Battle Earth III (6 page)

The corridor lit up with flames as the walls caught fire under the heat and concentration of the rounds. The two creatures were reduced to twisted piles of scrap. Sugar’s weapon clicked empty, and he lowered his weapon to quickly check on Taylor. He looked back up for just a moment to see that he was safe and then leapt to the Major’s aid.

“Major!” he shouted in hope of a response.

He grabbed hold of Mitch’s shoulders and shook him. The rest of the section ran into the entrance of the building to see the horror of their leader lying lifeless. Sugar knelt down and listened to his breathing.

“He’s alive!” he barked.

The marine got back up and looked at the smoking armour that lay across Taylor’s chest. The round had gouged over a centimetre out of the armour but had not penetrated. Sugar shook him again in desperation. An explosion rang out further into the building, and Sugar glanced down the corridor. Gunfire followed it, and he quickly reached to change his magazines. Two of his section ripped fire extinguishers from the wall and rushed to the flames.

The towering Sugar jumped as he felt a hand grasp his wrist. The shock almost made him reach for the trigger of his weapon, but he looked down to see the Major grasp his arm with a surprisingly firm hold. His eyes were open wide, and he had a stunned expression as he stared blankly at the marine. Sugar’s heart almost stopped as he realised Taylor was still alive. A smile broadened across the man’s face.

“You gonna help me up, or keep looking like you wanna kiss me?” Taylor jested.

Sugar took a hold of the Major’s arm and hauled him to his feet. Mitch groaned as pain soared through his body. He’d almost gotten used to not feeling like a total wreck.

“You okay, Sir?”

Taylor nodded. He lifted up his rifle and turned at the sound of gunfire. He suddenly realised where he was and their purpose for being there. He shook his head to try and wake himself up and then looked to Sugar and the others who were awaiting his orders.

“Let’s get our people back. Let’s go!”

They all cheered as they rushed forward to the end of the corridor. Campbell led from the front; his beloved sniper rifle slung on his back and a Reitech rifle in hand. Taylor winced as he hobbled forward. His neck creaked in agony, and his arm was numb. His spine was only saved from breaking on impact with the wall by the rigidity of his armour. It was little consolation when it hurt so much.

Gunfire erupted in the corridor ahead before the Major could get around the corner. He heard a cry of pain as Allen, one of his section, was struck in the arm. The Private collapsed back against the wall as the others kept firing. Energy pulses rushed down the corridor and blew gaping holes in the space between the wounded man and Taylor.

“Fuck!” bellowed Allen.

The Private screamed at the top of his voice. Taylor could see that the shot had dislocated Allen’s shoulder and taken the flesh down to the bone. He turned to see Campbell huddled behind a metal-wheeled cart that had already taken a blast from the enemy. He peeked around the corner just enough to catch a glimpse of the enemy as a burning pulse of energy zipped past his head and narrowly missed singeing his eyebrows.

The section took cover in doorways and behind trolleys like Campbell. They could barely get a shot off under the hail of energy blasts. Taylor could make out a single fallen Mech further along the corridor, but they had done little other damage. Corporal Hall looked back into the face of his leader.

“Sir, we need to get the fuck out of here!” he shouted.

Taylor looked back down at Allen who was still screaming in pain, and with no one attending to him. The Major was still stunned from the blast and had frozen. He looked back into Hall’s eyes with an expression that put the fear of God into the Corporal. Hall leapt across the hallway between enemy fire and reached the adjoining corridor from where the Major had been watching.

He grabbed hold of Mitch by his arms and threw him back against the wall. Hall had only been Corporal for a week, and promoted not through experience or natural progress. He was filling the shoes of a dead marine. Taylor hit the wall hard, and his armour clunked hard against the thick wall that jolted him. He looked at the Corporal in utter shock.

