Spirit Warrior (The Code of War Book 5) Read online

  Spirit Warrior

  Book Five of the Code of War

  By Jim Roberts

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright 2017 Jim Roberts

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. 2.0

  Disclaimer:

  This book contains scenes of violence that some readers may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised.

  The Peacemakers take on the cruel private military known as Olympus. The battle for the Code of War has only just begun...

  Ex-Army Ranger Joe Braddock and his unit of Peacemakers take on the mysterious PMC known to the world as Olympus. The cruel Military will stop at nothing to bring down Braddock's team of elite military operators, while at the same time trying to recover the enigmatic Code of War: two discs containing immense power that somehow holds the key to Olympus's ascension...

  Praise for Olympus Rises

  Olympus reveals itself to the world. Joe Braddock and Danny Callbeck steal one half of the Code of War. All epics must have a beginning...

  "PULLS NO PUNCHES . . . exciting for fans of militaristic action!" − Adam Knight, author of Overdrive: Cowboy Ending

  "SMART, EFFECTIVELY WRITTEN . . . it's (like) G.I. Joe mixed with Die Hard" − HeroicFantasyWriters.com

  "FAST PACED SPECULATIVE FICTION . . . a worthy addition to any book lovers’ collection!" −John Reinhard Dizon, author of The Kingdom

  "THIS IS WHAT G.I. JOE MOVIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE!" − M. Joseph Murphy, author of Council of Peacocks

  "NEVER A DULL MOMENT . . . there are moments when the story is frightening in its realism!" − Ava Armstrong, author of A Sense of Duty

  Praise for The Peacemakers

  Olympus has risen. For Joe Braddock and his warrior brother, Danny Callbeck, the war with the enigmatic military known as Olympus has only begun. A globe-trotting adventure awaits those with the courage to fight...

  "I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE WORK OF JIM ROBERTS...an ideal selection for a 4th of July present!" − Walter Rhein, author of The Bone Sword

  "I LOVE THIS STORY . . . Jim Roberts is an up and coming new writer!" − Ava Armstrong, author of A Sense of Duty

  "AN OVER THE TOP BLOCKBUSTER THAT WOULD MAKE MICHAEL BAY PROUD!" − M. Joseph Murphy, author of Council of Peacocks

  Praise for Stream of Madness

  Joe Braddock returns to the Middle East in search of a lost comrade. Amidst a hellish landscape of war and murder, Braddock must face an enemy bent on his utter destruction. The action never stops as the Code of War rages on…

  "FILLED WITH ADRENALINE AND TESTOSTERONE...you feel as if you are viewing the characters face-to-face!" –Ava Armstrong, author of A Sense of Duty

  "Seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy — myself.”

  -Old Inuit Proverb

  “The soul

  Of man alone, that particle divine,

  Escapes the wreck of worlds, when all things fail...”

  -William Somervile, The Chase

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1: The Dark Harpy

  Chapter 2: Unwelcome Return

  Chapter 3: The Tin Man

  Chapter 4: Hadrian

  Chapter 5: Comradery

  Chapter 6: The Forsaken

  Chapter 7: Electric Entrance

  Chapter 8: Entropy

  Chapter 9: A Simple Test

  Chapter 10: Mannix and the Silver Lady

  Chapter 11: Krieger’s Doubts

  Chapter 12: Phoenix Fracture

  Chapter 13: The Spirit Warrior

  Chapter 14: Choices

  Chapter 15: Field of Hellfire

  Chapter 16: Danny, Krieger and a Bunch of Drones

  Chapter 17: Battle on the Mesas

  Chapter 18: Two Souls

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Two years ago, it was decided by members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and officials from the CIA to form a special clandestine unit within the American Military to deal with the increasing problem with the secretive private military company known to the world as Olympus. Founded by the legendary soldier, Jackson Walsh, the new unit would be comprised of elite members from around the world: specialists possessing unique skill sets that made them a nightmare to PMCs. With a mandate to maintain the peace between privatized military organizations—key among these, Olympus—the unit was given express permission to act in the stead of certain NATO governments as a strike force or ‘first response’ team to PMC activities.

  These men and women do not exist in any database, are totally deniable and of the greatest operational fortitude.

  They are the Peacemakers.

  Chapter 1

  The Dark Harpy

  West Texas, March 21st

  AGRIPPINA LURCHED out of a dream more intense than anything she’d felt in the past four months. She saw herself plunge a blade into the stomach of Tiberius, her onetime mentor and the man who’d betrayed her. She’d watched his eyes roll back into his head as he gagged on a mouthful of blood before pitching backward, dead.

  The revenge had felt so sweet, so pure.

  In that dream, she’d accomplished all she desired in the world.

  But of course, it was only a dream.

