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Chapter Eleven
Vansen sat with her back against the wall, facing the door. Ever since they had taken Vanessa away again she had made plans to escape. She had to get out of here, no matter what. She pushed herself to her feet and groaned when her leg gave way beneath her. Slowly, she limped over to the door, examining it closely. When she pulled at the handle she was surprised that it gave way towards her.
It could be trap, she thought but eased the door slowly open nevertheless. The corridor outside was only dimly lit and when she cocked her head around the doorframe she couldn't see anyone.
"Do or die," she whispered to herself and slipped out of the cell, not noticing the Chig who stood hidden in one of the ventilation ducts.
When the Marine disappeared into the opposite direction, the Chig stepped out of the shadow and walked over to the cell. Quickly, his hands engaged the closing-mechanism and deleted his access code to the panel. The last time when he had seen the red stinkers in this cell, he had been surprised that they didn't turn on each other. His race didn't know and understand the concept of compassion and yet he had felt something like that when he had watched the humans as they had looked after each other. He had even rescued one of them when one of the Elroy units had tortured him and now, he had even helped one of them escape.
The Alien shook his head at this. His superiors had told him and all the others from his hatch that the red stinkers were their mortal enemies and that they would kill everything, even their own race, to win this war. But everything he had been able to detect about the red stinks seemed to be opposed to the things the silicates had told them. It was not common to have these doubts, there were rumours spreading throughout the hatches that some who had asked had been erased and their tags destroyed. If one of his superiors found out about what he had done, he would be erased as well but at the moment he didn't care. All he could think of was that a race, albeit smelling unbearably, must not be that bad if they cared for their living and their dead.
Careful not to draw the attention of the silicate, McQueen slipped into the interrogation room. The room was empty besides the stretcher and a communication panel. The Colonel stared mesmerised at the scene and somewhere deep down inside of him the beast which had been created back at the mines of Omicron Draconis slowly, but definitely emerged from the abyss of his soul. With a feral sound escaping his lips, he threw himself onto the silicate, K-bar glistening dangerously in the brilliant light of the room. All his fury was released as he engaged the silicate, his anger ruling his body as the knife slashed through processors and interfaces, seeking the one thing that destroyed the AI's existence. The Elroy-unit tried to ward off the furious blows but it was to no avail, soon the silicate lay dismembered on the floor.
After all was finished, McQueen turned around and looked for other attackers with a crazed look. He went towards the still figure lying on the stretcher and Nathan, who had come in behind the CO held his breath for a moment, readying his rifle. It seemed as if the Colonel wanted to kill Damphousse as well, a hard look in his eyes, but then the young Marine was relieved to see that he tucked the K-bar back into its sheath and released the metal-clamps around the young woman's wrists and legs.
"Hey," McQueen exclaimed hoarsely when Vanessa Damphousse threw her arms around the Colonel and awkwardly, he petted her back. He still suffered the aftershocks of the killing and he did not trust himself to be gentle now. He pushed the woman slightly away from him and lowered his lids. "Thank me later, Damphousse. Now is not the time nor the place!"
The young woman gave him a crooked smile and nodded.
"Sir, yes, Sir!" she replied and with West's help she swung her legs to the ground and stood up. "Vansen is in the third cell to the right ..." Her legs buckled underneath her and Nathan grabbed her around her hip and straightened her.
"Keep it easy and slow, 'Phousse," he said and Vanessa smiled shyly at him. It was the most beautiful smile, Nathan had ever seen and he was relieved that despite what the silicates had done to her she had not lost her sense of humour. Half dragging, half carrying her, Nathan followed McQueen out of the interrogation room and according to Vanessa's directions they went to the cell where Shane was kept.
McQueen cocked his head around a corner to the corridor where the cell was situated. Three Chigs were standing at the far side of it and from what he was able to detect, all three of them were carrying photon-blasters. The Colonel turned back to West and Damphousse and he was relieved that the young woman had regained some of her strength again. Although she still needed West's help to keep herself upright, she had taken his gun and looked more like a Marine again than the defeated POW from five minutes ago.
"That's the situation. Three Chigs are standing just in front of the cell. We've to use smart grenades to take them out ..." Both Marines nodded at that and West slowly unclipped two grenades from his belt.
Nathan crept forward after he had made sure that the Colonel and Damphousse had hid in one of the air vents, he edged towards the corner of the corridor. After he had made sure that the Chigs were standing within a yard of each other he sent one of the grenades flying.
He was almost urged to watch as the grenade hit them but he ducked his head beneath his arms as he threw himself onto the hard ground.
