Battle Earth IX (14 page)

They banked hard and headed north for the Channel.

"Are they coming after us?" Taylor asked.

"Uhhh....yep."

"Fuck, how many and what are they?"

"Looks like a single fighter coming after us."

"We got any weapons at all?"

Rains shook his head. "She ain't nothing but a transport."

"What do we do?"

Taylor looked around, and Charlie was now standing behind him.

"This is your mission. You're in charge here," replied Taylor.

Jones stopped to think for a moment.

"They're closing on us," stated Rains, "so think fast!"

"Put out a message on all channels. Colonel Taylor of Inter-Allied calling for immediate assistance."

Rains turned around in surprise. "It won't reach anyone but the enemy. We can only communicate short range with their jamming."

"I'm well aware of that, Lieutenant."

 
Rains quickly understand and conveyed the message across all open channels.

"Dangerous game you're playing here," Taylor whispered to Jones.

"Yeah, just playing on your celebrity status."

"So you just announced to the enemy the man they want dead most in the World is aboard this ship that has no defences? Good move."

"Hey, you said I'm in charge. Let me take the reins."

Taylor backed off, and Jones looked back to Rains.

"Repeat the message. If they fire directly at us, deploy countermeasures, but as late as you can. Then power down and fake engine failure."

"I can do that," Eddie replied with a smile.

He put out the message once again, and immediately a warning light flashed on the cockpit.

"They're trying to knock our engines out. This is gonna be close," said Eddie.

He moved his hand up to the emergency countermeasures button and held his finger just millimetres over it. His hand was shaking a little while he watched the scanner.

 
"Almost, almost..."

He quickly hit the button, and they felt the copter rock as the explosion erupted just behind them. Jones was knocked about the cockpit but managed to hold on to a rail above Rains. The pilot quickly reached forward and powered down the engines to emergency only.

"That's it. We're on backup power in a controlled descent. We'll be on the ground in about a minute."

"No we won't," Jones said firmly.

He turned back to the crew compartment.

"We've got guns aboard, so we just need to see the whites of their eyes."

"That should be my line, should it not?"

Jones smiled at Taylor. "Get ready."

He raised his rifle and stepped up to the side door.

"Think they'll be stupid enough to come this close?" asked Robinson.

"Damn right! They'll want visual confirmation Taylor is on board, and to be sure nobody bails out."

"They're closing fast!" Eddie shouted out.

"You just tell us when they get parallel with us," Jones said calmly.

"Yeah, whatever you say."

"And be ready to get on the power."

They waited in silence, and Jones could feel the sweat dripping down his face. He prayed the plan would work but knew it was a gamble, like so many others.

"When I open that door, you fire like hell," he said.

"That's your plan?" Taylor asked.

He only stared back.

"Okay, okay."

"They're coming alongside us!" Rains hollered.

"How close?"

"About twenty-five metres!"

"All right, we're in luck. You ready for this?"

They all nodded in agreement as they stood in a firing line beside the door.

"We've only got one shot at this, so you make sure they don't fly again...three...two...one!"

He hit the door release, causing it to quickly slide across and reveal the alien fighter matching their speed alongside them.

"Fire!"

All six of them stood side-by-side and opened up on full auto. Several dozen shots had peppered the hull of the ship that was little larger than their copter. The engines quickly fired, but as it began to move away, they kept up the vicious barrage of fire into the rear of the ship's engines. A small explosion caused fragments to break off the rear hull, and smoke began to belch out.

"Get us moving!" Jones shouted.

Taylor was still firing, looking back until the craft passed beyond range. They both took a look out of the door. It was diving towards the sea and finally plunged into the water. Jones hit the door button and slumped back down into a seat with a sigh of relief.

"Not a bad plan," said Taylor.

Jones nodded in agreement. "Improvise and overcome, is that not what you always said?"

"Bet your ass."

Taylor went back to the cockpit and looked out once more. In the distance, he could see dozens of black shapes on the horizon.

"What the hell are they?"

"That's the enemy," replied Rains in surprise.

"That far north?"

He turned around. "Britain must be under attack if they're this far north of France."

"I'd be astonished if she wasn't," Jones said.

"And you can live with that and keep doing your job?"

"I wasn't aware it was our job we were doing here?"

"No, but you know what I mean."

The other Brits all looked to Jones for answers, as they were all clearly anxious.

"War is on all over the World. Doesn't matter where we fight, just that we win," he replied.

