by J. A. Scorch
"We're out," he announced over the comm. Murphy and his team responded with celebratory hollering as Porter swung the X90S down low and continued to burn away from the Cyclone. He had no idea what kind of chain reaction was building inside. For all he knew, the ship might explode and decimate the entire area.
"Garcia Actual. This is Porter. Recall the fighters. Bombs have been detonated. Returning to base."
Briggs and Porter formed up as they saw the scattered Stalkers all head in the same direction away from the hundreds of pursuing Tritons. The stealth modules on Porter's X90S were still active and shielding the ship from any kind of detection.
"We did it," Briggs cheered over the comm.
"Yes, we did. I guess now we have to wait and see if the Cyclone is still functional or not. The test wave should be away in the next ten minutes. We'll understand how operational the carrier is by then."
"You won't believe this, Sosa. We only lost three fighters. That was almost perfect."
Perfect. A pilot had never uttered the word in three years. Porter shook his head and smiled as things began to look up. If the Cyclone was indeed broken, the full Marine teams could finally approach it from any angle and board the alien craft.
"Good job, Murphy," Porter said. "That was some crazy thinking. Glad, you're on our side."
"All in a day's work, Captain. I'm happy we were able to—"
"Porter," Garcia called, cutting Murphy off.
He detected an urgency in her voice. "What is it, ma'am?"
"The Cyclone is spinning up its main engines. The carrier is about to leave."
"You can't be serious?" he asked as he focused all screens on the damaged ship. "We just destroyed the central spire in the lower deck. There's no way that thing can fly."
"We don't know for certain. I need you and Briggs to turn around and fly back to that ship, right now."
Porter scoffed over the comm. "You can't be—"
"Do it. If that Cyclone leaves, it might signal for help or worse. We don't have time to argue."
"Copy that. I need you to send the wave of Stalkers back to bait the ship into opening up."
"They're on their way."
Letting out a long-winded groan, Porter acknowledged the commodore's orders and contacted Briggs. "Did you catch all of that?"
"Roger. We don't have a choice."
"I know," Porter said as he faced the Cyclone and pushed the throttle to full. "Murphy: We're headed back to the alien carrier on Garcia's orders. The ship is about to leave."
"What are we supposed to do about it? If it leaves, we can't follow."
"I know. That's exactly why we are going to get on board that ship and stop it from escaping our fleet once and for all."
Chapter Forty
Teve and his new team trekked along the edge of the Angeles Forest Highway toward a section of mountainous, rocky terrain covered in brush and trees. The national forest was home to the Phoenix base, Black Forest, and Pendle. All three locations were within the vicinity of Los Angeles and accessible by road.
Unfortunately, the four privates had recently been forced into the UESF and no longer had the ability to call in for transportation.
"Do you really think we can reach the doctor?" Romeo asked Teve. She and Red agreed to find Doctor Hoang after discussing their experiences at the hands of the cold-hearted man. Pocket didn't say anything about the decision, yet she still tagged along.
"We have to try. I'm not letting that bastard get away with what he did to us."
The group fell quiet, each one possibly remembering their time at Black Forest. A few minutes passed by before Romeo changed the subject. "Do you think Ward was telling the truth about the planned assault? It seemed to me that we were the only ones inside Pendle short of a few guards. I guess they might be at the front line ready to go, but ... "
"Hard to say," Teve said. "Did you ever see anyone before we came along?"
"No. The place was a ghost town until you all showed up."
Teve scratched his head. "In that case, Ward could have been lying. I just don't know anymore. That's why I need to find Hoang. He's going to answer some questions about the virus." Teve let out a breath of air before muttering to himself, "And he's going to help me save Mish."
The group stomped over dried-out broken branches as thick walls of rock began to jut out of the ground.
Romeo huffed. "It was just one goddamn test after another with Hoang. What I'd give to knock those shitty little glasses off his face."
