“Wake up!” Nori yells to me.
“The—the ablative shells don’t work well,” I tell them.
“Try again,” Nori orders.
“More than once!” Kujira reminds me. “Don’t blow yourself up or I’ll kick your ass in Shinto hell! No more Tigers die today! We’ll find a way to beat their biofreak asses!”
They’re holding the biomech in place with both their blades. I fire a round from my M87, reload, and fire again. The short distance causes a big part of it to dissolve, but another stretch of its skin scales to cover the rest.
If I can hit it in multiple locations, it might not have enough skin to fully regenerate over the gaps. I fire rapidly, relying on Nori and Kujira to hold it in place. The chemicals start having their effect, and half of the body is exposed. Kujira and Nori don’t wait. They slice it up, cut up its shoulder, its nose, and finally lop off its head. For good measure, I aim at its chest and unload a stream of bullets that finally penetrate. Just as I’m feeling that we’ve possibly defeated another biomech, it starts swinging its arms madly. All three of us are knocked back, crashing into the ground. Kujira’s sword has been flung away, as has Nori’s spear. My M87 is out of reach.
The biomech looms above me and gets ready to crush me with its foot. I don’t close my eyes. I watch, wondering what death is. Right when it’s about to smash my stomach, another biomech emerges from the emergency platform. It’s not very big at first, but begins to scale in size. The biomech that was about to kill me turns its attention to the new presence, warily confronting it. The other biomech seizes the assailant and violently hurls it to the ground.
What in the world is going on? Who is this biomech?
I’m confused until a face shows up on our communication display. “I’ll handle this,” Griselda tells us from her cockpit.
I can see that she has no physical arms or legs, everything fused with the organic material inside the biomech’s chambers. It’s a serpentine set of sinewy, veinlike wires that connect to her entire body. Even her hair has been hidden by a crown of ebony circuits covered with a gelatinous coating.
“Griselda,” I call.
Despite all my harsh words to her earlier, she still saved my life. I think again of Chieko and her willingness to forgive me even though I’d made the decision that led to Wren’s death.
“Stay back,” Griselda warns us.
I watch as her biomech battles the enemy. Since we’ve already damaged the monster, her biomech has a clear advantage. But it’s unlike a mecha samurai, which even at its most ferocious has a mechanical precision to its attacks. Griselda’s biomech is feral, savagely brutalizing its opponent. Every fist causes tremors along her opponent’s skin. She shreds its chest armor, crushing the conglomeration of skin underneath her feet. The match is violence at its most raw, and she’s even using her jaws to bite her opponent. It’s not a machine getting destroyed but the cells of all those sacrificed to create the monstrosity being channeled through the pilot. The biomech tries to defend itself, lashing out and diving claws into her clavicle even without a head. To my surprise, Griselda screams in pain, and I see blood forming in her actual clavicle. Does the pilot of the biomech feel physical damage? The next attack confirms it as I see Griselda wince and grunt loudly. The impact of tissue being crunched is gruesome and visceral.
“How many ablative shells do you have left?” Kujira asks me after he picks up his gun and sword.
I retrieve my M87. “I have nine. You?”
“Three dozen,” he replies. “We need to save them for the two other biomechs. Ready to kill this thing?”
I nod. We both approach the fight.
Kujira swings his sword around, waits for an opening, then lunges toward the biomech. He is able to pierce its back, cutting through its hip. I attack its other hip, causing black liquid to gush out and stain our armor. The biomech lets out a howl that sounds like a wolf’s throat being torn apart and repeated as an echo. Griselda’s biomech punches her opponent until there are only broken bones and mutilated flesh on the ground.
I look at her face. Her nose is flared, she’s covered in sweat, and there’s blood over her body.
Her biomech stands up. It has gills and webbed fingers, unlike the individual digits of the others. It’s slightly smaller at about fifty meters and has more amphibious features. If it wasn’t for her face showing up on my display screen, I wouldn’t believe it’s Griselda.
