Watching Over Us Read Online Free PDF Page A

the road, and place two gunners near the entrance with interlocking fire. When that was done, they got the rest of the squads moving down the tunnel. The quicker they moved, the sooner they’d be out of hostile territory and back in Philly.
    Quinto took up the rear of the last carrier for the ride down into the mine. He was not a fan of deep holes with black walls, and when his CO had first laid out the mission Quinto had nearly crapped his own pants.
    Macalena climbed in and took the seat beside him.
    â€œSo what are we looking for? I cannot for the life of me guess what we’re doing in here.”
    Quinto smiled. It must seem an odd destination to the rest of the men, but they were used to being kept in the dark about missions. The fewer people who knew, the less likely the starfish were to get the information. Or so the logic went.
    â€œThe feds have been sealing huge caches of weapons in old mines for the past two centuries, waiting for the day when Argentina or India or whoever took out our more visible weapons depots. They coat them in Cosmoline and pretty much forget about them.”
    Macalena frowned, sticking out his big lower lip. “You mean, old hand grenades and machine guns and shit?”
    â€œMore or less. Flamethrowers with a pathetically limited effectiveness range, eighty-one-millimeter mortars, LAW rockets, fifty-cal MGs.” Most were outdated weapons, but simple, easy to operate.
    Macalena shook his head. “So we’re that desperate.”
    In the seat in front of them a private who was at least seventy was clinging to the bar in front of her seat. She was tall—at least six feet. The slight jostling of the carrier was clearly causing her old body discomfort. It was true what they said: There were no civilians anymore, only soldiers and children.
    â€œYup. We’re that desperate,” Quinto said. “They’ve destroyed or seized so much of our hardware that we have more soldiers than guns.”
    â€œWhat’s Cosmoline?” Macalena asked.
    â€œI didn’t know, either; I had to look it up. It’s a grease they used back in the day to preserve weapons. Once you chip away the hardened Cosmoline, the weapons are supposed to be like new.”
    Macalena grunted, spit off the side. “Dusty as hell in here. And cold.”
    â€œLet’s be glad we’re not staying.”
    Macalena’s comm erupted, a panicked voice calling his name.
    â€œWhat have we got?” Macalena asked.
    â€œVance is dead. Lightning shot, from the trees to the left of the mine.”
    â€œ
All stop!
” Macalena shouted. The carrier slowed as Quinto dropped his head, covered his mouth as the implications sunk in.
    Lucky no more.
    â€œWhere are you now?” Macalena asked the private.
    â€œInside the mine, about a hundred yards.”
    â€œStay there.”
    Quinto looked up at Macalena, who raised his eyebrows. “What do you want to do?”
    He wanted to get as deep in the mine as he could, and stay there, their backs against the wall, weapons raised until the starfish came to get them. Of course the Luyten would never come down, because they were reading his thoughts right now. Plus it was far easier to blow the mouth of the mine and leave them to suffocate.
    Quinto ordered the small caravan to turn around and head toward the mouth.
    They barely got moving before they heard the flash-boom of a Luyten explosive. The cave shook; bits of dirt and debris spewed at them, then everything settled into silence, the cave now truly pitch-black, save for the carriers’ headlights.
    They climbed out of the carriers. Some of the troops cried, and there was no shame in that. One woman went off to the side of the tunnel and knelt in the rubble to pray. Quinto didn’t know their names, because he hadn’t served with them long. Troops came, and died, and new troops came. Only Lieutenant Lucky went on, mission after mission. Quinto realized