The Vagabonds (The Code of War Book 4) Read online

  “What failsafe?” Joe asked.

  Lennox said, “Never mind that. Suffice to say, we’re safe for the time-being.”

  Joe shook his head. “So how does Danny fit into all this?”

  Lennox cracked a slight smile, “I wondered when you would get around to asking about him. He’s a cog within Tiberius’s plot to become Imperator of Olympus. Taking a cue from Prometheus, Tiberius wants to finish what they began a year ago—creating a soldier perfectly in tune with the Stream.”

  “Have you seen him? Is he okay?”

  Lennox shook his head, “No. I left before Callbeck was captured. I maintain a link with a few well-placed moles within Olympus. They informed me Callbeck’s connection with the Stream was nearly complete. Once it is, Tiberius plans to present him to the Imperator as proof he is worthy of ruling the Olympia Brotherhood.”

  The thought of Danny alone in some prison being experimented on filled Joe with a cold rage. He swore he would warm it with the deaths of those responsible. He looked up to see Agrippina fidgeting.

  “So how did you get involved in all this?” Joe asked the raven-haired assassin.

  “After I was tossed from the Brotherhood, Lennox contacted me,” Agrippina replied, setting the apple core on the table. “We go back a ways. He’s the one that helped put me back together after you dropped me into that fire two years ago. He thought I could be useful to the Vagabonds.”

  Lennox gave a short nod to the Olympus harpy, “That she has.”

  “Why did you send her to steal the Code from us?” Joe asked.

  “I couldn’t trust it in the hands of the Americans any longer. My army is far better equipped to make use of the disc or at the very least keep it safe.”

  “How did you discover the location of the Cottage?” Joe had been trying to figure that out since the beginning.

  Lennox shrugged, “I’m afraid that was all Agrippina.”

  Joe looked at the assassin. Aggy sniffed, “I can get into places few can, Braddock. Places where obtaining the correct information is easy for someone with the right skills.”

  Joe scoffed. This woman was something else.

  He spoke with his father for some time. They spoke of Lennox’s experiences within Olympus and the conflicts he’d been a part of. They talked further about the ins and outs of the Brotherhood. Lennox was forthright, but Joe couldn’t shake the feeling his father was hiding many things from him, for what reason he didn’t know.

  Outside, the rainclouds had all but disappeared and the sun was beginning to set.

  “Alright,” said Joe, standing up at last, “What now? You’ve told me all of this—great. Where do we go from here?”

  Lennox pushed his chair out and stood up as well, “I suppose that depends on you and your General, my son. Before I was injured, I had been investigating Damien Sledge’s operations near Puerto Cabello.”

  Joe nodded. “My people were looking in on that before we arrived here.”

  Lennox nodded, “Sledge has made some sort of deal with Olympus for the delivery of a drone army, hidden within his Industrial complex.”

  Joe’s eyes widened. “A drone army?”

  “Yes,” Lennox said, a smirk spreading across his wizened face, “A gift, apparently, for the Imperator. Sledge has also promised the Venezuelan government additional drone support for their civil war against the VPA. I’ve made it my mission to knock this man on his capitalist ass.”

  Joe understood where his father was going with this. “You want to destroy the facility before the drones can be delivered.”

  “Correct. It wouldn’t be much in the grand scheme of things, but considering how Olympus relies on Sledge for their drone technology, taking him out of the equation would be a solid win for both of our organizations. If you help us with that, I’ll share everything I know to help you find your friend.”

  That sounded reasonable to Joe. “Let me contact the Peacemakers. I’ll run this by the General and maybe we—”

  Joe was interrupted by a commotion from outside the mission temple entrance.

  A muffled voice came from behind the door, “Where is Joe? If you have hurt him, I will break all your backs!”

  Krieger.

  Before any of them could react, the door flung open and an angry Russian stormed in, followed directly by Caedra and four Vagabond troopers, all trying in vain to subdue the beefy Russian.

  “Where is Joe…there you are! I was worried about you, my friend!”

  Caedra had an exasperated look on her face. “I’m sorry, sir, we couldn’t stop him without shooting him.”

