by J. A. Scorch
"Oh, come on," Larsen said. "Wasn't this enough punishment?"
Miles jumped to his feet, itching to go. How he still possessed the energy needed to fight was nothing short of a miracle. They still had to venture out of the base in full EVA battle rattle to an abandoned outpost over fifteen klicks away. A fight with three goons from 1st wasn't going to make the job any easier.
"Come on, Larsen. It's on," Miles said as Reed finished barking orders at her squad. She cleared the training dome and left all fifteen soldiers on their own.
Larsen realized this had been the plan all along. "Oh, crap," he said as all twelve members of 1st Squad approached. They circled the three in an instant, most of them not looking that out of breath.
"So who's it going to be?" Miles asked with outstretched hands as he spun around the group. "Please tell me Jarvis is one of the three."
None of them answered him as their faces all tightened up and stared death at the three.
"Miles," Larsen said a second after it was too late. One of the twelve hit Miles from behind in the back of the head with his elbow, bringing him down in a flash. Larsen jumped to his feet and charged without thought only to be grabbed from behind. His arms were pinned back as he was forced to his knees. A follow-up blow struck his gut, keeping him there as the rest surrounded Miles and started kicking the hell out of the downed soldier. Matos was shoved out of the circle and kept at bay by two grunts as they laughed in her face. She did what she could to try and break through the pack, but the 1st Squad grunts wouldn't let her.
All Larsen and Matos could do was watch as Miles got the life beaten out of him. Jarvis led the attack.
By the time the scuffle was over, Miles had stopped trying to defend himself. A small splatter of blood stained the floor where he lay as most of 1st backed away and left the dome. Jarvis and a few others stayed back and knelt to Larsen with a smirk.
"Sorry about that, Private, but your boy was begging for this. Had to be done."
Larsen shook his head while the two soldiers held him down.
Jarvis grabbed him by the chin. "Don't get any thoughts about singing this up the line. This is simply base justice at play. Our beef isn't with you and Matos, but it can be. Got it?"
Larsen didn't answer as he stared into the crazed eyes of the private.
"Got it?" the blond-haired, nineteen-year-old kid yelled as he gripped tighter.
"Got it," Larsen finally said. Jarvis released his grip and ordered his soldiers to do the same. The remains of 1st left the area and laughed as Matos charged over to Miles and checked on his pulse.
Larsen stumbled to his feet and dropped down to the floor, slipping on his comrade's blood.
"Miles, are you okay?"
A groan escaped his swollen lips. It was obvious that Miles couldn’t open his eyes.
"See you round, 4th Squad," Jarvis called from the exit to the dome.
Larsen held his stare on the private as he left the room.
Chapter Three
Larsen and Matos dragged Miles to Medical. A nurse was on duty and didn't hide his reaction to the body being carted toward him.
"What the hell happened to him?" the nurse spat out. The man was a civilian contractor and held no rank.
"Can you treat him?" Larsen asked, glossing over the question. "Of course, but I'm going to need to know what happened to him, first. Why has he been beaten to a pulp?"
"I can't tell you. You need to help him out before it's too late. Can you do that?"
"Okay, but people will ask questions. If you are the ones that did this—"
"Just treat our friend," Matos yelled as she grabbed the nurse by the front of his scrubs with one hand.
"Okay," the man a full head taller than her said as he backed away with both hands raised. "I'll help him. Just everyone, please calm down. You can explain everything later. Take your friend to this bed over here, and I'll do what I can."
Larsen and Matos helped ease Miles to one of the mobile beds. His blood spread itself out over the white, clean sheets. The nurse muttered away to himself as he rallied together the gear he would need to treat Miles.
Using a NavComm, the nurse pinged one of the other nurses to wake up and lend a hand.
Saxon arrived ten minutes later as the nurse's call made its way through the system. Over the next hour, Larsen and Matos were berated by Saxon as well as the platoon lieutenant. Their superiors tried to force the information out of them both with all kinds of empty threats. Neither soldier caved.
A punishment fell down the line, starting with 4th Squad's sergeant and ending with Larsen and Matos. Saxon was berated in the process and held accountable for once in his life. By the time the platoon lieutenant was done spitting in people's faces with his words, the three were left with ringing eardrums from the man's explosion.
Saxon's fire team was late for their mission by a full hour. Command didn't care that one of their team members had been beaten half to death on base. The patrol still needed to go ahead no matter what.
Because of the fire team's shortage, a soldier from 1st Squad was put into their ranks so the patrol could get underway immediately.
Larsen wondered just how deliberate the choice of replacement really was.
"You've got to be kidding me," Matos said when she saw who had been picked to substitute for Miles.
Walking up in full EVA battle rattle to the secondary blast door of one of the bases many entry and exit points, Private Jarvis smirked at the rest of the geared-up fire team. "Private Jarvis, reporting for duty, Corporal Saxon."
Larsen and Matos did what they could to hold back their rage. Saxon knew without a doubt that the goons from 1st had beaten Miles up, but he didn't know Jarvis was the ring leader.
