From The Shadows... (chapter 11)
BadMouth
It ceases to be exclusive when you can have a custom member titl Join Date: 2004-05-21 Member: 28815Members
It ceases to be exclusive when you can have a custom member titl Join Date: 2004-05-21 Member: 28815Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Change</div> Early chapter for you guys! So be happy! First of all, thanks to SYPHON for editing. Secondly, constructive critisim is always welcome.
<b>Change</b>
<i>“You must conform to the needs of society. Society doesn’t conform to your needs”</i> – Doctor Campbell
Marcus was not handling the situation as well as Philip although he did not let that be known. While Philip was handling everything with surprising calmness, Marcus had his conscience gnawing at him. Ordering a hit on Dan wasn’t exactly the right thing to do. Marcus wondered if he could fight ruthlessness with ruthlessness. Could all of Dan’s wrongdoings actually justify his execution? That was the question that haunted Marcus day and night, and sometimes, in his dreams. Unfortunately, Marcus could not express his doubts to anyone, not even Kathy.
His marriage had deteriorated drastically over the past few days. Kathy had sensed the change in him and had moved in with her mother. Marcus’ calls were all left unanswered and when he tried to visit her, her parents wouldn’t let him in. Kathy accused Marcus of being too in love with his job and had neglected her. It hadn’t helped when the senator scandal had come out. It was awful being all alone in the house at night, not having his wife next to him in the morning when he wakes up. Marcus promised himself for the umpteenth time that once it was all over, he was going to make it all up to Kathy.
It was early in the morning, around five. It looked as if it was still night with its special serene atmosphere. Marcus was still up because he was too nervous to sleep. <i>Today is the day</i>, he thought. Philip had briefed him on the plan and had even told him what time it was going to take place. Four in the afternoon, just outside his office, the perfect place. Philip had even invited Marcus to watch the execution, from a safe distance of course. Marcus had politely declined, giving the excuse that he was busy planning their next step. In actuality, Marcus wanted to be as detached to the whole situation as possible. That way, he wouldn’t feel so guilty. Wouldn’t feel that horrible wrench in his conscience.
Marcus thought once again about the possibility of backing out. He reached the same conclusion again, as he had the previous times he had questioned himself. The answer was a plain no. With the senator scandal exposed, the only way he could clear his name was to take down Dan and change the files. Otherwise, he would definitely be in jail. The only reason why he wasn’t in jail was due to the small number of political connections he still had. By the next day, everything will be all right and he would be the new head of the TSA. Marcus already had everything planned out. The news of Dan’s death should spread within an hour through the media. He would use the chaos created to attack. Whatever supporters Dan had would be brought over to his side and with his new backing, Marcus would eliminate the rest of his opponents.
Marcus stood alone in his house, waiting for the sun to rise. When it did, it came out with its full glory. The sun was so beautiful, the giver of life. Marcus let the rays of light wash over him and he felt their warmth. He let his mind drift for a while, letting his troubles go.
<i>Ring! Ring!</i>
The abrupt ringing jerked him back to reality. Marcus sighed as all his problems came flooding back in like a wave. The weight on his shoulders got a bit heavier. Marcus went to the phone and checked to see who it was, hoping that it was Kathy. No such luck for him. It was Philip.
“Yes? What went wrong?” Marcus asked. He was too accustomed to bad news already, he expected it in every call he got from Philip.
“Everything’s fine. Relax,” Philip said calmly. “Just a minor complication.”
“There is no such thing as a minor complication at this stage!”
“Relax. It isn’t anything too big. Just that Sage Bellows died of a heart attack an hour ago.”
“What?” Marcus exclaimed. He could already feel a headache coming on. Sage was one of their key players. He had helped a lot financially and was going to be crucial in converting some of Dan’s men. Now that he was dead, they were considerably weakened. “What? Now what do we do? We are ruined!”
“I’ve got it covered. It has been settled. I got a replacement by the name of Joe. He knows what’s going to happen and he wants to be on our side.”
“Oh my god! You told him?” Marcus shouted over the phone. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t tell him specifically what was going to happen. I just hinted that things were going to change. And he got the hint.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Giving me scares like this is bad for my heart,” Marcus said, starting to calm down. “As long as he can be trusted. I’m counting on you Philip.”
“You can always count on me,” Philip said before putting the phone down.
Philip was at his desk in his study. Stacks of files and thumb drives covered his desk, leaving precious little space for his two computers. His computer was quite warm already but it was not surprising, considering the fact that the computers had been on for a few days. In fact, Philip’s computers were almost working as hard as Philip himself. There was so much to do and so little time. Philip had always stood by the principle that haste makes waste so he was doing his work quickly but he was not rushing himself.
The tireless worker had wanted to watch the execution. There were two reasons for it. To make sure Timmy didn’t mess up and to satisfy his curiosity. He was no stranger to violence or guns but he was still curious on how Timmy was going to do it. When it was three-thirty, Philip left his house. He made his way to one of the hotels next to the TSA headquarters and went into a pre-booked room. The room overlooked the car park of the TSA headquarters and was a perfect viewing spot. Philip pulled a chair next to the window, sat down and waited for the show to begin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timmy got ready for the job. He was not like the others, not like the real professionals. Everything he did was traditional, like his father had taught him. Timmy was a third-generation hitman. It had started with his grandparents, more specifically, his grandmother. It was only later did his grandfather join in. Times were bad back then, with hardly any food to go around. Timmy’s grandparents had to provide for four hungry children and they had trouble finding jobs. It was partly due to their low education level and to their contempt for higher authority. Timmy had been told that the whole hitman business had been an accident. From the way his father had told him the story, it was quite hilarious.
It happened one day when his grandmother, who was in her twenties back then, was coming back from another failed job interview. On her way home, two hooded men carrying firearms suddenly ambushed her. It was at that opportune moment that a police cruiser drove past. The robbers dropped their guns and ran like there was no tomorrow. Timmy’s grandmother had her first encounter with a firearm at that moment. From what Timmy had heard from his father, the idea had come instantly and his grandmother had suddenly attained some sort of enlightenment. Personally, Timmy thought that part was exaggerated and took it with a pinch of salt.
It was said she started off knowing nothing but later engaged the help of a friend. It was only later that his grandfather was involved. They started off small-time, doing easy hits and earning some small cash. Then, as time passed, they refined their methods and got better. Soon, they were pretty well known but somehow, the law never got a firm hold on their necks. It had become a family thing and tricks of the trade were handed down.
Timmy had a wife and two kids. He intended that his children continue with the family business. However, his wife strongly objected and insisted that their children should grow up to be lawyers and doctors, or some other useless job. Timmy sighed as he put on his gloves, handed down by his father. He wished life was easier. <i>Why can’t hitmen like me get the respect we deserve?</i> Timmy wondered. <i>This job sure isn’t easy. </i>
He checked his disguise in the mirror to see if it was all right. It was passable and he looked like a convincing cop. The cop thing was something his grandfather had come up with and over the years, it had been perfected and fine-tuned. There was a certain way of walking, looking, talking and even standing. Timmy had mastered them all, thanks to three generations of hard work and research. His gun was one of the new TX-115s, the standard firearm for all cops on the street. Timmy’s plan was to wait for Dan to come out, shoot him and then, run like hell. Timmy had his escape route all planned out. He was going to run through the neighbourhood and he was certain that he could throw any pursuer off.
Timmy looked at his watch and noticed that it was almost time. Before every hit he made, Timmy did some breathing exercises to calm himself down. It was something his father had thought of and it worked pretty well. Once he was finished with his breathing exercises, he strolled casually to the TSA headquarters. When he came to the gate, Timmy just showed a warrant and after a few seconds of checking, he was allowed to pass. Nobody would ever suspect a cop to be an assassin. Timmy waited by the car park, his hand stroking the pistol. Timmy figured that Dan would have his limousine driven up to him and when that happened, Timmy would pretend to ask some questions. He would try and get headshots although he disliked the blood spray.
Out of the corner of his eye, Timmy noticed another cop coming into the car park. That wasn’t good. A cop could screw things up. As a rule, Timmy would try not to hit any innocent by-standers but it looked like he had to break that rule if he wanted to get out alive.
His watch gave a small beep, indicating that it was already four o’clock. It was finally time. His left hand slipped behind his back to get his taser, for Dan’s bodyguard, while his right hand rested on his gun. Timmy began walking towards Dan. The unsuspecting victim and his bodyguard did not seem to pay any heed to Timmy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan was waiting for his chauffeur to drive the car over. By the time he saw the guy wearing the police uniform, it was already too late. The man walked up to him with a maniacal grin on his face. Dan’s bodyguard did nothing to stop the man, thinking that it was just an ordinary cop. Stopping a cop always got you a lot of extra hassle. Dan’s bodyguard didn’t notice the man’s hand behind his back.
The man pulled his gun out and aimed at the bodyguard’s head. With the squeeze of the trigger, Dan’s bodyguard departed from the mortal world. Blood splattered all over Dan’s clean business suit and face. A few droplets landed on Dan’s face. Dan was totally shaken by the unexpected attack. The man aimed the gun at Dan’s head and continued smiling. That was what broke Dan’s paralysis and he started to turn away. It was no use.
Dan felt the bullet tear right through his neck and he suddenly lost control of his whole body. He could feel nothing but the searing pain in his neck. Dan fell face first onto the floor and his forehead smashed against the asphalt floor. He felt dizzy and faint. The world was beginning to grow dim and darkness crept into his vision. Just before he was totally engulfed in darkness, Dan felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and turned him over. The man wearing the cop’s uniform came into view, his wide grin still on his face.
“Do you remember me Dan? Do you? It’s Terrence. Can you remember what you did to me? I don’t think you do. Let me refresh your memory. You fired me, made me bankrupt and took my family away from me! Let me assure you, the pain you are feeling now is nothing compared to what I’ve been through!” Terrence shouted furiously. “Now it’s payback. But it doesn’t end here Dan. No, it doesn’t. You still have to spend an eternity in hell!”
<i>Bang!</i>
Terrence’s eyes suddenly widened. Dan noticed that a gaping hole in Terrence’s throat had appeared and blood was flowing from it. Terrence placed his left hand against the hole and tried to stop the bleeding. Terrence’ eyes rolled up to the whites and he fell down dead, the big insane grin still on his face. He had gotten what he had come for and he was contented. Dan closed his eyes for the last time and died.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been done but not the way he had wanted it. Philip had seen the whole thing from his room and he was sure a lot of people had too. Everything was happening very fast. The TSA security people were rushing from their posts to the scene and the medical crew had stretchers ready. In just a few minutes, the cops and ambulance had arrived, cordoning off the area with their bright yellow tape.
