Lethal Strike

by Nick S. Thomas

  "We aren't fighting for a government, dipshit. We're fighting for each other. If you only give a shit about yourself, maybe you should leave. Go and do your own thing. The rest of us, we're here for each other."

  "Fools."

  "Yeah? Don't like it? Then piss off," replied Lee.

  "Shut up, all of you," Ramos raised his voice as loudly as he thought he could get away with.

  Miles groaned and didn't argue any further as they took aim.

  "This isn’t gonna be a walk in the park, you get that, right?" Donny asked his brother.

  "I know. But those are our people in there. We'll make it work."

  The convoy was drawing close now as they all hunkered down for cover and concealment. Atop the turret of the armoured vehicle was a drone. It looked like an officer of some kind. It was surveying the ground all around them as they progressed down the wet country road, kicking up spray. The rain was light, unlike the hours of heavy downpours that had brought them to this point. The officer suddenly turned and looked right at them. They hunkered down a few millimetres more, not knowing whether they had been spotted or not. But they knew they couldn't move any further without giving it all away.

  "Come on, you bastards. Don't stop now," whispered Donny.

  The lead vehicle had just passed them as he breathed a sigh of relief, but it was premature, for their wheels soon ground to a halt. The convoy stopped right before them as the officer focused on them to get a better look.

  "No, we're done," said Lee.

  "Fire!" Ramos ordered.

  His first shot covered the last syllable as it hit the officer in the face, and it collapsed down into the vehicle. The turret began to traverse towards them, but one of Payne's grenades struck the open hatch. An explosion erupted on top, and a moment later the whole vehicle ignited as if a fuel tank had gone up. The armoured vehicle was launched a metre into the air. It toppled over and smashed down onto the rear end of the vehicle in front of it, crushing it beneath its immense weight. The doors of the other unarmed vehicles slid open as enemy soldiers poured out to engage them. There were four soldiers from the lead and rear vehicles, but just one from the one that had been partially flattened, and another two from the prisoner transport.

  Another explosion rang out as a grenade was thrown towards the lead vehicle. It erupted at the front wheel and blew it off, but the vehicle had covered the enemy soldiers from the blast. Payne had already noticed and fired another grenade for the stricken vehicle. The blast was immense. Two soldiers were blown apart, and another crushed between the vehicle and the other behind it. Six soldiers leapt out of the cab of the prisoner transport.

  "Hit them again!"

  Ramos didn't want to use all of their ammunition, but he needed a swift end to the fight that was rapidly spiralling out of control. The grenade landed in front of the truck, killing three of the enemy outright. Another was thrown against the front of the vehicle by the power of the blast. Miles leapt up to get a clean shot, not caring for whatever might come back at him. He fired several quick bursts and killed one, but most of his shots missed as they struck the vehicle wreckage. Two shots even hit the prisoner transport.

  "What are you doing?" Donny yelled.

  But Miles let out a visceral cry and charged down towards the road. Nobody was able to stop him. He was firing like a madman as gunfire flashed past him.

  "Stupid son of a bitch is gonna get himself killed!"

  Ramos was concentrating too much on ensuring that didn't happen, to be able to show any anger towards him. He fired a short burst at one as others went for cover. Payne took aim with his launcher.

  "No, you'll hit Miles!" Donny got up to get a better view. He was in full view of the enemy as he returned fire. His magazine was empty in no time. As he dropped it, he ran down the embankment loading another.

  "Donny!" Lee yelled.

  Both he and Ramos knew it was out of character for him, but they knew why. Nobody wanted to see Miles be killed, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he was. Miles came face-to-face with one of the enemy as he got down in front of the wreckage. It had turned its head to face him, but its weapon was still pointing up towards Ramos and the others. He hesitated for a brief moment before pulling the trigger. He let off six shots from his Kalashnikov, riddling his opponent with bullets. But one more came around the corner of the vehicle with a weapon trained on him. He gasped in shock as he quickly turned his rifle on this new attacker. But as he squeezed the trigger, he found his weapon empty. There was no time to reach for his sidearm, and yet he still made a futile attempt at it.

