Battle Earth III (7 page)

“Is it really you?” he asked.

Charlie looked suspicious, as if it was all too good to be true.

Taylor paced up to the two men and looked down at Walker. The man was taking his last few breaths. Dried blood stained his uniform from an old wound in the shoulder. Mitch looked up to Jones for an answer to the soldier’s condition. Jones merely shook his head, signalling that Walker was a goner.

“Sir, we’ve got to get the fuck out of here,” said Hall.

He was stood in the doorway impatiently. Taylor turned and held up his hand to stop the man.

The Major knelt down beside the dying soldier who was gasping to say a few last words. He outstretched his hand which Taylor wrapped his own around.

“Get me home.”

“You can bet on it. We’re getting you out of here.”

“I want a proper burial, for my family...”

The man’s voice faded, and his eyes began to contract as the life drained from him.

“A full ceremony, you’ll have it all,” replied Taylor.

Walker smiled faintly as he finally fell limp and passed over. Taylor looked up into the eyes of Jones who was still holding the dead soldier in his arms. Taylor looked down to see needle holes up the Captain’s arms and continuing up and under his rolled up sleeves.

“Sir, we got to get our fucking asses out of here,” whispered Hall.

Taylor turned and nodded in agreement. He looked back to the distraught Captain who he’d come to call one of his best friends.

“I have so many questions, but right now we haven’t got time for it.”

“I’m not leaving Walker behind,” snapped Jones.

“I know,” he replied. “Sugar, get in here!”

The huge marine ducked under the doorway and into the room.

“Can you carry Walker? We leave no man behind today.”

Sugar reached down and carefully lifted the fallen soldier up and over his shoulder with little effort. He stood ready with one arm supporting Walker’s body, and the other with his bastardised weapon held at the ready. Taylor knew the Reitech suits allowed them to do more than they could ever have imagined, but he wondered if Sugar would have done any different were he not wearing it. He turned back to Jones and the other three prisoners.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

He helped his friend to his feet and led him out the door. His excitement at saving his friend was largely numbed by the loss of their comrade, and the state he had found him. He wondered what they had been through, and if Jones would ever come back from it.
At least he wants to live,
thought Taylor. They reached the fork back the way they came and found Parker’s section guarding the position.

“We’re out of here, Sergeant. Fire the pickup flare as soon as we get outside.”

Parker was fixated on the ruinous state of Jones and the fallen soldier being carried.

“Parker!”

She snapped out of it and looked into his eyes to see the sadness he was doing his utmost to hold back. She nodded and pulled the flare from her webbing.

“Alright, let’s get the hell out of this shithole,” growled Taylor.

He leapt forward to lead the two sections out. They’d heard nothing from Silva. He hoped that meant his section had met no resistance and set up a solid perimeter. They reached the corridor where they had entered the room, and he’d taken a blast in the chest, to find that parts of it were still burning and starting to spread.

Taylor burst out of the building to see Silva standing with a ghostly face in front of the opposing detention facility. The Major’s heart stopped.
What could be worse than
what we have just found?
he thought.

“Give me a sitrep, Sergeant.”

Silva did not respond. He looked into the Major’s eyes with the same lost expression that Mitch had seen in Jones.

“What’s going on, Sergeant?” he insisted.

Silva turned and gestured for the Major to step through into the building beside him. Taylor realised it was serious enough to warrant a look. He turned to the platoon.

“Take up positions. Parker! Get that flare up. Silva, you’re with me.”

The Sergeant begrudgingly agreed. It worried Taylor that one the toughest NCOs he had ever known appeared to be frightened to return into a building where he already knew what lay inside. Taylor looked to Silva’s section, and they were as stunned as he was.

“Parker, you’re in charge!”

He turned and gestured for Silva to lead the way. The demoralised Sergeant paced uneasily to the door and into the complex. As the door opened, the Major caught a blast of the revolting air that rushed from the building. He didn’t ask what it was. The last thing he needed was to have the rest of the platoon as paralysed as the Sergeant.

Silva led him down a corridor until it opened up into a large hall that appeared to be designed for sports. Up ahead, he could see mounds of what looked like refuse.
Can’t
be,
he thought. Then it struck him, and his gut was right. Human bodies were piled high from the far wall to within ten metres of the corridor.

