David Bland’s lips pursed in irritation, the voice quite high pitched, his head turning to stare at the shadowed silhouettes through the frosted glass as he spoke demandingly, ‘Where am I…and where the hell did you learn that language…?’
The static burbled once more, the voice seeming annoyed, ‘You no know any of my language…and I am your translator…you best be nice to me or I say you nasty being! We then liquidate you!’
His eyes widened, chest swelling as the green light swept across his face, ‘No-no, I meant no offense…I had just not heard you speak before…where am I?
The high pitched voice seemed to regain some composure, speaking more comfortingly, ‘You on our ship…big ship cloaked…dangerous times in this galaxy, we fly through space to escape…you come too now with friendy! No one will know we live again…we become secret race now…’
David shook his head dismissively, tears forming in his eyes, ‘No…you don’t understand…I…we need to get back to Zaxon B and the fighting there…my staff need me to help them! There was a mistake, they are on the planet’s surface fighting these Morgons…’
The intercom buzzed again, the voice seeming confused as it continued, ‘You know Morgons? You fight them?’ There was a pause, then the voice continued, ‘I report my Capitano…tell him what you say…’ The voice hesitated, ‘Your scan say you have blood pressure high and other thing in blood…you sleep now, we fix…I speak later…’
David shook his head in frustration, hearing the surge of air sweep through the small cabin, ‘N-no, I need to get out…we need to get back…you don’t under…’ Then his senses swam, the sleeping gas drifting into his lungs as his sight blurred, his eyes closing as he swept back into unconsciousness.
Chapter Eleven: Escape back to Rangara?
Riaz ducked behind some rocks, small scarabs scuttling from beneath his boots as he swore under his breath, ‘Damn parasites…they get everywhere!’
Shino slipped onto one knee next to him, straining her eyes into the passageway ahead, her breath drawn, ‘It’s very quiet…what do you think has happened?’
Riaz shrugged, glancing at her, ‘I dunno…but I fancy our chances more towards the surface than I do in the darkness below…’ He grimaced, looking back across the cavern and swallowing hard nervously, ‘I will go first…if they cut me down, try and surrender…shout at them in Russian and be nice…’ He forced an ironic grin, ‘Well, try and be nice…wait for an opportunity to escape, then run back to the outpost!’
Shino stared at his determined taut chin line, smiling fondly as she reached up to touch his cheek gently, wiping the dust from his sweat drenched skin as he blinked, drawing breath as she whispered softly, ‘I love your concern…but your aim is awful and I am the ‘Pheonix’! We will go together and I will cover you!’ She sniffed and coughed to hide her rising emotion, ‘Besides…I am not becoming some wench for enemy soldiers on some god forsaken planet...’ She slapped his shoulder armour playfully, ‘If Debra and Tregan are gone, we will take our revenge…kill as many as possible!’
Riaz grinned widely at her resolve, sniffing as he glanced at his reflection in her visor, ‘You are such a lady…’ His grip tensed on the assault rifle, ‘Ok…let’s move before we find out what a portal to hell looks like behind…I am not transporting into a Morgon menu!’ He nudged her heavily with his shoulder, Shino falling sideways as he lunged forward, the rifle rising to his eye as his pace across the stone floor increased, grinning slightly as he heard a whispered insult from behind, Shino struggling upwards and following as the snubbed machine gun jerked from side to side nervously.
Reaching the entrance between the rocks that led up towards the entrance, he hesitated and drew breath nervously, then forced his body to advance as his stomach turned, his breathe held. Surging forward up the slope, his adrenalin soared, the suit attempting to compensate with the last of its power as the boots tensed around his feet, the uniform becoming lighter.
A dull illumination filtered in from above as he progressed, hearing Shino behind, nervous sweat dripping uncomfortably from his chest and under arms as he resisted the fear sweeping through his frame. The shoulder armour vibrated across his upper chest as the power finally depleted, the visor image becoming distorted before it rose upwards, his eyes blinking as the low rays of light caused him turn his head to initially shield his view, his pupils retracting as he forced himself forward.
