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.
"It was the workers of the reactor, I'm telling ya." answered Tregar. He was short and stocky, and moved as fast as a wildcat – even with the heavy radio in his back-pack.
"The workers?" Logan asked, his fitness was being tested keeping pace with the team, and was glad when they came to a stop at the rear of an old church building.
"Yeah, the workers." Tregar replied. "They blew that power plant-" he gestured to the twisted remains of the building in the distance. "And the radiation poisoned the air in town. That's why everyone here's dead."
"If the disease is here at Kastor-" Mac began. "Then why are people dying at Nidrahni and Pollux?"
"No one's died at Nidrahni Mac." Tregar answered. "It's happening at Pollux 'cos they blew the reactor there as well. I'm telling ya, something happened to the workers."
"Why's it called the Nidrahni virus then?"
"Fuck knows, Mac. Maybe because someone from Nidrahni blew them up?" Tregar shrugged his shoulders. "Or maybe they just call it Nidrahni Virus to blame the people of Nidrahni."
"I don't get it, why would someone want to blame Nidrahni for blowing up their power plant if they didn't do it?" Mac wanted to get to the bottom of this debate.
"Shh!" Lee held up a flat hand, then held it to his ear. He was frozen at the churches rear alleyway.
The squad understood the command for silence and honed in with their ears, listening for any noise. Logan held his wet rifle close to his chest, aware of his quickening heartbeat underneath his soaked clothing. Lee pointed to Mac and beckoned him over, the big man acknowledged with a nod. Tregar was ordered to stay put and cover as Lee and Mac slowly progressed into the alley, their rifles held high, aiming into the shadows. Tregar knelt down at the churches edge, pointing his rifle into the alley behind the two soldiers, offering support. Logan and Kyle kept watch at the rear.
"What do you think happened, Kyle?"
"I don't really care, Logan, if I'm honest." he took a final puff on a rolled-up cigarette, then flicked it high into the air. "We're only here to wipe out some dirty vermin." Kyle was a man of few words, and generally kept to himself. Every night, he wrote into a battered journal, although no one actually knew what he entered. A mystery behind deep blue eyes but one of the most efficient soldiers that Logan had ever met, following orders exactly by the book.
They were brought to their feet by the sound of gunfire, and quickly scampered into the alley behind Tregar to assist the others.
"Stand down!" Lee shouted. "Just a damned dog."
"Bloody 'ell Lee, thought we 'ad 'em there." Mac wiped the moisture from his brow.
"M-my d-dog..." The voice was sad and quiet and the squad nearly missed it over the sound of the rain.
Logan was first to react, finding the ill man lying on the soaking floor, covered with a blood stained blanket that barely covered him. He lowered his rifle. "Who are you?"
The man was probably in his twenties but looked much older. His skin had a burnt appearance and his face glistened with weeping blisters. Before he was able to answer, his head exploded into a thousand lumps of brain and bone. Blood splattered into Logan's eyes and covered his uniform in a gruesome, red horror. He quickly stepped back, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"Get back, Logan! He's infected."
Logan turned to see a blurred Lee with rifle at the shoulder, aiming at where the man's head had been.
"Great Lunis..." Logan muttered, dropping his weapon to wipe the blood away from his eyes. He stood stunned for a moment before Mac ushered him away.
"Come on mate, it's okay." A bulging arm reached around his waist and led him back to the church, where he sat him down on the curb.
Lee approached them and handed Logan the weapon he'd dropped. "Wear the shoulder strap, so it won't fall off." He gave a nod, and returned to the rear of the church with Tregar at his heels. Logan heard them putting a message back to Cowans.
After a burst of static Cowans replied. "Received team three, proceed with caution, just keep an eye on him."
"Yes sir." Lee said, turning to the others. "On your feet, time to go." He resumed walking north immediately, barely giving anyone a moment to reflect.
Mac lifted a weary Logan to his feet and looked deep into his eyes. "You okay Logan?"
"I guess so, just never seen anyone killed like that before."
"You get used it to."
They both turned to see Kyle standing next to them, softness in his voice.
You get used to it?
"I used to write down every time I killed a man." Kyle began. "I stopped doing it though, when I shot and killed a young woman - there didn't seem any point anymore. I realised I was only doing it to feed my sanity. I was blind to what I'd become, I was a murderer - just like the ones I'd been sent in to kill. But when I looked at that girls face, and saw her holding a pregnant belly, I had to go over to her." he removed his helmet and looked up into the falling rain, which saturated his face. "I held her in my arms for thirty minutes, until her soul finally left her body. In that time, I told her how sorry I was, that she wasn't meant to be hit by my bullet. I tried pressing my hand against her wound, hoping to slow her unnecessary death, I even tried to ease her pain by making her comfortable."
