CHAPTER 24
WESTERN SHOOT OUT!
It is in the interest of the commonwealth of mankind that there should be someone who is unconquered, someone against whom fortune has no power.
- Seneca
Half way back to the Bus the little group heard the sound of engines rapidly approaching. Soon they saw lights in the sky, coming in low. Oddly enough, none of them actually knew what the Bus sounded like from the outside, so at first they thought it could be Flood. As it got closer however, there was no mistaking the sound of the beating blades of a helicopter of some sort.
"They must be looking for the Bus!” said Bates. "Mel, Oscar, Norma, what's the radar cross section of the Bus, anyway?”
"What do you mean?" replied Oscar. Biologists aren't big on radar.
"You know, how big does the Bus appear to be to radar? The size of a car? A bread box? A sparrow? A pinhead?”
"The size of a bus, I imagine," said Norma. "There was no thought at all to stealth in its design. It is a bus, you know! Of course there isn't a lot of metal, and that probably should help enormously, but the Bus isn't shaped to attenuate radar reflections or coated to absorb radar signals."
"Dandy!" Bates remarked.
Suddenly ahead of them, fiery streaks leapt from the helicopter towards the ground where Bates and company supposed their Bus to be. Instantly a dark shape shot up from the ground, and then a huge explosion lit the area under the rising Bus. "Good lord! They're shooting at the Bus!” exclaimed Mel.
When Flood saw the helicopter approaching on his radar, he quickly got Hank, Barns, and Sandra on board and strapped in. His smile broadened with the helicopter's approach, and he started humming 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' softly. Flood was in his element. A fighter pilot for years before joining the space program, nothing got his juices going more than air-to-air combat. He put on his virtual reality helmet, and his fingers danced over the control keys. All systems powered up and passed diagnostic self tests. The helicopter launched missiles at them and the Bus shot up and away. They had attacked and now Flood was fully prepared to attack back.
Attackers of the Bus would get some nasty surprises. Though designed to be a space transport, the Bus had Premium Fuel and nuclear fusion engines of tremendous power compared to those of the aircraft attacking it. Though it lacked conventional lift, control, and stabilizing wing surfaces, the Bus relied on powerful gyroscopes and computer controlled raw rocket power. The primary Bus performance constraint was the inability of its human passengers to tolerate high-G forces.
Because of the less than perfect aerodynamic properties of even a 'streamlined' bus shape, the Bus would normally do better at higher altitudes in little or no atmosphere, were it not for another unique design feature. When the fusion space-drive engine was activated, a field could be generated around the outside of the Bus that was similar to the electromagnetic one containing the actual fusion reaction. The field could be shaped and modulated to greatly improve the aerodynamic properties of the Bus.
In addition, after the Enterprise City visit, the Bus was now a fighting machine. More than a decade ago the Jigs Corporation had made subtle changes to the original Government Bus design that allowed rapid Enterprise crew installation of hardware and software that supported a true fighting capability. The Starlite Plastic forming the outside shell provided improved heat resistance, a highly reflective laser defense, and excellent physical battle armor.
The force field could deflect changed particles, electromagnetic waves including radar pulses, and iron-containing weapons, and could also project disruptive electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Several laser and laser/plasma cannon provided additional offensive punch. Software additions provided control of the weapons, sophisticated battle tactics, and flight control within passenger safety tolerances. And last but not least, Jigs had provided Flood, an expert pilot highly trained to be as lethal as he had to be.
The Bus easily avoided the initial barrage of air to ground missiles fired from the attacking H-99 helicopter by automatically shooting straight up a hundred meters at the last possible second.
Then it was Flood's turn. "OK," said Flood, "let's see what this baby can do!” Norma, strapped in the copilot chair next to him holding a few precautionary barf bags at the ready, barely had time to grasp the arm rests even tighter before the Bus again shot up and forward with tremendous acceleration, and then loop-de-looped around to dive straight down at the helicopter, which by comparison, seemed to be standing still. Flood fired an EMP pulse and laser blast as he flew by. The laser blast penetrated the H-99 causing only minor damage, but the EMP fried all the electronics in the aircraft, which lost control and crashed to the ground within seconds.
