Specimen

“Moving to better cover,” I hear Isaac call out.

“On my way,” I reply.

I glance over my shoulder. There are thirty-four soldiers running behind me. They can’t keep up with my pace, and I continue to put more distance between us as I dive into the trees. I make my way west, deeper into the forest, until the shots behind me stop. I move south and east, following the sounds of gunfire.

As I reach the edge of the trees again, four soldiers jump out from behind one of the smaller vehicles. They rush me, but don’t fire. I drop all four of them before they get within twenty feet of me, but another group of four moves out of the trees on my left, and a third group from the right.

“Are you back with the others?” Riley asks, but I can’t answer her now.

I’ve been flanked. My mind spins, delivering all available maneuvering possibilities to get myself into a better position. I focus on one group, knowing it will take me longer to kill them all than it will for the opposite group to reach me but willing to take the chance.

Just as I finish off the one group, I feel a sharp sting on the back of my neck. Before I can reach up and feel what it is, I’m tackled by two men. They are no match for my strength, and I quickly throw them off of me, rolling to a crouch and then jumping back to my feet. A third soldier grabs me from behind and tries to wrench my arms back. I flip him over my head and stomp in the center of his chest.

Riley’s voice continues in my brain, demanding my status, but something in my head overrides her command and keeps me on task.

Grabbing the assailant’s arm, I pull him to the ground and drop my knee to his chest. I fire twice, eliminating the first men who jumped me, then turn my gun to his face. Blood spatters over my chest, but I ignore it. I look to the last attacker, but he’s fleeing.

I duck back into the trees and make my way toward Isaac and Pike. I can see the group of soldiers engaging them, but I’m half a minute away from their location. I fire into the mayhem, and several men drop.

“Pike’s down!” I hear Isaac yell from the trees.

I glance over to the spot where Pike had been standing. He’s on the ground, still firing his weapon at the nearest group of soldiers. They continue forward. Even as the ones in the front drop to the ground, the rest of the group goes on. I can see Pike jerking with every hit, but I’m too far away to do anything about it but shoot into the group. There are so many of them. For every one I take out, another jumps from one of the transport trucks.

Finally, I break through the gunfire and reach Isaac and Pike. Pike isn’t moving, and there’s blood pooling on the ground beneath him.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Isaac, we drop soldiers left and right until they break off and run back to their vehicles. Some of them circle around and join another group dressed in black technical gear but not uniforms. They concern me, but Riley’s voice takes precedence.

“Sten, give me a status update now!”

“I’m with Isaac,” I tell her. “The rest are retreating.”

I reach down and press my finger to Pike’s neck. I already know he’s dead—I can feel the lost connection inside my head.

Isaac crouches next to me.

“We have to carry him back,” he says. “We can’t leave him here for someone to find.”

Isaac lifts Pike’s body over his shoulder, and we begin our retreat.

“They knew we were coming.” I look over to Isaac, and he nods.

“The intel on the defector must have been planted.”

“Who would do that?”

“No idea, but if I ever find out,” Isaac says, “there’s going to be hell to pay.”

“Status!” Riley’s voice sounds even more desperate.

“Pike is down,” I tell her. “We’re bringing him back. Mission aborted.”

“I understand,” Riley says. “Make your way back as quickly as possible.”

“Acknowledged.” For the first time, I’m not looking forward to seeing her. We’d failed miserably and lost a man in the process.

We make our way back to the riverbank. I’m trying to keep my focus on completion of the journey, but the mission’s failure is weighing on me. Everyone believed the information was sound, but we’d been led into a trap.

My neck throbs, and I reach back to the place where I’d felt something sting me earlier. I feel something stuck in my skin, and pull it out. It’s a tiny sliver of metal, but I can’t determine its function.