Infinity Squad (4 page)

"As I was saying. For the month we have been deployed on Angie's Star II, Infinity Squad's record has been unique, to say the least. You have never lost a soldier in battle. You have also not recorded a single Hell-Spider kill."

He paused to squint into a bloodshot private's eyes. Cocaine private, now also stoned, tried to stand at attention more stiffly. The General moved on.

"But now you have finally achieved something of note. Tonight, your Lieutenant Forrest has recorded the first confirmed capture of a live Hell-Spider!" He began clapping, but no one joined him.

"You may applaud," he said.

The rest of the squad joined in tepidly.

"Sir?" I asked. "You didn't kill it? It's still alive, inside the base?"

He beamed. "Of course Lieutenant. I could not pass up this chance to study our enemy in captivity. I have sent an urgent message through the wormgate to Earth, asking UN High Command how best to proceed." He waved his hands dismissively. "I assume they'll want us to test the effects of starvation first, then poisoning, with serial amputation saved for last. But we'll let the experts decide. No one is allowed to see the spider until then."

Then he leaned in close to my ear. "And I'm tired of every soldier on this base being afraid of the damned things. When they see that beast weak and dying, crying out in pain, think of how that will help our fighting spirit!"

As my stomach was turning, the General stepped back and raised his voice to parade announcement levels again. "And, for his meritorious action this evening, I am hereby field promoting Second Lieutenant Forrest to the rank of First Lieutenant!" He pulled a second silver bar from his pocket and started pinning it on my fatigues, next to the first.

"Sir," I whispered to him, "we already have a First Lieutenant in command of this squad."

"Ah yes. That is the other piece of news. Tonight, the Immortal Squad on patrol was ambushed by a hundred or more spiders. The patrol fought very well, killing many times their number before themselves being overrun and killed."

We all waited, deathly silent.

"Unfortunately, First Lieutenant Ridley did not resurrect with the others. His buffering band, while operational, did not initiate a transfer. Based on the testimony of each surviving member of the patrol, we know Lieutenant Ridley was the last to remain alive in the field, with a massive number of enemies closing in."

The General stared at our barracks wall like it was the horizon. "Alone against insurmountable odds, Lieutenant Ridley made his last stand fighting hand-to-hand with the enemy, and in the vicious action, his buffering band must have been knocked off his head at just the wrong moment. His actions tonight doubled the kill count of the patrol. It will be a great loss to the squad, and to the Army."

I clenched my fists. It couldn't be true. Preston Ridley had recruited me right out of Basic, nominating me for Officer Candidate School even as my hair was still growing back. He had hand picked every member of this squad, been the calm voice all through off-planet prep when everyone else was wetting their pants about horse-sized alien spiders. And now he was gone?

I gave Lesko and the stupid purple Immortal Squad logo on his fatigues a dirty glance. I saw Zazlu and Juan doing the same.

The General looked at me. "But,
First Lieutenant
Forrest, as your first official act, I will allow you to take up where the brave Ridley left off. Satellites have tracked the ambushing swarm north from the patrol zone. You have a chance to get your revenge on them! Right now, tonight."

My head was swimming, and not just from the new body or the drugs. No, no, no- there were too many variables to process here.

"General, with all due respect, my squad is in no condition to go on assault right now."

I looked at the stoned Ann-Marie, the drunk Juan, and the two privates barely on their feet. "What with the sudden news of our First Lieutenant's death and all. We'd like at least a day to mourn-"

"That wasn't a suggestion, Lieutenant." Oakley growled. "Take the Heavys. And bring me back some skulls!"

I snapped to attention. "Yes sir!"

"And promote a new second in command before you leave. I believe Lieutenant Mohammed and Lieutenant Butcher are your most senior."

Oakley paused and looked at me, and it took me a second to realize what the idiot was asking of me.

"You want me to choose right now? In front of the entire squad?"

"The table of command must be set before your squad takes the field, in case you fall."

I looked at Zazlu and Ann-Marie, who were both looking back at me with sympathy.

I leaned forward. "Sir," I hissed. "This isn't done! Not in public-"

"Snap decisions are the bread and butter of higher command, Lieutenant! If you are not ready to make them, perhaps another squad's Lieutenant would be willing to take over here-"

Ann-Marie stepped forward out of line. "Sir, I remove myself from consideration for this post, sir! I do not feel I have yet earned the respect to be this squad's XO, sir!"

Oakley smiled. "Well, there you go. I wish my first command decision had been that easy. You and Lieutenant Mohammed find a way to bring me back some skulls- and leave within the hour! That is an order."

He turned on his heel and started marching towards the door, stopping in front of Lesko. He reached behind the Russian to pull the badly hidden flask from where Lesko had stuck it in his waistband.

"And don't think you can pull anything on me, soldier! I could smell your guilt from across the room! Contraband leads to contradicting orders, and I won't tolerate it on my base! Write yourself up for three days of restricted meals!"

He stormed out of the room, the BlackShirts yelling for ATTEN-SHUN and doing their stupid double boot stomp before we were left in peace again. With too many things to do. But first things first, I went up to Ann-Marie.

"Thanks Butcher. You shouldn't have had to do that."

"No sir, YOU shouldn't have been put in that position in front of everyone. General's an idiot."

"Even so, thanks. And don't worry, you'll get your turn. You deserve it as much as Zaz."

Zazlu joined our private talk. "Hey, it's no picnic for me, either! Now it's MY job to look for holes in this crazy idiot's plans!"

