Chapter 8

For the Fallen

"So where are we headed anyways?" Holly asked Daze as they enjoyed the shade and the cool breeze under the bridge.

"I'm not sure, but I do know about where we are," Daze looked up, "Hey, Rojas! We headed to the house of sovereigns?"

"Towards it, we'll split up a little before we get there." Rojas tried the mic again. Nothing. "When we do split you guys can make your way to the fortress."

Rojas changed back to Channel two. "Anything yet Clara?"

"Nope…wait…," static washed through the earpiece.

Just then they all heard a large explosion.

"What was that?" Rojas asked through the mic. "What is going on?"

"I don't see them…wait…there they are," Clara's voice crackled through the static.

"They are all right, one sec." They heard a rifle shot and then she turned off her mic.

"What was that about?" Holly asked as Daze stood up to look back the way they had come.

"I'm not sure, but that was one big explosion."

"Yeah but what did they say?"

"Clara said that everyone looked all right," Daze picked up his gear and checked his rifle and lancer, "we're gonna be moving soon so get your stuff ready."

Holly didn't need to be told that last part, she had already checked her ammo and was walking over to where Jack and Jet were relaxing.

Daze looked out the way they were headed, he saw a large cream colored van and the beginning of a building, other than that all he saw were steep banks and no way out.

"Looks like a trap doesn't it," Nick Hastings said as he walked over, "I noticed you fought well back at the warehouse, you really are your fathers son you know that?"

"You knew him?" Daze asked surprised.

"It was hard to not know your old man," Hastings said smiling, "everyone knew him, and liked him, even when they disagreed people just couldn't help it."

"Never did know a better leader than your dad, except for maybe Rojas," Nick looked back, and the funny thing is that he learned almost everything he knew from your pa."

Nick pulled his helmet on and then put his hand on Daze's shoulder, "You watch out now kid, I want to see you guys all off safe and sound, especially you, they need you more the you know."

Daze held his stare and then looked back over his shoulder.

"Looks like the others are here," Hastings said as he let go, "I'm going to go check my men, make sure they're ready."

"How many'd ya get? Cole asked as Baird and the others jogged up.

"Hard to tell, we dropped a building on quite a few of the bastards."

"Used up most of the Det-packs," Cather added.

"Well it won't slow them for long," Rojas said, "lets move out now. Hasting, Lantle, Daze and Clara, I want you four up front.

"Be careful," Holly said quietly it as Daze walked by.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

He thought about that for a moment. "Well I guess we'll see," he thought to himself.

Daze hurried up to the corner and looked out down the street.

"Uh-oh," Daze said to himself.

"What is it?" Hastings asked.

"I see two troika emplacements, one on either side of the street."

"Any locust?"

"None."

"Hmm," Hastings thought about this for a moment, "Move to that van, you might be able to see some from there, I'll cover you."

Hastings looked around the corner as Daze moved slowly to the van, watching the street as he did.

There was a small glint of sunlight from the top of the building.

"Look out!" Nick shouted as he ran and pushed Daze behind the van.

The snipers bullet missed Daze's head and buried itself into the chest of Capt Nick Hastings.

Daze fell headlong behind the van and struggled to drag Nick's body behind cover.

"Sniper!" Hastings shouted as he coughed blood, "He's on the roof, about thirty meters to the…" his shout was cut short by a second bullet, this one penetrating his heart.

"No!" Daze shouted, "Clara, take out that sniper!

Greg Lantle ran out to give Clara cover, but made it less then two meters before he was cut down by troika fire.

"Where in H did they come from," Daze shouted, "Throw a smoke and I'll try and flank them!"

Susan threw it and they waited as the smoke began to grow.

Daze pulled off Nick's helmet and raised it slightly above the top of the van.

There was a loud crack as it broke apart, a gaping hole in the top.

As soon as the sniper shot Daze started running for the far side of the building.

Clara meanwhile, had followed the trail left by the bullet. "Gotcha." she said to herself as she looked down her scope at the locust sniper.

"Bye bye now."

The recoil felt good this time, a pleasant reassurance that yet one more locust was dead.

She swung her rifle to bear on where the troika would be once the smoke cleared.

A figure ran through the smoke right in front of her just as the troika came into view. Clara adjusted the rifle slightly then pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the locust gunner between the eyes opening up a huge hole in the locusts helmet.

"I would have enjoyed a little more red," she thought to herself, "oh well, that makes two more."

Daze turned the corner and jumped over a large concrete barrier. He continued running until he got to a small hallway that ran in a straight line with the two troikas.

He sighted down his lancer at the locust gunner who was manning the other turret.

"Take it out quick Daze!" Clara shouted through the mic. "We've got them coming behind us!"

Daze heard a noise from the roof of the building. He looked up just as a locust grub and a wretch jumped down behind him,

He turned to fire but had his lancer knocked out of his hands as the wretch jumped on top of him.

Daze struggled in desperation as the wretch clawed and wrestled to get at his throat. He rolled over and straddled the wretch, putting both fists together and swinging a sweeping blow from the side that crushed the fragile bone of its face.