What had happened was still clearly etched in Philip’s mind. Some cop had shot Dan and his bodyguard. The bodyguard had died instantly but Dan had lived only for a while longer. Timmy had just stood there, deciding what to do due to the sudden turn of events. The crazy cop had turned Dan over and said something to him. At that point in time, some security guy had rushed out to see what had happened. Timmy had showed some common sense then and shot the crazy cop. Timmy used the commotion and crowd to get out of there as fast as he could. He was going to meet up with Philip at the arranged area.
The arranged meeting place was a shopping mall ten blocks away. It was a perfect place with lots of crowd cover. Nobody would also be paying any attention to them. Philip spotted Timmy first and waved his hand to attract Timmy’s attention. Timmy went over to Philip and they both walked to a bench.
“What the hell happened?” Philip demanded.
“How should I know?” Timmy replied. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”
“You are supposed to be the expert in all this. How could something like this happen? You are supposed to plan for things like this.”
“What matters is that Dan’s dead. So in the end, mission accomplished. Just that it was not me that did the job. **** happens. That’s life. But the good thing is, the **** didn’t splatter on us. You should be happy I didn’t shoot.”
Philip sighed. “I guess you are right.”
“Now you owe me a beer,” Timmy said, smiling. “I didn’t do anything fancy.”
Philip sighed. Timmy was going to get his free beer, whether he made the kill or not. Philip told Timmy that he would meet up with him later. Philip needed to tell Marcus what had happened first. He used his secure phone and called Marcus.
“Marcus, it has been done,” Philip said.
“Great. Now we can start the ball rolling. So how was it? Clean and fast?” Marcus asked.
“Well, not really,” Philip said uncomfortably. “It didn’t go as well as planned.”
“What?” Marcus exclaimed, immediately sitting up in his chair. “What went wrong? Tell me!”
“Dan is dead. You don’t have to worry about that. But we didn’t kill him. Someone else did. Some crazy guy. I don’t know who but I intend to find out.”
Marcus breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the line although he made sure Philip didn’t hear it. A great burden had finally been lifted off his shoulders. Dan didn’t die by his hand and that was good enough for him. He overlooked the fact that he had intended to have Dan killed. “Okay. Find out who did the hit. After that, go ahead with our plans. Make sure nothing goes wrong. Everything must be perfect. The battle is not over yet.”
“Yeah, I know. Watch the news for updates. Bye.”
Marcus watched the television for the next hour and indeed, the story on Dan’s assassination came out. It was the main story and many reporters were out there at the crime scene, trying to get their precious interviews. Marcus watched closely but there were no new comments at that point in time. The police were remaining very tight-lipped about the whole situation.
Marcus was not the only one who was watching the news. The Admiral had just so happened to turn on her television. The mention of the words “Dan” and “assassination” was enough to catch her attention. She immediately stopped whatever she was doing and sat down in front of the television. She was hunched forward, with her hands on her knees, as she listened to every detail carefully. Even before the news report was finished, the Admiral could already guess who was behind it. She had no regrets on backing out of the corporate fight; otherwise, she would be implicated into the current mess. The Admiral shook her head, disappointed with Marcus. Power was turning Marcus into Dan and that may be a problem for the future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trent and the rest of the squad was in the canteen onboard the <i>Forger</i>. They had just finished some physical exercise and were having their lunch. They had been on the ship for five days already and were coming to their destination. They were not heading for R-329. R-329 had been liberated already and there were only small pockets of infestation left. The marines were headed for R-311, a blue aquatic planet that was in the same solar system as R-329. Lieutenant Lane had already briefed them earlier on their mission and later that day, they were going to go through it one more time.
They were going to be deployed in a phase network facility that did research on the aquatic ecosystem on the planet. Most of the planet had already been infested and the facility was one of the least infested areas on the planet. The facility was also important as it allowed reinforcements to phase to any other facility on the planet. If they could capture the phase network facility, things were going to be a lot easier in the future. Lieutenant Lane chose group one for the mission and he would be splitting them into three teams. Trent, Jake, Sid and Lombardi would be in team one while Alan, Talos, Hank and Pamela would be in team two. Lucas and Dorian would stay behind and guard the base.
The facility was actually quite big but due to some cave-ins, some of the areas were inaccessible, cutting off half of the facility. The marines would start in phase area one. Suspected hive locations were at computer archives, decompression chamber four and the phase generator. There were a total of ten RT nozzles in the facility and luckily, most of them were quite close to the marine start. Team one was supposed to move to central control, secure a RT, and then proceed to nano-deconstructor, where they would secure another RT. Team one was supposed to hold that position and await further orders. Team two would get the RT at checkpoint nineteen and after that, get the RT at the waiting lounge. Sergeant Lane told them that he was going to be rushing weapons and he would give out a welder to each team.
Trent had every confidence in Lieutenant Lane’s tactic but he was slightly worried about his new squad mates, especially Talos. He was a good soldier but he was not a good marine. A good soldier would aim well and fight well. A good marine would not only fight well, he would also work with the team. Trent was worried that Talos would do something stupid that might jeopardize the whole squad. In a way, Trent worried more about Talos than he did with Alan. Nonetheless, he had to find a way to work with him.
Before Trent had left earth, he had finally found some dream suppressing pills and they worked wonderfully. He no longer had dreams and he could sleep peacefully throughout the whole night. Willy still hadn’t forgiven them for forgetting his birthday. They had actually told him they were throwing him a party in advance so that **** Willy off even more. Whenever any marine walked past him, he would give a nasty snarl. Other than grouchy Willy, things were going quite well. Timothy had given Trent a special laser cutter with his name engraved on it. Trent carried it around with him wherever he went. It was his lucky charm.
Maria was taking some extra lessons on medicine from Nora. Sam and Cissy were spending a lot of time together. Trent constantly teased Sam about him being obsessed over Cissy but Sam didn’t mind. Trent had tried to get to know more about the new recruits. Talos was a tough nut to crack and he remained tight-lipped about his past. Dorian was a religious fanatic but Trent was already used to his views. Kael was a “tree hugger” and an active environmental fanatic. Whenever given the chance, he would rant about how humans are destroying the world and how little is being done. Shannon, Dominic, Steve Rudolph, Hank, Sid and Lombardi were pretty much normal, interested in cars and anything violent. Lucas was slightly different. He respected the old Sicilian codes of silence and honour. Sometimes, he was so serious about those values that it was almost scary.
After their lunch, Lieutenant Lane ordered them to the shooting range. They had two hours of shooting. Sam was concentrating really hard and came out the top, with Talos closely behind. The marines were given a two-hour break and after that, they were to report to the briefing room. Cissy went back to her bed to get some rest so Sam joined Trent in the resource centre, where they watched the news. For the past week, it had been the same thing over and over again. The murder of Dan and the rumours surrounding the murder. Sam and Trent discussed about what had happened and came up with all sorts of weird theories.
“It is pretty obvious the government did it,” Trent said. “That Dan guy has always been a pain in the **** for the government.”
“Don’t be silly,” Sam said as he rolled his eyes. “Why would the government get rid of Dan? He has been a big help to them. And they need him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Without Dan, the government would have to pay for the Frontiersmen out of their own pocket. Everyone knows how stingy the government is with the money. They got Dan to pay for it, claiming that it was his responsibility. Personally, I think it was the government that was trying to cover up the Kharaa when they found it. They just pushed the blame to the TSA because it is election year.”
“And how do you know all this?” Trent inquired.
“Simple logic really. All you have to do is use your brain and infer.”
“Are you trying to say I’m dumb?”
“Yes,” Sam said jokingly. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Hey!” Trent exclaimed and punched Sam lightly on the shoulder.
They joked around for a while before settling down to watch the television programs. Steve just happened to drop by and he joined both of them. Steve was very much like the Toland brothers and was extremely interested in cars. In fact, he was worse than the Toland brothers. He associated cars with almost everything, even food. Steve would say that a certain sandwich didn’t have enough horsepower or he would say that a soup needed repair parts.
“So guys, what are you talking about?” Steve asked. “Hope I’m not causing the conversation to brake.”
“No, not at all. We were just discussing the news and such. The Dan guy is all over the news,” Sam said.
“I heard about it; heard it was a hit and run.”
“Excuse me?” Trent asked, not getting the point.
“I mean an assassination,” Steve said, correcting himself.
Steve managed to turn the conversation into one about cars. He did most of the talking and didn’t notice Trent and Sam were giving him blank looks. Steve just went on for the next two hours, talking about the evolution of cars. Trent and Sam really tried to listen and understand but Steve was just using another lingo. It was Sam who remembered that there was going to be a briefing and he told Trent and Steve. They sprinted to the briefing room, almost knocking Kumar on the way, and made it just in time.
They were the last to arrive and they quickly took their seats. Trent sat down next to Talos while Steve sat next to the Toland brothers and Sam took his usual place next to Cissy. Lieutenant Lane went through the whole briefing again, making sure everyone was clear on what they were to do. Any screw-ups could cost a life. There was little change to the original plan. The only difference was the building arrangements. Lieutenant Lane wanted the armoury to be next to the phase gate instead of the infantry portal. It was boring but necessary, especially for the new marines. If Trent didn’t have discipline hard wired into his system, he would most probably be sleeping already. Once Lieutenant Lane was done, he ordered them to the track.
Just two more days of waiting, training and shooting and then, they would be deployed. It was the fourth of December. Trent eagerly awaited the twenty-fifth of December, Christmas. His squad had been promised that they would get a few days off during Christmas. However, they would not be able to celebrate the New Year holidays. The entire Frontiersmen were to be split into two groups. One group would get the Christmas holiday while the other group would get the New Year holiday. Trent’s squad got the Christmas holiday and somehow, he preferred Christmas to the New Year.
The marines got their light physical exercise. Lieutenant Lane didn’t want to strain them before the missions. The marines just worked up a light sweat before they took a break. Sam and Cissy sat in their own private corner and chatted happily. Trent went over to the water-cooler and took a drink. The cold water tasted absolutely delicious and rejuvenated him. Trent just kept drinking and drinking. It took him some time to realise Maria was waiting impatiently behind him, tapping her foot against the ground.
