"Everyone inside," Dean said. "I want three HA at each entrance, defensive stance."
The Heavy Armor troops moved into position, turning their backs to the street and dropping down onto one knee, their utility cannons swiveling around to point out into the street behind them.
"Ipsish, McCal, let’s get AAVs in the air. I want a quick survey of this colony. We need to know if any of the targets are still here."
The FA specialists sent their Aerial Attack Vehicles out the tall door, and two small camera feeds popped up on the right side of Dean's TCU visor.
"Buwana, Mercer, get up on the roof," Dean said.
It took a few minutes of searching with the drones to finally discover movement. It was one of the flea creatures and as the drone circled Dean was repulsed by the sight of the huge animal. The beast's body was bloated and it moved slowly from what looked like a barn. Its belly dragged in the dirt, and the massive hind legs were splayed wide, pushing it forward.
"Looks like we have our first contact," Dean said. "The big barn in the northeast corner of the colony. Keep looking, let’s see if there are any more."
"Thermals show a lot of heat in that barn," Ipsish said. "There's something alive in there."
"Get me a look, but be careful," Dean told her.
The drone flew down across the street from the barn. The big double doors were partially open, and the interior was dark. Dean switched his own camera feed from video to thermal. The barn was glowing with heat, while the other buildings were cold and dark.
"Damn," he said.
"You got something, LT?" Green asked.
"I think we've got a hive," Dean replied. "We'll finish our sweep of the colony and see what we can see, but I have a feeling that something bad is happening in that barn."
"A hive?" Adkins said. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I think those creatures have taken up residence in that barn. It could be that the colonists went there once the swarm appeared, trying to fight them off. Now the creatures have moved in and are waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Cox asked.
"For the food to run out," Dean said grimly.
Chapter 37
"Their food? You mean there are people in there?" Green asked in horror. "They're keeping them alive, just waiting to eat them?"
"Is that so hard to believe?" Ipsish said. "Isn't that what we do?"
"No," Green said. "We don't eat people."
"But we keep animals as food," Lee said. "Have you ever been to a slaughter house, Green?"
"We don't kill intelligent beings by sucking their blood," Adkins said. "That's unnatural."
"Actually it's perfectly natural," Lee went on. "Lots of insects back on Earth do that very thing. We are on the back of a giant animal right now. It could be that these fleas are trying to keep other creatures off the giant rock eater, the way birds land on elephants and eat the bugs off their backs."
"You got a sick way of looking at things," Green said.
"There is harmony in the natural order," Lee said. "Find your place in it, and you will find peace."
"We aren't here to find peace," Mason said.
"Damn straight! We're bringing the hammer!" Adkins said with enthusiasm.
"All right, settle down," Dean said. "We have two objectives, and the first is to capture two of those flea creatures. To that end, we will go after that fat one we just saw dragging its ass away from the barn."
"And then what?" Chavez asked.
"Then we get the hell out of Dodge and wait for further instructions from the Valkyrie."
"We're not going to waste those blood-sucking monsters?" Adkins asked.
"That's not our mission," Dean said.
"I thought protecting humans was always our mission, LT," Chavez said. "If there are some alive in that barn, don't we have an obligation to rescue them?"
Dean agreed with Chavez and felt like he had to do something, but he wasn't even sure if there were any humans left alive in the barn. And before he could risk the lives of his platoon on a rescue mission, he had to ensure that the scientists up in the Valkyrie had the opportunity to come up with a plan to drive the creatures away. In fact, if they discovered something useful, he could probably use it to rescue the colonists. The only question was could they afford to wait that long. What if the scientists took weeks to discover a way to repel the hideous creatures? The colonists would most likely be slaughtered if his platoon didn't do something soon.
"I've got eyes on another creature," McCal said. "It's moving toward the colony from the east."
"Alone?" Dean asked, enlarging the video feed from the drone McCal was piloting."
"Yes sir, moving along the ground at a steady pace."
