Recon Marines III: The Marine's Doctor

by Susan Kelley

  “They’ll be coming after me.” Mak didn’t sit, staring back toward the way they’d come. “They want to take me alive. That’s the only reason I escaped. They might not be so careful this time. I should find a place for you to hide.”

  “No. I’m going to be your advantage.” Molly stood up. “They don’t know I’m here. Helen Shear thinks she’s smarter than the rest of the world. But she’s not. I am. We’re going to defeat them with our brains.”

  ****

  Mak crouched behind a thick tree trunk as the formation of hovercrafts approached the forest. He’d intended with his original plan of escaping into the forest to take the hunt farther from Molly’s hiding place. The trees also would force the enemy to come after him on the ground without the advantage of the hovers.

  The small transports landed fifty yards from the tree line, crushing the brush and smaller trees struggling to extend the forest into the grasslands. Two men rode on each, half of them the lab creations and the other half regular guards. They all carried full armament of long and short guns as well as wearing body armor. Dr. Shear dismounted from one of the crafts. She spoke through a small hand mike that broadcast her voice across the distance.

  “Well done, Recon Marine. You managed to flee the lab but you’ve only put yourself where I wanted you. I had planned to simulate a battle in the training room but this venue will be more realistic. My products are superior to you though you did surprise us with you audacious action when so obviously outnumbered. By now you know the weapon you took carries only nonlethal ammunition. I’ve armed my men with the same. I want you alive. For now. You can give yourself up so we can do this under more controlled conditions.” She paused as if giving him time to consider surrender.

  Mak watched the men. They seemed recovered from the gas and their expressions gave nothing away, neither anger nor lingering effects. Fifteen of the giants in total and Mak wasn’t a physical match for even one of them. Shear might believe her men superior but she wasn’t taking chances. If he’d been alone, he would have had more chance by running. But the forest only measured around ten square miles, and they didn’t know Molly hid here with him.

  Shear laughed into the mike. “I knew you wouldn’t surrender. We’ll be watching all sides of this little stand of trees in case you were thinking of escape. I’ll see you shortly, marine.”

  After the giants hopped off the hovercrafts, the guards flew in both directions and spread out along the tree line. Probably making a perimeter as Shear had warned. The giants gathered into one group, listening to the tallest one as he pointed and gave orders. When he finished they split apart, spacing themselves along the entire tree line. Too much distance between each man for such a landscape. Even without camouflage a competent soldier could sneak through their line. Hiding could buy him the time needed for help to arrive but keeping Molly’s presence a secret remained his top priority. And Recon Marines didn’t hide from the enemy. It just wasn’t in his genetic makeup.

  Mak knew how to use shadows. He ghosted from tree to tree until he intersected the projected path of the man who had acted like the leader. Basic warfare, take out the officers first. They’d made the simplest of mistakes, allowing their leader to be identified. Their overall plan lacked any hint of cleverness or strategy. All the brains in this little exercise were on Mak’s side of the battle.

  Only a few yards inside the dim forest the straight line lost its integrity. The wide trunks forced men to zigzag around them and blocked their view of each other. Within a quarter of a mile the leader had moved ahead of the men on either side of him. Mak kept drifting farther back to stay in front of the ragged line. He’d explored the boundaries of the forest before Shear brought her pretend soldiers to hunt him. Twenty yards later and no one outside the forest could see them.

  Mak only had seven shots left in the stolen gun. He needed to use them where they would do the most good. And as Shear had mentioned, they were nonlethal. Mak didn’t intend to act in nonlethal ways against these people. He carefully pulled one of the stakes Molly had coated with poison from his pocket.

  Only an experience biologist would have noticed the plants growing along the edges of the small clearing in the middle of the forest were a species similar to black hellebore. Molly had worked the moist roots into a thick paste. After applying it to the sharp sticks Mak had snapped off a tree, she’d wrapped leathery leaves around them so Mak wouldn’t come into contact with the poison. They didn’t know how potent it was or how quickly it would work. But if it weakened one of the big men enough, Mak could kill him. Then he would have more weapons.

