When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (63 page)

             
Backstage, Jerry practically fell out of his chair
.“
Jesus
,”
he exclaimed
.“
Did he really just say that
?
”

             
“On live television
,”
Arthur said smugly
.“
Now w
e’
re in for it
.
”

             
Jerry stared at the monitor, head aching as he watched the leader of the free world be walked around the conversation like a dog in a show. Still, he could
n’
t help but notice, out of the corner of his eye, the cocksure look Arthur wore. It was almost as if he enjoyed the spectacle.

             
In the studio, the reporter looked nonplussed and continued to wear his cheap smile while telling the viewers they were taking a quick commercial break. The lights dimmed and a stage director signaled a two-minute break. John leaned in, his cologne reeking, and grinned maliciously.

             
“You were saying something about putting your foot in your mouth, sir
?
”

             
Alexande
r’
s blood boiled.

-                           
III                            -

              It was quiet, and in combat that was never a good sign.

             
Sitting on the roof of the commander's tank, Zev surveyed the battlefield. The minutes after the spores were released remained a blur in his mind. He remembered donning his protective gear and sprinting back toward the trucks so fast his lung burned. By the time h
e’
d reached the vehicle and the
y’
d activated the air filtration system, the word had gone out over the net. At the time, Zev had called it a chemical attack. The truth was far more horrifying. Inside the red mist were microscopic creatures, an alien biological agent that consumed whatever it touched. It did
n’
t take much to keep it out. If someone wore nothing but plastic wrap they would survive. But if it touched skin, nothing could save them. Only a few particles were needed to completely takeover the body.

             
H
e’
d heard the fight start in the sky. The explosions carried down from miles overhead, visible even in the bright day. It was a short lived skirmish, but the damage was immense. Five frigates, three destroyers and a dozen fighters were lost in the battle.
Midway
was shattered but still floating, and
Valley Forge
limped on. Ten more ships had to be scuttled after engineers discovered extensive core fractures. Everything froze after Admiral Walker sent out a cease fire. A Boxti message had arrived shortly after, announcing that they would send an emissary to meet with human leadership to negotiate an end to hostilities. No one, save the politicians who demanded the cease fire, believed a word of it.

             
Zev did
n’
t have any time to debate, as his shit storm had just started. The spores did
n’
t always kill what they contacted. Once the microscopic creatures inside the cloud latched on, they mutated their new host. While the Boxti creatures started building fortifications and walls to surround their citadel, the Terrans were attacked by what had been, until moments earlier, wild animals.

             
Dogs appeared, charging the line of infantry like crazed beasts. The spores had caused gross mutations. Muscles burst through their skin, spilling frothy pink ooze down their flanks. Their jaws had expanded to accommodate larger rows of spiny teeth. They brayed and roared as they closed ranks and leapt into the air, hungry for blood. It took three me
n’
s dying screams before the rest of the battalion opened fire.

             
Other creatures appeared: Horses, birds, wild cats and the enormous metasloths indigenous to the region. Each had been twisted into perverse abominations, tumbling toward the frontline in a churning mass of limbs and antlers and fangs. Had it not been for incredible discipline, the line would have simply turned into a battle charge to clear the plane
t’
s surface of any alien presence.

             
Zev looked over his shoulder at the pile of the
other
bodies. It had
n’
t just been animals affected by the cloud. While most humans died within minutes of contact with the spores, around one-in-ten survived long enough for the parasites to take hold. His friends, his brother soldiers, had risen from their painful seizures and attacked. Driven mad by the alien virus, and reformed into lumbering monsters, the infected drove a nail deep into the psyche of the combat force. It was
n’
t enough to have the planet seemingly rebel against them, but their own kind as well. After laying their brethren to rest, the soldiers gathered them in lines.

             
A pyro unit marched along the field, scorching the earth with flamethrowers. Even now, just covering the ground like a morning dew, the spores were deadly. Scientists had collected many to study, but considered their eradication a necessity. The soldiers remained in full MOPP gear, or Mission Oriented Protective Posture. The suits added weight to an already hefty load, and turned to ovens under the blazing sun. It was like being back on Kronos all over again.

             
Holding the ground was
n’
t difficult. The Boxti made no attempt at spreading further than the reach of their battlements. And it was
n’
t as though there were
n’
t more important tasks to accomplish. The plague had spread far beyond the initial landing zones. Much of Fort Metts lay in ruin, the streets crawling with marauding bands of things borne from nightmares. Most of the remaining forces on post conducted search-and-destroy missions. Special Forces units from the elite Team Hercules patrolled the area with another task, attempting to capture one of the infected for study. Beyond the fortified walls of the base, the nearby suburban sprawl was ablaze as panicked citizens attempted to flee their mutated neighbors. Many of the early victims ducked into their homes after coming in contact with the cloud, some spreading it to other members of the household. Now these buildings were time bombs waiting to unleash their hostile payload. No one awaited that chore eagerly.

