“We’ve got an evacuee line set up ten klicks to the east. Get them there, and the troops on the ground will ensure they get to safety,” said Davis.
“And what about our troops on the ground here?”
“They will do what is necessary to save as many lives as they can. My people, and yours.”
She didn’t like it, but had to accept it. Her craft was already filling up, and so were the others she had arrived with. She turned back and grabbed Davis by the collar of his uniform and yanked him in close. The power of her suit allowed her to drag him round as if he was a child, and he was at her mercy.
“I will do what is required of me here, Major, but let me tell you this. Every ounce of blood that is drawn of my people, I will take out on you. They are there fighting because this city wasn’t ready for the war you knew was coming.”
The Major looked frozen and unable to answer.
“That is Colonel Taylor down there, fighting for you and yours. He is more important to this war than anyone else you can imagine, and if we stand any chance of getting through it, we need him alive. So don’t let them go to waste just for some stupid mission.”
The Major coughed to clear his throat and regain his composure.
“There is nothing stupid about this mission. We are trying to save lives, just as you are.”
Alita loosened her grip. She knew she was out of order, but everybody was too scared and unable to do anything about it. She stood as a giant among them in her armour.
“Good luck, Major,” she finally added.
She turned and ran back to her craft. It was dawning on her that the sooner she could get the civilians to safety, the sooner she could get back to help Taylor and the others. She powered up the engines and raced off the rooftop with rapid acceleration. The craft was loaded with many more people than it had seats, but they were packed so close there was nowhere to fall. They were shoulder-to-shoulder and compressed against one another as they rocketed off the building top. She had no words to console them. Her mind was focused on only one thing, getting the job done as quickly as they could so that she could get back to Taylor.
As she passed over the last of the tower blocks in the centre, she started to see the full extent of the evacuation. The streets below were packed with people trying to make it out on foot. The lines went on as far as the eye could see. To the west of the city was a vast staging ground where walls were being hastily erected by ground troops. Three large transport ships had landed beyond the wall and were being loaded with civilians.
There seemed little order to what was going on at the ground, so she looked for the largest opening she could see. It wasn't large enough to land her vessel, but she had to force her way in somewhere. She lifted the nose and brought the craft in for a quick landing. She hovered for just a second to allow people to clear the way below. The engines kicked up dust and blew several people aside, while others ran for their lives as to not be crushed. She couldn't tell if the landing area was clear, but there was nobody to guide her down. She just had to hope; time was a luxury they did not have.
She slammed her fist down on the door release, and people began to pour off the ship. She got up to usher them out even quicker, but as it began to empty, others were fighting their way through to get aboard. One man just got to the ramp and squeezed through several others and managed to get a foot in.
"Get out!" she screamed at him. He looked up for just a second, but carried on anyway.
"I am going right back into the city. I need this boat empty!"
But two more men climbed in beside him.
"Please, get us out of here. We need to get out of here," pleaded the man.
Another few civilians rushed up the ramp and more were trying to follow them. She went forward and pushed the man back. He was unable to fight against her, but still he tried as the others were driven back to the doorway. She was starting to feel the strain as the number pushing against her increased.
"Please help us!" the man begged once more.
She reached the edge of the ramp and stopped dead as the weight of numbers brought her to a standstill.
"Get off the ramp!" she screamed.
"You have to help us!" the man cried, pushing his way to get back on board.
Alita was irate. She drew her pistol and fired two shots into the air. The people panicked for a second, but they soon pushed back against her through desperation.
"Step away from the ramp, or I will shoot!"
But they kept pushing. She fired in the air again, but it was not enough to deter them. They were too desperate to care, and none of them believed she would truly do them harm. Or maybe the risk of it was nothing compared to being left to the mercy of the barbaric invaders. She shoved the man at the front back one last time, but he was going to come right back at her. She lowered her pistol and fired a single shot into his chest. The moment she had squeezed the trigger she regretted it.
The crowd froze in shock as the body of the man collapsed back into them. He was already dead. Many looked up at her with disgust. They wouldn't dare come at her, but their deathly stares would be enough of a punishment to haunt her for many years to come. She wanted to just break down and cry, but she had to keep going forward. She stepped back and hit the door release. She said nothing as it sealed shut and was finally saved from their judgemental faces.
She knew in her head that she did all that she could do. Every moment wasted endangered more lives. She told herself she would save many more than the one man she killed, but it still didn't make her feel any better. She shed a few tears as she got back to the cockpit and slammed the engines onto full power, wanting nothing more than to get out of there and put her mind on something else. Anything else.
"Idiots," she said, looking down from the cockpit at several civilians bunching around the man's body.
She wiped the tears away and took a deep breath as she turned the craft about and soared back towards the city, back towards Taylor.
* * *
"Keep firing. Give 'em all you got!" Taylor barked.
