by John Walker
***
Chapter 7
Mustang squadron engaged the second wave of fighters when the call came in from the marines. Of the two fleeing ships, one was downed and the other managed to escape, heading back toward their crashed ship. The new five threw themselves into battle but they were evenly matched, with neither side pulling ahead.
“Charger,” Dennis called over the radio. “This is Mustang One, we are divided up down here and need some backup. Do you copy?”
“We are on standby in orbit,” Charger One, Squadron Leader Anna Jager replied. “We can be to your position in one minute.”
“Too long,” Dennis said. “How fast can you get to the marines?”
“About the same.”
Dennis hummed. He hadn’t liked the idea of leaving an entire squadron in orbit when they needed all hands down below but there was some concern about an incoming capital ship. If that happened, the Gnosis would need the screen. Regardless, that hypothetical fight should’ve been trumped by the very real conflict going on in the clouds.
“We need to break from this fight,” Dennis said. He paused to consider his options, dodging an attack and diving under a fighter that nearly collided with him. The action was intense and each of his pilots were having to work every skill they possessed to keep ahead of it. Alicia suddenly came to mind.
The younger pilot had already proven foolhardy enough to get herself out of situations she shouldn’t have been able to. If she could get back to the marines, she could provide the cover they needed. Providing the enemy pilots let her escape. He didn’t like the order he was about to give but he didn’t have a lot of choice.
“Mustang Five, can you get back to the facility?”
Alicia chuckled over the line. “Not without some dangerous flying.”
Dennis knew she’d been a solid pilot and had excellent scores from school, but he didn’t know her background prior to joining the military. Had she learned to fly in a circus? It would explain her devil-may-care attitude and definitely the way she got around out there. Considering what she pulled off, he wouldn’t have been surprised by some kind of stunt gig in her past.
“Okay, you’re authorized to do whatever it takes. They need air support pretty much now. Get back there, ASAP. Got it?”
“I’m on it, sir.”
Dennis once again narrowly avoided an in-air collision and had to pull a barrel roll while diving to squeeze between two of the enemies at the same time. He fired his mass drivers, ripping into a target before he had to bank away. His scanner showed Alicia flipping and juking about as one of the enemies tried to pursue her.
It became quite clear her opponent couldn’t keep up. She’d gotten away and in the next few moments, she’d be able to help those soldiers who needed it. We’re pulling this off … slowly but surely. Now, if we can disengage when we’re ready to leave. That will be the trick. One I’m sure will take something akin to a miracle to pull off.
***
Heat leaned out to take a shot and a blast skimmed his shoulder, tearing off a chunk of his armor. The force made him stumble but he managed to do so into cover. He checked his scanner, hoping to see an incoming fighter. A little hope would go a long way just at the moment. Even in the thick of the fight, his mind had a chance to wonder what might happen.
A blip appeared on the farthest edge of his computer’s range. Heat’s heart pounded harder, but he didn’t dare to tell the others just yet. If for some reason he misinterpreted what he saw, if the incoming vessel turned out to be an enemy, he didn’t want to give them a false sense of security.
Just at the moment, they needed to fight for their lives. The enemy hordes were closing and would be at the stairs within a minute. Even with their sustained attacks, the marines barely dented the incoming forces. If those fiends made it to them, there’d be no stopping them, no real fighting back.
Fighting in the doorway would nullify the enemy’s numbers slightly but not enough to matter. They charged without fear of injury or death, coming on them with all the recklessness of mindless drones. Heat missed fighting the automated defenses of their previous assignment. At least those made sense.
***
Gorman hated the fact he left the others behind while charging into the facility alone. He connected his com to the Gnosis, patching directly in to Doctor Vaedra’s station. Thayne would be there and hopefully, they’d be able to help him get through the computer system quickly. Any delay meant a horrible end.
He got to a T intersection and paused. “Don’t know if you can see my uplink, Doc, but I need some directions.”
“Go to the left.” Gil’s voice was translated instantly. “You will come upon a door that has been destroyed.”
Gorman picked up the pace, rushing down the dark hallway until he came upon a shattered bit of metal. Some kind of sliding door had been there before, but someone had blown it up. He used his night vision, looking over the area. He appeared to be alone with only a single console standing like a pedestal in the middle of the room.
He advanced closer. “I think I’ve found what we’re after. What do I do?”
“Place your computer near it,” Thayne said. “We’ll be able to remotely access it from here.”
“How do we have a compatible interface?” Gorman asked. He complied with their request. “I mean, how’s our wireless the same?”
“Our cultures,” Thayne explained, “yours, theirs and mine, have all used the same architecture. The Orb technology may have been interpreted differently but ultimately it is close enough to the same that it doesn’t matter. We make small adjustments and we’re able to access their network. And besides, Gil’s already done it once.”
“I modified your devices before you left,” Gil added. “So it won’t take much to crack their security again. In fact, I’m already working through it now.”
Sure enough, the screen lit up and displayed dozens of characters across the blackened screen. Gorman directed his attention to the rest of the room, peering around. Beside the door he came in, another door sat opposite the terminal. It was still intact and closed but he had a bad feeling about it.