In the video feed Dean could see the reddish grass waving around the fat body of the flea. The grass was at least two feet tall, and willowy, almost like wheat. He had to act fast to intercept the creature.
"Alright, bring our birds back," Dean said. “Here is what we're doing. McCal will take Butler, Chavez, Mason, and Green. Go get the bug we saw crawling out of the barn. McCal, use a tranquilizer dart. The rest of you use cargo straps and haul that thing back to the LZ.
"Buwana, you're on overwatch. If anything moves out of that barn I want to know about it immediately."
"I don't have a good line of sight from here, LT," the sniper said.
"Do what you have to do to keep eyes on that place. The rest of you are with me. We'll intercept the incoming creature and carry it back to the LZ."
"You sure about that?" Chavez said. "Maybe it’s better if we don't split up."
"We have two targets and a limited window to bring them in," Dean said. "Let's get this shit done and then we can worry about those colonists."
Dean hoped that they might have the time to set up a raid on the barn. Perhaps draw the creatures out then rescue the colonists, if there were any left to rescue. But they had to get to ready for pick up.
"Wolf Pack to control," Dean said, using his platoon's call sign for the first time since designating it. "We have eyes on targets. ETA to LZ with packages is ten minutes, over."
"Making my way down now, Wolf Pack," Captain Dante said. "See you in the dirt in ten, over and out."
Dean and his group of specialists ran toward the east side of the colony town. When they got to the edge of the buildings Dean searched the tall grass for their quarry. The flea looked like a humped-back bovine creature, waddling toward the town. All they could really make out was the creature's body, its head was low to the ground.
"Mercer, you and I will escort Ipsish close enough to make that shot," Dean said. "Cox, as soon as you see it go down the rest of you book it out and use the straps to haul it back to the LZ. We'll cover you."
"Yes, sir," the big demolition specialist said.
"You ready?" Dean asked Ipsish, who already had her telescoping blow gun out.
She nodded, as did Staff Sergeant Mercer. Dean checked to ensure that the safety was off on his flechette rifle and then waved them forward. The trio ran nearly fifty yards before stopping for Ipsish to take a shot with the blow gun. The weapon made a thoop! noise as the dart flew out. It hit the flea creature in the back, eliciting a grunt that made the beast rear back onto its powerful hind legs.
"Down!" Dean ordered, dropping low in the grass as the creature's insectile head swiveled in search of them.
The giant flea made a loud noise that was part hiss, part screech. Then it jumped, but the sedative was already at work in its system. It only managed to travel about ten feet, before falling hard to the ground. It was still conscious but struggling, unable to get back on its feet. It wallowed in the grass, hissing and wailing.
"Get another dart ready," Dean said, jumping back to his feet.
On the view screen of his TCU Dean could see the four members of his squad moving across the edge of town in a lumbering run, their armor and equipment weighing them down.
"Let's get over there and hit it again before it alerts th
e hive."
Ipsish shot another dart as they hurried forward, the second one hitting the creature's stomach as it tried desperately to get to its feet.
"Bogie one is on the move," Butler said into the platoon channel.
"Roger that," Dean said. "We're right behind you."
"I have movement inside the barn," Buwana said. "I can't see much but the thermals are changing."
"Move your ass," Mercer ordered the Demo team and two HA specialists who were slinging four-inch-wide, bright yellow cargo straps under the huge flea.
The flea in the grass wasn't as large as the one that had crawled from the barn. Dean wasn't sure if it was a juvenile or if it just hadn't fed as recently as the other, but he was glad that his team could lift the creature and start moving back toward the LZ on the south side of town.
"Ipsish, get your MSVs around that barn."
"I thought we weren't supposed to engage the creatures," Mercer said, with a note of humor in her voice.
"Maybe not, but if they come this way I'll sure as hell let them know we aren't playing around. Let's cover the target."
"Bogie," Buwana said. "Two, no make that three. Looks like they're coming out to investigate."
"How are those MSVs coming?" Dean asked.
