The Colony

by Davis, John

  “As of now, yes,” the officer replied. “Let's just hope the stranded know what to do. Otherwise, we might live to regret this trip.”

  -

  “I can barely see in front of me.” Julia said with frustration as rain fell down onto them.

  “Just keep moving. Try to follow right behind me if you can.” Jack replied.

  Three figures sprinting through a relentless rain as if they were carving themselves through murky slate. Each of them wondering about a sniper out on his own.

  -

  “Let 'em know we're seeing resistance, but nothing we can't handle!” the man in charge yelled, pushing his voice over the ringing of lead.

  Gun turrets, each of them beading down onto objects in the distant – slamming lead into extraterrestrial flesh.

  “Sir, they're charging us.” one of the soldiers responded loudly, his rifle scoped up.

  Sure enough, nearly two-dozen of the demons sprinted wildly for the temporary base camp. Most falling shortly before reaching their destination as the turrets chewed them in piles of mush.

  A handful made it however, and began to slice into anyone near them. Panic setting through the encampment for a moment, before the lieutenant recovered his most important attribute. Calm.

  “We got them five to one, make 'em pay for this shit!” the man in charge yelled, joining several of his soldiers in controlled rifle bursts onto each of the demons.

  Eventually, nearly a full minute later, the last succubus lay dying. Its rattle for breath as menacing as its appearance.

  “Recover the perimeter and stay sharp. Don't know how many more of these bastards are out there.” the lieutenant said firmly.

  “How long do we gotta wait on these people to show up?” one of the soldiers asked.

  “As long as it takes Barkley!” the lieutenant yelled, approaching the questioning soldier. “And the next time you throw a question my way, it damn well better have sir attached to it!”

  “Yes sir.” the soldier replied.

  As the lieutenant entered one of the choppers, using the vessel as a base station for their rescue mission, each of the soldiers looked ahead. Skimming the dense rainfall for any signs of movement.

  Their gun turrets were ass-kicking in most situations, but as they'd found out, the laser targeting system which projected from them were cut down in range by the rain. Greatly reducing their range of contact.

  -

  “I'd say we're about a half-mile away from that gunfire.” Jack suggested, the three survivors having stopped to rest.

  “Ours?” Julia asked.

  “Absolutely.” the general answered, his knowledge of marine weaponry deep.

  “Good, then we're saved.” Julia replied with relief.

  “Not yet,” Jack warned. “Our gunfire ringing out means our guys are shooting at something, and I think we all know what that something is. What it's capable of,” he added. “Just stay sharp and focused. There will be plenty of time to celebrate when we get there.”

  Julia seemed a bit surprised, though the general nodded into her direction. Letting her know that Lieutenant Jack Strong was correct indeed. The soldier inside of him as strong as his last name.

  “Best if we get moving.” Jack said.

  “I agree lieutenant.” the general said.

  As the three stood to their feet, preparing for what they all knew would be a sprint for their lives, Jack began to gasp for air. Strong arms of a succubus firmly gripped around his neck to blame.

  “Jack!” Julia yelled.

  “Get her out of here!” Jack cried out, though he did so in a very weak voice.

  Grabbing Julia by the wrist, the general began to pull her from the immediate area, rushing her into a sprint.

  “Mutha,” Jack said, arching down and swiftly pulling his head back, smashing the backside of his skull into the demon's face. “Fucker!”

  Turning to a reeling succubus, Jack gripped his own hands together, using a swipe of his own ripped arms to ax-handle the beast to the ground.

  “We got something!” one of the soldiers yelled, prompting the rest to aim sights down onto the area in question.

  “Hold!” the lieutenant yelled, quickly walking to the edge of their encampment.

  Julia ran to them first with the general stumbling behind her. Both of them obviously shaken up.

  “Get them aboard the chopper, I'll be there shortly. Get 'em something warm and keep your eyes open until I say otherwise.” the lieutenant ordered.

