The third and final part. Sergeant Steel, John Middlebrooks and Sara McCraw enter the alien base with the purpose of killing all of the aliens and finding Francis Rhoads. I may continue with this at a later date, probably just individual stories for the characters. As usual, comments welcome.
Sergeant Steel blasted an aliens head off with his shotgun. He had taken point inside the enemy base, with Sara and John providing cover. Steel stepped over the dead body and kicked open the door he was guarding. The room was empty.
“I think we’ve killed them all sir.” John said as he followed.
“Don’t be naïve Middlebrooks, we’ve only been killing grunts so far. You can tell by the armour. We need to find that red armoured guy. Let’s go.”
Sergeant Steel walked over to the other side of the room and opened a door to reveal stairs leading downwards. They didn’t encounter much resistance on the way down. Once they had reached the bottom floor they found another door. John quietly placed plastic explosives around the edges and stood back.
The explosion knocked the door off its hinges and into the room beyond. Sergeant Steel dived in and readied his shotgun, while Sara fired her assault rifle wildly into the room. They heard several dull thuds as more aliens fell down dead.
“That was easy.” Sergeant Steel said as he stood up.
“Too easy sir?”
“No such thing as too easy Middlebrooks. But it looks like this room splits off into two. You two go right, I’ll go left.”
John and Sara opened the door on the right of the room. They found a long corridor with several more rooms along either side. Each room had a strange alien symbol on the door at about eye height. John carefully opened the first one he found.
“Looks like we’ve found their dorms.”
“Any aliens?”
“Nope, this room’s clear.”
“Then let’s keep moving.”
The two soldiers checked each room they passed, but each was empty. They eventually reached the end of the corridor. After opening the final door they entered what looked very much like a canteen. It had chairs lined up along tables and at the far end a counter replete with crockery.
“This is kinda spooky.”
“C’mon, they’ve gotta eat right?”
“No, I mean, of course. It’s just, well, this is so normal. I was expecting something a little more, well, alien. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Really? I just feel hungry. I wonder what their food’s like.” John said as he rushed off to the counter.
“Hey wait!” Sara called as she ran after him. John found what looked like a typical fridge and promptly opened it.
“What the? This stuff’s just like normal food. They’ve got mushrooms, cheese, week-old pizza and even beer. Score!” John cracked open a can of beer and took a swig.
“Are you sure you should be drinking that? It could be poisonous for all we know.”
“Please, give me some credit. This is the same brand I’ve got back at the base.”
“Why would aliens have beer?”
“Maybe because they’re not nerds like you?”
Before Sara could reply to John’s stunning repartee she heard a scratching sound. John apparently heard it too, because he placed his beer on the counter and readied his weapon. They stood in silence, each trying to locate the source of the noise. Gently, slowly, the noise got louder and more distinct. Sara cocked her head to one side, then gestured towards the back wall. They advanced quietly and raised their rifles.
Suddenly a huge chunk of the wall exploded, bowling them over as it did so. They recovered quickly and fired into the new hole. They heard the ping of bullets bouncing off metal.
An alien stepped through the hole. It was roughly twice the size of the other aliens and was covered in thicker armour. It made a roaring sound and jumped to where John was kneeling. It drew back its arm and swung at him, but John rolled out of the way just in time.
“HOLY SHIT! We are so fucking dead!” He screamed as he rolled back upright.
“Shut up and shoot! It’s got to have weak points, just fire at the gaps in the armour!” Sara screamed back as she unleashed a hail of bullets at the aliens’ joints. In response the alien crouched down before leaping forward. It caught Sara in the chest with its’ shoulder and she collapsed backwards, dropping her weapon as she did so. The alien grabbed her ankle and threw her across the canteen where she broke a table with the impact of her landing.
“I was right. We’re dead.” John said to himself as he peppered the aliens’ hulking form with bullets. He succeeded in taking a chunk out of its’ helmet.
He also succeeded in making it very, very angry. It crouched again and leapt forwards, catching John in one hand. It slammed him into the ground several times, then raised him to eye-height. John stared into it’s eyeball through the hole in its’ helmet. Every instinct he had told him to spit into it, but he resisted the urge and instead jammed a grenade in there instead. The alien howled in pain and threw across the room, then its’ head promptly exploded.
