"What is it, machine, living, or what?"
Taylor shrugged. "Soon enough it will be nothing at all."
He gestured for the weapon to be placed down on the far side of the gantry where it could not be seen from where they had entered. Taylor and Jones took up positions either side of the spherical bomb, just as they had practiced.
"Are you ready for this?"
Jones nodded.
"They each placed a hand on the exact points they had been taught, twisting their hands back and forth to points as if they were opening a safe. They finally heard a clicking sound, and the space beneath their hands slid open to reveal a small keypad. The language was Krys, but it didn't matter; they had memorised the sequence.
Jones looked back into Taylor's eyes one last time, but Taylor did not hesitate.
"Three, two, one..." he said.
He punched the eight-digit code in just as Jones did in exact sequence. The keypad flashed three times and displayed a countdown.
"That's it, no going back," said Jones.
"Let's get the fuck out of this damned place."
They rushed back along the gantry and could already hear gunfire as they approached the rest of the team. But it was nothing more than a light skirmish.
"They really screwed up in defending this place."
"Yes, a mistake they are not likely to make twice. So let's be sure to make the best of this while we can," Taylor replied.
They reached the line of Immortals. They were finishing off a Stalker with sustained fire until it finally dropped dead.
"Time to go on home!" Taylor shouted to them all.
They got to their feet and got to a running pace. They passed over the trail of bodies they had left in their wake when they reached the body of Wilcox. It was being recovered by two of the drones. The two halves of his upper body flopped about as internal organs fell to the floor. It was a sickening sight, but they had no time to handle it in any better manner. They rushed to the elevator floor, and Taylor pointed for Babacan to do whatever he had to in order to activate it. He obliged, and they heard it power up and begin to move. They were almost clear and in the shaft when the chameleon-like armoured creature stepped into view. It reached in, and grabbed Jones by his right leg and pulled.
The Lieutenant was launched off his feet. His head smashed into the floor of the elevator, and he was dragged forward. Taylor jumped forwards to reach for his hand, but it wasn't quick enough. Jones flew out of the narrowing gap to the elevator shaft, and a second later they were rising up at rapid speed and could do nothing.
"Stop, go back down!" Taylor cried.
Babacan tried to manipulate the controller once again, but he could do nothing, and they continued up to the surface. Taylor had not felt so powerless in a long time, and he felt his blood boil with rage.
"He can't survive against that thing," said Bailey, but Taylor didn't want to hear it.
"Yes, he can. We are not leaving him behind!"
* * *
Jones was launched from the elevator until he felt the alien’s grip release. He landed hard on the floor and rolled to a halt. He was back on his feet quickly and reached down for his rifle, only to find it had been yanked free when he was torn from the elevator. His hand reached for his Assegai, and he activated it and his shield, taking up a guard position and preparing to defend himself. The alien just stood in front of him as if with no fear or concern at all. Jones was utterly terrified but did everything he could to hide it.
"You should never have stepped foot on this sacred ground," said the creature.
"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't have come looking for trouble."
"How can you ever believe you can win? You are small and weak. You are a toy to be played with until we grow tired of doing so."
"Then you know nothing about the Human race."
"You do not know who I am, do you?"
"Should I?"
"Prince Ganbaatar, son of Bolormaa, the Undefeated Scourge."
Jones tried to imagine what Taylor would say, and to feel the courage that he would.
"Undefeated? There is always a first time for everything. You are no Prince of mine. I am William Jones of the Immortals, and you will remember that name until the moment I drive this blade through your skull."
"Immortals?" Ganbaatar asked.
He began to laugh in a slow and echoey way that resonated through the chasm.
"It will be my pleasure to not just kill you, but all of these Immortals. Nothing can stand in our way."
"Indeed, well I am."
The alien didn’t respond. He only stretched out his arms and opened his hands palm forward. Jones couldn't work out what he was doing, when suddenly a blade launched from each of the insides of his arms and he grasped them at the hilt. Each blade was a metre and a half long and straight. They glistened like diamonds under light, despite the dimly lit environment. Jones could see the alien was enjoying himself, and his sense of confidence was overpowering.
"Why do you want to end our lives? To what end? What do you get out of it?"
But Ganbaatar said nothing and began circling him. Then he roared with anger and rushed forward with both blades in a quick cut towards Jones' head.
* * *
The Immortals rushed off of the ramp of the elevator but stopped as they realised Taylor was still aboard.
"What are you doing?" Alita pleaded.
"I will not leave him behind."
"But you'll die," she replied, tears seeping down her face.
Taylor's comms unit flashed, and he accepted to hear Cohen's voice.
"Taylor, come in."
"I'm here," he replied solemnly.
"Have you accomplished your mission?"
"Yes."
"Then get back up here. We can't hold on much longer!"
"Lieutenant Jones is stuck down there, dragged back down by that monster I thought you killed. I'm going in after him."
"Taylor, that is the spawn of Bolormaa," Jafar added.
"I don't care. I left a Jones to the enemy once before. I won't do it again!"
