Battle Earth IV

Chapter 3

Taylor had arrived back at their staging ground for just a few seconds when a jeep roared into view as if an urgent message was to be delivered. It was a sight they had gotten used to under the enemy jamming systems. He paced up beside Chandra who had also turned to find the meaning of such urgency.

“What do you think they need us for now? Another heap of shit I’m sure,” whispered Taylor.

She turned and looked at the filthy Major. “You met some resistance, I hear?”

Taylor turned with a puzzled expression. “You don’t seem surprised?”

“It was bound to happen soon enough. The real question is were those Mechs stranded here, or were they stationed here?”

The jeep slid to a halt, and the driver leapt out to address them.

“I guess we’re about to find out,” replied Taylor.

The German Sergeant quickly saluted and immediately blurted out his message.

“Ma’am, your presence is urgently requested.”

“By whom?” she calmly responded.

“General Schulz. He wants Major Taylor also.”

Taylor’s eyes widened at the prospect. He couldn’t imagine any reason why Schulz would want to see him, other than incarcerating him once more. Schulz had tried to ease the conflict between them, but Taylor firmly believed it was only to ensure the morale of the troops stayed high.

She nodded in agreement and turned to Captain Jones.

“Get a party together to start work the other side of this blockade, but I want you to personally scour the buildings. Be prepared for ambush. Take Yorath’s platoon with you, but be certain to leave protection at both sites.”

“You expect more trouble?” he asked.

“Most certainly. We’ve got lazy since we drove their forces back. Let’s keep everyone safe. This country has a chance to rebuild, so let’s not allow anything to get in the way of that, not least our own negligence.”

She turned back to the driver. “You ready?”

The man nodded and ushered them quickly into his vehicle.

The two Majors sat in the back of the jeep as they tore through the streets. There was little traffic going east. As the wind rushed through the open topped vehicle and they hit the open road, the two of them were able to speak without their driver listening in.

“I don’t like this at all. Schulz has fucked us before, what makes you think he’s honourable enough to trust?” asked Taylor.

“He isn’t. He may be a bastard, but he isn’t stupid. Now that the fighting is over, he’ll have the whole of your Marine Corps on his arse if he dares touch you. Think what your President would have to say if he learnt that one of its greatest heroes was being arrested?”

“It didn’t stop the bastard before.”

“We were at war. Times have changed,” she replied.

“You told me the war wasn’t over.”

She smiled. “True, it’s merely on hold.”

They arrived at a temporary air base on the eastern edge of France that had been established since the war had ended. It was a hive of activity as vehicles came and went between the multitude of fighters and transport craft lined across the strip. They pulled up beside a concrete structure that had only the letters ‘HQ’ upon it. Outside were military police guards who wore impeccable white webbing over their perfectly pressed uniforms.

Taylor and Chandra leapt off the vehicle under the gaze of the guards who looked at their filthy uniforms with disgust. Taylor glared back at them and could not resist a taunt.

“Those rifles look as clean as a whistle, ever fired them?”

The two men stared back, and he could see they were desperate to confront him. One of them who wore sergeant’s stripes moved a single pace forward and saw the Major’s rank crowns hidden beneath the black soot that still coated him. The Sergeant hesitated and stepped back into position. Taylor grinned in satisfaction.

“Enough taunting them, we’ve got real work to do.”

She knew her comments would only infuriate the MPs further, which served to entertain Taylor.

“Please, follow me!” shouted the driver as he rushed into the HQ building.

They followed him through and into a room with a large planning table and a dozen high-ranking officers sat about it. They all wore their service dress and were belittled by the two filthy officers in their bulky armour and exoskeletons.

“How dare you step into our presence in such a state!” declared Dupont.

Taylor shot a wicked glance back at the General and stood defiantly before him.

“You’ll excuse our attire, for we were informed we were to get to you with all haste. Nor do we currently possess any uniforms besides these. As combat troops, we only carry what we need,” explained Chandra.

