Doom 3™: Worlds on Fire

24

KANE SAW A WARRANT OFFICER WALK OVER TOKelly and pull him aside.

And for a moment the newbies and their guides-to-be were on their own. A few of them talked, the guides eyeing the new arrivals with unhidden disgust.Same as it ever was, Kane thought.

But then he noticed one of the jarheads who seemed to have locked his eyes on Kane. Kane met his gaze. Usually enough to make the other person look away. But not this guy. In a way that felt quite normal, Kane took the measure of the man. Big, maybe as tall as he was, six-foot-two, maybe bigger. A shaved head that made the shape of his cranium look like some kind of strange planet.

Kane knew this was trouble.

“Well, look at what the hell they have sent up to us.”

The man didn’t move. But now, with Kane knowing he was being addressed, he kept his eyes on the other space marine.

“If it isn’t…Killer Kane.”

The other marines looked at the man talking. Most seemed confused, not knowing what the guy was talking about. But Kane could guess.

“Yes, boys and girls, we have the honor of having a genuine marine killer in our midst. How many marines died, Killer Kane, because you couldn’t obey orders?”

The man spit. An action, in these glistening confines, whose message was clear. It was a challenge.

“Hey, Kolski, ease up, man.”

Kolski.Kane’s bald-headed adversary now had a name. With Kelly gone, the kids were free to play.

Kolski took a step.

“Isn’t that right, Killer Kane? Men died, and you’re the one that made it happen. Oh, and are you enjoying being a private? You’re lucky—” Another step. “We all hoped they’d kill your ass.”

By now some of the other marines had fallen in behind Kolski, either intrigued by what was going to happen or just wanting to stay well away.

Kane slowly straightened up. His eyes went to Kolski’s sidearms, twin handguns. Reminding Kane that he stood there, his pack beside him as if he was a little kid going to camp.

Kolski took another step. His face only inches away from Kane’s.

“So tell us, Killer Kane. How many ofus are you going to kill up here?”

And for the first time, Kane looked away from the dark eyeballs of the man in front of him.

He knew that Kolski watched him break eye contact. He knew, in fact, that Kolski’s eyes would then also wander, drawn by curiosity to see where Kane looked.

Which was when Kane grabbed Kolski’s throat. His hand tightened around the man’s neck. He could—with enough pressure—kill him: cut off air, close the carotid artery—a half-dozen ways to make this man taunting him dead.

The marines behind Kolski stepped back.

“You should learn not to run off your mouth about things you know nothing about…” Kane looked at the single stripe on his sleeve. “Private Kolski.”

Kolski’s hand went for his gun.Guess this guy really is crazy, Kane thought.

Kane’s other hand shot to the man’s wrist before the holster was even unbuckled. He took the wrist and gave it a sharp turn to the left. Amazingly painful, but not so bad that Kolski wouldn’t be able to use the hand again.

Already Kane was doing damage control on what he was doing here. But this was necessary if he wanted to survive up here. Still, there would be some fallout, and it wouldn’t be good.

The man’s wrist freed, Kane’s left hand grabbed at the guy’s midsection and now, using his two hands like pincers, he pivoted the now bug-eyed Kolski backward, pointed to the ground where he landed with a thwack that ensured his head would be hurting for the next few days.

“So, you just better…shut…the hell…up.”

Kane was about to release Kolski and back off. But he felt two massive hands yank him backward.

“What the hell you doing, Private?” Kelly had ripped Kane back, and now, with surprising strength, threw Kane against the wall.

Now it was Kane’s turn to land against hard stone. He saw Kelly look at Kane’s nametag.

“Kane. Shit…” The sergeant said the name slowly, with understanding. “Moraetes, get over here.”

Kane watched one of the female marines walk out of the pack and toward the sergeant. Short for a marine, Kane thought. For a moment her dark eyes fell on Kane. Then they rolled away. She didn’t seem exactly thrilled at what was about to happen.

“Moraetes, this one’s yours. Make sure that this newbie with a short fuse knows this place like the back of his palm. Oh, while you’re at it, maybe you can teach him something about not doing anything impulsive.”

The others laughed. Some kind of inside joke?

Moraetes stood by Kane and said nothing.

