CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Okay, everyone, listen up,” Gunnery Sergeant Hayes was saying. “There’s been a change of plan.”

  LaCruz didn’t look up, she was too intent on stowing her gear.

  “The first two squads have run into some difficulties. We’re not clear on the details but the main hanger doors have just closed. We’re not picking up any irregular heat signatures from inside so it’s doubtful this is an ambush. More likely some technical glitch.”

  “Are we standing down?” someone asked.

  The sense of anticipation inside the small craft was palpable.

  “No such luck. We’re currently re-locating to our second point of ingress.”

  When he called up the schematics of the alien ship people had to lean back as they were sitting in the middle of it. It took a couple of moments for everyone to get their bearings.

  Someone said, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  Hayes ignored the comment and instead zoomed in on a flashing icon. It was focussed on one of the long tears in the ship’s hull which had been inflicted by the Mantis earlier.

  The idea was so preposterous that no one, at first, said anything.

  “How are we gonna get in there, Gunny, jump?”

  “That’s the idea. And it’s not like we haven’t done this a million times before.”

  Hayes was right, they had practiced the boarding procedure hundreds of times before but always in a training. In a weightless environment specially built for the purpose. There was a huge difference between doing that and completing the same procedure in a hard vacuum. In training there was never the consideration that if you missed your mark you’d likely go spinning off into the depths of space.

  Last minute changes like this were never a good idea, LaCruz ruminated. You were too obviously reliant on the actions of others.

  Yet, they had no other choice.

  “Now here’s how we’re going to do it: Lance Corporal Grimes here is going first,” he laid a hand on Grimes’ shoulder and Grimes flinched. “Grimes is going to secure himself to the surface of the enemy craft and then he’s going to ready himself to receive us. And here’s how we’re going to do it.”

  The gunnery sergeant held out his arms. Grimes had to put down his weapon but when he stood up and spread his arms he could quite comfortably touch both walls.

  “Helluva wingspan, huh?” Hayes said admiringly.

  *

  LaCruz stood fourth in line.

  The aft ramp was open and the view of the enemy ship completely filled the doorway. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting. The hull was covered with some sort of long, fibrous material - there were no smooth edges anywhere. It looked less like a spaceship and more like the surface of some exotic fruit. Even the colour, burnt reds and oranges confirmed this impression.

  She had been too busy checking the seals on her suit to see Grimes’ own jump. Now, lining up, she was too close to the trooper in front to see very much of anything but she assumed that Grimes had himself anchored and was ready to receive them. The next thing she knew, Hayes’ hand came down on the shoulder of the guy in front and then he was gone.

  And then, all too quickly, it was her turn. She trudged forward, stopping six inches from the edge, making a final check to ensure that all her weaponry was secure. She was aware that her breathing rate was up and that her heart was racing, all this before she’d taken a look out the door.

  “Shit, that’s a long way!”

  But no one could hear her. They’d killed their squad link before beginning the de-pressurisation process and wouldn’t activate it again until they were safely back on the ship. Unless, that is, something went wrong.

  Hayes had told them they’d only have to jump ten metres. They’d practiced with much bigger distances before but this was different. When she glanced down, she could see the shadow of her own ship picked out on the hull of the alien vessel. This was a lot further than ten metres, closer to twenty.

  She knew that that didn’t matter, the physics was exactly the same. Once she kicked off she would maintain a constant speed – it wasn’t like gravity was going to have an effect. And yet every ingrained gravity-bound instinct she’d ever had was insisting that she was about to plunge to her death.

  Still, she couldn’t afford to hesitate. To do so would be to let down her squad mates and that just wasn’t going to happen. She braced herself, bent her legs slightly and concentrated.

  Hayes’ hand lightly touched her shoulder. She let out a huge breath and leapt. She knew at once that she’d over done it. In her bid to conquer her demons she had ignored her training and over-cooked her launch. She’d let her fears get the better of her and that was the thing most likely to get you killed.

  The horizontal inclination of her mobile infantry suit made it impossible to see just where Grimes was no matter how high she craned her neck. It should have been possible to reset the direction of her external camera but, by the time she managed to make that adjustment, this would all be over. She’d just have to trust that Grimes was paying attention. If he lost track of her then she really would be in trouble.

  She hit Grimes with such force that he was knocked from his perch and the pair of them tumbled across the ship’s hull. It was like getting entangled in seaweed. Luckily, another trooper was on hand to help. He had hold of Grimes’ foot and indicated to LaCruz how she could pull herself forward simply by grabbing hold of handfuls of fibres.

  While Grimes returned to his catcher’s position, she pulled herself over to where the other trooper waited at the entry point. The fibres had been melted black around the edge of the aperture making it difficult to find sufficient hand holds but eventually, with the other trooper’s help, she was able to drag herself inside.

  The pull of gravity registered itself as soon as her torso slid through and she prepared herself for a hard fall. But a number of hands caught hold of her and helped lower her to the ground. There were five of them in all and, by the time she’d got her Koninsburg set up, the other troopers had joined them, Grimes coming in last.

