Cascade Box Set [Books 1-8]

by Maxey, Phil

So far so good, now how the hell do I get the stuff in there?

  On the ground floor all the display screens suddenly switched to display two words. Two words which Fiona and the rest couldn’t ignore.

  “They’re coming.”

  “Get ready!” shouted Fiona, crouching behind a piece of machinery while anxiously looking up at Zach dangling three stories above her.

  A distance noise, sounding like a swarm of bees started to grow louder than the machine clangs and booms around them.

  Each one of them looked into the dark spaces and corridors around them waiting for whatever was making the noise to appear.

  Sean fired first at the crab like robot which dropped down, landing in front of him. Fiona looked up and realized that the shadows above their heads were alive with movement. Another one dropped down onto the metal grated floor, then another, each machine, landing then scurrying towards the nearest human. More of the group opened up with their rifles, and bullets ricocheted in all directions.

  Zach ignored the dark blur’s falling around him and concentrated on trying to find a path higher up on the container. He then sensed something behind. Twisting his head around, a razor sharp pincher sliced through the air, inches from his face. The drone, while clinging to the wall, leaned further and further out, inching closer.

  He turned back to the container.

  Now or never.

  He pulled himself up on the pipe, then got his knee on top of it, then his boot. Using his other hand, he reached out and grabbed the side of the container. It was a precarious position and the slightest touch from the machine just behind him would be enough to knock him loose, but he heaved himself to his knees then stood. Heat from whatever was cooking inside wafted upwards, and he purposely made sure not to breathe in any of the fumes.

  Ignoring the clacking sounds coming from just behind his head, he pulled his backpack off, keeping close to the container wall for balance and reached inside, pulling out a small gray case. As the clatter of automatic fire bounced around below him, he unlatched the lip and flipped it up to reveal five vials of a pale yellow liquid.

  He fingers slid over the smooth glass and dislodged the first bottle. Gripping it carefully, he unscrewed the top then reached up to the top of the container. From below Fiona saw what happened next. The robot behind fell forward desperately reaching out with its metal claw, which latched onto the back of Zach’s jacket pulling itself and him downwards, tumbling to the hard floor.

  Fiona let out a yelp and was moving forward before Zach landed on the robot, which immediately set about flailing its arms at him. Zach rolled off of it, but then fell back to the ground clutching his side. As the dog sized machine scrambled forward Fiona let forth a volley of shots, each impact knocking it to its side, until fingers of energy wrapped around its shell and it slumped lifeless to the ground.

  “How badly hurt are you?” Shouted Fiona crouching as bullets flew past her head hitting other machines that were bearing down on her.

  “Maybe a broken rib, I’m okay. I was so close!” He looked at the chaos around him, trying to locate the case of vials which fell with him. He spotted them against a wall across the room. He scrambled to get back up. “Need to get the vials, and get back up there!” As he got to his feet more drones dropped from the heavens, landing with a clump.

  Fiona spun around and went to fire then stopped. A new horror had just wondered into her view. A Hulathen, all twelve feet high of it was running towards her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Bass looked through binoculars at the smoke and streaks of light over the capital on the horizon, then swung his view back to the Five Hulathen that were walking across the field towards him. Behind him, on a slight incline out of the sight of the field, waited a zoo of E.L.F’s with their Cascaders. At the bottom of the slope was a newly laid road, which led to the entrance of the Core.

  “Do they know we’re here?” said Buckner.

  “No, or they don’t care. Either way it’s their funeral. But we can’t let them just roll up on us on this ridge. So we’re going to attack.”

  The nervous sergeant blinked. Bass slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, they won’t know what hit them.”

  He slid down the slope a bit and got to his feet. He wasn’t sure what each of the creatures were that the Cascaders were in control of, but on the way to the hill, he had organized them into different groups. Those that looked like they could fly, those that looked like they would be good in a ground battle, and those that looked like they would confuse the enemy.

  He raised his hand into the air and the heaviest most armored of the E.L.F’s lumbered forward up the slope. Soldiers ran behind them, covering the creatures Cascaders.

  A dark skinned beast, walked on six huge octopus like tentacles made it to the top of the hill first. The soldiers close behind started firing on the Hulathen who immediately fired back scything chunks of earth from the ground with each impact of their weapons.

  The creature rolled into a ball and tumbled down the hill towards the aliens. On seeing the other slower creatures move over the crest of the hill, Bass raised his hand once again and the winged beasts took to the air. One of which kept changing shape, but somehow managed to take flight and soared into the sky and then dived down, dodging focused streaks of orange neon beams that tried to bring it down.

  “Now!” he shouted into the chilled air that was already filling with dust and smoke. All the rest of the E.L.F’s clambered up the hill, over it and ran forward into a hail of particle beams that were firing at them indiscriminately.

  One of the Hulathen was ducking and fighting hand to hand with the large tentacled creature, giving up his laser weapon for a sword that had formed from his wrist.

  Roars, screeching and automatic fire consumed the air around Bass as he ran down the hill with his rifle raised firing at the closest alien. The heat from one of the Hulathen’s weapons ionized the air just inches from his head, and he dived to the ground. Two of the aliens were already down, but so were some of the E.L.F’s that laid dead and injured across the field.

