What sort of lunacy, indeed? The Second had stated it clearly, back on the Spawn. He had put it in terms we could easily understand. The mission was to die, for the Legion. What else did we need? It was as good an explanation as any.
My faceplate lit up. "Alert! Movement!" It was Sweety's clear, metallic voice, right in my ears. My adrenalin exploded.
"Don't move," I hissed. The visible lights vanished, but to me, it was as clear as daylight, a cold green invisible light, my faceplate's darksight illuminating the corridor with its magical glow.
"Life form!" Sweety whispered in my ear. A red glow on my faceplate, outlining the target somewhere down tunnel. "Exoseg Gigantic, species unknown. Advancing as marked."
"Nobody move!" I repeated. "It's an exo—I've got it on scope."
"Scut!" Psycho cursed. "Scut!"
"No movement!" Snow Leopard ordered. "Not a muscle! Thinker, try biobloc. If that doesn't work, go to flame. No energy weapons! The rest of you, as soon as Thinker fires, attack, but until then don't move a frac!" Exos could see in the dark and they could spot the slightest movement. If nobody moved, they would not detect us. I was positively relieved it was only an exoseg. Only an exoseg! The creature could tear us all to shreds and have us for breakfast, armor and all, but they were a lot more fun than the O's—that was a definite ten.
"Species unknown! Exoseg advancing! Recommend no movement!" Sweety was absolutely right. The O had already demonstrated their mastery over these nasty exoseg buggers, and we had no way of knowing what kind of exo this was; we could not let it escape. I was frozen inside my suit, on my knees, the E in my arms. Priestess was on the deck before me.
"One, can we forget the biobloc?" I asked. "Let me go to flame right away." We all know the biobloc would probably not work, and it might spark the creature into fleeing. We did not dare try laser, or xmax. We were afraid the O would detect it—we did not know their capabilities.
"Negative, Three. Do biobloc, then flame." One knows best, kiddies!
"Exoseg Gigantic approaching, species unknown!" Sweety had it on scope. I could see it vaguely now, a green blur twitching on my faceplate.
"Thinker, you earther, don't screw this up!" Psycho was angry, probably because he wanted the exo himself. I ignored him.
"Blackout, Five," One ordered. One put up with Psycho only because the little lunatic was totally fearless in combat and a genius with his Manlink. He had saved us on Andrion 2, even I had to admit.
"Exoseg within range! Biobloc is set!" Sweety had it under control. I could see the exoseg clearly now, magnified on my faceplate. A grotesque bulbous head, glistening with compound eyes, topped with a mass of spiky, coarse bristles. Gaping, pincered jaws; long antennae, trembling, probing. Flashing black forelegs, snapping out in front of it. Exoseg Gigantic, species unknown. These were the natives of Andrion 3, and this one had probably found its way in from the outside after we did the starport. On the other hand, it could be a watchdog.
I was frozen with terror, but it did not matter. By this time, we could all deal with terror. I watched the creature twitch, coming closer and closer. I could hear it now, clicking and snapping. I raised the E and fired on biobloc. Biobloc was soundless. The creature stopped, stunned.
"Firing biobloc!" I informed the squad through clenched teeth. "No effect!"
"Thinker, give it a few more fracs!" A frantic scrambling, all around me, armor clashing against armor. I stood up and stepped over Priestess and walked forward, into the green, and that mindless horror filled the tunnel ahead of me—Deadman, it was big! I watched myself as if from far away, ice cold and paralyzed. My body functioned perfectly. I leaned into the biobloc, the E at my shoulder, aiming right at the exo's massive head. The creature twitched once, then the antennae cracked forward and the forelegs snapped to life. It came straight at me, berserk. My very own death, my image glowing in every facet of those dead compound eyes; multiman, microman, a whole squad of Thinkers, cold black armor and winking red faceplates.
I fired and the corridor exploded in a thunderous boom and a great rolling ball of fire hit the exo with a mighty fist of flame, enveloping it immediately in spitting, blue-hot sheets of sticky, burning gas. The exoseg exploded in flames, stopped in its tracks; now burning brightly, an obscene, fiery monstrosity, doing a dance of death. I took a few more steps, hypnotized. I had the E on autoflame and I directed the stream right at its awful head. It melted like wax right before my eyes. The corridor walls glowed white-hot; the filth spitting and burning; my black armor now glowing white in waves of superheated air, a great roar in my ears; the exoseg's massive legs curling and melting, burnt black, the entire exoskeleton one great sheet of flame.
I stopped. I released the trigger, and raised the E. I stood in a river of fire. Flames licked up my A-suit; and the corridor walls were afire and the massive exo burned like paper, crackling and spitting sparks, its insides popping open, its head all burnt and melted, evil greasy smoke rolling over me. I was frozen, hypnotized. I felt nothing except a cold, mute terror. Psycho appeared beside me, the barrel of his Manlink probing ahead of him. "Well, scut," he said. "You didn't leave much, did you?"
I did not answer. I watched the exoseg die. Why in the world had I advanced on it like that? Lunacy. Sheer lunacy. I was losing it. We were all losing it, in the Camp of the O's.
"Good work, Thinker," Snow Leopard said.
"Override encoded transmission from Command," Sweety interrupted. "I have recorded, amplified, filtered, and repeated." At last! We were all getting the same report, each from our own Tacmods.
The burst was almost inaudible in the howling roar of the deceptors. I strained to hear it, closing my eyes for better concentration. "…obtain objectives…" a piercing shriek drowned it out, then it warbled back in. "…by the magma. All units…" Another ear-shattering screech. Then a few more words, very faint. "…the lower levels. Maintain blackout but…" inaudible, drowned out in a rushing blast of static.
"What does it mean, Snow Leopard?" I asked.
"Hard to tell, Thinker. Something's happening in the lower levels of the base, or the starport, or whatever is down there. Sounds like it involves magma. Maybe the base is being torn apart. But whether we're supposed to go further in, or get out, it's not clear."
"So what do we do?"
"We continue the mission. This corridor leads somewhere, and that's where we're going. We're inside the rim of the caldera and not far from the edge. I want that starport. That's our mission. Priestess, you're in charge of Redhawk. Let's go." Snow Leopard was right next to me. I saw him clearly through his faceplate—his square cut, chunky face was deathly pale, and blue veins were throbbing faintly at his temples. His pink eyes glowed, eyes from another world. I had been close to him once, but now he was lost to us all. Our One was always decisive. I'm glad he was, because I sure as hell wasn't.
We set off, Priestess pulling Redhawk in a jury-rigged trav we had fashioned as a stretcher. Redhawk was mercifully unconscious. The dead exoseg glowed as we passed it, still faintly burning. Dying flames licked here and there on the walls, and wisps of dirty smoke drifted past us. It was dead quiet. There had been no reaction to our killing of the exoseg.
It appeared the Omnis did not know we were there.
Chapter 4: