Red Letter Days/Chapter Eight

Previous Chapter: Chapter 7: Planet Fall
Chapter Eight: Tactical Retreat
:Vega Ceti System
:UN Colony: Second Base
:Pvt. 1st class Leonard Schaeffer
:Retreating to Fort Darkat
The Warthog bumped and jolted constantly, thanks to the pieces of metal and other debris (a result from numerous car accidents and fire fights) strewn through the tunnel. When the doors had closed and the convoy managed to distance itself from the entrance, they had realized that the tunnel was clogged with vehicles and litter. A group of marine engineers that had managed to get into the convoy had proposed to give the lead Scorpion a makeshift bumper, and so sheet metal had been scavenged or found and welded to the front of the tank. The going had been a lot easier since, with the tank shoving away the cars as it went. Unfortunately, it still moved at a snails pace, if you wanted to be generous.
The only people in the Warthog that he had recognized were Red and Busy, the two constantly claiming they were glad to see him alive, though Schaeffer ignored Red's assurances.
Red didn't seem to understand why Schaeffer glared at him whenever he talked and ignored half the things he said, yet talked easily with Busy. The only thing coming to mind when the young marine joked was the fact that he had left Schaeffer dangling from the Hornet without so much as a glance. 
There was a constant murmur as people all across the convoy chatted and talked to pass the time, Schaeffer just stared at the lights as they passed overhead, his mind so shot and fried that he couldn't even think or feel. He felt like a shell.
He didn't want to close his eyes, he knew what would happen if he did so. The thoughts of the day would flicker as if he was there again, smells, sounds. He kept them open; he wanted desperately to sleep, but still he kept them open. The dull ache behind his eyes was far better than the images that would come back. He just thought of home, of nice and cold Skopje, of the plants his mom watered at home and the flashing of the TV in the living room. The seventeenth floor home and the nice elevator up, and best of all his feather bed.
He thought of the home and the opportunity to forget what had happened here when he finally returned. Being among family, being away from Second Base and the aliens and the rebels, safely in the Inner Colonies where the war could never touch. He could live his life and forget about everything, read his books and listen to his music and never have to think about the Hornet's pilot screaming as she fell, smoke rising up as the back of her breastplate was melted by the plasma.
He could smell the flesh burning and her jumpsuit melting and boiling on her skin. Hear her scream, see Red sprinting through the rain and splashing up puddles-
Schaeffer jolted in his seat with a gasp as he realized he had drifted off. Busy and Red and the marines in the Warthog who he didn't recognize all looked at him with worry in their eyes, Schaeffer ignored them and then rubbed his own. He couldn't let himself drift off again.
“So... Busy...” the Sergeant looked up, his mouth forming an unspoken question. Schaeffer continued to stare at the ceiling of the tunnel. “Where you from?” Busy exchanged a look with Red before speaking.
“I come from a colony not too far from here, called Roost.” Schaeffer never heard of it, the name sounded terrible.
“What's it like on Roost?” He asked.
“Uh, warm. Warmer than here at least... got a lot of beaches and such. Almost everyone I knew had a job at the sea. Dad was a fisherman, mom helped repair boats.” Busy smiled at the memory, Schaeffer thought of his own parents. He dully remembered having a girlfriend on Skopje too, he couldn’t remember the last time he thought of her.
“You married Busy?” The marine stared for a minute before nodding.
“I have a wife and two boys back home. Jack and Ezra. It's been over a year since I seen any of them.” Red sighed and pushed his way into the conversation.
“How old are they?” Busy took a minute to decipher the accent before replying.
“They should be... seven and ten now. The old lady turned 38 in March. You got anyone waiting back home Red?” The normally easy going marine looked uncomfortable for a second, blush, the same color as his hair, creeping up his collar.
“Y-yeah. There's this one girl, back at New Novgorod. Her name is Vera. We've known each other since we were babies and I think... that she was going to ask me out. Before I got transferred.” Schaeffer glared at him.
“So you chickened out from asking her out?” Red's eyes shot daggers back at him and he was about to say something equally insulting before Busy shoved his way back into the conversation.
“Hey, hey, hey. What's she like?” Red glanced at Schaeffer one more time before turning back, he pushed a hand through his red hair, thinking.
“She's blonde, gray eyes, long legs, amazing voice. She has a huge mind, and great big bags of money to her name since her dad is loaded. Oh, and she has amazing boobs.” Busy shook his head, some other marine in the hog snickered.
