by Jay Allan
Riley could see that the tail of 1st Section had stopped completely. He reopened the com line. “Sergeant James, why has the column stopped?”
“Sorry, sir.” James was distracted, clearly in the middle of something. “The path keeps getting smaller, sir. I had to put the men in single file.”
“Very well, Sergeant.” Fuck, Riley thought…this is really the best route? That’s what he’d told James, and it was exactly what Taylor had said to him. But he was finding it hard to believe now. “Carry on. Let’s keep moving.”
“Yes, sir.”
Riley stood, looking out over the terrain below, trying to spot enemy positions. A minute passed, then two. Finally, he could see the men ahead begin to move. Looking carefully, he stared down slowly, waving for the troops behind him to follow.
The path angled sharply, and suddenly it became a knife edge, steep drop-offs on both sides. Riley stared straight ahead, his eyes downcast, focused on the ground in front of him. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t like heights…didn’t like them one bit. It crossed his mind how silly it was to be so disturbed by a pointless phobia when he was on his way into battle. He was far likelier to get shot by a Machine than to lose his footing and fall. But it didn’t matter…all he could think about was getting down off the heights.
“Lieutenant, we’re approaching the enemy line.” James again, sounding excited. “They’re on the move, trying to reposition. It looks like we caught them flatfooted. Request permission to attack.”
Riley smiled. Young’s people must be engaged on the flank, he thought. “Permission granted, Sergeant. Attack.” He switched the com to the strikeforce command line. “All sections…attack.”
“Keep moving…all of you.” Young’s voice was loud and urgent. They didn’t call him Frantic for nothing. His people had been attacking nonstop for over an hour, but he wasn’t about the give the enemy a chance to regroup. Or even breathe. “Forward! Now!”
He glanced out from behind a jagged rock outcropping, spying another position about 60 meters forward. He’d be in the open, at least for a few seconds, but the Machines were disordered and pulling back. It was worth the risk.
He leaned forward, keeping his head low as his surgically enhanced leg muscles powered him forward. The ground was steep and rugged. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to keep his footing before the mods, but his upgraded legs were more than up to the task. He knew stronger legs would make him faster, but he’d been surprised at how much the added power helped his balance.
He spotted a Machine as he was running, and he swung his rifle around, firing a dozen shots in 3 round bursts. He hit his target with at least half the projectiles, tearing off most of its upper body. The alien cyborg didn’t look all that different than one of his own soldiers going down. The Machines were not enormously unlike humans. Their bodies were partially mechanical, and they had fewer bodily fluids and soft tissue…that tended to make them neater corpses. Their systems were more compartmentalized, and they were generally better equipped to survive wounds. Until the Supersoldier program began implanting millions of healing nanobots into human soldiers, at least.
Young smiled. It was a tough shot, and he’d nailed it. His new eyes were a help in aiming, but he suspected it was the NIS that truly made the difference, compensating for the motion as he ran. He felt the rush of excitement, as he always did after a kill, and he let out a feral howl.
Young had been on Erastus less than two weeks when the guys started calling him Frantic. He’d always been excitable, but during the stress of combat he became truly wild. As a rookie it had been a problem…he was slow to listen to the veterans’ advice, and his uncontrolled aggression had almost gotten him killed on a number of occasions. Only luck had saved him…that and his enormous fighting ability.
Eventually, experience settle him down somewhat. He was still aggressive, almost savage in combat, but his rational mind was in control now. To everyone’s surprise, Frantic had become an extraordinary NCO and, unexpectedly, his loss rate was well below average. He still took personal risks that made Taylor cringe, but Young had become one of the top sergeants in the strikeforce…and a member of Jake’s small group of close friends.
He slammed hard into the rock outcropping at the new position. He was still getting used to the momentum from his enhanced legs. He lost his breath for an instant, but otherwise he wasn’t hurt. He shook his head, and forced his focus back to the battle.
