Taylor strode up to her and whispered in her ear, “Get your shit together. We have a job to do, and the longer it takes us to do it, the more people will die.”
She just looked horrified as Taylor spoke to the two girls.
“Don’t look down, just go. Go on!”
They rushed on towards the chokepoint where their troops were still piling through.
“Let’s keep moving!” Taylor yelled and carried onwards. They were reaching the edge of the dome. It rested on the rocks above them. It looked as though it could close down through the canyon at any time. That was a fear that they all shared, but nobody said it. Taylor went through first. His pulse was racing, but he passed under the edge without incident and carried on as if he hadn’t expected anything else. The canyon soon opened up, but ahead it once again bottlenecked into a small tunnel that was just a few metres wide. It was a worse choke point that the last, something no one had spotted or mentioned previously. He could see the edge of the colony through the hole.
“This isn’t good,” said Alita.
“Nope, but we’ll just have to live with it. Come on.”
He rushed on through without hesitation and burst out the other side to get his first glimpse of the town. It was made of a modular prefabricated series of buildings that looked the most bland and ugly place to live Taylor could imagine. Every structure was white, and with few windows, just small portholes every few metres.
“The place looks more like a prison than a town.”
“Atmospheric effects mean they have to batten down the hatches pretty often. Doesn’t sound like the most hospitable of places.”
That was the first he had heard of it, and it made him realise that he hadn’t come close to researching the area for their operation, but it was too late now. There were at least two-dozen bodies scattered around the area. They seemed to have come out at the back of a factory of some kind.
“Looks like the canyon isn’t really used much.”
“Guess they’d be no point. Without the dome, you could just fly out of here. I guess they’re probably nothing more than casual walking areas, if people walk anymore.”
“Why would you design a colony with no other way out?”
“They couldn’t have predicted this. No one could,” he replied.
Gunfire rang out, and it was a reminder that they needed to pick up the pace. Up ahead was a broad road that led all the way to the centre of the colony, and the source of the dome shield. They could see the vertical translucent cylinder rising to the dome above. Taylor looked down at his pad to the map of the area. It was made in a simple grid like structure, but their attention was soon drawn to the chaos on the road ahead. Gunfire zipped back and forth as civilians ran from Gurvs that were chasing them down. And further back was a huge armoured vehicle.
“What the fuck is that?” Taylor asked.
A bulbous looking tank seemed to hover just over the ground. It was oval shaped, with a very squat but broad turret on top with two huge gun barrels. It looked to be five metres tall and twice as wide, more like a bunker than a vehicle.
“Can’t be good.”
Just as she said it, the turret turned slightly, and the guns were pointing right at them.
“Cover!” Taylor shouted. They rushed off either side of the road, but many of their colleagues were still trying to get out of the canyon. They saw the flash of the guns, and a moment later two huge energy shells struck their position. Taylor jumped into cover with Alita just in time. The ground shook as they impacted, and Taylor feared to even look back, knowing it would be a catastrophic sight. He climbed up to his feet. There were thirty dead where they had been trying to get out of the canyon, and the cave had completely collapsed, likely killing or trapping many more.
“No!” Alita screamed.
Two were wounded and being dragged into cover the other side of the road. Taylor peered around to look down the street. The tank hadn’t moved. It was about a kilometre ahead of their position. Alita hadn’t even turned back from looking at their dead. She couldn’t take her eyes of them and just stood upright with her rifle lowered. She began to pace slowly towards the bodies as if drawn to them. He grabbed hold of her by the armour on her back and hauled her back into cover.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Her eyes were wide with shock. She couldn’t even respond. Taylor smacked her helmet once again like he had done before, and she looked him in the eye.
“I need you right now, Alita. We all do.”
“But…but,” she began to mutter.
“But nothing. We can’t change what has happened. We can’t save those men and women. They are gone. But there are a hell of a lot more lives we can save.”
She nodded, but she was still in shock. He looked around and found that just one platoon had made it to safety beside him. A second platoon lay in wait on the other side of the road. That was all they had, less than seventy troops. Then it struck him that they weren’t getting any communication on their radios.
“Jones, come in, Jones?”
Nothing came back.
“Ah fuck!”
“The dome is blocking radio signal?” Alita asked.
“A situation that I have known more often than I would want. It was a common strategy of the Krys. Communication is everything. Well that just fucked us.”
“What are we gonna do?”
“Stay the course. We have a job to do.”
“But how, with these numbers? We’ll get murdered, and that tank…”
“All I am hearing is a whole load of problems. How about some solutions?”
“We can’t do this.”
“Don’t ever tell me we can’t. Bullshit, I don’t agree with that. I wouldn’t still be alive with that attitude.”
She fell silent, and he was starting to realise that she was close to breaking point. He looked over the road to see a Lieutenant whose name he didn’t even know awaiting orders.
“Who is that?”
“Wallis, I believe,” she replied.
“Lieutenant, keep working your way to the target, and stay off the main road. We’ll do the same. See you on the other side!”
“Splitting up?”