"Almost in place," Ipsish said.
Dean wasn't sure how she could pilot the small, remote controlled vehicles and jog along with the rest of the squad, but she was managing. Small windows appeared around the edges of Dean's field of view. He enlarged them one by one using facial commands. The gestures were so intuitive that he didn't even have to think about what he was doing. The ATV closest to the entrance of the barn showed the three creatures, which seemed to be sniffing the air and chirping.
"We've got eyes on the barn, Buwana. Start your retreat."
"Yes, sir," the sniper remarked.
"We're at the LZ," McCal said over the company channel. "No sign of the transport."
"It'll be there," Dean said. "Oh, shit!"
One of the creatures near the barn spotted the MSV and pounced on it. The flea was so fast Ipsish didn't have time to pull the small vehicle back. Dean saw the pincer jaws snapping down, then an explosion was heard and smoke rose above the rooftops.
Dean switched to the feed the other MSV and saw that the detonation had vaporized the creature that attacked it, and knocked the other two onto their backs. Their legs twitched but it looked to Dean like the fleas were dead. At the same time Dean saw dozens more come pouring out of the barn. It was like an ant hill that was kicked over. Some of the creatures were crawling out of the top of the door and up the side of the barn. A strange sound of chattering filled the air, then screeches.
"Transport's incoming," McCal said, her voice clearly relieved.
"Wolf Pack what's happening down there, over?" Dante said over the company channel.
"We've got company," Dean said. "Watch yourself. These creatures move fast, over."
"I'm in the dirt in ten seconds, be ready, over and out."
"Get those fleas on board that transport and then get to the cargo hauler," Dean ordered into the platoon channel of his comm link. "And I mean fast."
"Move!" Staff Sergeant Mercer shouted. "Get those creatures on board or we're all bug food."
Dean came around the corner and into sight of the LZ just as the transport landed. His squad had ranged ahead of him and were almost directly behind the first group who were loading the flea onto the ship.
“McCal, you go back with those creatures," Dean said. "If they start to wake up, you tranq them again."
"Yes, sir," the rookie FA specialist said.
"Here they come!" Ipsish said, a note of desperation in her voice.
"Get that ship in the air, Captain," Dean said, as he watched the flea leaping away from the barn on the feed from the mini surveillance vehicles.
Had he been watching the video feed from a place of safety he might have marveled at the almost supernatural way the creatures moved. They waddled on the ground, moving almost sluggishly. But when they jumped they were graceful, soaring high into the air almost effortlessly.
"Platoon! We are moving!" Staff Sergeant Mercer shouted.
Dean was already on the cargo hauler. He spun the vehicle around and hesitated for just a moment as the last two of his troops hopped on board. They had already slung cargo straps through the holes in the vehicle's flat, metal bed to hang onto, which was a good thing as Dean turned the throttle to maximum and steered the cargo hauler out into the open plain to the east of the colony.
"Ipsish, launch AAV and give that transport cover," Dean ordered.
"Yes, sir," the FA specialist said.
Dean heard the drone shooting into the air like a rocket. It flew up after the transport, dropping ordinance which Ipsish detonated while still in the air. The explosions were loud, leaving dark clouds of smoke hovering in the wake of the transport. The sound of the explosions made the fleas hesitate, giving the transport just enough time to fly out of range of the jumping creatures.
"I lost the drone, LT," Ipsish said. "We're out of range."
"Let's just hope we're out of range of those jumping creatures."
"We may be out of range, but we’re not out of sight," Chavez said. "They're turning this way."
"My God!" Cox said.
"Haul ass!" Green shouted.
The cargo hauler was racing across the prairie, the wheels bumping over the rough terrain and kicking up a trail of dust behind them. Dean could see the creatures coming in the video feed from his rear-mounted TCU camera.
"Where are we going?" Mercer said, her voice calm despite the tension of the situation.
"Those foothills," Dean said. "We can take shelter there."
"We won't make it," Lee said. "Those bugs are moving too fast."