Shino was breathing heavily, her chest heaving in the weak oxygen as she stared at the figure before her, Riaz dropping to one knee and glancing past the jagged rock faces into the small cavern beyond. She tensed as he rose up, the muscular frame running forward, her ears straining for the sound of gunfire as her visor rose abruptly, a hand rising instinctively to protect her eyes as she grimaced.
As the frame ahead disappeared out of sight between the rocks, she ran forward, her heart pounding as she listened out with dread for a gunshot, or burst of fire. Increasing her pace, she reached the rocky outcrop Riaz had hid behind, gasping as her lungs struggled for air, her eyes widening as a distant shout from behind seemed to resound across the walls, her body tensing as she spun round…the deep indistinct words seeming inhuman and pleading, a low eerie moaning from several chests following.
Intense fear gripped her chest, Shino’s eyes filling with tears as she glanced back and forth, panic beginning to overcome the small Philippine as she lunged into the passageway, running forward with her snubbed machine gun rising, a determined scream pouring from her open curled lips.
Charging up the gradual slope, the machine gun raised, she stumbled against debris near the summit, her boots slipping as her body fell forward and kicked out, a burst of uncontrolled fire cracking into the rocks overhead. Struggling upwards, Riaz’s hands roughly grasped her shaking frame, his biceps tightening as he pulled her tightly to him, the short barrelled machine gun falling for her grasp as she sobbed in fear, his hands rubbing against her helmet and neck as he shouted, ‘They are ok…Shino, they are fine!’
Forcing her head upwards in response, Shino gasped, glimpsing the silhouettes of figures against the light ahead, her teeth grinding in rising terror as her voice shook, ‘T-there is something behind us…following…groaning and murmurs. It sounds evil…I am scared!’
Riaz’s grip tightened as shadowed figures ran past, Shino’s eyes seeming to become glazed as he hissed, glancing back towards the dark passageway, ‘They are ok…I dunno what has happened…stay with me!’
Shino’s vision seemed to swim, her chest heaving from lack of oxygen as her stomach turned, Tregan’s features surging into her vision as she gasped for air, his voice determined and demanding, ‘What did you two see? Is there something down there?’
Shino began coughing uncontrollably, her chest heaving for oxygen as Riaz’s voice echoed into her semi-consciousness, his voice shaking, ‘We destroyed the power to some strange lights…the transporter is still active…there’s something down there and I think it is Morgon…blow the tunnels!’
Tregan nodded thoughtfully as Debra Hardie approached, her shoulder heavily bandaged as she winced. Lowering next to Shino with concern, a hand dropped onto the Philippine’s shoulder, ‘The halftracks are on their way…we should get a ride back in them…they were apparently delayed by the mines!’
The supervisor smiled warmly as Shino glanced up into her eyes, tears welling in them, ‘We were lucky…the shooting stopped suddenly and the Silaks just seemed to move away…not sure what that means…’
Tregan was waving some of the others to him, collecting four reserve soldiers around them, ‘We will go and complete a recon of the tunnels, blow them and the transporter…we need to be quick though, I am worried the Silaks have moved off towards Rangara…’ He turned and lowered to a crouch next to Riaz, his tone demanding, ‘What were these lights?’
The asian officer shrugged, shaking his head, ‘I don’t know…there was some sort of machine…the lights seemed to confuse me although I am not sure wat was happ
ening. There were small pulse lights along the walls with the main illumination…something very strange about them…’ He grinned self-consciously, seeing the other figures stare at him uneasily, ‘Anyway, they don’t work now…it was then we started to hear the strange noises…there were some figures moving in the darkness…maybe Morgon, I don’t know…that’s when we ran!’ He looked down at Shino nestling across Debra’s knees, his eyes darkening, ‘There are also disfigured bodies…horrendous injuries seeming to have been from the transporter. I think they may have had a few problems with it, perhaps attempted to transport Silaks on low power…they were melted and torn…we both threw up!’ Then he stiffened, recalling another detail as he raised his hand, ‘I almost forgot…they have been digging…I think extending the tunnels as they go quite a long way…could they be trying to reach the Morgons at Contax Base?’