  Agrippina sat back in the seat of the Federal prison bus, looking out the window to her left. She saw her reflection in the glass and the sight made her grimace. Four months in various military facilities across the country had reduced her complexion to a microcosm of its usual pristine beauty. Her luxurious black hair was pulled into an ugly bun behind her and her once ruby lips were colorless and gray. Worse, her pristine, alabaster white skin had lost much of its luster.

  So this is the end road, she thought to herself, grimly. Glad Tiberius can’t see me now.

  She was the lone detainee on the bus, sitting a few seats behind the steel lattice gate that separated the guards from the prisoners. She was almost immobile; her bionic legs—enhancements given to her after her maiming during the events of her first encounter with the Peacemakers—were trussed up in a special set of restraints built from a tungsten steel alloy. The artificial skin surrounding the legs was beginning to chafe from the metal. Her hands were bound in front of her with manacles attached to a belly chain, also made of high-tensile steel.

  For one of the most lethal assassins ever held by the Department of Prisons, little was being left to chance.

  As the minutes ticked past, she kept her gaze on the flow of traffic along the Texas highway. The scenery beyond consisted of mile after mile of dull farmland dotted occasionally with dense patches of trees. She had a sinking feeling that the rest of the trip would contain much of the same.

  Looking out the window towards the front of the bus, she could see one of three Federal Marshal SUVs providing escort duty. The other two vehicles were behind, bringing up the rear.

  Much ado about little ole’ me, she thought with a half-smile.

  From the highway signs outside, she judged the convoy was about an hour or so from its destination—the TDLC Supermax Penitentiary, or known more romantically by its lifer occupants as the Brickhouse. Newly built, it was one of the largest, most secure military prisons in the country and would be her h
ome for the foreseeable future.

  She looked across at her companions on this little ride to hell. Four Peacemaker MPs were assigned the detail of transferring her personally to the Brickhouse. The men sat in seats facing one another on the other side of the security lattice, clutching shotguns and assault rifles.

  Definitely not taking any risks.

  Bored of the drive, she decided to goad the men on a bit—perhaps provoke a reaction to make the trip more...interesting.

  “Hey boys!” Agrippina called to the men sitting in front of the lattice. “You need all of this stuff to transport me? I gotta say, I’m touched Captain Brick thinks I’m worth it.”

  She’d tried to get some conversation from these Peacemaker grunts on the plane ride to Lackland Air Force Base earlier but had been met with silence. With an hour left before she’d be locked up in the darkest hole in America, Agrippina wasn’t interested in playing the passive prisoner anymore.

  The MPs didn’t respond to her chiding. She tried again.

  “Come on, boys, I’m just trying to pass the time.”

  One of the MPs, a mustachioed man in his late twenties with a name tag reading ‘Phelps’, looked over at the beautiful assassin. “Shut up or we’ll shut you up.”

  Agrippina’s eyes flared. “Ooh, touchy aren’t we?”

  The man across from Phelps, a tough-looking veteran with dark eyes named Washburn, said, “You know the rules, Agrippina. No talking.”

  The woman once known as the Dark Harpy of Olympus, smirked. “Come on, boys, do I look like someone who follows rules?”

  The MPs turned their attention back to each other, ignoring the prisoner.

  Agrippina shook her head.

  Peacemakers. God help these humorless chumps.

  Even though she had risked everything four months ago to aid the Peacemakers in finding Danny Callbeck, Agrippina was still nothing more to them than a common criminal.

  So much for gratitude.

  The bus moved off the main highway, climbing onto an overpass. They rode in silence for a time. The ebb and flow of traffic beyond grew into a monotonous hum, lulling Agrippina away from reality. Her thoughts drifted back to four months ago when she’d convinced the Peacemakers and their schmuck of a leader, Joe Braddock to hunt down the hidden Vagabond army in western Venezuela. The end goal was to find a man, lost for over a year—a man whose very being echoed within her soul even now.

  Danny Callbeck.

  Agrippina sighed without realizing. She’d last seen Danny three months ago, right before her transfer to the military prison in Leavenworth. On that day, he’d visited her in her cell at the Peacemaker Cottage Headquarters in Maryland. Sporting those eGlasses that restored his lost vision, Danny had laid her fate out for her with no emotion in his hoarse voice.

  “I’m sorry, Agrippina,” he had said through the transparent barrier of her cell beneath the Cottage, “My bosses in Washington believe you to be too much of a threat here. You’re being transferred to Army custody tomorrow. From there, I have no idea where you’ll end up.”

  Agrippina snorted. “Hmm. That’ll learn me for putting faith in your people again, Callbeck.”

  Ignoring the rebuke, Danny said, “Brick knows what you did for us back in the Caribbean. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been lost to Olympus forever.”

  She shrugged. “I owed you one. That’s all.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” Danny replied, moving as close to her cell as he could. “Why didn’t you tell the people from the Pentagon what you know about Olympus during your interrogation?”

  “Why should I have?”

  “You were with them for ages. You don’t owe them anything anymore. We could use what you know to fight them.”

