When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (85 page)

             
A masked man came running around the corner, a firema
n’
s axe strapped to his back. He looked like h
e’
d just marched through Hell. His clothing was scorched and torn, covered in blood of various colors. As he dropped down to Ze
v’
s side, a smaller person peeked out from behind the wall. The platoon sergeant, delirious, waved. The little kid waved back.

             
“Who are you
?”
Gabriel asked.

             
The man pulled down his bandanna. He had a few wee
k’
s growth of beard and his lips were cracked and bleeding, but still he smiled
.“
Timothy Madison
.”
He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a first-aid kit. The lieutenant popped the case open and removed a syringe
.“
I knew you would come
,”
the man said
.“
We were waiting, but we had to find a safer place
.
”

             
“We
?”
Gabriel looked around. He had
n’
t seen the smaller figure shuffle up behind Timothy. He did a double-take when he realized she was a little girl
.“
Your daughter
?
”

             
Timothy nodded
.“
Mary
.
”

             
“Nice to meet you both
.”
The officer lined up the needle with Ze
v’
s lung, took a breath and slammed the point in. Zev growled but did
n’
t move. Gabriel pulled the plunger clear of the syringe and waited. After a second the sergeant sucked in a deep breath. Gabriel took tape from the kit and stuck the makeshift air tube in place. Satisfied, he motioned for Timothy to help him lift the injured soldier
.“
We have to move, this place is swarming with ground troops
.
”

             
“Wher
e’
s the shuttle
?
”

             
Gabriel looked confused
.“
What shuttle
?
”

             
Timothy pulled his daughter close
.“
Are
n’
t you a rescue
?
”

             
“W
e’
re the ones who need a rescue
,”
the officer said
.“
Come on, w
e’
re headed to the radio station. We should be able to hole up in there, at least until the cavalry arrives
.”
They lifted the sergeant to his feet, each taking an arm on their shoulder. With the remaining soldiers providing cover fire, the squad began to move across the destroyed street toward the distant broadcast tower. All around them, the sounds of war grew louder.

*              *              *              *              *

              Finding the entrance to the carrier had been easy. Thunder and Lightning had opened wide, jagged holes in the metal hull. Getting inside, however, had taken time. Using rope from Pierr
e’
s kit, the Archangels descended down into the upper deck of the alien ship. Josh sent Alexa on point. Even with the armor adding some bulk to her frame, the young soldier moved with the grace of a dancer. Her rifle led the way, rotating around corners and snapping to any sudden noise or movement.

             
The team moved in unison, like a single body. Every step was made together, every turn controlled and coordinated. It took only a few hours to clear two floors and move down. The going was extremely quiet. In fact, they had
n’
t seen another living soul since waking up that morning. No one made any comment, but a single thought was on everyon
e’
s mind.
Where are all the bad guys?

             
Josh walked in a constant state of amazement, his eyes drinking in the sight of an alien vessel. It was nothing like h
e’
d imagined. Human ships were tightly organized, with every available space utilized. Most felt rather cramped, even though they looked enormous. The alien carrier was built more like a factory or refinery. Rooms and walkways ran in a circle around a wide open central cavern. Pipes and machines of every shape and size filled the interior, all running to a central spire that hung down from the shattered roof. The corridors were large and round, with dim lighting and odd nooks and crannies. The walls looked as though they were carved out of some anima
l’
s body, textured and ridged and a sickly crimson.

             
Every hundred feet, the interior wall of the corridor disappeared to deliver a breathtaking view of the inner structure. Thunder and Lightning had done their job, coring the structure and allowing Jos
h’
s team to infiltrate. The orbital strike had also destroyed whatever plumbing system seemed to have been set up. Shattered pipes sprayed multicolored sludge in thin waterfalls that landed on the ground far below. Looking over the side, Josh fought the vertigo-inducing twenty-story drop.

             
“Josh
,”
Liane whispered. She pointed down to the opposite side of the ship
.“
I can see some ships on the floor
.
”

             
Sure enough, there were nearly a dozen broken Hornets and Wasps littering the ground below. Josh followed the  trail of debris to a jagged hole that lead to the bottom hundred feet of the carrier. Intel suggested that the lower floors contained the hangar and engines, though Josh did
n’
t understand the logic. Vibrations from machinery that size would make launching fighters near suicidal. Still, the bomb the
y’
d been given was meant to go in the center of the engine room, and that appeared to be near the ground floor.

