by J G Cressey
Cal aimed the wand directly between the lethal pair at a barrier inset within the far side wall then pressed a button. The heavy barrier immediately shot up to reveal a thick layer of smart-glass behind which was a brightly lit chamber and the crux of his plan. Once again, the two synthetics paused in their approach, one of them turning to observe the chamber. Within it, the Carcarrion drones reacted like a couple of bloodthirsty hounds as they fought against their bonds.
Much to Cal’s dismay, the synthetic with the tattooed face kept her deathly stare locked on him while her partner calmly moved toward the two raging aliens. With the combined effect of the Xcel and his own adrenalin keeping him on his feet, Cal shuffled stiffly to his right and slowly and deliberately placed the pulse rifle down on a work surface. The tattooed synthetic watched his every move with cat-like precision, her focus concentrated on the control wand as he manipulated a couple more buttons and gave it a quick flick. Instantly, the far chamber’s smart-glass divided and began to separate at a pace so lethargic it seemed to be giving Cal a chance to reconsider his reckless actions. Considerably less lethargic, the smart-straps binding the two Carcarrions snaked free, allowing the pair to burst forward in a furious symmetry to slam into the separating barrier. Satisfied, Cal locked eyes with the tattooed synthetic, placed the wand down, and moved back toward his console, both hands raised in a manner of truce.
She took the bait.
Finally removing her lifeless eyes from him, she turned and moved to join her twin in dealing with this new, far more dangerous threat. The Carcarrion drones were free now and moving slowly into the lab, sizing up their fearless opponents with a strange mix of caution and aggression. Cal didn’t wait to observe the outcome. Instead, he turned his attentions to the console below him. He’d never been overly blessed with tech skills, and he’d need every available second to activate the dropships. Trying his best to ignore the sudden eruption of noise on the other side of the lab, he got to work.
Chapter Forty-Five
TIME TO FIGHT
The Insidion cube ship pounded into the ground with such force that it sent a huge wave of rock fragments and black dust billowing out from its edges. Just like countless others who’d been running alongside him, Jumper hit the ground only meters from one of those edges. Remaining face down, he used his arms to shield his head as fragments of rock pummelled his body. He could feel the reassuring shape of his bliss rifle pressed against his back. He couldn’t remember having slung the weapon there before making his run, but after so many years of carrying it, the action had become automatic.
There were a few seconds when all that could be heard was howling wind. Then came the pop of a single, distant pulse rifle. Then a shout, or more accurately a scream. Then more gunfire, nearer this time, a repeat blaster. Then a third weapon. More shouting. More screaming.
Not wholly convinced that he wouldn’t be blinded by rock dust, Jumper rolled over and cautiously opened his eyes, eager to check that a clawed fist wasn’t about to make a grab for his spine. There was no immediate danger that he could see, but the air was still thick with grit. He dragged himself to his feet just as many others were doing around him. The sounds filling his ears were building in ferocity as those nearest him were also beginning to react. Peering upwards through the dust, he took in the strange, metallic wall of the cube ship stretching vertically before him. It towered further than his eyes could see, its surface seeming to swirl as if alive. With a sudden spasm of fear, it dawned on him that the giant cube had come down where the Star Splinter had been. He shook his head; no, Viktor must have taken off to avoid it.
He was about to call out to Toker and Eddy when a particularly strong gust of wind stole his words. Within seconds, the gust had whipped away the worst of the lingering rock dust to reveal a sight that was nothing short of terrifying. Well-accustomed to such sights, Jumper reacted quickly, dropping into a crouch that ensured his head remained firmly attached to his body. The huge, red claw swept over him with frightening speed. Instinctively, he dove to his left, his enhanced muscles carrying him three times the distance he’d normally achieve. In one fluid, practiced movement, he rolled up onto one knee, snatched his bliss rifle from his back, and fired a series of quick, hopeful rounds at his attacker. Then he grimaced as the bliss darts pinged harmlessly off the huge, armor-like carapace. The crab, or whatever the hell it was, stood twice the height of a man, its sprawling, spidery legs spanning a good twenty feet in width.