Sara clambered to her feet and staggered over to where John had landed. After checking to make sure he was still alive she slapped him across the face.
“Ouch! What was that for?” He asked, his eye barely opening.
“I told you not to drink the beer.”
Meanwhile, Sergeant Steel was working his way down his own corridor. He had found a common room, toilets and two sets of showers, but no aliens and no Francis Rhoads. He reached the end of the corridor just as empty-handed as his soldiers. He opened the door quickly and quietly.
“Welcome human leader. I have been expecting you.” The red armoured alien said. It was standing in front of a door. The room they were in was decorated with many bladed weapons, some of which Steel recognised, but most were unknown to him.
“I’m not here to talk.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Let’s say I’m here to kick ass and chew gum, and I’m all outta gum.”
“You humans seem to find solace in your humour. I have killed many of your kind, both on the battlefield and in private. Those that do not beg invariably make jokes. I find it a strange quirk which I shall be sure to extinguish once you are all slaves.”
“Shut up. I said I’m not here to talk. Where’s Rhoads?”
“Oh, you mean the human soldiers we captured? Behind this door of course. But first you will have to fight me in an honourable duel to the death. Pick any weapon in this room and I will do likewise.”
Sergeant Steel glanced around the room once more. He then shot the alien in the chest with his shotgun.
“You talk to much. Hey Rhoads, you alive in there?” Steel asked as he kicked in the final door. He found Rhoads laying in a pool of his own blood. His kneecaps had been broken.
“As far as I can tell sir.”
“You in any pain son?”
“A lot sir. Thanks for rescuing me, I didn’t think command would give you the order too.”
“They didn’t.”
“Then why’d you come?”
“I’m just following orders.” Steel said as he pulled out his pistol and shot Francis between the eyes.
Showing posts with label Middlebrooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middlebrooks. Show all posts
Monday, 30 March 2009
Monday, 23 March 2009
Aliens Vs Humans Pt 2
Well, AliensVs Humans continues. We find out a little background about the characters, and are treated to some action. The third and final part will be up next week, and I've got something special planned for the week after that.
Private Sara McCraw sat behind the ramparts atop the human base, letting the heavy rain patter against her hood. She stared towards the alien base in silence. She had been sitting there for the last two hours, not moving once. She didn’t turn around when Aaron opened the access hatch.
“Sergeant’s told me to relieve you.”
“Go away.”
“Come on Sara, you can’t mope forever. You need to get some rest.”
“I can mope for as long as I want.”
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay up here too long.”
“There’s no cold virus on this planet.”
“Fine, you’ll catch something else then.” Aaron sat down next to Sara. “You really loved him, didn’t you?”
Sara didn’t reply.
“We’ll get him back. The sergeant’s a good man, he won’t let something as simple as an order get in his way. He never leaves a man behind, never.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Of course.”
“Heh, then you’re more of an idiot than I thought. How long have you served under him?”
“Since the first day I signed up. That was over six years ago now.”
“Then you wouldn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“His first mission as a sergeant. This was before the aliens attacked, before the war. I was a raw recruit, fighting for the first time. I trusted him as only a rookie could. He led us straight into an ambush. Almost everyone died, only four of us got out alive. It wasn’t until three years later that I learned the truth. He knew it was an ambush. We were a distraction, sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. I’ve only ever told two people what I found out. The others were survived. One of them got angry and challenged Steel.”
“What happened?”
“Steel shot him. Right in the forehead, one bullet. It was covered up as a suicide of course.”
“What happened to the other man you told.”
“He’s in the other end of this canyon. It was Francis. So when I say the sergeant won’t rescue him, trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
The two soldiers sat in silence for a while, letting the rain splatter all around them. The silence was broken when Antonio Macklin opened the hatch.
“Good news friends. The alien fleet surrounding the system has been destroyed. The aliens on the planet have been cut off. We’ve received new orders to attack and finish them off once and for all.”
The rain cleared up quickly. The sun had come out to shine down into the canyon. It’s radiant light sparkled in the raindrops that were still clinging to the human vehicles. Kathy Thom took up her place in the Warthogs’ driving seat. Eric Raynor clambered onto the back and released the safety on the chain-gun. Sergeant Steel sat in the passenger seat, his shotgun at the ready.
Antonio Macklin fired up the tank. John Middlebrooks, Sara McCraw and Aaron Stacey readied their weapons.
The sergeant turned to the three soldiers. “Now, you three remember the plan right?”
“Yes sir.” John replied while the others just nodded.
“Good, now get going. Radio us when you’re ready.”
The three soldiers ran off towards the alien base. They stuck to the shadows provided by the western cliff-face. They made good time, getting as close as they could without being spotted. Unfortunately the cliffs widened suddenly, leaving over 200 yards of open ground between them and the base. They quickly found what they were looking for. Just a little way along the cliff jutted out at the top.
John readied his rocket launcher. He fired his one missile at the outcrop. His aim was perfect, striking the rocks in just the right way. The three soldiers dove for cover as the rocks crashed to the ground between them and the enemy base. The terrain was empty no longer.
The aliens noticed the explosion and if they didn’t they certainly noticed the sudden crashing of over 20 tons of rock. John, Aaron and Sara used the newly formed cover to get even closer to the base.
They didn’t get far before they came under fire. They dove behind the rocks as bullets whizzed past their ears.
The aliens poured out of the base, swarming around the rocks. The soldiers ducked and weaved around, shooting any aliens they came across, but they were forced into a corner. While John and Aaron held the aliens off, Sara turned on her radio.
“Sir, we’re in position, but we’re pinned down. Any chance of some help?”
She didn’t receive a reply. Even as more aliens joined the group firing at them, the radio remained stalwartly silent.
Sara joined her comrades in firing randomly at the foe. For a few minutes it looked as if they would hold out, but both John and Aarons’ guns ran out of ammo simultaneously. As they frantically reloaded Aaron got hit in the shoulder. He collapsed to the floor, clutching his open wound.
Just as John reloaded and stood up to resume firing, the aliens fell to a hail of bullets. Green blood splattered all over John and Sara. Suddenly the Warthog flew through the air above them, using one of the rocks as a ramp. The surviving aliens scattered. The Warthog landed directly next to one, who had his chest blasted open before he could raise his weapon. Sergeant Steel cocked his weapon and shouted, “Now that’s what I call riding shotgun!”
“You’re a bit late sir, Stacey’s been shot.”
“Hey Stacey, you’re still alive aintcha?”
Aaron groaned in lieu of a reply.
“Good now quit yer yapping, Macklin should be opening the door any minute now.” Steel jumped out of the Warthog just as the tank fired a round at the base, “Perfect timing. Let’s go.”
Sergeant Steel signalled Kathy to get moving. The Warthog drove up to the newly-opened door. The aliens who had come to inspect the damage were surprised to find a barrage of lead heading in their direction courtesy of Raynors’ chain-gun.
“All clear sir.” Raynor called back once the smoke cleared.
“Good. You keep an eye on things out here. Thom, go get Stacey and look after him. The rest of us are going in.” Steel signalled John and Sara to follow him as he entered the alien base.
Private Sara McCraw sat behind the ramparts atop the human base, letting the heavy rain patter against her hood. She stared towards the alien base in silence. She had been sitting there for the last two hours, not moving once. She didn’t turn around when Aaron opened the access hatch.
“Sergeant’s told me to relieve you.”
“Go away.”
“Come on Sara, you can’t mope forever. You need to get some rest.”
“I can mope for as long as I want.”
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay up here too long.”
“There’s no cold virus on this planet.”
“Fine, you’ll catch something else then.” Aaron sat down next to Sara. “You really loved him, didn’t you?”
Sara didn’t reply.
“We’ll get him back. The sergeant’s a good man, he won’t let something as simple as an order get in his way. He never leaves a man behind, never.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Of course.”
“Heh, then you’re more of an idiot than I thought. How long have you served under him?”
“Since the first day I signed up. That was over six years ago now.”
“Then you wouldn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“His first mission as a sergeant. This was before the aliens attacked, before the war. I was a raw recruit, fighting for the first time. I trusted him as only a rookie could. He led us straight into an ambush. Almost everyone died, only four of us got out alive. It wasn’t until three years later that I learned the truth. He knew it was an ambush. We were a distraction, sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. I’ve only ever told two people what I found out. The others were survived. One of them got angry and challenged Steel.”
