As they took another turn, Taylor stopped abruptly at the sight of one of the creatures. He quickly held up his hand to halt the troops at his back. He peered around the corner to see that it was a single target. The creature sat with its back up against one of the large barrel containers they had seen previously. It was enthusiastically digging into some kind of food container.
The creature was wearing no armour, just a skin tight bodysuit with various electronic devices built in, and there were no weapons in sight. He appeared to be only a construction worker. Taylor looked back, relaying the information through hand signals. He gestured for them to stay put. They couldn’t continue without neutralising the beast, but neither did he want to risk alerting their presence.
He stepped out from the corner with light and careful footing as to not draw any attention. The creature was looking away from his position, allowing him to slowly close the distance. As he got within a few metres, he noticed a huge hammer placed against a wall. The shaft was a metre and a half long, and the head was as large as a human skull and of solid alloy. It was a simple building tool that was heavily worn from use.
The Major lowered his weapon and let it hang on his side from the sling. He reached carefully for the hammer and lifted it into his hands. He could tell it was heavy, more than twice the weight of a sledge hammer, a common tool back home, but his suit made light work of it. As he continued forward, the Major hoisted the hefty tool onto his shoulder with a firm two-hand grip.
Now just a few steps from the creature, Taylor lifted the weapon off his shoulder and took a quick leap forward. At the last moment the creature turned in shock at his presence, but it was too late. The huge metal head crashed down onto the beast’s skull. Taylor swung the hammer around for another strike. He could see that the creature was hurt badly and stunned, but not dead. With one final big swing, the hammer cracked the creature’s skull.
Silva watched the scene from the end of the corridor and heard nothing but the almost silence crunch of the two hammer strikes. He watched with a morbid curiosity and appreciation of the Major’s ingenuity. Taylor looked back to the Sergeant and beckoned for them to follow up.
Taylor looked down at the bloodied body of his victim. For a moment he thought about the fact that the creature was likely not a combatant, nothing more than a labourer. Then he thought about the immense death and destruction he had seen in the previous week. He lifted the hammer and looked at the almost black blood dripping from the head. He nodded in appreciation of the weapon, lifted it into his left hand and took up the grenade launcher with his right.
The marines continued quietly onwards. Each corridor and room looked identical to the next. All they had to rely on was a direction and approximate distance to lead them to the centre. Taylor stopped at a large intersection as he noticed the sound of footsteps. Metal on metal rang out as two Mech guards passed through an adjacent corridor. He was surprised there were only two, and that therefore their mission may have a chance.
Silence once again filled their area, and with only the ambience of construction echoing through the massive structure. Taylor was astonished at how few personnel they had encountered. He could only think that they didn’t work much through the night. It was a stroke of luck, but he wasn’t wholly convinced it was true.
Up ahead, at the end of the corridor, a vast light emanated into every sector surrounding it. Taylor looked back to Suarez and nodded. They looked at their mappad devices fitted to their left forearms. It was indeed the location they had been looking for. Taylor still didn’t believe that it could be so easy. They clung to either edge of the corridor as they approached the vibrant blue beacon.
As they grew nearer, it became apparent that they were a floor above the base of the device which had been dug down into the ground. They were approaching steel walkways running like a balcony around the weapon that was more than a hundred metres high. The smell all around them was of strong solvents, but nothing they could identify.
Taylor stopped as they reached the end of the corridor. He didn’t want to expose them to the open view ahead. The metal flooring which made up the balcony was of a grille type which allowed him to see down to the ground. The Major could make out five creatures. They seemed to be technicians or scientists, and they were working at the base of the weapon.
He peered up at the weapon itself. It was encapsulated in some kind of steel with large translucent sections from where the vivid light originated and obscured much of the framework. It was twenty metres wide and appeared as little more than a vast glowing tower. Whatever it was, Taylor knew they had found the weapon which could bring an end to humanity. He leaned out a little further and peered around the site.
There were no guards in view, but a large window to the eastern side of the room drew his attention. The location itself was as large as a baseball court. The ceilings were hundreds of metres high, and the Major suspected there were many layers of cladding protecting the roof. He looked back down to the broad viewing window. It was lit up, and he could make out the figure of a creature stood watching the device.
Taylor knew the creature must be important. He also speculated that the room housed the control centre for the base. While they looked on at the core, there was no hope of placing the nuke. He ducked back into the corridor and beckoned for Suarez, Silva and Evans to join him.
“This has to be the place. There’s a control room off to the eastern edge, a few hundred metres from here. We will have to create a diversion if we want to get the bomb in place.”
“What have you got in mind?” asked Suarez.
“We’ll head for the room and make some noise. I want Bravo to stay put and out of sight. When you hear all hell break loose, that’s your opportunity to get the bomb in place.”
Suarez nodded. It was a simple plan and about as effective as any of them could think of in the time they had. Taylor was all too aware that there were so many variables involved, and that improvisation was the only way the mission could work.
“Remember to stay low. When you get down there, don’t leave any of them alive, and be sure to put the nuke somewhere out of sight. It’s only got to elude them for a short while. We rustle up enough trouble here and this might just work.”
“Got it, Sir.”
“Once that bomb is in place, you must get back to the rendezvous. You don’t go looking for us, and you don’t wait for anything, you got me?”
Taylor knew it was a hard thing for them to swallow. Never leaving men behind was something they’d had drilled into them, but it was a doctrine they now had to ignore. Suarez could see that Taylor’s diversion could well mean the sacrifice of his unit. The two men gave a final nod to say goodbye. The Major turned and continued around the tunnels.
He could feel his pulse racing and was aware that they were improvising at every turn. After a number of corridors, he stopped when they came out into a broad circular room. At the opposite end there was a wide transparent door, and two Mechs stood guard. He knew it must be what they were looking for. As he peered cautiously around the corner, he could make out the glimmer of movement on the far side of the guarded entrance. He turned back to see his marines waiting for his word.
“This is it, lads. I want as much noise as possible, you got me?”
Silva smiled as they all nodded in agreement. They wanted nothing more than to raise hell with their alien foe. Taylor lifted his hammer and slipped the shaft into the waistband of his armour. He would need maximum focus on his primary weapon. He lifted the launcher into both hands and gave the nod for his troops to move. Taylor leapt out first from the corridor and quickly targeted the first creatures before they could lift their weapons.