Refract: The Reclaim Series, Book 3.5

by J. A. Scorch

  "Holy crap," Matos let out as she stared down at the ground below.

  "What is it?" Larsen asked as he approached the edge. He didn't need to hear an answer as he realized what had stumped Matos. More spheres had landed inside and outside the walls. The Zeal spilled into the main building, aggressively scampering and rolling along whenever possible. Venom Point was lost.

  "What the hell are we going to do?" Matos asked.

  "We'll call this in. I'll radio Skyresh to send out the big guns and get us out of here. That's what Saxon was trying to do before he ..." Larsen couldn't finish his sentence. He had to shake his head a few times to regain any focus. After a moment of thought, he realized Matos hadn't responded.

  "Do you think that's what we should do?" he asked her.

  She shook her head as she stepped closer to him. "We can't, remember? Saxon was the only one of us with the capability to call back to base. We've only got local comms. We're stuck here unless we can reach his NavComm."

  Chapter Eight

  "I knew this would happen," Jarvis said as he paced up and down the limited space of the top of the tower.

  "How could have known this would happen?" Matos asked with both hands crossed over the chest plate of her armor. She was leaning on the edge of the building.

  "Because you 4th Squad morons always screw everything up."

  Matos pushed off one of the armored shutters and paced toward Jarvis. Larsen stepped between them before the two soldiers could take another crack at one another.

  "You're lucky he's here, Matos," Jarvis said as he pointed firmly at Larsen.

  "You got that backward, you 1st Squad sack of—"

  "Enough," Larsen said. "Both of you, keep it down. This place is crawling with these Zeal things, and you still want to kill each other? Corporal Saxon is dead down there, surrounded by whatever these damn creatures are and we need to get to him."

  Matos eased up and stepped back. Jarvis did the same, shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

  "That's better," Larsen said as he felt some sense of progress. "Now, how can we go down there and retrieve Saxon's NavComm without being cut apart by the Zeal?"

  Silence met Larsen's question. He gazed from one soldier to the next and got nothing but shrugs.

  "Not the response I was going for."

  Matos leaned out one of the open bays and stared down at the chaos below. Larsen stepped over toward her and took another look down at the overrun outpost. The fast-paced aliens were scattering around, probing the base for weaknesses as they destroyed one object after the next. These weren't like the Zeal that had plagued Earth throughout the war. Instead of being eight-foot-tall, armor-coated beasts equipped with weapons that fired superheated iron bolts, they were agile and capable of darting from one spot to the next to move in close to their target. This was a new enemy for humanity to fight.

  "What are we going to do?" Matos half whispered over the comm. "There's at least twenty of them and only three of us. They killed Saxon in a flash and tore through his armor like it was made of paper."

  Larsen went to scratch the back of his head, but his helmet wouldn't allow him the simple pleasure. The thought reminded him to check his air. They still had three days left, provided they didn't spend too much time running around. The suits also had enough recycled water and liquid sustenance to ration out for a week. At least they wouldn't be too hungry when their air ran out.

  Matos gazed at Larsen, begging him for an answer he didn't have. Rushing for Saxon's NavComm was a long shot at best. The corporal's gear had most likely been ripped apart by the Zeal in their haste to kill the team leader.

  "So what do we do?" Matos pressed.

  Larsen looked her in the eyes and said, "I've got nothing, sorry."

  "Oh, that's great," Jarvis said, interrupting. "Our new team leader hasn't got a single thought in his head on how we are going to get out of this mess."

  "Hey, shut it, Jarvis," Larsen said as he attempted to regain some form of respect. He knew Jarvis would never actually respect him as a leader of any kind, but he needed the private to understand who was in charge. The Zeal wouldn't be the ones to see them out if the three continued their division.

  "Whatever," Jarvis said, waving off Larsen as he resumed his pacing. "Damn 4th Squad. I knew you'd get me killed."

  Larsen gave Matos a quick look to preempt her next lot of words. She refrained from taking the low road and let out a huff instead.

