Battle Earth II

by Nick S. Thomas

  He turned back to the Mechs and watched them from cover. They paced up and down the street in opposite directions. He could see no visual communication between them, so they must have comms equipment beneath their armoured suits. They finally strode off out of view, and he slumped back down behind the desk to rest.

  “They gone, Sir?” asked Paria.

  “For now.”

  “I doubt they’ve given up, Sir. They’ll be scouring the neighbourhood for us. We just blew their shit up, and we’d never let that go unchecked,” said Silva.

  Taylor agreed. He considered waiting them out, but there were too few of them to thoroughly check the whole area. Despite this, their presence implied an impending movement into the area. The last place he wanted to be alone in no man’s land.

  “How we getting out of here, boss?” asked Mitchell.

  Taylor looked around the reception atrium and back to the street. He still couldn’t see the Mechs, but he could hear their pacing up and down.

  “It looks like they can’t stay airborne for long, so they’re not much more than our landing thrusters. Let’s get to the roof. We’ll make our way down to the street from there. We should be out of sight and with a good field of view,” said Taylor.

  The Sergeant nodded.

  “Most of these buildings are joined, and those that aren’t can’t be more than a metre or two apart, should be doable,” said Silva.

  “Alright, on your feet, let’s get the fuck out of this dump.”

  Taylor straightened his legs but stayed hunched as they made their way to the stairwell. They could still hear the imposing trudge of the Mechs in the street. They were far smaller than the armoured creatures they had faced before, little over two metres. Knowing that they were safe within the confines of buildings that the enemy could not enter was a comforting fact, up until now.

  It was a long haul to the roof. The small local police station was housed in the base of an apartment block which was fifteen storeys high. They dared not risk using the elevators. The building was close to a hundred years old and the decor almost half that. The smell of food cooked days before still wafted through the corridors, unable to escape through the sealed windows.

  Taylor reached the very top of the building and prized open the door to the roof. He slowly opened it a millimetre at a time and looked for any sign of their attackers. He turned back to the other marines with a nod and a grin.

  “We’re in business,” he whispered.

  He eased the door fully open and stepped out onto the roof. His posture was still hunched and his rifle at the ready, but his head shot from left to right always looking for any threat. As they reached the edge of roof, they could see that it was joined directly onto the next building and several more after that. They were only divided by half-metre walls which the marines quickly vaulted one after the other.

  As they reached the fifth building, they could hear the sound of stomping feet getting louder. These new enemies may be smaller, but they were no quieter. Their armoured suits clanged together as they strode for all to hear.

  “Hardly stealthy,” whispered Mitchell.

  “Who needs to be stealthy when you’ve got the best armour and the biggest guns?” replied Silva.

  They went silent and waited for the steps to pass beyond the entrance to the building they were on. They still had no idea what hearing abilities the Mechs had, but it seemed little different to their own. They were only thankful they didn’t possess thermal imaging devices.

  “Back up,” said Taylor.

  They continued quietly and cautiously across the roof until they reached the edge, gasping at the gap which divided them and the next building.

  “That’s got to be two metres or more,” said Jimenez.

  “But with a metre’s drop, should be doable,” said Silva.

  “Has to be,” replied Taylor.

  Without another word, he took a few steps back and sprinted to the edge to launch himself across. The Major landed hard the other side on the gravel, rolling into a tumble. He was brought to an abrupt halt by a small wall. He shook his head to regain his composure, got up to one knee and nodded to the others.

  “Oh, shit,” said Silva.

  He followed suit by leaping after the Major. The other three marines were left humbled and quickly made the jump. Mitchell was last. As he made his run for the jump, Taylor could hear a Mech approaching the alley, and so lifted his hand to signal for the marine to stop. The signal caused Mitchell to hesitate, but it was too late for him to completely stop. He jumped short and struck the edge of the building.

  Silva jumped forward landing belly first on the gravel and taking hold of Mitchell’s arms. The weight dragged the Sergeant to the edge, but the others took a hold of his legs. They stopped with Mitchell hanging precariously from the roof, and they all froze. Taylor looked down the narrow alleyway towards the location of the Mechs, dipping his head in the hope of remaining unseen.

  The footsteps of the creature grew near as they waited, not wanting to make another sound or movement. Silva winced, his elbows and wrists being stretched by the weight of the man he was holding. Their hearts raced as a Mech appeared at the entrance to the alleyway. It stopped and turned to look down the dim, shadow cast alley, scanning for any sign of life.

  Taylor prayed that the beast did not look up, or they would all be doomed. A moment later the Mech turned and strolled on. The Major sighed in relief before reaching for Mitchell and hauling him onto the rooftop. They all sat back breathing deeply.

  “Fuck me,” said Mitchell.

  “For a species with such technology, they aren’t too smart are they?” asked Silva.

  “We are just as alien to them as they are to us. Think you can predict the way they think, the way their will respond and act?” asked Taylor.

  The Sergeant nodded, genuinely thinking about what the Major had said.

  “Do not forget what you learnt in training. Just know that what we are dealing with here was never included in no manual. We are re-writing the rules as we go along,” said Taylor.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here, Sir,” said Paria.

