User blog:Gracchus Mccarthe/Benson and Roister: Aartis Space and Air Base

Here's the second chapter.

     The pod entered Aartis’ atmosphere and the monitors indicated that the outer shell began heating up.

     “I’m glad this thing is covered in a Tungsten-based alloy.” Rex said.

     A.J. looked at him. “You can’t see it ‘cuz of my helmet, but my eyebrow is raised. What’s Tungsten?”

     “It’s got the highest melting point of any metal. And any element, for that matter. Having Tungsten coating the ship is very reassuring.”

     Several minutes of silence followed. Rex and A.J. watched as Aartis’ surface grew closer until they could make out the planet’s features.

     “After we go past that mountain range, the base should be in sight.” A.J. pointed out. He was right: The base was clearly visible nestled among several small mountains.

      The pod arrived at the landing area shortly. A.J. brought the ship down gently and landed on a large pad, located near a tower and a few large buildings.

     Rex unstrapped himself from his seat. “That was a pretty smooth landing.”

     A.J. also got up and said, “I started as a pilot, but when the SAS ran short on heavy troops, I transferred.”

     “Makes sense.” Rex responded. “You got the arms for it.”

     “That was weird.” A.J. muttered. He opened the large doors located in the back of the ship and was about to exit. However, he paused when he saw a contingent of armed guards approaching.

     “Halt!” one guard ordered.

     “I’m not moving.” A.J. retorted in an annoyed tone. “What’s the problem?”

     “You just got here from the Kurios Space Station, correct?”

     A.J. nodded. “Yeah. So what?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     As Rex walked up next to A.J., the guard said, “There was work going on onboard that station to make a compound that would counter biological weapons should they ever be used in an attack on a Trans-Fed planet. The stuff was injected into experimental tissue. Then-”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. interrupted. “Then the tissue got zombified, and somehow it infected the people working in the lab.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Exactly.” the guard told him. “You two need to stay in there until we can make sure the virus isn’t in there.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Can it spread through air?” A.J. asked. “I guess we should close these doors.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “We haven’t found out just how it can spread, but you probably should keep those doors closed. Just in case.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. hit a button, and the doors started closing. “We can talk over the radio.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex went to the communications board and switched it on. After a minute, a voice came over the radio. “Mantis 12, do you copy? This is Commander Morris in the base control tower.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “We copy. This is Captain Roister speaking.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Confirm your identification.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Alexander Jeremiah Roister, Heavy Troop. Soldier ID: 0253DL040454.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “All right, the computer has confirmed it. What is your condition?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Um, sir? What exactly do you mean by ‘condition’?” Rex inquired.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Someone else is onboard!?” the commander asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “I’m Corporal Kyle Benson, but everyone just calls me ‘Rex’. Uh, Assault Troop. And my Soldier ID is: 7708KM415664.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “No one else is aboard besides the two of us, sir.” A.J. said. “I’m checking our condition now.” He pressed a few buttons on the pod’s main control panel. A small screen came up on a monitor. It showed heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, and a few other recordings of Rex’s and A.J.’s bodies. “Both of us are fine; condition: normal.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Good.” the commander answered. “We’ll run a few different kinds of scans on your ship as soon as we get the equipment there.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sounds like a plan.” Rex said. The commander turned of his radio, and A.J. gave Rex a hard shove on the shoulder. “Hey! What’s with you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “That’s not how you talk to a high-ranking officer, kid.” A.J. scolded.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “He didn’t seem to mind. And who do you think you’re callin’ ‘kid’!?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Settle down. You don’t want a fight, trust me.” That was obvious. A.J. was much, much larger, and he was covered in heavy-duty plate. Rex might not even be able to make his punches felt through all that armor.

<p class="MsoNormal">     A minute later, a truck with several large pieces of equipment approached the pod. Four men climbed out and began activating the machinery in the back of the truck.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Over the next five minutes or so, the machines scanned the ship and made records of the findings.

<p class="MsoNormal">     The truck returned to one of the large buildings.

<p class="MsoNormal">     Minutes later, Commander Morris’ voice sounded on the radio again. “This is the commander. You boys are clear to disembark. The technicians said no trace of the virus has been detected on your pod. I want to talk to you to when you get off. Leave your weapons on the pod for now. If you have sidearms, you can take those with you.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Acknowledged. We’ll get off now.” A.J. responded. Then he turned to Rex and took off his helmet. “I guess I won’t be inhaling anything dangerous if I take this off.” He opened the pod’s doors and exited, with Rex close behind. They headed towards the control tower.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Whoa.” Rex said, taken aback. A.J. had an eye patch and a long pink line running along his face. “What… happened to your eye?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Temporary bodyguard work for a ‘VIP’, a very idiotic priss. Big wig named ‘Wallace Fultersworth. He’s just like his name sounds: stuffy, annoying, and stupid rich.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yeah, but what happened to your eye? That’s a pretty big gash.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. sighed. “Attempted assassination. Fultersworth owns a huge corporation and one of his competitors hired a guy too remove him. The assassin attacked with a knife, and I subdued him. I took a slash to my face.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Why didn’t you get a robotic replacement for your eye?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. smiled grimly. “This looks cooler.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Upon reaching the control tower, A.J. pushed open a door and entered the tower’s base floor.