Jumper found all his senses suddenly overwhelmed as the people around him burst into adrenalin-fuelled action. Bright, fiery pulse rounds streaked through the air at erratic angles, many of which flew high, hitting the glimmering wall of the cube ship, which seemed to absorb them without damage. Massive red claws snapped and swished. Long, spiked legs rose and fell, thudding into the rocky terrain like thick, falling spears. Carcarrion drones began dropping down from their huge mounts, joining the fray with vicious enthusiasm.
Spinning his bliss rifle, Jumper allowed the weapon to slide through his hands until he was gripping its barrel. A Carcarrion was leaping his way, fangs bared and clawed hands stretched open. Jumper swung the weapon with all the force that his enhanced body could manage. His aim couldn’t have been better, and the crunch of the rifle’s butt connecting with the alien’s head was sickeningly loud. There was no time to watch it crumple to the ground before another had taken its place. Falling back into the rocks, Jumper span the rifle again. The weapon’s barrel was practically pressed against the attacking Carcarrion’s muscled chest when the bliss dart fired.
Springing to his feet, Jumper swept his head around in a search for Eddy and Toker but was unable to see either of them. Everywhere he looked was utter mayhem with every single human now taking a stand. Despite less than half of them having a weapon, the broken prisoners had once again become highly trained soldiers. More than that, the Xcel had turned them into a blur of flesh and ragged clothing as they clashed with the alien drones. Where the humans showed incredible speed, the slower Carcarrions demonstrated raw power, swinging their clawed fists in thundering blows. The majority of the fights, however, were reaching sudden conclusions by pulse blasts or the razor sharp claws of the giant crabs. Jumper could see that the battle wouldn’t last long and if it weren’t for the pulse weapons would likely already be over. Even enhanced as they were, the soldiers were no match for the brute force and overwhelming numbers of the aliens.
Sweat poured from Jumper as he fired shot after shot, all the while attempting a careful retreat with those around him. Occasionally, the lumbering crabs would demonstrate their speed by lunging forward to snip off a limb or even a head. Jumper tried to shut his mind off to the brutality and concentrated on his aim. The longeye bliss rifle had always been his weapon of choice, but it was a sniper’s weapon, certainly not designed for close quarter combat against an enemy that surged in such great numbers.
Seeing an opportunity, Jumper slung the rifle over his back and darted between a couple of stomping, armored legs. The crab’s huge body loomed over him like a roof as he skidded across the scree to grab an idle pulse weapon. He had no idea of the name of the gun but, like all others, it had a trigger, and that was all he needed to know. There was also a single, black cylinder clamped to its side. This, he did recognize. Pulling the point grenade free, he looked up. The underside of the giant crab was full of openings where its multiple legs met its body. Without a second thought, he picked his target, activated the point grenade, and jumped up to shove the little explosive deep into one of the crevices. It stuck fast.
“Fire in the hole,” he bellowed as he barrelled his way out from under the beast. As he ran, a Carcarrion drone lunged at him. Swiftly bringing up his new weapon, Jumper emptied two rounds into the attacker. The drone’s body was blown backwards only to meet an opposing explosive force as the point grenade detonated. To Jumper’s dismay and utter amazement, the point grenade failed to blow the monstrous crab apart. A crack had appeared down the center of
its huge shell, and two of its long, multi-jointed legs were now twitching on the ground, but still, the creature stood tall.
Seemingly angered by the attack, the partially mangled beast twisted slightly to fix its multitude of shiny, round eyes on Jumper. Then, its remaining legs pounded the rocks as it moved towards him like some sort of mechanical killing machine. Swiftly backing up, Jumper directed his weapon and held down the trigger. Blast after blast blackened the beast’s hard frame, but it did disturbingly little damage. Even the creature’s eyes seemed impenetrable. Continuing to back up, Jumper risked a few glances around, and a strange realization sank in; all the Carcarrion drones were avoiding him. It was as if the giant crab had labelled him as its opponent, and its fellows were respectfully acknowledging the claim.
In that moment, it occurred to Jumper that this was perhaps nothing more than a game to these invaders, a sort of sick entertainment. He’d already wondered why such a technologically advanced race were not making more use of weaponry. Maybe they relished the physical combat. The fact that they had created a technology to disable weaponry went a long way in supporting such a theory. These hijacked bodies were the only weapons they needed. And, if Kaia was correct in her theories, the invaders themselves would have no risk of injury or death. The bodies were simply avatars, much the same as Kaia’s Infiltrator. Jumper grimaced at the realization. He wouldn’t be surprised to find slug-like Insidions beneath each and every one of the massive crab carapaces. Probably an avatar of choice—the bastards were near indestructible.
With a long-practiced calm, Jumper began targeting different areas of the huge, armored body as it closed in on him, systematically searching for weakness. Before he found any, however, the gun ceased firing putting an instant dent in his calm. Glancing down, he saw a red, blinking light on its side. Throwing the useless weapon to the ground, he again snatched his bliss rifle from his back and considered the option of turning and running as fast as his Xcel-enhanced legs could manage. As appealing as the thought was, he couldn’t bring himself to turn his back on the brute. Besides, someone had to take it down.
Then, someone was by his side.
Toker was holding a big, ten-click pulse rifle in his hands, the powerful blasts of which caused the massive crab not only to pause in its attack but even retreat a little. “Need some help?” he shouted, the pulse blasts illuminating his wide, determined eyes.
The sight of his young friend sent a wave of relief through Jumper. That’s one accounted for. “Much obliged,” he shouted back. “Eddy about?”
“Yeah, but I lost her a couple of—”
Jumper’s ears were suddenly assaulted by a familiar noise that completely drowned out the rest of Toker’s words. The sound of the Gibson gun had the effect of demoting all the other weapons to mere toys. Looking back at the attacking crab, he saw that Eddy had somehow popped up behind the creature and leapt onto its carapace. With the Gibson gun firmly grasped in her small fists, she was directing its multiple, blazing muzzles at the crack down the center of the creature’s broad back. The strength and skill the girl was demonstrating astonished Jumper, and he had to wonder whether the Xcel was having a more potent effect within her petite body. The crab reacted to the assault with a panicked, backward scuttle, which, to Jumper’s horror, carried Eddy further into the enemy ranks.
“She’s going to get cut off,” Toker shouted between pulse blasts.
Jumper cursed. More and more Carcarrion drones were surging from the cube ship, many of them converging toward the girl atop mangled beast.
The crab shuddered to a halt. Somehow retaining her balance upon the tipping carapace, Eddy leaned all her weight against the Gibson gun as it thundered out its rounds. Then, with a loud crack, the thick shell began to separate. With its remaining legs jerking, the beast came apart like an old oak tree, splitting in two to reveal a wet, rotten interior. Her feet on either side of the crack, Eddy teetered for a moment, then she fell. Plummeting headfirst through the crab’s mucus-like insides, she disappeared from view behind the swelling number of drones.
With a torrent of pulse blasts tearing through the air around them, Jumper and Toker desperately fought their way forward, all the while hoping to catch sight of Eddy. As they neared, it dawned on Jumper that the drones were now fighting among themselves, and it wasn’t until he’d fired off another few bliss darts that he remembered that they weren’t alone in this fight. Large numbers of Carcarrions with gray ash smeared over their muscled bodies had joined the fray with impressive ferocity. A great, roaring cheer erupted as the other soldiers joined Jumper in recognizing their allies.
Jumper turned to Toker, but his young friend had recklessly surged ahead, weapon blazing, seemingly fearless. Jumper swore and quickly picked off a few drones that were closing in on the bold young man.
Trying his best to move forward while laying down cover fire for Toker, Jumper caught sight of Eddy. The girl was covered in mucus and was darting around her fallen foe’s entrails. The Gibson gun was laying idly on the ground while numerous Carcarrion drones circled menacingly. Dark yellow slime flew through the air in stringy arcs as Eddy fiercely swung her big survival knife in an effort to keep her attackers at bay and reclaim her weapon. Stopping dead in his tracks, Jumper concentrated his aim on the drones nearest her.
