EDEN (The Union Series) Read Free

suddenly felt as though the walls were closing in around us,
for there was nowhere for us to go, not without breaking onto the surface.
Suddenly the OP felt more like a grave.
    ‘Fuck this shit …’
Myers uttered under his breath, just before I jabbed him with my elbow.
    We waited anxiously.
Every piece of non-essential electronic equipment had been deactivated. The
powerful magnets in our rifles were powered down and our communications
equipment was set to passive mode, capable of receiving messages only, and even
that had to be critical. We didn’t know what electronic warfare equipment the
patrol carried, but if they had a scanner even remotely similar to ours, then
they would spot any nearby electronic activity with relative ease. I wasn’t
taking any chances.
    I tried to breathe
slowly, willing my respirator motors to be as quiet as possible. The Loyalists
were right on top of us. I could hear the sound of boots trampling through the undergrowth
and then held my breath, hoping that the logs we had used to support the roof
would hold the weight of anyone who might walk straight over it. It was
unlikely for somebody to fall through; we had tested the strength of the roof ourselves
during our construction of the OP. It was possible to walk right over the top
of us without ever even knowing that we were there. But it wasn’t the Loyalist
soldiers that worried me, it was the suit. The thing had to weigh in well over
a tonne - far more weight than the OP roof could take. If it stepped on us, not
only would we be compromised, we’d also be squashed into a bloody mess in the
process.
    I tried to count each
Loyalist soldier as he passed within metres of the OP, my spirits slowly
building as I realised that they hadn’t noticed us. It didn’t necessarily mean that
we were safe, though, I reminded myself. Even if we weren’t found, there was
still the rear OP that housed the remainder of my eight-man patrol. I
desperately wanted to contact them in order to send warning, but knew that as
soon as I activated the section net to communicate, then the game would be up.
    They’re as well
concealed as us, I reassured myself, and if I can’t trust them to know what to
do, then I can’t trust anyone .
    The ground began to
vibrate rhythmically, and soon the vibrations were accompanied by dull thumps.
The suit was nearby, Christ it must have been no more than a couple of metres
away! I clenched my teeth as I waited for the OP walls to subside and our roof
to collapse.
    The suit appeared to
pass us, and I breathed out a sigh of relief as I saw that our roof had held.
    But then it stopped.
    My mind screamed just
as my hand shot toward my rifle lying beside me. Shit! It’s fucking seen us! My fingers closed around the pistol grip, my finger hovering over the power
up button as I prepared to fight for my life.
    But there was silence.
    What were they doing?
I strained to hear even the slightest noise from my headset. I imagined the
suit, having detected our electronic equipment or having seen through our
camouflage, lining up its weapons to fire. Perhaps it was waiting for the
remainder of the patrol to take cover before it opened fire, or maybe the
commander was considering the possibility of more OPs. It wasn’t normal to have
two so close together, but my orders had stated that I should retain an
offensive capability, one which I would lose if I split my eight-man section
too far apart.
    There was the sound
of more footsteps, and the ground thumped as the suit moved slightly. I
flinched as a piece of earth dropped down and struck the back of my helmet.
    Still nothing
happened.
    I braced myself. If I
was about to be compromised, there was nothing else that I could do. Strong as
it was, our roof allowed for us to break through it in order to stand -
bursting out from the ground like zombies out of an unmarked grave. I would
have milliseconds to power up my rifle, take aim and shoot before the suit
responded, then seconds more before