The War of Pawns (The Human Chronicles -- Book Three) (33 page)

Even at this early hour, the temperature was easily in the 80’s, and with humidity topping even that number. Luckily, Adam had spent the last two months getting back in shape with his fellow SEALs. He was surprised to learn how quickly he had fallen out of shape during his time in The Fringe. Even though he was sweating profusely, he still felt incredibly good. This was what he had spent most of his life training for. It felt good to be working his muscles to their max again, and to be testing himself with each step. And it was great to be back among his teammates. He hoped he would never again feel as alone as he had during his time in The Fringe.

They soon came to the tree line that marked the beginning of the clearing surrounding the compound. The area was about fifty meters across, and it wasn’t much of a clearing at all. Maybe the 2G’s had kept up its maintenance better when there had been more of them manning the base, but now the surrounding forest was well on its way of reclaiming what had once been its own.

Peanut and Foster ran forward and crouched at the first of two fences. It was still dark, and they set about clipping the metal wires making up the cris-cross pattern of the two fences. It only took about 10 minutes to cut large enough sections in both layers of fencing that could be swung out of the way allowing all 14 members of both Alpha and Charlie Teams to slip through. Then the fence sections were put back in place and secured with thin wire. It would take a very concerted effort to notice that the fences had ever been cut.

Once inside the compound, the two Teams ran for the cover of the nearest building. This entire section of the compound was dark and looked deserted, but through the streets, they could easily see the prisoner compound, the only lit area on this side of the base.

Adam looked at his watch. Team Charlie would be separating at this time and making their way toward where the women were kept. Riyad should be reaching his part of the fence in another 10 minutes. Adam’s Team would wait here. The actual assault would begin in precisely 22 minutes.

Fifteen minutes later, Adam’s unit moved out, proceeding slowly along the sides of the buildings in a cover-two formation. At the last building before the wall to the prisoner compound they stopped, and Adam used the scope on his M4 to check the guard towers. Indeed, only three of the eight had guards in them, and in two of them, the guards appeared to be asleep, sitting in tall chairs, their heads resting against the sides of the towers. In the third – the closest to the main gate – a young 2G was leaning against the inner half-wall of the tower and yawning widely. He had a Xan-Fi flash rifle slung casually over his right shoulder, and he looked to have just awakened from his own slumber.

Adam began to realize it wasn’t so much a task of freeing the prisoners, as much as it was giving them a place to go once they gained that freedom. The Humans inside the prison compound must be pretty beaten down and dejected by now, realizing they were on an alien planet, located hundreds, if not thousands of light years from Earth. Even if they could escape, where would they go? There had been a time when Adam had felt that same helplessness…
 

Adam turned to the others in his squad and signaled with his fingers.
Three targets, set up positions and lock on targets.

Two of the other SEALs took off to assume their firing positions; Adam would take out the one nearest the gate. The other six members of Team Alpha took up positions covering the main building on this side of the gate, the only other building in the area with lights on inside, and with the smell of breakfast wafting in the humid early morning air. They weren’t sure what time schedule Calamore was on, but Adam reasoned the guards would be getting ready for a shift change at any time. The SEALs took up positions near the door to the building.

“Alpha in position,” he whispered into his comm.

“Charlie in position,” came the next voice in his ear.

“Bravo in position.” It was Jordan, one of the two SEALs assigned to Riyad’s Team.

“On my mark, we go,” said Lt. Tobias’ calm voice in his ear.

Adam lifted the M4 and sighted the young guard in his scope. He had a good line of sight, and focused in on the man’s chest, center-mass. The 5.56mm round would do the job at this range. He took a deep breath, and then slowly let the air escape from his lungs, calming his pulse.

“On my mark. Go-Go-Go.”

Adam gently squeezed the trigger, and the M4 jerked back slightly as the round was released. The shot found its mark precisely where the thin black lines in the scope intersected, and the 2G dropped to the floor of the guard tower. Shifting his view, Adam could see the 2G lying dead through the one-foot opening at the base of the guard platform. A confirmed kill.

Quickly swinging the scope to the other two guard towers, Adam found the other guards still sitting in their seats, but now slumped over in unnatural looking positions. Adam could also see the splash of blood on their chests where the SEAL bullets had hit their marks.

He turned to the other men of his Team and gave an up and down motion with his arm. The first SEAL reached over and quietly turned the handle on the door. It was unlocked. He stepped aside as the next SEAL made entry, his own M4A1 cheek pad pressed tightly against his face. All six SEALs moved into the building, and then Adam could hear the soft popping sounds of gunshots as his Team moved from room to room, removing all the threats they encountered

A minute later, he heard the multiple “clear” calls from all six men in the building. Adam moved to the entrance and went inside.

