Machines of the Gods

by William B Lyons

  Neil frowned, ignoring the question, and switched frequencies on the talk box. “Falcon Two, we need that chopper—now!”

  “We’ll be there in less than one minute!” crackled another voice on the talk box. “What’s the situation?”

  “We’re pinned down about two thousand yards from the warehouse. We’ve encountered heavy sniper fire. I’ve counted two different shooters in each tower and at least three from inside the complex itself. Finally, they’ve got some kind of energy weapon that literally vaporized three armored vehicles at a distance of about a mile. In fact, all of their weapons have unbelievable range capacity. You’ll need to arm the seeker missiles on that chopper. We’re going to have to hit them from long range. Also, alert the air force base. We may even be in need of some high-end military hardware out here!”

  “Okay, I copy.”

  Neil switched back to the original frequency. “Okay, men, stay down and await my orders!” He then slammed a magazine of armor-piercing rounds into his AK-47 and tightened the buckles of his bullet-proof vest. “Ricky, get those percussion grenades ready too. When we storm the building, it’s no telling what we’ll be facing.”

  “What about the sniper fire?” Ricky yelled. “Even our vests are useless against the stuff they’re throwing at us.”

  “Just stay down until the chopper deals with the overlapping gunfire!” Neil yelled. “We’ll be your backup!”

  Suddenly, several explosions ripped up the lot in front of them. The screams of more men and still more explosions echoed through the night. Just ahead, fire and smoke swept across the terrain. Then, a series of additional explosions blasted dozens of craters into the dirt lawn. Rocks and gravel rained down from the sky.

  Neil grabbed his walkie-talkie again. “Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!”

  “The lot ahead is a mine field. Those bastards have the entire area wired. We tried to send in a S.W.A.T unit, and you’ve seen the result!” crackled a voice on the other end of the transmission. “Nobody is getting across that lawn without tripping something!”

  “Ricky, I don’t want any more surprises. Just stick with the original plan and stay on the road. Remember, nobody gets off of the road!” Neil then lowered the walkie-talkie and lifted the binoculars to his eyes, noticing something else in the distance. “Oh hell, we’ve got movement! I repeat, we have movement out of the factory!”

  A truck slowly exited the warehouse and headed down a side street that led toward the highway. Its lights were off, and the vehicle was picking up speed.

  Neil lifted the walkie-talkie back his mouth. “I think they are making a break for it. I see one large truck exiting the warehouse and heading for the loop. Cut the truck off. Use as many squad cars as necessary. Arm the men with everything you’ve got, but don’t let any one of them get away!”

  “Okay, two units are on the way to head them off on the bridge!” crackled the voice on the walkie-talkie. “Don’t worry, they won’t get away!”

  “Good job!” Neil replied, looking up.

  Above, the thundering sound of a helicopter could be heard. It circled around the perimeter of the complex and hovered about two hundred feet in the air.

  Neil continued looking up as he gripped the walkie-talkie tightly again. “Be careful, they have armor-piercing rounds and a death ray. Just get a couple thousand feet higher and then let them have it.”

  “Falcon One, I copy!” the voice crackled over the talk box.

  Neil watched as the helicopter climbed and then moved off to the right. He then placed the talk box back to his mouth. “Okay, light them up!”

  The helicopter pilot pressed the red button on the copter’s joystick, and he watched two small missiles zoom from the bottom of the craft as they created a high-pitched howl that pierced though the air. Seconds later, the missiles slammed into the towers and exploded. The twin fireballs lit up the night sky.

  “Now, hit the building itself!” Neil yelled into the walkie-talkie. “Falcon Two, pepper the whole place!”

  The helicopter moved in closer and sprayed the structure with the rotary guns mounted to its underbelly. Windows blew out as hundreds of rounds of ammunition chewed into stone, glass, and brick. Something ignited within the warehouse and flames licked out of several smoldering holes in the roof. Sparks flew in all directions as transformers exploded and flickered the lights all over this side of the city.

