There was barely anymore than a little light from the moon piercing into the cabin of the craft. Their vision had adjusted to the darkness. Night vision equipment was on general issue to most of their forces before the war, but the enemy’s energy weapons made them dangerous to use. A pulse from their energy blasters would blind and temporarily incapacitate anyone wearing them. Taylor now only used the night vision in his binoculars to survey scenes.
Lacking visibility in night combat was a scary situation to be in. Taylor would avoid night combat at any cost with the alien invaders. But with so much ground to cover in enemy territory, they were left with little choice.
Eddie cut the power to the copter’s engines, leaving only the retrofitted alien technology to provide propulsion. They hoped it would cover their approach as it had done before. It was clear the invaders had not yet learnt their lesson. They were clearly still ignorant of the threat the humans could present.
Taylor looked at the Mappad at their position as they came down slowly on a small access road, half a kilometre from the prison’s eastern perimeter. In an ideal world, they would put down right over the POWs’ position, but they had little of idea what to expect. The ramps thumped down into the soft and muddy ground that squelched as the heavily laden marines hit the ground. Parker rushed down her ramp, but left her section aboard.
“Sergeant, you will wait here and be ready on our signal. The flares could attract a lot of attention, so we’ll only use them if we have to and keep them to a minimum. Can you remember the colour identification?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He turned and nodded to signal for Silva and the others to follow him towards the perimeter wall. They had landed between thick trees in a well-hidden position. The two sections continued on quietly in their columns with Taylor at the head. He had clipped his Mappad device onto his left arm, allowing him to keep his rifle at the ready. The threat and surrounding danger was beginning to set in. They were all alone in occupied lands.
You’d better be alive, Jones, he thought. Without the rescue of Jones and the others, he would be in more trouble with his superiors than he could imagine. Could it be any worse than death? He thought about it a little more as he paced on in darkness. He knew that the one thing Schulz could do was remove him from his Company. After all their struggles to fight and survive, he could not bear the thought of being parted from them. Would that be the price of saving soldiers? To then be parted from them?
Taylor reached the end of the road and a small verge that overlooked the prison. He lifted his hand and signalled for them to halt. Silva moved up beside him to survey the situation. The main facility lights were on. They could see the city lights of Metz glimmering to the north. The unmanned nuclear power plants had kept power to the areas where cables were not obliterated by the war.
The outer fences of the prison still lay in darkness. Taylor pulled out his night vision binoculars and panned across the perimeter that was less than a hundred metres ahead of them. He nodded as he quickly identified four drones waiting silently in front of the easterly gate. The entrance was small and lightly guarded.
“Must be a secondary entrance,” he whispered.
Silva lifted his night vision goggles and held them before his eyes. The body of the device knocked into the brim of his helmet, and he cursed at the clumsiness of how they had to use the equipment. Taylor smiled at his discomfort, but the Sergeant merely continued to survey the scene.
“Going to make a whole lot of noise taking ‘em out,” he replied.
“Do we have another choice?”
“We could circle the perimeter and look for a quieter way in.”
Taylor shook his head. They were walking into the unknown and in hostile territory. Had there not been friendlies within the compound, he would avoid it at all costs.
“Once we start firing, all hell’s gonna break loose anyway. I say we take out these drones now and be rid of them.”
Silva nodded. It was as good a plan as any.
“Spread out. Advance fifty metres, open fire on my signal, and fire up an F4 flare as soon as the guns start firing.”
“You want them going in before we’re even through the gate?” asked Silva.
“The second the guns start firing, we are working against the clock. We don’t have a choice.”
Silva nodded. Taylor moved forward over the verge, and the Sergeant stood in position, relaying the commands to the troops as they followed after the Major. The Reitech suits allowed the marines to move effortlessly with the weight they carried. The only sound was that of their boots squelching in the open field.
