Gates of Hell

by Daniel Gibbs

  Harrell, Rostami, and Ahmad squeezed by them and slid down the ladder. They didn’t bother with climbing but grabbed the two posts and used their suits to zip down them like a rappelling line. From her position, Ruth sighted down the optics of her battle rifle, scanning the area as the three commandos sprinted to cover. She marveled at how fluidly they moved together. It’s like they can telepathically sense what the others will do.

  Mata vaulted over the wall into the guard tower, followed by Susanna and finally Meissner. “That was fun,” Susanna blurted out.

  Ruth glanced back, doing a double take. I’m teaching a sixteen-year-old girl war is fun? Ugh. I can’t think about this right now.

  “You think this is fun?” MacDonald asked.

  “Isn’t it?”

  “I think we just found our newest recruit,” Mata commented. “Anyone who thinks this is fun is definitely space-walking material.”

  “One, this is Two,” Harrell interjected over the commlink. “No tangos in sight. We’ve taken position next to what Rostami assures me is a place he can access the League network.”

  “Understood, Two,” MacDonald replied. “Four, Eight, hold position here and provide overwatch. Everyone else, on me.”

  Ruth stood, swung herself onto the ladder, and followed the previous example, sliding down to the bottom. Okay, maybe it’s fun, she admitted to herself. It’s what happens next that’s not. While she covered the street with her battle rifle at the ready, the others plopped down in short order.

  MacDonald gave orders via their HUDs, and the team made its way across the street, and down a building to where Rostami was squatting next to a hole cut into the alloy of the outer sheath of a utility box. A laser cutter lay at his side.

  “Doing a crafts project, Rostami?” Ruth said as she took up a position near him, rifle pointed down a dark street.

  “Heh, no, LT. Leaguers, just like us, tend to cut corners on securing electronics. They rely heavily on physical security, thinking that there’s no way someone can get past the wall, since it's controlled by armed soldiers. Makes my job a bit easier.”

  Ruth glanced over to see him fitting a piece of cabling into a black box. “Mind if I ask what you're doing?” she said.

  “I’m taking the semiconductor-based fiber optic cabling that’s used to connect everything in here to the League’s version of GalNet, and putting in a special device that’ll get me into their network,” Rostami responded as he plugged his table into the box. “Master Chief, I’m in. Give me a few more minutes to locate our objective.”

  “Acknowledged,” MacDonald replied.

  Minutes ticked by in silence, the mental pressure increasing with every passing second. Finally, Rostami spoke again. “Good news and bad news, boss.”

  “Always is with you techies,” MacDonald groused.

  “Good news is I found our target. Bad news is it’s on the other side of the base.”

  “Of course, it is,” MacDonald commented in his normal caustic tone. “Two, take Five and Three, the rest of you form up with me,” he began to command.

  “One, this is four. Tangos are coming up the street next to you. I count two on foot patrol.”

  “Cover, cover!” MacDonald barked; immediately, the team scattered. Ruth squeezed herself as small as she could into a doorframe and drew her sidearm.

  “Contact in thirty seconds,” Mata advised. “I can take one of them.”

  “Suppressed weapons only,” MacDonald ordered, his voice a tight whisper. “Aim for the head. If they get one shot off, we’re done for.”

  Ahmad was the closest commando to the corner that the sentries would pass and he took up position, also drawing a sidearm that had a suppressor fitted to the end of it. “Which one do you have, Mata?” he asked through the commlink.

  “I’ve got the tango on the right. You take the left.”

  “Roger,” Ahmad replied.

  Some distance away, Ruth could do nothing more than watch. I forgot about this part. The sheer terror of the moment right before engaging the enemy, where you get to think about what’s going to happen.

  “Ten seconds,” Mata advised. Ruth ticked them down in her head before Mata spoke again. “Five, four, three, two, one.”

  The two Leaguers rounded the corner and amazingly didn’t see the team, or at least didn’t act as if they did. Maybe they’re strung out on something. The two shots were taken at nearly the same time; both soldiers dropped in their tracks like clockwork.