  We’re winning.

  He got to one knee and focused his fire on the closest Hulathen whose armor was flickering and dimming. Excitement was rising inside him and he stood and walked forward as E.L.F’s swiped and clawed at the remaining aliens.

  As he neared the Hulathen warrior, he just caught sight of dark shapes in the sky in the distance, and the purple streams which emanated towards the ground from them, again and again.

  “No…”

  *****

  The Hulathen bounded forward. Fiona raised her gun but before she had a chance to fire, the alien grabbed a drone and started using it to smash the others close by.

  “Uh?” Was all she could manage to say.

  Zach scrambled forward, shooting at drones as they approached him and lunged for the vials, but stopped when he saw the Hulathen had them in his hand. Zach went to shoot but was stopped when bullets pinged of the alien’s armor from another direction. Turning he saw Michael running forward and shooting, his face locked in anguish.

  “Die!” he shouted as the Hulathen tried shielding his unarmored face with his spare hand.

  Zach went to join in the onslaught, but stopped. There was something wrong about this alien’s behavior. Also amongst the constant clatter of gunshot he thought he could hear almost human sounding words. One of which stood out.

  “Cal…”

  Zach looked at Michael as he neared and an unlikely realization formed in his mind, but before he could persuade Michael from his attack, the Hulathen swiftly stepped forward, swiping the rifle from Michael’s hand and hoisted him high into the air until their eyes were parallel with each other.

  “Me Cal…” growled the Hulathen.

  Astonishment flashed across Michael’s face. “W… What?”

  Zach felt a presence to his side.

  Fiona was standing, looking up at the tall alien. “Cal?” she enquired. “Is it you?”<
br />
  The Hulathen looked down at her and gently lowered Michael to the ground.

  She looked at him with eyes that betrayed what was happening around them. “I think it’s him Michael, he led us here, to the container, he…”

  “I’m Cal… we friend… I help…”

  Michael’s face returned to one of anger. “Bullshit! It’s a trick!”

  Despite the demonic face Zach felt there was something different behind the cat like eyes looking at him, something human.

  The Hulathen looked up at the container and pointed.

  Zach nodded. “Yeah, we need those vials in that container.”

  The Hulathen nodded then took off moving swiftly across the floor, grabbing and throwing drones as he went.

  “We have to cover him!” shouted Zach to the others, and he and Fiona ran after him, firing left and right to try and clear his path.

  The alien looked up at the container as he neared it, then with one leap bounded into the air, grabbing hold of the top of the diamond shaped vat of swirling liquids. He then flipped the lid off the case of glass tubes, slammed it against the top of the container so all the vials cracked, then dropped them into the bubbling ferment. He then dropped back to the floor, landing and crushing another two drones.

  Zach and Fiona ran up to him.

  “We go now.”

  Zach wasn’t sure what to make of what just happened, but he knew they all needed as much help as they could get now the Ultor’s were not around. He nodded to the large alien, and then looked back to the others that had been fighting their own battles.

  Michael joined them, now holding his rifle and eyed the tall alien suspiciously. Sam, Sean and Aggie fought their way across the chamber, destroying drones as they came, until they were all in a small group, firing at the relentless attacks from the insect like robots.

  Zach looked up at the Hulathen. “Which way?”

  The alien turned and looked at an exit not far off. “There…” he growled as if trying to force the words out.

  “Everyone get to that door!” shouted Zach.

  They all ran through the malaise of flailing mechanical arms and pinchers, ducking, firing and pushing away any that came too close.

  Zach touched the pad on the wall and the door slid open revealing a long empty corridor.

  The Hulathen was the last one inside and the door slid shut behind him. He then turned and slammed his huge fist into the control pad, causing it to spark and crumple inwards.

  “Now where?” said Zach.

  The tall alien walked forward, ducking slightly so not to hit the ceiling. “Follow.”

  As they all walked forward Sam held Fiona back. “Why are we following that thing?”

  She shrugged him off, leaving his confused expression behind. “Because it’s Cal.”

  As she walked forward she paused taking a breath then continued.

  They all ran along the corridor passing possible other exits, until the Hulathen suddenly stopped, and looked inquisitively at the large door in front of him. “I… I think lead to hanger.”

  Zach went to tap the open mechanism when the door at the far end of the Corridor opened. The fizzing high pitched sound of particle weapons briefly filled the air, then stopped. Two aliens were coming towards them fast.

  They all readied their weapons, apart from Sam who walked forward. “Is that Klept?”

  The two Ultor’s suddenly stopped and raised their arms. Seeing the danger, Fiona quickly stood in front of the huge blue skinned alien next to her.

  “No! He’s with us!” she shouted down the corridor.

  Klept walked forward uneasily, flickers of green blood smeared across his space suit and armor. “How is this possible?”

  “That’s a conversation for another time, right now, how the hell do we get out of here?” said Zach.