“Oops. Sorry,” Trent apologised sheepishly. “Didn’t realise you were there.”
“I guess you were too in love with the water-cooler,” Maria replied sarcastically.
“I said sorry!” Trent said, pretending to feel hurt. The “hurt” expression on his face made him look more comical than anything else.
“So what do you want to do when this whole thing is over?” Trent asked, changing the topic. “This thing sure isn’t going to last forever. And I sure hope it doesn’t. If it does, I will probably cry.”
“Don’t worry. I will be crying with you if that happens. Anyway, I’m not too sure what I’m going to do once I get out. Did I ever tell you I was a carpenter? I hated that job. Mostly because I sucked at it but that is beside the point. Maybe I can take up nursing, since I know all the medic stuff. Sounds like a nice job and I actually do something that will help people. What do you think?”
“Sounds like a good profession to me. Being a nurse. You get to help people and contribute to the society. And I heard the pay isn’t bad. Looks like you can even become a doctor.”
“With my qualifications, how do you think I can become a doctor?” Maria asked. “The world has too many of them anyway.”
Maria and Trent talked about what they were going to do when they got out. Trent told Maria that maybe he would be a fitness instructor. Walter had given him a number and it was in his bag somewhere. Trent didn’t know what he wanted to do anymore. He was too busy just trying to stay alive to plan for the future. Trent heard Sam shouting for him and Maria to get back to the track quick. Break time was over.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central control was only a few hundred meters away from where they were. Team one moved together in perfect unison down the corridor. The corridor had a mixture of yellow and red bloodstains on the wall, some of them still fresh. The corridor was relatively wide, allowing for good manoeuvrability on the marines’ part. The ceiling was rather irregular, with many irregularities and holes. Sid, who was in front, had to constantly look upwards and make sure that the ceiling was clear.
They had only been on R-311 for ten minutes and things were looking bad. When they had phased in, the marines were stuck in base. Skulks camped outside phase area one and waited for the marines to come out. Teams one and two had to deal with waves of skulks, just waiting to get a juicy bite out of them. The marines had to keep firing just to keep them back. Luckily, there were no fatalities for the marines. Their armour and constant welding had saved their ****. The Kharaa had only lost one skulk but they had gained more than they had lost. Trapping the marines in their base allowed them to gather more resources.
It was only after six minutes and a shower of med packs did they manage to push the aliens back. Team one had two encounters with skulks but had lost nothing except a lot of bullets. By then, weapons level one had been researched. Trent was the one with the welder and so far, he had been doing his job well. All the marines had their armour restored and Trent had already sealed off one vent. Lombardi was covering their backs and had not seen any action since they had left the marine start. There was a low humming in the background that was caused by one of the phase generators.
Sid approached a bend and he peeped round the corner. It looked clear and there was no sign of any Kharaa. Sid turned to the marines and signalled that the area was clear. That action nearly cost him his life. A skulk that had been waiting on the ceiling dropped down onto Sid and clamped its teeth around Sid’s neck. Blood spurted from the gash and sprayed against the walls. Sid crumpled to the floor screaming in agony. Trent, who was right behind Sid, pulled out his laser cutter and rushed at the skulk.
The skulk didn’t wait to see what the bright red beam in Trent’s hand would do and it ran. Trent fumbled for his LMG but it was too late. The skulk had disappeared down a flight of stairs. Trent turned back and saw that Jake was applying med packs onto Sid. Trent walked backwards to Sid with his gun ready in case the skulk came back. Sid was rubbing his neck and groaned slightly. Trent switched to his welder and told Jake to cover him as he welded Sid.
“Damn. Skulk got me. Should’ve checked the ceiling more carefully. Rookie mistake. Sorry,” Sid apologised.
“As long as you don’t do it again, you don’t have to apologise,” Trent replied as he finished welding Sid’s armour.
Trent looked at their resources and shook his head. They only had nineteen resources and it had already been fifteen minutes. They had to get the next RT quick. With the number of med packs and ammo packs they were using, one RT was insufficient for them. Jake now led the team while Sid stayed in the middle. The marines turned a corner and they came to nano-grid. Nano-grid was the size of a large room and had a domed ceiling. The walls had some computer screens on them, showing the different levels of nanites in each area of the facility. There was a flight of stairs on team one’s right and a thick metal door in front of them.
“Comm, can you scan the area?” Trent requested.
“Hold on,” Lieutenant Lane replied and a few seconds later, blue energy pulses rippled across the floor. “I just scanned computer archives and the hive is there. So there shouldn’t be too much trouble on your side but don’t let your guard down.”
“Roger that,” Trent replied as he looked at his mini map.
Next to nano-grid was central control. The scan revealed only an alien RT and OC. <i>Shouldn’t be too much trouble,</i> Trent thought. He ordered Lombardi to cover the stairs in case some Kharaa backstabbed them. Trent told the team that he would go to the left while Jake and Lombardi would go to the right. The others nodded at his plan and got ready. Trent counted down to three and rushed in.
Central control was where all the phase activity was monitored. It was semi-circle in shape and had a low ceiling, only four meters high. Along the arc of the room, there were around twenty computer screens and seats. There was a ladder in the middle of the room and the OC was next to it. In one corner of central control there was the Kharaa RT, mostly hidden by shadows. Trent sprinted to his left and started firing his LMG as he did so. Jake and Lombardi took the right, filling the OC with bullets as Trent had done. Miraculously, the OC was still alive. It fired two spikes in Trent’s direction. Trent rolled to his left and dodged one of the spikes but the other one got lodged in his thigh.
Trent reached for his pistol and pulled it out. He fired all ten bullets at the OC and it promptly exploded. Its yellow blood tainted the black, shiny floor. Trent reloaded his weapons and stood up. He inspected his thigh and decided that it wasn’t too bad. He clutched the spike and pulled it out of his thigh. The spike had only cut the skin slightly and no real damage was done. Trent pushed the slight pain out of his head and got back up. Suddenly, he heard gunfire from behind. Trent, Jake and Lombardi rushed back just in time to see Sid take a skulk down. Sid was excited about his first kill and stood proudly over the carcass. Trent nodded his approval.
“Comm, central control is clear. We need a RT,” Trent reported.
“Done. Team two reported a lerk so be careful,” Lieutenant Lane said.
Team one moved back to central control and the RT was already there. Trent started building while the rest stood guard as usual. With the extra practice, Trent was able to finish building the RT in eleven seconds. The RT started pumping resources to the marines. Jake waved his hand forward and team one started moving again. Team one walked cautiously up a slope towards nano-deconstructor. It got slightly darker as they went into the maintenance areas. Rust coloured pipes covered the ceiling and grey metal gratings covered the floor. Old-fashioned filament lights hung from the ceilings by black wires that had been around forever.
<i>Pssst!</i>
Trent immediately ducked and did a forward roll. He stood back up, turned around and got ready to fire. His eyes automatically searched the area but there were no signs of Kharaa. Then, Trent saw a jet of compressed air shoot out from one of the pipes and he realised what the sound was. He felt embarrassed at being such a fool in front of the new marines. Trent saw Jake trying to suppress a smile but he was not doing a good job of it.
“Serious guys!” Trent said gravely, trying to draw the attention away from himself. “This is not funny. Stay sharp!”
Jake led the way and they made two more turns. Soon, they came to a door with the words “nano-deconstructor, authorised personnel only” printed in red on it. Trent looked up and noticed that they were standing underneath a vent. Trent requested a scan of the area and Lieutenant Lane did just that. The scan revealed a lerk and RT in nano-deconstructor. <i>Great. A lerk,</i> Trent thought miserably. Trent gave a look at the marines and saw that they all knew what to do. The marines mentally prepared themselves and with a yell, ran into nano-deconstruction.
The lerk was waiting for them and immediately released a cloud of spore into the group of marines. The marines split up so as to become harder targets for spore and started shooting. The lerk flapped its wings and circled the small room. It banked to the left, then to the right, and back to the left. Trent heard his LMG click as his clip ran out. He pulled out the magazine and slapped a new one in, his eyes still on the lerk. The lerk tried to take a bite out of Jake but missed and changed its target to Lombardi. Lombardi ran backwards as he fired at the lerk. He did not see the half eaten body lying behind him. Lombardi tripped over the corpse and fell with a yell of surprise. The lerk bit a chunk out of Lombardi’s hip but had to quickly take off again.
Trent was firing his LMG in concentrated bursts so as not to waste ammo. The lerk was very good and managed to dodge a lot of bullets as it flew down a passageway and round the corner. Lombardi was clenching his teeth with pain and trying to resist the urge to scream. Two med packs materialised in front of Trent and he quickly took the nanites and morphine and injected them into Lombardi’s hip.
“Incoming!” Sid yelled suddenly.
Trent spun round and saw two skulks dash into the room. One of the skulks ran up a wall and tried to get Trent. Sid took it down with just twenty bullets. The other skulk managed to get to Jake and it sunk its teeth into Jake’s groin. Jake’s eyes widened in shock and he fell backwards, his hands between his legs. The skulk used one of its claws and slashed at Jake’s face. Trent whipped out his pistol and started shooting at the skulk. The skulk got hit twice in its side and gave a shrill shriek of pain before dashing off.
“Jesus! Oh god damned Jesus! ****! It hurts like hell!” Jake bawled.
A shower of med packs rained down around Trent. Trent took a look at Jake’s bloody wound and shivered involuntarily. He didn’t think about it as he jabbed the needles into Jake’s nether regions, extracting another scream. However, the nanites made quick work of the wound and the pain ebbed to a dull throb. A blip appeared on his HUD and indicated that weapons level two was ready.
“About time,” Sid grumbled.
Ammo packs were dropped and they replaced the old ammo. Trent used his welder to weld his team and once that was done, he stood guard as the other marines began to knife the Kharaa RT. As Trent stood guard, he got his first real look at the place. There was a bright fluorescent light in the middle of the ceiling and it illuminated the entire room. One of the walls had a thick glass panel and it showed a blue gel-like substance in a circular container. Jolts of electricity could be seen passing through the gel-like substance. A battered control panel stood in the middle of the room and it was splattered with blood. Next to the control panel was the half-eaten body Lombardi had tripped over. The RT nozzle was in an extension to the room and well hidden.
