Claire Takes On The Galaxy

Claire - Chapter Seventeen

“Then my mother asks if there’s any way the ceremony can continue.”

“What?” Lou had said that several times during the story, finding it difficult to keep her voice down to a whisper, as she hopped along, one arm around Claire. The story had at least made her forget that they were cut-off, deep in some alien hell hole with her leg hurting like hell. They had been moving for a few minutes with nothing changing in the tunnel and, fortunately, without meeting any Shades. The sounds of battle behind them had faded, then stopped altogether. Both marines found that once their eyes adjusted to the gloom they could just see the roadway and the near side of the tunnel – enough to get around. Strips of material set at regular intervals in the ceiling might have been giving off light, but it was so faint that it was hard to tell.

“After finding sleaze-bag groom in the closet with an under-age, stoned-out ho, and the maid of honor confessing to banging him the night before, your mum still wanted to keep going?”

“She had her heart set on this ceremony. It was going to be in the society pages, the whole thing. I think she must’ve thought I’d just divorce him later.”

“What happened to sleaze?”

“My Uncle Frank threw the minister’s bible at him. Good throw too. Caught him on the nose. Last I saw him he was sprawled in the back of the closet, hands on his nose. There was blood. Uncle Frank also told my mother it was over. The minister told her there was no way he could marry us. I dropped my flowers at the closet and told Emma to marry him.”

“Go girl! Did she?”

“Marry him? Haven’t been told but I doubt it.”

“She’d be crazy to marry the sleaze. Grab some fun maybe but marry, no way.”

Claire was just about to tell Lou of the texts she had received within minutes of another – one from Emma saying that she and Brad were together and the other from Brad claiming that he wanted to get back with her - when she heard a a faint noise behind her. Footsteps? She put one hand over Lou’s mouth and dragged her to the side, into one of the doorways set at regular intervals in the tunnel wall.

“Something behind us,” she whispered, when they got inside. The chamber was like all the others they had passed with the obligatory table and vase, which Claire could just make out in the gloom. There were plaques on all walls, she realised. Then both marines clearly heard what sounded very much like boots on the roadway and drew their sidearms, resisting an urge to flick on the laser sights. Claire eased up to the entrance and put a hand on one side, resting it on what she took to be part of the entrance. She tested it and found that it might be a sliding door she could pull across. Before she could investigate further, she saw the dim figure of a man holding a pistol in both hands in front of him. He was in combat uniform without the helmet, all electronic systems turned off, but the uniform was of a different pattern to the ones worn by Claire and Lou. A Merc! The soldier walked straight by their hiding place. Claire whispered “cover me” to Lou then eased out of the side room to crouch behind the Merc, leaving space so that Lou would have a clear shot.

“Gun at your head, Merc,” she said, softly.

The Merc froze and spread his arms, gun still in one.

“Lower your weapon to the ground and kick it back here, slow now. I’ve had a good friend of mine killed already today. If you want to do something stupid go ahead.” Claire’s training had included the handling of prisoners. She made the Merc lie down on the roadway, hands behind his back, then put one knee on his back while she bound his hands with the standard issue plastic ties. They were not as effective as handcuffs but still hard to get out of and not nearly as heavy to carry around.

“Youch!” said the Merc.

“Shaddup!” whispered Claire. “You want to bring those Shades down here? We saw how they really messed up your platoon.”

“You saw that?”

“Ooooh yeah!”

She got the prisoner back in the hiding place, slid the door shut – it moved easily – and lit a marking flare.

“This is my associate,” said Claire, indicating Lou, who was still sitting against one wall “who will take over the gun pointing part of this three-way we’ve got going here, while I search you. A bullet from one of your guys creased her leg. That means she is not in a good mood…”

“I’m in a very bad mood,” said Lou. She leveraged herself up to stand, on one leg, gun pointing at the new arrival, savage expression on her face.

“..And does not like Mercs.”

“My leg is telling me I hate Mercs.”

“Oh..kay!” said the Merc, eyeing Lou warily.

