Hunter Killer: Legacy Earth 7, page 2
As it did, the door slid open. Lance’s training kicked in. Breaching the door, he broke left as Stephanie moved in behind him and turned right with Mattias and Dexter taking the center of the room.
He lowered his weapon. Dozens of scientists were huddled into the room. Some were injured, but all looked terrified. Lincoln leaned back from behind a console with his hand on the device. He cracked a wide smile.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he called out. “I’d come over there to greet you, but if I take my hand off this panel, they’re going to open every door in this facility, and we’re all done for.”
“It’s going that well, huh?” Lance asked as he walked over to his brother.
With a shriek, one of the scientists rushed Lance with a scalpel. The soldier took a half step back, caught the staff member by their wrist, and spun him around before shoving him into the nearby wall, making him drop the weapon.
“Seriously, Jarod?” Lincoln scolded. “Can you not see that they’re in SOAT armor, or take, I don’t know, physical cues from me, that I’m not going on the offensive, so maybe you shouldn’t?”
“Not to mention you’ll never be able to do any real damage with that tiny thing,” Dexter added.
“That’s what she said!” Valdivia cut in.
Lance closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh before looking back at the scientist.
“Pick up your toy and get back with your colleagues,” he ordered before approaching his brother. “What’s our sit-rep?”
“Not great,” Lincoln replied.
He pulled up a projection of the ship’s internal map. Red dots swarmed the station with high concentrations around the hangar, the engine room and the hallways leading to them.
“That doesn’t look great,” Lance said before pointing to the engine room. “I’m assuming they’re trying to get in to overload it?”
“And they’re trying to get to us for retrieval,” Lincoln added.
“Million-dollar question is, why would the Reeves work alongside the Veles?” Stephanie asked.
“They could’ve figured out how to re-write them after laying siege to their space station,” Lance replied. “But that’s the least of our concerns at the moment. What do your ship’s internal defenses look like?”
Lincoln turned and looked at Hrafn squad before shrugging.
“They’ve wiped out our security forces and have overridden the hallway defensive systems,” Lincoln replied. “I had to shut them down to stop from firing on all of us.”
Lance nodded as he looked at the station’s map. Pursing his lips, he developed a plan. It was more brutal than he’d like, but it was the only way he could see any of them surviving. Pointing at one of the larger groups of intruders that stood between them and the engine room, the captain cleared his throat.
“Is that an airlock I see on that deck?” he asked.
“Yes, what are you thinking?” Lincoln asked, weariness in his tone.
“Open it,” Lance replied.
“Are you sure?” the cyborg enquired. “Isn’t that a little much?”
“Yes, but with those numbers, we don’t stand a chance,” Lance countered before attempting to justify his train of thought to himself. “Even if we get extremely lucky and manage to punch a hole through, they’re all dead anyway. At least being spaced will be faster, and likely less painful than bleeding out.”
“And the Reeves?” Lincoln asked.
“They may have been hardened enough to withstand the anti-matter explosion, but we’ve got some things that’ll make short work of them. Isn’t that right, Dex?”
“I can’t wait to give this a try!” The giant simmered with excitement as he lifted his heavy rifle. “It’s a little thing Steph threw together.”
“It wasn’t just thrown together. I’ve been working on it since the AI War and you’re just the only one big enough to carry around the power cell,” she countered.
“I’ll wait until you get into position to open the airlock,” Lincoln relented. “On your way, might I suggest you focus on taking out this particular unit?”
Lincoln highlighted a larger red dot on the ship’s map. It was in the center of the team attempting to get to the engines.
“This is the one that’s stopping me from being able to regain control of the ship’s electronics,” Lincoln pointed out. “You take it out and I’ll be able to block off every area in the ship, reactivate the internal defense systems, and put an end to this and call for the fleet to back us up.”
Lance crossed his arms; he shook his head at his brother’s suggestion.
“No, whoever ordered this attack wanted the artifact and ended up with Amber and Chadavia,” Lance replied. “If they’re going for the engine room, then that means they don’t want any survivors. Our best way to figure out who’s behind this is to let them think they’ve succeeded.”
“You don’t have the right to order the destruction of this station!” one of the scientists shouted.
Lance turned to look at the small crowd that eyed him down. None of them indicated who spoke up. The captain shook his head.
“I may not, but strategically speaking, it’ll be easier to find the responsible party if they think you’re all dead,” Lance announced.
“And what about you?” Lincoln asked. “Their fighters are bound to have reported back that the Gladius got involved.”
“We’ve disabled their fighters and have our team picking up the ones still alive,” Lance replied. “I can have one of our dropships pick us up from the opposite side of this station and hide behind its explosion, let one of the fighters get away and report back to their superiors. If we can track them, all the better.”
“You were trained well,” Lincoln smirked. “I’m in for it.”
“I’m not!” Jarod shouted.
“No one cares, Jarod!” Valdivia countered. “Sit back down!”
“What she said!” Lincoln added before turning his attention back to his brother. “I’ll work on relaying an encrypted message to Justin and your other pilots with this plan. Head on out there and let me know when you’re ready for me to vent the corridor.”