The Trevakian’s eyes widened as he rose and turned swiftly to the other soldiers, ‘All of you gather extra explosives and pulse grenades from those that will remain up here…stay alert, we will be moving quickly!’ The four reservists slammed their fists to their chest armour and lunged away as Tregan looked down at Riaz once more, ‘You stay with the wounded and keep alert at the entrance. I don’t think the Silaks will be back, especially with the quad guns on their way. Don’t get too relaxed though, it is still snowing heavily and they could move up under that for cover…attempt another quick attack. Stay down and low with the others…two of the wounded are fit enough to fight!’ He glanced at Debra as the reservists drew around him once more, ‘You are in charge until I get back…’ Grinning at Debra’s widening eyes, he spun away slapping two of the reservists’ shoulders, ‘You two take front guard…keep low and fire at anything that moves!’
The soldiers turned, striding towards the darkened passageway as their rifles slowly raised to their eyes, their bodies lowering in caution as the camouflage on their uniforms became more subdued. Riaz pushed himself painfully upwards, his shoulder beginning to ache, ‘Does anyone have any spare power cells for our combat uniforms?’
Debra shook her head, indicating to the wounded near the cavern entrance with the medic tending to their resin bandages as she grinned, ‘They have more priority than you…you will have to wait until we get back to Rangara Outpost!’
Riaz sniffed in despondency, kicking his boots across the dust as he stepped towards the opening, snowflakes billowing in from outside as the three defenders lay on the iced rocks facing outwards, their rifles raised past the barricades. Muttering as he trudged towards the defences, Debra patted Shino’s shoulder, ‘Come on ‘missey’…we will guard the route down from this cave…’
She grinned widely as she heard Riaz grumble, Shino giggling as he lowered himself next to the other defenders, a low frustrated call back to them, ‘I’m bloody hungry too…I guess we didn’t bring any food!’
The halftracks bounced across the rough track, Tregan nodding as he grimly surveyed the soldiers in the rear compartment, four wounded, ‘We found the transporter and blew it to pieces…it certainly was very gruesome. I agree with your original thoughts, they tried to transport too many through on low power, hence the horrific injuries…the machine just did not have enough energy to ensure the integrity of their bodies.’
Riaz strained his eyes, recalling the grotesque images as Shino swallowed, both their stomachs rumbling from lack of food. Tregan winked at Debra, the numerous soldiers sitting in lines along the sides of the carrier, the other halftrack transporting the dead Trevakians and Silaks. The Trevakian cleared his throat and continued, ‘We searched the tunnels down to that machine you spoke of, but could not find any beings or movement...but a couple of the soldiers heard sounds. I think there were hidden enclosures we could not find and that someone was in there…still we blew the tunnels along a wide section, they are either buried down there or are hiding at the end of their excavations…’ He sighed, removing his helmet wearily, his sweat drenched hair matted against his skull as he raised his voice to address all the soldiers, ‘Our casualties were unfortunate, but we have destroyed the enemy’s ability to transport troops and strengthen their base here. I will report to Captain Dugachard that the Silaks have been weakened and that we have secured the safety of the outpost for the time being…you soldiers can return to the medical facility confident that you have done your duty…I will be sending a full report to your commander regarding your exploits here.’ He grinned widely, indicating to three silver ammunition containers beneath the central benches next to the flak compartment, ‘Now you must all be hungry…each box contains a different colour of our rations…help yourselves, you have earned it!’
Riaz lunged upwards eagerly, grasping the overhead racks as the halftrack lunged into a rut in the open field, the quad gun overhead turning slowly across the terrain to survey for any signs of a threat. Stumbling forward, the other soldiers grinning at him as he dropped to his knees, he dragged one of the containers towards him and flipped the lid open, a low groan seeping through his teeth as he glimpsed the red cans inside, ‘Bloody Spicy food again! Where are the green ones? I want spaghetti and meatballs!’ Turning he raised a red tin, tossing it to one of the reservists that indicated they would like one, retrieving another two as more hands rose.
