“Cormier, report,” Maria said. “Cormier.”

There was no answer.

“Fuck,” Cruz whispered.

Studying her schematic, Maria knew they were trapped. They couldn’t move in any direction without being gunned down. The flashes in the darkness from the corridor were blinding as a fresh barrage of pipes, nails, and other sharp metal scraps were fired at high velocity at them. The metal objects sang against the generator as they impacted.

“We’re almost to the bottom,” McKinney’s voice said.

“Hold your position,” Maria said.

There was a lull in the attack from the Anomalies.

“Castellan, I need an analysis fast. How much time do we have between their barrages?” Maria asked. Her eyes flicked to Dwayne’s image. She could see others gathered around him. At her request there was a flurry of movement. The feed was starting to cut out and soon she knew she would lose communication as she zeroed in on the Chief Defender’s location.

“Twenty seconds,” Dwayne’s voice answered.

An explosion of sound and a hail of metal fragments exploded against the generator.

“They have to reload whatever they’re firing,” Maria said softly to her people. “The second the lull hits, rush them. It’s our only chance.”

“Understood,” was the answer from McKinney.

“Watch who you’re firing at. We’re coming in from the dead-end on the right. Move when I say.”

She waited through two more lulls and attacks before uttering the words she dreaded.

“Go!”

Skidding around the generator, she charged forward. The shapes of her squad rushing in from the staircase were a blur in her periphery. Mikado and Cruz were just ahead of her. McKinney leaped over a barricade, firing as he landed amidst the Anomalies on the other side. Maria and Denman hit another barricade, toppling the stacked machinery over on top of the howling creatures on the other side. Gunfire and the strange staccato sound of the Anomaly weapons filled the corridor. Darting around a barrier, Maria fired into the face of an Anomaly. Mikado was just ahead of her, heading toward the huge weapon the Anomalies had been firing at them. A counter sprung up on her visor screen, warning her that the weapon was nearly reloaded.

“Mikado!” she shouted, falling back behind one of the barricades, taking cover.

The barrage erupted again. Cruz and Mikado screamed at the same time.

Mikado’s armor reported his death, his status flashing red on her screen.

“Denman,” Maria gasped.

She could see him analyzing all the data pouring onto his med-screen in his helmet. He shook his head.

“Eviscerated,” Denman said.

Cruz continued to scream, her gun firing. Maria had no idea where the soldier was located, but the squad was now up against the first set of barricades. She had caught a glimpse of the massive gun and the Anomalies clustered behind it before she’d been forced to seek cover.

The flying pieces of metal skidded across the concrete floors and punctured the walls and ceiling. Then the gun fell silent.

This time the Anomalies were waiting for the Boon. Their projectile weapons fired as the squad rushed them. Maria barely caught a glimpse of Mikado’s torn body before she was in the thick of things. She felt a hard punch to her chest, but her armor resisted. The pipe projectile clattered to the floor, but her body hurt like hell. She fired at the Anomalies trying to cut her off as McKinney tossed one over his shoulder, heading for the gun. The countdown on her helmet was moving swiftly to zero and she could see the ghostly form of the gunner feverishly reloading.

“McKinney, toss me!” Cruz shouted. She lay on the floor, wounded, clutching her weapon to her chest.

Maria barely had time to register what the two soldiers were doing before an Anomaly attacked her. It was a woman, her murky eyes terrifying in the night vision blues. The female Anomaly tried to fire her weapon directly at Maria’s helmeted head, but Maria knocked it aside and sent a blast of bullets through her enemy’s torso. The woman staggered a few feet, drawing a razor sharp piece of metal from a sheath. Maria fired into the Anomaly’s face just as the countdown hit zero.

Dropping to the floor, Maria saw McKinney hook his hands under Cruz’s armpits, hoist her off the floor and hurl her small body over the massive gun. Cruz fired as she fell, targeting for the gunner. Her aim went wild, but Cruz fell into him, sending both sprawling.