His scans weren’t piercing the walls here which was one more annoyance about the planet. The enemy had found a way to avoid being picked up on scans as well. How did they pull it off and more importantly, should he be worried about something hiding down there? He looked back at the screen and sighed.
They didn’t have a meter showing progress.
“How long will this take?” Gorman asked. “We’re in a time crunch.”
“Gil didn’t grab much before,” Thayne replied. “I guarantee the captain is going to want as much as we can get. Considering this will tell us what we’re hoping to find out, it won’t be wasted time. Please be patient.”
“We have a lot of monsters outside the door, guys.” Gorman gritted his teeth before continuing. “We really don’t have the luxury of patience.”
“We’ll hurry,” Gil offered. “I’m transferring the data to your unit for expedience. Be sure you survive, Sergeant Gorman. You’ll have all the information until you get back aboard the ship.”
Lovely responsibility, thanks so much!
Something clattered behind the closed door, like a pipe dropping on cement. He aimed his weapon in that direction, but he kept the computer close to the terminal to ensure the connection wasn’t disrupted. He practically held his breath as an obvious commotion continued until it seemed to be just on the other side.
“I might have company,” Gorman muttered. “Did they come down here when you were here, Gil?”
“No, we had driven them off prior to my entering the facility,” Gil replied. “However, it is something of a temple to them so chances are good they returned quickly. And they likely know the tunnels and halls better than we ever would. I would be very cautious. We have another full minute to finish the download.”
“And how exactly am I going to be cautious stuck beside the damn computer?”
“Um … shoot them when the door opens?” Gil sounded sorry about the advice. “There can’t be too many down there. Right?”
Or there’s hundreds and I’m about to be eaten by these things.
Twenty seconds passed and he knew he had less than a minute to go before he could leave. The doors opened. He fired his weapon the moment they cleared the area, catching one of the monsters square in the chest. It stumbled backward, a look of shock contorting its features. When it recovered, rage replaced the surprise and it charged.
Gorman loaded it up, firing half a dozen rounds. The first three didn’t seem to phase it but the last one caught the monster right in the face. It dropped only five feet away from him, greenish blood splattering on the floor. “Jesus Christ! That was intense!”
“Are you alright?” Thayne asked. “We heard gunfire.”
“I took your advice, but we really need to hurry. How long?”
“Twenty seconds. Then I deploy the cleanser.”
“The what?” Gorman asked. “What’s that?”
“Something to ensure our Kalrawv friends don’t get the formula,” Thayne replied. “After all, we know they want to use it as a weapon. Better to get rid of that data, hm?”
“You wiping the whole thing?”
“We don’t have time for that. Just as much as we can.”
More footsteps came from down the hall. The monsters must’ve found another way in, a method to attack from the rear. He had to warn the others. If he didn’t get out, they were about to be flanked. The computer said he had another ten seconds. Firing a rocket through the door, he hoped it might cause a cave in.
The explosion made the floor shake and there were screams but no appreciable damage to the structure. Oh well, it was worth a try. His computer chimed, letting him know the download was complete. Several sets of angry eyes appeared in the darkness as he darted for the door he’d come through earlier.
“Heat!” Gorman shouted into the com. “They have a back way in and they’re all over my ass! Tell me we have an exit!”
“Working on it,” Heat replied. “Just stay ahead of them and we’ll see what happens.”
Great advice! I’m so glad we’re on top of things. Gorman burst down the hallway, moving as quickly as the power armor would allow him without jump jets. The monsters pursued, and he knew they’d likely have to fight them before they left the base. He hoped the others were prepared for the action.
He sure as hell didn’t want to do it alone.”
***
Alicia engaged her afterburners, flying just over a hundred feet above the ground. The facility was less than ten seconds ahead and she could already see the swarming forces on the ground. They didn’t come up on scans, but a rough estimate put their numbers at over fifty. That didn’t include all the bodies from those the marines managed to kill.
Dropping two rockets, she fired her beam weapons a moment later, cutting into the heart of their swarm. Bodies flew dozens of feet into the air, limbs and pieces missing from the explosives. The beam weapons sliced through the ranks, incinerating entire lines of the brutes. Her first pass probably took out at least twenty if not more.
Spinning around, she fired again, this time blasting at the ones nearest the stairs. Only after she fired did she realize the marines were probably taking refuge in there. Holding her breath, she felt a profound sense of relief wash over her when she missed the entrance, which would’ve likely sealed them in.
I’m going to hear about that one later. One more pass broke the monsters and they began fleeing toward the hills. Success … maybe that will keep people from complaining too much about my tactics.
Alicia’s ship shook as something caught her on the side. Glancing in that direction, she saw one of the enemy pilots coming at her, throwing random energy blasts. Swerving to the left, she invited him to chase her and he obliged, going after her at nearly full speed. That’s it, you’ll like where I’m going.
He took several more shots, but she knew he was back there now and she easily evaded each assault. “Mustang One, this is Mustang Five. Mission was a success, but I’ve got company on my six. Can you assist, over?”
