Battle Earth IX

Chapter 8

Jones sat on the floor, looking helpless. The others fired from positions at the window ledges onto the Mechs below.

"Jones, come on!" Taylor ordered.

Patients were being wheeled out by orderlies, and occasional pulses raced through the room. They kept their heads down. Taylor ducked down to put a fresh magazine in, but as he jumped back to his position, he could see the turret of the tank turn and begin elevating towards them. He quickly looked back to the others.

"Run!" he shouted.

He rushed towards Jones and grabbed him, dragging him towards the archway leading to the corridor. A few seconds later, the room flashed with a blinding light, and they were thrown forwards. Taylor plummeted right through an interior wall that did little to slow him down. As the dust began to settle, he got to his feet. All of them had made it, but the room they had been in was devastated. The floor had collapsed onto people below, and part of the ceiling was also missing. They could see right out to the enemy positions and soon rushed to cover.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Robinson.

Taylor paused to think for a moment; there seemed to be no easy answer. He looked down at Jones, who still seemed oblivious to the danger around them. He looked up and asked.

"Why did they take her?"

Taylor hadn't had any time to think about it, but now his head was filled with sinister thoughts he’d rather not have there.

"A whole hospital full of patients, a base full of soldiers, why her, Mitch?" Jones continued.

"I doubt it is any coincidence," replied Taylor.

"How do you mean, Sir?" Lewis asked.

"You all know this Erdogan guy, whatever he is, wants to bring me down. It's not just about me. It's about us. It's about what our unit stands for, and what we're famed for. He wants to make us suffer for his own amusement and for all to see."

"A whole world war, and he wants a piece of us that badly?" Wood asked.

"It's not as crazy as it sounds," Jones joined in, "It's starting to make a little sense."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was taken to try and draw us into some trap. Maybe they expected to find us here? But they can't know we're here yet. I bet you a tonne of credits, they were hoping this would draw us out," said Taylor.

Jones shook his head. "I dunno, but I don't like it. Obviously, the fact they have taken her, but the whole thing stinks."

"Yes it does, but we've come back from worse," replied Taylor, "Right now, there is nothing we can do for Dubois but survive and keep up the fight, so that is what I need you all to do. A distracted man is a dead man, got it?"

Jones nodded, although it was clear he wouldn't be able to isolate the thoughts which plagued him, and Taylor knew he wouldn't be able to either.

"Someone's gotta take out that tank," said Robinson.

"You volunteering?" Taylor asked.

"With what?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"They could hear the pounding of footsteps coming up the fire escape stairs at the end of the hallway just a few metres beside them. They turned and readied their weapons, as now they weren't even sure which humans were on their side. Dupont rushed out onto the floor and stopped on seeing the Colonel.

"Taylor? What in the hell are you doing back here?"

"Good to see you, too, Sir. We came for Captain Jones' wife."

"Well, what are you still doing here?" he asked, pacing up to Taylor.

"Well, she's gone," he replied.

The General turned to Jones. "My condolences, Captain."

"No, Sir, she's not dead. She was just taken by the enemy. Spirited away on one of their craft. They sent clones in here to take her away."

Dupont was perplexed by the idea, but he was a lot more open minded about such things after everything he had experienced.

"So she was taken alive?"

Jones nodded. Dupont shook his head. "Then my condolences still, for I would not wish capture on anyone, anymore than I would death. This is a cruel and horrifying enemy."

"Which is why it is imperative we get her back as soon as we can," replied Taylor.

Another shell hit the building further along, and they felt the floor tremble beneath them.

"We gotta do something about that tank," said Taylor.

"We?" asked Dupont. He carried on past them with several French soldiers, carrying what had been come to know as RAT launchers - Reitech Anti-tank Launchers.

"Can't touch that damn thing from the front, and we can't get around it with Mechs crawling all over the place."

"You think it'll be weak on top, like our armour?"

"You better hope so," he replied.

Taylor followed them to the gaping hole they had recently fled from.

"Fire when ready," ordered Dupont.

Four RAT carriers took a knee and readied their weapons. The first fired without hesitation and saw it strike a corner of the turret and soar off into the ground before exploding. They saw bright light sparks ignite from the impact.

"What the hell do they put in those things?"

