The bodies of alien soldiers were beginning to pile up in the middle of the street, but it didn't take long for them to start coming in from other angles. Aslett, Shea, and Nicosia had already run. Waits was still holding his position.
Slapping another magazine into his AUG, Waits pushed the bolt release before putting the sight back up to his right eye. As he started to focus, he noticed movement with his still-open left eye. Swiftly, Waits turned to his left, seeing five soldiers approaching. Shit! He scrambled back under the rubble, trying to crawl his way through to the other side. He knew it was risky, and his entire body was aching.
The spaces seemed to get smaller as Waits continued following the light of a way out. Squeezing through them gradually became more and more painful. His thoughts began racing, and the fear of the building collapsing on top of him made him want to scream. Small spaces never bothered him when he was younger, but going in them frequently over the course of his career didn't make him more used to them. In fact, he grew to hate them, especially after his accident made crawling and crouching more difficult.
He pushed his way into the light, stumbling and gasping as he got to his feet and running into the woods lining the western edge of the colony.
Four blasts of blue energy whizzed by him. Waits whirled around to see two alien soldiers jogging toward him. He fired before they could get another shot off, and watched them fall, screaming, before turning to run deeper into the woods.
Thorny bushes tore his clothing. Thin lines of blood began welling on his arms and soaking through his sleeves. He looked over his shoulder once, not seeing anyone coming after him, and skidded to a halt. Breathing hard, he frantically glanced around. His body ached from crawling and running. His throat was dry, and when he tried to put his thoughts together, he felt as though he was going to throw up.
Okay, what's the situation? Aliens are attacking the colony. They're killing on sight and taking no prisoners. Their armor is weak to bullets. They have energy weapons. We don't know how many troops they've brought. Waits checked his magazine pouch. Five full mags for the rifle plus a half-empty one in it, a full mag in my handgun and one spare left. I can defend myself, but can I defend the rest of the colony?
His ears pricked when he heard a stick snapping, and he ducked behind a bush. The pale-blue head of an alien stood out in the green and brown of the forest around it. Waits looked down at his gun, then back over at the alien. It's just one. Shooting might attract attention. Then again, it might also lure them away from the colony, at least for a short time.
Regardless, Waits realized, killing the lone soldiers would force more of them into the woods. If they have to search for this guy, that'll keep them out of the colony longer. Waits slung his rifle, watching the alien walk by. He stood, and followed it.
Waits froze when the alien stopped walking. When it started turning its head, Waits made a mad dash toward it. Its violet eyes widened as Waits tackled it, knocking it to the ground with a hard thud. The alien tried pushing itself back up as Waits unslung his rifle. Grunting and trying not to scream in rage, Waits swung the rifle down, catching the alien in the head. Dark purple blood erupted from a newfound gash on the back of its head. When he saw it could no longer move, Waits hit it again for good measure.
His whole body was shaking as he stood back up. Adrenaline and anger coursed through him as he looked down at the body. Resisting another urge to scream, Waits gave the corpse a hard kick before grabbing its legs and dragging it into the woods. He left it in a dense grove of bushes. After washing the blood off his hands in a nearby pond, he started heading back toward the colony.
His rage swiftly turned into worry when he returned to find no signs of the other three Marshals. He was tempted to call out, but held back. He stayed hidden in the thick undergrowth of the forest when he spotted a row of alien soldiers being trailed by a vehicle roughly the size of a Marine APC heading down the main street of the colony's business district.
If there's anyone alive, I have to get them out of here, but where the fuck are we gonna go? Waits found himself sitting down. The feeling of wanting to throw up from earlier was still present. He tried to swallow it. His thoughts came rushing forth, and one stuck out among the rest. I can't save everyone here.
Waits struggled with not letting his emotions get the better of him. Doubt crashed over him like a tidal wave. His stomach clenched hard, and he turned to his left to vomit into a bush of still-blossoming flowers.
Shivering, Waits sat back, spitting occasionally to try and clear his mouth of the acidic taste. Okay, get your thoughts together, Jethro. You gotta get back down there. All your people are counting on you to pull them through. He swallowed, still feeling his stomach clenching and unclenching like a fist. Forcing himself to stand, he jogged back into the forest, using the vegetation as cover.
He ducked behind a tree when he spotted a group of alien soldiers running by, headed in the direction where Waits had killed their scout. Waits allowed himself to smile in satisfaction, though he knew that little distraction wouldn't do much at the moment.
Waits breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he found Aslett, Shea, and Nicosia in the lot of Marshals' compartments. Several of the compartments were reduced to rubble and beams and metal sheets. Waits's, amazingly, was undamaged.