<p class="MsoNormal">     He walked to a desk with a woman sitting behind it. “Can I help you?” she asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yeah. I’m A.J. Roister and this is Rex Benson. We’re the guys who just came from the infected station. The commander wanted to see us.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “He just left the tower.” the woman replied. “Hold on a second.” She pressed a button on her headset and then turned a dial on a nearby control board. “Commander? Roister and Benson, the two men who were on the Kurios Space Station just entered the tower. They said you wanted to see them… Yes sir. Very well, sir, I’ll tell them. Over-and-out.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “So, what’d he say?” Rex asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Head over to that building.” the woman replied, pointing. The commander’s office is on the fourth floor, room 4-COR. You’ll need these to get past security.” She handed each SAS a card.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Thanks.” Rex said as he took his. Then he and A.J. exited the tower and walked over to the other building.

<p class="MsoNormal">     They entered the elevator and Rex said, “There’s only three floors that this elevator can go to.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “You probably need to access the fourth floor by another elevator or stairs. That enhances the security of the place.” A.J. replied.

<p class="MsoNormal">     After exiting the elevator on third floor, the two SAS walked to a door leading to a flight of stairs. Two guards with large assault rifles stood in front of it. Rex and A.J. presented their cards, and the guards let them go past.

<p class="MsoNormal">     After climbing the stairs, Rex and A.J. scanned a hallway for room 4-COR. They found it and entered. There was a group of guards in special forces gear and wielding high-powered weapons in this room. They didn’t let Rex and A.J. pass when they saw the cards. One guard alerted Commander Morris by walkie-talkie. “We have two men here that say you want to see them.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Have them confirm their identification.” The commander replied.

<p class="MsoNormal">     The guard held his walkie-talkie up to A.J. “This is Captain Alexander Jeremiah Roister, Heavy Troop. ID: 0253DL040454.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Then the guard held it up to Rex. “This is Corporal Kyle Benson, Assault Troop. My soldier ID is: 7708KM415664.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Let them through.” Commander Morris ordered.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Sir, they both have a pistol.” one guard mentioned.

<p class="MsoNormal">     “I know. I told them they could keep their sidearms with them.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     The guard answered “Yes sir.” and entered the security code to open the door.

<p class="MsoNormal">     When Rex and A.J. entered the commander’s office, he said, “Sorry about your difficulty getting in, but we need to have strong security around here.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “There’s no need to apologize, sir. I understand completely.” A.J. replied. “What did you want to discuss, sir?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “The breakout on the station.” Commander Morris answered. “I hope that virus won’t be able to spread anywhere, but we’ll need to be prepared in case it does. First of all, I need to know what those things were like that you fought.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Mean and ugly.” Rex said.

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. shot him a glance. “Be serious or shut up.” Then he turned to the commander. “First and foremost, they’re relentless. You can shoot off their legs and they’ll still crawl at you. They’re also a lot tougher than a normal human, so hard hitting weapons are a basically a must for fighting them.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “His LMG really did the trick.” Rex pointed out. When A.J. looked at him again, Rex put up his hands and told him, “Hey, I’m serious. Weapons like that are the way to go against those zombie things.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Tough and relentless.” the commander repeated. “I’ll be ready to send in requests for some new weapons from our contractors. Critical Mass has been playing around with the idea of a rifle that shoots hypersonic rounds, and we’ll consider taking on Rancor, as much as I hate them. I’ll alert them and a few others that we might need some new weapons in this solar system. Also, I’ll need to have your pod remain here for the time being.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yes sir. Is there anything you want us to do in the mean time?” A.J. inquired. “Our previous assignment is no longer… viable.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Nothing at the moment.” Commander Morris responded. “You two are on leave until further notice. I guess you boys have earned it after what you’ve just gone through. You are dismissed.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex and A.J. saluted. “Yes sir. And thank you, sir.” Rex said.

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. and Rex exited the office and made their way to the building’s entrance. After passing through the doors, Rex asked, “Now what?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Well, I hope you’re not planning on following me around: That would be kinda creepy… and awkward.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “OK, OK. I won’t follow you.” Rex said. “I think I’ll just go walk around the base and see the sights.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. shrugged and began walking away. “Suit yourself. I’m gonna go and find a place to stay for now.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     Rex walked after him. “Hey, that’s a good idea!”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. stopped and turned around. “You said you weren’t gonna follow me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Well, after finding a place to stay, I won’t follow you.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     A.J. sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “Whatever! Come on! Apparently you need a big brother to make sure you don’t get lost or something…” A.J. trailed off, muttering and shaking his head. He started walking again and Rex went after him.

<p class="MsoNormal">     At the entrance to the large air field where Rex and A.J. had landed, A.J. approached one of the guards.

<p class="MsoNormal">      “Excuse me, but is there a TLF* nearby?”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Yeah, it’s about two miles along this road.” the guard replied. “It’s a long, short building with a black roof. It shouldn’t be hard to spot.”

<p class="MsoNormal">     “Thanks.” A.J. went off in the direction the guard said. To his chagrin, Rex walked after him…

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">*TLF: Temporary Living Facility; sort of a military motel.

<p class="MsoNormal">If you read this, I would appreciate it if you leave a comment with your thoughts.