  “Okay, men, take the building!” Neil yelled, looking ahead at the action. “Shoot anything that moves!”

  Twenty men dashed forward on foot. Running in single file along the road, they aimed their automatic weapons at the structure ahead. Each one was ready to engage the enemy at point-blank range. From above, the helicopter circled the area and bathed the smoldering building with a bright light. Nothing seemed to have been moving. It appeared that no one could have survived this onslaught. Yet, someone had.

  From the basement ramp, Diamond Jack climbed into the convertible and glanced over at Eddie. With his alien gun held high, he leaned back in the seat and said, “Okay, let’s blow this place—literally!”

  Eddie floored the sports car. Its wheels spun around, burning rubber, as the vehicle shot forward toward the surface. Within seconds, the automobile had crashed through the glass doors and was headed across the parking lot.

  “Falcon One,” the copter pilot yelled into his mic, “we have a black convertible heading toward the freeway. I’m moving to intercept!”

  Neil looked up as the chopper moved over the flaming structure and disappeared into the haze. He then lifted his mic. “Don’t let that car get away. Kill everyone in that vehicle if you have to, but don’t let it get away!”

  From inside the black convertible, Diamond Jack looked back at the warehouse and pressed a button on the transmitter he held in his hand. Instantly, the C-4 that lined the doors of the structure exploded. A huge fireball ballooned into the night sky as the force of the blast lifted the advancing men ten feet into the air. Then, the entire left side of the building just vanished into a roaring inferno.

  Neil ducked down and shielded his eyes from the instant glare. He again barked into his walkie-talkie. “What in the hell just happened? Is everyone up there okay?”

  There was nothing but silence. All of the men were on the ground and none of them seemed to have been moving.

  Neil switched frequencies again. “Falcon Two, have you neutralized the convertible?”

  The copter’s pilot looked down at the speeding car. “I’m almost on top of him. The rotary guns are locking in on the target now.”

  Diamond Jack looked up at the approaching helicopter and frowned. He adjusted a switch on top of the alien gun. The thing was now at setting two. “Eddie, stop in the tunnel up ahead. Do it quickly!”

  “But Jack, we’ll be boxed in!” Eddie yelled, frantically looking ahead. We’ll be trapped.”

  “Just do it!” Jack screamed. He then withdrew a small pistol from his pocket, and pointed it at Eddie’s head. “If you ever question me again, I’ll cut you down! Now move!”

  In fear, Eddie swerved off the highway and headed into the tunnel. Once inside, he hit the brakes. “What are we going to do now? They have both ends closed off. Next comes the tear gas.”

  Diamond Jack quickly climbed out and lifted the alien weapon over his shoulder. “Stay here until I get back.”

  Eddie nervously nodded and watched his grizzly looking companion walk back toward the entrance of the tunnel. He realized that Diamond Jack was going to get a lot of people killed this night. The man was also becoming more unstable and unpredictable. Death and destruction were this guy’s trademark. Now, with these new weapons, it was no telling how far this maniac would go.

  Above, the pilot circled his chopper around the area. He then spoke into the mic again. “The target is in the Arlington Tunnel. I’ve lost visual contact. However, I
know that he’s somewhere inside because he has not come out the other end. I’ll get down closer and shine the lights into that place. Maybe we’ll see what in the hell is going on.”

  Neil’s eyes widened. “No! Pull up fast. He could be fixing to use that death ray again. Get up high. Another chopper will be there to cut him off on the other side. Just sit tight for about a minute.”

  “Roger, over and out!” the pilot’s voice crackled.

  Neil switched to the second frequency and barked into the walkie-talkie again. “Units one through five, converge on the north end of the Arlington Tunnel and seal the fool in. I want at least six squad cars on the ground and another chopper in the air. We’re going to be using the heavy artillery. Also, bring in a couple of missile launchers and about a dozen gas grenades!”

  “Yes, sir,” the man’s voice crackled. “Everything is on the way and will be ready for use in about ten minutes.”

