Primal Link 2

by L Bowers

  A dark smile split her lovely face. “I can’t wait to get back to ass-kicking. Turns out, I’m all out of bubblegum.”

  “That’s an ancient saying.” I chuckled. “Are you sure you’re not too old for me?” I tilted my head to the side and raised an eyebrow while trying not to smile.

  “First you call me fat, and now you’re calling me old?” Her smile faded and her eyebrow went up. “You must not like yourself.”

  “Wait a second.” I raised my hands. “I never said you were fat, only heavy. It’s different.”

  “If you say so, Ray.” Jones tilted her head to point toward the front of the building with her chin. “Find out what the plan is. The sooner we leave, the sooner I get to kick some titanium asses.”

  Her words brought a smile to my face. “Don’t ever change.”

  “As if I would.” Jones smiled back before walking away.

  The time had come to face the one person I didn’t want to talk to. I walked up to him and kept a neutral expression on my face. “Sergeant Lupita, I assume you have the battle plan?”

  “Of course, I do,” he snapped. Lupita tapped on his wrist device for a moment. “Now you do as well. Go away, Sergeant Goshawk. I have nothing else for you right now.”

  I wanted to punch him in the face and ask if he liked what I had for him. Since he was built like a brick oven, I decided to keep that idea locked away. As an augmented Marine, he was orders of magnitude stronger than me. If I stood a chance at beating him, it would be with Aspen’s help.

  “I’ll not help in this,” Aspen thought to me.

  “Nor would I ask you to,” I thought back. “It was only a wish. A fantasy of me dealing with a bully.”

  “I believe I understand, Ray. It’s a way to handle the stress of dealing with Lupita in a safe manner. Yes, that makes sense.”

  “I’m glad you understand. Are you ready to help me train up a new batch of Lenashal-carrying humans?”

  “I’m ready to face any and everything with you, Ray.”

  I pulled up the battle plan on my wrist device. It wasn’t much of one. It was a location on the map with several different routes to take to get to them. No other info was available.

  “Well, shit.”

  “What’s up, Sergeant?” Kopf asked as he joined me.

  “Our plan from the top isn’t much. It’s more like someone called up a travel service and asked for a route to our location.”

  “Those are the best kinds of plans,” Standish said as he walked up. “We get to decide how to handle things without some newbie officer sticking the big green weenie up our proverbial rear ends.” He clapped me on the back. “You’ll be fine. And if not, you have the three of us to help.”

  “What about the rest of the squad?” I asked. “I bet there’s a ton of experience between all of you augmented grunts.”

  “I’m sure there is,” Kopf said. “But you need these guys to trust your judgement. Stick to the three of us until you prove to them that you have what it takes.”

  “You think I have what it takes?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

  “We know you do,” Standish said. “It’s the reason we’re still here with you, and the reason Jones felt comfortable enough to suck face with you.” He held up a hand as my mouth opened to reply. “You let Kopf find you guys doing it. There isn’t a soul in this galaxy that doesn’t know about it by now.”

  “Hey,” Kopf said. “I resent that remark.” He turned to me. “Seriously, if you wanted it to be a secret, you shouldn’t have let me see you.”

  “Not something we were planning,” I said. “Is the rest of the squad ready?”

  “They are,” Standish replied. “We should get moving and bring the last group of Marines back.”

  I stood in front of the augmented Marines that were now my squad. “The plan is simple. We get to the location where the remaining Marines are, and we kill anything that gets in our way.”

  A Private First Class raised his hand like we were in elementary school. “Yes, PFC?” I pointed at him, then immediately felt like an ass for having joined in the early school behavior.

  “Sergeant,” the Marine stood as he spoke. “PFC Ortiz. When will you teach us the zen-wizard stuff?”

  “I’m sorry,” I tilted my head to the side as if that would help me hear his words clearer. “Did you say zen-wizard stuff?”

  “Yes Sergeant. We hoped you would teach us so we can do the cool Lenashal stuff you do.”