Once the alien RT was taken down, Lieutenant Lane dropped another RT. Trent went over and quickly built the RT. As he connected the last few wires, he felt a sharp **** of pain on his back. He instinctively reached behind and his fingers felt a minuscule, hard object attached to his armour. Trent let out a sigh as he realised he had been parasited. He cursed silently at his bad luck.
“Team one, hold your current position. I’m dropping a PG soon so standby,” Lieutenant Lane informed them.
Within seconds, a PG was dropped and Trent started building again. There were the usual crackling noises as Trent built the PG. That noise covered the sound of the three skulks running into phase-deconstructor. Lombardi was the first to see them and fired off twenty rounds at them. He was slightly tense at that point and most of his shots hit the floor harmlessly. One skulk hopped onto the wall and jumped over Lombardi, taking a bite out of his helmet as it did so. Half of Lombardi’s helmet got torn off and the skulk’s teeth left a few deep, bloody grooves in his face. Another skulk sunk its jaws into his side and blood dripped from the skulk’s jaws. That skulk quickly jumped off Lombardi and searched for another target. The third skulk ran between Lombardi’s legs and as it did so, it extended one of its claws and cut one of his major arteries in his thigh.
Lombardi didn’t stand a chance and fell to the ground. He felt his life slowly drain from him as he listened to the gunfire from his teammates. The other marines were firing frantically. However, the skulks were experienced and moved up and down the walls. Trent focused on one skulk and fired three ten round bursts. The bullets hit the skulk’s body and legs. Blood stained the wall as the skulk slumped lifelessly to the ground. The other two skulks closed in on Jake and pounced at the same time. Jake let out a war cry and emptied his entire magazine. One of the skulks got a face full of lead. Its face was literally split open and it fell to the ground, quivering. The last surviving skulk tore Jake’s breastplate apart with one single bite. Jake gave a yelp and fell down. The skulk knew it didn’t have time to stop and finish Jake off.
Sid enforced that by shooting the last ten bullets at the skulk. The skulk got hit in its shoulder but it still managed to move. Sid yanked his magazine out and reached for a fresh magazine. The skulk was faster and bit into his hand. Trent, who had just finished reloading, tried to aim for the skulk but it was too risky.
“Move aside!” Trent yelled as he waved his hand.
Sid didn’t hear Trent and he pulled his knife out. Sid started slashing wildly at the skulk, forgetting all the training that had been taught. Trent groaned with frustration and shouted again. This time, Sid heard him and jumped aside. It was finally clear for Trent to shoot and he blasted the skulk mercilessly. The area was clear and three med packs were dropped. Trent looked around him and saw Lombardi, lying motionless in his own blood, Jake groaning in pain and Sid clutching his hand with a grimace.
<i>Another good marine gone</i>, Trent thought despondently as he went round healing his team. Trent finished building the phase gate within a few seconds. Next, he dragged Lombardi’s body to the side. He deserved some respect.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Admiral was back in action. When Dan was still alive, he had let her keep her job. For whatever reason, she did not know. But now, Dan was out of the picture and she had nothing to do with it. She was glad her conscience was clear but she prayed for Marcus’ soul. Her journey with him had been an interesting one. They went from enemies, to comrades and then, to strangers. Even though she had nothing to do with his current schemes, she was glad she had helped him earlier on. To repay her for her help, Marcus had boosted her budget and had given the Frontiersmen a new headquarters. The Admiral was now above ground, forty stories above it to be precise, and had a beautiful view of the sandy beach right outside the building. Marcus was even so kind as to provide her with her own chauffeur.
However, it ended there. Marcus was now square with the Admiral and owed her nothing. Those that had been loyal were getting their rewards while the weasels were getting their just deserts. The Admiral had heard all about Frankie. The poor bastard had been found dead just a few miles from his home. His fingers had been cut off and shoved down his throat. She had seen it on the news. No doubt Marcus had used his influence to put that story on the news, making a warning to all those that worked for him.
She got rid of all those thoughts. They served no purpose in her office. What was important was the files on the computer screen. It was the budget report for the flamethrower. That weapon was a real headache and had caused enormous problems. The first problem was the goddamned budget. The Admiral would’ve thought that just improving a world war two weapon was easy but that did not prove to be the case. Apparently, the scientists wanted to make the flamethrower more compact so that it would be easier for the marines to use. The main problem was how to compact a large amount of fuel into a small cylinder. When the scientists did that, they had to practically re-design the whole damned thing. More money had to be funnelled into the project. To top it off, there had been a freak accident and even more money had to spent on repairs.
The Admiral decided to put the project on hold. Maybe when she had more competent people, she would start the project again. The next thing to do was to plan for taking back R-311. She scrolled through the reports and shook her head grimly. The only squad that was on the planet was squad K-03. The next closest squad was three days away. That meant that the squad had to hold out there for three whole days, assuming they managed to re-take the facility. The Admiral transferred the files onto a thumbdrive and went to the meeting room. A meeting was scheduled to begin in ten minutes but she was pleased to see everyone already there.
“We are here to discuss the fate of R-311. It is not a priority one assignment. Major Edgecomb, what is our status in sector R-10?” the Admiral said.
“Eleven squads currently active. Two squads are in the yellow. One squad on the <i>Forger</i>, one on the <i>Spark</i> and nine squads on the <i>Angel.</i> The two yellow squads are on the <i>Angel</i> and have only nine men each. Lieutenant Lane of the <i>Forger</i> is currently on R-311 and attempting to secure the phase network facility. His record is pretty impressive with only one failed mission. He also has Trent Brendwood on his squad, an outstanding fellow I hear,” Major Edgecomb reported.
The Admiral nodded her head in approval. She had also heard of Trent. He had displayed great leadership qualities and courage. Lieutenant Lane had given special commendation to Trent, as stated in the report. “Can we spare any of them?”
“Only the <i>Angel</i>. They are three days away from R-311. Led by Sergeant Ullter with his squad of seventeen. They could relieve Lieutenant Lane until more reinforcements come or until the phase network is fixed on that planet,” Major Edgecomb suggested.
“I see. Nobody can get there faster? The <i>Forger</i> would be on another mission right after the one on R-311. Is there nobody that can get there faster?”
“No. They will just have to wait.”
“Okay. Now, moving on to planet R-329. Is it completely liberated yet?” the Admiral asked.
This time, another officer gave the report. It was Captain Trevor and was in charge of R-329. “All traces of Kharaa have been eliminated. We are doing one last sweep just to be safe. Then, engineers will come in and rebuild the whole place. Military instalments will be built first, followed by the basic civilian buildings. All transports going in or out of R-329 will be scanned for bacterium. For the first month, the guards will be tripled and if all goes well, then we shall cut down the number of guards back to normal.”
“What about civilians? When can they go back?” the Admiral asked
“Minimum, four months. That’s the fastest we can go.”
“I guess that will have to do. Now, onto more pressing business. Planet R-373. Major Keen, how are our forces on that planet?”
“To be frank, ****. Pardon my French,” Major Keen replied. “Of the seventy squads sent there, only twenty-seven still remain. And they are just barely surviving. They have to deal with waves and waves of Kharaa but they only have limited supplies. The death toll is rising rapidly. We need more men over there. I suggest that we leave sector R-10 alone first and divert all our forces there too planet R-373,” Major Keen said.
“Denied,” the Admiral immediately said. “We still need control over R-10. We cannot just give it to those blasted Kharaa. Taking it back would prove to be harder if we just let them have it now.”
“Then are you going to let those men on R-373 die?” Major Keen asked incredulously.
“No. I am not. You would be a fool to think that. There are eight squads in reserve now. We can send those. Once sector R-10 is stable, then we can divert our troops.”
“But sending reserves would take more than a week. Those men down there don’t have that much time!” Major Keen argued.
“I have to agree with Keen on this one,” Major Edgecomb said. “We could leave K-03 and J-11 in sector R-10. The rest could help out at R-373.”
The Admiral weighed their logic against hers. It was true that planet R-373 was more important than any of the planets in sector R-10. However, one of the red zone, sector R-12, was right next to R-10. If they managed to free R-10, they would not have such a hard time with R-12. She had to make a decision. Both sides demanded attention, it was just figuring out which one needed it more. That was the hard part. In the end, she chose to stick with her decision.
“They have to stay where they are. That is my decision. Think about the future. If we want to take R-12, we can have supplies in R-10 and R-11,” the Admiral reasoned.
There was some disapproval and some supporting statements. It went on for the next two hours and the Admiral argued her point back and forth. In the end, she managed to convince them but most were still displeased and discontented. The Admiral went back to her office and groaned inwardly when she saw the new stack of reports waiting for her at her desk. The Admiral started reading through the files one by one. By the time she had cleared half the stack, it was already night.
She decided to call it a day even though it was only eight. The Admiral called her chauffeur and asked him to bring her to one of her favourite restaurants. She was still getting used to a chauffeur. When she had first gotten him, she had forgotten about him most of the time and had driven to work by herself. Everything was changing. The Admiral was not sure whether she could adapt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trent took more shells from the armoury. The shotgun felt good in his hands. Dorian was the only other marine in base. Lucas was with team one in the phase deconstructor. They now had only seven resources as Lieutenant Lane had dropped a number of shotguns for his marines. They were taking turns to phase back to base and get their shotguns. Trent was the last person to get his shotgun and once he got his ammo, he phased back.
There was not much activity. The skulks had tried to parasite the other marines but Trent willingly blocked the parasites with his own body. It hurt but constant welding and a med pack took care of the pain. The lerk would also cause some trouble with its spores but Trent and his squad scared it off by constantly spraying it with bullets. Back at nano-deconstructor, the marines were just patrolling around the small area.
“Team two, we have some trouble. The RT at central control is under attack. I want Sid and Trent to go and save it. Only Sid and Trent. The rest stay behind and await further orders. Now move. You don’t have much time,” Lieutenant Lane ordered.
Trent responded with a “roger that” and started to jog back to central control. He watched the ceiling and walls as he jogged, being much more alert. Soon, the sound of teeth scraping against metal could be heard and Trent picked up the pace. Sid was keeping up with the pace and occasionally turned round to make sure his back was clear. They were back at the slope and Trent got ready to run it. He looked at Sid and pointed towards central control, indicating that they rush in. Trent held his shotgun close and ran in. At that same instance, Lieutenant Lane scanned the area. Trent’s eye automatically looked at the small map in the corner of his HUD and he saw five skulks, waiting for him in central control.
