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Virtually Real Part 19: You Want Action?

Returning Characters

Prowl-Ar – Black Enhanced Suit

Kyle – Red Enhanced Suit

Shock – Orange Enhanced Suit

Kicker

Go-Lee

Slider

Commander

Hazard – Yellow Enhanced Suit

Cold Snap – White Enhanced Suit

Violet – Purple Enhanced Suit

I watched as the cutting team slowly made progress. They were building a new access road through the jungle from the base north to the perimeter to improve response time.

"Go-Lee, cover me." I Said as I moved forward.

"Huh, didn't take you for a bottom, but if you insist."

"You're lucky I'm in a semi-open relationship, otherwise my husband would rip your head off. Now, this isn't the time or place to discuss such things."

"You're married?" Lee asked in surprise.

"I said not the time."

The cutting team had stopped working, obviously to listen to our exchange. I'd noticed a suspicious clearing ahead. I used my head cam to zoom in. "Everybody move back"

"What's going on?" Hazard asked.

I knelt down and opened my hatch, "Captain, I need you to come here a minute."

He ran up and I handed him my headset, "Put this on and tell me if you recognize what's ahead."

He put the headset on and I replayed my recording.

"Shit, I'd say that's the Bug's camp from when they got in."

"And in the center?"

The Captain whistled, "That is a plasma cutter mine. Yo! Get the drones in the air and scan for trip lines! And for God sake start backing all the equipment out of here." He handed back my headset.

"Base, this is Tiger, I need to talk to the Commander."

"I've been keeping track of all of you, though I didn't figure you'd be the one reporting a problem."

"We've discovered the Bug's temporary camp. They left a little surprise for us. I'm transmitting the video now."

"Shit, this is bad. We need that road." The Commander swore.

"I've got an idea. Pull the cutting team back to base, make sure the patrol teams are well away from the area, and then use your plasma cannon to activate the mine from a distance."

"Activate it? Are you mad?"

"No Sir, by activating it with your plasma cannon it will explode at ground level cutting or clearing everything around it for two to five miles."

"Then the cutting team moves back in with over half the work already completed. Smart, using the Bug's weapon to our advantage. Cutting crew fall back to the base."

"Hazard and Go-Lee, that means us as well. Hazard, you're on point. Make sure we didn't just get lucky on the way in. Go-Lee stick close to the cutters just in case this is actually a new incursion. I'll be covering the rear."

"Yes, Sir." They both replied.

We slowly made our way back to base.

"Lee, you're with me, Tiger and Hazard you're on Guard duty, cutting teams break for lunch."

The Commander and Go-Lee headed down the new road.

"Hazard, I'll stand watch. Go ahead and have your lunch."

Hazard's suit raised its hand to hatch level and locked into place. The hatch opened and Hazard stepped out onto the hand where she promptly sat down and started eating her lunch. About ten minutes later she tapped her headset and held up three fingers, then two, and then three again. I switched my com to channel 323 and gave her a thumbs up signal.

"Sir, requesting permission to make a trip to the latrine."

"Granted, just make it quick."

"Understood." She activated the descent cable. Once on the ground she headed for the toilets.

A bright blue blast lit up the horizon followed by a massive green explosion. I quickly switched back to the base frequency.

"Base, what the hell was that?" the radio crackled.

"Dropkick, the Commander was just dealing with a Bug booby trap."

"Someone should have informed us. The blast would have singed the paint off my suit, if it still had any."

I activated my secondary, team, channel. "Drake, are you alright?"

"Dropkick is exaggerating. The blast was at least a mile away from reaching the perimeter clearing, and we're a good ten miles away from reaching that point. Drake out."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sir, I'll take over so you can have your lunch."

I hadn't even noticed Hazard's return. I'd really berate myself over that one. However that would have to be later. I knelt down, popped my hatch, and headed for the latrine.

I'd just finished my lunch and gotten my suit closed up when the Commander returned.

"Cutters, get out there and clear the road. Construction crew, go with them and asses the area for setting up a support base for the ground pounders and geeks headed our way."

"Sir, were is Go-Lee?" I asked.

"He's at the clearing having his lunch. No need to waste the time or energy having him come all the way back here again."

"Yes, Sir." I clicked of my coms and growled. When the mission was over I'd be having words with the Commander about complacency and stupid risks. I turned the coms back on. "Hazard, I'm on point, you bring up the rear."

"Understood." Just from the tone of her voice I could tell she wasn't happy either.

We arrived at the edge of the blast zone and found that the road was still fairly clear. It was obvious Lee had moved some of the trees out of the way. Here at the edge the damage was minimal so we continued onward. As we progressed the devastation became more apparent. We reached the point where we had stopped cutting we'd been progressing in the open for the last mile. Everything had been burned to ash. In the very center knelt Go-Lee's suit with the hatch open and no sign of Lee. However within seconds he stepped around the knee.

"Everyone, stop moving and shut down your engines. I've set sounding charges and I don't want there to be any interference when I set them off."

He started to climb back into his suit.

"This is Tiger to Dropkick."

"What's up Tiger?"

"Go-Lee is about to set off some sounding charges. I know you're near our location, so can you stop for a couple of minutes?"

"Roger that. Drake and Violet hold position. Okay Lee let it rip."

There was a dull thud and then we waited.

"That's it, according to the readings there are no tunnels so we're good." Lee announced.

"Tiger, we're at the point where the road is supposed to emerge, however from what I can see the cutting team still has a lot of work to do. We are going to continue with our patrol, Kicker out."

"Come on men let's continue on. We've got a road to finish building."

We reached the far side and the Captain stared at the jumbled mass of trees. "I thought this would be easy but this is going to be worse than cutting through regular jungle."

I looked over the mess. "Captain split your group into two cutting teams. Position each team were the road edge is supposed to go. Lee, you're on guard duty. Hazard, you and I will be moving the logs out of the way. Using our suits will be faster and much more efficient than standing around watching."

"Why is Go-Lee the one covering us? You have to know I'm the better marksman."

"Lee's guarding us because our suits are newer and better suited to the job."

"Thanks, but you don't have to sugar coat it. My suit will fall apart if I put that much stress on it." Lee said regretfully.

Hazard looked over Lee's suit. "I guess you're right."

An hour later we'd made significant progress, but I was really starting to feel the burn. "So, Hazard do you have any special connection to your armor?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you were injured, would you have a problem with another pilot, such as myself, using your armor?"

"I wouldn't be happy about it, but if Coldsnap ordered it I would obey her."

"The reason I'm asking is I'm considering a suit swap and I was wondering if you could use a break."

"I don't see what difference it would make if we swapped suits."

"Not just the two of us. You take Lee's suit and stand guard, I use your suit, and Lee takes my place."

"Wait a minute, I don't have any experience piloting that type of suit." Lee announced.

Hazard laughed. "You really don't need any experience. You get in, secure your mask and helmet and you are the suit. While I don't really like the idea, it is a good way to keep working without completely exhausting myself so let's do this."

"Let's get this done." I walked over to Lee's suit and opened my hatch. Lee opened his as well and climbed out of his pilot's seat. "Just remember you're wearing armor, not piloting it." We switched places.

Lee stood up and looked at his hands while flexing his fingers. "This is . . . I can't even come up with the words to describe it. I feel so powerful."

"Let's see how powerful you are when we switch back in an hour."

Hazard came over and we switched armor. It was somewhat disconcerting considering her weapons load was off balance to my own armor. I handed her the carbine rifle and headed back to work. After a few minutes I no longer noticed the differences.

After the next hour I was literally dragging when I switched with Hazard again. "Lee, come here a minute."

"This armor is amazing, but damn it takes a lot out of you."

I took my revolvers from their holsters. "Get used to it. Eventually all armor will be upgraded to that system. Now that I'm properly armed, get back to work."

Three hours later we'd made it back to regular jungle, which meant there was only a mile or two remaining. We moved back to our own suits and let the crew return to their regular method.

Several hours later we slowly made our way to our hangars. The Northern road was completed, but I was so exhausted I was considering just powering down and falling asleep in the suit. I opened the hatch and headed for my bunk, thankful again for the bridge so I didn't have to climb any stairs. I reached my room and fell onto my bunk, I'd fill out the mission report in the morning, if I wasn't dead.

"Tiger, you look like hell." Kyle said sticking his head through the door.

"Hell would be an improvement, now just let me die in peace." I remember Shock coming in and starting to massage my back and that was about it.

***

When I woke up I found a note from Kyle on my desk telling me the Commander had given Hazard, Go-Lee, and myself a day of R & R. I glanced at my clock and found that it was only minutes away from being noon. I quickly got dressed and headed down to the mess hall.

“I'm telling you, drop Tiger's name from the pool, he's married." Lee said overly loudly.

"Prove it."

I walked over to the table. "Is my word and my wedding ring enough proof for you?" I asked angrily.

"Ah, sorry Major! I didn't mean it imply-"

"Yes! I win! Drake is wearing the same ring so you to are married." Lee yelled.

"Hold up, Fox is also wearing a ring like that." Someone else said.

I noticed Lee roll his eyes, "You know there is going to be a brawl if you don't tell them who you're married to. So is it Drake or Fox?"

"Yes."

The loud mouth stood up. "You're going to have to clarify that statement."

"I'm married to Drake-"

"Yes! I knew it." Lee yelled.

"And to Fox."

The room went completely silent.

"Come again?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like something Fox should ask, but he rarely bothers. As for any other information regarding our relationship, it is none of your business." I left the group to retrieve my lunch. Once I sat down Lee joined me.

"Sorry about that, it’s just wow, how did you all end up here together?"

I looked him in the eye and frowned. "Classified."

"Got it. So, on another topic are the rumors that we're getting new suits true?"

I quirked an eyebrow.

"Kicker mentioned it might be a possibility after our class on suit maintenance this morning. I figured you knew something about it and that's why you let me use your suit yesterday."

"Are you kidding? I was desperate for a break. Hell, if you had refused I'd probably have put one of the cutting crew in the suit."

"Uh huh. Anyway if the rumor is true is there any chance of customizing it like you six have done to your armors?"

"It's unlikely since the custom parts have to be ordered separately. You'll notice that my team's armor has a lot fewer extras than Cold snap’s team."

"Oh, I was hoping to get replacements for our old gear."

"Your old gear?"

"Yeah, over the months we've been here everything is in a state of decay. We've had to swap out parts so often that even if our original still existed it probably wouldn't work with our current suits and forget about the new systems. Hell, the three of us weren't even on the same teams at the beginning."

"Now I'm not going to guarantee anything, but since the suits are on back order there are a few options available."

"Such as?"

"Color, beyond that I really don't know."

"Kicker will want green. He's career military and was always complaining that the suits were to colorful. He rarely bothers anymore, but that's probably because there isn't a lot of paint left. Slider will want blue. He grew up on one of the Earth space stations were he could look down on the planet. He is constantly going on about how there isn't enough blue here. He even complains that the sky on this planet is too green."

"I don't think I've ever heard Slider speak at all."

"He and I, ah, have a special understanding. Also if it is possible he's a sniper. The last time I saw him smile was just before his rifle jammed and exploded. It wasn't his fault he maintained Justice better than himself. However, the same can't be said for the ammunition team. Their reloaded ammo is as much a danger to us as it is to the Bugs."

"Is that why the Commander insisted on keeping that beam cannon arm instead of remounting it?"

"Yeah, he lost the original arm when his standard weapon malfunctioned."

"What about you?"

"Gray, just gray. If I'm going to stand out then I want it to be for my personality and not my suit. Oh and you probably won't believe this but my specialty is heavy arms, specifically mini-guns. Those are the ones-".

"Gatling cannons, multiple barrels, belt fed, wastes enormous amounts of ammo in little to no time, and turns biological matter into mist. Yeah, I know what they are."

"Major, do you mind if I join you?" The Captain of the Cutting teams asked.

"Listen, Captain, when I'm off duty just call me Tiger or Prowl-Ar, I'm not hard core military and I don't care much for rank or titles. Hell, I washed out of officer's training and was only given the rank of major because of my skill piloting the advanced MAS unit. If you can handle that then feel free to join us."

He sat down. "I guess you can call me Cutter. It's not a title or anything I really am Captain Douglas Cutter. I just wanted to thank you for helping us yesterday."

"I was just doing my job."

"Oh, I don't mean for saving us from that trap, well I do, but I'm trying to thank you for working with us rather than just standing guard. You didn't have to do that and both I and my team are really grateful."

"I'm sure Dropkick, Slider, and Lee here would have done the same thing if their suits would have held up to the strain."

Lee hung his head, "No, we wouldn't have. Our suits were fine, and there were a lot more of us when the first two roads were cut and we didn't help then. It was drilled into us that the suits were for combat only. We never really thought about how useful they could be for other tasks."

"What about now?" I asked.

"The old suits won't be able to do a lot, but I'm sure we'll be able to do a lot more than just stand guard and walk the base perimeter with new suits."

I finished eating. "What is the actual condition of the old suits?"

"I- I really don't know. You'd have to talk to the maintenance team. I know that our three suits are still fully functional, There is of course the Commander's suit and supposedly we have another two suits that are functional, but don't have pilots. The rest have been scavenged for parts."

"Drake and Fox are out on patrol, right?"

"Yeah, Drake is with Coldsnap and Fox is with the Commander."

"Good, bring your armor over to Drake's hangar."

"Sorry, Commander's orders, we're not allowed back in the suits for twenty-four hours."

"That's fine, I take it Dropkick has guard duty?"

"That's right."

"That will work. If you'll both excuse me I have some evil scheming to do." As I walked away I caught the reflection of Cutter and Lee shrugging at each other. I walked to Kyle's hangar and grabbed a spare communications headset. "Dropkick, can you check something for me?"

"What is it?"

“I designed the instant hangar crates for the new type of MAS unit, however I'm a bit curious if they will function correctly with an older unit. I just need you to step into position and then hold still for a couple of minutes while the suit is scanned and that's it. It won't interfere with your guard duty in any way."

"Aren't you on down time?"

"Modding my suit and refining the design of these hangars is what I do to relax. Since I'm not allowed in my suit that leaves the hangars."

"Fine, but I'm going to report this to the Commander so it isn't my ass on the line."

Dropkick backed into the hangar and the scan started immediately. After a full two minute cycle the scan was complete.

"That's it, you're done. Now I get to go and analyze the data." I sat down just inside and transferred the data to my pad.

Dropkick stepped out and knelt down. His hatch opened. "So what are you really doing?"

"Exactly what I said, I'm analyzing the data generated from scanning an older model suit."

"Uh huh." His hatch closed and he went back to his regular position next to the control tower."

I continued analyzing the data. The hangar had functioned just as I suspected, so nothing to worry about there. Next I brought up the suit scan. Overall the suit was in good condition. Cosmetically it looked pretty bad, but the maintenance team obviously knew their stuff. Slap on a new coat of paint and no one would know it was cobbled together from multiple suits. It did have a few issues, but even an experienced tech could miss them without sophisticated scanning equipment.

I headed off in search of the maintenance area. After twenty minutes and finally ordering a Sergeant to escort me I realized just how little I knew about the layout of the base. I walked into the office of the Lieutenant in charge of maintenance. I showed him the analysis and praised his teams work. I then pointed out the improvements that could be made to Dropkicks suit. He thanked me in the way that said "stay out of my business" and I left. I really couldn't do or say much about my plans.

I returned to my room and wrote up reports for the previous day, the armor analysis, and an outline for my ideas on the old suits. I took them upstairs to the company clerk. I informed him on the updates for the new armors on order. I returned, once again, to my room and transferred a layout of the base to my pad. I flopped down on my bunk studying the map and feeling accomplished.

***

"Major Nightiger! My office, now!"

Obviously the Commander had read my proposal. I'm sure everyone in the building heard his bellow. I knew it was coming so I'd been prepared. I met the Corporal in the stairwell.

"The Commander wants you in his office."

"Yeah, I think everybody knows that."

"I think it is an excellent idea, good luck." He said, as I continued upstairs.

"I'm going to need more than luck." I muttered. I made it to the office and knocked on the door.

"Get your ass in here. Here I was thinking you were the least objectionable of the rookies I've been saddled with. Not only did you disobey orders when you took it on yourself to 'help' the cutting crew. You dragged Hazard and Lee into it. Leaving three pilots unable to function the next day."

"We completed the assignment and one of us stood guard the whole time. It also gave Go-Lee much needed experience for when the new suits arrive."

"I'm not done yet, and that is IF new suits arrive. Next, I no more than get back from patrol and maintenance starts complaining about you criticizing their work. I thought I must have been hearing wrong since you weren't to go near your suit. Then he tells me the criticism is about Kicker's suit. A suit that you have to know is held together with superglue and prayers."

"I'd have scanned Lee's suit and the two spares if I had someone to pilot them into the new hangar. Kicker's suit is in really good condition and the scan I provided the Lieutenant, and was included with my report shows were a little more work is needed to improve it."

"Still not finished. So I come up here to my office and find your report from the mission yesterday, which should have been on my desk this morning, the scan report on Kicker's suit, and a proposal to train volunteers as pilots for the two spare suits."

"No Sir, pilots for all six of the old suits. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but my team comprises the primary board of directors for Shadow Technologies. I have it on very good authority that, as of this afternoon, four new suits have been shipped. One tan heavy assault upgrade suit, and three standard suits in green, blue with sniper armor, and light gray. Unfortunately I was unable to get the sniper rifle or mini-gun in time for the initial delivery."

"So Slider and Lee have been conspiring with you?"

"No, I just asked Lee what he thought his team would like if they were issued new suits."

"What about the heavy armor?"

"That's why I was unable to get the rest of the weaponry. I was informed a suit had already been prepared for the next shipment so there wasn't enough room for heavy weaponry."

"So you had nothing to do with the heavy armor?" The Commander asked suspiciously.

"If I'd been involved I'd have ordered it in olive drab instead of the tan original release."

"And you say it has already shipped?"

"According to my source."

"Wait, how are you getting all of this information?"

"Didn't you wonder why my team has very little in the way of upgrade armor compared to Cold snap’s team? Most of the excess space was devoted to the components needed for a hyperspace link back to Earth."

"So tell me, why do you think it is a good idea to put non-pilots in the old suits?"

"First off it'll give you two spare teams one to act as guards and assist the cutter's and the second to guard the fence maintenance team or to guard the base should the need arise. While the old suits won't be as good as ours, given regular scans and more efficient maintenance they’ll improve the work load for everyone on the base."

The commander sat down. "If I approve this, idea, who do you suggest teach the new pilots?"

"Dropkick and his team. They have the most experience with the suits and where they are already learning suit maintenance it won't be an overly big deal to switch to instruction on piloting when they’ve finished with that."

"How do we choose the new pilots?"

"Someone with clearance will need to go through everyone's files to find anyone with experience operating power armor, heavy machinery, and even civilian construction suits. If enough prospects can't be found we ask for volunteers and then work them down to the best eight or nine. Just in case you have another incursion leaving you with more suits than pilots."

"I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but this is something that I'm going to need to clear with sector command. In the meantime start looking over the personnel files for likely candidates. Dismissed."

"Sir." I saluted and left the room. Once back in my own room I sat at my terminal and picked up reading the records where I left off. Heaven forbid, the Commander should ever find out that I had full access to all the files transferred to the new barrack’s system. A consequence of moving into my team's private quarters.

***

There was a knock on my door and I glanced up. I was surprised to see that I'd been working for over three hours. "Enter." I was surprised when the door opened and Slider stepped in.

"Sir, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, just a sec." I turned off my terminal, stood up, walked around the desk, and closed the door to Kyle and Shock's quarters. Then I sat on my bunk and pulled the chair around. "Please, sit."