  Two shots rang out and whistled past him. He looked back and found himself peering down the muzzle of Donny's rifle, who'd fired over his shoulder a metre behind him. The shock on his eardrum stunned him further, and he looked sheepish before his saviour.

  "I..."

  "No time, reload. We've got fighting to do."

  He'd expected to be ridiculed, but that was the last thought in Donny's mind. He'd save that for later, when they were not in mortal danger. Miles snapped back into action and reached for a new magazine as the firefight continued to rage. The small opening between the wreckage and the transport truck concealed them, but it began to back away from them. For a moment Miles thought he was losing his mind, and that the whole world was starting to spin. He looked over to Donny to realise it wasn't just him. The truck was backing away from them. He lifted his rifle to fire as he loaded a new round in to the chamber, but he couldn't fire, not with all the people who were aboard.

  "Stop them!" Lee shouted desperately.

  Neither Donny nor Miles knew what to do. Donny rushed up onto the bank beside them as Ramos reached his position. The transport smashed into one of the parked vehicles behind it and slowed significantly.

  "What do we do?" Donny asked.

  Ramos took aim at the vehicle, but his attention turned to take on two more enemies on the road ahead.

  "Don't let them leave!" Lee shouted.

  Donny looked to Ramos for answers, but he had his hands full as more of the enemy opened fire from the treeline on the opposite side of the road.

  "You go after them. We're handling this!"

  He looked to his brother as the vehicle smashed through the final vehicle in the convoy and began to gain pace. Their time and chance to save the prisoners was almost up. He nodded to his brother, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking. They threw down their rifles to lighten the load and leapt into a sprint, as if they were charging the length of a football pitch, like they had done so many times. Their competitiveness had always spurred them on to fly like the wind, just as they were doing now.

  Ramos stopped firing and looked in astonishment at what he was seeing. The heavy vehicle was accelerating down the road, yet the two runners were gaining on it.

  "Well, look at those running fools," said Payne.

  "Crazy, they're gonna get themselves killed," said Miles.

  Gunfire still rang out, and they were forced to turn back to keep up the fight. But the two brothers had only sped up further as they sprinted with everything they had. Lee was the first to reach the truck and leapt onto the back, just about holding on with one hand as the vehicle yanked him forward. He was barely hanging on, but reached out for Donny, whose speed was now the same as the vehicle.

  "Come on! Push!"

  His older brother gave one last effort. Their hands connected, and Donny was lifted up into the air as the truck gained more speed. Lee pulled him in until he could get a hold himself. Donny clung to the back with both hands and slumped a little as he gasped for air.

  "You all right?" Lee smiled.

  He was amused that he was able to outrun his brother.

  "You ain't the fastest anymore."

  "Yeah, I’m starting to get that impression," he gasped.

  "What, they don't keep you fit in the Army?"

  "Sure, but you know the last time I had to sprint a hundred metres? Come on, let's do this." He took in one big
gulp of air and pulled himself up onto the top of the cage.

  "Shaw?" Sheriff Willis had noticed Donny, "What are you doing here?"

  "Saving your asses." Lee climbed onto the top beside him.

  "Do you have any idea what trouble you boys are getting yourselves into?"

  "Damn right, we do. We’ve been fighting it for enough weeks."

  "Fighting, for weeks? How?"

  "Give us a minute!" Donny yelled angrily as they continued to crawl forward. They had a good grip afforded by the bars of the cage, but the vehicle was up to speed now and the wind hitting them hard. They continued on, fighting through the resistance until at last they reached the cab. Donny peered around. The driver's side door was open and wedged in place where it had smashed into the vehicle to get through. He peered around as subtly as he could and smiled. They were in luck. But before he could recover to tell his brother the plan, the driver looked back at him. He'd been spotted.

  "Shit," he said as he ducked back.

  "What is it?"

  A hatch on top of the cab slid open, and a soldier burst out from it, with a small carbine in hand.

