III

"... attention all units... disengage, fall back to base, and prepare for immediate dust off."

Slowly, Lander raised his head out of the trench. Barren, scorched dirt stretched for miles.

"No ones coming,"he growled,"what's HQ's game at calling us back to camp?"

"Maybe, we won!" Rodgers shouted

"Unlikely, Rodgers. Why would the Euro's give up right when they've got our back's to the wall," murmured Wilks.

"Quit your moaning, pack up and get your weapons," ordered Landers "We leaving." As he turned his gaze away from the burnt no mans land, Lander saw something from the corner of his eye. Quickly snapping his head back, he scrutinized the horizon. Even at a couple miles, the large metallic monstrosity was clearly visible. Several stories high, it vaguely resembled human shape;however, the similarities ended there, instead of hands it had guns, a bundle of cameras and sensors for a head. From it a roaring blend of metal screeching and hydraulics drifted across the no mans land.

"Faster!," Screamed Lander.

"What's out there sir?" questioned Wilks.

"Hybrid, where's a the lancer?"

"In the box over there, sir..."

Running over to the box, Landers quickly removed the lid and extracted what appeared to be a large steel pipe with a stock and sight attached to its middle. Flipping the sight open. Landars aimed the lancer at the hybrid, and peered through the sight. After a moments pause he pulled the trigger and a small flash of light erupted from the end of the tube, the hybrid was enveloped in a tremendous explosion which could be felt even in the trnech. A sound like a car wreck mixed with a scream emanated from the cloud created by the explosion, and soon the hybrid followed. It had given up its slugish plodding for a limping run, as it charged the hell's scratch.

"The shot was no good! Run, I'll hit it again farther up the trench," he ordered the others.