They rushed out to find an empty and quiet district between the lines of enemy structures. The walls looked as if they were cast from solid steel. A pulsating hum protruded from the area as if some kind of power source was constantly fluctuating up and down. Taylor led the troops out on the ground that was laid with a fresh smooth surface. The enemy had clearly prepared the surface for their base only and left the ruins all around them as trophies of their conquest.
Chandra looked around to see the German Company pouring out from the other two craft. None of the troops wanted to take a step further. No human being could ever want to take a pace closer into the jaws of death, she thought. Taylor looked back and nodded at her in acknowledgement to move forward. She was still in charge overall, but she was more than happy for Mitch to run the Inter-Allied in such a fearful place.
Major Chandra turned to Wittman, pointing for him to split off and head for the perimeter. She hated that she was sending them right for the enemy positions, but it was no different to the dreadful choices she had been making since it all began. She watched as they paced off quickly and quietly to engage the enemy. She turned to see Taylor was already leading the Company forward.
Despite Chandra’s discomfort, a tingle went down her spine to see Taylor back among them. It made her feel once again that everything was going to work out. She followed and kept a keen eye on Mitch as he led the advance. Eli Parker was close by his side. As they grew near to the first building, they could hear the heavy footsteps of Mechs steps stomping along a corridor within.
Taylor led them all close along the wall of the structure as he made his way towards what appeared to be the entrance. Ambient lighting, which seemed to emanate from the structures, gave them more than adequate visibility; something they were highly thankful for when they knew they couldn’t risk night vision equipment, as gunfire could erupt at any second.
Taylor lifted his hand to stop them and edged forward to get a better view from around the corner of the vast structure. He looked back to check the position of Wittman’s troops, but they were already out of sight. He turned back and carefully crept around the corner. He could make out three Mechs stood by the doorway. The sight of them on their own soil reminded him of his encounter with Karadag.
He studied the terrain and spotted two drones a hundred metres away from the guards. He looked back and conveyed the numbers with hand signals before raising his weapon and taking a deep breath. He knew the time for covert action was over. He pointed forward as the go signal and leapt out, rushing towards the doors with his shield held out to protect himself.
He opened fire before the creatures could respond. The first Mech dropped dead when five shots pierced its armour. The drones were quick to respond. They got off several shots, but they were all absorbed by the Reitech shields as the Company advanced. Light from the soldiers’ weapons lit up the district as the Mechs and their drones were torn apart. They were still a hundred metres away when the creatures tumbled to the ground in a smouldering heap.
Another two Mechs appeared at the doorway as they approached but were met with a hail of gunfire, riddling each of them with dozens of rounds. Taylor continued at a sprinting pace to the door and slammed into the wall beside the entrance. His platoon formed up around the doorway and prepared to enter. None of them knew what they would find inside, but they were already too pumped up on adrenaline to worry about it.
“Go!” shouted Taylor.
He turned and leapt through the entrance and was the first in. They found themselves in a tall and broad corridor that seemed to continue for as far as they could see. Taylor had expected to see a vast and grand interior but appreciated the cover it afforded them. He looked back to see those who had entered behind him anxiously waiting for the order to continue on. He moved off, knowing they’d be at his back.
He continued on, and they grew closer to the drone from within. Taylor finally reached an adjoining corridor and stepped cautiously to its entrance. He peered around the corner and realised it was as empty as the one they had first entered. He wondered if the enemy had simply not heard the gunfire but knew it was too much to hope for. Chandra pushed her way to the front and stepped up to Taylor.
“Where are they all? Wittman must have made contact by now,” she mused.
“With these walls and that noise, there could be all out war, and we wouldn’t know it.”
“Shit, I don’t like this. We don’t have a fucking clue where we’re going.”
Taylor took a deep breath. He knew they had to find Karadag, but he already suspected that the enemy leader would have much the same idea about them.
“Let’s keep moving forward,” he whispered.
He continued onwards for several hundred metres until they reached an opening. The corridor led into a vast hall that Taylor suspected was at the heart of the structure. Huge towers reached to the roof. It was in this moment that he asked himself, what the hell do they do here? It was a question none had thought to ask when they conceived the mission. The notion that the base was a central hub for Karadag and his leadership was enough.
“What the fuck?” asked Parker.
They continued out into the vast hall and looked in horror as they began to recognise the unmistakeable form of human bodies contained within capsules on the towers. They were inside glass and lined up in columns on the structures.
“My god, there must be thousands of people here,” whispered Eli.
“Tens of thousands,” replied Chandra.
“What do they want with the bodies?” she asked.
“You’re assuming they are dead,” replied Taylor.
“They’re still alive?” asked Chandra. “Why, and what for?”
“I can think of a few reasons, but none are pleasant,” he replied.
He caught a glimmer of movement and squinted to make out half a dozen Mechs that had identified them from across the hall. They were already closing the distance.
“Guess we won’t have time to find out!” yelled Taylor.
He leapt aside to the cover of some control module unit as the first light pulses smashed into their location. They had all become more familiar with hiding beneath the enemy fire than they would ever have liked. Taylor peered out from behind the structure and noticed more Mechs pouring into the room.
“We aren’t gonna get out of this quick!” he shouted.
Chandra took a look for herself and quickly ducked back into cover as she narrowly evaded an enemy pulse. She sighed, realising they could not afford to stick together, despite the grave danger they faced.
“Take Silva’s platoon and find Karadag. We’ll take care of this!” Chandra ordered.
Taylor looked into her eyes and wanted nothing more than to disagree, but he had fully accepted there was only one way the mission could end in success. He leapt to his feet, and signalled for the others to follow him and made a quick dash for another corridor. He still had little understanding of where they were going. His information told them that Karadag was inside the complex. He could only hope it was right. Up ahead, the Major could see a door open and Mechs pouring out across the route into another corridor. He turned to Silva.
“We have to stop them, or Chandra’s gonna be in the shit.”
“Sir, we have a mission to do,” he replied.
Captain Jones pushed forward and interrupted.
“Our mission is to kill these fuckers, so let’s do it!”
Taylor appreciated the sentiment, but it also concerned him that his friend was so eager to run headlong into danger. Nonetheless, he knew they had to do something.
“Grenades at the ready, let’s cut them off!”
He rushed towards the doorway. It was clear that within all the chaos, they had still not noticed the two platoons advancing at their flank. Taylor got within twenty metres when two of the Mechs turned to fire but were riddled with fire and dropped where they stood. He let his rifle hang and pulled two grenades from his webbing and rushed past the door, throwing them in as he did so.
The Major slid across the door opening and lifted his rifle as he reached the other side. Silva and two of the others arrived quickly with him and tossed in grenades from the other side of the frame. The room erupted with an ear-splitting series of explosions, sending vibrations through the walls and floors around them.
Smoke bellowed out from the doorway, but Taylor was quick to his feet and in through the entrance. He fired on full auto from the hip as he engaged the survivors of the room. Several others quickly joined him. For half a minute, they lit up the room with gunfire as they executed the Mechs who were injured, stunned or separated from