"Did the sons-of-bitches come through here?" Waits asked.
"Two squads," Shea replied. "They searched each compartment, found nothing, and left."
"Okay. We need to get inside before we're seen." Waits sighed. "We'll use my place."
After closing and locking the door behind them, Waits went around closing the blinds. He gestured for Nicosia to stand by the door. "Let us know if you see or hear anything." He slung his rifle, and leaned against the table, still struggling to compose his thoughts.
"Any ideas?" Aslett asked.
"Not really. All I can think of is that there's no fucking way we have enough ammunition to kill every last one of them, and I don't know if you saw this, but they've got armored vehicles."
"We saw it. And a tank."
"A tank." Waits tossed up his hands. "That's fucking awesome. They've got fucking tanks. Unless their damn tanks are as weak as their body armor, there's no way we can just shoot them."
"No, but I'm willing to bet there's stuff in the labs we can use to build explosives," Shea said. "The top floor was destroyed, but as far as I know, that was all offices. No equipment, and nothing toxic or radioactive was in there. I think the easiest we can go for is thermite."
Waits nodded. "Not the greatest for killing armor, but it could work if we figure out a way to get it in or on their vehicles." He let out his breath. "One step at a time. How far are the labs from here?"
"On the southeast edge of the business district, just before you come to the dirt road leading to the farms. That's over a mile of walking."
"Yeah. Walking and trying to avoid being seen and shot by our new friends." Waits rubbed his face. "We'll go together."
"Who's gonna stop them from killing more civilians?"
"We risk getting ourselves killed if we try running out and shooting every time we see them attacking civvies, and then whoever's left alive isn't gonna have anyone to protect them. Trust me, I want to rip apart every single alien in this colony, but we'll be able to save more lives if we can sabotage and harass these sons-of-bitches. There's not enough room in the Bureau for everyone, and we don't have a safe haven for anyone we come across. I'm establishing my fucking house as our base of operations, and these damn things probably can't hold more than ten people comfortably. That, and how are we supposed to move large groups of people without being seen?" Waits looked down at the table. "Trust me when I say this isn't an easy decision to make. I want to save everyone, and I can't. None of us can. I don't want any of you going out and trying to play the hero. That's an order."
The others didn't respond. Aslett nodded in Waits's direction, and said, "When do we head to the lab?"
"Right now. I want everyone keeping a close eye on their ammunition. Going back to the Bureau armory won't be an easy trip."
The Marshals stayed close to the outer edges of the colony, using the dense vegetation as cover. Shea led the way, occasionally directing the others to get behind a bush or tree whenever a patrol came by.
Waits had lost track of how long it had been since the aliens invaded the colony. All he knew was that it had been close to sunset when he and Aslett went to the lake. It was dark now, and all he could do was pray the aliens didn't have any form of night vision.
The forest was alive with the buzzing and chirping of crickets. Waits tried to let the noise drown out his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder at Aslett.
She looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing," Waits replied. Weeks ago, I was bitching to you about how boring this place is. I take that all back. Fuck, I'd give anything to have the quietness back. He resisted the urge to look at Aslett again.
It was a very long walk, made longer by the constant hiding and crouching. Waits was finding it painful to crouch for long periods of time, but the last thing he wanted was to look weak in front of those who were depending on him.
"Jethro? You okay?" Aslett's voice broke the silence.
"I'm fine. Why?" Waits asked.
"I saw you wince when we had to hide behind that large rock in the ditch."
"So?"
"I have a first-aid kit—"
"Don't need it. Let's keep going."
Aslett sighed, then gestured to Shea and Nicosia. "Keep going. We'll catch up." She took Waits's arm, dragging him further into the woods. They stopped in front of a moonlit pond. "Alright, what's wrong?"
"You know what's wrong!" Waits hissed. "So what? My fucking back hurts when I crouch!"
"I can see that. Remember what I told you a few weeks ago? Your job isn't more important than your health—"
"We have just been invaded by aliens, honey! Do you think they're gonna stop so I can take a couple of pain pills? No. I'm not resting until we kick their asses back to whatever corner of space they came from."
"I'm not saying you stop to rest right now, because I know that means arguing with you, and that's like arguing with a brick wall. No, I'm trying to say that when this is all over, you are not going to half-ass your recovery."
"I'm not even hurt."
"You're clearly in pain, and you've gone several hours without rest—"
"I don't care. This is more important. A lot more important. People's lives are at stake. Whatever physical problems I have right now are at the bottom of my list of things to be worried about. You, on the other hand, need to put your feelings for me aside until this is over."
"Fair enough."