“What happened?”
“Steel shot him. Right in the forehead, one bullet. It was covered up as a suicide of course.”
“What happened to the other man you told.”
“He’s in the other end of this canyon. It was Francis. So when I say the sergeant won’t rescue him, trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
The two soldiers sat in silence for a while, letting the rain splatter all around them. The silence was broken when Antonio Macklin opened the hatch.
“Good news friends. The alien fleet surrounding the system has been destroyed. The aliens on the planet have been cut off. We’ve received new orders to attack and finish them off once and for all.”
The rain cleared up quickly. The sun had come out to shine down into the canyon. It’s radiant light sparkled in the raindrops that were still clinging to the human vehicles. Kathy Thom took up her place in the Warthogs’ driving seat. Eric Raynor clambered onto the back and released the safety on the chain-gun. Sergeant Steel sat in the passenger seat, his shotgun at the ready.
Antonio Macklin fired up the tank. John Middlebrooks, Sara McCraw and Aaron Stacey readied their weapons.
The sergeant turned to the three soldiers. “Now, you three remember the plan right?”
“Yes sir.” John replied while the others just nodded.
“Good, now get going. Radio us when you’re ready.”
The three soldiers ran off towards the alien base. They stuck to the shadows provided by the western cliff-face. They made good time, getting as close as they could without being spotted. Unfortunately the cliffs widened suddenly, leaving over 200 yards of open ground between them and the base. They quickly found what they were looking for. Just a little way along the cliff jutted out at the top.
John readied his rocket launcher. He fired his one missile at the outcrop. His aim was perfect, striking the rocks in just the right way. The three soldiers dove for cover as the rocks crashed to the ground between them and the enemy base. The terrain was empty no longer.
The aliens noticed the explosion and if they didn’t they certainly noticed the sudden crashing of over 20 tons of rock. John, Aaron and Sara used the newly formed cover to get even closer to the base.
They didn’t get far before they came under fire. They dove behind the rocks as bullets whizzed past their ears.
The aliens poured out of the base, swarming around the rocks. The soldiers ducked and weaved around, shooting any aliens they came across, but they were forced into a corner. While John and Aaron held the aliens off, Sara turned on her radio.
“Sir, we’re in position, but we’re pinned down. Any chance of some help?”
She didn’t receive a reply. Even as more aliens joined the group firing at them, the radio remained stalwartly silent.
Sara joined her comrades in firing randomly at the foe. For a few minutes it looked as if they would hold out, but both John and Aarons’ guns ran out of ammo simultaneously. As they frantically reloaded Aaron got hit in the shoulder. He collapsed to the floor, clutching his open wound.
Just as John reloaded and stood up to resume firing, the aliens fell to a hail of bullets. Green blood splattered all over John and Sara. Suddenly the Warthog flew through the air above them, using one of the rocks as a ramp. The surviving aliens scattered. The Warthog landed directly next to one, who had his chest blasted open before he could raise his weapon. Sergeant Steel cocked his weapon and shouted, “Now that’s what I call riding shotgun!”
“You’re a bit late sir, Stacey’s been shot.”
“Hey Stacey, you’re still alive aintcha?”
Aaron groaned in lieu of a reply.
“Good now quit yer yapping, Macklin should be opening the door any minute now.” Steel jumped out of the Warthog just as the tank fired a round at the base, “Perfect timing. Let’s go.”
Sergeant Steel signalled Kathy to get moving. The Warthog drove up to the newly-opened door. The aliens who had come to inspect the damage were surprised to find a barrage of lead heading in their direction courtesy of Raynors’ chain-gun.
“All clear sir.” Raynor called back once the smoke cleared.
“Good. You keep an eye on things out here. Thom, go get Stacey and look after him. The rest of us are going in.” Steel signalled John and Sara to follow him as he entered the alien base.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Aliens Vs Humans Pt1
Well, it's Monday, so I guess that means I should update. This is the first part of a story that popped into my head at 3AM Saturday night whilst desperately trying to sleep.
The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the canyon. The two humans standing on the eastern ridge exchanged nervous glances. This was it.
John crept up to the edge of the cliff while Aaron crouched behind a rock. This section of the canyon was a good bottleneck, but the cliffs on both sides had long, easily traversable ridges carved into them. Aaron kept his gun ready in case any aliens came charging round the corner.