"Take them out!" Dean ordered. "Shoot them out of the sky."
Buwana was the first to fire her weapon. She was sitting in the middle of the cargo hauler's flat bed, a cargo strap wrapped around her thigh. She had been watching the fleas pursue them through her long rifle's scope. The big gun thundered as it fired a flechette bundle. The group of deadly, metal darts connected with the closest flea and sent it tumbling back to the ground where it crashed hard and lay still.
"Give me your weapon," Chavez said to Dean. "You drive, I'll shoot."
"What's wrong with your utility canon?" Dean asked as he lifted the strap of his flechette rifle over his head with one hand.
"Nothing, but the bugs aren't in range yet," the HA specialist said calmly.
Buwana was joined by Staff Sergeant Mercer and Corporals Ipsish and Chavez, each firing flechette rifles in quick bursts. Most of the darts missed their targets. Aiming a weapon with any accuracy while in a moving vehicle over rough terrain was nearly impossible, but they got a few lucky hits. The wounded fleas, even those not seriously injured, stopped their pursuit. But for every creature taken down, four more raced ahead to take their place.
Dean could see on his navigation program that they were still ten clicks from the cave he had designated as a defensible position when the Demo team opened up with their flechette rifles. It only took a few more seconds before the rapid fire of the HA utility cannons added to the noise behind Dean, who was forced to focus on getting the platoon to a safe place. More of the creatures were falling and Dean was beginning to hope they might make it.
Then, without warning, the cargo hauler began to slow. The vehicle could move incredibly heavy loads, and was rated for at least eight hours on a full battery charge, but that was with the governor keeping the vehicle's speed to just a few feet per second. The maintenance crew of the Valkyrie had increased the cargo hauler's speed so that it could race along at almost a hundred and twenty kilometers per hour, and the result was a very short battery life.
"Don't slow down!" Chavez shouted.
"Battery is going out," Dean said.
"How much farther?" Mercer asked.
"Three clicks."
; "We won't make it!" Mason said. "There's too many of them."
"New plan," Dean said, an idea flashing to life in his mind. "Everybody off!"
"Is he crazy?" Bennett shouted.
Dean slammed on the cargo hauler's brakes.
"Everyone off now!"
The platoon jumped off the flatbed, still firing their weapons.
"Now get under," Dean ordered. "HA around the outside, full defensive posture but on your sides."
Dean scrambled into the long grass and rolled under the cargo hauler. The vehicle had no cab, just four large wheels and the flat, metal bed. Dean knew that fully assembled the vehicle weighed nearly nine hundred pounds, and he was hoping that was more than the fleas could lift.
Mercer, Buwana, Ipsish, Cox, and Lee followed Dean under the vehicle. Then came the HA squad. Bennett and Mason were on one side. Chavez and Butler along the other. Their shields, while the specialists laid on their sides, covered the opening between the ground and the cargo hauler's flat bed. Their utility cannons poked out over their heads under the wheel wells.
Adkins was at the front of the vehicle, filling the shorter space, and Green was at the rear. The fleas landed with heavy thumps and the utility cannons barked in short bursts as the HA specialists switched to shotgun rounds. The first flea to land on the cargo bed sounded like an automobile crash, then the creature's hook-like forearms were scrabbling on the metal bed, and stabbing down into the holes at the humans underneath.
Mercer raised her rifle's muzzle to one of the holes used for securing cargo and squeezed off a three-burst shot into the flea's stomach. Bright green blood sprayed out as the flea flipped backward off the cargo hauler.
"They're easier to kill down here," Chavez said. "The targeting computer is having a hell of a day."
"Conserve your ammo," Dean said. "We could be here a while."
More fleas landed, but the other troopers followed Mercer's example, shooting them through the narrow holes in the flat bed. It took the horde of flea-like creatures a while to realize the danger they were in. They eventually stopped attacking and began to feed on their own dead.
We Are The Wolf (Wolf Pack Book 1) Page 20