Taylor still looked dazed and did nothing to push him back whilst gunfire continued to rain down the corridor beside them. Hall slapped the Major hard across the face. The Reitech suit made the strike land harder than he had planned, and Taylor’s head snapped quickly around. He immediately turned back with blood dripping out of his mouth. His eyes squinted, and Hall could see life return to his leader.

Mitch took a firm grasp on Hall and wrestled him quickly back against the far wall, and with his left arm depressed into the Corporal’s throat so that he couldn’t breathe. As the man choked, he looked around to see further light pulses smash into the wall just a metre away and blast through it. Dust sprayed out into the air all around them. He looked back to the Corporal who was starting to lose colour in his face. He quickly released his grip, and Hall did his best to stand tall.

“That’s more like it,” he croaked.

Taylor looked down and saw two grenades slung on the marine’s webbing. He let go of his rifle and let it rest on its sling. He pulled out the grenades and twisted the firing cap of the first.

“Sir, the prisoners!”

Taylor remembered his order to not use any explosives during the raid as they could endanger the POWs. He thought for just a second before leaping to the edge of the corridor and tossing one with all his strength. The exoskeleton suit caused the grenade to be blasted down the corridor as if he had hit a home run. He twisted the cap of the other and quickly launched it after the first. He turned back and looked at the surprised Corporal who had just gotten his breath back.

“We aren’t rescuing anyone if we stay pinned here!” barked Taylor.

An explosion rang out along the corridor and was quickly followed by a second. The armoured leg of a Mech fired down the corridor and struck the wall. Campbell was bounced along the ground to the Major. Two of the marines got up for a better look but could barely make anything out through the dust cloud created by the blast.

Just as the marines were readying themselves to fire once again, a burst of fire rang out from down the corridor.

“Those aren’t Mech guns!” shouted Campbell.

“Keep down!” bellowed Taylor.

They remained huddled behind what was left of their cover as a volley of fire rang out beyond the dust cloud. Taylor coughed as the thick dust lined his lungs.
Parker,
you came for us,
he thought. Just as he had broken orders to save her, she was doing so for him. It was not something he liked to encourage, but he liked living as much as the rest of them.

Silence suddenly fell upon them. Their ears were still ringing from the constant fire and explosions. The interior of a room beside them smoked and flickered with flames. Then they could make out the sound of footsteps stomping across the debris of the surrounding rooms. Sergeant Parker appeared through the smoke at the head of her section.

She stood with her hand on her hip, and her rifle slung on her shoulder, looking down at the marines huddled in the ruined corridor. Allen groaned again, and the others finally jumped to his aid. Taylor knelt down beside the man as Campbell checked the wound. The Private was doing all that he could to hide the pain. Tears seeped from his eyes, but he stayed strong.

“How bad is it, Sir?” he asked.

“You’ll be back in action in no time,” insisted Taylor.

Allen nodded in appreciation, but he was sceptical. He looked down at the wound as Campbell lay a dressing over it. He winced as he looked at the damage. He couldn’t move his arm and knew it would be a long time before it fully recovered, if ever.

“Am I going to sit out the rest of the war?”

Taylor shook his head. He knew it was a distinct possibility, but he didn’t want the man to lose heart.

“Count yourself lucky, you just earned yourself a few weeks with a soft bed and to be waited on by a few cute nurses.”

Allen smiled as he gritted his teeth.

“I need you to walk, Private. Can you do that? We cannot afford to leave people behind now.”

He nodded in agreement as Campbell helped him up from his good arm. Taylor was satisfied that they could move. He turned to look at Hall and stared into his eyes. He was saying thank you without making it public. The Corporal smiled back in acknowledgement. A year ago Taylor would have had the marine on a charge for what he had done, but now he knew not everything was black and white. He turned to Parker.

“Any idea where the prisoners are?”

“Just a few corridors west, according to our maps. We were en route when we heard you were in trouble.”

“Much resistance on the roof?”

“No, Sir. We entered the building without contest and only encountered four hostiles before we found you.”

