Valkyrie

by Lucas Marcum

  Rapidly pulling her medscanner out of her aid bag, she ran it over the soldier. Frowning at the readings, she reached into another compartment of her aid bag and pulled a black oblong pouch. Unzipping it, she pulled out a black oval with straps, and what looked like a mouthpiece on the back. Gently lying the unconscious soldier on the ground, she reached to remove the gas mask.

  The masked soldier protested, “Don’t take that off. We can’t breathe in here. There’s too much gas and other shit in the air…”

  Elizabeth turned slightly so he could see her face and spoke quickly, “Trust me, kid. If I don’t, she’s going to die. Now let me work.”

  Reaching behind the soldier’s head, she loosened the gas mask, placing one hand on the mask and the other holding the black oval, then paused a moment. Then, in one swift motion, she removed the mask and clapped the black oval over the soldier’s face. Holding it firmly to the unconscious soldier’s face, she manipulated the mouthpiece into her open mouth, then pressed a button on the back. The dark oval came to life, humming and adjusting itself, as a long tube snaked itself into the soldier’s throat and down into her trachea.

  Seconds later it beeped, and the small screen on the front of the mask lit up, displaying different numbers. The soldier’s chest began to move rhythmically up and down, taking deep breaths. Elizabeth checked the numbers on the mask ventilator, tightened the straps around the soldier’s head, then pulled out a broad cuff with a small box on it from another pouch, and placed it onto the soldier’s arm. Tapping a few controls on the small panel on that, she then sat back and nodded, then turned her attention to the masked soldier.

  The soldier pointed at his comrade. “What’s all that that?”

  Elizabeth pointed at the mask. “That’s a ventilator and airway device. It places itself, and it’ll keep her breathing until we’re out. That,” she indicated the cuff, “is a combination vital sign monitor and sedative administration device. I don’t want her waking up in the bag on the way out.”

  The soldier looked at her through his mask and asked, “In the bag? What do you mean?”

  Elizabeth motioned at the black and purple welts on the man’s body. “You can’t go through that shit again. Not without armor, which you don’t have, or some sort of protection. So I have these.” She pulled out two of the improved human remains bags and set them on the floor. “Best idea I could come up with on the fly.”

  The soldier picked one up and read the outside, and commented, “A body bag, huh? Didn’t see that coming. Still…fuck.”

  Elizabeth was spreading one of the bags on the floor, then unfolding a carbon fiber nanotube stretcher frame on top of it.

  “Help me get your friend in, and we’ll get her up first. We’ll wait to get you in until we’re up on the next level. Can you move? Are you hurt?”

  The soldier replied promptly, “I jacked my knee up in the fall, but if it gets me out of here, fuck, yes, I can move.” He helped Elizabeth roll the other soldier, place her on a collapsible immobilization board, strap her in, and place her gently into the body bag. Elizabeth zipped the bag up all the way, but didn’t activate the coolant feature.

  She looked up at the soldier. “I didn’t catch your name. I’m Liz. Sorry, I mean Major Suarez, 348th Search and Rescue.”

  The soldier’s muffled voice responded, “Valkyries, huh? Fucking awesome. I’m Lieutenant Alvarez. Gabriel. Don’t worry, I’m prior service enlisted; I was a combat engineer before, so I’m not your typical terrified butterbar.” He stood a bit shakily and motioned to the entryway. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. This place isn’t as stable as it looks.”

  Elizabeth turned and considered the pile of rubble visible a short way down the hall, frowned, and commented, “It doesn’t look stable at all.

  The soldier replied sardonically, “My point, Ma’am.” He took a step or two, then stopped, turned, and scooped up a bag that had been lying next to them.

  Elizabeth motioned to the bag. “What’s that?”

  The young officer shrugged. “Fuck if I know. They look like data cubes. We found them somewhere back before the bugs, and we grabbed as many as we could easily carry. All I know is they look old, and I was told to grab anything that looked old and valuable out of this place.”

