In the next few minutes, everyone was stripping from their military fatigues down to underwear. Riot had done it a million times before. This was pretty tame when it came to getting naked in front of other people. It was only her crew and a handful of scientists present. Besides, Riot was only going down to her boxers and bra.
The boys in her unit didn’t give her a second look. They’d been through too much together to look at her as anything other than a fellow Marine. Deborah Miller, on the other hand, was another story altogether.
The fair-skinned woman reddened as she stripped from her white lab coat to her bra and panties. Riot noticed a few glances her way from Wang and Rizzo. Vet was too excited getting into his own uniform to care much at the moment.
On one hand, Riot couldn’t blame her Marines. Deborah was an attractive woman. She could use a few more pounds of muscle on her thin frame, but she was pretty all the same. Riot would have to remember to have a conversation with her boys—this was work, and you didn’t get your meat where you made your bread. Relationships never worked in the Corps, and now that they were going into space, Riot didn’t need another layer of complication added to the mix.
These thoughts touched upon her own dark past of an unhealthy relationship before joining the Corps, and her drinking addiction. As soon as memories from her past began to surface, Riot pushed them back down and forced herself to think of something else. Not the best way to deal with issues, but effective for the time being.
The next few minutes were spent changing. When her unit was finished, the Marines looked nothing like anything Riot had ever seen before. Black scales of under armor showed through the few places the bulkier crimson-colored liquid armor didn’t cover.
Their uniforms all matched, minus Deborah’s. The doctor still wore the same black dragon scale layer, but the liquid armor that went over the rest was a dull grey and much thinner.
“I feel like a freaking superhero.” Wang flexed a bicep no one could see under his armor. “Like a cross between a superhero and a tank.”
Rizzo was grinning from ear to ear. He caught Riot’s eye and gave her a thumbs-up.
“I think I love you,” Vet said, while looking over to Deborah. “How about the weapons? Where are the weapons?”
11
You’ll be able to choose and practice with whatever weapons you feel work best for you,” Deborah said as she walked over to the keypad with her helmet in the crook of her arm. “Within reason, of course. I’ve been given authority to oversee this, from a scientific perspective, of course.”
Like the rest of their helmets, hers looked like an updated version of what a medieval knight would wear into combat—full protection, with a bottom section that came up over the mouth that could also be lifted over the head.
The scientist punched a few buttons on a keypad set into the wall of the Hazard Room. A beep followed her actions as the doors parted, one to each side.
Riot followed Deborah inside with the rest of her squad. A warm, tingling sensation grew in the pit of her stomach. A smile she couldn’t help spread across her face. The last time she remembered feeling such a sense of completeness was when she had her last non-military meal, an actual home-cooked one that consisted of warm cornbread, baked beans, and barbecued chicken.
The giant room in the shape of an octagon was completely empty, minus the racks upon racks of weapons that lined the walls—a treasure trove of destruction and mayhem.
In awe, Rizzo dropped his helmet, causing a clunk as it thudded against the hard concrete ground.
“This is the Hazard Room that, with holographic aid, will serve as our exercise center. Along the walls you will find every piece of alien tech we’ve repurposed as weaponry.” Deborah stood near the center of the room, pointing one at a time at each wall of the octagon-shaped area. “Sniper rifles, heavy repeaters, grenades, multipurpose rifles, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, laser rifles, and, of course, our hand-to-hand combat section.”
Riot shook her head in complete and utter awe. She recognized a few of the weapons from their general size and shape, but that was it. Every weapon had been adjusted and made from Syndicate tech. Sniper rifles were blue with orange laser sights, and one rocket launcher was so compact, it looked like a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun. The knives were the craziest thing she had ever seen, and that was saying a ton, because Riot had once seen an alien with its head chopped off come back to life and kill another dozen soldiers before it was taken down.
Riot walked the wall of the octagon that housed the knives. They were nothing more than cylinder handles with no blade coming from the end at all.
Riot picked up the black metal cylinder that was just longer than her hand. A guard ended the piece of metal next to her thumb, next to a button. “Did you guys make light sabers?” she asked. “What is this?”
“Pretty cool, right?” Deborah sidled up next to her with a big smile. “They’re molten steel blades that lengthen and retract with the button.”
“Come again?” Riot couldn’t take her eyes off the piece of weaponry in her hand. “Molten who?”
“When you press the button next to your thumb, concentrated molten steel forms the blade until you take your thumb off the button,” Deborah said, reaching for one of the dozen handles that rested in a case along the wall. “You can retract the molten steel the same way. Watch.”
Deborah took a step back and pressed the button on her molten blade. A dark grey liquid grew from the weapon itself, forming a blade. She removed her thumb from the button, where a blade the length of a combat knife had grown. She pressed it again, and the steel blade grew until it was as long as a sword. Two more clicks of the button and the liquid oozed back into the weapon’s handle.
“I’m not going to pretend I understand how that works.” Riot shook her head, marveling at the weapon in her hand. “I’m just going to be glad that this tech is on our side of the fight.”
“It’s superheated, as well.” Deborah placed the molten blade handle back on the rack wall. “It can cut through iron up to three feet thick when the blade is extended to full length.”
