The Colony (10 page)

“
How long do we gotta wait on these people to show up?” one of the soldiers asked.

“
As long as it takes Barkley!” the lieutenant yelled, approaching the questioning soldier. “And the next time you throw a question my way, it damn well better have sir attached to it!”

“
Yes sir.” the soldier replied.

As the lieutenant entered one of the choppers, using the vessel as a base station for their rescue mission, each of the soldiers looked ahead. Skimming the dense rainfall for any signs of movement.

Their gun turrets were ass-kicking in most situations, but as they'd found out, the laser targeting system which projected from them were cut down in range by the rain. Greatly reducing their range of contact.

-

“I'd say we're about a half-mile away from that gunfire.” Jack suggested, the three survivors having stopped to rest.

“
Ours?” Julia asked.

“
Absolutely.” the general answered, his knowledge of marine weaponry deep.

“
Good, then we're saved.” Julia replied with relief.

“
Not yet,” Jack warned. “Our gunfire ringing out means our guys are shooting at something, and I think we all know what that something is. What it's capable of,” he added. “Just stay sharp and focused. There will be plenty of time to celebrate when we get there.”

Julia seemed a bit surprised, though the general nodded into her direction. Letting her know that Lieutenant Jack Strong was correct indeed. The soldier inside of him as strong as his last name.

“Best if we get moving.” Jack said.

“
I agree lieutenant.” the general said.

As the three stood to their feet, preparing for what they all knew would be a sprint for their lives, Jack began to gasp for air. Strong arms of a succubus firmly gripped around his neck to blame.

“Jack!” Julia yelled.

“
Get her out of here!” Jack cried out, though he did so in a very weak voice.

Grabbing Julia by the wrist, the general began to pull her from the immediate area, rushing her into a sprint.

“Mutha,” Jack said, arching down and swiftly pulling his head back, smashing the backside of his skull into the demon's face. “Fucker!”

Turning to a reeling succubus, Jack gripped his own hands together, using a swipe of his own ripped arms to ax-handle the beast to the ground.

“
We got something!” one of the soldiers yelled, prompting the rest to aim sights down onto the area in question.

“
Hold!” the lieutenant yelled, quickly walking to the edge of their encampment.

Julia ran to them first with the general stumbling behind her. Both of them obviously shaken up.

“Get them aboard the chopper, I'll be there shortly. Get 'em something warm and keep your eyes open until I say otherwise.” the lieutenant ordered.

“
Yes sir.”

“General, sir, I've been ordered to bring you back to the fleet in orbit.” the lieutenant said.

“
I can't leave without the marines who showed up to save our asses.”

“
Sir, I have my orders.” the lieutenant replied.

“
Your orders? What about your oath?” the general questioned, scowling to the man in charge. “You are supposed to protect all human life, not just mine. We don't leave men behind!”

The lieutenant looked affected by the general's statement, as if he were mulling his options.

“Please,” Julia added. “They are good men.”

“
Alright,” the lieutenant replied loudly. “I won't send my men out there – but I'll stall for a bit. Maybe forget that we've located you for an hour or so...but that's it.” the lieutenant warned.

“
That will do, thank you.” the general replied.

Shrugging his thank you off as though he'd just made a mistake, the lieutenant quickly exited the chopper. Preparing to inform his men that their stay had just been prolonged a bit.

“Will they be alright?” Julia asked.

“
I would like to think so dear,” the general replied, turning to the young woman as they both sat, draped in blankets. “But the truth is I just don't know.”

After hearing his admission, Julia glanced to the rainfall outside of the chopper. Wondering the fate of Lieutenant Jack Strong and his longtime sniper.

-

As he lay there, pellets of stinging cold rain hitting his face, Jack began to raise his head a bit.

The succubus had proven a tough adversary, but they could also be killed. Jack knew it as he turned to see one of their mighty warriors laying beside him, lifeless.

Jack remembered several flashes of memory. Their fight had been one of intensity – literally a fight for survival. Jack's knuckles hurt from the swelling that had followed pounding the beast into demise. Likewise, his body ached from the fight he'd gotten back. Nearly killing him in the process.

As much as the hardened soldier had cursed the rain up to this moment, he'd considered it a Godsend. The flicking of water to his face the only reason he'd come back from a land of eternal sleep.

Though Jack did so slowly, he began to lift himself from the muddy ground beneath him. Eventually standing to his feet. Staggering for a moment, Jack located his combat pistol. His rifle had seemingly disappeared, the thick rainfall most likely to blame. Reaching down, Jack also felt his combat blade. It remained holstered, though it had been loose.

He remembered a struggle in which he'd reached down with desperation, unable to pull the blade completely from its holster fitting.

With the rush of urgency and a pounding inside of his head, Jack quickly began running once more. Trying his best to correctly follow the bearings of gunfire he'd heard earlier.

-

“
Got something!” one of the soldier cried out, every one of them pressing eyes to scope as they waited.

Staggering into their range of vision, Jack fell to the ground. He'd gone as far as possible.

“Shut down the turrets, it's one of our own!” the lieutenant yelled, rushing to the aid of Jack Strong, who lay motionless on the rain-drenched ground.

