Battle Earth II (23 page)

The two studied each other for what felt like an age before finally the monster stepped over to a console and placed its weapon down.

“Who are you?” shouted Taylor.

He knew that his death was almost certain. He cared only about buying his people enough time to place the weapon that would blow the complex to hell. The creature turned and glared at him, and then to his utter surprise, it spoke.

“You are Major Mitch Taylor, are you not?”

The beast spoke in a rough and deep voice. Taylor was taken aback by the question. His mind went from the mission and to his curiosity over the monster’s knowledge.

“How would you know that?”

“You have proved most troublesome for our armies, Major. Captain Jones speaks very highly of you. Credit which I see is due.”

“Captain Jones? You have spoken to him?”

The creature smiled, but it was clearly not in any mood to answer. The name of his friend being used left Taylor desperately trying to imagine what could have become of him. He had heard enough from the beast. He wanted nothing more than to cave in its skull if it had nothing more to say. He reached for the head of his recently acquired hammer, pulled it from his belt and took a wide grip in both hands.

“Why did you come here, Major? Did you believe you could save your Captain?”

Taylor stood ready with his weapon and glared at the monster.

“Because you came in vain. You chose your location poorly.”

Taylor smiled, knowing there was a chance that his friend was still safe.

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Karadag for the time you have left on this world.”

The beast put its weapon down on the burning console and lifted a device from its armour which quickly expanded to the height of a man. A heavy ball end extended from one end and a double-edged recurved blade the other. Taylor’s eyes widened at the sight of the savage looking implement. The creature was certainly no stranger to combat.

Taking the initiative, Taylor rushed at it with his hammer held high for a powerful strike. Before he could bring the weight of it down, the beast had leapt nimbly aside and swung its vast weapon around, smashing the heavy ball end into his back. The power of the strike sent him hurling into a tall console that smashed on impact. His torso armour was all that had saved his spine from snapping under the force of the impact.

As he sighed in pain, Taylor turned to see that Karadag had already recovered his posture and stood ready for a second pass. Taylor stretched in pain. His face had smashed into the sidewall, his helmet only cushioning the impact a little.

“What do you even want with this planet?” he shouted.

The creature circled around him as it eyed up his intentions.

“What are you doing here?” he yelled.

“This land should not belong to lesser beings.”

“Then there is no end to this war?”

“Yes, when you are defeated.”

Taylor lifted the hammer to his side and rushed forward. He swung with a wide strike that was easily avoided, but kept the momentum into a second swing. Karadag narrowly avoided it and cut up with the blades of his weapon. One of the recurved edges caught Taylor’s left arm, cleanly cutting the flesh open.

The Major yelped in agony as he staggered back. The creature had both strength and speed that he could not hope to match. He looked over the creature’s shoulder to see the faint silhouette of Suarez’s team discreetly leaving the weapon site. He could make out the bodies of several of the creatures that had surrounded it. Their deaths had gone unnoticed to the arrogant Karadag.

Taylor rushed forward and hit the boosters of his suit to strike at such a speed that the alien would not be able to dodge it. The beast parried the weapon dead with a horizontal parry. Getting the engagement that he had wanted, Taylor yanked back with the hammer, the head latching firmly onto the shaft of the villain’s weapon. The huge weapon ripped from the creature’s grasp and was launched across the room.

Mitch grinned at his efforts, but they were short lived. Karadag rushed forward and quickly grabbed hold of the hammer shaft. He smashed his elbow into the Major’s face, and blood gushed from his broken nose. The beast ripped the hammer off him and threw it across the room.

“How did you ever think you could win?”

Taylor staggered to his feet. He could see a ramp that led up and out of the bunker. He made a dash for it with his body hunched, still aching from the pain. All he wanted to do was keep the monster’s attention away for long enough for their plan to succeed. Karadag strode after him with a slow pace. He was confident in the knowledge that he’d already won. The building shook as loud mechanical grinding noises rang out all around.

As Taylor followed the ramp up as far as he could go, he reached a window looking down at the vibrant tower. It was the weapon that could end them all. He looked up at the roof to see that a huge section of the dome was drawing back in preparation of firing.

“You will be witness the end of your civilisation,” said Karadag.

Taylor turned to see the imposing leader coming up the ramp towards him. He drew his sidearm and quickly lifted it to fire, but before he could do so the creature threw a dart into the weapon, knocking it right out of his hand.

“Standing before your destruction and you are still defiant. I have known far weaker adversaries.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” snarled Taylor.

Taylor spat blood onto the floor but it mostly passed through the grilled surface. He turned to see an opening from the dome leading to an observation platform that was barely over a metre wide. He got up on his feet and staggered out into the moonlight. The low ambient lighting gave a dulled red tint to the moons rays.

As the creature’s footsteps grew ever nearer, Taylor knew he had nowhere to go, but he thought at least he’d have a front row seat when the bastard went up in flames.
He turned to see Karadag taking a brisk few steps to reach him. The creature lurched forward with a powerful strike. The Major parried it, for the suit he was wearing gave him just enough strength to do so.

Taylor returned a strike to the beast and struck it in the face as hard as he could. The creature’s head snapped around from the impact and then turned quickly back in disgust. Taylor smiled, revealing his blood-soaked teeth. Karadag struck with a fast uppercut which knocked the Major off his feet. He landed hard on his back as the wind was knocked out of him. Quickly rolling over, he scrambled up and kept moving.

“What do you hope to achieve here, Major, but to entertain me with your death?”

Taylor had reached the very end of the viewing platform. He knew he could make a jump with the boosters on his suit, but he wondered why he should bother. He dropped to one knee, his body aching all over. Karadag stopped and looked down at the humble human.

“Did you come here to die? Is this your final act of heroism? No one will survive to remember it.”

Suddenly, Taylor noticed the Eagle FV banking sharply around the dome. He turned his head away from the creature to hide his smile. He looked back up to see the creature studying him with curiosity. Taylor could hear the engines of the copter grow louder as it approached at speed. Karadag turned sharply to investigate the noise.

The side door of the craft was open, and it was swooping in low and close to the ramp. Mitch could already make out the shape of Eli stood at the door shouting. As the alien glared at the copter, Taylor took his opportunity to leap to his feet. He launched himself with all his bodyweight and threw his knee into the creature’s stomach. Karadag folded with the strike and exhaled from the impact. He quickly followed it with a hard push kick that tossed the creature onto its back.

Within a second of landing, the alien had flipped back onto its feet and growled with anger. Taylor turned and took a quick leap from the observation ramp. He hit his boosters onto full and was launched into the air. He smashed into the side door of the copter, shaking the entire craft. His arms only just made it in through the door as his legs dangled in mid air.

Eli grabbed his armour as he began to slip. She struggled to haul him aboard as Eddie banked hard and put power down quickly. They all knew there was little time to escape the blast. Major Chandra appeared beside her and grabbed at his other arm, and between the two women they hauled him aboard.

Karadag stood at the end of the ramp watching with a bitter hatred as they soared into the distance. Taylor clambered into the other side of the copter and in between the other marines. He sighed in relief as he lay back, looking around the compartment. It was far less full than before, even with the addition of the two women. He saw Silva. The Sergeant’s face was singed and grimy. It was clear to Taylor that they had lost more than he had seen. He looked to Suarez.

“Is it done?”

The Lieutenant nodded.

Taylor smiled. It was a relief that almost allowed him to put the deaths of his comrades past him. He wriggled to try and get more comfortable but winced in pain. His face was covered in blood from his nose that was mixing with the grimy sweat.

“Are you alright, Mitch?” asked Eli.

He nodded, but there was little to say on the matter.

“What was that creature?”

“He called himself Karadag.”

“It spoke to you?” Chandra asked.

Taylor nodded. “And another thing, he suggested that Jones is alive.”

Chandra’s eyes lit up. She had so many questions, but she refrained as she saw that he had little else to tell. Before they could say another word to each other, a flash erupted, lighting up the sky as if it had turned to day. They turned their heads away from the blinding light for a second until it settled. Taylor crawled to the window and peered out to see the dome in the distance had been obliterated and a mushroom cloud was expanding out from where it had stood.

The explosion was a couple of kilometres wide. The blast dome had contained the radius substantially, but in doing so had ensured the utter destruction of what was inside. He had nothing to say, no smile or cheer. Taylor simply watched as the light began to fade.

“You did it!” shouted Parker.

He turned back to face her.

“We stopped the weapon, but we have lost France. We have lost Jones. We continue to lose our Company.”

Eli wrapped her arms around him as much to comfort the Major as herself. They all knew that the war was far from over. The victory they had won did not put them in any better stead than they were a week earlier. Taylor thought back to the creature he had met; Karadag. Something told him that he had not seen the last of the alien leader. The beast had shown Taylor that the aliens were not so different. They were not a faceless enemy. He looked up to Chandra.

“Why did you come for me?”

“Because we have lost enough in this war.”

“Then you must believe we can get Jones back as well?”

Chandra smiled.

“We’re still in this war, aren’t we?”

Taylor watched out of the window of the copter door as they once more darted across the treetops to return to their latest home.

 Yes, they had lost so many, but there was still hope.