The Street Survivors (The Guild Wars Book 12) by Ian Malone (great books of all time TXT) 📕

one way to put it,” Taylor said, sliding off his balaclava. “I’ll tell ya right now, House. Southern boys like us ain’t cut out for this kinda weather. Never have been, never will be.”

An annoyed grunt huffed from the double-bundled Buma in the back.

“There’s a reason so many of us Yankees leave the North to come down South,” Frank said. “And trust me, it ain’t for the hospitality.”

Genovese shrugged beside his fellow New Yorker as the caravan started out. “He’s not wrong, ya know.”

* * * * *

Chapter 13: Under the Dome

If there was a benefit to leaving when they had, it was that the Eagles were nearing the final leg of their journey as the orange strokes of daybreak brushed the horizon.

The sight is incredible, Taylor thought. All those whites, grays, and blacks swirled together into a frozen kaleidoscope of tundra space, every inch of it perfectly balanced against the bright blue backdrop of the unblemished sky overhead.

It’d be downright gorgeous if it wasn’t so godforsaken cold here.

Static crackled over the comms as the specter of distant mountains appeared in the viewport.

“Sooner to Tomahawk,” Jack said via comms from the lead carrier. “Be advised. We’ve got about 30 more minutes of drive time before we go out on foot.”

“Copy that, Sooner,” Taylor said. “We’ll be ready. Tomahawk out.”

Thirty minutes came and went as the landmarks ahead turned from distant shapes to towering rockfaces that loomed skyward in all directions. Not long after, the caravan eased to a halt not far from the range’s tallest member.

“Report,” Taylor said, hopping out. Surprisingly, the morning temperature wasn’t bad. It was still cold, sure. However, between the lack of wind, and the warmth of the sun, the scene was almost bearable.

“Still no sign of the KzSha, or anybody else, for that matter,” Stan said. “I’ve assigned Sergeant Ballou to stay behind with the APCs and a pair of corporals in case we need an emergency evac. Aside from that, everybody else is set to move on toward the target.”

Strange. Taylor nodded, then lowered his balaclava. “Daylight’s wastin’, people. Time to pick up those feet.”

The march toward the mountain took a solid two hours on account of the terrain. True, the temperatures had warmed in the sun, and that had certainly changed things. However, as the hike drew on, the snow at their feet got deeper and deeper, and the hills near the target grew ever higher.

House gave the hold command with a closed fist in lieu of words from the front of the Eagles’ formation.

Taylor signaled to Jack and Stan, then jogged up the hill toward the corporal. “What have ya got, House?”

The Georgian shook his head. “I have absolutely no idea, sir. Whatever it is, though, it’s big.”

“Well, then.” Jack shouldered his rifle. “Let’s have ourselves a looksee, shall we?”

The trio followed Corporal Newhouse the rest of the way up the hill, then took cover behind the summit.

“Dear sweet Moses…” Stan broke off.

The massive round structure below went on for miles, consuming most of the valley at the foot of the hill, before eventually ending less than a mile from the base of the mountain.

“What in the hell is that thing?” Jack asked. “Some sort of colony?”

“Right now, your guess is as good as mine, partner.” Stan pulled a slate from his coat pocket and swiped the device active. “One thing’s for sure, though. Now we know why we couldn’t detect any life signs from orbit. I’m getting squat for readings inside that thing.”

Taylor gnawed his lip and studied the dome’s semi-opaque surface. “What can you tell me about the structure itself?”

“Not much beyond basic measurements,” Stan said. “All told, the surface area seems to span roughly 30 square miles in diameter. As for how expansive the colony is underneath, we won’t know that without puttin’ boots on the ground inside.”

“That’s assumin’ there’s something under there to begin with,” Taylor said. “For all we know, this thing is abandoned.”

House raised a shoulder. “Seems like an awful big waste of resources if that’s true. I reckon it could be, though.”

“Any clues what this thing’s made of?” Taylor asked.

Stan returned to his slate, while House ducked back behind the summit and eased to the other end to inspect their other surroundings.

“So far, I read traces of iron, oxygen, titanium, magnesium, silicon, and aluminum,” the Mississippian said. “According to this, whoever built this thing used the silicon to develop the glass that comprises the dome’s surface. The titanium, iron, magnesium, and aluminum meanwhile comprise most of the structural materials.”

Jack whistled. “I’d hate to see the construction bill for this place.”

“Agreed,” Stan said. “The transport costs for materials alone had to be staggering.”

Footsteps pressed the snow from behind, causing all three men to whirl with their rifles.

“Easy.” Genovese raised his palms. “I just came up here to find out what…” His eyes widened. “Holy Mother Mary, what is that?”

“Get down!” Taylor barked under his breath.

Genovese ducked into a crouch, then sidled up beside the others.

“We don’t know yet,” Taylor said. “We just know that it’s enormous, and sensors won’t penetrate its surface.”

“That’s it.” Genovese’s jaw tightened. “That’s gotta be where the KzSha took Paulie and the others. We need to get down there, now.”

Taylor grabbed the captain’s arm as the other started to rise. “Did you not hear me just now when I said we’ve got no clue what’s under that dome? What we do know is the KzSha are a hostile species, and that dome is big enough to house legions of the things. We do nothing until we’ve gathered more intel. Is that clear?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Is that clear, Captain Genovese?” Taylor stated.

The River Hawks’ XO answered with a grudging nod.

“I hate to interrupt, Chief, but I