Chapter 9: Defense perimeter

The ground was covered in puddles of putrid green liquid. It was also slightly acidic as it ate away at the limestone ground. The formic acid bubbled as it reacted with the limestone, generating gas and heat.

The small ants were disposed of immediately by the CDT. The two remaining large ants were difficult to kill. Each of them was half the size of the truck and if they had emerged from the ground under the truck, it would have toppled it over.

Hunter wasn’t even hurt at all. His chainsaw still roared even though it was covered in acid. He alone kept one of the large ants busy while the other 5 members of his team ganged up on the other one.

Slowly but surely, the damage accumulated, and the ant was decapitated. Hunter took his chainsaw on a stick and stabbed it into the head of the ants to finish the job.

“We have to go. Now!”

He screamed as the CDT members quickly retreated to the vehicle.

They decontaminated as best as they could and immediately drove away.

Mere minutes later, several more ants emerged from the ground. It sensed the pheromones of the killed ants and began to follow the truck.

Sensors quickly detected the swarm that followed them.

“We need to fully decontaminate. Get rid of the stink before they surround us.”

Hunter frowned. Their armor and weapons were covered with the stuff.

“Analysis finished. Fluid composed of 95% formic acid, 5% unknown substance.”

The CDT technician said.

Hunter waited for the good news.

“Melting point of 8 degrees centigrade, boiling point of 100 degrees centigrade.”

“So, we need to boil and steam our stuff?”

“It might work.”

None of them where actual scientists. But they had to think quick on their feet. The swarm followed them closely and the sensors that detected them were going nuts and firing off warnings left and right.

They had a small decontamination chamber that can fit one set of armor or one weapon at a time. In order to fully finish the job, it may take several hours. They didn’t have several hours.

Gin suddenly spoke out.

“What is our water situation?”

“Currently the truck holds a week worth of water and contains a purifier in case of emergencies.”

One of the CDT replied.

Gin nodded as he confirmed with Zin.

“We can boil all your gear in a huge pot. Use one of the flamethrowers to start a fire or to heat up the pot before tossing it in as well.”

Hunter thought about it. It was dangerous to stop now to set this up. But they cannot continue running forever. They were already close to veering off their original travel path to the downed reconnaissance drone. Starting a fire inside the enclosed truck was not feasible and tossing out their weapons might as well just be suicide. Faced with a tough decision, Hunter made the call.

“Do you have any more information on the extent of the damage of the downed drone?”

He asked.

“Nada, only what the company provided.”

Jeral replied with a sigh.

“We have to take a gamble then.”

Finally, Hunter made the decision.

“Toss it all out.”

The loss of weapons wasn’t very damaging as they still had plenty on the corn cob, but the loss of the outer armor could be fatal. Without the outer armor, the CDT members might as well be wearing a civilian survival vest. It offered zero protection other than the normal radiation and temperature shields.

The hatch was opened, and they began tossing all the weaponry that got coated in the ant’s fluids.

Hunter sighed as he also got out of his signature mechanical armor and tossed it out as well.

“Drive faster, we need to get away from the swarm.”

The rest of the CDT members nodded as they adjusted the autopilot. The maintenance team members were also just as upset as the CDT. Everyone now had a lower survival rate than before.

Jeral sighed along. He knew Hunter for many years. But for him to actually allow the ant’s pheromones to get on his team was unavoidable. Other than wasting their precious long-ranged weaponry, getting rid of the scouts would have been a momentous task without melee weapons. If they tried to drive away, the large ants would have tipped their vehicle over and they would be sitting ducks for the rest of the swarm to rip to shreds and devour.

He patted his old friend’s back.

“It’s not your fault.”

Hunter nodded but anyone could see he took the ordeal to heart. If any personnel died now, it would be on his head.

Gin also frowned as Zin recalculated his survival chances. It originally was 98% at its peak. With an average CDT team and Exceed mode, Gin had a 90% survival chance. But now that their CDT team was unarmored, his survival chance might as well be 80 to 85%. Two in ten will die. Out of the 22 of them, two to three might not make it back.

______

No more mishaps occurred before they finally reached the downed drone. It was absolutely enormous. Ten times the size of the farming drone, this drone could house a small hamlet. Its side allowed it to ignore a lot of the common threats such as mutated beasts. Most avian creatures would avoid it due to its large size. Those brave enough to attack it must face its weapons system.

But what caused the drone to fall from the sky?

Gin and the team frowned when they saw the mess. Although the drone’s outer shell was mostly intact, there were scorch marks on its wings. Something had definitely attacked it, and it had won.

The drone fell and left a ditch in the ground. The vehicle drove as close to it as possible.

“Set up the defense perimeter. Jeral, it’s all up to you now.”

Jeral nodded and looked towards his team.

“Let’s go, maintenance team. Our survival is up to us now.”

