“Guess they don’t see it as a threat,” said Silva.
“Why would they? It has no weapons or armour, and it could be anything to them.”
They looked up and down the street, but the Mechs were nowhere to be seen. They crawled back to the other three. Taylor had a broad grin across his face, happy in the knowledge that they were so close to escape.
“We’ve got enough power left to make the jump, and I don’t want to waste anymore time up here waiting to get our asses blown off. On my go, we make a break for the jeep. We don’t stop, and we don’t hesitate. Ready?”
They all nodded eagerly. None of them wanted to run before the guns, but neither did they want to get left alone in what was quickly becoming hostile territory. Taylor checked his weapon and looked back up at them. The situation was far from ideal, and he wished he’d trusted his gut about the intel and taken more troops to investigate.
“Three, two, one…”
They leapt to their feet and ran for the edge of the building, launching themselves into the air. They hit their boosters on the way down and landed hard on the tarmac below. The street was still empty with no sign of the enemy, but they didn’t wait to find out. Silva was the first to the vehicle and leapt in into the driver’s seat. The engine fired up before two of them had even got aboard, and they desperately hoisted themselves on as the jeep lurched forward.
Taylor didn’t have to give any further commands as Silva was well aware of the urgency. Jimenez and Paria had got into their seats as the vehicle stormed down the abandoned streets. Just as they thought they had made it, a tingle went down Taylor’s spine at hearing the pulsing sound of the Mechs flying packs.
“Incoming!” he shouted.
He snapped his neck back and looked down the street they were racing away from. Two of the Mechs took a sharp turn around the bend into their street, and their engines roared as they stormed towards the escaping vehicle. Taylor stood up and rested his rifle in the roll bar of the vehicle, taking quick aim. He fired a few bursts, but the rounds appeared to bounce off with no effect.
“Take them down!”
The others trained their grenade launchers against their pursuers while Paria tried desperately to unload the ARMAL launchers from his webbing. Jimenez fired first, and a grenade landed just ahead of the Mechs, showering them in debris. The two flying monsters burst through the smoke as if unfazed. The one at the front trained its weapon on them ready to fire.
“Turn!” shouted Mitch.
Silva wrenched the wheel round and slid the vehicle across an intersection as the enemy’s weapon fired. It blew out the front of a shop, narrowly missing them. Taylor hung onto the roll bar for dear life as the back wheels regained grip, and they continued on at full pelt. He lifted his launcher and fired a single round which again landed just short.
Having gotten his range, Taylor fired all further five grenades in his launcher with a short dispersal pattern. Explosions erupted all around the Mechs. One disappeared into a plume of smoke and debris while the other spun out of control and crashed through a nearby building. Mitchell turned back to look at the Major with a grin. Taylor flipped open his launcher and quickly reached for the next shells on his webbing.
“Guess we got them, Sir,” said Mitchell.
Before the Major could respond, the marine was struck by an energy pulse which took his head off, leaving a smouldering cauterised wound at the neck and shoulder.
“Holy shit!” cried Paria.
Taylor turned to see four more of the enemy flyers approaching an intersection they were passing.
“Step on it, Silva!”
“Won’t go any faster, Sir!”
“Fuck!”
Mitch locked his launcher shut and threw it back up on top of the roll bar as a pulse smashed into the roadside, showering them with dirt. He wiped it from around his eyes. He didn’t have to give any commands as the other marines were already bringing their weapons to bear. The four Mechs banked hard and quickly around the intersection to join the pursuit. Jimenez fired first with a launcher.
The three launchers fired in quick succession turning the street into a ball of black smoke and flame. They must have done some damage, but at least two Mechs burst through the black cloud. Taylor dropped his launcher and quickly reached for the rifle slung on his side, but it was too late. A burst of light surged from the enemies’ weapons and struck under their vehicle.
The rear end of the jeep lifted, and they were tossed into a tumble down the road. Taylor held on as they rolled over and over. They were finally stopped by the wall of a bank, smashing to a quick halt and almost breaking Taylor’s neck with the impact. He had remained conscious and quickly looked around for the other marines. Mitchell’s body was gone and Jimenez must have been thrown from the wreck. Blood poured down Silva’s face, but he was still alive.
“Get out! Now!” shouted Taylor.
He took hold of the bent roll over bar which had saved their lives and hauled himself out from the roof. The vehicle lay on its side with the chassis facing their attackers. His rifle was still attached to him by his sling, but the launcher had been tossed from the vehicle.
“Paria, where are those ARMALs?” he shouted.
The shocked and disorientated marine snapped back into action and fumbled with his pack, finally handing them out. He took one in hand himself and lifted himself up out the side of the vehicle, quickly taking aim at one of the Mechs that was rapidly approaching on foot. He fired and an explosion, which was followed by the sounds of debris scattering across the street, suggested he’d scored a hit, but it was too late for him. An energy pulse struck his chest and sent his twisted and mangled body falling back to the bottom of the vehicle and resting against the Major.
Taylor looked at Silva with a hopeless expression. They had both accepted that they had met their end. A second later, another energy pulse struck their vehicle and tossed them once again. Taylor came to his senses a few moments later, and sharp pain pulsated through his leg. He looked down and realised he was trapped. Silva was unconscious beside him.
The sound of heavy footsteps grew near as the last remaining Mech approached to check for survivors. Mitch knew he had only seconds to act. He frantically looked around for a weapon, but his rifle was partly crushed by the vehicle, and his handgun was jammed against the bodywork. His hands reached all around until at last he got hold of an ARMAL launcher. He prized it open, armed the charge and then lay back flat.
The hulking metal enemy appeared before him with its pulse cannon held ready to finish the team off. Taylor didn’t give the enemy soldier a second to respond. He pointed directly at the Mech and fired. Mitch dipped his head slightly to give his face some protection from the blast. Metal shards splintered all over the scene as the Mech exploded unto hundreds of pieces.
Taylor lay back down, breathing heavily. He was more satisfied than relieved to have gotten some payback for his fallen marines, but he knew the struggle was far from over. The Sergeant was still lifeless, and he could only hope he would awaken soon. Taylor placed his hands on the roll bar and tried with all his strength to push the frame to free his leg, but it was to no avail.
He was all alone in hostile lands, trapped and without a weapon to hand. The Major had never felt lonelier. He wished for nothing more than to be back at his home on base the other side of the Atlantic, enjoying the company of Eli. He looked back into the vehicle. Paria was long gone. He could only pray that Silva would awake, or he’d be a goner.
Chapter 2
“Fire! Keep firing!” shouted Kelly.
The line of twenty Moon Defence Force soldiers were huddled behind a make shift barrier defence, desperately struggling to hold the enemy back. They had succeeded in hampering the enemy’s efforts on the colony but had yet to reclaim any ground. Martinez leapt up beside him and fired his launcher, hitting a Mech square on and shattering it into a twisted wreck.