Slider sat down and I waited for him to speak. After several minutes he looked up. "Are you going to ask why I'm here?"

"No, I figured I'd wait until you were ready. Both Kicker and Lee let me know that you don't like talking to others. Plus Lee said you'd trained as a sniper. It's been my experience that they are always careful choosing the right moment for action."

He nodded. "Kicker told us that we'll be getting new suits."

"Blue with sniper upgrade armor. I'm sorry but I couldn't get you a proper sniper rifle, this time, but I was able to swing the long range upgrade of the standard rifle. I'll try to slip in a proper sniper rifle for you and a mini-gun for Lee on the next supply shipment." I was surprised as the chair rolled forward and I was pulled into a hug.

"Thank you, Tiger. I can't express how much this means to me."

"I think you're doing quite well expressing you gratitude."

He stiffened up and pulled back. "I'm so sorry, Sir."

"Don't be, I didn't mind. Which is kind of funny, up until I met, and fell in love with, Drake and Fox I avoided nearly all human contact. Just a piece of advice from someone that's been in your position, if you find somebody to love, don't miss the chance to really be with them. Yes, you might lose them, but it is better to live with them knowing you love them for even a few minutes then to be constantly alone and dying on the inside."

"Holy shit!"

Both Slider and I looked at the door to the next room.

"I, uh, think I should be going. Thank you again for all you've done for me."

"Slider, don't worry. I promise you, those two won't repeat what they heard."

"How can you be certain? Fox likes to talk, almost constantly."

"If they say anything it will mean that my promise has been broken and they both know how much that would hurt me."

The door between the rooms opened and Kyle walked in. "I swear everything I heard will go no farther than the four of us. Even though Fox is down stairs in the rec. room he needs to be informed of certain parts of your conversation with our husband. Just hearing him say having people around is a large improvement from where he was when we first met. So I really want to thank you Slider. I'd hug you, but if you're anything like my Tiger, I doubt you're ready for that."

"You're welcome? I guess. I really should get going before I miss dinner."

I nodded and Slider made his escape.

"Man, those guys are real sharks. They took every last credit I had." Shock moaned as he entered the other room.

"Game pause." Kyle said, as he reached out and pulled me to my feet.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I'm going to cook us a real meal and then we are going to spend the night in our real bed instead of those lumpy bunks."

"Did something happen?" Fox asked.

"It's nothing really." I started.

"It is too something. Foxy, I'll get you up to speed on the way to the lift."

***

I rubbed my shoulder. It still stung where Shock had left his mating mark. I noticed Kyle do the same thing. I turned off the nanites so the marks would heal naturally leaving proper scars. I knew Shock had it worse where he had two bites to deal with, but he wasn’t showing any indication.

"How can he not notice the pain? It can't just be youth." Drake asked.

"My guess is he's riding an endorphin high. We are truly mated now. It isn't just words it is physical and intimate. Not only have we marked him but we submitted to being marked as his as well. I bet we'll be long healed before he even realizes how much pain he should be feeling."

"Hey guy's how about a game of three on three?"

I glanced at Kicker as he tossed a basketball between his hands.

"We call skins!" Fox yelled.

I face palmed at Shock's enthusiasm as he stripped off his shirt.

"Holy shit! What mauled you?" Lee exclaimed.

"Lee, they're tattoos." Slider said, carefully looking over the bight marks. "The artist was a real professional, they look real. Perhaps a bit small, but then a full size dragon wouldn't leave much after a single bite."

"Slider? Are you feeling well?" Kicker asked, "That's more than I've heard you say in a year."

"Tiger gave me some advice and Lee agreed to help me work on opening up, at least with those I trust."

I sighed and took off my shirt.

"Damn, you too? Wait, yours are different." Lee said.

I laughed, "Of course my bite marks are different. My marks are from a fox and a dragon."

Lee's eyes got big as he pointed at fox. "Dragon and tiger so Drake's would be-".

"Tiger and fox of course." Kyle said as he removed his own shirt.

"Damn, that takes commitment to a whole new level." Lee said.

"What is little pain to lifetime love? You boys mind us watch? Maybe play winner?" Cold Snap asked.

"I don't mind if your team watches, but I won't play against you." I replied.

"You afraid you lose?"

"He's not afraid of anything." Shock yelled.

"I'm not afraid of losing, I just know better than to enter a game that I have no chance of winning."

Coldsnap laughed, "You right Hazard, Tiger is smart one." She looked directly at me. "I think I better understand you now. Is true you one design new pilot interface?"

"Yeah, are you the one behind those energy conversion wings on your suit?"

"Dah, needed power for beam cannon, shield fortunate accident."

"Maybe eventually, if we work together, we'll find a way to make you fly as well."

"You steal design?"

"No, some companies might do that in the name of the war effort, however our company isn't one of them. I've been thinking of the advantage of having a flight capable suits and since your suit already has wings it would be the logical starting point."

"Hey, are you going to get up here so we can play or not?" Kicker yelled.

We all ducked as a loud boom reverberated around the base.

"Shit! The ground pounders and geeks aren't due for another three days. Is this another team being diverted?" Kicker asked.

"It can't be. There are no other units currently transitting nearby systems. Besides that's a high-speed transport not a shuttle." I replied.

Six men exited the shuttle. One headed for the base and the other five started toward the hangars.

"Everyone, lock down your suits now. Pilot access only, genetic scan and mind print specific. Something is going on and I don't like the way those men are acting." I lifted my control gauntlet and made a few minor changes to the game. The first being that all six pilots had similar suit control gantlets.

"I thought those were just fancy watches." Kicker said.

"No, they're part of the system that link's us to our suits. Without them anyone that tries to pilot the suit will fry their brain."

"Then how did I pilot your suit and you piloted Hazard's suit?" Lee asked

"My suit is the original prototype and I can shut down the security system so others can 'borrow' my suit. Of course it was only running at about 67 percent of fully functional."

"You mean when I have my own suit it will be even more powerful than what I experienced in your suit?" Lee asked.

"That's right, and I was able to use Hazard's suit because the system has a back door that allows Fox, Drake, or myself to pilot any suit with the Shadow Tech system. Pause game."

"Shock, I’m sorry to have to ask you to make a massive change to your game but this scenario seems like it may get dangerous. I'd like you to unlock our abilities to shift."

"How do I do that?"

"Just tell the computer to do it. It's your game so only you can make this kind of change."

"Wow, I feel so powerful. Computer, unlock the ability to shift for Tiger, Drake, and Fox."

"Ability now unlocked."

"Resume game." He announced.