"Fall in, Private. We've got a long march ahead of us," Saxon said. Larsen knew he had no choice but to treat the soldier like he was one of their own. He also knew the corporal wouldn't dare ruffle any feathers and make a big deal out of 1st beating up one of his people.
Jarvis strolled past Larsen, intentionally bumping shoulders with the half stunned private. Matos' eyes went wide, not leaving the back of Jarvis' head for a moment. Larsen could see she was planning all kinds of revenge in her head. He would have to keep an eye on her as well as Jarvis while their half-sober team leader led them on patrol.
"Why are we heading out to Venom Point, Corporal?" Jarvis asked without being prompted. "I thought you people had been through the outpost twice this month already?"
The question almost caught Saxon off guard. "Um, says here some of the equipment has been malfunctioning and losing power. Command wants us to check it out and run full diagnostics."
"Sounds like a walk in the park, Corporal."
Saxon huffed and gave Jarvis a weak smile. "No more talking, Private. I want a nice quiet patrol."
"Yes, Corporal," Jarvis half shouted. It was evident he knew about the team leader's drinking problem.
The four approached the secondary blast door and stepped through once the reinforced entry had opened. Alarms and yellow lights whirred around as the secondary door closed, warning those inside they were about to venture out into the lethal, non-terraformed expanses of Mars in the remote region. It would be at least two more generations before the planet was completely breathable. Until then, small bases and outposts dotted the land should the Zeal ever decide to attack again.
The compounds were initially built if human armies from Earth ever decided to take on the Martians and claim the colony for themselves. That day never came as the Zeal beat the old powers of Earth to the punch.
"Form up and move your asses, people," Saxon said over the comm. "We've got a long day ahead of us. I don't want any more punches exchanged between 1st and 4th. Treat this as a patch-up mission to make things right."
"You can't be serious, Corporal?" Matos stepped from the rear, sidestepping Jarvis. "This asshole beat Miles half to death. Are we supposed to ignore that? We should take him out while we have the chance."
Matos didn't reply.
"Same goes for the rest of you. No one harms each other. I don't have time for this competition, understood?"
"Yes, Corporal," they all chanted.
"Good. Now fall the hell in line. Jarvis, you're on point. Larsen, fall behind him. Matos, in front of me."
The three formed up as the primary door opened. Their line broke up the fire team into a spread-out column with Jarvis taking the lead. He knew the way to Venom Point. They all did.
Matos called Larsen over the comm, using a private channel. "This is some A-grade bullshit."
"Matos," he said. "Get off the comm. Saxon will see your activity any minute now."
"Just saying, we need to do something about this meat head. We can't let 4th be the punching bag of the entire platoon."
Larsen huffed out a short breath. "We are, though, Matos. Let's face it; there's a reason we're the last squad to be picked for any of the real missions. Now stop chatting to me before things get any worse." He switched her off and blocked his private channel temporarily.
They had a long walk ahead of them before they'd reach Venom Point.
Chapter Four
Over three hours later, the fire team arrived at the entry to Venom Point. The outpost sat in a flat region of Mars with visibility in all directions. The compound was once a functioning operation for the soldiers of the MAF. After the SAF had become the regular army in the entire solar system, a restructuring of each local force's assets meant the existing personnel had to be spread across Mars and Earth to protect both planets equally. The less important regions of Mars were abandoned that day to reinforce what the SAF deemed worthy of defending.
"All right, Jarvis, open her up," Saxon said as they reached the main gate.
Using the credentials found on his NavComm, Jarvis approached the control panel on the frame of the oversized door that towered two levels high above the fire team. The private waved his wrist over the panel a few times. The interface didn't beep or light up. The gate remained defiantly shut.
"It's not working, Corporal."
Saxon muttered away as he stomped up to the panel himself, wrist raised. "Step aside, Private." He swung his NavComm over the board from a few different angles and failed to give them access beyond the thick outer layer of the outpost.
Jarvis let his smirk out again, not trying to hide it from the corporal. The visors on their suits weren't reflective and allowed everyone to see each other's faces.
"Must be part of the problem Command was referring to. We'll have to find another way in." Saxon started sweeping through his tablet as he muttered more to himself. The team leader was getting frustrated with every second that passed. Everyone knew he hadn't taken a swig of alcohol since they left Skyresh.
"Okay," he said. "We'll use one of the emergency entries. This way." Saxon motioned with a wave of his hand for the rest of his fire team to follow. They ventured around the square outpost to a secondary gate, finding it locked as well. Saxon strolled up to its panel and tried the conventional method of entry. Nothing happened.
"How are we going to move inside, Corporal?" Matos asked.
"Simple," he replied. He opened a slightly hidden panel next to the main interface to reveal a large lever. With a decent pull, he yanked it down with a loud click to manually open some slots in the wall next to the gate. The soldiers were able to hear the external noise via a small microphone outside of their suits.
Saxon's efforts revealed perfectly spaced-out indents in the surface that formed a ladder they could all use to climb into Venom Point.
"Larsen, you're up," Saxon said.
Larsen stepped forward without saying a word. He felt his heart skip a beat at the prospect of climbing into the base first. He had no reason to fear the task other than possibly falling and making a fool out of himself. That seemed to be happening on quite a regular cycle, though.
