Battle Earth IX Read Free Page A

Colonel looked back. The column could not match their pace with all the wounded. He rushed forward to stop the marine, reaching him at a bend where he had stopped for a moment. Taylor got a firm grasp on his backplate and yanked him back. As he did so, a shot ricocheted off the wall where he had been a second before. Taylor threw the Sergeant behind him as the others got to them. He peaked out around the corner, trying to locate the shooter. The sight of a Mech soldier rapidly advancing towards him at just ten metres away shocked him. Mitch ducked back as more shots landed beside him.
    "Right, you son of a bitch," he whispered.
    He could hear the steps now. Lang didn't know what to do and couldn't believe Taylor simply waited for the creature to close in on them. Mitch took in a deep breath, and in the last few steps as the Mech got to them, he spun out from the corner and smashed his shield up into the Mech's weapon, driving it high. As the creature’s rifle fired into the ceiling, he drove his gun into its stomach and fired on full auto.
    The Mech spasmed, its abdomen riddled with bullets. Finally, it went limp. Taylor tossed the body back onto the deck in disgust to reveal the barrel of his rifle that was now drenched in blood. He looked back to Lang who was still speechless.
    "You give directions, and I lead. You stay behind me, you hear?"
    He nodded and pointed for them to go the way the creature had come from.
    "Let's move."
    They got ten metres when an explosion rang out not far from their position. Taylor stopped immediately, waiting and listening for anything else. But a moment later, he could hear the sound of running water.
    "Oh, shit," he murmured.
    His worst fear had come true.
    "We're going down, and fast."
      Water gushed around a corner up ahead and almost immediately covered their boots. He thought about asking Lang for other options on how to get out, for just a split second, but he knew such indecision could end them as quickly as making the wrong one.
    "Keep moving!" he boomed.
    He could feel the weight of the water pushing against his feet, and his already exhausted legs were feeling like lead weights trying to drag him down. He struggled on, telling himself he wasn't willing to die down there. As a marine, he knew the situation could occur, and that he might go down with a ship, but he never really thought for one moment it would ever be a possibility.
    "Left, left here!"
    Taylor followed Lang, took the bend, and found a Mech facing the way they were heading. He didn't even hesitate to fire a burst into its back without breaking stride. The Mech's body splashed into the water as he passed by.
    "How many of those fuckers did you have aboard?" Silva asked.
    Lang didn't respond. He was clearly feeling more than a little sheepish that he'd been a part of it all. They reached a stairway, and water was already flowing down at quite a rate.
    "How do we even know we're still on the surface?"
    Taylor didn't reply to Parker’s question; he had no good answer. Instead, he leapt onto the stairs and stormed up them. He made it up two flights before looking back to Lang.
    "How much further?"
    "Not far now. The escape pods are just around the corner."
    Taylor carried on as Lang pointed the way to go. A few bodies swept past them as the water levels were reaching their knees. Debris crashed into his boots and greaves. They took the bend and were met by a line of shuttle doors, each a metre wide.
    "No, no!" cried Lang.
    Each one of the doors had a thick glass window at the centre and was full with water where the pods had been launched. Every single one was gone.
    "Lang, are these the only ones we can use?"
    Lang collapsed down onto his knees weeping, but Taylor hauled him back to his feet.
    "Concentrate, Sergeant!"
    He shook his head. "None that we can reach quickly."
    Taylor looked around to the others. They were all waiting for him to come up with a solution.
    "I'm not going down with this ship," he stated, "How