AMP Rebellion (24 page)

Jasper replied, "Roger that Sir, G12F1 and G12M7. Give us three minutes."

We moved back to the intersection of the hallways as specified. The Dakar and Durian forces continued to push forward towards our location. Major Jasper arrived and took up position.

I spoke, "We need you to keep them occupied and moving away from G12W if possible. It is critical that we reach that hall and hold it, at least for a short period of time."

Major Jasper replied, "No problem Sir, we’ll keep ‘em busy."

I gave Jasper a pat on the shoulder as I passed by on my way down the hall. We moved four hallways to the left and then began to work our way back towards G12W.

As we walked I spoke, "Ashley, how long do you need to start that drive?"

Ashley replied, "Once it boots I only need seconds to lock in the coordinates. When that yellow light comes on those coordinates have been accepted. I then have an override code to enter, ‘447’. From that point I don’t know if the console has to remain active or not. That information was never provided."

I replied, "Well, I guess we will find out soon enough."

When we rounded the final corner, except for the blood from the Dakar we had previously fragged, the hallway was clear.

The floor remained slick from the Dakar casualties. As we stepped up to the inconspicuous panel on the wall Ashley let out a gasp.

Ashley spoke, "No, no, no! Please don’t be damaged!"

The panel had a hole in the center where the frag from one of our grenades had torn through it. As the panel was removed, severe damage to the console interface was apparent.

Ashley turned and sank to the ground. "We are screwed."

As I looked over the damage I spoke, "What if we can fix it?"

Ashley replied, "Look down in that hole. That is circuit damage. That chip that is cut in half is the mate to the chip we put on this board. That’s how the console is able to communicate with the gravity drive system. We don’t have another chip."

I replied, "I was with you when your other crew got caught. Alvarez said he was destroying the console he had, but they had yet to make it to the interface. Is the interface on B23X still good? Will this box hang on that interface?"

Ashley replied, "It doesn’t matter, each interface was made so only its console would connect to it."

I squatted next to her and put my hand on her shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "How about this, we find that other interface, we open it up and get the chip out of it to use in this one. We have techs that can easily do the work."

Ashley thought for a moment and then stood. She pulled me up and looked me in the eye. She placed her hands on the sides of my face and pulled me in for a kiss. When she released I was happy but confused.

Ashley spoke, "Hallway B23X is our new target! Get your tech down here to start taking that panel apart!"

Ashley pressed her comm. "Frig, open a portal right where we stand and get us back to your lab. Let me know when you have a lock on the position and we will move."

Frig replied, "Locked."

We moved three meters away. The air in the center of the hall momentarily crackled and glowed as the portal opened. The console was passed through first, followed by Ashley and then myself. Directions were given to the Colonel’s squads to proceed to hallway B23X while my team remained to guard the panel.

Ashley spoke, "Frig, give us a scan of the B23X area. And pull up the schematics for that hallway. I want to see if that panel shows as something else. I want its exact location if possible."

Frig replied, "Scan… is complete. The area is full of soldiers. If they captured your fellow agents, they may have that other console, even if it is no longer functional. The Durians are a curious people. They would want to know what that console was for and where it mounted."

Ashley replied, "That’s another reason we have to find it before they do. What can we see on the drawings for that hallway?"

Frig replied, "It appears that there are no access panels there. Let me do a visual scan through a portal. OK… so far everything maps to the schematics… ah, there, I believe that is your access panel. On the schematics it shows as a blank wall."

Ashley turned and spoke, "Don, we need to get to that panel now!"

I raised the Colonel on my comm, "Colonel we need every available person you can muster to clear an area on Beta-23. Hallway X holds what may be a chance for us to activate the gravity drive. Do whatever you can to push the Dakar and Durians out of that area and keep them there. Also, the squads you sent to Gamma-12, we need more as we have the same situation there. This is our only shot at this Colonel. We have to make this work!"

The Colonel immediately began to bark orders at his commanders. The Beta levels had 16 squads holding various positions, mostly in and about the space ports we had taken control of. Those ports were all being abandoned for this one push towards B23X. Frig called in Rita and Gy and they soon arrived with two technicians and the equipment needed for the extraction and repair.

Once again we moved through the portal to Gamma-12. Rita and Gy got work on removing the damaged circuits while we patrolled the halls surrounding G12W. Resistance in and around the area had been light.

As we rounded a corner a figure stepped into the hallway on the other end. It was a Helgron in the new hardened suit. We scrambled for cover before realizing it was being carried by York.

I yelled down the hall, "York! Glad to see you are still kicking!"

York replied as she walked towards us, her arms around the Helgrons waist. She now had an almost normal gate.

York spoke, "I tell you Sir. I am about worn out. I have been fighting non-stop since you left. Somebody take this bulky thing from me and send it back to be analyzed. My shoulders are starting to cramp up. Sorry about not calling in, my comm got damaged early on and I was having so much fun I just kept going."

I replied, "You have been at it for hours York. How could anyone endure that?"

York replied, "Oh, let me tell you Sir. These arms and legs… they are fabulous. I can sprint for a few hundred meters and never get a heavy breath. It’s almost like I am just along for the ride. I now wish I had these prosthetics ages ago Sir. Those Human arms and legs, well, they suck in comparison."

As we turned and walked back towards the panel and the others I continued, "I heard you had the Helgrons on the run there for a while."

York replied, "Yes Sir I did. This battle suit works wonders against those blasters, positive or negative. I’ve probably killed 25 Helgrons and countless Dakar over the past few hours."

I replied, "How did you come by this Helgron with the hardened suit?"

York stopped. "I had just stepped out of a trans-way. He walked out through a crowd of cowering Dakar just as I finished off one of his friends. He came at me with a club. Look what he did to my beautiful prosthetics!"

York’s arms and legs were covered with scratches and dents.

I replied, "You look like you’ve been through a meat grinder, but you obviously survived."

York continued, "Yes Sir. When he came forward the Dakar and the other Helgrons just stopped to watch. He would club me and I would attempt to slash him. We went at it for fifteen minutes straight. That’s when he began to fatigue and he got sloppy."

York was quiet for a moment as she relived the ordeal in her head.

I spoke, "Well, what happened?"

York replied, "He left me an opening Sir. I picked him up, walked into the trans-way we were fighting beside and I threw him down the stairs."

I replied, "Stairs? That doesn’t seem like it would do much with him in a battle suit."

York replied, "Oh, it didn’t Sir. But when he crashed down he slid off the last steps and his helmet got lodged between two rails. I jumped down after him and picked up and twisted his torso until his back broke. When I turned back and looked up the steps at the others they all just turned and left. I tried to chase them for a bit, but it just didn’t seem worth it anymore. So, here I am."

York continued, "Any chance I can just go back to the Suppressor for a rest Sir? I could use it."

I replied, "Absolutely! See the Doc when you get back and see if he can change out those arms and legs for you."

York replied, "Well, if it’s all the same Sir, I would just as soon keep them. They are beat up, but other than the comm they still function perfectly. And the fact that they are scarred just makes me look mean. I like the mean look Sir."

I raised Frig on the comm, "Open a portal at my location, I’m sending York back through. And have a tech there who can repair her comm. After that, let her get some rest."

The portal opened and York passed through. We returned to our patrols.

Rodriguez spoke, "She scares me sometimes Sir. If I had to pick one person to fight beside it would be her, but she can give me the shivers like no one else."

I replied, "Rodriguez, I can’t see you fighting beside York for long. It would only take a few minutes before you were covered with blood and guts. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a hair out of place. I don’t know how you do it, but it wouldn’t last if you were fighting beside her. How did your image obsession come about anyway?"

Rodriguez primped her hair and laughed as she replied, "Image obsession? Where did that come from?"

Rodriguez continued, "We all have those things that make us unique Sir. I didn’t know what that was for me until a few of my fellow officers began to make fun of me for always being so neat and clean. So I took that thought and ran with it. Every good soldier has something that defines them, for me it’s this, for York it’s her craziness and determination to never lose. I like to think I have that also, but as far as identities go, this perfect hair is mine!"

When we arrived back at the console panel Gy had it opened up and the damaged board had been removed.

Gy spoke, "We just need that other board Chief. I had to repair a couple conduits and a half dozen wires, but it should be functional when we are done. How’s the effort to get the other one taken apart."

I replied, "I’m checking on that now."

I raised the Colonel on my comm, "Colonel, how are our efforts going on B23?"