As Daze reached for his knife the wretch swung its clawed hand and tore a long stinging gash in Daze's chest. He pulled his knife despite the pain and was about to stab the wretch when a boot to the ribs sent him sprawling.

The locust drone had been watching in obvious delight at this "game" between Daze and the wretch.

The wretch took the opportunity and jumped on top of him once again, pinning Daze's arm with its own. Daze struggled to throw off the wretch but had little success. The wretch waited, watching its squirming prey and knowing that it would soon have a meal.

Daze stopped flailing for a moment then struck the wretch with all his strength, only managing to knock it off balance. But that was all he needed. He grabbed the wretch's head with his right hand and flung it off as he reached with his newly freed left for his revolver.

He drew it and fired at the locust, who was just starting to realize that the "sure thing" he had been waiting for wasn't so sure.

Only, he realized it too late.

The shot entered just under the pelvic bone, shattering the base of its spine and rendering its legs useless. It fell to the ground but it also turned as it fell and trained its hammerburst on Daze before he could dispatch the wretch.

Daze turned quickly and put one more bullet into its chest as it fell. As he was doing this, the wretch had turned and leapt back at him, knocking his pistol away and pinning both his arms.

As it lowered its head to finish Daze off, he heard running feet.

"Hopefully it'll make it fast." Daze thought as he closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate.

He heard something hard connect with something soft and then felt the weight of the wretch lifted off him.

"Kill the gunner!" Holly shouted as she kicked the wretch off, "I'll take care of this one."

The wretch had skidded to a stop a few feet away and was turning to run ,when Holly followed it and fired a short burst from her lancer, splattering its blood and brains all over the concrete.

Daze scrambled for his own lancer and, grabbing it, sprayed the locust gunner with bullets, ripping through its armor and leaving bloody pockmarks on the wall beside it.

"Thank me later," Holly told him as she moved out into the street, "and hurry up and tell Clara and them to get their butts over here!"

"Rojas, the street is clear," Daze spoke through the mic, "I'll cover you with the troika."

"Roger. We're coming around now."

Just then Clara, Justin, and the teens came running around the corner followed a few seconds later by Rojas and the others.

"Keep going till you get to the fountain," Daze shouted to his friends as they ran past, "I'll catch up after the roadway is clear."

As Daze said this he felt the underground rumble of the locust tunneling machines.

"Ah crap," he said to himself as he watched the van vibrate and shake.

"Daze! Run! We have to get out of here," Rojas shouted, "I'll have Cather cover the road."

"I'll be alright Rojas," Daze said as he let loose on the locust who had just turned the corner, "tell us when you find a way out."

Cather immediately manned the turret on the right side of the street.

"C'mon you little S-O-B's," Cather muttered quietly, "You tell me if any get around you."

"The hole came up just next to that van," Daze replied as he continued firing, "I can kill them just when they get out and for a little bit after but if they are fast I'm not so sure."

"Then I'll get that side of the building."

Without a moments notice Cather pulled the troika off its mounting in a loud, grinding screech. Ammo feed trailing, he walked over to Daze and set down the turret.

"I got it kid," Cather said solemnly, "You tell Rojas that I'll meet him in the barracks tomorrow if I make it through."

"Its been an honor sir," Daze backed from the mounted turret.

"I'm gonna come looking for you kids if something happens to the squad," Cather said as he spun the turret up to speed, "They are the only friends I got left."

"We'd all like that."

"Good. Now get going."

Cather fired a short burst at two locust who had made a run for the other building. The high powered rounds cut the locust apart, spraying blood and body parts onto the street.

Daze didn't waste time on stupid questions, but turned and started running towards the fountain.

"Finally," Cather said to himself as watched Daze hop over another barrier and disappear, "Now lets see how many of these Sum-btches I can take with me."

Cather knew that if he let any flank him that the fight would be over sooner than he would like, the turret only covering the road way, so he paid most attention to the emergence hole and the van, where locust might be able to group up and bolt for the building.

There was a clanking and buzzing sound as bullets ricocheted of the front guard of the turret. The locust had peeked around the corner and were now firing at Cather.

He made a movement as if to swing the gun towards them but cut it short and started firing as a group of locust made a break for the building. The first locust took two rounds in the body and exploded in a shower of flesh and bone while the others were equally ground up.

Cather took this chance to fire at the locust at the corner, the bullets leaving molten pockmarks along the pillar.

Then he waited.

Five minutes passed and still the locust hadn't made a move.

"Aw sht," Cather said as he thought, "Damn locust are gonna come up behind me."

So he started firing…and he didn't stop until the troika was out of ammunition.

"Clever ass-wipes," Cather reached down and hefted his makeshift SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) then made his way through the hall and to the right, "this'll give them something to chew on!"

As Cather turned the corner he saw the locust getting ready to make another rush. Six were standing behind the van and at least thirty were waiting around the corner. There were a two boomers and a good number of wretches besides the usual Drones and Grenadiers.

