“Power up the chain gun,” said Tarina to Wendy as she looked at the picture sent back by the drone on her computer screen. A large mass was moving quickly through the woods to the south of the LZ.
Tarina reached down and pressed a button on her console. “Ghost Four, this is Ghost Six-Alpha, there is a hostile force two hundred meters from the LZ and it’s closing in fast.”
“Roger that. We have them spotted on our tracker,” replied Second Lieutenant Kadina.
“Keep your people’s heads down. I’m going to light up the wood line with the chain gun the instant they arrive.”
“Will do and good shooting.”
Wendy swung the forty millimeter chain gun around and aimed it at the edge of the woods. She placed the gun’s reticle on the middle of a trail and waited.
“Fifty meters and closing,” reported Tarina.
“Who the hell is out there?” asked Wendy. Her voice was tense.
“I don’t know, but I doubt they’re overly friendly. Fifteen meters and closing.”
A lone figure ran out of the woods brandishing a sword in his hand. Wendy depressed the fire button, activating the chain gun. A short burst hit the man in his chest, ripping him to pieces. A second later, like a dam breaking, hundreds of people broke from the woods and charged toward the ship. Wendy turned the gun to automatic and let the computer control the rate of fire.
“My God,” said Tarina as she watched the horrible spectacle on her computer screen. Row after row of attackers were mercilessly cut down before they could get more than a couple of dozen paces from the woods. Before long, a rampart began to form made from the dead and dying attackers.
“It looks like they’ve had enough,” proclaimed Wendy as the chain gun went silent.
Tarina shook her head. It was as if their assailants had no fear of death. There were, at least, a hundred bloody and mangled corpses lying in the open. She looked over at her friend. “What’s our ammo supply look like?”
“Not good. We’re in a transport vessel, not a fighting ship. This is a gun designed for self-defense only. We’ve gone through more than half of our ammo supply.”
“Do we have any more in the hold?”
Wendy shook her head. “What we’ve got loaded in the gun is all we have.”
“Let’s hope whoever it is doesn’t come back,” said Tarina. She looked down at her monitor and brought up the live feed from the UAV. Her stomach dropped when she saw another large mass appear as if out of thin air and move toward the camp.
Sheridan pressed his mic. “Ghost Two, this is Ghost Six, send sitrep, over.”
As before, there was only silence in Sheridan’s earpiece.
“Sir, he may be unable to respond anymore,” said Cole. He handed Sheridan a small tablet. On it was the feed from a UAV hovering over Two Platoon’s location. There was just a large thermal blob covering the hill.
“Jesus, what could have overrun them so quickly?”
“I don’t know, sir, but the LZ has been hit and another group of these bastards is less than four hundred meters away and running as fast as it can to kill us.”
Sheridan spoke on his radio. “All stations, this is Ghost Six, it looks like Ghost Two has been overrun. Hunker down where you are and don’t let whoever is attacking us by you.”
“I have an idea,” said Cole. He keyed his mic. “Ghost Five, this is Cole, have your UAV operators turn their controls from passive to active and do the same with all of the heavy weapons. As soon as the arming lights on the side of the weapons turn from green to red, switch all of your guns to automatic and let the UAVs targeting computers control the fire.”
“Wilco,” reported Jones.
The sound of several chain guns firing at the rushing mass sounded like an industrial saw cutting through the air. Seconds later, the dull crump of grenades fired by the automatic grenade launchers added to the cacophony of noise.
Sheridan and Cole looked into the snow blowing in their faces and watched as the grenade explosions grew closer.
“My God, how many of them are there?” said Sheridan.
“There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of them coming our way,” said Cole as he turned his rifle to full auto.
To their left, small-arms fire erupted from some of Lowassa’s men.
Sheridan felt himself becoming angry. His people were locked in a fight to the death with an enemy he had yet to lay eyes on.
Cole tapped Sheridan on the shoulder. “Sir, we should set up a temporary headquarters in the building behind us.”
“Lead on,” replied Sheridan.
No sooner had they barred the doors to the one-story home when a howling mob of assailants covered in dirt and blood rushed the house. Some of Corporal Kolben’s men opened fire from an open window and shot down all of the attackers. One of the crazed assailants fell to the ground with a gaping wound blasted into his side only a couple of meters from the front door. As he crawled forward, he left a crimson streak of blood in the snow.
Sheridan looked out and saw the crazed look in the man’s bloodshot eyes as he dragged himself toward the house. His blood turned ice cold when he saw that the man’s arms had been replaced by robotics.
A shot rang out. Sheridan turned his head to see Cole lowering his rifle.
“I guess we now know what the Kurgs were up to,” said Cole.
“It’s beyond comprehension that they would have conducted bioengineering experiments on those poor souls.”
“Not just that. These people are without fear. They’ve probably also had their brains altered through the use of drugs.”
From the back of the house, more gunfire broke out as a couple of the assailants tried to force their way inside.
A voice spoke in Sheridan’s earpiece. It was Tarina. “Ghost Six, do you need immediate evac?”
