The Vagabonds (The Code of War Book 4) Page 9

  The Legate managed a smarmy nod before excusing himself. It was all Titus could do to not grab a steak knife and ram it into the man’s smug face.

  Chapter 7

  Once More into the Breach

  The Braddock Farm, Kansas, October 3rd

  “Okay Dad, give it a try!”

  Tom Braddock gave the engine of the old John Deere garden tractor a turn. The ancient rust bucket heaved and hacked, but with a loud cough, the engine died for the eighth time since morning.

  “Damn!” Joe heard his father curse from his seat on the tractor.

  “I think it’s pretty much shot, Pop,” said Joe, removing his work gloves, “You’d have a better time resurrecting disco than this piece of shit.” Joe closed the engine and tried—futilely—to wipe the oil and grime from his face.

  Thomas Braddock lowered himself from the tractor, grunting as he ambled up beside Joe to look at the vehicle they’d put a solid day’s work into repairing.

  “That there is the biggest load of worthless junk I ever saw, Joe. She’s wound tighter than a politician’s asshole. What do you think the problem is?”

  “The fuel line’s shot, there’s a carbon build up that’s gagging the injectors and the whole thing is thirty years old. I’d say it has more than one problem, Pop.”

  “Hells bells.” Tom took off his battered Scouts hat to wipe his bald dome. “Well, that ends that. Too bad. Walt Friedman, two farms down, offered to buy it if I could get it working. Now, I’ll have to shell out to get someone to haul it to the dump.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll take it. We’ll rig the pickup tomorrow.”

  Tom nodded, replacing his cap. He pointed back to the farmhouse, “Uh oh, check it out, Joe.”

  Joe turned to see what his father was looking at. He saw his mother setting up the picnic table on the back porch of the house for a late lunch. Jade, dressed in a tank top and blue jeans, followed after Liza with a tray of sandwiches.

  “Well,” Tom said, poking Joe in the side, “Looks like our lady loves have been busy. Come on, let’s get some lunch.”

  The time on the farm had been like a breath of refreshing air for Joe Braddock. They’d only arrived three days ago, but it felt like a month to him. His father had put him to work immediately and Joe had gone along without complaint. Since his return, Joe had helped fix the sump pump, repair the standing bird feeder in the front lawn, mow an acre’s worth of lawn, and perform many other odd jobs around the farm. It had all felt like second nature—as if he’d never left at all. All the death he’d seen in his time as a soldier, the pain and horror of Syria, the loss of Danny Callbeck; it was all slowly starting to ebb into the back of his mind. It was still there, but it hurt less somehow.

  As he strode back to the house, Joe watched his lovely girlfriend—looking luminous in the midday sun—as she set the table. He wondered to himself if this was what he really wanted. Olympus seemed so unstoppable, so large. He’d given everything one man could be expected to give in a lifetime. What had it accomplished? The death of Danny, Isabella Cordova, his old Ranger platoon—it all just melted together into a big, pointless nothing.

  Here, for the moment, he’d found peace.

  Jade looked up as the two men stepped onto the porch. “We’ve got tuna, PBJ and ham with cheese on rye.”

  “Oh lordy!” Tom said, rubbing his single hand against his trousers. “Son, we are spoiled!”

  Liza came back through the door with another tray of drinks—beers for the men, lemonade for her and Jade. Joe had to smile. His girlfriend wasn’t much of a drinker.

  They sat on the porch, eating lunch and enjoying the breeze of the fall weather. Joe looked around the table. His ma and Jade chatted with each other about craft shows and books, while Tom tried to sneak another beer. Liza gave his hand a swat, “Remember what the doctor said. One’s your limit.” Tom grumbled, but acquiesced. Joe grinned.

  As they sat, he would periodically catch Jade’s eye. She looked like a million bucks, laughing at Liza’s stories. Then Jade would look back, her face brightening as private words passed between her and her man.

  I think I love you, lady.

  Joe spoke the words with his eyes. He knew Jade understood.

  Then, a frown crossed Jade’s face and she broke away to look up into the sky.

  A second later, Joe heard it too.

