AMP Rebellion (17 page)

Aaron turned to his squad. "You heard the man! Get into position. I want rounds plinking those walls there and there. That should help to keep their heads down. Let’s move people!"

Aaron’s squad took position as we began to push our cover containers slowly across the open expanse of the port floor. The containers were a metal infused plastic. Ion bolts would heat them up and add a slight electrical charge to them, but the containers would hold.

Frost spoke from behind her container, "What’s the plan when we reach that wall Sir? And have you considered that walkway up there? If they come out when we are against that wall we would be easy targets from that position."

I replied, I’m hoping we can move on that control room before they figure that out. If they do come out there, Aaron’s team is going to have to keep them busy for us. Let’s just focus on making that wall for right now."

The Dakar fired almost continuously at the containers as we pushed across the floor. At 60 meters, the lead container took a hit to the auto-pallet. Johnson’s progress came to a halt.

I called out, "Get a TIG up against that control room wall. That should quell those blasters for a couple minutes. Jump to the nearest container the instant that goes off!"

Johnson replied, "On it Sir!"

Pop!

Johnson turned and sprinted towards a container that was being pushed by Sergeant Melody Darrow.

Darrow cheered him on. "Come on Johnson! Almost home!"

With four meters left in his sprint, two laser pulses converged on his position at the same instant. The second pulse struck Johnson in the forehead, slicing off the top of his skull. A dead Johnson fell to floor beside Sergeant Darrow. She knelt beside him and looked on helplessly.

I yelled, "Darrow! We can’t help him now. Get back on that container. We need to push on!"

We soon reached the wall and Aaron’s squad began to make their move. From our angle we had a much better shot at the control room. We provided cover for Aaron as we slowly moved along the wall.

Frost leaned back and threw a grenade upwards towards the walkway that overlooked us. The grenade exploded, sending shrapnel across the walk.

Frost spoke, "If they come out there Sir we can frag ‘em. But if they persist we are in trouble."

I replied, "Well, let’s keep moving until that happens. Aaron will be in position in about 30 seconds. We can storm that control room then. Pop off another TIG right in front of their position. And focus any shots on where you see laser pulses originating from. If we can take them out or keep them pinned that control room will be ours!"

The Dakar failed to take advantage of the overhead walkway and our flanking maneuver soon had them out positioned. After one final push we rushed their position.

Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak!

Grenades rolled and TIGs popped as the AKs we carried continued to spray the area. The last of the Dakar in the port soon fell silent. The control room was ours and with it control of the Wallace-18 ore port. Frig provided instruction and the ingress landing tunnel was soon blocked by the Grid’s gravity repulsors. We had achieved our objective.

I raised the Colonel on the comm. "Yes Colonel, The port is under our control. The squads are checking every nook and cranny for hiders, but I don't think we will find any. How goes your progress?"

The Colonel replied, "We are on Lima-4 and moving up the trans-way. I don't like the fact that there has been little resistance since you released that Chlorine gas on 'em. They were giving Chaulk a heck-uv-a fight and then they backed off. I get the feeling they are luring us in for some reason."

I replied, "I guess we'll know once you reach that drive room."

Frig came on the comm. "Sir, the Durians have just landed several large transports. Initial scans are pointing towards 65,000 Helgrons coming aboard at Beta bay. I'm attempting to raise video now."

After a moment of looking at my arm pad the video stream began to show. "Colonel? What do you suppose those weapons they are bringing aboard are?"

The Colonel replied, "Those are ion rifles. I would have to say they either figured out how to isolate and shield them or they have mastered a negative ion pulse technology. Frig! See if you can drop a NIB in their path. Time it to go off just as they arrive at its position. We are then going to need a volunteer to fire off a couple rounds at them and then turn and haul ass out of there. Arrange for a portal pickup in a secluded room. We need to see just what those weapons are."

The Colonel's team was soon converging on the gravity drive control room on Lima-22. Upon arrival the Colonel got on the comm. "Grange! Looks like they trashed the place. We can't start that drive up from here. We are in real trouble Grange. Our entire strategy consisted of taking those controls."

I spoke, "Colonel, how many ports are there, that would allow the Dakar and the Durians to resupply? If we can shut off access like we did here, that might turn the tables for us. We would have to first take and hold them all, and the rest would have to fight, but we would at least have a fixed enemy that we were dealing with."

The Colonel replied, "There are 45 such access points leading on and off this station. Twelve of those have been in mothballs for ages. We control one of the others. It would take us days to get control of the lot of them, if we are able to fight our way around this place."

I looked down at my arm pad and spoke, "I think you should begin planning for that Colonel. We need time to figure out a new long term plan. If you have any techs on your teams I would suggest putting them to work on attempting repairs on that place. Maybe there is a minimum of controls we will need to start that drive. Frig, is that something you can look into? I know those control rooms were kept secret. There may not be schematics or parts lists available to us."