"I get the feeling they know we locked down the suits. They're coming over here." Kyle said.

I leaned back against the raised basketball court like I didn't have a care in the world. I did notice the Commander was with them.

"Major Nightiger, I am Alpha Leader. My team and Beta Team have been sent to replace you. Unlock the MAS units."

"No."

"Major, I know this is hard, but it is a direct order from Sector Command."

"Tell Sector Command to blow it out their ass. Yes, I have to serve my time like everyone else. However, as you well know, each pilot has to pay for their own armor and upgrade parts."

"You will be provided with a suit when it becomes available. In fact, as I understand it there are currently two suits at this base in need of pilots."

"I'm not unlocking the suits, but feel free to take them out for a spin. I'll make sure your corpse is fed to the Lennys."

"Listen you queer shit, I have to keep you alive but the same can't be said for your teammates."

"Commander, I'd like to officially file charges against this cretin. I'd also like you to stand witness to the fact that he has threatened mortal harm to fellow soldiers. Therefore they are allowed to retaliate in kind."

"Tiger is right, you've crossed the line. I suggest you take your men and return to Command." The Commander announced.

"You think I'm scared of these faggots? We are specially trained commando units."

I sighed, "You really are stupid. Fox, Drake, and I are the owners of Shadow Tech. Do you really think we didn't use every bit of the company's research to prepare ourselves to survive our deployment? Twitch toward that sidearm again and Alpha team will be dead before you can blink."

I felt a flash of heat to my side. It was the only trigger I needed I'd shifted, torn Alpha leader's throat out and pounced on one of the members of Beta Team. He'd shit himself and was catatonic with fear. I looked for my next target. The other two Alpha's were nothing more than charred remains. One of the Betas was down. Slider was pulling his knife out of the Beta's eye. The last was on the ground trying to breath with Cold snap’s boot on his throat.

"Holy fuck! What are you?" The Commander yelled.

"Alive." Kyle relied.

"And a bit pissed that Drake didn't share." Fox added.

I shifted back and gagged. "Son of a bitch, I hate having to do that. Like I said, Commander, we used the company's research to give us every advantage against the Bugs. In this case we started with the ancient legends about shapeshifters and engineered a way to make it real. Unfortunately we didn't foresee just how much nanotech would be needed. We only had enough for four subjects."

"There are four of you?"

"No. The fourth subject, God rest her soul, couldn't accept the mental changes."

"Wh-what mental changes?" Lee stammered.

"The changes happened when we first shifted. We’ve had time to stabilize in both forms, so you won't notice any differences." Fox replied.

"So those aren't tattoos after all. I'm even more impressed." Sliker announced.

"You're not scared of them?" Lee asked.

"Why be scared? Tiger take out immediate threat to self then deal with threat to you. Drake deal with two, Slider with one aiming for Commander, and I capture threat to Hazard. Threat neutralized and have two prisoners. Good fight."

"A pilot has to pay for his own suit and upgrades? You said we'll be getting new suits and-" Kicker started, before Hazard's laughter cut him off.

"After that shit storm the only thing on your mind is how you're going to pay for your armor? You're as crazy as I am."

"Out here we can only rely on our teammates. That's more important than money. Yes, I paid for your suits. Like I told Slider, as soon as transport room becomes available I'll get a sniper rifle and mini-gun shipped as well."

"I'm loath to ask this, but did you have something to do with my suit as well?" The Commander asked.

"Yes, Sir. However, it was just to expedite its shipping since you had already ordered it, and yes my company paid for it. After our encounter with those cyber-dinos I've been having nightmares about what would happen if the Bugs convert a really big animal. The more suits that we have the better our chances of surviving the next attack."

"Dumb ass. You should have done as you were told. Now Sector Command will wipe out this base from orbit and there's nothing you can do about it."

I spit out more blood onto the Beta’s face. "Brave words from one so close to a slow and painful death."

"What does it matter? If Alpha Commander doesn't check in we'll be considered dead anyway and this base destroyed."

"They wouldn't dare." The Commander walked over and pushed me away.

I was rather surprised that he was capable of shifting me in my anthro tiger form.

"This base has 2,563 soldiers, not counting you two and the MAS pilots."

"Completely wiped out in a Bug attack. We'll all be nothing more than a few more numbers in the acceptable losses category. "

"How long before your commander has to report in?"

"I don't know. The turnover was supposed to be quick and easy one way or the other."

"Violet, did you get everything?"

"Of course, Sir."

"Fox, help her edit, get that footage transmitted back to Earth."

"All transmissions off planet are blocked."

"I highly doubt that includes our private hyperspace transmitters.” I said. In truth all I really wanted to do was find a bush to throw up behind.

“Commander, get all troops in barracks. I use suit energy shield to protect troops."

"Kicker and Slider, take the prisoners and lock them in the brig. No, take them to the barracks. If they give you any trouble, shoot them."

"Yes, Sir."

"Commander, I suggest you and Lee move the six older suits in close to the barracks. Hazard, and Drake move your suits into close proximity to Cold snap’s suit. I'm going to interlink the power systems to help keep the energy shield going longer."

"What about Violet and Fox's suits?" The Commander yelled.

"I'll get Fox's suit into position but Violet will need to get her own suit. I just hope we have enough time."

"All personnel this is a direct order. Take shelter in the pilot's barracks, I repeat take shelter in the pilot's barracks immediately."

"Tiger, help remove and place wing panels for maximum coverage." Cold Snap said.

We ran for the hangars. I got Fox's suit first since it was furthest away from the barracks. As I stepped out I had to be very careful not to step on anyone.

"Step up behind suit. I am releasing first unit on right. Lift off arm, turn upside down, and push into ground upright."

We continued around the building in a circle. Both my hangar and Cold snap’s was inside but the other four would be destroyed. I was surprised as my suit stepped out of the hangar.

"The video is away, I just hope it can be edited and sent back to Sector Command before they do something stupid. So, where do we need to be located?" Fox asked.

I looked around. The Commander, Lee, and Kicker's suits were standing next to the building. Slider and one of the extra suits was approaching. There were no more people running for the barracks.

"As soon as those two suits are in place take Lee to get the last suit. I'm going to link up the suits here. When you get back, if there's time we'll switch suits."

"On it." Fox yelled.

"Hazard step up to Cold Snap’s right, Violet on the left. Kyle, I need a hand."

I moved Fox's suit behind Violet and popped the hatch. Kyle was waiting and I stepped into his suit's hand.

"I need to be between the lower back access panels on Hazard and Cold snap's suits."

Kyle moved me into position and I opened the hatches. In moments I'd connected the power lines. I waved Kyle to move me over so I could do the same thing with Violet's suit. Then I had him move me to Fox's suit.

