Battle Earth II Read Free Page B

from the gravel. He considered patting it off, but any help with camouflage right now was useful. They continued onwards across another eight buildings until they reached the end of the street. Taylor and Silva crawled to the edge and looked down to where they had left their jeep. It sat alone, and untouched by the enemy.
    “Guess they don’t see it as a threat,” said Silva.
    “Why would they? It has no weapons or armour, and it could be anything to them.”
    They looked up and down the street, but the Mechs were nowhere to be seen. They crawled back to the other three. Taylor had a broad grin across his face, happy in the knowledge that they were so close to escape.
    “We’ve got enough power left to make the jump, and I don’t want to waste anymore time up here waiting to get our asses blown off. On my go, we make a break for the jeep. We don’t stop, and we don’t hesitate. Ready?”
    They all nodded eagerly. None of them wanted to run before the guns, but neither did they want to get left alone in what was quickly becoming hostile territory. Taylor checked his weapon and looked back up at them. The situation was far from ideal, and he wished he’d trusted his gut about the intel and taken more troops to investigate.
    “Three, two, one...”
    They leapt to their feet and ran for the edge of the building, launching themselves into the air. They hit their boosters on the way down and landed hard on the tarmac below. The street was still empty with no sign of the enemy, but they didn’t wait to find out. Silva was the first to the vehicle and leapt in into the driver’s seat. The engine fired up before two of them had even got aboard, and they desperately hoisted themselves on as the jeep lurched forward.
    Taylor didn’t have to give any further commands as Silva was well aware of the urgency. Jimenez and Paria had got into their seats as the vehicle stormed down the abandoned streets. Just as they thought they had made it, a tingle went down Taylor’s spine at hearing the pulsing sound of the Mechs flying packs.
    “Incoming!” he shouted.
    He snapped his neck back and looked down the street they were racing away from. Two of the Mechs took a sharp turn around the bend into their street, and their engines roared as they stormed towards the escaping vehicle. Taylor stood up and rested his rifle in the roll bar of the vehicle, taking quick aim. He fired a few bursts, but the rounds appeared to bounce off with no effect.
    “Take them down!”
    The others trained their grenade launchers against their pursuers while Paria tried desperately to unload the ARMAL launchers from his webbing. Jimenez fired first, and a grenade landed just ahead of the Mechs, showering them in debris. The two flying monsters burst through the smoke as if unfazed. The one at the front trained its weapon on them ready to fire.
    “Turn!” shouted Mitch.
    Silva wrenched the wheel round and slid the vehicle across an intersection as the enemy’s weapon fired. It blew out the front of a shop, narrowly missing them. Taylor hung onto the roll bar for dear life as the back wheels regained grip, and they continued on at full pelt. He lifted his launcher and fired a single round which again landed just short.
    Having gotten his range, Taylor fired all further five grenades in his launcher with a short dispersal pattern. Explosions erupted all around the Mechs. One disappeared into a plume of smoke and debris while the other spun out of control and crashed through a nearby building. Mitchell turned back to look at the Major with a grin. Taylor flipped open his launcher and quickly reached for the next shells on his webbing.
    “Guess we got them, Sir,” said Mitchell.
    Before the Major could respond, the marine was struck by an energy pulse which took his head off, leaving a smouldering cauterised wound at the neck and shoulder.
    “Holy shit!” cried Paria.
    Taylor turned to see four more of the enemy flyers approaching an intersection they