“There’s only the cutter and tread section left.”
“There is a MECH and space suit in the aft cargo hold. You can use that to make your escape,” the Jake-clone offered.
“Okay, move out!” Tucker ordered, then handed Dillan his rail gun and two grenades. “You’ll need these.”
“Okay,” Dillan nervously answered, grabbing the weapon. “But I’m not a fighter, Sir.”
“Well, you are now.”
“Just get us out of here, Sir.”
The four cautiously moved through the alien complex, headed toward the exit to the CSMO. Tucker kept the rear, Dillan in the middle and the two clones led the way. They covered each other at every crossroad within the complex.
Suddenly the two clones froze momentarily, and then turned to Tucker, “They are advancing on our location,” the Jake-clone concluded.
“They have cut us off from this exit,” the Darrell-clone added.
“We’ll have to fight our way out,” Tucker nodded.
“Very well, we shall continue.”
“Just know that they are surrounding us.”
“Then the sooner we get to the exit point, and punch through...”
Tucker was interrupted by alien weapons fire from their rear. He turned, landed on one knee and took aim. Then he opened fire on the advancing hoard of cyborg clones.
“Go!” he shouted, “Get out of here. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can.”
“You will be captured, Colonel,” the Jake-clone answered.
“Just get Dillan to the MECH! You know how to drive that thing?” Tucker asked, picking off as many clones as possible with the alien weapon.
Dillan turned and joined Tucker on his knee, then began firing rounds, “I can drive the MECH, Sir. But I ain’t leaving you behind!”
The two continued to fire at the still advancing clones, when three additional Keeper clones integrated within the midst of the approaching clone army.
The attacking clones were forced to break off their attack to protect themselves from the Keepers.
“Come on!” the Darrell-clone insisted, “The other Keepers have bought us some time!”
Tucker looked on in amazement, then stopped shooting, “Yep, I think we’ve about used up our welcome here.”
They high-tailed it toward the alien complex exit, leaving the warring clone armies behind.
A few minutes later, they came within a few meters from the alien complex exit. It was guarded by three clones that immediately opened fire on them.
They ducked behind a corridor, “So, what’s your plan, Colonel?” Dillan asked.
“Plan? I don’t have plans. I just make it up as I go.”
“Okay, so, what should we do now?”
“Alright,” Tucker nodded. “Take out all your grenades, but don’t pull the pins.”
“Here,” Dillan offered them to Tucker.
“No, hold on to them,” Tucker answered, grabbing the rest of his three grenades, “Now, on three, we’re going to lob them all at their feet. When they put up the shield to protect them, shoot at their heads.”
“Okay, Colonel. That sounds like a good plan to me.”
“Well, it’s the only thing we have...okay? Here we go,” Tucker whispered, “One...two...three!”
They tossed the five grenades at the guarding clone’s feet. They looked down in a panic and raised a shield to protect them. Then the four leaned around the corner, firing all their weapons. The clones dropped to the ground being riddled with rail gun shot and burn marks from the alien weapons.
“You two go on ahead,” the Jake clone instructed.
“We will hold this position so you can make your escape,” the Darrell-clone said.
They took a stance with their forearm weapons pointed down the alien complex corridor.
“Come on, Dillan, you first.”
Dillan got on his stomach and crawled through the opening, and then Tucker turned to the two clones and offered his hand. The Keeper clones accepted his hand and they shook.
“Thank you for all your help.”
“You are not out yet.”
“You can thank us once you are on your ship.”
Tucker got down on his back and slid himself though the entrance. Then he stood and handed Dillan his two grenades plus one of his.
“Now, we’ll rig this entrance up so that if any of them try to enter, these ‘nades will go off. That might buy us a few more minutes.”
Tucker quickly set a grenade at each corner of the opening. He found some twine on the floor and tied them to the pins and opening.
“There! That should do it.”
“Come on, Colonel. The MECH is at the farthest aft cargo bay.”
“Okay,” Tucker answered, as they began to run aft, “You climb inside the MECH and I’ll put on a suit.”
