Free Metal and Ash (Apex Trilogy) by Jake Bible Page B

breath. In all her traveling across the wasteland in the Railer train she’d never seen anything like what swallowed the ATVs. It was a massive fortress, surrounded by deaders, and covered in horrors she didn’t want to see.
    “You are such a pain in the ass,” she muttered as she pondered what to do.
    There was nothing but open ground between her and the fortress and she knew she’d be spotted in seconds in the mech. Her only choice was to rush the place and hope she had enough fire power and strength to get the Rookie out. Or to come up with another plan. She had no clue what the other plan would be though.
    “Pain in my ass.”
     
     

 
     
     
    Eleven
     
    Slick with drool, Commander Capreze’s head popped up as the chime to his office rang.
    “Yeah, uh, yeah, enter,” Capreze said as he wiped the drool from his cheek and tried to conceal the pool on his desk. His sleep patterns were messed up as always and he was crashing out without warning more and more.
    At least in his dreams he could visit with Rachel, whether she was real or not.
    “You wanted to see me, Commander?” Lt. Murphy asked. “Sorry I’m late. I was pretty grimy and needed to clean up.”
    “Yes, come in,” Capreze said as he stretched and shook the sleep from his head.
    “Was I interrupting?”
    “Not at all,” Capreze smiled. He cleared his throat and continued. “Jethro has alerted me to the fact that three of my mech pilots are now deep in the wasteland and unaccounted for. Apparently Bisby tried to integrate with a dead mech and it hasn’t gone according to plan.”
    “My team aren’t mech savvy, sir,” Lt. Murphy stated. “Not sure how we can help.”
    “You can help by going and rescuing their asses,” Capreze said. “Jethro thinks they may be facing something new.”
    “New, sir?”
    “A mech religious cult.”
    The room was silent as that sunk in.
    “I…uh…did you say mech religious cult?” Lt. Murphy asked. “Mechs? Religion? Not following you, sir.”
    “Jethro?” Capreze sighed.
    “Okay, so here’s the story,” Jethro began.
     
    ***
     
    Murphy’s team all gaped at her as she filled them in on their mission.
    “You have got to be shitting me,” Specialist Sol said.
    “No fucking way,” Specialist Grendetti followed.
    Specialist Kafar just kept shaking his head.
    “Get geared up for deep wasteland work and meet in the hangar in ten,” Murphy ordered. “Jethro is going to brief us as much as possible on the way.”
    “Transport, sir?” Sol asked.
    “Hybrid,” Murphy said.
    “One of those things the Railers have been building?” Grendetti asked. “Have they been tested?”
    “The one we’re gonna use has,” Murphy replied. “No integration. Manual like a transport, but mobile like a mech.”
    “And with the firepower of a mech,” Sol added. “I’ve been spending as much time in the hangar as possible in case something like this occurred.”
    “Ten, people,” Murphy said and clapped her hands. Her team scrambled.
     
    ***
     
    “So who wants to drive?” Jethro asked over the com. “Any volunteers?”
    The Special Ops Team all looked at Specialist Grendetti as they stepped into the space that looked like a mix between a mech and a transport cockpit. Six seats were spread evenly around the cockpit, each facing a massive vid screen instead of a windshield.
    “What?” Grendetti asked. “Why me?”
    “You love to drive,” Murphy said.
    “I don’t love to drive,” Grendetti argued. “I love to blow shit up. Put me on weapons.”
    “Every station has weapons and every station can drive,” Jethro said. “So just pick one. You can switch up instantly at any time.”
    “You’re driving first,” Sol said to Grendetti as he took his seat.
    The rest of the team sat down and strapped in as Grendetti grumbled.
    “Take a seat, Specialist,” Murphy said.
    “This sucks,” Grendetti bitched. “You realize I’ll probably break this thing before we get out of the hangar,