  Mak found an unusually thick tree twenty yards from the meandering path the leader traveled. Though the hunters scanned left and right as they trudge forward, the forest made hiding from them rather easy. The black clothing they’d given him worked nearly as well as their specialized camouflage. Mak slid around the wide bore of the tree, keeping it between him and his prey as the leader passed by him.

  The man probably had excellent hearing but moving through woodlands without sound took practice and experience. The giant made enough noise stomping on twigs and old leaves to cover Mak’s silent stalking. The prey possessed some instincts, pausing to listen. It only made him an easier target. Mak wrapped one arm around the giant’s thick neck and stabbed the wooden blade into the soft spot behind the man’s lower jawbone. It sank in a satisfying length.

  The man reacted with strength and power beyond what a wounded person should be capable. He grasped Mak’s wrist and unwrapped his arm from his neck. The giant jerked on Mak’s arm and threw him off to the side.

  Only a desperate, agile twist prevented Mak from crashing headlong into a tree. He rolled to his feet, cursing the noise they’d made. He needed to finish the big bastard quickly. The giant brought his snub-nosed pistol up with one hand and reached for the wooden stake protruding from his neck with the other.

  Mak lunged, hitting his enemy hard enough to make him stagger back. The giant kept his feet and plucked the wood from his neck. Blood dribbled out of the wound, not spurting as it would if Mak had lucked out and hit a major vessel. He tossed the stake aside and lifted his gun again. But the barrel wavered and then drooped toward the ground. Mak tackled him and this time the giant went down beneath him. After a few half-hearted swings at Mak’s head the giant’s eyes clouded over. His big body went slack.

  Without checking for life, Mak stripped the body of weapons, radio and water bag. He wanted the body armor but dared not linger. He’d hoped to find a sound suppressor for the pistol but wasn’t so lucky. They didn’t care how much noise they made when they shot him.

  He ghosted back into the trees and set the radio into his ear. Inquiries directed at the fallen leader filled the airways. The men on both sides of the downed man had heard the scuffle. Mak moved to the right and then settled behind the wide trunk of a tree.

  The giant coming toward him crunched through the leaf debris, making enough noise for ten men. Mak let him pass by him and then stepped from behind the tree. He shot the man in the back of the head. The giant dropped without a whimper.

  Mak stashed the pistol behind his waistband and scrambled up the tree he’d hidden behind. Already he heard the man from the left running toward him. He climbed nearly thirty feet before finding enough foliage to hide himself.

  The approaching enemy used more caution then his comrades had. Mak peered through the wide leaves to the body straight beneath him. The soft ammunition might have killed him when shot at point blank. But he could be merely unconscious. Slow footsteps approached.

  The man spoke into his radio, using numbers instead of names. “I found One down. He’s dead and weapon missing. Do you see the marine, Four? Four?”

  “Two, change to alternate frequency. He probably stole the radio.”

  At least one of the giants had some sense though Mak couldn’t tell which one spoke. If he had known, he would have hunted that one down next. Couldn’t have one of them stepping up and tak
ing the leadership role. Two stepped into view below Mak. He squatted and checked the downed man for a pulse.

  After a few seconds he spoke into his radio. “Four is also down. Unconscious and bleeding from his ears. Apparent severe head injury.”

  Mak took the tiny radio out of his ear and adjusted the frequency. As he’d expected, they’d switched to the second default military channel. Didn’t they understand they hunted military prey?

  Dr. Shear spoke and overrode the men checking in. “Stop talking. He’s probably nearby listening to you even if he can’t hear your radios anymore. Two, move away from the body and search for his trail. You were close by when he fired the shot. He can’t have gotten far. He obviously ambushed One and Four. Everyone curl in toward Two’s position. Two, take the weapons from Four. We’ll enclose him in a pincher maneuver.”

  Thirteen voices checked in. Below Mak, Two moved forward. He slid around the wide trunk, searching the ground as he went. He would find nothing. Recon Marines knew how to move through the woodlands with minimal disturbance.

  Mak had predicted the pincher maneuver and settled Molly in a place well outside the central part of the forest. He’d actually hoped they would take a more aggressive approach to hunting him when he attacked their middle. Time to move onto the second part of the plan that he and Molly had designed. He slipped down the far side of the tree from the enemy line. He took an extra few seconds to steal the unconscious man’s radio. Time to sow some confusion.

  ****

  Molly clung to the far barrel of the tree trunk. Not because she feared falling but because she feared the massive man walking below her might hear her knees knocking together in terror. He could tear her apart with his bare hands. Seeing one of the specimens in the vid hadn’t prepared her for the sheer physical presence the giants exuded in the flesh.

  Despite his size he made little noise in the forest. Although compared to Mak’s ability to glide over the ground the man sounded like a dozen men. That thought calmed her. They wouldn’t catch Mak. He moved through the trees like an invisible breeze. And he was smarter, much smarter than these brain-damaged hunters.

  Mak had helped her climb the tree before he’d taken off to confront Shear’s creations. He’d left her with a firm order to stay in her hiding place until he returned. Somewhere toward the middle of the forest a gun fired. The sound echoed among the trees as if an entire volley had gone off. To Molly’s dismay the giant below her perch stopped.

  He spoke quietly into a radio though Molly couldn’t quite make out his words. His voice sounded like the growl of a vicious animal. Then he raised his voice. “We should kill him on sight.”

  Sweat beaded on Molly’s back, creating a nearly irresistible desire to itch it. She held tighter to the tree and wished the man would move on.

  After what seemed a long time he spoke again. “Fourteen switching to frequency beta and moving inward on western pincher.”

  Molly hoped that meant they intended to trap Mak in the center as he’d hoped. Her grip on the tree eased. Time passed, each minute without more shots added to her hope for their plan.

  “Molly?”

  She startled and nearly lost her grip. “Mak? I’m here.”

  “Can you make it down?”

  The tree’s thick branches made easy climbing up or down except for the twelve feet between the ground and the lowest limb. Mak talked her through the last drop. She slipped over the edge of the thick branch until she dangled by her hands alone. She couldn’t hold it long but Mak grasped her calves and told her to let go. He caught her weight when she did and then encouraged her to keep her hands on the trunk for balance as he lowered her. She didn’t take a full breath until her feet touched the ground. Then she stretched back up on her toes and kissed him.

  Mak jerked in surprise but then leaned back in and took control of the kiss. But he pulled away after a fierce moment. “Your poison sap worked. Let’s get you out of here.”

  They jogged through the trees. Molly would have lost her direction but Mak moved confidently to the spot he’d scouted out before.

  The forest lightened as they neared the edge. Mak slowed and moved from cover of tree to tree. He squatted down behind a wide trunk and pulled Molly down beside him. He handed her a tiny ear radio. “Now we can hear them. If they change frequencies again, try zeta next.”

  “Is Helen out there?” Molly saw silvery flashes of metal out on the plains beyond the trees.

  “She is. I’m surprised she came out in the field herself.”

  “I heard her gloating on the mike. She wants to watch her creations perform.”

  Mak took both her hands. “Promise me that you won’t try to rescue me if they catch me again.”

  “Only if you promise not to get captured on purpose.”

  “I promise. Help should be here within a day or three at most. So even if they get me, I should be all right for that long.”

  “If our ship made it through the minefield.”

  “Box and Pender knew what to do. I’ll use half-delta frequency to talk to you. Let’s get you up this tree. Find a spot on this side of the trunk in case the hovercrafts are outfitted with heat sensors. I don’t know if the wood is thick enough to mask your body heat but it might.”

  Their plan would fall apart if the enemy used heat imagining. Helen’s men already had the advantage of superior numbers and weapons, it seemed like cheating to use the thermal sensors.