Lance nodded. Turning back to his team, he pointed at Valdivia and Mattias.
“You two, stay here for security, make sure no one that isn’t on our side gets in here,” Lance ordered.
Valdivia nodded and quickly inspected her weapon. Mattias’s shoulders slumped.
“I never get picked,” he muttered.
“It’s just because I need Stephanie in case Dexter’s gun jams,” Lance countered. “I promise, I’ll pick you for the next away mission.”
“Yes, sir,” Mattias said before checking his weapon.
The Jarog and Sniper moved into defensive positions in front of the door. Mattias flipped a metal table with the enthusiasm of a pouting child before kneeling behind it. Lance looked at his brother, raising his brow.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Whenever you are. Preferably sooner rather than later, though.” Lincoln replied, nodding toward the map.
The swarm moved closer to the blocked-off engine rooms. Lance nodded. Patting his brother on the shoulder, he motioned for Dexter and Stephanie to follow him. Moving toward the door, he formed up next to it with his rifle raised. Deploying his helmet, Dexter moved in behind him with Stephanie taking the back.
“We’re clear,” Lance called out.
The door slid open. Lance stepped into the corridor. Instantly, he turned around and checked to their left as Dexter stepped out and cleared the right. Without a ‘T’ junction, Stephanie backed up her captain’s position. Nothing but gray metal stretched out in front of him.
“We’re clear,” Lance called out.
“Clear,” Dexter added.
Lance turned on his heels. Moving his weapon in a downward arc, he then raised it, aiming it to the left of Dexter as he moved past Steph. The engineer lowered her rifle for a split second, so she didn’t flag her captain.
Lance pushed past Dexter. Metallic clicking filled the oddly silent hallway as Marty scuttled across the walls and onto the ceiling, charging ahead of them.
“He’ll keep us posted of any traps,” Stephanie explained, maintaining her position at the back of their line. “Our close proximity should negate any attempts at jamming his signal.”
Lance hugged the right wall, moving in a half-crouched position. His steps were as silent as those behind him. He carefully made each movement as his weaker suit didn’t have the same sound dampeners his teammates’ had. Through weeks of practice, he’d figured out how to be just as quiet, however.
Marty stopped at a ‘T’ junction, several dozen yards ahead of them. It stuck on the ceiling and spun in circles several times before stopping in place. Several beeps came in through their helmets causing the static of Lance’s mini map to clear for a few seconds. No enemies were tucked away in front of them.
Reaching the junction, Lance pied the left side as Dexter moved to the other side of the corridor and pied the right. Both men gave a thumbs-up as Stephanie moved into the center of the junction, her weapon at the ready.
With a silent hand movement, she let them know they were good to go. Lance rounded the right corner, and keeping his weapon raised, he approached a large, steel door. It was sealed shut. Remembering the map his brother showed him, he knew that their enemies were on the other side.
Marty scuttled down the wall next to them. It jumped onto Stephanie’s shoulder before settling in on her thigh. Lance looked back at Dexter and nodded at the door.
“Chances are the Reeves will be able to magnetize their feet before they’re pulled out,” Lance whispered. “You’ll be up.”
Dexter nodded and took his place on the far side of the corridor with his weapon aimed at the door. Lance opened a channel to his brother.
“We’re in position,” he whispered. “How are things looking on your end?”
“Not great,” Lincoln replied. “They’re only two sections away from the engine room. They’re cutting through the doors faster than they should.”
“And what are things looking like for the other side of our door?” Lance asked.
“Just as bad,” Lincoln answered. “I’m counting another ten having joined the initial squad holding that area of the ship.”
Lance looked at his team; he quickly cycled through his HUD and magnetized his boots. Stephanie and Dexter did the same.
“We’re strapped in,” Lance informed his brother. “When you open that external door, hold it for a few seconds, then open our door just before you close the hull. It’ll give us the best advantage.”
“Copy that; just let me know when,” Lincoln replied.
“Now!” Lance ordered.
3
PUSH THROUGH
A low howl rushed from beyond the door accompanied by muffled screams. The barrier before them groaned under the internal pressure of the ship against the vacuum on its other side. Lance made a C grip on the barrel of his rifle with his left hand, pulling his weapon into his shoulder and gripping it so tightly, if he’d still been enhanced, it would’ve bent his barrel in half.
“Brace yourselves,” Lincoln called out. “Opening the door in three, two, one…”
The door slid open. Lance threw his entire weight back. Even then, the resulting gale-force winds nearly pulled him off his magnetized feet. Reeves lay near prone, their boots magnetic as well, with the pull of the void.
As the outer door shut, Lance was able to right himself quickly. He opened fire on the dozens of mobile platforms that started to right themselves. Dexter’s cannon whined as it powered up to open fire.
Slugs, glowing with electricity, flew from his weapon in blurred lines of blue. As they impacted the Reeves, their bodies jolted and sparked, shutting down even without center mass and head shots.
Stephanie opened fire, aiming at the mobile platforms further down the corridor with pinpoint precision. Dexter howled in excitement as he sprayed and prayed. In seconds, their path was clear. Dexter’s weapon wound down, the whine falling silent before its wielder raised the gun to look at its smoking barrel.