Flood turned the Bus upward again to face two F-39 jet fighters diving at them at over 1500 km/hr. Targeting them using his virtual reality helmet, he fired several laser blasts without effect; the F-39 had reflective surfaces to deflect most of the laser energy. A flock of air-to-air missiles from the F-39's were rendered blind by the Bus force field and evaded by violent maneuvers, then rendered mindless and harmless by EMPs. Meanwhile, steel sheathed bullets were deflected by the Bus force field.
As the vehicles closed at over 3000 km/hr, it became apparent that collision was the greatest threat. Flood smiled grimly. He was banking on two things. First, that his opponents were relative amateurs and would become unnerved in an honest game of 'chicken', and second, that the automatic collision avoidance system of the Bus would save the Bus from collision regardless of what moves were initiated by either him or his opponents. He defiantly turned on the Bus's head lights and accelerated towards the oncoming 'air superiority' combat fighters with the confidence of a man that had seen this situation simulated in virtual reality training many times.
These fighter pilots had some previous experience in attacking helpless air and ground targets, but had never experienced an antagonist like Flood or an aircraft like the Bus. Soon their primary concern became to escape collision as the Bus swept by them and destroyed their avionics systems with another close proximity EMP. The fighters had been designed to withstand EMPs caused by distant nuclear detonations, not to withstand directed high intensity bursts delivered at close range. With their computer control fly-by-wire systems toasted, the helpless fighters soon crashed into the rocky Arizona hillsides below.
While the Bus battled the jet fighters, the final helicopter used detection of infrared from body heat to close in on Bates and the rest of the team that was still on the ground. They took cover behind a 5-meter tall boulder, but the helicopter repeatedly swept over the boulder from one side to the other, spraying the ground with deadly machine gun fire, driving the desperately running group around the boulder again and again.
Echoing sounds of the noisy helicopter seemed to come from every direction at once as it varied the direction and timing of its maneuvers, such that the rapidly tiring Team had trouble determining which way to run. Bullets missed Bates' daughter Elizabeth by inches in the last pass.
In the dim light Bates was shocked to see Oscar leap away from the shelter of the boulder to tackle a nearby Aspen tree. After pushing it over and breaking some of the roots, the big man applied his huge strength to rip the entire tree out of the ground. Suddenly the scene was awash with light from the helicopter, and bullets rained down around the big biologist.
With a mighty grunt, Oscar heaved the entire tree, including a good-sized root-ball, up towards the hovering helicopter.
As the tree left Oscar's hands, Bates saw Oscar's body thrown back in a hail of gunfire. Bates knew what had happened even as he told himself so very desperately that it couldn't possibly have happened, as Oscar fell to the ground in what seemed to be slow motion.
"No!” shouted Bates, running towards Oscar. Meanwhile, the amazing airborne Aspen struck the main helicopter blades. The stricken helicopter shuttered and shook, but managed a controlled crash landing nearby.
Bates reached his unmoving friend's side in moments t
hat seemed an eternity. Kneeling beside him, his hands touched something warm and wet, and he realized it could only be blood, a conclusion that was horrifyingly confirmed when floodlights from the downed helicopter illuminated the grisly scene. It was bad, really bad, so bad that Bates couldn't tell if Oscar was still barely alive or already dead. Nor could he leave his friend’s side, even as more bullets whizzed around him, and Mel screamed at him from the cover of the boulder to run for his life!
The ground shook once, then again, as the two fighter aircraft slammed into the ground only a few hundred yards distant. In the direction of the helicopter, three figures carrying rifles were illuminated by the blasts. Startled, they looked around at the burning wreckage for a few moments, probably wondering, along with everyone else, what had crashed. Was the Bus destroyed? Then Bates heard one of the gunmen shout. In the light from the crashed fighters Bates could tell they were looking right at him! They brought up their rifles to shoot. Bates couldn’t move. He couldn’t leave Oscar.
Bates knew this was the end. Then a terrible and extraordinary thing happened that he would never forget. The three gunmen were suddenly enveloped in bright light and lightning-fire; and then they were simply gone! Then the beam of lightning moved upwards and hit the helicopter, and it blew up!