Taylor could feel his heart rate increase with each step as they quietly closed the distance. They still had little idea of the drones’ capabilities in terms of identification. A vast noise bellowed in the sky, causing all the troops to quickly drop onto one knee and duck to conceal themselves the best they could. They’ve found us, thought Taylor.
He waited for a moment to see what was approaching. The booming grew louder until the ground vibrated beneath them. They could do nothing but remain still, and wait and hope they had not been spotted. A slab fronted and bulbous ship rushed overhead and slowed as it entered the prison complex airspace.
Taylor gasped in relief that it appeared to be unrelated. He looked around at the faces of the nearest marines to see the same glimmer of satisfaction. He turned back to track the vessel. Beam lights burst into action as it came in to land in one of the courtyards. The entire underbelly was lit up as well as the ground below it.
The Major turned the bevel on his binoculars to return to normal magnified vision and lifted them to his eyes. He could see the vehicle come in to land, but it was largely obscured by one of the vast detention centres between the vessel and their position. He squinted to make out a glimmer of movement a few moments later.
Finally, through a small gap between two of the buildings, he could make out the sight of humans being led from the vessel. A Mech strode past in between them with its huge cannon slung casually across its armoured forearms. Shit, they must be bringing more prisoners in. We better have enough space to get them out.
The marine platoon waited and huddled in the grass for twenty minutes. They knew the drones were close but had not identified them. Their mission presented enough danger without having to take on the guards of the transport vessel. Taylor did not have to relay commands. They all knew they must wait.
The vessel finally began to lift off from the base and head quickly off to the east. Taylor waited until it was well clear, and he could no longer hear the intimidating boom of its engines. He knew they had a narrow margin to make the mission work. When he was absolutely happy that they were left in peace once again, he turned to the troops and gave them the nod to move forward.
Taylor lifted himself to his feet. His knees creaked from sitting like a statue for what felt like an hour. He stretched his muscles and flexed his joints until he softened up and then moved forward at a slow and quiet pace. Taylor lifted his rifle and quickly targeted the first Mech. The moonlight glimmered off its metallic structure.
He looked back at his marines, but they had already stopped and readied themselves to fire upon seeing his weapon raised. The time for covert action was over. He nodded to Silva for the Sergeant to ready the flare. The Major turned back to his target and took in a deep breath. He pulled the trigger and fired three shots off in rapid succession. The drone was smashed over onto its side as gaping holes were torn in its body.
The moonlit field pulsed with light as the platoon opened fire with a rapid and brutal volley into their targets. The drones were all destroyed before they could return a single shot. The signal flare burst above them and lit up the scene. Taylor quickly leapt to his feet and rushed forward, shouting for his marines to follow him. They reached the gates of the prison and the burning wrecks of the drones. Their new weapons had left the alien devices as heaps of scrap.
Taylor’s gun fired once again as he rushed
forward. The round hit the broad lock of the gates and blew a hole through it and the surrounding mesh. The platoon rushed through without stopping and continued at a quick pace along the smooth concrete ground. Two Mechs quickly appeared from between two buildings up ahead but were utterly overwhelmed.
Fire poured from the marines as they continued rushing on. Each Mech was hit with half a dozen shots. Their bodies had barely hit the ground by the time marine boots were thundering past. Taylor came to a quick stop to identify his surroundings. He had only seen the layout of the facility from aerial surveillance.
Silva’s section rushed to his side and took up positions behind a narrow wall, as the Major surveyed their location. Doors burst open to their left flank and three Mechs rushed out to fight them in a futile attempt. Fire ripped into the guards, and Taylor nodded with satisfaction at the realisation that their equipment was finally up to the task. Although he knew a surprise attack in numbers was a long way from a pitched battle.
Kato’s copter flew overhead before Taylor could get to his feet. The craft’s nose lifted quickly, and the tail dipped to swoop in for a fast descent. They came to a hover just twenty metres above the building where they had identified the heat signatures of humans.
