Return protocol, p.7
Return Protocol, page 7
Chapter 16
Arithmean Jungle, Havenhome
The ship came to rest above a thick wooded area, the trees warped and twisted in to corkscrew shapes with their whip like branches wrapped round them. Underneath them were wide ranging bushes with purple spiked leaves and an undergrowth of tall grass between. Behind a mountain range reached up, smoothed peaks and ridge lines marking it as ancient. The warmth of the sun was developing as it peaked over the mountain crests. Despite the differences, it could easily have been any jungle on Earth.
“In there is the source of the signal, extremely weak so I couldn’t pick it up through the atmosphere initially. It’s an automated replica recovery programme, not a ship distress signal as I first thought. If it’s an Exploration ship like this one, then I could use the nano resources to replace the loss from the missile attacks on Earth. It would also be helpful to see if we can recover the AI data dump, it may explain what’s happened to my planet,” said Yasuko.
Zuri chose her words carefully, very wary about what was happening with Yasuko after the trauma of the Orbital Station. “I would say that is something you want us to do but can’t ask for. I think, Yasuko, we humans are a terrible influence on you.” Zuri’s smile lifted the room. “Okay, Lance Corporal Finn you’re up. Smith, I think we are going to need those sensors. Noah, ever heard of a machete?”
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Zuri was on point, Noah shadowing with Finn at the rear after deciding it was time to swap the fireteam around a little. Besides, according to Yasuko, they had a good few hours of light and there was no sign of any Haven. It was nothing to do with his aversion to chopping his way through jungle undergrowth in intense heat, not at all. He checked the temperature gauge on the suit visor, an addition he’d specified for when they hit the mountains later on. Finn had not expected to be using it in heat that made the Sahara seem cold, otherwise coolant would have been top of his wish list.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
They made about a hundred yards into the jungle when Zuri brought them to a halt. The path she had made through the twisted vines and purple bushes was cut clean and straight but there was something holding her up as she signalled him forward.
“Sheesh, it’s times like these I’m glad I haven’t got a body.”
“Yeah, me too. You used to sweat buckets, and smell like ripe socks on a radiator.” Finn reached Zuri before Smith’s inevitable cheesy comeback. She stood next to a three-yard wide circular sink hole, the grass reclaiming the upturned dirt.
“Unusual,” Finn said, “Yasuko said nothing about ground issues. But it looks old, probably a few months ago at least. Want to change places, your arm must be suffering.”
“Not as much as my armpits, I’m cooking in here. Yeah, I’ll swap.” Zuri passed over the machete to him, Finn then handing it over to Noah.
“My turn to cover point, Noah. You get chopping. Another hundred yards until we reach the target point. I’m sure a young fit private in the King’s army can make it that far.”
“Very funny. Does it take long to develop jungle rot? My feet are sitting in at least two inches of sweat.”
Noah chopped at the vine in front of him, taking a couple of swipes compared to Zuri’s one. Finn gave it twenty yards before he’d be swinging the machete himself. As Noah continued to attack the undergrowth, he tried to keep his path as arrow straight as Zuri’s, hoping to minimise the effort and the sweat loss. But the constantly changing vegetation made it extremely difficult with some of the more fibrous plants resisting his best efforts. Finn maintained a careful watch on the jungle around the flurry of machete strikes, very aware that Noah was getting louder and louder. Maybe fifteen yards at most.
“Finn, there’s something going haywire with my audio sensor. I’d not paid much attention to it as we’re not inside, but these readings are downright weird,” said Smith over the radio.
“Define weird, Smith. You’re the ‘by the numbers’ guy. Weird isn’t your thing.”
“The ground and the trees are shaking, just marginally, but the oscillations are building and acting as a conduit for a low-frequency sound wave. But it’s not coming from any direction. The source is, well, everywhere.”
Finn’s anxiety rose a notch, Smith was spooked, and that was never a good sign, he raised his hand and took a crouched position waiting for Zuri to join him. He glanced behind as he radioed Noah, “Noah, stand still a second. Smith has a concern, but he can’t pinpoint from where. See anything?”
“No, wait, hang on a minute,” said Noah, as he reached down palm first on the ground.
Finn looked forward sweeping the trees to the front and side of Noah. They were moving, not hugely and not at great speed, but it was disconcerting. The bushes swayed, as if someone was brushing a hand back and forth along the top but too regular to be wind. Zuri squatted next to him, her hands on her weapon of choice, the same rifle they’d used at the Station though re-tuned for emphasis on the energy bolts. Along the stock she’d added a power meter for both barrels, with Noah and Finn copying it, they knew a good idea when they saw one.
Watching Noah, Zuri shifted her hands to the ground. “It’s moving, rumbling. It reminds me of trains running through Glasgow underground.”
“Oh crap, I’ve seen this film. Noah!” shouted Finn.
Noah looked to Finn as the pincers erupted from the ground grabbing his leg. They scraped along the ceramic plates, scrabbling for a hold and eventually wrapping round his calf rather than piercing the armour. Noah threw his left arm out to the side, trying to prevent being dragged down the hole whilst swinging the machete round. Finn reached him just as he brought the heavy blade down upon a huge antenna protruding above the chitinous claw. As the edge bit deep blue blood spurted from the crack, and the creature pulled back in pain hauling Noah deeper into the pit. Finn fired, focussing on the second antenna in the hope he’d miss Noah. The bolt dug into the exoskeleton at its base, melting the outer layer. The second bolt went deeper just as Noah’s unbalanced swipe sheared his antennae at the tip. Dirt in the pit vibrated, hovering above the ground before erupting into the air. Noah could feel his chest responding to the low deep sound that was thrumming around him, he couldn’t hear it but everything in his world seemed to shiver as it washed over him. The foot long pincers released his leg and slipped back under the earth as the rumble faded, Noah scrambled backwards getting his back to one of the twisted trees with his lungs painfully pressing against his chest wall as they drew in a breath.
“What the hell was that?” he gasped.
“Like I’m going to know, Smith on all channels. Any idea?” Finn asked.
“I’d be lying if I said I knew. I’ve tuned out the other wavelengths and picked up the sound range that thing uses. I won’t be able to locate it, but I can narrow down the area it’s in to about twenty yards or so if it’s using that vocalisation. Silent I’d have no chance.”
Zuri crouched down beside them both. “Do we go on? That was just one, if there are more we could be in serious trouble.”
“We know the signs, and as weird as all this is, I think we can handle it. I feel we owe Yasuko a debt or two, and this is what she wants. But if you two want to return, I’ll join you.” Finn waited for the answer knowing full well what it would be. Noah stood, machete in hand with his rifle still strapped to his back. Zuri stepped in behind him, in the ready position.
There’s my answer.
“We stay close, only a yard between. If we spread out we are multiple targets, we go high if we can if there’s another attack. Lead on, Noah.”
Continuing to hack away at the jungle Noah speeded up, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Zuri knew he’d pay for it soon but it would help him calm down. There were few things that scared her, and she was always the first to catch and remove whatever insects took up residence in her tent or clothes, but being dragged underground might just do it. Zuri had never found the space in a Bulldog or tank an issue, but caves were another thing. It was that feeling of a huge weight pressing down on you, similar to when the servos had given out on their armour in the Station.
Finn took over from Noah after he’d hacked his way through a commendable fifty yards. After twenty more the undergrowth lessened, giving way to tall, yellowed grass but much fewer bushes. Those prevalent were lower, with vine like tendrils that stretched across the jungle floor snagging at their feet. Finn hacked at a few but got no response, he’d seen that film too. A squatter variety of twisted trees now mixed in the jungle fauna, the leaves broader and taking advantage of the increased light the less dense canopy allowed.
“The ship’s ahead, I’m getting a radar response from multiple objects. Best guess it’s laying in pieces. No sign of those bugs.”
They continued on, Finn swapping the machete for his rifle checking the energy meter as he did so. With no concerns there they carried on towards the vine covered wreck emerging ahead. Finn left Noah at the rear as he and Zuri approached the huge tumble of colonised metal, eyes scouring around for any potential threats. Checking in with Noah they then followed Smith’s directions towards the middle section and the low electro-magnetic signal source. The tangle of vines and bushes snaked in and around the sixty-foot section of the spaceship hull. Zuri checked round to the right of it, noting the broken struts protruding from its base and all the way up its ninety feet height. The ship clearly cracked and split on hitting the ground with the rear hull excluding the engine still appearing to be solid with no way inside. Finn met her round the back, confirming that it was all similarly self-contained.
