Charger the Soldier

by Lea Tassie

  She yelled something in German, then walked into the tent for the procedure. Charger and Mac looked dazed and confused and a passing German doctor translated what Hanna had said. "She said she hopes to be the one who gets to kill you, you bastard, after this is all over."

  Mac smiled broadly at the threat, baring shattered and dirty teeth. Taking great pleasure in making a new enemy, he licked the blood from his head like a kid eating ice cream.

  Chapter 14 The mad pilot

  Ivan had been given the rank of sergeant and was now in command of a small corps of fifty fighters, including the few remaining undead reds of his once powerful home country of Russia. Command, under General Harris, had given this small group an impossible task to complete. They were to fight their way into a newly developed small alien base approximately sixty miles due south of their current position. The task was considered impossible because the last group sent into this small base had disappeared within only five minutes, as had the two groups sent before them. Ivan knew the odds were stacked against them, but he was determined not to fail.

  "Gear up, monkeys, we scrub in ten minutes. Got us a transport pilot crazy enough to try and drop us on top of this base," Ivan shouted with youthful gusto. "This time, Natasha, you're going to the entrance gate on the left side with Charger, Mac and Jill. The rest of us are going to the entrance gate on the right. The plan is to bring a full force to bear on the right side gate, while you four slip around back and get behind the defenders. A small group should be able to go undetected if we put up enough of a fuss to keep the aliens busy."

  Ivan was good as a sergeant, thinking out plans clearly and logically. "We'll build a shield wall at the right side entrance with our gear, which should hold the attention of the aliens. Once you four get behind the defenders, set charges and get out. The blast should turn them around long enough for the rest of us to push inside."

  "Really? Do I have to go with Mac again?" whined Natasha. "This is the third time this week I've had to go with that dog. I think he really hates me; he pissed on my pack again last night, and I really stink now."

  "Well, stop trying to light his fur on fire and maybe he will stop pissing on your gear," snapped Ivan, for what felt like the hundredth time.

  "No, really, I mean smell this." Natasha shoved her pack into Ivan's face. Ivan recoiled at the stench.

  "You two need to grow up!"

  Mac seemed to be laughing as he stood behind Charger, whose bulky, muscular height dominated the group. Jill sauntered over to Natasha to sniff her pack and also recoiled at the smell.

  "See, even the girl dog hates the smell!" Natasha reached over with her disposable lighter to again try igniting Mac's fur.

  Ivan threw up his hands and, shaking his head, stormed off.

  The scrawny, balding pilot of the transport did sound insane; his mumbling conversation as he stood at the door of the plane worried the fifty fighters as they boarded. "I got this," he chortled. "Look sharp! If I got to, I'll smack this transport into the top of that alien base to get you close. Piece of cake. We got air bags. Most of you should live!" The pilot laughed hysterically, the long flyaway hair growing from the back of his head blowing in the wind, while the fighters eyed him and grumbled among themselves.

  As Charger began to board, the pilot babbled, "Hey buddy, you gotta ride in the trailer, you're too big for my transport. I'll get a couple of kennels for your pups, too!" He snickered. Charger just passed him by. The transport creaked under his weight.

  "We need some duct tape and another transport. I'll tape them together and get both birds into the air," the pilot sang out. He slapped Jill's ass as she passed. She turned, snarling, the look on her face saying she was going to kill him, but Charger was quick. He grabbed Jill and tossed her onto the transport.

  Mikhail was laughing as he approached the transporter entrance after witnessing the pilot slap Jill's ass. "That was too funny," he said to the pilot.

  As he boarded, the pilot slapped Mikhail's ass, too. "Up, up now, princess, we got beers and nuts for everyone on this flight, just sit back and relax. Papa pilot will get you all to your grave lickety-split."

  The flight to the small alien base was a nightmare, the plane zigzagging to avoid gunfire. But it gave the American and Russian soldiers time to hurl insults at each other. Mikhail shouted over the drone of the transport's engines, "You Americans, you think you know suffering, but all you really know is Hollywood action hero shit."

