Battle Earth IV

Chapter 6

A sign on the edge of the road read ‘Bienvenue a Dijon’. Cheers rang out along the open carriage of the vehicle as they roared past. It was some of the only French they recognised. In the war torn country, it was rare to see signs still standing. As they breezed past, they could see it had been smashed down and was now propped up by several pieces of rough timber and lashed together.

“At least they got it back up,” said Taylor.

“Doesn’t that just say everything about this situation? Civilians rushing back into a warzone before it’s been made safe. Causing more trouble than they’re solving?” Hall asked.

“Can you blame them? All they want is their lives back.”

They could barely hear each other over the wind noise. They estimated Parker must be running the truck at over a hundred kilometres an hour.

“You know if she crashes this thing, we’re all gonna die.”

“All the life threatening situations we’ve been in, and now you decide to consider the risk?” Taylor replied.

They both laughed as they soared towards the city. Their faces turned sour as they spotted two thin wisps of black smoke arising up ahead. Taylor turned back to see the grim but professional faces of all those with them. Eddie was the only one among them who smiled. Taylor wondered if he’d just not experienced the horrors they had yet, but he suspected it was more a brave face put on for the others’ benefit.

Up ahead, they caught a glimpse of a police cruiser at the side of the road with two officers stood in the road. Parker brought the vehicle to a halt. The brakes squealed and hissed and made them wonder if she’d even tried them out during the entire trip. The two cops looked in surprise as the vehicle drew up in front of them, and they could make out the soldiers on top of the trailer. They walked around to talk to the driver, but Taylor shouted down from above.

“Major Taylor, 2 ^nd Inter-Allied. We’re here to help.”

The two cops were stunned for a moment as they tried to comprehend what they could see.

“This all? You all that’s coming?”

“For now. We were shot down en route to you.”

“That was you? So much for reinforcements.”

Taylor groaned at the lack of appreciation. “If you don’t mind, we’ve got a job to do.”

“By all means, but you’re going to need more than your bunch to fight this battle, Monsieur.”

Taylor nodded with gritted teeth. He wanted nothing more than to jump down and punch the man’s teeth out, but he restrained himself.

“Parker, let’s go!” he shouted.

The truck rocked forward with just enough time for the two cops to step aside and marvel at the rusting hulk trundling past. The marines glared at the men who wouldn’t show them an ounce of gratitude or respect. Hall wanted to spit on them for their ignorance and rudeness, but he felt Taylor’s hand on his shoulder and knew he must remain civil.

“What have those fuckers been doing the whole war? Waiting for us to turn up and do all the bloody work?”

“It sucks, but look at it from their perspective. They expected their country and their government to protect them. They have lost almost everything they have. What is the upside? Would you be all cheery in their shoes?”

“I think I’d show a little fucking gratitude. This isn’t even our God damn country!”

“I hear, ya,” replied Taylor.

They passed through dozens of quiet streets, seeing only a handful of civilians here and there. Then Parker’s voice rang out from the cab.

“Major! Take a look at this!”

He stood up on the top of the trailer that stretched up over the roof of the truck, grasping the rail beside him as the vehicle glided towards the horrific sight ahead. They could see a dozen filled body bags at the side of the road and medics working a way beyond with several dozen more casualties. A number of other wounded and bloodied soldiers and policemen lay about on benches and walls all around. Parker drew the vehicle to a halt once again as they reached the bloody scene.

Taylor leapt from the high trailer, descending five metres. He hit the ground hard but balanced, and with the suit taking the impact from his joints. Several troops looked up in curiosity. It was clear they had never seen such advanced equipment before. He looked to the doctor who was busy patching up a wounded woman.

As he panned quickly across the scene, he spotted one soldier with sergeant’s stripes whose arm was bound up, but otherwise he looked okay. Mitch quickly strolled up to the man. Few seemed to care to utter a word to them.

“Sergeant, we’re here to help, but we need to know the current situation.”

The man looked up with staring eyes. Taylor could see straight into the man’s troubled mind. He’d given up and lost hope. He didn’t even try to utter a word. Mitch had no tolerance for his attitude. He could already tell he wasn’t going to get anywhere with words. He took two brisk paces forward and slapped the man hard across the face. The Sergeant’s head snapped around from the heavy-handed strike.