"Then let's do that. We'll kill the doctor." Teve turned to Pocket again. "What about you? There must be something for you at that place."
"I didn't come through Black Forest. They sent me straight to Pendle."
"Well then. I guess you can take the time to visit the world's worst facility."
She screwed up her brows at Teve's words.
"Trust me. Once you see this place, you'll be pissed off enough to want to shut it down."
"He's right," Romeo said. "Damn thing is like a psyche ward from the old days. I'd rather spend twenty years down in Pendle than another month in Black Forest, which is why we have to do this right. No charging in like idiots. We need to utilize the abilities we've been given and shut that prison down."
"We'll do it," Teve said. "Don't ask me how, but we will."
Red went to speak, possibly about to add his confidence to the discussion, but Teve stopped him before he got a word out.
"Everyone: hit the deck. We've got company." Without a second order, the group dropped to the dirt and stayed down low.
"What is it?" Romeo whispered.
"Humvees in the distance. There's a ton of them driving up the highway heading for Pendle."
"Must be the Calvary. Talk about too little, too late. Where are they coming from? Phoenix?"
Teve concentrated his eyes on the inside of each truck. "Doesn't look like it. They're mostly medical or lab staff like the ones from Black Forest. I can only see one soldier per vehicle driving the Humvees."
"Jesus Christ. They are going to be killed for sure." Romeo laughed. "Serves them right. Assholes."
Teve craned his neck. "Wait a second. None of this makes sense. Surely they know about the hybrids attacking."
"So why would they be charging headfirst into Pendle, then?"
"Good question," Teve said as he stared at the trucks passing by. "I need to know what they're up to. I'm going back."
"What?" Pocket asked. "You can't be serious? We just got away from that nightmare. Now you want to go back?"
"I don't want to," he said as he stood from the ground. "I have to. You understand what it was like to be fed a batch of lies every day. Don't you want to find out what this is all about?"
"Maybe I do, but I also value this newfound freedom. If we get caught by those people or the hybrids ... I can't imagine which is worse. I'd rather take a chance on the road."
Teve's eyes narrowed in on Pocket as he realized something. "You weren't going to go to Black Forest, were you?"
She glanced from Red to Romeo and back to Teve. "Of course not. I was planning on stealing the first set of wheels I could find to drive as far away from the city and these facilities as possible."
"What about Hoang? What about what the UEF did to us?"
"Killing him won't change anything. And saving your dying girlfriend won't help either."
Teve shook his head as his lips tightened. "How do you know about Mish?"
"You kept asking Ward about the virus. She's got it, right?"
Teve cursed as he walked away from the group. "Just let me go."
"What are you doing, Tower?" Pocket shouted after him. "This is suicide."
He didn't say a word and continued to follow the Humvees. Romeo and Red also yelled at him as he increased the distance from the group. After a few minutes, he was on his own.
Chapter Forty-One
"Damn these asshole aliens," Briggs said over the comm as he and Porter chased the fleeing Cyclone. "So
, what's the plan? How are we supposed to get in?"
Porter ran a few scans on the carrier as he charged headfirst at the Zeal with the team of Marines still attached below.
"Not sure. It might not be possible. The Marines brought some breaching gear, but we have no idea how useful it will be against the ship."
"So just like every other day, then."
"Pretty much."
"Shame we couldn't fit more grunts in. We won't stand half a chance with only the eight of us."
Porter thought about that number for a moment. "We're going to need them, now more than ever."
A few minutes went by as the new wave of Stalkers closed the gap on the slow-moving stealth ships.
"Bait has arrived," Briggs said.
"Just in time. That ship is on the move. It's going to cost us a lot of fuel to get on board."
"That's okay, Sosa. We only need enough for a one-way trip."
Despite the laughter in Briggs' voice, Porter acknowledged there was a portion of truth behind his words. They were about to board a moving alien carrier heading in an unknown direction through space. For all Porter knew, the ship was about to jump into FTL and fly the hell away from the humans that insisted upon destroying their ships instead of laying down to die.