"Now the tricky part. I need you to take up position behind Hazard so I can hook you in and then I've got to get back into Fox's suit."

Drake moved into position and did his best to get his suit's arm to rotate enough for me to get him linked in. A shadow crossed behind me.

"I'm guessing this is where your suit needs to be. I'm going to head for my suit so I'll be able to move you into position to link your suit in." Fox announced.

Kyle moved me into position and I linked his suit to mine.

"Pilots, are you about prepared? We're getting an urgent request to speak with the Alpha team leader." The Commander said over coms.

"I've just got to link my suit to Fox's and get in it."

"I'm nearly there. This suit is in need of an overhaul." Lee yelled.

"Lee, put that thing in my hangar and take the tunnel to the barracks. Commander, once Lee is inside go to full lockdown and have everyone religious start praying now."

I jumped from Drake's hand to Fox's ignoring the two story drop if I'd misjudged. I heard a hangar door closing as I started making the connections.

"Hyperspace communication coming in. Video received and edited. Earth Force Command contacted. Waiting for response."

"Thanks Drake. Fox, I'm done, lift me up."

I jumped onto my suit's shoulder and made my way around the front of the head and down onto the cockpit cover.

A beam of energy stabbed down onto the location of the original barracks.

"I'm in and powered up. Cold Snap now's the time." I swear I felt the power drain as she raised the energy shield.

The next shot took out the command tower.

"It's like they don't know where to aim." Violet commented.

"They probably don't. The new barracks and hangars are built out of stealth materials." Fox said.

A third blast seemed random and missed hitting anything as did a fourth and fifth.

"That's it for the decoys Lee set up. The next shot is going to hit the motor pool or maintenance complexes." Fox yelled.

"Another communication coming in. Sector Command has been ordered to stand down and prepare for military review. Cold Snap, keep the shield up." I yelled. I was right the next shot was larger and plowed a trench the length of the landing area clipping a portion of the shield and completely destroying the shuttle. We waited a further seven minutes until the shield started to fail.

"Shield failing." Cold Snap announced.

"Go ahead and drop it. We may need it again in the future, but I think the danger has passed, for now."

***

I waited patiently in the Commander's office with Cold Snap. The Commander didn't seem any angrier than usual, still I had basically taken over the base. At best I was going to be demoted at worst executed. The door opened and Kicker entered.

"Sorry for taking so long, Sir."

The Commander uncharacteristically waved it off. "I called you three here to discuss what just happened. First off, Major Nightiger, do I have to be concerned about your team's abilities?"

"No Sir, our ability to shift is completely under control at all times. In fact we hadn't planned on ever shifting while on duty. However-"

"Drake realized that those Alpha imbeciles had drawn their weapons. I'm not sure anybody else noticed, but did he change into a real dragon, or am I mistaken?"

I sighed. "You're not mistaken. Drake can only breathe fire in his fully transformed state."

"Are there any other abilities I should know about?"

"Perhaps," I acted like I was removing my contact lenses as I canceled the masking program, "During my conversion therapy there was some minor bleed through into my human form. Basically I can still see the same as when I was human, but my eyes are much more tiger like and I have a tapeta layer allowing night vision. Beyond that there are no physical abilities that a dragon, tiger, or fox wouldn't naturally have. Oh, I probably should mention that Drake can't fly either."

"Next question, do you plan on usurping my command?"

"Hell no! Uh, Sir. I admit I likely over stepped my bounds, but in emergency situations it's like my mind becomes super charged and focused, so I know what needs to be done. While yes, I am nominally in command of my team, we work more as a unit than commander and subordinates. I really don't like dealing with the intricacies of command, and I have no intention of trying to take control of this or any other base."

"That's interesting. Coldsnap, what do you think of Tiger's actions today?" The Commander asked.

"Reckless, brave, smart, and competent. If he were commanding officer, I would follow."

"Very interesting. Kicker, what do you think?"

"Putting aside the fact that I may be biased since he's paying for me to get an enhanced suit, I think he handled things really well. He made sure everyone was safely under cover and that all our suits were also protected. He didn't needlessly kill Beta 2. Also, as I understand it, he's gained the support of Lee and Slider as well, and you know Slider doesn't associate with anyone but Lee. He's also currently the second most liked individual on the base, after Lee, for his actions in assisting the cutting team."

"Would you follow him if he usurped my command?"

"No Sir. If he was placed in command I'd follow him, but not if he tried to take over."

"Major, I'm placing you in charge of all MAS unit operations. Yes, that means when I'm in my suit I'm also under your command."

"Sir, couldn't you just bust me down to Captain and call it punishment enough?" I asked.

Everybody laughed at that.

"Really, I wasn't joking."

"On to the next topic, what are we going to do with the two Beta pilots? We can't send them home since the shuttle was destroyed and we no longer have a brig."

There was an urgent knock on the door. "Sir, I hate to interrupt but the ship in orbit has started firing again." The Corporal said, sticking his head in. "It would appear they are setting up a second base on the other side of the continent."

"At least they're doing something constructive." The Commander grumbled.

"Sir, permission to speak?" I asked.

"What is it, Tiger?"

"Corporal, tell Fox to divert all planned and current shipments to private Shadow Tech stealth transports ASAP. Sir, they were unable to take this base so they are setting up a second base. I agree that's a good thing, unless they divert all incoming military shipments to the new base cutting us off completely."

"Explain Violet's irritation about no broadcast signal."

"Our long range antenna was destroyed, and that was the backup. I'd forgotten Violet has her own antenna, but if they're still blocking communications, Tiger is probably right." The commander was actually sounding angrier than usual.

"Sir, we will still receive the supplies we need, however it would be best if you don't look too closely at the people delivering it. Unfortunately reinforcements and mail isn't something my contacts can provide." I quickly pointed out.

"We'll just have to make do."

"I have an idea about the prisoners. Let's set them up with survival packs and send them on their way to the new base." Kicker suggested.

"A firing squad would be humane compared to that, and I don't want to stoop to that level. They're soldiers just like the rest of us. Sir, with your permission, I'd like to put them in the two spare suits, unarmed of course, and take them out on patrol with my team. If they try anything the three of us will be able to deal with them. After the patrol we'll give them the choice of working to rebuild the base or Kicker's plan. I'm fairly certain their first Lenny sighting will have them begging to stay here and help us rebuild."

"What about the other teams?" The Commander smiled knowingly at me.

I groaned as I realized he was telling me that my duties started immediately. "Cold Snap, your team and Go-Lee will go west and then north counter clock wise. When you reach the Northern road send Lee back to base to report while your team completes its patrol. Dropkick, you and Slider are on Guard duty here at the base."

