“Matt, throw me your rifle!” Richard yelled as he ran towards him trying to dodge the oncoming fire. Matt tossed the rifle into the air and Richard dove for it. As the Augs were about to shoot Matt at close range, Richard rose up on his elbows and shot the four of them in rapid succession. It was a miraculous feat that left Matt speechless.
“Grab my arm!” Richard ordered as Matt struggled to get up.
“Thanks for coming back for me,” Matt replied as they hobbled over to the tank.
“No problem, just get us off this base,” Richard replied as they dropped down into the armored vehicle.
“I’ll do my best,” Matt said as he feverishly pushed buttons until the tank’s engine started up. “We have to give it a few minutes to warm up; otherwise it will stall out, and these things are a real bastard to restart after that.”
“Okay,” Richard replied, as he slowly caught his breath.
“I’m sorry about Mitch,” Matt said as he continued prepping the tank for combat.
“He was my best friend, and I’ll miss him,” Richard replied in a sorrowful tone. He felt the loss deep inside, but there had been so many losses, it was getting harder and harder to feel them individually.
“Crap, we have some company,” Matt announced. A moment later the tank started to rock back and forth as the Augs blasted at it from the outside. Richard could feel the heat radiating through the metal as it absorbed the energy from the pulse rifles.
“Can we fire back at them?” Richard asked, not enjoying the feeling of being a sitting duck.
“Let me see,” Matt replied as he powered up the weapons system. A second later a holographic display lit up giving him a 360 degree view of the area outside the tank. “You’re in luck, the system was not locked out by the last user. Just select a target on the display and then press the fire button after the acquisition light comes on.”
“Okay,” Richard replied as he touched the screen with an optical pointer. The turret rotated, locked onto the specified target, and then fired. The tank instantly recoiled, and the Augs immediately scattered after the blast.
“You should probably target the tanks next to us, so the Augs can’t use them,” Matt suggested.
“Good call,” Richard said as he selected them, one by one. Each time the main cannon fired, Richard would flinch as bits of metal rained down on their tank.
“Having fun?” Matt asked as he put the tank in gear and drove towards the perimeter fence.
“Yeah,” Richard replied. “So, how far can we get with the fuel that’s in it?”
“It looks like someone partially refueled it,” Matt said as he stared at the gauge to confirm the reading.
“I thought it was nearly empty?” Richard questioned.
“I thought it was, but now there’s enough in it to go a hundred miles or more,” Matt replied.
“Great, let’s head for Ulm,” Richard suggested.
“Isn’t Black Eagle a lot closer,” Matt remarked.
“It is, but I want to go back to Simms and clean out that bunker. That way we can take the extra pulse rifles and food back to the settlement with us,” Richard insisted.
“Why? We destroyed the production facility, and those weapons are way too powerful to hunt with.”
“That’s true, but if the Augs come after us, I want to be prepared.”
“I thought you said they won’t risk their lives unless they are mortally threatened or had to protect their species,” Matt questioned.
“I’m afraid that after seeing how resourceful we are, they will consider us a threat to their survival, and for that, they will come looking for us,” Richard said in return.
“That’s just fricken wonderful, you might have mentioned that before now,” Matt responded in an irritated tone.
“Come on, you know the battle isn’t over until Dr. Stone is killed. As long as he’s alive, the Augs have a way to create new parent worms and produce more larvae,” Richard remarked. Matt did not reply and seemed genuinely upset by the revelation.
“How long will it take us to get to the river?” Richard asked after a long silence.
“The tank has a top speed of 60 miles per hour, but it really burns the fuel when you drive it that fast. If we run it at 45 mph, we’ll reach the bridge in 15 minutes, and Simms in an hour or so after that. From there we might have enough fuel to make it most of the way back to the settlement if we run along the lower foothills,” Matt replied.
“That sounds good,” Richard remarked.
“What do think happened to Ethan?” Matt asked hesitantly.
Richard paused for a moment as he considered how best to answer the question. “I’m not sure, I think someone got on the chopper with Dr. Stone, but I’m not positive.”
“What? You told us to shoot the chopper down… and my best friend might have been on it?”
“I’m sorry, but sacrificing a few lives is a small price to pay to bring this nightmare to an end. Let’s not forget that the whole of humanity is at stake,” Richard contended.
“Risk your own life all you want, but don’t ask me to kill a friend or family member to further your cause!” Matt replied sharply.
“I’m sorry, but the benefits far exceed the losses. I would gladly trade my life or anyone else’s if it stops the Augs from eradicating humankind,” Richard insisted.
“You may get to fulfill your prophecy sooner than you think,” Matt muttered under his breath.
Richard knew that Matt didn’t care much for him, but now he sensed a new level of disdain that wasn’t there before. Matt continued driving, but without engaging in any further conversations. With nothing to talk about, Richard sat back and closed his eyes. He had been running on adrenaline for so long that he was simply too tired to argue with Matt over the merits of his actions. What was done was done, and the production facility and parent worms had been destroyed. It was not a success, but it was a good start.
After an hour the tank came to a stop and Richard woke to find Matt looking out of the hatch back towards the city. “What are you looking at?” he asked.
“Nothing…we’re at the bunker,” Matt replied in a stern tone that indicated he was still angry with him.
“I am sorry about Ethan, and I have been thinking about what you said. You are right, I don’t have the right to sacrifice other people’s lives, each person must choose what level of commitment and sacrifice is right for them. I apologize for misleading you, and I will not do it again. Please accept my apology,” Richard said in a sincere tone.
“Thank you,” Matt replied in a more civil tone. “I have also been thinking about what you said earlier, and a few lives to save what’s left is an acceptable trade off. However, no one should be forced into that position. Each person must be allowed to choose their own destiny.”
“I agree,” Richard admitted. “It’s been a tough journey, but I do not believe that our losses have been in vain. We have dealt the enemy a decisive blow, and with a little luck, maybe we’ll still find Ethan and Dr. Stone.”
“I hope so… and by the way, thanks again for saving my life back there,” Matt said as he looked away.
“Don’t mention it,” Richard replied as he followed Matt over to look for the chain.
“I found it,” Matt replied as he hooked it to the front of the tank.
“What do you want me to do?” Richard asked.
“Just wait here while I pull the concrete lid back off the bunker.”
“Alright,” Richard replied as he stood out of the way.