The wounded at the scene were frozen in shock for just a few seconds before half a dozen reached for their guns and trained them on the Major. They were targeted by half of Taylor’s platoon before their weapons were even raised. Mitch stood calm, tall and still empty handed. The whole street had gone quiet as the newcomers faced off against the locals.

“I am Major Mitch Taylor. I have been sent here, under the command of Major Chandra, in a relief force that targets all remaining pockets of enemy resistance. We are here to help, so I expect at least a little co-operation!”

A few whispers spread across the wounded men and women. Taylor could only make out one word among their French that he recognised, ‘immortels’. The Sergeant he had slapped stood up carefully, looking Taylor up and down to see if he truly stood before the soldiers who had risen to such fame. He turned and lifted his hand, gesturing for the others to lower their weapons.

“Major, you will forgive our lack of hospitality. We have suffered greatly trying to take this city back.”

“And we have been suffering since the day this war began. We’ve already had two killed and more wounded just trying to reach you. Give us any info you have, and we’ll be on our way to get this mess cleared up.”

Mitch could see it pained the Sergeant to be so belittled by them, but he wasn’t going to fight it.

“Our Captain is still at the front. We encircled the police station but so far have been unable to gain any ground within. They’ve got a lot of firepower, and we cannot risk any bombardment because of the civilians in a bunker below.”

“I am well aware of the bunker, Sergeant. Any idea on the enemy strength?”

“We’ve counted a couple of dozen, but there could be more. Just follow this road straight, and you’ll find the action.”

Taylor nodded in gratitude for the assistance, but he wished he hadn’t had to fight to get it out of their allies. He paced back to the truck and stepped up onto the footplate beside the passenger door of the cab.

“Take us forward.”

Within a couple of minutes, they had the station in sight and could make out the dug in positions of the French forces.

“Stop here, Sergeant. We’ll go it on foot.”

The vehicle rocked to a halt. Parker tapped the dash twice with a smile, as a thank you for the old truck having got them there. Taylor stepped off the side of the vehicle and strode casually forward. His weapon was resting low across his body, but his hands grasped it in readiness.

Taylor’s platoon quickly formed up behind him and continued down the street in two columns either side. Mitch himself defiantly strode down the centre as if he had no care for his life. In fact, he only did so to show his confidence and survey the ground ahead. He could already tell they were still a way behind the friendly defences.

No gunfire rang out, nor the screams and shouts of combat. They could see a dozen soldiers dug in behind a barrier of cars ahead. Most of them sat back against the vehicles and watched Taylor approached. There had clearly been a lull in the fighting. Mitch could tell the will to fight amongst the remaining troops had been utterly sapped away. He approached confidently while carefully studying everything in front of him.

There were scorch marks in the surrounding buildings and cars that were being used as cover. One had completely burnt out to a blackened shell. Between their defences and the entrance to the station were the bodies of three French soldiers. It was a grim thing to see, but he’d been conditioned to such a degree that it didn’t faze him anymore.

“Who’s in charge here?” he shouted.

There was no response by the demoralised troops. Some looked away, and others were still captivated by the equipment they wore. Taylor paced right up to their position and stopped just two metres from the line. Finally, one spoke.

“Captain Fournier, 4th Hussars Squadron, and you are?”

“Major Taylor, 2 ^nd Inter-Allied Company.”

“Of what regiment?”

“To be quite honest, I don’t know anymore, Captain. We’ve been merged with so many allies that there is no other way to identify us any longer. All I can tell you is that we form one of the taskforces established for this kind of work.”

The Captain looked down and sighed with a dismissive grin.

“I believe you, Major, I really do. But what can you do here? They’re dug in with substantial firepower. We have seen at least two-dozen Mechs, and there are probably a good many more. We’d need another two hundred soldiers to get this done.”

Two lights flashed up ahead, and Taylor instantly recognised them as enemy gunfire.

“Cover!” he shouted.

The heat pulses rushed overhead past the blockage just a split second after they had hit the ground. Parker’s back smashed against an over turned car, and she looked up just in time to see one of the pulses burst through the windshield of the transporter that had carried them there in safety. The glass shattered and the interior quickly caught fire.

“God damn bastards!”

She watched as flames engulfed the truck and smoke rose through the street. It only served to make her hungrier for blood.