  “Yes sir.”

  “General, sir, I've been ordered to bring you back to the fleet in orbit.” the lieutenant said.

  “I can't leave without the marines who showed up to save our asses.”

  “Sir, I have my orders.” the lieutenant replied.

  “Your orders? What about your oath?” the general questioned, scowling to the man in charge. “You are supposed to protect all human life, not just mine. We don't leave men behind!”

  The lieutenant looked affected by the general's statement, as if he were mulling his options.

  “Please,” Julia added. “They are good men.”

  “Alright,” the lieutenant replied loudly. “I won't send my men out there – but I'll stall for a bit. Maybe forget that we've located you for an hour or so...but that's it.” the lieutenant warned.

  “That will do, thank you.” the general replied.

  Shrugging his thank you off as though he'd just made a mistake, the lieutenant quickly exited the chopper. Preparing to inform his men that their stay had just been prolonged a bit.

  “Will they be alright?” Julia asked.

  “I would like to think so dear,” the general replied, turning to the young woman as they both sat, draped in blankets. “But the truth is I just don't know.”

  After hearing his admission, Julia glanced to the rainfall outside of the chopper. Wondering the fate of Lieutenant Jack Strong and his longtime sniper.

  -

  As he lay there, pellets of stinging cold rain hitting his face, Jack began to raise his head a bit.

  The succubus had proven a tough adversary, but they could also be killed. Jack knew it as he turned to see one of their mighty warriors laying beside him, lifeless.

  Jack remembered several flashes of memory. Their fight had been one of intensity – literally a fight for survival. Jack's knuckles hurt from the swelling that had followed pounding the beast into demise. Likewise, his body ached from the fight he'd gotten back. Nearly killing him in the process.

  As much as the hardened soldier had cursed the rain up to this moment, he'd considered it a Godsend. The flicking of water to his face the only reason he'd come back from a land of eternal sleep.

  Though Jack did so slowly, he began to lift himself from the muddy ground beneath him. Eventually standing to his feet. Staggering for a moment, Jack located his combat pistol. His rifle had seemingly disappeared, the thick rainfall most likely to blame. Reaching down, Jack also felt his combat blade. It remained holstered, though it had been loose.

  He remembered a struggle in which he'd reached down with desperation, unable to pull the blade completely from its holster fitting.

  With the rush of urgency and a pounding inside of his head, Jack quickly began running once more. Trying his best to correctly follow the bearings of gunfire he'd heard earlier.

  -

  “Got something!” one of the soldier cried out, every one of them pressing eyes to scope as they waited.

  Staggering into their range of vision, Jack fell to the ground. He'd gone as far as possible.

  “Shut down the turrets, it's one of our own!” the lieutenant yelled, rushing to the aid of Jack Strong, who lay motionless on the rain-drenched ground.

  “Jack!” Julia cried out, quickly held by the general.

  “Is he breathing?” the lieutenant asked, having reached the fallen warrior with haste. “Is he?”

  “Yes...barely.” the soldier replied.

  “Get him to the ch
opper, now!” the lieutenant demanded.

  “Yes sir.”

  “What about the other soldier?” one of the marines asked.

  “We can't wait any longer. If we do, this man will die. Get him aboard, stabilize him and let's out asses back to the deck above.” the lieutenant replied.

  “Yes sir, of course.”

  Turning to execute his order, the marines quickly sprinted off, Jack Strong in hand.

  Out of nowhere, the lieutenant felt arms wrapping around him. Before he could turn to discover the identity of the succubus, the demon had jerked him backwards, pulling the man in charge beneath a cloak of rainfall.

  “Sir!” one of the marines yelled, though their lieutenant was nowhere to be seen.

  In fact, he could still hear their yells for him. Though his struggle with the monster prevented him from replying. It slowly wrestled upwards, eventually placing the massive arms around his neck. Squeezing with authority, the lieutenant began to fade into whatever heaven this planet knew.