He could barely be heard over the volleys of gunfire from both sides. The buildings either side of them raged with fire, and the enemy dead were piling up. He had lost none, but the National Guard squad was down to half its strength. They were losing the will to fight, and the survivors rarely popped their heads out from cover. As he finished another magazine, he looked down. He had just one left. But in that moment of silence, he felt the ground shake, and they all felt a tremendous vibration.
Oh, no!
He slammed in the last magazine and rose up from the cover of an overturned car. The tremors were getting louder. It was the sound of not just one of the fearsome Gürveliin creatures, but several of them. He watched in horror as three of the creatures took the bend up ahead.
"Gurv!" he screamed.
It was a terrifying prospect that none of them wanted to imagine. The first creature took the bend too fast and couldn't turn quickly enough. It barrelled into a department store, crashing through the toughened glass and vanishing inside the shop. He knew it wouldn't be the last they saw of it.
The second and third creatures had howdah platforms on top. Two Amitad warriors were in each, riding them like they were war elephants from antiquity. They were firing wildly. Shots struck all around the Immortals' position.
"What do we do?" Antos asked as they watched the creatures hurtle towards them. They crashed into parked vehicles that slowed them down, but didn't come close to stopping them. There was nothing they could do to stop them. Taylor spotted a tramcar further back down the road.
"Fall back!" He pointed to the car.
No one hesitated. Even Babacan knew his Hydra was of little use against the thickly skinned monstrosities. They ran onwards and soon overtook the remains of the Army squad.
"Get to high ground now!" Taylor yelled to them.
They gladly took his orders and rushed to some nearby steps that led up to a rail line suspended above t
he street. Taylor reached the tram and tried to lift it from its tracks. He was barely able to lift the suspension a little, but his comrades were soon on hand to help. Eight of them got a grip on the front of the car and lifted it clean out of the rails and pulled it aside.
"Pull!" Taylor shouted, as they began to heave it across the street. The familiar sound of the Hydra burst into life to cover them while they manhandled the carriage into position. Another six got on the other end and shoved it along. They managed to heave it into the middle of the street. It blocked off the whole of the road, leaving just small gaps on the sidewalks. The first creature was almost on top of them. He leapt up onto the tram.
"Get back!"
They scattered either side of the road. Even Babacan's gun was out of ammunition, and he rushed for cover, too. Taylor drew out the Amitad blade from his back and held it up in a taunt to the Gurv heading for them.
"Come on!" he cried.
One of the crew laid slumped dead; the other had drawn a blade in anticipation, but Taylor stood firm.
Come on, you son of a bitch!
He was thankful of having the space to manoeuvre; unlike the last time they had met such a creature. The Amitad warrior was readying himself to pounce, and the Gurv showed no signs of slowing down. It got within two metres of the car when the warrior leapt up towards Taylor. But the Colonel launched himself vertically. The warrior flew underneath him and over the top of the car. It crashed down the other side where it found itself before a firing squad of those sheltering behind the cover.
The Gurv crashed into the car with all its weight and power. The car was rocked up but didn't tip. The creature’s back legs buckled up and slightly over before it crashed down onto its side. Taylor landed beside the creature as it staggered back. Its legs wobbled, and blood poured from several wounds it had taken from the impact. It looked weak and drowsy. Taylor didn't give it any time to recover. He raised his blade with both hands, and in one swing decapitated the creature.
Blood spewed out over the side of the wrecked tramcar as he sighed in relief.
"Colonel!" a voice yelled.
The other creature was rushing right for him. He jumped up onto the roof of the carriage, but as he landed, it smashed into the wrecked car. He was thrown over the top as the car itself rolled over. The creature tumbled over it. It rolled right past him, crushing its two riders. He was a little disorientated by the impact but was soon back on his feet. He could hear gunfire raging the other side of the car where his people were engaging the enemy who had gotten a solid opening to advance on them. But that wasn't his biggest problem. He had lost his sword in the tumble, and now he squared off against the beast alone.
He drew out his Assegai ready. It was far from the fastest or most clever enemy he had fought, but its brute strength, weight, and power were terrifying. He began to circle it as the creature grunted at him. It bore its filthy teeth that looked razor sharp. He had no doubt its powerful jaw would crush through his armour with ease.
"Good beastie," he said as he thought how he was going to take it on. The creature began to grunt more loudly and tap its foot like a bull about to charge. But out of the corner of his eye he saw Babacan leap on top of it and hold onto the front of its howdah. The creature bucked back onto its hind legs and fought to throw him off, but he held on with an iron grip. He had no weapons but his bare arms, but he wrestled it back down to the ground.
The creature then lurched forward and rushed at a nearby building. It tilted and crashed into the side so that Babacan was crushed against the wall. Part of the structure gave way and collapsed over both of them. Yet still it ran onwards so that he was dragged through more of the wall, but he refused to let go. Finally, the creature reached a dead end and turned to find open road.
Instead, it found Taylor. Babacan wrenched its head up to reveal the softer tissue on its neck, and Taylor drove his Assegai in deep.