"Taylor you..." began Cohen.
But Taylor cut the signal off.
"They are your responsibility now, Lieutenant," he said to Alita, "You get them to safety."
She couldn't find any more words to say to try and stop him, and he put his hand into the console and activated the elevator. As it began to move, he pulled the huge Morohta hammer from his back and held it in readiness in both hands. He soon vanished from Alita's view. He was trying to psych himself up mentally as he felt his grip clench tighter on the hammer.
"Come on, Jones, you can make it," he said quietly as the elevator increased in pace.
* * *
Jones' head smashed into one of the skeletal-like support beams, and he felt the impact ring through his ears, knowing it was only his helmet that kept him conscious, let alone alive.
He looked back just in time to see Ganbaatar's blade coming for him once again. He raised up his shield again, and the impact smashed him out and away from the wall. His legs were weak now, and his right arm was bleeding badly from a deep cut below the shoulder. Ganbaatar paced confidently around him as if toying with him. Jones knew he was no match for the creature, but he was determined to land a strike. He acted even more exhausted and weak than he was, and as Ganbaatar rushed forward again with a vertical cut, he began to step one way to counter and then immediately leapt the other, coming up on the inside of the beast’s right arm. He thrust his Assegai into the centre of the arm, and Ganbaatar let out a shriek of agony.
Jones smiled, realising the alien’s arrogance had allowed him to land a strike he should never have been able to make. The sword fell from its wounded arm, but a moment later the open hand lashed out at his head. It hit like a freight train and threw him back off his feet. As he rolled and tumbled, he finally came to a standstill as he smashed into a metal rail. He felt his Assegai drop from his hands. He could hear it bounce and fall, and
to his horror the railing was all that had stopped him from falling down a deep canyon and into the blackness.
His weapon was gone now, and with it all hope of hurting the alien Prince. Taylor's words of close combat rang through his head now, as he understood how true they were. Ganbaatar seemed to patch over the wound with something from his suit that burnt into his flesh and caused him to screech once again. It was a dreadful sound that emanated in Jones’ ears. He knew he was finished now and made no attempt to fight back. He got up onto one knee and smiled at the creature.
"If I can make you bleed, many more will follow in my stead."
The creature paced slowly towards him as if savouring every moment before the kill. It was clear from the look on its face that it was in pain, and that pleased Jones. It stopped as it loomed over him and raised its sword in the air to take his head.
"You are not an Immortal!" it said bitterly.
"That's where you're wrong!" a voice roared beside them.
Out of the dark, Taylor swung the hammer before the creature could react and hit it square in the chest with all the force he could muster, as if he were trying to fell a tree. There was a flash as the explosive charge ignited, and the combined power of the strike and the charge smashed Ganbaatar over the railings. Jones watched speechless as he tumbled over the edge, shrieking as he fell into darkness and out of view. He turned back to Taylor and shook his head.
"Why did you come back for me?"
"Because I'd like to think that you would do the same for me."
Taylor grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.
"Have we still got time to make it?" Jones asked breathlessly as they ran towards the elevator.
"We can only try."
They leapt into the elevator, and Taylor quickly hit the control to get them moving, but he did not relax yet. He held his hammer in two hands at the entrance and waited for the first sign of movement. He half expected to be attacked once again as they had done before, but to his relief, they lifted up above the opening and began soaring to the surface.
Chapter 13
"We have to leave now. We cannot wait for Taylor any longer!" Nichols shouted.
Jafar said nothing, for he didn't want to condemn his friend.
"He knew the risks of this mission like everyone else. If he has placed the device, then the mission is a success, and we should leave while we still can!"
Jafar looked to Cohen to see she was nodding in agreement. He then looked to Irala, whose projection was still before them. The bridge lit up with a flash as one of the Aranui vessels erupted on screen.
"Do we go? Do we leave the man who got us this far?" Jafar asked them all.
"He of all people would never have us sacrifice all our lives in some vain attempt at rescue," replied Irala.
Jafar was about to make the call when Taylor came over the comms.
"We're on our way!" he shouted, "Don't go without us!"
Jafar signed with relief, and Cohen leapt in to assist.
"Get a fighter squadron down there to support them. Let's bring our people home!"
Taylor rushed out of the elevator with Jones at his side. There was no sign of life in sight, but they could hear the roar of engines overhead and saw a Sky King descending. Bailey and Antos were at the door, and Taylor could see Alita through the cockpit window.
"Come on!" Antos called out.
They leapt to a sprinting pace as gunfire hit the ground around them. Taylor looked up to see three Morohta warriors firing down on them, but they could do nothing except rush on and hope their shields would cover them. Antos leaned out of the side door and took aim at them, laying down fire from the cover of the craft. Finally, they reached the door and jumped inside. They quickly lifted off the ground as Antos passed a rifle each to Taylor and Jones.
The Sky King rotated, bringing their attackers in full view, and they opened up with a volley of fire as they began to gain height. Two of the Morohta warriors were cut down until finally they accelerated beyond view and range. Antos hit the ramp door shut, and Jones slumped back in relief. Taylor went to the cockpit and slid into the co-pilot's seat.