  Click.

  A single shot blasted its way through the skull of the alien, the snapping bullet releasing from a suppressed chamber. The sniper who had long considered himself a friend to Jack Strong, now found himself rescuing another lieutenant. Becoming a habit of sorts.

  “On your feet, sir, we need to move quickly.” the sniper commented, helping the near-lifeless lieutenant to his feet.

  Moments later, the two men were located by a small group of marines that had come in search of their commanding officer. Helping Renaldo in getting the lieutenant to safety.

  Within minutes, the choppers skirted back into the black sky above them – rainfall cascading across the finely-forged steel of the ships' hulls.

  -

  “May I come in?” Julia asked, knocking gently against the steel frame of the doorway.

  “Of course.” Jack replied, standing gingerly to his feet.

  The fight against the demon, especially under such close quarters had proven him a hero, but left him ailing. Jack stood, though it took a great deal in order to do so.

  “I just wanted to thank you again. For everything. I feel as though I owe you my life.” she added.

  “It's alright. Just doing my job.” he modestly replied with a smug grin.

  “Listen, I wanted to...” Julia began to admit, her words cut short as two soldiers escorted a commanding officer toward them. The thick of rubber boots crashing against the loud steel grating of the hallway.

  “Lieutenant Jack Strong?” the XO asked.

  “Yes sir.” Jack replied, saluting his superior.

  “At ease son. May I have a word in private?” the XO asked.

  “Of course.” Jack replied. Nodding to Julia for a moment as to apologize for cutting her short.

  She thought of him in such a way that seemed to make Jack larger than life. Muscular, but not with an over-abundance, yet gentle enough to question which he was better suited for. Soldiering or loving?

  As Julia saw the military-hardened soldier begin to weep, falling back against the steel wall behind him, she knew it in her heart as if it were a shared pain.

  Jack's wife had been killed.

  She'd never seen this type of news delivered in person, but had always imagined how horrible it must be. Watching the XO try to comfort a man who'd been so strong for the core, Julia's heart bled for Jack – as well as the XO tasked with delivering the news.

  “You may want to stay with him for a while ma'am, if that's possible?” one of the escort soldiers asked.

  “Of course.” Julia replied – her own eyes tearing heavily.

  Moments later, the three soldiers walked away just as quickly as they had shown up. Taking Jack's entire world with them.

  “I'm so, so sorry.” Julia said, approaching the broken man.

  He wanted to reply. Thank her for the kind words and understanding. Jack simply couldn't. As he opened him mouth, nothing came out. It was as if his entire reason for living was gone within seconds.

  Julia grabbed him into her arms, pressing herself as closely as possible as Jack continued to weep uncontrollably.

  Boom.

  The sound of a cannon shot hitting their ship, its course of flight jolting wildly – sending both Jack and Julia to the floor.

  Three more booms followed, each of them as loud as the first. Their marine war ship once again jerked back and forth, rocking itself from such blasts. Quickly followed by the alarms inside of the ship.

  Everyone report to your assigned stations. This is not a drill. A woman's voice declared across the ship's com system.

  Julia questioned for a moment if the voice was real, or simply a computerized model? It sounded real enough, but the calm in the woman's voice brought doubt.

  “What's happening?” Julia asked loudly as several more strikes against their ship could be felt. This time bringing a flickering of lights.

  “We're under attack.” Jack replied, drying his tears a bit. Just long enough to face the reality of what was going on.

  “Attack...who?” Julia asked.

  Her question answered with a simple glare from the man who'd went from broken to soldering in a matter of seconds.

  The demons have a fleet of their own.

  -

  “Report!” The ship's captain demanded, entering the large CIC in search of answers.

  “We're giving them all we have, sir, but it doesn't look good.” one of the staff members replied, watching the battle play out on his computer monitor.