  And then, all hell broke loose. Alarm klaxons sounded, flood lights sprang to life, bathing the area in harsh light like it was daytime.

  “Son of a—” MacDonald exclaimed into the commlink. “What the hell is that?”

  “Audio monitoring system, boss,” Rostami said. “Designed specifically to capture gunshots.”

  “Since when do backwater League bases have that kind of hardware?” MacDonald fumed.

  “Not sure,” Rostami answered. “I can’t turn it off from here.”

  “One, you have a problem,” Mata interjected. “Lights are turning on all over the base. I see armed soldiers rushing into the streets. You’ve got to move now.”

  Ruth cursed under her breath and looked toward MacDonald. This is about to hit the fan. “We could pull back.”

  “Seriously? We just got here. Getting in was the hard part. I’ll take my chances against half-asleep conscripts any day,” MacDonald retorted. “Rostami, populate our HUDs with a map of the area.”

  “Yes, Master Chief,” Rostami replied, a few moments before an overlay of the base appeared on Ruth’s HUD, complete with a route and blinking dot indicating her position. “Not only that, but the fastest way to get there.”

  “And this is why we keep the nerd around,” Harrell said, accompanied by a slap on Rostami’s shoulder.

  “Let’s move,” MacDonald ordered. “Two, take point. Everyone else, fall in. Four, shift position with Eight to provide overwatch.”

  “Time to go, Eight,” Mata said as he slung the sniper rifle over his back, collapsing its bipod as he did.

  Susanna pushed herself off the ground, taking the scope with her. “Where are we going?”

  “See the building over to the left there?” Mata asked, pointing toward a nondescript modular building with a gray façade a block away. Susanna nodded in return. “It has a nice flat roof. Perfect for our purposes. I’ll climb down first, make sure it’s safe. You follow.”

  “Yes, Chief,” Susanna replied, her voice quiet and mousy.

  “Hey, keep your head in the game,” Mata said. “Tonight will probably be the toughest thing you ever do in life. I’ll be with you every step of the way, but I need your help to make every shot count.”

  “I won’t let you down,” Susanna said, trying to force her tone to sound hard. Why did I ever volunteer? Another voice within her rose to the surface. Because something deep inside said I had to.

  “Of that, I am certain, little one,” Mata responded in his accented English. “If my own children grow up to be as brave as you are right now, I’ll be a proud father. Now, wait for my signal.”

  With that, Mata swung himself onto the ladder and disappeared down it. Susanna peered over the side and saw him land gracefully. He drew his sidearm and motioned for her to follow. Taking his cue, she too gently lowered herself onto the ladder, but unlike the trained soldiers, she climbed down one rung at a time. Reaching the bottom, she turned around to face him, breathing heavily.

  “Follow me and don’t make a sound,” Mata whispered, taking off at a run down the street. Susanna followed closely, though her movement was unwieldy thanks to her limited experience with the power armor. With all of the information flowing into the HUD in her helmet, she suffered from sensory overload; it was a struggle to take each step.

  “Four, this is One. Where the hell are you?” MacDonald said, his voice echoing through their helmets.

  “A hundred meters from the next overwatch position, One,” Mata quietly responded into h
is commlink.

  “On the double,” MacDonald replied. “We’re sitting ducks out here.”

  “On it, boss,” Mata said, exhaling as he raced down the street, Susanna close behind. He came to a stop and held up his arm, causing her to stop as well. “We’ll ingress the roof here,” he said, pointing upwards. “Remember how to use the grapple?”

  “I do, Chief,” Susanna answered. She lifted her arm, aimed at the flat outcropping of the roof, and triggered the hook. It zoomed away from her and attached on the first try.

  “Not bad. I’m beginning to think you’ve done this before,” Mata observed, flashing her a smile. “Now get up there,” he continued, raising his arm and repeating her action. As soon as she lifted into the air, he triggered his suit and followed. Susanna climbed onto the roof, scanning it with her helmet optics. Empty, I think. Mata dropped down beside her, his sidearm at the ready, and pointed into the black night in front of them.