The little girl inside Riot was running wild as she clipped a molten blade onto her belt. Having free rein of an armory like this was every Marine’s dream. But things had to be kept on a schedule. Riot only had the mornings with her team to discuss tactics and get everyone proficient with the new alien tech.
In the afternoons, they would be divided and taken to study the alien tech in their own disciplines. Rizzo had to learn how to fly an alien ship, Vet needed to know the ins and outs of how the craft worked, and Wang needed to be taught the very latest in alien medicine. Riot had the hardest job of them all—she needed to know about as much of everything as she could, including the Trilords they planned on visiting.
“All right, boys and girls,” Riot shouted, so loudly, her voice bounced off the walls. “Who’s ready to take some of these goodies for a test drive?”
Three hands shot up into the air.
“Get equipped with the usual.” Riot went to a wall and placed a few grenades on her belt. Next, she chose what looked like a fat blue SAW with a laser sight on top. “Vet, on long range; Rizzo is the heavy; and Wang in reserve.”
“What should I do?” Deborah still had a smile on her face. “I want to help.”
Did the woman ever have a bad day? To each their own, but Deborah’s chipper mood was making Riot feel as if she were standing out like a sore thumb.
“You have the most important job of all.” Riot grinned at the woman as she clipped another light firearm onto the outside of her right thigh. “You’re the package.”
“Oh, goody.” Deborah let out a heavy breath. “I thought you were going to make me just stand around or something. I mean, I know I’m a noncombatant and all, and I see the reason I need to train with you in these various scenarios, but I want to be helpful. What do I do?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Riot motioned for Wang to come over. “As the package, you sta
y attached to Wang’s hip at all times. When he moves, you move; when he stays, you stay; when he breathes, you breathe.”
Riot turned to her unit. Vet had slung over his shoulder a long, blue sniper rifle that looked like something out of a video game. Rizzo carried two weapons: what looked like an orange rocket launcher strapped to his back, and if Riot had to guess, a heavy machine gun in his arms with a massive energy clip that was painted yellow.
“We’re going to have to do something about these colors.” Vet shook his head. “Some of them look like oversized Nerf Guns.”
“They’re anything but.” Deborah had her arms crossed over her chest, still soaking in the news Riot had given her. For the first time, she had something other than a smile on her face. “Some of the weapons left behind by the Syndicate are lighter and don’t require reloads. They’re constructed from a renewable source of energy that self-generates on a molecular level.”
“So, I could pretend I understand what all that means,” Riot shook her head at Deborah, “or I could just tell you I failed math in high school. I heard you say ‘lighter’ and ‘no clip.’”
“That’s right.” Deborah nodded along with Riot’s words. “Although the scenarios in this room will be holograms, the rounds you’ll be firing are real, so be careful.”
“Careful’s my middle name.” Wang smiled as he patted, in his arms, the rifle that resembled a green M27.
Rizzo leaned in and arched an eyebrow. He signed something Riot followed, but wasn’t sure what it meant.
“You’re not going to let me live that one down, are you?” Wang let out a heavy breath. “I apologized to that girl a dozen times. It was an accident. How was I supposed to know she was allergic to peanuts?”
Rizzo let out a silent chuckle. The big man looked down on them all. His height and width, increased by the armor, made him look like a juggernaut.
“Her lips swelled up, like, twice their normal size.” Wang cracked a smile as he remembered the scene. “Good thing I’m a medic, or else I wouldn’t have known what was going on and thought the alien invasion had come early. Hey, do you remember that other—”
“If you boys are done,” Riot barked, “we have a training exercise to begin.” She motioned with her head to Deborah. “So, how does this work? We input some kind of training parameters, and the room comes alive?”
“Pretty much.” Deborah walked over to the area next to the exit. She motioned to a touch screen set into the wall. “You can decide what kind of terrain you’d like to practice in, what type of enemy and, of course, the objective.”
“This is like a freaking video game.” Vet came over to check out the display with Riot and Deborah. “Minecraft on crack.”
“What would you like me to input, Master Sergeant?” Deborah turned to Riot for direction. “It’s your call.”
Riot thought for a moment, considering how hard or how easy to make their first venture into the Hazard Room. The idea to take it easy on her unit came and went quickly. They were Marines and they would train like they would perform—no shortcuts, no easy option.
“Set the terrain for what we can expect to see when we land on Hoydren. Lock in the combatants to ten—no, twenty—and give them the same reflexes and physical attributes we’ll encounter from the local alien species.” Riot paused for a moment, taking in Deborah’s tense face. “Objective should be team death match.”
“Master Sergeant.” Deborah’s finger hovered over the screen. “You should know that the Trilords are faster and stronger than any human. Their eyesight and—”
“Enter the damned parameters.” Riot slammed on her helmet and motioned to the rest of her unit. “Buckle up, buttercups! It’s time to go to work!”
12
The first thing Riot recognized was the heads-up display grid in her helmet. It not only enhanced her sight when she focused as if she were looking through a pair of binoculars, but it also showed her detailed information when she looked at her squad mates, listing the equipment they were wearing, as well as the weapons they carried.