  A helicopter.

  It was flying low, somewhere to the east.

  Tom heard the sound and said, “What the…that ain’t often we hear helicopters around this time of year.”

  Liza corrected her husband, “We never hear helicopters around here, Tom.”

  Joe stood up from the table and jumped off the porch. He jogged around the house to get a better look into the sky.

  Sure enough, there it was. A Black Hawk helicopter, approaching low across the prairie.

  What the…?

  Jade hurried up to join Joe as he watched the helo bank sharply and begin a landing pattern over the barren field off to the side of the farmhouse. The rotor blades kicked up a furious amount of dust.

  From the porch, Liza called out, “What’s going on Joe? Who is it?”

  Joe had to shout to be heard over the rotor noise, “Don’t worry, Ma, everything’s fine!”

  As the Black Hawk powered down, the prairie became quiet again. Jade clasped Joe’s arm, “What do you think they want?”

  “Looks we’re about to find out,” Joe answered, moving toward the aircraft.

  The side door slid open and a figure stepped out, leaning heavily on a cane.

  General Walsh.

  Of course it was.

  An inner sense of dread built up inside Joe. Followed closely by Jade, he walked up to the aging war dog, his face an emotionless mask.

  “General.”

  “Joe.”

  “Can I ask, sir, what you’re doing here?”

  “Flew into Marshall Airfield this morning. Something kind of important has come up.”

  “Yeah, I bet.”

  The General put a cigarette in his mouth but refrained from lighting it, “I’m sorry to be here like this, son, but you need to hear what I have to tell you.”

  Liza and Tom were walking toward the landed aircraft. Liza called to Joe, saying, “Joe, hun, is everything okay?”

  “It’s alright, Ma, go back to the house!”

  “But—” Liza was about to argue when Tom gently took her arm.

  “This is Joe’s business, darlin’. Leave him be.” Tom led Liza back to the farmhouse, casting a dubious glance at his son as he went.

  Joe turned back to the General, trying to hold back his anger. “Okay, General. I’m listening.”

  Amidst the quiet of the farm, Walsh laid out the events of the past week. Joe listened intently, not quite knowing what to think about everything. He was unsurprised to hear that Olympus was targeting Venezuela for its energy, but what did surprise him was talk of these mysterious Vagabonds.

  As the General finished his spiel, Joe said, “These Vagabonds—why have we never heard about them before? If this…Lennox is so dangerous to them, why are we only hearing about it now?”

  “I think I should let my companion explain,” Walsh said, gesturing back at the aircraft. From the darkened interior, a familiar body stepped out and onto the dusty farm soil. Tall, lithe and wearing a black jumpsuit, she walked across the field toward General Walsh. She was followed by two Peacemaker security members, armed with SCAR assault rifles.

  At the sight of the Olympus harpy, Joe felt his blood boil.

  “Agrippina…”

  He could feel Jade tense beside him.

  Walsh lit the cigarette in his mouth. “Agrippina has been our guest ever since her…attempted burglary.”

  Joe was beyond enraged. “You bring this woman here, General? To the home of my parents?”

  “I didn’t want to Joe, but she insisted. This entire mission depends on you. You need to listen to what she has to say.”


  Joe’s emotions were raging inside him. He still felt the pain of the wounds the assassin had inflicted on him back in Kazinistan. Danny may have saved her life that day in the Ukraine, but that was only a stay of execution as far as Braddock was concerned. God only knew how many good men and women had died at the hands of this psychopath.

  And here she was, free as a bird.

  Joe felt Jade’s hand on his arm. The look in her eyes was one of comfort. Trust him, her eyes seemed to say.

  Joe sighed. “You’ve got two minutes, General.”

  Walsh looked to Agrippina, saying, “Go ahead.”

  The Olympus assassin, flanked by the security men, walked up. Her alabaster white skin seemed to almost glint in the afternoon sun. Joe shivered at the sight of her eyes, one a natural emerald green, the other a cybernetic crimson red.

  “It’s good to see you again, Braddock,” Agrippina said, her voice serious.