John carefully set up his sniper rifle. He wouldn’t get many shots so he had to make them count.
Down in the canyon, Sergeant Steve Steel was defending the human base. He was hiding behind the reinforced walls that had previously held the door in place. He was firing towards the aliens, but they kept ducking behind the large rocks strewn around.
“McCraw! Where’s our reinforcements?” He yelled to the woman on the ramparts above him.
“They’ve been delayed sir, some alien ships were taking shots at them. They’ll be an hour at least. We have orders to hold out until then.”
“We won’t last an hour!” Sergeant Steel switched on his helmet radio, “Raynor, you and Rhoads in position yet?”
“We’re ready sir.” Came the crackly reply.
“Middlebrooks, get sniping.”
Back up on the eastern ridge, John aimed his sniper rifle. He tried to pick out the alien leader, or at least someone who seemed to be ordering the others around, and fired. His target slumped to the ground, green blood dripping from his head. The aliens standing next to him both turned and stared at his body.
“We got incoming.” Aaron yelled. Three aliens had come round the edge and had began firing on him. He did his best, but they ducked out of the way before he could hit any of them.
“Gimme a minute.” John replied as he fired his second shot. The second alien slumped to the floor. The third alien on the ground took aim with what the humans had come to recognise as the aliens’ version of a rocket launcher.
“Time to go.” John jumped to his feet as the alien fired. Aaron followed him along the cliff with the aliens hot on his heels. Just as they reached the position where John had sniped from, the alien rocket did so too. The resulting explosion hurled the two leading aliens off of the ridge. The remaining alien stared at the rubble and tried in vain to figure a way across. John and Aaron had already made good their escape.
Down on the ground more aliens flocked around the rocket-armed alien to give him cover. One of them dressed in black armour slapped him upside the head. They spoke in their alien language.
Just a short way away behind a large rock Francis Rhoads and Eric Raynor shrugged to each other, then threw a bunch of grenades into the middle of the alien group. The aliens with the quickest reactions escaped the blast, only to be found out in the open where they quickly succumbed to human fire.
One particularly large alien, dressed in red armour, screamed very loudly in his language. The aliens retreated swiftly.
“They’re retreating! Oh yeah, victory is ours! Everybody report in.” Sergeant Steel called over the radio.
“Middlebrooks and Stacey reporting in, we’re unharmed and returning to base.”
“Raynor reporting, unharmed and returning.”
“Rhoads reporting. I’m injured and…… In deep shit.” Francis dropped his gun and held up his hands. One of the aliens that had surrounded him knocked him unconscious.
“Dammit Raynor, you were supposed to be looking out for each other.” Sergeant Steel berated Eric later.
“He was right behind me. At least, I thought he was.”
“That poor man, who knows what kind of torture those bastards are putting him through.”
At that exact same moment in time, the alien bastards were splashing water over their new prisoner.
“I’m awake Ma, I’m just letting my eyes rest.”
More water splashed over him and Francis fully awoke. He opened his eyes to see an alien face grinning back at him.
“Wow, how much did I drink last night? You are one ugly bitch.”
The alien promptly slapped him. It stepped back to reveal the red-armoured alien standing behind it.
“I’ll have you know that Ozeseph here is considered quite a beauty among our race.” It said.
“You can speak? Sure, you sound like Stephen Hawkings’ robotic lovechild, but rather impressive for a pile of turd.”
“You think to insult me human? I could end your life right here and now.”
“So why don’t you?”
“We have other uses for you. What is your designation?”
“My friends call me Francis, so you can call me anything but that.”
“Oh, I think we’ll be friends enough Francis. Do you know what this is?” The alien held up what looked to Francis to be a stun gun.
“Your TV remote?”
“Amusing. No, this is what we like to call a loyalty chip. Or at least that’s what it translates to in your tongue. All we do is inject it into the back of your primitive human brain, and suddenly you find yourself loyal to our cause.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that you can change someones’ allegiance with a bit of metal? It’s impossible.”
“Oh but it isn’t. We’ve already put them into the brains of some of your higher-ups.”
“Pull the other one; it plays Yankee-Doodle-Dandee.”