“Captain! Have they tried to break out at all, or are they staying put?” asked Taylor.

“They aren’t moving anywhere. I tried pulling back to encourage them out, but they don’t want to leave,” he replied.

Mitch peered up over the bonnet of the vehicle they were using for cover to see several Mech gun barrels protruding from windows. He couldn’t think of a safe way of attacking with what they had.

“How many men do you have?” he asked the Captain.

“Still left at the defences, about eighty.”

Taylor shook his head. “We need more.”

The Captain nodded as if to say it was obvious.

Taylor’s communicator crackled as a signal came through.

“Major Taylor, come in.”

Taylor smiled as he recognised Chandra’s voice. “This is Taylor.”

“What is your situation?”

“We are in position at the perimeter, heavy resistance inside. We are unable to breach at current strength.”

“Good work. We’re en route. We breach from the roof in three minutes. Be ready.”

“Got it.”

He turned back to the combined troops who were scattered in a ragtag line where they had hurried to cover.

“Help is on the way. Check your weapons. We move in three.”

The Captain turned in shock and grabbed the Major’s shoulder to pull him around into eye contact.

“Major, what the hell are you doing? We can’t assault! It’s suicide!”

“We aren’t doing this alone. We don’t move until the attack is underway. We should be able to advance under the chaos of what’s coming.”

“And what is coming?”

“The Immortals.”

The man’s eyes lit up as he instantly recognised the name and remembered hearing of Major Taylor in regard to them. He lifted his rifle and looked up over the barricade as he relayed the information to his men through their radio systems. Two minutes later, they suddenly heard the roar of engines approaching quickly from the north. They could hear whatever was closing was skimming the rooftops, and the engines were booming through the streets.

“This is it, ready!” shouted Taylor.

A copter roared overhead and deafened them as the reverse thrusters kicked in. A dust cloud blinded them for a second, and they wondered if the aircraft even had enough clearance over the station. Through the thick dust they saw the lights of suit thrusters glare as Chandra’s troops descended quickly onto the rooftop. Gunfire rang out as they quickly overcame whatever sentries were atop the building. Mitch looked over to see the look of both shock and hope in the Frenchmen.

“Let’s go!” he ordered.

Taylor’s coarse voice roared out and was heard by most, even over the boomed engines of the hovering copter. He leapt over the car and hit the ground running. As soon as he saw the first pulses of energy rushing towards them, he wished they’d had the shields with them. Intelligence had made it clear that their missions were low risk, rapid raids and not the vicious gun battles they had become so accustomed to.

“Fuck me!” he screamed as he felt the burn of a pulse rush past his head.

He opened fire as he ran, puncturing holes in the reinforced glass of the doors to the station. The soldiers all around him joined in the action, and the ground floor of the building was devastated by a volley of fire. He leapt over the body of one of the fallen soldiers from the previous fight and ducked down at the base of the wide flight of steps leading to the entrance.

“Grenades!”

He doubted anyone would have heard him, but they’d understand. He twisted the firing cap of a high explosive charge and launched it through the entrance. He ducked down as five more were thrown through the breach. Seconds later, an explosion rang out which was echoed by several more. Smoke and dust burst out from the doorways and left the entrance in a haze.

“Advance!”

They leapt to their feet and rushed through the building entrance. Parker and several others had managed to get ahead and were already blazing away before he’d gotten through what remained of the doors. Gunfire rang out, but had already silenced by the time he got through the dust cloud. Three Mechs lay dead on the ground. He turned to see three of the Frenchmen had been killed on the assault, and two of his wounded; their lives saved by Reiter’s armour. They could hear gunfire still raging on the floors above.

“Alright, let’s get this building cleared. Parker, you are to sweep and clear the ground floor. Fournier, your task is to go to the aid of the bunker and get those civilians out to safety. We’re heading up to assist Major Chandra. Let’s go!”

The three groups quickly split apart. Only seconds after Parker’s platoon had left his sight, and Taylor could hear pulses and gunfire where they had met opposition. For just a second, he stopped and hesitated about leaving her to assist the others. He knew he had a responsibility to remain professional, no matter their relationship, but he could not help but feel cold for leaving her in combat.

“What is it?” asked Lam.

Taylor shook his head as he snapped out of it.

“Nothing, let’s keep moving.”

