Free Beyond Hades: The Prometheus Wars by Luke Romyn Page B

Talbot found he couldn't blame the colonel for it. He felt more sadness than anger as he glanced at the body bag once more, shaking his head sadly one last time.
    Talbot followed Colonel Wilson across the rock to a CH-53D Sea Stallion surrounded by troops. The CH-53D was the smaller brother of the Super Stallion, and as such had little difficulty landing on the rough platform of rock so close to the cliff. Talbot clambered on board, still numb from the encounter with the crab-like creatures.
    He'd never heard anything about such creatures in Greek mythology, but he supposed stories so old would not be all-encompassing. There might be a multitude of beasts never documented by the Greeks. Anything was possible.
    The thought made him sick with dread.
    The Sea Stallion powered up and lifted swiftly into the air, flying out over the ocean toward a distant aircraft carrier.

    ***

    Control.
    Colonel Sam Wilson thrived on it.
    Since this entire episode had begun, he'd felt his command of the situation gradually slipping. Things were spiraling beyond his control.
    Chuck Benedict was one of his closest friends - had been since they went through Hell Week in their marine training so many years ago.
    Now he was gone.
    He couldn't believe the Harrier pilot had dumped the Mark 77 bomb so close to their own people, especially the principal necessary for their mission to have any hope of success. If the man had used one ounce of common sense this entire situation could have been averted.
    And Chuck would still be alive.
    Colonel Wilson couldn't show any sort of weakness in front of his troops. He held a reputation as one of the coldest marines in the corps, but the sight of Chuck cooked in his own skin -
    He savagely shook the image from his mind.
    The colonel had been a part of the Marine Corps since his twenties. Twenty-one years of his life dedicated to one war or another, and Chuck had been with him almost every step of the way. Even in the face of everything currently going on, Chuck had been the first to raise his hand and volunteer to fight at his side.
    Tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel hadn't come between them. Now a fucking moronic pilot had torn away the best friend he had ever known.
    Snapping back to the present, Colonel Wilson glanced across the cabin of the Sea Stallion to where Talbot Harrison sat frozen, shock evident in his features. When they got through this thing, that guy would need some serious therapy.
    If they survived.
    The odds were definitely against them, and their hands were at least partially tied. The troops they could call upon were limited to those with Level 4 clearance and above, such was the delicacy of the issue. If word escaped to the media or general public, the ensuing panic would double the risk of catastrophe and stretch their already limited resources to the absolute brink.
    The helicopter's blades chopped the air, drawing them steadily toward the colossal USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. He hoped it would have better luck in ferrying Doctor Harrison to his destination than the Arkhangelsk had, though considering the power of the hydra, he wasn't confident of their chances should it choose to return.
    Colonel Wilson still couldn't believe what was going on. Damn General Sharpe! It had been his call to activate the machinery they'd located within the mysterious underwater city. But who could have predicted what would emerge?
    Thomas Harrison, Talbot's brother, had strongly argued against the decision. He'd claimed to have discovered writings which bespoke the horrors to be released if the rift were to reopen, but the general had dismissed him, calling him a coward. General Sharpe wanted something from this entire episode, but Colonel Wilson couldn't ascertain whether it was power, glory... or perhaps a combination of both.
    Something drove the general onwards when another, more cautious man might be compelled to stop. Colonel Wilson suspected he wanted his name attached to