Dupont was infuriated by what she was insinuating but knew it was worded in such a way that he could do nothing in return. He spun around to address Schulz who was sat calmly at the head of the table.

“Will you suffer these filthy soldiers here?” he asked.

Schulz launched his chair backwards as he shot up to his feet.

“Will you shut up!” he yelled.

Taylor smiled as he saw the shock in Dupont’s face, and the man’s shoulders slump as he was humiliated before them all.

That’s right, you son of a bitch, thought Taylor.

Dupont went silent and lay back with a smirk. Schulz sighed as he sat back down and pulled his chair into the table. He took look around the room and took one last deep breath before he addressed them all.

“Tensions have been high. There have been some hot headed actions and enough scorn and bitterness to last a lifetime. This is war, so let us not forget that all of us here are on the same side.”

He paused for a moment for his words to settle in. Taylor, for the first time since he had met the General, began to understand his position. Schulz wasn’t an inherently bad person, far from it. He was a plotter and a thinker, and a man who saw the big picture; and had no time to fret over one soldier’s single death. Taylor sometimes wished he could have commanded some of the battles in the war but also saw the toll it took.

“Soldiers and civilians alike are slaving every day to try and clear roads, and get this country back on its feet. Major Chandra, you are probably not aware that we have had substantial resources put into Paris. The capital is an important symbol for this world, and it must be operational as quickly as possible.”

“Is there much left of it?” muttered Taylor.

Schulz heard his quiet words and stopped to address the question.

“Enough that it is, and always will be, Paris. The two of you are more than aware of what the enemy were doing with the former capital.”

“Actually, Sir, we may have seen a lot, but we understood little of it.”

“Exactly so. The city has been deemed safe, and what is left of the government is already being re-instated there. The leaders of many of the key armies of the world are assembling there to witness first hand the sights which you yourselves uncovered.”

“To what end, Sir?” she asked.

Taylor could see that Dupont was desperate to leap to his feet and shoot them down in flames, but he held his tongue in the knowledge he would only receive a second ridiculing.

“What your reports described was deeply disturbing. Experts from around the world have been let into the site in the last few weeks, and we all hope they have some answers. I would like both of you to join us on this journey. Perhaps you can shed more light on whatever was going on there.”

Taylor turned to Chandra, and she could see in his eyes that he didn’t want to go. She also knew that Schulz was making a determined effort to repair the relationship with her Company, and specifically with Mitch.

“What about our unit, Sir?”

“Captain Jones will be more than capable of managing. I am sending an infantry company with a detachment of engineers to assist them. They’ll be arriving this evening.”

“Thank you, Sir. We’d be more than happy to accompany you to Paris, but I cannot promise that we’ll be any assistance in understanding what is there.”

Jones paced cautiously along a roadside, looking in every window and alcove as he passed. Abandoned cars still littered the roads. Some were burnt out wrecks, while others seemed to have past through the conflict like a time capsule. Brick dust and other grime covered every visible surface, and huge craters were still littering the streets.

“Need to get those bloody engineers here, and get these holes filled in!” Monty shouted.

Jones stopped and turned to watch his unit pass through the rubble and debris of the city. He shook his head in astonishment. It was hard to believe that it could ever return to its former glory. He caught a glimmer of light in the distance as light reflected off a moving object. The Captain quickly lifted his binoculars.

His body went taut at the thought they were not alone. He panned around to find the source of the light, and then finally down to the street ahead could see Yorath and his unit coming out from a side alley up ahead. He let go of the binoculars and let them rest on his chest as he peered around at all the derelict structures around them. He hoped friendly forces were the source of the glimmer, but he doubted they were so lucky.

Just as he felt his shoulders relax, an explosion ripped through the street in the distance, and the ground shook beneath them. Jones instinctively leapt for cover and tumbled across the road. He ran over broken glass before landing back on one knee beside an upturned police cruiser. His heart sunk, as he already knew that yet another comrade and friend would be dead. He prayed for it not to be the case, but it was unavoidable.