“So you have a girl Schaeffer? What's she like? Handsome guy like you must have one.” Schaeffer squeezed his eyes shut to get the tired out and then looked over at Busy, the marine looked worried for some reason.
“Oh... uh... yeah. Her name is... Christine. Yeah.” He took a moment, trying to recall what she looked like, it seemed rather unimportant. “Black skin, black hair... nice, funny, all the usual.” Busy smiled and rubbed his arms.
“I remember back when I was dating. Trust me, it's your golden age.” It didn't feel like Schaeffer's golden age, it didn't even take bronze, but he didn't reply. “So Red, have you...” the words faded as Schaeffer slowly closed his eyes.
–
Schaeffer gasped and tried to jump out of his seat, only being held back by the straps. He had finally had sleep, no nightmares, just sleep. But now Busy was shaking him awake.
“Come on Schaeffer, convoys hit the end of the road.” Schaeffer slid his PDA out from his pocket and checked the time. It was eleven PM. They had been driving for two hours.
“Better than nothing...” he said and unbuckled himself from his seat, his head spun as he slowly stood, but Busy gave him a shoulder to lean on and the two stumbled from the back of the hog. Busy led him towards the front of the convoy but after a minute Schaeffer slowly got off his arm, finding his own feet. Busy waited for him to steady, his legs aching more than they ever had in his life, and then they walked towards the huge mass of bodies together.
“...You might just kill us all by doing that.” He heard a woman say, a man interjected shortly after.
“Do you want to get out in New Luxor, with the aliens waiting at the doors?”
“And what if they are right outside of here? What about the children?” Busy pushed through some civilians in the back of the crowd. Some floodlights had been set up and were pointing at some area in the middle of the crowd.
“If we don't get out now, we won't get another chance.” Another voice added. Schaeffer pushed past Masih and Hooch who were on their tip toes trying to see what was happening.
“The ODST's know what they are doing. They can do it so that no one gets hurt,” the man from before added in.
Next he heard Lieutenant Meyers chime in. “My boys know how to work some C-12. If everyone follows our instructions we should all be fine.”
Major Sorelsky's voice now pushed its way in, and Schaeffer suddenly felt rather annoyed. “You heard the radio! There's a nuclear threat in the city! Are we far enough from the blast zone?” Schaeffer pushed back two militiamen and an ODST and found himself at the edge of a ring. Several civilians, Meyers, Major Sorelsky, Lieutenant Hartfield and the captain had gathered in the circle and were angrily exchange words about whatever the topic at hand was. 
“I would think a marine Major would know the basics of explosives,” Schaeffer said as he pushed into the circle, Busy tried to grab him and pull him back out but Schaeffer shrugged him off.
“How dare you-” the major took a step forward when an annoyed looking captain raised a hand. The major stopped in his tracks.
“The mountains would block any nuclear blast from reaching us, we are out of the blast area of a SHIVA regardless.” Sorelsky sneered at Schaeffer and then looked back to the captain.
“I'm in control of this operation Veenhoff. I'll decide whether or not we blow out of here.” The captain raised an eyebrow.
“I never insinuated otherwise sir. But New Luxor has been evacuated, the tunnel leads straight there, I don't think it's a good place to bring civilians.” The captain still looked prissy, but he glanced at Meyers and waved a hand.
“Fine. Fine, blow the wall. Let's get out of here.” The ODST nodded and shouted for some of her men to follow her. Schaeffer took a step over and the two exchanged a glance before he felt a hand grip his wrist and pull him off. The crowd parted around him and when the person stopped moving next to the wall of the tunnel and away from the people, Schaeffer turned to see Sorelsky eying him like something he found on the bottom of his boot.
“You will not do that again. You will NOT second guess me again, private.” Schaeffer glared right back.
“I'm sorry sir, it's just that I am amazed that I would probably be a better major and I have been in combat for less than a day.” Sorelsky's eyes flared in anger.
“I ordered the barricades across the city which prevented the rebels from destroying your platoon, I organized our defenses of the hospital, I organized the convoy out and I. Saved. Everyone. Here.” Realization dawned on Schaeffer. Command telling them that they weren't going to meet resistance at the bank was Sorelsky. The hospital disaster where they had been assured it would be hours until an attack was Sorelsky. The idiotic convoy charge into the tunnels. Sorelsky. “Now what is your name.” He said, leaning forward into Schaeffer's face. He saw some figures quickly moving towards them. He ignored them.