"God knows, Robinson," Taylor sighed.

The other gunners looked weary now and took their time.

"Come on, damn you, shoot," Dupont ordered.

The second fired and hit the top turret, causing an immense explosion that they had to look away from. But as they looked back, they could see it had put a dent in the armour and chipped away a little, but nothing of note. Then they noticed the turret pivoting their way.

"Oh, that's not good," Taylor grimaced.

"Don't aim for the turret. Shoot in front of it, down into the upper hull!" Jones hollered.

The gunners looked to Dupont for confirmation.

"Go on, do it!" he shouted as the barrel came in line to their position. The two of them fired almost simultaneously and landed the shots in front of the turret, almost in the exact same spot. The first ignited on the surface, and the second went right through the impact. An explosion ripped through the vehicle, as two hatches were blown open and smoke belched from them.

A cheer rang out from the troops on the ground, but not from those in the hospital. Dupont sighed in relief. He was as surprised they were still alive as Taylor was. But in the distance they could see more vehicles approaching, and Mechs still sweeping towards them. Hospital beds continued to be wheeled past them and walking wounded were being helped to the stairs.

"We have to get the wounded out of here," Taylor said.

"You keep talking about this ‘we’, Colonel, but you didn't come here to fight alongside us."

"No, Sir, but we're here now, and that’s just the way it is. So let's get them out to somewhere safe."

"And where would that be? Krys forces have all but surrounded us, and are taking this base one block at a time."

They looked down. The Mechs were encircling the hospital even as they spoke.

"I doubt you could get out now, even if you wanted to."

"Then have them fight. Every one of them capable of lifting and firing a rifle, have them do so."

Dupont thought about it for a moment, and he knew it was a desperate measure.

"They'll only die if we fail here anyway, so let them at least have a hand in deciding their own fate."

Dupont gritted his teeth and rubbed his chin, finally nodding in agreement. He looked over to one of his own soldiers.

"Do it."

He looked back to Taylor. "You should know that Washington has fallen, so to has New York, Baltimore, and many more. Obliterated."

"I was at Baltimore."

"Then I am sorry, Colonel."

Taylor didn't know so many had been destroyed, but it didn't surprise him at all after what he had seen and experienced.

"You're stuck here, you know that, right?"

Taylor nodded. "I've been stuck in many places in my life, General, and yet here I stand today, unstuck from all of them."

"That's right. The shit just seems to slide right off you," he replied, trying to smile.

They looked down to see the gunfire in the street below was already intensifying. The Mechs drove onwards past the burning wreck of the knocked out tank.

"Where do you want me, General?"

"Wherever you can do the most damage."

With that, he carried on towards the far eastern side of the building and took up position in a corner ward that had already been fully evacuated. Part of wall was missing, and that provided an excellent loophole for the few men he had to use. Taylor pulled out several magazines from his webbing. He lay down prone and put them in front of him as he looked out onto the base below.

"You taking up residency, Sir?"

"Looks that way, Robinson."

Jones lay down beside him and did the same. It was the first sign that he had heeded Taylor's words, and he nodded in gratitude for it.

"I need you, Charlie, and you know it. We stick together, see each other through, then we'll get her back."

Jones looked out of the hole and could see a number of Mechs advancing towards them without any attempt to use cover. They didn't need to, as nobody was putting up resistance.

"You better hope Dupont has some ammunition on tap because we're gonna need it."

"Yep," Taylor said casually.

He took aim with his rifle dead centre on the head of the first creature he set eyes on. He squeezed the trigger, and the well-aimed shot went clean through and dropped the Mech warrior instantly.

"That's how it's done," said Taylor.

The others took up positions either side him as if it were a shooting gallery and joined in. A shot rang out every two seconds from that hole as each of them took careful shots. By the time the first five Mechs had fallen, the rest were starting to take cover and respect the danger posed to them.

"You think we'll get out of this?" Jones whispered.

"Of course we will. We always do."

Jones wasn't sure if he were joking or had such unwavering confidence, but it amused him either way. It was the first smile Taylor had seen on Jones face since they got there.

"That doesn't look good," said Wood.

