by J. A. Scorch
Moreno dropped down by a burned-out truck and gripped his rifle tight.
"Open fire," Teve yelled. Moreno nodded and swept around the edge to shoot off a few blasts of ineffective shots. At best, he was giving the Zeal another target to hit.
"Keep shooting. Don't stop until I say so." Teve crept backward with his scope up, trying to get a better look at the attack through the torrential rain. The towering, metal bastards had the advantage in the wet. It was theorized that the Zeal weren't affected by the weather in the slightest, possibly aided by their armored suits.
Mish continued to fire one volley after another as she popped up and down over her wall. Several bolts jabbed into the cover and chipped away at the foundation of the structure.
Teve moved his focus back to his scope and saw eight Zeal soldiers headed their way. "Shit," he said as he realized the Stiltz were cutting his fire team off from a quick dash back to the Humvee. They would need to escape further into Zeal territory or face this group head on.
He rushed back to Moreno and slung his rifle back over his shoulder. He pulled out an EMP grenade and charged it up. "Private. Hit them with this as soon as I tell you. After that, fall back to the building."
"Yes, Sergeant," Moreno shouted over the sound of the battle.
Teve fell back to the other side of the truck and crept under the wreck until he could see the Zeal a lot better. With his scope up, he aimed his sights at the lead Stilt and fired off a quick burst at its head. Each shot that landed caused the Stilt to switch its fire toward the vehicle. Teve kept shooting until the first soldier fell to the ground in a twitching, angered mess.
"Mish. We can't keep this up for long. Reinforcements will be on our ass in no time."
"What are we going to do, then?" she asked in return.
"No choice but to fall back to the building and head for the nearest sewer."
"A little risky, don't you think, Sarge?"
Teve thought about it for a moment and couldn't think of anything better. "Got any other suggestions apart from dying here?"
A few moments of radio silence passed by as the fire team continued to exchange shots with the Zeal.
"We could lead them into a trap," she said. "Set some charges. We might even be able to capture one if we're lucky."
He thought about the insane idea for a moment and realized they might never get another opportunity like this to do so. "Okay. We fall back to the building and lay down everything we've got. Lure them in and blast them to hell."
"Now we're talking," she said.
Teve crept back out from the truck and told Moreno to drop back to Mish. He grabbed the EMP off the private first and switched it off.
"Mish. Shoot around them until we fall back. It'll draw them in. Moreno, do the same. Vargas, get over here and give me your D-block."
Vargas slowly moved back and made a quick dash across the way with his eyes closed. Several bolts streaked by, narrowly missing him. The private's lids popped open as his pupils darted in all directions at once.
"Give me your pack," Teve said as he returned fire. The private fumbled his backpack to the ground and dropped his rifle in the process.
"Pick that up and start shooting. I'll set the charges."
Vargas began to breathe too rapidly and froze on the spot. Teve slapped him on the shoulder. "Snap out of it. People are going to die if you don't pull your head out of your ass. Now shoot, dammit."
The kid snapped his weapon up to the edge of the truck. He emptied his magazine on the Zeal and reloaded his X762A1 rifle before hitting the Stiltz a second time. His shots caused the aliens to scatter their ranks and stop for a moment. Teve let the private pour out his frustrations until his rifle clicked. He pulled him back. "Good shooting. Now keep up the pressure. We won't let them through."
As Teve finished wiring the third charge, a distant rumbling began to vibrate the ground, causing Mish to stop taking wide shots.
"Oh, come on," Teve said.
"Incoming armor," Mish shouted. "We've got a Claw on our hands."
The object charging in beyond the Stiltz was an oversized killing machine the UEF nicknamed Claws. The eight-legged tank scurried along the debris fields of the city with ease, utilizing two large clawed arms to destroy anything in its path. Covered in armor capable of deflecting bullets like light rain drops on cold steel, the bug-like tanks had a single main cannon able to turn an area the size of two Humvees into slag. Nothing short of a guided missile did so much as dent the damn things.
"Forget the charges," Teve said. "We're out of here. Move it people. Back to the building. Head to the basement."
Teve grabbed Vargas by the shoulder and hurried him along. The private continued to fire his rifle, slowing down their withdrawal.
"Come on; we have to go before it’s—"
Two bolts struck Vargas in his upper-left arm and cut it clean off. The soldier fell to the ground as Teve continued to drag him. By the time they got across, the kid had taken three more hits to the body. His chest armor did what it could against the bolts, but it was too little too late.
"God dammit," Teve yelled as he cleared his way into the building. He dropped the soldier's corpse and kicked the nearest object he could find.
Mish dropped down and checked the private's pulse. She turned to the sergeant a moment later, shaking her head.
"Go down to the basement," he said. "I'll set the charges on Vargas and cover our escape."
"What?" Mish protested. "We'll be sealed in."
"There's a sewer down below. We'll punch through while they try to dig us out. Now go."
Teve watched as they rushed down the steps. Mish slowed her escape for a moment and gazed back to him. "Go," he said. "I'm right behind you." Mish gave him a nod and continued down.
