by SD Tanner
No one seemed to grasp her need to get back to CaliTech. She couldn’t make them understand the tech didn’t maintain itself and she needed more kit and power. Ark had told her CaliTech was under lockdown and no one was allowed to enter or leave. Amber had snuck out with Tank to get her husband and two kids, but when the Chief Executive had found out he’d almost refused to let them back inside, and if he hadn’t needed both of them he might not have. Being lowly ranked in the company, she didn’t know the Chief Executive, Duncan Liederman, but Ark assured her that he was an asshole.
“Lexie, pay attention. I need you to recon the hospital,” Ark said through her earpiece.
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“Get off the truck and move around the perimeter of the hospital with your visor on detail scan.”
Providing she looked at what Ark needed to see, they would be able zoom in on the interior of the hospital and identify where the people and the critters were. It would give the soldiers a fighting chance, and she dropped from the roof of the truck. Knowing Leon could hear what Ark had just said to her, she began to run lightly up the stairs to the hospital entrance. She could see through the walls of the building and there were plenty of critters inside. The place was a mess, and there were overturned tables and chairs scattered across the wide seating area at the front of the building.
One of the advantages of her armor and strength was she could barge through pretty much anything, and she began to run along the glass front of the hospital until it became a solid wall. Her visor had cameras able to capture anything three hundred and sixty degrees around her, plus another set of cameras capturing images above her head. The wide vision available through her helmet made it impossible to make sense of everything she was capable of seeing, which was why the shadow nav was essential. Ark would be working with the other shadow navs to analyze the images and identify targets, risks and civilians. She was basically a vaguely intelligent robot, and used to gather information other people would analyze.
Through her earpiece she heard Ark beginning to brief the combat team still secured in the trucks. “You’ve got about twenty enemies on the ground floor.”
Wanting to feel useful, she interrupted, “Critters. I call them critters.”
Ark ignored her interruption and continued, “Okay, we’re seeing some people in the middle of the ground floor. It looks like two adults and maybe six smaller bodies, which I assume are the kids.”
“What are the upper floors looking like?” Leon asked.
“We’ve got less visibility of the upper floors, so it’s harder to tell. I can get Two One to check it out if you need more detail.”
“Gee, thanks, Ark,” she replied sarcastically. For Leon’s benefit she added, “That means he’ll tell me to go to the upper floors to take a look.”
Through her radio she heard Leon having a one sided conversation. “There’s about twenty critters on the ground floor, and two adults and six kids.” Leon paused and then said, “I don’t want us going into the building without any idea what’s above us. Twenty enemy is bad enough. We haven’t got a chance of getting out alive with any more.” After a longer pause, Leon said, “Yeah, okay, I’ll tell Ark.”
She had no idea what they were planning to do, but then Leon said, “Ark, send her in and tell her to stop anymore critters coming to the ground floor.”
“Did you get that, Two One?” Ark asked.
Pleased that Leon had adopted her name for the green blobs, she asked cheekily, “Do I work for both of you idiots now?”
In unison, both Ark and Leon replied sharply, “Yes.”
The military types could be very funny when they chose to be, but when it came to who worked for who and obeying orders, they were ridiculously serious. She’d completed her circuit of the hospital, jumping walls when she needed to, and was again standing on the steps leading to the entrance. She looked up at the roof over the front steps, and figured she could probably jump onto it and smash her way into the second floor. The critters hadn’t been able to penetrate her armor, and with her hydraulics, she was probably stronger than they were. Having handled a few of them, they seemed to bend in ways that a human shouldn’t, but they didn’t survive having their limbs and heads torn off.
Using the power of her hydraulic knee joints, she launched from a standing position to a beam attached to the overhanging roof. Learning how to move in the gear hadn’t been easy, but it came naturally to her now. It required a combination of using her muscles, and then relying on the hydraulics to add to her movement. It meant she could run faster and leap higher than was naturally possible. From her vantage point on the roof, she scanned the interior of the second floor of the building. Leon was right to worry about the critters on the upper floors. There were at least another fifty on the second level, and they were moving sluggishly around the rooms.
“There are two entrances to the ground floor. One is at the back and I think they can secure that one. The other one is the main stairwell to the reception area. You’ll need to stop anything from getting down those stairs,” Ark informed her.
“Maybe she can draw the critters on the ground floor to the next level.” Leon suggested.
“That’s a better idea,” Ark replied. “Two One, go through the front entrance on the ground floor. Once they’re on your tail you can lead them upstairs.”
“She’ll need to be careful they don’t overwhelm her,” Leon said.
It was nice someone was considering her welfare and she replied, “Thank you, Leon. I’m glad someone cares about my ass.”
“I care about your ass, Two One, it’s a nice ass and I’d hate to lose it,” Ark replied cheekily.
“I hate both of you,” she replied, as she dropped from the roof over the entrance and prepared to enter the glass doors.