“
Jack!” Julia cried out, quickly held by the general.

“
Is he breathing?” the lieutenant asked, having reached the fallen warrior with haste. “Is he?”

“
Yes...barely.” the soldier replied.

“
Get him to the chopper, now!” the lieutenant demanded.

“
Yes sir.”

“
What about the other soldier?” one of the marines asked.

“
We can't wait any longer. If we do, this man will die. Get him aboard, stabilize him and let's out asses back to the deck above.” the lieutenant replied.

“
Yes sir, of course.”

Turning to execute his order, the marines quickly sprinted off, Jack Strong in hand.

Out of nowhere, the lieutenant felt arms wrapping around him. Before he could turn to discover the identity of the succubus, the demon had jerked him backwards, pulling the man in charge beneath a cloak of rainfall.

“
Sir!” one of the marines yelled, though their lieutenant was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, he could still hear their yells for him. Though his struggle with the monster prevented him from replying. It slowly wrestled upwards, eventually placing the massive arms around his neck. Squeezing with authority, the lieutenant began to fade into whatever heaven this planet knew.

Click.

A single shot blasted its way through the skull of the alien, the snapping bullet releasing from a suppressed chamber. The sniper who had long considered himself a friend to Jack Strong, now found himself rescuing another lieutenant. Becoming a habit of sorts.

“On your feet, sir, we need to move quickly.” the sniper commented, helping the near-lifeless lieutenant to his feet.

Moments later, the two men were located by a small group of marines that had come in search of their commanding officer. Helping Renaldo in getting the lieutenant to safety.

Within minutes, the choppers skirted back into the black sky above them – rainfall cascading across the finely-forged steel of the ships' hulls.

-

“May I come in?” Julia asked, knocking gently against the steel frame of the doorway.

“
Of course.” Jack replied, standing gingerly to his feet.

The fight against the demon, especially under such close quarters had proven him a hero, but left him ailing. Jack stood, though it took a great deal in order to do so.

“I just wanted to thank you again. For everything. I feel as though I owe you my life.” she added.

“
It's alright. Just doing my job.” he modestly replied with a smug grin.

“
Listen, I wanted to...” Julia began to admit, her words cut short as two soldiers escorted a commanding officer toward them. The thick of rubber boots crashing against the loud steel grating of the hallway.

“
Lieutenant Jack Strong?” the XO asked.

“
Yes sir.” Jack replied, saluting his superior.

“
At ease son. May I have a word in private?” the XO asked.

“
Of course.” Jack replied. Nodding to Julia for a moment as to apologize for cutting her short.

She thought of him in such a way that seemed to make Jack larger than life. Muscular, but not with an over-abundance, yet gentle enough to question which he was better suited for. Soldiering or loving?

As Julia saw the military-hardened soldier begin to weep, falling back against the steel wall behind him, she knew it in her heart as if it were a shared pain.

Jack's wife had been killed.

She'd never seen this type of news delivered in person, but had always imagined how horrible it must be. Watching the XO try to comfort a man who'd been so strong for the core, Julia's heart bled for Jack – as well as the XO tasked with delivering the news.

“
You may want to stay with him for a while ma'am, if that's possible?” one of the escort soldiers asked.

“
Of course.” Julia replied – her own eyes tearing heavily.

Moments later, the three soldiers walked away just as quickly as they had shown up. Taking Jack's entire world with them.

“I'm so, so sorry.” Julia said, approaching the broken man.

He wanted to reply. Thank her for the kind words and understanding. Jack simply couldn't. As he opened him mouth, nothing came out. It was as if his entire reason for living was gone within seconds.

Julia grabbed him into her arms, pressing herself as closely as possible as Jack continued to weep uncontrollably.

Boom.

The sound of a cannon shot hitting their ship, its course of flight jolting wildly – sending both Jack and Julia to the floor.

Three more booms followed, each of them as loud as the first. Their marine war ship once again jerked back and forth, rocking itself from such blasts. Quickly followed by the alarms inside of the ship.

Everyone report to your assigned stations. This is not a drill
. A woman's voice declared across the ship's com system.

Julia questioned for a moment if the voice was real, or simply a computerized model? It sounded real enough, but the calm in the woman's voice brought doubt.

“What's happening?” Julia asked loudly as several more strikes against their ship could be felt. This time bringing a flickering of lights.

“
We're under attack.” Jack replied, drying his tears a bit. Just long enough to face the reality of what was going on.

“
Attack...who?” Julia asked.

Her question answered with a simple glare from the man who'd went from broken to soldering in a matter of seconds.

The demons have a fleet of their own.

-

“Report!” The ship's captain demanded, entering the large CIC in search of answers.

“
We're giving them all we have, sir, but it doesn't look good.” one of the staff members replied, watching the battle play out on his computer monitor.

“
Giving who all we've got?” the captain asked, pushing everyone to realize he knew nothing beyond the blasts.

“
Sir,” the staff member replied. “We had three ships nearly fall on top of us. Look to be marked with the Succubus logo, and they aren't holding any punches.”

“
Our rail guns?” the captain asked.