The second thing Riot realized was how advanced the Syndicate technology was.
Deborah pressed one last button that set off a loud beep and a timer inside all of their helmets. The beeping resonated with every number as a countdown from ten began.
Riot checked her men one more time. Rizzo gave her a thumbs-up to her right. Vet was already down on one knee looking through the scope of his rifle. Wang was right beside Deborah.
“Whatever we meet, remember your training,” Riot yelled over the countdown timer in her helmet. The big red number seven flashed past her heads-up display.
“Oohrah!”
“Channel your aggression!”
“Oohrah!”
“Blood makes the grass grow!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Rizzo wasn’t able to shout, but Riot could hear him hammering his chest with his right hand as he lent his noise to the sounds of his brothers.
When the flashing number in her helmet finally hit zero, the practice room completely changed. One moment, they were in an empty octagon-shaped room with weapons along the walls; the next, the weapon racks receded and the empty space turned into a jungle.
A light mist rose at their feet. Trees and bushes of rich greens and purples sprouted from the floor. Two bright suns shone overhead: one completely yellow like their own, the other a bright white; something so strange Riot had to tear her eyes away from the double orbs. Her helmet shielded her vision to the point she could look directly at the blazing suns without being forced to look away.
“Cover!” Riot knelt beside a large rock formation to her right. Immediately, her squad joined her. Riot understood that she was pressed up against nothing more than a hologram; still, she could feel the pressure where her body jammed up against the rock. “This is nuts.”
“Your armor recognizes the density and terrain of the holograms in the room,” Deborah explained. “Also, if you get wounded, you won’t get hurt, but it won’t feel great, either. If it’s a killing shot that takes you out, your helmet will recognize that fact and take you out of the hologram.”
Riot could hear Deborah’s clear voice through the comms in their helmets, words picked up and sent directly there.
“Like a dog’s shock collar if we get hit by one of their weapons?” Vet was to their left, crouched down, gazing into the jungle interior. “What does it feel like?”
“More like a paintball striking you, like a punch.” Deborah tapped a gloved hand to the chin of her greyish black armor. “You know, now that I think of it, that’s just what I’ve been told. I’ve never actually played paintball, so I don’t really kn—”
“Contact, left,” Vet’s voice came through the comms, steady and soft. “Looks like a lot of them.”
Riot peeked over the rock. Her helmet was like a supercomputer with X-ray vision. It sought out ten heat signatures making their way toward them, no more than sixty yards away. Whatever they were, they were big. Riot’s helmet told her they ranged from six-foot-two to six-foot-six and weighed anywhere from two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds.
Her helmet outlined their forms as they approached through the jungle. They looked humanoid with arms and legs just like her own. The weapons they carried were something else altogether.
Names like War Hammer, Plasma Axe, and Shield Burst popped up on her display. This information came at once along with their distance. The big creatures were closing fast, fifty yards from their position.
“We still have the element of surprise,” Riot said softly into her comm. “Grenades first when they close on our position. Rizzo, Wang, and I will lay into them. Vet, you flank from the left. Once you can get some clean shots, light them up.”
Two “rogers” came from Wang and Vet. Rizzo looked over to Riot and gave her a thumbs-up. Something would have to be done with Rizzo’s communication. Riot knew that his being unable to communicate in the field would be a danger to himself and t
he rest of the squad. As soon as they were done with the mission, that would have to be priority one.
“What do I do?” Deborah asked from her crouched position beside Riot. She tried to peek over the rocks to get a better view of the enemy. “I want to help.”
“You’re the package, remember?” Riot placed a hand on Deborah’s head and pushed it back down, back under cover. “You just sit here and don’t die. We lose if you die.”
Riot could imagine Deborah’s face as she was forced to hide while the others fought. For whatever reason, it seemed Miss Bubbly wanted in on some of the action.
“Forty yards,” Wang breathed.
“Remember, there are twenty hostiles in the simulation. Keep your eyes out for the other ten.” Riot looked down and unclipped one of the grenades from her belt. It was a perfect circle with a clip on one end and red button on top. She had never used a grenade like this before but she understood the concept—clinch the depressor, click the red button with your thumb, and throw away.
Riot’s heads-up display told her the grenade was called a Boomball.
Who makes up these names? Riot thought. Do they have a room full of nerd techs brainstorming labels for weapons somewhere? Maybe that’s what’s in level ten of the Bulwark. A nerd think tank.
Thirty yards, Riot’s display flashed as it tracked the ten large figures. She still wasn’t able to get a good look at them through the jungle, but she could see movement now.
“Now!” Riot clenched the depressor on her Boomball and hit the red button before lobbing it over. Her grenade traveled through the air in a perfect arc with three others. Then the fun began.
13
The Trilords stopped as soon as they heard Riot’s voice. When the Boomballs landed somewhere near them, they opened fire in all directions. Explosions rocked the jungle. Trees blasted into a hundred pieces and crashed to the ground. Vet rolled to his left and began making his way around the enemy.
War Wolves: Boxset 1-3 Page 5