  “Agreed.”

  Taylor stood up, realising that he was covered in yet more dust from the gravel. He considered patting it off, but any help with camouflage right now was useful. They continued onwards across another eight buildings until they reached the end of the street. Taylor and Silva crawled to the edge and looked down to where they had left their jeep. It sat alone, and untouched by the enemy.

  “Guess they don’t see it as a threat,” said Silva.

  “Why would they? It has no weapons or armour, and it could be anything to them.”

  They looked up and down the street, but the Mechs were nowhere to be seen. They crawled back to the other three. Taylor had a broad grin across his face, happy in the knowledge that they were so close to escape.

  “We’ve got enough power left to make the jump, and I don’t want to waste anymore time up here waiting to get our asses blown off. On my go, we make a break for the jeep. We don’t stop, and we don’t hesitate. Ready?”

  They all nodded eagerly. None of them wanted to run before the guns, but neither did they want to get left alone in what was quickly becoming hostile territory. Taylor checked his weapon and looked back up at them. The situation was far from ideal, and he wished he’d trusted his gut about the intel and taken more troops to investigate.

  “Three, two, one...”

  They leapt to their feet and ran for the edge of the building, launching themselves into the air. They hit their boosters on the way down and landed hard on the tarmac below. The street was still empty with no sign of the enemy, but they didn’t wait to find out. Silva was the first to the vehicle and leapt in into the driver’s seat. The engine fired up before two of them had even got aboard, and they desperately hoisted themselves on as the jeep lurched forward.

  Taylor didn’t have to give any further commands as Silva was well aware of t
he urgency. Jimenez and Paria had got into their seats as the vehicle stormed down the abandoned streets. Just as they thought they had made it, a tingle went down Taylor’s spine at hearing the pulsing sound of the Mechs flying packs.

  “Incoming!” he shouted.

  He snapped his neck back and looked down the street they were racing away from. Two of the Mechs took a sharp turn around the bend into their street, and their engines roared as they stormed towards the escaping vehicle. Taylor stood up and rested his rifle in the roll bar of the vehicle, taking quick aim. He fired a few bursts, but the rounds appeared to bounce off with no effect.

  “Take them down!”

  The others trained their grenade launchers against their pursuers while Paria tried desperately to unload the ARMAL launchers from his webbing. Jimenez fired first, and a grenade landed just ahead of the Mechs, showering them in debris. The two flying monsters burst through the smoke as if unfazed. The one at the front trained its weapon on them ready to fire.

  “Turn!” shouted Mitch.

  Silva wrenched the wheel round and slid the vehicle across an intersection as the enemy’s weapon fired. It blew out the front of a shop, narrowly missing them. Taylor hung onto the roll bar for dear life as the back wheels regained grip, and they continued on at full pelt. He lifted his launcher and fired a single round which again landed just short.

  Having gotten his range, Taylor fired all further five grenades in his launcher with a short dispersal pattern. Explosions erupted all around the Mechs. One disappeared into a plume of smoke and debris while the other spun out of control and crashed through a nearby building. Mitchell turned back to look at the Major with a grin. Taylor flipped open his launcher and quickly reached for the next shells on his webbing.

  “Guess we got them, Sir,” said Mitchell.

  Before the Major could respond, the marine was struck by an energy pulse which took his head off, leaving a smouldering cauterised wound at the neck and shoulder.

  “Holy shit!” cried Paria.

  Taylor turned to see four more of the enemy flyers approaching an intersection they were passing.

  “Step on it, Silva!”

  “Won’t go any faster, Sir!”

  “Fuck!”

  Mitch locked his launcher shut and threw it back up on top of the roll bar as a pulse smashed into the roadside, showering them with dirt. He wiped it from around his eyes. He didn’t have to give any commands as the other marines were already bringing their weapons to bear. The four Mechs banked hard and quickly around the intersection to join the pursuit. Jimenez fired first with a launcher.

  The three launchers fired in quick succession turning the street into a ball of black smoke and flame. They must have done some damage, but at least two Mechs burst through the black cloud. Taylor dropped his launcher and quickly reached for the rifle slung on his side, but it was too late. A burst of light surged from the enemies’ weapons and struck under their vehicle.

  The rear end of the jeep lifted, and they were tossed into a tumble down the road. Taylor held on as they rolled over and over. They were finally stopped by the wall of a bank, smashing to a quick halt and almost breaking Taylor’s neck with the impact. He had remained conscious and quickly looked around for the other marines. Mitchell’s body was gone and Jimenez must have been thrown from the wreck. Blood poured down Silva’s face, but he was still alive.

  “Get out! Now!” shouted Taylor.

  He took hold of the bent roll over bar which had saved their lives and hauled himself out from the roof. The vehicle lay on its side with the chassis facing their attackers. His rifle was still attached to him by his sling, but the launcher had been tossed from the vehicle.

  “Paria, where are those ARMALs?” he shouted.

