I've got to make sure next chapter is extra long...Please comment on mistakes..Thanks.
"Tomorrow," said King to all who had assembled for the briefing,"will be the start of an epic quest to take captive this galaxy and make it suitable for the human race. We will make this possible through our superior strength and intelligence." Ardie sat up in his chair, "We will begin" continued King,"by taking heavy assault vehicles to this mountain." He pointed to an image taken from the mother-ship hovering over them. "This should be an advantageous position if we encounter any 'high intelligence' life forms. If there are no opposing forces on Gamma, our research team will begin their duties. The rest of us will ensure the researchers safety. We will send out a specialized team to perform this mission, so, if you would Trisha..." Sgt. Dagmar stood up with clipboard in hand and began reading off a list of names.
"Lee, Patel, Mclarty, and Lowe will be in vehicle 45j. Grett, Schmitz, and Gordon will be in the ranger marked 34i. Williams, Johnson, Smith and Henderson will be in vehicle 67k." Trisha Stopped reading and looked at the captain. James thought he knew why.
"Continue." said King.
" Calhorn... Yazzie, Thomas, and Jones will be in vehicle 45e." James was glad to be in an assault vehicle. They were much larger than the Rangers. The list of names continued on.
"And finally," Said Trisha,"King, myself, Ardie Rutherford, and Cobalt will be in vehicle 78g." She placed the list on an empty chair and looked toward King expectantly.
"There has been a meal prepared for us in the barracks. If I heard correctly, they told me it was spaghetti.", he said. There was a general outcry of joy among the troops who sprung from there seats hoping to be the first in line. James and Ardie led the horde toward the temporary cafeteria. James spotted the stack of plates and forks. He was almost there when a huge man overtook him. James took back the lead almost sending the plates crashing to the floor.
"YES!" he shouted to Ardie who was right behind the burly man.
"Hey, I was here first!" said the giant.
"No you weren't."
"Are you calling me a liar?!"
"It was obvious he got there first." interjected Ardie. The brute turned toward Ardie and pushed him to the ground.
"Hey, what's your problem freak?!" shouted James. The man swung his arm around hitting James square in the face. He fell to the ground, but caught himself. He sprung back up and barrelled into the man's stomach sending them both rolling on the concrete floor. The brute managed to get on top of James, grabbed his throat and slammed his head onto the cement. James nearly lost consciousness. A massive, hairy hand came down on James slapping him silly. His head swung uncontrollably: left, right, left, right. James blood peppered the man's face. He couldn't hold on any longer, he was drifting away.
"What the heck is going on?!" Shouted someone in the back of James' mind.
"Get off him!" The darkness was surrounding him. He felt himself being lifted up. He heard laughing, it sounded like Trisha. He was gone.
He regained consciousness just as a nurse was giving him his last injection. He cursed as he sat up in the stretcher. He tried to open his eyes but they were sealed shut.
"Sit Down!" Ordered the nurse. James did as he was told. "It should take about ten minutes, for the swelling to go away. But then you'll be back to normal. Your arm may hurt in the morning but it will feel better by mid afternoon."
"Mid-Afternoon on what planet?" asked James not at all pleased by what had just happened.
"The next twenty-three hours."
"Great." He could open his eyes now, but his head still hurt. King walked into the medical wing and stood over James.
"Hello Captain." said James.
"You have picket duty on the south side of the base tonight. Your friend has been suspended from tomorrows mission."
"Ardie?!"
" No, private. Schmitz."
"Oh"
"I am disappointed in your behavior son, you should know better by now." James closed his eyes so he could roll them around in his head. "Your a lieutenant for cryin' out loud!"
"Sir," said the nurse,"Mr. Calhorn needs to rest if you want him to go with you on tomorrows mission."
King left without a word. It was the first time James was happy to be left in a hospital.
That night, James, Fooz and Pvt. Jones were sent to stand guard at the southernmost side of the base. As they made their way there, Trisha was leaving the shower room in an under-shirt and shorts.
"How ya feelin'?" she asked James with a smile. He didn't answer but continued toward his post. "I asked you a question!", She was no longer smiling.
"Better than I deserve, Sergeant." James said sarcastically. Something sparked in Trisha's eye.
"You're right! You don't deserve anything. You're a good for nothing, sack of entrails who has no business being a part of such a..."
"Cool it Trish!", Said Fooz.