He checked his tactical display. Riley’s boys were almost into the fight. The Machines were being attacked from two sides. He knew the enemy wouldn’t panic like a human force might, but he wasn’t sure what to expect. Normally, they’d realize their position was compromised and pull back to regroup. But this time they were defending a vital location, and they almost certainly had hold at all costs orders. The canyon led almost directly to a production facility, and if they lost the high ground, they’d lose the whole position. UNFE could pour more forces through and attack the factory at will. And the Tegeri couldn’t afford to lose another base.
He heard a series of distant explosions, and his head snapped around. That’s 1st Battalion, he thought, hitting the south side of the canyon. Most of that side was sheer cliff, and there were fewer enemy positions to assault.
“All teams…move it!” Young was firing his assault rifle at a cluster of Machines crouched behind a pile of boulders 100 meters ahead. He got one, hitting it just under the left eye and tearing the top of its head off. The others ducked down and started returning his fire. He pulled back around the outcropping, swearing under his breath. They had him pinned. If he dashed out to move forward, they’d nail him in half a second.
He was covered with sweat. The mods made him a vastly superior fighter, but the exos were just one more thing trapping the heat, making combat on Erastus even more unbearable. He twitched a few times…he was a little claustrophobic by nature, and the exoskeletal attachments made him feel trapped, confined. He could usually put it out of his mind, but he was most vulnerable when he was frustrated. Like now.
He moved his hand behind him, fingering one of the grenades clipped to his exos. Maybe, he thought…just maybe I can drop this right behind them. It would be a tough throw, but it was the only way he could think of to deal with the Machines who had him trapped. His tactical display told the same story. All along the line, his boys were getting pinned.
He pulled hard, snapping the spherical grenade from the harness. A normal man would never be able to throw half a kilogram of steel and explosive far enough, but Karl Young was no longer normal. The muscles in his arms and shoulders were interlaced with artificial fibers, increasing his natural strength by a factor of three, and the exo attached to his arm gave him even more power. The problem wasn’t distance…it was accuracy. He had the strength, but 100 meters was a hell of a range for precision aiming.
He flipped the small lever, activating the weapon. He stepped back from the rock and swung his body quickly to the left. He gave himself a second to aim, a dangerous luxury when he was exposed to enemy fire. He threw the grenade, imagining its flight path to the target.
He kicked right with his legs, using the momentum of the throw to propel him back behind his cover. A rookie might have paused, watching to see if the throw landed on target. That rookie would have died, riddled with fire, before the grenade even reached its target. There were a hundred small factors, things inexperienced guys didn’t even think of. But they were the difference between life and death on the battlefield.
He heard the loud boom. It was a heavy grenade, with a significant blast. He peered cautiously around the rock, trying to get a view toward the enemy position. He brought his assault rifle up and hosed the area down, emptying a clip at full auto. Nothing. No motion, no return fire.
There was no way to know for sure. He stared out at the ground ahead, picking out his next objective. There was a small gully up ahead, maybe 2 meters deep. Good cover. He slammed a new clip into
his rifle and took a deep breath. Then he spun around, running full speed, diving for the protection of the small trench ahead.
Private Sanjay Chandra glanced up at the two suns in the sky. The heat was unbearable. His uniform was soaked with his sweat, as wet as if he’d dived into a river. A river, he thought bitterly…a river is an elusive dream in this hell. Chandra was crouched behind a small rise in the ground, as bullets flew all around. He was terrified, paralyzed. And the heat was so bad, he felt like he was going to pass out any minute.
Chandra was a rookie, as raw as they came. He’d come through the Portal and taken the transport to Firebase Delta. He barely had time to dump his gear and take a crap before the assembly alarm went off. An hour later he was strapped into another ship – a combat transport this time – and en route to this hellish gorge.