  ***

  From within the tunnel, sweat poured down Diamond Jack’s face as he walked toward the entrance ramp. He gripped the alien weapon tightly. Although it was somewhat heavy, its steel frame held almost infinite power—and only he knew what this thing could really do. “Come on, punks, let’s do this!”

  He heard the sirens of over a dozen police vehicles . The squad cars were rapidly racing toward the north end of the Arlington Tunnel, sealing it off. Next, two military copters thundered into positions above the tunnel. Then, dozens of police officers exited their vehicles and aimed everything they had into the darken concrete tube. Everyone was set for war.

  Diamond Jack gripped the alien weapon tightly again, holding its bottom handle like an old- styled gangster would a machine gun. He flicked on a switch above the devices’ trigger and waited for the thing to power up. He quickly looked ahead toward the opening of this cement cave. The flashing lights of the police cars danced about like sparklers in the night. While now grinning, he said, “Let’s play!”

  The device’s regulator light came on, alerting him that the power was at maximum. The time had come to really put on a show, he decided. He then pulled the trigger, the gun jerked, and a two-inch-long cylinder shot from the weapon’s central barrel. It zipped out of the tunnel and exploded about ninety feet above the ground. A deafening blast blew out windows and shattered streetlights for miles as thousands of microscopic chards of steel shredded the area.

  Instantly, all electrical power shut off. The two helicopters fell from the sky like rocks and crashed onto the roofs of nearby buildings. The dozen squad cars were shredded as well.

  All life was affected too. The thirty plus police officers fell to the ground. Even the birds and other wild life in the area were ripped apart. Suddenly, everything was still again.

  Diamond Jack ran back to the car and climbed in. “Okay, Eddie, let’s go!”

  The car slowly pulled out of the tunnel and into a dead zone. Dozens of officers littered the ground by their squad cars. The burning hulks of the downed helicopters polluted the skies above the rooftops with bellowing black smoke. And finally, there was that eerie silence. Nothing was moving but their car.

  Eddie slowly cruised down the blackened street, nervously looking around at the carnage. The surrounding area was like the scene from a horror movie. “Are they all dead?” he quietly asked his grizzly looking passenger. “Oh my God, you killed them all…”

  Diamond Jack continued looking straight ahead for a few seconds before speaking. “I hope there is a point? They declared war on me, now I’m declaring war on them. And if you think this is something, you’ve not seen anything yet.”

  “Oh my God, you did kill them all.” Eddie then sighed and swallowed. “This has gone too far.”

  “No, not far enough!” Jack leaned back and looked at the sky. “I haven’t even started yet. Multitudes will face my wrath. Oh yes, my revenge will be complete!”

  Eddie nervously guided the car down the empty freeway. He knew that Jack’s mind was starting to slip. He’d seen this happen with other men. However, none of the others had possessed the destructive potential of this maniac. Soon, he’d have to escape this psychopath’s grip before it was too late.

  ***

  Two miles back, Neil’s car pulled up to the scene of the carnage. He gasped at the sight before him. It seemed that living death had descended upon the area. His men were scattered about like toy army soldiers. The windows of the surrounding buildings had been blown out, and all life seemed to have been destroyed too. Even the stray dogs, birds, and other small animals were all laid out in sickening heaps.

  He then slowly lifted his walkie-talkie. “Central Command, we are going to have to get some serious hardware out here. We are at war.”

  Above, news helicopters slowly moved over the area. They had been beyond the blast area and had probably recorded it all, Neil figured. No matter, it would have been nearly impossible to keep this out of the media’s scope anyway. Perhaps, this maniac’s rampage would alert the general public as to how dangerous this man really was. At least, this current story would take some of the negative coverage off of him. At least, he hoped it would.

  ***

  Ten miles ahead, Jack’s black convertible slowly pulled to a stop on the bridge that crossed over Loop 360. Tonight, this highway was nearly empty because of all of the recent unrest in both Dallas and Fort Worth. Nice and quiet. On the other side of the bridge, across a dimly lit parking lot, was a twenty-story stone and glass structure.