The Stalkers rushed on ahead and closed the gap to the vessel. A second wave joined the first courtesy of Garcia. At least fifty X90 fighters in all flew in formation toward the Cyclone. Despite them being well within range, the ship didn't open its doors and continued to flee the area.
"It's gaining too much speed," Briggs shouted. "We need to e-burn our way over and cling to the outside."
"Are you nuts?" Porter asked. "If that thing jumps into FTL, it'll rip us into tiny pieces."
"It's our only hope."
Letting his head roll around inside his helmet, Porter had to make another snap decision that might kill him. He was starting to grow a little tired of the process but already found the answer before he gave himself long enough to think about it.
"Hit the e-burners. We need to stick ourselves onto that speeding mass."
"That's the spirit," Briggs said. He hit his e-burner and shot closer to the Stalker pack.
Porter did the same. "E-burn is running hot and draining fuel like crazy. Let's head for the nearest wall and clamp down. You better pray this thing doesn't take off with us stuck on its side."
"If it does, you can come over to my ship and kick my ass."
Porter smiled. What else could he do? The two stealth ships were now within weapons range of the Cyclone's PDTs. One accurately placed missile or laser strike, and they were dead along with the Marines crammed in Porter's hold.
"Caesar. Stay behind me. We need to reduce our presence as much as possible. The Stalkers are going to face an onslaught of PDT fire any moment now."
"I know ... I should be out there with them."
"There's nothing we can do without weapons. The best way we can serve their efforts is to get on that ship. Otherwise, the mission is a bust."
Briggs didn't respond. Porter pictured him longing to be out in the trenches fighting for his life with the pilots.
The first point defense turret came to life and shot out a Zeal missile. The move to force the two stealth ships onto the carrier was going to cost the MAF in blood. The radial, purple glow of the device streaked out and found itself a target in the form of the closest Stalker only paces ahead. As soon as the explosion spiked outward, the remaining forty-nine fighters scattered.
"The Cyclone is still active," Porter declared. "I repeat: The Cyclone is still active."
More laser streaks and missiles bellowed out from the defenses that covered the alien ship. The small section of space lit up with activity as the Stalkers returned fire and destroyed several Zeal batteries in quick succession. No one knew whether the weapons operated automatically or if the aliens controlled them with active personnel.
Porter came up to the Cyclone and found a flat section clear of PDTs to set down his ship. The area also allowed Briggs to safely land and prepare for the next stage of the impromptu plan. The two X90S Stalkers clamped down on the surface of the moving ship via a set of electromagnetic tethers.
"Murphy. We're set. Jump down and find us a way in."
"Copy that. Let's crash this alien party."
Porter leaned back in his chair for a moment and couldn't help but admire the Marines' confidence. Beyond the canopy of his ship, an intense fight was taking place between the Zeal PDTs and the MAF Stalkers. Porter couldn't count how many pilots the Andromeda had just lost, leaving him to wonder who was inside those ships dying for Garcia. If the mission failed now, the fleet would be crippled even further than before. Eventually, the two forces would be down to fighting it out with sticks given the losses suffered on both sides.
"What do you see, Murphy? Any weak spots?"
The comm crackled in return as Murphy's voice struggled to break through the interference. It was as if the battle between the Stalkers and the PDTs was shattering all short-range communications.
"Say again, Murphy. You're breaking up."
"Sosa. We've done a sweep of the surface and found an isolated port only a few inches thick. Could be a way in."
"Good work. Blow the lid. I'll get Garcia on the horn to ready an attack force. We have to take this opportunity." As Porter jumped off the comm and switched channels to target the Andromeda, the three screens he had trained on Murphy's team went blank for several seconds. Either the interference was increasing, or the Zeal were aware of the pending infiltration. Luckily, no PDTs were in range to intervene. The closest one would be occupied with the ongoing threat of the Stalkers buzzing around the Cyclone like a swarm of bees.