The Colonel replied, "We have the Dakar there pushed back two hallways, but I think they are about to mount a counter offensive. I have 10,000 Marines converging on that level. Most are still about 20 minutes out. I will give you a shout when we feel it’s secure."

I replied, "We will only need to hold it for 15 minutes Colonel, We will have what we need by then, but we must be allowed to get to it without interruption. Holding that hall should be all that is standing between us and a jump."

The Colonel replied, "We will have it within a few Don. I’m headed there myself."

Ashley stood watching Gy work with her arms crossed. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me.

I spoke, "We are almost there. Colonel Harper will have that other hallway secure if he has to do it himself."

Ashley replied, "I’m just waiting for the next shoe to drop. Every attempt we’ve made at jumping has met with failure. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up, it’s just that so many have already died fighting, just so we can leave."

I replied, "When this works and we jump I have an idea of how we will deal with the alien soldiers still on the Grid."

Ashley looked up.

I continued, "We offer them an out if they stop fighting. We’ll pack every transport parked on this station with enough supplies for them to return to this sector, then, we’ll dump them off wherever we are. I can’t imagine they would have any desire to fight to the death once their support is gone. Every one of them wants to live just as much as we do."

Thirty minutes later the Colonel came on the comm, "Grange! B23X is secure. Come up and get whatever it is that you need."

Frig opened a portal and Ashley, Gy, a tech and I moved through. A second portal was opened into hallway X of level Beta-23. The Colonel was waiting as we came through.

I spoke, "Thanks Colonel, we should be done in about 15 minutes; after that, start moving your troops down towards Gamma-12. If you can buy us time there also we should be able to fire up that gravity drive and get out of this sector."

The Colonel replied, "How did you manage to get control of the drives?"

I explained the SCore teams and the sacrifices they had made. If we were able to mount the console on Gamma-12 it would allow us to program in a jump. The Colonel again began barking orders at his officers. They would hold Beta-23 and they would hold Gamma-12.

As Gy and his tech began to disassemble the gravity drive interface the Durians launched an all-out assault. They had no idea of what we were up to, but the level of force they were encountering told them that it was important. Five minutes into the assault I could hear chatter coming from the front lines over the Colonel’s comm.

"This is Tyler! They have broken through the front barrier! It looks like we have several hundred of the hardened Helgrons moving towards Barrier 2. The glue pellets no longer seem to be stopping them Sir!"

The Colonel replied, "Do your best to slow them down Tyler! We need time!"

"Sir, this is Mechet! We are being overrun Sir! They just plowed through our defenses and are pushing us…"

The Colonel replied, "Mechet! Mechet!"

The Colonel turned to his staffers, "Looks like they are cutting through us with ease. Bring up those bazookas. We have to use everything we have to keep them out of here. For every meter we give up I want two dead Helgrons!"

The Colonel turned our way, "You better get whatever it is you need out of there Grange. It doesn’t look like we have the means to hold them!"

I turned towards Gy. "How are we looking?"

Gy replied, "I have to remove this protective cover before we can access that board. I need another five to seven minutes Chief."

The Colonel replied, "You probably have three!"

Ashley then stepped up and pushed Gy to the side. Using her laser cutter she cut away the protective plate that covered the board with the chip we required.

Gy spoke, "You are going to screw up that board!"

Ashley replied as her laser cutter began to burn through the board mounts, "Forget the board! We need that chip. I’m cutting it out. One more… got it. Frig! Open a portal!"

We moved through the portal to the lab where another tech was waiting to extract the chip. He then turned to solder the interface chip into the damaged board. Four minutes later a portal was opening onto Gamma-12. Ashley was the first through, carrying the repaired circuit board.

Ashley spoke as she handed the board to Rita, "Get this in there. The Durians are coming and we can’t stop them."

Rita took the board and began the task of placing it back in the interface panel, Connectors were mounted in place and three minutes later the power cable was applied. For a moment there was silence.

Slowly, the power light on the panel began to glow green. A touchscreen came to life with a number of entry points and a keyboard.

Word then came over the comm, "This is Ashford! The Helgrons have broken through! You have two minutes tops! They are leaving nothing but hurt in their wake Sir!"

I turned to Ashley and spoke, "You better do what you need to. I don’t think they are stopping."