  Elizabeth nodded and, motioning that she would carry the bag, took ahold of the drag handle, and started towards the slope, with Lieutenant Alvarez trailing behind. Coming to the area of the collapse, she looked up at Brian waiting on the upper level by the far end of the cable. She waved at him, then attached the drag handle to the cable, and spoke to Brian and Lieutenant Alvarez, “Ok, Brian. Pull. We’ll climb alongside and steady her. When she’s up, we’ll come up after.”

  Brian shot a thumbs up, activated the floodlights on his suit, and slowly began to pull the body bag with the immobilized, unconscious soldier up the slope. Elizabeth climbed alongside, cursing at the slippery gravel and loose rocks as she struggled to maintain her balance. She noted that Lieutenant Alvarez was climbing without much difficulty.

  He motioned to her power armor. “It’s actually easier out of armor. I slip around way less. I’ll have to keep that in mind to use against the Elai, if they ever develop power armor.”

  Stumbling over a rock and catching herself, Elizabeth couldn’t help laughing. “You’re thinking about killing Elai again, and you’re not even out of here safely?”

  The young officer’s masked face turned towards her briefly as he helped lift the bag over a jagged pile of debris near the top of the slope. “Ma’am, I’m always thinking about killing those shark-toothed fucks, and I’m good at it. I want to get out of here and get a little payback for losing my people on this fucking planet, where we wouldn’t be in the first place if they hadn’t started this shitty little war.”

  The two soldiers paused at the top of the rubble pile, and Brian’s head poked over the edge, his blast shield up so his face was visible through his helmet visor. “Revenge is no motivator, LT, but after Desolation, I felt the same. I can’t blame you. Get her feet.”

  He took up the slack in the cable, and the head of the bag raised off the pile of rubble. Elizabeth put a hand under the soldier’s legs, the augmented strength of the power armor lifting the cocooned soldier into the air easily, and allowing Brian to haul her up onto the ledge. He disappeared momentarily as he hauled her a few steps back, then reappeared and held a hand down to the lieutenant. The lieutenant dangled in the air momentarily as Brian hauled him up bodily. Setting the lieutenant down, Brian then attached one end of the cable to his own armor and tossed the other end to Elizabeth. Attaching it to the front of her armor, she spoke firmly, “Ok. Haul away!”

  Brian backed up and, using the power of the armor, pulled Elizabeth up to the ledge. Struggling to get a grip with her hands and to haul her legs up, she clawed at the smooth floor, trying to find a grip. Lieutenant Alvarez leapt forward and grabbed her arms, barely keeping her armored body from slipping, as Brian jumped forward to help pull her the rest of the way up. With a final push, and the two men hauling on her arms, she came onto the ledge, rolled onto her back, and tried to catch her breath. After a moment, she spoke.

  “Shit. That was WAY harder than I thought it would be. Glad we didn’t both go down. Thanks, guys.” Rolling over, sitting up, and disconnecting the cable at her waist, she looked at Brian and the young officer. “Ok. Part two?” Pulling her aid bag off, she again took out one of the human remains bags. The young man shuddered slightly, but helped unroll the bag and set up the carbon fiber stretcher frame. He then sat on the frame and placed his hands on his bare knees.

  Then he said, “I’d like to stop a second and appreciate the deep irony that if I hadn’t been such a fucking idiot and volunteered to go to Officer Candidate School, none of this would have happened.”

  Brian, reaching into his aid bag, chuckled grimly. “What do you mean?”

  The young officer replied, “What I mean, Sergeant, is that I’m about to be strapped al
most naked into a body bag, in the ruins of a several thousand-year-old ruin from who knows what shit race, with my team dead or missing, and about to be pulled across some of the most lethal insects ever encountered. In short; fuck this.” He laid down and spoke firmly, “Zip me up and let’s get this the fuck over with.”

  Brian leaned over Lieutenant Alvarez’s mask and gently attached something, then inserted a tube into the mask. After a second, he asked, “Can you feel the flow?”

  The soldier nodded. “Yep. Oxygen? How long do I have?”

  Brian fastened the small cylinder to the side of the man’s mask and replied in a matter of fact tone, “Long enough that if you’re worrying about running out, both the major and I are probably already dead. You ready?”

