Epic: Book 02 - Outlaw Trigger (23 page)

David boarded the transport. He did not look at Dostoevsky as he passed. “I’m not.”

“
Why?”

“
Because more than anything, he wants to kill something.” He turned to Jayden. “And that’s exactly what he gets to do now.”

“
Everyone aboard!” Clarke said behind them. “We launch as soon as…” his words drew to a halt, as his gaze focused on the hangar’s entrance, “…Lieutenant Remington arrives…”

David turned to the hangar’s entrance. The others did the same. They barely recognized the man they saw.

His golden collar was unmistakable. It was everything else that was different. His posture, his stride, his fingers as they grasped his assault rifle. Everything. Even in the distance, the coldness of his eyes burned through his visor in a way that none of them recognized. It wasn’t Scott James Remington.

It was someone much worse.

“
Blarney,” Becan muttered as he watched Scott’s brooding approach.

Esther turned to him. “What? What’s the matter?”

“
Look at him. We’re vexed.”

Clarke watched as Scott neared the
Pariah
. When the Golden Lion drew close, Clarke gave him his attention. “Lieutenant. Are you sure you’re prepared for this?”

Scott almost cut him off. “Yes sir.” He passed by the captain without stopping.

Clarke watched as Scott strode through the troop bay and took a seat at the far end. None of the operatives looked at him until he had stepped past them, at which point they stared with blatant curiosity.

As Scott leaned against the wall, assault rifle propped against his shoulder, Galina placed her hand upon his leg. She offered a desperate smile. “Did you rest okay?”

Scott sat without saying a thing.

Clarke stepped through the troop bay and grabbed the support rail. “Travis, close the door and take us up. You should have the coordinates.”

“
Yes sir.”

“
Everyone else, listen carefully.” The operatives’ attention turned undividedly to the captain. “A Ceratopian Cruiser was intercepted over the town of Khatanga. Is anyone familiar with this area?”

Maksim lifted a hand. “I am, captain. It is in northern Siberia. Near the Laptev.”

“
That’s correct,” Clarke said to the rookie demolitionist. “It’s a fishing town with a small population, on the banks of the Khatanga River.” He glanced from Maksim to the others. “It’s daylight there now, almost around the clock by this time of year. Boris, bring up a schematic, please.”

The display panel above the troop bay flickered, and a map of the town appeared.

Clarke approached it and pointed. “As you can see, the crash site is on the eastern side of the river. Temperatures will be cold, but above freezing. Bring up tactical, please.”

Two green triangles appeared, as did a single red one next to the river. Clarke pointed to it. “This is where the Cruiser was shot down. It’d destroyed our Vindicators before it was forced to land. It’s damaged, but by no means should we expect its crew to be helpless.”

He pointed to the two green triangles. “These represent ourselves and the Eighth. They’ve already been dispatched.”

David and Becan glanced at one another. “Will an’ Derrick,” said Becan under his breath.

“
We are to land on the southwest corner of the town,” Clarke said. “The Eighth will land northeast. We shall converge at the center of town, where reports have the highest concentration of Ceratopian activity. The citizens have already been ordered into their homes, but that’s no guarantee they’ll remain there.”

He touched the screen and a second layer appeared—two smaller green triangles beside the red one. “Two teams from ourselves and the Eighth will strike the Cruiser while the rest of us liberate the town.” He turned to Dostoevsky. “Commander, you will lead Max, Oleg, and Varvara to the Cruiser. There should be seven from the Eighth prepared to meet you.” He returned his attention to the others. “As you all know, the Eighth are a demolitionist unit. They’ll be doing a majority of the grunt work. Our job shall be to assist, support, and direct. Don’t let that fool you into thinking we’ll have it easy. We’ve got the task of twenty men.”

Clarke brought his attention to Scott. “Lieutenant Remington and myself shall oversee the town side of the operation. If our tactical information is correct, we’ll be converging on the Ceratopians in a warehouse district with minimal habitation. Our orders are to terminate with extreme prejudice.

“
Travis,” he said, “what’s our time to Khatanga?”

“
Twenty minutes,” Travis answered.

Clarke turned back to the troop bay. “Those of you who have fought Ceratopians before know what to expect.” He eyed Esther and Maksim. “For the rest of you…you’re in for one hell of an initiation.”

During the span of time it took for the unit to arrive at Khatanga, few words were spoken in the troop bay. It was the most awkwardly uncomfortable silence the unit had experienced since their return trip from the Bakma outpost in Siberia. Except this time, it wasn’t remorse that kept them somber. It was fear.

As the
Pariah
began its downward descent, David reached up to grab a support rail. “Watch out for necrilids, just in case. Canrassis, too.”

“
If I see any, I’ll get ‘em quick,” Jayden said.

“
Especially the necrilids,” Becan said. “I can see canrassis comin’ from a kilometer away.”

“
What should I do?” Esther asked.

“
Stay next to us,” David said. “Do what they ask you to do.”

“
An’ shoot,” Becan said.

“
Yes,” David said. “Shooting is good.” He looked past them to Scott, who sat motionless beside Galina. Galina might as well have not been there, as Scott gave no indication of her presence. David watched as Scott lowered his head and closed his eyes, his fingers firm around his assault rifle.

Jayden sighed. “At least he’s still prayin’.”

“
I don’t think he’s praying.”

“
Then what’s he doin’?”

David watched as Scott’s eyes remained closed. Scott’s knuckles were white from clutching the barrel of his gun. “Getting ready to kill.”

The
Pariah
‘s nose was raised; its ventral thrusters blew to life.

“
We’re comin’ down by the river,” Travis said.

Clarke held the support bars. “Yuri!”