“Probably designed that way to maximise chances in a crash,” said Noah over the radio, “It would match the profile of submarine design, the ability to close off bulkheads. Earth’s space station has a similar approach and any long-range space exploration vehicles will do the same.”
“Time to do your thing, Smith,” said Finn as he slipped the plaque off his mask. At least this time he didn’t need to hold his breath with the mask acting as a bio filter for the comparatively oxygen rich Havenhome atmosphere. With Smith pressed to the hull wall, Finn felt the plaque warm up against the blue hued metallic hull. Yasuko had given them an emergency override sequence that should enable their access if Smith could get it powered up. The worry being his power level afterwards. The hull flickered with a weak blue light around Smith, then to the left and underneath to the right. Each light dim but perceptible, the sequence continued for a few more seconds before a shift in the hull wall about ten yards to their right and about six feet above the jungle floor.
The low thrum returned under Noah’s feet, the acid in his gut churned as his body reacted with fear and anxiety. “Finn, I have contact. Underground but coming this way.”
“Get here Private, and if it’s racing, you go high. Run.”
Noah didn’t need telling twice, sprinting towards the wreckage he altered his path, hoping that whatever was beneath him couldn’t change direction as easily as him. Within ten seconds he’d reached the first piece of smaller wreckage and leaped over. The vibrations reverberated up his calves and he could see the vegetation sway to the low rhythm. A tangled growth of vines now between him and Zuri who hung her hands down ready from the spaceship door. Flashbacks of ivy and Scottish forests plagued him but to hell with it, Noah ploughed on through. Finn’s rifle muzzle flashed from behind Zuri, the lower barrel releasing an armour-piercing round that thudded into the ground behind Noah. As he leapt the last snarl of vines Zuri took hold of his outstretched arms and heaved, the motors at her elbows whirring with effort as they battled Havenhome’s gravity and Noah’s additional weight. A whomp behind threw earth and soil over Noah, causing another surge of adrenaline as his panic rose. Finn reached down and helped Zuri pull him the last few vital feet. Panting, he leaned against the wall of the airlock, his chest tight as he fought for air.
“It’s stopped, the ground’s not shaking. There’s no way I hit it so I’m guessing it’s still there waiting or it knows there’s nothing to hunt. You okay, Noah?” said Finn. Noah nodded between breaths, holding his hand to his chest to calm himself. Zuri moved over and slipped her arm round him, holding him for a moment. Finn felt no jealousy.
Combat’s scary when you’re on the menu.
Zuri released Noah as he calmed, picking up her rifle she scanned outside the door. There was no sign of bugs, nor any movement. The jungle had gone quiet, eerie. The abundance of jungle life that had pointedly kept away but called warning throughout their journey to the wreck now silent.
“Are we leaving a guard?” she asked, looking towards Noah with a shake of her head only Finn could see.
“At the internal airlock door, not here. And I need Noah’s brain in there with Smith.” With that Finn turned and placed Smith on the inner palm lock casing. After a few seconds the weak glow appeared, and the door shifted slightly. Zuri pushed it so it would swing open, switching to night vision as the light from behind streamed in. The room was much colder than outside, the temperature drop welcome as she stepped into a familiar space. Zuri’s eyes searched the room, though dishevelled it was very much like the control room on Yasuko’s ship as she’d first seen it. She walked upwards on the bronzed floor as the angle it had crashed was much clearer inside. Her innate sense of danger informed her it was a dead space, empty, and the night vision confirmed it. Switching to thermal she identified the very low trickle of heat Smith had pointed out on the Station for the ghost plaques. Zuri walked over to the central console, where the resident plaque emitted the tiny thermal signature. Noah soon joined her, holding Smith’s data plaque. Finn waited at the airlock door.
“Do your thing then Noah, let’s see if we can get the data dump Yasuko wants and get out of this sweaty jungle as soon as we can. With no power anywhere else I’m assuming the nanobots are useless?” said Zuri.