“We’re on it,” Dennis said. “Maintain present speed and course.”
Alicia kept up her evasive maneuvers, feeling confident until she noticed something on the horizon, closing fast. A black and red set of clouds seemed to be blowing toward them, a volatile weather front. “Hey, do you guys see that?”
Mustang Two appeared in front of her, firing two rockets and diving. The enemy behind her went up in a ball of flames but Alicia didn’t even notice. She was fixated on the storm. Her scans indicated that the winds in it would easily take them down and that was without the lightning raging within.
“Get back to orbit,” Dennis said. “Now. Shuttles, you’d better hurry your asses up if you want to get off this rock. You’ve got maybe ten minutes to get out of here before you’re stranded.”
“We’re on it,” Jeb replied. “Thanks for clearing the ground. Our boys will appreciate it.”
Alicia climbed, jamming the throttle forward for the extra speed to achieve orbit. The others surrounded her, falling into a tight formation. They’d easily get out before the storm took them, but she had her doubts about the marines. Considering what they were facing down there and how nasty this weather was, she wondered if they would have to wait it out.
I sure as hell hope not. Those monsters looked pretty pissed. Come to think of it, they might not have broken because of me. The storm may have scared them off. That’s a terrifying thought considering how scary they were. Good luck, guys. We’ll see you back on the Gnosis soon … I hope.
***
Three of the attackers made their way into the facility and had to be engaged in close quarters. They were tough, tossing Corporal Vine all the way down the hall into the darkness. Heat blasted one in the face, shot another in the leg and kicked one in the gut hard enough to burst organs.
The wild melee lasted until the explosions erupted outside. Everyone paused for half a second to look, noting it came from one of the pilots finally providing some air support. After their first pass, the second got a little scary as they nearly took out the entrance. Those few mutants still in the hallway redoubled their violent efforts.
One lifted Heat off the ground and slammed him into the wall. He struggled to get his weapon aimed when he suddenly dropped to the floor, his opponent dead on the ground. Gorman and Vine rushed toward him and one of them must’ve shot the thing. The other marines gathered around the door.
“Sir,” Corporal Anderson said. “They’re running. They broke!”
“I doubt it’s that easy,” Heat muttered, looking outside. “Gorman, how many were chasing you?”
“A lot but they should’ve been on us by now.” Gorman looked back. “I don’t understand.”
“Look!” Kelly gestured to the horizon and Heat grunted at the sight of the storm. The clouds looked more like smoke from a toxic fire and as they rushed toward them, red lightning danced about in them.
If hell had a weather pattern, we just found it. Heat got on the com to the shuttles. “We need an immediate evac. Can you beat the storm?”
“Affirmative,” Jeb replied. “Providing you boys get on the ships immediately.”
“Grab Dorian,” Heat said. “We have to be ready.”
“I’ve got the data,” Gorman added.
“Good, you got it. What—”
“No,” Gorman interrupted. “Like … it’s on me. We didn’t have time to upload it to the ship.”
Heat sighed. “Gorman’s on the shuttle first. Everyone follow his lead.” The sound of the approaching ship caught his attention and he looked out. While the pilots had a better view of what they were dealing with, Heat didn’t feel like it was possible for them to get to the ground and return to orbit before flying through the maelstrom.
“Ten seconds.” Jeb’s calm voice finally annoyed Heat. He’d always thought
the man was dead inside, but this took it to new and impressive levels. Considering their situation, the danger they were all about to face, it would’ve been nice to have a little tension. He’d asked the pilot why he never became escalated about anything.
Jeb replied, Life’s too short to worry about how it’ll end. Not exactly poetry but it did mean he was the most relaxed individual on the ship. That didn’t translate to a lack of urgency. His ship was hauling ass down to them, flying probably way too fast. As he engaged the retro rockets, the storm was nearly upon them.
The back ramp opened and Gorman boarded immediately. Next, Kelly and Vine carried Dorians body. They loaded up the two shuttles and before the doors closed, they were climbing again. Heat looked outside and saw the clouds following them. He had to adjust to look through the window.
His scanners indicated a heightened level of static electricity, but they were only on the edge of it. The fringe winds were enough to cause massive turbulence, making the ship rattle violently. They needed to get above it, well away before they were caught up in the middle. The computer stated they’d be facing cyclones in there capable of tearing the shuttle apart.
Jeb knows this, Heat thought. He won’t slow down until we’re in orbit. The sky began to darken but whether it happened because the storm consumed them or they were reaching the upper atmosphere, Heat couldn’t tell. The ship continued shaking. The lights went out. He drew a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever might happen next.
If this is it … well … maybe we can all jump and make landfall without dying. But God knows what that storm’s dumping on the ground. The mutants didn’t want any of it. I doubt we’d fare much better.
Something hit them hard just moments before the rattling stopped completely. The jarring difference between extreme turbulence and stillness made Heat question whether or not he’d died. Looking outside, he noted they had achieved orbit. His men cheered, hooting all around him but he merely took a moment of silence.
