“What is it?” Asked Tulos.
“I. . .I don't know. Wait! I see something. . this is unexpected.”
“What do you see?” I asked, apprehension growing. My hand was on my dragon.
“I can't see anything now but just the snow and the barrrierrr. Just be watchful. Maybe we arrren't alone,” she cautioned, her brow furrowed in suspicion. Beside the English nav-computer screen was another one in Hanga which I couldn't read very well. There was something showing as a barrier up ahead but I couldn't quite make it out.
“Carrreful now. We don't have much time and therrre is a searrrch signal that sweeps the arrrea frrrom the powerrr plant at fifteen minute interrrvals. Do you see the electrrrical fence just ahead?” Asked Tenar.
“That's what that is,” I murmured.
“Yes. Rrrememberrr frrrom the holo-image?”
“Right.”
“Once you get thrrrough you must run! Rrrememberrr the fact of the unknowns. Be prrreparrred to use yourrr weapons at a moment's notice. It looks deserrrted but it is not. Rrrun back as fast as you can when you arrre all finished. I will then make an opening again forrr you thrrrough the barrrierr. But listen. Once you come in one way, you cannot go out the same way thrrrough the barrrierr. On yourrr rrreturrrn, go west some paces. You will see me standing furrrtherrr down herrre, west of the enerrrgy barrrierrr. Therrre is wherrre I will make the opening for you to come out and then we get back into the speederrr. Do you understand?” She instructed us again, her voice straining against the gale winds. Her face, gamine and aquatic-like with long, thin tentacles wrapped and tied around her head to the back, shot each of us with a sharp look.
“Yes,” we all replied.
“Let's go.” We made our way close behind her. As we neared the barrier I saw glimpses of crackling light and thin streams of smoke curl up and hiss and rise up every so often where the snow met the barrier. Other than that, it, like our ship, was largely invisible. But there really was something else. I was bringing up the rear and from the corner of my eye I saw a fleeting image, like a smudge or a shadow against the snow and wind that disappeared as if it were cloaked. I had my gun out and it was a good thing too. Two seconds later I heard the soft hum of a lasgun powering up. I whipped around, looking for the sound and suddenly I stopped. I couldn't see it anymore. I started shooting, whirling around in a circle, the explosive blasts from my dragon spreading into a wide beam of fire. I eventually saw the culprit again, a large security mech with one eye. My blasts took off one of its hands. The crew members had pulled their guns and had joined in, laser fire flying and smoking in the snow. Suddenly there was a terrific blast that hit the mech from behind just as it was about to work up to sounding out its siren. It was the pilot, Sarah. The mech's legs exploded and it's upper body dropped from its torso. She was holding a weatherized, sawed off laser rifle, it's end smoking. She then lifted it up to rest it on her shoulder.
“The scanners didn't even pick that thing up!” Cried Arauto.
“Sure didn't,” she said, her eyes searching the area again.
“I remember it was said that there were armored patrol guards and armored mechs out here. Groups of four. How did that one get past our scanners?” Demanded Tulos.
“They did say that things may have changed,” I said. “Problem is, where are the other three?” Tenar walked over to it carefully and pushed it's severed hand over with her booted foot.
“It's a new model of mechanical patrrrol guarrrds. Prrrrobably one of the things they've changed since going darrrk. I wonderrr how many morrre arrre out herrre. Therrre may be morrre than fourrr,” she said, looking around warily.
“Please tell me we didn't waste our time coming here,” I said. She raised a brow at me.
“You expect defeat so soon? Ourrr feet arrre alrrready on the grrround. Envision victorrry. And it may happen.” Right. 'Cause it's just that simple. Comforting.
“I suspect this new mech is using a shield that operates on a different kind of frequency than the normal mode the Selus's scanners are set to,” said Ven to the co-pilot.
“Arauto and I need to get back to the ship. Arauto, when we get back scan for any other patrols in the area. Adjust the scanners for all frequencies,” said Sarah. “I'll keep on the watch outside the ship,” she said as she drew out a pair of binoculars from a small pack at her hip.
