The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell (125 page)

  “Alright. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome sir.”

  Iverson then took a look at the anomaly on the video pad that was affixed on the table that he was at. It did look like a sensor glitch but when he took a look at the maintenance report, combined with what the sensors was suggesting, it suggested that it was related to the dark void. But in what way nobody could tell. Whatever this new anomaly was it appeared to be white and almost look like a small speck on the video monitor. It was also in the exact center of what was the dark void. Iverson did sent it to Captain Maxwell in hopes that it would boost his spirit and it did. But only a little bit.

(6)

  “The computers are down.” Ellis informed everyone after he finally got his two numnutz to do their jobs and not waste time.

  “Understood and good job.” Ramirez responded.

  “I got contact!” Jaguar 42R informed everyone. He was engaging spider-bots which were machines that could climb wall and ceilings.

  “Fuck I need help with these damn spider-bots!” Jaguar 42R pleaded with his teammates.

  “I’m on it!” Viper 33X responded.

  “We’re closer! We’re on it!” Ellis jumped in.

  “Viper, did you complete your objective!? Taylor asked him.

  “No sir.”

  “Complete your objective!”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Goddamn it! I always hated these damn things.” Coté mentioned. She, like the others, was having a hard time in shooting them. The worse part was about to begin for them. They were fixing to get bog down and they knew it.

  “Ma’am I just took out the LAN computers.” Viper 33X mentioned.

  “Alright. Go and help Ellis and your brother.” Vaistll responded.

  “Yes ma’am.” Viper 33X responded. Thirty seconds later he was almost gunned down by spider-bots. He then called out for assistance and the only one who could help was Ramirez. Everyone else was too far away. It didn’t take long for both Ramirez and Viper 33X to get bog down. The problem with those spider-bots was that they move fast, shoot, and then move again. And because of their small size, and the fact that they could communicate with each other, made it extra hard to destroy them. And if they are not destroyed fast enough, more would come.

  “Ma’am we need to take out these damn spider-bots!” Ramirez frustratingly said to Vaistll.

  “Any ideas?” Vaistll asked him.

  “If you got an Electro Auto-Rifle that would…” Ramirez was saying. “Shit! Are you alright!?” He asked Viper 33X. Everyone than heard Viper respond in the affirmative. “Ma’am, they made be small and fast but with one Electro Auto-Rifle we could be able to take them out.”

  “Ma’am, I’m nearest to the weapons storage.” Wexler mentioned.

  “Get on it.” Vaistll ordered him.

  “Yes ma’am.” Wexler responded. Five minutes later he shouted out, “Oh fuck! Battle-droid!” Things was going from bad to worse for the team.

  “Do you need assistance!?” Vaistll asked him.

  “Not now ma’am. I kind of busy dogging these damn… shit… gun turret and a…” Wexler was saying he didn’t finished but they could hear him breathing heavily from running.

  “Martinez can you provide assistance?” Taylor asked him.

  “Sir that will not be easy unless I have help.”

  “Alright I’ll provide the assistance.” Taylor responded. By that point in time only Vaistll was left to attempt her mission or help her teammates. But she too got caught in the same situation as the others. And now everything rest upon both Wexler and Taylor. (Taylor came close to being caught in the same trap as the others.)

  Since Wexler was too busy keeping the battle-droid preoccupied, Martinez needed Taylor to get the gun turret that was protecting the weapon storage area to target him so that Martinez could take it out.  Combined with the spider-bots that was coming, it was indeed a good miracle of their personal skills that kept both Martinez and Taylor alive. Martinez had to shoot the large cable wire behind the gun turret in order to disable it. Three minutes later (what felt like an eternity) the gun was down. Taylor had to go in, equip himself with the Electro Auto-Rifle, while Martinez was defending himself from the spider-bots.

  “Holy shit!” Martinez yelled out when he saw Taylor come out without any rubber boots on. He then ran over and tackle Taylor who just shot and destroyed one of the spider-bots. Both of them landed in the storage area which had a concrete floor.

  “Were you trying to electrocute us sir?” Martinez asked Taylor.

  “I never used one of these things before.” Taylor responded.

  “Yeah, it shows. Hey Wexler, are you okay?”

  “Not now!” Wexler responded.

  “We need you in here. Now!” Martinez ordered him.

  “Yes sir.” Wexler responded.

  “Gear up.” Martinez ordered Wexler. Martinez was holding the Electro Auto-Rifle. After Wexler gear up he went back outside to deal with the battle-droid first before he dealt with the spider-bots. (He had a score to settle with the battle-droid.)

  “Hey Martinez… you forgot your rifle.” Taylor mentioned to Martinez who ran pass his rifle that he drop when he tackle Taylor.

  “It’s useless sir. It’s been magnetized.” Martinez responded.

  “I’m sorry about using that thing. I didn’t know.” Taylor said feeling guilty since he realized that he almost killed Martinez.

  “Come on sir. We got some spider-bots to destroy.”

  It was slow going but they were capable of destroying those spider-bots. Martinez when asked about his beloved sniper rifle he lied and said that he’d dropped it. They knew that he was lying but they said nothing about it. (He was also carrying the rubber boots for his teammates in a backpack.) It was the look in Taylor eyes that told them that he had something to do with it. And they basically knew what it was. (Since they were wearing their helmet [they had a neuro-implant that allows them to consciously decide upon what to send as opposed to pushing a button or hearing everything] they could send what they wanted to their teammates.)

