The earth shifted under her feet, loose rubble spinning in frantic circles around her boots. Bringing the Berserker up to her face the built-in sight rose easily from the gun’s body to meet her visor. That’s still working at least. Green flags peppered her sight denoted by initials and Erebus Superior Armed Forces number, identifying each of her colleagues. At one time she’d found it extremely confusing but after six years of service she’d learned to largely ignore it. She didn’t need to know who stood before her, just that they were an ally—besides; the Wilson firearms were all designed to lock up and not fire when pointed at a friendly face.
Unless this sandstorm completely fucks the system.
There were no red flags indicating hostiles, but she kept the weapon raised regardless. Her hearing filled with the shouts of her compatriots complaining about the lack of vision and the absence of planning for such an incapacitating scenario. Everyone knew this accursed planet was decked with a thick layer of fallout and dust, yet it seemed the Erebus high brass hadn’t even considered the problems this would cause on such a landing.
Lieutenant Marshal’s voice boomed the loudest through all their headsets. “Get out of here, Rian! Take that fucking craft out of the city; I can’t see a fucking thing.”
The pilot had obviously heard, as the external thrusters burst into action with a loud whoosh and several blasts of hot air. Soil and debris careened faster around her, the engines creating pockets of heated downdraft like the eyes of a dozen tornadoes. Even with her helmet on and earplugs pressed tight to her head the world’s sounds became obscured by the TC’s whining engines.
When the first scream of agony sliced through her earpiece, it was definitely female. The cry cut a trail of ice down her spine. She couldn’t identify who it was, or where the woman stood, but the scream became a gurgle quickly floundering into nothing. Jayde’s visor flashed with static as dust battered her, and when it cleared the first flash of a red flag twisted a stab of nerves deep in her gut. They were coming out of the storm—whatever the hell they were—many more than she’d assumed there would be. She counted at least ten red flags in a matter of a second, and then stopped counting as her vision exploded with a plethora of hostile activity.
Jayde squeezed the trigger, allowing the Berserker to work for her, not forcing her shots. When one flag disappeared, another flashed across her vision. Sand raged around her, but the buffeting from the TC’s engines diminished, telling her the craft rapidly gained height.
When the swirling grains lost momentum in the still air and gravity took them to ground, the view that greeted her stole her breath.
The presidential palace dome stood proud over the district, still some distance away. Most of the buildings in the immediate vicinity were flattened, forming mountains of fused rubble and rock. Their enemy swarmed from the debris, flooding over the crest of destroyed buildings in a tide of muscle and flesh; hauling their disgusting bodies through slender holes in the lumps of masonry. Humanoid in stature, but with leathery skin turned red by a relentless sun, hungry mutants charged into the arriving Erebus soldiers in a vicious tide. A few paces ahead of her, a soldier turned his Berserker towards three creatures scampering across the dust, but they were too nimble and swamped him before he could unleash a round. Her colleague collapsed under their assault, the first mutant driving a long blade of steel into the gap between helmet and body armor before yanking it clear. Arterial blood gushed in a river from the dying soldier. His breath gurgling in Jayde’s headset as the mutant leaned forward to catch the torrent in its open mouth. The other two mutants swung their blades down on his torso, attempting to hack open his armor and feast on the flesh beneath. It happened in an instant, Jayde screamed in her mind at the horror of it all.
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