  The shocked and disorientated marine snapped back into action and fumbled with his pack, finally handing them out. He took one in hand himself and lifted himself up out the side of the vehicle, quickly taking aim at one of the Mechs that was rapidly approaching on foot. He fired and an explosion, which was followed by the sounds of debris scattering across the street, suggested he’d scored a hit, but it was too late for him. An energy pulse struck his chest and sent his twisted and mangled body falling back to the bottom of the vehicle and resting against the Major.

  Taylor looked at Silva with a hopeless expression. They had both accepted that they had met their end. A second later, another energy pulse struck their vehicle and tossed them once again. Taylor came to his senses a few moments later, and sharp pain pulsated through his leg. He looked down and realised he was trapped. Silva was unconscious beside him.

  The sound of heavy footsteps grew near as the last remaining Mech approached to check for survivors. Mitch knew he had only seconds to act. He frantically looked around for a weapon, but his rifle was partly crushed by the vehicle, and his handgun was jammed against the bodywork. His hands reached all around until at last he got hold of an ARMAL launcher. He prized it open, armed the charge and then lay back flat.

  The hulking metal enemy appeared before him with its pulse cannon held ready to finish the team off. Taylor didn’t give the enemy soldier a second to respond. He pointed directly at the Mech and fired. Mitch dipped his head slightly to give his face some protection from the blast. Metal shards splintered all over the scene as the Mech exploded unto hundreds of pieces.

  Taylor lay back down, breathing heavily. He was more satisfied than relieved to have gotten some payback for his fallen marines, but he knew the struggle was far from over. The Sergeant was still lifeless, and he could only hope he would awaken soon. Taylor placed his hands on the roll bar and tried with all his strength to push the frame to free his leg, but it was to no avail.

  He was all alone in hostile lands, trapped and without a weapon to hand. The Major had never felt lonelier. He wished for nothing more than to be back at his home on base the other side of the Atlantic, enjoying the company of Eli. He looked back into the vehicle. Paria was long gone. He could only pray that Silva would awake, or he’d be a goner.

  Chapter 2

  “Fire! Keep firing!” shouted Kelly.

  The line of twenty Moon Defence Force soldiers were huddled behind a make shift barrier defence, desperately struggling to hold the enemy back. They had succeeded in hampering the enemy’s efforts on the colony but had yet to reclaim any ground. Martinez leapt up beside him and fired his launcher, hitting a Mech square on and shattering it into a twisted wreck.

  “We must fall back, Sir!” Martinez shouted to him.

  “No! We must keep fighting!”

  The Commander leapt up and fired quickly with well aimed fire. He knew that the fight was lost, but it pained him to have once more pushed for ground above the surface and to have failed again. He ducked behind cover and dipped his head, disillusioned with their fight for survival. Martinez looked down at their leader, knowing that he had to act.

  “All units fall back! Fall back!” he ordered.

  He grabbed the Commander by the shoulder, hauling him to his feet and into a run. Energy pulses flew past their heads and blasted into the interior walls. The troops around them gave covering fire and quickly followed suit. It was another sore defeat for the Moon forces. They clambered down the hidden access tunnels leading underground, and all was quiet once more.

  Kelly and Martinez headed up the column of soldiers as they strolled between the lines of civilians. Their faces were dirty and equally as grim. The Commander could not help but think that he was failing the people he was employed to protect. Kelly could barely make contact with the men and women he passed. A few patted him on the back, but it gave little relief.

  They finally reached the command centre that had so recently been set up. Lewis sat at the improvised comms desk. He had scavenged more and more equipment over the last week. He spun around in his chair, and his smile quickly left his face as he could already tell the result of their fight. Kelly strode past him and slumped into his chair, throwing his rifle roughly onto the desk
. The clatter of the heavy weapon made several nearby jump. They could see their leader was losing faith in the war.

  The Commander took his helmet off and wiped his sweaty brow. The cuff of his jacket was dry and coarse from ingrained dirt and debris that they’d not the time, nor willpower, to clean out. As he placed his helmet down, he turned to see a boy of less than ten years old stood in front of him holding a steaming mug of coffee.

  “Sir, this is for you.”

  The boy handed the mug to him. Kelly could not help but smile at the gesture. It reminded him that all was not lost yet.

  “Thank you, what’s your name?”

  “Miguel,” the boy confidently replied.

  “My son,” said Martinez. He strolled past and ruffled the boy’s hair.

  Kelly took the mug and nodded in gratitude. He turned to Martinez.

  “Assemble the command staff.”

  “Sir?”

  “Whatever we are doing, it isn’t working, so we need to re-think our operations.”

  “Yes, Sir, I’ll get right on it.”

  “Sir,” said Lewis, “we now have direct lines to most of the tunnels. I can put the word out for you.”

  Kelly nodded for him to do so. A week without the communications equipment they had become so reliant on, plunged them into a dark age that they had quickly adapted to. The luxury of organisation from a central base had almost been forgotten by the Commander.

  “Get them here ASAP, we have work to do.”

  * * *

  Charlie Jones still sat amid the rubble of the city they had fought so viciously to defend. He slowly ate from a food ration pack that was steaming from the integrated heating element. The food tasted better than most people would think, but he barely even noticed it. He was still stunned and deeply reflecting over recent events. He could hear footsteps getting nearer, but it didn’t concern him as he was surrounded by friendly troops.