“Colonel, Salvage-5, is that you, Tucker?” Sam asked via the wireless.
“Sam! Good to hear your voice again. Did I miss much?”
“Cass is down below on the CSMO, clearing the ship of any clones.”
“Did you find any?”
“Not yet. She’s almost done with securing the ship.”
“Good. We plan on joining you all in a few minutes. Dillan will be taking a MECH with me tethered. Once he blows the hatch, well fly up to the main CSMO. Then once she gives the all clear, you land and we’ll plot our course back to 253 Mathilde.”
“Sounds good, Commander...Salvage-5 out.”
Reaching the aft cargo bay, Dillan punched in the code to open the door.
They cautiously moved into the cargo bay, “The MECH is right over there.” Dillan shouted, pointing at the MECH bay.
The two raced over to the MECH. Tucker pulled a suit and helmet from one of the lockers near the MECH. He had just started suiting up when they heard two explosions.
“Hurry on up there, Dillan. Get strapped in, we don’t have much time left now.”
“Those were the surprise grenades, weren’t they?”
“That would be an affirmative, now climb up there, I’m hooking my tether now.”
Dillan scaled the MECH and climbed in where he strapped in and turned on the mechanical lifter.
Tucker threw on his helmet and pressurized his suit, “Do you copy me, Dillan?”
“I copy, Commander,” Dillan answered through his wireless.
The main cargo bay door was forced open, giving way to another hoard of cyborg clones rushing to stop them from escaping.
Tucker opened fire on the clones with his alien weapon, “Blow the hatch, Dillan! They’ll be sucked out into space!”
Dillan obeyed his orders and punched in the code, causing the top hatch of the lower CSMO to blow out into space. The rush of wind took Tucker by surprise as the cyborg clones were pulled closer.
Dillan fired the MECH’s thrusters and took off, pulling Tucker along with a tug. He continued to fire his weapon, missing most of the clones. However, the vacuum of space was not as forgiving to the first clones.
Other clones adapted by growing an environmental suit over their bodies and continued to fire at the MECH and the trailing Tucker.
The MECH, with Tucker in tow, rose out of the cargo bay of the lower CSMO. Clones began to gain on the MECH when two missiles shot past them, striking the section where they exited. The resulting explosion destroyed the remaining attacking clones, with the exception of one.
This last cyborg clone reached Tucker’s foot and latched on. He kicked the best he could, but was unsuccessful in removing him. Dillan noticed Tucker struggling and moved one of his mechanical arms to the clone and grabbed it by the collar.
Plucking it off from Tucker, Dillan fired his .50 caliber round through the clone’s head, but just as its grown helmet flew apart, a piece of shrapnel holed Tucker’s space suit.
Sam flew Salvage-5 around after firing the missiles, “Thought you might need a hand, Commander.”
“Thanks,” Tucker answered, “I’m losing air! Dillan,
dock us with the S-5...anytime before I run out of air would be good.”
“Yes, sir, Commander.”
“Don’t worry, Commander,” Sam added, “I’m coming around and aligning with the MECH...Dillan, do you have us on your scope?”
“Roger that, I’m entering the MECH bay from below in ten seconds.”
There was silence from Tucker. No response. No acknowledgement, and no wisecracks, which deeply concerned Sam.
“Dillan!” Sam instructed, “Get locked down and I’ll pressurize the MECH bay...Buster, Slavena, get back there and help Tucker get his helmet off.”
“I’m on it!” Buster answered, nodding over at Slavena. She was already headed to the cargo bay to open the hatch as soon as Sam had pressurized.
The MECH bay closed. Sam hit the pressurize command and opened the interior hatch to the Salvage-5’s cargo bay.
Slavena and Buster pushed off, floating back to the aft section. They reached Tucker and removed his tether, then turned him over and opened the latch on his helmet.
Tucker’s lifeless body floated in the cargo bay, his eyes closed, and he apparently was not breathing.
“Ve need a med-kit! STAT!” Slavena shouted.