  “Nope, but fuck it. Let’s go.” The Special Forces officer laid his masked head back, and they could see him close his eyes through his gas mask.

  Brian nodded and zipped the bag closed. He patted the bag in the area of the soldier’s chest, leaned close, and said, “Hang in there, man. We’ll have you out in no time.” He then looked up at Elizabeth, shut off his external speakers, and spoke through the comm system, “This going to work?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “Beats me. Those bags are pretty tough; they’re designed to be. But dragging them a couple thousand yards? No idea. Can’t be any worse than running through those bugs naked, though.”

  The sergeant responded in a thoughtful tone, “That’s a good point. Well, nothing to do about it now. Ok, let’s get moving.”

  Elizabeth grabbed the drag handles on the other bag with the unconscious soldier inside and turned to go down the tunnel. Commanding her onboard computer to overlay the map, she considered it for a moment, then indicated the tunnel in front of them and said, “Twenty-five meters, then left.”

  The two of them set off back the way they came, each dragging one of the long, dark bags behind them, heading for the exit.

  ****

  Captain Tulp crouched in his improvised fighting position, which was a shallow depression behind a fallen log just behind the main line of foxholes. He watched the jungle in front of them intently. It was very dark now, and it had begun raining again. The rain made a constant drumming and popping as it hit the plant life all around them, making it difficult to hear, and the occasional rumbling of the ground made for other strange noises as the jungle floor trembled and groaned. He twisted his head to see the soldier on the tactical display and to check the low light cameras, but even they were having a hard time penetrating the blackness.

  Next to him in the dark, he heard Corporal Deucy whispering, “Sir, Valkyrie One is off station. They had to bug out for fuel. Valkyrie Two will be here in thirty minutes. It’s just us and the drones for the time being, Sir. Also, Battalion says no-go on the Banshees. They’re tied up. Something big is apparently going on elsewhere. All we get is the Valks.” Tulp nodded, thinking this over. It didn’t make the Elai now out in the jungle any less dangerous, but it might mean there were fewer of them.

  He turned back to face the jungle and tapped his radio mic. “Raider Seven, this is Raider Six.”

  A moment later, the voice of Master Sergeant Matthews came back, “Six, Seven. Go ahead.”

  “Seven, the Valkyrie is off station. It’s just us and the tactical drones for the moment. Anything going on over your way? “

  The sergeant answered, “No, Sir. It’s dark as shit out there. They could be right on top of us and we’d never know it.” She paused, then continued, “Also, Sir. Sergeant Lopez told me to tell you that that equipment we pulled off those sharkheads earlier was survey and geological gear. He thinks they were an engineer squad coming to map the building.”

  Captain Tulp keyed his mic and responded, “Thanks, Top. I don’t know that that’s much use to us now, but someone upstairs will probably care.” He paused, the continued, “Everyone good on the movement plan? We need to get the hell out the second our people are out of that thing.”

  Sergeant Matthews responded, “Yes, Sir. The mines are placed, the routes and movement sequences are set, and everything’s ready. All we need is our people.”

  Tapping his mic switch, he replied, “Ok, thanks, Top. Keep your eyes peeled. Six out.” He keyed off the radio.

  Corporal Deucy whispered again, “Sir, can I make a request?”

  Captain Tulp grinned slightly in the darkness and responded, “Sure, Corporal. What?”

  The soldier continued. “Well, Sir, seeing as today’s my birthday, I was sort of hoping I could go on leave. Like…now. This shit sucks.”

  Tulp laughed quietly. “Corporal Deucy?”

  “Sir?”

  “Request denied. You’re already having too much fun as it is.”

  The corporal responded, “Oh. Is that what this is? Well, then. Never mind. I’m good.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, then Captain Tulp whispered, “Is it really your birthday?”

  Corporal Deucy responded, “It is.”

  The officer turned slightly in the dark, “Happy birthday, Terry. Sorry it’s here. I guess it could be worse.”

  The corporal chuckled dryly in the darkness, “Sir, if you can give me five ways this could be worse, I’ll give you a hundred bucks right now.”