The first room he entered was a large common area, with a number of couches and tables and a separate kitchen area off to the left. There were eight dead 2G’s in this room alone. As he moved further in, he found there were 10 other rooms, each with two beds in each. Four of the rooms had been occupied with either sleeping, or barely awake 2G’s. Now eight more 2G’s lie dead.

The SEALs moved quickly among the dead, checking for signs of life. None were found. Every shot had been a kill shot.

Of the 64 2G’s that the reconnaissance team had indentified, that number was now down to 45. He wondered now how the other Teams were faring…

Chapter Forty-Seven

Riyad found the quiet efficiency of the two SEALs in his Team to be slightly intimidating. Although he had gone through extensive military training in the mountains of Afghanistan in his previous life, he could now see how primitive and basic that training had been. The SEALs – Jordan and Martinez – moved so smoothly and so effortlessly, that his own awkward movements seemed even more unrefined with each step he took.

Riyad was third in line as they skirted the hanger and maintenance buildings along the side of the vast spaceport to his left. The Calamore sun was just now beginning to lance its beams through the towering jungle trees and assault his eyes. He was blinking rapidly and sweating profusely, but the SEALs seemed completely unaffected by it all. Instead, they led the line consisting of him and the 12 men in Chris’s squad relentlessly toward the five towering gray, saucer-shaped Klin ships directly in front of them.

From the photos, the ships had not appeared to be so big, but on the ground and up close, they each easily soared ten stories above their concrete landing pad, with each resting on round silver bases. Within the bases were hatchways, of which two were open. There were no 2G’s in sight.

The Team came to the first ship, and they all slipped into the still-deep shadows under its hulking mass. Martinez moved to the open hatchway and did a quick look inside. “Clear,” he whispered. Then he motioned for two of Chris’s men to follow him inside.

The others crouched down and huddled against the metal surface of the base. Moments later, Riyad could hear two quick pops from inside the spaceship. Then in his earpiece, “Clear. You two take up positions at the entrance. Shoot every 2G that approaches.”

Then Martinez was back outside.

They moved to the next spaceship. This one had its hatch closed, but there was an entry pad on the bulkhead next to the hatch. Jordan called for Riyad to move forward.

“Can you get this open?”

Riyad twisted the panel latch and opened the compartment. The controls were nothing fancy. Riyad and his pirates had gained entry into just about every kind of spaceship made, even though never a Klin ship. But most were activated by a quick three punch of the top button, then a press of the larger yellow pad below. The number of steps served to prevent anyone from accidently opening the hatch. Of course, in a more secure location, there would be a security code to enter first, but here on Calamore, the Klin had not seen fit to require one.

Soon the hatch slid open, and Jordan took two more of Chris’s men in with him. After a few moments, Riyad heard the all clear. This ship had been unoccupied.

Leaving two men as guards, the Team repeated the same procedures with the other three Klin ships. They had found a total of nine 2G’s in the ships, and they had all been neutralized.

The 2G population was now down to around 36, and none of the Teams had been discovered yet. The remaining 2G’s were concentrated mainly near Team Charlie’s location, with a few scattered through the compound. After they had dealt with Charlie’s contingent, the SEALs would do a hard-target search of the other buildings to ferret out any who remained.

Parked next to the spaceport were literally dozens of the small electric-powered carts that the Chief had spoken of. Team Bravo now consisted of Jordan, Martinez, Riyad, Chris and Billy. The rest of the men had been stationed aboard the spaceships to prevent any of the 2G’s from trying to gain entry. So Riyad and Billy slid into the driver’s seats of two of the carts, while the SEALs and Chris took up covering positions in the rear seats. Then they set off for the center of the base, about nine kilometers away, to help back up Team Charlie.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Sherri’s Team consisted of only herself and four SEALs, and from the reports they’d heard, there could be as many as 36 2G’s at their location, along with maybe 100 of the 2G women whose loyalty they had not yet determined.

As they approached the cluster of buildings from the west, they had to go very cautiously. There appeared to be a lot more people up at this hour in this section of the base. Also, by the time they reached their destination, the sun was casting bright bands of light directly between the buildings, and the long shadows they cast were becoming more conspicuous. But the SEALs moved quickly and effectively, like a finely choreographed dance, with each of them taking turns leading Sherri ever closer to the buildings housing the green-shirted women.