  A few of the American combat specialists snapped back, unhappy with the Russian's comments, but Mikhail rambled on. It kept his mind off the impending action as the plane staggered on through hostile skies. "We Russians know suffering. You Americans run an obstacle course or two, lose some sleep for a few days, go without supper and coffee, then bitch and moan about the whole ordeal."

  The American troops tried to match Mikhail's taunts with insults of their own, but Mikhail's powerful voice drowned them out. "I tell you, Russians know suffering. We lose a million troops fighting the Germans, then a million more fighting our government, and still we press on. Russians suffer as our women die, our children die, and our comrades die and still we fight on! You Americans run home to your mommy when things get bad!" Mikhail laughed loudly.

  Everyone was surprised when Mac spoke. "Seems to me, the last time we checked, Russia was a wasteland of the dead and dying. Looks like the only thing the Russians know how to do well is suffer!"

  Mikhail stopped laughing and his face went cold and hard. Natasha, realizing the threat Mac presented, reached out and gripped Mikhail's arm tight, stopping the conversation dead. Charger glared at Mac. On occasion, Mac could not resist saying what was on his mind. The outcome was never favorable.

  The pilot continued bobbing and weaving through the skies, dodging alien gunfire from below. The transport was hit repeatedly by projectiles, yet flew straight on. Suddenly it dove and a minute later slammed across the ground right to the alien base. The pilot had already left the cockpit before the transport hit the base perimeter and headed for the exit doors, shouting, "Come on, everyone, follow me. I say we crap on these bastards today!"

  Jill stuck one foot into the aisle and tripped the lunatic pilot as he ran past, sending him tumbling to the floor of the transport. The soldiers quickly jumped out and set up a defensive line, with twenty of them turning their backs on the aliens to create a shield wall. The remainder began engaging the enemy with heavy weapons. The crazy pilot had regained his footing and was running wildly in front of the shield wall, back and forth, like a plastic duck in a carnival shooting game, taunting the aliens.

  In the confusion, Charger, Mac, Jill, and Natasha slipped out of the enemy's field of vision and entered the base. They did as they had planned, setting explosives, getting out, then detonating them. As the aliens rushed to fight what they thought was behind them, the troops under Ivan's command pushed into the base in force.

  "We're in! Push, you monkeys! Let's get this done!" shouted Ivan. The aliens were scattering and retreating. Ivan was jubilant; achieving the goal should be a snap. Away from their huge war machines, the aliens hardly looked like a threat at all. They were short and slight, not more than five feet tall. But they moved so fast, they almost blurred.

  In the confusion, the transport pilot had slipped through the ranks and was leading the charge, screaming, "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go, with a bang bang here, and a bang bang there, you die, you die!"

  "Somebody stop that lunatic before he gets us all killed!" shouted Mikhail.

  Mac launched himself forward with blazing speed, clearing the heads of the soldiers in one great leap. He landed on the pilot, driving him face first into the dirt and splitting his lip. Blood gushed forth. The soldiers were stunned with Mac's power and strength.

  The pilot squirmed under Mac's paws and turned himself over. His face was cut up badly and bleeding. He shouted, "Down, Fido, down, stop humping my leg! Bad dog! Bad!"

  Mac simply punched him in the head, knocking
him out cold. The soldiers stormed past the two and pressed hard on the retreating aliens. The aliens were withdrawing downward, into their main structure, which was set almost underground. Ivan was in time to see them rushing into a room at the end of a hallway where they would be able to command a strong defensive position.

  "We got them pinned down in there. Any ideas?" Thad asked Ivan.

  "Nope, I'm fresh out. Anyone?" Ivan replied.

  "Jill says she can get close," Charger growled. No one had heard Jill say a word.

  Ivan replied. "I don't think anyone can safely get down that hallway; it's set up like a kill zone."