They rushed up the stairs at a rapid pace, covering three steps in every leap. Taylor ripped open the door to the first floor to be met by a line of a half dozen Mechs waiting for them.

“Down!” he screamed.

He leapt from the doors, just in time to miss a pulse heading for his face. Another clipped the edge of his waistline armour and burning a few millimetres from it. Williams was unconscious on the ground where a pulse had hit him full force in the chest. Mitch prayed he was still alive, but there was nothing he could do for him in that moment.

“What the fuck are we gonna do now, Sir?” shouted Lam.

He peered around to see that there was only one entrance on that floor, and they couldn’t reach the other side of the stairway without crossing the path of fire. The Mechs continued to fire odd shots through the entrance, but they didn’t appear to be advancing.

Taylor got to his feet and leapt over to the sidewall they had passed getting to the door, where several from his platoon were huddled. He tapped the wall with his knuckles, trying to estimate its strength.

“We need a new entrance.”

Lam smiled, understanding the Major’s idea.

“Clear the way,” ordered Taylor.

He and Lam trained their weapons on the centre of the wall and fired a dozen shots between them. They lowered their weapons to see they had blasted a half metre hole into the room the other side, and several cracks had spread around the breach. Without any further thought, Taylor charged like a raging bull and launched himself at the breach. To their amazement the wall caved in with his weight, and he tumbled through into the room.

“Fuck, that’s awesome,” stated Lam.

Taylor rolled onto one knee and beckoned them to follow him through.

“Clark, stay here with four others. Lay down some covering fire while we flank ‘em,” whispered Taylor.

Contented that his plan was underway, Taylor turned his attention to the room and making sure they were safe. He stood up and slowly crept up to the entrance door. A small glass window at eye level afforded him a good view beyond. The room led to a typical two metre wide corridor that ran throughout the floor. He turned back to see the last of his marines were climbing through. He signalled for them to join him.

“I reckon this corridor will lead straight to the stair and elevator hall where those bastards are dug in.”

“Think we can work our way around the floor and hit ‘em from behind?” asked Lam.

Taylor took a deep breath, breathing out through his nose with a sigh as he gave it some thought.

“Maybe. But I don’t want to risk getting hit by our covering fire, and I want this done quickly. We get out into that corridor, and we don’t stop moving until we hit them hard.”

The marines nodded in agreement. Taylor lifted his weapon, pulled out the magazine, and slammed in a fresh one. Lam quickly followed suit. Neither of them wanted to go in without the maximum firepower they could bring to bear. Mitch opened the door and stepped cautiously out into the corridor. He quickly looked both ways and could see no sign of movement. He stepped over to the opposite wall and a few metres in the enemy direction, stopping to wait for the others.

As soon as they were clear of the room, Taylor signalled for them to move forward. They clung to the sidewalls of the corridor in two columns. Taylor led the right side. He could feel his heart pounding once again. The danger was always most apparent in the calm before the storm.

Taylor reached the bend at the end of the corridor and lifted his fist to stop them briefly. They could clearly hear the pulses firing now. He edged around the corner just enough to get a clear view. The creatures were waiting in the open atrium with no cover to use at all. He smiled as he realised his plan had come together, and they had caught them utterly by surprise.

Mitch turned to his marines and nodded to give the go ahead. He lifted three fingers as a countdown. As soon as the third finger was dropped, their weapons were lifted to the shoulder, and they were ready to rush. The second finger went down and Taylor took a deep breath to calm him. Finally, it was time. The last finger went down, and he leapt from the corner into the open atrium.

There was no hesitation from the marines as they opened fire the second they had a target. Ten shots smashed into the Mechs before they had time to turn to face the new threat, and their bodies spasmed with multiple shots piercing their armour. From the stairway door, Taylor could see muzzle flashes rage, and the other marines rush in to join in the slaughter. The Mechs only managed two shots between them as they were riddled with armour piercing rounds. The pulses smashed into the walls with no effect as the creatures were killed where they stood.

Taylor’s marines didn’t stop closing the distance but rushed all the way up to the enemy position, so they could stand over their vanquished enemy and fire a few more shots into the creatures while they were down. The room went quiet for just a moment as they marvelled at their work. The silence was broken by the sounds of footsteps on the stairwell.

