by J. A. Scorch
"The sergeant gave you a direct order," Mish said. "Now move out."
The specialist muttered away under his breath and stepped forward in the direction of the Zeal base, taking the path as ordered.
The rest of the fire team followed, leaving Teve to trail behind. Moreno and Harris both made passing glances at the Zeal attack before moving on.
The sergeant spoke into his comm. "Stay down. We can't let them detect us. Head for that retaining wall."
Harris whispered back his acknowledgment and found the piece of cover a few moments later. Without instruction, he swept the area for Zeal and discovered a patrol nearby. "We've got company. Patrol moving across the courtyard. They haven't detected us yet, but they're heading our way."
"Keep down. We'll let them pass through. Do not engage unless fired upon."
The team sounded off and crept in behind Harris. Teve moved in last and pressed up against Mish to reduce their presence. He raised his scope to the top of the retaining wall through a burnt-out hole and saw the patrol. They would go straight past his fire team in less than thirty seconds.
"This is too risky," Mish said at his side. "If they spot us, we're done."
He gave her a sideways glance and dropped down. "It won't come to that. They are too focused on what's in front of them." He lowered his rifle and picked up a medium sized chunk of concrete. "Moreno. I hear you've got a decent arm on you." Teve tossed the rubble to him. "Throw this back the way we came but angle it away from our location. Don't let them see where the piece came from."
Moreno nodded his head, understanding the plan. He crept down on his knees, slinging his rifle over his back and lined up his throw. In a flash, he coiled up his right arm and unleashed enough energy into the rock to send the chunk of stone sailing low and to the right of where they were a few minutes ago. The piece of debris hit the side of a caved-in building and made enough noise to stop the patrol in its tracks.
Teve moved his scope back up to the hole as gingerly as possible to see the leader scanning its head left and right, seeking out the disturbance. When it found the area where the rock had landed, it proceeded to walk in that direction. The rest of its team obeyed without missing a beat and walked in perfect formation straight past all four humans.
Teve regarded the four Stiltz as they stomped by and wondered how different humanity and the Zeal really were. Both species seemed to rely on obedience within their military ranks. He shook off the thought. "Move out."
Harris half stood and shuffled forward, finding the next section of cover to utilize. The fire team arrived behind him. He faced Teve. "Sarge, where are we heading? Right now, it seems like we're traveling way too deep into Zeal territory."
Teve grinned. "I take it you're not used to going this far into the city, are you?"
"No, Sergeant. Just hit and runs. Nothing major."
"Well, this is major. We have to find this man. He could be the very thing to elevate the UEF from a slight annoyance to a thorn in the side of the Zeal."
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Give it some time, Harris. You'll get used to the mission." Teve turned to Mish. "Why don't you take point for the next few sectors. Give the specialist here a break."
"On it, Sarge," she said shuffling over to the front of the pack. She edged her way up to the corner of a nearby building and took a quick peak. "All clear up ahead."
"Move out."
Over the next hour, Mish led them through one twisted section of the city's remains to the other until Teve directed her to the building where he and X had been.
"That's the one," Teve said, gazing through his scope. "Seems pretty clear. See that hole in the wall on the other side? It should lead us into the main room."
Mish gazed at the half-destroyed restaurant through her scope and got up to move to the next piece of cover.
"Whoa. Hold up," Teve said, grabbing her arm. "A patrol just stepped through from the far side. Let them pass." He kept his eye on the new group and watched as they walked across the hole in the wall and came to a stop a few steps over. "Oh, come on."
"Are they guarding the front of the building?" Mish asked.
"I think so. No, wait. They're moving on." Teve let out a quick puff of air as the patrol shifted direction and headed away from their location. "Okay, Mish. Go."
She moved out and bypassed the next section of cover, possibly frustrated with the slow progress. Teve followed close behind, seeing her reach a half-destroyed wall a short sprint from the entry point. Before Harris and Moreno could make the trip over, a new patrol clunked in the distance, growing louder with every second.