  Mak gave her a boost up so she could reach the first branch. He waited below until she had both feet firmly on the wide bough. After a short nod to her he turned and disappeared into the trees with less sound than a breath of wind.

  She climbed higher in the tree and listened in on the radio, as Helen demanded reports from her men. Molly settled on a branch wide enough to sit on about thirty-five feet off the ground. She set her back against the smooth bark, idly wondering what type of tree this was. In her travels she found so many different plant and animal species spread among planets that had such similar DNA that they had to have shared origins.

  “Close the pincher,” Helen ordered on the radio.

  Mak had predicted the tactics in response to his attacks. His military experience ranked far superior to the giants, but he’d had no training in dealing with someone like Helen. Molly did. Perhaps she could help him by taking Helen out of the network. She’d promised not to rescue him but had made no such vow about helping him further.

  She took the radio out of her ear. When traveling on a ship to the far reaches of space one learned to take care of all sorts of equipment that couldn’t be easily replaced. She’d used this style radio many times in her explorations. Though most of her studies had been in the biological sciences, one didn’t grow up the daughter of a military leader without learning something about physics and engineering.

  The dim light beneath the forest canopy challenged her as she carefully disassembled the device. Compared to the inners of an AI device the workings of the radio were simple. It took her only a few minutes to configure a patch to get the results she wanted. The biggest difficulty was working with no tools other than her fingernails. She put it back together and hoped it had enough power to do what she’d programmed it for.

  “Make sure you’re watching up in the trees also,” Helen said. “Two, report.”

  After a few seconds Helen repeated her order. Then again. And again with a hint of anger.

  Molly wanted to laugh but settled for a grin. Would Helen know her radio had been cut from the network or would she assume her men ignored her? Or worry that they’d all died? Now if her other idea worked the numbers facing Mak would be cut down even more. They might have a chance to remain free until help arrived.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A pincher maneuver, even as poorly executed as this one, drew the giants closer together. Mak couldn’t isolate one target without the others realizing he’d moved outside their perimeter. For Molly’s idea to work the enemy must close ranks.

  M
ak shadowed the man on the far left of the curved line for a short distance, listening to Shear’s orders on the stolen radio. Once reassured they would continue on course he drifted wide of the line. Then he sprinted to get ahead of them. It took all his stealth skills to slip back into the center of their tightening trap. Escaping would be more difficult.

  He checked the light breeze and placed himself upwind of Molly’s trap. The prepared stack of leaves wasn’t precisely in the middle of the pincher but only luck would have placed it perfectly where he needed it.

  The oily leaves gleamed in the false twilight under the trees. Molly claimed the oil would ensure they burned easily. That same toxic oil would carry on the smoke. According to Molly, as little as one inhalation would bring about respiratory distress. Prolonged exposure could cause death. Mak only needed to bring them closer. A thin line of twisted dry leaves and twigs led away from the pile of poison. He dared not be too close when he lit it.

  The trickiest part would be drawing them close enough without exposing himself to fire. The rifle he’d taken from One held the same nonlethal bullets as the pistol. Mak took up a position with the narrowing opening of the pincher at his back. He caught a few glimpses of the enemy as they neared his position. He heard them coming from all directions, still too far away. He waited.

  They had filled in the gaps left by the loss of the two Mak had already taken out. Though their spacing was far from perfect, it was close enough that Mak could figure out their locations and positioning. Poor strategy. Even a halfway competent opponent could pick them off with a real rifle.

  But Mak had a gun that couldn’t pierce their armor. Even if it did, from what he’d seen on the vid the giants would charge on without regard to their lives to reach their target.

  The fake ammunition gave the weapon an odd feel but Mak’s training had included stranger weapons. He sighted in on a man near the center of the pincher, number Two he believed. This particular giant moved to his right each time he navigated around a tree. Mak took the shot and hit the man in the throat. The man dropped with only the sound of his body hitting the ground to mark it.