He took his barrel and slid it back into the stock, and it locked into place with a click. He assembled the rest of the weapon; it had needed a good cleaning. The oily surfaces of its interior reflected the light from the overhead ceiling, highlighting the solid-black components of the assault rifle. He dropped the slide, completing the cleaning process. He clicked the rifle into his shoulder, and it swiveled around and locked into his back plate.
He got off of his bunk, and disposed of the cleaning pads he�d used to clean his rifle. The rest of the AGF�s in the room were also checking their weapons, and gathering things like water bottles. Jean was trying to see how quickly she could assemble her sniper rifle, and then take it apart again. She had nailed it down to thirty seconds.
William was messing with some of the explosives packages that were included in his crate, and N�tn�see was reassembling his high-capacity revolver.
David strolled over to the munitions crate, and took out five thirty round magazines. They clicked into place around his waist, leaving enough room for him to attach two grenades. He also took a Survikit, which had energy bars and water to last a person two days. If they got lost out there, it would take quite a while to get back.
David�s helmet was at his side, and he turned to face his men.
�Soldiers, today will be your first test. We will be taking out the enemy outpost first, then moving on to scouting the area for threats. Everyone will take with them an assault rifle, pistol, and at least three magazines for each. Any extra weight you want to bring is your call.� He sent an impulse to his eye implant, and it displayed the time: 0938. They needed to get moving soon.
�We will be leaving the barracks in seven minutes. Anyone not ready at that time will be left behind and failed. Is this understood?�
�SIR, YES SIR!� rang through the barracks.
David walked over to the corner of the room where William, Jean and N�tn�see were sitting, and took a chair next to them. Their shining armor was covered in ammunition and weapons, making their casual posture seem out of place.
�I got a bad feeling about this� William said. Jean immediately opened her mouth to speak.
�What are you talking about? We�re just getting rid of some old outpost and scouting.�
�No, I�m not talking about that. I�m talking about them. These guys aren�t going to know the first thing about how we work. I just get the feeling that dragging them along is going to be a huge waste of time and resources. We should be taking out the outpost, and the Admiral should have someone else supervising them while they scout.�
�Do not question orders.� David said. His voice was low, but not threatening. �The Admiral has good intentions, he knows we lost a lot of numbers over a few recent missions. For right now the only thing we can do is cooperate and follow orders while he tries to salvage this mess.�
�Yeah, but knowing him he�ll probably be having us do crap like this every day.� Jean cast him a dirty look, as though telling him to shut up. He didn�t speak again, though David knew he hadn�t finished his thought. N�tn�see hadn�t said anything; he just sat there listening.
�Well, time to go. Let�s get the kids in the vans.� William let out a slight chuckle, in full acknowledgement with what David had said. David stood between the two rows of bunks on the wall, and faced the thirty newly assigned AGF�s. They were all fully loaded, with weapons at their holsters and helmets on their heads.
�Let�s move people, double time it over to drop-pad 32A. What the hell are you waiting for? MOVE.� The soldiers damn near sprinted out of the room, in two neat rows. David shoved his helmet onto his head, and heard the others do the same. He stooped down to the munitions crate on the way out, and grabbed another magazine. Half walking, half running, he took out his rifle. He opened the slide, slipped in the magazine, and hit the release. The slide dropped with a shink!, putting a bullet in the chamber. He clicked on the safety, and shoved it back into its holster.
He rounded several hallways, until he got to the door that exited the facility. David was in front of the AGF�s, with Jean, William and N�tn�see at the rear. They stepped out into a tent-like corridor, which used the natural ground for flooring. They reached the end, and stepped out onto what looked like a helipad out in the middle of the barren landscape. No buildings were around, save the air recycling facility they had just left.
On the helipad sat what looked like a small passenger jet, but with wings that ran parallel to the fuselage. They used Actigrav rather than propulsion, something only possible at low speeds. It had engines in the back for quicker movement, but for troop deployment the Actigrav did a better job at hovering.
A large section of the side of the ship disappeared, exposing the floor and netted walls that held passengers. The 113th division scrambled aboard, and took handle of the netting to keep them in place. The Actigrav wings whined a low hum, and the craft shuddered as it rose off the ground. It slowly started moving forward, and then the engines kicked in. The passengers were thrown back slightly at the sudden acceleration, but none fell out.
David looked out the door and saw kilometer after kilometer of red landscape dotted by patches of greenery go by, every once in a while seeing a small lake or pond. He exhaled, and felt more relaxed. He had grown used to being responsible for only a few people, and now he�d have to get used to commanding mass movements of troops again. It would be easier with Jean, William and N�tn�see helping to command them, but he would still hold the responsibilities of leader.
The engines died, but the craft continued to sail along. The Actigrav controlled its vertical altitude, but they had little influence on horizontal speed. The craft slowly drifted to a steady 50 KPH, and began to drop. Out the door, David could make out a forest and a patch of emptiness; no trees stood there, but a large bluish-gray building did. That was the enemy outpost, their first target.
The craft slowed to a stop, and floated half a meter above the ground.
�Go, go, go!�
