Chinese had driven back the U.S. divisions on either side of the blockhouse. But because the three-story building stood, pouring fire on the Chinese from the flanks, the Americans soon regained the lost ground. Bulldozers, Gunhawks, drones, Special Infantry assaults, mortars from the top of the tall buildings to the east, nothing had dislodged the dwindling Eleventh CDM Battalion from its castle.
Fifty-three effectives remained, led by the Lieutenant. None of his old muscle-bound NCOs remained. Jake and Goose still lived, and they had fought many grueling battles in the sewer system.
Jake donned his stolen Chinese body armor. He picked up his M-16 and strode to the Lieutenant. They were on the ground floor. The big Lieutenant listened to the radio.
“Anything new?” asked Jake.
The Lieutenant looked up. Like the rest of them, the man had gray features and hollow-staring eyes. He’d lost weight, but something still flickered in his gaze, something solemn and maybe even majestic, although it was certainly crazed with inhuman determination.
“The Chinese—” the Lieutenant said.
A strange phenomenon halted his words. Nothing like this had ever happened before. A gaping hole appeared in the wall. It just appeared, and there was hot wavering air in the center of the room. A second later, another hole appeared as if an invisible nail had been punched through, although the edges of the holes burned.
“What’s happening?” asked Jake.
The Lieutenant stared at him in incomprehension.
The hot wavering beam in the building began sliding leftward. As it did, an invisible knife appeared to cut out the front wall and then the back wall at exactly the same position.
“Enemy laser!” the Lieutenant roared. “Everyone into the sewer system!”
The blockhouse shook and trembled, and dust rose and concrete rained.
Jake didn’t know what was going on, but he’d heard enough. This was freaking crazy. He grabbed the lip of his helmet—he wore it on his head—and he raced for the stairs. As he ran, more of the blockhouse trembled and shook, and now the strange phenomenon started to climb, cutting out wall as it did.
The world became a giant earthquake for Jake. Concrete rained and walls collapsed. Everything rumbled. He sprinted, dodged, caromed off something and made it into the basement. He moved to the opening to the sewer system. Like rats running for their lives, Militiamen disappeared into the opening.
Jake looked back.
The Lieutenant turned ghost white. “Go, go, go!” he seemed to say. Jake couldn’t hear a thing. The earth was too busy rocking and roaring. It was surreal. It was a nightmare. Jake made it down the hole. He didn’t bother with the steel ladder. He just dropped and landed heavily. It hurt his feet and he collapsed. Survival instinct kept him going. He crawled on his hands and knees. Something smashed behind him, a body perhaps. Heavy thuds hammered above him. Was the blockhouse coming down on their heads? This was madness. The damned Chinese had everything.
With his mouth opening as he panted heavily, Jake crawled and crawled. Maybe a hundred yards later a shouting voice brought a modicum of sanity to him. He looked back. In the gloom and drifting dust, the Lieutenant stared at him with nearly blank eyes.
“What?” Jake managed to ask.
“Heavy laser,” the Lieutenant said. His voice was without emotion.
“What do you mean?” Jake said.
The Lieutenant shook his head. Then he said, “Is there an open area near here?”
Jake tried to think. More rumbles sounded, crashes and roars. The blockhouse came down and a billowing dust cloud rolled at them, choking him and turning everything dark.
An hour later, the Lieutenant took roll call in the sewer. Nineteen effectives were left, among them Goose.
“Do you know which way to our lines?” the Lieutenant asked.
“Yeah,” Jake muttered.
“Then let’s go,” the Lieutenant.
“Why?” asked Jake.
The Lieutenant took his time answering. Finally, he asked, “Did you enjoy that?”
Jake managed a dull laugh.
“Neither did I,” the Lieutenant said.
“So?”
“We’re going to report this. Then I’m going to pay back the Chinese. I remember every hurt, then double it and look for a way to do it back to them.”
Jake shook his head. “We can’t do anything like they just did.”
“We’ll see,” the Lieutenant said. “Until then, are you still with me?”
Jake knew the Lieutenant was nuts: not just a little battle crazy, but truly over the deep end. What did it matter, though?
“Yeah, sure, I’m with you,” Jake said.
“Good,” the Lieutenant said. “Lead the way. We need to report to somebody what just happened to our blockhouse.”
BEIJING, PRC
Two East Lightning operatives flanked Shun Li as she strode