Sitfig was pensive as we sat in the tank. Flynn steered the tank into a gorge and we barrelled down the icy tunnels. Kruncher was preparing his arsenal, shovelling in the Drakite. Picard and Pocket were in the back talking. I sat, and prepared my rifle. It was a beautiful thing - a slender, elongated F-320 type, manufactured by R-K Industries in the USNA. It was of medium-power, but was very accurate, and could easily subdue ten men with twelve rounds in the magazine. I had my back-up pistol, an R-K Industries SEN-15, powered by Dolvium. It was by no means a lethal weapon either, but was instead used to stun enemies. This also allowed it to be a lot lighter and leave the wielder with more mobility.

We soon came to a short halt in sight of a small base.
"Here it is," Sitfig said. It was very dark, and therefore difficult to see, but I could make out a a manned turret. Flynn scoffed.
"It seems our friend Wilder has had his forces depleted!" he grinned. "Let's move in." We cruised in a little closer, then stopped. Kruncher had noticed something. He pointed to the turret, and notified us that it was powered by Drakonium which, in a turret of that size, could badly wreck the tank and perhaps have lethal effects on its passengers. Kruncher offered to head in alone. He was almost certainly the bravest of the team - and if not the bravest then second only to Flynn.

Sitfig offered to go in with Kruncher, and I decided that I should join them. Flynn, Picard, and Pocket remained in the vehicle. We stocked up, then Flynn pulled the tank up near the base's force-field. We had devised a system whereby each member of the team could be accounted for. Three would head out, three would stay behind. Each member of the ground team would have a 'partner', as it were, who would maintain radio contact with them. Flynn and Kruncher would keep in contact, Madissen and Sitfig were paired up, and Picard and I stayed in contact.

 

Flynn had advised us to split up so as to draw Frederiksen's men apart. I agreed with this, and Picard gave me the layout of the base. I hurried down a corridor and spotted some armed men up ahead. They definitely wore a mercenary uniform: rugged, basic urban camouflage - these guys were simple guns for hire. But considering that they were on Mars, they didn't really have the option to pull out.

 

I set my SEN-15 to stun mode and took out both men. I then struck them across the neck, permanently subduing them. I would use proper ammunition when truly necessary.

"Nice work," Picard commented; two heat signatures would have just dissipated on his scanner. "There are five heat signatures approaching from your left. I'd hide - they seem to be armed. Don't do anything rash." I ducked into a dark niche in the wall. The group split up, four men heading off the way I had come, the one other heading towards a large security door. It was fingerprint and eye sealed, but as he succeeded in opening the door, I rushed behind him and took him out with a swift cut to the neck.

 

"I'm inside the main complex," I radioed to Picard. Picard could then refer this to Pocket and Flynn, who would in turn relay this to Kruncher and Sitfig. A large group of soldiers was up ahead, so I took a side corridor. There were sudden shouts; they must have seen the body in the doorway.

 

Suddenly, there were shots, and cries of agony. I spun around, and saw Kruncher hurrying up the corridor toward me. Shouts followed his footsteps. He was sweating, and he gesticulated angrily toward a door. We sprinted towards it, and Kruncher kicked it in. The soldiers were hot behind us, and we slammed the door. A barrage of Dolvium rays warped the door out of shape as we bolted across an atrium, into a smaller set of corridors.

 

There seemed not to be any mercenaries lurking in these depths, and we crept through the gloom, wary of our surroundings. One soldier did appear in front of us, but Kruncher subdued him by tackling him down onto the floor and smothering him. We moved on, both of us with F-320 rifles. I began to speak, but Kruncher held a finger to his lips, pointing to a strange red wire across the ceiling. It was a voice detector - any unrecognised voices would be picked up and monitored. We continued into the darkness, until we reached a scarcely perceptible door, with a fingerprint and eye scanner. I sank in despair. All this way, and we couldn't go any further. I looked to Kruncher, but Kruncher wasn't despairing. Kruncher held a large Bavratium launcher. I grinned, and Kruncher unloaded a full ray into the door, blasting it apart. We hurried through.

 

I noticed Picard had not spoken to me for a while. I nudged Kruncher and tapped my earpiece. He pointed at the ceiling, then shook his head. It was too thick, as we were a long way below ground. Finally, the gloom seemed to fade away, and the hallway before us became brighter, and before our eyes, a large door appeared. It was grander, and with higher security protocols than any other door. Frederiksen was through there, I was certain of it. Suddenly a weak signal came across through my earpiece.

