“Alright, you two if anyone is in our way you take them out, otherwise we run like fucking hell until we're at the target building. Got it?” Pullo said, pointing to Jerome and Mark.
“Yes sir,” they chorused.
“Then let's get a move on,” Pullo said.
Mark began running, him and Jerome spaced apart a little with Pullo and Gupta about fifty meters behind so they didn't look like a clump and get cut down in one go.
They ran on the outside of the towers.
“Cut in now,” Pullo said and Mark obeyed, turning the corner with Jerome on his heels, his arms moving only slightly as he looked for colonists.
They left the outer ring of apartments, the ones that still had space to grow and were primarily the offices and living quarters of the colonists. The inner swirl was growing towers, plants could be seen through the glass, they had only one small lobby and three loading docks that would deposit the produce of the tower into awaiting trucks and send them towards processing city.
A group of three colonists were walking through the street ahead of Mark and Jerome. They raised their rifles, but were instantly cut down as Mark and Jerome ran in a different direction in case anyone saw the bodies.
They ran into two other groups, one had been a transport with about twenty people moving a heavy machine gun emplacement. They'd been stunned by the arrival of Mark and Jerome who popped grenades into their midst. Pullo and Gupta's fire ended the attack as people could be heard running and shooting weapons.
They were tired and worn out from the run through the growing towers when they finally reached their destination, the tallest tower in all of Growing City. It was largely a growing tower with the upper levels dedicated to offices and living quarters of the CEO's that had been living here thirty-three years ago when the rebellion started.
Mark found the location of the CEO on his map and moved to an elevator.
The others followed suit, everyone scanning and looking for threats. The elevator was clear and Pullo who had a key unlocked it so they quickly climbed onto its roof.
“Alright, take five, get some food and water into you then we'll see about getting that CEO,” Pullo said.
Jerome lay down on the elevator, panting as he grabbed his water bottle and took a deep gulp.
Mark leaned against the side of the elevator, gnawing on a meal replacement bar and throwing water back.
It had been one hell of a run and Mark still thought that someone was going to turn a corner at just the right time when they weren't looking and fire those damned explosive shells into their midst.
“Fuck, I hope to hell we never have to do that again,” Gupta groaned, his breathing coming down as he held his water bottle in his lap.
Pullo let out a snort, Mark felt a grin appear on his face.
“Well we made it this far, now all we need to do is help some CEO have a phone call and we're the fuck out of here,” Mark said.
“And on that note I think we should be getting up to find this damned CEO,” Pullo pulled himself to his feet, the others following suit, their bodies tired from the stress and physical exertion over the last couple of days since they had entered the city.
The elevator started to ascend and Mark looked on his map, the growing towers were broken into levels and sections. Each level grew or held something on it. Most levels were made to help the ones below or above them. So a fish farm was above a crop level so that the fish water could be used as fertilizer. It continued like that with different trees, crops, animals and other food products across the levels. At one time they would have been organized, now the animals roamed on their levels and ate everything from crops to chairs. Crops were growing rampant and were pushing through every crack and crevice they could find.
They got to the level the signal was coming from and found it had been an orchard of sorts. Trees that grew multiple kinds of fruits and crops leaned towards the windows, their UV lights had been off for so long that they had grown in odd shapes to try and survive.
Other crop's seeds had somehow got on the level and five-foot-tall skinny looking plants with different pods up and down their length lay row on row.
“Well let's go and see if we can find this CEO,” Pullo said pushing past Mark and Jerome and levering himself up onto the floor.
“Never seen a growing tower eh, makes sense,” Gupta said.
Jerome and then Mark went up, following Pullo as Gupta took up the rear.
“I've never seen so many plants, or food. What are these trees?” Jerome asked.
They moved into the crops which had taken the place of the dead trees, their guns just clearing over the crops while they looked for colonists that might be hiding.
“Genetic hybrids, way more advanced that Earth's. One of these trees produces corn, fruits, nuts, everything you could need for food. They're each worth more than ten of us. So make sure that you don't shoot them,” Pullo said.
The floor rumbled with a nearby explosion, the plants rustled and waved with the force as dust fell from the ceiling.
There's so much dust when anything goes off in these towers that it reminds me of back home. Mark thought.
“Sounds like our VIP is in trouble,” Gupta said.
“Then we'd better get a move on,” Pullo said, picking up the pace, the others keeping up with him.
Pullo stopped and slowly moved to kneeling after some time, Mark cocked his head, he could hear people working.
“Get the new bombs into place, we're only three blast-doors away from that bastard. I can't believe that he stayed behind and we didn't know for twelve damned years!” Someone said as people could be heard moving around.
“How long do you think it'll be before we get in there?” Someone asked, with what Mark could only describe as glee.
“Not long now Brahd, probably just another day or two.”
“What about his message?” Brahd asked, concern coloring his voice.
“He can't send a message out of the atmosphere and those trooper bastards will be dead once they get the heavy machine guns into place and tear apart each level. I swear they're worse than Gelan Rabbits!”
