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Chapter Twenty-Two: Out on Patrol
The streets of Cote D'Azur looked pleasant in the orange morning sunlight. Walking through them with weapons in hand and explosions throwing you off your feet, however, was an entirely different matter.
Because my platoon was ordered to take point, I was leading not only them through the eerie-quiet city streets, but the entire company. I would be the first to make contact with the Covenant and probably be the first to die.
Some luck.
I looked down at my shotgun again as I walked forward, first squad in tow. The safety was off, as I suspected; the gun was also fully loaded. One movement that caught my eye the wrong way would find a twelve-gauge shotgun shell in its chest.
Only first squad and I were out on the streets, marching forward quickly but cautiously. Hidden on our left flank was third squad, while second acted as rearguard. Several klicks back were third and second platoons, as ordered.
We had only gone six kilometers towards the city when Lieutenant Hillburn hailed me.
"Find something, Hillburn?" I radioed.
"Not really, ma'am. I was just thinking about those Banshee air patrols."
"What about them?" I asked, involuntarily looking up at the sky.
"Well…where are they?"
I suddenly realized she was right. I doubted we'd gotten pilots up that fast from Europa Base, or that they'd had enough air power to take on Banshees covered by battleships.
"I don't know, Lieutenant. But let's keep our eyes and ears peeled. And watch those motion trackers, because the Covenant might be sending out probing patrols of their own. Relay these orders to the platoon," I said.
"Yes, ma'am."
The young second lieutenant was with third squad at the moment; we had to be separated because if something happened to me, she'd have to take over the platoon. But what she'd said was true: we were forty-four kilometers from the Covenant force, maybe less since they were moving towards us, and still no alien aircraft. Something fishy was going on.
As I walked along the road, I wondered where all the civilians had gone. I found it hard to imagine that they'd been evacuated if this had been a sneak attack. So why were these places devoid of people? While this was the less populated area of the huge city, there should have been at least some amount of activity. But so far, there was only the sound of our boots hitting the pavement.
The calm before the storm, I thought to myself. Something's going to happen soon here. I just wish I knew what and from which direction.
Presently my radio crackled, and Kingston's voice surrounded my helmeted head.
"Lieutenant Cooper, report."
"Nothing yet, sir. It's awfully quiet."
"That's exactly what bothers me, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir. I've got that spine-tingling feeling that---"
I happened to glance up at the sky and see a swirl of purple swoosh through the clouds above. And last time I checked, clouds weren't purple on Sigma Octanus IV.
"Cooper?"
"Banshees," I whispered.
"Lieutenant Cooper?"
My heart started pounding.
"Sir! Banshees inbound! Coming in from the northwest, ten o'clock!"
"Take care of 'em, Lieutenant!" The captain ordered.
"Yes, sir!" I cut the connection and turned around to face my Marines. "First squad! Get behind those houses and hang on tight! Things are going to get interesting!"
"Ma'am? What's going on?" Corporal Dandh asked me.
"Banshees circling overhead, Corporal. And it looks like they're getting ready to make a pass."
As I ushered first squad to cover behind the area of spread-out houses, I opened a platoon-wide COM channel.
"First platoon, listen up! We've got Banshees on their way in! I want second squad up on those rooftops behind us sniping, now! Lieutenant Hillburn, get third squad to cover and keep your heads down! All heavy weapons rendezvous with first squad immediately!"
I watched as yellow dots on my motion tracker approached my position; I was crouched in someone's front yard, waiting, watching.
"Ma'am, we've got five Banshees, repeat, five Banshees coming in hot!" Corporal Dandh reported.
"Heavy weapons, you'd better be triple-timing it or we'll be a pile of rubble in about two minutes!" I said over the COM channel.
"Ma'am!" a voice beside me said. I turned and saw his friend-or-foe tag read LCPL GARDNER.
"Set up near that concrete planter over there, Lance Corporal," I instructed. "Try to get a Banshee on the way in and one on the way out. Anyone else have a rocket launcher?"
"Just me, Private First Class Jimenez, and Sergeant Russell, Lieutenant."
"Tell Russell to set up near the park bench down the street so he can get whoever you miss. Jimenez is to stay on the porch of the next house over. If things get too hot, stay low. Now go!"
Gardner sprinted to the planter on the other side of the street, where beautiful daisies, carnations, and roses were blooming. Too bad they were about to get fried by Covenant air support.
True to their name, I heard the Banshees on their approach before I saw them scream low into the road. Lasers of hot blue plasma left scorch marks on cars, homes, lawns, and other objects in the suburban environment. While crouching low in my same position, and ordering my troops to do the same, I watched the heavy weapons team at work.
Lance Corporal Stephen Gardner's rocket was propelled out of the tube with a wooshing sound; it flew at the alien aircraft at velocities only my helmet could track. Within seconds, Banshee Number One was trailing black smoke.
Private First Class Hector Jimenez, just a house up from first squad and I, let another round loose when Banshee Number Two followed seconds later. The private's rocket went just slightly to the left as the Banshee, not wanting to end up like the first, spiraled out of the way.
Plasma rained down on the houses and buildings, and chunks of plaster, concrete, and wood crumbled from the structures. When a particularly large chunk fell at my feet, I opened a platoon-wide COM channel.
"First platoon, watch your heads! I don't want any reports of Marines down because of debris!"
Acknowledgment lights winked on my HUD.
"Lieutenant!" It was Sergeant Corey Russell.
"Report!"
"Banshees One and Two down! Looks like Banshees Four and Five are thinking hard about coming at us, but Three is headed this way!"
"Ma'am!" Jimenez radioed. "Banshee Three's circling and coming from behind! They're headed straight for Sarge!"
"Russell, track 'im on your six!" I yelled into the COM.
"Found him, ma'am. Getting a lock!"
"Fire!"
There was a fireball in the sky above, as both Jimenez and Russell launched rockets at Banshee Three in unison. The craft exploded in midair before ever firing on the ground.
"Banshees Four and Five banking. They're getting outta here, El-Tee!" Gardner exclaimed.
"Keep tracking them for another minute to make sure. Squads, report!" I said.
"First squad present and accounted for, ma'am!" Corporal Dandh replied.
"Second squad present and accounted for, Lieutenant!" Gunnery Sergeant Jack Hills, the platoon sergeant, said.
"Third squad present and accounted for, ma'am!" Second Lieutenant Hillburn answered.
"Petty Officer Reynolds!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"What's our status?"
"No wounded, ma'am."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it."
I cautiously got out of my cover then, and stepped out into the street. The sun was really beating down now, so I had to squint to look up at the sky; just as my platoon had informed me, the Banshees were gone.
"Heavy weapons, return to your respective squads. Stay sharp and ready, though. That's not the last of 'em, and they'll be back soon. Everyone else, form up and get moving."
As I started marching back up the street with my platoon following behind, I saw the destruction left behind by the Banshees. Several cars lining the side of the road and those in driveways burned. A couple of them exploded, and I had to radio the rest of the platoon to let them know it wasn't an attack. Homes were missing parts of rooftops or stairs or had gaping holes in the walls; shattered glass lay everywhere.
When I finally walked by the planter Gardner had hidden behind, I noted that on top of the scorched flowers lay a single child's toy.
A smoking hole ran right through the teddy bear's middle.