  "Why the hell can't we radio Skyresh?" Jarvis asked with both arms crossed.

  "Budget constraints," Larsen said, remembering what he knew about their comms. The excitement of fleeing the Zeal blocked out his ability to think straight. Now he had time to think clearly. "Our suits are old news. Last generation crap the MAF had in surplus. To keep costs down, they are only fitted with local comms. Saxon's NavComm acted as a long-range bridge capable of connecting with SAF satellites."

  Matos shook her lowered head. "Figures. Two years on the job and I'm killed by some bean counter trying to save the brass a few bucks."

  Larsen laughed. There was nothing else he could do. "What a mess," he said. "Here we are stranded in an outpost that should hold enough firepower to level the area. Instead, we're stuck in an empty tower with two rifles and an LMG. Might as well go outside with our bare fists."

  "I could get behind that," Matos said with a chuckle. "I always wanted to fight the Zeal more than anything."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, really. Why else would you join up? Those aliens are the reason we've lost so many people on Earth and Mars. I signed up the second I turned seventeen. But, do you think I ever saw a bit of action? Nope. Just this damn desert duty instead. They never warn you how little control you have in the service until you're all the way in."

  The word 'control' rattled around Larsen's head. "Wait a minute," he blurted as he spun around and shoved his head part way through an open shutter. He stared out at the control room standing in the middle of the outpost. "There's got to be something in there we can use to reach Skyresh. I didn't really get a good look in there before."

  "What if there's not?" Jarvis asked.

  Larsen didn't turn back. "Hey, it beats trying to find Saxon's NavComm out in the open."

  "He's right," Matos said. "There's got to be something in there we can find to contact home. It's our best chance, either way."

  Jarvis stormed over, more annoyed by the news than anything else. He shoved his head through the next open shutter and stared down at the carnage below. "And how are we supposed to sneak past them. Isn't the control room only accessible via the main stairwell inside?"

  Larsen's brow narrowed. "Shit, you're right. We can't move through them unless we had some crazy distraction to pull the Zeal out of the way." He stepped back from the edge as his mind ran amok with possibilities. Several scenarios filled his head, but only one idea stuck out above the rest. "I've got it."

  "What?" Jarvis asked with a huff. He kept his head out the gap.

  "I'll create a distraction while you guys sneak back into the main building. You can take the access tunnel below the tower to the basement and work your way up to the control room."

  "Wait," Matos said. "You can't be serious? How are you going to keep the Zeal distracted without dying?"

  Larsen smiled back at her question.

  Chapter Nine

  Larsen stood in the middle of his fire team and ran over the plan one more time with Matos and Jarvis. "Okay, so it's simple: you two head down through the access tunnel below the tower and charge your way to the basement. From there you just need to head up to the control room via the main stairwells and call home for evac once you find a radio. I'll run between towers and give the Zeal a reason to follow me."

  Matos shook her head as she paced back from Larsen. "This is insane. What if they get you?"

  "If they do, then you both need to keep going and reach the control room. There's no other way out of here without us charging out across open groun
d to run back to Skyresh."

  "But what if—"

  "It's fine," Larsen said, cutting Matos off. "This is my plan. I should be the one to cause the distraction. I just need one thing from you both."

  "Name it," Matos said. "Anything."

  Larsen gave them a quick stare. "Don't kill each other."

  Jarvis and Matos gave him a slight laugh, breaking the stress filling the room. "No promises," Matos said.

  "I'm serious. Save that for when we get back to Skyresh in one piece. We need to warn the rest of the SAF about these things before another wave of them hits a second outpost."

  Jarvis stepped forward and held out his hand for Larsen to shake it. Not knowing what the soldier had planned, Larsen accepted the gesture and took the private's firm grip.

  "I didn't think you had it in you," Jarvis said, both eyes staring without a single blink. "That's some real ballsy shit you're planning on doing. The kind of thing you'd find in 1st Squad."

  Larsen couldn't stifle the laugh forming on his lips. "You're an ass. You know that, right?"

  "Just saying. If we make it out of here, I'm going to put in a good word for you."

  Larsen slapped Jarvis on the side of his bicep. "Thanks, but I'm happy in 4th Squad."

  Jarvis casually threw up his hands and shook his head. "Suit yourself."

  Larsen stepped away from the private and attempted to put Jarvis' BS aside for the moment. He needed to psyche himself up for his plan. The idea had sounded okay in his head. It wasn't until they were about to execute it did he realize the consequences of failure.

  As he tried to push away thoughts of Saxon being butchered before his eyes, Larsen shook out his fears and sought to slow down his rising heart rate. He needed to be calm and focused if he was going to pull off the worst idea he'd ever had.

  "What are they up to?" he asked Matos as she stared out one of the shutter bays.

  "Pretty much the same as before. They still don't know we're up here and they seem to be running about in random directions. They look like they're all hyped up without a thing to do."

  Larsen crossed his arms. "Who knows what goes through the mind of a Zeal soldier. All I understand is the second we bust out of this mess, Command better send in some Snakeflys to level the area with a few well-placed ASMs."

  "That'll be a sight worth seeing," Jarvis said.

  "Damn straight," Matos added. The two privates gave each other a slight nod, subtly letting Larsen know he could trust them to work together for the time being.

  "Okay," Larsen said. "Time to do this nonsense. Is everyone ready?"

  "As good as can be," Matos said.

  "All set," Jarvis said as he raised his rifle.

  Larsen gave them each a sharp nod and turned to leave. They headed through the two doors of the tower and made their way down to an access ladder that would take them to the underground tunnel. Jarvis popped open the hatch as quietly as the aging metal would allow and filled the dark below with his flashlight. "All clear," he said.

  "Good," Larsen replied. "Jarvis, take point. You can trust Matos with your six, can't he?" Larsen asked as he stared at Matos.

  "Damn straight," she said.

  "That's okay," Jarvis said. "I know she won't want to be stuck down there without a 1st Squad killer taking the lead."

  Matos gave him a gentle push and said, "Shut up and climb down there, already."

  Larsen watched as Jarvis slid his way down the ladder in one smooth motion. Matos half climbed down and gave him one last glance. "You can do this. You're a better leader than Saxon ever was."

  "We'll see, but thank you, anyway. I'll see you both soon." Larsen sealed the hatch closed once Matos cleared the ladder. He let out a long breath and shook out his arms all the way down to his fingers as he jumped up and down on the spot.

  "You can do this," he chanted to himself over and over. "Just a quick run to the next tower. Easy."

  After a full minute of muttering to himself off comm, Larsen pulled his X556SAW from its locked position down his chest and moved toward the first set of doors that led outside into hell. There was no need to cycle the first door, but he did so to keep the tower free from the Zeal.

  "This is so stupid," he said to himself as he reached for the manual handle on the outer door. He let out a long gush of tank air and yanked the lever hard. There was no need for silence now that he was the bait.

  Larsen stomped out of the tower into the walkway and raised his rifle. He aimed at the nearest batch of Zeal and crept along as far as he could before he fired his LMG down to scatter the dozen or so aliens apart. Before they had a chance to react, he was already charging, heading toward the gate.

  The Zeal gave chase, swarming for the first stairwell to cut him off. Anticipating the move, Larsen locked his LMG back across his chest and pulled out two grenades from his belt and armed them each with a press of a button. He lobbed the cylindrical devices at the stairwell with both hands and continued his charge as the explosion rang out and destroyed the base of the steps, slowing the Zeal down enough for him to avoid their first attack.

  "Go, go, go," he yelled over the comm to Jarvis and Matos. "They've taken the bait." Larsen knew the grenades received some decent attention, but he had to ensure the aliens would follow. He unlocked his weapon and began firing down upon the Zeal as he rushed to the gate. He climbed a small ladder to a catwalk that sat above the entry and charged over it, stomping his heavy space suit over the metal surface. He let off a few more bursts at the aliens, letting them know he was still there.