  A flash came suddenly from the darkness ahead of them, followed by a streak of red flying over their heads, then another. The familiar zip-hiss of Elai rifle rounds was a sound they were all familiar with.

  Tulp ducked back behind the large log and keyed his mic. “Seven, Six. Return fire. Fire at will. Keep the Mark 30s quiet until they reveal how many we have out there.”

  The hard voice of the senior noncommissioned officer came over the radio, “Six, Seven. Roger. Opening fire.” Up and down the line, the lower bark of the M45’s came, returning blue bolts back into the dark jungle, aiming at the origin point of the rounds.

  Next to Captain Tulp, Corporal Deucy was cautiously peering over the log. He glanced at his commander and grinned. “Ok, Sir. I take it back. THIS is worse.”

  Tulp just shook his head and glanced behind him towards the entrance to the building. If the rescue team didn’t show soon, he might have to think about moving. He and his team weren’t equipped for a stand-up fight against the Elai, not without their armor. Angrily shaking his head, he looked back at the jungle. There appeared to be dozens of Elai rifles firing now, the bright red flashes lighting up the jungle as they fired at the Special Forces positions.

  Off to his right, one of the Mark 30s opened up, its bright green bolts tearing across the area in front of the line and raking the tree line where the Elai fire was coming from. A bright orange-red streak reached out from the lines towards the position of the lascannon crew, missed, and flew past, striking a tree and exploding in a bright ball of fire.

  Tulp keyed his radio again, “Seven, Six. Get that fucking launcher!”

  Two clicks came through the radio, acknowledging the order, and moments later the other Mark 30 opened up. The two crew-served weapons walked their streams of green fire into the darkness, saturating the area where the rocket had come from. After a few seconds, the two weapons’ gunners again turned their attention to the Elai riflemen, who were now concentrating on the lascannons, pouring murderous fire on them.

  Off to his left there was an explosion, and a sudden flurry of firing, then another sharp explosion. Seconds later, Corporal Deucy spoke, “Sir, Sergeant Lopez reports they just nailed an infiltration team. He says they hit one of our mines, but they got within six meters of the line. He says to let the left flank know.”

  Tulp nodded and keyed his mic. “Seven, Six. Infiltration team caught in the attempt on the left. Lopez thinks the fires from the front are a diversion. Hit the flares.”

  His first sergeant responded, “Six, Wilco. Be advised. If they’re that close, we may need to use the drones. I’ll pop flares, and we’ll see what we have. Seven, out.”

  Tulp cautiously looked over the edge of the log to his right as the sergean
t triggered dozens of flares the Special Forces team had spent hours wiring to trees in probable areas of approach that afternoon. The brilliant, chalky light forced him to turn his head momentarily. Looking again and squinting against the brilliant light, he could see dozens of shadows moving towards the human forces’ lines. He turned to Deucy, and said, “Drones. Now.”

  Deucy reached over to the dim screen of the tactical display and hit the key to execute the defensive fire plan they had programmed into the drones circling above the canopy. As he did, the officer hit his radio key on the general company frequency, “Everyone stay in your holes. Fire coming down.”

  In front of them there was a red zip from above, tearing into the ground. Another followed, then another, until suddenly there were red streaks raining from the sky. The figures lit from behind were getting hit, and falling, to be hit again and again as they lay on the ground. With a deafening sizzle like the sound of frying bacon, the bolts rained from the sky. The red bursts fell in a thick belt and slowly moved their way back towards where the bulk of the return fire was coming from. As the line moved, the Elai return fire slackened and vanished, as the Elai withdrew to escape the murderous blasts from the drones’ rotary lascannons.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Captain Tulp turned to Corporal Deucy and noticed that there were now others in the position with him. In the flickering light from the now dying flares and the red flashes from the torrent of laser cannon fire, he could see what looked like a naked soldier wearing only a piece of chest body armor and underwear with a rifle in his hands, pouring rifle fire into the tree line. Perplexed, he looked closer and recognized his missing lieutenant. Just beyond the near naked soldier were the two bulky armored shapes of the Valkyrie crewman, also firing their rifles into the tree line.