Bulletfoot One

by Marshall Rust

  All Karina could feel happy about was the fact that they were still moving. Every bump made her back ache and her shoulders tense as her eyes looked out the small round windows. She tried to keep herself calm and held her midsection, praying to something—anything—that would keep her little one safe from all this.

  The fires were closer now. Hammerhand had assured them that the invaders wouldn’t bomb any of the buildings inside the town. They had all believed him when the missiles soared overhead and beyond the town to start fires that would keep going thanks to the woodlands that had grown around the hamlet. The smoke climbed high and raised something like a curtain between Auburn and what lay beyond. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep them hidden as they made their escape.

  All they had to do was get through the wall of fire. The ATVs slowed and the mechs disembarked and worked to clear a path through the blaze that would enable the wheeled vehicles to pass. They pushed in and tossed flame retardant grenades into the flames that gave them at least a few minutes of respite to drive their vehicles through.

  Once they had created a path, the mechs pulled back, caught hold of the side of the vehicles, and climbed up but didn’t bother to get inside as they surged forward. Karina could feel the heat from inside the vehicle and hugged herself a little closer.

  She had nothing else to do but hum softly to herself to keep her nerves under control. The last thing the drivers and mechs needed was for her to panic while they tried to get her and the other refugees—which was what they were now—to safety.

  Finally, the heat receded and the weight of leaving Auburn began to lift from her shoulders as she looked out the windows. There was still considerable smoke in the air, and the lack of any sunlight made it difficult to see anything. But they were past the fires, which meant that they were on their way to safety now.

  "Shit!"

  The driver yelled, and she leaned forward to look through the small partition between the back of the ATV to try to determine what had alarmed him.

  The questions in her mind—and likely in those of the other the passengers—were answered when the entire vehicle shuddered and a flash of explosives flared outside, visible through the window. Her eyes were blinded for a second and additional explosions erupted around them and left her disoriented. The mechs leapt free and attempted to fight something, although she couldn’t determine what.

  Had they seen the people withdraw? Were they trying to fire over the blaze to kill those who tried to escape? That didn't seem right, but she could think of no other explanation.

  She leaned forward and through the dust and smoke, was finally able to see the mechs that advanced on them. They were the same pristine white and gray ones that had attacked the town. Had they expected someone to flee and sent forces to block their escape, or had they planned to attack the town from behind and simply encountered the exodus by accident?

  It didn't matter as the end result was the same. The lead ATV burned, in pieces where it had been shredded by whatever had hit it. A couple of the mechs were down too, and the others were already scrambling onto the two remaining vehicles and shouted at the drivers to get them the hell out of there.

  Unfortunately, there was no way forward. All they could do was turn and return to Auburn. The mechs ahead of them held a solid line that might as well have been an impassable wall.

  The journey was as fraught with tension as their earlier flight had been when rockets began to pound again. They destroyed a couple of their mechs but left the vehicles alone to continue the grim retreat into what offered little in the way of hope.

  The faces of those around her mirrored her anxiety. Every one of them knew that they rumbled inexorably into the thick of the battle, with no way out.

  A couple of hot tears ran down Karina’s cheeks, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. All she could do was hold her hands on her belly while the heat of the fire receded again, which meant they were almost in Auburn and trapped in the nightmare they had tried so hard to escape.

  It was like they were caught between the hammer and the anvil. She couldn't help but weep openly despite the gentle touch of the hands of the people around her who tried to comfort her. There was nothing they could do.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Davis5 watched the ATVs turn and head through the wall of flames and into the town they had tried to escape from.

  He hadn't been happy to be assigned this detail. His platoon leader had selected the fighters to attack the town and rid them of the problems that had assailed them over the past few days. It was a shit job to simply huddle in the rear to make sure no one tried to bolt.

  It was made even worse when high explosives and napalm-tipped missiles made sure no one could see them move into position behind Auburn. While it was tactically sound to give them cover to hide their movements, it was still a shit position to be in. Killing civilians wasn't a pleasant experience, even if they had fought tooth and nail against him and his.

  The handful of second-hand mechs they'd brought for an escort hadn't even been enough to put up a proper fight, and it wasn't long before Davis5 raised his hand and closed it in a fist to indicate for his men to cease their barrage. The more experienced of his pilots already knew what was coming and had already held their fire. Those who weren't had the discipline drilled into them long enough that they didn't continue to shoot at those who retreated.

  When he was asked why he didn't simply kill them all, Davis5 would say he didn't want to waste ammo. He’d also add that driving civilians into Auburn would force their enemies to fight from a more defensive position once they knew they had defenseless civilians in their ranks.

  It made tactical sense, but the truth of it was that he didn't like the thought of killing civilians, even when they were armed and ready to fight back. The action didn't sit well with him, and while he knew better than to question orders—much less defy them outright—there were small technicalities that allowed the captain to find a loophole here or there.

  He wasn't sure why he risked himself and his position in this. Was it an attack of conscience? Maybe, but the end would be the same and possibly worse for those who were sent into the town to die.