“Okay, let’s get the rest of you paired up with your own goddamn babysitters. And then start the grand tour…”

The marine, Private Maria Moraetes, stood beside Kane, silent as they waited in line for Kane to get his gear from Combat Prep. Finally Kane spoke. “You don’t have much to say.”

She looked at him. “No, I don’t.”

More seconds, and then Kane stood before a desk. A standard-issue pistol and holster were slapped down, looking a little frayed at the edges.How low the mighty have fallen.

Maximum ammo 360 rounds, clip capacity 12—not exactly a high-tech weapon. He turned back to his keeper.

“This the best firepower they’ve got up here?”

“There are rocket launchers, plasma guns, shotguns—the usual. But why the hell would we need them up here?”

The marine behind the desk put down a PDA. That at least looked state-of-the-art. A pile of fatigues, and then a key card.

“Feels almost like Christmas.”

“Right,” Moraetes said. “Okay, there’s a video in your PDA—welcome to Mars and all that crap. You can watch that later. Let me show you your bunk. Then the tour, and I can be all done with you.”

“I can feel your enthusiasm.”

Kane followed Moraetes out of the hivelike bivouac that provided narrow bunks for a few dozen marines. Not much privacy.

He hurried to keep up with Moraetes as she walked out of Marine Command, heading back to reception.

“You got maps in the PDA that will always let you know where you are, and how to get from one place or another. Even”—another glance—“an idiot could do it.”

“Then I should be just fine.”

“But if Kelly wants you to get a tour, then that’s what you get. We’re heading back to the Command Access Junction, then I’ll show you the main arteries of Mars City…and the underground.”

“Right.”

Other marines, some of them new arrivals, passed them. Seemed to be a lot of marines up here for what was supposed to be a civilian project.

“There are other access points, but this is the main one that brings you—”

Kane heard a scream. No, he thought, more of wail. Someone moaning. Moraetes stopped—they stood outside a room marked “All-Faith Chapel.”

Another loud wail, then words…

“No, no…I can’t. I can’t do that, please don’t make me—” Then the voice trailed off into sobs; more inchoate wailing.

“Someone’s having a bad day…” Kane said.

Then two marines in armor, followed by someone in white, ran into the chapel.

“There goes another one.”

Kane turned to her. “Another one? Another what?”

Now a true raging scream from inside, the man at full volume: “Stay away. Stay…away! I know they sent you. But it’s too late. Too late, that’s the thing, nobody—”

Kane took a step toward the entrance.

“I don’t think you should—” Moraetes started to say.

But then Kane went in there, looking in.

The man had backed up to a generic altar. He held a gun. Spittle flew from his mouth as he raged. “You can’t take me. They won’t let you. Don’t try.”

The two marine security guards had moved to either side of the man, flanking him. Classic strategy, make the crazy man look left and right. They barely moved—waiting. But Kane imagined they would close in soon.

“They’ll take all of us, you know. Every single one of—”

Then the marine on the right moved, bringing his pistol down on the man’s hand. The screamer’s gun fell to the floor, and then the marines moved fast to pin the screamer against the altar, then onto it. Looking almost like a human sacrifice. And the doctor hurried now, an injection gun in his hand. In seconds it was over.

One of the marines turned to see Kane at the doorway. “What the hell are you lookin’ at?”

Kane nodded and walked away. Enough trouble for one day.

“Come on, Kane,” Moraetes said. “Show’s over.”

The elevator door opened. They faced a sign that read, “Welcome to the Space Marines.”

Except someone had crossed outSpace Marines and replaced it with a single word.

Doom.

“Morale a little low up here?”

“Morale’s fine. Couldn’t be better.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Moraetes hurried past an underground security desk. “Down here you’re about to walk through the guts of Mars City. The main convergence chamber is down here, then maintenance, and one of the major energy processing plants. If you head that way—a long way—you get to the old communications station. They’re going to do something with it eventually, but for now—”

Kane grabbed his guide.

“Hold on.” Two marines walked down the hallway, slowly talking.

Kane waited until they passed. “Enough with the hallways and big machines that I don’t give a damn about what the hell they do. I have some questions.”

Maria stood there, listening.

“Can you find some place where we won’t have people walking by every minute?”

Moraetes looked up at him. For the first time he got a good look at her face. He could see that her dark eyes were matched with wisps of jet-black hair under a fatigue cap. Then, because he was only human, his eyes trailed to her lips. But he brought his eyes back to hers, hopefully before she noticed.

“Questions. All right, Iam your babysitter. Guess I can handle a few questions. There are some quiet areas past Energy Processing, storage, places where they dump equipment.” She smiled, her first. “All part of the tour. Come on…”

Moraetes led Kane down a curved passageway, then cut down another tunnel-like hall.

“A guy could get lost down here.”

She stopped and turned to him. “And this isn’t even the half of it. They’ve just finished a new wing that connects to Delta, so besides the monorail—”

“Delta?”

She laughed. “Watch your damn briefings on the PDA, okay? Delta. The massive experimental lab that—my guess—is the real reason everyone is really up here.”

“And in Delta they do…?”

“Who knows. They’re not telling us, that’s for sure.”

Kane thought of the crates he saw being unloaded. Lot of firepower for a peaceful outpost.

“You said you had some questions?”

“I think I started. But first, why did Kelly assign you to me. His crack about…being impulsive?”

Maria grinned. “Guess he thought I might be—what’s the word—simpatico.”

“How’s that?”

“I saved Kelliher’s life nearly a year ago.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Guess they thought I was impulsive, risked getting him killed. But I knew I could take the guy out who held him hostage. So I did.”

“Where does that confidence come from?”

She looked up to Kane, her eyes locked on his. For a moment, the intensity was almost too much.Been a while, Kane thought. Too long. Best keep this aboveboard.

“I used to fight. Professionally.”

He laughed. “What?”

She smiled, not annoyed at his laugh. “On Earth. Lightweight boxer. Number three contender. Fought all over.” She took a step closer, and now it was definitely too intense. “I was good. Fast.”

“Boxing. How do you get into—”

“You get into it when you have nothing else. My father died in the South African war—or whatever the hell they calledthat massacre. The government gave my mother nothing. Hardly any support. And somehow…I found I could hit. And move. And when I worked on it, I only got better.”

“I’ll have to remember that.”

Then a full grin from her. “You do that, Kane.”

“Okay. Explains why Kelly assigned you to me—or vice versa. Now, what was with that guy freaking in the chapel? That sort of stuff go on here a lot?”

Now Moraetes looked down the hall. Still quiet. Nonetheless, she lowered her voice. “Lot of weird stuff going down. Guys like that, freaking, dragged away. We get a few every week.”

“And the cause?”

Moraetes gave him another smile. “You do ask a lot of questions.”

“I like to know what kind of shit storm I’m walking into.”

“Nobody knows. Some of them have worked in Delta, others not. All of them go completely paranoid. Babbling weird stuff…aboutthem. Howthey’re coming. How we can’t do anything about it.”

Kane looked away. The crates, his being sent up here…It started to make some sense. “I’m guessing,” he said, “that there’s a hell of a lot that they’re not telling people up here.”

“Got that right.”

He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. For a minute he thought she might shrug it off. There was a line between marines of the opposite sex. It was all about being a marine and nothing else.

“Look, thanks for telling me this. I may have more questions.” He tapped his PDA and smiled. “After I check out my videos.”

“I’ll be here. Got another year before I can get off this chunk of red rock.”

“But I want you to know. You get in a jam. You need any help. I’m here too.”

The classic deal. I got your back, and you mine.

She nodded. “Good. I’ll remember that. Best we finish the damn tour, and then you can start your homework. Oh, and they do feed you up here.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Moraetes grinned and turned away, leading Kane to the main walkway and the secondary lift that would bring them back up to Central Access.

Kane gave her a nod and headed down to the marine bunks. She didn’t mention it to him, but she knew his story. The marines killed, the rescue that didn’t happen. But enough jarheads survived so that the true story got out. How the brass was willing to sacrifice a company, let them get wiped out—and Kane said no.

And sure, a lot of guys got killed. But he got a lot of guys out. And now he was here. They could have locked him up forever, even executed him. But they sent him here. Now why in the world would they do that?

She turned and went to Marine Command, and the start of her regular patrol.