Unknown enemy, p.8
Unknown Enemy, page 8
part #1 of Broken Earth Series
It let out a wailing war cry to intimidate him before the charge. But Ross didn't look impressed and shook his head.
"Fuck you!"
His right hand reached forward to the trigger of the grenade launcher slung under his rifle. He was at most ten metres from his target, but he squeezed the trigger. The 40mm shell burst out and struck it instantly. The impact blew Ross off his feet, and he crashed back down into the wet mud. But he quickly rolled over and crawled back to the edge to see the fate of his opponent. There was a small fire among some of the trees and sparks flying from another place.
"That's right, you son of a bitch," Ross gasped for air.
Donny raced up beside him to look at the scene. He couldn't believe the joy he felt at seeing the rubble and debris of the enemy. He rolled over and collapsed as if falling into the most comfortable of beds. It was a weight off of his shoulders. Grunts and screams rang out. Pope had regained consciousness, but Shaw was by his side in seconds.
"It's okay. We're okay. These guys are here to help. Everything's going to be okay," he said to reassure him.
Ross did not share his enthusiasm, or his blind faith. He looked over to his team, and those needing help were already getting it. So he went amongst the bodies of their enemy. He found himself looking at a pile of mechanical parts. As if they hadn't been fighting the living at all, but merely machines.
"What is it?" Ramos asked.
"These aren't living soldiers, not like anything we've ever seen."
"Drones, then?"
"Come on, nobody has this tech yet, it’s years away."
He pieced through the debris, and yet he only sighed and grimaced, making no sense of it. Payne was wincing with pain as he was helped up. Pretending to be fine, and yet clearly hurt.
"What the hell happened here?" Ortiz asked.
It was the question on everyone's mind. For a while they were pleased to have gotten through it, but now they had dozens of questions.
"These things, they aren't. They aren't..." Shaw wrestled with the absurdity of what he was trying to say.
"They aren't from this world," Ross said to fill in the blanks for him.
He looked relieved and horrified in equal measure.
"What are you saying?" Ortiz coughed, trying to get the air back in his lungs, fortunately he appeared not badly injured.
"That these things aren't of this world," Ramos repeated what he’d said.
"The fuck? Then where are they from?"
"How the shit should we know?" Payne asked in disbelief, "So what now?"
Ross opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the crack of lightning as bolts reached out across the sky.
"That's them. That's what happened just before the first time we saw them!" Shaw screamed in fear.
"We've done what we can here. Let's move, and move fast! Come on, let's go!"
He rushed to Pope's side and helped him up to carry between him and Shaw.
"What happened here, who are these guys?" Pope asked.
"They're here to help."
"Help, with what?"
Ross and Shaw looked at one another in disbelief. Astonished that he had missed it all. Lightning bolts continued to reach out across the sky, and like nothing Ross and his team had ever seen before.
"Do you believe me now?" Shaw demanded.
"You know how many times people tell me unbelievable crap?"
"Often enough I'm sure, Sergeant."
"Yeah, but when it ain't true, it's all a bit of harmless fun."
"So what do you call this?"
"A major fucking problem!"
Lightning bolts ripped through the sky, and lightning followed in an unnatural way. Ross stopped them, forcing Shaw and the wounded Pope to turn back so he could get a better look. In the distance he could see more lightning bolts lights illuminating the sky.
"This isn't an isolated incident, is it?" Donny asked.
He shook his head. As much as he wanted to hope that was the case, he couldn't deny it anymore.
"What are we gonna do? We're under attack. The nation is under attack."
"Right now, Private, we worry about our own lives."
"I've got a brother in town. I must find him," insisted Donny.
"Yeah? Can he shoot?"
"He's my brother, of course he can."
They rushed on as quickly as they could. Smashing through undergrowth at such a rate and noise that it would draw all sorts of attention. Luckily, the skies were dominated by such a violent display of lights and the roaring noise that followed.
"They're controlling the weather?" Ramos yelled.
"Or creating it?" Ross asked.
They finally burst out of the foliage and could see their vehicles ahead. As much relieved as surprised to see them still in one piece.
"Come on! Go, go, go!"
Ross ushered them into the vehicles. He was the last to get in, waiting at the passenger door to one of the SUVs. He stopped and looked out as an almighty burst of lightning hit the valley ahead of them, heavier than any before.
"Come on!" Ramos shouted at him.
He didn't need telling again, and leapt inside, slamming the door as they tore off towards the town. They were all exhausted, but also relieved. Yet as they watched the sky light up above the town, they knew their war had just begun.
THE END
Earth Storm: Invasion will continue in part 2 in June 2018. For more information sign up for my newsletter.
PART 2
Chapter 1
"What the hell was that back there?" Max yelled, guiding them down the windswept road as if they were passing through a storm. The wheels were struggling to find traction as they all tried to make sense of what they had been through. Ross looked back to the two soldiers they had rescued. He was shaking his head.
"What is it?" Max asked
"We went looking for a platoon, and we came back with two," he sighed.
"That’s a damn sight better than none.”