Claire’s search meant just going through the man’s pockets and pouches. He was barely out of school by the look of him, fresh faced and crew cut. She found a knife which she jabbed into the alien table and forgot. They had their own. The Merc’s spare ammunition did not fit Marine weapons, so she tossed them on the table. He had two grenades which were similar enough to Marine issue to be useful. She gave one to Lou.

That left marker flares, different to the marine issue but still usable by Clou team, a nine-millimetre pistol, and two spare magazines. Claire put these in a side pouch. She found a mobile phone which she noted had been turned off and put it in another pouch on her webbing.

“You’ll get that back to call your family, if we don’t shoot you first, when we hand you over to an officer.” Claire found his identity card. “Sit down, Mason Richard Giordano. Italian?”

“Way, way back.” Mason sat down as best he could, with his hands tied, back to a wall. “You must be the ones who threw the grenade.”

“How come you were trying to stalk us out there?” said Claire. “Why aren’t you smeared over the tunnel or with what’s left of your platoon.”

“I was firing away then one of those creatures swiped at me from the side. Ripped my helmet clean off then just picked me up and threw me. I dropped my rifle hit the ground and blacked out. When I came to I was behind a pile of dead creatures. There was firing from somewhere inside the wall but a lot of Shades between me and the action. I looked for a weapon but all I could see were crushed bodies with rifles bent out of shape. I crawled away then jogged. Then I heard whispering in front of me and took out my pistol.”

“You didn’t turn on the laser sighting?”

“Was going to do it when I found you.”

“Lucky for you, you didn’t,” said Claire. “We might’ve shot you straight away. How come your suit electronics are off?”

“That’s what happens when the helmet gets torn away I guess. We attach it to the suit unit with a cable when we put it on.”

“Again, lucky for you. With your suit electronics off and your weapon gone they forgot about you.”

“Huh?”

“Anything electrical or electronic drives our Shade friends nuts. They’re pretty hostile if they happen to see you moving around, but when you went down and still they forgot about you. If your suit system had still been on they’d have pummelled you until the electronics switched off.”

“Is this why you’re using a flare for lighting?”

“Got it in one,” said Claire. “Just remember, try turning your suit system back on to tell your friends where we are, and I will shoot you with your own side arm, and leave.”

“Why not shoot him now?” said Lou.

“He may be of use, yet.”

Mason looked from one marine to the other. “That’s a sniper rifle. You guys are a female sniper team – the Annies. I heard that the Marines had a hot Annie team, and the guys were saying..” Mason stopped himself in time.

“What were they saying, Private Giordano?” asked Claire with a hard-edged sweetness.

“Well, you know, just joking around like guys will.”

“Would we appreciate those jokes?” asked Claire.

Lou pulled back the hammer on her pistol.

“I’ll shut up now.”

“A good survival move, Private Giordano.” Claire got up, slid open the door and listened. “Nothing happening,” she said softly to Lou. “Can’t hear any Shades. When we go out you go first,” she pointed at Mason, “by a few paces and keep your mouth shut. We’re going generally that way” she pointed west, “in the hope of finding some place not blocked by Shades and Mercs. We know the tunnel complex connects out there somewhere. Understand?”

“Understand.”

“I’ve just got through telling my associate how my former fiancé wronged me badly, and now we don’t feel good about men in general. You don’t want to give us any excuses to shoot.”

“It’s not us, it’s you,” said Lou. “Can’t I just shoot him now?”

“Later, maybe. If you hear Shades, Mason, run to the side and find one of these rooms. They’re all along here.”

“What do they sound like?”

“A sighing. You must’ve heard it when they attacked your platoon. Now get out there.”

Before leaving, Claire used the spluttering remains of the marker flare to check the room. The only other exit was a corridor which led to a row of identical rooms. In each room were banks of stone panels, one on top of another. Writing was carved on each one. The thought crossed Claire’s mind that they might be tombs, complete with commemorative inscriptions. The whole place would then be a massive graveyard or maybe a necropolis – a city of the dead. Whatever. The flare was burning down, and they had to get out. Archaeologists could come back later. She left, discarding the flare.