  “We’ll set up on the left side,” he said, indicating a spot roughly midway along the roof.

  Susanna followed him across and set the scope down on the lip of the parapet, overlooking the street below. “Chief, there are many people down there,” Susanna said. “Which ones do I mark as targets?”

  “Anyone not on our team,” Mata replied as he unslung the sniper rifle, snapped the bipod down, and assumed a crouched shooting position.

  “Some of them are just carrying flashlights.” Isn’t it wrong even in war to kill someone who isn’t armed and a threat?

  “If they’re not with us, they’re against us. Mark everyone so the Master Chief knows what he’s up against.”

  Susanna sighted down on a young-looking male Leaguer, saving him as a target in the tactical network, and moved down the row. What if I’m wrong? What if I’m sinning against God? Despite her concerns, she carried out the task assigned. When she was done, there were over thirty tangos marked in the data feed.

  “One, this is Four,” Mata said into the commlink channel. “I’ve got thirty-plus hostiles, some without visible weapons, advancing toward your position.”

  “Acknowledged, Four,” MacDonald said, his voice barely a whisper. “Engage when you hear us go loud.”

  “Susanna,” Mata said, drawing her attention away from the scope. “This is going to get real in a few seconds. When the bullets start flying, once they see us, you get behind the half wall and keep your head down. Clear?”

  Susanna nodded, though a wave of fear swept through her body. I’m not going to give in to fear. “I understand.”

  Mata returned to one eye down the scope of his rifle, calm and collected like it was just another day in the fields. Without warning, bursts of gunfire rang out, followed by screams and shouting. An explosion rocked one end of the street, and Mata’s finger squeezed the trigger. From her perch, Susanna saw several League troops crumple over; one toward the end of the road collapsed after a cloud of red issued from the back of his head. This is what war is like. The thought brought a wave of horror through her as she stared down at lifeless bodies and soldiers running for their lives.

  Simultaneously on the street below, Ruth propelled herself upwards, bringing her battle rifle to bear downrange. She aimed at the nearest Leaguer and put a three-round burst into his center mass. Taking a second to access her shots and noting his body falling to the ground, she shifted the rifle to the right and put another three-round burst into the next unlucky enemy soldier. Return fire began to find the area around her, so she ducked behind the nearest garbage dumpster and put its tough metal alloy between her and the gunfire.

  “Energetic buggers, aren’t they, Goldberg?” Harrell commented from his position next to her. He waited a moment, then sprang up, spraying the advancing Leaguers with sustained bursts from the squad automatic weapon he carried.

  “Yeah, that’s the adjective I’d use, Senior Chief,” Ruth snarked back as she reloaded her rifle. “You guys enjoy this?”

  “Live for it, Lieutenant,” Harrell replied, thudding back next to her. “Your turn.”

  Ruth tossed a smirk in his direction and whipped herself up, sighting down again on the nearest Leaguer; before she could fire, something hit her in the back with the force of a freight train. She pitched forward from the impact, her helmet slamming into the dumpster.

  “Crap! Leaguers on our six! Cover fire, Two, now!” MacDonald shouted above the din of combat.

  Meanwhile, Ruth picked herself up. Thank God for this special commando armor. She brought up the battle rifle, running on muscle memory, firing from the hip on full automatic toward the corner of the street that another squad of League troops had emerged from.

  “Four, shift fire to threat at our six,” MacDonald’s voice said over Susanna’s commlink. Mata immediately pivoted around, shifting his field of fire one hundred and twenty degrees to the left.

  “Eight, mark the targets!” Mata barked.

  Spinning around, Susanna felt overwhelmed from the cacophony around her. Gunshots, explosions from hand grenades, coupled with screams of the wounded didn’t wane as she tried to focus, sighting down on the figures that were advancing from the rear of the team.

  “Anytime, Eight!” Mata practically screamed at her.

  She triggered the acquisition marker on the first soldier, and a split second later, watched through the optics of her helmet as the man took a round through the chest. Adjusting her head to the side, she marked the next man, and Mata’s shot following a moment afterward. Again and again, like a well-oiled machine, she acquired, he fired. After six times, the surviving Leaguers got the message and took cover.