  Her navigation system had already adjusted itself to the new entry point and a yellow arrow on her HUD told her which way to go. They had to wait longer than they were comfortable with while the comms guy set up a tight beam transmitter. This would allow the people back on the Mantis to keep track of their comings and goings.

  Using only hand signals, Hayes despatched the first fire team with LaCruz’s squad bringing up the rear. Hayes settled himself at the centre.

  The passageways were low and wide and LaCruz thought of Grimes who would be struggling at the back. While there was no direct light source, the corridor was reasonably well lit due to a phosphorescent effect coming off the walls. The walls themselves were covered by tiny swaying fronds of varying shades and colours. The alien environment, instead of unnerving LaCruz and the others, actually had the reverse effect. With no obvious threat indicators, it was easy for them to become diverted by what they were seeing. The swaying fronds had a hypnotic quality about them and LaCruz twice walked into the trooper in front of her who had stopped to examine the patterning. The fact that they were mission silent only added to their growing sense of dislocation.

  *

  “I can’t make head nor tail of it,” Webster complained.

  They’d set the monitors up in the expectation of being able to follow the Marines as they progressed through the enemy ship but that wasn’t the effect that they were getting.

  “It’s like they’ve been swallowed up by some enormous bi-valve and we’re watching them being digested.”

  It was an odd thing to say, yet no one disagreed. The Marines appeared to be closed in on all sides by the fronds which were rendered a generic shade of pink by a combination of the limitations of the cameras and the freakish lighting.

  “I’m less concerned with what it looks like,” Faulkner said. “But more concerned that they appear to have lost their integrity as a unit. They seem to be pulling themselves all over the place. There’s no sense of purpose.”

  They’d tried following the progress of the various squads on the schematic but had given up. According to that, the teams hardly seemed to be moving at all.

  “What about the ship’s crew?” Webster said, carefully avoiding the word ‘alien.’ “I can’t believe they haven’t registered our arrival. When are they going to put in an appearance?”

  The tech officer pulled a face to show that he was as frustrated as everyone else. Webster had heard all the arguments about why they couldn’t isolate the aliens’ individual life signs but that didn’t mean he was happy with the situation.

  He leaned in close to Faulkner. The old man looked exhausted but then he hadn’t slept for a day and a half. If this relationship was to continue, Webster realised, he was going to have come to some kind of formal agreement with him about the necessity of rotating all staff members, including the senior officers. Whatever health problems Faulkner might currently be suffering from they would only be exacerbated by a consistent lack of sleep.

  “Sir,” he said. Faulkner blinked, his eyes having taken on a misty sheen. “Sir, how long before we have to pull back? We don’t seem to be getting anywhere with this.”

  “We have to give them enough time to get to the main chambers. Perhaps then, things’ll look a little clearer.”

  “But what if the enemy are simply massing there ready for an ambush?”

  “I’m quite sure that’s exactly what the enemy is doing. I spoke with Mackie about it before he left and he agrees with me that the technology they possess is well worth the risk we’re taking. We have to give our people more time.”

  “Sir, we’re getting something,” Sergeant Major Hatton, Mackie’s second-in-command, was saying.

  Short and solidly built, she strode across to the screen directly in front of Faulkner and brought up a new feed. The Marines had emerged into a large open space. The light levels were low but they could just make out some shapes in the blue green murk.

  Suddenly, the screens were filled with multiple muzzle flashes as the Marines opened fire.

  “Can we see what it is they’re shooting at?” Faulkner asked.

  “I’m on it, sir,” said Silva, who had only just joined them.

  “Trooper down,” said one of the tech support.

  Hatton had managed to bring up three screens showing the firefight from different angles. None of them added any further clarity to the situation.

  “I’m picking up multiple injuries across the board, sir,” Silva said. “Looking at two possible fatalities.”

  “Weren’t they all wearing their mobile infantry suits?” Faulkner asked.

  “That’s right, sir,” Hatton said. “All of them.”

  Now there was nothing for them to do but watch.

  *

  LaCruz had rotated through to take up position at the rear of the squad. The simple act of maintaining vigilance while moving backwards, covering the team’s six, was enough to wear anyone down but, in these cramped, seemingly subterranean tunnels, it was particularly challenging. Despite everything, LaCruz felt drowsy. Given the opportunity, she could have hunkered down on the floor and gone to sleep right there and then. She couldn’t work out what was causing it. The Marines were impervious to poisons and toxins so long as they stayed in their suits. Perhaps it had something to do with the hypnotic nature of the light. There was something about it which made you want to look away after a while but there was nothing for it but to just keep going and try to stay alert.

  The trooper behind her tapped her twice on the back and eased her to a halt. LaCruz shook her head and tried to think. She’d lost all track of where they were, even with the computer counting down the distance to their destination.

  They had arrived in a large circular chamber built on three levels with a metal gantry running around the top but that was pretty much all she could see. According to her HUD they had approached from the west and there were four other chambers leading off from the one she was currently in. Three of these were roughly the same size as this one but the chamber on the northern side was larger, much larger.

