The next few days frustrated Joe as more and more squads received their orders and started into the Scincian tunnels for the attack. Even the squadrons had begun to move out and patrol the area longer each day. Joe began to think his squad had been removed from the mission. After getting dressed for the day, Joe’s personal device dinged with new orders. He quickly reviewed them before taking off out of his quarters.
“Ready?” asked Montes when he ran into Joe in the hallway.
“Ready, sir,” said Joe.
“Let’s get the others.”
Soon, Newgate-3 had assembled outside their quarters before heading to the armory to prepare for the mission.
“Attention!” shouted Montes as Lieutenant Alverda entered the room after the squad had finished being issued their weapons and strapping on their armor.
“At ease,” said Alverda.
Joe looked at the lieutenant and immediately recognized Ginke with him. The brown and white striped Scincian’s eyes grew wide when he recognized Joe.
“Major Montes, this is Ginke,” said Alverda as the squad relaxed. “He’ll be escorting you through the tunnels. You are the last to set off, so you’ll need to move fast as the Birnsteins have begun to mobilize.”
“Yes, sir,” said Montes. “We’ll be moving out soon.”
“Quick,” said Ginke. “I know the best way there.”
“Ready?” asked Montes.
“Sir!” said Joe and the rest of Newgate-3.
“Then let’s go.”
The squad walked with Ginke out of SHB 7 and headed north. As they went through the base, several soldiers walking through the area and standing guard saluted Newgate-3 to wish them the best on their mission. Joe nodded in acknowledgment to the soldiers en route before the squad exited through the north gate.
“Come,” said Ginke. “We can enter the tunnels over there.”
“Keep up, everyone,” said Montes.
Joe made his way up close to Ginke while Montes walked on Ginke’s other side. Ginke turned his head and gave Joe a slight nod. Joe nodded back and then grinned.
“I thought you’d be returning to your post after you got us here,” said Joe.
“Yes,” said Ginke, “but then I received word to wait here. We’d learned what the Birnsteins were planning. Our queen passed the news onto the Humans and offered our aid. The queen will do anything to end the Birnstein’s occupation here. The sooner, the better.”
“Do you know Ginke, Steel?” asked Montes.
“Yes, sir,” said Joe. “He’s the one who saved us in the retreat and guided us here.”
“So he’s the Scincian from your report. Well, thanks for your help.”
“Of course!” hissed Ginke with a grin. “Happy to help.”
The squad continued north along a trail but soon cut into the forest. The heavy foot traffic recently had trampled the smaller plants to create a small trail through the thick trees. Deep tracks from large vehicles cut into the soil. At the base of a tree, a massive hole opened into the ground to allow large groups to enter underground with minimal trouble. Several Scincian and Human guards stood watch in the area and welcomed Newgate-3 as they passed to enter the tunnel.
Passing through this tunnel was much easier than the last Scincian tunnels Joe had navigated. Joe could stand up for starters, and they could easily walk in small groups. Marks on the tunnel's walls and floor showed the tunnel had been expanded to allow Humans and machinery to pass through. Deep grooves from the heavy turrets being moved through the tunnel cut all along the tunnel, making Joe slip once before his HUD adjusted for the dim light and tracked the grooves clearly.
The tunnel remained straight, too, and Joe couldn’t see the end of the tunnel ahead. No one else moved along the tunnel except the squad and Ginke, but a couple Scincian guards hid down side tunnels that led back to the surface. Ginke greeted each pair as he continued to guide Joe, Montes, and the rest of the squad to the east.
“Rest?” asked Ginke when the squad came to a large opening in the tunnel after walking more than a couple of hours.
“Everyone take a break,” said Montes as he moved off to the side to sit along the tunnel’s wall.
Joe joined Montes with Hoàng and the others sitting around them. Several other Scincians sat down a small tunnel across from Joe, and Ginke joined them to converse for some time.
“I need to sit,” exclaimed Beck as she sat down next to Joe.
“Aren’t you used to this after our last trek?” asked Mulloy. “At least we aren’t having to crawl the whole way.”
“Absolutely!” said Beck. “I wouldn’t make it if we were crawling this whole way.”
“You had to crawl last time?” asked Pandev curiously.
“Yeah,” answered Mulloy. “Look at the Scincians: they’re short and prefer to walk on all fours.”
“The tunnels were only used by them until now,” added Hoàng.
“But you can see they’ve expanded the tunnel to get the turrets through for this,” said Joe.
“Or we would’ve been crawling,” said Beck with a heavy sigh at the end.
The squad conversed for several more moments and ate some snacks to keep their energy up before Montes stood up and was joined by Ginke.
“Everyone ready? Let’s keep going,” said Montes.
After marching through the tunnel for a few more hours, the squad arrived at their destination. Ginke guided them down a side tunnel a short distance to an opening back to the surface. The opening was wide and nestled between two rocks. Joe saw massive trees stretching high into the sky with their thick foliage blocking out the sunny sky. To the left on a slight hill sat a heavy turret pointed to the north. Several Human technicians scaled the turret as they worked to finish assembling the device.
“Major Montes? Welcome,” said a soldier from nearby as they started over. “I’m Major Urbina. We're the ones operating the turret here. I’m glad to have you with us, too.”
“Thank you, major,” said Montes as he exchanged a salute with Urbina before Montes looked up at the turret. “What’s the status here?”
“The tech teams are finishing up now. With the birds on the move, we won’t be able to fully test it in time, but I don’t see a need for that.”
“Excuse me,” said Joe as he stepped forward, “but what do you mean by that?”
“This is Corporal Steel,” said Montes.
“What I mean, corporal, is that we aren’t going to need the turret,” said Urbina. “With the squadrons patrolling not far from here, I doubt the birds will come close to us. That’s why we only have one turret and not two.”
“That makes sense,” said Montes. He turned to face Ginke and the rest of the squad. “But we’ll still need to be ready in case the fight comes here. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” said the squad in unison.
Chapter 23: Operation: King's Crown