Kyle lowered his head and placed his now rain filled helmet back on his head. As the water poured over his face, he spoke again. "Before she died, she smiled at me, told me that it wasn't my fault. She understood I was just a grunt taking orders from higher up, an irrelevant cog in a vast military machine. She knew she was just one of the many unfortunates in the way. I couldn't believe what she was saying at first - but she was right. We take orders from our superiors, and we do the job we're paid to do. We worry about it when it's over, at home if it makes us feel better."
Is this really what I joined up for?
"Every night, I write to that girl in my journal. And she talks back to me in my sleep. If there's one thing that Sylvia has taught me, it's that people die all the time, sometimes for no reason at all. Death comes to all of us, when the time's right. We mustn't get hung up on it too much, Logan. We worry about it when the job's over, understand?" he clamped a solid hand on Logan's shoulder, who nodded in reply. "Good lad, keep your chin up for now." He released his grip, and began marching after Lee.
"That's good advice," Mac said from behind. "Think about it later."
Fair enough. Logan slung the rifle strap over his shoulder, and went to follow his squad north.
The rest of the mission went without any major incidents for team three. A total of four infected were destroyed by Grey Regiment. Once the village was secure, they returned to the control point.
"Good job men," Cowans said. "Now let's clear out."
The soldiers packed up, and took a drenched seat on the truck, pleased to be heading back to base. For the whole journey, Logan watched the face of the infected man explode from that murderous bullet. Wondering if it was really necessary. Was he really a threat to Barlow City? Logan couldn't help but think they'd been wrong - but if that was the case, was there another reason for Malik eliminating the remaining residents of Kastor?
The truck came to a halt at the busy military base, many soldiers were snoring from the long journey. The rain had stopped, but the wind had taken over, tugging hard against everything it brushed against. Static sounded from the truck speaker.
"All personnel report to the meeting room in thirty minutes for debrief. Dismissed." Cowans dismounted his vehicle and went for his office to complete his report.
When he arrived, he was startled to find a man in crimson waiting patiently for him in a chair. "May I help you?" he asked.
The man stood and turned to face Cowans. "Good evening First Lieutenant-" he shook the hand on offer. "And congratulations on your recent mission success. I'm here to select one of your soldiers for an advanced training and conditioning trial."
Cowans acknowledged the Marshal with a respectful salute, and gestured for him to retake his seat. "Thank you, sir, it was a triumphant mission. What's this training you speak of?" he sat down on his chair, squeaking as he sank into its leathery texture.
"After the success of initial SoldierX experiments, Professor Crow has perfected a further blend of advanced genetics. This treatment, when used universally, will see an incredible improvement to every soldier in the Malikan army. Every attribute they have will receive a maximum increase."
Cowans pondered at his desk. "Then why just one soldier? Surely you'd want to give them all this special treatment?"
The visitor smiled. "As yet, it is untested on Eridanians. Experiments have been on-going for quite some time, and we are now ready to safely infuse the cells with the DNA of a soldier."
"Cells?" Cowans asked, sounding shocked. "So this isn't about advanced training then?"
"The patient will undergo a special treatment for three months," the Marshal began. "Then monitored for a further three. Effects from the gene therapy should be almost instant. Once we have completed this mandatory process, we can boost the power of the entire Malikan army." he smiled, proudly.
"Mandatory process? I'm responsible for every one of my soldiers, sir. What happens if something goes wrong?"
The stranger laughed. "Lieutenant, this is Professor Crow we're talking about - he's the President's ranking scientist. There's no reason to be concerned. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, I shall also be undergoing the test. All that I require from you is one soldier, preferably someone young."
A bell rang in the back of Cowans' mind, and he glanced at the Marshal with his head tilted to the side, trying to get a clearer picture of something in his thoughts. "There might be a lad."
"Great."
"Will the treatment help with mental trauma?"
"Yes."
Cowans looked down at his desk, deep in thought, rapping his fingers against the polished wood surface. "Okay, there's a new recruit that could benefit from this treatment. I'll call him in."
"Thank you, Lieutenant, and one other thing - this is Grade A confidential, do you understand?"
Cowans understood the Marshal's warning perfectly. Betraying a Grade A could result in being dismissed from the army with immediate effect. Worse still, betraying the orders of a Marshal could result in an early demise. "I understand fully, sir. Please wait here." The lieutenant stood and abruptly left the office. A few moments later he returned with a soldier in tow. While he sat down at his desk, Logan stood to attention on the other side. The Marshal stood and smiled at his new subject.
"Jax!" Logan announced with a big smile, then remembered his place. "Sorry, sir." he quickly returned to attention.
"At ease, soldier." Jax ordered, looking up and down at Logan's uniform. "So you made it into the military - congratulations."
"Thank you, sir." Logan replied. "I didn't make the Marshals though." A petulant look of anger flashed across his face.
"Perhaps I can help you with that," Jax smiled. "How would you like to come and work with me?"
The grin that took over Logan's face said it all.