The wide glass doors should have opened automatically, but clearly the power was off. Wedging her thick gloves in the crack between the doors, she easily pushed them open. She was met by another set of identical glass doors and opened those next. The generous foyer was filled with rows of chairs bolted to the floor and a large reception desk. Her movement had attracted the attention of the critters, and they were already moving towards her. One hurtled down a corridor and then ran across the floor in her direction. It was quickly joined by more green blobs charging at her position. Through her visor she could see some of the critters hadn’t reacted to her entrance, and she began to run towards a corridor leading to them.
Making as much noise as she could, there were now a dozen or more critters on her tail. Her helmet muted most sound, but the high-pitched screeching penetrated her earpieces.
“Head for the main stairs,” Ark ordered.
Running the circuit of corridors, she barged back into the reception area and began to run up the stairs. More critters from the second floor were already making their way down the stairs, and she grabbed several by the throat, smashing their heads into the stairs. The critters were tough, but even they didn’t survive the impact of having their heads crushed on impact. As soon as they were killed, their bodies lost any sign of life, and her visor saw them as inanimate objects. At least fifteen of the critters were following her up the stairs, and she assumed the squad would be entering the hospital, but she didn’t have time to use the detail scan on her visor to find out.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she found herself the focus of the attention of a large number of critters. At least ten of them were heading down the corridor towards her, and she aggressively leapt forward.
“That’s good, Two One, but not too fast, they need to keep up with you,” Ark said calmly.
Her instinct was to run like maniac down the long corridor, but she slowed her pace. “Easy for you to say.”
“You’re doing fine,” Ark replied steadily. “I can see some more people in the rooms on this floor and above. We’ll get them later.”
“How?”
“We’ll get who we can get and then reconvene.”
A cluster of green blobs appeared in front of her, but there were so many she couldn’t tell how many critters there were. Her visor filled with green and she threw her arms around wildly. Her guns were less than .50-cal and firing at them wouldn’t do her any good. Grunting with the effort, she continued to bash wildly at the green light that was filling her vision.
“Stay close to the stairs, Two One, you need to stop them from getting down there.”
Continuing to punch wildly, she clutched at anything she could get her hands around. She had something in her hand, and she jerked sharply, hoping to tear the limb from its owner. Feeling it come loose, she dropped it and punched out again. Through her thick armor, she could feel the pressure of the bodies against her. Crouching low, she burst upwards, allowing herself to spring into the air and then drop again much like a wrestler. Her weight, combined with gravity, crushed the critters she landed on.
Through her earpiece, she could hear Ark talking to the squad, but she was too busy attacking the green blobs around her to listen. He would tell her when to leave, and in the meantime she would just have to survive. More weight continued to press against her and she was starting to feel overwhelmed. Talking to her onboard computer, she said curtly, “Air.”. Her order would release oxygen into her helmet to boost her flagging energy. If she fainted the critters would crush her, and she was relying on the oxygen to keep her alert.
She didn’t stop moving and ripping at the critters that were now on every side of her. Her breath was becoming ragged and she was feeling slightly dizzy with the continuous effort. The critters weren’t giving up, but neither was she. Ark was clearly monitoring her condition and said, “We need to pull Two One out. There’s too many of them. She can’t maintain the pace.”
“Lexie, get out!” Leon called.
Quickly moving to top of the stairs, her vision briefly cleared, and she saw a group of people running towards the main entrance. The critters would follow her if she went down the stairs, and there was no way they could get out of the building fast enough before they would be on top of them. She needed to lead them away from the escaping people.
There was another large room to her right. The door was closed, but she assumed it would give if she hit it hard enough. Using her shoulder to barge through the door, it crashed open and she ran across the room, heading for a window on the far right of the building. The critters seemed to be excited by the chase, and they followed her into the room. She could run faster than the critters, but she wanted them on her tail and slowed slightly so they could keep up. The window was looming in her visor, and on the other side were rows of parked cars. If she crashed through the window, she would drop two floors onto the roof of a car. Although the armor protected her from bullets and the hydraulics gave her strength, she could still injure herself if she landed badly.
The cameras could be damaged more readily than the rest of her, and she’d been taught not to use her helmet like a battering ram. Leaping the last five feet at the window, she twisted her body so her shoulder armor took the brunt of crashing through the glass. Flying through the air, she tried to keep body twisted to land on her side. Her shoulder hit the roof of a car, and she tipped herself onto her back, skidding from the roof and onto the trunk of the vehicle. Backflipping untidily, she felt critters thud against her body, as they followed her course out of the hospital. Some of the critters had clearly landed badly, but others were already stumbling to their feet.
The critters were obviously pretty stupid. They’d followed her out of the hospital completely unaware they would fall, possibly to their deaths. The realization gave her and idea and she said, “I’m going back in.”
“Two One, report back to the trucks,” Ark said sternly.
“I’m going to run through every level and lead the critters to the roof.”
“I like it,” Leon said. “We’ll head upstairs and grab anyone left alive.”
“Nice plan, Leon, but how does Two One get down from the roof?” Ark asked. “There’s a limit to how many critters she can deal with.”
“I’ll climb down.”
“You’ll break your legs if you fall.”
While she continued to argue with Ark, she was already making her way up the stairs towards the second level. Flicking her lower face helmet up, she began to hoot loudly. The sound of her voice was attracting the critters, and she continued to climb the stairs to the next level.