“Someone has to make it, Alita. We need to give ourselves the best chance of making that happen. Now, let’s move!”
Chapter 7
Taylor rushed into the road that ran parallel with the main street. It was swarming with civilians running to get to the outskirts of the town. He knew they had no way out now, but at least they would be away from the fighting. He hurried past them and heard gunfire ahead. They took a bend and found a makeshift barrier made of cars. A dozen soldiers were fighting from behind it. Two Gurvs had made it over the top and were hacking at them with their blades.
Taylor raised his rifle and opened fire, killing them both instantly as he moved forward. He sprinted to the barrier to find the soldiers looking relieved.
“Thank God,” a corporal said.
“This isn’t over yet. Who is in charge here?”
“I…I am, Corporal Deny.”
He was a small, thin, and boyish looking man. He was cut and bleeding. A blade had clearly glanced off his helmet and struck his shoulder and upper arm, but he was trying to ignore it. They had antiquated equipment, the same equipment Jones had started the war with. He took a look over the barrier to see twenty dead Gurvs.
At least the old guns are good enough for the task.
“Are there any more of you, Corporal?”
He shook his head, and the look in his eyes told Taylor everything.
“I am Colonel Taylor, and I am in charge here now. You are coming with us. We need all the support we can get.”
The man’s eyes lit up as Taylor said his name, but his expression soon turned to a frown.
“What can we do, Sir? Is this all you brought with you?” he asked, looking at the platoon.
“There are plenty more on the way. My Regiment is working on one a
im right now, to bring that damn dome down. Do that, and we can get the air support we need, will you help us?”
The Corporal didn’t look keen to move from their position of relative safety, but his comrades seemed to be in agreement.
“We’ll come with you, Colonel. Just please save the people here.”
“We’re doing all that we can. Now let’s move out.”
They ran onwards and soon found a group of Gurvs heading their way. They activated their shields and advanced as a solid wall. Firing as they advanced with the locals bringing up the rear. They cut down two-dozen when they noticed a Morohtan warrior amongst the Gurvs. A four-legged creature that looked like a smaller version of the Princes that everyone feared so much. A few shots ricocheted off its thick armour, and it was firing back. Shots bounced from their shields until a salvo of fire found enough weak points in the creature’s armour to bring it down.
“What the hell is that thing doing here?” Alita asked.
“Did you think the Gurvs were the worst we were ever going to face?” Taylor said breathlessly.
They could hear gunfire off to their flank and knew that it was Wallis’ platoon. There was the echo of heavy fire from both friendly and enemy weapons. They stopped for just a moment before realising they had to go on. Taylor dropped a magazine and slammed in a new one. He checked, and there was just one left on his webbing. He shook his head in disbelief at how poorly prepared they were for the operation, and yet that did them no good now.
“If only this place had been equipped properly, we could have at least taken ammo from their stores,” said Taylor.
“I guess priority has been given to frontline forces.”
“Yeah? Then we got fucked, didn’t we?”
They stopped at the body of the warrior.
Corporal Deny approached. “We’ve seen a few of ‘em, Colonel, leading groups of those awful things,” he said, pointing to the Gurvs.
“Morohtan officers leading Gurvs, is this how they work?”
But nobody had the answer.
Alita shuddered. “We can only hope. An army of those things would be a nightmare.”
“Their armour is tough. Our weapons can’t even penetrate it. Only thing I saw take one down was an AT rifle off the back of a truck.”
Taylor’s eyes lit up at the revelation.
Finally something we can use!
“Where is it now?”
“Last I saw it was heading for the centre of town. I’ve not seen it since.”
“Have you got any more of those weapons?”
“A few at the armoury, and the vehicle depot, I guess.”
“Can we get to either?”
“There’s a vehicle depot just around the corner, yeah.”
“All right, stick with me and lead the way, Corporal.”
They crossed over two blocks to the north and were met by two-dozen Gurvs in the open. They were looking around for more people to kill and had no cover at all. One of them quickly opened fire as several others charged. Two shots hit Taylor’s shield that he used to cover himself and the Corporal. He returned fire. The platoon opened fire as they advanced and soon cut them down.
Deny couldn’t believe the ruthless efficiency in which they operated.
“Damn, when are we gonna get kit like that?”
“You should have had it a long time ago, Corporal.”
He walked over the bodies and towards the open door of the depot. The bay was big enough for about eight trucks and that was all. They were all long gone. Taylor took one quick look in through the opening and rushed inside.
“This way,” said the Corporal.
They reached a locked armoury door that was two metres square.
“I don’t know the code.”
“I do, Corporal.”
Taylor drew out his Assegai and drove it into one of the huge metal hinges at the top. It passed through like butter. He drew it back and thrust into the lower hinge before barging into the door and prising it open. The rifle racks to the left were empty, but to the right were three AT rifles. They were two metres long and looked heavier than any man could carry.
"Without the trucks, I don't know how we are gonna use them. Takes two just to move them, and we don't have any other mountings."
Taylor just grabbed one and lifted it out to the Corporal's surprise.