They looked back. The enemy numbers were growing, and armoured vehicles backed up by air support were behind them. Taylor quickly took aim at the first target he could and opened fire, and did not stop until every magazine laid out before him was empty. He got to one knee and felt around his webbing to find he had just a single magazine left. He looked down to Jones who had just found the same. As Mitch put the last of his ammunition into his rifle, he lay back down and took aim once more.

Mech bodies lay strewn about, although more still advanced, and many with shields now, too. He took in a breath and held it. He was about to squeeze the trigger when an explosion struck a group of Mechs in front of them. He looked away from his sight, and another four landed all around the first.

"Those aren't Krys shells. They're ours," said Jones.

Taylor stood up so he could look from what was left of the window. In the distance, he could see constant muzzles flashes and could just make out the silhouettes of French tanks approaching from the north and firing on the move.

"Holy shit," was all he could think to say.

"Where on Earth did they come from?"

"Guess the fight ain't quite over yet, Charlie."

They could hear cheering from the streets and watched as many of the enemy vehicles and armour turned to face them. As they did, another artillery barrage smashed the positions in front of them, and a wing of friendly fighters soared in towards the Mech craft.

"You see, Colonel; France is not finished yet."

Taylor looked around; Dupont stood in the archway behind them. He looked back to see the Mechs were already retreating towards the armour, and he knew they had gained a respite.

"Sir, I must appeal to you for help," said Jones.

He looked back to Taylor who nodded in agreement.

"My resources are pretty thin, but I will do what I can for you, Captain."

"My wife. She was here as I said, taken from here by Krys agents or collaborators, or whatever."

"Yes, and I am deeply sorry for that."

"I don't need sympathy, Sir. I need her back, and I'll do whatever I have to for that to happen."

"I don't know what I can do to help, Captain."

"You have resources. You can use them to find out where that ship went, and where she has been taken."

"It's a pretty long shot," he replied, turning to leave.

Jones grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"I'll take any kind of shot," he replied, knowing it had multiple meanings and was not lost on the General. Dupont turned back fully and thought about it for a moment.

"If I could do this, and I say if, it would take an immense amount of non-frontline staff to pursue it. Resources that are vitally needed elsewhere. What would you be willing to do for me?"

"You're holding me to ransom over finding my wife?" he pleaded.

He looked to Taylor for support, but he didn't get any.

"Tough times," Taylor said, "Take what you can get."

"What is it you want, General?"

Dupont looked over to Taylor.

"I want you. You've accomplished some incredible things against this enemy. I have reports of Erdogan's position. I suggested nuking the bastard, but apparently, his defence systems would stop anything we throw at him. And then there is you."

Taylor could already see where this was going. He always knew he would have to face the alien leader, but he never for a moment thought it could be so soon.

"Oh, no, no, you don't. You want me to go get my head blown off on some crazy ass mission..."

He stopped, noticing Jones pleading eyes; they were hard to ignore.

"Why not?" Jones asked him, "You've beaten these bastards before. You could end it all now."

"Yeah, or probably die and be a martyr without a following alive to remember."

He turned away and looked out to the tank battle raging in the distance. He shook his head, thinking of the fear he had felt at the prospect of facing Erdogan. Finally, he turned back and asked, "Where is he?"

"Munich."

"He's here? On Earth?" Taylor asked in surprise.

“All the reports I have would say yes, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t spare anything, and even if I could, it would never work. But you and your particular set of skills, you have a chance.”

Taylor looked to Jones who was only waiting for him to say yes.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Well think fast. Time is not on our side, Colonel.”

“What is to think about, Mitch?”

“This is not a decision to be made lightly, Jones.”

“Every moment we delay the search for Coco, we reduce our chances of finding her.”

Taylor nodded in agreement.

“Fifteen minutes is all I ask.”

Dupont agreed and left the room. The six remaining gathered into a circle, as they had all heard the facts. They waited for Taylor to speak, and after some consideration, he did.

“Going after Erdogan will be like nothing we have ever done before. He’s smarter and stronger than anything we’ve ever dealt with. I honestly believe it will cost the lives of whoever goes, whether they succeed or not.”

They were stunned and speechless by his assessment. They had never heard Taylor speak in such a defeatist manner. He walked over to the window and looked out across the battlefield beyond. Friendly armour continued to advance, and it was a welcome sight to see their forces making progress, but he knew it would be a rare sight. Jones paced up beside him and looked out at the same scene.