He turned back to the body on the ground and saw the frozen expression on Vargas' face. He would never forget it. Death number thirty-four took a space in the back of Teve's mind.
Chapter Fourteen
Porter scurried out from his fighter and headed to the ship-wide meeting. Only critical personnel to the carrier's continued operation wouldn't be present at the large gathering. He arrived a few minutes later on one of the decks the crew used to meet like this; a rare occasion at best. The last time everyone came together was when the Zeal first attacked the MAF fleet.
Chatter filled the deck as the thousands of personnel on board all attempted to guess what the news would be. A hush saturated the area when Lieutenant General Thomas Loomis entered and climbed one of the temporary stairs to get a view of the crowd.
Loomis raised both hands to throw a silence across the curious group of people. He didn't need to run any orders down the line to bring the ship to a complete quiet.
"My fellow MAF soldiers. For the last three years, we have fought the Zeal. And over this extended period, many brave men and women of the Mars Armed Forces have lost their lives. Our strategy has always been clear: survive. For the past three years, that is all we have achieved."
As Loomis paused, Porter gazed around the area, taking in the energy of the eager crowd.
"Earth, as we all know, took the greatest blow when the war began, falling within a few weeks to the overwhelming Zeal invasion on the ground, yet Mars was strong enough to make the Zeal think twice about taking our planet. The MAF fleet gave everything it had to repel the devastating aliens from Mars as they tried in vain to take what we spent the last 100 years fighting for."
A cheer erupted among the ranks. The day the MAF sent the Zeal running was one told over and over. Porter guessed it was the greatest motivator the MAF had to keep recruits signing up. The reality was the aliens were never made to retreat; they chose to focus on the easier target: Earth. Loomis continued.
"For the past three years, our tactics have been limited, and our resolve forced. The supply of Earth has been paid for in blood, but no more shall we suffer to give our sister planet a few needed items to survive."
A few mutters leaked out of th
e crowd. Concern took over.
"We will no longer be supplying Earth with what she needs because we will be taking out the Zeal fleet, once and for all."
No one could contain their emotions. The mob of soldiers, pilots, and officers all cheered. Porter heard Briggs yelling out louder than anyone else a few rows up.
"We will be hitting the fleet head on once our forces arrive. The MAF has completed construction of six new state-of-the-art carriers and three destroyers. In less than a week, the new ships will reach the front, and we will break the back of the Zeal."
More cheering filled the air. Loomis spoke over the top of the crowd.
"We will make the Zeal regret the day they ever stepped foot in our solar system."
He moved down from the steps and walked back out of the room as a predicted chaos continued. Everyone turned to each other and exchanged thoughts. An endless wave of excitement and eagerness washed over the crew of the Andromeda.
Porter shuffled through the crowds and found Briggs. His wingman saw him and lifted him off the ground with a hug.
"Hell's yeah. We're going to kick those bastards right in the throat."
Porter couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "It's about time. And in style, too. Nine carriers total and three destroyers. Those assholes won't know what hit them. We might actually be able to beat them."
"Might? More like definitely. They only have three ships."
"Three giant ships, though. Remember, we have no clue what's inside each one."
"They're nothing but carriers. For once, we're going to kick their asses. Instead of only poking the beehive, we're going to set that thing on fire."
Porter imagined the three Cyclones exploding in the distance as the MAF pounded them into submission. But the reality was no one knew the real capabilities of the Cyclones. Up until this point in the war, the Zeal didn't even bother launching Tritons from all three carriers. Whenever the MAF attempted a supply run, they sent what Porter feared might be just emergency fighters out to deal with the problem. Based on the size of the ships, they should have been able to launch ten times the number of Tritons.
He sat back as the celebrations continued, letting a new thought consume his mind. Many of these people didn't realize it yet, but this week would be their last. The assault would cost the MAF in more than ships and resources. The people of Mars would be losing some good men and women to open a pathway back into Earth. Porter only hoped the new arrivals would be up for the task and ready to fight. If the MAF failed this mission, there would be no second chance.
Chapter Fifteen
"Come on you bastards," Teve yelled as he placed three charges on Vargas' lifeless body. The D-block was hidden inside the dead soldier's coat, ready for detonation. He held the detonator in one hand with the safety latch off as the Stiltz approached.
The heavy stomping from the Claw grew louder by the second, outweighing any other sound in the area. Teve crept up to the door of the building to the exterior and shot off a few rifle rounds from the hip. The spray of bullets would keep the Zeal coming in their slow formation. He couldn't understand the sluggish movement, seeing as they had long sturdy looking legs holding them up. It was a rare occasion when the beasts moved any quicker, but Teve had seen a Stilt run as fast as a horse.
"I'm here, dammit. Come get me." He fired another burst and saw the red glow from the lead Stilt'z head, causing him to slink back toward the stairs. He tossed his rifle back and pulled out his sidearm, removing the suppressor in a hurry as he scurried back to the top of the steps leading down to the basement.
