He closed his eyes in a useless attempt to block out the scene, but it had already been burned into his memory forever. Mark forced himself to think of more pleasant things. His family, his experiences from the past, his friends. The thoughts filled him, allowing his body to relax and drift off into a world where everything was okay, where Jerrollites didn’t exist.
Mark was suddenly jolted out of his reverie. He opened his eyes to feel Johann shaking his shoulder.
“Wake up, Mark,” he said. “It’s time to move out.” Dragging himself back to reality, Mark glanced around groggily at the rest of the squad gathering together, ready to move out.
Mark picked up his pack and weapon and made his way to the front of the squad. The sergeant was at his side as they looked across the field to survey the safest place to cross. The closest building was directly across the field from where they were standing. Mark thought it would be the best place to cross.
“Sergeant, take the men across in groups of two. Johann, you bring up the rear with the last group.” Both men nodded in agreement and began to break up the squad into pairs. When each man had been paired with another, Mark decided it was time to cross.
“Fan out! Keep your butts low! First group, on my lead. Let’s go!” Mark sprinted across the clearing, followed closely by the sergeant and the first two soldiers.
On the far side of the clearing were several office buildings that would provide excellent cover. Mark and the sergeant made their way to the largest of the buildings, surveying the area for any enemy presence. With their backs flat against the wall, they began to inch their way around the building. As the group came around the first corner, Mark found himself looking directly into the blue face of a Jerrollite soldier. As recognition dawned on the alien’s face, its eyes widened, and it began to raise its weapon to fire.
Boosted by a tremendous rush of adrenaline, Mark leapt toward the guard, grabbing its weapon hand and shoving it out of the way. The alien’s rifle clattered onto the concrete as they struggled. Mark’s muscles were screaming as he exerted every ounce of pressure he could muster to overcome the alien soldier. With a violent move, the Jerrollite managed to twist Mark around and get him into a stranglehold. It began choking the life from Mark’s body. The sinewy blue fingers crushed his throat. As Mark’s world began to fade into blackness, the thin whistle of a knife sailing through the air reached his ears. Struggling to open his eyes, Mark heard the dull thud of the blade impacting flesh and bone. The Jerrollite released its grip on Mark and spun around, jerking up straight. A knife was embedded in its throat, blood pouring out of the wound. Mark seized the opportunity, kicking the alien hard in the back and scampering out of the way. The alien’s lifeless body staggered and fell, a pool of blood rapidly spreading outward.
Mark rolled into a sitting position, coughing and gasping for air, leaning on the wall for support. Turning, he saw the sergeant remove his knife from the throat of the Jerrollite, wiping blood off the blade before sheathing it. He looked at Mark and smiled.
“Damned if you ain’t the brave one. I ain’t never seen an officer willing to get blood on his uniform.” He chuckled as he came to give Mark a hand. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Thanks for the assist,” Mark said. The sergeant grinned at Mark and clapped him on the back.
“No problem. Next time try using your gun instead of your hands.” Mark glanced down at his sidearm where it remained in his holster. It had never even occurred to him to pull it out and use it. The sergeant turned, shaking his head and smiling, and signaled for all the other men to join them. As they came up, several were startled by the dead Jerrollite lying on the sidewalk.
“What happened here, Sarge?”
“One of the bastards surprised us. The colonel here decided to make like a kamikaze and jump the sucker before he could fire at us.”
Several of the soldiers in the squad looked at Mark, at the dead Jerrollite, and then back at Mark again. He could see a bit more respect in their eyes than had been there before. Mark gathered himself up, signaled the rest of the squad to follow, and proceeded to make his way around to the back entrance of the building.
As the squad approached the rear of the building, they heard the low murmur of people talking. Signaling the squad to come to a halt and be absolutely silent, Mark flattened himself against the wall and peered around the corner. What he saw caused his heart to sink inside his chest.
Across from the building were at least five hundred Jerrollite troops that had set up a camp in the parking lot. Mark saw several guards actively patrolling the area. Withdrawing around the corner, he realized the Jerrollite they had just killed probably had been on guard duty for this camp, which meant that if it didn’t report in soon, their commander would become suspicious and start a search. Pausing a moment to think clearly, Mark motioned the sergeant over to take a look.
“Well…hell. I guess we had better come up with an alternative route through the city,” he said venomously.
Mark nodded in agreement, looking around the area as he tried to come up with a plan. His eyes settled on a large manhole cover right across from where they were standing. Tugging on the sergeant’s sleeve, Mark pointed out his discovery.
“Sewer, huh? I guess that’s appropriate. Let’s go check it out,” said the sergeant.
The men trotted over to the cover and quietly lifted it out of the hole. Removing a flashlight from his pack, Mark cast its beam down into the inky blackness. Discovering nothing more unpleasant than a couple of rats, he motioned for one of the men to pick up the Jerrollite’s body and bring it over. The soldier dragged it to the edge of the hole and laid it down. The sergeant searched the corpse and found a map of the surrounding area with Jerrollite facilities marked on it. Counting that as a stroke of great luck, Mark took the map and stowed it in his backpack. The sergeant removed the alien’s weapons and placed them in his own pack. After the search was complete, Mark gave the body a shove with his foot, causing it to roll over into the hole. After a brief delay, it hit with a dull thud and splash. Looking into the young soldier’s face, Mark saw the grim set of his jaw.
