Jethro Goes to War (Wandering Engineer Jethro's tale) (70 page)

“
Ah, no idea
master sergeant. I'll put the egg heads on it first chance we get,”
Ryans answered.

“
Yeah, you do
that little thing,” Waters answered, bobbing his head as the
last ma-deuce truck rumbled past. “Least we've got our
supplies.” He smiled waving. “And a bit more organized.”
He waved to the team.

The military people
were out on perimeter. Max had Sergio Velenkov and Ben Jarkvic
chaining the truck to the rear of a Stryker to tow it clear.

“
Not bad,”
Perry nodded watching them.

“
We need mass,
or a positive force behind the vortex, between the storm and it to be
precise,” Sydney the video tech and physicist said over the
vox.

“
Ah... Not
going to happen. No time,” Ryans said shaking his head as the
research vehicle rumbled through the vortex. “Three more to go.
Come on...” He didn't like the look of this. Each time
something came through it went back a dozen or so feet. By his
math... He turned to see Patterson.

The slender brunette
corporal was bent over her equipment, intent on punching a signal
through. He sighed as she slapped at the box, clearly frustrated. She
was shaking her head and turning the air blue around her.

“
When all else
fails hit it. That's not a good sign,” Perry muttered.

“
Yeah,”
Ryans agreed with a nod. “I think we better get the rappelling
gear out. And someone ready in case of emergency. Paramedic too,”
he warned looking at Perry. Perry cocked his head looking away. He
yelled something then rushed off to a knot of people arguing over
getting into the research vehicle.

“
Great,”
Ryans sighed. He touched his throat mike. “Patterson?”
She looked up.

“
Sorry sir, no
joy. I'm getting a signal out, but the interference is incredible.
Batteries are weak too, the discharge must have...” She threw
herself to the ground as a bolt of energy slammed out from the vortex
and struck the antenna pointed at it. Her radio exploded in a shower
of sparks and debris. “Damn!” she yelped slapping at the
fire on her leg.

“
Medic!”
Perry called turning to the explosion. The fight over the research
vehicle paused, and then people seemed a bit sheepish as they pitched
in to help.

“
Better move
Patterson. NOW!” Ryans called as the habitat RV emerged and
bounced along. Patterson's eyes widened comically.

“
Oh shit!”
she yelped, rolling to the side. The RV bounced a few more times,
then pitched to one side and rolled off to the left.

“
Looks like
the driver's out of it,” Max called sounding disgusted. “I've
got a Stryker going after it,” he waved. A Stryker moved off in
the wake of the RV.

“
Good,”
Perry nodded just as static burst over his radio. He winced, then
froze as he caught the distorted voice of the lieutenant colonel.

“
Sir come in.
This is Perry ah, alpha five come in six. You're breaking up.”
He looked around then to the vortex.

His heart flew to
his throat as he saw the vortex creep over the edge. “Come in,
urgent six. Do NOT I repeat. DO NOT cross over. Danger! Urgent!
Portal is in the air!” he called.

“
Shit he can't
hear me,” He looked around suddenly frantic. “What the
hell can we do?”

“
Stop
dithering and start planning for one,” Ryans said standing next
to him. “Gunnery sergeant, you've got rappelling duty. Assemble
a team and get a hummer with a winch to the cliff edge next to the
vortex asap! That means yesterday!” he yelled, touching his
mike and forgetting it would carry his voice to the others.

He turned on the
knot of scientists. “You lot prep for wounded. Study later.
Survive now!” he yelled waving. They exploded in different
directions. “Doc... ah. um... Doc Carter, set up for...”

“
Possible
wounded. I gathered that already the first two times you said it and
I'm doing it now,” Carter's voice replied coming over the
radio. “We're getting it done.”

“
No...
Shit...” Perry muttered. Ryans turned. The vortex was about two
meters away from the cliff, sinking slowly. “No freaking way,”
Perry said running to the cliff edge. The hummer passed him.

Perry felt a force
slam him to the ground. He bit his tongue and scraped his chin. He
opened his eyes to see the air above him purple and glowing. He
rolled enough to look back to see Ryans holding his legs.

“
You can thank
or yell at me later,” Ryans said getting up warily watching the
vortex. Perry looked up as well.

The command hummer
took that moment to appear through the portal. He had one brief,
agonizing look at the shrouded figures inside as they flew through
the air... only to sink and slam into the edge of the cliff and then
down... down... down...

Someone was
screaming, he wasn't sure who. Together they scrambled to the edge of
the cliff. He looked down to see the hummer broken on the rocks
below.

“
Don't think
anyone survived that,” Max said looking.

“
We're going
to try anyway, gunny you're up!” Ryans called looking over to
the rappel team. The gunnery Sergeant had his gloves on, he hooked
into the winch then tossed his line over the cliff behind him.

“
What the
hell, let's go!” he said dropping backwards over the cliff. The
winch began to play out. The line jerked as the gunny bounded off the
cliff face, going down it as fast as he could.

“
What the hell
are we going to do?” Perry said, stunned.

“
Everything we
can,” Ryans answered. The vortex was now over ten meters from
the cliff and had sunk by forty meters towards the crashing waves
below. It's descent was speeding up.

“
That truck's
going to get smashed to ribbons,” Max grunted.

“
No. I got
through,” he turned to see Patterson near the edge holding the
back up radio transmitter. “Just as they transited, there was a
clear spell. They got the message but it was too late for the
colonel. Damn,” she said, tears in her eyes. She wiped at them.
She shook her head, looking drawn.