  "Shit!" Lee repeated.

  Donny reached forward and grabbed the muzzle, pulled it aside as two shots rang out. He let go of the cage, pulled on the weapon to bring his lower torso around, and kicked the soldier in the face with his heavy combat boots. The impact was enough to cause it to release its grasp on its weapon. But in doing so, he lost the only thing anchoring him to the vehicle. He tumbled back along the cage as the weapon flew from his grasp. He desperately tried to get hold of the vehicle as it took a bend, and he tumbled off the edge.

  "Donny!"

  Lee saw his brother plunge over the edge. He wanted to go for him, but out of the corner of his eye he could see something approaching quickly. He turned in time to see the enemy soldier. It struck his jaw hard. He'd never been hit so hard in all his life, and collapsed down onto the cage, holding on for dear life. He reached down for his sidearm and lifted it to fire, but it was knocked from his hands. The soldier rose up from the cab and closed on him. He kicked it in the stomach and drove it back a little, but it came right back at him. It threw a strike to his head, which he narrowly avoided, but the machine-like soldier collapsed on top of him, holding him in place. He lifted his hands to cover his head as hammer blows rained down on him. He'd only ever done a little wrestling; this wasn't his thing at all. He looked for an opening and struck forward with a straight right to the face, but the impact was like hitting a brick wall. It seemed to hurt him more than his opponent.

  Another blow hammered down on him and knocked his guard down. He tried to push up with his hips to move his attacker, but it was in vain. He was all out of options, when he heard a voice cry out.

  "Hey, asshole!"

  He and his attacker looked over to see Donny peering up over the side of the vehicle, pistol in hand. He fired a single shot, and it went through the head of the soldier. It fell limp, and with one shove Lee threw it over the edge. Its body crashed into undergrowth at the side of the road. He finally relaxed.

  "A little help here?" Donny asked.

  Lee felt foolish for not going sooner. He crawled to the edge of the roof to find his brother holding precariously onto the side. He got a hold of his hand as the truck veered hard to one side. Ahead a tree branch extended over the road edge, and Donny was heading right for it. Lee hauled him up as the branch scraped along the cage where his brother had been moments before. They both collapsed flat on the rooftop, exhausted, and amazed to still be alive.

  "You ready to do this, Lee?"

  "Damn right, I'm done with these assholes."

  The vehicle was still weaving back and forth as the driver tried to cast them off the roof, but their hold was firm now. Donny climbed up to the open hatch on the cab. He peered through to find he was staring down the muzzle of a gun that the driver was pointing at him. He recoiled quickly as a burst of fire flashed before his eyes, and Lee vanish from his view. He swung in through the open door, kicking the driver aside. The fire stopped, and Donny leant back over the hatch. The driver was on the far side, fighting to free its weapon where it was stuck on the dashboard. He took aim and fired two shots, killing it instantly.

  Lee got control of the steering, and put his foot down on a pedal he hoped was the brake. It reacted far more violently than he expected. The wheels locked, and they slid to an abrupt halt. His brother flew overhead and crashed onto the road ahead.

  "Donny!" Lee yelled out in concern as a cloud of dirt and dust filled his view. But it soon settled as he leapt out of the vehicle and found his brother standing before him. He was covered in dirt and mud that had to have softened his blow, and despite it all, he was laughing.

  "You! You crazy son of a bitch!"

  "Hey, you're the one that threw me off a damn truck!"

  "What now?"

  "Think you can drive that piece of crap?" He looked at the truck.

  Chapter 2

  Ross looked exhausted as he wiped his sweaty brow and stepped out of the shack. His knuckles were cut and bleeding, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. He slumped down on the front step, looking out to marvel at all that was around him. A couple of trucks were parked ahead, but well concealed with foliage so as to not be seen from the air. A ladder led up to a lookout in a tree twenty metres in the distance, with one of their own atop it.

  "Not working, is it?" Ortiz asked.

  He knew he was lurking there, but he'd pretended not to notice.