A cry of warning that Jumper was certain had come from Toker rang out above the din. Lowering his rifle, he immediately saw the reason for it: Distracted by her attackers, who were now backing away, Eddy had missed the huge, clawed beast that had crawled over the broken remains of its defeated kin to loom above her. Toker was already close, firing his weapon at the beast, but it was too little too late.
Jumper watched in helpless dread as Eddy suddenly became aware of the enormous foe and turned to face it, knife defiantly raised. But without her beloved Gibson gun, she didn’t stand a chance. The giant crab snapped a razor sharp claw down with the speed of a viper and, in the blink of an eye, Eddy’s knife-wielding arm was separated from her body and was dropping to the ground.
Jumper heard Toker scream, a sound filled with anguish and fury. Ignoring any lingering enemies, the young man was bolting toward the collapsing girl. Firing two last darts, Jumper slung his bliss rifle over his back and followed as fast as he could. By the time he’d caught up, Toker was standing over Eddy’s unconscious form, wildly unloading his ten-click blasts into the eyes of the looming crab. He was roaring at the top of his lungs as if the sound might somehow increase the weapon’s power.
Without missing a step, Jumper sprinted past him. Sliding beneath an attacking claw, he dove under the crab’s body, hitting the ground in a roll. When he came up, the Gibson gun was in his hands. “Get her out of here,” he bellowed at Toker as he directed the huge gun at the giant beast’s underside and tugged on the twin triggers. The weapon’s discharge rent the air and filled Jumper’s vision like a blazing sun.
His whole body shuddering, Jumper turned his head to see Toker gather up Eddy’s limp form and bound back towards the relative safety of the human ranks. The Gibson gun was slick with mucus and stank to the high heavens, but he gripped it tight and didn’t ease his fingers off the triggers for a second. Jumper had never been one for big, noisy weapons, but as the gun’s rounds hammered into the relatively soft underside of the giant beast, he had to admit, it was a hell of a way to unleash his anger.
It was dark. A complete and terrifying dark. Laurence could barely move, which, along with not being able to see, caused a sharp panic to stab at him. He forced himself to take slow breaths. They weren’t deep due to a crushing pressure bearing down on his chest, but they went a little way toward diluting the panic. It was a searing heat that sent sweat trickling down his face and neck. Other than the sound of his own breathing and thumping heart, which seemed horribly amplified in the blackness, all he could hear was a distant, rapid popping. Also muffled words. Yes, he could definitely make out voices among the popping. The sounds were a huge comfort as they suggested that he
wasn’t dead, something he’d been questioning since coming to.
Finding that he could wriggle his left hand, he did just that. The hand met nothing but rock, but it was loose rock. He pushed with all the leverage and strength at his disposal. He felt weak, but something was cracking, giving way. Then, a long crevice opened up, and a spear of light struck him, causing his thumping heart to soar. It was a flickering light but bright as it penetrated a tiny, jagged gash in the rocks maybe three or four meters ahead. The gap brought with it louder, clearer sounds too. The muffled voices were now cries and yells, mixing with the rapid blasts of heavy gunfire. It sounded like chaos. But it also sounded like salvation.
It began to dawn on Laurence just how lucky he was to be alive. That bloody great cube had landed right on top of him. The fact he’d fallen into a suitably deep crevice was nothing short of a miracle. Most of the countless others fleeing alongside him certainly wouldn’t have been so lucky. But of course, he was still buried. Those countless others might’ve had the luckier deal yet.
Wriggling his entire body, he managed to displace more rocks. He coughed and spluttered as they crumbled around him, causing little plumes of dust. Doing his best to blink away the grit, he kept his watery eyes on the flashing light that penetrated the gap like a guiding strobe. He could still barely move, but at least he could move, and every inch he shifted was a blessing. Soon, he managed to turn the shifting into a sort of forward shuffle, panic and determination battling it out in his head with every inch moved. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the light-filled gap, panic had well and truly won.
No, please no. The gap was too small, too small by a long shot. Laurence desperately peered through the gap. He saw figures. There were Carcarrions, hundreds of them like fast-moving shadows against the bright flashes of lightning and gun fire. He could see other moving shapes too, but those didn’t make sense: huge, dark red things that must have been a trick of his grit-filled eyes.