Lou found that now the initial shock of being wounded had worn off she could put some weight on her leg and hobble along, one hand on Claire’s shoulder. They moved in silence, pistols out. One Merc was down here, maybe there were others? With the Merc-Shade battle behind them over, the silence was profound. The idea that the whole complex might be a necropolis seemed to Claire to make the silence more oppressive. They came to an intersection where one tunnel branched off at an angle, perhaps north west. The light from it seemed brighter. Mason turned to look at the two marines questioningly and Claire gestured along the main tunnel, using the standard Marine patrol signal – arm out, palm flat chopping it in the direction she wanted to go. As far as she knew they were going west, which offered the best hope of getting out. After a time, they noted that it was a little easier to see. They could make out the shape of the tunnel for many metres and, in the distance an apparent exit to the right – another branch in the tunnel? – positively glowed. In that glare Claire saw a human figure carrying a rifle silhouetted in the glow a little before he saw them.

Claire and Lou, who had also seen the figure, crouched down and started searching for a handy chamber on the wall, without bothering to tell Mason. The Merc marched on without realising his captors had vanished, to be intercepted by the figure. Clou team found a chamber and ducked in, just as they heard the human say. “What are ya doing here, boy? And why are you tied up?”

Mason said something which they could not hear, but they heard the reaction.

“s**t! Cody, marines down here. Cover quick.”

“Kid’s ratted us out,” muttered Lou.

“They’re his people,” said Claire. “Binos tell us much?”

Lou got out her binoculars and tried to make out the figures without light amplification on. Fortunately, the Mercs were in what passed for bright light in that place, while Clou team were in darkness in an alcove.

“Sniper team like us. Spotter by the tunnel. Can’t see anyone else. What is this a Merc convention down here? How come these guys are here while that platoon got into a world of hurt down tunnel?”

“Must’ve been checking out the tunnel with systems turned off to save power. We do it sometimes if we know we’re not going to get back to company recharge for a while, right?”

“Now the fools have switched on,” said Lou.

They could hear Mason telling them to turn off their systems, fast, if they wanted to live.

“A Merc sniper team down here – the Annies – and you’re telling us to switch off?”

They couldn’t hear Mason’s reply, but they did hear the response.

“Sidearms with the laser sighting off? What s**t boy.”

“No radiation splash,” said the spotter, a smaller man with thinning hair looking at his tac screen. “They must’ve gone to ground in one of those side caves.”

“See, spotter has some sense,” said Lou.

Then they heard the sighing.

“Oh oh!” said Claire.

“If they weren’t Mercs we’d warn ’em,” whispered Lou.

“Mason’s trying his best.”

The youthful soldier’s voice went up a couple of notches as he tried to tell the sniper team to switch off and run.

“Running! I’m not running from those things,” said the sniper.

“Big signal,” said the spotter, “from this side.” He indicated the direction of the glow. The sighing increased in volume. “And this side.” He indicated the direction of the previous battle. “Big signal, man. Lots of these creatures.”

“I’m telling you they’re reacting to your electronic stuff,” they heard Mason say. “Switch off and get into a side room before they see you.”

“Switch off and get into a side room!” repeated the sniper in disgust. “Talk to me Cody.”

“Big signal Rich. Tunnel’s east and north. Kid’s got a point. There’s hundreds of the bastards. We ain’t gunna hold ‘em off with my weapon and a sniper rifle.”

Claire could now see the Shades moving up from the east, where the battle with the Merc platoon had been, jogging, arms set wide. Something about their motions made her think of machines. The creatures were all the same size, she noted. The Mercs shrank away from the opening, further west up the tunnel, trying to flatten themselves against the wall.

“Too late guys,” said Lou.

Then the marines saw Shades on the wall above the Mercs, spread out like spiders. The tunnels up to then had been smooth, but there the ceiling was rough. As they watched, and before they could shout out any warning, if they had wanted to do so, the Shades dropped. Mason, who had been cut loose and given a hand gun yelled and shot one. But the other fell on Cody, ripping the spotter’s helmet off and leaving the man’s head at an odd angle, before Rich shot the creature at point blank range with his rifle, flipping it on to its back.

“Cody, s**t. Oh no, Cody!” One glance was enough. The sniper grabbed the spotter’s weapon and fumbled in the deam man’s ammunition pouches for the spare magazines, as more Shades boiled out of the connecting tunnel. “You,” he said to Mason. “Get out of it.”

“But…”

“I’m joining Cody. Get going, I said. Go tell the Spartans.”

Mason ran.

Rich managed to go through three magazines, with short, controlled bursts that kept the Shades at bay, muzzle flashes lighting up the tunnel. When the third magazine clicked empty, he fired missiles which made Clou team hug the ground in their alcove. When the missiles ran out Rich threw the weapon aside, drew two grenades, flicked the safeties and pressed the buttons, just as a bunch of Shades flung themselves om him.

“Bastards,” he had time to say, then the grenades went off with a ‘Whump!” that shook the tunnel and scattered Shade bodies.

“Brave man,” said Claire when the marines dared poke their heads out again.

“Dumb man,” said Lou. “He should’ve listened to Mason.”

The Shades were not ones for checking battlefields for survivors, or standing guard. The milled around for a time poking at the human remains, then one group, taking Shade bodies with them, went off back into the tunnel with more light, while the rest moved back in the direction of the exit tunnel. That left one way open, which was the direction Clou team had been going. They emerged from their hideout and moved on cautiously, sidearms out.

“Mason’s around her someplace,” muttered Lou. “Didn’t see the Shades go after him.”

“If he stays out of our way we won’t shoot him,” said Claire.

They gave a wide berth to the remains of the two humans which the Shades had not bothered to take with them and moved on in silence, listening for sighing. Nothing. The tunnel narrowed and, more worryingly, there were no longer alcoves on either side in which to hide.

“Leg’s bitching,” whispered Lou after a time.

“We’ll find someplace to look at it,” said Claire. “Stopping here is not a good idea.”

They came to another, larger tunnel, leading off at right angles to the one they had been following. In contrast to the darkness of the rest of the tunnel system, the new opening almost seemed to glow. In the distance, they could see a brighter passage and Shades moving backwards and forwards along it. Fortunately, none were coming their way. The moved on, into small, rough, tunnels which sometimes required them to crawl. When they reached an area where they could stand up, Claire took another look at Lou’s injury.

“I’ll use the second pain ampule,” she said. “That should hold until we get to an aid station – maybe Adria’s.”

“The way she was feeling when we last spoke,” said Lou. “She might amputate.”

The natural light of the more regular tunnels, whatever its source, dwindled to nothing, forcing them to light maker flares in what proved to be a maze of passages. When they came to a junction, Claire always turned left, acting on a distant memory of being told that was the way out of any maze, to always turn left. Twice they came to a dead end and had to go back to the next junction. They went through each of the remaining marker flares then the two they had taken from Mason. When those gave out Claire felt her way forward, Lou’s hand on her shoulder.

“I wish I was with Brew,” said Lou.

Claire kept on, groping blindly knowing that Little Central couldn’t be far ahead. They would still have to climb up to the tunnel where she had first encountered the Shade and she had no idea how to do that, or get the wounded Lou up there, but she did know that to stop would be to give up and die in there. Claire was just comforting herself with the thought that it could be a lot worse, as the Shades might realise that they were there, when the sighing started.

James watched another Beast move out of the Access Point loaded with much needed ammunition and water. There was no naturally occurring water on the Devil’s Pitt valley floor, apart from the Alph, which was well to the South of where the marines were fighting, and the Sunless Sea which was well to the West.

“That’s everything for the moment. I’ve gotta wait for the wounded then go back and refill.”

“Thanks again for that,” said Lieutenant Addington. “Your transporter has saved the day.”

“It’s actually Maddie’s transporter and the marines will get an invoice for its services.”

Addington shrugged.

“More importantly, heard anything about Clou team?”