  "It’s not exactly like we have anything to go on. I mean, what are we even dealing with here?"

  "It's a living creature, isn’t it?"

  "Yeah."

  "But it isn't human?"

  Ross shook his head, still trying to get his head around what that meant.

  "So it's as we feared. All those nutjob crop circle rejects, they were right all along. We aren't alone. They're..."

  "Don't say it," Ross snapped.

  "What? Aliens?"

  "We don't know that. We can't."

  "Really? How else do you want to explain it? You think this is some Russian secret weapon cooked up in a lab?"

  "It could be."

  "Come on. This isn't a Cold War comic book. This is real. Those things, and their tech, they aren't from this world, and you know it."

  Ross sighed. He didn't want to believe it, yet all the evidence was there for him to see.

  "Alien life? Crazy, isn't it?"

  "No shit."

  "It’s not that surprising really."

  They'd not noticed Burns lurking at the edge of the shack.

  "Really? You're one of them? One who believed all that crap?" Ortiz asked.

  "No. But there was always a good chance we weren't alone. To find life isn't all that surprising. I'm surprised we did it in my lifetime, sure. But what's more surprising is what they're doing. They came here to what? Conquer us? Enslave us? Why?"

  "Does it matter?" Ross asked.

  "Sure it matters. Understanding what your enemy wants is important. You must know that."

  "Yeah, in any normal operation. But this isn't normal, is it?"

  "It's loco," added Ortiz.

  "Is this really what it has come to?" sighed Ross.

  "That we're fighting to survive against aliens?" asked Ortiz.

  "When there is no better explanation..." Burns said.

  They could see Kim approaching. She couldn't help but smile, for they looked suspicious. Like they were hiding something from her, as if they were naughty schoolboys.

  "Spit it out, come on. Nothing shocks me anymore."

  "We're fighting against aliens, Kim," said Ortiz.

  Ross smiled as he shook his head.

  "No shit, how long did it take for you to work that out?"

  "So you believe it, too?" Ross asked.

  "Why wouldn't I? If you'd asked me a few weeks back, I'd have said you were crazy to think it. But this is crazy. Nothing about this makes sen
se, until you realise those things aren't from this world. I mean, come on. You've seen enough of them to know this isn't humankind’s doing. I've seen what this world has to offer, and so have you. You must have seen more corners of this world than pretty much anyone around. Tell us there’s another answer for all this."

  Ross took a deep breath and exhaled, realising she was right.

  "So that's it? Aliens did it?"

  "Well, Ortiz, it sure ain't the Russians, the Chinese, or any other force we've ever seen."

  "All right, all right. Let's say you're right, and I can see why you'd think it. I haven't got a better answer. What are they doing here, and what do they want?"

  "I thought that's what you were trying to find out?"

  "Trying, Kim, sure, but our friend isn't exactly much of a talker."

  "We captured that thing so it could be useful. It had better start talking or there’s no reason to keep it around," said Ortiz.

  "Kill it? Kill a wounded prisoner in war?"

  "A few weeks ago, Burns, no. But we can't have that thing here. I don't know if you've looked around lately, but we don't exactly have an abundance of resources. We can't just put it in a cell. Or send it off in a truck to some maximum-security lock up. We have to deal with things on our own."

  "Execution then? And you'd be willing to be the one that does it?"

  "Hell, yes."

  Burns didn't fight any longer. He looked shell-shocked and almost ready to cry. It was the last thing any of them would have expected from the former Marine. He kept it together, but he wasn't in a good place. They could all see he was uncomfortable with the proposal on a deep level. It brought up sore memories for him, and so none of them pushed it any further.

  "Let me take a crack at it," said Kim.

  "To do what?" asked Burns.

  "I'm not sure yet, but whatever we're doing here isn't working."

  "No offense, Sir, but what does a pilot know about interrogating an enemy combatant? We've been here before, plenty of times," replied Ortiz.

  "I don't doubt your experience. Not any of you, but this is new territory for us all. You aren't any more qualified to deal with this than any of us."