"You do realize this is a really shitty time to be arguing about something like this, right?"
"I know, but you don't need to be an ass about it. I'm not trying to be dramatic, or selfish—"
"Then why bother telling me something I already know? I know I'm gonna be checked for injuries when we get outta here. I know what they're gonna find. I know I'm probably gonna be ordered to take a few weeks off. I don't care. I just don't want to take time off feeling like I did nothing here."
"I don't want to lose you, and I'm having a hard time trying not to think about that."
Slinging his rifle, Waits gently took Aslett's shoulders and squeezed them. "I'm trying not to think about losing you, too. I don't want to say it's distracting, because then it feels like... you're meaningless, and that's not true."
"This is more important, though."
"Yeah. I'm not saying I don't care about you. We have to do our job now, and focus on each other later. I-I know we don't know if these are gonna be our last moments together, but I want to keep fighting to make sure we don't have to say goodbye. You get that?"
Aslett nodded.
"Don't worry about me. If you can do that, then I won't worry about you." Waits patted Aslett's shoulder. "Alright, let's keep moving."
The laboratory complex was still mostly intact, the nearby hospital had been leveled. Black smoke was still pouring from the rubble.
"They're definitely hellbent on killing us, that's for sure," Waits muttered. "There goes any plans for salvaging medical supplies." He glanced at Shea. "Okay, when we get inside, we'll go in pairs. Remember, we're looking for powdered metals. Best bets are to look for aluminum or magnesium for the fuel, and iron oxide or copper oxide to mix with it. Get as much as you can find and carry. When we're done, we'll meet back up here, and then take everything back to the Bureau. We'll build the thermite there—"
Nicosia shook Waits's shoulder. "Sir, look," he whispered.
Waits looked back over at the entrance to the lab's lobby. Four alien soldiers were cautiously walking in. "Well, shit," Waits hissed. "Okay, new plan—we're still going in pairs. I'll seal the doors, trap the sons-of-bitches inside. Aslett, you and I are going hunting."
"You're sure that's a good idea?" Aslett asked.
"Positive. They might outnumber us, but we have an advantage." Waits gestured to his AUG.
"Frankly, it doesn't make sense that their armor is so weak to bullets," Nicosia said.
"I don't think they were expecting to come up against an enemy using projectile weapons," Aslett replied. "It's possible their armor is designed to repel energy-based weapons, and honestly, that's scary."
"Why?"
"Because it means they're not the only technologically advanced species out here."
"Doesn't mean their neighbors are gonna show up." Waits stood up. "They're inside. Let's go."
Under the cover of darkness, the four Marshals dashed over to the lab's entrance. Waits went in first. The lobby was dark, and there was no sign of the aliens.
"They could be anywhere," Waits whispered.
"You did say we were going hunting," Aslett said.
"I know, but now it's gonna be a lot harder. Is there any security feed we can tap into?"
"All up in the offices," Shea replied.
"Which were blown to hell. Great. Shit." Waits gestured to the stairwell. "Shea, Nicosia, get to work finding stuff for thermite."
Shea nodded before walking with Nicosia up the stairs.
"Why do you think they sent their guys in here?" Aslett asked.
"Either they're looking for survivors, or they're looking to see how advanced we are scientifically," said Waits. "They're not gonna find much, though." He looked over his shoulder at Aslett. "Alright, we're gonna search the basement. They kept hazardous materials down there—poisonous wildlife and shit like that. I don't think they'll have what we're looking for, but it doesn't hurt to look. Let's also keep it quiet."
Aslett nodded, and stuck close to Waits as they crept down a hallway leading to the basement stairwell.
They kept their flashlights off to avoid attracting attention. Waits turned his on briefly to check where they were, then immediately turned it off when he got to the stairwell door. He breathed a sigh of relief upon finding it was unlocked. The stairwell was narrow, and Waits felt like it was getting narrower the further down they went. He struggled to breathe evenly, and keep his breathing from getting too heavy and noisy.
A space opened up in front of them, and dim red lights illuminated the room. Large containment tubes lined a row of metal tables, each holding a perfectly preserved toxic specimen. Snakes, fish, plants, small mammals, insects. Waits was just happy they were all dead and posed no threat, though he didn't exactly want to be dealing with carcasses and preserving fluids flying around if the room turned into a shooting range. They had enough to deal with without poison.
"Watch my back," Waits whispered.
Aslett nodded, slowly turning to face the stairway.
"You doing okay?"
"As well as can be expected, why?"
"Just making sure." Waits glanced at her. "I mean, you were worried about me earlier. I just wanted to... you know—"
"Don't. I'm alright. Focus, Jethro."