“Yep, they will have degraded without a power source. You noted lack of dust in here?” said Noah, Zuri nodded in return.
Noah nudged out the current data plaque, well aware it held a replica that probably wasn’t recoverable he still placed it in a pouch on his belt. He slipped Smith into the slot, the plaque lit up with veins of energy as Smith searched for the data dump. It was going to be a laborious process; the AI had likely lost its power sources as the ship broke up. Any back up would have lasted only a few hours as Yasuko had revealed the AI systems were energy hungry, feeding off the main engines during flight and maintained by battery storage in the ship’s tail on the ground. Otherwise, there was just a small back up energy store in case everything failed. Smith’s square plaque blinked three times, the signal for trouble. Noah took Smith’s plaque to Finn.
“I’m struggling, energy drain is too much. Need more juice. Noah, I need a charged data plaque to boost me. There should be enough in the suits, or one of your weapons.”
Noah reached for his weapon of choice, but with a shake of her head Zuri pushed Noah’s rifle away. She slipped the blue plaque from her own gun and handed it over, the energy meter zeroing out. Noah looked towards Finn whose body posture visibly stiffened but he said nothing.
“You rummage around any of my stuff Smith, and I’ll drop you down one of those bug holes. You hear.” Zuri’s steely tone received an audible gulp over the radio.
With Zuri’s square plaque attached to Smith in the console recess the blue glow significantly increased. After a few minutes Smith repeated the signal and Noah retrieved him from the slot, handing Zuri back her plaque he watched the power meter only reach the first mark on her rifle, ten percent. With Smith back on Finn’s mask Noah hoped they had achieved something, because going back out in that jungle was bothering him greatly. The thought of the pincers gave him the shudders.
“Got the data dump, but I’m on very low charge. I won’t be able to retain it and support with the sensors. Going to power down. You’re on your own.”
“We need to get back quickly then, speed with care amongst those vines. Zuri?” Finn tried to hand over his weapon, but Zuri shook her head.
“No, you know as well as I that it’s attuned to you. It’ll be ten times more useful in your hands. Besides, you can look after my arse for a change. It’s tiring keeping you out of trouble all the time.” Zuri’s adamant tone told Finn all he needed to know. The machete, however, she took.
“Noah on point, I’ll take the rear. Ears open, we should pick up the vibrations, but we don’t know how intelligent these things are. If they can hunt silently, then we will have to react on the fly. Stay close.”
Chapter 17
Arithmean Jungle, Havenhome
Finn threw the metal pipe as far to the right of the broken ship as he could. It dug into the jungle floor after bouncing off the rock he’d aimed for. He’d not been expecting a response, but it made him feel a little better when it didn’t get dragged underground. Below him, they had already dropped a couch they’d cut out using ten percent of his energy bolts and a bit of sweat. It was enough to take two of them and hopefully any attack would have to go through it first. Finn eased himself down, gently placing his feet on to the metal seat. Zuri deftly landed next to him, the couch hardly moving, with Finn then carefully stepping down to the jungle floor as Noah slipped out of the ship.
Got to watch Noah, he’s likely to turn rabbit if they attack. Zuri can see it too.
Noah led the way, clearly anxious with his balance struggling under the restrained urgency required. Zuri behind, gently talking to him as they set off, sending commands through the radio to help him focus on the escape pace they needed to keep. They had two hundred yards to cover, it wasn’t far, the jungle path was clear, they could see the top of their ship through the canopy. No need to panic. Zuri counted the distance down for him, a soothing voice calming his stress.
When they reached the edge of the clearing, the ship only twenty yards ahead, the earth beneath them shook as the low-frequency thrum resonated. It was everywhere, in front, behind and underneath. Noah’s restrained run turned in to an all-out sprint as he raced for the spaceship, leg servos pumping as they fought against Havenhome’s gravity. As Noah slammed into the spaceship’s hull the ground around Zuri burst open and a flurry of claws and pincers wrapped around her legs. The giant creature’s segmented body supporting the horror of its head as it lifted her up into the air, pincers entrapping her lower body with its claws slamming into her armoured thighs trying to pierce to the flesh below.
