Page 59 (1/2)

His troops had been in full gear but had not readied their weapons That would have been rude So to shoot back A full half of his garrison turned, pushing for the exits He wanted to screa sound forced him to curl into a ball Sparks flew from all around him as someone below tried to finish hiood idea Russell pushed toward one and the burning in his leg turned into nuclear fire He screaun, and fired as he rotated around in an uncontrolled spiral He ed to unload half a clip on the first spin, the other half on the second Some of his bullets even went into the maw of the nearest cli blur of gunfire, hand-to-hand combat, and death Bodies floated all over the bay, so around like lobes of blood drifted around the scene as if someone had fired up a ainst the ceiling above Russell He heard the hiss as one round passed within centiain on pure instinct His leg burned, each movement as if a knife twisted there A serrated knife coated with rusty barbed wire heated until it glowed The pain flooded his asm without the release of pleasure

Still curled in a ball, Russell collided with soroaned Soldiers hung on the walls around hi him away from the bay door

"Seal it," Russell hissed "Seal that fucking rooainst a background of screaunshots

"I still have people in there," Russell corrected "You have an order Fucking do it"

In answer the thick door began to close Someone on the other side shouted, "Wait!" just before the o bay had sealed

"Vent the air," Russell said "No one better question that Vent the air"

"Sir?" someone said

A question Russell looked around but found his vision clouded with tears He squinted

"Sir," the saer ports down on A They’re taking prisoners"

"Then seal that level, too," he said "Vent it"

"There’s innocent--"

"Don’t start No roooddaain any round"

"Yes, sir"

Russell heard a faint whoosh, and a creaking sound that lasted half a heartbeat The air, sucked out of the cargo bay into space A fire prevention technique

Thenow Russell wondered how many had made it into the three exits before the doors were closed, and if any of the survivors were on the enemy side

The enemy Grillo, you two-faced cunt, I will cut your heart out for this

"Sohtheaded Blood still seeped from his calf in little red spheres

The operations room on Platz Station looked just like the other suites of cubicle offices that plagued the co, his aruard who smelled like old socks

"Report," Russell said as he took a chair Then he looked at the guard "Find me a medic And vodka"

"Mr Blackfield," said the operations lead on duty, a pouty woman with classic Australian features and drawl "Level A is at zero atmosphere, and the doors are sealed"

"Good news," he said "Did they get farther than that?"

"Reports of sporadic fighting on B, but it seems to be under control now"

Russell nodded The woman seemed remarkably detached from the situation Cool under fire; he liked that Rational ideas and prudent tactics fought to gain attention in his o down to Darwin now, before he entrenches hi a cli with fifty tons of old scrap metal and broken parts and it’ll take out the entire fortress He filed the idea for theGrillo spent more than half his time out in Lyons, or at that bloody stadium

"Hey," he said to the woman "Your na, like Dr Sharma did? Detach a farm platform?"

"I don’t see what that would--"

"Just answer, please"

She griap capability, so they can move away from the cord and reposition"

"I love you, Jenny Pick one and start the process Someone find me a map of Darwin"

Naked horror flashed across her face as she realized what he intended to do She visibly gulped, studied her screens for a moment, then set to work

A nurse came in, dropped a case of supplies on the floor next to Russell, and began to exa Thecaused pain, or perhaps hoping it would to knohere the da away, revealing two red holes on either side of the calf muscle

"Get me Alex Warthen on the coan to tap in co a lot of chatter here"

Before Russell could speak, she turned to face hi in from the other stations Anchor Station is overrun Gateway is under heavy assault"

The rage within Russell Blackfield transforht back to the day Grillo had offered warriors to aid in his assault on Tania’s colony Months of excuses and delays Then, suddenly, he had the in visits to Anchor Pilgriall to say

"Hab-Six is reporting casualties," Jenny went on "Hab-Five Midway"