“How bad is it, Sir?” he asked.
“You’ll be back in action in no time,” insisted Taylor.
Allen nodded in appreciation, but he was sceptical. He looked down at the wound as Campbell lay a dressing over it. He winced as he looked at the damage. He couldn’t move his arm and knew it would be a long time before it fully recovered, if ever.
“Am I going to sit out the rest of the war?”
Taylor shook his head. He knew it was a distinct possibility, but he didn’t want the man to lose heart.
“Count yourself lucky, you just earned yourself a few weeks with a soft bed and to be waited on by a few cute nurses.”
Allen smiled as he gritted his teeth.
“I need you to walk, Private. Can you do that? We cannot afford to leave people behind now.”
He nodded in agreement as Campbell helped him up from his good arm. Taylor was satisfied that they could move. He turned to look at Hall and stared into his eyes. He was saying thank you without making it public. The Corporal smiled back in acknowledgement. A year ago Taylor would have had the marine on a charge for what he had done, but now he knew not everything was black and white. He turned to Parker.
“Any idea where the prisoners are?”
“Just a few corridors west, according to our maps. We were en route when we heard you were in trouble.”
“Much resistance on the roof?”
“No, Sir. We entered the building without contest and only encountered four hostiles before we found you.”
“Alright, any casualties?”
Parker shook her head.
“Good. They were arrogant not putting the proper defensive measures into effect here. If they think anything like humans, it’ll drive them nuts that we’ve pulled this off under their noses once again.”
Laughs rang out from a few of the marines as he lifted his rifle in readiness.
“Parker, you lead the way. Let’s get our people back.”
She turned and quickly went about her orders. The dust had largely settled, and as they continued on down the corridor, they could see the results of their work. The bodies of at least eight Mechs were scattered across the ground and through doorways that had been blasted from their hinges. The creatures’ now familiar blue blood seeped out from dismembered sections of their armoured suits.
Hall spat on the body of the most intact alien as he strode past. Nobody thought anything of it. This was not a human enemy to feel sympathy towards. They hated the Krycenaeans with all the fibre of their beings. Yet they didn’t even know their real name yet or understand their purpose for being on Earth.
A few minutes later, Parker stopped the column of marines to listen. As their heavy boots came to a stop, they could all hear the sound that had caused her re-action. Screams for help rang out through the corridors. They were muffled through the thick walls but were not far away.
“It’s them!” cried Campbell.
Taylor strode up to the front of the column to stand by the Sergeant. Her eyes always appeared to shine brighter upon seeing him. It was obvious to all but a fool that they were in love, even though they rarely admitted it to themselves. The thought of losing each other was something both tried to ignore as much as possible. It was impossible to think of a world where they did not serve beside each other and share a bed afterwards.
The Major turned back to look at the marines who eagerly awaited their orders. Many were smiling at the prospect of finding fellow soldiers alive. He lifted up his Mappad and once more surveyed the images.
“I want this done smart and right. We have a fork up ahead. Parker’s section head right, and we’ll go left. Go room by room, and be aware of your surroundings. Keep your guard up. Let’s move.”
Taylor turned and quickly rushed forward before Parker could take a step. He wanted to do it right, but he also wanted to be there first. He reached the fork in the corridor and instinctively huddled in against the edge of the wall, creeping around for a better view. He half expected to find enemies awaiting him, but the corridor was empty. He waved his section on and rushed down the corridor. He couldn’t believe he was within seconds of finding his missing comrades.
He had come so close to giving up hope that he kicked himself forever doubting their survival. Then his stomach turned at the realisation that he still had no idea if it was Jones and Walker imprisoned in the facility or some other poor devils.
“Help!”
The cries grew louder as Taylor rushed as quickly as he could while being cautious. He reached a locked cell door and saw a human face on the other side. A soldier with a scarred face and dry blood congealed on his skin. His voice was still muffled by the thick glass window, but Mitch could make out the strong French accent. Two other soldiers were huddled either side of him trying to get a peak, but he couldn’t get a view of their faces.
“Back up! Away from the door!” shouted Taylor.
He pointed for them to move back and the command was quickly understood. He lifted his rifle as the rest of his section formed up around him. They guarded each side of the corridor, but most were fixated on the door to see who was held within. The dim area lit up as the Major’s rifle fired into the lock, blasting a hole into the thick metal. A second shot quickly followed to finish off the high security mechanism.
There was just enough room to get a grasp on the rim of the door. Mitch reached in and pulled hard. The heavy door was flung open and crashed against the wall. Two men and a woman appeared, desperately trying to get out. He pushed forward to get into the cell. On a bench was Captain Jones with Walker lying in his arms.
The Captain looked up with a pale face. He looked like a man who had been utterly defeated. Only a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes as he recognised the man who stood before him. Charlie studied Taylor for a minute, shocked at how different he looked. The Reitech armour and weapons were nothing like anything he had seen before. To him it resembled their enemy more than their own forces.
Taylor’s face was as bloody and scarred as his own. The Captain looked weak and malnourished, and he had obviously lost a number of kilos in bodyweight during his imprisonment.