“Ain’t it a beautiful sight?” Dexter chuckled.
“Extremely useful; where was that during the AI Wars?” Lance asked, glancing back at Steph.
“What do you think gave me the idea to invent it?” the engineer asked. “The power drain is ridiculous, though. It takes three concentrated helium ion cells to be useful, and they run dry after thirty seconds of sustained fire.”
“And how many seconds were you holding the trigger?” Lance asked as he demagnetized his boots.
“About twenty,” Dexter replied. “I’ll save the last burst for our target.”
“If we could get our hands on some of that Boronite, we could probably power the upgrade indefinitely,” Stephanie added.
Lance started down the hallway, double-checking the Reeve corpses as they passed. He turned and scanned the partial hallway where Lincoln opened the doors. Nothing waited to attack them.
“I’m sure you’d find a way to make that work, but my question is, are you really willing to go back to that planet just to get some rocks?” Lance asked.
“Absolutely not!” she countered. “Who knows what kind of cancers prolonged exposure to a power cell could have.”
Lance stopped, he turned and looked at the engineer before holding up his multi-tool.
“Didn’t you put a piece in here?” he asked.
“Well… yeah, but I shielded it enough that you’re not getting hit by any radiation,” she replied. “I even tested it with a Geiger Counter, and we’re all good.”
“If I get any kind of cancer, I’m blaming you,” he warned.
“You’ll be fine,” the engineer countered.
“Look alive!” Lincoln cut in. “I’m seeing a group breaking off the main force to engage with you. If you hurry, you can catch them before they reach the next junction.”
“Copy that, moving out!” Lance shouted.
All three sprinted up the corridor, stepping around or hurdling Reeve corpses.
“They’re approaching from the right,” Lincoln called out as they closed in on the four-way junction.
“I’ll take the far edge,” Lance called as his fast walk turned into a sprint.
Lowering his weapon, he gained as much speed as he could. Reaching the intersection, he dropped to his hip and slid across the gap. Two Bastion platforms were already interlocked to create a wall of cover for the others. Guns protruded from the self-made cover and opened fire at Lance as he slid across the gap.
Sparks flew around him as bullets ricocheted off the floor and walls. Several flares of blue light flashed around him, sending ripples out in a semi-circle around the soldier like waves on a still pond after a rock is thrown in.
A notification appeared on his HUD as he flew into cover. It read that his suit’s shielding was down to forty-three percent. He let out a laugh as he stood up, pressed himself against the wall and readied his weapon.
“What’s so funny?” Dexter asked as he lowered his gun and pulled two grenades from his belt.
“It looks like we stole something from Irene for once,” Lance replied. “They put shielding in this armor.”
Dexter armed both grenades and threw them around the corner.
“How is it?” Stephanie asked.
“Three shots will cause it to fail, but it’s better than nothing,” Lance replied.
BA-BOOM!
Both explosives detonated. Before the debris was done flying, Lance was around the corner. His rifle up as his instincts and training took over. The wall was fractured; sparks flew from it.
Several of the humanoid platforms were in pieces and crawled toward weapons. Lance shot those he saw move several times in the head and chest, taking out both motherboards. A sense of gratitude washed over him to have the SOAT weapons, being high-powered enough to punch through Reeve armor in one shot, instead of the several required by HRG’s.
A notification flickered on Lance’s HUD. It was his shield regenerating as a hum coursed through his suit. He felt a tiny vibration in his multi-tool as the semi-functioning Reeves around him twitched and spasmed as if their power cells were being drained.
As they fell limp, Lance looked at his multi-tool, then his staticky mini map. There were no enemies around him, and his suit was at full power. He let out an impressed scoff before glancing over at Stephanie.
“If we can find that Reeve space station, maybe we can get the parts they harvested from the planet and you can use them,” Lance suggested.
“If they haven’t been bled dry yet,” the engineer replied.
“I’ve got one grenade left,” Dexter said to himself in disappointment. “I should’ve brought more.”
“Lincoln, how are we looking?” Lance asked.
“Not great,” he replied. “There’s only one door left between the Reeves and the engine room; you want to pick up the pace?” he asked.
“Copy that, how are we getting there?” Lance asked.
“Sending the coordinates to Marty and syncing enemy movements with it,” Lincoln replied. “Just follow the robot.”
“Copy that; you doing okay?” Lance asked as Marty took off through the ship’s halls.
“Yeah, they’re just attempting to unleash a virus in the ship that’s going to take my full concentration to break,” Lincoln replied with strain in his voice. “Marty’ll beep once for traps, twice for enemies and three times for allies.”
Lincoln cut the channel off. As he weaved through the corridor, bodies started to litter the floor. Some were Veles, others were Reeves, most were the littered bodies of human security officers.
Stephanie knelt next to several of the shattered mobile platforms. Dozens to hundreds of scrapes and chips covered the Reeve protective skeletons before they’d finally given way. Lance shook his head as he inspected one of the HRG rifles that was bent clean in half.
“We need to upgrade our military hardware,” Lance whispered in disappointment. “We can’t let this keep happening.”
