Chapter 11: Death From Above and Below

Anthony raised his shotgun and peered around the corner of what he was told was the yard manager's office. The other marine was nowhere in sight. He motioned that it was clear and Mark led the way out of the ransacked office with Murtaugh hauling the duffel bag behind him.

Mark made his way down the hall and upon reaching the end noticed a trail of blood leading into a closed storage closet. Groaning and muffling was heard behind the door.

"Ya know" Anthony said. "Something tells me I'm really not going to like what's behind door number 1!"

The mutilated corpse of a zombified marine broke down the door and started clawing at where the guards just were. With the butt end of his shotgun, Anthony delivered a crushing blow on the zombie, who fell to the floor gurgling and dead.

Mark peered into the closet and found the former marine's MP5.
"Looks like I can solve up to 800 problems a minute now!" he said grinning.

He led Anthony to the security armory of the building only to find it was empty. Mark looked behind the desk and found the body of his old boss Randy Van Dolan. He turned away from his fallen co worker and followed a door that lead to a hallway. The blood of a squad of HECU Marines who were mostly nothing more than chunks of flesh lay scattered around the walls and the floor leading to a door out. He opened it revealing a large storage room that contained two train containers and stacks of food and soda. The container on the left held several dead and frozen electrical aliens, while the container on the right held a dead scientist whom he identified as Dr Doug Heironimus. He had obviously been beaten to death after an interrogation.

Mark walked around the second container and they went through a storage closet that looped around to one of the freight yards. It consisted of two train tracks that were separated by a covered platform. On the tracks were two more containers; one which had had two spindles next to it but had since fallen off, the other one was empty and had contained a 50 caliber turret which had been opened and set up.
On the opposite side were two large heavy blast doors that had already been opened. In the path of the 50 caliber were the bullet riddled corpses of 12 HECU marines. The two continued through the blast doors and found a scientist seemingly waiting for them.

"Oh! Hello there!" He said startled.
"A security guard freed me and a colleague from those cargo containers. He destroyed two garrisons of soldiers and a tank and...I simply lost my nerve. They went on ahead without me. I do hope they're all right."

"Judging by the look of the previous HECU camps I'd say those lucky bastards already made their escape or died trying. " Anthony concluded. Mark continued the conversation. "We're trying to regroup with several other survivors from Sector C. Care to join us?"

"Well, I don't see why not" the scientist said.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves." Anthony proposed.

"Right you are. I'm Doctor Stephen Walker. I was in the Infirmary during the experiment. I revived a friendly soldier who later left for his air craft's crash site to recover a radio. He never came back."

"I'm Anthony Murtaugh, I was at the front desk of Sector C when it all happened. Some colleagues of mine were helping a wounded friend of mine while the two of us were sent to gather supplies. The marines came in and killed one of the scientists after he sent the others to the freight yards."

"And I'm Mark Montague. Alright, Introductions over let's go!"

They walked past another set of blast doors to find an M35 Cargo Truck with its top blown off opposite
The shouldering remains of an M1A1 Abrams.

"Oh...My...God!" Anthony stuttered.

"Quit gawking and just get to the trains you two, you're worse than a couple of tourists in New York!"

After an agonizing 5 hours of waiting, the osprey finally arrived. The wounded were moved on first. The sun was starting to set when all the evacuees were ready to go. Finally Lieutenant Myers approached the final osprey to find the man in charge of the osprey. Looking around he saw Captain Kilmore of Bravo Company." Kilmore?!" He asked. " I thought you made evac already?"

"I did. But I'm not gonna miss taking another shot at some bogeys!"

Myers looked back at Roger. "Think you could take this level 5 scientist back to HQ for questioning? I have Clearance from Colonel Lovell for it."

"Yeah but I can't guarantee it'll be quick we're on standby for air support." Kilmore responded as he loaded Roger onto the aircraft.

"That'll do sir." He turned to wave the osprey off. "Semper Fi sir!"

"Semper Fi Lieutenant!" Kilmore yelled back.

Roger could see the dust begin to stir as the osprey took off from the rock formation leaving the other soldiers behind. He hoped that there would be no delays. The marines' loud talking made it impossible for him to think of what might happen to him when they arrive. Suddenly the radio burst to life with the sound of panic.

"This is Indigo company! We are held up in the desert near Topside Motor pool and are being overrun by zappers! Request air support immediately. Oh god there's dozens of them! Give us everything you've got!"

"Roger that Indigo Company." The Colonel radioed back. "We are heading to your position now. It is advised that you use whatever cover is available! Over."

the osprey made a sharp left turn and flew past a bombed out building that Roger barely recognized as where he had parked his car this morning. "oh shit!" He thought. "There goes my Prius!"

His thoughts were interrupted by distant small arms fire. The sounds echoed over the canyons as they grew closer to the source of the commotion. At last the noise was close enough to see. A squad of soldiers were trying to hold off several dozen of the vortiguants. The osprey flew closer to the battle below. Then they started their attack run. They flew lower and one of the marines started opening fire with a mounted mini gun as they flew over the aliens.

An alien aircraft that resembled a stingray zoomed past them and started unloading armored alien soldiers. The soldiers started shooting a biological weapon at the surviving marines. It seemed to be an insect similar to a hornet in its method of attacking. Its enemies were stung with sharp, needle like, thorns.

The osprey made a second pass on the aliens below. The turret operating marine ripped through the armor of an alien soldier exposing its weak flesh to small arms fire from the marines on the ground.

Another HECU soldier in the osprey
lugged an RPG onto his shoulders and fired it at the retreating alien aircraft. The force of the blast causing it to be hurled down and land directly on a vortiguant who was about to deliver the coup de grace on an injured marine.

"Nice shot Basilone! Kilmore praised the young marine while swigging from his coffee mug. "You've just won your squad a case of beer for tonight!"

Switching to a grenade launcher, the osprey gunner fired several shots at the remaining aliens.

"You smell that men? It's the smell of victory!" Kilmore commented.

The osprey landed, picked up the surviving marines, and continued on its way back to HQ