“Right, sir,” said Arauto. He and Sarah both jumped on the speeder-bike and disappeared back toward the Selus. Tenar and Ven exchanged a look that made me think that perhaps they might be together, or as the aliens called it, a mated pair.
Tenar took out her binoculars and surveyed the area for a few seconds. Far off at the top of the power plant I saw the red search light make its sweep across the field around the plant and the grounds. We waited, tensely, for the wide red beam to sweep through. As soon as it passed she took out the electrical repulsion device and pointed it at the barrier field and disabled a small portion of it for us to get through. I saw a flash of blue spark.
“Hurrry!” she urged. We flew across the barrier. I heard the buzz of electrical energy humming as the barrier closed around us almost as soon as we'd entered. From then on the clock was against us. We ran in single file formation toward the tower and didn't stop until we got to the first step. Glad I decided to get in shape! I felt nearly out of control, as if I would fly away if I ran any faster because of the slight atmospheric pressure. Ven took over the lead, running to the front. Normally, someone like him wouldn't need a jet pack but it was far too cold to expose his wings.
“I will go to the very top. Tulos, you will go to the third ring and Robert, you go to the second ring.” We turned on our jet packs and got into position. I, the slowest of the bunch, made it first to the second ringed tier.
The plant was divided into three tiers. It was a tube-shaped structure rising out of a circular base, silo-like, with four levels with no windows. I steadied myself and switched the control panel on my pack to hover. Trying to position myself at the ring and get stabilized, I was having a hard time adjusting the amount of power. I could feel the cold against my skin even in the top-of-the-line suit I was wearing and the wind was picking up, throwing fat gusts of snow flakes in bursts against my helmet. I hugged the side of the ring to get my bearings and I had to wipe my faceplate in order to see what I was doing. Steadying my jet pack so that I hovered in position I finally stabilized myself and began planting the detonators.
We were to plant each detonator at least five feet from each other. I planted the first one and waited to feel the suction and the click to know that it was secured. Then I turned the top half and watched it light up in red. The timer began. The red light started blinking. It was secured and in operation. Then I moved over about five feet to the right and planted the next one. My heart raced. Concentrate! I steadied myself again. I sensed one of the team members was already finished and had flown down from above me which excited even more anxiety in me. I activated the third detonator. I had two more left. As I turned the top portion of the detonator and set its timer I caught something unexpected. I was set to move over another few feet to the right to set off my last detonator when I felt a strange pulsing by my right hand. I looked over and saw what looked like the flickering of a line of energy shielding right next to me. My heart stopped. A wrong move and it would sound off and we would be finished! My jet pack was causing me wobble off balance from my position again, forcing me forward a few centimeters closer to the shield line. I thought I could hear a siren far off in the distance. I'd probably imagined it. I pressed my body against the side of the building with my left arm as best I could and I accidentally dropped the last detonator.
The wind was picking up and the snow was becoming heavier. I wiped my face plate and lowered myself to the ground. Stepping through the snow and ice I couldn't find it anywhere. Would it be needed? It was only one. We had plenty of them already affixed to the building, ready to be activated. But I couldn't mess up the mission now. These things wo
uld be timed. What if by not having that one detonator things didn't go as planned? No, I had to find it!
“Are you finished?” Asked Tulos? I shook my head furiously. He was occupied with looking out for the rest of us on the ground as he'd finished attaching his detonators.
“Did you hear anything Tulos?”
“I'm not sure!”
“I lost one of them! The detonators! I dropped it! There's a strip of an electrical shield alarm field up there that we missed, on the second level!”
“Don't touch it or it will let off the sirens!”
“I know that but I have to find that detonator!” I was looking around wildly for it in the snow. Tulos assisted me but he was torn between helping me and acting as lookout. Suddenly, he bent down and dug both arms deep into the snow. He shook from the cold.
“Here! I think this is it!” He yelled against the howling wind.
“Come on! It's time to go!” Shouted Ven, coming down.
“Just one minute!” I yelled and I grabbed the detonator and flew back up towards the second level, a few feet above the last detonator instead of to the right. I secured it to the side of the building, turned it and set it's timer as the others watched from the ground. The electrical line suddenly grew brighter and began to tremble and vacillate dangerously close to me.