  The Vagabond commander held up a hand, “It’s alright, Caedra.”

  Krieger shrugged off the Vagabond’s grip. The troopers left the temple, groaning from the bruises caused by the giant Arab-Russian. As they filed out, Curtis Walker stepped inside the mission, with an awkward look on his boyish face, “Commander Lennox, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  Lennox gave the gunrunner an impatient look, “Walker. I must say I’m a bit annoyed at the loss of my arsenal in Petare.”

  Walker turned a pasty white, “Sir, I can explain—”

  Lennox held up a hand, “Spare me.”

  Walker stammered, then fell silent.

  Krieger squinted as he looked upon Lennox. “Hey, Joe, this guy looks just like you! Older, not as good looking, but—”

  Joe stood up and cut the Russian off, “Let’s step out of here for a minute, big guy. I need some air and there're a few things I need to tell you…”

  * * *

  OUTSIDE THE Spanish mission, the waning light of the setting sun cut through the receding storm clouds. In all probability, it was going to rain again, but for now, the downpour had ceased. The air was thick with moisture, the jungle surrounding them alive with activity. Along the airstrip of the Vagabond HQ, the soldiers of Leo Lennox had set about prepping their odd-looking aircraft. Joe had overheard them called Fenrirs by the Vagabond personnel. Utilizing light ducted-fan engines, the fast attack VTOLs could hold a compliment of eight men in their tiny passenger compartments. They were the Vagabond’s primary source of transportation and seemed quite nifty to Joe.

  Standing with Krieger around the corner of the mission, Braddock had begun the arduous task of explaining to the Russian the extraordinary tale woven to him by Lennox only a few moments ago. By the end of his story, Krieger looked more surprised than Joe had been by the shocking news.

  “This is crazy, my friend! You are telling me this man Lennox thinks he is your father and that you are—what, heir to Olympus or something? That is insane!”

  “It isn’t,” Joe said, patiently, “He’s telling the truth.”

  “I think you took hard hit on head back there in the jungle.”

  “Trust me, Krieger. I’m his son.”

  “Derr’mo!” The Russian swore. “So what does this all mean?”

  “I don’t know. I keep going over everything in my mind. I don’t understand why the General never told me any of this.”

  “Maybe to protect you or something?”

  Joe shrugged, “Maybe. There’s only one way to find out.”

  At that moment, Caedra approached them, still dressed in her thick Vagabond armor. In her hands, she held a radio transceiver with a corded mic.

  “Is that for me?” Joe asked.

  Caedra handed the radio to him. “Yes. It’s an untraceable uplink. Not even your fancy American tech can hone in on it. Use it to contact your people. Do not let them know about this location.”

  Joe nodded in understanding, “Of course.”

  “Will the Peacemakers aid us, Braddock?” Caedra asked, a tinge of apprehension in her voice.

  “I think so. Damien Sledge has to be stopped. The General is a reasonable man. If Lennox holds true in helping us find Danny, I’m sure Walsh will aid your people in return.”

  “Good. When you’re finished, there’s some food waiting for you at the second tent on your right.”


  “Thank you Miss…uh, what should I call you?” Joe said, not knowing the proper ranking of the Vagabonds.

  “Caedra is my name, Braddock. Call me that.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  With that, the towering woman turned on her heel and left to join her comrades back on the airstrip.

  Krieger whistled, “Tall and angry. My kind of lady.”

  “Enough. We need to contact the ship.” Joe fiddled with the receiver to find the proper frequency. Holding the mic to his lips he said, “Alpha One to Mother Hen, come in Mother Hen.”

  It took a few tries before a familiar sounding voice broke through the interference.

  “This is Mother Hen. Alpha One, thank God! We thought you’d bought it, over.”

  “Good to hear you too, Mother,” Joe said, hesitating before breaking the bad news, “I need to report two KIAs: Husker and Petrol.”

  There was a brief pause from the other end. He looked at Krieger. “She was friends with Petrol,” said the big Russian.

  Headcase’s voice came through the other end, “Copy that, Alpha One. I’m…sorry, over.”

  “We need to speak to Eagle Commander immediately.”