“Alright, any casualties?”

Parker shook her head.

“Good. They were arrogant not putting the proper defensive measures into effect here. If they think anything like humans, it’ll drive them nuts that we’ve pulled this off under their noses once again.”

Laughs rang out from a few of the marines as he lifted his rifle in readiness.

“Parker, you lead the way. Let’s get our people back.”

She turned and quickly went about her orders. The dust had largely settled, and as they continued on down the corridor, they could see the results of their work. The bodies of at least eight Mechs were scattered across the ground and through doorways that had been blasted from their hinges. The creatures’ now familiar blue blood seeped out from dismembered sections of their armoured suits.

Hall spat on the body of the most intact alien as he strode past. Nobody thought anything of it. This was not a human enemy to feel sympathy towards. They hated the Krycenaeans with all the fibre of their beings. Yet they didn’t even know their real name yet or understand their purpose for being on Earth.

A few minutes later, Parker stopped the column of marines to listen. As their heavy boots came to a stop, they could all hear the sound that had caused her re-action. Screams for help rang out through the corridors. They were muffled through the thick walls but were not far away.

“It’s them!” cried Campbell.

Taylor strode up to the front of the column to stand by the Sergeant. Her eyes always appeared to shine brighter upon seeing him. It was obvious to all but a fool that they were in love, even though they rarely admitted it to themselves. The thought of losing each other was something both tried to ignore as much as possible. It was impossible to think of a world where they did not serve beside each other and share a bed afterwards.

The Major turned back to look at the marines who eagerly awaited their orders. Many were smiling at the prospect of finding fellow soldiers alive. He lifted up his Mappad and once more surveyed the images.

“I want this done smart and right. We have a fork up ahead. Parker’s section head right, and we’ll go left. Go room by room, and be aware of your surroundings. Keep your guard up. Let’s move.”

Taylor turned and quickly rushed forward before Parker could take a step. He wanted to do it right, but he also wanted to be there first. He reached the fork in the corridor and instinctively huddled in against the edge of the wall, creeping around for a better view. He half expected to find enemies awaiting him, but the corridor was empty. He waved his section on and rushed down the corridor. He couldn’t believe he was within seconds of finding his missing comrades.

He had come so close to giving up hope that he kicked himself forever doubting their survival. Then his stomach turned at the realisation that he still had no idea if it was Jones and Walker imprisoned in the facility or some other poor devils.

“Help!”

The cries grew louder as Taylor rushed as quickly as he could while being cautious. He reached a locked cell door and saw a human face on the other side. A soldier with a scarred face and dry blood congealed on his skin. His voice was still muffled by the thick glass window, but Mitch could make out the strong French accent. Two other soldiers were huddled either side of him trying to get a peak, but he couldn’t get a view of their faces.

“Back up! Away from the door!” shouted Taylor.

He pointed for them to move back and the command was quickly understood. He lifted his rifle as the rest of his section formed up around him. They guarded each side of the corridor, but most were fixated on the door to see who was held within. The dim area lit up as the Major’s rifle fired into the lock, blasting a hole into the thick metal. A second shot quickly followed to finish off the high security mechanism.

There was just enough room to get a grasp on the rim of the door. Mitch reached in and pulled hard. The heavy door was flung open and crashed against the wall. Two men and a woman appeared, desperately trying to get out. He pushed forward to get into the cell. On a bench was Captain Jones with Walker lying in his arms.

The Captain looked up with a pale face. He looked like a man who had been utterly defeated. Only a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes as he recognised the man who stood before him. Charlie studied Taylor for a minute, shocked at how different he looked. The Reitech armour and weapons were nothing like anything he had seen before. To him it resembled their enemy more than their own forces.

Taylor’s face was as bloody and scarred as his own. The Captain looked weak and malnourished, and he had obviously lost a number of kilos in bodyweight during his imprisonment.