Taylor gestured for Jones to come up to the cockpit. He obliged but groaned as he got to his feet.

"What is it?" Jones asked.

Mitch leaned in close and spoke quietly.

"All this we're doing, all of it to get your family out of a warzone. What about theirs?" he asked, pointing over to troops who had come with them.

Jones was stunned and speechless. Taylor could already see a little shame in his eyes for thinking only of himself.

"They have given everything for us, everything for you. Shall we not pay it back in kind?"

Jones coughed to clear his throat.

"What have you got in mind?"

"Their families, all those of the Brits amongst the Regiment, they all lived on base, right?"

"Near enough."

"Then that's where we're heading, once we've done our job."

"That's probably fifty families. What are we gonna do with them?"

"We'll find a ship, and we'll make it happen."

"And when we get back to Pittsburgh? We'd be spiriting them away from one warzone, only to take them to another."

"But it would give them hope, something which is sorely lacking, right now."

Jones shook his head. "It's crazy."

"So is flying half way across the World to rescue one women and her unborn child."

He couldn't disagree. "All right, all right."

"Then you tell them."

Jones nodded in agreement and turned back to the others.

"You've gone far beyond what I could ever, or should ever have asked of you. I do not doubt many more among our Regiment would have given it their all, but it is you four who are here with us. You are helping me to save my family, and I intend to return the favour."

"What do you mean, Sir?" Wood asked.

"I mean I fully intend to try and get all our families out. Once we're done in France, we'll head back to base and round up all the families we can, and who wants to come with us."

"But why?" asked Evans.

"Because they are counting on us for safety, and we're not giving it to them. The World is in tatters. Let's be sure to protect what we have."

"Britain isn't lost, is it, Sir?" asked Lewis.

Jones shook his head.

"We're going into France because the country is on its knees, but if Britain is still in the fight, I say let 'em stay."

Jones turned back to Taylor who seemed shocked by the response.

"Can't force them," he said to the Colonel.

It certainly made their lives a little easier, as the logistical nightmare was already giving him a headache even before he considered the risks involved of such an operation.

"How long till we reach Meaux?" Jones asked Rains.

"About twenty minutes, providing we don't hit any more trouble. I'll be hugging the coastline as long as I can."

A flash lit up the cockpit. "Holy shit!" Rains swore loudly.

Jones and Taylor rushed to his side. He was looking down at a battle raging below to the south.

"Guess there is some fight left in France, after all."

Rains banked a little for them to get a better view. For several kilometres, they could see burning wrecks of vehicles from both sides and trench works where troops still fought on, although there seemed little clarity as to where the lines were. It looked more like small skirmishes scattered about the remnants of the epic battle that had been fought there so recently.

"Poor bastards," whispered Jones.

"Same all over, nothing we can do for 'em," replied Taylor.

They carried on silently for their target and awaited some news from Rains.

"That's it!" he finally yelled, "We're on the final stretch to Meaux."

"How does it look?"

"Like a mess, Jones."

He was studying his scanners, but the readings were still being jammed.

"There's a battle going on there, for sure. You want me to put down?"

"No, you let us out and find somewhere safe to wait."

"Safe? You're kidding, right? But you'll have no way to contact me," he replied, looking across at a map on a screen beside them, "I'll put down here," he indicated at a small opening between trees several kilometres north of the base, "If I have to bug out at any point, I'll be airborne and looking for you."

"Not exactly a well structured plan."

"Was any of this?" Taylor asked.

As they flew in towards the base, they could already see Mechs advancing from the west. They had occupied more than a quarter of the base while skirmishes went on throughout many other areas.

"You'll be jumping into a shitstorm," said Rains.

"What's new?" Taylor replied.

"All right, get us over the main walls and let us out there. We'll go the rest of the way on foot."

"You sure?"

"You don't want to get in this fight. We need you and this bird in one piece."

"Yeah, well I'll try to keep her that way. But it seems every time I take Taylor somewhere, he gets us blown to hell."

Taylor and Jones stepped back towards the others and opened the door as they came in. Wind gushed into the crew compartment as they all got to their feet.

"We stay together throughout, and keep it tight!" Jones gave the order.

Rains lifted the nose and put power down on the landing thrusters to bring them to an abrupt halt so that they could jump together. Jones didn't say a word. He simply took a leap out of the door, and the others soon followed. As Taylor hit the ground, he immediately looked back at the copter. Rains got off safely, quickly soaring away, and hugging the ground at the same height he had dropped them off at.