“
Not your
fault Patterson. Sometimes shit happens,” Waters sighed waving
to the others. “All right people, what is this a Sunday supper?
Get your acts together. Crisis mode people!” he yelled. People
shook out of their revery and slowly moved off.

“
I'm at the
site, no survivors,” the gunny panted over the radio net a
minute later. Ryans looked to Perry but the young man was wide eyed
and frozen. “Roger that gunny,” Ryans said softly
touching his throat mike as the second man rappelled down the cliff
face. “Take five then try to find a path to get what you can
out.” He looked over to Waters.

“
Waters, we're
going to need a path down there to salvage what we can. I'm not even
going to try hauling stuff up that cliff in this storm.” He
shook his head. “Which reminds me, it may be closing the barn
door after the horses are out, but get someone to set up a lightning
rod or three to protect us before that storm hits. And I think we
best set up base camp here,” he waved. “If that's okay
with you LT?” he asked.

Perry grunted and
then blinked. “Huh? Oh, yeah,” he nodded. Ryans was
right, no sense floundering around on an alien world in the dark with
a storm raging around them. “Perimeter guard, high ground,
salvage what we can, bury the dead,” he nodded. “Carry
on.” He moved off.

Ryans watched Waters
studying the LT then turning an appraising look on him. Their eyes
met and Ryans's brow raised in silent query. Whatever the Sergeant
saw he seemed to approve. He nodded slowly. “Aye aye sir,”
he nodded then moved off.

...*...*...*...*...

You can read more
when it's released in 2013-2014!

Afraid Of the
Dark

Afraid of the
Dark is not your ordinary Alien Invasion story. Here is a little bit
about what I mean:

Bobby pulled his ear
pieces out of his ears and pocketed the IPod as they walked. "Now
look Chuck, just follow my lead. Its not that hard once you get into
it. Its not just the rhythm I'm saying, its what to look out for,"
Bobby said pointing to the house they were about to B&E. Breaking
and Entering had become something of a really dangerous thing now.
But vital for survival.

There were eight
harvesters for each shooter on the teams. Together the harvesters
could clear a house in ten or fifteen minutes. They were getting
really good but the job was both exhausting and dangerous. Very
dangerous.

"He means you
get used to it? I never have," Jody said shaking her head as the
crew hefted tools and walked up the path. She turned to survey the
teams moving up other walks to neighboring houses. Occasionally she
could hear the shattering of glass or an off pitch scream. Just
another day in paradise, she thought as she grimaced.

"Move people,
we're burning daylight," Hadji said waving them onward and
inward. "Kitchen, food, don't forget the cleaning supplies and
check carefully!" Hadji said.

"Shit man,"
Chuck muttered, looking around the dilapidated house. It was pretty
wrecked, with holes in the walls and smears of things he didn't even
want to know about. “The smell...” he coughed, hand going
to his face.

"Yeah, that
part I forgot to mention," Bobby said pulling his bandana up to
cover his face. He handed the rookie a face mask. "Scented with
cologne. My last one so keep it good."

"Yeah man,"
Chuck said, feeling his eyes water as he hastily slipped the mask on.
The scent of Axe filled his nostrils. He didn't like that the others
were laying odds he wouldn't last the day. Hell if he'd give in after
his first house. This had to be easier than pushing a broom and
cleaning toilets. The real action was right here he realized, not the
docks as he'd originally assumed. They only got what the harvesters
brought to them. He was going to make a killing here on the black
market pretty quick. A week or two and he'd rest easy for a month and
not have to lift a finger.

He grimaced at the
thought and then shook his head. With wise investment he might make
his gains last longer. He made a mental note to find something or
someone to invest in. There had to be something out there. A piece of
the action was all he asked. All he deserved.

That was all they
had for him. Him, who had once been a broker, reduced to scrubbing
toilets just to eat.
Hell
. Hell with that. They were just
keeping him down. He'd show them, prove them all wrong. He knew there
was a way to move up in their community, it had taken time but he'd
finally identified it. The shoppers made a killing on the black
market with what they brought in. If they could do it, hell, so could
he.

"Anything we
should know about?" Bobby asked, turning to Hadji who was
standing by the door. It was a typical single story ranch house,
normal for this section of tract housing. It was an older house, near
the center of town. Before the alien invasion probably worth $150k.
Now it wasn't worth the matches it took to burn it down.

Hell of a thing, the
damn aliens arriving as they did. Now they were trying to etch out a
living in this fallen world, trying to stay alive in all things a
mall. The mall. A teenage girl's paradise.

"What am I a
psychic? Just mind the holes and watch for a jack as usual,"
Hadji said, hefting a fire ax.

"Shit,"
Bobby muttered, turning new eyes on the holes. Hadji and was an ass,
his crew barely any better. They tended to get sloppy if the boss
wasn't around to watch over them. And of course he was busy. Great.
"You heard the man, mind the holes, that means steer clear of
them and keep one eye on them. Jody, hit the..."

"Bathrooms, I
know," she said moving off. Hadji followed. Chuck's brow knit.
Now why were they checking the bathrooms? Wasn't like they could eat
tooth paste or soap. Then again... he shook himself. He had to be on
his A game. Kendra, his wife of ten years hadn't been happy when he'd
told her of this fresh endeavor. She hadn't said so out loud. He knew
it rankled her, a bank manager, climbing the corporate ladder now
reduced to folding clothes in the improvised laundry. Hell if he'd
let his wife do that the rest of his life if he could help it. They
had just moved into a seven hundred and fifty thousand dollar house,
one that had been valued during the bubble for $1.7 million... and
now it was all gone. So much garbage. No. He'd find a way to make it
right and get back on top. He just needed an angle and an opening.