The jarring of the Raptor woke Anja from her exhausted sleep, her green eyes going wide as she sprang to her feet. She saw the members of Martins team already up and moving about, many of them were checking weapons and other equipment. She got to her feet unsure of what to do and saw Danny move around the center crate, adorned in full body armor and combat gear. His black nomex uniform had cargo pockets on the legs and additional padding and armor over every portion of his body except for his joints. His combat vest was loaded with several grenades and a large automatic in a shoulder holster. He carried the wicked looking HK74 assault rifle with what she recognized as a grenade launcher under the silenced barrel. She rubbed her eyes as he stopped in front of her.
"Good morning sleepy head". He said with a smile, flashing his perfect white teeth.
Anja looked up into the dark eyes and face of the man who had made her feel things she never thought possible only a few short hours ago.
"Danny "Anja spoke softly." I....I don't"
Dan shook his head gently. "Jules explained everything to me." He told her, his voice just above a whisper so only she could hear him." I swear to you Anja, I had no idea what kind of effect I would have on you, but I damn sure don't regret a single moment of anything that happened between us."
"Danny you".
"Hear me out. "Dan said softly. "You may or may not believe me, but Im going to say it anyway just so you know. I want it to happen again, and not for the reasons you may think. I'm a genome yes, but I am also a man. And I am not so stupid as to not know what I want and don't want, regardless of how I act. I have Jules and she has me but we both want you. And thats a fact. Its its not easy for me to explain it, Jules is better at words then Ill ever be, but you you are incredibly sexy and Id be a fool if I said I didn't want it to happen again. The decision is yours, whenever you make it, and as much as I would like you to say its what you want as well, now is not the time. He held up the bundle for her to see. The Skipper says you are qualified for Hard Drops, so here is your gear. Your bags have already been stowed in Julies pod since you're riding down with her. He pulled the small hypo from his vest and handed it to her. This is your receiver and transmitter. They are normal coms, but Jules added our personal channel to your implant chip. Its eleven. This is from her." He handed her the hypo and small pouch.
"Thank you". Anja said taking the gear, never taking her eyes off him.
Dan pulled something else from the pack he carried. "This is from me". He told her, holding out the small black automatic, and the cut down version of the silenced HK74 he carried. I took a normal K12 and HK74 and reworked them a little. The weight and balance are the same, but they have more knock down than the standard K12 and HK that you are used too. I loaded three extra clips for the K12 for you and sized your thigh holster for the best fit.
Anja took the weapon while looking at him. "You sized it for me?" She asked.
Dan grinned in an almost embarrassed sort of way. "Anja I memorized every millimeter of your body in those few hours. I could pick your scent out of a crowd of thousands if I needed too". He told her, causing Anja to blush as well, but in the dim light of the Raptor no one else noticed.
"Thank you Danny."
Dan nodded. "Get suited up, well be entering the atmosphere in about twenty minutes." He told her before turning and heading forward.
"Altitude at twenty-seven thousand feet and we are in the pipeline."Ben spoke from the left seat of the Raptor.
Stealth systems are activated and operating at peak output". Tina said from the right seat. "We are a ghost."
Ben turned back to where Martin sat behind them. "Pretty standard Marty and well be over the target in sixteen minutes. TOT puts you on the ground at 2045 local."
"Nothing out of the ordinary Ben", Martin asked.
Ben shook his head. "Aside from a slightly higher temperature when we entered the atmosphere, it was a standard flight."
"I'm picking up a lot of com traffic". Tina spoke adjusting her instruments. "I am marking what appears to be search radars scattered all over, mostly X-band stuff. Nothing directed at us, but from the patterns they are using Id say they are looking for something."
"Is there anything coming out of the target area?" Martin asked.
"Looks like two search radars well east of the base. They appear to be stationary though. I'm picking up intermittent infra red signals within four kilometers of the base, could be people or it could be animals, theres no way for me to tell. I'll try zooming the High Res camera in on one of the clusters Marty. I'll patch the feed through to your station. "
Martin turned to his screen as the picture came up. It appeared to be nearing dusk, and the images were dim but very clear. He could see a small group of armed men and women running easily through the thinning trees as they neared the edge of the forest on the perimeter of the base.
"They look like soldiers." He spoke softly. "Soldiers that are running from something and that ain't good. Tina can you expand the view to ten kilometers."
"Stand by". Tina echoed, adjusting her instruments. "I'm picking up another larger cluster six kilometers behind the first. It looks like holy shit! Is that a tank?"
Martins eyes had also grown wider as he viewed the metal monster moving methodically through the thin forest, knocking down trees and uprooting bushes. "The tracked vehicle looked larger than a normal tank and sported a long tank gun that currently was pointed straight ahead. Thats not like any tank I have ever seen." Martin spoke, his eyes also taking in the soldiers that were marching on all sides of the tank. He estimated at least a company sized force". Whoever they are, it seems they are chasing the first group we saw. And both of them are heading right for the base."
"You want to abort Marty"? Ben asked. "We're still thirteen minutes out."
"No. " Martin answered. "We need to find out what is going on and..."
"Fuck!" Tina exclaimed." Something just hit that first group! What the hell is that?"
Martins eyes were glued to the screen as they watched what appeared to be an armored creature similar to a bear tearing through the first group of soldiers. "They were trying to track it and fire their weapons, but it didn't appear to have any effect on the creature. Already four of their number were on the ground and looked to either be dead or have serious injuries."
"Marty that second group has juiced it!" Tina called.
Martin thought he saw a flash of long black hair under the trees and then the creature struck and the hair disappeared.
"Well I'll be damned!" Ben exclaimed from his seat.
Martin turned from his screen. "What?"
"Just for shits and giggles I tried activating the base hanger controls by remote. Ben spoke, his hand resting on the controls of the Raptor. I never thought it would actually work, but take a look."
Martins eyes went to the small screen between Ben and Tina and he saw the ground beginning to open slowly. Dust was rising into the air as several hundred years of dirt and leaves and branches collapsed into the underground structure, but the hanger doors opened fully.
"Power readings from the base?" Martin asked.
Tina shook her head. "Minimal. "She answered. "And I'm not detecting any infra red signatures near the landing pad either. But we don't know about the rest of the base. Our instruments cant penetrate the outer shell armor."
Ben looked at Martin. "Its your call Marty". He said.
"Christ whatever that thing is, its tearing those troops apart!" Tina spoke from her seat.
Martin looked at her monitor." Jesus! "Martin muttered.
"Is that thing a bear?" Tina asked.
"That ain't no bear that Ive ever seen". Ben spoke from his seat. "Marty we..."
"Can we hit it from here with the Sabot Cannon?" Martin asked.
Ben looked at him. "Does a bear shit in the woods?"He asked.
"Do it!" Martin spoke. "Then take us in. I never did like Hard Drops but be ready for an emergency ascent."
Ben nodded." I like a man who knows what he wants". He said with a smile.
Tina looked at him. "So do I so where do I find one?" She said with a grin.
Martin and Ben both smiled at her comment." Warm up the cannons." Ben spoke." Marty put one of your people in the belly turret just in case."
Martin nodded." I got you covered."
TARIFA'S COMMAND PARTY
Tarifa's head was ringing from the glancing blow of the Grizz beast. The monsters huge paw had struck her at the full extension of a swing from one of its massive clawed arms and tossed her physically twenty meters away. The Grizz beast was a mutated creature designed to look like a bear and to hunt prey for the Alliance. The normal ones easily stood nine feet tall and almost two thousand pounds, and that was without the additional armor that the Alliance covered their hides in. Unprotected Grizz beasts would go down after being shot fifty or sixty times, but this one was in the employ of the Alliance and was heavily armored. Her weapon and the weapons of her warriors fired only small caseless 6.7mm rounds, and they did not even dent the armor of the monster. It was tearing through her party, ripping and slashing her warriors to death. Blood stained the ground around the fighting; seven of her party of nineteen already littered the forest floor, their blood seeping into the ground from horrible wounds that had disemboweled them.
Tarifa felt the terrible pain in her head and reached up to brush her armored hand across the side of her face. The back of her gauntlet came away coated in bright red blood, and suddenly Tarifa knew she was in trouble. Her vision started to blur somewhat as she slumped back to the ground on her butt, barely catching herself in time. The snarl very close to her caused her to snap her head around, her eyes going wide in terror.
The Grizz beast was only three meters away from her, rising onto its powerful hind legs and lifting its lethal clawed arm to strike her down and feast on her flesh. Tarifa could hear the screams of her warriors as they rushed towards her, trying to get the monsters attention to no avail. All of them knew they could not reach their Queen before the beast struck.
Tarifa flinched when she heard the wet plopping sound and her eyes went even wider when the Grizz beast rose to its full height and howled in agony. She continued to watch as even over the sounds of the monsters roars she head another similar plopping sound and this time she was showered with the monsters thick blood as a huge hole the size of both her fists blew out the front of its armored belly. Her eyes glanced up quickly only to witness the beasts head explode in a shower of bone and blood, spraying her and the surrounding area with more wetness.
The Grizz beast collapsed to the forest floor, its large head blown completely off, leaving only its fang filled lower jaw hanging lifeless in the shredded mess. The monster landed only a few feet from her and Tarifa scrambled back just as her remaining warriors ran up to her.
"My Queen," The man spoke, lowering his assault rifle and reaching for Tarifa, his hands pulling her away from the monsters inert body and helping her to her feet.
The High Elf warriors crowded around the mangled beast; their eyes wide in complete astonishment.
"Something something shot it!" Tarifa gasped. :It was about to it was ready to rip me to pieces and something shot it." She looked at the man with the smoking rifle. "You shot it?"
"I shot it many times my Queen." He answered her, his face showing his own terror. "One of my bullets must have penetrated its armor."
The High Elves suddenly became much more alert as their keen eyes began sweeping the darkening forest around them. Others moved to check on their fallen comrades, though it was far too late to save many of them.
"My Queen, you are injured." The man spoke, reaching up to the side of her head.
Tarifa steadied herself with the mans arm, as her eyes darted to where her fallen warriors lay. She moved to the first body where one of her soldiers grasped the hand of the female Elf. She was horribly wounded, her side practically ripped open, but she was alive.
"Marcus still pursues us." Tarifa spoke now, her head clearing. "He will not follow us in the darkness however, and we must use this time to get further away. Give her a sedative to silence her and then pick her up."
"Majesty she will only slow us down." The man spoke from her side". We can do nothing for her now, or any of the others. She is beyond our means to help."
Tarifa whirled on the young warrior." I will not leave her or the others for Marcus to find alive. He will heal them only to rape and torture them to death, if not worse. Now pick her up and let us go! We are not far from the sacred site and we will be safe there. Even Marcus will not enter the sacred site. We must hurry."