"Thanks Zaz. Nice to know what your friends think of you," I sighed, then looked around. Everyone was looking back at me- waiting for orders. Yeah, that's how it was going to be from now on. I remembered what the janitor had said back in OCS about 'a commanding presence', so I started pointing each time I said a name.

"Alright- Zaz, take Lesko back to his squad and find out what really happened on that patrol. Lesko, you'd tell us if any of your guys were stretching the facts a little, right?"

The Russian nodded. "Their pride may be damaged, since your Lieutenant lasted longer in battle than they. But yes, I will tell you if they are holding anything back. Even if you cost me three days of bread and water!"

"Don't worry. Zaz has stuff that will make your water taste like wine, right, Zaz?"

"Roger."

"Good." I pointed at Ann-Marie. "Butcher, take Grimstone to get two heavies. Loaded for bear."

She frowned. "Grimstone? Are you expecting a lot of computer hacking on this kill-and-destroy mission?"

"We're not going after the swarm. That's suicide. We're taking a short squad to retrieve the First Lieu's body. Outfit Grimstone's heavy to be able to diagnose a broken buffering band in the field. Outfit yours to kill anything that moves. Steve-"

The medic stood up. "Yo, sir."

"Get everyone I named as sober as you can. Stimulants, but not too much. I'll be back in ten minutes and we're rolling out."

"Wait," Zazlu said. "Where are you going, sir?" The title stuck a little in his mouth but I didn't have time to notice.

"To get some intelligence on the area."

"Want me to come with you?" Ann-Marie asked.

"No- not this time. Suit up with Grimstone and I'll be back."

I caught Zazlu and Ann-Marie giving each other looks as I left, but this was the kind of intelligence only I could get. From a fucking alien voice in my head.

***

Chapter Three

I burst into our holding cell, a sanitary white tile room with a four-inch thick glass partition running down the middle. On my side there was a table and chairs. On the other side there was nothing but white tile, white walls and a Hell-Spider. They didn't even give him a leafy branch and a rock to make him feel at home.

The Hell-Spider was sitting in that same damned yoga pose he had been in the cafeteria, calmly looking at the horizon like he was meditating. He didn't even twitch when I burst into the room and started pounding on the glass.

"HEY! YOU! Talk to me again!"

The spider turned his head to look at me, but nothing more.

"Hey! Talk to me like you did before!"

The spider appeared to be watching a mote of dust drift slowly to the floor in front of him.

"I know you can talk! And I need information!"

I slammed both fists against the glass, making it shudder, but he still barely reacted. There wasn't time- the squad was suiting up right now- I had to know! I started pacing the room.

"Look," I said, "My squad is going to patrol the same mountain you just came from. Patrol- do you understand? Walking around in pointless circles, with guns?"

I tried to pantomime the words, but the spider still looked at me like a goddamn mute sheep.

"And I need information! How many of you guys are out there and how to avoid them. I don't want to kill them, see I want to miss them- do you understand?" I made my two hands miss each other in front of me, but the spider just cocked his head at me. No voice.

I approached the glass again. "And they're going to do stuff to you here. Bad stuff. I can tell you, so you can prepare. So you can be ready, but I need information from you!"

He was watching that dust mote float to the floor again. I wished I could slap him.

"Fine! I don't care! Let's take all day to do this!" I jumped up on the table on my side, then sat cross-legged like he was. I touched my middle fingers to my thumbs as I saw Ohhhhmmega Squad do every morning and exhaled deeply. "I can wait you out," I said. "I've got ALL day."

I inhaled slowly, then exhaled again. Then again. "Yep. All day. Got nothing else to do."

I let another few breaths pass, trying to appear calm. No response. I closed my eyes, took one last deep breath before I was going to-

"It. Is. YOU again!" The shock of hearing that gravelly voice right between my ears almost knocked me from the table. I broke the yoga pose and slammed my fist on the table.

"Of course it's me! What- why didn't you say anything before?"

The spider tilted his head. "Your thoughts were muddy. Unclear. Many words, no message."

"I was babbling."

"Yes."

I rubbed my hand over my face. "How is this possible? Are all Hell-Spiders psychic?"

"Of course."

"Then why did you not talk to us before?"

I didn't know how the spider did it, sitting, with a hard shell for a coat, but I swear to god he shrugged. "Unknown animals show up, want the same hunting grounds my clan owns. We have seen this before. We do not talk to our competitors." He focused his four eyes on me. "Or to our prey."

"Fine, but how did you learn English? By watching Sesame Street while your parents were away at work?"

"I think in my pictures, send them to you. Your brain translates into pictures you know. And in reverse."

"So I can even think of things you've never seen and you'll understand? Like if I said... 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue', you'd picture..."

The spider tilted his head for a second. "Recorded images of your females in heat, used to start your mating rituals?"

I chuckled. "Okay, not a perfect translation. Look, I know we're supposed to be enemies but I need information. They're sending us back to a mountain." I closed my eyes and pictured it in my head. "This mountain."

"The Night Hunting Grounds. Yes, I know it well."

"They're forcing us to go there, to try and kill as many of you as we can- but I'm not going to do that. I just want to get in and out without seeing any of you. How can I do that?"

He suddenly drew his razor sharp claw out, the one that had killed Private Fredricks, and used it to scratch a spot on his back. Then he looked at the ceiling. "If the sun has risen... hunting parties will return home at dawn. But they will be drawn back by any noise carrying down the mountain. If you do not use one of your spinning machines..."

"Helicopters."

"Yes. And if you make no noise-
none
- then you should not be detected. If you stay in the shadows. And leave well before the sun approaches its highest point." He pointed straight up.

"Noon."