“Shit,” I muttered.
The rest of the men burst into excited chatter as some of them moaned, while others talked about how excited they were to ‘get some action’. No doubt that the guys saying that were new, and by the time this was all said and done - getting any contact would be far less exciting and much more tedious. Unfortunately, even frequent brushes with death becomes exhausting. And a tired Marine is a dead Marine.
“How come they coming this way?” Pea Shooter asked.
“I don’t know, I guess it’s pot luck, Peters. Just unlucky that the piece of the wall they breached was the same wall we were going to use to sneak into the fight. But I guess our luck has been rubbish all this time,” he said.
“You’re telling me!” I said, looking up at the high-rise again.
“Keen eye scout! You’ll breach one of those high-rises, along with three other Marines, clear out any potential threats that may lurk in the building, reach the top, set up your rifle, aim down your scope and take out any of the approaching pirates once they reach us. As for the hostile craft, we’ve got a hell-fire missile launcher on ground, I’ll gladly contribute to what will surely be a fun day out for all of us!”
We all sniggered and replied with a Yes sir.
“Good, so let’s get this jaunt started. ETA fifteen minutes until contact. That should be plenty enough time to get up on the roof. I’m sending Peters, Anthony and Chambers with you Jensen. That should cover it. So get a move on, before the ETA becomes fourteen minutes.”
“What if they arrive before then and we’re not at the top of the building taking pot-shots? What then?” I asked.
“Then this mission fails before it even gets started. There’s quite a few of them, and I don’t know if we’d survive this without some RECON at the top. So get a move on!”
Me and the three other guys grabbed our stuff and some supplies and made our way to the eastern-most high-rise, the one overlooking the pathway toward the square, the pathway that Command assured us that the pirates would be reaching in a quarter hour. My heart was thumping madly in my chest. This would be my first defining moment as a Scout, so I had to make sure that my shots counted. The last thing that I wanted to do was fuck this up for everybody.
As Spooks had said, our luck had gone to pot since the start, and in my honest opinion, it only made sense if we paid it forward and gave the gift of bad luck to somebody else. Or in this case, something else. These pirates were going to pay, I was determined to see to their demise, and once they were out of the picture, then I’d march my ass down that same pathway, toward the city, where I’d help the Marines to victory, taking back what was rightfully the natives, and getting off this rock. That’s how I’d tell it if this was a story, but in war, there are very rarely any happy endings.
***
Walking into the abandoned high-rise with Pea Shooter, Anthony and Chambers, I noticed how eerily similar this tenement was to the one I’d grown up in back on Earth. You’d think that because the natives were insect-like and small that their housing would match their species-type, but I suppose that building shelter is one of the first technological advancements a civilisation makes, and a roof and four walls is about as simple as it gets, so I guess the similarity wasn’t really that eerie, probably more on the ironic side of things.
“You reckon Spooks is right?” Chambers asked, he was beside me, I’d never met him before and until then, didn’t know his name, but a question needed answering, so I’d dignify him with one. I wasn’t usually comfortable talking to new Marines. You never knew if you’d get the heroic type or the psychotic type. And if I’m being honest, both types of Marines piss me off.
“Right about what?” I asked, taking a left down a darkened hallway, the others following closely behind and beginning my ascent up some winding stairs. Just like the tenement back home, this place had a stairwell that stank and elevators that were out of order. I noticed that the doors to the apartments around us were a tad smaller than the ones at home, but apart from that they were the same.
“Right about us getting contact,” Chambers said.
I snorted.
“Well, if Command are radioing in to tell us that there’s trouble on the horizon, I don’t see how they could be wrong!” I said, scoffing slightly.
“No, not that. I mean about us coming across stragglers in here. He said that if we come across stragglers, take them out, and get to the top. I just don’t get why there’d be stragglers in these apartment blocks if the big fight was taking place in the city.”
I nodded.
“Good point. But he’s an overly cautious type of guy. I’m sure you’re just over-analysing. In my honest opinion, the only way we’d find the reptiles in here is if this place was loaded with valuables. They seem to be only interested in monetary gain Chambers. I don’t think they enjoy getting their butts kicked, so that’s why they’re trying to make a quick escape with some loot.”
Chambers nodded, and wiped his visor. It was starting to get slightly dusty. This place was filthy. It had obviously been abandoned for years. There was nothing valuable here, that’s for sure. Apart from us, I guess.
“What about the incoming reptiles? Why are they coming here to get picked up? Why not just get a ship to extract them from the city? Why risk running into more opposition from us?” Pea Shooter asked.
“Because if they tried to land a pickup where they are, their ship would be blown to smithereens! They aren’t stupid, they know that we have a lot of airspace covered, so it’s only natural that they try and sneak past us. It would be suicide for them if they even attempted an extraction within the city perimeter, out here, there’s more breathing room. I can imagine that the fighting going on in the city is far too intense. So breathing room is exactly what these fuckers need,” I said.
Pea Shooter laughed.
“Cleverer than I thought!” he said.
I nodded.
“Credit where credit’s due,” I said, stopping to catch my breath.