“Negative,” he replied. “It’s too hot out here right now. We’d never get to the ship before being overrun. Stay where you are for now.”
“Roger that. Good luck, Ghost Six.”
“You too, out.”
“I guess we’re going to have to stick it out in here for now,” said Cole.
“Looks that way,” said Sheridan. “Let’s hope we don’t run out of ammunition before they run out of people.”
31
Komada watched the steam rise from the barrels of the chain guns as the falling snow melted the instant it landed on the red-hot barrels. He bent down and checked the status counter on the weapon and shook his head. It had already eaten up eighty percent of its ammunition. At the rate they were firing, the guns would all fall silent in the next couple of minutes.
He stood and faced Ensign Jones. She had a worried look on her face. He said, “Ma’am, we’re running low on ammunition.”
“I know,” she replied. “I sent a squad back to the ship to get more ammo, but they haven't returned.”
“If the guns run out of ammunition, we’ll be vulnerable to attack ourselves. Might I suggest that we either make our way back to the ship or try and join our comrades in the base?”
Jones looked at the ammunition counters racing down toward zero. “I told those soldiers to come right back with the ammo. Where could they be?”
“Ma’am, they either got lost or are dead. Either way, we need to think about what we’re going to do next.”
One by one, the guns fell silent.
“Ma’am, I’ve picked up a new target heading our way,” said the redheaded soldier to Jones.
Jones stood fixed in place, staring straight ahead.
“Where is it?” asked Komada.
“To the south of us,” replied the soldier. “It’s a big signature and is now perhaps only four to five hundred meters away.”
“Everyone, abandon the heavy weapons and follow me!” shouted Komada as he turned on his heel and ran for the woods behind the hill.
Some soldiers listened while others stayed at their positions looking to Jones to give an order. It was one that would never come.
Komada ran for his life. Halfway down the hill, he tripped on a rock and tumbled headfirst the rest of the way down. Dazed, he rolled over and looked back up at the ridgeline. Through the blizzard, he could just make out a ravenous mob of people running from one group of hapless soldiers to another, attacking and killing them. He never saw Ensign Jones fall from a sword strike across her chest, cutting her open.
The redheaded soldier stopped running and held out her hand. “Hurry up and get on your feet before they see us and come after us.”
Komada took the hand and got to his feet. His ribs hurt but thankfully that seemed to be the extent of his injuries. They ran into the woods and kept going until they caught up with half a dozen other soldiers, all of whom looked frightened out of their minds.
“I don’t think they saw us,” said the redheaded soldier.
“You don’t speak very much Kurgan, do you?’ asked Komada.
“No, not much,” she replied.
“What is your name?”
“Private Jane Fitzgerald.”
Komada offered his hand in greeting. “Well, Private Jane Fitzgerald, my name is Komada.”
Fitzgerald shook it. She looked over at the former deserters and noticed only one of them had bothered to pick up their rifle when they fled down the hill. She said, “So, who’s in charge now?”
“I’ve renounced my rank, and those terrified souls huddled together aren’t going to volunteer, so I guess you are, Private Fitzgerald.”
“Me? I’ve been in the Army for less than a year. I’ve never attended any leadership training.”
“Be that as it may, you’re in charge now. What do you want us to do?”
Fitzgerald took one look at a trail leading away from the hill and toward the ship and said, “We’re going that way.” She took the lead while Komada shepherded his followers behind her.
They had walked for less than a few hundred meters when they heard the distinct sound of a chain gun firing. Fitzgerald raised her hand and stared down the narrow path. Up ahead was the LZ. Something gnawed at her innards telling her to stop and find another way to the ship. She looked over her shoulder and saw a game path heading to the north and away from the firing.
She waved at her people to follow her. “I think this is a safer path to take.”
Komada translated for her. With less-than-enthusiastic looks on their faces, the soldiers trudged after Fitzgerald. In the near whiteout conditions, their tracks were soon buried. It was as if they had never been there.
“Tarina, we’re starting to run low,” announced Wendy as the ammo counter on her console dropped to less than a thousand rounds.
“There’s no sign they’re going to turn back,” said Tarina. On her computer screen, rows of dead and dying mutants told her they weren’t going to give in this time.
“And we’re dry,” said Wendy, reaching for her rifle.
An uncomfortable silence gripped the cockpit.
Tarina looked over at Wendy. “I know Michael told us to stay here, but if we do, I’m afraid that we’ll lose the ship.”
The sound of Kadina’s platoon firing on the hordes of assailants came over the ship’s intercom. Somehow, Kadina had jammed his radio on permanent send. Every word he said came over the vessel’s speakers. “Fall back . . . fall back. Make for the ship!” yelled Kadina, desperate to save what he could of his platoon from annihilation.
“Get the ship ready for takeoff,” said Wendy, climbing out of her seat. “I’ll keep the side door open as long as I can.”
Tarina nodded and activated the ship’s engines. It would take her three minutes to bring the engines online. She prayed they had that much time left to them.