"As I said, you should have had this kit a long time ago," Taylor said, indicating to his suit. He slung his rifle onto his back, as it wouldn't be of any more use.
"Come on, load up!" he yelled.
Several others came in and grabbed the other two. The magazines were vast, far larger than he could fit into his webbing. They carried just seven rounds each. He looked around for some solution and finally spotted a shoulder bag that someone had left on a chair. He grabbed it and emptied the contents onto the floor before stuffing two magazines in and throwing it over his shoulder. He slammed another into the gun and walked out.
"You think they'll get through that tank?" Alita asked.
"Probably not."
She shook her head, but he ignored it.
"Come on, let's move out and get this shit done."
He hurried onwards, hauling the huge weapon as though it were just a rifle to the local troops. They passed a block in the right direction and upped their pace. It wasn't long before a squad of Gurvs came running at them. Taylor lifted the AT rifle and fired a shot at the first of them. It went right through him and ripped a huge hole in his body, but it didn't stop there. It passed through into one of the Morohtan officers behind him and killed that one, too. Taylor couldn't help but smile.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he shouted as gunfire around him cut down the rest.
They ran on and were covering ground quickly now. They could hear gunfire all around and were well aware that they were getting into a more and more dangerous location with every step they took. They would be coming up on that tank soon, and no one had a clue as to how they were going to deal with it, not even Taylor. They looked to him for answers and assumed he had them, but in reality he just hoped something would come up along the way.
Gunfire rang out once again as they engaged another group of Gurvs. The primitive warriors were no match for the Immortals, but they certainly slowed them down. They all feared the moment that they would become swamped by the sheer numbers of them. They took a bend and stopped in horror as they found the tank at the crossroads ahead. They were just fifty metres from its flank and with a clear view.
Taylor lifted his rifle and took aim, hoping that the gun might be powerful enough to pierce its flank armour, praying the flank was weaker. He pulled the trigger, and the shot struck the hull. It bounced clean off without even a dent. He fired again to be certain, and the same thing happened.
I have to have one last attempt!
He took aim at the side of the turret and squeezed the trigger. The shot ricocheted off and over the tank, and the turret soon began to traverse towards them.
"Ah, fuck! Take cover!"
They dashed each side of the road as they had done before. With so few, and the time it took the huge turret to traverse, they were long gone before it had turned around. Still the guns fired, and the blast knocked Taylor to the ground from the sheer force. He stood back up a little stunned. Everyone around him was down, except for Babacan who was the only one strong enough to stay on his feet. He reached down and helped Alita up.
"What the hell are we gonna do about that?" she asked.
He shook his head in disbelief. He didn't have any answers, but as he tried to find one, a hail of gunfire and explosions rang out. Taylor looked around the corner. The turret of the tank was pointing to the far side to where Wallis' platoon was engaging them with everything they had. Shots were bouncing off and grenades exploding at the base of the vehicle.
"That's our chance!" Taylor shouted.
"What?"
Before anyone could stop him, he ran out from cover and sprinted towards the
imposing vehicle.
“No, stop!” Alita screamed.
He didn’t even hear her words and was focused on just one thing. He covered the ground quickly. As he reached half way, the guns fired, and an explosion ripped through a building on the far side of the vehicle. Taylor saw debris fly into the air, but he couldn’t see the point of impact. He kept sprinting and simply prayed that his plan would work.
A Gurv soldier leapt out at him just as he was about to make it, but he didn’t have time to stop. He smashed the receiver of the rifle into the creature’s jaw with such a thunderous impact that he heard it break. The Gurv was smashed down onto the ground, and Taylor kept going. He took a leap as the turret began to traverse back in his direction.
He crashed into the side of the turret before finding his feet. The gun was now close to targeting Alita’s position. He took a few places along the hull as gunfire landed all around him. A shot from one of the Gurvs glanced his torso and right leg armour but didn’t go through.
“What the hell is he doing?”
Babacan quickly grabbed hold of Alita and hauled her out of the way. They rushed around the next building and managed to find a view over the shallow roof. Taylor activated the visor on his helmet and lifted the rifle up, jamming the barrel into the muzzle of one of the huge gun barrels of the tank. Now she understood what he was trying to do.
“No, Mitch, No!” she cried.
Taylor reached up and squeezed the trigger, and as he did so a massive eruption occurred in the hull of the tank. Babacan pushed Alita down for cover as debris came crashing down, and the ground shook violently beneath them. Alita pulled away from Babacan’s grasp and rushed out to find him.
“Mitch!” she called desperately.
She could see no sight of him and looked distraught.
“Mitch!” she screamed at the top of her voice.
That only attracted three Gurvs who ran out from a nearby alleyway towards her. She showed no fear at all, as she went forward with only one thought in mind. She advanced with sheer determination and fired from the hip. A burst killed one of them instantly. A second burst killed another, but the third Gurv was on her. He swung clumsily with his blade. She stepped out and under it and drove the stock of her rifle into its stomach. She then smashed its head down with the muzzle, firing a burst into its head as it slumped to the ground.
Battle Beyond Earth: Invasion Page 10