They left the room of poisonous organisms and entered a second lab full of large, empty containment tubes, microscopes, and other equipment Waits couldn't identify. Desks and chairs had been shifted due to the explosions. Papers were strewn around the room. A ceiling panel was on the floor, and wires were spilling out from above.
There's a lot of hiding places in here, Waits thought. He tried not to laugh as his thoughts turned to the gangly appearance of the aliens; there was no way they would be able to hide here.
"Waits," Aslett whispered, "should we check that door?"
Waits's gaze settled on a closed metal door by the left-hand corner at the end of the lab. There were no signs on it. He quietly approached it, and gestured to Aslett. "We could be busting into an empty room, or they're hiding out in here," he whispered. "What do you think?"
"I say we check it out," said Aslett.
"You think they've holed up in there?"
"I don't know, but I'd rather check."
Waits nodded. "Okay. On my mark. One... two... three!"
Grunting, Aslett kicked open the door. Something moved in the darkness, and Waits saw the telltale glowing blue magazines behind a shelf of cleaning supplies. Without hesitation, Waits opened fire. Raspy screaming was heard and then Aslett shouted, "Waits, get out of there!"
In the flashes of light from his AUG, Waits saw something akin to a plastic explosive stuck to the back wall of the storage closet. Oh, fuck... He shoved Aslett away from the door, firing another burst and emptying the magazine in the process. "Get Shea and Nicosia and get outta the building! Forget the thermite!"
The two sprinted through the labs to get to the stairs, both reloading on the way. That room was dark. It was impossible for Waits to know if he had shot every alien. It was impossible to know what type of detonator they were using. That shit could go off at any minute.
When they reached the lobby, Waits shouted, "Shea! Nicosia!" He turned to Aslett. "Get outta here! I'm going to get the others."
Aslett looked like she wanted to argue with him, but instead nodded before turning to leave the building. Waits jogged up the stairs, calling for Shea and Nicosia. In his head, he breathed a sigh of relief when he found the two leaving one of the labs, holding containers of aluminum and iron oxide. "Get your asses outta here now!" Waits shouted. "The fuckers set explosives in one of the storage rooms downstairs!"
Waits didn't follow until Shea and Nicosia were running down to the lobby. A sense of dread twisted around his chest and stomach, making it hard to think clearly.
Shea kicked open the doors, holding them open for Nicosia and Waits. He froze as the two approached, then yelled, "Waits, behind you!"
Whirling around, Waits spotted an alien soldier coming up the stairs from the basement labs. It was covered in blood, though no one could tell if it was its own blood, or that of its comrades. Hissing something in its language, the alien raised its rifle with one arm. In its other hand was a device that Waits could only assume was a detonator.
The three Marshals dove for cover once they were outside of the lobby. Glass shattered as two energy bolts struck the main doors. Laying on the dirt outside, Shea fired at the alien as it ducked behind a large plant holder. From his place behind a concrete barrier, Waits swore to himself when his AUG ran dry and pulled his handgun from its holster, firing two rounds in the alien soldier's direction. There was a hissing scream, and the sound of the alien dropping its rifle.
With the soldier defenseless, Waits left the cover of the barrier to finish it off before it could use the detonator. Blood was gushing from a bullet wound in the alien's right shoulder. It scrambled away from him, trying to protect its head and chest in the process. Waits managed to shoot the alien's left shoulder, but it only clutched the detonator harder. With a grunt, it kicked Waits's legs out from under him.
Landing hard on his stomach, Waits's breath rushed from his lungs. He struggled to force another breath in, but it felt like he was trying to breathe in a vacuum. The alien hoisted up Waits by his vest, and held him to its chest while displaying the detonator to Shea and Nicosia.
Waits sank his teeth into the alien's arm. It howled in pain before grabbing his head and trying to yank him upright. Waits only bit down harder. Pale blue skin began tearing. The soldier gave up, and shoved Waits away. Spitting, Waits turned to swing at the alien's jaw. With his opponent disoriented, Waits moved for the detonator with his gun drawn.
He fired a single round into the alien's chest, then felt his own heart stop when he saw the being's thumb pressing down on the button. He screamed at the others to run as he forced himself up, trying to move as fast as he could before he was even upright.
Waits wasn't sure where he was running, only that he was heading into the woods bordering the colony. All he cared about was getting as far from the blast as possible. A second later, he heard a bang behind him and then he tripped and found himself tumbling down the slope, deeper into the forest. In the darkness of night, every tree and rock were silhouettes. One of them rushed up to greet him, and every thought and feeling came to a sudden stop.