They rushed to the doors but could already tell that it was the sound of humans, not the brutish and bulking creatures. Chandra leapt into view with her rifle at the ready but quickly lowered it as she identified Taylor.

“Good of you to join us,” Taylor grinned.

“Sorry it took us as long as it did.”

She looked over to see Eddie amongst the marines with a rifle in hand, and his ridiculous faded red bandana still about his head.

“Finally making a soldier of you, are we?” she asked.

“Don’t get used to it. I fly for a living.”

Taylor looked around and nodded in appreciation. Rains had blended into the unit so effectively and professionally that he’d forgotten the pilot was even with them. It never ceased to amaze him quite how good an asset the Lieutenant was. His appearance would never imply it.

A radio signal cut in with loud gunfire and shouts in the background.

“This is Parker. We’re taking heavy fire in the parking garage, ground floor. Need immediate assistance!”

Taylor shot a glance to Chandra with a look of fear on his face.

“Go! Now!” shouted Chandra.

Taylor leapt to the stairs with his platoon close behind. He rushed down the stairs so quickly he almost fell flat on his face. As he took the final bend to the last stairwell, he leapt the last fifteen steps and landed hard at the base. The ceramic floor cracked under his feet. He got out of the stairway to find Captain Fournier ushering people out of the building.

“Captain! The garage, where is it?”

Fournier turned with a look of shock to see the concern in Taylor’s face. He froze for just a moment before answering.

“South west corner, follow this…”

Before the Captain could continue, Taylor turned and sprinted away in the direction of the garage. He rushed so fast that the double automatic doors in front of him didn’t have time to fully open. The shoulders of his armour made contact, tearing them from the frame. Taylor didn’t even break stride as the others ran over the smashed doors.

The gunfire was growing louder, and he knew they were coming up on the fight. He reached a side door and could see into the garage through a small window. Parker and her unit were hunkered down around several police cruisers that were in a state of repair. Pulses were flashing across their positions, and they were rarely able to safely get any shots in return.

He looked towards the enemy positions and saw a dozen Mechs dug in, defending what appeared to be a large storage container that was definitely not human. Taylor didn’t give it any more thought. He was only concerned with getting to the aid of Eli. He turned and looked down the corridor for another entrance, quickly leaping into action to find one. They rushed thirty metres down the corridor, but there was not a single entrance.

“God damn it, how the fuck do we get in?”

“Sir, I saw another entrance on the far side, but it was barricaded up. Only other way in is the doors to the road, but we’ll have a hard time getting them open from the outside,” Lam said.

He turned and looked in despair for any other options.

“Sir, this wall ain’t too strong. It worked last time.”

He put his hand to the wall and thought.

“Alright, but I don’t want to give them any idea we’re coming. What charges have we got left?”

Silva rushed up to their position and overheard the last of what they had said.

“We’ve still got two breaching charges. They’ll take this baby down, no problem.”

“Do it,” said Taylor.

Silva turned and pointed to two of his team members to come forward. They drew out satchel charges and ripped off the tabs on the rear of the charges that revealed a self-adhesive surface. They slapped them onto the wall and pressed just a few buttons before turning to the Major.

“Twenty seconds, Sir.”

“Clear out, take cover!” he ordered.

He rushed ten metres back and ducked his head down. He stared at his watch, counting the seconds. The satchel charges blew with a surprisingly quiet eruption that was a perfectly controlled charge, removing a segment from the interior wall wide enough for three marines to fit through.

“Go!” he shouted.

Lam was through the breach before Mitch could get back onto his feet. He was moved by his companion’s faultless bravery. They were as eager to take on the Mechs as he was. He couldn’t tell if they were rushing to the relief of friends or just wanting to feed their bloodlust, but it didn’t matter.

As he got through the breach, a pulse rushed past him, killing the marine beside him. He had no idea who it had been. Mitch continued onwards while firing to the cover of a workstation. He hunkered down and pulled out his last grenade, launching it over to the enemy positions. Before it had landed, he was back on his feet and firing like hell. He watched in joy as the creatures were pelted with dozens of rounds before the grenade erupted amongst them.

He ducked back down to change his magazine to see Chandra rushing through the breach to join him. Gunfire raged from Parker’s side of the room, and Taylor leapt to his feet to join in. Seeing the enemy taking continuous fire before them, and ducking for cover, he jumped over the desk.

