Battle Earth VII (30 page)

“Just a few more seconds.”

“A few more seconds, and we’ll be dead before we get off the ground!”

Taylor didn’t respond. He looked out the door. Silva was the last man out, and as he reached the craft, a bullet went through his leg, and he dropped to the floor.

“Hold him!” Mitch bellowed to Parker, throwing the Councillor at her. He jumped out, took a hold of the Sergeant, and threw him in through the door. As he did, a bullet clipped his cheek and burnt the flesh, but he barely noticed in the rush to get out alive.

“Get us in the air!” he shouted before his feet had even got off the ground.

The Adrienne lifted off, and he had to use a little of the power of his suit to launch him up into the doorway. Jafar pulled him in safe. Silva nodded in appreciation as he winced in pain.

“Look after the Councillor,” he said to Jafar, “Parker, with me!”

They rushed to the cockpit as they heard a few shots being fired from the doorway.

“Can’t believe we made it,” said Parker joyfully.

“We ain’t home yet.”

They reached Rains, who was hoping and praying, as the ship was giving all it had to give. Taylor looked down at his watch. The timer had ended. It had been a pretty good estimate, but now they were in the shit.

“We got fighters incoming, and no, we can’t outrun them.”

“What do you suggest?” asked Mitch.

“Suggest? We’re in a flying coffin. I suggest you pray for a miracle.”

He waited for a moment and came close to doing exactly that.

“They’ve got a lock on us.”

“You must be able to do something?”

“We ain’t got speed, handling, weapons, armour, nothing. What can I do? Hang on, we have an incoming transmission.”

Taylor thought there was hope for a moment while Eddie accepted it, only to be met by the face of a German fighter pilot.

“Adrienne, you are in UEN airspace and are ordered to alter course to land in Munich immediately.”

Eddie gave no response, looking to Taylor for answers.

“I repeat, Adrienne, you are in violation of UEN treaties and are illegally holding a UEN Council member. You will be escorted to Munich airport immediately, or you will be fired upon.”

“They’d blow us out the sky and kill Armand in the process?” asked Eddie.

“Instead of letting us get our hands on a known Krys agent, damn right they will. Remember Ramstein? Whole base flattened to protect this secret.”

“Then I don’t know what to say to you, Colonel, other than open the doors and jump. Your suits will get you down safe, and you can try and make it out on foot.”

Taylor shook his head.

“No way, you’ve been with us through the worst of it. We’re getting out of this together.”

“Your sentiment is appreciated, Colonel, but it won’t save any of us.”

The fighter pilot came onto the screen once again.

“Adrienne, you have thirty seconds to alter course, or you will be shot down. Don’t make us do this. There is no reason for further bloodshed.”

The line went quiet for precisely twenty seconds.

“You have ten seconds to comply, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…”

Everything went silent for a moment until a red light began to flash on the console, and a recorded voice message sounded.

“Warning, object on collision course.”

It was repeated over and over.

“Hold on!” Eddie shrieked.

He banked as hard as the ship could, but it was a mild manoeuvre at best. One missile rushed past the hull. The other impacted and rocked them in the sky. Warning lights came up all over the console.

“We’ve got a breach. We’re losing power!”

“How many more of those can we take?”

“I’m amazed we lasted after that one, Mitch. This old girl is built strong, but she won’t take another!”

"You're just full of good news, Eddie."

"I can't do the impossible."

"How far back are those fighters?"

"About half a klick on our tail."

He shook his head. He was all out of ideas. He closed his eyes and hoped, for there seemed nothing else to do.

"We got another two missiles incoming!"

They knew now they were on borrowed time with just seconds to live. It wasn't the first time Taylor had been there, but he couldn't see a way out of this one. He turned and looked to Armand who had been hauled into the cockpit and stripped of his armour. Before he could speak, the Councillor uttered words through a sleazy smile.

"You can never win, Taylor. This is the end for you."

"But you're going down with us, you son of a bitch."

"My life to take out the great Colonel Taylor. It would be worth a thousand lives to kill you."

"Ten seconds to impact. Hang on, what the hell's that?"

Taylor turned around and saw several missiles roar towards them and past the cockpit. A few seconds later, and six fighters zoomed past at full tilt. Explosions rang out at their aft where the enemy missiles exploded.

"Who the hell's that?" Taylor asked.

Rains brought up rear monitoring screens and squinted to make them out.

"Well, I'll be damned. Those are French birds."

They watched as the fighters engaged those on their tail and quickly blew them out of the sky. Taylor looked down at the map screen. They were just twenty klicks from the border now. One of the French fighters came alongside them and gave a casual salute before putting through a call on the comms.

"Adrienne, this is Lieutenant Roux. We're here to escort you back home."

Cheers rang out amongst the marines. They’d all overheard, as Rains had transmitted the signal throughout the ship. Taylor looked down at his watch.

"War can't have been declared yet," he muttered to himself. He turned to Rains.

"Can the Lieutenant hear us?" he asked. Rains nodded in response.