  Susanna fell backward, stunned beyond words, her mind overloaded with the mental images of bullets impacting the soldiers. Nothing in her life had ever prepared her for such things. Retreating to the first thing besides death that was in her mind, she began to recite the Lord’s Prayer with her eyes closed. “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy Name.”

  Mata’s hand slapping her across the helmet jolted her, mid-sentence. “Focus, Susanna,” he said quietly and intensely. “There’s no backing out now. We’ve got a job to do—protect our brothers and sisters. You get back up and light up anything still moving.”

  “I’m killing them,” Susanna whispered back, close to hysterics.

  “No, I’m killing them. You’re just tagging things with an electronic device. Even if you were, it’s them or us, and they’re the bad guys.”

  How’s he able to be okay with this? What am I doing?

  “Damnit, Four, we’re pinned down. What’s taking you so long!” MacDonald’s voice thundered across the commlink.

  “Get up there,” Mata said as he grabbed Susanna’s shoulder and gave her a rough push toward the parapet. Stunned, she complied and dropped back into a crouch, peering over the side. “I see them, One. Engaging tangos,” he said back into the commlink.

  Susanna focused her optics on those she could see, triggering the electronic tag each time someone emerged from cover. Mata continued to methodically take each shot, almost always resulting in one kill. It was only a matter of time before the Leaguers got their wits about them long enough to figure out the sniper was inflicting a heavy toll. Bullets began to smack the plasticrete wall around her; one impacted her body armor and flung her backward onto the roof.

  “Are you hit?” Mata shouted over the sounds of impacts and ricochets.

  “The HUD says I’m okay,” Susanna replied hesitantly. “My back hurts.”

  “You’re fine,” Mata replied, dropping back from the edge of the roof into cover. “Damnit, they’re lighting us up good.”

  “What now?”

  “Wait for them to go back to paying attention to the other group down there that’s killing them,” Mata answered, a grin evident inside of his helmet.

  “Chief, I think you’re insane,” Susanna finally said.

  “Maybe. Do this for a few years, you’ll be just fine too.”

  As enemy fire kept them pinned down behind th
e wall, a figure emerged across the roof from an interior access hatch. Susanna stared as, in what seemed like slow motion to her, Mata drew his sidearm and repeatedly fired, felling the Leaguer, and the one behind him. Then there were two, three, then four soldiers rushing toward them, firing from their hips on full automatic. Bullets pinged all around them.

  Susanna reached down to her leg, grabbing at the sidearm strapped to it; after two attempts, she drew the weapon and aimed down its iron sights, her hands shaking nearly uncontrollably.

  Mata dropped two more enemies, then his pistol clicked dry.

  I can’t do this. I can’t kill them, even if it means my death.

  “Shoot, Susanna!” Mata’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mata struggling to reload his pistol, while the Leaguers concentrated their fire on him and scored several hits. I must. God forgive me, I must. Susanna squeezed the trigger once, then twice, and finally, three times. At least one of the rounds hit, sending the enemy soldier to the ground.

  Mata completed reloading his sidearm and dispatched the final man with two bullets to the chest. He glanced at her and smiled through his helmet. “Good job.”

  “I… killed someone.”

  “No, you didn’t. I loaded your weapon with stun rounds. He’s out for few hours… that’s all.”

  Tears began to fall inside of Susanna’s helmet. “Thank you.”

  “A teenager, especially one devout as you, shouldn’t have to live with taking a life on their conscience,” Mata said and put his armored gauntlet on her shoulder. “You did well. Really well.”

  28

  At street level, bullets smacked the walls around Ruth and rest of the team. She leaned out and fired several bursts to keep their attackers guessing. “You got any bright ideas, Master Chief?”

  “Yeah, shoot your rear end for getting us into this!” MacDonald grumbled as he put a three-round burst into an unlucky Leaguer that broke cover.

  “How about something a bit more constructive?”