Jones took a deep breath and raised himself up high enough to peer over the vehicle down towards Yorath’s unit. There were no screams or sounds of gunfire. The apocalyptical street was once more silent as all of the soldiers in it froze beside their cover. They awaited the onslaught of an enemy barrage or ambush, but it never came.

“Come in Yorath, report,” he whispered.

Static came over his mic and the sound of breathing as the Lieutenant tried to find the words to tell him.

“We’ve, we’ve got two down.”

“What is their status?”

“One wounded, and he’ll make it. The other is gone.”

Jones shook his head in anger.

“We made it through. This is bullshit,” whispered Jones to himself.

He looked up and all around for some signs of the enemy, but he already speculated that it was a planted explosive of some sort.

“Any indication of enemies in the vicinity?” he asked.

“None.”

Jones stood up from behind the car and walked casually towards Yorath’s platoon. Jones’ unit followed after him, though more cautiously. They reached the scene of the explosion and could see Private Nichols had been torn apart by the blast and killed instantly.

At least there’s enough left for a funeral. It’s more than most have got these last months, thought Jones.

A few metres away, the medic was attending to the other casualty. Jones could see the wounds were only superficial from shrapnel. The man’s body armour showed deep scrapes and scars where the cuirass had saved his life. He was more stunned that hurt.

“Shit, this isn’t how it’s supposed to have gone,” whispered Jones.

He spoke under his breath so that others wouldn’t hear, but he did not have such luck. Yorath got to his feet and stepped up beside the Captain.

“What are we even still doing here? Haven’t we given enough for this country? We should go home, and let their own people sort this mess out. I didn’t see civilians rushing forward to help fight this war, so why should we do all the work?” he asked.

Jones winced at the fact the Lieutenant had made his despondent words loud enough for many around them to hear. Charlie leaned in close and whispered to Yorath.

“I’ll remind you that you are an officer in the British Army, not some loud mouthed thug. Look at them, all of them. Their morale is low enough as it is. Last thing they need is an officer inciting insubordination in their ranks. We’ll leave when we’re ordered to.”

“And when will that be?” snapped Yorath. “When there aren’t enough of us left to be what is deemed effective?”

“Don’t give me this shit. You think doing a little hard labour is tough? Try being a prisoner of those bastards!”

Yorath went quiet. He was shamed into silence by the Captain, who he knew in his heart he should support and respect.

Jones turned and walked over to the wounded man and knelt down beside him.

“You’ll be just fine.”

The man nodded in gratitude, staring at the body of his friend who had not been so lucky.

“We won’t be able to get vehicles out here for a while, and it seems any assistance in the air is too much to ask right now. My platoon will continue to scour the area for enemy combatants and devices. Yorath, you will return to base with the wounded and take some rest.”

The Lieutenant smiled at the sympathy Jones was showing them, but he could not feel any better about their situation. Rest was all very well, but they would only have to return to the same wastelands afterwards. Jones stood up and stepped towards the blast area. He stood for a moment carefully studying it.

“Look at the damage, and remember what it sounded like. That wasn’t an enemy weapon. There must be unexploded ordnance in the area. Nichols must have triggered it somehow.”

“Great, blown up by our own bombs,” replied Monty.

“You remember the battle we fought in this city. Half the time we couldn’t tell where the lines were anymore and fire was coming in all over. This won’t be the last time we get bitten by our own bombs.”

“They need to get teams over here to deal with this shit,” growled Blinker.

“Half the country is this way, so they’re gonna be spread thin. For now we must tread a little lighter. Be alert. Just because this was one of ours, it doesn’t mean the enemy haven’t planted mines and other devices.”

Jones stood and watched with sadness as the body of Nichols was whisked away, and Yorath’s platoon trundled wearily back to the work site that in that moment was their home.

“I can’t believe he made it all the way through this war only to be killed now. I saw him take a pulse to the chest and keep fighting in Ramstein. Poor bastard,” Blinker continued.