<b>Change</b>
<i>“You must conform to the needs of society. Society doesn’t conform to your needs”</i> – Doctor Campbell
Marcus was not handling the situation as well as Philip although he did not let that be known. While Philip was handling everything with surprising calmness, Marcus had his conscience gnawing at him. Ordering a hit on Dan wasn’t exactly the right thing to do. Marcus wondered if he could fight ruthlessness with ruthlessness. Could all of Dan’s wrongdoings actually justify his execution? That was the question that haunted Marcus day and night, and sometimes, in his dreams. Unfortunately, Marcus could not express his doubts to anyone, not even Kathy.
His marriage had deteriorated drastically over the past few days. Kathy had sensed the change in him and had moved in with her mother. Marcus’ calls were all left unanswered and when he tried to visit her, her parents wouldn’t let him in. Kathy accused Marcus of being too in love with his job and had neglected her. It hadn’t helped when the senator scandal had come out. It was awful being all alone in the house at night, not having his wife next to him in the morning when he wakes up. Marcus promised himself for the umpteenth time that once it was all over, he was going to make it all up to Kathy.
It was early in the morning, around five. It looked as if it was still night with its special serene atmosphere. Marcus was still up because he was too nervous to sleep. <i>Today is the day</i>, he thought. Philip had briefed him on the plan and had even told him what time it was going to take place. Four in the afternoon, just outside his office, the perfect place. Philip had even invited Marcus to watch the execution, from a safe distance of course. Marcus had politely declined, giving the excuse that he was busy planning their next step. In actuality, Marcus wanted to be as detached to the whole situation as possible. That way, he wouldn’t feel so guilty. Wouldn’t feel that horrible wrench in his conscience.
Marcus thought once again about the possibility of backing out. He reached the same conclusion again, as he had the previous times he had questioned himself. The answer was a plain no. With the senator scandal exposed, the only way he could clear his name was to take down Dan and change the files. Otherwise, he would definitely be in jail. The only reason why he wasn’t in jail was due to the small number of political connections he still had. By the next day, everything will be all right and he would be the new head of the TSA. Marcus already had everything planned out. The news of Dan’s death should spread within an hour through the media. He would use the chaos created to attack. Whatever supporters Dan had would be brought over to his side and with his new backing, Marcus would eliminate the rest of his opponents.
Marcus stood alone in his house, waiting for the sun to rise. When it did, it came out with its full glory. The sun was so beautiful, the giver of life. Marcus let the rays of light wash over him and he felt their warmth. He let his mind drift for a while, letting his troubles go.
<i>Ring! Ring!</i>
The abrupt ringing jerked him back to reality. Marcus sighed as all his problems came flooding back in like a wave. The weight on his shoulders got a bit heavier. Marcus went to the phone and checked to see who it was, hoping that it was Kathy. No such luck for him. It was Philip.
“Yes? What went wrong?” Marcus asked. He was too accustomed to bad news already, he expected it in every call he got from Philip.
“Everything’s fine. Relax,” Philip said calmly. “Just a minor complication.”
“There is no such thing as a minor complication at this stage!”
“Relax. It isn’t anything too big. Just that Sage Bellows died of a heart attack an hour ago.”
“What?” Marcus exclaimed. He could already feel a headache coming on. Sage was one of their key players. He had helped a lot financially and was going to be crucial in converting some of Dan’s men. Now that he was dead, they were considerably weakened. “What? Now what do we do? We are ruined!”
“I’ve got it covered. It has been settled. I got a replacement by the name of Joe. He knows what’s going to happen and he wants to be on our side.”
“Oh my god! You told him?” Marcus shouted over the phone. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t tell him specifically what was going to happen. I just hinted that things were going to change. And he got the hint.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Giving me scares like this is bad for my heart,” Marcus said, starting to calm down. “As long as he can be trusted. I’m counting on you Philip.”
“You can always count on me,” Philip said before putting the phone down.
Philip was at his desk in his study. Stacks of files and thumb drives covered his desk, leaving precious little space for his two computers. His computer was quite warm already but it was not surprising, considering the fact that the computers had been on for a few days. In fact, Philip’s computers were almost working as hard as Philip himself. There was so much to do and so little time. Philip had always stood by the principle that haste makes waste so he was doing his work quickly but he was not rushing himself.
The tireless worker had wanted to watch the execution. There were two reasons for it. To make sure Timmy didn’t mess up and to satisfy his curiosity. He was no stranger to violence or guns but he was still curious on how Timmy was going to do it. When it was three-thirty, Philip left his house. He made his way to one of the hotels next to the TSA headquarters and went into a pre-booked room. The room overlooked the car park of the TSA headquarters and was a perfect viewing spot. Philip pulled a chair next to the window, sat down and waited for the show to begin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timmy got ready for the job. He was not like the others, not like the real professionals. Everything he did was traditional, like his father had taught him. Timmy was a third-generation hitman. It had started with his grandparents, more specifically, his grandmother. It was only later did his grandfather join in. Times were bad back then, with hardly any food to go around. Timmy’s grandparents had to provide for four hungry children and they had trouble finding jobs. It was partly due to their low education level and to their contempt for higher authority. Timmy had been told that the whole hitman business had been an accident. From the way his father had told him the story, it was quite hilarious.
It happened one day when his grandmother, who was in her twenties back then, was coming back from another failed job interview. On her way home, two hooded men carrying firearms suddenly ambushed her. It was at that opportune moment that a police cruiser drove past. The robbers dropped their guns and ran like there was no tomorrow. Timmy’s grandmother had her first encounter with a firearm at that moment. From what Timmy had heard from his father, the idea had come instantly and his grandmother had suddenly attained some sort of enlightenment. Personally, Timmy thought that part was exaggerated and took it with a pinch of salt.
It was said she started off knowing nothing but later engaged the help of a friend. It was only later that his grandfather was involved. They started off small-time, doing easy hits and earning some small cash. Then, as time passed, they refined their methods and got better. Soon, they were pretty well known but somehow, the law never got a firm hold on their necks. It had become a family thing and tricks of the trade were handed down.
Timmy had a wife and two kids. He intended that his children continue with the family business. However, his wife strongly objected and insisted that their children should grow up to be lawyers and doctors, or some other useless job. Timmy sighed as he put on his gloves, handed down by his father. He wished life was easier. <i>Why can’t hitmen like me get the respect we deserve?</i> Timmy wondered. <i>This job sure isn’t easy. </i>
He checked his disguise in the mirror to see if it was all right. It was passable and he looked like a convincing cop. The cop thing was something his grandfather had come up with and over the years, it had been perfected and fine-tuned. There was a certain way of walking, looking, talking and even standing. Timmy had mastered them all, thanks to three generations of hard work and research. His gun was one of the new TX-115s, the standard firearm for all cops on the street. Timmy’s plan was to wait for Dan to come out, shoot him and then, run like hell. Timmy had his escape route all planned out. He was going to run through the neighbourhood and he was certain that he could throw any pursuer off.
Timmy looked at his watch and noticed that it was almost time. Before every hit he made, Timmy did some breathing exercises to calm himself down. It was something his father had thought of and it worked pretty well. Once he was finished with his breathing exercises, he strolled casually to the TSA headquarters. When he came to the gate, Timmy just showed a warrant and after a few seconds of checking, he was allowed to pass. Nobody would ever suspect a cop to be an assassin. Timmy waited by the car park, his hand stroking the pistol. Timmy figured that Dan would have his limousine driven up to him and when that happened, Timmy would pretend to ask some questions. He would try and get headshots although he disliked the blood spray.
Out of the corner of his eye, Timmy noticed another cop coming into the car park. That wasn’t good. A cop could screw things up. As a rule, Timmy would try not to hit any innocent by-standers but it looked like he had to break that rule if he wanted to get out alive.
His watch gave a small beep, indicating that it was already four o’clock. It was finally time. His left hand slipped behind his back to get his taser, for Dan’s bodyguard, while his right hand rested on his gun. Timmy began walking towards Dan. The unsuspecting victim and his bodyguard did not seem to pay any heed to Timmy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan was waiting for his chauffeur to drive the car over. By the time he saw the guy wearing the police uniform, it was already too late. The man walked up to him with a maniacal grin on his face. Dan’s bodyguard did nothing to stop the man, thinking that it was just an ordinary cop. Stopping a cop always got you a lot of extra hassle. Dan’s bodyguard didn’t notice the man’s hand behind his back.
The man pulled his gun out and aimed at the bodyguard’s head. With the squeeze of the trigger, Dan’s bodyguard departed from the mortal world. Blood splattered all over Dan’s clean business suit and face. A few droplets landed on Dan’s face. Dan was totally shaken by the unexpected attack. The man aimed the gun at Dan’s head and continued smiling. That was what broke Dan’s paralysis and he started to turn away. It was no use.
Dan felt the bullet tear right through his neck and he suddenly lost control of his whole body. He could feel nothing but the searing pain in his neck. Dan fell face first onto the floor and his forehead smashed against the asphalt floor. He felt dizzy and faint. The world was beginning to grow dim and darkness crept into his vision. Just before he was totally engulfed in darkness, Dan felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and turned him over. The man wearing the cop’s uniform came into view, his wide grin still on his face.
“Do you remember me Dan? Do you? It’s Terrence. Can you remember what you did to me? I don’t think you do. Let me refresh your memory. You fired me, made me bankrupt and took my family away from me! Let me assure you, the pain you are feeling now is nothing compared to what I’ve been through!” Terrence shouted furiously. “Now it’s payback. But it doesn’t end here Dan. No, it doesn’t. You still have to spend an eternity in hell!”
<i>Bang!</i>
Terrence’s eyes suddenly widened. Dan noticed that a gaping hole in Terrence’s throat had appeared and blood was flowing from it. Terrence placed his left hand against the hole and tried to stop the bleeding. Terrence’ eyes rolled up to the whites and he fell down dead, the big insane grin still on his face. He had gotten what he had come for and he was contented. Dan closed his eyes for the last time and died.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been done but not the way he had wanted it. Philip had seen the whole thing from his room and he was sure a lot of people had too. Everything was happening very fast. The TSA security people were rushing from their posts to the scene and the medical crew had stretchers ready. In just a few minutes, the cops and ambulance had arrived, cordoning off the area with their bright yellow tape.
What had happened was still clearly etched in Philip’s mind. Some cop had shot Dan and his bodyguard. The bodyguard had died instantly but Dan had lived only for a while longer. Timmy had just stood there, deciding what to do due to the sudden turn of events. The crazy cop had turned Dan over and said something to him. At that point in time, some security guy had rushed out to see what had happened. Timmy had showed some common sense then and shot the crazy cop. Timmy used the commotion and crowd to get out of there as fast as he could. He was going to meet up with Philip at the arranged area.
The arranged meeting place was a shopping mall ten blocks away. It was a perfect place with lots of crowd cover. Nobody would also be paying any attention to them. Philip spotted Timmy first and waved his hand to attract Timmy’s attention. Timmy went over to Philip and they both walked to a bench.
“What the hell happened?” Philip demanded.
“How should I know?” Timmy replied. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”
“You are supposed to be the expert in all this. How could something like this happen? You are supposed to plan for things like this.”
“What matters is that Dan’s dead. So in the end, mission accomplished. Just that it was not me that did the job. **** happens. That’s life. But the good thing is, the **** didn’t splatter on us. You should be happy I didn’t shoot.”
Philip sighed. “I guess you are right.”
“Now you owe me a beer,” Timmy said, smiling. “I didn’t do anything fancy.”
Philip sighed. Timmy was going to get his free beer, whether he made the kill or not. Philip told Timmy that he would meet up with him later. Philip needed to tell Marcus what had happened first. He used his secure phone and called Marcus.
“Marcus, it has been done,” Philip said.
“Great. Now we can start the ball rolling. So how was it? Clean and fast?” Marcus asked.
“Well, not really,” Philip said uncomfortably. “It didn’t go as well as planned.”
“What?” Marcus exclaimed, immediately sitting up in his chair. “What went wrong? Tell me!”
“Dan is dead. You don’t have to worry about that. But we didn’t kill him. Someone else did. Some crazy guy. I don’t know who but I intend to find out.”
Marcus breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the line although he made sure Philip didn’t hear it. A great burden had finally been lifted off his shoulders. Dan didn’t die by his hand and that was good enough for him. He overlooked the fact that he had intended to have Dan killed. “Okay. Find out who did the hit. After that, go ahead with our plans. Make sure nothing goes wrong. Everything must be perfect. The battle is not over yet.”
“Yeah, I know. Watch the news for updates. Bye.”
Marcus watched the television for the next hour and indeed, the story on Dan’s assassination came out. It was the main story and many reporters were out there at the crime scene, trying to get their precious interviews. Marcus watched closely but there were no new comments at that point in time. The police were remaining very tight-lipped about the whole situation.
Marcus was not the only one who was watching the news. The Admiral had just so happened to turn on her television. The mention of the words “Dan” and “assassination” was enough to catch her attention. She immediately stopped whatever she was doing and sat down in front of the television. She was hunched forward, with her hands on her knees, as she listened to every detail carefully. Even before the news report was finished, the Admiral could already guess who was behind it. She had no regrets on backing out of the corporate fight; otherwise, she would be implicated into the current mess. The Admiral shook her head, disappointed with Marcus. Power was turning Marcus into Dan and that may be a problem for the future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trent and the rest of the squad was in the canteen onboard the <i>Forger</i>. They had just finished some physical exercise and were having their lunch. They had been on the ship for five days already and were coming to their destination. They were not heading for R-329. R-329 had been liberated already and there were only small pockets of infestation left. The marines were headed for R-311, a blue aquatic planet that was in the same solar system as R-329. Lieutenant Lane had already briefed them earlier on their mission and later that day, they were going to go through it one more time.
They were going to be deployed in a phase network facility that did research on the aquatic ecosystem on the planet. Most of the planet had already been infested and the facility was one of the least infested areas on the planet. The facility was also important as it allowed reinforcements to phase to any other facility on the planet. If they could capture the phase network facility, things were going to be a lot easier in the future. Lieutenant Lane chose group one for the mission and he would be splitting them into three teams. Trent, Jake, Sid and Lombardi would be in team one while Alan, Talos, Hank and Pamela would be in team two. Lucas and Dorian would stay behind and guard the base.
The facility was actually quite big but due to some cave-ins, some of the areas were inaccessible, cutting off half of the facility. The marines would start in phase area one. Suspected hive locations were at computer archives, decompression chamber four and the phase generator. There were a total of ten RT nozzles in the facility and luckily, most of them were quite close to the marine start. Team one was supposed to move to central control, secure a RT, and then proceed to nano-deconstructor, where they would secure another RT. Team one was supposed to hold that position and await further orders. Team two would get the RT at checkpoint nineteen and after that, get the RT at the waiting lounge. Sergeant Lane told them that he was going to be rushing weapons and he would give out a welder to each team.
Trent had every confidence in Lieutenant Lane’s tactic but he was slightly worried about his new squad mates, especially Talos. He was a good soldier but he was not a good marine. A good soldier would aim well and fight well. A good marine would not only fight well, he would also work with the team. Trent was worried that Talos would do something stupid that might jeopardize the whole squad. In a way, Trent worried more about Talos than he did with Alan. Nonetheless, he had to find a way to work with him.
Before Trent had left earth, he had finally found some dream suppressing pills and they worked wonderfully. He no longer had dreams and he could sleep peacefully throughout the whole night. Willy still hadn’t forgiven them for forgetting his birthday. They had actually told him they were throwing him a party in advance so that **** Willy off even more. Whenever any marine walked past him, he would give a nasty snarl. Other than grouchy Willy, things were going quite well. Timothy had given Trent a special laser cutter with his name engraved on it. Trent carried it around with him wherever he went. It was his lucky charm.
Maria was taking some extra lessons on medicine from Nora. Sam and Cissy were spending a lot of time together. Trent constantly teased Sam about him being obsessed over Cissy but Sam didn’t mind. Trent had tried to get to know more about the new recruits. Talos was a tough nut to crack and he remained tight-lipped about his past. Dorian was a religious fanatic but Trent was already used to his views. Kael was a “tree hugger” and an active environmental fanatic. Whenever given the chance, he would rant about how humans are destroying the world and how little is being done. Shannon, Dominic, Steve Rudolph, Hank, Sid and Lombardi were pretty much normal, interested in cars and anything violent. Lucas was slightly different. He respected the old Sicilian codes of silence and honour. Sometimes, he was so serious about those values that it was almost scary.
After their lunch, Lieutenant Lane ordered them to the shooting range. They had two hours of shooting. Sam was concentrating really hard and came out the top, with Talos closely behind. The marines were given a two-hour break and after that, they were to report to the briefing room. Cissy went back to her bed to get some rest so Sam joined Trent in the resource centre, where they watched the news. For the past week, it had been the same thing over and over again. The murder of Dan and the rumours surrounding the murder. Sam and Trent discussed about what had happened and came up with all sorts of weird theories.
“It is pretty obvious the government did it,” Trent said. “That Dan guy has always been a pain in the **** for the government.”
“Don’t be silly,” Sam said as he rolled his eyes. “Why would the government get rid of Dan? He has been a big help to them. And they need him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Without Dan, the government would have to pay for the Frontiersmen out of their own pocket. Everyone knows how stingy the government is with the money. They got Dan to pay for it, claiming that it was his responsibility. Personally, I think it was the government that was trying to cover up the Kharaa when they found it. They just pushed the blame to the TSA because it is election year.”
“And how do you know all this?” Trent inquired.
“Simple logic really. All you have to do is use your brain and infer.”
“Are you trying to say I’m dumb?”
“Yes,” Sam said jokingly. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Hey!” Trent exclaimed and punched Sam lightly on the shoulder.
They joked around for a while before settling down to watch the television programs. Steve just happened to drop by and he joined both of them. Steve was very much like the Toland brothers and was extremely interested in cars. In fact, he was worse than the Toland brothers. He associated cars with almost everything, even food. Steve would say that a certain sandwich didn’t have enough horsepower or he would say that a soup needed repair parts.
“So guys, what are you talking about?” Steve asked. “Hope I’m not causing the conversation to brake.”
“No, not at all. We were just discussing the news and such. The Dan guy is all over the news,” Sam said.
“I heard about it; heard it was a hit and run.”
“Excuse me?” Trent asked, not getting the point.
“I mean an assassination,” Steve said, correcting himself.
Steve managed to turn the conversation into one about cars. He did most of the talking and didn’t notice Trent and Sam were giving him blank looks. Steve just went on for the next two hours, talking about the evolution of cars. Trent and Sam really tried to listen and understand but Steve was just using another lingo. It was Sam who remembered that there was going to be a briefing and he told Trent and Steve. They sprinted to the briefing room, almost knocking Kumar on the way, and made it just in time.
They were the last to arrive and they quickly took their seats. Trent sat down next to Talos while Steve sat next to the Toland brothers and Sam took his usual place next to Cissy. Lieutenant Lane went through the whole briefing again, making sure everyone was clear on what they were to do. Any screw-ups could cost a life. There was little change to the original plan. The only difference was the building arrangements. Lieutenant Lane wanted the armoury to be next to the phase gate instead of the infantry portal. It was boring but necessary, especially for the new marines. If Trent didn’t have discipline hard wired into his system, he would most probably be sleeping already. Once Lieutenant Lane was done, he ordered them to the track.
Just two more days of waiting, training and shooting and then, they would be deployed. It was the fourth of December. Trent eagerly awaited the twenty-fifth of December, Christmas. His squad had been promised that they would get a few days off during Christmas. However, they would not be able to celebrate the New Year holidays. The entire Frontiersmen were to be split into two groups. One group would get the Christmas holiday while the other group would get the New Year holiday. Trent’s squad got the Christmas holiday and somehow, he preferred Christmas to the New Year.
The marines got their light physical exercise. Lieutenant Lane didn’t want to strain them before the missions. The marines just worked up a light sweat before they took a break. Sam and Cissy sat in their own private corner and chatted happily. Trent went over to the water-cooler and took a drink. The cold water tasted absolutely delicious and rejuvenated him. Trent just kept drinking and drinking. It took him some time to realise Maria was waiting impatiently behind him, tapping her foot against the ground.
“Oops. Sorry,” Trent apologised sheepishly. “Didn’t realise you were there.”
“I guess you were too in love with the water-cooler,” Maria replied sarcastically.