* * *
Chapter 19
Salvage-5
Location:
Kuiper Belt - Asteroid 52 Europa
Earth Date: 04/16/2065 15:50
As Slavena struggled to remove Tucker’s suit, his stiff body floated uncontrollably until Buster returned with the med-kit and a portable defibrillator.
Buster opened the kit and removed a syringe, loaded a dose of epinephrine and plunged it into Tucker’s chest cavity.
Shocked by the lack of response that needle had, it worried the two as Slavena hooked up the pads and charged the defibrillator.
“Talk to me, guys!” Sam shouted through her wireless, “What’s going on back there?”
“Tucker has no heart rate and he’s suffered exposure where his suit was torn,” Buster reported. “I administered a five milliliter intracardiac epinephrine injection. Slavena has charged the defibrillator to 120 joules. He’s not breathing either, so I’m bagging him.”
“Clear!” Slavena shouted.
Buster moved away from Tucker, as Slavena punched the first shock into his heart.
Dillan climbed out from the MECH, grateful for the sacrifice the Colonel had made in his rescue.
“How’d you know how to do this stuff?” Dillan asked.
“I studied pre-med when I was thirteen.”
“I see...”
“Again!” Buster ordered.
Slavena shouted, “Clear!”
The voltage ripped through Tucker once more causing his body to convulse, jump-starting his heart.
“Checking for pulse,” Buster said, pressing his first two fingers on the side of his neck. “I’ve got a weak pulse and he’s breathing on his own now.”
“Excellent!” Sam exclaimed with glee. “CSMO, Salvage-5...Hargrove, do you copy?”
“Hargrove here,” Sam heard, via the wireless. “What’s going on up there?”
“Looks like Tucker had a run in with the natives,” Sam answered. She turned the ship, steering into position for docking, “Open the bay doors! We’re landing with a medical emergency.”
“Rodger that, Captain. Rolling the doors open now. Major Phillips, Sergeant Samuels? How are you coming on the lower decks? Do we have an all clear?”
“Hargrove, Cass here. So far no sightings...wait...Samuels just gave me the hold sign. I think he heard something...stand by.”
Cassie pointed her rail-gun in the air as Samuels entered the last cargo bay on the main structure. She quickly rounded the corner, covering Samuels as they both scanned the room.
“There it is again!” Samuels whispered.
“Over there,” Cassie pointed with the gun’s muzzle.
Samuels cautiously inspected the room around the secured crates of supplies. Cassie taking up the rear, continued to check behind her when a shadow figure stepped out before Samuels.
Sam lowered the salvage ship into the CSMO landing bay, “Prepare for gravitational field in 3...2...1...skids down and locked. Powering down engines,” Samuels reported, “Hargrove, roll these damn doors closed and get us some help down here.”
“Hodges, O'Reilly, head to the landing bay and assist them with whatever they need.”
“Aye, Lieutenant. Come on, Captain,” O’Reilly motioned, “I’ll go help them move the Colonel, you go and get the med bay fired up,” the two left the command center and headed out, each in their separate destinations.
The CSMO, was still within the gravity well of the asteroid, which caused Tucker to gently settle to the deck.
“He’s still in a bad way,” Buster said, continuing to check his vital signs.
The cargo doors lowered, exposing the landing bay of the CSMO.
O’Reilly quickly ran up the ramp and introduced himself as pilot of the crashed UTC Liberator, “My Commander, Captain Hodges, is prepping the medical bay. Come on let’s get him moved.”
“Umm, Hargrove?” Cass asked through the wireless.
“Cass, what’s happening?”
“We’ve got a slight situation down here.”
“How many? I’m on my way with more weapons.”
Cass stood, staring at the man standing in the cargo bay, his hands out in a submissive posture. Samuels and Cass trained their weapons, “It’s okay, Hargrove. Stand down; situation is under control...I think...”
“Explain,” Hargrove asked, continuing to make his way to the emergency weapons locker on the command deck.
“This one says he’s a Keeper? Says he knows about Tucker’s injury, and is here to assist us...can someone tell me what the hell’s going on up there?”
Dillan, hearing the conversation through Slavena’s headset, reached over and grabbed it off her head, “Dillan here, the Keepers are part of a virus program that Calvin Jones created. They helped Tucker and I escape. If it says it’s a keeper, I’d let it help; Tucker’s in a bad way...we’re taking him to the med bay now. Meet us there.”
Cass motioned with her gun in the direction she wanted him to go, “Move it.”
“Take it easy,” the man said coming out from the shadows, “Don’t you recognize me?”
“G...Gus?” Cass asked in shock.
“Yes, it’s the DNA pattern you are familiar with as Gus. However, the virus program discovered that there was a need, and the Keeper routine downloaded into this clone body. I hid inside this cargo bay in hopes to find the opportunity to overcome this crew before separation. As a Vanguard, my primary mission was to capture you, and add your patterns to this Noosphere’s core.”
“What’s a Keeper?” Samuels asked, as they moved to the upper deck medical bay.
“The Dillan subject is correct; we are here to help mankind. That is what the virus program did when it was introduced.”
“Let me guess, that’s when you were transmitted to this second complex.”
“Yes, Sergeant, you are correct. Now the Keeper routine finds clone candidates to enter. It just so happens that I was the most logical candidate.”
“And you say we have nothing to worry about? What if this Vanguard part of your programming takes over?”
“Once we have been changed into Keepers, we are not able to change back. Our only conclusion is termination.”
“You make it sound so...cold,” Cass said.
“Make no mistake, we are programmed with self-preservation. We do feel, and have emotions just as humankind.”
“But you’re clones.”
“We are in fact cloned from the patterns from the other missions.”
“Can you detect any other clones on this section of the CSMO?” Cass asked, not letting her guard down by continuing to train her weapon at the back of the Gus-clone.
“Negative. I am the only clone on this ship. However, if you do not depart this system soon, the Vanguard will infi
ltrate this ship and take you over. The Keepers are a limited faction. We cannot guarantee your safety if you remain.”
“Hargrove, I need you to fire up your mains and get us underway. Plot our course back to 253 Mathilde, ASAP!” Cass ordered over the wireless.
“Hargrove here, copy that...beginning engine prep now,” Hargrove acknowledged with cadence. “NAV Check: Navigational gyros engaged, preparing to leave orbital sequence. Course set and verified. Engaging thrusters to full speed, 45,000 KPH. Turning course: Jump Ring 253 Mathilde.”
The ships navigation scanner began to display a large ping bearing down on the CSMO, “We’ve got company at 16:10 hours. Looks like our Russian friends have found us...Samuels, I’m going to need you up here at tactical. They’re inbound at 60,000 KPH, ETA is five minutes.”
“Samuels here. Did we hear right?”
“That’s a big affirmative, Sarge. Get up here now!”
“We just dropped the Colonel off at the medical bay. Looks like Buster’s got things under control...I don’t know how, but I’ve given up asking,” Samuels said. He shook his head in amazement as he made his way forward to the CSMO’s command center.
“Now detecting radiological devices online.”
“Great!” Samuels cursed under his breath. “They got live nukes and I’ll bet they’re not all too happy with us right about now.”
“What’s Tucker’s condition?” Hargrove asked, maneuvering the CSMO from the approaching Falcon.
“The Colonel is stable for now,” Buster reported, “but he’s still unconscious.”
“Good that he’s stable,” Hargrove answered, “’cause I think it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Samuels floated the rest of the way to his station now that they moved away from the gravity well of the asteroid, “Sarge, man any gun batteries you can bring online. These engines were damaged on impact. They repaired the thrusters, but I can’t get the full 45,000 KPH out of these babies.”
“What’s their new ETA?” Samuels asked, flipping switches, bringing up the ship’s limited weapons systems.
“5,000 Kilometers out. Our current speed is 25,000 KPH, which means they’re gaining at 35,000 and they’ll now catch us in eight.”
“Looks like they’ll have targeting solution in six,” Samuels calculated.
Salvage-5: The Next Mission (First Contact) Page 19