“Ah!” I cried involuntarily. The shield's size and scope was slowly growing and almost came in contact with my suit. I pushed myself off from the ring and flew back down and turned my jet pack off.
“Ready?” Tulos turned on the transceiver attached to his arm to speak to the other team but the signal dropped. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of something, a figure. Then a sharp cry in Hanga. It was a patrol guard.
“Shoot him!” Screamed Tulos. I grabbed my dragon and fired, barely missing him as he turned and ran around and back inside the tower. The dragon was firing more slowly than usual which alarmed me.
“We've got to get out of here!”
“Did you call them?” I yelled.
“I can't make contact with them! Something is jamming the signal!” Tulos said. I looked back just in time to see the sweeping slice of red light coming back around again! We'd run out of time.
We fled back toward the first barrier, Ven in the lead. The snow was even heavier and it was even harder to see. Our helmets' navigators were helping us make our way now. Behind me I thought I heard the unmistakable sound of shooting lasers. I saw laser fire sink in and singeing the snow right beside me. The timers were all set to go off in sixteen minutes once activated. I hoped we hadn't come all this way for nothing. The others stopped.
“What?” I asked, breathing heavily.
“Where is Tenar?” Asked Ven.
We looked around frantically. There was no sign of her and I could barely see my crew mates through the flying snow. Ven grabbed a flare gun from his pack and shot off a flare. Then a blue beacon of light shot up to our right. She was there! We raced toward her. Tulos tried to communicate with Unit One again. Still, he was thwarted. We heard more fire power as a small laser canon was fired at us. The explosion didn't reach us but the power from it jolted us and tripped Ven over. He fell through the activated barrier and the force of it kicked him back nearly ten feet in the air. His body collapsed in the snow.
“Ven!” Tenar screamed. Tulos and I grabbed him and dragged him along. Tenar opened the barrier as we raced through, hurling him through the opening. Just as I'd fled through, it came back up and I felt the power surge through me, though it barely touched me. The force of it threw me a few feet. I laid on my belly, stunned for a few seconds. I felt someone lifting me up.
“Are you okay?” It was Tulos's voice. I nodded, too stunned to speak and it had barely touched me. I wondered if Ven was still alive. Even if he wasn't, we couldn't leave him on this ice rock.
“Tulos, did you call them?” I asked. He shook his head.
“I called but couldn't make contact! Too much interference here!”
“We lose time!” Tenar cried. We raced toward the speeder, hoisting Ven on our shoulders. Tulos made the call again as we scrambled into the speeder. I turned back to the power plant. Any minute they would be going off but we were late in contacting the other team. I could make out dark figures moving against the snow. Loyalists were pouring out of the plant now. I wiped away the ice caking around my helmet faceplate again. Finally, Tulos made contact as we reached the ship but communication sounded woefully unstable.
“This is. . .zzzzxxssshhhhh. . .Unit Two. We. . xxxkkkssshhhh. . .have secured the detonators! We have secured the. . .xxxsshhhzzzrrrwwtt. . detonators! If all is ready you may release. . . .ssshhhhffffttyyyyyyyxx. . sub!” Silence. Then an answer came back:
“What?” We nearly fainted from the tension. Oh my God! Come on! I looked over to see about Ven. There were the remains of other patrol security guards in the snow.
“What happened here?” I asked.
“The other guards! One of them got a chance to sound off a siren before we destroyed it,” shouted Arauto against the wailing wind. He'd come out of the ship to meet us when he saw the unconscious Ven. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. We looked back. There was another explosion. The detonators were finally going off. Another huge blast came and now they were coming nearly every few seconds. Soon the plant was burning, exploding with debris flying outward. The entire plant was now engulfed in fire which was quickly becoming iced, black smoking cinders. The ship's doors closed and locked and we prepared for takeoff. Sarah opened up a comlink from the ship's control board.
“Unit One! This is Selus pilot! Attention! The auxiliary plant is down! The plant is down!” She said.