“Private First Class Leonard Schaeffer sir, and fuck you.” His fist connected with the major's surprised face a second later. The man yelped and stumbled off, grasping the side of his head, Busy and Red grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.
“Yeah! Punch his fucking head!” Shouted Rat from the sidelines.
“Detain him! Take him away!” Screamed the major. Schaeffer spit on him as they pulled him further away.
Schaeffer struggled against the two marine's arms but they remained strong and he couldn't escape. A crowd of marines quickly gathered around, Schaeffer getting reactions varying from insults to cheers, they all hushed when the lieutenant shoved his way through, the same blank expression as always, but Schaeffer could see something behind his eyes. 
“You want to tell me what that was about, private?” He asked, the marines slowly backing up. He saw Rat crack his knuckles out of the corner of his eye, he prayed he didn't make things worse.
“He did it sir. He's the one who fucked everything up.” The lieutenant showed no change of emotion and just sighed in frustration.
“That's great. You don't punch a commanding officer.” The lieutenant replied as if he was teaching a child to not piss on the floor.
“But sir, he-” Schaeffer stammered. The lieutenant rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Schaeffer, shut up and get ready to move out. Once we get off world, I'm going to have you court martialed for this.” Schaeffer felt sick.
“But-”
“Be happy I'm not having you dragged to Fort Darkat in chains; we need every gun we can get. Now don't go near the major and let me try and keep him from shooting you on the spot before you do anything else stupid. Consider yourself lucky that I agree with you.” Before he could talk, the lieutenant turned and walked back towards the major who was surrounded by an assortment of brass and ass kissers.
“Jeez man, tough luck.” Said Hooch, patting on the back as he pushed out of the dissipating crowd. Masih, Red and Busy walked toward him as well but then Rat and Mouse followed them.
“Ladies, Masih,” he said, the marines all slowing to a stop. Masih glared at him. “I would like some time alone with me and my boy Schaeffer here.” Hooch was about to say something when Red grabbed him and dragged him off, with Masih following them.
“Shout if you need help, son.” Busy said before turning and jogging after Hooch, Schaeffer saw him shaking his head.
“Now that we have some privacy...” he said, shooting a smile at an approaching marine who quickly turned on his heel and walked off “...I would like to compliment you on punching that ass hat. We all know he had it coming.” He moved up besides Schaeffer and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, smiling. Schaeffer smelt alcohol and noted Mouse following quietly behind.
“What do you want?” He asked, Rat's smile strained further, showing yellowed teeth.
“I need a few good men. You're well liked, you aren't a fan of the leadership, and we've fought together. We're both one and the same.” Schaeffer bit back a rebuttal and let him continue. “I have some... supplies that I need moved around.” Schaeffer knew what he was getting at immediately.
“What.”
“Standard things, a bit of spirits to raise morale, porn mags, a bit of the white stuff.” Schaeffer was fairly sure he was talking to the single worst drug dealer on the face of the planet.
“No. No thanks.” He said, pushing off of Rat, Mouse sped up and was quickly behind Schaeffer.
“Oh? You don't want to be a good friend?” Rat sneered, his smile disappearing immediately as he turned to stare down Schaeffer, the young marine could feel Mouse pushing up behind him.
“Hey man, I won't tell anyone.” He said, Rat smiled again.
“Of course you won't, and it's going to be a shame now that no one has your back.”
“Look Rat I-” The marine spat on his uniform.
“You'll regret this.” The tall marine shoved Schaeffer into his small companion, who quickly pushed him to the floor. By the time Schaeffer was helping himself up, the two were walking down the tunnel. There was a sound of footsteps and then Mackenzie was besides him again, helping him straighten his already ragged and dirty uniform.
“Those pricks.” Was all he said, Schaeffer sighed and shrugged him off, he just wanted to go back to sleep. “They're going to blow a hole in the tunnel soon, let's get out of the blast radius.” He suggested, patting him on the back lightly and leading him away.
“What if the tunnel collapses?” He questioned, Mackenzie just yawned and shrugged. Schaeffer had a feeling that he had slept the ride too.
“If it collapses it collapses.” And that was that.
–
Schaeffer peaked out from behind the warthog that the two had taken shelter behind, around a hundred feet down the tunnel from where the ODSTs were milling about with some marine engineers. Meyers yelled at her men to do this and that, and they complied as quickly as they could, Schaeffer caught himself staring at her and blinked.
Mackenzie watched with him, though Schaeffer had to push him awake several times. After the third time, Mackenzie opened his mouth to say something.
”Fire in the hole!” Someone screamed into the radio and Mackenzie ducked down further, keeping his mouth open in order to prevent his ear drums from bursting. Schaeffer did likewise, not wanting to add deafness to his list of injuries. Three ODSTs stormed past the two marines and slid in to cover, Meyers counted down from elsewhere.
“Three... two... one!” Schaeffer covered his head as the ground shook, the sound of the blast deafening him as dust flew by and filled the tunnel and rubble pinged off the side of the Warthog or bounced off his arms and helmet. Schaeffer coughed as the powder continued to fill the air, stinging his eyes when he tried to opening them and coating him in a layer of it, when his hearing returned and he finished hacking up his lung, he heard the scuffling of the marine's finding their feet.
He felt Mackenzie's hands gripping his arms and pulling him up and off the ground.
“Some blast, Schaeffer.” He said, swinging his arms in the air in order to dissipate some of the dust.
”I want those Warthogs manned and leaving the tunnel! Move!” Sorelsky screamed into the radio, his voice cracking at the end so that he could go into a fit of coughs. Schaeffer found himself stumbling into the back of a transport hog, his eyes stinging as the dust caked his face.
The Warthog pushed, turned and swerved until it was facing the breach, Schaeffer was just glad that they were getting out of the tunnel. His relief dissipated as they approached the exit, the cold wrapping around him and gripping him to the bone. His fatigues seemed useless and he raised his balaclava yet again, forcing himself to breath the air despite the feeling of daggers in his lungs. The Warthog jolted and slammed as they went through the rubble and through a crater, the dust slowly clearing as they left the tunnel.
A fierce blizzard had replaced the dust, enveloping the entire region and every bit of snow felt like it cut through the exposed parts of his skin like needles, freezing almost as soon as it met his face. As the motley convoy left the comforting red light of the tunnels emergency lights, the marines and civilians all turned to watch the city in the distance. The powdered survivors didn't make a sound, their minds lost in thoughts and memories.
Schaeffer felt alone in this, probably being the only man in the convoy that had no memory of the city other than almost dying in it several times. Even then, he felt sadness seeing the city burning in the distance, the only thing that he could think of being Skopje, and what it would look like if it was destroyed. Tracers still flew into the air, though not in the awe-inspiring volume that they were before. Explosions also sometimes blossomed from the city, and the echoes reached them long after, the wind carrying the sound of war, so light that you had to strain to hear in stark contrast to the previous cacophony of death they had to bear witness to for hours. Only a handful of the once great skyscrapers still stood, though most of them were shells, the lack of lights on them making them look like pools of black on the night sky.
A child cried next to him and Schaeffer glanced over, what must have been his mother staring blankly next to the boy. Sighing, Schaeffer rubbed him on the back, though the child ignored his touch. He wished he hadn't scorned Red, or split off from Mackenzie before they could find a Warthog together. The need for conversation bearing down on him even harder than the need of some actually thick clothes. 
”This is Major O'Neil, broadcasting to all UNSC forces in and around the city of Garmed,”[i/] Schaeffer blinked, realizing he had never switched his radio to the convoy's frequency and was still keyed into the tactical channel. He looked around for the lieutenant, but couldn't identify anyone when they were all so powdered, ”we have retaken the city hall, all UNSC forces still in the city are to find any civilians they can and get to the hall, aviation units will begin carpet bombing in approximately half an hour. I repeat, all UNSC forces are to retreat to the city hall. Watch out for hostiles, rebels still on the loose and... alien forces are bombarding our position.” The fact that the rebels were still fighting amazed Schaeffer for no other reason than their sheer stupidity. Why would they fight against taxes and lack of representation when aliens were burning down their home? Did they really think it was a good idea? That they would gain any sort of freedom by being the liberators of bones and ashes?