“Is it really you?” he asked.
Charlie looked suspicious, as if it was all too good to be true.
Taylor paced up to the two men and looked down at Walker. The man was taking his last few breaths. Dried blood stained his uniform from an old wound in the shoulder. Mitch looked up to Jones for an answer to the soldier’s condition. Jones merely shook his head, signalling that Walker was a goner.
“Sir, we’ve got to get the fuck out of here,” said Hall.
He was stood in the doorway impatiently. Taylor turned and held up his hand to stop the man.
The Major knelt down beside the dying soldier who was gasping to say a few last words. He outstretched his hand which Taylor wrapped his own around.
“Get me home.”
“You can bet on it. We’re getting you out of here.”
“I want a proper burial, for my family…”
The man’s voice faded, and his eyes began to contract as the life drained from him.
“A full ceremony, you’ll have it all,” replied Taylor.
Walker smiled faintly as he finally fell limp and passed over. Taylor looked up into the eyes of Jones who was still holding the dead soldier in his arms. Taylor looked down to see needle holes up the Captain’s arms and continuing up and under his rolled up sleeves.
“Sir, we got to get our fucking asses out of here,” whispered Hall.
Taylor turned and nodded in agreement. He looked back to the distraught Captain who he’d come to call one of his best friends.
“I have so many questions, but right now we haven’t got time for it.”
“I’m not leaving Walker behind,” snapped Jones.
“I know,” he replied. “Sugar, get in here!”
The huge marine ducked under the doorway and into the room.
“Can you carry Walker? We leav
e no man behind today.”
Sugar reached down and carefully lifted the fallen soldier up and over his shoulder with little effort. He stood ready with one arm supporting Walker’s body, and the other with his bastardised weapon held at the ready. Taylor knew the Reitech suits allowed them to do more than they could ever have imagined, but he wondered if Sugar would have done any different were he not wearing it. He turned back to Jones and the other three prisoners.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
He helped his friend to his feet and led him out the door. His excitement at saving his friend was largely numbed by the loss of their comrade, and the state he had found him. He wondered what they had been through, and if Jones would ever come back from it. At least he wants to live, thought Taylor. They reached the fork back the way they came and found Parker’s section guarding the position.
“We’re out of here, Sergeant. Fire the pickup flare as soon as we get outside.”
Parker was fixated on the ruinous state of Jones and the fallen soldier being carried.
“Parker!”
She snapped out of it and looked into his eyes to see the sadness he was doing his utmost to hold back. She nodded and pulled the flare from her webbing.
“Alright, let’s get the hell out of this shithole,” growled Taylor.
He leapt forward to lead the two sections out. They’d heard nothing from Silva. He hoped that meant his section had met no resistance and set up a solid perimeter. They reached the corridor where they had entered the room, and he’d taken a blast in the chest, to find that parts of it were still burning and starting to spread.
Taylor burst out of the building to see Silva standing with a ghostly face in front of the opposing detention facility. The Major’s heart stopped. What could be worse than what we have just found? he thought.
“Give me a sitrep, Sergeant.”
Silva did not respond. He looked into the Major’s eyes with the same lost expression that Mitch had seen in Jones.
“What’s going on, Sergeant?” he insisted.
Silva turned and gestured for the Major to step through into the building beside him. Taylor realised it was serious enough to warrant a look. He turned to the platoon.
“Take up positions. Parker! Get that flare up. Silva, you’re with me.”
The Sergeant begrudgingly agreed. It worried Taylor that one the toughest NCOs he had ever known appeared to be frightened to return into a building where he already knew what lay inside. Taylor looked to Silva’s section, and they were as stunned as he was.
“Parker, you’re in charge!”
He turned and gestured for Silva to lead the way. The demoralised Sergeant paced uneasily to the door and into the complex. As the door opened, the Major caught a blast of the revolting air that rushed from the building. He didn’t ask what it was. The last thing he needed was to have the rest of the platoon as paralysed as the Sergeant.
Silva led him down a corridor until it opened up into a large hall that appeared to be designed for sports. Up ahead, he could see mounds of what looked like refuse. Can’t be, he thought. Then it struck him, and his gut was right. Human bodies were piled high from the far wall to within ten metres of the corridor.
“My God!”
The two men stopped at the opening to the hall. Taylor gagged at the rotting stench that filled his nostrils and throat. Silva simply stood and gazed in shock. Taylor could see that most of the victims wore prison uniforms, although a number closer to them were soldiers.
“What were they doing here? If they only wanted to exterminate us, then why would Jones and the others be alive?” he asked.
Finally the Sergeant spoke.
“They are studying our soldiers, our warriors. These prisoners mean nothing to them. Looks like most of them were killed outright.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Most of the prisoners have been slaughtered by gunfire. The soldiers have been experimented on. Needle marks all over, subjected to biological weapons.”
“That’s what they are doing here? Looking for our weaknesses? But why kill the inmates?”
“A few thousand criminals would have been a damn useful penal militia at the rate we are losing soldiers.”
Taylor nodded and shook his head in disbelief simultaneously.