“I said sorry!” Trent said, pretending to feel hurt. The “hurt” expression on his face made him look more comical than anything else.
“So what do you want to do when this whole thing is over?” Trent asked, changing the topic. “This thing sure isn’t going to last forever. And I sure hope it doesn’t. If it does, I will probably cry.”
“Don’t worry. I will be crying with you if that happens. Anyway, I’m not too sure what I’m going to do once I get out. Did I ever tell you I was a carpenter? I hated that job. Mostly because I sucked at it but that is beside the point. Maybe I can take up nursing, since I know all the medic stuff. Sounds like a nice job and I actually do something that will help people. What do you think?”
“Sounds like a good profession to me. Being a nurse. You get to help people and contribute to the society. And I heard the pay isn’t bad. Looks like you can even become a doctor.”
“With my qualifications, how do you think I can become a doctor?” Maria asked. “The world has too many of them anyway.”
Maria and Trent talked about what they were going to do when they got out. Trent told Maria that maybe he would be a fitness instructor. Walter had given him a number and it was in his bag somewhere. Trent didn’t know what he wanted to do anymore. He was too busy just trying to stay alive to plan for the future. Trent heard Sam shouting for him and Maria to get back to the track quick. Break time was over.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central control was only a few hundred meters away from where they were. Team one moved together in perfect unison down the corridor. The corridor had a mixture of yellow and red bloodstains on the wall, some of them still fresh. The corridor was relatively wide, allowing for good manoeuvrability on the marines’ part. The ceiling was rather irregular, with many irregularities and holes. Sid, who was in front, had to constantly look upwards and make sure that the ceiling was clear.
They had only been on R-311 for ten minutes and things were looking bad. When they had phased in, the marines were stuck in base. Skulks camped outside phase area one and waited for the marines to come out. Teams one and two had to deal with waves of skulks, just waiting to get a juicy bite out of them. The marines had to keep firing just to keep them back. Luckily, there were no fatalities for the marines. Their armour and constant welding had saved their ****. The Kharaa had only lost one skulk but they had gained more than they had lost. Trapping the marines in their base allowed them to gather more resources.
It was only after six minutes and a shower of med packs did they manage to push the aliens back. Team one had two encounters with skulks but had lost nothing except a lot of bullets. By then, weapons level one had been researched. Trent was the one with the welder and so far, he had been doing his job well. All the marines had their armour restored and Trent had already sealed off one vent. Lombardi was covering their backs and had not seen any action since they had left the marine start. There was a low humming in the background that was caused by one of the phase generators.
Sid approached a bend and he peeped round the corner. It looked clear and there was no sign of any Kharaa. Sid turned to the marines and signalled that the area was clear. That action nearly cost him his life. A skulk that had been waiting on the ceiling dropped down onto Sid and clamped its teeth around Sid’s neck. Blood spurted from the gash and sprayed against the walls. Sid crumpled to the floor screaming in agony. Trent, who was right behind Sid, pulled out his laser cutter and rushed at the skulk.
The skulk didn’t wait to see what the bright red beam in Trent’s hand would do and it ran. Trent fumbled for his LMG but it was too late. The skulk had disappeared down a flight of stairs. Trent turned back and saw that Jake was applying med packs onto Sid. Trent walked backwards to Sid with his gun ready in case the skulk came back. Sid was rubbing his neck and groaned slightly. Trent switched to his welder and told Jake to cover him as he welded Sid.
“Damn. Skulk got me. Should’ve checked the ceiling more carefully. Rookie mistake. Sorry,” Sid apologised.
“As long as you don’t do it again, you don’t have to apologise,” Trent replied as he finished welding Sid’s armour.
Trent looked at their resources and shook his head. They only had nineteen resources and it had already been fifteen minutes. They had to get the next RT quick. With the number of med packs and ammo packs they were using, one RT was insufficient for them. Jake now led the team while Sid stayed in the middle. The marines turned a corner and they came to nano-grid. Nano-grid was the size of a large room and had a domed ceiling. The walls had some computer screens on them, showing the different levels of nanites in each area of the facility. There was a flight of stairs on team one’s right and a thick metal door in front of them.
“Comm, can you scan the area?” Trent requested.
“Hold on,” Lieutenant Lane replied and a few seconds later, blue energy pulses rippled across the floor. “I just scanned computer archives and the hive is there. So there shouldn’t be too much trouble on your side but don’t let your guard down.”
“Roger that,” Trent replied as he looked at his mini map.
Next to nano-grid was central control. The scan revealed only an alien RT and OC. <i>Shouldn’t be too much trouble,</i> Trent thought. He ordered Lombardi to cover the stairs in case some Kharaa backstabbed them. Trent told the team that he would go to the left while Jake and Lombardi would go to the right. The others nodded at his plan and got ready. Trent counted down to three and rushed in.
Central control was where all the phase activity was monitored. It was semi-circle in shape and had a low ceiling, only four meters high. Along the arc of the room, there were around twenty computer screens and seats. There was a ladder in the middle of the room and the OC was next to it. In one corner of central control there was the Kharaa RT, mostly hidden by shadows. Trent sprinted to his left and started firing his LMG as he did so. Jake and Lombardi took the right, filling the OC with bullets as Trent had done. Miraculously, the OC was still alive. It fired two spikes in Trent’s direction. Trent rolled to his left and dodged one of the spikes but the other one got lodged in his thigh.
Trent reached for his pistol and pulled it out. He fired all ten bullets at the OC and it promptly exploded. Its yellow blood tainted the black, shiny floor. Trent reloaded his weapons and stood up. He inspected his thigh and decided that it wasn’t too bad. He clutched the spike and pulled it out of his thigh. The spike had only cut the skin slightly and no real damage was done. Trent pushed the slight pain out of his head and got back up. Suddenly, he heard gunfire from behind. Trent, Jake and Lombardi rushed back just in time to see Sid take a skulk down. Sid was excited about his first kill and stood proudly over the carcass. Trent nodded his approval.
“Comm, central control is clear. We need a RT,” Trent reported.
“Done. Team two reported a lerk so be careful,” Lieutenant Lane said.
Team one moved back to central control and the RT was already there. Trent started building while the rest stood guard as usual. With the extra practice, Trent was able to finish building the RT in eleven seconds. The RT started pumping resources to the marines. Jake waved his hand forward and team one started moving again. Team one walked cautiously up a slope towards nano-deconstructor. It got slightly darker as they went into the maintenance areas. Rust coloured pipes covered the ceiling and grey metal gratings covered the floor. Old-fashioned filament lights hung from the ceilings by black wires that had been around forever.
<i>Pssst!</i>
Trent immediately ducked and did a forward roll. He stood back up, turned around and got ready to fire. His eyes automatically searched the area but there were no signs of Kharaa. Then, Trent saw a jet of compressed air shoot out from one of the pipes and he realised what the sound was. He felt embarrassed at being such a fool in front of the new marines. Trent saw Jake trying to suppress a smile but he was not doing a good job of it.
“Serious guys!” Trent said gravely, trying to draw the attention away from himself. “This is not funny. Stay sharp!”
Jake led the way and they made two more turns. Soon, they came to a door with the words “nano-deconstructor, authorised personnel only” printed in red on it. Trent looked up and noticed that they were standing underneath a vent. Trent requested a scan of the area and Lieutenant Lane did just that. The scan revealed a lerk and RT in nano-deconstructor. <i>Great. A lerk,</i> Trent thought miserably. Trent gave a look at the marines and saw that they all knew what to do. The marines mentally prepared themselves and with a yell, ran into nano-deconstruction.
The lerk was waiting for them and immediately released a cloud of spore into the group of marines. The marines split up so as to become harder targets for spore and started shooting. The lerk flapped its wings and circled the small room. It banked to the left, then to the right, and back to the left. Trent heard his LMG click as his clip ran out. He pulled out the magazine and slapped a new one in, his eyes still on the lerk. The lerk tried to take a bite out of Jake but missed and changed its target to Lombardi. Lombardi ran backwards as he fired at the lerk. He did not see the half eaten body lying behind him. Lombardi tripped over the corpse and fell with a yell of surprise. The lerk bit a chunk out of Lombardi’s hip but had to quickly take off again.
Trent was firing his LMG in concentrated bursts so as not to waste ammo. The lerk was very good and managed to dodge a lot of bullets as it flew down a passageway and round the corner. Lombardi was clenching his teeth with pain and trying to resist the urge to scream. Two med packs materialised in front of Trent and he quickly took the nanites and morphine and injected them into Lombardi’s hip.
“Incoming!” Sid yelled suddenly.
Trent spun round and saw two skulks dash into the room. One of the skulks ran up a wall and tried to get Trent. Sid took it down with just twenty bullets. The other skulk managed to get to Jake and it sunk its teeth into Jake’s groin. Jake’s eyes widened in shock and he fell backwards, his hands between his legs. The skulk used one of its claws and slashed at Jake’s face. Trent whipped out his pistol and started shooting at the skulk. The skulk got hit twice in its side and gave a shrill shriek of pain before dashing off.
“Jesus! Oh god damned Jesus! ****! It hurts like hell!” Jake bawled.
A shower of med packs rained down around Trent. Trent took a look at Jake’s bloody wound and shivered involuntarily. He didn’t think about it as he jabbed the needles into Jake’s nether regions, extracting another scream. However, the nanites made quick work of the wound and the pain ebbed to a dull throb. A blip appeared on his HUD and indicated that weapons level two was ready.
“About time,” Sid grumbled.
Ammo packs were dropped and they replaced the old ammo. Trent used his welder to weld his team and once that was done, he stood guard as the other marines began to knife the Kharaa RT. As Trent stood guard, he got his first real look at the place. There was a bright fluorescent light in the middle of the ceiling and it illuminated the entire room. One of the walls had a thick glass panel and it showed a blue gel-like substance in a circular container. Jolts of electricity could be seen passing through the gel-like substance. A battered control panel stood in the middle of the room and it was splattered with blood. Next to the control panel was the half-eaten body Lombardi had tripped over. The RT nozzle was in an extension to the room and well hidden.
Once the alien RT was taken down, Lieutenant Lane dropped another RT. Trent went over and quickly built the RT. As he connected the last few wires, he felt a sharp **** of pain on his back. He instinctively reached behind and his fingers felt a minuscule, hard object attached to his armour. Trent let out a sigh as he realised he had been parasited. He cursed silently at his bad luck.