There were a few harsh laughs at that. Mark had crept up next to Pullo, there was just a few plants between them and the hexagon shaped area at the centre of the tower. It was sealed with cermite shutters.
There was a group of around forty working on the doors. About half of them were sitting on carts, weapons across their lap as they watched the rest move massive barrels to the door.
“I think that we should see how explosive those barrels are,” Pullo said, flicking his grenade launcher from safe to fire.
Jerome, Mark and Gupta followed suit.
“Gupta, Mark, hit the ones lounging, Jerome, you get the ones by the door, I'll see if I can get one of those barrels. Wait for my signal,” Pullo said.
His grenade launcher bucked and a barrel exploded just as it was getting past the colonists that were sitting on the empty carts.
The resulting explosion pushed the crops backwards, revealing the four of them. Neither of them cared, firing at their pre-set targets. Explosions billowed across the open area, the colonists didn't even have time to respond to the shock of the initial explosion.
“Jerome with me, advancing to the carts,” Pullo said, up and running as Mark slammed a new mag into his launcher and aimed his rifle at the landscape in front of him.
Anything that moved got a burst from either Gupta or him.
Pullo and Jerome got into cover.
“Covering, Gupta see if you can raise the CEO to let us in,” Pullo yelled. Mark and Gupta ran across the floor to what remained of a tree.
They kept covering and moving until they were at the last carts on either side of the door.
Jerome popped a grenade off.
“Conserve your...,”
Yells came from panicked colonists, ended with a dull thump.
“Nice toss,” Pullo said.
“Thank you sir,” Jero
me said, another grenade ready in his hand.
“Gupta?” Pullo asked, the tension rising, the longer they were out here the more time the colonists had to respond.
“He wants to see all of us and have us scan into the system,” Gupta sounded frustrated.
“Fuck,” Pullo said, everyone ducking as a colonist sprayed the room blindly form behind cover.
Everyone stood back up, hammering the corridor with rounds and grenades.
“Cease fire, look for more of them, Gupta, ask them if we can be allowed through the blast door and then scanned on the other side of it,” Pullo said.
“He's still not going for it,” Gupta said.
“What about saying that we will have to move in order to protect his assets for his shareholders shortly?” Mark said.
A few moments later a new voice came on their channels.
“Damn the shareholders! I'll show those bastards that thought to put me on this planet with only minimal equity and dividends squirrelled away into a bonus I'll get when I return to Earth! They think I'm without power? I'll give you one point two million credits each to get me off of this planet.”
Mark felt his blood go cold.
He had gathered two thousand credits back on Earth and that would make him look like a rich man compared to many others.
“They offered us two-point-five for keeping the plantation safe,” Mark said, Gupta looking to him in shock.
“Hah! They think they can low-ball me! Fine, I'll match them, get in here and take me to my office.” The CEO said imperiously, the blast-door's opening all at once as he shut the channel. The colonists that had been moving into position now rushed forward. Coming from the fields and funnelling into the single path to where the CEO had holed up.
“He has a damn flair for the dramatic!” Jerome yelled.
“Shut up and keep firing!” Pullo barked back.
Gupta took a round to the head, knocking him out.
“Fuck you!” Mark yelled firing his grenades at the forward group. He ducked backwards as fire seemed to shift to him. He ran to new cover, rounds following him.
“Need some help here!” Mark said.
“On it!” Pullo said, new grenades sprouting amongst the oncoming colonists.
Mark reloaded his launcher, standing up and bringing the colonists under fire with his E-12 again.
They pulled back, stunned by their losses and the destruction of their ranks.
“Jerome, Mark grab Gupta and get moving!” Pullo said firing at the disappearing colonists.
Mark and Jerome grabbed onto Gupta, dragging him by the arms and pulling him through the blast doors. They put him down and turned to cover Pullo.
“Got you covered sir!” Jerome said.
Pullo turned and sprinted through the blast doors.
Mark slapped an emergency shut button and the blast-door's slammed back into place.
He went to Gupta, his HUD telling him to give him certain needles.
He did so and Gupta groaned.
“Well are we leaving or just standing around here?” A man in a fresh pressed suit that looked well-fed and showered asked. He looked to be in his early twenties but his mannerisms and eyes showed him to be a lot older. Troopers lived to be a hundred and twenty after their service, if someone could pay for that treatment then their lives could be a hell of a lot longer.
“Yes sir, we're just going to get this man back on his feet so that we have more people protecting your esteemed person,” Pullo said, bowing to the CEO.
He elevated his nose and waved his hand in a carefree motion.
“Yes it is good more security will look much better. I hope to be moving within ten minutes. I grow bored of this room,” The CEO turned.
Dumbass still cares about his image more than anything. It’s like he doesn’t even know there’s a war going on, or doesn’t care because it’s someone else’s job. Mark sighed shaking his head and looking around the place.
It was massive with rooms taking up the size of three of the housing pods in the tower the other troopers were fighting in.
They held holographic computers, an extravagance that Mark had only heard of. The room held rare plants, priceless paintings and floors made from nearly extinct trees back on Earth.