At the side entrance, Wendy unslung her rifle and flipped off the safety. She could hear the terrible sounds of people fighting only a few dozen meters away but couldn’t see a thing.
“Run,” screamed Wendy at the top of her lungs when she saw a couple soldiers emerge out of the falling snow. When they saw her, they thought they were safe. The soldiers dropped their rifles and clawed at their combat gear, trying to lighten the load on the bodies.
With a loud beast-like cry, four mutants emerged out of the snow and grabbed the soldiers. They slashed at them with their swords and axes before pulling them to the ground to finish them off.
“No!” cried Wendy. In a fit of rage, she brought up her rifle and fired off a long burst into the attackers. She held back the trigger of her weapon until all four mutants were dead.
Outside the firing began to die down and then stopped. The only sound came from the attackers howling and crying out to one another.
“How’s it going back there?” asked Tarina over the ship’s speakers.
“I don’t think anyone made it,” replied Wendy. Her voice cracked. Tears filled her eyes.
“Okay, seal the door and get your butt back up here.”
Before Wendy could press a button to close the door, a mechanical hand reached down from the top of the ship, took a hold of her jacket hood, and lifted her off her feet. She screamed in fright as her legs flailed in the air. Adrenaline shot through her veins. Her attacker yanked hard on her collar, strangling her. With her heart racing, Wendy dropped her rifle, reached up, and tried to break the viselike grip of her attacker before she blacked out. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t break free from the mutant’s hold on her. She knew there was only one thing she could do and rushed to unzip her jacket. Wendy opened her coat and dropped to her feet.
With an angry growl, the mutant let go of the empty jacket, swung down from the top of the ship, and landed inside the crew compartment.
Wendy scrambled backward and drew a knife from her belt. It was then that she got her first good look at her assailant. It was a woman in her early twenties with long, unkempt black hair. Her right arm had been replaced. The woman’s eyes were glassy. She bared her sharpened teeth at Wendy before swinging her robotic arm at her head.
Wendy saw the move coming and jumped back. The assailant’s strike missed her head by a wide margin. With survival the only thought in her mind, Wendy took another step back before flicking her wrist, sending her knife flying at her attacker. The blade embedded itself in the woman’s stomach. She growled once and then dropped to her knees, clutching the hilt of the knife in her hands.
“Wendy, where are you?” Tarina asked over the intercom.
“We’ve got company,” replied Wendy. She made a move to close the open side door when four more mutants ran inside. They saw Wendy standing over the body of their dying comrade and growled at her.
Wendy spun about on her heel and bolted for the safety of the cockpit. She could hear the mutants chasing after her. Wendy turned a corner and saw the open door that led to the cockpit. She gritted her teeth and ran for all she was worth. The instant she slid into the room, she turned about and slammed a hand down on a red button, closing the door behind her.
“What’s wrong?” asked Tarina.
“That,” replied Wendy as her attackers smashed their sharpened weapons against the sealed door, trying to force their way inside.
Tarina went to ask another question when dozens of warning lights began to flash inside the cockpit.
“Warning, the hydraulic lines have been cut,” said the ship’s computer.
Wendy took her seat and checked her console. There were warning indicators on all of the ship’s major functions. Everything from life support to the jump engine was flashing red. She looked over at her friend. “The buggers were on the roof. They must have cut into anything and everything they could see.”
“We can’t take off, not with the ship in this state,” said Tarina.
The banging on the door grew louder.
“Tarina, we can’t stay here, either,” said Wendy.
“Okay then, strap yourself in,” ordered Tarina as she pulled her harness tight on her body.
Wendy cinched her harness as tight as she could and prepared herself for what was coming n
ext. She closed her eyes and said a little prayer as the ship’s computer counted back from ten. When it reached zero, explosive bolts fired all around the cockpit. A split second later a small rocket underneath of the cockpit fired, launching them up into the air. In the blink of an eye, they shot up to a height of two kilometers before three large parachutes deployed. Caught in the powerful winds driving the blizzard, the ejection pod was pushed away from the landing zone and toward the forest.
“Hang on,” said Tarina as the pod floated sideways down toward the trees.
Weighing several thousand kilos, the pod smashed through the trees, snapping branches as if they were kindling, before coming to a jarring halt on the snow-covered ground.
The escape pod’s interior was lit up by red lights. Wendy turned her head and saw Tarina looking over at her. She said, “Let’s agree never to do that again.”
“Agreed,” replied her friend.
“Come on, we’ve got to get a move on before those things discover we’ve flown the coop.”
“What are they?”
“I think they were human at one point. Now, who knows? All I do know is, they are hyper-aggressive, and we don’t want to be here when they find the pod.”
Tarina pulled back on a lever beside her seat. With a bang, the top of the cockpit flew off. Cold air and snow rushed inside the pod. She undid her harness and reached for a pack behind her seat with their survival gear in it.
Wendy went to pick up her rifle but realized she had dropped it in the crew compartment. Instead, she grabbed a belt with her pistol on it and stood up. Right away, Wendy began to shiver. She also had also lost her parka in the fight.
Ghost Company Page 19