  “Giving who all we've got?” the captain asked, pushing everyone to realize he knew nothing beyond the blasts.

  “Sir,” the staff member replied. “We had three ships nearly fall on top of us. Look to be marked with the Succubus logo, and they aren't holding any punches.”

  “Our rail guns?” the captain asked.

  “The ones we have left are firing,” the man replied in defeat. “But having minimal effect. Their armor plating is unlike anything we've seen before.”

  He kicked it around for a moment. The idea of their single thermal shot. Each marine ship of this size was considered a war ship, and each war ship held one. Thermonuclear warhead. Otherwise known as a TW.

  “Hit one of the bastards without a TW. Alert the fleet of our position and issue a distress signal. Sound the abandon ship alarm.”

  “Sir?” the staff member asked, several more turning to look to him as well. Seeking confirmation of what they'd just heard.

  “My code entry is 4-6-09-5-27-11 – you have your orders.” the captain confirmed.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Follow that order through and then get everyone in here to safety.” the captain asked.

  It could be heard through the ship's com system, as well as the com system on every ship-to-ship fighter that currently found itself dogfighting for survival against superior number.

  Marine Command, this is ship identification delta-seven-delta. Sending last known coordinates and advising we are abandoning ship. Heavy fire from enemy craft. Evacuating to the surface to await rescue and extraction. I say again Marine Command, this is ship identification delta-seven-delta. We are going down.

  Lieutenant Jack Strong had never been in this type of situation before, but knew the layout of such a ship like the back of his hand. Quickly gripping his fingers onto Julia's and locking them tightly.

  “Stay with me. Long push to the hangar. Just don't panic and run as hard as you can. Stay with me.” he said.

  “O...okay.”

  -

  The demon's ships were strange looking by human standards. They were long, almost blade-like and seemed to be spiked on the front tips. Communication antennas, as well as a hangar door which spewed fighter ships from the front.

  Their cannon bursts fired from the top of the ship, each shot bolting up from one of two massive holes and burning to a glow before completely changing direction and firing onto the marine vessel.

  Jack recognized the glow of red and blue, knowin
g it was similar to what he had encountered on the surface only days before. Still, he ran without a second thought. Never daring to slow down.

  Julia remained behind him. Better than Jack had expected. In fact, she'd covered a lot of ground in better fashion than many soldiers who'd served with him had. A compliment to her will to live, if nothing else.

  “Up ahead.” Jack yelled, the bursts of destruction now hitting their ship more rapidly. A fact which the lieutenant knew was an indication that the ship's rail guns had failed.

  The entire hangar was filled with the bustle of bodies. Each of them eager to cram into one of the few remaining ships. Each lifeboat would plunge to the surface and with any luck, land near the rest. At which time they would regroup and do what they could to survive an attacking force which was soon to be behind them.

  Jack pressed through the crowd as best he could, still holding Julia's hand tight, though it became increasingly harder to edge his way through what now seemed like a wall of human flesh.

  He stopped dead in his tracks, as did everyone else as hush flowed through the crowd. A single gunshot to blame.

  “Let the man and woman through, you bastards!” Renaldo yelled, having fired a warning shot through the hangar bay.

  It didn't stall the crowd for long, but it did give enough of a window for Jack and Julia to make it to the skiff where Renaldo remained standing.

  “Welcome back boss.” Renaldo commented with a smile, extending his free arm and helping each of them to the chopper.

  “The general?” Jack asked.

  “Doing general things I suppose.” the sniper replied.

  Standing to her feet, Chandra wrapped her arms around the lieutenant and nearly refused to let go. Drawing strange looks from Julia, who had become so attached to the man in uniform.

  “We didn't know that you'd make it in time.” Wesley commented.

  “Yea, well,” Jack replied, turning to look into a mob of humans that longed to survive. Each of them beginning to trample the other in hopes of grabbing a place aboard a lifeboat. “We're aren't out of the woods just yet.”