Read Online The Athena Operation by Dalton Cortner - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Dalton Cortner
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the galaxy was in the midst of a full-blown war.
Still, Seraph knew he couldn’t leave her.
Seraph turned to Ret. “You get a head start. You watch my ass; we’re getting her out of here,” Seraph said.
Seraph ran over to the girl. The collapsed building provided cover from prying seythra eyes.
“Hey, hey come here. . . come here, it’ll be alright, I’m getting you out of here, alright?” Seraph coughed as the smoke penetrated his lungs.
The girl was silent as Seraph picked her up in his arms.
Seraph hurried back to Ret and they moved forward.
The weight of the girl pressed into Seraph’s wounded shoulder. As they moved, a seythra emerged from an alley. Seraph raised his pistol and fired a shot into the seythra’s skull without a moment’s hesitation. The killing was becoming routine, automatic. Ret ducked into the alley the seythra emerged from. He scurried along the wall and peeked around the corner. The streets weren’t any clearer here. He looked back at Seraph.
“We can’t go head first. We should circle around, or-”
The sounds of an approaching ship cut Ret off. He and Seraph whipped around and saw the ship descending about a mile away, right into the heart of the base, where it was met with seythra gunfire. It was a moderately sized fighter ship, armed with dual cannons and machine guns on either side. As soon as it landed, soldiers spilled from the ship and fell on the group of seythra nearby.
“It’s about goddamn time.”
Ret and Seraph turned to see Drever, drenched in blood, standing behind them. His shotgun was in one hand and he had a knife in the other.
“Nice to see you, too,” Ret said. “So what’s the plan?”
“I-” Drever stopped, noticing the small girl on Seraph’s back. Drever held his tongue, against his will. “The military’s getting massacred. Our best shot’s getting on one of the ships and getting the fuck out of here. The one that just landed will do. Let’s fucking move!”
Seraph and Ret exchanged a glance. Stealing a Confederate ship was not exactly what they’d had in mind. Seraph listened to the gunfire grow stronger behind him. He thought of the little girl. He nodded at Ret. Right now, any plan was better than none. Ret sighed, then nodded back. He knew all they could do was run or be shot down in the streets.
As they came to the back of the base, the three ducked behind a pair of crates just tall enough to provide cover. They watched as the battle raged on and the Confederate forces grew thinner. One of the buildings had fallen completely and was now a smoldering heap of rubble. Tanks were overturned or blown apart and bodies lined the streets. The entire planet was turning into one large graveyard.
“There.” Drever pointed to the Confederate ship. It was riddled with bullet holes, but still operational.
“So, what, we just run for it and hope there aren’t any seythra snipers on this side?” Ret asked.
“No, Seraph and I will run for the ship,” Drever said. You use that rifle, pick off any seythra that notice us. We’ll head back this way and pick you up before we take off. It’ll have to be fuckin’ quick, but I’ve done shit like this before.” Drever moved back and reloaded his shotgun.
Ret fumbled with his rifle. “If you guys miss me, I’m fucked. I could go down, then you guys could get picked off.” He pulled the bolt of the gun back to secure a round in the chamber.
“It’s a risk we gotta take. Just focus.” Drever cocked his shotgun. “We gotta fuckin’ move, though. We need to take advantage of what’s left of the Confederates and hope that the seythra concentrate on killing them instead of us.”
Ret cringed at Drever’s cruel plan: using the military as fodder so they could make their own escape. Even yesterday, Ret would have argued. He would have insisted that they find another way. But things had changed since then. These were dire circumstances.
“Ready?” Drever asked.
Seraph set the girl on
Still, Seraph knew he couldn’t leave her.
Seraph turned to Ret. “You get a head start. You watch my ass; we’re getting her out of here,” Seraph said.
Seraph ran over to the girl. The collapsed building provided cover from prying seythra eyes.
“Hey, hey come here. . . come here, it’ll be alright, I’m getting you out of here, alright?” Seraph coughed as the smoke penetrated his lungs.
The girl was silent as Seraph picked her up in his arms.
Seraph hurried back to Ret and they moved forward.
The weight of the girl pressed into Seraph’s wounded shoulder. As they moved, a seythra emerged from an alley. Seraph raised his pistol and fired a shot into the seythra’s skull without a moment’s hesitation. The killing was becoming routine, automatic. Ret ducked into the alley the seythra emerged from. He scurried along the wall and peeked around the corner. The streets weren’t any clearer here. He looked back at Seraph.
“We can’t go head first. We should circle around, or-”
The sounds of an approaching ship cut Ret off. He and Seraph whipped around and saw the ship descending about a mile away, right into the heart of the base, where it was met with seythra gunfire. It was a moderately sized fighter ship, armed with dual cannons and machine guns on either side. As soon as it landed, soldiers spilled from the ship and fell on the group of seythra nearby.
“It’s about goddamn time.”
Ret and Seraph turned to see Drever, drenched in blood, standing behind them. His shotgun was in one hand and he had a knife in the other.
“Nice to see you, too,” Ret said. “So what’s the plan?”
“I-” Drever stopped, noticing the small girl on Seraph’s back. Drever held his tongue, against his will. “The military’s getting massacred. Our best shot’s getting on one of the ships and getting the fuck out of here. The one that just landed will do. Let’s fucking move!”
Seraph and Ret exchanged a glance. Stealing a Confederate ship was not exactly what they’d had in mind. Seraph listened to the gunfire grow stronger behind him. He thought of the little girl. He nodded at Ret. Right now, any plan was better than none. Ret sighed, then nodded back. He knew all they could do was run or be shot down in the streets.
As they came to the back of the base, the three ducked behind a pair of crates just tall enough to provide cover. They watched as the battle raged on and the Confederate forces grew thinner. One of the buildings had fallen completely and was now a smoldering heap of rubble. Tanks were overturned or blown apart and bodies lined the streets. The entire planet was turning into one large graveyard.
“There.” Drever pointed to the Confederate ship. It was riddled with bullet holes, but still operational.
“So, what, we just run for it and hope there aren’t any seythra snipers on this side?” Ret asked.
“No, Seraph and I will run for the ship,” Drever said. You use that rifle, pick off any seythra that notice us. We’ll head back this way and pick you up before we take off. It’ll have to be fuckin’ quick, but I’ve done shit like this before.” Drever moved back and reloaded his shotgun.
Ret fumbled with his rifle. “If you guys miss me, I’m fucked. I could go down, then you guys could get picked off.” He pulled the bolt of the gun back to secure a round in the chamber.
“It’s a risk we gotta take. Just focus.” Drever cocked his shotgun. “We gotta fuckin’ move, though. We need to take advantage of what’s left of the Confederates and hope that the seythra concentrate on killing them instead of us.”
Ret cringed at Drever’s cruel plan: using the military as fodder so they could make their own escape. Even yesterday, Ret would have argued. He would have insisted that they find another way. But things had changed since then. These were dire circumstances.
“Ready?” Drever asked.
Seraph set the girl on
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