Jones lifted his weapon and gave it a quick check before turning to his unit. He could see in their faces they were tired of it all. They didn’t want to continue on their days to meet the same fate as Nichols. He did not blame them. He wanted revenge against the invaders, but it was the one thing they could not get.

“Major Taylor nearly lost his life because these buildings weren’t cleared. What happens when a family comes home to discover one of the creatures among them? They’ll get torn apart. We won this victory, let’s see it through!” yelled Jones.

It was hard to motivate fatigued veteran soldiers to continue in both a menial and dangerous task. He continually questioned their duty and responsibility to the country himself, but he was a stickler for orders.

“We’ve got work to do, let’s move out!”

Taylor peered out of the window as their craft banked to encircle the centre of Paris. There was no need to still be in the air for any reason but to gain an aerial view of the devastation and work that went on below. Many of the high-ranking officers around them gasped at the sight below. Taylor had no physical response at all.

Inside, he felt pain soar through his body. The sight of the obliterated city was a constant reminder of old wounds, injuries that had for all intensive purposes had time to recover.

“I never thought we’d make it to this day,” whispered Chandra.

“To see a beautiful city in ruin?” replied Taylor.

“No, to see it reborn. Only a few months ago we couldn’t bring a halt to their advances, and now look where we are.”

“With a bunch of desk jockey assholes going to revel in their glorious victory.”

Chandra smiled. Dupont had been listening in from the row behind them, but they hadn’t noticed his presence. The General’s face was of hate and scorn, but he dared not take the fight to Taylor at that time. He plotted and schemed while better men and women fought and died.

From the window, it was clear that resources had been poured into Paris. They could see thousands of construction vehicles at work. Two cranes were already put to work on the Eiffel Tower, rebuilding the iconic symbol of France.

“So this is why we aren’t getting any help.”

As he said the words, they saw two large transport craft land in the centre of the city.

“Paris was a bastion of hope for us all. To rebuild it is the ultimate act of defiance to the enemy.”

“I thought that was going to the Moon and kicking their asses?”

“All in good time.”

A few minutes later, their craft put down on a landing zone with the wing of fighters that were attached as a protection detail. As they stepped out onto the tarmac, they were greeted by a host of officers and politicians in all manner of uniforms and insignia. The French President and Prime Minister were at the centre of the party which Schulz and Dupont headed to.

“Major Taylor.”

Mitch turned at the stern manner in which is name was called. General White stood to his flank with several other US officers. A broad smile stretched across his face as he looked down at Taylor’s scruffy uniform that had only received the quickest of brush downs.

“Your presentation seems to have gone rather downhill since coming this side of the pond,” he jested.

Taylor reached out and shook White’s hand.

“Damn good to see you again, Sir.”

“I have to say you were sorely missed during the last few months.”

“You seemed to manage just fine, Sir.”

“Please follow this way!” called Schulz.

The General led the French leaders towards the monstrous enemy structures which Taylor and Chandra were all too familiar with.

“So this is where you killed the bastard?” asked White.

“Not alone, Sir. The Company under the command of Major Chandra here excelled themselves.”

White shook her hand and nodded in gratitude.

“I believe we have met in previous years.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Taylor under your command? Times have changed!”

They were led to the site where they had previously seen humans incubated for as far as the eye could see. As they stepped from the corridor out into the vast hall, they gasped at the sight of the equipment once again. The humans, or what appeared to be humans, had long gone, but the chambers remained. Schulz stopped the column and addressed them before the alien technology.

“From the reports of Major Chandra and her Company, we know that these chambers were occupied up until the enemy retreat. Our best experts so far believe that the humans within them were being used either as some power or food source, or potentially for experimental purposes. We certainly know that they were keen to establish creative ways to end our race.”

Chandra looked down at the bulkheads and walls that still bore the scorch marks from their battle. It still didn’t feel real that they had won.

“How did we ever do it?” she asked Taylor.