He was hyperventilating, trying in vain to cool himself. The air was hot…so hot. When they told him he was going to Erastus, he figured he’d be well prepared to handle it. He grew up in the streets of New Delhi, and he thought he was used to the heat. But there was heat and then there was…this. It wasn’t Earthly heat on Erastus…the coolest temperatures on the planet matched the worst equatorial heatwaves in terrestrial history.
He was moving through the valley, struggling to keep up with the rest of the team. Corporal Tse had yelled at him twice for lagging behind. But the heat…it was just too much. He tried to move faster, but he almost fainted, and he had to slow down.
He looked at the cliffs on both sides. The Machines had been dug in on those rocky slopes, at least that’s what the corporal told everybody. “Be glad you grunts didn’t have to go up those cliffs,” he had said. “And be fucking grateful to your brothers who did the job, because they lost half their number doing it.”
Chandra couldn’t even imagine fighting on terrain like that. And a strikeforce losing half its strength? How do men do that, he wondered…how do they stand and fight even after taking such losses? His strikeforce was moving through the dry riverbed to assault the remaining enemy line. The Machines were in bad shape, outflanked on both sides, taking fire from the steep high ground…the very positions they had held a few hours before. Chandra and his comrades were tasked with delivering the final blow, opening up the riverbed, allowing fresh forces to move on a major enemy base.
They had it a lot easier than the men who’d gone in already, but Chandra was still scared to death, struggling to keep himself from shaking.
“Attention, 109th Strikeforce.” The voice on his com was firm, commanding. How, Chandra wondered, could anyone sound so calm, so controlled, minutes before going into combat? It was Lieutenant Daniels, who was commanding both Chandra’s unit and the 84th, which was in reserve right behind the 109th.
Chandra had caught a glimpse of Daniels from a distance as the strikeforce was boarding the transports, but this was the first time he’d heard the lieutenant’s voice. Daniels was a lofty figure to a newb like Chandra. Commander of over 250 men, Supersoldier, a member of Jake Taylor’s inner circle. The young soldier was in awe, even forgetting his fear for a few seconds.
“Prepare to assault enemy positions.” Daniels still sounded under control, maddeningly so.
Why isn’t he scared, Chandra thought…how can he be so calm? He held up his own hand, focusing hard but still unable to stop it from shaking. His head snapped around quickly, prompted by a loud crack. There was just the one sound, and for a few seconds the air was silent and still. Then the Machine line opened up.
Chandra froze, his rifle still strapped across his back. He was looking forward, but his legs wouldn’t move, no matter how hard he tried. It took all he had not to turn and run as quickly as his legs could carry him. But he stayed in place. He saw another man, about 50 meters down the line, thrown back, crumpling to the ground. Part of him wanted to run over, to help his comrade. Another part said, move forward…attack. But all he could do was stand in place.
“Chandra! Get your worthless ass moving.” It was the corporal, and his sharp rebuke snapped Chandra out of his paralysis.
“Yes, Corporal Tse.” He moved forward, taking slow, jerky steps. He looked ahead, toward the enemy line. He couldn’t see much…a little movement here and there, but that’s all. The Machines were hunkered down behind cover. Most of his teammates were too. There were large boulders scattered all across the riverbed, and the troopers had taken position behind them.
Chandra stumbled forward, his legs limp, like noodles. He tried to remember his training, but it was hard to focus. He reached around, pulling his rifle from his back. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for a good place to crouch down. He saw a boulder none of the others were using. It was a little over a meter high and perhaps two wide. He’d have to stay low, but it was good protection.
He moved toward it, his heart pounding in his ears, rivulets of sweat streaming down his face. His eyes stung from the sweat, blurring his view. He kept moving, staring at the rock, trying to ignore the sounds of bullets ripping by.
He felt like he’d never get there, that he’d been running forever. But then, suddenly, he was behind the rock, prone.
The rifle felt hot in his hands. The dense plastic material didn’t conduct heat very well, but the weapon had been on his back for over an hour, with both suns beating down on it. He glanced cautiously around the edge of the boulder. His heart leapt. There was a Machine! He was peering out from behind his own cover about 80 meters ahead, taking aim at something – someone, Chandra realized – down the line.
He spun around, snapping up the rifle and pulling the trigger. It was all a blur. The gun was set on semi-automatic, and the first burst of three shots went high, zipping over the target’s head. The Machine reacted, starting to pull back and angling his weapon in Chandra’s direction.
Chandra felt the adrenalin flooding his system. His arms felt stronger, his mind more alert. He stared down the barrel of his rifle, pulling the trigger three times in rapid succession, sending a flurry of projectiles toward his enemy.
The Machine was pushed backward, the left side of his chest and midsection almost gone. The remnants of the shattered alien warrior fell to the ground. It couldn’t have taken more than a second or two, though the whole thing played out in slow motion to Chandra.
He could feel the energy inside. I hit him, he thought, his excitement building. He’d killed one of the enemy…and maybe saved one of his comrades in the process. His blood was up, and the fear was momentarily forgotten, pushed aside by his elation.
He gritted his teeth and scanned the enemy line. He spotted two Machines crouched over a heavy autogun. They were mostly under cover, but not completely. A perfect shot could take either one of them down. His eyes locked on his targets, and he brought his rifle up to fire.
Suddenly he was moving back, his body twisting. He saw the spray of blood from his shoulder before he felt the wound. His legs went weak…he was falling. As he did, he spun around…just before second projectile slammed into his back. Then a third. They were heavy hypersonic rounds, and they tore right through his body armor.
Suddenly, he was looking up at the sky. Both suns were still there, the second close to setting. He couldn’t remember how he’d ended up on the ground…then it came to back to him. He realized he must have blacked out after the projectiles hit him.
He felt strange, like he was floating. Then there was the pain. His back was on fire, waves of agony wracking his body. There was wetness under him. He pulled his hand up and stared. It was covered with blood. His blood. He began to panic, screaming. The tears started to stream from his eyes. “Help,” he shouted, as loud as his stricken body could manage. The pain in his chest flared up as he tried to yell, but he repeated his cry nevertheless. It was in vain. There was no response. He was alone.
He was starved for air, and he tried to take a deep breath, but the pain was unbearable. There was a gurgling sound from his throat, his chest, and every shallow breath he managed was a torment.
�
�Please,” he muttered piteously to whatever powers might exist in the universe. “I don’t want to die.”
He was still staring at the sky, staying still to minimize the pain. His mind began to drift, random thoughts moving in and out of his dwindling consciousness. It is beautiful in its own way, he thought, seeing the Erastian sky differently than he had before. Men looked up and saw the two suns, the source of the terrible heat that made every moment on the planet a misery. But now Chandra saw it differently. Two majestic suns, and the long, sparse clouds that ran for kilometers across the horizon. There is beauty, he thought, a brief smile crossing his stricken lips…even in hell.
Chapter 13
From the Journal of Jake Taylor:
Do you ever wonder about the odd assortment of things you remember? Most days of your life vanish into the inaccessible depths of the mind, but a few seemingly random events remain in the forefront. Years later, decades later…you still remember them like they happened yesterday.
One day when I was young…seven, eight, I don’t recall that part exactly…we were driving into Concord. It was sometime around my birthday, and we were heading for one of the restaurants in town. It was always a treat to eat out someplace. It wasn’t often we had the extra money for things like that.
I was in the back of the truck, probably fighting with my brother. Suddenly, my father pulled over to the side of the road. There was an accident ahead of us. A motorcycle had been swiped by a tractor, and it wiped out hard.
My father told us to stay in the car, and then he got out and went to the back of the truck. He always kept a blanket and a first aid kit in the storage locker, and he got them out and ran over. I could see the rider through the window of the truck. He was lying on his back, and the street around him had puddles of blood on it. I wondered for a second if he was dead, but then I saw him move.