He'd half expected an ambush, but as the lights settled, he could see three German marines at one side, looking confused and staring at them.
"Taylor, get down!" Rains shouted, just as he had been told to.
As the name rang out, the enemy marines began to raise their rifles, but Jones was already firing. The first one was struck down, and the other two jumped for cover.
"Forward!"
Jones pushed his shield out before him and advanced as a gun line, with the others laying down fire. The injured marine was clipped again in the same arm, and his comrade dragged him back.
"Colonel Taylor!" Parker called out.
Jones looked around to see Eli was doing everything she could to make his name travel the length of the corridor. He looked up and saw a domed camera module in one corner of the corridor. He strode up to it and stood square on in plain view for whoever was watching to see his rank and name tag before raising his rifle and blowing it to bits.
"Think that worked?"
"We can hope, Parker," he replied, looking at his Mappad. Then he noticed a sign on the wall. They were on deck 1H7.
"What the hell does that mean?"
He had the blueprint, but without any indicator as to how the actual floor names related to anything they were looking at.
"Silva, come in," he said through his communicator.
No response came.
"They must be jamming all frequencies. We probably haven't got more than ten metres range on comms."
"Then we're alone," replied Parker.
"Plan stays the same, and we cause as much trouble along the way as we can."
He looked at the Mappad once again, took his best guess at where they might be, and carried on the direction of the marines they had been fighting. They reached the body of the fallen marine, and all Jones could think was why? He looked like them and had probably fought beside them in the last war.
"Why are they fighting us?" he said when he meant to just think it.
Parker grabbed his arm and stopped him for a moment.
"You okay?"
He couldn't see her face through the clouded visor, but he could hear the concern in her voice. It all seemed so senseless to him, more so than the wars they had fought through previously, but he knew he had to keep it together.
"Silva will find our target. You can be sure of that," she claimed to reassure him.
It was true. The Sergeant Major wouldn't quit until he was dead. Jones continued on without another word as they made their way deeper into the ship. Barely a minute later, they reached a crew quarters that had just two occupants, desperately trying to pull on their armour. Parker leaned in and shot both of them through the legs.
Jafar passed by and stopped for a moment. He seemed surprised at the sight. For a moment, Jones thought from his body language that he was shocked at the brutality against their own race, but instead he raised his rifle to finish the job.
"No!" screamed Jones.
It was too late. Gunfire tore through the two injured crewmembers. Jafar turned to him and raised the visor off his helmet with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Never leave an enemy combatant still combat effective to any degree," he stated.
Jones knew he was right, but it still didn't feel right. He turned and carried on at the head of the column. They took a bend, and Jones was met with a burst of gunfire ricocheting off his shield. Parker yanked him back into cover.
"Lay down your weapons!" a voice cried.
Jones looked back at Parker.
"Reason with them. Tell them who you are."
Jones had no idea if it would work or for which reason she was suggesting it, but it was worth a shot.
"This is Colonel Taylor of the Inter-Allied Regiment, European Alliance! Right now, the UEN is preparing to fire the Earth defence grid against targets on the ground, military and civilian, that will change the face of this world forever! You must know that is wrong. Join us, or lay down your weapons, and let us pass!"
Silence ensued, and he looked back at Parker for an opinion. "How was that?" Jones was no negotiator, and he felt more than a little uneasy trying to be one while simultaneously acting as Taylor.
"Little straight, but yes, I think it did the job."
He looked to Jafar who only shook his head.
"Folly," the alien simply replied.
They could both see Jafar didn't comprehend what they were trying to accomplish. They could hear a few mumblings from down the corridor, and Taylor's name being bandied around. Jones was hopeful until a voice shouted back, "Colonel Taylor, you are ordered to lay down your weapons and come out with your hands up!"
Jones shook his head. He knew it was too much to ask for. Without another word, he drew a flashbang from his armour, primed it, and launched it down the corridor. Before it had even ignited, he leapt out into the corridor, using his shield to protect him from both the grenade and any gunfire. He sprinted down the corridor at them with Jafar close behind.
As the grenade ignited, he could see the marines were Reitech equipped, with near enough everything he currently carried except for the shield, and it made all the difference. He held it before him, using the helmet targeter to kill one after the other as they scrambled for cover. Shots rushed past him from either side, as others of the platoon flanked the two of them and kept up the pace.
They had covered half the distance when they saw the last three marines throw down their weapons.
"Cease fire!" Jones screamed.
Even Jafar did exactly as ordered. Jones realised that he was utterly loyal. He just didn't understand the concept of letting enemies live.
“What do we do with them?” Parker asked.
“They’ll only come back to bite us in the ass,” replied Herrera.
Jones paced up to the three marines. They looked terrified, as if they’d never fought a real battle in their lives. He couldn’t bring himself to kill them but knew restraining them could lead to them quickly being freed. Imprisonment made him feel sick to the stomach, and he had no idea where they could do it anyway. He pulled off the helmet of the nearest one and then drew out his pistol, reversing it so the grip was forward.
“Either you take the pain, or you let him end you now,” he said and pointed to Jafar. The marine looked at the towering alien and then turned back to Jones and nodded in agreement. Jones smacked him across the head with his pistol, knocking him unconscious immediately. Parker and Herrera did the same for the other two. They knew it risked serious injury, but it was better than execution.
Jones carried on until he suddenly stopped at a radiation warning sign. He looked down at his Mappad and smiled when he could see where they were.
"We're not far now."
As he said it, they heard all the systems in the ship power up.
Shit, thought Jones.
"Let's move!"
He rushed onwards, knowing their presence and location would be common knowledge, and the camera recordings from when they first boarded would soon be relayed to the bridge.
Once they think Taylor is aboard, all hell is going to break loose.
As they took a bend up ahead, they were met with gunfire from half a dozen marines dug in where they were heading. Jones didn't even flinch when the first shots hit his shield, and he kept up the pace towards them.