Blood of the Ancient - The Helix Rebellion saga #1

Chapter 5

The rain was deafening, as it beat down heavily against the canvas covering on the truck. Leaks had broken through, and soldiers were already soaked to the bone. The conditions were horrible for Logan's first mission in Grey Regiment. Twenty sweaty, cursing infantrymen sat cramped together with the smell of nervous gut's in the air, as their five-tonne armoured personnel carrier bounced from Barlow City to the wastelands of Kastor.

Reports had been made that a group of diseased locals were planning to travel into Barlow, and spread the Nidrahni death curse. First Lieutenant Cowans and his troops had been tasked to locate and destroy the infected.

"Two minutes men." Cowans' electronic voice boomed full blast from the speaker mounted behind the cab. He rode in an armoured B20 Warrior that accompanied the personnel carrier, with his own personal driver and gunners.

The troops checked equipment, and readied their weapons. Logan unclipped the magazine on his Hawking rifle, and checked the ammo content. Once satisfied, he banged the clip back into place. His heavy bergen contained enough rations for a week, including water bottles, spare magazines, multigogs, clothing and a first aid kit. The vehicle came to a sudden halt, throwing half the troops from their seats. Angry curses were directed towards the cab.

"Dismount." Cowans shouted over the radio.

The canvas sheet was yanked aside, and the rear of the vehicle opened up to the full force of the elements. All twenty soldiers jumped out into the sloppy mud, the first few securing the area.

"All clear." Buster announced with a shout - he was the oldest in the regiment at thirty five, and had been there the longest. He now considered it his duty to lead the others as he had the most experience, though experience for Buster hadn't made him a better soldier. He was prone to mistakes and was forever disciplined for incompetency, he loved the regiment.

Cowans dismounted the armoured Warrior and walked over to the squad. "Platoon, attention!"

The troops quickly stood to attention.

"You all know why we are here men. Let's find these damned dogs and put them down!"

"Yes sir!" The squad shouted back in unison.

"Drop into your five man squads." he ordered. "Teams one and two, I want you to search south and west. Teams three and four, north and east. Questions?"

"Sir, do we know how many there are?"

Cowans scowled at Busters question. "As many as you can bloody find, Buster." he watched the old soldier nod and shut his mouth. "Okay, get to it. The sooner we find them, the sooner we get home. I'll control from here, radio transmissions only when necessary." The first lieutenant returned to his Warrior and climbed inside, out of the rain.

"Okay men, fall out." Buster ordered, and the four squads followed their respective orders.

Logan was in team three. He was being led north by Lee, a tough looking soldier with a deep scar across his forehead – a memento from a previous mission. As they moved swiftly through deserted streets, old, soggy newspaper pages littered the streets, stuck tight against bins and the side of buildings by brutal winds. Giant puddles of murky rainwater filled potholes along the neglected roads. There was no light on in any of the buildings they passed, no sign of any life - anywhere.

"Let's hope we don't catch this damned virus while we're here." Lee shouted back to the squad.

"Why's it here in Kastor anyway? Nidrahni's in the south isn't it?" Mac wasn't the brightest, but what he lacked in intelligence he made up for with brute strength. Logan was glad the big Landana was in his team, he was a calming influence and his demeanour seemed to relax everyone around him.