  Charger just looked at Ivan and snorted. Jill started moving, seeming to defy gravity. With an explosive in her mouth, her long nails began digging into the reddish walls and ceiling of the alien base, and she crawled flat along the ceiling upside down. Her stealthy movements made the bizarre event seem almost dreamlike. Her soft orangey fur blended in with the reddish color of the walls and ceiling. Without the aliens even noticing, Jill planted the explosive on the door at the end of the hall and crept back, unscathed.

  "Wow, I mean just wow!" spouted the pilot, who had returned to consciousness and made his way to the group. "Can I date your daughter?" he asked Charger.

  Mac growled at the pilot.

  "Oh, you can come, too, pup," the pilot said to Mac. "I think she's too damn sexy for me alone anyways."

  Jill turned away, seemingly embarrassed. Ivan thought that if somebody peeled all that fur off her, they'd be able to see her blushing.

  There was a great explosion and the group rushed into the room at the end of the hall. They killed the remaining alien defenders, except for a lone alien hiding in one of the back rooms. It was not a defender, since it was unarmed, but it seemed important. "I say we tie this one and our pilot friend together and pack them out of here fast. We don't know if this thing called for reinforcements," Thad said.

  "I got duct tape," the pilot offered.

  The group moved quickly, retracing their steps back to the right hand gate. But there, they emerged into a barrage of alien weapon fire that nearly wiped them all out. Natasha and Mikhail fell, then Ivan, as he tried to reach his friends. The pilot grabbed Jill by the arm and whispered, "This way, honey, tell your friends to follow us. I got this."

  Thad and Mac, with Charger carrying the captive alien, began moving downhill, away from the defenders. At the bottom of the hill was a small transport craft.

  The pilot said. "See, I jettisoned the survival pod just before impact. We can use it to get the hell out of here." The small band entered the craft with regret, knowing that all was lost for the humans left behind. They returned to the command base.

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  Dart speaks to Reader:

  Yes, Reader, General Harris was pleased with Thad and the returnees, and of course he never gave a thought to all the soldiers who were killed. He promoted Thad, ignoring entirely what the Hyborgs had contributed.

  Did they get the alien back to headquarters? Oh, yes, and the general intended to subject it to prolonged torture. He wanted information, naturally, but he enjoyed causing pain during the process. So he was angry and disgusted when he discovered that the alien had died en route to headquarters.

  "Dump it in a freezer," he said to his aides. "Tell the lab guys about it if they turn up. Maybe they'll figure out what makes these suckers tick."

  In spite of his annoyance, the general gave the pilot a medal for bravery in the face of hostile opposition, which the pilot promptly tried to trade to Jill for sexual favors.

  Did she go for it? Well, certainly not then. Mac had reached his breaking point and, before the group of officers, lashed out and broke the pilot's jaw. Mac was sentenced to two months in solitary lockup.

  Yes, I think Mac was jealous, though I never did find out whether he regarded her as his daughter or his mate.

  I had to give Jill credit, though. She felt sorry for the pilot. He was definitely odd, but so was she. When she had down time, Jill would sneak off to visit him in the hospital.

  Did Charger know what was happening? Of course, but he blocked the thoughts out of his mind to prevent Mac from learning.

  Chapter 15 An unexpected army

  That's what they were – an unexpected army. No one would ever have imagined such a crazy move. Maybe that's why it worked. Maybe it was just enough to tip the balance, since by this time German and American soldiers had blended into disciplined fighting units, and the aliens seemed stalled along most of their front lines.

  Back at headquarters, the generals had other things on their minds.

  "Okay, Fritz, you got my attention. What's so important it can't wait till I've had a coffee?" General Harris demanded. It was morning and the German general, who had been the first to notice the strategy the aliens were using, hovered, impatiently trying to speak with his American counterpart.

  "You Americans and your sense of humor!" Dieter said. "That is possibly why we Germans were kicking your troops around so badly at the beginning of the second world war." He paused. "I have come all the way from my home to help save your asses, and still you can't get my name right! It's Dieter, General Dieter A'Ochay, and I expect you should remember it."