Murphy's team began placing breaching charges in a perfect square around the weak spot in the Cyclone's outer hull. No one could tell beyond the thin layer what lay inside or if the port was even worth exploiting. At this point, all anyone could do was hope for the best.
Punching in Garcia's comm channel, Porter got her on the line straight away. "We are sitting on the Cyclone about to breach a weak spot. Can you assemble some attack teams to follow my Marines inside?"
"Should be possible, but I will need the support of the fleet before we fully commit to this approach. Get your Marines inside first."
Wanting to yell out loud, Porter slammed his head back into the seat. "You can't be serious?"
"I'm not messing around, Captain. It was hard enough getting those extra pilots out there in the first place. I've used up every piece of faith Command will ever place in us."
"Goddamn politics," Porter yelled. "Tell those morons we are about to break into this giant tin can like they wanted. We need backup now. We can't take the entire ship down on our own."
"I'm not asking you to. But I can't commit another pilot or soldier to this mission unless you can show me the inside of the Cyclone. Send me footage once you've got it. Garcia out."
The line went dead. "Wait. Garcia?" Porter yelled. "Commodore? Answer me dammit. This is bullshit." He found himself slamming the central console of the ship until Briggs cut in on one of his screens.
"So, we're it, huh?"
"Apparently. Got your laser pistol handy?"
"Strapped to my suit like always."
Porter let out a long bit of air as he checked his supply. His suit still had plenty of oxygen. He directed his eyes back to Briggs and said, "Good. Meet me outside. We're going in with the Marines."
Chapter Forty-Two
Creeping low down and slowly along the forest edge back toward Pendle, Teve recognized the six empty Humvees up ahead settled around the entrance to the facility. A group mostly made of lab techs had gathered around a single person in a biohazard suit.
"You son of a bitch," Teve said when he spotted Doctor Hoang speaking to the assembly. The man was giving out orders Teve couldn't quite hear, so he decided to move closer.
Using the scattered trees to break the line of sight from anyone wh
o might spot him, Teve moved from tree to tree as he ventured closer to Hoang. What was the man doing here? The hybrids were going to kill every lab tech along with the half-dozen soldiers that escorted them to Pendle.
"What are you up to, Doctor?" Teve muttered. Part of him hoped to witness the hybrids rush out and execute the entire group, especially Hoang, but the soldiers probably had no idea what they had signed up for. They wore light, portable gas masks but were not covered head to toe in protective gear like the guards at Black Forest.
A few minutes later, Teve managed to creep up behind one of the Humvees. Finally, he could make out the doctor's words. He listened in as best he could.
"Intel is limited, but we need to contain the escapees. All reports suggest they overwhelmed our security forces beyond local control."
Teve shook his head. Hoang thought Teve and his group of misfits were the threat plaguing the facility. Little did the doctor understand he was about to come across the deadly Zeal hybrids. How they managed to attack all the way out here suggested to Teve that bases closer to the action such as Phoenix might be under siege as well. The thought sent a shudder down his spine.
"Breakout into teams of four. Three techs to every soldier. I want these assets contained, now."
Assets. That's all Teve, Pocket, Romeo, Bean, and Red were to the UEF. Hoang and the authorities just like him made sure of that when they held humans in places like Black Forest and Pendle for experimental armies.
"Report in every few minutes and do as little harm to the assets as possible."
Teve closed his eyes and shook his head, finding himself stuck in the middle of a tough call. Hoang's people were about to walk into hell and be slaughtered thinking they only needed to deal with a bunch of humans infected with the Zeal virus. In reality, they were about to face a sure death at the hands of the hybrids.
Teve found himself on his feet about to make the group of people aware of the problem. He shuffled toward the open ground when Hoang was asked something by one of the techs that would forever change Teve's faith in the UEF and humanity itself. He dropped back down and listened when he heard the next lot of words.