"I told you to get out of here," he said to Alita.
"And do you always follow your orders to the letter, Colonel?" she asked coyly.
He reached across and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
They soared up into the atmosphere as a fighter darted past them. He checked, and they had three minutes left. He glanced back to Jones who could see what he was looking at.
"How long?"
"Three minutes."
Jones shook his head. "Does your luck never run out, Colonel?"
Taylor shrugged.
I sure hope not.
They soon broke atmosphere, and Taylor's smiled was quickly removed by the devastation they found. More than half the fleet was destroyed, and it looked like a graveyard of ships. There were many of the Morohta vessels as badly mauled as their own, but not in such number.
Alita ducked and weaved the ship around debris and gunfire as they made their final approach. Just as they were about to reach the docking bay entrance, they felt an impact hit their tail and knock them out of line with the bay entrance. The tail smashed into the frame and was cut clean off, as the rest of the craft tumbled through the opening and crashed into the docking bay floor. They kept spinning and sliding and felt a violent drop. The undercarriage was torn off, and they held on for their lives. They hit the far wall and came to a violent stop.
"Everyone okay?" Alita asked.
She had been the only one that was strapped in. The others had been tossed around the ship and lay scattered across the floor.
"Perfect," Taylor replied sarcastically.
He looked down at his counter. One minute and thirty seconds left.
"This is the Commander speaking. All vessels prepare to jump," said Cohen's voice over the comms.
"No!" Taylor yelled.
He tapped the console on his arm and got a direct feed to the bridge.
"Commander, we can't jump until we know they can't. We cannot afford their fleet following us back home!"
"If we wait any longer, we'll be dead, anyway, Colonel!"
"And if we don't it could all have been for nothing. If we take their fleet back to the Solar System, who will be left to stop it?"
They watched through the hole in their own ship as dozens of fighters made combat landings all around them. Many of them were as damaged as they were. Taylor got to his feet and stepped out with his hammer still in hand. He watched through one of the shielded fighter bay entrances so that he could have a view down to the planet like a window into space.
"Come on, you bastards," he said to himself.
Jones stepped up beside him to watch for the culmination of all their work. As he did, they both noticed a crippled Sky King trying to make her way to the landing bays. Hot on her tail was a Mech fighter relentlessly strafing her tail, but Taylor knew there was nothing he could do for them. But a second later one of the Guam's gun systems clipped the enemy ship, and the Sky King tumbled through into the landing bays, but the enemy craft continued on after her and rushed inside the Guam's bays. It hit the deck hard and slid to a halt.
The second it stopped moving a volley of gunfire erupted, and Taylor watched his unit lined up like a firing squad. They poured fire into the craft. The cockpit was riddled with fire, and he could see the pilot spasm as he was hit by multiple shots. A ramp on the side of the craft was blown off like some emergency release, and out poured ten Morohta warriors.
Taylor drew out his Assegai and tossed it to Jones. They all drew weapons and rushed at the enemy with shields forward as a wall. Taylor got to them first and smashed the front of the hammer into a creature, raising it over his head and crushing it with one explosive strike.
Jones hadn't slowed at all. He struck a creature with the edge of his shield and drove the Assegai deep into its chest, moving onto the
next without any hesitation at all. It was then that Taylor stopped and watched in amazement as his new Immortals took the enemy apart. It brought back a flood of emotion for him, and he could only smile as he accepted he had found a new home and a new family. Antos got the last one with an Assegai thrust into the stomach, driving it vertically through the body, and tossing it to the ground in disgust.
As it came to an end, the bridge flashed with light, and they turned to the view down on the planet. Beams of light were bursting from holes in the surface, and the atmosphere was darkening as lightning-like flashes burst across the sky. The entire world began to dim as the skies were overcome with a thick black fog.
"So that is what it's like to destroy a world?" Jones asked.
Taylor shrugged. "New experience for me as well."
They were relieved to hear Cohen's voice come over the comms once again.
"All ships prepare to jump in five...four...three...two...one, jump!"
They stared at the crippled world as they rushed into the gateway. Many of the Morohta vessels were still shooting at them as they passed inside, and three of the frigates managed to enter the gateway with them. Just a few moments later, they burst back out of the gateway to where it had all begun - Ares 4. The enemy vessels fired a few more shots, but within ten seconds, the Ares defence grid joined the fray and bombarded their attackers. They were smashed by the sheer weight of fire.
All fell silent then. It was as if someone just flicked a switch. No more gunfire, explosions. No dogfights. Fires still burned on several of the vessels in the distance. Taylor was mesmerised by it all. He snapped out of it as he felt an arm wrap around his. He looked over to see that it was Alita. The red grime of his uniform smeared over her uniform as she nestled into him, but she didn't seem to care.
"This is the Commander speaking. Mission successful, welcome back home!"
Cheers rang out across the fighter bays where they stood, and Alita reached in and kissed Taylor. He could not resist turning and embracing her the same.
Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 19
