Taylor was still alive. A smile broadened across the man’s face.
“You gonna help me up, or keep looking like you wanna kiss me?” Taylor jested.
Sugar took a hold of the Major’s arm and hauled him to his feet. Mitch groaned as pain soared through his body. He’d almost gotten used to not feeling like a total wreck.
“You okay, Sir?”
Taylor nodded. He lifted up his rifle and turned at the sound of gunfire. He suddenly realised where he was and their purpose for being there. He shook his head to try and wake himself up and then looked to Sugar and the others who were awaiting his orders.
“Let’s get our people back. Let’s go!”
They all cheered as they rushed forward to the end of the corridor. Campbell led from the front; his beloved sniper rifle slung on his back and a Reitech rifle in hand. Taylor winced as he hobbled forward. His neck creaked in agony, and his arm was numb. His spine was only saved from breaking on impact with the wall by the rigidity of his armour. It was little consolation when it hurt so much.
Gunfire erupted in the corridor ahead before the Major could get around the corner. He heard a cry of pain as Allen, one of his section, was struck in the arm. The Private collapsed back against the wall as the others kept firing. Energy pulses rushed down the corridor and blew gaping holes in the space between the wounded man and Taylor.
“Fuck!” bellowed Allen.
The Private screamed at the top of his voice. Taylor could see that the shot had dislocated Allen’s shoulder and taken the flesh down to the bone. He turned to see Campbell huddled behind a metal-wheeled cart that had already taken a blast from the enemy. He peeked around the corner just enough to catch a glimpse of the enemy as a burning pulse of energy zipped past his head and narrowly missed singeing his eyebrows.
The section took cover in doorways and behind trolleys like Campbell. They could barely get a shot off under the hail of energy blasts. Taylor could make out a single fallen Mech further along the corridor, but they had done little other damage. Corporal Hall looked back into the face of his leader.
“Sir, we need to get the fuck out of here!” he shouted.
Taylor looked back down at Allen who was still screaming in pain, and with no one attending to him. The Major was still stunned from the blast and had frozen. He looked back into Hall’s eyes with an expression that put the fear of God into the Corporal. Hall leapt across the hallway between enemy fire and reached the adjoining corridor from where the Major had been watching.
He grabbed hold of Mitch by his arms and threw him back against the wall. Hall had only been Corporal for a week, and promoted not through experience or natural progress. He was filling the shoes of a dead marine. Taylor hit the wall hard, and his armour clunked hard against the thick wall that jolted him. He looked at the Corporal in utter shock.
Taylor still looked dazed and did nothing to push him back whilst gunfire continued to rain down the corridor beside them. Hall slapped the Major hard across the face. The Reitech suit made the strike land harder than he had planned, and Taylor’s head snapped quickly around. He immediately turned back with blood dripping out of his mouth. His eyes squinted, and Hall could see life return to his leader.
Mitch took a firm grasp on Hall and wrestled him quickly back against the far wall, and with his left arm depressed into the Corporal’s throat so that he couldn’t breathe. As the man choked, he looked around to see further light pulses smash into the wall just a metre away and blast through it. Dust sprayed out into the air all around them. He looked back to the Corporal who was starting to lose colour in his face. He quickly released his grip, and Hall did his best to stand tall.
“That’s more like it,” he croaked.
Taylor looked down and saw two grenades slung on the marine’s webbing. He let go of his rifle and let it rest
“You gonna help me up, or keep looking like you wanna kiss me?” Taylor jested.
Sugar took a hold of the Major’s arm and hauled him to his feet. Mitch groaned as pain soared through his body. He’d almost gotten used to not feeling like a total wreck.
“You okay, Sir?”
Taylor nodded. He lifted up his rifle and turned at the sound of gunfire. He suddenly realised where he was and their purpose for being there. He shook his head to try and wake himself up and then looked to Sugar and the others who were awaiting his orders.
“Let’s get our people back. Let’s go!”
They all cheered as they rushed forward to the end of the corridor. Campbell led from the front; his beloved sniper rifle slung on his back and a Reitech rifle in hand. Taylor winced as he hobbled forward. His neck creaked in agony, and his arm was numb. His spine was only saved from breaking on impact with the wall by the rigidity of his armour. It was little consolation when it hurt so much.
Gunfire erupted in the corridor ahead before the Major could get around the corner. He heard a cry of pain as Allen, one of his section, was struck in the arm. The Private collapsed back against the wall as the others kept firing. Energy pulses rushed down the corridor and blew gaping holes in the space between the wounded man and Taylor.
“Fuck!” bellowed Allen.
The Private screamed at the top of his voice. Taylor could see that the shot had dislocated Allen’s shoulder and taken the flesh down to the bone. He turned to see Campbell huddled behind a metal-wheeled cart that had already taken a blast from the enemy. He peeked around the corner just enough to catch a glimpse of the enemy as a burning pulse of energy zipped past his head and narrowly missed singeing his eyebrows.
The section took cover in doorways and behind trolleys like Campbell. They could barely get a shot off under the hail of energy blasts. Taylor could make out a single fallen Mech further along the corridor, but they had done little other damage. Corporal Hall looked back into the face of his leader.
“Sir, we need to get the fuck out of here!” he shouted.
Taylor looked back down at Allen who was still screaming in pain, and with no one attending to him. The Major was still stunned from the blast and had frozen. He looked back into Hall’s eyes with an expression that put the fear of God into the Corporal. Hall leapt across the hallway between enemy fire and reached the adjoining corridor from where the Major had been watching.
He grabbed hold of Mitch by his arms and threw him back against the wall. Hall had only been Corporal for a week, and promoted not through experience or natural progress. He was filling the shoes of a dead marine. Taylor hit the wall hard, and his armour clunked hard against the thick wall that jolted him. He looked at the Corporal in utter shock.
Taylor still looked dazed and did nothing to push him back whilst gunfire continued to rain down the corridor beside them. Hall slapped the Major hard across the face. The Reitech suit made the strike land harder than he had planned, and Taylor’s head snapped quickly around. He immediately turned back with blood dripping out of his mouth. His eyes squinted, and Hall could see life return to his leader.
Mitch took a firm grasp on Hall and wrestled him quickly back against the far wall, and with his left arm depressed into the Corporal’s throat so that he couldn’t breathe. As the man choked, he looked around to see further light pulses smash into the wall just a metre away and blast through it. Dust sprayed out into the air all around them. He looked back to the Corporal who was starting to lose colour in his face. He quickly released his grip, and Hall did his best to stand tall.
“That’s more like it,” he croaked.
Taylor looked down and saw two grenades slung on the marine’s webbing. He let go of his rifle and let it rest
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