"Hurry up, Private," Saxon said. "We still need to run a full sweep on the outpost and generate a shit list to take back to Command."
"Yes, Corporal," Larsen said as he began climbing the wall. He rose slowly, taking the time he needed not to screw up his ascension. Before he got halfway up, Matos was sent after him. She reached his feet in a few short pumps of her legs.
"Come on, Larsen. Get a move on," Matos said.
"Give me a second. I'm just trying to sort out my footing." Larsen hurried up his climb and reached the top a moment later. He pulled himself over one of the long walkways of the rampart. Venom Point was like any standard outpost the MAF had built: a square, walled building that could be defended from all sides like an ancient castle from Earth.
Automated turrets used to line the walkways in the form of autocannons and surface-to-air missile launchers. The SAF had since sacked the outpost and stripped it of most of its defenses. Now the outstation sat in silence, only ever being visited from time to time for routine checkups when the aging equipment inside started to malfunction. The gates refusing to budge was a new problem adding to the base's list of defects. Soon the SAF would need to either give the outpost a complete overhaul or tear it down completely.
The rest of the fire team climbed the wall and followed Larsen as he moved further inside the compound to the first set of steps that would take them down into the central building.
"Spread out and clear the area," Saxon ordered as he closed off the ladder from the top of the wall using a second, half-hidden lever.
Larsen reached the ground of the base and waited for Matos and Jarvis to catch up to him.
"Jarvis, check the basement. Matos, you sweep the supply and barracks while Larsen clears the control tower. Everyone got that?"
"Yes, Corporal," they each droned back.
Jarvis stomped through the middle of Matos and Larsen. Matos stared him down, clenching her fists in the process.
"Let him go," Larsen said. "We just need to push through today. Then he'll be out of our sight, and we can move on."
Matos didn't respond as she continued to follow Jarvis with her eyes.
"Hey," Larsen said as he gave her a light shove.
She swung around with wild eyes and stared at him through her clear visor. "The first chance I have to get Jarvis, I'm going to take it. Either you help me do that, or you move out of my way."
She pushed through his shoulder half blocking her way and stomped off toward the building. Fortunately, Jarvis and Matos were headed in different directions.
"Get a move on, Larsen," Saxon called from the walkway.
"Yes, Corporal," he replied. A moment later, Larsen traveled toward and entry into the main compound that would lead him up to the control tower that stood high above the whole area. The control room was a small, round overlook made from reinforced acrylic glass and steel panels. The entire base was made from battle-ready materials to face an attack. It was bulletproof from small arms and somewhat blast resistance. But despite its defensive construction, a few well-placed missiles could streak in and level the place in a matter of seconds.
Larsen found the primary door to the main building half open. He slid it all the way across and noticed the secondary door was open a crack as well. The base would have no breathable air, meaning their suits weren't coming off anytime soon.
None of the autolights within the building switched on as Larsen stepped inside. He tried to manually active the lights, but nothing was working. It was like the entire facility had suffered a power outage.
"Corporal Saxon, this is Private Larsen."
"Go ahead, Private," Saxon said.
"Corporal, I've got no power inside for the lights and no air, either. Everything has leaked out the open doors."
"Understood. Switch on your tac light and proceed with caution. I'll have Jarvis check on the backup generators and see if we can get this place humming again. Over."
Larsen shook his he
ad as he activated the flashlight on his LMG. As the fire team's automatic rifleman and second in command, Larsen was equipped with an X556SAW. The light machine gun was loaded with standard high-explosive, armor-piercing rounds. The bullets were overkill against a human target, but when the Zeal became the established threat in the solar system, the HE bullets were the only thing capable of making a dent in the aliens’ reinforced power armor.
Larsen swept his weapon left and right, dancing the beam over the dusty, metal surface of the base. The narrow hallway he found himself in was lined with rigid paneling as part of the building's reinforced design.
After a few minutes of winding around the corridors to the middle of the building, he found the elevator up to the control room. He knew it wouldn't work, suspecting the power failure to have reached the entire outpost. The button ignored his many presses and continued to be useless without electricity.
"Stairs it is," Larsen said to himself as he headed towards the adjacent stairwell. He climbed the creaking metal frame and wound his way up a narrow pathway his battle armor occupied. Once he reached the top and pressed through a singled door, a 360-degree view met his eyes as he swept them over the region. Larsen approached the thick glass and saw Skyresh in the distance. The base appeared so close yet so far from Venom Point.
"Control room is clear."
"Understood," Saxon replied.
Needing to run a pointless check on the primary systems, he set his weapon down on one of the consoles. None of the tech looked like it would function anytime soon as he attempted to activate the system by pressing random buttons. He had no idea how to operate the base, but common sense told him that the entire setup shouldn't be dark if it were operational.
"Corporal Saxon, this is Private Larsen."
"Report."
"I've got nothing. The control room is dead. What are your orders?"
"Standby."
A long pause filled the control room with silence until Larsen spoke up again. "Corporal?"
"Larsen, I need you to head down to the basement. Jarvis is not answering his comm."