  “Just a minute, Alpha, over.”

  There was another pause. After a moment, General Walsh’s calm voice broke through the line, “This is Eagle Commander, go ahead Alpha One.”

  Joe took a breath, feeling his grip tighten on the mic, “Sir, contact with the target has been made. We’ve…I’ve been briefed on the current situation with the Vagabonds. There are things we need to discuss, General.”

  Walsh’s voice became guarded, “Copy that, Alpha. There’ll be time later for that. Tell me what the target told you, over.”

  As succinctly as possible, Joe relayed to the General what Lennox had told him—about the Code of War and the Stream Viral A.I. The General listened patiently. After a time, Joe brought up the subject of the Drone facility.

  “The Vagabonds have offered their assistance knocking out the drone factory,” Joe said, “Problem is, they don’t know the exact location.”

  “Fortunately, we do. We have operatives on site as we speak. It looks like Olympus and Mister Sledge are prepping some sort of transfer in the next few hours.”

  “What do you suggest, General?” Joe said, trying to keep down the anger he felt for the man that had lied to him for two years of his life.

  “Hang tight for now. We’re still gathering intel on site. Once we’ve covered all the corners, we’ll move in and shut them down, permanently.”

  “Sir, the target has offered to help us. You should see the spread they have here, General. If what we’ve been told is true about Damien Sledge, we’ll need all the help we can get to take him down.”

  “Roger that, Alpha. Tell the target we can handle things when the time comes. For now, hold tight. Get as much information as you can. We’ll prep an exfil for you in the next few hours. Until then, stay frosty, over.”

  “Copy that, Eagle Commander.”

  “Joe…”

  “Yes, sir.” Joe’s voice did not give an inch away from what he felt.

  “What Lennox told you was the truth. It was all done to protect you, I swear.”

  “Is there anything else, sir?” Joe asked, his voice completely neutral.

  He heard the General sigh, “Negative, Alpha. Good work. Out.”

  Braddock popped out the earpiece. Krieger tapped him on the shoulder and pointed behind him.

  Lennox was walking toward them, still limping on his bad leg. “What’s the word, Sergeant?” he asked, folding his arms behind his back. Lit by the setting sun, the man’s stature seemed to swell. He was tall, like Joe, and he carried the weight of command like a true leader of men.

  “We’re to wait for now, sir. General Walsh has located the drone facility.”

  “He has?” Lennox looked surprised, “That man always had the nose of a bloodhound. What does he wish to do?”

  “We’re to hold position until they have more intel on site. After that, the General says the Peacemakers can handle the attack.”

  Lennox didn’t seem to take the rebuff well. “Hmm, well if that’s what Walsh wants, we’ll hold tight, but I’ve never been one to shirk away from a battle, especially against a slime like Damien Sledge.”

  Krieger looked over Lennox’s shoulder toward the airstrip, “Hey, I think I see Walker down there. I must go—make sure he is not betraying us to anyone.” The big Russian gave Joe a smack on the arm before taking his leave. He fixed Lennox with a glare as he walked past.

  When Krieger was out of earshot, Lennox asked, “Doesn’t like me much, does he?”

  “He just looks out for me, that’s all.”

  The Vagabond commander fixed Joe with his brown eyes, “That’s good. Loyalty is hard to come by in my line of work.”

  “It looks like you have loyalty here.” Joe gestured back toward the encampment, “All of these soldiers. Who are they?”

  Lennox turned to look back toward the Vagabonds milling about the base. “Mercenaries, mostly. Men and women burned in some way by Olympus. Soldiers from around the world I banded together over years of careful maneuvering within the PMC. Take Caedra back there—she was a Marine Corps pilot till four years ago, when on patrol in Afghanistan, her entire patrol group was wiped out by a stealth Hyperion assault. Sound familiar? She was the lone survivor. As there was no evidence to prove Olympus involvement then, she was drummed up on false charges and tossed from the Corps. Through circumstance, I found her—gave her a new purpose.”

