Free Battle Earth IX by Nick S. Thomas Page B

engulfed in a ball of dust and smoke.
    Through the smoke came silhouettes, and they were not human.

Chapter 5
     

    Taylor was still flat on his ass as the Mechs bore down on the scattered survivors. They lay among the bodies of those killed in the blast, and as the dust began to settle, it became clear the outer wall was slighted. He felt helpless for a moment, coming to terms with what they faced. Then he felt something brush by him. Dozens of troops rushed past towards the enemy, with Captain King at the lead. They fired on full auto as they advanced, but much of the fire was absorbed until they reached the first wave, drawing their Assegais as they went in to hand-to-hand.
    He scrambled to his feet to join the fight. As he ran forward, he knelt down and grabbed a shield that lay scattered on the ground before him and the enemy. King had driven right through the first line of Mechs and was already engaging the second with a few of his Rangers. Further waves took on the enemy’s first line. Taylor reached the first, and he jumped, using a little power of his suit to launch himself up and over the hulking shield of one of the Mechs. He drove his Assegai into its head.
    As he descended, he felt the Assegai pull. It was stuck in the creature, and he was forced to spin to wrench it from the Mech, forcing him to land hard on one knee. He straightened his leg but felt an impact on his shield. It brushed off just enough to push him aside but not knock him over. He looked around and saw a wounded Mech soldier that had been thrown his way. Without hesitating, he leapt onto it and stabbed it three times before it could recover.
    He looked up from the ground. There was a never-ending stream of the enemy, and a volley of pulses surged towards them from the nearest soldiers. He raised his shield, watching as much of the energy dissipated over his shield.
    "We can't keep this up!" King called out to him.
    King turned back to carry on the fight but was struck by a shield edge to the head which buckled his legs. His attacker pulled back its Assegai-like weapon to lunge and finish off the Captain, but Taylor leapt forward, using his body weight to knock the creature onto its back. He repeatedly stabbed it until it stopped resisting. He dropped his shield and holstered his Assegai.
    "Cover me!" he ordered Jones and the others fighting with him.
    Taylor picked King up. He was barely conscious and muttering something which was indecipherable. He turned back to Jones. He was waiting for Taylor's order.
    "Let's get the fuck out of here!"
    Without another word, he turned, slung King onto his shoulder, and rushed for the next wall of the defences. The few small gates were flooded with troops trying to retreat. He knew he had no choice but to try and clear the wall. Pulses rushed past him and smashed into the wall, and as much fire was being returned from friendly positions. He looked up for just a moment to find a gap in the friendly firing solution and jumped.
    The wall was fifteen metres high and easily manageable by him, but he had no idea if he could make it with the weight of King on his shoulder. He left the ground and hoped for the best. As he reached the upper edge of the wall, he came to the limit of his power, clipping the very edge as he tumbled over it. Taylor recovered just in time to land on the far side without injury, lucky to have found an open space amongst the chaos.
    He looked down at King. A deep wound span from his face and down his neck, stopping at the shoulder plate of his armour. He was conscious but faint and weak.
    "King? Stay with me."
    His eyes opened a little further to look at Taylor.
    "You're out of this fight, Captain," he said, looking up at the chaos around him. Jones landed beside him, quickly calling out, "Medic!" when he saw King resting in Taylor's arms.
    "We’re in it deep here, Mitch," Jones said, kneeling down beside them.
    Gunfire raged above them, but Taylor was too caught up in the moment to notice.