“Casualty of war. Don’t worry about it.”
“I know, sir; it’s just that I’ve never seen a dead body before,” he said, shaking with revulsion.
Nodding, Mark turned and signaled the squad to enter the sewer drain. They sprinted across the street and one by one dropped into the hole. The first man down moved the dead alien out of the way so the others would not have to deal with it. After all the other men were in, Mark lowered himself into the darkness, pulling the heavy cover after him. It slid into place unexpectedly, landing with a muffled thud on his finger.
Stifling a cry of pain, he jerked his finger free, and the lid clanged into place. Grimacing, Mark made his way down the ladder, gingerly feeling his way with his feet. Finally reaching the bottom, he stepped off the ladder and promptly sank ankle deep in sludge.
“Give us some light, Sergeant,” Mark said, squelching his revulsion.
Mark heard a slight rustling sound and then a muffled snap as the tunnel filled with an eerie green glow from a bioluminescent tube the sergeant had activated and placed in a holder on his shoulder. Glancing up and down the sewer as far as the glow could encroach on the darkness, they could see nothing. Taking a quick compass reading, Mark decided on the most appropriate direction to proceed.
“Okay, men. Keep it quiet. Every other man activate a glow rod and follow me.” Mark led the way quietly. He could hear the sloshing footsteps of the men as they followed. If they could stay in the sewage tunnel long enough to get past the Jerrollite camp, making their way out of the city would be that much easier. Mark could only hope that the dead Jerrollite guard would not be discovered until they had had long enough to get a decent distance away from the area.
CHAPTER 10
As the squad made its way along the tunnel, the smell became overpowering. Several men began to retch as they continued through the slime an
d sludge.
“Man, what a funky smell!” a voice said, echoing off the walls.
“You said it. This ain’t exactly what I had in mind when I signed up,” another voice said. Several low chuckles came from the group.
“Cut the chatter!” Mark said through clenched teeth. The noise immediately died down. After walking through the stench of the sewer for more than a mile, they could dimly make out another manhole cover up ahead that might provide a possible exit. Mark reckoned they were well past the alien encampment and all should be safe. Signaling for the squad to halt, Johann and Mark made their way to the ladder.
“I’ll go up and take a look around,” Mark said. Johann stepped aside, making an after you gesture.
Mark placed his hand on the damp metal ladder and hauled himself up out of the muck. Cautiously he crept up the ladder, choosing his footing with care until he reached the top. He placed his ear as close as possible to the air vents in the cover, listening intently for any sound that would betray the presence of enemy troops in the area. For several minutes Mark heard nothing except the occasional drip of condensation hitting the water below and reverberating off the walls. Satisfied that they were in no immediate danger, Mark braced himself against the heavy cover, lifting it just enough to see.
The surrounding streets were dark, the power long ago shut down. Damage to the buildings was heavy. All that was left of most of them were burned-out shells. Peering through the darkness, Mark could see nothing moving, not a single living thing in the entire area. There was no sound, only an oppressive stillness that suffocated the area.
Lifting the cover and placing it off to one side, Mark bent down and motioned for Johann to come up the ladder. He climbed quickly, bringing himself up to the same level.
“This looks like a good spot to get out,” Mark said.
Johann grunted his agreement.
“I’ll go first and scout the surrounding area, so when I give you the signal, come out fast and meet by that building over there,” Mark said, pointing.
“Let’s do it,” said Johann.
Mark climbed out of the tunnel quickly and sprinted across the street. Looking around the area, he could still detect nothing in the dark stillness. With a small hand signal, Mark motioned for Johann to proceed.
“Douse your glow rods and follow me,” Johann said. He leapt from the manhole, crouching low, and sprinted toward the place Mark had pointed out. The other soldiers came out of the tunnel like ants erupting from an anthill that had been disturbed. The last man out replaced the cover and joined the rest of the squad crouched in the shadows.
Johann fell to the rear as they began to make their way around the building. The lack of lighting made it extremely difficult to see, but flashlights or glow rods would alert the enemy. The building appeared to be some sort of warehouse, and Mark felt it would be a good place to stop and regroup. They approached a large opening in the wall that looked like some kind of vehicle access. Mark came around the corner quickly, crouched low, his weapon raised and ready to fire. Establishing that no danger was within, he gave an all clear signal. The sergeant came in first, followed closely by the squad. Johann was the last to enter. When everyone was safe inside, Mark rolled down an overhead door, closing off the opening to any outside view.
“Give me some light,” Mark ordered. Several flashlights snapped on at the same time. Standing in the middle of his men, Mark looked around the room they were in and was staggered by what he saw.
The building was a munitions factory that had been damaged only slightly in the initial attack. The interior was cavernous and stacked floor to ceiling with portable ground-to-air missiles stored in shipping crates, ready for delivery to various sites around the world. Mark wondered at the arrogance of the Jerrollite forces to have left something like this unguarded.