“Insolent creature. Think, who was it who ordered the eradication of our colony on Tarcathis? Who was it who ordered your first fleet to chase ours straight into an ambush? Who was it who visited Tarcathis on a peace mission exactly one month before the eradication? Who is it who still makes all of your military decisions?”
“War Minister McCallum?”
“That’s right. He’s been working for us the whole time, and you will too.”
The alien gripped Francis by the hair and dragged his head to the floor, then injected the loyalty chip into the nape of his neck. After Francis stopped struggling it let go.
“You will return to your base after miraculously escaping, and then you will do everything in your power to help us kill every other human here. Then you will once again escape, and continue to aid us.”
“It won’t work.” Francis muttered from his position on the floor.
“What do you mean?”
“It won’t work. The sergeant’s a smart man; he’ll get suspicious if I just escape.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“You execute me. Send me to the middle of the canyon with two grunts you can afford to lose and make a big announcement to the humans about what will happen to prisoners who fight back. They’ll rescue me and be none the wiser.”
“So it is said, so it shall be.” The alien agreed before strolling away.
The human ship finally landed within the canyon. Two vehicles, a warthog all-terrain vehicle with onboard Gatling gun and a Titan-class main battle tank. The ship then took off again.
The two drivers jumped out of their vehicles and saluted the sergeant.
“Privates Kathy Thom and Antonio Macklin reporting for duty sir.” The female Warthog driver said.
“This it? We wait an hour and lose one of our men and this is it? I requested reinforcements not cheap toys and a pair of wet behind the ears rookies.”
“Sorry sir, but the army’s been having trouble since the War Minister was arrested for treason.”
“Well I’ll have to make do with what I’ve got then, won’t I? You two get your bunks sorted out, then meet in twenty for a strategy meeting.”
“Sir yes sir!” The two rookies chorused. As Antonio entered the base Kathy handed a sealed letter to the sergeant.
“Sir, I’ve been ordered to give this to you. It’s a classified, priority one message, for your eyes only.” After handing it over, she too left to claim her bunk.
The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the canyon. The two humans standing on the eastern ridge exchanged nervous glances. This was it.
John crept up to the edge of the cliff while Aaron crouched behind a rock. This section of the canyon was a good bottleneck, but the cliffs on both sides had long, easily traversable ridges carved into them. Aaron kept his gun ready in case any aliens came charging round the corner.
John carefully set up his sniper rifle. He wouldn’t get many shots so he had to make them count.
Down in the canyon, Sergeant Steve Steel was defending the human base. He was hiding behind the reinforced walls that had previously held the door in place. He was firing towards the aliens, but they kept ducking behind the large rocks strewn around.
“McCraw! Where’s our reinforcements?” He yelled to the woman on the ramparts above him.
“They’ve been delayed sir, some alien ships were taking shots at them. They’ll be an hour at least. We have orders to hold out until then.”
“We won’t last an hour!” Sergeant Steel switched on his helmet radio, “Raynor, you and Rhoads in position yet?”
“We’re ready sir.” Came the crackly reply.
“Middlebrooks, get sniping.”
Back up on the eastern ridge, John aimed his sniper rifle. He tried to pick out the alien leader, or at least someone who seemed to be ordering the others around, and fired. His target slumped to the ground, green blood dripping from his head. The aliens standing next to him both turned and stared at his body.
“We got incoming.” Aaron yelled. Three aliens had come round the edge and had began firing on him. He did his best, but they ducked out of the way before he could hit any of them.
“Gimme a minute.” John replied as he fired his second shot. The second alien slumped to the floor. The third alien on the ground took aim with what the humans had come to recognise as the aliens’ version of a rocket launcher.
“Time to go.” John jumped to his feet as the alien fired. Aaron followed him along the cliff with the aliens hot on his heels. Just as they reached the position where John had sniped from, the alien rocket did so too. The resulting explosion hurled the two leading aliens off of the ridge. The remaining alien stared at the rubble and tried in vain to figure a way across. John and Aaron had already made good their escape.
Down on the ground more aliens flocked around the rocket-armed alien to give him cover. One of them dressed in black armour slapped him upside the head. They spoke in their alien language.