“I’ve seen enough,” whispered Taylor.
The two men turned and strode back down the corridor with their shoulders slung low and their hearts heavy. They wanted it all to end.
“Incoming!”
The call echoed around the complex. Parker’s voice was like a siren. Taylor felt his heart as he imagined the terrible fate they may have assigned themselves. Explosions erupted nearby that sent vibrations through the floor beneath their feet. Taylor and Silva snapped out of their depressive state as adrenaline soared through their bodies. They lifted their rifles, rushing to the doorway as the platoon opened fire.
As Taylor came to the opening of the building, he could hear the familiar and frightful sounds of the enemy jetpacks roaring as they came in to land. Ten metres from the door, he could see one of his marines lying lifeless on his side, but he couldn’t make out who it was. Energy pulses smashed in all around them, but they were giving them hell in return.
The Major leaned out from the doorway to get an idea of their situation. He could see just four Mechs firing from the shelter of the next buildings. Another lay dead on the ground before them, it had clearly been knocked out of the sky on approach. Over the sound of the gunfire, he could just make out the sound of the engines of their copters approaching. He looked over to his section taking cover behind a thick wall.
“On me, now!”
Taylor rushed out of the building and took a sharp turn away from the enemy, and another turn to follow the perimeter of the building. He was sprinting at the limit the suit would allow. His turn of speed allowed them to reach the far edge of the structure quickly. Moments later they came up on the other side of the creatures with them in full view of their sights.
Taylor didn’t wait and quickly targeted the first, hitting it with a burst of fire. Before the first creature had hit the ground, the rest of the section were into the open and firing. Within seconds, the prison went silent once again. Taylor didn’t break stride to return to the platoon. He rushed up to the lifeless marine. Parker was stood beside the body turning it over.
“It’s Sugar,” she stated.
Taylor knelt over to check if there was any chance of him being alive. A pulse had struck his neck and burst through the windpipe, coming close to taking off his head. He had died instantly. Taylor shook his head in disbelief at losing yet another friend. Jones strode out from behind cover with the other POWs. They seemed unfazed by the incident, as if it was a part of their everyday lives.
Before Taylor could say a word, the two copters rushed into view and swept in low for a landing in an open hard standing just fifty metres away. It was at least some relief to see that their mission was over, and they could return to the lines that had become home. He righted himself and barked out his orders.
“Let’s get moving! Go, go, go!”
He dragged the body of Sugar and headed towards Rains and Kato. Despite the assistance of the suit, the body sent striking pains through the Major’s wounded body. He ignored the pain and said nothing. He would bare it for a fallen friend. As the copters hit the ground, their lights went out under blackout regulations. The two vehicles almost blended into the night of the unlit ground.
The marines rushed into the open doors of the vehicles to be greeted by the pilots from their seats. They were eager to get off the ground without even knowing of the perils that had been witnessed. Taylor passed Sugar’s body onto another marine and waited at the door. Just as the last man stepped aboard, he heard a screaming engine blast across the skies. Leaning in through the door of the copter, he shouted to them all.
“Everyone silent, we’ve got incoming!”
They all knew what was bei
ng asked of them. They were hoping to go unnoticed and wait out their opponents. Seconds later, a small ship soared into sight and quickly landed down amongst the bodies of the creatures they had so recently despatched. Taylor pulled out his binoculars and zoomed in on the vessel as the door opened. Two Mechs strode out with their guns at the ready. Then Taylor gasped as a third figure appeared on the ramp, Karadag.
“Jesus Christ,” he whispered.
He climbed carefully into the copter and crept up to Eddie’s cockpit.
“Think you can outrun them?” he asked.
“Now they’re on the ground, no problem at all. Button down the hatches and sit tight, Major.”
Taylor nodded for the door to be shut and took his seat. He stared at Karadag through the window with his binoculars. The engines fired up, and the three creatures quickly turned their attention. Taylor’s stomach was left on the floor as Eddie put down all the power he had. It was if their copter was lifted into the sky. They were safe and on the home run. But at what price? thought Taylor.
Chapter 4
The relatively short trip back over the battle lines was not the triumphant and celebratory experience Taylor had imagined and hoped for. Nobody said a word for the entire trip. Sugar’s body was placed on the seats beside them. Allen laid back and tried to ignore the pain he was in. He was at least helped by a powerful dosage of painkillers. But Taylor could see that Jones’ pain could not be numbed.
Taylor wanted to ask the Captain questions. So many questions he had rolled over in his mind. Now he didn’t have the heart to ask them. His exhausted and beleaguered friend lay back in his seat next to Walker’s body. Taylor no doubt realised that the two men must have forged a bond as strong as his and Charlie during their captivity, perhaps even more so.
Charlie Jones had been missing for just a matter of weeks, but he looked like a man who had spent years in the worst of conditions. His uniform was ripped and pierced. Taylor could make out slashes from bladed instruments and fresh scars beneath. He did nothing to hide the needle marks on his arms. The Captain was a proud man. He was a man who considered his image and steadfastness to be paramount in being a leader.
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