Frig replied, "I'll get to work on it Sir. I also have Sergeant Rambo here as our volunteer to take a shot at the Durians. I have a room selected and he should be going through the portal shortly Sir."

The Colonel quizzed his Marines for any with a technical skill set. They were put to work at attempting to repair the gravity drive controls. The drive, its mechanisms and monitors, were all original to the Grid. We did not hold out much hope of a functional repair.

Frig detonated a NIB and Sergeant Rambo popped off two AK rounds before ducking back around a corner and into a waiting room. Once through the portal it was closed, leaving no evidence of its existence. The Durians fired the new blaster rifles. As suspected, they had conquered the negative ion pulse.

For two hours the Durians marched down and towards the gravity drive control room on Lima-22. Admiral Chaulk's men had been gathering ion blasters from the Dakar soldiers they had encountered. When the Durians first arrived the firefight was a bloody mess.

"This is Alvarez! We have to pull back! I have eight dead from three squads. The Durian guns have a reach just around the corner enough to knock you down. If you fall the wrong way they make you pay for it!"

Similar chatter was filling our comm channels. The Durian Helgrons were skilled warriors with superior weapons. Use of our conventional grenades was the only thing holding back a complete rout. The Colonel would not be able to hold the control room for long. We were now confronted with a game of survival.

I spoke, "Colonel, pull out of there and send your men to the ports. The Durians won't be able to get through those blast doors. It should at least buy us some time."

The Colonel replied, "I don't think we have much choice at this point Don. We don't have the means to hold them back out there. Frig! See if you can map out paths to each of the ports for us. I'll connect with the Admiral and we will start sending teams out to take them."

Frig replied, "I will have that for you in a moment Sir. Travese algorithm is complete, data should be coming over the link now."

With a few clicks on his keyboard Frig had employed an algorithm that yielded paths to 32 open ports around the station. Admiral Chaulk and his units were given 16 ports and Admiral Zimmerman’s men another eight with the remaining eight assigned to the Colonel’s team. A force of 50,000 would remain to combat the Durians until the ports could be captured and sealed.

I got on the comm to Frig, "Pop open a portal on the floor of Wallace-18. I’m coming back through. This port is secure. I am no longer needed here."

Frig replied, "I’m afraid the portal is in use Sir. We are attempting to transport the injured back to the Suppressor. The Doctor has set up a triage area for those with immediate medical needs. We can only transport one at a time Sir. There are hundreds waiting to be sent. You may have to hold your position for some time Sir. Do you have any injured there?"

I looked around at my squads and replied, "No, we don’t only minor bumps and bruises or dead. We lost a couple men, but everyone else is in good shape. I have a torn up forearm, but I’ll live."

As I sat on a bench looking out of the glass window of the ingress control room, Frost came over and sat beside me.

I spoke, "Not now Frost. I have too many things on my mind."

Frost smiled as she scooched closer and replied, "We have time Sir, and the troops need a little R&R."

I held my hand out, contacting her shoulder and preventing her further progress."

I replied, "Please stop the games Frost. We are at war and I need to focus on that and that alone. That’s an order. Leave me be."

Frost frowned, "Not a problem Mr. Grange. A girl knows when to give up and besides, I take following orders seriously Sir. I’ll keep my hands to myself."

I removed my arm from her shoulder. "Is there any way we can make use of those ships in the docking bay? They can be flown remotely from right here in the control room. We just need to figure out a use for them."

Frost thought for a moment. "Well, we took this port with ten squads. Could we fly one of those around to another port and do the same?"

I replied, "I would have to believe we would get incinerated just after flying out of that egress tunnel. The Grid is surrounded by Dakar warships. And, they control the Grid defense guns."

Frost messed around with the view-screen on her arm pad. "The closest port is on Mako-7. Flight time would be under 30 seconds. I doubt the Dakar would react in that time. There are two Grid defense guns between here and there Sir. If we could disable them, a quick flight to Mako is possible."

I called the squad leaders over. "We need to evaluate our options here. We can either sit here useless, or get back in the fight where we can do some good. This port is locked down. The Dakar and the Durians will not control it, but they rule the space outside of it. Frost here has an idea about taking one or more of those defensive guns. Study the schematics we have and the results of the last scan and tell me if it is doable. Can either one or both of the two guns local to this port be taken or not?"

The group of squad leaders was mostly silent for a 20 minute period.

Lieutenant Aaron spoke, "These guns have a maintenance tunnel for the hydrogen feeds. I don’t see any access until you get all the way back to the power plant on this level. If we can gain access through there, it should be a straight shot into that gun port. There is no access to it other than through the blast doors and those will likely be sealed shut by the Dakar."

I got on the comm. "York? You know these power plants. There is a plant on Wallace-20 that provides power for the decks above and below it as well as a hydrogen feed to the external gun closest to it. We need access to the hydrogen maintenance tunnel. How likely is that?"