As the first Zeal rounded the corner, Teve fired off several rounds at its chest, seeing each bullet bounce off like a rock against the side of a train. The Stilt responded as predicted and shot into the building. Teve dropped down the stairs backward and turned to run the rest of the way down, detonator ready. He waited ten more seconds and flicked the trigger. The explosion tore through the room above and caved in the entrance to the stairwell, possibly bringing down the entire structure on top of them. A darkness plunged over him as he felt his way down the steps until Mish's flashlight came into view.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a hurry.
"I'm fine. The blast went off. We're sealed in. Should keep 'em off our asses for a while."
She nodded and paced around on the spot. "So, how do we get out of here?" A thin layer of sweat had formed on her brow. She shook out her spare hand as if she was trying to cast off an invisible pile of dirt.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine. I just don't do so well in tight spaces, especially ones I'm trapped in."
"Hey," he said grabbing her shoulder. "We'll be okay. Just need to find the way out. I'll check the map."
"Here's the thing, we've already looked. We couldn't find an access door or panel anywhere. The sewer might be several meters through one of these walls for all we know. That's if the network even exists anymore."
"Mish," Teve said, grabbing her wrists. "Take a minute and catch your breath. We'll find a way out. I promise."
She nodded a few more times than needed and moved away from him to the nearest corner before sliding down a wall, both hands covering her face.
"How are you doing, Moreno?"
The private shrugged. It was probably the best answer to give at the time.
"Take a minute. Check your ammo and supplies. We may be here for a few hours. I'll be over here finding us a way out."
Moreno didn't say a word and moved away from the sergeant. Teve turned around and focused on the latest problem instead.
Using his e-slate in the dark, he studied the schematics of the building as it existed before the Zeal arrived three years prior. It was an everyday office rented out to whichever company decided they wanted to take a run at the game. Times had been tough before the Zeal arrived, prominently on the financial front. Businesses came and went every day without making an impact. Teve remembered visiting a part of town he hadn't been to in a few months and found almost every property on the same street had been taken over by a dominant corporation.
The screen stared into Teve's eyes, regaining his focus as he sat down opposite Mish. The blueprints of the building were difficult to read and were layered in enough lines to seem like a rendering. After a few minutes of random searching, he found the sewer network. "All right. Let's see what we've got."
Teve zoomed in on the closest point the sewer came to the basement. From the top down, the sewer virtually connected to the room, so he tried another angle. When he inspected the side view, he discovered the pipe to be almost three meters below the cellar. Teve felt himself stumble when he realized there was no possible way to tunnel down without heavy equipment. The three soldiers were trapped.
"Jesus," he said, pulling the tablet from his arm. He tossed the screen aside as he realized he had doomed them all. Mish and Moreno would be added to his list of people who died under his command. "Mish," he said, trying to grab her attention.
She didn't lift her head and instead waved a hand to dismiss him. "I tried to tell you. There's no way out of here. We're fucking dead."
"No, goddamn it. This can't be right. There's always a way out. It's how we operate. We go in, hit the Zeal, and run away. We don't die in a damn basement."
A new sound took over above their heads. The Stiltz began digging their way in. Teve could hear pieces of rubble being shifted and pulled up. They would be taken alive, exactly like Adams had been.
Moreno stood and moved toward the vibration. "They're coming for us. They don't want to kill us; they want us alive."
"We get it, Private. Sit down and—"
"Screw you, Sarge. You got us into this mess. I'm done taking orders from you."
Teve went to speak, but nothing came out. The soldier was right. He had failed them. Moreno kept ranting away until Mish stood and shoved him to the floor.
"Shut the hell up. We don't need you freaking out like a little bitch. We all know they're coming, so why don't you harden
up and accept your death like a real soldier."
Moreno stared up at her, both eyes narrowed in. Teve sat up at the sight of the private's rage and reached for his sidearm. He didn't want to kill the man, but he would if he continued to stare her down with vicious intent.
Mish ignored Moreno and picked up the tablet. She plonked down by the sergeant and flicked through the plans, seeing the same problem. "I told you we were screwed."
Teve smiled. "Sorry. I should have listened to you."
"I'm always right," she said putting on a brave face.
"Yeah, you are. They should have put you in charge of this mess. Beats me how I ever got the gig."
"Because you care, Teve," she said breaking formality. "You have the best record for any fire team leader out there."
"But Adams. You were so pissed off about him."
"It wasn't about Adams; I just couldn't handle losing another soldier after what happened last month."
Teve thought about the previous month, in particular, the three soldiers killed in the same week, each one lost to the Zeal. He and Mish were the only original members of the fire team.
"Every person we lose is another one the Zeal are responsible for. I feel like we never make any steps forward toward a victory, not even a small one. All we are doing is slowly dying out. And when theses aliens finally decide to come for us, our vulnerable bases will fall within a day."
Teve answered her with silence. What else could you say to the knowledge every UEF soldier possessed? The war was pointless. The Zeal had played with humanity from the start, never once treating the species as an actual threat.
He stared at the screen as Mish scrolled through the map until something caught his eye. "Wait. Stop. Go back a little."
Mish moved her finger across the display. "Where?"
"There. Don't move." He grabbed the tablet carefully from her hands and zoomed in on a storage closet off to the side of the basement. "How did we not see this? There's another room here leading to a long hallway. It must go to ... "