  “Oh.” I straightened. “I don’t think we have time for that right now, PFC. We can look into that once this op is in the bag.” Ortiz’s face took on a kicked puppy dog expression, and he sat back down. “If there’s nothing else, let’s get our gear squared away and hit the road.”

  Another Marine stood. “Sergeant, Lance Corporal Swallow,” she said. “Is it true that you’re not an aug, but the Lenashal allows you to be as strong and fast as one?”

  I sighed. “Last question. After this, I won’t answer any more. Yes, Aspen, my Lenashal, gifts me with power that makes me almost as strong and fast as an augmented Marine.”

  The group, my squad, broke out into a gaggle of questions and conversation. “Enough!” I shouted. “Get off your assess and get your gear ready. We leave in fifteen.”

  8

  Goshawk

  Standish led three other Marines as they split off from the squad to flank the enemy. Between us and the Marines we came for were hundreds of the stag-like machines we rode when Cade first showed up. They were accompanied by the dog sentinels with the blue lights that turned red when they spotted something.

  All in all, it looked like we would be able to blow through this enemy with ease. The power granted to us by our Lenashal combined with the augs in my squad made us a formidable force. That’s what I told myself, anyway. Since this was the first engagement with this group of Marines, I couldn’t be sure until we finished.

  “We’re in position,” Standish said over the comms.

  “Copy,” I replied. “Flanking detail, stay where you are until the main body of the squad engages the enemy. Once we have their attention, go weapons free.” Standish acknowledged the order before I continued, “Everyone else, on me.”

  I rose to my feet and moved forward in a crouch. With the element of surprise on our side, I didn’t see a need to stay at max effective range of our rifles. The closer we were, the higher the chances of more shots counting. I didn’t have the training the augs did, so I knew I was probably the only one in need of closer targets, but I didn't care. Even my rounds being utilized effectively could mean the difference between life or death for one of the Marines who were using the ravine for cover.

  One hundred yards from the outer ranks of the machines, someone opened fire. All of the machines moved at once. Some reared up on hind legs and let out a high-pitched bellow with a simultaneous series of beeps like old-school computers talking to one another. Others ran at the Marines in the ravine. Some of the dog sentinels went to work searching the ground with their blue lights.

  “Who fired that shot?” I barked into the radio while trying to keep my voice down.

  “None of us here,” Jones replied.

  “No one with me fired,” Standish said.

  “It came from the ravine,” Kopf added. “Something must have happened with the Marines we came for. Unless… Do you think it’s a trick?” His tone took on the conspiratorial edge I had heard so many times before. Every time Kopf thought the situation was turning sideways and moving into horror movie plot territory, his voice dropped an octave or two.

  “No way,” I replied. “We have orbital footage that identified the Marines here. There is video of them moving around and some audio samples from when the satellite was in optimal position. Those Marines are the real deal, and they need help. Open fire, everyone.”

  The area around me exploded into a droning din of rifle fire. The closest machines fell in showers of sparks. A couple of them exploded. Rows of the mechanical creatures t
urned to engage the new threat, us.

  I stopped firing when I noticed a Marine to my right. She rose to her feet and ran forward a few steps. Movement to my left caught my attention as another Marine did the same. I recognized the tactic of providing covering fire and advancing. Once more, my lack of training kept me from doing as they did. Instead, I jumped up and ran a few steps before hitting the ground while remaining behind the line. Since the majority of the squad was ahead of me, I refrained from firing.

  I’m up, I thought as I jumped up. He sees me, I thought while I ran. I’m down. I dropped to the deck. As I moved, I kept the mantra running in my head to help time my movements and keep me in sync with the squad without having to wait and see when they moved before I did.

  Quicker than I would have thought possible, we were in the middle of an up-close-and-personal fight. I still didn’t have a rifle with a built-in bayonet, but I had something better. Aspen’s talons manifested with minimal effort. As I dove forward, our talons sliced a stag in half. I hit the ground and rolled, and ended my somersault in front of a dog sentinel. A left and right slash ended the smaller machine.