"You're forgetting someone."

"No, I'm not. Commander, you're going to be so busy planning and overseeing base repairs that I doubt you'll have a chance to even move your suit back to its hangar, if the old hangars are even still there."

"What is everybody waiting for? You have your orders, dismissed." The Commander ordered.

***

"This suit obviously isn't worth repairing. So why are you forcing us out here? Planning on making it look like the Bugs killed us?" Beta Two asked.

"No, it's a long patrol and I figured it would be easier if our lunch walked out here under its own power."

Beta Three stopped moving until Drake pushed him forward. "Keep moving, snack."

"That was a joke, right?" Beta Three asked timidly.

"Of course it was a joke. You missed me vomiting after you were taken away. Human tastes absolutely revolting. You’re out here because I don't think you were properly briefed about the dangers of Fallow's indigenous life. This way you get to see that on this planet the Bugs aren't the biggest threat."

"That's treason!" Beta Two yelled.

"Whatever, see those flashes in the distance? That's your orbiting ship clearing an area for a new base. It's on the other side of the continent. The Commander is considering giving each of you a survival pack and sending you on your way."

"The sooner the- What the hell is that!" Beta Two yelled.

"Oh fuck! Beta's get back to the base as quickly as you can, get the Commander and the other suits armed, and get back out here as fast as you can. If that Rex makes it past us we're all dead!"

The Bata's turned and headed back to the base as fast as possible.

"Tiger, that thing is already inside the perimeter." Drake said, checking his sub-machine guns.

"I know. Get into the jungle on the right, Fox take the left and aim for the legs. We've got to put that thing on the ground first then we'll deal with killing it."

"What are you going to do?" Fox asked.

I knelt in the middle of the road and changed my pistols over to exploding rounds. "I'm going to distract it."

I'd just started to take aim when I was blown backward. "Son-of-a-bitch it's a cyber-rex! Hold your fire until it is in range otherwise you'll give it a target. I lay immobile playing dead and hoping it wouldn't fire again. The Rex continued forward swinging its head left to right scanning for another target. With a loud bang followed by a small explosion a portion of the thing's hip shredded away. It turned, as though uninjured, toward Fox. Then Drake opened up.

The Rex roared and turned toward Drake. I heard Fox’s shotgun again and I pulled up and emptied all twelve rounds into its chest. I shoved the pistols into their holsters and got to my feet. I swore as I reached for my standard assault rifle only to find it had been crushed when I landed on it. Cheap ass military equipment. I went to pull my knife only to find myself in the Rex's mouth. I braced myself in the cockpit as best as I could as he violently shook my suit. I started to tilt up and I realized he planned on swallowing me suit and all. I quickly reversed my pack mounted jump thrusters and fired them at full blast. They promptly exploded, but I found myself in a moment of free fall before hitting something hard, I hoped it was the ground. "Damn, I'm going to feel that later. Fox, Drake, can either of you hear me?"

There was no response but I could still hear the sound of weapons fire. I was out of the fight, and likely in need of a new suit. The sound of weapons fire was receding but there was the added sound of beam weapons being used. Either Fox was out of ammo and had switched to his holdout pistol or the Commander had joined the battle.

I really didn't want to be the next idiot to have a dino named after him, but I didn't want to suffocate either. I disconnected the rigging and pulled the emergency hatch release. I frowned as the bolts blew with a loud screeching noise but the hatch was still mostly closed. Fortunately there was just enough of a crack for air. With no other choice I lay back to wait for the survivors to come and get me, or for the game to end.

***

I groaned as the sound of pounding metal woke me up.

"What's the point of breaking this open? Look at the state of this thing all you're going to find is meat jelly." Cutter said.

"Shut up, or I'll bite your head off! And get me another pry bar this one is bent."

"Would you stop all that racket!” I yelled, “There is nothing but slime in here and it's trying to get some sleep."

"Drake, hurry up before it oozes out some crack and gets away. I've always wanted a pet slime." Fox yelled.

"I might be tempted to wait if you have cookies." I replied.

The hatch finally broke open and Kyle smiled down at me. "Sorry all we've got is over cooked dino steaks."

"Then I'm not coming out. Someone will just find work for me to do."

Kyle grabbed my arm and pulled me out. I gasped at the sight. My suit had been reduced to basically the upper chest pilot housing and half a mangled arm. The suit's lower half was over a hundred yards away and was mangled beyond repair.

"We were able to salvage your pistols and staff. We haven't found your knife, head, or other arm." Fox quickly pointed out.

"I think they're inside it." I grumbled.

"It was smart overloading your boosters and causing them to explode. You took off its lower jaw with that stunt so it couldn't try to eat anybody else." Cutter said.

"Tiger, The Commander wants to know if you're fit for duty." Drake informed me.

Shock pulled off his headset. "Take my suit. It is in bad shape but usable. We'll help the salvage crew gather Drake and your suit's remains.

"Thanks Shock, I'll try to bring it back," I looked at his scraped and dented suit with a busted left arm, "as undamaged as possible."

I glanced at Kyle's suit as I walked to Shock's. I stopped and stared. Like my suit it was missing its lower half. The upper body and arms were mangled. About the only salvageable parts were the arm blades.

"The damn thing fell on me when we finally blew one of its legs off. At that point I knew I was out of the battle so I crawled back here and started working on freeing you."

"I'm going to have to look over the designs and see about engineering a completely new type of suit with heavier armor and maybe emergency torso cameras. After ordering two new suits of course."

I climbed into the cockpit of Fox's suit and headed toward the fence. "Commander, this is Tiger in the orange suit. I need an update."

"Phantom's suit is busted, more from the run back to base than the battle. Slider, Kicker, Shadow, and my suits took minimal damage. Your team did an amazing job of softening that monster up for us to put it down. It's really unfortunate that we've lost two suits. However, since you're both alive there was no loss of life, yet."

"Phantom and Shadow?" I asked.

"The two Betas. After seeing that Rex they were overly willing to remain with us, where they at least have a chance at surviving. It didn't hurt when they discovered the reason the Rex, as you called it, got in is because their former comrades blasted a hole in the fence and cleared a swath of forest out onto the plains where the really big monsters are. All personnel other than Cold Snap’s team are currently trying to rebuild that section of fence."

"Has Lee reported in yet?"

"Yes, I'm here helping with the fence."

"Sorry, Fox's camera is stuck making me near sighted right now. Kicker, is your team armed?"

"Yes Sir."

"Take over the second patrol. We need to make sure there aren't any more breaks in the fence and nothing else got through. Commander you're on guard duty here. Shadow continue assisting with fence repair. I'll have Cold Snap’s team assist when they arrive and I'll join you just as soon as I make some quick repairs to this suit." I turned and headed back to the base.

