Their pursuers knocked the Marines to the ground and the others they had run into joined the onslaught. Captain Mike Ford and his men had been wiped out within ten minutes of their arrival.

  13

  12.40pm

  Nikolas tried to contact his men but it was no good. He wanted them to fall back and protect the C and C but the code had latched onto their NI’s by this time and they had become the Berserkers he had been warned about. He knew he would succumb too; it was just a matter of time before the improved firewall uploaded to his NI was breached and he too lost all coherent thought. He knew exactly what he had to do. He had to get to the C and C and transmit the code to the communication array on the roof of the facility before it was too late for him. Once that was done his life was forfeit as the mission would be complete.

  Shouldering his assault rifle he headed back from the chamber towards the C and C.

  * * * * *

  Red Team reached the entrance to the facility having gone through the air lock; the first thing they noticed as they were disrobing from their environment suits was the blood. There was a trail of it leading from the corner of the corridor on their left to the opposite corner on their right. As their eyes followed it they saw dead bodies on the floor.

  “Looks like those Marines ran into something a little more than they bargained for,” observed Cowboy.

  “Yep, let’s stay frosty guys until we know what it is we’re up against in here,” Guardian replied calmly.

  “Guardian, is this the effect this code has on people? Is this what we can expect to happen to us?” Hellcat asked.

  “Hacker, you’re the expert, what do you think?” he said diverting the question.

  “The new upgrades must be working boss; you remember how intense they were when we received them. The new security protocols they installed must have upgraded firewalls so that this code can’t gain access to our NIs,” Hacker answered.

  “Well, if they can stop the code getting to us then that means it can be stopped. Your job just got a whole lot easier Hacker,” Guardian said.

  “I don’t know about ours though boss, if those Marines were taken out that quickly it means we are up against some heavy duty shit,” observed Cowboy.

  “Yep, but isn’t that what we live for Cowboy?” Hellcat asked with a smile.

  “You heard the lady, let’s do this,” Guardian said hiding the smile he felt creeping across his face at Hellcat’s rebuke of Cowboy’s complaint. She would fit in nicely, he thought.

  “Which way to the C and C from here boss?” Hacker asked.

  “Well, we can’t access the computer via our NIs, the firewall seems to be holding for now but we shouldn’t take any chances on that score. What about other terminals? See if you can find one and bring up the facilities schematics,” Guardian said.

  “On it boss,” Hacker replied. He spotted something that could be useful down the corridor and said, “Over here,” and led them to it. It was a small monitor embedded in the wall with a touchpad beneath it for the manual input of commands.

  “This should work,” he said as he got to work. He soon had the menu up on the screen and set about scrolling through the entire dropdown sub-menus until he found what he was looking for.

  “Here we are sir. This whole complex is built around a central hub that’s sunk into the lunar surface. It goes down three hundred feet and has four floors. The very bottom is where the fusion reactor is that powers this whole place. There are corridors leading off the central hub on each floor that are joined by an outer rim of offices, rooms and storage places. The central hub is where the chamber is, one floor above the reactor, the C and C is on the floor above. We need to go down this way,” he said indicating the corridor following the blood trail.

  * * * * *

  Nikolas was on his way back to the C and C deck when he came across a team of his men wandering around. He stopped when he saw them look in his direction. They had hatred in their eyes and moved with a united purpose. He turned and went back the way he had come the second they gave chase.

  He sprinted towards the nearest doorway and got it open as fast as he could. Once it had closed behind him he secured the lock. As he moved away the pounding from the outraged men on the other side was like the thunder of an impending storm.

  Quickly he scanned the room for another exit. His opaline green eyes landed upon another door at the far end of the room. His long legs powered him across the cluttered room to the door where he entered the code that would open it. Glancing outside he saw another corridor stretching out in both directions both left and right. He already knew which way he must go to reach the C and C so when he saw that the corridor was empty he set off.

  His mind was getting increasingly confused and he found it harder to concentrate. He had to get to the C and C before he forgot what his mission was.

  There was an anger building within him, which he had been told to expect and coached in how to control it. He went through the mental exercises that would control it, subdue it down to a manageable level, but he had to get to the C and C before these exercises lost their effect.

  He gritted his teeth and walked on increasing his pace steadily until he was running down the corridor.

  14

  12.43pm

  Guardian led the team to the end of the corridor where the bodies of the Marines had been found.

  “Which way now Hacker?” he asked. Before an answer could escape Hacker’s lips a shudder ran through the entire complex almost shaking them off their feet. They saw the walls vibrate and the floor undulate up towards them.

  Guardian fell against Hellcat almost flattening her against the wall while Hacker and Cowboy reached out to steady themselves against the opposite wall.

  As suddenly as it had started the tremor had finished and everything was still once more, almost as if nothing had happened.

  They all looked at each other with startled expressions.

  “What the fuck was that?” Cowboy said voicing the question on all their minds.

  Hacker looked at Guardian and said, “I think I may have an idea.”

  Guardian stared at him and said, “Go on then.”

  “I think because this place has been dormant for twenty-odd years the cold start up when the perimeter was breached may have caused a malfunction. I’m not an engineer so I can’t be sure.”

