Professional coldness and practiced medic instincts took over Tag’s mind, and he ignored the devastating fatality as he leaped over the now-headless body. He dodged under another fusillade, then dove to the first injured marine. Her fingers trembled in spastic clenching and unclenching motions as he grabbed her wrists. The busted power armor added an extra fifty pounds to her already-muscular frame, and he grunted, dragging her to the med bay as more rounds ricocheted through the passage, whining over his head.
Unflinching marines returned a deluge of orange pulsefire to the attackers, who were still sheltered by the smokescreen. Their return fire did nothing to quell their unseen enemy. Another marine went down in a flurry of blue pulsefire, and Morgan dashed to help the man. Even while the marine’s blood pooled out from a massive hole in the glove over his right hand, he fired into the cargo bay, holding his kicking rifle with his good hand.
“M3, help!” Tag shouted, lugging his charge past another motionless casualty.
The droid rushed down the passage, past Morgan and the marine with the injured hand. Its metallic face was devoid of any outward signs of fear as it reached Tag and his patient, and it wrapped its thin, pearly fingers under the injured marine’s legs. Incoming pulse rounds singed an open hatch, barely missing the duo as they hauled the marine into the med bay. Tag gave the M3 droid a slight nod, and it let go of their patient. Hot crimson liquid pumped out of her chest plate. He unlatched the suit near her neck, and the hissing, automatic servos finished the job. Armor plates around her arms, torso, and legs split open and slid back, revealing the woman within the armor. The face shield retracted. Sweat coursed over his forehead, and his fingers trembled. He recognized the wounded staff sergeant.
“Kaufman,” he said. “You there? I’m going to take care of you, okay? You’re going to be all right.”
Kaufman’s eyes remained closed, and the color had already begun its slow march from her face. Charred fabric outlined a wound in her sternum; lifting it revealed a gory mess. All of Tag’s medical training still didn’t prevent the pang of squeamishness turning his stomach over at the sight. He grabbed a spray of coagulating agents and doused the wound in chemicals to staunch the profuse bleeding. Nearby open regen chambers hummed as they awaited their patients. Thank the gods he and Morgan had prepped all of them. Even so, he wasn’t sure if Kaufman would survive the short journey from her armor to an idling chamber. Still, he reached under her armpits, warm liquid oozing over his fingers from her wounds, and, with the droid’s help, hoisted her from her mechanical shell.
“Stay with me, Kaufman. Please, stay with me.”
Her breathing waned in increasingly shallow, staccato gasps. Three hells, he was surprised she was breathing at all. He and the droid slid her body into the regen chamber, and then his hands flew over the holoscreen next to it. With practiced ease, he selected the proper emergency treatment protocols and stood back while the chamber did the rest. He let a long breath escape his lungs and wiped his perspiring forehead with the back of his hand.
She’s safe.
If the gods had any mercy, the regen chamber might breathe life back into her.
More agonized screams echoed from the passage. With his hands still covered in crimson, he hurried back to wade through the carnage once again. He was a meter from the hatch when he saw Morgan. The medical assistant was dragging an unconscious, maimed marine just outside the bay. Streaks of red marred the medical assistant’s clothes, but Tag couldn’t tell if the blood belonged to Morgan or the marine.
“Help me out here!” Morgan cried.
But before Tag reached the hatch, another robotic voice came over the ship’s comms, replacing the repeated warning of an “unauthorized boarding.” This one simply said, “Emergency containment activated.”
The hatch slammed shut.
END OF ETERNAL FRONTIER EXCERPT
Find the rest of book here, http://amzn.to/2d2TeJn, or check out AnthonyJMelchiorri.com.
Also by Anthony J Melchiorri
Eternal Frontier
When an unexpected attack cripples a scientific vessel, the ship's sole survivor, Tag Brewer, discovers a terrifying secret. It's up to Tag to survive long enough to warn humanity and stop the dawn of a new war.
Find it here: http://amzn.to/2d2TeJn
Enhancement (Black Market DNA #1)
In the year 2058, Baltimore’s latest crime epidemic is illegal genetic enhancements. Convicted dealer Christopher Morgan finds himself on a hit-list before he’s even released from prison. In a race for survival, he must uncover a shocking conspiracy involving organized crime and genetic engineering.
Find it here: http://amzn.to/1rhSboa
The God Organ
Brilliant biomedical scientist Preston Carter introduces an implantable artificial organ designed to grant its recipients near-immortality. But many of those recipients are suddenly dying. With the organ already implanted in his own body, Carter must uncover the truth before he’s killed by his own invention.
Find it here: http://amzn.to/1yjmMGF
The Human Forged
Former Army Specialist Nick Corrigan is abducted and unwittingly becomes embroiled in a biotechnological nightmare. He embarks on a dangerous adventure to return home. The only person that might be able to help him is a man Nick never knew existed—his clone.
Back in Washington, CIA analyst Sara Monahan makes a startling discovery while tracking the use of biological weapons in an ongoing war in Africa. She races to uncover a global conspiracy that may shake the very essence of what it means to be human.
Find it here: http://bit.ly/thf14
About the Author
Anthony J Melchiorri is a scientist with a PhD in bioengineering. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives in Texas. By day, he develops cellular therapies and 3D-printable artificial organs. By night, he writes apocalyptic, medical, and science-fiction thrillers that blend real-world research with other-worldly possibility. When he isn't in the lab or at the keyboard, he spends his time running, reading, hiking, and traveling in search of new story ideas.
Read more at http://anthonyjmelchiorri.com and sign up for his mailing list at http://bit.ly/ajmlist to hear about his latest releases and news.
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