             
General Casey, acting as commander of all ground troops on the planet, coordinated the rescue efforts with the civilian government. While some of the other units had broken during the biological attack, the Black Adders had rallied. They formed squad-sized rescue units and drove deep into quarantine zones in search of survivors. It was slow and bloody work, and each infected human killed felt more like defeat than victory. Across the planet, the military waited for the go ahead to turn their weapons around toward the true enemy.

             
“Sergeant
,”
Captain Grahams called out
.“
A word
.
”

             
Zev shook from his thoughts, setting the binoculars down on the turret roof. He watched the mirrors in the gunne
r’
s sight casing, known as th
e“
dog house
,”
twitch and jerk around. No doubt the sergeant inside was searching for a target amidst the activity on the ground. If only the order to open fire would come, the line of Shivas would unleash a wall of flame and death upon the enemy. The thought warmed Zev as he dropped down the side of the tank to meet his commander.

             
“Yes, sir
,”
Zev said, brushing dirt off his MOPP leggings. The area had been scrubbed ten times over, but spores continued to crop up. It had become second nature to check every time he touched a surface.

             
Grahams sucked on the water line inside his mask, scrunching his face in disgust at the taste
.“
These filters are old as shit. I think I have carbon in my teeth
.”
He rolled his eyes
.“
Ca
n’
t wait to get out of this suit
.
”

             
“You wanted to see me, sir
?
”

             
“Right
.”
The captain walked to the front of the tank, motioning for Zev to follow. A map had been rolled out on the front slope of the hull armor. Scans of the Boxti Hive had led to a series of blueprints. Sections of the structure were divided off and color-coded to match particular units. Grahams pointed to a wedge of honeycombed infrastructure circled in red
.“
Command is drawing up the plans for assault, when it comes. Our unit is being tasked with the main gate. We want to blow a hole in their fort big enough to fly a cruiser through
.
”

             
Zev looked unconvinced
.“
Fleet has enough trouble putting holes in their carriers. How are we going to do that with a barrage of 205s
?
”

             
“Tha
t’
s the beauty part
,”
Grahams said
.“
Valley Forge
is going to knock on the door with Thunder and Lightning
.
”

             
Now that got his attention
.“
An orbital bombardment? This close to friendly lines
?”
He shook his head
.“
Tha
t’
s batshit crazy, sir. Some Admiral with a hard-on for the big guns wh
o’
s too young to remember how many soldiers died from friendly fire back on Mars
.
”

             
“Those were sectional fire solutions from frigates and destroyers. Not cruisers, sergeant, and not one with PACs. The rounds do
n’
t have time to stray off target, and they can be guided in by LDAG
.
”

             
Zev had to concede the point. Laser Directed Arms Guidance packages made orbital bombardments marginally safer for those on the ground. Not that it was much comfort when the kill zone for a single PAC consumed almost the entire battlefield. Still, better odds than trying to open up that ship by knocking lightly on the front door.

             
“How are things at Metts
?
”

             
The commande
r’
s shoulders dropped
.“
Bad. Best estimate is sixty percent of the population infected, with most of that comprising the civilians on post. I
t’
s harder to sanitize the area when it includes people's wives and children
.
”

             
“Have the lab coats had any luck with their specimens
?
”

             
“Mostly no
.”
Grahams rolled up the blueprints and stuffed them into his bag
.“
The spores are something unlike any species w
e’
ve ever seen. They figure it would take years to figure out how they even work, let alone find a cure
.
”

             
“What about the Grays
?”
Zev asked. He did
n’
t even realize h
e’
d used the slur, and the captain made no note of it.

             
“No help. Too busy bitching that we should
n’
t wait to talk to these bastards. I have to agree with them there
.”
He leaned closer, conspiratorially
.“
Somethin
g’
s going on with them. A few of their ships have bugged out during refueling. Cranked up to Stride and sped away, like they know something we do
n’
t
.
”

             
Zev nodded. He looked high overhead, the sky still streaking white lines of smoke as debris continued to rain down from the long quiet battleground
.“
Maybe they know a way to fix this. To clean up the spores
.
”

             
Captain Grahams shrugged
.“
If they do, the
y’
re not telling. Look, whatever the Boxti are planning does
n’
t matter now. Keep your men clear off the carpet and make sure the
y’
re following containment protocol. W
e’
ll have a formal briefing once this plan comes together. Just make sure the
y’
re ready to knock that ugly brick back into space
.
”