York replied, "Those tunnels have a blast door of their own. The Dakar have likely sealed that door off as well. But there may be an alternative. The vent system leading to that tunnel has automatic doors that close once the guns are enabled. I doubt they have those guns online."

I replied, "Are you saying we can crawl through the vents?"

York thought for a moment and responded, "Sorry Sir, the lots of you are too big. If you want access you will have to find a kid who can squeeze through there. Once inside they can release the lock on the blast door."

I turned to Aaron. "Look over the personnel manifests for this section and see if there were any kids living around here before the lockdown. We may need to enlist their assistance."

I replied to York, "Thanks for your help Sergeant. Get some arms and legs back on yourself; we could use your help around here."

York replied, "There’s nothing I want more right now Mr. Grange. The Doc here is a hoot, but I would much rather be there in the mix with you. If you have any further questions I am all ears Sir."

I switched channels on the comm. "Frig, I need you to do a scan outside the emergency blast doors of Wallace-18. There is a large contingent of Dakar outside the main door. I need to know if we can slip out the side or not."

Frig replied, "I have 16 critical injuries preparing to move through the portal. More are coming in. If I get a break I will gladly perform the scan Sir, but these men deserve an Evac first."

I replied, "Absolutely. If you get the opportunity though, I need the scans."

We used the time available to plan our route to the power plant. From previous scans, it was concluded that moving out on Wallace-18 to Transway-5 and then up to Wallace-20 offered the best chance of skirting the Dakar who were now camped in the area around the port. Twenty minutes later Frig came back with news.

Frig spoke, "Sir, there is a unit of Dakar posted near the emergency door to your left. The door to the right appears to have clear egress access with a unit posted 502 meters away. The right emergency door is available if you need to exit the port.

I replied, "Excellent!"

I turned to my squad leaders. "Let's get ready to move. We have a path mapped to that power plant. There are five families with children along that path. We need to enlist the help of one. Let's hope we find one who has no fear."

Lieutenant Aaron replied, "I don't think we will have issue Sir. The Wallace people I have encountered in the Corps always came in gung-ho, especially the girls Sir. Even though Wallace doesn't have a large population, it is a very patriotic section."

A TIG was dispensed to silence the alarm on the emergency door. We quietly slipped out and began our move towards the first family residence with an eligible child. After repeated knocks at the door with no answer, we continued on. The second and third families were either too frightened or the child too overweight to make it through the air shaft. The fourth family invited me in.

I stood just inside the doorway. "Sir, Ma’am, My name is Don Grange. We need your daughter for an important mission. We need her to crawl through a small space to open a door for us."

The nine year old daughter, Emily, looked on from behind he father's hip.

The mother had a worried expression as the father replied, "What is it exactly you are doing? And when will she be coming back?"

I replied, "It's for your own safety that you don't know what we are attempting, and we will be bringing her back as soon as possible. We are at war Mr. Jackson. We are making a push to take back the Grid. We need someone small enough to fit through an opening that is 40 centimeters width. If we can't get someone through there, we can't proceed with our plans. This is a critical need Sir. And we will do our best to protect her from harm."

The girl then stepped around her father. "I'll do it."

She looked at her mother and father and their shocked faces. "These aliens invaded our home. You both have said that if something can't be done we will either be slaves or dead. I don't want that for any of us. I'll go Mr. Grange."

The girl hugged each of her stunned parents and then stepped through the door into the hallway.

I knelt, placed my hand on her shoulder and spoke, "Emily, you are going to hang with me. If I say jump, jump. If I say run... run like you have never run before. And these weapons we are carrying, they can be extremely loud. The enemies we are fighting are mostly Dakar soldiers. It is very likely that we will have to kill a few along the way. Are you sure you are up for this? Because once we start there is no turning back."

Emily replied, "I want my life back Mr. Grange. I want to see my friends in school. I want to hang out with my best friend Sandy. Before they shut us all in our apartments they took some people away. And my Dad, I know he has been going without food so that my Mom and I can eat. I want my life back. If I can help I will."

I gave Emily a pat on the shoulder as I stood. "We all want those things Emily. If all goes well today we will have you back with your parents. We may even be able to spare a few extra meals."

We again began to move down the hallways towards Transway-5. The Dakar located by Frig on the scans, were camped out in locations along the way. The Colonel's men had all moved on beyond this sector, there was no activity. As such, the Dakar soldiers mostly sat on the hallway floor of wherever it was they had been assigned.

As we quietly walked along Emily spoke, "Where are we going Mr. Grange?"

I replied, "We are heading to the power station on Wallace-20. When we get there, there is a ventilation shaft we are going to send you through. It's about 45 meters in length and has a number of turns you will have to make. When you reach the other end, you will have to kick out a grate with your feet and lower yourself down into a narrow corridor. There will be a door to your right. We will need you to unlock it for us."