" How dare you speak like that to your superior. You should hope I don't report you!" She marched off into the night. Pvt. Jones gave a long whistle then marched on in silence.
Along the bases fence, the tree's branches had become intertwined. The leaves shivered in the wind.
"So, I guess we're going in there tomorrow, ain't that right big man?" said Jones as he pointed to the jungle.
"The name's Arthur", said Fooz in an unpleasant tone. James was touched that "Arthur" had allowed James to call him Fooz.
"Anyway, that Trish girl was smokin'!" said the Private.
"Her name is Trisha Dagmar and she is your superior, watch your mouth son."
"Ya, I guess we both found that out!" Jones started to laugh. Fooz was turning red.
James didn't feel like experiencing another fight, so he left the two alone and headed to the corner of the fence. He was getting sick of all this Trisha Dagmar crap.
"What's she got against me?", James said to himself as he listened to the forest's noises. A low bellow, a high shriek, a birdsong, they all sent shivers down his spine. Two hours had passed before James thought about moving to a new position. He was about to leave his present station, when something moved. A large insect perched itself on one of the branches sticking through the fence. It looked like a scorpion with wings. James stared transfixed on the creature.
"Arrgh!", Gunshots were heard from where Fooz was now lying. James left the bug and ran to his friends side.
"What happened?!" he yelled.
"It's that Jones kid, he's gone crazy! Said something about the oxygen generators. Asked me how to get there." Fooz let out a groan,"I'll be fine. Now go after him!" James stood up and saw a solitary figure slowly walking toward the HQ building. James darted toward him.
"Private! STOP!" he yelled. Jones turned around slowly with an unfocused look in his eyes.
"Why..'click'..Don't you make me..'click'", his head turned sideways as he charged at James with teeth bared. James reached for his gun, but Jones bounded over him like a grasshopper and ran toward the supply station. James followed as fast as he could, pistol at the ready. Jones darted behind a crate of medical supplies and disappeared. When James got there, one of the supply managers lay unconscious on the floor. He heard a series of "clicks" and "clacks" behind him. He turned around quickly. His jaw collided with knuckles causing him to stumble backwards and drop his gun. Jones was nowhere to be seen. There was a loud commotion nearby. James got up,head pulsing. When he arrived at the scene of the commotion, he knelt down by the private, who was lying on the ground, a small hole in his head and a trickle of blood down his cheek. A scorpion like creature crawled out from under his neck. A large boot slowly crushed it as it let out a muted screech.
"Always hated bugs." said King.
"Sir, Corporal Cobalt was injured as well as officer Steinback in the supp..." he was cut off.
"We caught everything on surveillance. You've got real guts. Be prepared to head out tomorrow, with my squad, I could use you son." James was flattered, but not at all excited about serving with Trisha. "We'll be holding up the rear, in my opinion the most dangerous position. Be sure to wet your pants before we head out. You'd better get back to your post, I'll send some exterminators over later. Be sure to watch out, that is, unless you want to end up like Jonesy here."
James spent the next three hours keeping an eye out for even the smallest movement. He continually brushed the flying scorpions, doubling in number, from the back of his neck. He longed for his shift to be over. Eventually, four men wearing packs full of poison, came to where James stood and sprayed the branches. James watched with satisfaction as the insects flew into the jungle. Their screeches were suddenly lost in a loud guttural growl which turned into a roar. The fence collapsed to reveal a creature that resembled a grizzly bear with dark flesh instead of fur, saber-like teeth that stretched below it's chin, and snake like eyes. There was a terrifying stalemate as the creature eyed each of them sinisterly. There was another blood curdling roar as it swung at one of the exterminators sending him flying over James' head. James pulled out his pistol and shot the beast in the snout, he pulled the trigger again but it jammed. He dropped his weapon and reached for the nozzle connected to the unconscious man's spray pack. He sprayed at the monster's eyes. It made a high pitched scowl and backed down. Together with the other three, James corralled the creature back into the jungle.
"What was that thing?!", breathed one of the exterminators.
"Don't ask me." answered James.
When the fence had been repaired and his shift was over, he walked back to the barracks, crawled in bed, and listened to Ardie complain about how the oxygen emissions were disrupting the monoxide levels and how it was causing the planets' inhabitants to fight back.
"They're just animals." said James.
"Oh no, they're more than animals."
James didn't care, just as long as they could be conquered, and that's what tomorrow was all about.