Just a short way away behind a large rock Francis Rhoads and Eric Raynor shrugged to each other, then threw a bunch of grenades into the middle of the alien group. The aliens with the quickest reactions escaped the blast, only to be found out in the open where they quickly succumbed to human fire.
One particularly large alien, dressed in red armour, screamed very loudly in his language. The aliens retreated swiftly.
“They’re retreating! Oh yeah, victory is ours! Everybody report in.” Sergeant Steel called over the radio.
“Middlebrooks and Stacey reporting in, we’re unharmed and returning to base.”
“Raynor reporting, unharmed and returning.”
“Rhoads reporting. I’m injured and…… In deep shit.” Francis dropped his gun and held up his hands. One of the aliens that had surrounded him knocked him unconscious.
“Dammit Raynor, you were supposed to be looking out for each other.” Sergeant Steel berated Eric later.
“He was right behind me. At least, I thought he was.”
“That poor man, who knows what kind of torture those bastards are putting him through.”
At that exact same moment in time, the alien bastards were splashing water over their new prisoner.
“I’m awake Ma, I’m just letting my eyes rest.”
More water splashed over him and Francis fully awoke. He opened his eyes to see an alien face grinning back at him.
“Wow, how much did I drink last night? You are one ugly bitch.”
The alien promptly slapped him. It stepped back to reveal the red-armoured alien standing behind it.
“I’ll have you know that Ozeseph here is considered quite a beauty among our race.” It said.
“You can speak? Sure, you sound like Stephen Hawkings’ robotic lovechild, but rather impressive for a pile of turd.”
“You think to insult me human? I could end your life right here and now.”
“So why don’t you?”
“We have other uses for you. What is your designation?”
“My friends call me Francis, so you can call me anything but that.”
“Oh, I think we’ll be friends enough Francis. Do you know what this is?” The alien held up what looked to Francis to be a stun gun.
“Your TV remote?”
“Amusing. No, this is what we like to call a loyalty chip. Or at least that’s what it translates to in your tongue. All we do is inject it into the back of your primitive human brain, and suddenly you find yourself loyal to our cause.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that you can change someones’ allegiance with a bit of metal? It’s impossible.”
“Oh but it isn’t. We’ve already put them into the brains of some of your higher-ups.”
“Pull the other one; it plays Yankee-Doodle-Dandee.”
“Insolent creature. Think, who was it who ordered the eradication of our colony on Tarcathis? Who was it who ordered your first fleet to chase ours straight into an ambush? Who was it who visited Tarcathis on a peace mission exactly one month before the eradication? Who is it who still makes all of your military decisions?”
“War Minister McCallum?”
“That’s right. He’s been working for us the whole time, and you will too.”
The alien gripped Francis by the hair and dragged his head to the floor, then injected the loyalty chip into the nape of his neck. After Francis stopped struggling it let go.
“You will return to your base after miraculously escaping, and then you will do everything in your power to help us kill every other human here. Then you will once again escape, and continue to aid us.”
“It won’t work.” Francis muttered from his position on the floor.
“What do you mean?”
“It won’t work. The sergeant’s a smart man; he’ll get suspicious if I just escape.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“You execute me. Send me to the middle of the canyon with two grunts you can afford to lose and make a big announcement to the humans about what will happen to prisoners who fight back. They’ll rescue me and be none the wiser.”
“So it is said, so it shall be.” The alien agreed before strolling away.
The human ship finally landed within the canyon. Two vehicles, a warthog all-terrain vehicle with onboard Gatling gun and a Titan-class main battle tank. The ship then took off again.
The two drivers jumped out of their vehicles and saluted the sergeant.
“Privates Kathy Thom and Antonio Macklin reporting for duty sir.” The female Warthog driver said.
“This it? We wait an hour and lose one of our men and this is it? I requested reinforcements not cheap toys and a pair of wet behind the ears rookies.”
“Sorry sir, but the army’s been having trouble since the War Minister was arrested for treason.”
“Well I’ll have to make do with what I’ve got then, won’t I? You two get your bunks sorted out, then meet in twenty for a strategy meeting.”
“Sir yes sir!” The two rookies chorused. As Antonio entered the base Kathy handed a sealed letter to the sergeant.
“Sir, I’ve been ordered to give this to you. It’s a classified, priority one message, for your eyes only.” After handing it over, she too left to claim her bunk.
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