Chapter Four: Nasty Surprises
Carl rolled over in his sleeping bag, cuddling Nala close to him. She sighed contentedly, snuggling into him. He smiled, stroking her hair tenderly. She was so powerful – and yet at that moment she looked so vulnerable. Carl kissed her tenderly on her cheek. She murmured something unintelligible in her sleep. He then looked up at the sky. The sun had already risen; it was going to be a beautiful day. He remembered the INTEL debriefing; they had to get ready for it soon. But he wanted to hold Nala a little longer. Nala suddenly shot up bolt right out of Carl's grasp.
"What gives-?" Carl began. Then he felt it as well. "Oh, no! HQ – the entire complex?!."
"We have to go back – NOW!" Nala yelled, grabbing Carl's hand and flashing them into the compound's staging area. With her mind, she accessed the HQ's warning claxon and turned it on. Suddenly, troopers were bounding out of their beds, jumping into uniforms and running to join their squads. Nala turned to Carl.
Warn General Redwing, she said into his mind. She is still in the compound. Carl nodded and closed his eyes.
Done, he replied, opening them. Where is the squad? Nala now closed her eyes. Carl could feel her searching for them.
Zim is rousing everyone. Lieutenant Rico, Dizzy and the others… It looks like everyone stayed on base. We have to get away from here! The Arachnids – they have started a chain reaction!
How much time?
Twenty minutes, tops!
"Commander Nala! Officer Jenkins!" Carl and Nala turned to see General Redwing, coming down from her quarters, still buttoning her uniform jacket. "What is the meaning of this?"
"The Bugs, General," Carl began. "They are digging underneath. Given Hawaii's unstable geological nature, they are going to turn SICON HQ, MI Barracks - everything into a caldera. We have twenty minutes to evacuate. We have to get at least five miles away from ground zero."
General Redwing sat down on the steps hard. "Twenty minutes," she repeated. "I don't know -."
"You can do it, General. Alpha Squad, Officer Jenkins and I will cover the evacuation. Call down dropships from the orbiting starships. Arachnid ground forces will be here any second! Everyone has to move NOW!" Nala yelled, helping the General to her feet. Redwing shook herself out of her morbid reverie and began barking orders to her orderlies. They needed retrieval ships – and fast.
Carl turned to Nala. "Why can't you deal with them – like you did last night?" Nala shook her head sadly.
"Not enough time to rest in between miracles. Gallivanting across the universe does take its toll on a being. I'm not as omnipotent as I appear. Now - get Alpha Squad here on the double. We'll stay until the bitter end. Then you will have to help me teleport everyone out." Carl nodded and turned to leave when she grabbed his arm and squeezed it. "I will not leave you behind, Carl. Never forget that!" She stepped back and stretching her arms out, took to the air, becoming a ball of red flame. She darted across the field to the outside, where Warrior Bugs were advancing on the compound and buildings. She had a grim look on her face as she hovered ten feet above the perimeter walls. So…now it begins, she said to the oncoming horde. She steepled her hands and allowed fire to build in between them until a ball was formed. Gods, she whispered. Please forgive me, and threw the fireball into the advance.
Thunderous explosions rocked the area outside the compound as the squads inside were boarding retrieval ships to escape the area. Officers and Troopers alike were in shock at this turn of events. They had fought so hard and long to take back Hawaii. Now, it was all going to be lost within minutes. Everyone leaving caught sight of a huge red ball of flame, throwing down fire and something combustible on the Warrior Bugs. One Lieutenant cheered, saying, "I don't care where the help comes from. So long as it's fighting for us!"
Carl found Alpha Squad outside of their barracks getting their gear together. Doc and Goss were all ready in their Marauders; Zim, T'Phai, Brutto, Higgins, Flores and Rico were loading up their Moritas with everything they had. Johnny waved Carl over.
"Carl! What the hell is happening?" he screamed as another explosion went off.
"HQ Complex is under attack. The Bugs have been digging underneath all this time. We have ten, maybe fifteen minutes until everything goes under. Nala is fighting them off as best she can – but she needs our help. Come on!"
"Carl – wait!" yelled Dizzy. "You'll need your gear!" She reached over and grabbed a rucksack that had all of Carl's fighting equipment. Carl turned to her, shaking his head and smiling softly. "No, Diz," he said calmly. "I won't be needing any of that…anymore." Dizzy stood up; ready to protest, when before them all Carl began to glow blue and his eyes took on the same frightening inner glow they had the night before. Come on, he said into their minds. We have very little time. We have to make sure the dropships get everyone out. Carl started running towards the perimeter wall. He turned, expecting the others to follow, but they were frozen, staring at Carl in disbelief. MOVE! Carl yelled into their minds. Rico suddenly found his voice and turned to his crew.
