System 2.0 - Division of Powers

Three Beginnings 1

Six shooting stars sped across the sky, burning brightly from West to East before fading from view.

'Satellite debris,' Sergeant Mathis said dismissively, sheltering his eyes from the rising sun. He was wearing a large camouflaged helmet, but the visor was broken.

'Probably,' the Lieutenant grunted. He hadn't bothered to glance up from his map.

They were sheltered under a tree by the side of the road, while the other members of the platoon were checking their weapons or watching the sky.

'Think there's anything left up there?' Mathis asked.

'I hope not,' Corporal Ellis replied. 'I don't want the bastards to have too many eyes on us.'

'That drone's still circling,' the sergeant said. 'We've spotted it three times in the past half hour. We won't be able to move without being tracked.'

'It'll run out of fuel eventually,' Ellis reminded him. 'There are no secure landing fields within range, so it can't stay up there for ever.'

'If our data is right,' Lieutenant Michaels said with a note of caution, still focussing on the map. 'We've got so little secure intelligence. I'd rather take it down if we can.'

Mathis nodded. He'd seen what a drone strike could do, and they didn't know how many missiles the automated craft was carrying.

The Lieutenant seemed to come to a decision and folded the map decisively.

'Time to move out,' he announced grimly. He was an experienced officer, but this was his first time under fire. Years of peace had left them unprepared for the realities of warfare. He looked haggard and worried, but kept his aura of command with a determination that Mathis found reassuring.

'Which way, sir?' he asked, responding to authority with well-drilled habit.

Michaels gestured vaguely along the road.

'Into town,' he grunted. 'We need intel and supplies. Could be cover too.'

Ellis nodded uncertainly and gathered up the maps.

'Sir!' Mathis saluted and turned away.

They had just ten men left. Six had died in a drone strike, four had been lost in a vehicle accident, and three were badly injured. They'd left the casualties, and their medic, in a farmhouse three miles back. The survivors were low on supplies, morale and energy.

'Right, you lot,' he barked at the men. 'Lieutenant wants to move on now. Get your stuff, and let's go.'

He spoke with a confidence that he didn't feel, but years of training had given him a habit of leadership and the platoon responded accordingly. They picked up their packs with only a few grumbles and followed him along the road.

The soldiers had abandoned their vehicles in the early hours of the crisis and had been travelling on foot. US army transports were fitted with built-in automated systems, which were capable of bringing them home if the drivers were incapacitated. Their enemies had therefore been able to use their own equipment against them, causing a few nasty accidents before they had realised what was going on.

Mathis led the way, glancing up at the sky where he briefly spotted the drone as it skimmed over the top of nearby hills.

'Yeah, I know you can see me, you bastard,' he muttered, before putting his head down and focussing on the road ahead.

It was a mile and a half to the edges of the next town; a typical West Virginian settlement on the edge of Appalachian mountains. They crossed a bridge as they entered the community, pausing briefly to listen to the water as it flowed beneath their feet.