Legacy (75 page)

Jarneux, instead of running, pushed his two companions away and removed his weapon from his back. He sighted his rifle on the first robot on his left and fired his weapon on full automatic. The ESA weapon used a combustible mix of gas and gunpowder that sent an explosive .50 caliber round out at supersonic speed. The round would explode on contact. Several of the explosive shells hit the first robot in the chest, making it take three large steps backward, but then it righted itself and followed its companion forward. Jarneux aimed at the head area of the same beast and fired another long stream of rounds into the airless void. They struck its thick neck and face, but it kept coming on, shrugging the powerful rounds off as if they were mere blows from the captain’s fists.

“All personnel fall back, fall back to the crater,” he yelled as he fired again at the oncoming menace.

The next set of rounds exploded at the giant’s feet, taking out large chunks of Moon dust. The void in the surface tripped up the mechanical giant and it staggered, falling face-first into the dust. The captain aimed at the second robot, which had veered to its left in an attempt to strike at the men above. As he aimed, he was grabbed from behind by the third giant. Jarneux was raised to a height at which he was face-to-face with the thing. The captain could see the inner workings of the beast. Its brain looked like a turning gyroscope deep inside its head. He tried his best to get the rifle aimed, but found that his arm had been broken when the robot had picked him up from the surface. Several of his men had stopped in midflight to turn and fire at the giant, but their rounds were just as useless as Jarneux’s had been.

Jarneux looked deep into the mechanical beast’s red, glowing eyes. He saw the thickness of the glass lens and the brightness of the programming behind it. The orb glowed from the deep interior, and he knew that this thing had been programmed many millions of years ago to kill anything it encountered. This unthinking giant was man’s worst nightmare come true—a beast that wouldn’t stop until its programmed goals had been fulfilled. The damnable things had lain in wait for millions upon millions of years for just this opportunity.

As it brought Jarneux forward, the giant seemed to be studying him. It appeared to realize something as it tilted its large steel-encased head. It was as if it were scanning him to confirm his face, body, or uniform.

The French captain became angry at his obvious fate and lashed out at the glowing right eye with his good arm. The gloved fist struck the beast and it didn’t even flinch. It remained still and staring. Jarneux struck it again. This time the giant started to squeeze the small human. The captain felt his ribs collapse first and then a scream that only he could hear burst out of his lungs as the giant brought him closer to its eyes.

The last thing Jarneux saw was what appeared to be a satisfied glint in the red eyes. Then he realized that it was his own reflection he was seeing, and that it was wide-eyed and screaming.

*   *   *

Sarah watched the men below as they entered the first structure. It was covered by a roof, so she tensed when the two-man team entered.

As she watched, her COM system sprang to life and the voice of the French colonel burst through her speakers in her helmet. She jumped at the loudness of the transmission.

“Did you understand that?” she asked, turning to face General Kwan and Will Mendenhall.

“Something about an attack,” Will said, as he turned and looked to the north, where they had left the first team. “Think it’s the Russians?” he asked.

“No, the Russians are a day out. And besides, they’re a part of the Arizona treaty and are acceptable to Case Blue. And—”

The two men—Mendenhall and Kwan—looked at Sarah when she stopped talking. She bit her lip, knowing she had said too much, but that was something she would have to answer for later. Right now she knew she had an unseen problem on her hands.

“You men, cover the north. We may have an unknown element breaking through the first team perimeter.”

Sarah swallowed as she watched the men covering the crater floor bring their weapons to bear in the direction of the crashed warship. Will Mendenhall rechecked his kinetic weapon and watched with wide eyes. The general went to one knee and aimed his own shorter version of the same rifle at a spot that covered the top of the small ridgeline.

“All of a sudden this place has gotten damn crowded. Who else could be here on the Moon that we don’t know about?” Mendenhall asked.

Sarah was breathing way too hard. She had to force herself to calm down as she scanned the area to the north.

“Do you feel it?” she asked, without looking at the two men on either side of her.

“Yes, something is coming this way,” Kwan said as he sighted his weapon.

“Jesus, what is it?” Will asked. He too went to one knee for a steadier aim.

As they all watched, the advance team inside the crater babbled excitedly about something, but no one was listening. Sarah moved her weight from one foot to the other as she strained her eyes to see what was coming at them. That was when the first few ESA team members broke from the ridge, bounding and hopping, using the light gravity to speed away from something. Sarah counted only three, plus one straggler.

“Jesus,” she mumbled.

“Easy men, easy,” General Kwan said. “Aim carefully and cover these men.”

As they watched the men scramble toward them they all froze. That was when the first of the three giants made its appearance. Several of the men who were supposed to be covering the retreating ESA men stood and lowered their weapons when they saw what was chasing the men.

“Remain in your positions!” Kwan called out.

The mechanical giants stopped and surveyed the situation along the rim of the crater. They seemed to be scanning for threats. The general saw what amounted to giant Erector Sets standing and looking down on the smaller humans they confronted.

The first of the ESA men stumbled and fell three feet in front of Sarah, Mendenhall, and Kwan. She stepped forward and pulled the man encased in his bulky suit upward.

“Where’s Captain Jarneux?” she asked.

“Dead. We’re all that’s left. These things came from the wreckage near the downed craft. They’re killers.”

Sarah pushed the man to the side just as General Kwan opened fire from his kneeling position. Sarah flinched as the first kinetic rounds left the barrels of several men at once. The hardened rounds struck the metal monsters in several places and the men who fired saw their spiked bulletlike bolts bounce off, causing no discernible damage.

“We may be outgunned here,” Will said. He fired a burst of three rounds toward the head of the leading robot. The rounds struck, forcing the giant’s head back. It shook off the assault and started forward again, with the other two also moving.

As General Kwan and the others opened up with a withering fire at the oncoming assault, Sarah reached took the general by the shoulder. He finally looked at her.

“I think we’d better get to cover,” she said.

The general looked around and saw that there was only one place to go.

“Yes, that is a good suggestion, Lieutenant,” Kwan answered, and turned Sarah around to face the open crater of Shackleton. “Lead the way.”

Sarah didn’t hesitate, nor did she take one of the dangling ropes. She hopped into the crater and started sliding down its steep incline, falling faster and faster as the others started sliding down the edges behind her.

Will Mendenhall and General Kwan continued to fire their kinetic rounds at the three brutes coming straight at them on a run. When they saw that no damage was being inflicted, they turned and leaped into the dark void of the crater.

After several commands were shouted through their COM systems, the ground team looked up and saw a terrifying sight. They had progressed down the dangerous and very steep slope being cautious for safety reasons, but now they were witnessing a full-fledged retreat from the crater’s rim. Men in bulky suits were sliding on their backs and even a few on their stomachs. Some were in danger of ripping the vital life-sustaining material of their suits as they crashed, crawled, and hopped down the crater’s side. The men had started running from the confined spaces of the bunkers when they all came to a dead stop as the first of the giant robots made its appearance at the rim. The men froze as they saw for the first time what had forced the men to flee.

The men were in desperate flight to get to cover as the first of the three robots jumped into the crater. It didn’t hit the slope on its way down. It landed on Shackleton’s floor well ahead of the retreating astronauts.

17

GALLERY NUMBER TWO, MÜELLER AND SANTIAGO MINING CONCERN, 100 MILES EAST OF QUITO

The mine forces learned the hard way that they had failed to destroy one of the mortar tubes. Jack, Everett, Sebastian, and the scientists ran from the blockhouse into a murderous crossfire. An erratic defense had been mounted, but Jack was sure that whoever was firing on them was going to concentrate on one pocket of resistance at a time.

“I don’t see ’em, Jack,” Everett called out. He dared to raise his head. Just as he ducked back, a series of bullets stitched the hardened lava of the ridge, sending chips flying in all directions.

Collins turned slightly to make sure the five scientists were keeping low. He knew he had to get them away from the German blockhouse, which was an easy target for the mortar team.

“Well, we sure as hell can’t stay here. Whoever it is has the advantage of an elevated position,” Jack said. He rose and fired toward the sound of the mortar tube discharging. He ducked back. “Sebastian, we have to get a fire team organized and do it fast.”

“I have men over in the next series of buildings, assuming they’re still alive.”

Before Jack could say more, the German commando turned and ran to the right in search of men he could corral.

“Mr. Everett, we have to ditch these guys,” Jack said, nodding toward Niles and the others.

Charlie Ellenshaw crawled forward with his M-16 and looked straight at Jack.

“I heard that, Colonel. You’re not leaving me with these guys.”

“Yes I am, Charlie. You’re going to keep them together and defend them with your little gun—that’s an order.”

Ellenshaw frowned and then ducked his head when gunfire erupted, closer than before.

“Whoever these assholes are, they’re aggressive,” Everett said. He popped up and returned fire. “Charlie, get your ass back to Niles. Get them to the far side of the blockhouse and hunker down low along the strongest part—that would be its base. Do not go inside,” Everett said. “We’ll cover you the best we can.”

Ellenshaw finally nodded.

“Ready, Jack?” Everett shouted.

Collins nodded.

As one, Jack and Carl rose up and started firing. To their shock they saw ten men running at them, firing their weapons. They had gotten far closer than either man realized before they made up their makeshift plan for getting Niles and the others to safety. Jack knew immediately that their attackers would be on them soon. Still, he and Carl placed a withering fire on the ten men as they zigzagged through the ancient colony buildings. As Everett’s M-16 hammered on an empty receiver, Collins knew that was it. As he aimed at the five men who were only six feet from their hidden position, three of them fell almost immediately. Not waiting for another miracle, Jack opened up on the last two. He missed the second as the man screamed and made the last push for their position. As Collins aimed, the man suddenly straightened and fell to the left, unmoving. Jack turned and slid back down under cover.

“Damn, that guy is downright handy,” Everett said, slamming another thirty-round magazine into his weapon.

Collins looked around and saw Vietnamese Private Tram as he quickly slipped another magazine into the old M-14. He looked around and pointed at Jack and Everett, then moved to another position.

“Yeah, I’d pick him for my kickball team any day,” Jack said, as a mortar round landed fifty yards to their front.

“These guys are serious, Jack,” Carl said, joining them.

The gallery became deathly silent except for the men firing sporadically from various defensive positions. Soon even these shooters stopped and listened.

“Colonel Collins, I assume I have your attention.”

Jack looked over at Carl and raised his brows.

“If it’s the cops, I’m going to be seriously pissed off,” he said, trying his best to figure out who was speaking through the bullhorn. The voice echoed off the giant cavern walls that housed the buried colony.

“You could have called me on your cell phone if that’s all you wanted,” Collins yelled, at the same time looking to make sure that Ellenshaw had the others hidden as best he could. Then he silently cursed as he saw the scientists do exactly what he had ordered them not to do—turn and enter the blockhouse once more. “You know, after this we’re going to have to get a new director, because I’m going to kill this one!”

Everett turned and saw what Jack was talking about. He cursed as well.

“Colonel, a few well-chosen words and a small exchange, and then we will leave you to your task here. We wish you well in your endeavors.”