The team took out their bolters and slowly approached the opening hatch of the drone. Instead of requiring a maintenance member card, the drone was password protected instead. Jeral was given a one-time use password for the drone that would last until they returned.

The hatch opened up revealing a pair of stainless-steel ladders leading down into the dark depths. The team entered two at a time and looked around as they entered the belly of the drone.

The dark hallway was lit up only by the light coming from above and the occasional flashing LED indicator lights.

Drones were meant to be piloted remotely and thus there wasn’t much space to move inside other than for maintenance purposes.

The two senior technicians took out scanners and began to scan the entire drone for points that require immediate attention.

“Focus on the weapons systems.”

Jeral added.

As one of the most important systems of the drone, it lied deep within the central control area. Right now, they had just breached the upper levels of the drone.

“Any hostiles?”

“None detected. No life signals other than our own.”

“Good, move ahead but stay cautious.”

The team slowly moved around the dark tunnels. Their helmets provided night vision. Gin’s view was fully green as he followed in the middle of the group. They fixed any immediate problems they could find that didn’t take too much time. Wires were patched in seconds and holes were blocked back up. They fixed along the way towards the inner hull.

Finally, minutes later, they reached the inner area. A secondary protective metal sheet covers the inner layer of the drone like an onion. Often there was only a single entrance and exit point, and it was password protected as well.

But as Gin’s team reached the point, they frowned upon the discovery that the point had been blocked.

“The metal had been dented by blunt trauma. We cannot get through without cutting a hole.”

One of the members said.

“But to cut a hole through that type of material would require time. Not only that, but it would also produce high levels of heat.”

“Do we have any construction explosives?”

“No sir, they weren’t assigned any this time.”

Jeral frowned.

“Take the crystalized diamond cutters, start working right away.”

The team members nodded as they took several tools out. It pieced together into a large drill-like machine. It took four people to carry it close to the wall as the tip touched the metal.

“Turn it on.”

The machine came to life with an ear-piercing shriek. Thankfully, the noise was muffled due to the bubble helmet or they would have had to deal with ear damage.

The tip slowly began to cut into the reinforced hull. The four members slowly moved the machine as it cut a whole.

“Estimated time of completion, half an hour.”

“I’ll send a message to Hunter,” Jeral replied. “Keep on working, the noise might attract some unwanted creatures.”

The four maintenance team members kept on cutting while Jeral supervised. The remaining 9 started to fix things around the tunnel. Gin crawled into the smaller areas and began his primary work as a micro technician.

Suddenly, the sound of combat could be heard outside along with shouting.

“Crap, we have to hurry!”

The drill couldn’t finish cutting in time.

“Make a smaller hole and let me go in first!”

Gin said quickly.

Jeral looked at Gin and quickly nodded.

The four stopped trying to cut a larger hole and cut a smaller one instead. The slab of circular metal fell onto the ground with a heavy thud.

“Go!”

Jeral said as he handed a chip to Gin. The sounds of combat outside were getting worst by the minute.

Gin quickly crawled into the hole. The other side was wide enough for him to run thankfully. The pathway into the core was a straight line. Various parts were damaged beyond repair which made Gin worried.

“Would the drone still be functional?”

“Internal structural damage seemed to be negligible when it comes to operations. Further scans show that it would only harm operations if it lasts longer than one week.”

Gin took a breath of relief before he ran further in.

Finally, at the center of the drone, there was a single room with a large red orb.

Gin looked at the orb and slotted the chip into it.

“Access granted. Performing systems check.”

A green bar appeared on the monitor and slowly started to fill up.

“1%...5%...18%...”

It was going slowly.

Gin could feel the anxiety wash over him as the sound and vibrations of combat outside shook the drone.

“87%...92%...98%...All systems checked.”

Gin slapped the red orb as it came to life.

“Weapon systems online. Automatic mode turned on. Shoot hostiles on sight.”

The drone rumbled as hatches on its back opened up. A dozen turrets popped out and automatically aimed at the creatures surrounding the drone.

A bullet storm erupted and shredded the creatures into a fine mist.

What remained was only gore, carnage, and the smoke rising from the turret nozzles.

Gin slowly walked back to the team feeling relief. They were safe for now.

“Good job kiddo!”

His boss gave him a pat on the back when he got back.

“Now, we need to finish up with the repairs.”

It was time for the drone to come back online fully.

Gin began his work in earnest. There were plenty of areas that were too small for regular technicians to reach.

Nearly five hours later of continuous repairs, the drone was nearly fixed. Everyone had relaxed and left to take a break outside.

The CDT team didn’t lose anyone in the fierce fight, although most if not all of them were wounded in some way. One member even lost an arm. Thankfully, with immediate first aid, they were able to save him from death due to blood loss.

Hunter was perfectly fine though. He was covered in the viscera of mutant creatures but he himself was not hurt at all. At most he would feel a little muscle fatigue the following day.