  Lennox watched his people work, his eyes gleaming with sad pride. “There are hundreds of stories just like hers in my army. We stand together, united in a common goal: to end Olympus for good. We’ve kept things small for some time, laying low for the right moment. Venezuela was a turning point for us. It forced me to increase my group’s profile.”

  “Your men are practically worshiped by the rebels fighting in Caracas,” Joe said, remembering the graffitied walls he’d seen adorned with the beret-wearing skull logo of the Vagabonds, “The civilians think of you as angels of mercy.”

  Lennox scoffed, “It’s true, our aims often tie in with that of the hard luck masses. We have no political aspirations. We simply go where the winds of war blow.”

  “Like true vagabonds,” said Joe, thoughtfully.

  Lennox smiled, “Do me the honor and walk with me, my son. The mission is quite pretty in the evening.”

  The two men walked together along the jungle tree line, speaking quietly. While they talked, Joe observed his father closely. The man had a natural calm about him that Braddock admired. After the initial shock had worn off about the truth of his parentage, Joe was starting to admit the reality he faced. He may never truly be able to accept this man in any sort of familial capacity, but there was a wealth of information he could teach him about Olympus.

  “There’s something I forgot to mention earlier,” Joe said after a time, “Something Walsh wanted me to tell you.”

  Lennox was intrigued. “What is it?”

  “He said to tell you ‘I never forgot.’

  A smile curved across Lennox’s face.

  “What does it mean?” Joe asked.

  “Nothing,” Lennox said, “Just an old joke between two old soldiers, that’s all.” He shook his head, “I’ll tell you it someday.”

  Joe decided to dig a bit deeper into their previous talk. “You said something earlier about an everlasting war. What did you mean?”

  “Well as I said, the Olympia Brotherhood was founded over fifteen-hundred years ago. During the decline of the Roman Empire, in the hills of Italy, a great general named Suetonius Agrippa led a coup against those in power. At the time, the Empire was split. Rome was weak and the Empire would soon crumble away. Suetonius was a man far beyond his time. He’d amassed an enormous fortune and designed weaponry far surpassing his enemies. Suetonius believed he could restore the might of Rome,” Lennox chuckled, “He failed.�
�

  “I’m not really up on my Italian history,” Joe said, “but I’ve never heard about this.”

  “Few have. It’s a small footnote in history today, much of the true detail long suppressed by the Brotherhood itself. Within Olympia, we learn the history only to remind us of the chaos that caused a great Republic to fall into decay and ruin. It is the essence of the Brotherhood to make certain the world never reaches that point again.”

  Lennox reached inside his uniform and pulled out a small object. Crafted from pure obsidian, it was an ancient-looking crest, shaped like a coyote head. He handed it to Joe.

  “This is the last reminder of the original founder of Olympus. Passed down over the centuries, it was to be your birthright.” Taking the crest back, Lennox smiled, “Fate has a way of twisting our expectations.”

  Joe exhaled into the humid air, “This is just all so…crazy.”

  “Yes, I know. Sometimes it all just feels like a steady stream of madness.”

  Joe looked sharply at his father. It was a phrase he knew very well. Hearing it from Lennox’s mouth puzzled him.

  “You know, Joe,” his father spoke, calmly, “I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t want this life for you. I had always hoped in my heart you had become something else. War has stained our family for generations. I wanted it all to end with you.”

  Joe looked out across the endless jungle, as the sun set beyond the horizon. “I made my own choices in life, sir. Being a soldier is the only thing that came naturally to me. I made mistakes, I failed at times, but I never regretted the decision.”

  “Agrippina told me you were planning to quit the Peacemakers after this was all finished.”

  Joe swallowed. That decision felt like it had been made years ago. “I…I dealt with a lot this past couple of months. I’ve seen a lot of horrible shit. I don’t know, maybe I was wrong.”

  “Is there anybody else?” Lennox asked.

  “What?”

  “Anybody else in your life, I meant.”

  “Oh. Yeah.”

  “A lady?”

  “Yes.”

  “Women bring men home. You have choices to make, Joe. Whatever happens in this fight, I know you’ll make the right ones.” He checked his watch and said, “Since all we can do is wait for your courageous General, you may as well get something to eat. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”