  Diamond Jack gripped the alien gun tightly again. While leaning back in his seat, he looked ahead and smiled. “There it is, my friend. The Omni Center is the secret business complex of the USG. I remember when they built this thing about three years ago. Now, I’m going to reduce it to rubble along with all of the important records and files they’ve been saving for decades.”

  “What do you mean?” Eddie nervously asked, gripping the wheel. “There could still be people in there. I can see lights on the upper floors.”

  Diamond Jack opened the passenger door and climbed out, taking the car keys with him. “That’s what I’m counting on. The higher the body count, the better my cause. They must all pay. Yes, they will all die screaming!”

  “Oh my God…” Eddie whispered to himself. “Please don’t do this!”

  “Stop whining like a punk!” Diamond Jack yelled and then walked half way across the bridge before stopping again. He lifted the alien gun and again held it tightly. He placed the weapon on setting three and flicked on the power switch. “I’m ready to kill somebody!”

  The gun’s rotating barrels started spinning very fast, like the blades on a fan. The machine’s low hum elevated to a high-pitched whine in a matter of a few seconds. The power regulator quickly reached its maximum level as the weapon’s energy coils glowed red with power.

  “Take this!” Diamond Jack smiled, his steel teeth shined under the moonlight. He then pulled the trigger. Hundreds of pulsing bolts of energy shot from the six rotating barrels. They peppered the lower floors. The energy blasts cut through brick, stone, glass, and steel. A steady roar of explosions turned the bottom floors into a raging inferno as projectiles and shards of concrete shot into the air from the impact of pure energy.

  For several seconds, he held on to the vibrating weapon as it did massive damage to the building ahead—erasing everything on the two lower floors . The rotating barrels were now spinning so fast that they appeared to be just a blur, and the bolts of pure energy streaming from them resembled an unbroken line of giant sparks. The resulting wall of roaring fire lit up the night sky as bright as day. The sounds of shattering glass and cracking stone were now loud enough to drown out the distant freeway noises.

  He kept sweeping this ultra gun to the right and left in order to inflict maximum damage. Suddenly, the entire structure leaned slightly to the side and collapsed under its own weight. In a matter of seconds, everything was gone from the r
oof to the basement. Twenty stories of brick and steel were now just twisted metal and tons of broken rock as a wall of dust at least ten stories high filled the air as more explosions engulfed the downed building. The last huge explosion lit up the night sky as another gigantic fireball ballooned into the heavens. The deafening roar continued for about a minute and was finally replaced by a ghostly calm. Only the crackling of fire pierced the dark void.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!” Diamond Jack screamed, while lifting the super gun over his head. “Who’s your daddy now? Who in the hell is your daddy now!” He then moved forward, running toward the burning rubble and disappearing into the dust cloud. “I’m just getting started!” he yelled, coughing on the smoldering dust. “Oh yes, I’m coming to get all of you!”

  Eddie cringed. He now knew that Diamond Jack had lost his mind. The man had gone over the edge, and it would only be a matter of time before this man would turn on him as well. It was time to get out of this madness before it was too late. Quickly, he climbed out of the car and ran across the other end of the bridge. Straight ahead, he could hide somewhere among the many building that lined the freeway. Hopefully, he would be safe there.

  Just ahead, Diamond Jack slowly moved through the haze, searching for any sign of life that he could quickly end. However, there was nothing but tons of broken concrete, twisted metal, shattered glass, and smoldering sheet rock. Also, the searing heat was almost unbearable. Wow, it appeared that the structure had been empty, he thought. Maybe, just maybe, some people had been down in the underground parking garage and had been crushed. If not, he’d successfully destroyed the National Headquarters of the USG. It would take years, perhaps even decades, to undo the damage done. Yes, this was a good night, he decided. However, in the distance, he could clearly hear the sirens of emergency vehicles and police cars headed his way. In response, he turned and dashed back toward the convertible. Enough damage had been done here. There were other places to go, things to destroy, and people to kill. Oh yes, he was truly just getting started.