"Everyone down, now," Teve ordered. "Find some cover."
The new batch of Stiltz came around the corner, heading for the hole in the wall, using the same path the last four did. For some reason, the Zeal were keeping a watchful eye over the building.
"X has got to be in there," he whispered to Mish. "They are paying too much attention to this building."
On her belly, she kept her rifle trained on the pack. "Just say the word, Sarge, and I'll encourage them to move on."
"Do not engage, Specialist. We've come too far to—"
Behind, Teve heard Moreno bumping some concrete chunks and cursing loud enough for the Zeal to detect him. The four Stiltz snapped their mechanical necks to the disturbance and raised their weapons as one.
Mish and Teve both opened fire on the pack before any of them got a single shot off, hitting the front two Zeal directly in the chest.
"Move, move, move," Teve yelled as he pulled Mish across the way behind a mound of debris. The Stiltz returned fire. The distraction was enough for Harris to grab Moreno by the scruff of his fatigues and pull him to safety.
"Harris, report. Are either of you hit?"
"Negative, Sarge. We're okay."
"Copy that. Stay put. We'll lead them away." Teve turned back toward the Zeal as Mish fired off another burst at the approaching Stiltz. Her shots were too scattered to hold them back. He reloaded and blasted off a few blind rounds to keep them interested. "We need to find higher ground." A stream of bolts streaked overhead.
Mish nodded and reloaded her weapon. "Follow me," she said. "I spotted a stairwell on the other side of the building up to the roof."
Teve held her up for a second and showed her an EMP grenade. He activated the charge and waited a few seconds for the hardware to prime. In one motion, Teve popped up and wrenched back his arm to throw the grenade, but something struck his shoulder, forcing the projectile out of his grip. A bolt clipped his armor and punched him down a rubble heap. The grenade went off in a white flash, destroying his electrical equipment in the process.
Mish grabbed the downed sergeant and lifted his arm up over her neck to pull him farther back from the Zeal as their heads came up and over the debris mound. The four mechanized aliens aimed their iron rifles at Teve's head, ready to end his life in a flash.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Loaded up in the X90S, Porter couldn't help but notice the subtle differences found inside the cockpit of the stealth fighter. At a cursory glance, the layout was the same except for a new panel he assumed was built in for the ship's stealth modules.
Garcia appeared on a screen to his side and explained the new board in detail, making sure he knew exactly how to run the system. "Apart from that, she flies like a regular X90 Stalker, only a little slower. Any questions?"
"Only one. Why are my weapons locked?"
"Standard slingshot protocol, Lieutenant."
"I know that, but I can see they are locked out completely, not just for launch."
"Can't sneak much past you, can I? The weapons system isn't fully functional yet with the stealth modules. The techs haven't worked that little issue out."
"Little issue? Try major problem. You're happy to send me out to a Zeal carrier covered in point defense turrets, without the capability to fire back?"
"It won't be a problem provided you utilize the ship's stealth abilities."
>
"If they work, is what you meant to say."
Garcia huffed. "They'll work, Porter. Now shut the hell up and prepare for launch. You know your mission. Sweep in as close as possible and wait for our provocation. I want to see close-up footage of the Zeal ship in action. Garcia out."
The Commodore vanished from his screen and was replaced by the face of the launch tech counting him down. A moment later, he was thrown into space, engines engaged. Earth came into the frame. The sight made him pause until he remembered the Andromeda had just completed a combat drop.
"Engage the stealth modules, Porter," Garcia said over the comm. "From here on out there will be complete radio silence. If you have any questions, now is your final opportunity."
"Copy that," Porter said. "Engaging stealth in ten seconds. I only have one thing to say: If I die, don't tell Briggs. I want him focused for the assault."
"Your commitment to the cause has been noted," Garcia said, not hiding her annoyance. "Now, get out there and show me what this ship can do."