The boom of the explosion reverberated through the corridors of the bunker and after the noise had died down, Nathan looked up. The Chigs had been hid by the full force of the grenade and for a moment he felt the bilge rise in his throat as he saw the dissected body parts, oozing green slime from every crevice. Quickly, the Marines rushed over to the door of the cell and opened it. The cell was empty and for a moment Nathan closed his eyes.
"But she was here, Sir ..." Vanessa whispered and turned towards the Colonel. McQueen checked the small confinement than gave the sign to further their search.
After Cooper had examined Paul's wounds and tended to them, he hauled the young Marine over his shoulder and they made their way to their meeting point. Megan checked her com and after she had established a secured line, she contacted team A.
"Team A, here team B. Roger?!"
"Team B, Queen Six here. Have retrieved Damphousse, repeat have retrieved Damphousse..." McQueen announced over the com and Cooper who had adjusted his mike mouthed 'hoo-rah', even Paul murmured a sigh of relief.
"Roger that, Queen Six. We've retrieved Wang as well ..."
There was a momentary silence over the com before McQueen's voice was heard again, together with two other very excited Marines all shooting questions at Chambers.
"Repeat: you found Wang?" McQueen asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Affirmative. Wang is safe and sound!"
After that the skipchatter died down and the search for other POWs continued. Megan raised her hand when they had come to another corridor leading to the north side of the building and Cooper put Wang onto the floor.
"What is it?" Cooper asked and Megan switched on the SRR.
"I'm picking up two more PLBs and various CPU signs. Straight ahead there have to be about six, no, eight silicates," she said and disconnected the SRR. "There are too many, I don't think we can take them out with ..." she shot a glance towards Wang whose head had wearily lolled back against the metal wall behind him. Cooper followed her gaze and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.
"Meg, we can't leave either the pilots or Wang here ..." he whispered and Megan lowered her lids.
"I know, Coop. I'm just thinking about getting the hell out of here in one piece," she rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. "I tell you what we do. You get Wang back to McQueen and the others and I try to stall those silicates as long as it takes, alright?"
Cooper stared at her, then shook his head.
"That's suicide, Meg, and you know that," he hissed angrily. "You're not a Marine, you told me that once too often!"
"There is no other choice, Coop. I can't carry Paul, he's far too heavy for me, besides he's in no fit condition to walk by himself with these burns on his legs. If we all backtrack now, those bastards will probably kill the pilots ..."
Cooper remained silent for long moments, then he slowly nodded. It was against his better judgement to leave Megan but what could they do? He knew she was right. But he didn't want to loose her.
"O.k.," he said and checked his ammo strips before he handed her three more strips. "Kill those bastards!"
Megan nodded and stashed the strips into one of the breast pockets of her battle suit. When she looked up again, Cooper was still squatting in front of her. Suddenly, he made a grab at her, encircling her neck with his broad palm and kissed her brutally, desperately. "Don't you dare die before we get that stuff worked out, Chambers," he growled and let go of her. Together with Wang he made his way quickly back to McQueen and the others. Chambers watched him go and for a moment she wanted to call out after him, but she remained silent. She had a task to perform and she was determined to succeed.
When Hawkes returned to the designated co-ordinates McQueen had given them, the others were in a dogfight with a Chig patrol and silicates. In the midst of the battle the Marines did not realise that one of them was missing but when they had taken out the attackers with smart grenades, making sure that no enforcement were coming, McQueen took a long look at his Marines.
"Chambers?" he asked wearily and Cooper reloaded his M-590.
"We split up. She is looking for the remaining pilots," he said matter of factly but it was clear to them all that he was scared for her. Nathan shot him a glance then shifted uncomfortably. He and Vanessa exchanged a look with each other, then Damphousse stood up.
"I'll carry Wang back to the ISSCV, then West can accompany Hawkes, Sir," she said sternly.
Paul who had remained silent until then shook his head and tried to scramble to his feet.
"No need to carry me, 'Phousse. I'll manage, just give me a helping hand now and then," he said. All eyes watched him wearily and the young Marine returned their gazes with an almost stubborn look.
McQueen watched his determined face then nodded.
"Alright! You have thirty mikes to find Chambers. If you don't turn up at the ISSCV on 2100 hours we're out of here," he checked his watch and West and Hawkes did as well. "It's 1930 sharp. Ready, ready, hack!"
Both Marines stood up and made their way back to Chambers' position.
McQueen watched them until they disappeared behind a bend of the corridor.
He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed them wearily. He knew that some of them might die but unconsciously, he had thought that it would be him, not any of his Marines. If he had been a religious man, now would be a good time to start praying but he couldn't.
"Sir?" Damphousse inquired and McQueen's head snapped up.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"They'll find Chambers and Vansen, I know it." She said reassuringly and he nodded his head but still he had doubts.
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