  Scowling darkly, small veins throbbing in his neck, General Harris said, "Shit, Fritz, whatever! Just get to the goddamn point. I need a coffee." He was not a man to trifle with before breakfast.

  "I need you to get a message to my wife. She can help with broadcasting to these separated forces of yours, both our intentions and the tactics we'll need to use," General A'Ochay said. "If the armies have this information, we might finally be able to seal the pockets of alien resistance that are killing so many of our forces. And we must let the world know that we intend to use nuclear weapons to try to contain the aliens."

  The invasion had begun with the loss of most satellites in orbit around the planet, which made communication difficult. Now that every satellite was under alien control, getting information out to all parts of the country was almost impossible. But not quite. Old methods of broadcasting were still available, and it was General A'Ochay's wife, Pam, now in full control of the media, who was reporting daily to the citizens of America on what was happening around the country.

  "Fine, fine, just get it done," General Harris said, with a sneer. "Corporal!" he snapped, "Get Fritz here a radio and a line to his wife, and get me a goddamn coffee!"

  Some twenty miles to the south, Thad and his sidekick, Pete, were now moving with a German light infantry group. The small party was huddled tightly around one of the American M-1 tanks, moving slowly down the narrow streets of a small east coast town. They were trying to get to a better-fortified position before the aliens' next surge. They had rounded a street corner that crested a small hill when, to their surprise, they found themselves face to face with an alien interpretation of a tank.

  It had become clear by now that the invaders, though they had eyes, clearly did not see things as humans did. There were reports of aliens trying to infiltrate military positions by casting themselves as human in appearance. To the human soldiers, these impostors were easily spotted. The human-form aliens were merely a dark shadow outline of a human all hunched over, like something out of a horror show. Nevertheless, this alien version of a tank was massive. It shimmered in the morning sun and moved much like the aliens themselves. It appeared to dart from side to side as solid parts seemed to pass through liquid parts while it advanced.

  The alien tank fired a solid projectile, which struck the M-1, slicing a large gash down one side and tearing off part of the track. As the invaders' original tactics had begun to fail, they seemed to be adopting a more human method of fighting. Human-form aliens appeared now on the front lines of battle and, instead of being themselves the weapons, they sent spike-like projectiles like bullets from their forms into the human armies. The small band of soldiers around the tank fought well, but more and more humans were falling to this new alien tactic.

>   As Pete collapsed to the ground beside him, sliced in two, Thad yelled, "Fall back, fall back, damn it!"

  An eerie, haunting scream almost drowned out the noise of battle.

  The scream shook Thad to his boots. He looked up and rubbed the dirt from his eyes. Was he actually seeing what he thought he saw?

  Appearing from behind the aliens and slicing into them were Indians.

  Indians in jeans, with leather vests, feathers in their hair and war paint on their faces. This unexpected army had arrived like the cavalry always did in movies. Native Americans, wielding historic weapons that signaled to everyone a new way of creating fear and panic in the aliens. They swarmed over the enemy, slicing into them, scattering bodies left and right.

  Hope had been fading for Thad's group before that moment, but this army of people had shown up, as if from the ashes of their ancestors, howling like demons, and turned the tide of battle back into human hands.

  When things calmed down, Thad said, "Damn, it's good to see you guys. I was beginning to wonder if I had to fight this thing alone."

  Danny Opinhimmer said, "We need to capture an alien, try to learn its weaknesses. I have a plan on how to do that, but I could do with some help."

  "Capture one? Have you got stuff to freeze them with?" Thad asked. "I helped capture three of the things and that's what we used."

  "Okay, follow me on this for a second," Danny's voice rang out. "If we get some liquid nitrogen, we can freeze one long enough to capture it. We can then go find some scientist guy to help figure these things out."

  "Wow, that almost seems logical." Thad smirked. "I guess you didn't hear what I said." Maybe the Indian wanted a commendation or something. "Already been done."