“What?”

“Win. In the opening months of the war, we faced extinction. How did we ever turn it around?”

“We aren’t the only soldiers to have turned the tide in great battles and wars.”

“If it had been you that had landed here on foreign soil and been forced out with such losses, would you let it go? Would you return to your home world and forget?”

Taylor contemplated the question for a moment before realizing that he only had one answer.

“I’d want payback.”

“Even as the aggressor?”

“Sure. Only a coward would turn tail and run.”

She nodded in agreement. “Then this war isn’t over. Maybe it can never be over.”

Schulz’s voice echoed around the hall as he led on the party through the enemy facility. Taylor and Chandra remained silent as they both pondered her realization. Then Mitch looked up and his eyes grew wider and mouth drier as he recognized where they were heading.

“This is where we took down Karadag.”

“You know I have been dying to see this spot,” muttered White. “Where mere humans killed a titan.”

The General patted Mitch on the back.

“He was a formidable opponent. I never thought I’d see the day when a war could be decided in single combat.”

“It wasn’t, Sir. Sergeant Parker was by my side. No one soldier could have beaten that bastard. I can still barely believe that we managed it.”

“You did your country and the world the greatest service here. No one should forget that. You will be honoured appropriately in time.”

“Honoured?”

The General looked puzzled.

“The only honour I would ask is to go home, or somewhere I could call home.”

White smiled but was also surprised at his words. The group came to a standstill as Schulz turned and stood triumphantly at the place where Karadag fell. His blood still stained the metal floor, but his body was long gone; whisked away by the enemy as they fled from the planet.

“This is where it all happened, where the creature known as Karadag met his end at the hands of the 2 ^nd Inter-Allied under the command of these two fine officers!” shouted Schulz as he beckoned towards the two of them.

Cheers and fierce clapping rang out as all attention was on Chandra and Taylor. Mitch noticed neither of them was mentioned by name, but he didn’t let it bother him. As far as he was concerned, the victory belonged to all who contributed to the war effort. Attention soon focused on the German General, and White turned back to Taylor.

“I hear they’re still keeping you busy here, Major.”

“Clean up work,” he replied.

“And a little more than that. You nearly got yourself killed earlier today,” Chandra added.

“Go on,” continued White.

“Found a few stragglers in Reims, nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Yes, I have been hearing more about pockets of enemy forces. There is chatter about assembling a few hunting teams to sort them out. Your names have been floating about as you’re more than suited to the task.”

Taylor’s eyes lit up. He was all for helping the civilian population, but their lives had ground to a monotonous halt. The near death experience earlier now felt like a spark of excitement in their tedious lives.

“Sounds like our kind of work.”

“Good. Now, those cells, or chambers we saw just now. What the hell do you propose they were doing there?”

Taylor sighed at the thought of it as Chandra stepped in.

“We’ve thought and talked it over almost every day since, Sir, but it’s only speculation.”

“Well, go on then, speculate.”

“I believe they were being readied as an army against us. I wouldn’t like to say if they were captured humans, or some kind of cloned or genetically created beings. It’s clear we have given the enemy a much harder fight that they could have imagined.”

White nodded in agreement. He wasn’t shocked at all by the theory as she continued on.

“We outnumbered them in every major engagement, and once we had started to modify their own technology, they were overwhelmed. Despite everything we had developed, they were still better soldier for soldier. What they needed more than anything was manpower.”

“Based on the number of incubation chambers, if they had gotten those people into combat, the war could have gone very differently,” whispered White. “I won’t lie to you, we were having a rough time of it back home. Germany would have quickly fallen, and the joint armies that fought across France and over the Rhine would have been encircled within weeks. It’s a damn miracle what you pulled off.”

“How many of those incubation cells are there?” Taylor asked.

“From what I understand, five hundred thousand or more. That’s a lot of manpower.”

“We need to know what they were planning,” mused Taylor.

“Can’t we just be happy we won?” asked Chandra.