“Taylor!” screamed Chandra.

It was too late to stop him. Mitch rushed at the enemy positions and jumped up onto the roof of a police cruiser that formed part of the enemy defences. He was stood tall above the last surviving creatures and quickly pointed his rifle, opening up on full auto. The others watched in amazement Taylor fired down into their positions. Chandra’s face turned from concern to a hopeless grimace as she watched the morbid scene.

Taylor dropped the magazine onto the roof of the car and drew out another while he still stood on the roof.

“That’s enough!” Chandra shouted to him.

He snapped around and glared at the Major. For a moment, he was in such a frenzied state he’d forgotten the friend she was to him. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Taylor turned back to the carnage below and looked at the wash of blue blood seeping across the hard floor. Then the reason they had gotten there sprung back into his memory, and he turned and jumped from the roof. He rushed to Parker’s position to find her sat beside the body of a dead marine.

“You okay?” he asked.

She looked up with sad eyes. Two tears seeped down her face. Chandra paced up to them and placed a hand on Taylor’s shoulder. She looked down at Parker and the body of the marine beside her, but she knew there was nothing she could say to help, besides taking her mind off the loss.

“Any idea what’s in that container?” asked Chandra. “Clearly it was important to them.”

“No idea, but it had better be worth it.”

Chandra nodded in agreement. She turned and hauled Taylor with her to investigate. As they reached the breach, a soldier stumbled through in pain, struggling to breathe. It was Williams, who Taylor had seen left for dead in the stairway.

“Still with us, then?”

Williams looked up with a pained expression and replied in a hoarse voice.

“Just about.”

The two officers continued onwards to the container. It was ten metres long and five metres wide by five metres high.

“How on earth did that even get here?” she asked.

“And why?”

Jones and Fournier stepped up beside them as they stopped beside the curious container.

“Everyone from the bunker safe and secure?” asked Chandra.

“Yes,” replied Fournier but was distracted by the sight of the container. They could see dents and gashes in the outer frame that could not have been caused by the firefight.

“Looks like that came down with a bird!”

They turned to see Eddie Rains approaching. They turned back, realising what he was saying made sense.

“Must have been shot down towards the end of the war,” he continued.

“Yes, I have a report of a crash site just half a kilometre from here,” replied Fournier.

“What the hell’s in it?” asked Rains.

Taylor shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s find out,” replied Chandra.

“Should we not leave it sealed and notify our commanders?” asked Fournier.

“Yes, after we’ve got an idea of what we’re dealing with,” she said.

Chandra stepped forward to what were clearly the entrance doors and studied the locking mechanism for just a moment. It had two levers to release the catches but no security device of any kind. She lifted each lever, and the door seal burst open. The doors themselves only opened a few centimetres. She squeezed her finger through the gaps and heaved them open.

“My God,” said Taylor.

They stood before twenty incubation chambers like those they had seen in Paris, during the raid. But these containers were not empty, as they had found the others after the war. The humans, or what appeared to be humans, were still inside. A power source in the centre of the container was connected to them all. Two of the chambers were damaged and had clearly lost power, but the rest were completely intact.

“What is this?” asked Fournier.

“A piece of the puzzle which could be vital to our future,” replied Chandra.

She turned to Silva. “Sergeant, contact Commander Phillips. I want an immediate evac of this freighter to Ramstein.”

“Yes, Ma’am, what shall I say are the contents?”

“You don’t tell them anything. All they need to know is the weight and size for transport. Nobody knows about this until it’s in safe hands. She turned to Taylor.

“Get hold of Captain Reyes. He’s still working as a liaison officer in Ramstein. We can trust him with this, so he can liaise with Phillips to sort this out.”

“Why the secrecy?” asked Jones.

“Because we have no idea what we are dealing with here. Back in Paris, we saw hundreds of thousands of these chambers. We need to know what their purpose is, and what is inside. We have no idea if these are human prisoners, clones, or re-education and indoctrination modules. We only trust those we know with this for now.”

She turned back to the rest of the troops in the room.

“You are all sworn to secrecy in what you see here today. It is not to be discussed again, even amongst yourselves. This could be a major breakthrough for humanity in our struggle against the enemy. Let’s make sure it gets to Ramstein safely.”