             
“Hold
,”
Pierre hissed. He had taken point as they wound their way down the halls, but now was frozen in place, one fist raised at shoulder level. Slowly, Pierre lowered himself to a knee, aiming his carbine around a corner
.“
Contact, sixty meters
.
”

             
Josh crept over to wall, sliding down until he was on the ground next to Pierre. He edged out, peeking around the corner. There, milling about in the middle of the corridor, was a bird. At least, it had been
.“
Is that a gull
?
”

             
Pierre nodded
.“
Paragulls. Never seen one this big
.
”

             
The four-winged creature, normally the size of a dog, had mutated into a skinless monster as big as a bear. Its wings were folded along its back, connected by bulging muscles. The normal scoop-shaped beak had split and elongated. The gull seemed to have talons ripping out of its face. It was eating the remains of some poor critter, though Josh could
n’
t make out what.

             
Pierre turned his head slightly, never taking his weapon off the hideous bird
.“
What should we do
?
”

             
Josh bit his lip
.“
Fares, can we jump over the side? Rappel down
?
”

             
Fares leaned over the ledge, scanning the cavernous room
.“
I would
n’
t recommend that, sir
.”
He sent Josh a message via their helmets and a small box appeared on the HUD.

             
Josh focused on the area until the image zoomed and enhanced. More gulls patrolled the space inside the hangar, their bat-like wings spanning nearly twenty feet.

             
“We could shoot our way through
,”
Cho suggested.

             
“And alert everything in the carrier that w
e’
re here
?”
Josh shook his head
.“
This is only the third level of twelve. We need to get the package to the engines
,”
Josh said
.“I’
m open to ideas
.
”

             
Fares shrugged
.“
Open assault wo
n’
t work, and i
t’
s too risky to fly across that much open space.
I’
m sorry, Josh.
I’
ve got nothing
.
”

             
“LT
,”
Liane called out. Josh walked quickly to her position overlooking the hangar. She pointed with a finger to the ceiling
.“
There are catwalks leading to the spire. We could climb it
.
”

             
Pierre laughed from his spot near the corner
.“
Impossible
.
”

             
Liane ignored his comment
.“
I
t’
s only angled down for about twenty feet, and then we can use those bolts as handholds. If we move slowly they wo
n’
t even notice w
e’
re there
.
”

             
Josh traced the route in his head, weighing the options. Fighting down level by level would take time and ammunition, both of which were in short supply. His HUD streamed data from the fight outside, and it was
n’
t going well for the Terrans. If they could knock out the carrier, it might buy the momentum the military needed to rally their forces. This route was incredibly dangerous but afforded the best chance to arrive at the target unnoticed. If they came under fire, however, the
y’
d be sitting ducks. And if those gulls turned on them, it could get even worse.

             
“See
,”
he said to Dax
.“
This is exactly why having only seven soldiers is a liability
.
”

             
Cho nodded
.“
So, how do you want to do this
?
”

             
Josh felt a tightness in his chest, just like back on Kronos. His heart pounded in his chest as though he were running a mile-a-minute. Inside the suit, he was sweating. Dax must have sensed his anxiety, because suddenly the big man appeared. He put his hands on Jos
h’
s shoulders and stared at him through the visor.

             
“We can drop over the side
.
”

             
Alexa looked over from her perch in the rear
.“
Rappelling is too slow
.
”

             
“Exactly
,”
Josh said
.“
W
e’
re gonna glide
.
”

             
Cho shook his head
.“
Ther
e’
s no way we can maneuver in here
.
”

             
“This place is huge, Cho
.”
Josh waved his arms, gesturing to the rest of the carrier
.“
We need to clear ground and leave this floor to the birds. Every second w
e’
re in here, more people are dying out there
.”
He waved Alexa and Fares over
.“
You two head down first. Find us a safe landing zone
.
”

             
Fares eyed the drop with trepidation
.“
And then
?
”

             
Josh rolled his shoulders and neck
.“
We find a safe route to the engines, then we blow this shithole off the planet
.
”

-                           
XIII                            -