“To lower our guard so soon after a narrow victory would be foolish indeed,” replied White.

The next hour was filled with questions for the two Majors that neither could answer. They were quizzed as if they were intelligence officers, when all they did was fight. After an exhausting grilling by the Command staff, they were finally allowed to leave aboard another plane. The two of them slumped into the comfortable seats of a luxury civilian transport, sighing in relief as they finally laid to rest.

The plane could seat fifty, but only five were aboard. Few would choose to leave the recovering capitol for the ruins of Reims.

“What was the point of it all?” asked Taylor.

“We’ve got to do our best to understand our enemy,” she replied.

“I understand that, but they have experts for that. Our job is to fight.”

“Schulz wanted to revel in his victory. Word is spreading of your defeat of Karadag, but many still do not believe it. There’s no body as proof, no video footage, just the word of one gung ho marine who is hated by Command, and claims to have slain a monster with only the aid and confirmation of his girlfriend. Would you believe it?”

Taylor smiled.

“You should have been there. I still can’t believe we managed it.”

The two went silent as the craft lifted off and headed back to the only home they knew.

“You heard White. Taskforces are being created to hunt down the remaining forces, and we’re right at the top of the list.”

“Because of our reputation, or because certain individuals are still hoping they can get me killed before this is over?”

“Both I should think. The Company is restless. They need something to occupy their minds. We aren’t talking about a meat grinder here. Hunting a handful of Mechs with the numbers and firepower we have should be exactly what we need.”

“Agreed.”

“Captain Jones.”

“What of him?”

“I wasn’t there when you all took on Karadag as you have just mentioned, and your report did not reflect it, but I know Jones went wild. He has had a death wish. Do you believe he is over it?”

“Back then I would have said no, but you saw him with Dubois. He’s a changed man, and back to his old self.”

“You believe it could all change overnight?”

“You’d be amazed what the love of a good woman can do.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I agree, though. I thought we’d lost him for good. On that note, we’ll be getting our orders regarding this new matter tomorrow, and I’m sure that Command will be keen to get us in the field ASAP. I’ve seen enough drunken exploits to last a lifetime. Take it easy tonight, and rest up for the morning.”

Taylor trundled back to his billet. He felt like a week had been crammed into the day, and he was once again left in the lurch, awaiting some news of what they were to do. He opened the door on the popup shelter to find Eli comfortably asleep inside. It wasn’t quite the coming home to his own house experience but was an appealing sight, nonetheless.

As he pulled off his equipment and clothing, she rolled over and slowly came to. A smile came over her face as she watched him take his shirt off and reveal his toned but scarred body.

“Hey, stranger,” she whispered.

“I thought you’d be out having a drink.”

“I figured we’ve done enough damage,” she laughed.

He sat down on the edge of the bed as she got up to hold him. She ran her hands softly over his body. His arms and legs were bruised and scraped from his fall, and he winced in pain as he found so many muscles and bones to be throbbing.

“How much more of this do you think you can survive?” she asked.

“I’m still standing, aren’t I?”

“Just about.”

He turned to see if she was truly worried for him but quickly realized she was merely having fun. His own mortality was always something that prayed on his mind.

“How are we still alive?” he asked. “All the crazy shit we’ve done, and made it through?”

“Our training, skills, common sense, and a heap load of luck.”

Taylor sighed. “That’s reassuring.”

He lay down and took a deep breath as he settled in comfortably beneath the sheets, and Eli huddled up next to him.

“You almost died today,” she whispered. “Remember the rules, never go anywhere alone. Just because the enemy is in retreat, doesn’t mean it’s over. None of us are safe.”

He nodded in agreement. He kicked himself for being so reckless, but without such a visible enemy to fight, it was hard not to try and move on from it all. He felt an immense feeling of satisfaction rush through his body that almost made him shiver.

All the drinking and partying we have done, and this feels a whole world better.

Taylor drifted into a calm and tranquil sleep as if he’d been waiting for it for months.