"You heard the man! Let's move, people! Perimeter defense! NOW!" Rico's Roughnecks ran to the perimeter wall where they saw three remaining squads with General Redwing, who was on a headset still coordinating the retreat, firing on the advancing Warrior Bugs. No matter how many were killed, the Arachnids kept coming. But the explosions were coming from a fireball floating overhead. Inside the conflagration, Johnny could just make out a shape. Nala? He asked with his mind, looking to Carl. Carl simply smiled. Who else? Was the quiet reply. He began throwing fireballs of his own at the Bugs, but his were blue. Nala looked down behind her. Carl could see her smiling broadly at him. You are a fast learner, she said softly.
Suddenly the ground under their feet shuddered. Without having to be told, everyone got up on the perimeter walls. It was then that Johnny really saw the mess they were in. HQ Complex had been surrounded. All of the outlying buildings that had just been rebuilt were once again in ruins. How could they have been caught so off-guard? Didn't INTEL realize the capabilities of the Arachnids? They had survived the cold of Pluto, the water of Hydora, the heat and methane atmosphere of Tophet. They had learned to adapt themselves genetically to Tesca Numerosa and finally had created the perfected Imposter Bugs that had destroyed so many of Earth's precious historical and natural resources. Didn't INTEL understand? The Bugs weren't playing patty-cake! They were playing for keeps.
No, Lieutenant. INTEL does not understand, came Nala's quiet voice into all of their minds. They think the Arachnids will stop. I thought they would have stopped by now. But we were all working from a false assumption. We all believed that the Arachnids wanted to save their own species. Now I understand the urgency, the brutal recklessness of their attacks. The Queen is dying. And she has no heir. She knows her species will cease to exist. And she wants to make sure she takes the Human Race along with her.
How do you know this? asked Carl.
The Queen is near, came Nala's reply. She hid their activity well – but her psychic shield cracked. She caught me off guard. And that alone is quite an accomplishment.
When we destroyed the Queen -, Carl began. It was a Queen!
Actually, corrected Nala. It was THE Queen. The Future Queen. I have been in discussions with my…'colleagues' concerning the Arachnids. They kept telling me that there was a fail-safe that would control the Arachnid population. Now I know what that fail-safe is.
Carl suddenly began to laugh out loud. Rico, General Redwing and the others looked to him.
What's so funny, Carl? Johnny asked.
To each Arachnid Queen, only ONE Queen is born. If that new Queen dies before beginning a new colony, then there is no new colony. And the old one dies, Carl finished softly.
So, began General Redwing hesitantly. Does this mean the Bugs are finished?
Nala and Carl sighed heavily. Finished? They can't replace their losses. But their numbers are in the hundreds of millions. If there were no war killing them off, they could exist for centuries, Carl answered.
Nala smiled ruefully. Even with the war killing them off, they'll be around for decades to come. The advancing Bugs had reached the perimeter wall. Nala turned her attention from the Warriors to three waiting dropships. With a wave of her hand, the three remaining squads vanished. The dropships then took off, their holds containing these last trooper squads.
Carl stepped down from the wall to the rampart, next to General Redwing. "Looks like you'll be coming with us," he said handing her a Morita pulse rifle. "I think you'll be needing this. Nala and I may be otherwise occupied." Rico and the Roughnecks were still firing into the oncoming Warrior horde when the ground shook again, this time knocking everyone off the wall and onto the rampart.
"I think it's time we all were going!" Rico yelled to Carl. Carl nodded, preparing to help Nala teleport everyone away when a drop ship came down into the staging area.
"Carmen!" Johnny and Carl yelled together, recognizing the pilot. Lieutenant Carmen Ibanez, one of the most gifted pilots in the Fleet, was also considered one of its' craziest. When she realized that Redwing had called for dust-offs for everyone except Alpha Squad, she took it upon herself to get them. "Get out -!" Carl yelled as he jumped down from the rampart to the staging area and began running towards the ship, trying to wave it off. The ground finally gave way; their time was up. Carl suddenly disappeared in a wave of crumbling asphalt and concrete. The dropship took off just as the incoming rush of lava engulfed the ground underneath. The lava bubbled up, devouring SICON HQ, MI High Command, General Redwing and all of Rico's Roughnecks.