Lieutenant Addington had in fact heard something about Clou team going missing down a hole but nothing officially and was not about to speak out of turn.

“Sorry, it’s just support here,” she said, unaware that James had picked up on her slight hesitation before answering and was wondering about it.

“Anything I can do to help, while we’re waiting around?” was all he said.

“Have you ever used explosives to collapse a tunnel before?”

“Well, no, but my grandpa did teach me how to blow a safe. The real trick there is to use enough to disable the door locking mechanism and muffle the sound. A tunnel would be different I guess, but what tunnel where?”

“The small tunnel leading to the place you call Little Central. You said Private Williams found Shades in there.”

“She did, and we got out of there in a hurry. No hint of them here now, though. Seems drastic to blow the tunnel.”

“I’ll only have a few support group people and the occasional civilian like yourself here. I don’t want to take chances that the Shades will crash the party. But anyone who knows how to blow tunnels has their hands full out on the valley floor.”

“I don’t doubt it,” said James. “You’ve got explosives?”

“The SMC’s best and latest.”

“Let’s take a look.”

The sighing was faint but, after seeing what happened to the Merc units earlier, the marines did not want to hear it at all.

“How do they know we’re here,” hissed Lou in the darkness.

“You got anything on?”

“I haven’t touched anything. Your stuff is the same?”

They checked. Nothing was on. They stumbled forward, coming to another intersection and turning left. As before Claire had no idea where they were. Turning left just seemed like the way to go. The sighing was increasing.

“Maybe it’s not us,” said Claire, trying not to panic. “Wait, wait, switch on your comms, just very quickly. See if there’s any marine unit nearby.”

Lou switched on. Claire turned on her suit light at the same time. They were in a long stretch of tunnel that looked just like any other section of the tunnels they had been stumbling around in what seemed like years. Ahead was another junction.

“No forcenet down here,” said Lou. The sighing increased.

“Switch off again.” Claire turned off her light. The darkness was all blacker for the lights they had just had on. Now the sighing seemed to be just a tunnel or two away, and getting closer.

James and Addington stood on the lip of the exit into Little Central looking into the void illuminated only slightly by the mining flares James insisted they use, rather than the spot lights from the transporter. He had also insisted the lieutenant turn off her combat suit system and assault rifle she carried.

“The Shades got up here?” said Addington examining the side of the cavern.

“Agile bastards and strong, we think. Stronger than polar bears.” He was examining the roof and sides of the tunnel with another flare.

“Oh my! I really don’t want them surprising us. Have you blown many safes?”

“None. No one blows safes any more – it’s all a matter of having the right electronic gear, and a bit of craft - but grandpa felt as if he should pass on the trade secrets. He didn’t want them dying out, you know, like basket weaving or watch making.”

“Basket weaving?”

“He also said it was way more fun using explosives.”

“Fun?” said Addington, becoming alarmed

“If you’re worried I have seen Brew use explosives on rock walls.”

“Okay, that sounds better.”

“I really should drill first but I haven’t got any drills with me and there’s a couple of crevices that might do the trick, if I knock a bigger hole in them. I’ve got some stuff back at the transport. You’ll keep an eye on things?”

“If you’d let me turn the lights on, so I could see anything at all.”

“It’s called the fog of war lieutenant. I’ll be back in a moment.” James walked back through the tunnel and, as he got to the transporter, turned his mobile back on, in case Maddie had a message. It rang almost straight away. It was Claire.

Down in the tunnels, the Clou team thought that the Shades might be just a few minutes away. They were now sure that the Shades could somehow sense them.

“They know we’re here,” whispered Lou. “How can they know?”

“We checked our mobiles, right?”

“All off C, we checked twice.”

Something was tugging at the back of Claire’s memory, something about mobiles. She forced down rising panic over the Shades and tried to concentrate, as they stumbled along.