“You have a chance to end this,” he said.

“An opportunity, but I’m not so sure I’ve got a chance.”

“Of course you have a chance.”

“No, you stop. You’ll say whatever you need to here; whatever is necessary for you to get what you want.”

Jones turned face on to Taylor.

“No. I would never have you sacrifice yourself. Why can’t there be multiple reasons for my actions? I want Coco to be safe, of course, but she never will be while Erdogan is alive.”

“What’ll it be, Colonel?”

Taylor looked around. Dupont was in the room once more. It was nowhere near the time he had asked for, but he could see the urgency in the General’s face.

“Let’s do it,” he replied.

“Then follow me.”

Taylor knew he had so few options left, and at least this way, he had a shot at doing some good. Dupont led them out of the hospital and back through the base. Outside at a bunker they were heading towards, they could see a copter and Rains waiting beside it.

“What happened to staying put?” Taylor asked him as they approached.

“Things were looking up, and I figured you’d need me here.”

“Looking up?” asked Taylor, somewhat confused.

Dupont led them into a bunker and into his war room. Every single one of the personnel inside was fully combat equipped, a sign of the desperate times.

“So what have you got on Erdogan?” Taylor asked.

“What I already told you.”

“Wait, what? You know a city, and that’s it?”

Dupont shrugged.

“No, no, no. If I’m gonna do this, I need intel. I need a location. I need enemy positions, surveillance of the locations. Come on, I need something!”

He looked to Jones for support.

“Please, Mitch, just go with it.”

Taylor nodded.

“Captain, I’ll give you three of my best people to help you track down your wife. I have absolute confidence in them, and I assure you they will do everything in their power,” said Dupont, as he pointed and ushered Jones over to a corner of the room.

Jones looked back as he went there. He felt guilty to be leaving his best friend, but he could not stop his search for Coco. As he reached the desk, he could see a surveillance video shot from the hospital with a still of Coco being led to the craft she had left on. It immediately grabbed his attention, and he couldn’t look away.

“That’s her,” he said.

The young female officer at the desk before him looked eager to assist.

“We’re tracking the flight path of the craft at the moment, Captain, but with most of the satellites down and our connections to what’s left, it’s proving difficult. I am Lieutenant Bisset, and I will do everything I can to help, along with my colleagues, Sir.”

Taylor ignored her introduction and delved right into the facts.

“Where did the ship come from?”

“Well, that’s a little easier,” replied the woman, “We can first identify it coming out of northern Germany. It was unarmed and alone, and therefore not considered hostile.”

“But it came from enemy territory?”

“Yes, Sir, but frankly, it’s a mess out there. Civilian craft are coming and going, and nobody is attempting to stop them. Refugees are pouring over borders, and deserters too.”

“What else have you got?”

“We’re still pursuing all leads. I believe we can pinpoint their final destination with relative accuracy within a few hours. We could do with a few more eyes to go over the information we have.”

“I’ll do whatever I can, just find her.”

He looked over to Taylor and nodded as a sign of gratitude. Taylor looked back to Dupont.

“So Erdogan is in Munich, what other information or resources can you give me?”

“Honestly, nothing. I’ve given what help I can to your Captain, and I have told you where you can find the alien leader. We’ll keep on fighting them on every front we can. Now it’s up to you to strike at the heart of the enemy. And with that, I must leave you. I have a lot to do and little time to do it. Good luck, Colonel.”

Dupont turned to some of his command staff and left Taylor to his own devices. Taylor shook his head and wondered what the hell was happening. He stepped outside for some fresh air and to think if it wasn’t all just a dream. He was greeted first by Rains with a big smile on his face.

“So what’s the plan, boss?” he asked.

“Singlehandedly bring the about the destruction of the enemy leader.”

Rains laughed.

“Of course, because anything lesser would be beneath you,” he joked.

He stopped smiling on seeing Taylor’s deadly serious expression.

“No, you can’t be serious?”

“Sadly, yes. We’ve got a shot, but I’ve got no idea how we’ll pull it off.”

“And Jones, where is he?”

“On his own mission. We’ll have to go without him. Evans, Wood, you’re with Jones. Do whatever you can to help. The rest of you are with me.”