“That’s our target,” called Taylor.
He quickly looked around at the dozens of other detention rooms just like it on the facility.
“Sergeant Silva, check out these other buildings and secure the area!”
He leapt to his feet and ran towards the target building. He didn’t have to give the order to his section. They were already close behind. Taylor could see out of the corner of his eye that Parker’s section was already dropping onto the roof above. Their boosters provided for a soft landing despite their heavy gear that went unheard over the sound of the engines.
Taylor was first through the door as he threw caution to the wind. His desire to save his friend had affected his judgement, but he only realised it too late. As he burst into the entrance, he was met by the sight of a gun barrel just a few metres away. The Mech holding the weapon fired before he could raise his rifle.
The corridor flashed with light as the pulse smashed into the Major’s torso. The power of the blast launched him onto his face and tossed him to the ground like a ragdoll. The Major was conscious for just long enough to feel the pain of the impact as he slid along the corridor and smashed into a sidewall.
Sugar stomped into the corridor and stood his ground before the body of his Major. He opened fire with both of his weapons on full auto. The Mech got off two shots as he rained down fire that smashed the creature back, causing its weapon to miss the hulking marine by just a metre. He bellowed with all the air in his chest as he emptied both magazines into the creature and a second that tried to come to its aid.
The corridor lit up with flames as the walls caught fire under the heat and concentration of the rounds. The two creatures were reduced to twisted piles of scrap. Sugar’s weapon clicked empty, and he lowered his weapon to quickly check on Taylor. He looked back up for just a moment to see that he was safe and then leapt to the Major’s aid.
“Major!” he shouted in hope of a response.
He grabbed hold of Mitch’s shoulders and shook him. The rest of the section ran into the entrance of the building to see the horror of their leader lying lifeless. Sugar knelt down and listened to his breathing.
“He’s alive!” he barked.
The marine got back up and looked at the smoking armour that lay across Taylor’s chest. The round had gouged over a centimetre out of the armour but had not penetrated. Sugar shook him again in desperation. An explosion rang out further into the building, and Sugar glanced down the corridor. Gunfire followed it, and he quickly reached to change his magazines. Two of his section ripped fire extinguishers from the wall and rushed to the flames.
The towering Sugar jumped as he felt a hand grasp his wrist. The shock almost made him reach for the trigger of his weapon, but he looked down to see the Major grasp his arm with a surprisingly firm hold. His eyes were open wide, and he had a stunned expression as he stared blankly at the marine. Sugar’s heart almost stopped as he realised Taylor was still alive. A smile broadened across the man’s face.
“You gonna help me up, or keep looking like you wanna kiss me?” Taylor jested.
Sugar took a hold of the Major’s arm and hauled him to his feet. Mitch groaned as pain soared through his body. He’d almost gotten used to not feeling like a total wreck.
“You okay, Sir?”
Taylor nodded. He lifted up his rifle and turned at the sound of gunfire. He suddenly realised where he was and their purpose for being there. He shook his head to try and wake himself up and then looked to Sugar and the others who were awaiting his orders.
“Let’s get our people back. Let’s go!”
They all cheered as they rushed forward to the end of the corridor. Campbell led from the front; his beloved sniper rifle slung on his back and a Reitech rifle in hand. Taylor winced as he hobbled forward. His neck creaked in agony, and his arm was numb. His spine was only saved from breaking on impact with the wall by the rigidity of his armour. It was little consolation when it hurt so much.
Gunfire erupted in the corridor ahead before the Major could get around the corner. He heard a cry of pain as Allen, one of his section, was struck in the arm. The Private collapsed back against the wall as the others kept firing. Energy pulses rushed down the corridor and blew gaping holes in the space between the wounded man and Taylor.
“Fuck!” bellowed Allen.