  “So what exactly are you saying Hacker?” Hellcat asked.

  “The reactor is clearly faulty; I think this place could blow up and pretty soon.”

  Guardian looked around at the faces of his team and came to a decision.

  “OK people, our job here remains the same or has it just got harder? Yes it has, but we’re gonna do it anyway. Any questions, but not from you Cowboy,” he said.

  “I was just gonna say that this is not just a job, it’s an adventure. But I’m not gonna say it now,” replied Cowboy, the usual complainer of the team.

  “Good, let’s move,” Guardian said with a wry smile.

  In front of them as they rounded the corner, not more than four feet away, stood a group of three Berserkers. The moment they heard their approach, the three large men turned to face them, anger and something that could only be described as pure hatred showing in their eyes.

  “Holy shit,” Hacker uttered, as he was the smallest of the bunch next to Hellcat, and each Berserker was at least as tall as Guardian.

  Before they could advance on them Guardian opened fire on the nearest with his Remm assault rifle. The pulsed plasma bolts passed over the Berserker’s shoulder as he dropped it to ram into Guardian. The force of the assault rammed Guardian’s back into the wall of the corridor knocking all the air out of his lungs.

  Guardian was bent double at the waist as he couldn’t get his breath and only the Berserker’s shoulder was holding him up. When he realised he still had the Remm in his hands Guardian slammed it down into the neck and shoulders of his attacker. This brought him some time and he managed to push the large man off him long enough to swing the butt of the rifle around into the side of his attacker’s head.

  A stream of blood was sent across the corridor by the blow to the head and the action sent the attacker staggering a few steps away from Guardian. Quickly regaining his senses Guardian aimed and fired his Remm straight at the Berserker’s chest. The high-energy bolts stitched a path across the large man’s chest sending out small sprays of blood before the heat exchange from the bolts cauterised each wound. The salvo caused him to stagger back a few paces before dropping like a stone.

  The speed and ferocity of the attack caught the others unawares and before they realised they were fighting hand-to-hand for their lives.

  Guardian saw Hacker in trouble with a Berserker who was a head and shoulders taller than him. He struck the Berserker with the butt of his rifle opening up a cut on the side of his face right down to the bone. The Berserker’s head was simply rocked to the side and he shook off the effects too quickly for Guardian’s liking. He brought his head back around to stare wide-eyed at the man who had attacked him. He opened his mouth to bellow his rage at him and in the process sprayed Guardian’s face with vile spittle. He then struck him a devastating blow to the chest that sent him sprawling into the wall. If he hadn’t had his arms up to cover then he was sure the blow would have caved his chest in.

  Guardian slammed into the corridor wall and his breath was knocked out of him again. For a second he was bent double as he desperately tried to force air back into his lungs. He thought that he couldn’t take much more of this pummelling and had to end it quickly. He looked up and saw Hacker dodging beneath swinging blows from the Berserker as he repeatedly pummelled the larger man’s stomach with as much effect as a gnat attacking a dog.

  Guardian came off the wall holding his assault rifle out and shouted, “Hey muthafucker!”

  The Berserker turned his head to see the muzzle of a Remm assault rifle inches from his face just before Guardian fired.

  The pulsed plasma bolt destroyed the Berserker’s head in a gory shower of blood and bone. The headless Berserker’s lifeless body crumbled to the ground, twitching, leaving Hacker standing covered in blood and brain matter.

  “Gee thanks boss,” he said.

  “Don’t mention it,” Guardian replied with a smile when he saw the expression of disgust on the young Marine’s face.

  Hellcat and Cowboy weren’t faring much better. The smaller and much lighter Hellcat had been tossed against the wall in much the same way as Guardian had but the tenacious young woman refused to surrender. She bounced off the wall and came back swinging her assault rifle like a club, first at the Berserker’s legs behind the knee to topple him then the ribs and finally the head. Blood sprayed out across the small space from each blow to the Berserker’s exposed skin. With a bellow of rage the Berserker lashed out catching Hellcat across the side of the head sending her sprawling across the floor to collide with the wall opposite. The Berserker was on his feet and turned to face Cowboy who took a swing at the larger man. The blow caught the behemoth full in the face smashing his nose and sending blood cascading down his jaw. Cowboy rammed the butt of his Remm into the stomach of the man but the Berserker, instead of going down, lashed out with a back handed swipe which landed across the side of Cowboy’s face spinning him around and off his feet.

  Hellcat dragged herself off the ground and leapt onto the back of the Berserker and dragged her fingers across the large man’s face raking his eyes. The Berserker screamed out his rage at losing his sight and bent at the waist grabbing behind him snatching a hold of Hellcat’s top. He pulled her free and threw her to the ground at his feet. She landed on her back and was momentarily stunned by the impact. She opened her eyes to see a huge fist aimed at her and nowhere for her to go. Cowboy rushed forward and placed his Sig P999 to the back of the huge man’s head. The ensuing shot almost took the Berserker’s entire face off as it exited his skull. Hellcat rolled free as the dead man collapsed on the floor where previously she had been.