"Roger that." Porter flicked over the ten separate commands to activate the ship's stealth systems. He had no idea how they worked or why they were able to hide the heat signatures of the Stalker.
The first Cyclone stuck out up ahead, looming over Earth as per usual. Its two siblings hung out on the far side of the planet, guarding over several continents at once. Porter noticed the X90S had a reduced cruising speed and guessed the reduction was made necessary to power the modules needed to cover the ship in a blanket of invisibility. He activated the mirror systems and saw the impact it had on the tip of the ship's nose via a display from an outside camera. A reflection of stars ran across the surface of the X90S, making it look like a slight shimmer in the grand expanse of emptiness. It was an impressive sight.
Up ahead, the Zeal carrier remained dormant despite the presence of the MBC Andromeda. The Cyclone never reacted until a certain line was crossed. The MAF used this knowledge to slip back and away from the enemy without taking significant damage.
Porter approached the line. Once he crossed it, the Zeal would either respond and force him to fall back or carry on as if he weren't there. The mark came and went with no response. The stealth was working at this range, but once he reached the next threshold, there would be no return if the ship failed.
With the ship's reduced speed, Porter moved closer and closer to the kill zone. Once he crossed over, he wouldn't be able to burn away quick enough before a swarm of Tritons would catch up with him and blast his fancy new ship out of the sky. It was bad enough not having any weapons to return fire, but the decrease in speed only added more weight to his mind.
"Approaching Cyclone," he said out loud for the sake of a recording Garcia insisted upon. The data would only be valid if he returned with the ship intact. "No response from the Zeal, yet. Still at a range of 100 klicks. Approach vector is clear. Speed: 300 meters per second."
He had never seen one of the carriers at such a close distance before. The thing had to be 200 floors high and ten times as broad. Its round base was covered in an intricate mesh layer of claw-like apparatuses. The single ship made the Andromeda look like a toy by comparison. It wasn't until he was right on top of the beast that he realized the enormity of the alien craft.
"Range: fifteen klicks. Still no response. Stealth is holding steady. Beginning approach to enemy launch bay as requested." He angled the ship down to the lower section of the Zeal carrier where the MAF always spotted the Tritons coming from. After a few minutes of sweeping down the Cyclone, Porter found what appeared to be massive hanger bay doors where the fighters exited. All he had to do now was wait for the Andromeda to provoke the Zeal.
Porter stared through his camera array out the side of his ship and spied the battle carrier a startling distance from his location. The vessel and its problems seemed insignificant. Yet the distance frightened him more than the politics of the MAF.
Porter utilized an interface in front of his flight stick and zoomed in the view to one of the Andromeda's launch tube arrays as twenty Stalkers shot out toward him. The fighters were nothing but tiny dots on a digitally scaled screen attempting to take on the might of a ship countless times their size.
To Porter's side, the Cyclone reacted. Large, thick compartments retracted up into the carrier to allow a small swarm of Tritons to spill out. By his estimate, only one tenth of the vessel opened, meaning any possible number of fighters could be lurking inside, ready to end humanity.
The Tritons burst out in perfect formation like a cluster of birds moving as a single body controlled by a collective mind. The ships brushed past Porter's X90S, coming within a half klick of his ship, never sensing his presence.
He breathed out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a moment as the worst of it was over. Garcia would receive her data.
An alert ripped through the cockpit before he could muster up the courage to fly back to the Andromeda. The stealth module system flashed with errors as the mirror flicked off.
"Are you serious?" Porter asked as he clicked the stealth components off and on to no result. More failures sprang up in response until the ship's engine cut out.
"Oh, screw you," he yelled to the empty ship. If he didn't get the X90S back up and running, the Zeal carrier would blast him into dust with one of its point defense turrets.
He found the central console unresponsive and shifted his focus to the Cyclone. The towering mass continued to float in space with a hanger bay open, not giving his failing stealth ship any regard. By all accounts, he should have been destroyed by a Zeal laser beam by now. He could only surmise the X90S had managed to conceal itself until every system failed.