  LaCruz had her rifle raised and ready before she knew what it was she was aiming at, her squad mates’ reactions just a little slower. While her targeting software struggled to make sense of all the contacts that were presenting themselves, Hayes had activated a ‘Hold Fire’ icon.

  LaCruz started to lower her weapon.

  Then suddenly there they were: a whole group of them highlighted in green.

  Green. Good guys.

  Hayes indicated for them to stand down. The other troopers were entering through the eastern entrance. Their helmets identified them as Delta Team members.

  That was Major Mackie’s group. He’d paired himself with Staff Sergeant Pavel. Pavel was one tough bitch. She had a problem with female Marines in general, and LaCruz in particular. And yet she had no problem working with the men. It didn’t make any sense but then, what did?

  LaCruz’ squad held back while Hayes went over to consult with Mackie and Pavel.

  She took the opportunity to look around. It was a strange place. The fronds were everywhere and there were clumps of what looked like coral growing all over. She considered going over and checking some of them out but hesitated - there was no telling what the stuff might do to her suit. If she didn’t know better she’d think she was inside some old wreck, which had been submerged for the last fifty years.

  “Okay, pay attention,” Mackie’s voice was incredibly loud inside her helmet. “We’ve had reports from Alpha and Beta saying that they’re currently engaging the enemy – seems that they know we’re here. Plus, the hostiles seem to have access to some high-power weaponry and they’re not afraid to use it. So, let’s stay focussed and all watch our backs. The entrance to the engine room is over there, marked on your HUDs as the northern entrance. As far as we can tell, this is the only point of entry. One way in, one way out. With that in mind, Gunnery Sergeant Hayes and his team will be tasked with securing the area while we take a look inside. Let’s get to it.”

  The Marines in Team Delta prepared to move out, leaving LaCruz and the rest of Team Zeta behind.

  It was all so much bullshit.

  He was trying to give the impression that both teams were working together when, really, she knew otherwise. They’d be working together only so long as Mackie needed Zeta to watch his back. Then, once he’d snatched whatever alien tech he could get his hands on, they’d be out of there. If this all went to plan, only one team would be getting the credit: Team Delta. Team Zeta would be reduced to a mere footnote in the records - if they were mentioned at all.

  But that was fine. She’d learnt long ago that going for glory was pretty much a guaranteed way of getting yourself killed. LaCruz would be happy just to get back to the ship in one piece.

  Everything began to move quickly from there on in. With Delta moving towards the engine room, Hayes wasted no time laying out his orders. First team was to set up in the northeast section of the walkway with second team in the Northwest giving them overlapping fields of fire. But, as LaCruz made to follow her squad mates, Hayes headed her off.

  “No, no, not you, LaCruz. I want you up top with that Koninsburg.”

  She glanced up at the higher levels. It made good tactical sense to exploit the higher ground. There was even an argument for putting a whole fire team up there, but Hayes had made his call and that was it. If the enemy arrived in superior numbers – as seemed likely – they would attempt to press their advantage but, with LaCruz in an elevated position, there was a decent chance that she might be able to tip the balance.

  “Go and get yourself set up, you know the drill. We still don’t know what these freaks look like so you’re going to have to do your best targeting their officers.”

  LaCruz hoisted her rifle but didn’t move off directly.

  Hayes gave a hearty sigh. “I get it, Jackson. Normally, I’d send someone up with you to act as over-watch but we’re right up against it today.”

  He turned to see what she was looking at.

  Grimes.

  “He stays down here,” he continued. “We need some kind of incentive to make sure you cover our asses.”

  It was a poor joke though she appreciated the sentiment.

  “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  “I’m sure you will, LaCruz, I’m sure you will.”

  *

  She pulled out her pistol as she entered the west corridor looking for a staircase. There had to be some way of gaining access to those upper tiers but so far, she’d failed to find it. The corridor opened up into a square chamber with rectangular boxes stacked over on one side. Each one rested on top of the other with the open face of the boxes turned outwards. The boxes were bluey black in colour and didn’t appear to contain anything of note.

  Nonetheless, she kept her pistol levelled in their direction while she looked around. Her squad mates would have laughed at the pistol, it was pathetically underpowered compared to everything else they carried but it provided her with a sense of security until such time as she managed to get her rifle set up.

  By the time she’d searched the whole area, she was running out of options and had started to think that clambering up onto the boxes might be the only way to go. But then she’d have to drag them out into the atrium owing to the fact that there was no access to the upper levels from inside. There was a sort of spindle which rose up before disappearing into the ceiling and she momentarily considered climbing that. And, if she hadn’t been wearing her suit and loaded down with equipment she might have managed it. The spindle turned slowly and had short, flat plates sticking out from the sides. These, she assumed, had to be significant, though she couldn’t for the life of her think why.

  She went over to watch it working close up. The metal plates looked solid enough. She grabbed hold of one of them and was nearly pulled off her feet as it slowly rotated. The next time she grabbed one, she was careful to look for a corresponding foothold. She was thrown backwards initially but quickly managed to steady herself as she was lifted into the air.