“Unit Two this is Unit One leader! Got it! We are good to go! Launching sub right now!” Finally came the answer from the other team. We all sighed in great relief. Tenar was examining Ven.
“What happened to him?” She asked.
“A canon was launched at us. The force of it caused him to fly forward, right into the barrier. He's still breathing though,” said Tulos. Her face was drawn and she looked distressed though she tried to hide it. But after a few moments she drew herself up and strapped on her seat harness after seeing that Ven was safely in his.
“Let's find the other unit. There will be more patrols out there. They know we're here,” she said. She threw one last worried glance over at Ven who was still unconscious. We lifted off and joined the unit on the lake.
. . .
They'd just finished drilling a hole in the lake big enough for the micro sub. They had only just finished lowering it all the way down. I took out my dragon laser. I don't know if the others felt it but I felt a keen sense of something being here, something dangerous. I don't know what it was and I was ready to leave. Now. I think the others sensed it as well. I examined my dragon. It was completely caked with ice. The hammer was completely stuck. Even the inside of its brass barrel was loaded with snow and ice and the metal of the barrel itself was highly discolored. I put it back in its holster and took out my other lasgun.
“The sub is on its way now,” said Unit One leader. He was reading information and studying the real time image of the now traveling sub bomb on a large datapad.
“When we started drilling, every now and then we felt a powerful vibration, like a quake or something. It's like we've disturbed something beneath the lake.”
“Like what?” Asked Sarah.
“We don't know. An unknown volcano we hadn't detected? Huge air pocket? A massive emerging geyser? Don't know.” The other crew members of Unit One were dismantling the drill when suddenly there was a massive rumbling that rocked the ground.
“What the hell?” I cried. They hurried, struggling to move the drill machine back to the ship. We helped them.
“I hope the guys in the power plant didn't get a chance to make communication with the base before it blew up!” I said.
“Too late to worry about it now!” Said Sarah. Then there was a heart stopping sound. The surgin
g wail of a siren a few miles ahead of us, coming from the other side of the lake. Every second it rose in pitch and tone until I thought my ears, even through the protection of my helmet, would bleed. It made my bowels jump into my throat.
“To the ships!” Yelled Unit One leader.
As the ship of the other crew began climbing high in the sky we watched the screen for the tracking system for the sub-bomb in our own ship. Ven was moaning. Tenar sat beside him, rubbing his hands, speaking to him in soft tones in Hanga.
“We need to get him to medical,” said Tulos. The sub-bomb was moving fast. It was almost directly under the military base. Laser fire rocked past our ship.
“Shields! Shields up!” Said Sarah and our shields went up. Ghosting protocol was no longer operational. Another volley of laser fire from under us erupted.
“Shields at seventy percent!” Our ship's alarm was set off. The fuel core was hit. Not completely disabled but we were leaking fuel. We began lift off when a furious blast sent shock waves through the air, shaking the Selus. The military base was coming apart, exploding in fiery blooms of cloud and flame. Even through the near blinding snow I saw the mushroom bloom of fire tearing through the sky. But our exhilaration was short lived. The great rumbling sound grew and it became deafening. It wasn't just coming from the exploding base. As we ascended I saw out of the viewport by my seat a creature out of nightmare rearing its massive head out of the frozen lake, layers of ice from the ice shelf were now mere shards of ice. It seemed we'd disturbed it. It roared, looking like a great white wingless dragon, much bigger than our ship. As it reared its head and we flew by I saw it fully! The creature's white eyes made it look blind. In horror, I realized without anyone telling me that this was another mutant creature, made to live on this world by the loyalist alien scientists. I marveled at their technology and their boldness. As the creature swung its massive head around and opened its cave sized mouth we heard the striving sounds of the thundering snow storm, the roaring of the engines and the roaring of that monstrous thing as we flew high into the storm clouds. The Selus was buffeted and pummeled as we made our way higher and higher into the stratosphere, hoping we wouldn't be flung off course and crash somewhere back on the surface. Or into that creature's mouth! I though I would be catapulted out of my harness at any moment.
Mission: Attack on Europa Page 15