  Once Larsen hoped down to the walkway, he bolted for the next tower. At least thirty Zeal soldiers were spinning and charging from all directions. There wasn't enough time to destroy the next set of steps on this side of the gate, so he focused on running as fast as his armor would allow. If he had one of the newer exoskeleton setups, the task would have been twice as easy.

  As Larsen cursed Command's frugality, he reached the tower and pulled on the manual lever to open the door. The latch stopped halfway through and held on tight as if there were still pressure inside the building holding it shut.

  "Come on," he yelled. "Not now, dammit." He dared a look back at the approaching storm of Zeal and instantly regretted the decision. He was seconds away from being fodder for the aliens.

  "No, dammit," he yelled refusing to give up. With as much strength as he could muster, Larsen yanked the lever the rest of the way to open the door. He pulled the creaking metal apart and shoved himself through the smallest gap possible as the Zeal landed against the heavy object with a thud.

  "Holy shit," Larsen let out as several arms of the aliens stabbed inside, seeking out flesh to split. He blasted the limbs back with his X556SAW and watched as they fell apart in a shower of colliding metal. He shoved the next door open and sealed it shut in a hurry before the Zeal could recover. He stumbled back and tripped over the first step to the top of the tower.

  As he sat on his butt, taking a moment to breathe, Larsen got on the comm and said three words: "I made it."

  Chapter Ten

  Larsen climbed the stairwell and shoved his way through the two doors that led inside to the peak of the tower. He opened the shutters with a groan and stared down at his handy work. The Zeal had pooled on both entries of the building and were itching to get in. The first door on the side of the tower he had traveled through was wide open. Only one layer of access protected him from death down below, so he made sure to seal up the two pieces of security he had at the top of the tower.

  "Matos, Jarvis, what's your status?" Larsen called over the comm.

  "Larsen," Matos said. "Glad to hear you're alive. We've just gone through the basement. The place is a ghost town. All the aliens must be outside trying to reach you."

  Larsen took another quick glance over the side of the tower, not wanting to give the Zeal another reason to venture inside. The pack pressing in from the open door pushed into the base of the tower as the door gave way.

  "Get a mo
ve on. I don't know how much longer this tower will hold up."

  "Affirmative," Jarvis said. "We'll be in the control room in a few minutes tops. Think you can survive that long?"

  It was a difficult question to answer, but Larsen remained confident. "Just find that radio ASAP, and we can worry about me later. Over."

  Larsen took a moment to slide down the edge of the tower and rest. The Zeal were down below, trying to figure out where their next victim was hiding. The aliens seemed more than a little determined to end his life. He figured the grenades and HE rounds he attacked them with weren't exactly helping to change their minds.

  The day's activities almost pulled Larsen into a slumber until he heard the thud of the Zeal outside the first door to the tower. "Shit," he let out as he scrambled to his feet and leveled the LMG at the door. In his haste to get inside, he had forgotten to load up a full ammo box into his weapon. The Zeal continued to bash and strike the door while he sorted out his LMG.

  "Matos, Jarvis, I don't have much time. Are you in the control room yet?"

  "Larsen, we've reached the control room. Searching for comms now."

  "Keep me posted," Larsen said as he readied himself into position. The first door snapped away with a clank. A moment later, the Zeal were on the next entry, slashing and bashing their way in. There was no way he could stop them once they broke through. He'd fire off enough rounds to piss them off and nothing else. That was when he had one last desperate idea left up his sleeve.

  He locked his LMG down his chest and climbed through one of the open shutters. As carefully as he could, he reached up in his bulky space suit and pulled himself up to a makeshift foothold so he could access the roof of the tower. After an awkward climb, he found the top and sat up on his knees, clinging to what little grip he had on the angled spire.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Jarvis called over the comm. He could no doubt see Larsen from the control room.

  "Trying to survive. The tower's compromised. Did you find a comm?"