O'Neil continued on with his broadcast, repeating that everyone in Garmed should haul ass to the hall and giving reports about the goings on of the war-torn city. Schaeffer managed to gather that the city was falling, which came as a massive surprise to him until he remembered that it didn't. A company of marines had been pinned at the orbital elevator, hoping to get civilians to the top and went missing which, judging by the other reports of marines or people who have 'gone missing', meant slaughtered to the last man. The financial district was inaccessible, the only tunnels having collapsed, including the one they had gone through. It didn't mean much since the last broadcast had been from a police unit that was trapped in one of the many banks, which happened at the same time as their defense of the hospital.
Marine engineers had rigged just about all the major roadways, highways, tunnels and bridges to blow and had already detonated half the cities infrastructure to slow down the alien hordes, who were now surrounding the area around the city hall like an ever tightening noose. The marines were apparently setting up ambushes and defenses in a three block radius of the building, and anyone approaching was warned that they should radio in or risk taking a bullet to the head.
It all seemed like the same old transmissions about how fucked they were until the major stopped talking.
Then he got a new and special transmission about how fucked they were. Some marine from another platoon looked up at him and said in a gravely voice.
“Oh no.”
“Attention. Attention! We have a confirmed nuclear threat in Garmed's city hall. Marine EOD and police bomb squads are currently attempting to disarm the weap-” Schaeffer raised his hands to block his eyes as a bright light flashed from between the sky scrapers, when he opened them again, tears streaming from the brightness as the entire countryside was bathed in what seemed to be a second sun, he saw a ball of fire enveloping the skyscrapers which toppled over in its wake.
People in the convoy were screaming and the child cried in pain as his eyes were burned, Schaeffer just stared, the sound of his heart somehow managing to be louder than the explosion reaching their ears. Two Longswords flew overhead, escaping the city, Schaeffer wondered how many hadn't made it.
The ground shuddered as the gnarled, dead trees shook and flew back as if hit by a great wind, it was bright enough to be mistaken for midday.
“Oh my god. Oh my god.” He heard the marine say, Schaeffer just stared and stared as the convoy jarred to a halt, the vehicles crashing into each other or stopping on the side of the road. By the time the blast was reduced to a stain in the sky, the huge mushroom cloud reaching into the night, the convoy had come to a halt. The radio was silent, sans the cries for medics, and the convoy that had left the tunnel had somehow become even more grim than the simple outcasts they were before. Schaeffer wondered if anyone else had managed to evacuate, or if they carried the remains of the entire city with them.
There was a crackle in the radio and Schaeffer changed to a general frequency.
”This is Captain Janet Reaves of the UNSC Furious Five, we are currently inbound for the New Luxor Orbital Elevator,” the ground rumbled again and he saw the outline of the frigate fly overhead, low in the atmosphere, “we are escaping from the hostile warship and will be retreating from the system in approximately six hours, all UNSC forces not at the elevator by then will be left behind.”
The marines slowly left their vehicles, trying to understand everything that they were witnessing. A low moan was reverberating through the convoy as the civilians realized that their home would be forever gone, along with every one of their friends and family who were still there, sobs breaking out from the smallest child to the biggest man. Schaeffer climbed out of the Warthog, ignoring the screaming child who was claiming he could not see, and tried to find something that would shelter him from the blizzard.
“Hey Schaeffer.” He heard and turned to see Hooch walking out of the ever strengthening blizzard, rubbing his shoulders in a feeble attempt to beat the cold. He walked with a woman who he vaguely recognized as Kelano.
“Hey, Hooch.” Was all he could get out, looking back at the mushroom cloud in the distance.
“We're lucky there were mountains around the city, a SHIVA would have probably made us all sterile by now if it wasn't surrounded.” Hooch didn't actually sound all that interested in what he was saying, looking at the mushroom cloud more often than Schaeffer, Kelano just kept her eyes to her feet.
“How'd you know that?” He asked, more in order to block out the sound of the wailing than from actual interest.
“I was in the navy from 21 to 25. Used to fire them at stuff.” Schaeffer glanced over again, the marine seemed far off now.
“Yeah. Guess it's weird to be on the receiving end.”
“Yeah.”
Kelano began sobbing and Schaeffer patted her on the back, still not knowing what else to do.
“Hey Hooch?” He asked, staring at the cloud.
“Yeah Schaeffer?”
“You ever wonder why our job sucks so much?”
“Not till today.” He intoned. Schaeffer sighed, and they all lapsed into silence.
Next Chapter: Chapter 9: Trapped in Alienville