"I've been compromised!" It was Sitfig. Kruncher looked at me, and nodded, signifying that he had also received the message. I gestured towards the door, and Kruncher fired his Bavratium launcher at it. The door warped, but would not give way. Kruncher increased the settings to double power, but still the door held out. But Kruncher would not give up here. He retreated, then ran up and kicked the door, cracking it. He then fired for a third time on double power, and the door burst open. We hurried through, only to find that Frederiksen was not there.

 

Instead, waiting for us was a large bald figure, almost 7ft tall, in combat gear, with fists the size of mangoes, and a head the size of a coconut. I raised my eyebrows.

"What...happened to Frederiksen?" I whimpered. The brute laughed deeply.

"Frederiksen is not present at this location. He is...wounded..."

"Then who are YOU?" Kruncher growled. The brute raised a large rifle.

"My name is Brotos, and you are officially my prey!" In a lightning fast manoevre, he grabbed me by the throat and slung me across the room, over two long tables, and I smashed into a wooden statue which snapped upon impact. I was stunned, and I staggered up. My rifle was on the other side of one of the tables. Kruncher vaulted both tables, grabbed my rifle, shoved it into my hands, and turned.

 

Brotos slowly moved across the room, wielding his rifle. We moved backwards, as the monstrous thug approached. I took him to be a brainless henchman at first, but I was proved wrong; I ran to the left, while Kruncher ran to the right, but Brotos raised the huge table and swung it around, knocking both of us off our feet. I crawled across to Kruncher, and helped him up. Brotos launched the table towards us as we leapt toward the entrance, just making it through the doorway as the table disintegrated into a cloud of dust and splinters behind us. We made our way back the way we had come, Brotos apparently not in pursuit. There was a loud screeching sound, but there seemed not to be a consequence. We dashed through the corridors again, encountering only one mercenary, whom Kruncher quickly dispatched with his rifle.

 

We reached the exit from the underground complex, opening onto the outer circle, when we stopped in our tracks. Sitfig knelt on the floor surrounded by over a dozen heavily armed men. Two had their guns on Sitfig, the rest of them had their guns on us. This was a truly hopeless situation.

 

Their leader spoke, in a harsh, high-pitched tone.

"Lay down your weapons, or we will be forced to kill your friend, and you also."

There wasn't much of a choice, and I began to set down my rifle, when my comm system suddenly crackled into life and Picard roared: "FLOOR!"

 

I threw myself down, as an almighty explosion tore through the walls, and Flynn's tank rolled in. Kruncher took out most of the soldiers, and we raced for the tank. Sitfig kneed one of the soldiers in the stomach, and dashed for his X-7 buggy, which Flynn had in tow. I was the last in the tank, and slammed the door behind me.

 

Flynn rammed the throttle forward, and we bore through the wall ahead of us, and hurtled out. Suddenly Pocket shouted, and pointed to an enormous tank to our left. It was not a mobile one, but more of a stationary turret. I could see Brotos in the gunner's seat. He revealed two sizable propulsor cannons. We activated our second forcefield layer, ensuring our safety, and I could see Brotos laughing.

 

"OPEN THAT DOOR NOW!" Sitfig roared over the radio. Picard ran to the door and wrenched it open. Sitfig's X-7 was three metres away, and Brotos was level with it. Two black plasma spheres enlarged themselves, crackling with energy, then tore through the atmosphere towards the X-7.

 

Sitfig looked back, remorsefully.

"JUMP!" Picard bellowed. Sitfig jumped, and managed to catch Picard's hand. Behind him, the X7 ripped apart, and the debris hammered against our tank. Brotos was snarling in his gunning pod, and I made eye contact. Sitfig lay in the back, as Picard shut the door.

"That was my pride! My pride and glory!" Sitfig cried. Falconer had once said that, but this time I felt for Sitfig. It was a beautiful vehicle, and few were made. Flynn and Pocket offered to make Sitfig a new one, but he was inconsolable.

 

"There was no Frederiksen," I said. "However, it seems we have a new adversary. Brotos."

Flynn's head snapped around.

"BROTOS?" he said, startled.

"Yes," I replied. Flynn let go of the controls.

"Brotos is more dangerous than you can imagine. He is an unstoppable force. If Frederiksen has hired him..." He turned around. "We're going to need a bigger tank."