The Private screamed at the top of his voice. Taylor could see that the shot had dislocated Allen’s shoulder and taken the flesh down to the bone. He turned to see Campbell huddled behind a metal-wheeled cart that had already taken a blast from the enemy. He peeked around the corner just enough to catch a glimpse of the enemy as a burning pulse of energy zipped past his head and narrowly missed singeing his eyebrows.
The section took cover in doorways and behind trolleys like Campbell. They could barely get a shot off under the hail of energy blasts. Taylor could make out a single fallen Mech further along the corridor, but they had done little other damage. Corporal Hall looked back into the face of his leader.
“Sir, we need to get the fuck out of here!” he shouted.
Taylor looked back down at Allen who was still screaming in pain, and with no one attending to him. The Major was still stunned from the blast and had frozen. He looked back into Hall’s eyes with an expression that put the fear of God into the Corporal. Hall leapt across the hallway between enemy fire and reached the adjoining corridor from where the Major had been watching.
He grabbed hold of Mitch by his arms and threw him back against the wall. Hall had only been Corporal for a week, and promoted not through experience or natural progress. He was filling the shoes of a dead marine. Taylor hit the wall hard, and his armour clunked hard against the thick wall that jolted him. He looked at the Corporal in utter shock.
Taylor still looked dazed and did nothing to push him back whilst gunfire continued to rain down the corridor beside them. Hall slapped the Major hard across the face. The Reitech suit made the strike land harder than he had planned, and Taylor’s head snapped quickly around. He immediately turned back with blood dripping out of his mouth. His eyes squinted, and Hall could see life return to his leader.
Mitch took a firm grasp on Hall and wrestled him quickly back against the far wall, and with his left arm depressed into the Corporal’s throat so that he couldn’t breathe. As the man choked, he looked around to see further light pulses smash into the wall just a metre away and blast through it. Dust sprayed out into the air all around them. He looked back to the Corporal who was starting to lose colour in his face. He quickly released his grip, and Hall did his best to stand tall.
“That’s more like it,” he croaked.
Taylor looked down and saw two grenades slung on the marine’s webbing. He let go of his rifle and let it rest on its
sling. He pulled out the grenades and twisted the firing cap of the first.
“Sir, the prisoners!”
Taylor remembered his order to not use any explosives during the raid as they could endanger the POWs. He thought for just a second before leaping to the edge of the corridor and tossing one with all his strength. The exoskeleton suit caused the grenade to be blasted down the corridor as if he had hit a home run. He twisted the cap of the other and quickly launched it after the first. He turned back and looked at the surprised Corporal who had just gotten his breath back.
“We aren’t rescuing anyone if we stay pinned here!” barked Taylor.
An explosion rang out along the corridor and was quickly followed by a second. The armoured leg of a Mech fired down the corridor and struck the wall. Campbell was bounced along the ground to the Major. Two of the marines got up for a better look but could barely make anything out through the dust cloud created by the blast.
Just as the marines were readying themselves to fire once again, a burst of fire rang out from down the corridor.
“Those aren’t Mech guns!” shouted Campbell.
“Keep down!” bellowed Taylor.
They remained huddled behind what was left of their cover as a volley of fire rang out beyond the dust cloud. Taylor coughed as the thick dust lined his lungs. Parker, you came for us, he thought. Just as he had broken orders to save her, she was doing so for him. It was not something he liked to encourage, but he liked living as much as the rest of them.
Silence suddenly fell upon them. Their ears were still ringing from the constant fire and explosions. The interior of a room beside them smoked and flickered with flames. Then they could make out the sound of footsteps stomping across the debris of the surrounding rooms. Sergeant Parker appeared through the smoke at the head of her section.
She stood with her hand on her hip, and her rifle slung on her shoulder, looking down at the marines huddled in the ruined corridor. Allen groaned again, and the others finally jumped to his aid. Taylor knelt down beside the man as Campbell checked the wound. The Private was doing all that he could to hide the pain. Tears seeped from his eyes, but he stayed strong.
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