  “Stop wasting my time and tell me what you have to say.”

  The assassin looked him over before remarking, “You’ve changed since I last saw you that day in Africa. More scars, if that’s possible.”

  “A lot’s happened since then.”

  “I heard. You killed Brutus, Olympus’s prized tracker. Very impressive.”

  Joe folded his arms. “It was Sandor Delacroix that killed him, not me. The Centurion blew himself up to kill the creature.”

  “Huh. That’s not the way they’ve been telling it in Olympus, I hear. You’ve gained a formidable reputation among the upper management.”

  Joe was tired of reminiscing, “How do you know what’s happening in Olympus? Are you still working for them?”

  “No. For the past year, I’ve been working for this man, Leo Lennox and his army of Vagabonds. They ply a trade around the world as anti-PMC soldiers, rather like your own unit. Lennox has sworn to stop Olympus in any way he can. A few months ago, he discovered a plot by my former commander, a man named Tiberius, that involved our mutual friend…Danny Callbeck.”

  Joe felt his heart skip a beat. “Danny Callbeck is dead. My friend, my brother is dead.”

  “No. He isn’t. He’s in Olympus captivity, I know this for certain.”

  Joe felt rage fill his body. “Sandor told me, in a pool of blood, at the end of his own life with nothing to lose, that Danny had been killed in an escape attempt. Sandor swore it to me right before he died!”

  “It was a ruse by Olympus to make you believe he was dead. Their plans for Danny go far past what you or I can comprehend. You need to trust me—he is alive.”

  “Trust you? Trust you—you tried to kill me!”

  Once more, Joe felt Jade’s hand on his shoulder. “Joe, calm down.”

  But Braddock was in no mood to cool off, “General, this woman is a killer! What reason would she have to help us? For all we know, she’s still working for Olympus!”

  Walsh shook his head. “No, she’s telling the truth, Joe. This man Lennox was an inside source to me for years. Agrippina’s told me more than enough to convince me that she works for him. Lennox would not give his trust easily.”

  “I don’t trust her,” Joe said simply.

  “Neither do I, but we don’t have a choice here. If Lennox believes Danny is alive and somehow involved with Olympus’s plot with the Code of War, I believe him.”

  Joe turned away in disgust. His gaze went back to the farmhouse. He could see his parents watching nervously from the front porch. God only knew what they were thinking right now.

  “Okay General,” Joe said, turning back toward Walsh, “what the hell is it you want from me? I’m a borderline psych case right now. What good would I be in the field?”

  “I know you’re hurting, son, but this is important,” Walsh said, dashing out the cigarette. “The Vagabonds have asked for our help. Lennox has promised us information on Olympus’s plot, but only if you are the one to personally speak with him.”

  Joe’s anger turned to confusion, “What? Why does he need me?”

  Agrippina answered for the General, “Lennox has heard of your war with Olympus and he knows of your relationship with Danny. Don’t ask me why, but he will only trust you with this information.”

  Joe shook his head, “I’m a goddamn Sergeant—a grunt in the scheme of things. General, I don’t understand any of this.”

  “I know how this sounds, Joe. You don’t trust Agrippina or this Lennox. You can trust me. I’ve been fighting Olympus for over fifty years. I’ll end my life fighting against them, I have no doubt. You need to see this through. I’m not going to force you, but I hope you’ll do what needs to be done.”

  Joe placed his hands on his head, his mind racing to comprehend the last few minutes. He stumbled away from the General and the assassin. Kicking a mote of dust across the field, he watched it disperse into the prairie wind like so much memory. He felt like he’d taken a plunge straight down the rabbit hole. Everything was upside down now.

  Jade rushed up beside him. “Hey, talk to me.”

  “I get out of one hell hole and now I have to go right back in. Story of my damn life.”

  “Look, Joe, I more than anyone know what you faced out there in Syria. No one is going to blame you for no longer wanting this life.”

  “That isn’t it,” Joe said, “I let Danny go. I accepted his death, knowing I’d failed him. But he’s alive. All this time, I’ve known. I’m sure to the bottom of my goddamn soul—he’s alive. Olympus has had him all this time. And here I am, wallowing in my own pity.”

