John Moralee - Future Imperfect - A Collection of Science Fiction Stories

“Take whatever you want,” he told Dawkins. She picked two T17-Bs – the same weapon as a normal T17 with extra charge and a bigger magazine. She also selected a close combat weapon – an obsidian-black knife with a smooth molecular edge. She added a belt of grenades. “Too much or not enough?”

“Not enough.”

Anson grabbed the most powerful weapon he could carry, a smart weapon bristling with smart projectiles, which had to be strapped to the shoulders and held with both hands. For good measure, he backed it up with grenades, a knife and an old-school quadruple-barrelled shotgun filled with armour-piercing pellets. That went on his back.

They filled a cart with more weapons and pushed it down the corridor into the elevator. Then they went up to Level 1. Anson heard a sinister metallic screeching on the other side of the hatch. He hid behind the shield, waiting for the breach.

Dawkins loaded her weapons. “Sounds like the Imperial Stormtroopers are coming. Get ready.”

He was stunned by her Star War s reference. He had not known she had seen it. Was she a secret nerd too? The screeching continued – but nothing happened.

Until a proximity alarm went off in one of the missile launch tubes.

Anson groaned. The noises at the hatch were a diversion. The enemy were breaching through a launch tube. He had assumed the tubes were too small for an incursion – but an intruder did not have be a human. He ran down the corridor and turned a corner to face a small, spiked Rippler with sinuous limbs and segmented body parts like a mutated crustacean. It was dropping out of the ceiling onto the floor, unfolding its narrowed body as it popped out of the tube. Anson fired a burst of smart bullets that slammed into it and exploded releasing attack virals – but the Rippler did not die. It’s skin rippled and ejected the smart bullets. Anson switched to his shotgun. He fired a close range. The Ripper spun and dodged, spraying a noxious cloud over his armour. Anson’s visor was hit with the liquid, which sizzled and burned a hole. Something acidic stung his eyes. Coughing, he could not see the Rippler for the fizzling liquid. He fired blindly, strafing the whole corridor in six types of exploding shells. He caused wall to wall damage – but the Rippler was hurtling away. Behind him, Dawkins tossed a grenade and pulled him backwards around the corner just before it exploded. Dust and debris flew everywhere. Anson tossed his helmet aside and wiped his eyes. A tox screen display on his retina identified the acid. A skin patch neutralised it in his blood. He followed Dawkins around the corridor. There was a small hole in the floor – not caused by the explosion. It had been cut with a precision plasma torch. The thing – whatever it was – had slipped down onto Level 2. He could see it on the surveillance making another hole. Now it was now on Level 3.

“It’s cutting its way down,” Dawkins said. “Why? I thought it would try to open the hatch.”

“Too risky. It must be heading for the control room. If it gets there and hacks ours systems, it can take over the base. You had better stay here and seal all of the launch tubes. I’ll track down the Rippler.”

Anson ran to the elevator. The Rippler was on Level 4 when he boarded. He selected Level 5. He jumped out with his shotgun raised. The level was dark and quiet. The electricity to the lights had been knocked out by the Rippler. He listened. Something was making a splashing sound on his right. He moved forward into the cavernous gym where he often worked out on the machines. He source of the noise was the floor melting under the blast from a number of plasma torches built into the Rippler’s body. It was squatting on the ground surrounded by a white-hot circle of dripping metal. Anson was at sufficient distance to fire some high explosive rounds straight into it without getting knocked off his feet. Three direct hits to the torso blew the Rippler across the gym, slamming it into a wall. It crawled upwards, spitting a dozen rolling bombs towards him. Anson re-aimed at the bombs, taking them out with his shotgun before they detonated. He looked for the Rippler where it had been heading – but it was not on the wall. It was on the ceiling, shooting down strings of something slimy and pulsing with green lights. It looked like some kind of web that it was shooting at him. Anson dived out of its path. The strings hit the ground behind him and sparked furiously. Some kind of stun weapon? Anson ran under the Rippler and fired his shotgun directly up into its head. The impact splattered the Rippler into the ceiling, leaving just strands of the gooey stuff hanging down, sparking and burning. Anson fired twice more – pulping what was left.

“I splattered it,” he said to Dawkins on his com. “How’s it going on your end?”

He could hear bangs and explosions through his earpiece. It sounded like Dawkins was in a nasty fire-fight. Anson had no surveillance link on his level – so he could not monitor the situation. It sounded like she needed support. He dashed to the elevator and rode it back up to Level 1. He came out prepared to shoot anything – but he was met by Dawkins covered in green strands. She was picking them off her armour, her nose wrinkled in disgust. “One freak got in and tried to zap me. I took care of it with a grenade.”

“What about the launch tubes?”

“Everything is sealed up. They’re not getting in that way.”

“That’s great – but we’ve got a problem. I was hoping to use the launch tubes to send my array of signal boosters up in the air, once the nanoforge finished making them. Can’t do that now. We have to figure out something else.”

A thunderous boom shook Anson almost off his feet.

Dawkins’ eyes widened. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know – but I doubt it was good. I’m going to head to the control room to see if any of my drones are still operational outside. Come with me.”

“Shouldn’t I guard the hatch?”

“I need you down in the nanoforge. I’ve thought of something we can make.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

In the control room Anson could not connect with any of his drones – which was a huge disappointment – but he was receiving a signal from outside. Someone was at the hatch wanting to talk to him. He switched on the cameras and saw a soldier standing outside. He was wearing the uniform of a five-star general from Station Delta. Anson recognised the man immediately. It was General Eric Gerlach. It looked like a whole garrison accompanied him, standing on the smoking battlefield. The General shouted into the intercom.

“This is General Gerlach. Can you hear me, son?”

Anson switched on the link. “General, how did you get here?”

“My people observed a lot of Rippler activity over your position. I figured you needed a little help, son. Is anyone else with you?”

“Yes, sir. Sergeant Dawkins.”

The General frowned. “Did you say Dawkins, son?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is she with you right now?”

“No, sir. She’s in the basement.”

“Okay. Listen to me. That’s not Dawkins. Dawkins was killed last week in a factory raid. Her body is in the morgue right now.”

“No. She’s right here. It must be someone else, sir.”

The General shook his head. “I saw her body myself. Look, I’ll show you on my handheld.”

The General played a video taken from Dawkins’ helmet camera as she battled against some Ripplers.

Anson watched her die.

“Let us in, son.”

Anson sighed. “Yes, sir.”

He was leaving the room when Dawkins appeared. “The nanoforge is running right now. Hey – what’s wrong?”

“General Gerlach is outside. He’s defeated the Ripplers. He wants us to open the door.”