“My God!”

The two men stopped at the opening to the hall. Taylor gagged at the rotting stench that filled his nostrils and throat. Silva simply stood and gazed in shock. Taylor could see that most of the victims wore prison uniforms, although a number closer to them were soldiers.

“What were they doing here? If they only wanted to exterminate us, then why would Jones and the others be alive?” he asked.

Finally the Sergeant spoke.

“They are studying our soldiers, our warriors. These prisoners mean nothing to them. Looks like most of them were killed outright.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Most of the prisoners have been slaughtered by gunfire. The soldiers have been experimented on. Needle marks all over, subjected to biological weapons.”

“That’s what they are doing here? Looking for our weaknesses? But why kill the inmates?”

“A few thousand criminals would have been a damn useful penal militia at the rate we are losing soldiers.”

Taylor nodded and shook his head in disbelief simultaneously.

“I’ve seen enough,” whispered Taylor.

The two men turned and strode back down the corridor with their shoulders slung low and their hearts heavy. They wanted it all to end.

“Incoming!”

The call echoed around the complex. Parker’s voice was like a siren. Taylor felt his heart as he imagined the terrible fate they may have assigned themselves. Explosions erupted nearby that sent vibrations through the floor beneath their feet. Taylor and Silva snapped out of their depressive state as adrenaline soared through their bodies. They lifted their rifles, rushing to the doorway as the platoon opened fire.

As Taylor came to the opening of the building, he could hear the familiar and frightful sounds of the enemy jetpacks roaring as they came in to land. Ten metres from the door, he could see one of his marines lying lifeless on his side, but he couldn’t make out who it was. Energy pulses smashed in all around them, but they were giving them hell in return.

The Major leaned out from the doorway to get an idea of their situation. He could see just four Mechs firing from the shelter of the next buildings. Another lay dead on the ground before them, it had clearly been knocked out of the sky on approach. Over the sound of the gunfire, he could just make out the sound of the engines of their copters approaching. He looked over to his section taking cover behind a thick wall.

“On me, now!”

Taylor rushed out of the building and took a sharp turn away from the enemy, and another turn to follow the perimeter of the building. He was sprinting at the limit the suit would allow. His turn of speed allowed them to reach the far edge of the structure quickly. Moments later they came up on the other side of the creatures with them in full view of their sights.

Taylor didn’t wait and quickly targeted the first, hitting it with a burst of fire. Before the first creature had hit the ground, the rest of the section were into the open and firing. Within seconds, the prison went silent once again. Taylor didn’t break stride to return to the platoon. He rushed up to the lifeless marine. Parker was stood beside the body turning it over.

“It’s Sugar,” she stated.

Taylor knelt over to check if there was any chance of him being alive. A pulse had struck his neck and burst through the windpipe, coming close to taking off his head. He had died instantly. Taylor shook his head in disbelief at losing yet another friend. Jones strode out from behind cover with the other POWs. They seemed unfazed by the incident, as if it was a part of their everyday lives.

Before Taylor could say a word, the two copters rushed into view and swept in low for a landing in an open hard standing just fifty metres away. It was at least some relief to see that their mission was over, and they could return to the lines that had become home. He righted himself and barked out his orders.

“Let’s get moving! Go, go, go!”

He dragged the body of Sugar and headed towards Rains and Kato. Despite the assistance of the suit, the body sent striking pains through the Major’s wounded body. He ignored the pain and said nothing. He would bare it for a fallen friend. As the copters hit the ground, their lights went out under blackout regulations. The two vehicles almost blended into the night of the unlit ground.

The marines rushed into the open doors of the vehicles to be greeted by the pilots from their seats. They were eager to get off the ground without even knowing of the perils that had been witnessed. Taylor passed Sugar’s body onto another marine and waited at the door. Just as the last man stepped aboard, he heard a screaming engine blast across the skies. Leaning in through the door of the copter, he shouted to them all.

“Everyone silent, we’ve got incoming!”

They all knew what was being asked of them. They were hoping to go unnoticed and wait out their opponents. Seconds later, a small ship soared into sight and quickly landed down amongst the bodies of the creatures they had so recently despatched. Taylor pulled out his binoculars and zoomed in on the vessel as the door opened. Two Mechs strode out with their guns at the ready. Then Taylor gasped as a third figure appeared on the ramp, Karadag.