Soon the Bus was landing nearby with its headlights trained on Oscomb and Bates, while the rest of the group already on the ground came out from behind the boulder to discover what had happened. The next thing Bates knew, Jane was next to him, examining Oscar and digging into a first-aid kit she always carried.
"That's it Bates," she said. "Just keep applying firm pressure.” Jane had placed big gauze pads in his hands and pushed them back to where they had been.
"Huh?" asked Bates, coming partly out of his stupor and struggling to see through the haze of tears. He found that somehow in his bloody hands he was holding pads over both entrance and exit wounds, while Jane was working frantically with rolls of gaze and clamps and tape to affix them to Oscar.
A shocked, shaken Mel knelt next to Bates. "They would have gotten more of us for sure if Oscar hadn't done what he did," said Bates. "He’s a hero. Maybe that should help, but it doesn't."
"Hurts like hell!” croaked a pitifully weak voice.
"He's alive!” shouted Mel jubilantly.
"Well of course he's alive, Mel," said Jane. "Why do you think I'm bandaging him up?”
Hank and Barns were suddenly there with a stretcher, and Jane directed the Team in moving Oscar to the Bus. Bates found himself struggling side by side with his son Don and his daughter Elizabeth as they all carried the heavy biologist into the Bus. Still dazed and bloody, Bates sat down in the Engineer's seat behind Flood and Carbuncle, who were soon busy at the Bus controls again.
"Everyone is on board and all hatches are closed," reported Mel, his voice trembling.
"All systems go!” announced Norma.
Flood turned to Bates. "Where to, Bates?" he asked.
"The nearest big hospital is Phoenix General," added Janet.
"That was the NP attacking us! I could tell from their radio chatter," warned Flood. "Phoenix could be crawling with them.”
There was no choice to be made, as far as Bates was concerned. "Phoenix General it is," he said.
"Yes sir," responded Flood as the Bus lifted off the ground. "Do we take it fast or covert?”
"Fast but smooth," responded Bates, looking back at Oscar stretched out on the floor near the rear door, attended by Jane. The Bus accelerated smoothly up into the clear, crisp Arizona sky, a billion dollar ambulance.
Several minutes later a strange looking bus pulled up to the emergency entrance of Phoenix General and discharged a wounded man on a stretcher carried by several ragged looking men and women.
Oscar was in shock but still lucid. As he was being carried in, he lifted a hand and gestured to Bates to move closer. "You have to leave me now," he whispered.
"I'm not going to leave you, Oscar," he answered.
Some of Oscar's old strength seemed to return for a moment. He reached out and grabbed Bates by his bloody jacket with a huge hand and pulled him to his face "GET OUT NOW!” he commanded, and pushed Bates back with such force that the six burly hospital attendants that had just assumed the job of carrying the big biologist had to scramble to keep from falling down.
Bates stumbled back and found himself caught and supported by Jane, Mel, and Janet, who had been following closely. He started towards Oscar again but Jane held him back firmly and turned him around to face her.
"He's right,” she said. “You all have to go. The Team has to continue. I'll stay with him. This is medical work. You just take care of my Mel.” She turned to Mel and they exchanged a quick hug and kiss. Then she ran through the hospital doors after Oscar, leaving Bates, Mel, and rest of the Team standing outside.
Bates took off his glasses with one shaking hand and tried to rub the tears from his eyes using his jacket sleeve, but just ended up smearing Oscar's blood into his eyes. Someone was suddenly there wiping his face and then his hands and arms with a clean damp cloth of some sort.
It was Janet. "Come on, Narb. We've done all that we can.”
Bates looked around and saw that everyone else was walking quietly back to the Bus with heads bowed low. He didn’t think he could walk anywhere. He never in his life felt so tired and empty. Janet took him by the hand and resolutely pulled him towards the Bus.
It would be some time later before the significance of that action registered with Bates. It was the first time that he and Janet had touched in twenty years. But this was a day when all other events were placed in clearer perspective and soured by the terrible thing that had happened to Dr. Oscar Oscomb, expert biologist, loud singer, Bud drinker, B-Team-mate, hero, and dear friend.
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