  But it wouldn't be at his hand. He could say that much.

  "What are we waiting for, Captain?" one of the men asked and opened a private comm line. "Shouldn't we finish them off?"

  Davis5 lowered his rifle and checked the ammo to make sure he didn't need to reload. "They'll be finished off anyway. It makes no sense to charge after them into the fires. Let them head back."

  The man knew better than to question his orders—better than Davis5 did himself, apparently. But the chances were, when it came time to submit reports on the operation, the man would probably raise questions in his report about sparing those who tried to escape the fighting.

  It was a good thing he already had his story straight. There was no way his superiors would be able to question the decisions he made in the field. If they wanted to make problems, all it meant was that he would be taken off active duty while they investigated, and he would be back in combat when they didn't find anything.

  Or, worst-case scenario, he would face a trial as a result of the incident and probably be demoted. Hopefully, they wouldn't give him the chair for something like this.

  "Delta Company, withdraw to the defensive positions. We'll wait for word from inside if they need support, but we'll hold our positions for the moment."

  He didn't need to hear them to know that they all groaned in frustration. The brief flurry of action they had seen wouldn’t be enough to sate them, and he could understand because he felt the same way. All his men, like him, wanted to be a part of the force that was involved in the attack on the town.

  None of them were happy and he could tell from the body language picked up by their mechs as they withdrew to the barriers that had been set up. These were mostly massive shields cut from steel and reinforced with inertia dampeners that would allow them to absorb impacts w
ithout warping.

  In theory, anyway, but they weren't infallible. They were still shields, after all, and could be circled and flanked.

  Fortunately, Davis5 didn't think that was something he needed to worry about too much.

  The Quadrupeds and Raptors stationed behind the barriers settled in once again while their support mechs ran to the supply chain to replenish the rockets that had been used. Of the whole troop that held the rear of the town, they were the ones most likely to be ordered into the fight. Rapid movement would bring them into firing range, and while most of the artillery was on the other side of town, they could still deal a great deal of damage if it was needed.

  But the higher-ups didn't think it would be needed. They wildly outnumbered the Knights and the Auburn rebels. Of course, that kind of underestimation had proven fatal for Epsilon Company as well as their Raiders, but it wasn't that big a loss.

  "Davis5, sensors detect movement and sound coming in from behind you. Please advise."

  One of his lieutenants brought up the signals that had been detected on his HUD. Sure enough, there was considerable movement approaching from behind them.

  "What the fuck…antelope stampede?" He narrowed his eyes to try to understand what didn’t seem to make sense at all.

  "The seismic sensors detect that it's something considerably heavier," the lieutenant said.

  "Elk?"

  "Heavier."

  "I have a feeling we'll run out of heavier animals that could stampede us from behind." There was no humor in his tone, and none of his men laughed, fortunately.

  "Sensors do suggest that what is coming in from behind is not animal at all." The lieutenant sounded a little anxious, which mirrored his own misgivings.

  "They can't be mechs. Our intel teams would know if the Knights had any troops in reserve," another pilot interjected.

  "Intelligence could be wrong,” the lieutenant pointed out. “Or they might not be reserves for the Knights at all. Perhaps FEMA has sent reinforcements in light of the failure of our first push?"

  "That's actually possible,” Davis5 responded. “The damn higher-ups don't consult us on how to properly deploy troops. They have to know that we outnumber them to the point where we don't even need to commit all our forces."

  "You might want to communicate this to the incoming troops. Perhaps they are needed elsewhere on the front?"

  He nodded, keyed his comm line, and tried to open a connection with the approaching troops.

  "Let's see here…" he muttered and scanned the open lines for the closest troops to their position. "Alert, alert, Control. This is Captain Davis5, Control. Be advised, Delta Company does not need support in the Auburn Operation. Your support is not required at this time, over."

  The reply required a little time but finally, the commander of the company keyed into the comm line. "Roger that, Captain Davis5, your message is received. Control has not received any orders to support the Auburn Operation and all forces hold their last known positions, over."

  "Say again, Control. You have not ordered any troops to advance on our position from bearing five-six-eight-zero-niner, over?"

  Another pause followed before he received a response. "That is correct, Delta Company, over."

  "Shit," Davis5 snapped but remembered to cover his microphone for the brief profanity. "Disregard all previous messages, Control."

  "Roger that, Delta Company. Out."

  The captain quickly keyed into the commlinks that Delta company command used to coordinate their troops. "Delta Leader, this is Delta 5. Please respond, over."

  The wait wasn't as long but still seemed to take forever before someone keyed into his frequency. "Delta 5, this is Delta Leader, over."

  "We have multiple signals advancing on our position from bearing five-six-eight-zero-niner. Possible hostiles. Please advise, over."

  "Roger that, Delta 5. Maintain position. Report if signals are confirmed hostile, out."