After a lot of hammering on an impressive dent to the suit's head I was able to get the cameras moving again. I jury rigged the arm so that it was somewhat functional again. I only hoped there were enough parts from the other two suits to repair it completely. Finally I pulled out four fresh cylinders for my revolvers, grabbed Fox's unused light assault rifle and headed back toward the hole in the fence. I only stopped long enough to retrieve, reload and attach my revolvers and Drake's arm blades to the suit. When I arrived I found Coldsnap and Violet reporting to the Commander.

"Bug scouting party five kilometers back. Dealt with them. Hazard's suit critically damaged."

"What is Hazard's condition?" I asked.

"She's uninjured. Stayed with suit, waiting for recovery team."

"Cold Snap, set up your wing shield. You're now our frontline defense until we can get that fence reconstructed. Violet help with the rebuilding where you can. Shadow, come with me, we're going to retrieve Hazard and as much of her suit as we can salvage until the crew finishes with the other two suits."

I switched to the command frequency. "Commander, I need you to get a medic to accompany us, preferably without Cold Snap or Violet noticing."

"You think Cold Snap was lying?" The Commander asked.

"No, but I'd think if Hazard's suit was damaged as badly as suggested she would have returned with Cold Snap. The only reason she might wait for the salvage crew is if she is injured and was worried Cold Snap wouldn't complete the mission."

"Tiger, I'm not going to stop you, but I've got a medic here insisting you need to be examined, since you were nearly eaten. You'll need to take him with you or delay until you've been checked out." The Commander said over the open channel.

"Tiger nearly eaten? That why he in Fox suit?"

I bent down and opened the Cockpit and a confused looking medic ran up to me. “Get in and brace yourself as best you can, I'll explain on the way."

"A really big one got in and tried to eat him suit and all. If Hazard's suit really is destroyed we're down to three enhanced suits and five old ones."

"Not good." Cold Snap summarized.

I laughed at the understatement and hurried down the perimeter road.

***

"So, Shadow, how did you get involved in this mess?"

"Honestly, I don't know. At the academy I was a fairly average. I didn't really stand out at anything and there was no way I'd be able to afford my own suit. I was sure I was being transferred to an infantry division when Phantom and I were called in. That kind of confused me. See Phantom and I grew up in the same foster home, but where I was average, he has real talent for flight type suits. Still, we were both in the same situation being unable to actually afford suits."

"Are you two brothers, friends, or rivals?"

"Definitely brothers, we really only had each other growing up. Anyway we were called in along with Alpha's two and three. Before you ask, they were from another class and we only knew them by reputation as the camp brass polishers. They would do anything, and I do mean anything, to get ahead as Phantom and I discovered on the trip out here. Alpha Leader told us that this base had enough suits for two trained units but had been reduced to using untrained ground personnel."

"You know, my hearing is sensitive enough to tell when a person is lying to me." I pointed out.

"Then you know I'm telling you the truth, Phantom and I honestly believed those suits needed real pilots. We had no Idea some sort of coupe attempt was going on."

"I'll take your word for it, but I still don't know if I should trust you with a new suit."

"Huh?"

"Not that it matters, but it sounds like he's telling the truth to me. What I don't understand is why I'm here, since you don't seem injured." The medic asked.

With being essentially merged with the suit I'd forgotten the medic with me. "Sorry about that, but I had a hunch that Hazard may be injured." We entered a small dip in the terrain and found the remains of two Bug bodies. There was a pop of a shot and one of the bodies twitched with the impact.

"So, Tiger sent out his toy boy and the camp's boy toy to check on me." There was a loud cough followed by a wet choking sound. "Should have sent a salvage team for the armor. That's the only thing of value left here." There was more wet coughing.

"You're not dead yet. So you will show the proper respect for both Fox and Go-Lee. Otherwise I'm going to finish off what the bugs started. Now open your cockpit so the medic can get to work."

"Tiger? What are you doing in Fox's armor?"

"Your team wasn't the only one that saw action today. So far, other than suits, we haven't suffered any deaths. I'm not going to let you put a black mark on my record for dying the first day I'm put in charge.

"Don't know why you're in charge. Sure you're easy enough to get along with, but Snappy would have been a better choice."

"Tell you what, if you fight to stay alive I won't tell her you called her 'Snappy' again."

"From what I can tell she has broken ribs, a punctured lung, both legs are broken, a possible concussion. The biggest concern is where one of the Bugs punctured her chest."

Hazard held up a long knife. "Bastard learned you don't touch a lady without asking nicely. I chopped his arm off before blowing him away. Just wish I'd thought of getting a bit of distance before firing my cannon. Sort of blew myself up as well."

"Shadow, hold the suit body still while I separate the lower torso."

I broke away the parts and carefully lifted the body. "Doc, keep her as comfortable as possible. This isn't going to be the smoothest ride but it'll be shorter and faster than waiting for a transport vehicle. Shadow, get her carbine and whatever else you think that suit can carry." I was surprised when he lifted the lower section onto his shoulder, grabbed the carbine, and held it to cover us.

"These old suits may not be top of the line but they were built to last. Get going, I'll keep up with you as best I can. Once we get back I'll return to helping with the fence."

I tried not to out distance him by too much wanting to make the trip as easy on Hazard as possible. Fortunately I wasn't held up as I passed what had to be nearly everyone from the base working to rebuild the wall. I continued to the base and gently set the torso down. I was relieved to see that both the Medic and Hazard were still alive.

"Cold Snap is going to ask me about your condition, and I'm not going to sugar coat it, so you had better pull through for my sake otherwise she'll kill me for making her hold the wall while you're in surgery."

"You got me here, if I don't make it now, you can always blame the medics."

"Don't worry, like all you pilots, she's too stubborn to die in the hospital."

"You might just be right about that." I said, before heading out to see if I could do anything to help rebuild the fence and wall.

***

"Tiger, my watch now. Go rest."

I still couldn't believe that Cold Snap had not only loaned me her suit, but instructed on how to use the shield system. Of course wanting to get back to base and check on Hazard may have had a lot to do with it.

"Drake and Fox, you're relieved as well. You three should have had down time first."

"Sorry Commander. We just figured it would be best to stand the night watch since we have the most experience with the enhanced suits."

I didn't hear the Commander’s reply as I was pulled out of the suit.

"Gods, you’re dead on feet. You, get vehicle. Take him back to base." Cold Snap ordered.

After that everything was a blur of green, the drone of an engine, and being bounced around too much to actually fall asleep. My next cognizant moment was Kyle telling the computer to convert my bunk into the quarters on the ship and that no new events were to happen until we all had a full rest period.

***