  The fighting was intense, and allowed me to push myself to my limits. I spun, flipped, and leaped impossibly high using Lenashal-enhanced muscles. Due to the lead still flying around randomly, I didn’t use Aspen’s wings from fear of moving too slowly and catching a stray bullet. It was also the reason I tried not to jump if I could help it.

  A stag charged me. I dropped to my knees and spun with my arms spread wide. The machine’s momentum carried it past me as our talons tore it to pieces. Another stag rushed forward and jumped at me, glowing horns first. I leaned back until my back hit the ground and allowed its momentum to drag our talons through its underside. When it landed, components dropped from the new openings, and hot sparks bathed my face and chest.

  I rolled to the right as I screamed in pain. A couple of blinks cleared my blurred vision, but the burning pain remained. I knew that I was supposed to run cold water on the affected areas to cool the skin and tissue underneath and prevent further damage, but that wasn’t an option.

  Bright red light filled my vision before a dog sentinel slammed into my right shoulder and sent me sprawling. The machine didn’t have weapons, or appendages that acted as weapons like the stag. But it raised its leg and kicked me with enough force to make an angry mule jealous. I rolled across the ground from the force of the blow. Every time my right side contacted the earth, a lance of sharp pain shot through my torso and my breath left me.

  A stream of rifle fire shredded the head of the dog sentinel before it could close the distance between us. “Are you all right?” a husky-voiced female asked. I waved her away as I rolled onto my stomach. I couldn’t respond verbally due to my shortness of breath. “Are you sure?” she asked. I waved again. “All right. I’ll stay close until you’re back on your feet.”

  Darkness closed in on me as I struggled to breathe. A voice could barely be heard yelling my name and I wasn’t sure if it was Jones or Aspen. When bright sunlight blinded me and I raised my arm to shield my eyes without feeling pain, I figured out who it was.

  “Hey, Aspen.” I was able to breathe perfectly well in her memory.

  “Ray, you’re in trouble,” Aspen replied in all seriousness. “I believe you’ve done serious damage to your ribs. I’m working to heal you as you share this memory with me.”

  As I let the words sink in, I looked around. Aspen and I stood in midair. Below us, a large animal grazed in tall yellow grass. Our orientation shifted to face-down, and the ground rushed up to us. The animal screamed as Aspen’s talon-tipped feet came into view and tore into its back. Then we were ascending again, with the sounds of the dying animal following behind.

  “How are you able to heal me?” I asked.

  “I’m not, not really. I can do for your body’s natural healing process what I can do for your muscles. By focusing the energy I share with you, I can deliver a boost to your body’s ability to heal. It’s not perfect, but it will get you back on your feet soon.”

  “Why bring me here then?” I looked down to see Aspen’s body and the animal in its last throes.

  “This is a soothing memory for me. A successful hunt that left me feeling sated once my meal was devoured.”

  “That thing is huge,” I said. “You really ate the whole thing?”

  “Not exactly,” Aspen replied from her place in the air next to me. It was a little disorienting to see from her eyes as she hunted and also see her hovering next to me while we moved through the air. “I regurgitated the hair and bones along with other parts I wasn’t able to digest.”

  “How long do you think this will take? I have to get back into the fight.”

  “I don’t know if that is wise. We should sit out the remainder of the battle so you can rest.”

  “There is a saying where I come from. ‘We can rest when we’re dead.’”

  “I don’t like that one,” Aspen said.

  “You remember asking me about becoming augmented?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I no longer have to in order to be the person I want to be. You make it possible. But I still have to show the augmented Marines that they can count on me. I need them to feel like they’re following the right man. Sergeant rank or not, if they don’t respect me, they won’t follow me.”

  There was a long silence before Aspen replied. “Very well, Ray. I am returning your consciousness now. Be careful, and try not to make your injuries worse.”