Shaw and Pope looked exhausted and in shock, as if their bodies were ready to shut down having finally reached some kind of safety. Ross had a hundred questions for them, but they’d had little time to talk.
“Start talking. What do you know about the hostiles who engaged us out there?”
“Donny shook his head, and Pope seemed too stunned to even notice he had been asked a question.
“Come on, two engagements with these assholes, and you’ve got nothing to say?”
“You saw them. You know as much as I do,” Donny snapped.
He was shaky and scared. Ross wanted to scold him for it, but he didn’t have the heart. He’d seen all kinds of horrible things in his life, but they all had an explanation, no matter how awful. But he had seen their enemy the same as young Donny Shaw had, and he had no better explanation.
“I don’t like this at all.”
“No shit, Max,” replied Jack Ross.
“Were…were we sent here because of this?”
“You were on an exercise, Private, nothing more.”
“But, with Major Boyd? He came out here looking for something, didn’t he? And I guess he found it,” said Donny wearily.
Ross grit his teeth as he had suspected the same from the beginning.
“The whole thing stinks, and we’re right here in the middle of the shit.”
Max still had his foot heavy on the gas despite the terrible visibility.
“Look out!”
Ross had spotted a fallen tree across the road ahead. Max stamped on the brakes. The wheels locked as they slid along the wet road, coming to a halt a few feet from the obstacle. The vehicle behind bumped them slightly, but nothing to cause severe damage.
“Storm damage?”
“Maybe.” Ross cautiously flung his door open, and the wind nearly took it off its hinges as it creaked violently. He looked around for any sign of trouble. The visibility up the road was mostly poor because of the leaves and debris blasting across from one side to the other. It was much clearer a little higher up. The others were out of their vehicle and awaiting his orders.
“Come on. Let’s get this clear!”
He grabbed hold of the tree and noticed there was another down beside it. He stopped and looked around as if he was being watched. It didn't feel right.
"What is it?"
"Ain't nothing right about any of this, Max."
"Damn straight, we're fighting to survive in the middle of our own country."
They heaved the tree a few feet.
"Nobody would hit us this far inland. Hell, no army on Earth would be stupid enough to."
"What are you saying?" There was fear in his eyes, as he had some idea what Ross was thinking.
"No, there has to be a logical answer for this. The Chinese? Russians?"
"No, and even if it was, the whole country would know about it in no time at all."
"Then what? This kind of tech, there can only be a few nations capable of it, and they're allies."
Ross shook his head, racking his brain for answers. That’s when he realised he'd never been in this position before. They'd always had some idea of what they were facing. No matter where they were and how bad things had gotten. This was different, and they could all feel it.
"Heave!"
With one last effort from the six of them the tree was hauled out of the way. Ross took a deep breath to move on to the next one, but before he could, the roar of engines rang out overhead. It was a craft the likes of which they had never seen, an awkward looking shape without any real wings or rotors. It didn't look like it should be able to fly. Sparks flew from its hull where it had clearly been damaged.
"What the fuck is that?" Payne asked.
It flew low and was near deafening as it soared overhead. That’s when they spotted a missile close on its tail. There was a burst of light flashes from the rear of the craft as chaff type countermeasures fired off. The missile ignited in the sky, lighting it up for them to see more clearly. Seconds later an F-35 lightning fighter flashed past in pursuit, with a wingman in support.
"Hell, yeah! You get that son of a bitch!" Ortiz yelled.
Another missile fired from one of the fighters, but that too was quickly destroyed in the same way as the first. The enemy craft banked hard as the fighters closed on it. That brought them around as they had rapidly been passing from view.
"What do you know, bus drivers here when you need 'em," Max smiled.
Another missile exploded, and no more followed it. The enemy fighter suddenly reversed mid-air, adjusting its velocity. A flash of light burst out from the front of the craft. One F-35 was struck and erupted into a ball of flames. It nosedived into the woods. The enemy craft rotated back with another one-eighty turn, drawing near to Ross' position.
"Come on, take it down," Ross whispered to himself.
He felt powerless. The enemy fighter rotated again, just as it had before. It seemed it was over for the Air Force pilot. But before the shot was fired, the engines of the F-35 roared as it hit full burn and pulled up. The flash of light fired from the ship it was pursuing narrowly passed under the fuselage. The F-35 flashed past it in no time. The enemy ship spun around and followed on, but the pilot pulled up into a steep climb and came up and over the enemy craft.
"Yeah, that's right, nail that bastard!" Jose shouted.
The four-barrelled GAU-22/A Gatling gun let rip from the F-35. Hundreds of rounds smashed into the tail of the enemy craft and ripped it apart.
"Yes!" Jose screamed excitedly.
A large piece of debris fell loose from the stricken vessel. The F-35 banked quickly to avoid it, but it clipped a wing. Ross pulled out his binoculars and watched carefully as the fighter soared on Northward. It didn't get far and started to lose altitude. Moments later the pilot bailed. They saw his ejector seat fire into the air, and the fighter crashed into the trees, bursting into flames.
"Shit," said Jose softly.
The parachute had opened on the seat, and Ross was carefully watching.
