Only Human (Themis Files #3)(66)

—All right, I’ll play. Narrow beam. Point at the SAM launchers.

—Fire! Fire!

—Now to starboard.

—Got it! Fire!

—Behin—

—I know! There! How’s that feel?

—I think we got them all?

—Down there. There’s one tank left next to our right foot.

—Not anymore. Central, there are no more hostiles. Guys on foot are running away.

[Is Themis still there?]

Affirmative. It’s just the two of us— —Barbara!

—AND A BUNCH OF MiGS! Fuck, they’re firing. That one’s gonna hurt! Brace! Brace! Brace!

—Yokits!





FILE NO. 2195 (CONTINUED)


MISSION LOG—VINCENT COUTURE AND SERGEANT ALEXANDER VASILIEV


Location: Aboard Themis. Sinuiju, North Korea


—Look! The Koreans are firing on Lapetus!

—Yes, Alex. I can see that.

—That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

—No, Alex, it’s not. My daughter is in there.

—At least you know she’s alive. Lapetus might get scared and leave.

—I don’t think they’ll leave. They’re in no real danger. They’ll just kill a bunch of Koreans for no reason.

—How many tanks do you think there are?

—Katherine talked about a regiment. Do you know how ma—Whoa! That wasn’t a tank. They’re firing missiles at them!

—Maybe they’ll leave now.

— …

—Vincent?

—No. They won’t. I’m not even sure they can while they’re being shot at. What will happen is they’ll overload and wipe out everything in sight. We’re going in.

—What?

—I’m beaming us in. We might be able to stop it.

—Vincent, five minutes ago, you said you would bail if the Koreans attacked us. Now you want to attack the Koreans.

[Vincent, this is Katherine. We’re seeing all sorts of activity on the Korean side. What’s going on?]

—The Koreans are firing.

[They’re firing at you?]

No, at Lapetus.

[Good! It might just leave.]

No! It—Ah screw this! Katherine, I’m taking us there.

[What? No!]

The Chinese can’t cross that bridge with Lapetus around. There won’t even be a bridge if he overloads. Alex, get ready for the sword. And … Now!

[Are we attacking Lapetus?]

Alex, the sword is at its longest. Get rid of the tanks at our feet, then aim at the ones farthest from Lapetus. I don’t want Eva and whoever else is in there to think we’re firing at them.

[You’re not firing at them?]

We have to stop them from overloading, Katherine. The bridge, remember?

[Vincent, the Koreans just sent out MiGs. They’ll be there soon. Very soon. Did I mention I don’t like this at all?]

Alex? How are we doing?

—One. Last. Tank. It’s like swatting flies. I’m aiming now, you can fire. Fire! Again! Again! Just keep firing, I’ll tell you when to—Oh, we just made a big hole. I’ll tell you when to stop … Fire!

—This ain’t Star Wars, Alex. My finger’s on the button. It fires when it fires.

—OK, stop. STOP!

—There. I think we got them all. What about those MiGs?

[Vincent, they’re right on top of you!]

I see them.

—Give me the shield, Vincent.

—I—

—Vincent, the shield!

—It won’t turn on. I think we might have drained her. They’re firing. Turn our back to them.

—They’re firing from both sides!

—I don’t know, Alex. Just pick a si—AAARGH! AAAAAARGH!

…

Alex, are you all right?

[What’s going on, Vincent?]

Alex? ALEX!

[Vincent?]

I think Alex is unconscious.

[Fuck. Can you fight Lapetus without him?]

Fight La—You mean kick them? I can kick them. Oh, wait. I can’t even do that. Themis is out of power.

[Can you get out of there?]

What part of “out of power” was unclear? Out, power, or of?

[You know I can kill you at the press of a button, don’t you?]

Yeah, and leave Themis to the North Koreans. Then again, maybe the Chinese can get her for you. Do you think they’d give her back?

[I hate you right now, Vincent. I just want you to know that.]

Don’t worry, Katherine. Themis should have absorbed some energy from those missile hits. She’ll be back to her old self any minute.

[Is Lapetus out of power? I’m asking because “any minute” seems like a really long time if it decides to kill you.]

I guess we’ll find out. By the way, I don’t think I thanked you for telling me my daughter was alive and well.

[Did I forget? We’ve been so busy down here. You know how it is.]

I’m switching frequency now.

[No, don—]

Hi, Eva! Are you guys OK in there?

<We’re good, Dad. How about you?> Oh, that last missile hurt a bit, but we’re fine. Peachy.

<You didn’t come all the way here just for me, did you?> Well, seeing I had no idea you were still alive a minute ago, I’d say no. Sorry. I would have, though. If you’d called.