  Aspen’s inner world faded to dark. As the real light of day brightened in my eyes, the pain returned. It was more than I expected, and I sucked in air between clenched teeth. The sound of a rifle firing helped to move my awareness away from the pain and back to my mission. There was more than me and my pain to worry about. I had to focus on that, and let it drive me.

  As I rose to my feet, it felt like someone used a nutcracker to pop open my ribs and get to the gooey bits. I drew in a deep breath, which caused the pain to quadruple. I dropped to a knee as my head swam. Shallow breaths gave me enough oxygen to keep from diving into the dark of unconsciousness.

  A scream to my left caused my head to snap up. A stag’s antler impaled the thigh of a Marine. I let the one thing I needed take over and replace the pain. Action. I leaped and used Aspen’s talons to slice off the antler. Then I swung my arm up and down, mincing the machine.

  The screaming Marine fell onto his rear at the same instant that the machine’s parts hit the deck. I grabbed the back portion of the antler above the end where I sliced it off. The metal was hot and still retained some of the glow. I reached around and sliced off the portion of the antler that protruded from the rear of his thigh. I gave the man no time to dwell on what happened, and yanked the metal out of his flesh as soon as the pointed end separated.

  I looked up as another Marine ran to us. “Take care of him,” I ordered.

  The lanky guy slid to a stop next to the downed Marine. I allowed myself a moment to stand and take in the scene. Marines were scattered, most fighting alone. Rifle fire came in sporadic bursts as they fired whenever they created some space between themselves and the machines.

  The creatures died easy enough, but there were too many of them. I had to make a dent in their numbers if I wanted to keep my squad from being overrun and killed. I ran, and ignored the jarring pain that shot out from my ribs to every other part of me with each step.

  A stag stood not far away with its side to me as it tried to stab one of my sisters. I jumped and let my left leg land on its back. I took a page from Aspen’s book and sank a talon into the machine's back. Majestic green-blue wings unfurled from my back and took me and the stag up. I flipped forward, pulled the wings in close, and launched the stag at the top of its arc. It hit another stag, crumpled its metal body, and crushed a dog sentinel beneath the two of them.

  My feet hit the ground and I took two running steps before jumping. The wings pumped hard to lift us. “We n
eed to get higher,” I thought to Aspen.

  “We are close, Ray. If you break through, we can ascend and become stronger.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to break through?” I asked as we reached the ceiling of our flying capability. With wings spread wide, we sailed back to the ground. The fifty feet between us and the machines disappeared in an instant. Our wings flapped as we flew above the machines and sliced them with talons from above.

  “You must break through. I’ll let go and become to the best that I can of my ability, but you must break through.”

  “Break through what?” I shouted.

  Our flight time ended. Our limitations were still too great, and I had to land. My feet touched down on the edge of the ravine the Marines we came for were using. One Marine, a beautiful woman, stared up at me with wide eyes.

  “Are you an angel?” Her eyes filled to bursting with tears. “Have we already died?”

  “No,” I replied. Not on my watch.

  Something struck the back of my left knee with a crunch. I landed hard on the damaged knee and screamed as fresh pain stabbed through my thigh. The woman came to her senses and raised her rifle to her shoulder. She fired, and a dog sentinel fell into the ditch.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  I ignored her. “Aspen, I need you to help me disregard the pain, please?”

  “This is dangerous, but I will do what you ask.”

  The pain was covered by a blanket of cool energy. I rose on shaking legs and turned to face the army of metal and bad attitude.

  “Get down here!” the Marine shrieked.

  “Stay safe,” I said without looking down. “I’ll do what I can to get you guys out of this.”

  “No, damn it!”

  I spread Aspen’s wings and hopped on my good leg for a couple of steps. Once we were in the air, the pain subsided more. “That is the best I can do, Ray.”

  “Thank you, Aspen.” I couldn’t focus enough to send the message with my thoughts and said it out loud, instead.