"He's still alive?" Max asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
He didn't need to say where. They all knew what he had in mind. None of them were going to leave that pilot behind. And besides, they wanted some answers as to what was going on, and that man had to know. They got a grasp of the tree.
"Ready?"
Max nodded in agreement as they took up the slack and readied themselves, for this was larger than the first. Ross opened his mouth to shout the order, but a flash of light smashed into the tree and cut it in half. He collapsed onto the road as the tree split. A second later another pulse of energy smashed into the tree beside him, striking the road between him and their truck. He was quickly back on his feet and lifted his rifle from his back to engage the enemy.
Another light flashed out in the treeline, and he ducked just in time as it would have taken his head clean off. He was back up like a shot and returning fire with a burst for suppression.
"What are we doing here!"
"This was set up for us, Max. We aren't going anywhere until we eliminate this threat."
He gestured Payne and Olsen to go left. Dunn had already vanished, looking for an opportune spot.
"Ortiz, Ramos!" He pointed for them to work the right side around the debris of the trees. They didn’t hesitate to move out as more fire rained down on them. The fire didn't seem particularly accurate, despite the fact the headlights of the trucks were lighting up their position. Then he noticed Donny cowering down beside the fallen tree. He couldn't move.
"Private!"
He got no response. He fired another burst towards the enemy position and knelt down beside the young soldier.
"Hey, Shaw." He grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently.
Donny's eyes suddenly locked onto his. His eyelids were wide open, as if he’d seen the devil himself.
"Private, I need every man in this fight. We’re going to get out together, you hear me?"
He nodded slowly, but he still seemed out of it.
"You’re a fighter. You understand? We aren't waiting here to die. We’re going after the sons of bitches that killed your mates, you get that?"
"Yes," he said quietly.
"Then what are you doing down there? The enemy is over there, and that's where we're going." He pointed forwards, "Are you with me?"
"Yes, Sir."
Ross helped him up, and they ran forward together. A burst of fire rang out from Max as they carried on. Several flashes rang out ahead, return fire from the enemy. He went for the cover of the trees, the shots zipping past him. He wanted to use his NVGs, but the flashes of fire from the enemy weapons were far too bright, and he'd be blinded with every shot. But it didn't matter, as he could see them well now. The flashes of their weapons, combined with the bursts of fire from his team, lit up the entire scene, and the moonlight was far stronger than the previous night.
Payne and Olsen were advancing rapidly on their side when a pulse struck Olsen in the chest. The blast catapulted him off his feet, and he slammed down into the mud. Payne looked down for a moment. His fallen comrade was still alive, but having a hard time breathing.
"To hell with this!"
Payne pulled off a Milkor grenade launcher from his back and took aim at the general direction of the enemy.
"Time for a wakeup call."
He squeezed the trigger, firing six shots off in rapid succession. They all left the barrel of the revolving grenade launcher before the first had even met its target. The first exploded and lit up the forest, with the others igniting with a cascading effect. It was deafening as the whole seen lit up with light and fire as the charges exploded. Ross ducked for cover and pulled Donny down with him. Trees and debris crashed down all around them.
"Goddamnit, Payne!"
But nobody could hear his protest over the crash of the debris. Finally, it began to quiet down, but they were met with a wall of dust and dirt.
"Shit." Ross could see no more than a couple of metres in front of him. Donny was still down on the ground where he’d put him.
"On your feet, soldier."
He didn't want to go forward anymore than Shaw did, but he knew they had to. They cautiously crept forward together. Soon enough they could see the silhouettes of Ramos and Ortiz as they closed in. It was quiet, and debris from their attackers scattered everywhere. It was hard to tell how many there had been. The explosives had blown them apart.
"Jesus, Payne, would a little subtlety hurt once in a while?"
And yet they were all appreciative of what he had done, even if it had announced their location to everyone in the valley.
"We can't stay here," said Ross.
Max nodded in agreement. He knelt down beside what looked like the head and partial torso of one of their attackers. It was sparking as if still powered.
"What is it?"
"Some shit we ain't ever seen," replied Ortiz.
"Doesn't matter what it is. It's the enemy." Ross went back towards Payne and Olsen. Payne was peeling off the body armour from his wounded comrade. The webbing pouches holding his ammunition had been obliterated by the blast, and the plates of the vest were open to see, yet still intact, despite them being buckled. Olsen was wincing in pain.
"Cut it out, you pussy," replied Payne.
"You took a hell of a hit," said Ross.
"No shit, might as well have been a three-ton truck that just wiped me out."
"You're still breathing, aren't you?"
Olsen didn't look very appreciative of Payne’s comment. He coughed and spluttered, his face and mouth full of dirt and debris from the shells Payne had fired. Ross knelt down to help remove his armour. It was hissing as if burning, and as he took hold of the plate vest, he realised the plates themselves were like a stove. Steam was pouring from them. They pulled the first off and threw it clear. It was no use to anyone now.
"Damn that hit hard," gasped Olsen.
"Without the vest you'd be gone, and you'd not even have felt it," replied Ross.
That realisation changed his outlook completely. There were burns on his right arm and neck, too.
"What are we facing out here, Jack?"