Motioning for two men to join him, Mark slipped his knife out of his boot and began prying open one of the crates. As he was unable to get the cover to budge at first, the other men added their efforts, and the lid gave way fairly quickly. Inside were three brand-new missiles wrapped in grease paper, ready to go. Mark looked over to the sergeant and smiled.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Sarge?” Mark asked.
“I think if we stuck these in just the right place, we sure would give those Jerrollites a really severe case of heartburn,” he said, chuckling.
“Exactly. Send a man up to the roof to spot that camp we ran into on the way in.”
“Yes, sir!” he said, turning and barking orders to one of his men. Mark examined the missiles again. This particular model was equipped with trail-suppressant exhaust ports, which would allow no flame or smoke to exit the rocket engine, making the missile’s point of origin virtually untraceable by visual means. They were also equipped with terrain-following radar, so they could be fired below the level of enemy sensors.
Yes, indeed, Mark thought, these will do nicely.
The young soldier that the sergeant had sent to the roof came running back into the warehouse. Breathing heavily, he could hardly speak.
“Sir, the enemy camp is approximately one and a half miles to the south of our current position,” he said.
Allowing himself a small smile, Mark quickly made the calculations in his head. The distance was well within range of this missile. He nodded toward the young soldier, who saluted and returned to the main group.
“Okay, Sarge, here’s what I want,” said Mark, pulling the sergeant close. “We need to locate a means of transport that is faster than travelling on foot. The only problem is that if we try to use anything other than a Jerrollite transport, of which we have none, we will be attacked immediately. So it seems to me that we need a diversion.” The fierce glint in Mark’s eye was impossible to miss. “Here is what we are going to do…”
The planning continued for several minutes, punctuated by occasional nods from the sergeant. When they were done, the sergeant sent two men out into the area to attempt to find a Jerrollite transport of some kind. The rest of the squad began to unpack forty of the missiles and set them up on launch racks on the roof of the building. Each missile was wired so it could be fired remotely. Other members of the squad scoured the plant, looking for any high-powered weapons they could take with them.
Watching over the entire operation, Mark looked around the colossal room, noting the thousands of missiles stacked to the ceiling. He motioned Johann to join him.
“You know, it would really be a shame to leave all these nice popguns just lying around for some Jerrollite to find and use against us.”
A wide grin split Johann’s face. “Hey, boy, leave it to me!” He grabbed one of the explosives men from the squad and pulled him off to one side.
“I want to be able to detonate it remotely, just like the missiles. Got it?” Mark yelled after the departing men.
Johann raised his hand in acknowledgment and continued off into the shadows.
The team that had been sent out to find a vehicle reentered the building. “What did you find?” asked Mark.
“On the roof of the building next to us, a cargo transport that looks like it was abandoned when the Jerrollites attacked is just sitting there, ready for us to use.”
“Great—did you make sure it was operational?”
“Yes, sir, we did. Its internal battery was dead, but we were able to scavenge one from the burned-out hulk of another transport. We put it in and checked it out, and everything came up and online. It’s completely fueled and ready to go. The access hatch is unlocked and ready to be loaded,” the soldier said.
Mark flagged the sergeant down, and the soldier restated his findings. The gleam in Mark’s eye indicated how pleased he was with this development. Use of the transport would allow the squad to reach the alternative recovery area and the scientists in a matter of minutes instead of days.
The teams rapidly finished wiring the building for demolition, wasting no time. Forty missiles had been mounted on the roof and were ready to be la
unched. Johann approached Mark and extended a small black box. Taking the device from his hand, Mark examined it carefully. It was simple, consisting of only two switches and a small antenna on top.
“You can trigger launch within a two-mile radius, so be careful with it. When you flip the first switch, the missiles will launch, and when you flip the second, this building is gonna go up like an incendiary grenade in a fireworks factory,” said Johann.
“Great, this ought to do the trick.” Pocketing the detonator, Mark turned to the sergeant and said, “Gather up all the men and get them over to the other building and loaded on the transport. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Yes, sir.” After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Don’t do anything stupid, sir.”
“Have no fear. Now get going!” said Mark.
The squad moved off into the darkness toward the other building. Mark and Johann made a last check of all the connections on the explosives they had set up. Mark armed the rig by attaching a battery to the receiver tied to the transmitter in his hand. Johann and Mark then followed the squad across the street to the other building. The squad had already made their way to the roof, leaving Mark and Johann to find their own way. After a brief search of their surroundings, they found it.
The transport was there, gleaming like a silver falcon in the moonlight. The squad had already begun entering the ship through the passenger hatch. Mark gave the alien ship a thorough once-over to verify operation and check for any battle damage. Satisfied, he climbed up into the cockpit and sat in the pilot’s seat. Johann climbed up after him, taking the copilot’s seat. This particular ship wasn’t much different than the transport they had flown in on, so familiarizing himself with its workings was a fairly easy task and quickly accomplished. Mark heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw the sergeant climbing into the navigator’s seat behind Johann.
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