  Yeah, because he would have time to report if that many hostiles advanced on their position. Well, of course he would notify them, but they would also be too far out if they needed any help to repel a possible counter-attack.

  The only piece of good news was that the Knights Mechanica could not possibly have held that many troops in reserve.

  "Okay, everyone," Davis5 said to his men. "We have identified signals from behind us and they are advancing fast. In case they're heading here and are hostile, let's move some of the shields around. Raptors, make sure you can acquire targets from your current position. If not, alter your position to correct that. Let's move, people!"

  They didn't need to have the command reinforced and it was somewhat gratifying to see them hasten to obey his orders as they picked the shields up and moved them to face the rear.

  "So, wait,” the lieutenant said, his tone a little anxious. “Those signals aren't reinforcements coming to support the attack on the town?"

  "None of our troops are approaching from that bearing, no."

  "Then who the fuck is it?"

  "If we knew that I wouldn't wonder if they are hostile or not. Be ready for anything."

  "Should we send flares up to get a better view of who they are?" one of the Raptor pilots asked as their support mechs returned to refill their rocket supplies.

  Davis5 thought about it. "Negative. If they are hostiles, we don't want to give our position away prematurely."

  "Roger that."

  It was getting late—or early, in this case—and the sky had begun to fade from deep purple to dark-gray but grew brighter by the second. It wasn't something he intended to make into a problem, but the operation that should have taken only a few hours into the night had now lasted until dawn. The sounds of combat from the town began to get more and more volatile, so it could be assumed that a few more hours would pass before they had eliminated the threat in Auburn.

  The light in the sky brightened with each moment, which made it difficult to keep their position a secret.

  Davis5 narrowed his eyes when he heard something in the distance. It sounded vaguely like something was braying or like a vibrating piece of machinery had somehow gotten into his mech suit. He couldn’t say it hadn't happened before, but he had programmed his mech to make sure nothing got in while he was out.

  The noise continued, however, and the braying grew louder and deeper—like war horns being blown, he thought. In the increased light, he could detect movement in the distance but it mostly resembled clouds of dust raised by something approaching. Or a great many somethings, possibly, but nothing was clearly visible thanks to the small hill ahead of them.

  Silence descended as every member of his team stared at the billows of dust that grew inexorably closer. Finally, forms crested the hilltops that obfuscated their position and the braying became much louder. Davis5 realized that his somewhat glib description was entirely appropriate. The source of the racket was revealed to be large and heavy horns that thrummed what could only be described as a battle cry by a great many blown at the same time. The cacophony didn't cease but became a continuous blare that rolled over the entire valley leading into Auburn.

  "What the fuck?" He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but one thing was beyond debate. It was a shit-ton of mechs and they sure as hell weren't friendlies. "Delta Leader, this is Delta 5. You'll want to see this, over."

  "What will I want to see, over?"

  "A metric shit-ton of mechs. And they sure as fucking hell aren't ours, over."

  It was fairly easy to confirm that statement. Even Athena's Raiders had a particular kind of decoration on their mechs, fashioned after hers with the banner and the owl ornamentation. These were different. A series of spikes ran over their pauldrons, over their spines, and down their legs. Some didn't even carry guns. And there were the horns, of course, and a number them held spears.

  One of them stood out from the others. Most looked like the lighter kind of assault mechs and a few appeared to have been put together from three or four differe
nt mechs, although the armor did look solid. There were even small ATVs that had been fitted with weapons on the top and spikes up the sides. They were covered in what looked like camo tarps, and all were painted in pale brown and beige colors.

  The only exceptions were three larger mechs—Argonauts, by the looks of them. Two carried banners that caught the early-morning sun. A hint of gold gleamed in the cloth and from the distance, it looked like desert dunes under a blue sky and a golden sun. As sigils went, it was fairly hard to miss as the flashing brilliance caught the light every time it flapped in the wind.

  The two banner-carriers flanked a larger Argonaut, which looked considerably more modern than the other mechs. It could have even been a Guardian if not for what was very clearly an assault rifle that fired depleted uranium rounds. The plasma cannons had a different look to them.

  The newcomers gathered at the top of the hill and revealed their numbers, at least in part, as they focused their attention on Delta Company.

  "Who the actual fuck are these guys?" one of the Raptor pilots asked.

  "Never you mind that,” Davis5 told him sharply. “Get a targeting reticle on them, and prepare to fire if they're—"

  His words were cut short when the leader lowered his rifle and aimed it at the Delta company mechs. Before he could react, the powerful gun fired.

  One of the Raptors was the target, and the depleted uranium round cut easily through the joint of the knee, emerged from the other side, and struck one of the assault mechs that supported it.

  The Raptor tilted and fell to the side as the war horns at the top of the hill grew louder. The other mech that was hit didn't get up.

  The men at the top of the hill cheered loudly along with their ongoing horn blasts. As if the opening shot were a signal, they began to stream down the hill. The ATVs kicked dirt up as they careened beside the mechs in a massed advance toward Delta Company's position.