“So it’s what, the four of us? I know we’ve pulled off some pretty impressive shit over the years, but don’t you think you’re being a little overly ambitious with this?”

Taylor nodded in agreement.

“Aren’t we always? Let’s not look for problems. Let’s look for solutions.”

He led them around a corner to where empty ammunition crates had been stacked and took a seat on one while the others joined him.

“What’s our time frame?” Rains asked.

“No idea, but we have to do this ASAP.”

“And how do you intend to kill him?”

Taylor shrugged. “Working on a few ideas.”

“I hate to say it, but we need help.”

Taylor stopped, looking up into the sky as he mulled it over in his head. He knew his situation was an impossible one, and he couldn’t find a sensible answer to their problems.

“So what do we do?”

“First thing is we gotta get into Germany, Eddie. They may have got across the border unnoticed or contested, but I doubt we’ll be so lucky. Neither can we go in by force.”

“So what options are left?”

“We go in as civilians.”

“As spies you mean? Minute we take off our uniforms and go into hostile territory, we aren’t marines anymore; we aren’t soldiers. We aren’t enemy combatants. We are clandestine forces and will be shot as spies.”

“Are you serious? All the danger we’ve gone through, and your biggest concern is being shot? We could have been shot and killed any time today, yesterday, and any one of hundreds of days in the war.”

“But we’d do it in our colours, as who we are.”

Taylor was surprised it meant so much to him. For a man who flaunted all the rules of uniform, the prospect of going without his identity scared him.

“I need you,” replied Taylor.

“Damn right you do,” he replied in a quivering tone, “Cos I’m the only son of a bitch stupid enough to do what you ask.”

Taylor smiled in response and got up to pat him on the shoulder.

“That’s right, but you’ve got us all this far, haven’t you?”

Taylor took in a deep breath. Some ideas were finally coming to him, and he knew he had to at least give them a shot.

“Eddie, your job is to find us transport. Something small and civilian that won’t draw any attention.”

“Round here?”

“I didn’t say it would be easy. Just get it done.”

He turned to the other two.

“Next, you will find us clothing. We need to look convincing as civilians, so find us the appropriate stuff.”

“Where, Sir?” Lewis asked.

“Gentlemen, this is a country ravaged by war where civilians are fleeing for their lives. Finding some clothes shouldn’t be an issue. Go to the nearest highway, and I bet you good money, you’ll find it backed up with cars packed with clothing from those without the cash to fly out of the warzone. So go and forage for whatever you can get.”

“You want us to pillage from what refugees have left on the road?” Robinson asked in disgust.

“Let’s get this straight,” Taylor spoke sternly, “These are desperate times. You’ve seen it for yourself; so we don’t have time to get all soft and mushy over things we can neither affect nor help with in any way, other than by what we are already doing. Let’s focus on winning this war. It’s what we have a right and duty to do, no matter what, you got it?”

None of them liked it, but they accepted it.

“So if we get transport and clothes, we might get close to Munich, but then what? It’s not like we can just walk in and put a bullet in Erdogan’s head. How are we gonna get close to him, and even then, how are we gonna kill him?” Rains asked.

“There are plenty of humans working with the enemy. We should be able to blend in fine. How we get that close to Erdogan, well I dunno, but we’ll figure something out. And how we kill him? You’ve got me. We’ll figure much of this out as we go along.”

“You know this is a complete fucking disaster waiting to happen?”

Taylor nodded. “Isn’t everywhere around us in as bad a state? What else would you have me do?”

“Get some help. Find some support to get us through this. Otherwise, we’re just throwing our lives away because we can’t think of anything else. You’ve got this far because you’ve had others to rely on and see you through. We’re here for you, but we aren’t enough.”

Taylor knew it was true. His friends had kept him winning all along. He tried to think of how he could gain some support, but he was running out of friends to turn to. He looked to the other two.

“Rains has had a whole lot to say, what do you think?”

They were surprised and speechless. Clearly, they were not used to officers asking them their opinion.

“Well, come on, speak your mind.”

“Sir…” replied Robinson, “we need help. We need manpower, we need weapons, and we need the resources to make this mission happen, or we’re just pissing in the wind.”

Taylor nodded in agreement. “Then you have my word. I'll get us the support we need."