the main lock. Their efforts were repulsed. Colonel Calder continued to bark out commands as the battlefield shifted. We were stuck in a spaceport with no ride out. It was either fight our way in or die!
I spoke as I grabbed Ashley by the hand. "Come on!"
She replied, "Where are we going?"
I stopped at the small locked door. "We are going to try to get through here."
I removed my satchel and fished around until I found a grenade. "If we get lucky, maybe we can knock this door open."
Ashley looked around and then ran.
I shouted over the comm, "Wait! Where are you going?"
She held up her hand as she ran. Seconds later she was aboard a wheeled cargo hauler. The machine was started and spun around in my direction. The two large forks that were used for lifting were moved in close together as the hauler came barreling towards me. Ashley waved her arm at me in a gesture to move away.
I sprinted to one side as the large machine crashed into the air lock door. The door and the surrounding metal buckled under the tonnage of hardened steel as the hauler made contact. A rapid outward rush of air followed. Ashley backed up the hauler and climbed out of the cab.
Ashley spoke. "No need to waste a good grenade. Let's see what we've gotten ourselves into."
I smiled as I followed her through the door. The rush of air made it difficult to move forward. Once we were around the corner from the main opening, the winds slowed.
Ashley spoke over the comm. "Colonel, we have an open door over by that hauler to the left of the main door. We are just entering an interior hallway. If you could send a squad or two this way, I am sure we could use their assistance!"
Calder replied, "Gallagher! Reeves! Take your squads through that breach to the left. Give the Granges whatever support they need!"
As we reached the second corner, I was blown backwards onto my backside by a gravity pulse.
Ashley spoke. "You OK?"
I replied, "Yeah, those hits kind of feel like doing a belly flop back in the Grid pools. It's like a hard smack, but I'm fine."
Ashley reached into my satchel as I stood up. "I'm commandeering one of your grenades."
The pin was pulled and the grenade flung around the corner of the wall.
Booom!
Ashley dove out onto the floor and began to fire. Before I could react, three Marines from Sergeant Reeves’s squad had joined her. The Colossun that blocked our way was quickly eliminated.
Ashley stood and spoke. "Let's move! If we can work our way towards the main air lock, maybe we can pry it open a little for the Colonel!"
Again, before I could react, she was sprinting down the next hall. As I made my way around a corner, an air lock door at the end of the hall began to close. I ran towards it using every muscle in my legs. I did not want to be cut off from my wife. I dove and slid through as the air lock door clanged against the wall and sealed shut. Ashley, myself, and five members of Reeves's squad had made it through.
The hallway opened into a large storage area with a high ceiling. Crates of various sizes lined the floor. Hallways exited in three directions from the room.
I spoke. "Let's hit that hallway to the right. Keep working in that direction."
As we began to move, three Colossun androids entered the room through the hall on the left. Sergeant Reeves was the first to fire, leaving himself exposed as we ran for the cover of a steel crate.
Reeves's first two shots hit their marks, but the Colossuns were unaffected. A return gravity pulse caught Reeves as he turned towards us. I expected him to be knocked in the opposite direction from where the pulse was fired. What happened next was unnerving.
The gravity pulse entered Reeves's battle suit at his upper left thigh. Instead of the suit hardening and distributing the effects over the outer surface, the pulse passed through. Reeves’s left leg violently expanded within the suit. As the suit hardened from the expanding pulse within, Reeves’s leg was pushed up through the
I spoke as I grabbed Ashley by the hand. "Come on!"
She replied, "Where are we going?"
I stopped at the small locked door. "We are going to try to get through here."
I removed my satchel and fished around until I found a grenade. "If we get lucky, maybe we can knock this door open."
Ashley looked around and then ran.
I shouted over the comm, "Wait! Where are you going?"
She held up her hand as she ran. Seconds later she was aboard a wheeled cargo hauler. The machine was started and spun around in my direction. The two large forks that were used for lifting were moved in close together as the hauler came barreling towards me. Ashley waved her arm at me in a gesture to move away.
I sprinted to one side as the large machine crashed into the air lock door. The door and the surrounding metal buckled under the tonnage of hardened steel as the hauler made contact. A rapid outward rush of air followed. Ashley backed up the hauler and climbed out of the cab.
Ashley spoke. "No need to waste a good grenade. Let's see what we've gotten ourselves into."
I smiled as I followed her through the door. The rush of air made it difficult to move forward. Once we were around the corner from the main opening, the winds slowed.
Ashley spoke over the comm. "Colonel, we have an open door over by that hauler to the left of the main door. We are just entering an interior hallway. If you could send a squad or two this way, I am sure we could use their assistance!"
Calder replied, "Gallagher! Reeves! Take your squads through that breach to the left. Give the Granges whatever support they need!"
As we reached the second corner, I was blown backwards onto my backside by a gravity pulse.
Ashley spoke. "You OK?"
I replied, "Yeah, those hits kind of feel like doing a belly flop back in the Grid pools. It's like a hard smack, but I'm fine."
Ashley reached into my satchel as I stood up. "I'm commandeering one of your grenades."
The pin was pulled and the grenade flung around the corner of the wall.
Booom!
Ashley dove out onto the floor and began to fire. Before I could react, three Marines from Sergeant Reeves’s squad had joined her. The Colossun that blocked our way was quickly eliminated.
Ashley stood and spoke. "Let's move! If we can work our way towards the main air lock, maybe we can pry it open a little for the Colonel!"
Again, before I could react, she was sprinting down the next hall. As I made my way around a corner, an air lock door at the end of the hall began to close. I ran towards it using every muscle in my legs. I did not want to be cut off from my wife. I dove and slid through as the air lock door clanged against the wall and sealed shut. Ashley, myself, and five members of Reeves's squad had made it through.
The hallway opened into a large storage area with a high ceiling. Crates of various sizes lined the floor. Hallways exited in three directions from the room.
I spoke. "Let's hit that hallway to the right. Keep working in that direction."
As we began to move, three Colossun androids entered the room through the hall on the left. Sergeant Reeves was the first to fire, leaving himself exposed as we ran for the cover of a steel crate.
Reeves's first two shots hit their marks, but the Colossuns were unaffected. A return gravity pulse caught Reeves as he turned towards us. I expected him to be knocked in the opposite direction from where the pulse was fired. What happened next was unnerving.
The gravity pulse entered Reeves's battle suit at his upper left thigh. Instead of the suit hardening and distributing the effects over the outer surface, the pulse passed through. Reeves’s left leg violently expanded within the suit. As the suit hardened from the expanding pulse within, Reeves’s leg was pushed up through the
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