“Great job Jeral! You sure did save our asses.”

“Let’s finish this job and go claim our booty!”

“You owe me a drink!”

“Come on Hunter, it’s you who owe me a drink!”

The two began wrestling again.

Looking at how lively their captains were, everyone else relaxed. The reconnaissance drone’s turret system was still on and shot any creature that dared to approach. The giant machine had enough storage capacity to shoot non-stop for two days straight.

Gin sat on a piece of metal shrapnel as he drank his water. It filled his empty stomach for now. But to get a full meal, he would need to return to the city. It was unsafe to eat anything out in the irradiated wilderness.

The ground was littered with corpses of creatures. Various giant rodents with festering mutated blisters, a cacophony of insects ranging from beetles to ants, and there was even a mutant serpent. The snake was six meters long and was as thick as two men. It had been decapitated by Hunter, but its struggle left visible marks all over the ground.

What was strange was that these mutant creatures don’t often live or work together. Something had attracted them. The CDT just assumed it was the downed drone. But Jeral and the maintenance team, who knew the drone inside and out, knew it was something else. Mutant beasts wanted nothing to do with the hunk of metal, rubber, and plastic. Something more secretive was behind this. But they didn’t want to voice it out.

Company secrets are best kept tight-lipped. Wantonly saying things that are on a need-to-know basis can end you up in a pit without a head. Disposing of employees secretly isn’t unheard of. Although it may seem ‘un-businesslike’, in order to maintain order around the place, the company had to act.

Gin looked at the turrets that glowed in the dusk of the night. The sun had finally set, but they were safe for now.

“Captain, we need to set up camp.”

One of the CDT members reminded Hunter.

The muscular old man nodded and grouped everyone near the drone. It was safer inside the hull of a downed drone than to brave the elements of the wilderness outside.

There were no visible points of penetration as the technicians had already patched it up. The only point of entry into and out of the drone was a single maintenance hatch. This made it easier to defend if the turrets were to malfunction.

They couldn’t leave the opening unattended though. Out of the six CDT members, two must always maintain watch throughout the night. They agreed to cycle every four hours.

The rest of the 16 maintenance crew members either rested or continued to fix small issues that appeared in the drone. Their salary depends on their performance review, thus the more repaired the drone, the more money they make.

With night comes a rapid drop in temperature. The chill was bearable, but it left a wanting of warmth that sat in the back of everyone’s minds. A cloud of dust and debris covered the sky, blotting out the moon and stars. Outside the city, everything was covered by those clouds. A constant reminder of the wars of yesteryear that loomed above dripping with death occasionally. Rain in the wilderness was deadly. Everywhere else had snow.

Nighttime was also when most creatures crawl out of their homes and hunt. The sun was down, and thus cold-blooded creatures thrived. Lizards and snakes of all kinds emerged from their dens to eat. Those that got too close to the giant drone was immediately gunned down.

From inside the drone, the sound of a semi-constant bullet storm and the death cries of beasts kept most of the team awake. Only those who were far too tired to stay awake could pass out under the noise.

Jeral sat next to Gin under the faint light of their electric torch.

“Kiddo, how you holding up?”

“So far so good, boss.”

“That’s a relief.”

Jeral looked at Gin then finally sighed and rubbed the boy’s helmet.

“I didn’t want you to risk your life on this mission, but I understand that everyone has wants and needs they have to fulfill. You have so much ahead of you, kiddo. Don’t go risking everything for a moment of glory.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I wanted to ask you. What is your dream?”

“Dream, sir?”

“A dream. Every man in the world has a dream. Those who don’t waste away and die. Everyone who is willing to take on this mission has a dream they want to fulfill.”

“My dream…,” Gin frowned.

“Some men want to be rich, some want security, and many wants love. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness are idiots. Money is the gateway to many paths leading to happiness.”

Gin nodded in agreement.

“I’m getting old now. Although I had survived for this long and had constantly been saving credits, my dream is still not fulfilled.”

“What is your dream, sir?”

“Come on kiddo, you haven’t even told me yours yet!”

Jeral laughed.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. I want to build a house.”

“A house?”

“Yes, a full-sized house. Like the ones we saw in recordings of the past. A living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and maybe even a garage.”

“But why, sir?”

“Because it would be mine.”

“…”

“A man who builds their house with their own hands can achieve a sort of satisfaction that most technicians can only dream of. I have been purchasing building materials and storage space. Once I have enough, I will buy a large plot of land from the company.”

“Is this why you took the mission sir?”

“Yes, I wanted a chance to buy land.”

Gin looked at his boss with eyes full of respect. Land in the city was not cheap. Unbuilt land was almost unheard of. In order to buy an empty plot of land from the company, his boss must have saved a fortune.

“So that is my dream. What is yours, kiddo?”

Gin froze.

“My dream?”