Dog tags

Chapter 2: Busy Work

What's goin on? Corporal Ethan Lane knew they had kept a low profile coming in, but he at least expected minimal resistance when they touched down. It had been five maybe ten minutes since touchdown and the Vulcan left them, and they hadn't encountered one helghast. He knew how the helghast worked, and he knew that if they detected an enemy dropship that they would at least send a patrol. But there was nothing!

"Whatsa matter man, those monsters should be swarmin right 'bout now.", Jazz quipped; looking around at the broken and charred building of some backwash city no one in their squad knew the name of.

"Watch your six, it could be a trap," Ethan gestured to Andrew and Chad, "Andrew go to that side of the street, pick a building get to the roof and radio me on a secure channel, Chad you do the same only on the opposite side of the street."

"Heh heh, c'mon bro lets post up," Andrew slapped his twin on the back and jogged to his designated side of the street. His brother followed suit.

Andrew entered the tallest building he could find. Looking around,hmmm nothing, this is screwed up. He instinctively thought, kicking a rock and watching a snake crawl out from under it. He looked around at the inside of, what he now knew was an abandoned hotel. Looks like a bomb went off in here, he thought knowing his hypothesis was probably true.

I wonder if there are any drink machines around here, He thought, liking his lips, I'm so thirsty. He checked all around the first floor. There were some rooms with vending machines but all of them were peppered with holes. He cursed sweat lining the edge of the black bandanna that covered his head. Chad had tried to tell him to pack his canteen, but noooo HE wanted to be stupid and make room for extra ammo. I hate it when he's right.

Well at least the stairs look well enough intact. He took the rail in one hand while whipping his sniper rifle around to his back and drawing his standard issued handgun. As he climb the seemingly endless fight of stairs (he already checked the elevator, it was out of order), the sound of crunching glass was all that could be heard. He noticed boot prints in the rubble and sand. And bingo was his namo. He continued up the stairs ready for anything that may threaten him. Almost there, twenty frickin floors. But his hard work paid off. He screwed the silencer on his handgun as he silently and very carefully approached the helghast sharpshooter.

Zeross was peering through the scope of his sniper rifle, oblivious to the fact that there was another presence in the room.

ISA bastards, what's that, that case their carrying? He glanced at each one of the vermin in the ally way hoping to find some answers. Wait a minute that looks like a…He went to reach for his comlink when he felt a slight pressure on the back of his helmet. He cursed himself.

Andrew pressed the handgun harder into the helmet.

"Mind telling me what you were thinking of doing with that sniper rifle?", He played with the enemy knowing he had the advantage.

"Go ta Hell vermin!"The helghast said in a voice that sounds like he was talking through a walkie-talky. They all sounded like that.

"Oh spare me, you're screwed and you know it. You're just mad at yourself.", Andrew tapped the barrel of the pistol against the helghast's helmet a few times. "You've already failed in your duty so why not tell me where you guys are hiding, huh?"

"Screw you", he said under his breath.

"Such a shame, well I guess dying like this is better than what we got in store for the rest of your little friends."

"Fu…", Zeross' curse was cut off by the soft pat that Andrew's silencer gave off.

"Ok, guys lets hold here until we get word from the twins." Ethan and his squad were kneeling in between two buildings trying to stay out of sight.

"They better…" Rob was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash as a helghast dropped from the same building Chad ventured into. The helghast fell with unimaginable speed onto an already destroyed car. "…hurry…up."

"'ey boss, I'm there, OH and I met a friend along the way too!"Andrew sounded pleased with himself over the secure channel that he had opened with Ethan.

"Yeah I think we met 'im. Listen I need you to scout the area with your sniper, if you must you can move from rooftop to rooftop to get a better view, open another secure link with your brother and keep in touch with me ok?", So far so good for now .

"Ethan, this is ChadNothin in this building not even a damn vending machine."

"OH TELL ME ABOUT IT!"Andrew chimed in "I looked all over this hotel and not even a si.."

Ethan blocked out Andrews rambling,"Very good, ok link up with your brother and he'll brief you, good luck, out.",Ethan liked Chad because he was the one twin that respected him, that's a one up in Ethan's book.

Chad yawned, "Well this is fun," He said sarcastically over the comlink. Looking down the scope of a sniper for too long always made him tired.

"Suck it up man, I think its rather fun."

"Well you got to kill someone, you've seen some actionthis just seems like busy work ta me."He zoomed in on his brother. Andrew waved from across the street, an oversized grin on his face. Jackass thinks he's funny.He thought as he waved back and gave a fake smile.

"Yeah well he cheated on me so what else was I supposed ta do?" He tried to sound as innocent as he possibly could, and it was working.

Chad rolled his eyes raising his hands to adjust the forest green bandanna he wore over his head, He's never that funny, why does he even try?He thought, wondering if they had an energy drink machine still intact somewhere. Hell he'd even go for some coffee despite how much he despised the brown gunk they call a drink, oh yeah a reeeeal waker upper.He thought as he yawned once again, This time throwing his fists up so his brother could see.

POING...….BAM

"Mother….!", Andrew cried as he rolled and found cover behind an air vent. "What the heck man did you see where that came from?!"

Chad quickly found cover behind the door leading to the roof, " Well judging by how long it took to hear the shot fired…Id say about three quarters of a mile that way, give or take." He pointed in the direction they were originally facing.

"How the…we scanned that whole area!"

"Damn," Chad swore as he whipped around his rifle and peered through the scope, quickly scanning every rooftop, anything! "He's probably reported our location to the rest of his team."

"Well don't you think that's what we should do?"Andrew retorted.

MEANWHILE

"How's Betty?" Lee asked while counting his ammo for the fifth time.

Ethan didn't look up, "Sleeping", He closed his eyes and took a swig of water from his canteen, bet Andrew like some of this deliiiiishous water. Something was wrong, he felt it. Just one that's all they've encountered. It just doesn't add up. There should be a seemingly endless horde of helghast here.

"Contact, we have contact. Single sniper, we think, for now but I have a feeling he's not alone!"Chad sounded frantic.

"Ok we'll move up and search for more contact, you guys stay on the rooftops and give us cover." Ethan just got what he was wishing for, a fight.

"We movin out sir?"Lee asked as he started repacking his ammo. Apparently he already knew the answer.

Ethan got up to meet with the others.

They all gathered around in a circle. "Alright people this is it, contact reported from the east. Our mission is to break enemy lines infiltrate this planets orbital defense station…."

"Which one's that?"Amber asked swinging her legs from on top of a dumpster.

"On the inside of this city, it's a huge citadel you can't miss it, anyway, we kill as many as we possibly can getting in, when we finally are in we set Betty's alarm clock, kill a few on the way out, then blow the place so our ships can come in and take back this planet. Sound good?"He said cocking an eyebrow.

"HOO-AH!"Ty shouted while giving his shotgun an affirmative cock.

"Then lock and load!"He smiled, "We're headin' out"

Damn fine group.