"Tomorrow," said King to all who had assembled for the briefing,"will be the start of an epic quest to take captive this galaxy and make it suitable for the human race. We will make this possible through our superior strength and intelligence." Ardie sat up in his chair, "We will begin" continued King,"by taking heavy assault vehicles to this mountain." He pointed to an image taken from the mother-ship hovering over them. "This should be an advantageous position if we encounter any 'high intelligence' life forms. If there are no opposing forces on Gamma, our research team will begin their duties. The rest of us will ensure the researchers safety. We will send out a specialized team to perform this mission, so, if you would Trisha..." Sgt. Dagmar stood up with clipboard in hand and began reading off a list of names.
"Lee, Patel, Mclarty, and Lowe will be in vehicle 45j. Grett, Schmitz, and Gordon will be in the ranger marked 34i. Williams, Johnson, Smith and Henderson will be in vehicle 67k." Trisha Stopped reading and looked at the captain. James thought he knew why.
"Continue." said King.
" Calhorn... Yazzie, Thomas, and Jones will be in vehicle 45e." James was glad to be in an assault vehicle. They were much larger than the Rangers. The list of names continued on.
"And finally," Said Trisha,"King, myself, Ardie Rutherford, and Cobalt will be in vehicle 78g." She placed the list on an empty chair and looked toward King expectantly.
"There has been a meal prepared for us in the barracks. If I heard correctly, they told me it was spaghetti.", he said. There was a general outcry of joy among the troops who sprung from there seats hoping to be the first in line. James and Ardie led the horde toward the temporary cafeteria. James spotted the stack of plates and forks. He was almost there when a huge man overtook him. James took back the lead almost sending the plates crashing to the floor.
"YES!" he shouted to Ardie who was right behind the burly man.
"Hey, I was here first!" said the giant.
"No you weren't."
"Are you calling me a liar?!"
"It was obvious he got there first." interjected Ardie. The brute turned toward Ardie and pushed him to the ground.
"Hey, what's your problem freak?!" shouted James. The man swung his arm around hitting James square in the face. He fell to the ground, but caught himself. He sprung back up and barrelled into the man's stomach sending them both rolling on the concrete floor. The brute managed to get on top of James, grabbed his throat and slammed his head onto the cement. James nearly lost consciousness. A massive, hairy hand came down on James slapping him silly. His head swung uncontrollably: left, right, left, right. James blood peppered the man's face. He couldn't hold on any longer, he was drifting away.
"What the heck is going on?!" Shouted someone in the back of James' mind.
"Get off him!" The darkness was surrounding him. He felt himself being lifted up. He heard laughing, it sounded like Trisha. He was gone.
He regained consciousness just as a nurse was giving him his last injection. He cursed as he sat up in the stretcher. He tried to open his eyes but they were sealed shut.
"Sit Down!" Ordered the nurse. James did as he was told. "It should take about ten minutes, for the swelling to go away. But then you'll be back to normal. Your arm may hurt in the morning but it will feel better by mid afternoon."
"Mid-Afternoon on what planet?" asked James not at all pleased by what had just happened.
"The next twenty-three hours."
"Great." He could open his eyes now, but his head still hurt. King walked into the medical wing and stood over James.
"Hello Captain." said James.
"You have picket duty on the south side of the base tonight. Your friend has been suspended from tomorrows mission."
"Ardie?!"
" No, private. Schmitz."
"Oh"
"I am disappointed in your behavior son, you should know better by now." James closed his eyes so he could roll them around in his head. "Your a lieutenant for cryin' out loud!"
"Sir," said the nurse,"Mr. Calhorn needs to rest if you want him to go with you on tomorrows mission."
King left without a word. It was the first time James was happy to be left in a hospital.
That night, James, Fooz and Pvt. Jones were sent to stand guard at the southernmost side of the base. As they made their way there, Trisha was leaving the shower room in an under-shirt and shorts.
"How ya feelin'?" she asked James with a smile. He didn't answer but continued toward his post. "I asked you a question!", She was no longer smiling.
"Better than I deserve, Sergeant." James said sarcastically. Something sparked in Trisha's eye.
"You're right! You don't deserve anything. You're a good for nothing, sack of entrails who has no business being a part of such a..."
"Cool it Trish!", Said Fooz.