“Wait!” she exclaimed suddenly. “I’ve still got Mason’s phone. I took it off him and forgot about it.” She fumbled in various pouches until she found it. The device had turned itself on. She didn’t try to work out how to turn off the unfamiliar unit but flung it as far as she could down the tunnel they were in, hearing it hit the wall at the far end. “Let’s move,” she said, and Clou team put in the closest they could to a sprint, while feeling along the tunnel walls. Lou kept one hand on Claire’s equipment belt.

After a few minutes they heard a shriek and a crunch of equipment being smashed.

“Good,” muttered Lou. “Shame, Mason wasn’t with his phone.”

After that, when they moved, the sighing did not seem to follow them, but it was still there. The Shades were somewhere behind them in the tunnels. Then they could hear them off to the right, as if they were spreading through the tunnel system looking for intruders.

“We are in need of rescuing,” thought Claire. She stopped and gripped Lou. She could not see her friend in the dark, even while holding her shoulders, but could hear her breathing. “Why did Mason’s phone turn on? It was off when I took it. I made sure of that.”

In the darkness she heard Lou’s breath catch. “Was there a signal, C? Maybe it turned on because there was a signal?”

“I was too busy throwing it away to look – are there relays down here?”

“I was with Brew when he set some up – passive units – at the access point near Little Central. They’re off most of the time so they don’t annoy the Shades, but they might turn on with a phone around – that’s what Brew said.”

“Okay, we’ve gotta take the risk – I’m switching my phone on. Let’s keep moving.” They shuffled on panting, while Claire’s phone powered up. The sighing increased sharply. Then Claire realised all she had on speed dial was Lou, James, Maddie, Taylor and Adria. She chose James.

“Claire! What’s happening with the battle?”

“We’re stuck in tunnels close to Little Central, we think,” said Claire without preliminary. “There are Shades around us, and we dunno which way to go. It’s a maze down here.”

“I’m at the access point. Addington is on the ledge in Little Central – we’ll, um, light flares and drop them see if you can see the light. We can haul you up. Get off the phone now.”

“I’m throwing it. Call on Lou’s phone.” Claire threw her unit behind her, as far as she could, then groped on in the darkness, Lou holding on. There was a shriek and a crunch in the darkness which, Claire assumed, was her mobile being destroyed.

“Your phone’s next,” she whispered to Lou.

There was sighing just to her right. Claire flattened herself against the wall and took out her pistol, putting Lou’s hand on it then nudging her comrade. Lou drew hers. The sighing was close – too close in the darkness. Could she feel it’s breath? Claire pointed at where she thought the Shade should be and fired. Blam! In the sudden flaring of muzzle light, almost blinding after the darkness, she could see she her shot had knocked down a Shade just two paces from her. In that split second, she saw another behind the first and fired at that, its chest exploding. Lou fired. In the muzzle glare she had seen another Shade down tunnel. Her shot, at much longer range than Claire’s, kicked dust off the wall. She fired again, and the creature stumbled.

Lieutenant Addington, staring into the darkness of little central, was startled to hear gunfire somewhere in the tunnels ahead of her. James came dashing up the tunnel.

“I heard gunfire.”

“The Clou team is down there somewhere. Forcenet must not work down here, but colonynet does.” He pulled the trigger on a mining flare, which glow brilliantly, too bright for the eye to see, and dropped it over the side. He triggered another and then a third. “They don’t know where to go. I’m lighting a beacon for them. I’ve got cable here, to haul them up, can we get that loading synth of yours for the lifting?”

“Done, but keep rigging those explosives” said Addington, and ran down the tunnel.

Stumbling in the dark, Claire thought she could see a gleam of light ahead. Clou team stumbled on a little further and Lou could see it too. The came to an intersection and went to the right this time. Far ahead they could see a tunnel exit and what might be a pile of mining flares.

“James came through. I think I love James,” she told Lou.

“You need to tell him that. Let’s move marine.”

They stumbled on, the light glowing brighter. Then Lou yelled “contact rear”. Both marines whirled around and fired. In the muzzle flare they could see the tunnel behind them was packed with Shades.

“Way too many, marine,” yelled Lou. There was no point in whispering any more.

“Out of the tunnel - we’ve still got those Merc grenades.”