“Jesus Christ,” he whispered.

He climbed carefully into the copter and crept up to Eddie’s cockpit.

“Think you can outrun them?” he asked.

“Now they’re on the ground, no problem at all. Button down the hatches and sit tight, Major.”

Taylor nodded for the door to be shut and took his seat. He stared at Karadag through the window with his binoculars. The engines fired up, and the three creatures quickly turned their attention. Taylor’s stomach was left on the floor as Eddie put down all the power he had. It was if their copter was lifted into the sky. They were safe and on the home run.
But at what price?
thought Taylor.

The relatively short trip back over the battle lines was not the triumphant and celebratory experience Taylor had imagined and hoped for. Nobody said a word for the entire trip. Sugar’s body was placed on the seats beside them. Allen laid back and tried to ignore the pain he was in. He was at least helped by a powerful dosage of painkillers. But Taylor could see that Jones’ pain could not be numbed.

Taylor wanted to ask the Captain questions. So many questions he had rolled over in his mind. Now he didn’t have the heart to ask them. His exhausted and beleaguered friend lay back in his seat next to Walker’s body. Taylor no doubt realised that the two men must have forged a bond as strong as his and Charlie during their captivity, perhaps even more so.

Charlie Jones had been missing for just a matter of weeks, but he looked like a man who had spent years in the worst of conditions. His uniform was ripped and pierced. Taylor could make out slashes from bladed instruments and fresh scars beneath. He did nothing to hide the needle marks on his arms. The Captain was a proud man. He was a man who considered his image and steadfastness to be paramount in being a leader.

All of that was gone now. It had been replaced by a cold bitterness and a fear of what was awaiting him. He slouched back as if he was waiting for his own death and had come to accept it. Mitch wondered if he would ever get his friend back, or just a shell of a man who resembled him. When the copters finally touched down at the base they had left the previous evening, it was still in the pitch black of the night.

There was little relief at having returned to safety and having accomplished what they set out to do. When the door opened, and the ramp lowered, Taylor could make out a line of German military police. General Dupont was stood among them. It was a sight that made him sick. There was no welcoming party. No celebration of missing soldiers having been saved from a horrifying death.

The Major stepped out to face his fate with his shoulders slung low. He knew in his heart that he did the right thing, but the outcome was a long way from what he would consider ideal. Taylor knew from the moment they left the base, he would be placed on a charge even if the mission went exactly to plan.

Dupont rushed forward with his MPs as Taylor’s boots hit the ground. He was disgusted by the fact they had no respect for the fallen and those that had been saved. They encircled the ramp as the marines disembarked. Rains climbed out to stop in shock at the sight.

“What is this shit?” he exclaimed.

“Major Taylor, you are hereby placed under arrest and to be transferred to the on base detention facility, pending an investigation and judgement by General Schulz.”

“What the fuck!” shouted Rains.

He leapt from the copter and blocked the path between Taylor and the MPs.

“Just because Taylor, here, was the only one with the balls to get this done. You can’t arrest an American officer, anyway!”

“Major Taylor was placed under the joint European command and will therefore comply with any ruling we make.”

Rains tried to bellow out another argument, but Taylor interrupted him.

“Stop, Eddie.”

The pilot turned in shock.

“You can’t let this fly? This bullshit cannot stand!”

“I knew the price I would have to pay for this, and I have already accepted it.”

“That’s god damn bullshit!”

“We have a chain of command for a reason, Lieutenant. To challenge it, is to bring discipline crumbling down around us. Whatever price I pay, it will be little compared to what they have been through.”

He nodded in the direction of Jones and the other POWs. The weak Captain was hauling Walker’s body off the copter with the last of his strength. Dupont’s face changed to a look of utter shock as he stared at the gaunt figures.

“What the hell happened to them?” he asked.

He turned to Taylor for answers. The Major looked less than eager to explain. Dupont turned back to the MPs.

“Strip him of his weapons and armour, and take him away!”

He snapped back around and glared at the marines who looked on at him with a look of utter disgust and pointed at Silva.

