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Chapter Twelve
Photonblaster fire exploded right behind Chambers and she threw herself onto the ground, her rifle ready. The young Squadron Leader could feel the heat of the fire grazing her back and legs and she bit her lips to suppress the pain. The silicates had hidden themselves behind an open cell door while the Chigs just kept alongside the walls, raining her with fire.
She gazed through the TS of the M-590 and took the attackers under fire, making sure that she killed or disabled the enemy with one shot. She was pretty low on ammunition as it was and she could not waste any. The fire died down all of a sudden and she crept forward on all fours.
"Hey, Carbon-shit!" the voice of a silicate sounded through the silence. "You try to take us and your buddies here die, understood?"
"Hiding behind the skirts of POWs, silicate?" Megan yelled. "Why don't you come out and we both settle this matter alone! Or are you frightened to fight face to face with a RAF officer ?"
"Those POWs are US Marines, RAF OFFICER. They're none of your business ..."
"Just shut the fuck up, silicate, and come out! I'm here for business, not idle chatter!" Megan shouted and took aim through the telescopic sight. She saw movement in the shadows of the door but try as she might she couldn't get a clear target.
"You should watch your manners, Carbonite," the silicate said. The voice sounded farther away now and Megan cursed beneath her breath.
Slowly, she raised to her feet and advanced towards the door.
When she had reached it within a few yards, she saw that one of the persons lying on the ground was wearing a standard flightsuit.
"Help me," the man whispered and turned his head slightly towards Meg. "Help me die!"
Megan had come closer and she pulled the man out of the way.
"No, you will not die!" she rasped and slipped off her back-pack. She rummaged through it until she found the first aide kit and after a look onto his name tag, she said: "You just keep breathing, Patterson. Alright?"
The USAF pilot shook his head slightly and flinched, when Megan ripped open the flightsuit and took a look at the stomach wound. To her relief it was not a bullet wound, one of the Chigs must have stabbed him with a scythe. While she worked to stop the bleeding, Patterson groaned and tried to edge away from her hands.
"They have Carlson ..." he said and grabbed Megan's arm. "You've got to get her. I doubt she'll hold herself together any longer. She needs more help than I do ..."
"First of all I will get you fixed up and then I'll get Carlson," Meg reassured him and continued dressing the stab-wound. It was a poor job, she knew this but for the time being it had to suffice. She was glad that Patterson had passed out again and she put the aide kit back into her ruck-sack, when her com crackled into life.
"Chambers, do you copy?" Nathan asked and Megan readjusted the mike to her mouth.
"Yes, West, I can hear you," she answered. "There are at least two more POWs. I've found Cpt. Patterson, he is severely wounded and needs medical help ASAP. Another POW is named Carlson, the silicates have taken her with them."
"Roger that, we are on our way. Just sit tight until we meet you!" Nathan said.
"Negative, West. The silicates already have an advantage, I'm going after them!"
"Don't be so stubborn, Meg!" Cooper growled over the com. "You don't have to prove anything to either McQueen or yourself. Just stay put, understood?"
"Since when do you give orders, Lieutenant? I'm going after them, end of discussion!" she switched the com off and raised to her feet. After she had made sure that Patterson would be alright, she headed into the direction the silicates had disappeared.
She could hear them before she caught sight of the silicates and the POW. They had reached a second exit and the Felicity-unit was quickly working on the air locks.
"Shit," Chambers exclaimed beneath her breath and hid in the deep shadows of an air vent. If the silicates opened the air lock she was done for. Meg had left the helmet with Patterson to make sure she wasn't hindered or slowed down by anything. Now she wished, she had taken it with her.
Now what? she asked herself and rubbed her temples wearily. She checked her ammo strips and she had seven bullets left. If she aimed correctly, she should be able to use one bullet each to take out the three silicates.
IF she was able to hit and kill the silicates first time around, that was! Being in a Hammerhead or a Spittie it wouldn't have been a problem at all but here ... Since boot camp she had been a lousy marksman with a rifle and even now, almost seven years after she had first joined the RAF Corps, she still wasn't a good shot with handguns.
But time was running out. She had to act now or the silicates would get away with the POW and she would die due to the oxygen loss.
Carefully she took aim, suppressing the quiver of her hands and arms as she raised the rifle. The second code for the air lock was punched into the panel and the system gave off a soft beep. Suddenly, a Chig appeared from an adjoining corridor and Megan reacted purely on instinct. Taking out Felicity first she gunned them down, using almost all of her rounds. One of the silicates, Justin, hid behind Carlson and rained Megan with gunfire.
Suddenly, she saw a movement on the fringe of her perception and when she ducked her head slightly, she saw someone creeping up from one of the ventilation ducts on her left.
"Get the hell over here, Chambers!" Shane Vansen called and Megan started to rise. She was halfway across the corridor when she saw another Chig coming up behind the Marine.
"Vansen, duck!" she yelled and threw herself unto the attacker. Shane Vansen flung herself unto the floor, trying to get hold of the M-590 Megan had dropped. Checking it she realised that there were only two bullets left and she cursed. She aimed at the AI and with one perfect shot in the head she took him out. When she turned she saw that Megan was in a hand to hand fight with the Chig.
