Sean-Michael Argo - Dead Worlds

“Squads Marsters and Hyst on me,” ordered Boss Marsters as he took the lead in slinging his rifle and climbing over the first terrace, “Ulanti will hold the door open if we need to pull out fast.”

Samuel fell in behind Harold Marr who brought up the rear of Squad Marsters with his heavy machine gun. The marines immediately discovered that the pyramid was constructed using interlocking terraces that worked to create stone trenches on each level. Samuel was positive that he wasn’t the only one who noticed the carved depressions that lined the trenches roughly twenty yards apart. As he passed by them he could see that they corresponded to the ones in the trench line on the level above them in such a way that created full coverage of the structure. When he saw the ring mounts in the base of the depressions he was positive that he was looking at gun emplacements.

The terraced levels were connected by short stairwells that allowed the marines to ascend to the next level of the pyramid. The stairwells were placed in different locations across each level, and Samuel could not help but think that this was done with tactical intent. By varying the placement of the stairs an enemy would have to take the pyramid level by level, instead of simply ascending a line of stairs all the way to the top. It appeared, so far, that the only entrance to the interior of the pyramid was at the top, creating a formidable fighting position.

Samuel could hear the radio chatter and knew that other Reaper platoons had reached the pyramid from other directions, and more marines were taking up positions on the structure. Bravo Platoon moved their full strength up the structure to support Tango Platoon as the rest of the marines took control of the first three terraced levels. It seemed that none of the Reaper Bosses were particularly interested in being exposed on the streets below, and everyone had opted to use the defenses of the structure to their advantage. Each of the bosses had advised their own group of legionnaires, and all of them had witnessed the speed and ferocity with which the penal troops were eliminated.

Though it had not been officially disseminated information, most of the bosses knew that the majority of the convicts were still alive, at least according to their monitors. The general Reaper grunts had not been officially informed, to avoid a panic. Samuel wasn’t keen to hide information from his people, but he did as he was ordered.

“Tango Bravo, snipers are seeing massive architectural shift from our vantage point mid-structure, confirm,” growled Boss Harker over the com-bead.

“Architectural shift?” asked Patrick, slinging his flamer. At a nod from Samuel, he and Bianca and hoisted themselves up using the footholds cut into the stone just beneath one of the gun mounts, “Is that even a phrase?”

“Scope it and you tell us, marine,” said Boss Marsters as he inclined his head towards Jada, “Sek get me eyes on the opposite side.”

Once perched atop the gun emplacement, Patrick turned back to accept Samuel’s hand-held viewfinder. The marine set the device against his helmet’s visor and began scanning the city. He toggled through several viewing modes until he was able to find a setting that pierced through at least some portion of the gloom. He was visibly shaken by what he saw.

“Um, Boss, you’re gonna need to see this for yourself,” muttered Patrick as he looked back at Samuel and handed the viewfinder to Bianca for a second opinion, “This is tough to describe.”

Samuel ascended the wall and squeezed into the tight space of the gun emplacement. The space seemed to be meant for one weapon and one operator, but the three marines huddled together as best they could so that Samuel could get a clear view of the city below. The marine looked through his viewfinder and gasped. It was difficult to make out completely in the fog, but it appeared as if the buildings were rearranging themselves.

Immediately, Samuel recalled the tracks he’d seen set into the streets and along the sides of the buildings, and as he watched the structures grind their way slowly into new formations he could not help but marvel at the ingenuity of it all. He had seen a great many technological wonders in his time, from the gargantuan industrial complexes of Grotto Corporation to the chaotic leviathan that was the space hulk, but this- this elegant re-shaping of the city’s layout- was both a wonder and terror to behold. A wonder of architecture, engineering, and physics, but a terror as the buildings shifted, blocking off all of the streets and creating a solid circular wall around the entire city.

Reports of the architectural shift were buzzing through the com-beads as platoon after platoon sounded off. Command ordered the Reaper force to converge on the ziggurat as a primary objective, then hold position as the tech and intelligence staff continued to monitor changes within the city.

As more and more marines arrived they began creating hasty fighting positions with their flak boards and taking up position using the building’s natural defenses. Everyone was on edge, and with good reason. This force was comprised entirely of veterans from the Reaper Corps, and all of them had seen their share of strange things. They knew from experience that on hostile salvage missions even the buildings themselves were active participants in the battle space, and the environment had to be respected as an unpredictable hostile. On most missions, though, the threat was usually some manner of secondary explosion, toxic breach, or structural collapse, never before had the environment been so calculated in its reaction to their presence.

Grips tightened on weapons and fingers hovered over triggers as the marines waited for a fight they knew had to be coming. The three marines re-joined the squads and pressed onwards, none of them wanting to keep looking at the logic defying movements of the already disturbing buildings.

As the two squads neared the apex of the pyramid Samuel’s com-bead began to pulse with an emergency signal. Boss Marsters looked back at Samuel and the two men locked eyes for a moment before Wynn held his hand up in a clenched fist. His gesture halted the marine’s advance. He opened his hand wide to splay his fingers out and the assembled marines fanned out to pull security. They were on the second terrace from the top, without much trench to cover, so the eight marines were able to get three hundred and sixty degree coverage despite their small numbers. Samuel stood next to Boss Marsters as they switched over to the command channel.

“Reaper Ground Force Reaper Actual, massive energy surges inside the ziggurat, the signatures indicate sizeable machine components inside the structure itself,” came the monotone voice of the Reaper command dispatcher, “Penetrate, neutralize, and secure. Over.”

“Boss Ulanti, ascend now and meet us at the top, we’re going in,” said Boss Marsters as he checked the fire toggle on his rifle and switched it to three round burst, “Advance to the apex of the structure and sweep in behind us. Bravo Platoon is pulling security. Reaper Actual, Squad Marsters and Squad Hyst entering hostile structure time now.”

“Roger Tango Leader,” answered the crisp voice on the other end of the line.

“Reapers on me,” Marsters ordered as he continued downwards, flipping on both his body lights and gun lights to illuminate the darkness below.

The marines filed one by one through the opening in the top of the ziggurat, Samuel descending just after Bianca Kade. The marine moved her gun light back and forth with trained precision, taking care to illuminate the blind corners of the staircase as it emptied into a large empty chamber. They had been sleeping together since before the conflict on Tetra Prime. Both had thought themselves simply soldiers who needed each other briefly in a few moments of weakness and battle fatigue. However, she and Samuel had re-kindled their former entanglement in these last weeks on Vorhold, both telling themselves after the horrors of downspire they needed the simple comforts of human intimacy.