  Agrippina crossed her arms. “I may be a pariah to Olympus, but that doesn’t mean I’m a rat. I have friends still within the PMC. There is such a thing as brotherhood among thieves, you know.”

  “Agrippina—”

  She hadn’t been interested in hearing any more. “If you’re done playing the righteous hero, Callbeck, you can leave. It’s looking like I’ll have a long time to brood on my stupidity in trusting your outfit.”

  Though his stoic face was difficult to read, she could tell she’d hurt him. Callbeck stood back from the barrier and said, “Alright, if that’s what you wish. But I want you to know I’m not giving up on you.”

  After saying those words, Danny had walked out of her life again. That was the last time she’d seen him.

  While a part of her was not regretful for her harsh words, another hated saying them. She could lie to herself all she wanted, but something about Danny Callbeck stirred feelings of affection she rarely allowed herself to enjoy. Danny aroused something within her that she had long tried to suppress—and it was a desire she simply couldn’t trust.

  She felt like a part of him was with her, even now. She couldn’t explain how or why.

  Agrippina sighed angrily, dismissing the thoughts.

  Well, he’s out of my life now. So much for desire.

  Callbeck would no doubt have bigger things to deal with soon. Olympus would not sit quietly for long. Their defeat in the battle of the Caribbean Sea back in November would only embolden them to try harder. Their quest to control the world and mold it into their vision of a perfect Rome would one day become a reality.

  Tiberius would see to that.

  Agrippina saw the convoy turn down a two-lane route that led into a more heavily wooded area of the country. The surrounding traffic died off to almost nothing. Agrippina watched the intermittent patches of greenery move past the road, her mind far away.

  * * *

  THE U.S. MARSHALS in the rear SUVs kept their eyes open. The Department of Defense had declined to tell them the importance of the lone prisoner they were transporting today, save for that she was extremely dangerous. With three SUVs, totaling twelve well-armed Marshals, the men believed there was little they couldn’t handle.

  The driver of the rear Federal SUV noticed two Chevy panel vans moving up behind them. He noted that each bore markings of a residential power company—hardly a rare sight in these parts.

  Still, he kept his eyes on them.

  The vans moved into the passing lane, accelerating forward to overtake the convoy. The driver of the rear SUV waved the vehicles forward.

  The vans moved up, passing the rear SUVs.

  * * *

  AGRIPPINA NOTICED the panel vans approaching beside her. She watched as they sped up—looking as if they were going to pass the convoy. Noticing they were simple utility vehicles, she would have turned away had she not observed the vans slow suddenly, bringing themselves parallel with the prison bus.

  Agrippina frowned, her innate sense of danger ticking on.

  Something wasn’t right.

  The four Peacemakers on the other side of the lattice noticed the vehicles too. After taking cursory glances out the windows, they talked quietly among themselves, unsure what to make of the slowing vans.

  It was at that moment this simple prison transfer went off the rails.

  Agrippina bolted forward in her seat as she saw the side doors of the vehicles slide back, revealing men clothed head to toe in dark combat gear, topped with elaborately designed balaclavas and tactical helmets. One man in each vehicle clutched what appeared to be MGL Grenade launchers. The 40mm revolver-style weapons quickly trained themselves on the SUVs directly in front of and behind the prison bus.

  There were cries of warning from the Peacemaker guards in front of her as they realized what was happening.

  Too late.

  Agrippina watched the unknown man in the van beside her destroy the rear US Marshal SUV with a single HI-EX round.

  A violent shockwave struck the prison bus, causing the driver to lose control for a few critical seconds. The rear window of the bus shattered in a rain of glass. Agrippina clutched the handrail of the seat in front of her as the bus swerved hard to the right. The sound of grind
ing metal told her they’d struck the steel guard rail on the side of the road. A second later, the gunman in the lead panel van belched out a round from his launcher, completely destroying the lead Marshal escort SUV in a messy fireball.

  Chaos.

  Avoiding the flaming vehicle ahead of it, the bus veered away from the guardrail and back onto the road. With her legs still held in the restraints, Agrippina was thrown roughly from her seat, landing in an awkward position in the middle of the aisle.

  She could hear shouting from her Peacemaker guards.

  “Get down!”

  “Get on the horn to the Cottage!”

  “We’re being attacked!”

  “What the hell is that?”

  Grasping one of the metal support poles attached to the ceiling of the bus, Agrippina pulled herself up in time to see the lead panel van speed up and veer directly in front of the bus. The back doors flung open and she witnessed a figure emerge, clad in some sort of high-tech suit of black armor.

  A nano-suit, Agrippina thought to herself.

  Olympus tech.

  The man wearing the suit wore no helmet. It was hard to see at this distance, but Agrippina could make out a cruel mouth that seemed perpetually curved into a sadistic smile. A crooked nose broke too many times to count hung off his face. A goatee spread across his chin and atop his head was a finely tuned Mohawk haircut.