  “How could you’ve known? You thought Delacroix told you the truth that day.”

  “I should have tried harder. I shouldn’t have given up. For whatever reason, I’ve been pulled into this war and until Olympus is destroyed, I’m stuck with the fight. I have to go back.”

  He noticed something in Jade’s eyes—a glimmer of fear that worried him. Joe figured she was holding her emotions back.

  “I’m sorry if that isn’t what you wanted to hear,” Joe said, taking Jade’s hand in his.

  Jade took a deep breath, “This is who you are, Joe. Trust me, I understand what it means to want vengeance. But you need to go into this with a clear head.”

  “I know. But I can’t hide here anymore. I’m going to find this Lennox. I’m going to find Danny. And I’m going to end Olympus, no matter what it takes,” he turned to look into his lady’s beautiful eyes, “And then…I’m through.”

  JOE WHEELED his Indian Classic into the barn as his father looked on. Parking it in a corner with some unused farming equipment, Joe gave his beloved motorcycle a pat before joining his father at the entrance.

  “Don’t worry Joe, she’ll be fine here until you come back.”

  “I’m sorry to leave like this, Dad,” Joe said, truthfully.

  Tom scoffed as he pulled shut the barn door with his single hand. “Pssh, don’t worry about it. You’re serving your country. What more could a Pa want of his child?” Locking the door, Tom pocketed the key and cast a glance toward the sky. Just as it had every evening since Joe had been home, dark clouds were already gathering over the farm, threatening to rain again.

  “Brother, you’d think we could get some of this weather during the growing season,” Tom remarked, trying to remain optimistic.

  Joe looked back toward the house. Jade was saying goodbye to Liza, having collected her small duffle. Joe felt a pang of guilt. He knew Jade was cutting her leave short, but the General had asked her to return as well.

  Tom glanced over to see what his son was looking at. Grinning, he said, “That’s a lovely lady you have there, son. Don’t mess it up.”

  “I won’t, Dad,” Joe said, giving his father a hug.

  Tom patted Joe’s back, “You come back now, you hear?” His voice was heavy with emotion.

  “I will. I promise.”

  Breaking the embrace, Joe became aware of another presence behind him.

  General Walsh was standing between them and the farmhouse, like an ominous statue.
Tom gave his son a fatherly cuff on the chin before walking back to the house. As he passed by Walsh, Tom said to him, “That’s my son you got there. If it’s all the same, I’d like to see him again, General.”

  “Of course, Mister Braddock,” Walsh replied.

  Tom gave the General a quick nod before leaving to join his wife in saying goodbye to Jade.

  “Good people,” Walsh said as he approached his Staff Sergeant, “Hard to find folks like them these days.”

  Joe didn’t answer the General. Taking his duffle, he marched past Walsh to say goodbye to his mother.

  “Joe, wait—”

  Braddock kept walking.

  “Sergeant!”

  He stopped.

  Walsh spoke softly, his aged voice for once devoid of its traditionally hard edge, “I’m sorry to bring you back in the fray. If there was any other way—”

  “There isn’t, General. Let’s get going. If Danny’s alive, I’m going to find him…and I’m going to bring him home.”

  After saying his final goodbyes to his parents, Joe Braddock stepped aboard the Black Hawk. Jade sat beside him; a positive light in a world of darkness. As the aircraft lifted into the sky, he had the teeming suspicion that this would be the last time he would see the old farm.

  It was time to return to the battlefield.

  He would find his brother no matter what it took.

  Joe felt a wistful smile cross his face.

  It’s all a steady stream of madness.

  Chapter 8

  A Bloody Hunt

  WITH THE wooden bow clutched tightly in his frigid hands, Danny Callbeck moved across the tundra like a breeze of air. As he’d been taught as a boy, he tested the direction of the wind by floating a few hairs pulled from his mitten. Certain he was downwind, Danny scampered over the grassy terrain with cool efficiency, eyes open for any sign of his quarry. The land around him was still, save for the calming wind, blowing gently across the tundra.