Chambers, Pea Shooter and Anthony caught up and did the same. The four of us were struggling to breathe. My lungs hurt and my ribs felt bruised. The two days’ leave had done nothing but make me sore. I had a fleeting moment where I wished that I’d just soldiered on and continued the good fight. But even I know that every man needs to take a rest at some point. I was just annoyed that it couldn’t have been for longer. I had no idea how we were going to defeat these damn pirates. They were everywhere, and a battle in the city wasn’t going to scare them off, so I kind of wondered what Command had up their sleeves.
“How much further?” Pea Shooter asked. I shrugged in reply.
“When we see light, we’ll know we’ve made it to the top. Let’s pick up pace, God knows how close those pirates are to entering our safe zone. If they strike and we’re out of position, we’re screwed. There’s no cover down there. In effect, we’re their cover, so let’s get going!” I said, starting to run up the stairs.
The others followed, panting heavily as their guns rattled hard in their grips. If there truly were stragglers around, they’d hear us coming a mile away. We sounded like one-man-bands going up those stairs. But the only tune I was whistling was a nervous whistle through my dry lips.
Reaching the top couldn’t come any quicker, but we had a few more flights to go if this building was as tall as I expected. Every door we passed seemed darker and dirtier. It seemed as if nobody had lived here for a long while, but I still couldn’t shake the fact that with every flight we took, there were hundreds of apartment doors unchecked, and sitting in either one of them could be our worst nightmare. But all I could do was continue. Breaching and clearing every room would take days, and we only had minutes to reach the top and get in position to reign down some bad luck on those reptilian scum bag pirates.
***
The four of us burst through a fire-exit door and sunlight came flooding in our direction. I squinted and tried to shield my eyes, but it was no use. The sunlight w
as harsh and hot. My visor steamed up something silly. I tried to wipe it, but a lot of the steam was condensation coming from my heavy breathing. I stopped dead in my tracks for a few seconds, and tried to control my breathing. Turning to my left, I saw Pea Shooter bending forward, panting like a dog. To my right were the other two, who seemed to be in better shape. My guess was that they were fresh recruits, and were not as battle-tired as us.
“Jesus, it’s hot,” Pea Shooter said, standing back up straight and looking around.
I did the same, and noticed that the roof was completely derelict. A few aircon boxes stood side by side in the middle, whilst the rest of the roof sagged in the sun, revealing an empty desolate open space. I didn’t know how much cover that would give us, but I did know that we had needed to be in position two minutes ago. The good news was that I hadn’t heard any gunfire, so the coast was clear so far.
“Follow me!” I said, ushering my men toward the ledge where I’d have the best advantage point.
As I reached the ledge, I saw my team below, standing in the square, looking a little nervous. The other squadron was still beside them, and they were also looking a little worse for wear. I whistled loudly, trying to get their attention. Spooks looked up at me and waved, acknowledging that he’d seen me. But before I could wave back, Pea Shooter had grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Jesus, here they come!” he said, pointing at the encroaching path leading toward us.
In the distance, like the first spec of a shining star at dusk, I saw the approaching reptilian pirates. They hadn’t seen us yet, and were gallivanting at a fast pace. From where I was standing, it looked as if they were riding animals of some sorts. Animals that to the naked eye from this distance looked a little like dinosaurs.
“Get in position, Jensen! Don’t let them see you!” Pea Shooter said. I turned around and frowned.
“Well, get your ass down as well, Christ! Surely I don’t have to tell you that,” I said, looking at Pea Shooter and then at Chambers and Anthony as they lay prone on the ground.
They’d shuffled back slightly to give me enough room, which I appreciated, but Pea Shooter was clamming up, as if he was frozen on the spot. But thankfully, one of the guys grabbed him by the leg and pulled him toward them, giving me more than enough room.
“I’ve got eyes on the approaching tangos, Sir. I don’t know exactly how many of them there are, but they seem to be riding dinosaurs!” I said into my inbuilt helmet radio that consisted solely of a microphone.
I heard some static on the other end of the line as I also went prone on the dusty concrete floor, hanging slightly off the ledge. I didn’t wait for a reply from Spooks, I placed my railgun to one side and unstrapped my rifle. I quickly checked the magazine rounds and then locked and loaded, ready to start firing upon the pirates when they got in range.
“Did you say dinosaurs?” Spooks said, finally breaking the unbearable radio contact.
“Yes Sir, they’re riding these things like vehicles. I don’t know how to approach this. I’m thinking at the speed they’re going at, if I shoot the dinosaurs instead of the pirates, then maybe it will cause a pile-up of some sorts, giving me ample time to pick off the ones that survive,” I said.
There was another pause on the other end of the line. My mouth was starting to feel dry, so I pressed the canteen button on my PDA and a straw automatically entered my mouth, shooting warm water into my gob and then disappearing once again. Jesus, they needed to sort our suits out. They were completely totalled by now.