It extended upwards through the other floors.
“What is this?”
“It's the CEO's offices and living quarters. Some of them like looking over those that live under them for fun. They don't need to leave these offices or their residences to do anything. These last few floors were made specifically for them,” Pullo said, not able to keep the disgusted tone out of his voice. The amount of power and money a CEO had was unimaginable.
Gupta grunted and tried to push himself up.
“How you feeling?” Mark asked.
“Like shit, but I'm still in for that two-point-five mil,” Gupta said, holding Mark's shoulder.
Mark helped him to standing slowly. Making sure he wouldn't fall over for a few seconds.
“I ain't that fragile Mark,” Gupta drawled.
“Wouldn't think it Sergeant,” Mark said, his tone light and chipper, getting a chuckle from the others.
“So, um, how are we getting out of here?” Jerome asked, eyes turning to him and then looking around the room.
“We blow our way out,” Gupta said, swaying a little bit but looking a hell of a lot better than he had been.
“How?” Jerome asked, voicing Mark's own thoughts.
“This place is a growing tower that has all kinds of chemicals gases and such that can be changed on each level, if we were to up the oxygen on this level but not in this pod, then we just wait for something to spark it and the whole level will clear out.”
“Then we just run through the chaos and get to the elevators that will take us up to the CEO's elevators and we are the fuck out of here,” Pullo said “I'll ask the CEO if he has the ability to control that and if he'll sanction it, I don't want to blow a floor up and then have Sacremon partnership coming after my ass.”
Got to make sure that we cover our own asses from the corporations when we’re trying to save one of their people's lives and keep ourselves safe. To them they would probably be happier if we died than lose this floor.
Mark would be lying if the whole idea didn't hurt him inside somewhere. There was so much food on just this single level that it seemed such a waste to destroy it all.
I wish we had this back on Earth. He thought, looking at the growth around the CEO's offices. Colonists were now coming out of those plants, yelling, swearing and gesturing what they would do to the troopers and CEO locked inside the offices.
They moved to the three lanes that could allow people in and out of the offices and people started firing at the blast doors which had already been hammered by their homemade explosives.
Runners left as more colonists appeared.
“I have a feeling those runners are going to get some more of those explosives from wherever they came from,” Mark said, pointing to them as they disappeared down a corridor.
Jerome made a sour noise and Gupta checked his rifle, taking off the silencer. Mark followed suit and glanced at Pullo who was in a bow more often than he was standing upright while talking to the CEO.
Imagine what we could do back on Earth if we had these plants or their knowledge. Mark used his helmet and connected to an information node on the tower.
It didn't take him long to sift through the menus and find a wealth of information. He started downloading it as he then searched for storage for different items.
“I'm going to use the bathroom,” Mark said, finding it hard for him to keep his voice level as he headed for the washroom in the place. He darted into the storage room that was off to the side, almost hidden away. The CEO's controlled what plants were going to be put down, and the easiest way to do that was to have the seeds in their care and storage facilities.
Mark didn't even need to force a lock, the door opening for him automatic
ally as he walked in and found rows and rows of seeds.
He grabbed a number of them and chucked them into his pockets, he left and headed to the bathroom for real this time.
If his plan worked out, then when he got back to Earth W3C would grow in leaps and bounds. If not, well he didn't want to get the others into trouble.
He cared for them, Gupta with his relaxed but authoritative ways. Jerome with his quick comments and remarks yet dependability in the field, and Pullo with the way he cared for those below him but wouldn't shirk from his duty, or make others do something that he wasn't willing to do himself.
He was out of the storage room when his mind turned to other thoughts, to the six others in his section that wouldn't be coming home, how Tyler might be added to that roster, or even his own and the others with him if their plan failed.
If Captain Nervas’ plan fails then it won't just be the section that's wiped out, it'll be the third of the regiment and the half-regiment of stragglers we pulled together.
Mark pushed away the smiling faces and memories of the quick moments between training that he had gotten to know the men and women of his section better than any other person other than Tyler. His mind flashed to the bodies that had once contained the laughing and smiling personalities of those people that weren’t going to be making it back.
Later, for now survive, that's all you can do. Mark gripped his rifle harder and tensed his back.
“There you are,” Pullo said as Mark reappeared from his bathroom visit.
“Where's Gupta?” Mark asked, only seeing Jerome waiting beside the blast doors. The colonists had swelled in numbers and were now pushing a new cart of explosives up to the blast doors.
“He's up working on the console. He's mixing the atmosphere up to make a really nice bang,” Pullo said.
“Oh, cool, how does he know that?” Mark asked.
“Well he worked in those gardening places back on Earth. I guess he learnt some more in his free time and he knows enough to blow something the hell up,” Pullo said.
“Sweet,” Mark remarked, mixed feelings going through him. He had met Pullo, Gupta and the rest of the squad on Reclaimer, he hadn't thought about how they were from Earth as well.
Sacremon (Harmony War Series Book 1) Page 21