Then they were in little central, a pile of mining flares, now beginning to burn down, in a group on the far side. Claire couldn’t see the ledge where James and Addington were, but she could see a cable being lowered in the light of the flares. Claire threw her grenade into the tunnel. “Fire in the hold!”

Whump! The cavern shook. Dust flew out of the tunnel. The sighing rose in pitch to a shriek of rage. Claire dragged Lou, still hopping, over to the cable, holstered her pistol and wrapped the cable around her friend. There was a shackle on the end that allowed her to simply click it on the rope behind Lou, without bothering over knots.

“I’m not going without you,” protested Lou.

“I’ll be right behind you. Haul away! Drop the rope as soon as you can.” Lou disappeared into the darkness. Claire backed up against the wall, about where the rope should come back, her eye on the tunnel where the Shades had been. None had emerged, but the sighing was deafening. Then she was aware of another figure on the left-hand side of the cavern, holding a gun on her.

“Mason! How did you get here?”

“I ran,” he mumbled, swaying. Claire suspected he was in shock. “A long, straight way. Now you’re my prisoner.”

“Mason, there’s no time for this,” said Claire. “The Shades are going to come in here and do a real number on us – just like they did to your platoon and that sniper team.”

“The sniper team seemed so safe,” mumbled Mason. “Now you will show me how to be safe.” He took one step forward, into the light of the slowly dimming flares. A mistake. That meant he could be seen by Addington up on her perch, just as Lou emerged from the depths, hauled up by the squat, humanoid, cargo handling synth.

“Drop that rope and then light ‘em up private,” she said and, before Lou could protest, she switched on her rifle to shoot Mason twice. The shots echoed through the chamber. The sighing climbed in intensity and pitch to a continuous shriek.

“Ooops,” said Addington.

“Ma’am, respectfully suggest we get Private Williams and leave,” shouted Lou. She dropped the cable back into the cavern and put the end in the hands of the Synth, then unslung her own weapon. The rope fell within easy reach of Claire. She dashed to Mason and dragged him over. He was still breathing. She hooked the cable around both of them and yelled ‘pull’ just as both Lou and Addington started shooting at Shades boiling out of the tunnel opposite. Claire thought it was indecorous, not to mention painful, being hauled slowly up a cliff face with Mason, but she had a ring-side seat for the shooting match. The first comer Shades died around the tunnel mouth, but others climbed over the bodies to dash to the rock face and climb. Too many. Then Claire remembered the sniper team that had been killed, and thought to look up.

“Lou, above you!” she shouted, as she reached the platform.

Lou, who also remembered the Merc sniper team, looked up and fired at dim forms on the roof of the cavern. One crashed on the platform narrowly missing Lou, who shot it again at point blank range. The now lifeless body was about to topple off the ledge just as Claire was untangling herself from the lifting cable. On an impulse Claire grabbed its arm, the heavy body almost pulling her back into the cavern.

“Grab this,” she said to the Synth, grabbing that creature’s arm and putting it on the Shade. That was the way to operate the lifting Synths. You showed them what to do.

“You lot, go,” said Addington, waving at Claire. The sniper grabbed Mason in a fireman’s life – he was at least lighter than the shade - and told the Synth to follow her. It did so ponderously, dragging the body of the Shade. She met James inside the tunnel.

“Rigged to blow when you’re ready Lieutenant,” yelled James above the din. Then to Claire, “who are your new friends?”

“Explain later.” Claire also had to shout over the noise, as she shot past. “Let’s go!” They ran down the tunnel as best they could, James letting out the cable for the detonator. Claire could hear Lou letting off two of her rockets, then the now familiar whump of a grenade in the cavern. Addington came into sight, holding the arm of a still limping Lou. The screaming had reached a crescendo.

“Now James, they are right behind us,” yelled Addington ducking to one side, pulling Lou with her.

James pushed the plunger on the detonator, causing another whump that made the cavern shake. The tunnel collapsed. The screaming stopped.

“Grandpa was right,” said James, grinning, “explosives are way more fun.”