Beware the Impact

Scorching laser fire swept over Mar and Tom's backs, mixing the stench of burning leaves and flesh into something unbearably choking.

"Kid, don't look up. Roll over slowly and point your gun at those things."

After warning Tom, Mar braced a hand against the ground and forced himself onto his stomach.

His body ached in waves. He had fallen too hard earlier, and the ground had been uneven, littered with branches and stones.

Mar aimed his lasgun at the twitching corpses of his comrades and pulled the trigger, blasting apart their heads and chests.

He did not know whether it would help, but it was all he could do.

A few minutes later, charred corpses lay scattered everywhere. The trees were burning, and thick black smoke rolled upward.

The footsteps of a Sentinel came again. "You may proceed, but leave your guns where they are."

"What is this—"

"Leave your guns where they are! Or die!"

Mar and Tom promptly threw down their lasguns, clasped their hands over their heads, and ran toward the cover.

A sturdy medic seized them. A flashlight had been crudely tied to his helmet, and he held a blade in one hand.

He restrained Mar and Tom, pried open their eyelids, and examined their eyes under the light.

"What happened?" Mar naturally asked after the inspection.

"There are bugs that can control people. They can control the living and the dead. You two are fine now. Take this lasgun and fight your way out with us."

"What about the mission? We still have to support the town. Their armored forces won't hold out much longer."

"Heh heh! Your tank junk's already finished, little runts!"

A crude mocking laugh drifted through the smoke and flames. Anyone with even a little combat experience could recognize it as