoming hyper-aware of the chatter between Laura, Martin and Sojwa.

I glanced around me as I ran, aware that a mech could come out of nowhere. I hadn't come this far to be accidentally crushed by the metal foot of an enemy-or an ally.

The comm chatter continued. Voices blended together, mixing with my own laboured breathing as I ran. I regretted leaving my Predator at the warhead silo, but it was too late to turn back.

"I've got a Legion on the run!"

Inhale. Exhale. The base known as The Crater rose before me.

The voices continued.

"Watch your left, Sojwa!"

Inhale. Exhale. I could see cracks in the concrete, vines running through the base's exterior designation, splitting apart the all-too-familiar letter marking the building as an Axion facility.