The squad scrambled forward as the Anomalies set upon Cruz. Their grunts and cries and Cruz’s screams mingled with the blasts from her weapon. McKinney shoved the massive barrage gun over onto its side and scrambled over it toward the Anomalies attacking Cruz.

“Watch your fire!” Maria’s voice rang out as she followed in McKinney’s wake.

The Anomalies were trying to stab through Cruz’s armor and shatter her helmet, their metal weapons glinting in the flash of gunfire. Mayhem descended in the narrow space. It was difficult to even get close with Cruz’s weapon discharging.

“Cruz, hold your fire!” Maria’s voice was harsh against the din.

Though there were only five Anomalies still on their feet, the narrow space between the barricades they had erected in the corridor gave them the advantage. Maria stumbled as she crawled over the debris the creatures had packed into the narrow space as cover. Cruz’s cries rang in her ears. McKinney’s huge form loomed ahead as he shoved the Anomalies off of Cruz and fired at them.

Maria kicked over the body of an Anomaly tucked behind some old terminals. Its wild eyes glared as it gnashed its bloody, broken teeth. She swore she heard it utter “hungry” just before she killed it.

The gunfire ceased at last.

The blood and viscera were black in the night vision. Her helmet was reading multiple causalities, but she was waiting for Denman to update the stats. The Boon could take some serious wounds and remain on their feet. Denman moved swiftly through the carnage, scanning the Boon as McKinney dragged the bodies of the Anomalies to one side, stacking them.

“Are you getting the dog tags?” Maria asked.

“Yes, sir,” McKinney answered, dangling them from one hand.

“Holm, watch our rear,” Maria said.

The mute soldier nodded her head, taking up position.

Cormier’s stats read as KIA on her screen. Maria doubted that stat would change. There were Anomalies still in the building above, that much was certain. Some of the KIA’s began to change to WIA/BR and she sighed with relief.

Cruz staggered out of the gloom to her side. The smaller soldier’s helmet was dented on one side and her armor had some tears. Black blood ran down over the plates in the gray/blue murk of the night vision.

“Wounded in action and battle ready, huh, Cruz?” Maria said, slightly smiling.

“Those bastards suck,” Cruz grumbled.

“I don’t remember being trained in the fine art of being pitched like a football,” Maria said wryly.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Cruz whispered, her dark eyes settling on the broken body of Mikado. Several of the other squad members had pulled his pieces to one side.

Maria laid her hand on Cruz’s shoulder gently for a second, then moved forward to where McKinney stood ready to advance.

“Straight shot to where they’re holed up,” McKinney said in a somber voice.

“We go slow,” Maria said. “We need to be cautious. They’ve been here a lot longer than we have.”

More of the KIA’s altered to WIA/BR. Maria glanced back toward Denman as he continued his scans and sealed wounds. Holm and several other soldiers lingered near the first barricade, watching the stairs. Maria didn’t like being in this area. It was a killing zone.

Her screen flashed as Denman finished his task. Three KIA’s remained: Cormier, Mikado, and a big burly soldier named Klosk. She sighed, composing herself.

“What’s the delay?” Mr. Petersen’s voice said, interrupting her moment of silence. His voice sounded distant, the connection wobbly and fading.

“Securing the area before advancing,” Maria said briskly.

“We need you to-”

Maria cut off the feed. Dwayne would have to calm down Petersen. She didn’t have time to deal with him. Besides, she was about to lose all communication as they moved down the corridor.

“McKinney, lead the way.”

Chapter 31

“Back off and let them do their job,” Dwayne uttered.

“She cut my feed!” Mr. Petersen said, his usually placid expression flushed with anger.

“They’re trying to survive right now. They’re in the middle of a battle. They don’t need you interfering with what they’re doing,” Commandant Pierce added.

Dwayne stood with his feet apart, arms folded, glaring at the smaller man. “We lost three people in that action. We don’t need to lose any more. There are obviously more Anomalies than you projected, aren’t there?”

Mr. Petersen’s gaze darted toward Dr. Curran. She was standing nearby clutching her pad against her chest. It was difficult to read her expression, but Dwayne suspected she was just as surprised by the numbers of Anomalies the Boon were encountering.