“Team one, hold your current position. I’m dropping a PG soon so standby,” Lieutenant Lane informed them.
Within seconds, a PG was dropped and Trent started building again. There were the usual crackling noises as Trent built the PG. That noise covered the sound of the three skulks running into phase-deconstructor. Lombardi was the first to see them and fired off twenty rounds at them. He was slightly tense at that point and most of his shots hit the floor harmlessly. One skulk hopped onto the wall and jumped over Lombardi, taking a bite out of his helmet as it did so. Half of Lombardi’s helmet got torn off and the skulk’s teeth left a few deep, bloody grooves in his face. Another skulk sunk its jaws into his side and blood dripped from the skulk’s jaws. That skulk quickly jumped off Lombardi and searched for another target. The third skulk ran between Lombardi’s legs and as it did so, it extended one of its claws and cut one of his major arteries in his thigh.
Lombardi didn’t stand a chance and fell to the ground. He felt his life slowly drain from him as he listened to the gunfire from his teammates. The other marines were firing frantically. However, the skulks were experienced and moved up and down the walls. Trent focused on one skulk and fired three ten round bursts. The bullets hit the skulk’s body and legs. Blood stained the wall as the skulk slumped lifelessly to the ground. The other two skulks closed in on Jake and pounced at the same time. Jake let out a war cry and emptied his entire magazine. One of the skulks got a face full of lead. Its face was literally split open and it fell to the ground, quivering. The last surviving skulk tore Jake’s breastplate apart with one single bite. Jake gave a yelp and fell down. The skulk knew it didn’t have time to stop and finish Jake off.
Sid enforced that by shooting the last ten bullets at the skulk. The skulk got hit in its shoulder but it still managed to move. Sid yanked his magazine out and reached for a fresh magazine. The skulk was faster and bit into his hand. Trent, who had just finished reloading, tried to aim for the skulk but it was too risky.
“Move aside!” Trent yelled as he waved his hand.
Sid didn’t hear Trent and he pulled his knife out. Sid started slashing wildly at the skulk, forgetting all the training that had been taught. Trent groaned with frustration and shouted again. This time, Sid heard him and jumped aside. It was finally clear for Trent to shoot and he blasted the skulk mercilessly. The area was clear and three med packs were dropped. Trent looked around him and saw Lombardi, lying motionless in his own blood, Jake groaning in pain and Sid clutching his hand with a grimace.
<i>Another good marine gone</i>, Trent thought despondently as he went round healing his team. Trent finished building the phase gate within a few seconds. Next, he dragged Lombardi’s body to the side. He deserved some respect.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Admiral was back in action. When Dan was still alive, he had let her keep her job. For whatever reason, she did not know. But now, Dan was out of the picture and she had nothing to do with it. She was glad her conscience was clear but she prayed for Marcus’ soul. Her journey with him had been an interesting one. They went from enemies, to comrades and then, to strangers. Even though she had nothing to do with his current schemes, she was glad she had helped him earlier on. To repay her for her help, Marcus had boosted her budget and had given the Frontiersmen a new headquarters. The Admiral was now above ground, forty stories above it to be precise, and had a beautiful view of the sandy beach right outside the building. Marcus was even so kind as to provide her with her own chauffeur.
However, it ended there. Marcus was now square with the Admiral and owed her nothing. Those that had been loyal were getting their rewards while the weasels were getting their just deserts. The Admiral had heard all about Frankie. The poor bastard had been found dead just a few miles from his home. His fingers had been cut off and shoved down his throat. She had seen it on the news. No doubt Marcus had used his influence to put that story on the news, making a warning to all those that worked for him.
She got rid of all those thoughts. They served no purpose in her office. What was important was the files on the computer screen. It was the budget report for the flamethrower. That weapon was a real headache and had caused enormous problems. The first problem was the goddamned budget. The Admiral would’ve thought that just improving a world war two weapon was easy but that did not prove to be the case. Apparently, the scientists wanted to make the flamethrower more compact so that it would be easier for the marines to use. The main problem was how to compact a large amount of fuel into a small cylinder. When the scientists did that, they had to practically re-design the whole damned thing. More money had to be funnelled into the project. To top it off, there had been a freak accident and even more money had to spent on repairs.
The Admiral decided to put the project on hold. Maybe when she had more competent people, she would start the project again. The next thing to do was to plan for taking back R-311. She scrolled through the reports and shook her head grimly. The only squad that was on the planet was squad K-03. The next closest squad was three days away. That meant that the squad had to hold out there for three whole days, assuming they managed to re-take the facility. The Admiral transferred the files onto a thumbdrive and went to the meeting room. A meeting was scheduled to begin in ten minutes but she was pleased to see everyone already there.
“We are here to discuss the fate of R-311. It is not a priority one assignment. Major Edgecomb, what is our status in sector R-10?” the Admiral said.
“Eleven squads currently active. Two squads are in the yellow. One squad on the <i>Forger</i>, one on the <i>Spark</i> and nine squads on the <i>Angel.</i> The two yellow squads are on the <i>Angel</i> and have only nine men each. Lieutenant Lane of the <i>Forger</i> is currently on R-311 and attempting to secure the phase network facility. His record is pretty impressive with only one failed mission. He also has Trent Brendwood on his squad, an outstanding fellow I hear,” Major Edgecomb reported.
The Admiral nodded her head in approval. She had also heard of Trent. He had displayed great leadership qualities and courage. Lieutenant Lane had given special commendation to Trent, as stated in the report. “Can we spare any of them?”
“Only the <i>Angel</i>. They are three days away from R-311. Led by Sergeant Ullter with his squad of seventeen. They could relieve Lieutenant Lane until more reinforcements come or until the phase network is fixed on that planet,” Major Edgecomb suggested.
“I see. Nobody can get there faster? The <i>Forger</i> would be on another mission right after the one on R-311. Is there nobody that can get there faster?”
“No. They will just have to wait.”
“Okay. Now, moving on to planet R-329. Is it completely liberated yet?” the Admiral asked.
This time, another officer gave the report. It was Captain Trevor and was in charge of R-329. “All traces of Kharaa have been eliminated. We are doing one last sweep just to be safe. Then, engineers will come in and rebuild the whole place. Military instalments will be built first, followed by the basic civilian buildings. All transports going in or out of R-329 will be scanned for bacterium. For the first month, the guards will be tripled and if all goes well, then we shall cut down the number of guards back to normal.”
“What about civilians? When can they go back?” the Admiral asked
“Minimum, four months. That’s the fastest we can go.”
“I guess that will have to do. Now, onto more pressing business. Planet R-373. Major Keen, how are our forces on that planet?”
“To be frank, ****. Pardon my French,” Major Keen replied. “Of the seventy squads sent there, only twenty-seven still remain. And they are just barely surviving. They have to deal with waves and waves of Kharaa but they only have limited supplies. The death toll is rising rapidly. We need more men over there. I suggest that we leave sector R-10 alone first and divert all our forces there too planet R-373,” Major Keen said.
“Denied,” the Admiral immediately said. “We still need control over R-10. We cannot just give it to those blasted Kharaa. Taking it back would prove to be harder if we just let them have it now.”
“Then are you going to let those men on R-373 die?” Major Keen asked incredulously.
“No. I am not. You would be a fool to think that. There are eight squads in reserve now. We can send those. Once sector R-10 is stable, then we can divert our troops.”
“But sending reserves would take more than a week. Those men down there don’t have that much time!” Major Keen argued.
“I have to agree with Keen on this one,” Major Edgecomb said. “We could leave K-03 and J-11 in sector R-10. The rest could help out at R-373.”
The Admiral weighed their logic against hers. It was true that planet R-373 was more important than any of the planets in sector R-10. However, one of the red zone, sector R-12, was right next to R-10. If they managed to free R-10, they would not have such a hard time with R-12. She had to make a decision. Both sides demanded attention, it was just figuring out which one needed it more. That was the hard part. In the end, she chose to stick with her decision.
“They have to stay where they are. That is my decision. Think about the future. If we want to take R-12, we can have supplies in R-10 and R-11,” the Admiral reasoned.
There was some disapproval and some supporting statements. It went on for the next two hours and the Admiral argued her point back and forth. In the end, she managed to convince them but most were still displeased and discontented. The Admiral went back to her office and groaned inwardly when she saw the new stack of reports waiting for her at her desk. The Admiral started reading through the files one by one. By the time she had cleared half the stack, it was already night.
She decided to call it a day even though it was only eight. The Admiral called her chauffeur and asked him to bring her to one of her favourite restaurants. She was still getting used to a chauffeur. When she had first gotten him, she had forgotten about him most of the time and had driven to work by herself. Everything was changing. The Admiral was not sure whether she could adapt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trent took more shells from the armoury. The shotgun felt good in his hands. Dorian was the only other marine in base. Lucas was with team one in the phase deconstructor. They now had only seven resources as Lieutenant Lane had dropped a number of shotguns for his marines. They were taking turns to phase back to base and get their shotguns. Trent was the last person to get his shotgun and once he got his ammo, he phased back.
There was not much activity. The skulks had tried to parasite the other marines but Trent willingly blocked the parasites with his own body. It hurt but constant welding and a med pack took care of the pain. The lerk would also cause some trouble with its spores but Trent and his squad scared it off by constantly spraying it with bullets. Back at nano-deconstructor, the marines were just patrolling around the small area.
“Team two, we have some trouble. The RT at central control is under attack. I want Sid and Trent to go and save it. Only Sid and Trent. The rest stay behind and await further orders. Now move. You don’t have much time,” Lieutenant Lane ordered.
Trent responded with a “roger that” and started to jog back to central control. He watched the ceiling and walls as he jogged, being much more alert. Soon, the sound of teeth scraping against metal could be heard and Trent picked up the pace. Sid was keeping up with the pace and occasionally turned round to make sure his back was clear. They were back at the slope and Trent got ready to run it. He looked at Sid and pointed towards central control, indicating that they rush in. Trent held his shotgun close and ran in. At that same instance, Lieutenant Lane scanned the area. Trent’s eye automatically looked at the small map in the corner of his HUD and he saw five skulks, waiting for him in central control.
Comments
Poor Jake...ouch, the groin...
Wonder how Trent deals with five Skulkies at once. No wait...six, five waiting for him, and one chewing the RT.
Very nice as always! Thank you so much for writing! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->