Battle Earth: 12 by Nick S. Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

firing arc of the Mechs who had been firing on them. They could still hear Anders’ platoon exchanging fire with them at their original position.
    Up ahead, they could see a small alien transport on the road outside a museum. As they approached, the craft began to lift off. Taylor raised his rifle and began firing, but none of the shots penetrated the thick hull. Several others joined in, but it was quickly gaining altitude quickly and passed out of view over the top of one of the buildings.
    “Shit!” Taylor hollered.
    His voice was loud and drawn out, to the level that it was clear to all he was irate.
    “That can’t have been him,” said Silva.
    “You don’t know that!”
    “We know the way he travels. You think he’d be travelling in one little ship with no escorts? You know him. He’s all about show,” replied Silva.
    “But we don’t know it!”
    “It wasn’t Erdogan,” said Jafar.
    They all turned in surprise to look at him and waited for him to go on.
    “He was here, but not in that vessel.”
    “How do you know?” Silva asked.
    Jafar pointed to a deep blue shimmer coming from the steps of the museum. It was the kind of cover laid as if for a VIP, and the light was glinting off of it.
    “He was here recently.”
    Taylor looked at his watch.
    “All right, sixty seconds, let’s find out what the hell he was up to.”
    Taylor rushed ahead, reaching the stairs to find the cover was so fine in texture it was like silk, though far stronger. He rushed up the steps and through the main door with his rifle held high, expecting to find a target in any moment, but there was nothing. The museum was untouched, with artefacts on show as you’d expect, but without any staff or patrons.
    “What on Earth was he doing here?”
    “He was studying us,” replied Morris.
    Taylor hadn’t even noticed the Captain was with them until that moment. He shrugged as if asking for Morris to continue.
    “I was here before all this kicked off. This museum was untouched by all of the wars and took on thousands of pieces that were rescued from other cities. It’s now one of the finest collections in the world and had to be expanded. It’s a remarkable museum.”
    “And yet nobody tried to protect all this?” asked Lang.
    “They wouldn’t have had time,” replied Taylor, “Last war was over before it had really got started. We ran for our lives, took only what we could. So you think he came here as a tourist?”
    Morris nodded. “You’ve told me many times he studies and understands us better than those who came before him. If you had free run of the world, wouldn’t you visit a place like this? Lots to learn about the human psyche.”
    “We almost had him,” muttered Taylor, “We came so close. Must have missed him by what, a few minutes?”
    “Never had a chance,” said Silva, “We acted on this as quickly as we could. This mission was a failure before we ever started.”
    “But we’re getting closer,” added Morris, “You think he’s studying our culture for any other reason than working out how we’re still standing?”
    Taylor looked confused.
    “I doubt the Krys ever met an enemy who caused them this must trouble. You’ve killed two of their most powerful and influential figures, and after all they have thrown at us, here we are still fighting.”
    Taylor turned to Jafar for confirmation.
    “I believe the Captain may be right.”
    “But what more can he learn at a museum?”
    “Whatever he hasn’t worked out.”
    An alarm went off on Taylor’s watch, and he looked to see they were out of time.
    “It’s time to move out!”
    He got moving, but just a few seconds later he could hear the roar of engines that were not from their own craft. He looked up to see two enemy transports soar into view overhead, and Mechs began to descend towards them.
    “Cover!”
    The platoon scattered to either side of the street into the cover of the buildings. A few of them began to open fire as Taylor yelled