But what got Cather's attention was the gigantic locust in black that was walking back and forth among the soldiers giving orders.

He heard a shout from a locust that had looked around the corner saw that he was not at the gun anymore. The locust started to move around the corner as Cather stepped out into the open began firing.

The locust were taken completely by surprise, the six by the van being cut down first as Cather walked strait at the locust as he fired. Having no extra ammo, the troika would not be able to fire for very long, but it had enough to decimate the tight packed group of drones.

The confusion that had at first been prevalent now gave way to rage as the locust found their attacker and took cover. Though they tried to find cover of sufficient mass, the pulse rounds of the heavy gun ripped through all but the thickest concrete and metal.

Of the forty or so total locust there were now but ten or eleven, seven or eight of them being wretches, whose timid and cowardly nature had made the first thought in their base and primal minds instant self-preservation. Besides those however, the locust general was standing out in the open waiting, it seemed, for Cather.

Cather checked how much ammo was left in the troika. "Only fifteen shots." he thought to himself.

He was about to fire at the general when a large Reaver flew in and dove at Cather.

Cather dropped his turret and dove for cover as a torque round exploded near him.

As the beast flew out and made a turn to attack head on, Cather sprinted to where he had dropped the troika and fired the remaining rounds at the large animal.

The shots went wild with out a stand to steady them, even so Cather got lucky as a round hit the drone pilot and tore off its arm. Another round hit the Theron guard who was riding behind, sending it crashing to the ground.

As he had been doing this, the wretches had began running towards him to attack and only now did he notice this.

"Sht!" He shouted as he threw the heavy turret into the first wretch, crushing its frail body under the immense weight.

He didn't have time to grab a firearm as the small creatures leapt at him. As the first one jumped for his throat he grabbed it by the neck and threw it into the ground as hard as he could, then grabbed two more, and with a mighty roar crashed their heads together, then the last three jumped on him and tried to drag him to the ground.

Cather merely shook them off as they bit and scratched at his heavy plated armor. He grabbed another by the waist and neck and pulled it apart, blood spraying out of its now headless body. As the two small locust turned to flee he hurled the head at one of them with all his strength. The head hit the wretch in the small of the back, breaking it and leaving the wretch helpless.

He started to chase after the fleeing wretch but saw the two drones approaching with their hammerbursts at the ready. He didn't slow but continued his rush. One of the locust raised his weapon and fired, only two shots hitting, and those only glancing off his armor.

As Cather reached them, he clothes lined one and grabbed the other in a bear hug. As it struggled to free its self, Cather squeezed as hard as he could, breaking the locusts ribs and collapsing its diaphragm. He let the locust sink to the ground and grabbed its Hammerburst from the from its limp hands. Cather brought the gun around on the other drone who was just getting to its feet and fired, the bullets flew through the air and ripped into the locusts stomach, chest, neck and shoulders as Cather's aim proved dead on.

Cather felt a pain in his leg and looked down to see that the first drone had buried a knife in his leg. He flipped the Hammerburst upside down, grasping it by the handle and slammed the heavy barrel down on the locusts head.

Cather let out a loud sigh and tossed aside the broken Hammerburst.

He turned now and stared at the locust general, who had taken an intense interest in the fight between the drones and Cather.

"You would have made a general in the locussst army," RAAM hissed as he drew a long, evil looking sword and began advancing toward him, "but now you die!"

Cather pulled the knife out of his leg and drew his own knife as he went to meet the general.

RAAM swung the sword downward but Cather sidestepped it and moved in close. He stabbed at the locust generals midsection but neither knife could penetrate the heavy armor.

Now RAAM advanced and began swinging the sword with broad, heavy cuts. It was all Cather could do to block and parry the blows.

As Cather was backed up by the swift, heavy blows he thought of something. He looked and saw the torque bow lying a few feet from the emergence hole. As RAAM brought the sword across in a horizontal swing, Cather ducked and rolled over to the torque bow and grabbed it.

He didn't back up as RAAM moved in again, but instead attacked with a strong downward thrust of the bow's attached blade. RAAM caught the blow with his sword as the bow's blade slipped into one of the serrated grooves.

Exactly as Cather had planned.

He pulled with all his strength and managed to wrench the sword free from RAAM, grabbing it up in his off hand.

Now he stood and charged up the torque bow.

"Good bye you ugly mother…"

Cather's body jerked backward as his fingers let go of the trigger. He had heard the whine of the bullet too late and only now did the crack of the rifle signal his execution, a long crimson streak stretching out along the pavement.

RAAM hurled himself backward as the torque round exploded right beneath his feet.

He stood and looked around through the smoke for Cather's body. He saw the spray of blood and his sword, but he didn't see the body anywhere.

RAAM walked over to the hole and looked down. He saw a large streak of blood proceding down the wall of the hole a few feet and was satisfied.

A large Theron walked up beside him and asked in a hissing, gravelly voice. "What would you have usss do my lord?"

"Leave their bodiesss but clean the trap…we ssshall have more prey before long."