Battle Earth VII by Nick S. Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

upcoming fight.
    "Make yourself comfortable. I've got interviews to do, lots of them," said Weaver. "You'll be notified at 11:30 and called for at 11:45."
    Taylor nodded and lay down on one of the sofas.
    "You will be ready, won't you?"
    "Sure," he replied confidently, as if bored by the whole affair.
    Taylor awoke to find he was being rustled by one of the local staff members. He reached up and grabbed the man by the throat instinctively as he was torn out of a deep sleep. He could see the look of terror on the man's eyes as he was starved of oxygen. He quickly released his grip.
    "Don't you know not to startle a marine like that?" he asked.
    "Sorry, Monsieur, but we could not rouse you."
    He looked at his watch. 23:47.
    "Okay, let's do this."
    He was stiff from having slept in his armour, but the rest had done him a lot of good. He was led out and down to the ground floor. Weaver was waiting for him, next to a trolley with the rest of his gear.
    "Christ, don't you know how important this is?"
    "No, I don't," he replied dryly.
    "Millions of people around the World are waiting for you, and you simply can't be bothered?"
    "If you're so concerned, you could always armour up and go in there yourself. I know I'd enjoy watching that."
    It immediately silenced Weaver, but he was fuming with anger. Taylor paced up to the gear on the trolley, a helmet, an Assegai, and a shield.
    "That's it, Weaver?"
    "They want a fight, not an execution."
    Taylor couldn't help but think when all his gear was on it wouldn't matter who was wearing it.
    Do the crowds really want 'Colonel Taylor', or do they just want to see human versus alien? I wonder if many would ever recognise me were I not in uniform as I’m portrayed on posters and videos around the World.
    He clamped the Assegai in its sheath to the leg of his exoskeleton suit and lifted his helmet onto his head before lifting the hefty shield onto his arm.
    "Ready?" Weaver asked.
    "I'll do this fight, but that's it. After this, you find another idiot to be your puppet."
    "You just get out there and do your job."  
    Taylor turned and strode out down the corridor that led to the main stadium grounds. He could hear the roar of the crowds as they yelled and clapped. It was almost deafening. He'd never been in front of so many people before.
    "And here he is, the man himself. Welcome the slayer of Demiran, the saviour of the World, Colonel Taylor!"
    The commentator was an instantly recognisable voice. An American who seemed to commentate on every big fight he'd seen over the years. He had no clue of the man's name, but his voice was unmistakeable. He rambled on another five minutes about Taylor's exploits and the dangers he was about to face, but it passed through Mitch's one ear and out the other. He was focused on psyching himself up ready for the action.
    In the war he had always been ready to fight, as survival had been on their minds every second of every day, but his last fight just days before had shown him his head wasn't in it. He blocked out the crowds from his mind, focusing on the weapons in hand and the thought of what he was going to face.
    Gonna kill the alien bastard, gonna kill you, gonna kill you, gonna win, he was telling himself.
    His hands began to shake a little as the adrenaline flowed through his body. His mouth went dry, and his breathing slowed beyond what was ideal. He had to tell himself to get the air in.
      Breathe, breathe, focus.
    A trickle of sweat rolled down his face and hit his already dry lips. It tasted horrible and only made him thirstier. He felt a hand clench his and try to lift it, but to no avail. He looked to his side to see the commentator in a white suit and matching bow tie trying to raise his hand for the crowd, but it was only going where he wanted it to.
    "Come on," the man whispered to him, "They love you. Play to it."
    He gave in and did as asked. He snapped out of his mind-focusing daze to look at his surroundings as he was paraded around for all