" How dare you speak like that to your superior. You should hope I don't report you!" She marched off into the night. Pvt. Jones gave a long whistle then marched on in silence.
Along the bases fence, the tree's branches had become intertwined. The leaves shivered in the wind.
"So, I guess we're going in there tomorrow, ain't that right big man?" said Jones as he pointed to the jungle.
"The name's Arthur", said Fooz in an unpleasant tone. James was touched that "Arthur" had allowed James to call him Fooz.
"Anyway, that Trish girl was smokin'!" said the Private.
"Her name is Trisha Dagmar and she is your superior, watch your mouth son."
"Ya, I guess we both found that out!" Jones started to laugh. Fooz was turning red.
James didn't feel like experiencing another fight, so he left the two alone and headed to the corner of the fence. He was getting sick of all this Trisha Dagmar crap.
"What's she got against me?", James said to himself as he listened to the forest's noises. A low bellow, a high shriek, a birdsong, they all sent shivers down his spine. Two hours had passed before James thought about moving to a new position. He was about to leave his present station, when something moved. A large insect perched itself on one of the branches sticking through the fence. It looked like a scorpion with wings. James stared transfixed on the creature.
"Arrgh!", Gunshots were heard from where Fooz was now lying. James left the bug and ran to his friends side.
"What happened?!" he yelled.
"It's that Jones kid, he's gone crazy! Said something about the oxygen generators. Asked me how to get there." Fooz let out a groan,"I'll be fine. Now go after him!" James stood up and saw a solitary figure slowly walking toward the HQ building. James darted toward him.
"Private! STOP!" he yelled. Jones turned around slowly with an unfocused look in his eyes.
"Why..'click'..Don't you make me..'click'", his head turned sideways as he charged at James with teeth bared. James reached for his gun, but Jones bounded over him like a grasshopper and ran toward the supply station. James followed as fast as he could, pistol at the ready. Jones darted behind a crate of medical supplies and disappeared. When James got there, one of the supply managers lay unconscious on the floor. He heard a series of "clicks" and "clacks" behind him. He turned around quickly. His jaw collided with knuckles causing him to stumble backwards and drop his gun. Jones was nowhere to be seen. There was a loud commotion nearby. James got up,head pulsing. When he arrived at the scene of the commotion, he knelt down by the private, who was lying on the ground, a small hole in his head and a trickle of blood down his cheek. A scorpion like creature crawled out from under his neck. A large boot slowly crushed it as it let out a muted screech.
"Always hated bugs." said King.
"Sir, Corporal Cobalt was injured as well as officer Steinback in the supp..." he was cut off.
"We caught everything on surveillance. You've got real guts. Be prepared to head out tomorrow, with my squad, I could use you son." James was flattered, but not at all excited about serving with Trisha. "We'll be holding up the rear, in my opinion the most dangerous position. Be sure to wet your pants before we head out. You'd better get back to your post, I'll send some exterminators over later. Be sure to watch out, that is, unless you want to end up like Jonesy here."
James spent the next three hours keeping an eye out for even the smallest movement. He continually brushed the flying scorpions, doubling in number, from the back of his neck. He longed for his shift to be over. Eventually, four men wearing packs full of poison, came to where James stood and sprayed the branches. James watched with satisfaction as the insects flew into the jungle. Their screeches were suddenly lost in a loud guttural growl which turned into a roar. The fence collapsed to reveal a creature that resembled a grizzly bear with dark flesh instead of fur, saber-like teeth that stretched below it's chin, and snake like eyes. There was a terrifying stalemate as the creature eyed each of them sinisterly. There was another blood curdling roar as it swung at one of the exterminators sending him flying over James' head. James pulled out his pistol and shot the beast in the snout, he pulled the trigger again but it jammed. He dropped his weapon and reached for the nozzle connected to the unconscious man's spray pack. He sprayed at the monster's eyes. It made a high pitched scowl and backed down. Together with the other three, James corralled the creature back into the jungle.
"What was that thing?!", breathed one of the exterminators.
"Don't ask me." answered James.
When the fence had been repaired and his shift was over, he walked back to the barracks, crawled in bed, and listened to Ardie complain about how the oxygen emissions were disrupting the monoxide levels and how it was causing the planets' inhabitants to fight back.
"They're just animals." said James.
"Oh no, they're more than animals."
James didn't care, just as long as they could be conquered, and that's what tomorrow was all about.
No comments:
Post a Comment