Caterpillar Without A Callsign Read Online Free Page A
Author: Isaac Hooke
burst wasn't enough for my feet to lose contact with the ground, and when I landed it was back on my knees.
Gansükh was still standing—he'd prudently backed away from my jet burst.
I swiveled the gatling guns into both hands and brought them to bear on his position— Gansükh hurled his ax.
I tried to swat the revolving blade aside, but my timing was off, and the energy weapon embedded deep in my mech, striking the CPU brain case just below my cockpit.
A perfectly aimed throw.
Like I said, this guy knew our weaknesses.
I started los ing power.
The arms of the mech dropped, and the ATLAS slumped forward.
The vision feed from the mech winked out and I saw only the windowless inner cockpit, its metallic hull tinted red from the emergency lights. The elastic shell that held my jumpsuit in place retracted, and I fell forward against the hull.
I threw up.
I just stayed there, on my knees in a fallen mech that was little more than a useless hunk of scrap metal. I waited for this Gansükh character to come and kill me.
I hear d the crunch of his footsteps on the rock outside, then the characteristic sound of metal grating on metal as he withdrew the blade. The cockpit shuddered slightly.
I knew what was coming next. He would lift that energy blade back and jab it as far as possible into the cockpit. Right into me.
Let the blade come.
I was ready.
No.
I couldn't die now.
I wasn't going to abandon Lui , Facehopper, and Fret.
They were injured.
They needed me.
And I wasn't a quitter.
My cheek and ear still throbbed from the bullet wound, and so did the back of my leg (from the grenade shrapnel), but I was still conscious. And while I was conscious, I would fight.
I flung myself away from the edge of the cockpit and wrapped my fingers around the manual release latch.
The outer shell of the mech swung open.
And there I was, staring face to face with one very surprised warlord and two of his AK-105 wielding henchman.
There was a dead man just below the open hatch, which had apparently struck the fallen man on the head when it opened, judging from the blood.
Gansükh 's surprised expression hardened, and I saw hatred there like I'd never seen in my life. He hefted the energy ax above his head so he could make the killing blow, the muscles of his lean arms cording under its weight.
I was the faster.
I activated the jets of my jumpsuit and hurtled outside, right into one of the henchmen. The two of us tumbled to the ground, wrestling for the AK-105. Gunfire from the other henchman caused shards of rock to explode into the air around me.
I wrapped my arms around my man and pulled him close to me, turning him so that his body was between me and the incoming bullets. The henchman shook with each impact, shielding me, and the light of life left his eyes.
The other henchman paused to reload.
I grabbed the AK-105 from the fallen man and unleashed a hail of bullets, chewing up the second henchman while he reloaded.
I stumbled to my feet, keenly aware of a fresh wound in my side. Stars swam in front of my vision.
Hang in there... just a bit longer...
I aimed the weapon at Gansükh.
I t was just me and the ax-wielding warlord now.
For a few seconds anyway.
Thirty insurgents rose up from where they had taken cover behind the rocks and aimed their thirty AK-105s down at me.
I considered taking out Gansükh and dying with him right there. Surrender just wasn't in my blood, you have to understand. I didn't need them to take me away and broadcast my beheading for the world to see. That wasn't how I wanted to go. It would kill my family.
But f or some reason, I lowered my weapon. I guess it was something in Gansükh's eyes that swayed me. Gone was the pure hatred. Well, that's not true, some hatred was still there, but now I also saw grudging respect.
"You are a true warrior," Gansükh said, in English. "A rarity among the occupiers. You fight on, even when it is hopeless, even when you are dying, and shot in the
Gansükh was still standing—he'd prudently backed away from my jet burst.
I swiveled the gatling guns into both hands and brought them to bear on his position— Gansükh hurled his ax.
I tried to swat the revolving blade aside, but my timing was off, and the energy weapon embedded deep in my mech, striking the CPU brain case just below my cockpit.
A perfectly aimed throw.
Like I said, this guy knew our weaknesses.
I started los ing power.
The arms of the mech dropped, and the ATLAS slumped forward.
The vision feed from the mech winked out and I saw only the windowless inner cockpit, its metallic hull tinted red from the emergency lights. The elastic shell that held my jumpsuit in place retracted, and I fell forward against the hull.
I threw up.
I just stayed there, on my knees in a fallen mech that was little more than a useless hunk of scrap metal. I waited for this Gansükh character to come and kill me.
I hear d the crunch of his footsteps on the rock outside, then the characteristic sound of metal grating on metal as he withdrew the blade. The cockpit shuddered slightly.
I knew what was coming next. He would lift that energy blade back and jab it as far as possible into the cockpit. Right into me.
Let the blade come.
I was ready.
No.
I couldn't die now.
I wasn't going to abandon Lui , Facehopper, and Fret.
They were injured.
They needed me.
And I wasn't a quitter.
My cheek and ear still throbbed from the bullet wound, and so did the back of my leg (from the grenade shrapnel), but I was still conscious. And while I was conscious, I would fight.
I flung myself away from the edge of the cockpit and wrapped my fingers around the manual release latch.
The outer shell of the mech swung open.
And there I was, staring face to face with one very surprised warlord and two of his AK-105 wielding henchman.
There was a dead man just below the open hatch, which had apparently struck the fallen man on the head when it opened, judging from the blood.
Gansükh 's surprised expression hardened, and I saw hatred there like I'd never seen in my life. He hefted the energy ax above his head so he could make the killing blow, the muscles of his lean arms cording under its weight.
I was the faster.
I activated the jets of my jumpsuit and hurtled outside, right into one of the henchmen. The two of us tumbled to the ground, wrestling for the AK-105. Gunfire from the other henchman caused shards of rock to explode into the air around me.
I wrapped my arms around my man and pulled him close to me, turning him so that his body was between me and the incoming bullets. The henchman shook with each impact, shielding me, and the light of life left his eyes.
The other henchman paused to reload.
I grabbed the AK-105 from the fallen man and unleashed a hail of bullets, chewing up the second henchman while he reloaded.
I stumbled to my feet, keenly aware of a fresh wound in my side. Stars swam in front of my vision.
Hang in there... just a bit longer...
I aimed the weapon at Gansükh.
I t was just me and the ax-wielding warlord now.
For a few seconds anyway.
Thirty insurgents rose up from where they had taken cover behind the rocks and aimed their thirty AK-105s down at me.
I considered taking out Gansükh and dying with him right there. Surrender just wasn't in my blood, you have to understand. I didn't need them to take me away and broadcast my beheading for the world to see. That wasn't how I wanted to go. It would kill my family.
But f or some reason, I lowered my weapon. I guess it was something in Gansükh's eyes that swayed me. Gone was the pure hatred. Well, that's not true, some hatred was still there, but now I also saw grudging respect.
"You are a true warrior," Gansükh said, in English. "A rarity among the occupiers. You fight on, even when it is hopeless, even when you are dying, and shot in the
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