  Klept walked forward, looking up at the even taller alien, then looked at the nearby door. “This should lead us to another transporter which will lead us to the closest hanger.” He then opened the door and a cool waft of wind passed over them.

  They all looked upon a gantry which was suspended seemingly in the sky, with another cavernous space off to the side of it. They all walked forward, leaving the corridor behind.

  “I thought we were already on the ground floor of this place,” said Sam looking out to the towers and structures which fanned out for miles in all directions, each one covered in specks of light, and thousands of craft milling around them like flies.

  “We are on level 3471, of five thousand,” said Klept while operating a panel on the gantry. “Are we all on the transporter?” He looked back across the group. Before anyone could reply the whole gantry disconnected from its mooring and took to the air.

  They all grabbed onto the railing which ran along both sides.

  “What happened to just being zapped everywhere?” Said Sam.

  Klept busily swiped and tapped at the control panel, while the twenty foot long walkway swooped and swayed past drones, angular craft and past skyscraper sized structures. “I suggest you ready your weapons.”

  A stream of orange focused light scythed through the air, quickly followed by another. Sean looked back at the car-sized drone that was firing at them, and with the others fired back. “I’m getting low on ammo!” he shouted.

  The transporter swung to one side than another, to avoid the increasing number of particle beams that were only just missing them. It then dropped suddenly, the g-forces making everyone lift off the floor and desperately try to hang on to the rail, so not to float away. It then leveled off and they all crashed back down.

  Streaks and pulses of energy flew back and forth between the chasers and defenders.

  Sam realized they were accelerating towards a wall. “Err… guys…”

  The transporter rotated around just in time to fit inside a barely large enough tunnel. Sparks flew from the outside of the guardrails as they scrapped along the inner walls. Sounds of explosions followed, as those that were attacking slammed into the walls around the tunnel entrance.

  “Yeah!” shouted Sam.

  The transporter burst out into another large area, this one full of crafts of all sizes.

  Zach walked to the front of the transporter to join Klept. “How we going to get into any of these ships?” He then felt a presence behind him and looked up at the large form of the Hulathen.

  “I can unlock…” said the blue skinned alien to Zach and Klept. The Ultor stepped back to let him access the control panel.

  As he tapped away the transporter slowed to a halt, and they hovered above the hundreds of ships.

  The Hulathen then pointed down at one of the craft which seemed to be of average size compared to the others, but looked more compact. “That one…”

  As everyone observed the military looking vessel, streams of small drones flowed from openings in the walls, all moving towards them. Klept then stepped back to the control panel and the transporter dropped swiftly again. Other docked ships flashed past.

  “They’re almost on us!” shouted Fiona pointing her rifle at the closest convoy of attackers. They all started firing again as impacts from energy weapons slammed into the transporter knocking it to the side. They remained on course and ducked beneath the ship, and then started to ascend towards a large opening in the bottom of it.

  Soon they were inside another hanger, this one stretching fifty feet square, and containing a number of shuttle like craft.

  The transporter shuddered to a halt, landing on the floor of the hanger. The large ship’s doors started to close behind them, but two drones made it inside, firing their weapons as the group ran for cover.

  Klept moved behind a wall and started tapping away at a control panel. Two bolts of energy instantly hit the drones which crashed to the ground. The gun turrets that destroyed them then receded back into the ceiling.

  Zach ran forward. “Okay we got a big ship, now how do we fly it?”

  Klept looked unsure. “This i
s a Gorion warship, they will not be pleased—”

  The Hulathen ran past both of them and up to a door which slid open in front of him. “Follow to bridge,” he said briefly looking back.

  As they ran through the wide corridor with arched ceilings, an alarm started playing out around them. After a series of turns, they came across double doors which slid open to reveal a moderately large room with a series of computer panels and seats.

  They all ran inside. Klept and the Hulathen ran to the computer panels and furiously tapped away. An image of the outside hanger appeared at the front of the bridge. They were being bombarded by countless drones and the craft around them were maneuvering away.

  “Let’s get out of here!” shouted Zach.

  “Trying,” said Klept.

  “Hold… on,” said the Hulathen, who then slid his hand forward on the panel he was nearest too. The ship surged forward, smashing through the smaller craft and drones that were still in its way and through the force field threshold which marked the barrier between the hanger and space.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  A Burly man, one of the outpost’s last defenders, stood holding a crowbar above the door, inside the hanger. It had been decided some hours before, that rather than being slaughtered they would go out fighting. Others stood behind him, including Brad and the Major, each with their own makeshift weapons.

  “I think I can hear something, everyone get ready,” said the man.

  The early morning light was just visible at the bottom of the door, and when some of it was blocked by a shadow they knew the time to fight was almost upon them. Everyone tightened their grip on the solid objects they held.

  A key was slid into the door and the mechanism unlocked. Suddenly the door flew open and something thrown inside. As soon as it hit the floor everyone’s world turned white, and a deafening explosion of sound left them all grasping their ears.

  Erin’s people ran inside, knocking the weapons to the floor and grabbing everyone. Each soldier took hold of someone and dragged them outside, positioning them to face the same way. It wasn’t long before all fifteen where on their knees, on the damp cold ground.