Tregan giggled, ‘Eat your fill…I have a feeling you may be walking it off later!’ He nodded to Debra, ‘Which colour would you like?’
Chapter Twelve: Into the Mountains
Captain Dugachard strode across the courtyard of Rangara Outpost, her body tensing against the swirling cold and fluttering snowflakes. Beckoning to the soldiers behind, she raised her voice in irritation as they hesitated, ‘Come on…keep up, you need to get to the science base as soon as possible if you are going to make it back before nightfall…’ Her eyes narrowed as she turned, ‘…and we need you back by nightfall…every person that can carry an assault rifle counts here now…the reservists will be leaving soon!’
Riaz and Shino nodded obediently, their eyes widening as Tregan pushed them gently from behind, his voice a hushed whisper, ‘Come on, stop chatting…’ He winked at Debra, the airport supervisor’s shoulder bandaged heavily and concealed under a Trevakian medical resin casing, ‘I will get some food tins for later…we can eat at the compound in the mountains…’ Tregan lunged forward and jogged towards the barracks block, several soldiers emerging from the warmed building for sentry duty, their voices hushed as condensed air escaped from their mouths.
Captain Dugachard marched further across the square, the figures behind attempting to keep up with her determined pace as she approached one of the storage huts, her hand tapping the access code into the panel next to the sturdy reinforced alloy door. The exterior front wall of the hut was structured at a gradual angle, designed to conceal the additional protection and reinforcement added to the entrance, providing protection for the stores and the passageway hidden within.
Grasping the metal handle and heaving the door open and then upwards, the seals on the door squealed as a hiss of air escaped from the opening. The captain stepped over the raised threshold, indicating to the alloy barrier below, ‘This is to prevent any flooding and the security to sustain supplies if they become low…the stocks of reserve rations are kept in here…’
Riaz and Shino stepped over the alloy threshold, glancing around at the stacked tins in three colours on either side, the light filtering in behind them from the dull snow bound sky outside. At the back of the short cabin, stacked rations in rubber like sealed bags lined the shelved walls, the captain approaching the central section and running her hands along the vertical coarse wooden structure, her eyes glinting as she touched a raised lever, dragging it downwards.
As Debra Hardie stepped in behind, wincing at her shoulder pain, the central shelving section slipped downwards, a whirr of electrical motors as the compacted food rations disappeared between the floor and dark descending steps beyond.
Captain Dugachard turned, her voice a hiss as if to emphasise the secret pa
ssageway, ‘Keep following the track through the caves…your helmet lights will illuminate the caverns and you should follow Tregan, there are traps laid on some of the routes. The tracks will emerge at the foot of a mountain gully and you should wait there to be contacted…there are remote lasers and pulse grenades set into the rock faces that lead upwards. They will need to be disarmed before you can proceed further…’
Shino glanced at Riaz, her eyes narrowing as she whispered, ‘This is like some mad fantasy game…I am just waiting for the orcs and ogres to be mentioned…’ Tregan stepped past with a heavy knapsack, shaking his head as he overheard the retort.
Riaz grinned, Captain Dugachard straining her eyes in annoyance, ‘Something funny?’ She drew near to the asian officer, staring into his eyes closely, then Shino’s, ‘This is a highly classified facility…and there are therefore protective measures…if you cannot take this seriously, I will send some others and you can stay here and complete a patrol to the upper and then lower pastures…alone!’
Riaz shook his head vigorously, Shino lowering her eyes in embarrassment as she spoke regrettably, ‘I am sorry...I…we meant no disrespect…it is just something we are not used to…’
Dugachard’s expression softened as she stared out past them and around the snow laden compound, ‘Very well…I will overlook it this time…you have already experienced a firefight this morning.’ She stepped back, indicating to the steps, Tregan halfway down them with the lights from his helmet flashing across the jagged stone walls below, ‘There should be no trouble on the path, we will maintain sentries on the walls of the outpost and send patrols through the village…’
Zaxon B: The Final Struggle (Galaxies Collide Book 4) Page 11