"Okay," he muttered to himself. "I can do this. Just need to restart this damn thing." Taking a deep breath, he slowly went through the engine restart process, flicking switches and engaging simple checks of the core systems as they snapped back on from auxiliary power.
All he had left to do was hit the master switch. "Come on you son-of-a—"
The engine rumbled back online, forcing Porter's fist into the air to celebrate. Without delay, he shoved the throttle up to max and cranked the flight stick toward the Andromeda.
The Cyclone lit up in one of the rear camera displays, popping up several defense systems. The PDTs instantly fired at the heat signature pouring out of Porter's slow, modified Stalker. Lasers beams streaked past the ship, coming within a few meters of his left wing. Up ahead, the skirmish of Zeal and MAF fighters spread out into a ball of chaos he could do nothing to stop.
"Control Actual. Do you read me?" Porter tried to radio in, unsure if anyone was receiving him. "The stealth modules all failed. I'm returning to base. Recall the fighters. I repeat: recall the fighters."
The skirmish continued, with no change in the Stalkers' tactics. Porter barreled toward the Andromeda, taking a slow, wide arc toward a landing bay. A Stalker in the distance exploded in a radial ball of blue light, ending another pilot's life.
"Recall the damn fighters," Porter shouted, hitting the e-burners. "Garcia. Answer me."
A few Tritons met their end from an expert strafing strike from one of the MAF pilots. Porter squeezed the trigger on his Stalker as he came into firing range of the battle. The X90S didn't respond, throwing up an error from the weapons console. "Bullshit," he yelled holding down the trigger.
The Andromeda's batteries blazed a hail of metal toward the Tritons, taking out as many ships as they could with short-range missiles and flak cannons.
Another Stalker succumbed to the attack when its wings broke apart. Porter pounded his console with a tight fist and yelled to himself. The radio was unresponsive. The only way the fighters would retreat to the carrier would be when Garcia saw the stealth ship on her sensors. He drained his fuel, burning everything he had left in the tank to charge back to home. When he came within range of the battle carrier's sensors, the remaining Stalkers turned back.
"Yes. Get out of there. Go, go, go." His ship entered the l
anding bay a few minutes later and came down in a rush to kiss the deck. He fired his reverse thrusters and felt the magnetic lock grip his skids.
The X90S came to a stop as the Andromeda began to withdraw from the front, guns blazing.
Porter dropped out of his fighter and removed his helmet with clenched fists. He clutched the data cube from the stealth ship in one hand and glanced back to the six Stalkers that made it back and wondered if Garcia cared at all about the lives of the pilots she just killed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Mish half-carried Teve across a debris-covered ground as the pack of Stiltz continued to follow their every move. He tripped on a piece of rubble and fell to his knees, pulling her down at the same time.
"Go," he yelled while pushing her forward. "I'll keep them busy."
"Don't give me that hero shit. We're not done, yet. Get up." She hoisted him back up and shoved his fallen rifle into his spare hand. His damaged limb hung over her shoulder after having taken a direct hit from the Zeal bolt that struck him only moments ago.
Teve turned his neck toward his arm to inspect the damage while they charged along to the next bit of cover available.
"Don't look at it. We'll do a proper assessment once we're clear of these assholes."
"Okay. Let's keep moving."
They dropped down behind a small section of rubble. Mish tapped the comm in her ear and spoke. "Moreno. Harris. Do you read? Are you there?" She slapped her earpiece again and again.
"It's dead. Damn EMP wiped it out along with anything else electrical. All we have left are our rifles."
Mish plonked down further behind the wall in defeat. "I know. I was hoping my gear was far enough away from the blast."
"Sorry. It was a dumb move."
"Don't be sorry. You were trying to—"
A second Zeal patrol interrupted her words, clumping along from a different angle. They would be on top of the pair in no time.
"Let's go," she shouted, grabbing Teve by his loose arm. He pushed himself up using the rifle as a crutch.