Too late, Chambers duck for cover and soaring pain shot through the left side of her torso as the scythe hit her. She cried out in pain and rolled over on the ground, the K-bar sliding across the metal floor. She tried to grab her gun from the hipholster but her left arm was paralysed. She yelled out frustrated and used her right hand to get to the gun. A shadow fell onto her and when her head snapped up, she looked straight into the metal mask of a Chig. Scythe in hand, he towered over her and Megan inhaled deeply.
"Come on, Chiggy, do it," she rasped, blinking away the dizziness.
This is it then, do or die. But she wasn't afraid, she felt cool, calm and collected. The Chig raised the scythe and Megan braced herself as the blade came rushing down towards her in a perfect, blazing arch.
As soon as they had left the bunker, they ran into Chigs and silicates. McQueen and Damphousse engaged fire on them, while Wang threw the rest of their smart grenades. When all was over, Paul trotted over to one of the AIs, it was an Elroy model, still functioning.
"Paul ..." Vanessa said but broke off when McQueen touched her arm and shook his head no. As the young Marine knelt down awkwardly and grabbed the silicates head, the 'Cards held their collective breath.
"Wang, Paul," the machine said in an unnerving soft tone and gazed up at the man. "How can you do this? We told you that we did not intend any harm, we're your friends ..."
Relentlessly, Paul drove a K-bar into the silicates' head and shoulders, twisting the blade around once, twice, three times and more.
"You wanna have some more, AI?" he shouted and let go of the dismembered Elroy-model. Aching all over his body he managed to get onto his feet again. They had played around with his mind but this time he had been prepared. He had not given in to their coaxing, he had remained strong. When he looked up, he saw his friends and CO still staring at him and he gave McQueen the knife hilt first.
McQueen took it and nodded, he knew what Paul must have gone through and as the young man passed him and stumbled, he caught him around the shoulders and they made their way to the ISCCV.
There weren't too many patrols around after that and McQueen wondered for the umpteenth time why the Chigs had no reinforcements on this planet. He couldn't understand that these Aliens did not protect the lairs with their unborns better.
Shane took aim and sent the last bullet on its way, the head of the Chig almost ripped apart under the impact. Gas escaped in a furious hiss from the downed Chig, blinding Shane and Megan for a moment. When all was over the two women exchanged a look and Shane answered Meg's crooked grin despite herself. They were both covered in green ooze and blood and after Shane had pulled the Chig off Chambers she exhaled softly, blood was pooling around her slowly.
"How bad?" Meg asked in a whisper and Shane shook her head slowly.
"Bad ..." the young woman answered and quickly stashed some gauze from the medikit onto the bleeding and when she wanted to give her a shot of painkillers, Megan cringed away.
"Don't be such a sissy, Chambers," Shane coaxed. "You don't want to tell me you're afraid of syringes, do you?"
"The meanies ... make sure there's no phyllophetamine in it!"
Shane understood immediately and checked the tag on the syringe, after she had made sure that it wasn't an addictive drug she gave Megan the painkiller. Soon, Megan could feel that the pain slowly subsided and she drew herself into a sitting position.
"That was close," Megan said, hugging herself and Shane watched her.
"What are you doing here anyway, Meg? Did you go AWOL again on one of your private crusades?"
Megan had to laugh at this.
"Believe it or not, Shane, I'm actually on R&R. McQueen, Nathan and Coop are here as well," Meg answered and shifted uncomfortably to raise to her feet. Shane bent over her and helped her up.
"Come on, girl, we've to get out of here!"
Suddenly, a loud blast went off and Shane swung around. Lt. Carlson had grabbed one of the discarded weapons and had shot at ... them. Now the woman was screaming at the top of her lungs and it seemed as if she was loosing her grip.
"Shit, woman, are you mad?" Shane growled and making a grab at her, she kicked the rifle out of her hands.
But the woman avoided the kick and turning on her heels, she headed towards the nearest corridor. Shane flashed Megan a questioning look and after Meg had nodded, Shane grabbed the K-bar and ran after the woman. Megan followed more slowly.
Following the crazed POW down the corridor was more difficult than Shane had expected. Obviously, this woman knew which way to go and which turn to take. The young Marine had just rounded another corner when she spotted the POW with two silicates at the other end of the passage. Shane hid quickly behind the corner and closed her eyes for a moment.
Two against one! she thought. And counting in the woman it looked even worse. Her head snapped up when she heard a noise coming up from behind, and ready to pounce on her alleged attacker she swung around. She exhaled softly when she came face to face with Chambers. The woman's face was pale and the dressing around the middle of her body was drenched in blood again. Somehow Meg had managed to get her gun out of the holster and she was holding it awkwardly in her right hand.
"How are you doing?" Shane whispered, knowing full well that in Megan's condition the woman wouldn't be any help.
"I'll manage as long as I don't have to break an Olympic record," Megan retorted. "Shane, do me a favour and get the safety off," she shoved the gun into Vansen's hand and she did as she was asked.
"Are you sure you can handle the gun with your right hand?" Shane inquired, knowing that Chambers was left-handed.
"Just keep out of the way when I'm firing," Megan said through clenched teeth. She clutched her left arm as pain shot through the left side of her body. "Where's Carlson?"
"At the end of the passage. It seems she's quite friendly with the AIs ..." Shane replied and both women each took a turn at catching a look at the end of the corridor.
"Stockholm syndrome," Meg whispered and Shane looked at her somewhat confused. "She thinks that we're her enemies ..."
Both women took a look again when they heard a door open. They edged slowly closer, always using the shadows of the dimly corridor to advance, they reached the door and the guardroom behind it.
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