He waited for a moment to see what was approaching. The booming grew louder until the ground vibrated beneath them. They could do nothing but remain still, and wait and hope they had not been spotted. A slab fronted and bulbous ship rushed overhead and slowed as it entered the prison complex airspace.
Taylor gasped in relief that it appeared to be unrelated. He looked around at the faces of the nearest marines to see the same glimmer of satisfaction. He turned back to track the vessel. Beam lights burst into action as it came in to land in one of the courtyards. The entire underbelly was lit up as well as the ground below it.
The Major turned the bevel on his binoculars to return to normal magnified vision and lifted them to his eyes. He could see the vehicle come in to land, but it was largely obscured by one of the vast detention centres between the vessel and their position. He squinted to make out a glimmer of movement a few moments later.
Finally, through a small gap between two of the buildings, he could make out the sight of humans being led from the vessel. A Mech strode past in between them with its huge cannon slung casually across its armoured forearms. Shit, they must be bringing more prisoners in. We better have enough space to get them out.
The marine platoon waited and huddled in the grass for twenty minutes. They knew the drones were close but had not identified them. Their mission presented enough danger without having to take on the guards of the transport vessel. Taylor did not have to relay commands. They all knew they must wait.
The vessel finally began to lift off from the base and head quickly off to the east. Taylor waited until it was well clear, and he could no longer hear the intimidating boom of its engines. He knew they had a narrow margin to make the mission work. When he was absolutely happy that they were left in peace once again, he turned to the troops and gave them the nod to move forward.
Taylor lifted himself to his feet. His knees creaked from sitting like a statue for what felt like an hour. He stretched his muscles and flexed his joints until he softened up and then moved forward at a slow and quiet pace. Taylor lifted his rifle and quickly targeted the first Mech. The moonlight glimmered off its metallic structure.
He looked back at his marines, but they had already stopped and readied themselves to fire upon seeing his weapon raised. The time for covert action was over. He nodded to Silva for the Sergeant to ready the flare. The Major turned back to his target and took in a deep breath. He pulled the trigger and fired three shots off in rapid succession. The drone was smashed over onto its side as gaping holes were torn in its body.
The moonlit field pulsed with light as the platoon opened fire with a rapid and brutal volley into their targets. The drones were all destroyed before they could return a single shot. The signal flare burst above them and lit up the scene. Taylor quickly leapt to his feet and rushed forward, shouting for his marines to follow him. They reached the gates of the prison and the burning wrecks of the drones. Their new weapons had left the alien devices as heaps of scrap.
Taylor’s gun fired once again as he rushed forward. The round hit the broad lock of the gates and blew a hole through it and the surrounding mesh. The platoon rushed through without stopping and continued at a quick pace along the smooth concrete ground. Two Mechs quickly appeared from between two buildings up ahead but were utterly overwhelmed.
Fire poured from the marines as they continued rushing on. Each Mech was hit with half a dozen shots. Their bodies had barely hit the ground by the time marine boots were thundering past. Taylor came to a quick stop to identify his surroundings. He had only seen the layout of the facility from aerial surveillance.
Silva’s section rushed to his side and took up positions behind a narrow wall, as the Major surveyed their location. Doors burst open to their left flank and three Mechs rushed out to fight them in a futile attempt. Fire ripped into the guards, and Taylor nodded with satisfaction at the realisation that their equipment was finally up to the task. Although he knew a surprise attack in numbers was a long way from a pitched battle.
Kato’s copter flew overhead before Taylor could get to his feet. The craft’s nose lifted quickly, and the tail dipped to swoop in for a fast descent. They came to a hover just twenty metres above the building where they had identified the heat signatures of humans.
“That’s our target,” called Taylor.
He quickly looked around at the dozens of other detention rooms just like it on the facility.
“Sergeant Silva, check out these other buildings and secure the area!”
He leapt to his feet and ran towards the target building. He didn’t have to give the order to his section. They were already close behind. Taylor could see out of the corner of his eye that Parker’s section was already dropping onto the roof above. Their boosters provided for a soft landing despite their heavy gear that went unheard over the sound of the engines.
Taylor was first through the door as he threw caution to the wind. His desire to save his friend had affected his judgement, but he only realised it too late. As he burst into the entrance, he was met by the sight of a gun barrel just a few metres away. The Mech holding the weapon fired before he could raise his rifle.
The corridor flashed with light as the pulse smashed into the Major’s torso. The power of the blast launched him onto his face and tossed him to the ground like a ragdoll. The Major was conscious for just long enough to feel the pain of the impact as he slid along the corridor and smashed into a sidewall.
Sugar stomped into the corridor and stood his ground before the body of his Major. He opened fire with both of his weapons on full auto. The Mech got off two shots as he rained down fire that smashed the creature back, causing its weapon to miss the hulking marine by just a metre. He bellowed with all the air in his chest as he emptied both magazines into the creature and a second that tried to come to its aid.
The corridor lit up with flames as the walls caught fire under the heat and concentration of the rounds. The two creatures were reduced to twisted piles of scrap. Sugar’s weapon clicked empty, and he lowered his weapon to quickly check on Taylor. He looked back up for just a moment to see that he was safe and then leapt to the Major’s aid.
“Major!” he shouted in hope of a response.
He grabbed hold of Mitch’s shoulders and shook him. The rest of the section ran into the entrance of the building to see the horror of their leader lying lifeless. Sugar knelt down and listened to his breathing.
“He’s alive!” he barked.
The marine got back up and looked at the smoking armour that lay across Taylor’s chest. The round had gouged over a centimetre out of the armour but had not penetrated. Sugar shook him again in desperation. An explosion rang out further into the building, and Sugar glanced down the corridor. Gunfire followed it, and he quickly reached to change his magazines. Two of his section ripped fire extinguishers from the wall and rushed to the flames.
The towering Sugar jumped as he felt a hand grasp his wrist. The shock almost made him reach for the trigger of his weapon, but he looked down to see the Major grasp his arm with a surprisingly firm hold. His eyes were open wide, and he had a stunned expression as he stared blankly at the marine. Sugar’s heart almost stopped as he realised Taylor was still alive. A smile broadened across the man’s face.
“You gonna help me up, or keep looking like you wanna kiss me?” Taylor jested.
Sugar took a hold of the Major’s arm and hauled him to his feet. Mitch groaned as pain soared through his body. He’d almost gotten used to not feeling like a total wreck.
“You okay, Sir?”
Taylor nodded. He lifted up his rifle and turned at the sound of gunfire. He suddenly realised where he was and their purpose for being there. He shook his head to try and wake himself up and then looked to Sugar and the others who were awaiting his orders.
“Let’s get our people back. Let’s go!”
They all cheered as they rushed forward to the end of the corridor. Campbell led from the front; his beloved sniper rifle slung on his back and a Reitech rifle in hand. Taylor winced as he hobbled forward. His neck creaked in agony, and his arm was numb. His spine was only saved from breaking on impact with the wall by the rigidity of his armour. It was little consolation when it hurt so much.
Gunfire erupted in the corridor ahead before the Major could get around the corner. He heard a cry of pain as Allen, one of his section, was struck in the arm. The Private collapsed back against the wall as the others kept firing. Energy pulses rushed down the corridor and blew gaping holes in the space between the wounded man and Taylor.
“Fuck!” bellowed Allen.
The Private screamed at the top of his voice. Taylor could see that the shot had dislocated Allen’s shoulder and taken the flesh down to the bone. He turned to see Campbell huddled behind a metal-wheeled cart that had already taken a blast from the enemy. He peeked around the corner just enough to catch a glimpse of the enemy as