"Lieutenant, you just entered UEN airspace in an act of war."

"I am well aware of that, Colonel, but I am told you were worth the risk."

"I'd say so," he replied with a laugh.

"Just one more thing, Colonel."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"A message from General Dupont. He says you better have the package with you, or he'll shoot you himself."

Taylor could only laugh louder at the message.

"Then I am glad to be able to disappoint the General once more."

The pilot didn't seem to understand the meaning or context and replied sternly. "Maintain speed and follow my course."

"Do what I can," replied Eddie, "but we ain't got a lot of power left."

There was no response. The pilot took up position in front, and Eddie looked down. The rest of his wing had formed up all around them. Taylor turned back to Armand with a broad cheesy grin on his face.

"Once more we live to fight another day."

Armand looked away as it was clear he was utterly defeated. But then he looked back up defiantly with anger in his eyes.

"You'll never get away with this. I am an elected representative of the UEN. They'll come down on you like a tonne of bricks. You'll wish you never met me, Taylor. You'll wish you’d met the same fate as your friend Tsengal, and Chandra, and all the other pathetic friends you have lost throughout these wars. I hope you survive long enough to see everyone you care for enslaved or killed."

Taylor sighed, thinking about the element of truth he spoke, but then nodded to Parker who knew exactly what he meant. She swung a hard punch into his stomach. He reeled over in pain from the injury Taylor had recently inflicted. She pulled him upright again, punching him hard in the nose so that it almost flattened to his face. It clicked as it broke, and blood poured out down his face and his suit. He cried out in pain.

"We're at war now Armand, and you are not an enemy combatant, not a civilian representative, and not a prisoner of war. No, you are a spy, and in turn we owe you no pleasantries. You'll see no court room."

Parker went to strike him once again, but Armand skilfully avoided the strike and ducked under, grabbing Parker's pistol from its holster as he did. He lifted the pistol up to his jaw to blow his head off. Before he could do so, Taylor's rifle was up, and he fired a single shot. It struck Armand's wrist and blew his hand off. He cried out in pain, but he found little sympathy. Parker looked sheepish as she picked up her gun and prised Armand's severed hand from it.

"Get that patched up," Taylor said, "and be sure to detain him. I want this son of a bitch alive after all the work we put in to get him."

"We're over the border and on the home run!” Rains suddenly shouted.

Further cheers rang out. It seemed almost unreal that they had made it out alive.

"It's over," said Eddie relieved.

"No, it's only just begun. We've got a new war on our hands, and we're gonna be fighting human on human."

"Why? Can't people see how crazy that is now?"

"Hasn't stopped them in the past."

As they approached Meaux, they heard the Adrienne’s engines finally cut out, and they all knew it would come down hard. Rains was doing everything he could to slow them down and keep the nose up, but as they came down on the landing pad, they hit so hard it felt like the ship would tear itself apart.

The Adrienne bounced and then came down hard once again, slipping across the ground with sparks flying up on either side. After thirty metres of grinding along the strip, they finally struck a truck. The nose of the Adrienne pierced right through the bodywork of the vehicle and wedged itself there, bringing them to a halt. Rains looked around in shock that they were still in one piece.

"I tell you what, she may be an old girl, but she's a good ’un."

"Not that she'll ever fly again."

"Oh, come on, Colonel, have some heart. She got us through it all. I'm not ready to give up on her yet."

"You're a sentimental bastard."

"And you're just a bastard," he smiled.

Taylor grabbed Armand who was still cowering in pain. Parker had bound up his wound but had refrained from giving him any painkillers. They led him between them to the door on the side of the ship. They found Silva still sitting where Taylor had thrown him aboard.

"You all right?"

"I'll live."

Taylor hit the door release button but nothing happened, so he pulled down the override, but that was jammed also. With little finesse, he lifted his foot and kicked the door full force. It fell from its broken mounts and dropped to the ground. Fire crews and medics were already arriving on the scene, and Taylor could see the General's vehicle approaching at speed. Dupont was on his feet before the medics had even reached them. He stopped for a moment to look at the wrecked state of Armand. Blood and dirt covered much of his suit.

"When I said dead or alive, I didn't expect you'd meet me half way," he said to Taylor.

"Best of both worlds, I guess."

Dupont stretched out his hand to him. It was a moment he never thought to see. He had to think about it for a moment, as their history was turbulent at best, but he accepted the gesture.

"You saved our asses up there. I can't thank you enough."

"And if this man is who you say he is, it was well worth it. Welcome back, Colonel."

The medics took Armand off their hands with the MPs close in tow.

"War will be declared within the hour. The United States is still remaining neutral, and your government is chasing for your return, but I will not send you back. I would be a fool to give away one of the greatest assets we have. If you are willing to stay here and fight for the European Alliance, then I will be honoured to give you a commission as such at your present rank."

Taylor stopped and looked back at his marines for a moment who were battle weary and exhausted. He knew they would go to hell and back if he asked them, and he knew he must.