“Sergeant, get these troops formed up!”

Parker stepped up to join them and wanted nothing more than to strike the General across the face. But she looked to Taylor and realised it was not the time. They had gotten themselves in more than enough trouble already. A medical crew rushed past the MPs to assist the rescued troops and take away the two dead and one wounded. Taylor watched as they were spirited away while he stripped off his equipment before his detainers.

The Reitech suit crashed to the ground as Taylor stepped from it and dropped his rifle. There was no more fight left in him. As he unclipped the last of his equipment, he turned to Silva who still ignored the General.

“Go about your duties, Sergeant. I’ll be in touch soon enough.”

The General hissed and sighed at the arrogance he perceived in Taylor. Mitch hated him with an even greater burning desire to strike him down. Silva turned and faced his men with a newfound confidence in defiance of the General.

“You heard the, Major. Form up!”

The MPs took up positions and led Taylor past the formed up platoon and away from the landing zone. Silva raised his arm in a salute that was quickly followed by the whole unit. Silva could feel the vehement hostility in the General without even looking at him. They had saluted a detained Major and not a General. Silva lowered his arm and turned his gaze to the General. He stared into his eyes as if asking for something from the man. The General sighed at the Sergeant’s lack of respect for his position.

“Under the command of the Joint European Defence Force, you are hereby ordered to lay down your arms and equipment. You are to be confined to your billets until further notice. Rations will be brought to you when needed, and you will not leave those billets under any circumstances. Any man or woman found to be in breach of these conditions, will find them following in your Major’s footsteps!”

The troops remained silent. Dupont knew that it was not out of respect for him. Finally, the Sergeant spoke up.

“Will that be all, Sir?”

Dupont coughed in surprise at the question. His face lit up in anger, but he knew there was nothing more he could do to the marines. Dupont nodded in agreement, turned and marched away to his vehicle, leaving the MPs to do their work.

“You heard the man. Lay down your weapons, and get some rest!”

It was an appealing thought but having to give up everything left a bitter taste among them. They could see trucks parked up nearby. Dupont was quite literally expecting them to remove their kit and hand it in, there and then. They began to strip off their weapons and armour and leave behind the exoskeleton suits which had done them such a good turn.

When Silva was done, he stood and waited for the last of them to lay down all that they had carried. One of the MPs stepped up to his side and spoke in a thick German accent.

“Your sidearm, Sergeant!”

Silva turned with an outraged expression.

“From my cold dead hands!” he snapped.

“You have your orders, Sergeant.”

“This pistol was a private purchase, as allowed by my rank.”

Silva spat on the floor beside the well-kept military policeman. He hated them in America as much as he did here, but at least his own people understood the law.

“This base is still US soil, is it not?” he asked.

The man nodded begrudgingly and could see the other marines becoming restless. He looked at the battle-hardened troops and sighed.
Spineless bastard,
thought Silva.

“Alright, NCOs may keep sidearms, but all other weapons, armour and associated issue equipment are to be removed!”

Silva smirked just a little. He enjoyed seeing how much it pained the MP to be told what’s what. He turned back to the platoon and barked his orders.

“Fall out and return to billets!”

It further exasperated the MP that the Sergeant was not marching the platoon across the base, but he was at his wits end. Silva had enjoyed torturing the man but now thought back to their losses both on and off the battlefield. Parker strode up to walk beside him.

“What do you think they are doing with the Major?” she asked.

She could guess pretty well as much as Silva, but could not help but ask.

“He’s in deep shit, no doubt. Schulz will want to make an example of him, and Dupont has lost face just as much. Nobody can doubt that the Major saved soldiers that should never have been left behind, but they will do everything they can do make him suffer.”

She sighed.

“What else could he have done? Left our people there to die?”

“Schulz works on numbers. He’s got dead and wounded back, and officers directly contravening his orders. As far as he is concerned, nothing good has come of this day.”

“Fucking asshole! If only I could get my hands on him.”

“You and me both.”

“What will become of us?”she asked.

“Schulz will put us on some shit duties until he realises he needs us. We’ll be alright.”

“And Taylor?”

He looked into her eyes and could see her worry.

“If anyone can wriggle out from this, it’s the Major.”