  Because they had the only Electro Auto-Rifle in the weapon storage area, it was a plus in the sense that it stop them from killing each other, but it also slowed them down considerably. Nevertheless they will be able to complete their mission without further interruptions. But because the facility was just so huge it will take some time before they will finish their mission and the factory is no longer a threat. It did dawn on them that somewhere in the facility is the human body of Captain Dawson, but they also knew that it was the primary mission of 1
st
Lieutenant Illes and not theirs. Besides the place is just too huge for them to waste everybody’s time in looking for him.

(7)

  “Captain Maxwell we need to talk.” Iverson was talking to him via a video uplink. It was obvious to Iverson that Maxwell was very drunk.

  “About what?”

  “Look, I would like to tell you that I know how you feel about losing your ship, but there is no way that I can ever understand what you are going through. It was a beautiful ship and…”

  “You don’t know the have of it.”

  “Then why don’t you help me to understand. One captain to another. If I were in your position, god forbid I don’t think that I…”

  “I arrived at Andromeda six weeks before the construction on The Hammer of Doom began. I was far more amazed about the alien technology that was on that world than the ship itself. And then I saw…” Maxwell stop as he took a sip upon his favorite liquor.

  “’And what?’” Iverson mentioned.  He too was drinking and Maxwell appreciated it.

  “I saw the most beautiful, what I thought was a Imperial palace… You couldn’t believe how beautiful the palace was. I suspected that both Lenkov and Omori would be there. So typical of those who’s rank is similar and not like ours.”

  “So where were they?”

  “They wasn’t there! I couldn’t believe that they were on the starbase that was constructing our ship. The starbase quarters were no more than 525 square feet. I was speechless!  I couldn’t believe it! No fucking way! And then I found out that…” Maxwell then took a slip on his drink.

  “And then what?” Iverson asked. He too took a slip on his drink.

  “That they were more than willing to live upon that ship! I guess it was okay since they were androids but still. Oh my god! I couldn’t believe it. I had to go and take a look.” Maxwell was deep in thought and he was remembering things with a heavy heart. A great sadness filled his heart that only alcohol could fill. He was on the verge of tears.

  “And what did you find?” Iverson asked.

  “When I arrived upon that construction starbase that is when I learned that they were living on that ship. The bridge was the only part that was just completed!”

  “Wow.”

  “Really. And then I arrived upon the bridge.” Maxwell mentioned. He then started to cry. It caused Iverson to drink more.

  “So what happened?” Iverson asked.

  “They were on the bridge singing and playing musical instruments! And they were good! It was like I just stepped into the recording booth of a damn good musical group rehearsing! It sounded like a rock concert! I was beside myself.” Maxwell was saying. He then broke down crying.

  “You shouldn’t let the enemy destroy their legacy, and their memory, by your failure in defending this world.” Iverson mentioned.

  “I’m glad we had this talk.” Maxwell added. Iverson knew that he got him. Captain Maxwell will do his duty no matter how painful it is.

(8)

The beast army that bypass the city of Aruka divided itself. One third headed south to a unknown locale and the rest headed north. Not a single shot was fired in the city. The people was just glad to be left alone. Only Captain Iverson pondered why they were headed in the direction that they was. When he asked Maxwell about it he said that it may have something to do with the core tunnels. When asked what was in it, Maxwell said that he had no idea.

  Maxwell sent some high altitude spy drones to those core tunnels and then had the video sent directly to Iverson. He did that because he didn’t want his personnel become any more disheartened than what they already were. Once the beast army went into the tunnel smaller drones that were flying close, but not too close, stayed by the entrance. (If they went in then the signal would have been lost.) An hour or so later the sounds of battle could be heard. Iverson not taking any chances fired a torpedo to have it do what was done at that one tunnel that Mad Dawg was at. Unfortunately a series of explosions occurred which destroyed the land over the core tunnel and then a high altitude artillery gun came out of it and destroyed the torpedo.

  “What the hell was that?” Ellis asked when he felt the earthquake.

  “I don’t know but this room just got a little brighter all of sudden.” Coté mentioned.

  “You know I thought that I heard a planetary defense gun being fired.” Nakada added.

  “That’s ridiculous. There’s no planetary guns near here.” Ellis mentioned.

  “Sir shouldn’t you show better respect towards Nakada since he outranks you?” Coté asked.

  “Then maybe he should act like it.” Ellis responded. He was right. Nakada didn’t always act like he outranks those under him. There were times in which he did, but lately he wasn’t.

  “You think that we should informed the captain?” Coté asked Nakada.

  “Of what? That a planetary defense gun just shot down a torpedo?” Ellis responded.

  “Well then maybe we should.” Nakada mentioned.

  “Why? There’s nothing we can do about it. I say let’s complete our mission then find out what went on out there.” Ellis responded.

  “Yeah alright.” Nakada responded.

  “Let’s hope that those guys up there don’t make it a habit of firing torpedoes down on this world. I don’t think that this world can take much more of that.” Coté mentioned.

(9)

  When Lenkov and Omori linked their ship’s computers to that of the starbase computers they then extended their consciousness into it. (They also did the robotic fleet as well.) After they did that they realized that they were in a computer simulated world of death, destruction and madness. Sayaka knew why that world looked like that. So she wasn’t in the slightest be surprised at what she saw. Madness always awaits those who foolishly integrate themselves into computers.

  “Look mommy we have guests.” The woman said. She was covered in blood and standing with an hatchet in her right hand and her left hand was up a dummy doll that looked like a chupucabra. She also had the most sinister look in her eyes.

  Neither Lenkov nor Omori was moved or frighten by what they were seeing. Sayaka extended her right hand with it looking like she was reaching for something and then shot electricity out her hand at the woman. Sayaka continued for thirty seconds before she finally stop. She then placed both her left index and middle finger on her left temple and had the look that she was in deep thought.