“That sounds more than fine with me. While you’re playing hero up there, me and the squad will make our way down the pathway and rip open some covering fire. I suggest that Chambers, Anthony and Peters rip some shots off from there as well. The more offense we’ve got going for us, the better off we’ll be. I’m counting on you to make the Kill Shots though, you’re the only one with the necessary equipment to scope these suckers out. So make your shots count Jensen!”
“I’ll try my best, Sir,” I said, wiping a smudge off my scope and zooming into the approaching pirates.
My hands were shaky as the charging force came into focus. I could see that the pirates were staring directly into the scope. One of them had a sick smile on its face. Razor sharp teeth hung over its snout like some rabid dog. Slithers of saliva drenched down its teeth, and hung in the air before whipping off into the wind as he rode his charging beast toward us.
“I think they see me,” I said, more of a statement to myself than anybody else. But Spooks was still on the line.
“Then let them know that you see them too,” he said.
And without thinking, I cocked the bolt back, steadied my aim and pressed down gently on the trigger. It was a controlled shot. The bullet hung in the air slightly as it travelled towards my target. This particular pirate hadn’t seen me, but he did hear the crack in the wind before the bullet penetrated its skull and made him tumble off the charging dinosaur he was on. The dinosaur roared before it began to buck and thrash, causing the other dinosaurs to do the same. Some of them had even managed to tip off their jockeys, shunting them to the floor. Through the scope, I saw one of them being trampled on by the camel-sized dinos, crushing his skull into a million pieces.
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, before taking another shot.
This time, the bullet hit one of the still charging dinos right in its face, causing the pirate who’d been riding it to buckaroo off the front and land headfirst into the hard concrete. I saw a slight pool of blood surrounding him before the dino crash landed onto his lifeless corpse.
“Fire!” I said, commanding the men on the ground and the three next to me to start laying in some offense.
They did as they were told, and simultaneously started taking out pirate after pirate. A lot of their shots were missing, but the ones that weren’t were doing some serious damage. I saw the men on the ground begin to advance on the pirates who were now idle in the middle of the pathway, a few hundred yards from us. The pirates looked dishevelled and confused. They hadn’t even managed to fire back yet, and were like tin-men at a funfair.
“Keep on suppressing!” I heard Spooks say as he and his squad moved toward the pirates.
The distance between them was beginning to shorten, and with every step that the Marines below took, the more accurate the devastation they were able to dish out.
“Good God!” I said, realising that we’d nearly taken all of them out within a few minutes.
It was carnage. Pirates lay strewn on the floor. Some of them begging for their lives as Spooks and his men approached them, firing kill shots into their heads. Dust and dirt mushroomed up around them, like a vacuum of death. I took a few more controlled kill shots, taking out the last of the pirates. The final reptile crumpled to the floor as half its head collapsed like an ill-fitted wedding cake tumbling off its mantle.
“Cease fire!” Spooks said, giving us the thumbs up.
We’d done it. We’d stopped them from advancing. It was yet another victory for our team. A victory that I was more than happy to relish in. But I didn’t get the chance to. You know what they say, no rest for the wicked.
“Holy hell!” Someone on the ground shouted, making me divert my attention from the Marines on the path to the squad in the square.
“Aircraft, six o’clock!” I bellowed, but it was too late.
As if on cue, the alien craft hovering behind us opened fire on the men in the square. They were using some sort of ray gun attached to the sides of the ship. The Ironsides rattled and shook as the ship creamed the Marines below. I hugged the ground, trying to make myself as small as I could. I didn’t want the ship to spot me or the three men in my company. I told them not to fire at the ship.
“If we open fire, then we’re giving them our position. We’re not equipped to take down a an air vehicle!” I said.
The men nodded. Pea Shooter looked drained of colour as the ship behind us continued to obliterate the guys in the square. I heard some d
efence coming from them in the form of gunfire, but after a few seconds, the sound of them fighting back stopped and so did the obnoxious drone emanating from the ray gun onboard the airborne vessel.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Pea Shooter asked. I was just about to respond when I heard Spooks on the radio.
“Get to cover!” he shouted.
We didn’t hesitate. We did as we were told. I got to my feet and ran across the wide open roof toward the two out of order aircon units sitting in the middle. I got behind one of them and rested my back against the lax metal. I cocked my head around the corner to see the other three making their way toward me. Before they reached me, I heard a strange sound, and darted my head toward the alien ship that was now facing us. The sound I heard was its ray gun powering back up. It was just about to open fire on Anthony, Chambers and Pea Shooter, but before it could, I saw a hellfire missile crash into its side, nearly eviscerating half the ship. Then, seconds later, another missile hit it. This time, the ship started to spin, losing control. Whoever was piloting it was trying to stabilize the vessel, but a third missile put the ship out of commission, it spinning around like the hands on a broken watch, rapid and with no purpose, time running out.
“It’s going down!” Pea Shooter said, his two companions joining me behind the aircon units and bracing themselves.
Luckily, the ship didn’t crash into our high-rise. It spun out of control and smashed into the one opposite ours. The sound of the impact was deafening, even with helmets on.
“Wow!” Chambers said, pointing at the fireball coming from the roof of the high-rise directly opposite ours.
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