Dostoevsky strode to the troop bay. “Axen, Strakhov, Yudina. We drop here.” The rear door whined open as the transport hovered in place. The Nightman commander stood by the exit. “Where is the strike team from the Eighth?”

“
They’re in position,” Travis said. “Waiting for you, sir.”

As the
Pariah
drifted just above the ground, Dostoevsky leapt out from the bay. Max, Oleg, and Varvara followed. The whole while, far in the back of the bay, Scott glared at the commander through his visor.

The
Pariah
lifted up again, and its nose pivoted to the warehouse district.

“
Everyone get ready,” Clarke said. “Focus on the task at hand. Watch everything, and do not hesitate to use maximum firepower. Rest assured that the Ceratopians won’t hesitate.”

“
I’m about to bring us down!” yelled Travis moments later.

“
Scott,” David said as he dodged through the bay to Scott’s side. “You ready?”

“
I’m ready.”

“
How do you want to do this?” David really wasn’t interested in how Scott wanted to fight. He was more interested in keeping Scott’s mind on the mission—instead of on the prospect of revenge.

Scott stood up and grabbed the support rail. “I know what you’re trying to do.” He spun around to face the older man. “You don’t have to be my father.”

David stared back in silence.

“
Just let me go.”

Let him go. That was what David was afraid of. He inhaled deeply and turned his attention to the rest of the troop bay. “All right, Scott. I’m behind you.”

Travis placed his hand on the controls. The
Pariah
touched down on the earth. “Opening in three…two…one!” He pulled the lever. The bay door whirred.

The streets of Khatanga came into view.

The instant the door opened, the red flash of a neutron beam zapped into the troop bay. The Fourteenth scattered as the ray shattered against Maksim’s chest. The rookie demolitionist flew off his feet and careened against the back wall.

Galina leapt to cover the demolitionist, as Clarke snarled and ducked down. “Travis, you landed us
backwards
? You bleeding idiot!” The operatives dove from the ship into the street as neutron blasts followed in their wake.

Travis swallowed and lifted the rear door.

David tucked and rolled as enemy fire erupted around him. When he came to a knee, his assault rifle was propped up and ready. Only Scott was faster. They released suppression fire as the rest of the operatives scrambled for cover—on the opposite side of the street. The only one who stayed with him and Scott was Esther.

Neutron blasters were completely different from the plasma weapons used by the Bakma. As opposed to white bolts of searing heat, neutron blasters unleashed neon rays of pure energy. Their potency didn’t come from burn damage. It came from sheer force of impact. A neutron ray hit like a train.

As the
Pariah
‘s bay door finished closing, Galina removed her helmet and knelt by Maksim. The armor on Maksim’s chest was crushed inward. As she struggled to remove his chest plate, she glared at Travis in the cockpit. “Lift us up and turn us around! Now!”

Travis wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yes ma’am.”

“
Captain,” she said through the comm, “we are turning the nose to the fight.”

Clarke rose from his knee. “Thank you, Galina!” His attention returned to the strike team. He, Becan, and Jayden had split to the left side of the street, into the worn cover of an abandoned shack. Across the street—on the far right—Scott, David, and Esther were running for the cover of two dumpsters.

The Ceratopians were also split between the two sides of the street, with one group taking cover behind a dilapidated building farther down on the left, and another mirroring them on the right.

Scott found cover behind one of the dumpsters, then leaned around its corner to open fire. David and Esther skidded behind him.

“
I don’t think this is how we were supposed to start!” David said.

Ceratopians. They had only fought them once before, but the aliens had left them with permanent impressions. The average Ceratopian stood at just over eight feet tall. Some were taller than that. What their weapons didn’t crush, they crushed themselves. They were brutes. A close encounter with a Ceratopian was like a close encounter with an avalanche—an avalanche that wanted to gore you.

Ceratopians were protected to the core. They were covered with metallic gray armor, and the horned frills that crested over their heads served as natural barricades to EDEN snipers. They could be taken down conventionally, but their most vulnerable spot was the tan-colored skin just beneath their necklines.

Easier said than done.

As a neon-red beam zapped his way, David ducked behind the dumpster again.

“
They have us outnumbered at least three to one,” Scott said. “Work on suppression until the Eighth gets here.”

“
Yes sir,” David said as he leaned out to fire. Esther stood rigid behind them.

As Becan suppressed from the shack’s window, Jayden slipped out the back door and scurried up a ladder. As soon as he was on the roof, he laid down and attempted to aim.

Clarke adjusted his comm from below. “Captain Ulrich, this is Captain Clarke of the Fourteenth.”

Ulrich’s voice emerged through the static. “I read you, captain.”

“
We’re at our position on the southwestern end of the town. We’re suppressed at the moment, but our beach team are en route to the Cruiser.”

“
Understood, captain. My team will be in position to assist you at your position momentarily. We already have a team dispatched to the Cruiser.”

“
Thank you, captain,” Clarke answered, adjusting his comm thereafter. “What’s the view, Timmons?”

Jayden shook his head from the roof. “I can’t get a clean shot, sir. Not on any of ‘em.”

Back in the
Pariah
, Galina removed Maksim’s chest plate and shoved it against the wall. Maksim was unresponsive. She placed her med sensor against his chest, where it showed three broken ribs and a cardiac contusion.

Galina injected him with stabilizer and got on the comm. “Captain, Maksim is suffering from serious heart and rib damage. We must get him to
Novosibirsk
soon.”

Clarke growled then answered. “Is he okay for now?”

“
He is stable, captain,” Galina answered, “but the sooner he returns, the better.”

“
Has Travis repositioned the ship?”

“
Yes, we are landing now.”

Clarke shouldered his assault rifle and leaned against the inner wall of the shack. “Tell him to fire the blasted nose mount.”

“
Da, captain.”