The Gurv recoiled from the wound and began to gurgle. He drew out the blade and a pool of blood began to gather at his feet. He once again sighed, but as Babacan released his grip, the dying creature lurched forward and clamped his jaw down onto Taylor's left arm. Despite being almost dead, he could feel the powerful jaw tightening down on his arm like a vice. His armour had stopped him from losing it at the elbow, but he could feel his bones crunch as it was starting to crush the plates of his suit.
"Get it off!" he screamed.
Babacan leapt to his aid and got a hand on each side of the creature's jaw, trying to pull it apart with all his strength. It was enough to stop it closing any tighter, but the creature was still resisting any more movement. Taylor was trying to prise its mouth open with his other arm, but he couldn't get much of a grip.
"Whoa!" a voice yelled.
They looked back. Antos stepped out from behind the wreckage of the tramcar.
"Give us a hand!" Taylor hollered.
Antos looked around for something, anything to help. He spotted a rail tube that had broken loose from the car and picked it up. He rushed up to them and thrust the bar into the creature's mouth, levering it with all his strength.
"Come on!" Taylor screamed.
He lifted his rifle and put the barrel into the creature’s mouth. He fired two bursts to try and loosen its grip further. Finally, the light seemed to fade from its eyes, and its mouth was wrenched open. Taylor staggered backwards. The greave of his forearm was buckled and punctured in two places. The pain was starting to kick in, and blood was dripping, but he still had motor control. He clenched his fist to be certain.
"Close call," said Antos.
"Too close," he said, patting Babacan on the shoulder.
"Thank you, my friend."
He nodded in appreciation but said nothing. He was almost entirely coated in dust and debris from the buildings he had been smashed through, but he shrugged it off as if it were nothing. He went to the car and looked out through the windows the other side. Their people were still laying down fire, but the enemy numbers only seemed to be increasing.
Two of their own were being carried back to cover where they had been injured by the incoming fire.
"We can't go on like this. Time to get the fuck out of here," stated Taylor.
"You read my mind, Sir," added Antos.
"All units fall back. Back to the boats!"
It was an all too familiar situation, and his people were just as eager as he was to get out of there. Craft were still descending on the tower they had been defending. The ships came in thick and fast, and he could only hope they were close to completing the evacuation. They started to get up pace back to the tower and were within spitting distance of the doors when they heard a crash beside them. The final Gurv plummeted through a shop front and charged towards them.
Taylor ground to an abrupt halt, and the creature barrelled past them. It dug its feet into the road and slid to a halt, turning to face off against them once more. They couldn’t make it to the building or hope to get up a few floors before it would maul them. Their luck wouldn’t hold out forever. He’d barely survived the clash with the last one.
The creature grunted twice, but on the third time the thunderous echo of an engine drowned out its raucous tone. As it turned around, a main battle tank crash into it, eighty tonnes of hardened alloy, powered by two thousand horsepower of muscle. It smashed the creature back into the wall of a building, crushing it against the support pillars of the structure. There was no doubt it was dead on impact, as the vehicle reversed back out and a hatch opened on the turret. An officer climbed out and looked at them with a welcome smile. It was completely out of touch with their environment, and yet very welcome. A second identical vehicle rocked up behind it.
A hole had been punctured in the side as if the horn of a creature thrust through it, and burn marks adorned he armour plating.
“Where you boys heading?” asked the Commander of the first vehicle.
Taylor looked up at the building. Craft were still coming and going at a rapid pace. They
still had work to do.
“Anywhere but here!”
“What about our ride?” Antos asked.
“There are people who need it more,” replied Taylor.
“Looks like we’re the last way out of here, you coming with us or not?”
“All aboard, boys. Let’s move!”
He clambered up onto the tank and took position beside the Commander. The others piled on. Between his people and the National Guard squad, they almost entirely covered the surfaces of the vehicles. As the last boarded, a wave of enemy warriors swarmed in from where they had first come. The main gun fired, and a massive HE shell ignited amongst the enemy. It must have killed ten or more, and the two machine guns were quick to follow it up.
“Time to move,” said the Commander.
The tank rocked forward and turned almost on the spot, the troops on top laying down fire. The vehicles could no longer turn their turrets for fear of knocking the men off the top.
“Alita, come in."
"Mitch?" her response quickly came, "Are you okay?"
She was being very casual, but he knew it was not intentional.
"We're fine. We've got our own wheels. Get everyone out you can. You don't have long."
"I will."
Her voice was a little shaky, and it was clear she was crying. He couldn't tell if it were out of sadness or happiness, but he was just glad she was still alive.
"Good luck, Lieutenant. Taylor out."
He looked over to the tank Commander. He was grinning like a fool. He could tell what was going on just from the few words they had spoken to one another, but Taylor didn't feel he had to justify himself to anyone. He looked down at the tank. It creaked and rattled as if it was of some vintage; its many coats of thick paint giving the impression it had been in service a long time.
"How many of you are there?"
"There were three when we arrived," he replied solemnly.
Battle Beyond Earth Box Set Page 51