He turned to the operative behind him, still lurking in the shadows. Colonel Kovert looked round at the faces of the other Southers, flushed with anger at this desertion by one of their own, and knew that some of them would not be satisfied to leave the matter to the military authorities, whatever the film had instructed. He touched the necklace around his neck, made from twenty-three trigger fingers of the Nort snipers he'd taken out, and resolved to add a blue finger to his collection.įurther towards the back of the room, another figure was watching the film with interest. Traitors made him almost as sick as Norts did. He couldn't get the picture of that deserter, that filthy traitor, out of his mind. To celebrate, Milli-Com Command has ordered R and R facilities to be set up for our victorious boys."Ī ragged cheer went up from the hundreds of troops from the East Continent command post who'd been gathered to watch the film, but Steel wasn't really paying attention. "In other news," the voice continued, "Nu Atlanta has finally been declared pacified and safe from Nort attack. He'd fought a battle there during his first year of service, had nearly lost an eye and taken the eyes out of seven Norts in revenge.
The shot changed to one that Steel recognised. "Alert the military authorities, and let military justice deal with this dangerous renegade."
If you encounter him, approach him with extreme caution." The screen faded to a still shot of the deserter as the voice continued, "Learn this face well. He's a deserter, and must be treated as such." "One of the Genetic Infantrymen, the last reported survivor of the Quartz Zone Massacre, has gone renegade, refusing to obey orders to return to Milli-Com. "Be alert, Souther!" it said, as if Steel wasn't alert twenty-four hours a day, never letting his guard down for a moment. Then a voice, the sort of voice Steel was used to hearing in this sort of film, spoke. Above the pictures, the caption "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS DESERTER?" appeared. The viewscreen was showing pictures of the infantryman in action, clearly shot during his long training at Milli-Com. Steel knew that this was a Genetic Infantryman, though he'd never seen one himself, and the information about them had only been released to the rest of the Souther army after the genetic freaks had botched the Quartz Zone offensive so spectacularly.īred for war, the other Southers had been told. Then the picture faded and was replaced with one of a soldier, a strange blue-skinned creature wearing Souther insignia. It was nowhere on Nu Earth, that was for sure. The sky behind it was blue, dotted with white clouds. It showed a Souther flag fluttering in the breeze. Steel watched the film through narrow, slitted eyes. "It seems we know where to find a living biochip." On the inside, they were every bit as ruthless as the surgeon-kapten who lay dead on the floor. They looked rather foolish, with their bowler hats and waxed moustaches, but that was all on the outside. Listening as Helm relayed the words Natashov had spoken to him, Rogue carried him out of the room where he'd died.Ī few seconds after they'd gone, two figures stepped out of the shadows. "That Nort, before she started torturing me, she mentioned a name." "Now we find out who was responsible for the massacre at the Quartz Zone."