twitch of his lips betrayed him, and he grinned. “I’ll get you for that.”
Tyco smiled and tipped his helmet as he brushed past. “Let’s move!” He called, tapping in as he stepped quickly across the road and made for the cover on the other side. “Next mark is 10-point-3 clicks Northeast.”
Two quick clicks from Chip answered him, and the radio fell silent again.
Tyco and Ghost set off down the road. Ringo hung back, eyeing the truck.
“Hey, boss,” He asked. “What about the wheels - ?”
A loud crack sounded from the hillside, and something whistled through the air, slamming through the truck’s hood. A split second later, flames emerged from its hood, spreading quickly over the mud-caked canvas cover.
Ringo stared up at the hillside, disbelieving. “Oh, come on - !”
Tyco turned back to the truck to see the flames licking around its engine. Ringo stood rooted to the spot, dangerously close to the vehicle. Tyco's face fell as the fire engulfed the truck.
“Ringo - !” He barely raised his voice, but the urgency was clear in his tone.
Ringo whirled towards him, then glanced back at the truck. His face fell immediately, realizing the imminent danger. He let out a strangled roar and dove for the roadside–
Even as the engine exploded behind him, hurling glass and metal high into the sky. Ringo was flung clear into the underbrush, thudding heavily as he landed and skidding sideways through the growth. He rolled to a hard stop in the tall, dry grass.
“Cap.” Chip tapped in. “Can I finish him?”
“Chip!” Tyco sighed, wearily.
“Act of mercy, I swear!“
“Jesus H Christ - !” Ringo groaned from the brush. He crawled to his knees, then raised himself quickly to full height, angrily throwing back his head. “That fucking traitor!”
“Ringo, you ok?” Tyco called quietly as he rushed towards him.
“You better stay up there forever.” Ringo growled into his comm. “’Cause if you come down here, I swear – .“
“That’s it, Ringo.” Chip’s smirk was audible. “Use your words.”
“Shut up.” Tyco broke through. “Both of you.” He quietly picked a twisted piece of metal as long as a little finger out of Ringo's uniform and held it up to the light. "And Ringo?"
The soldier turned to look at the shrapnel between Tyco's fingers. He raised his eyebrows in appreciation of its length.
"Next time I say we're moving out, you fall in quick, got it?"
"Yes sir." Ringo nodded quietly.
"Then let's go." Tyco said, turning away quickly and dropping the shard of metal in the middle of the road.
FOUR: RENDEZVOUS
The valley became greener as they descended. Trees began to rise in small clusters from the hillside, slowly growing into small forests. The creek became a stream, then a small river. And the road, if anything, became worse. And still, for several long, hot miles, there was no sign of the locals
Tyco, Ghost, and Ringo walked in focused silence, each man checking his display intermittently. They kept to the woods, with Chip trailing at a zealously guarded distance. The silence was eerie; the lack of hostile response only underscored the near-total lack of friendly contacts. With the unit at full strength, they would have seen enemy patrols by now, but their absence gave some indication of how few pods had made it safely to the planet surface. The team moved methodically and warily through the forest, old hands at the game of combat hide-and-seek which strategic insertion demanded. Chip, it seemed, reveled in his isolation, tapping in only when Tyco demanded it. Ringo, meanwhile, could have cared less about the friendly company; his machete bounced ominously against his side, and he kept his eyes peeled for likely future victims.
But Tyco was worried, though he tried not to show it: the improbable odds of his mission were looking worse with each passing second of radio silence. The beacon blinking on his
Tyco smiled and tipped his helmet as he brushed past. “Let’s move!” He called, tapping in as he stepped quickly across the road and made for the cover on the other side. “Next mark is 10-point-3 clicks Northeast.”
Two quick clicks from Chip answered him, and the radio fell silent again.
Tyco and Ghost set off down the road. Ringo hung back, eyeing the truck.
“Hey, boss,” He asked. “What about the wheels - ?”
A loud crack sounded from the hillside, and something whistled through the air, slamming through the truck’s hood. A split second later, flames emerged from its hood, spreading quickly over the mud-caked canvas cover.
Ringo stared up at the hillside, disbelieving. “Oh, come on - !”
Tyco turned back to the truck to see the flames licking around its engine. Ringo stood rooted to the spot, dangerously close to the vehicle. Tyco's face fell as the fire engulfed the truck.
“Ringo - !” He barely raised his voice, but the urgency was clear in his tone.
Ringo whirled towards him, then glanced back at the truck. His face fell immediately, realizing the imminent danger. He let out a strangled roar and dove for the roadside–
Even as the engine exploded behind him, hurling glass and metal high into the sky. Ringo was flung clear into the underbrush, thudding heavily as he landed and skidding sideways through the growth. He rolled to a hard stop in the tall, dry grass.
“Cap.” Chip tapped in. “Can I finish him?”
“Chip!” Tyco sighed, wearily.
“Act of mercy, I swear!“
“Jesus H Christ - !” Ringo groaned from the brush. He crawled to his knees, then raised himself quickly to full height, angrily throwing back his head. “That fucking traitor!”
“Ringo, you ok?” Tyco called quietly as he rushed towards him.
“You better stay up there forever.” Ringo growled into his comm. “’Cause if you come down here, I swear – .“
“That’s it, Ringo.” Chip’s smirk was audible. “Use your words.”
“Shut up.” Tyco broke through. “Both of you.” He quietly picked a twisted piece of metal as long as a little finger out of Ringo's uniform and held it up to the light. "And Ringo?"
The soldier turned to look at the shrapnel between Tyco's fingers. He raised his eyebrows in appreciation of its length.
"Next time I say we're moving out, you fall in quick, got it?"
"Yes sir." Ringo nodded quietly.
"Then let's go." Tyco said, turning away quickly and dropping the shard of metal in the middle of the road.
FOUR: RENDEZVOUS
The valley became greener as they descended. Trees began to rise in small clusters from the hillside, slowly growing into small forests. The creek became a stream, then a small river. And the road, if anything, became worse. And still, for several long, hot miles, there was no sign of the locals
Tyco, Ghost, and Ringo walked in focused silence, each man checking his display intermittently. They kept to the woods, with Chip trailing at a zealously guarded distance. The silence was eerie; the lack of hostile response only underscored the near-total lack of friendly contacts. With the unit at full strength, they would have seen enemy patrols by now, but their absence gave some indication of how few pods had made it safely to the planet surface. The team moved methodically and warily through the forest, old hands at the game of combat hide-and-seek which strategic insertion demanded. Chip, it seemed, reveled in his isolation, tapping in only when Tyco demanded it. Ringo, meanwhile, could have cared less about the friendly company; his machete bounced ominously against his side, and he kept his eyes peeled for likely future victims.
But Tyco was worried, though he tried not to show it: the improbable odds of his mission were looking worse with each passing second of radio silence. The beacon blinking on his
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