Through her mike she heard Leon shouting, “Go! Go! Go!”
Her visor was filling with green again and she shouted, “Ark, I can’t see!”
“Straight ahead, Two One.”
His steady voice guided her to climb one set of stairs after another. Bodies were pressing against her, and she used the maximum strength on her hydraulics to push through them. It was like walking through treacle, and her body was being pushed from all directions, effectively holding her in position. Her power was dropping rapidly, and she felt a familiar surge of panic.
“Last set of stairs, Two One. Keep fighting. There’s a door in front of you.”
Her heavily gloved hands felt the door, and she used her full strength to push against it. The door snapped open and she burst onto the roof of the building. There were no critters in front of her, and her vision cleared. The roof had a number of outlined boxes, and she ran forward hoping to find a way down. Critters were following her, and she stood on the edge of the roof desperately looking for a way to escape. During her training, they’d taught her how to make her way down a flat surface using ropes, but she didn’t have any now. The critters had followed her onto the roof, and they were forming an impenetrable wall behind her. As they surged forward, they would push her over the ledge. Realizing she would have to improvise, she dropped from the wall, relying on the hydraulics in her gloves to hold onto the ledge with her hands. Critters were stupidly following her, and were falling the five floors to the ground.
“Let go,” Ark said sharply.
“Are freaking serious?” She asked in alarm.
“Grab anything you can as you slide. It’ll slow you down.”
“That’s your plan?” She asked in disbelief.
“No, Two One, this was your plan. You really shouldn’t be allowed out on your own, but you’re here now, so let go.”
“Do it, Lexie,” Leon said. “You’ve got no other choice.”
“I hate both of you,” she said grimly as she let go of the ledge.
Her body slid down the wall, and she pushed her hands against it hoping to find anything she could hold onto. She could feel the toes of her boots riding over bumps against the wall. When her fingers felt anything, she bent them sharply and her descent was slowed, but she was still gaining speed. Her body began to pull away from the wall, and hoping she was now only three floors from the ground, she kicked fiercely against it. The kick pushed her away from the wall and she was flying through the air. She had no idea what she would land on, and twisted her body so her shoulder would take the impact. Landing with a loud crunch, she was sure she’d broken something in her hydraulics, and she skidded on what turned out to be grass. Rolling herself onto her back, she held her arms and legs above the ground until she stopped.
“You okay?” Leon asked worriedly.
Warning signals were flashing on her visor, and it seemed her onboard computer was very upset with her. Nothing hurt, but something was definitely very broken.
“Yeah, but I think I just wrecked my gear.”
Struggling to stand, she realized her left arm hydraulics weren’t working anymore. Staggering to her feet, she began to stumble towards the trucks.
“Hurry up, Lexie, we gotta go,” Leon called.
Her hydraulics weren’t responding properly. “I don’t think I can run.”
She limped over to the truck and the doors opened. A number of cars filled with people were driving in a line between the two armored trucks, and she assumed the squad had successfully retrieved anyone left alive in the hospital. Hands
pulled her into the truck and she collapsed onto the floor. As the truck began to move, someone pulled her helmet from her face and she heard Leon speak.
“That was pretty stupid, Lexie. Awesome, but stupid.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: No place to run (Leon)
Compared to the fight in the hospital, the trip back to the base was uneventful. They were protecting ten cars with as many civilians as they could transport, and they couldn’t stop to help anyone else. The city was a disaster. Some buildings were burning, people were trapped inside others, and the critters were everywhere. Even with Lexie acting as bait to lure the critters to the second floor, they’d used a lot of ammo rescuing the people from the hospital. The critters didn’t die easily, and he wanted to get back to the relative safety of the base. He was worried about Amelia and his unborn son. She was in Seattle, some fifteen hundred miles from where he was now, and it was more than possible they were both dead. A numbness was settling over him, and he didn’t know whether he was in shock, or simply too tired to feel anything.
The last time he’d slept was on the flight to the previous base, but it wasn’t quality sleep. He could barely remember the last time he’d had a hot meal. They hadn’t stopped moving from the moment Lexie had found them about to be executed in the desert. The time zone changes were confusing him, and he couldn’t remember if it had been three or four days ago. Touching the now dirty bandage on his neck, he prodded the cut to assess how well it was healing.
Watching him poke at his wound, Donna said, “You should change that.”
He didn’t reply, but followed her into the briefing room with Trigger, Tuck, Lexie and several troopers he didn’t know. The civilians they’d rescued had disappeared into the crowd of people now hanging around the base, and the doctor, who’d introduced himself as Dayton, had joined them in the meeting room. When he walked in, Bill and Jo were staring at a map on the wall, and they turned to watch them file into the room. Still dressed in his fatigues and armor, Bill cut a straight-backed, stocky shape, and judging by his salt and pepper hair and deeply lined face, he guessed the man was in his late forties. With his hand still pointing at a location on the map, he noted it had the squared look and stubby fingers of someone who’d done a lot of manual work. Despite his solid muscular look, he thought he could detect the slight swell of a paunch under the man’s body armor. As was typical of many senior officers, Bill had clearly once been very fit, but was now sliding into middle age.