  “Well, now we know what we’re up against people so stay frosty,” Guardian said once he had taken a quick inventory of his team to ensure no one carried any injuries.

  “How many more of these monsters are there do you think?” Hacker asked.

  “Not sure, what bothers me though is in the original report it said those infected attacked anyone, even their own. These guys worked as a team almost, like we were the common enemy so what has changed I wonder?” Guardian said.

  “Perhaps these intruders knew how to direct the code and make it work for them. I don’t know how they’d do that without actually inspecting the elements of the code but I’m sure they must’ve done something,” Hacker said.

  “Well, it’s obvious they couldn’t stop the affect it has on people, you know, the whole turning them into rage-filled monsters thing, so perhaps they did what they could,” Cowboy suggested.

  “No they wanted the Berserker effect to remain, that’s been their plan from the get go. They want to infect everyone, hence the array on the roof. No, I think these guys have had a specific firewall installed into the software of their NIs to prevent them, and only them, from ripping each other apart. Think about it, they must’ve known we’d find out about the intrusion and that we’d send someone to investigate. They may not have been able to prevent these guys from getting infected but they made sure they would work together and fight off anyone who tried to stop them, at least until the array had transmitted the signal to the planet,” Guardian said to which he received nodding heads of approval from the others.

  “It makes sense I suppose,” Hacker agreed.

  “Don’t forget that code was invented around twenty-five years ago and I would presume that software security has improved since then,” Guardian said.

  “I agree, they’ve had twenty-five years to work on a solution to this problem, at the very least to come up with an improved firewall. Normal anti-virus software programs became defunct when the first NI was used. The danger to the human brain was considered too great should anyone be infected with a computer virus,” Hacker said.

  “I remember learning about the early trials of the NI programme; someone accessed a computer and accidentally uploaded a virus. It caused neurological problems that ended with brain damage. That’s why they had to devise different protocols for security,” Hellcat commented.

  “Yes, it led to a whole new system of security programs for software which we take for granted today,” Hacker replied.

  “I think you’re all missing the obvious thing here,” Cowboy said.

  They all turned to look at him with expectant expressions.

  “Look at them, I mean really look at them, don’t they all look the same?”

  Guardian stooped down to look at the two nearest to them. Both heads had been virtually destroyed so a facial check was out of the question so he checked their bodies. He stood up and headed off towards where the other Berserker lay. “There’s one way to make sure,” he said. He stooped down by the body and checked the eyes.

  “They’re clones,” he said as he stood up. “They were sent by OMEGA,” he added as he came back towards them his face darkening.

  “Holy shit, OMEGA!” Hacker said.

  “Yes, there can be no doubt now as to their purpose here. This has just gotten a whole lot harder,” Guardian said.

  “Hold on, why is the fact they’re clones important?” Hellcat asked.

  “Because they’re clones it would be easy to program them not to attack each other. These particular clones are probably from a specific batch and bred for this mission only,” Guardian replied.

  “Right, now that we have that clear, can we get back to it?” Cowboy asked.

  Before the two of them could reply another tremor shook the facility, this time with more intensity. They were shaken off their feet by the suddenness of it. Once it was over they stared at each other in shock. Guardian reached out a long arm to steady himself against the wall. As he got to his feet he said, “Cowboy’s right, let’s move.”

  * * * * *

  Nikolas reached an elevator and opened the doors. Once inside he pressed the manual control for the floor he needed, the next floor up where the C and C was.

  The two tremors he had felt on his way from the chamber was something they had not considered. He knew what it could be but he tried to put that thought out of a mind that was already becoming clouded. It was one problem too many to concentrate on and if he reached his objective in time then it would be irrelevant anyway.

  The elevator glided to a stop on the floor he wanted and the doors opened. As he stepped out his vision swirled around him making him think he would pass out. He stopped and leant against the wall to prevent himself from collapsing to the floor, then waited for the waves of nausea to pass. When he looked up there were two of his men approaching with murder in their eyes. Clearly his designation as leader separated him from the rest of his brothers where the code was concerned; to them he was just another enemy, not one of them.

  They were coming at speed and for a split second panic took hold. He thought he would fail in his mission, then he remembered his pulse rifle slung on his shoulder. Quickly he brought it around and fired a burst at the first target. Pulsed plasma bolts tore open the chest of the first man, sending him crashing to the floor. By the time he brought the rifle around to find his next target the man was already upon him battering him with huge fists trying to pummel him to death.

  Nikolas was at a disadvantage as he still had hold of the weapon, so for an instant he was unable to defend himself. Heaving up with his powerful shoulders he managed to push his attacker away long enough to bring up the rifle and attempt to fire. His attacker was acting purely on instinct and sensed the danger the weapon posed. He grabbed it with both hands preventing his former commander from using it.

  Both of them struggled to gain the upper hand, pushing and pulling at the rifle that was held between both their chests. They were in a stalemate as they were equal in stature and physical prowess but the Berserker began to gain the upper hand simply through ferocity fuelled by his rage. He began to force the muzzle of the weapon around close to the other man’s face. Unable to stop the motion, the leader pushed the opposite end down as quickly and with as much force as his weakening muscles could muster, ramming the butt into the groin of his attacker.

 

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