“We need to stop the other two,” Nori reminds us.
But it’s the last thing I want to hear. “We barely survived these two. We’ll be killed if we go against the others!”
Nori remains expressionless as she says, “I’m aware of that. But if we don’t stop them, they will kill tens of thousands of people. Maybe more. We have to destroy them before they do.”
The conviction with which she speaks makes me both ashamed at my lapse and inspired to fight.
To Griselda, Nori says, “We’ll have to count on your help again.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll see if I can arrange transportation,” Nori says, then bolts away in her mecha.
That leaves Kujira, Griselda, and me.
Kujira, who is eating a turkey dog, stops chewing and says, “Glad you’re on our side.”
“I thought there were five of you,” she says.
I point to the remains of the other two Leviathans.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
I can’t think about them now.
“I rushed here as soon as I was alerted to your launch,” she explains. I know she would have been justified in not having lifted a finger to help us after what I said to her earlier. “These Leviathans are still prototypes, and they don’t have the full equipment you need to take on a biomech.”
“Why aren’t these ablative shells working?” I ask.
“The shells were optimized to work against my biomech,” Griselda answers. “Each biomech is different because the cells that make them up are different. Dr. Günter was working on a modulator to work against as wide a range as possible, but we weren’t able to implement it before the attack. There is a modulation code that might improve their effectiveness. I’ll send it directly to your porticals, so it can implement them.”
I realize that these shells worked better against the second biomech than the first. “Did you—did you know the pilot?” I ask, pointing at the fallen biomech.
“I did. He was a friend. A good pilot, like my cousin.” The pain in her voice reminds me she lost two people close to her as well. She actually had to kill one of them to protect us.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“You shouldn’t be. It’s the Nazis that made us fight like this. They’re the ones in the wrong.”
She didn’t blame me for her friend’s death the way I blamed her. I feel embarrassed for the second time today.
Our eyes turn to the destruction taking place in Berkeley. I can’t see the biomechs, but there’s lots of smoke.
“Do you feel pain when the other biomechs attack you?” I ask her.
“My nerves are fused with the biomech, so I can feel everything it does, even how windy and cold it is outside.”
“Can you turn it off?” Kujira asks.
“No,” she replies. “But I wouldn’t want to. I fight better this way.”
“What happens if the biomech gets heavily damaged?”
“Any damage to the biomech happens to me too.”
“Do the biomechs have any other weaknesses than the ablative shells?” Kujira asks.
“Most of our pilots are placed in an area close to the liver.” I notice her unconscious use of the word “our” even though she’s no longer with them. “If you use a thermal scan, you should be able to spot an area with a lower level of heat than its surroundings. That’s because of the special coating protecting it. U
se the M87 on that point, and if the skin responds and retracts, use your weapon to pierce through and kill the pilot. It’ll shut down the biomech.”
“Cool. Any chance I could try driving your biomech afterward?” Kujira asks.
“If you’re willing to cut off your arms and legs and get a direct nerve connection, yes,” Griselda replies.
“There isn’t like a driving wheel?”
Nori’s mecha, which is being carried by four tilt-rotor aircraft in a slung load, calls to us from the air. There are eight more of the planes designed for heavy-duty loads.
“What about Griselda?” I ask.
“We don’t have any way of hooking her biomech for a lift.”
“Don’t worry,” Griselda says. “I’ll meet you over there.”
She begins running through the bay.
“It’ll take her time to get there,” Nori says.
The tilt-rotor aircraft lower their belly hooks, which automatically clamp onto our shoulders upon contact. When all four make their connections, they do a diagnostic test to ensure they can handle my weight, then lift me up. I relay the new modulator information for the shells to Nori.
“This’ll be helpful. I was able to communicate with a colonel on the base. They’ve just started reestablishing their network. She wasn’t able to call Berkeley Command directly, but she sent them a telegraph. Another two biomechs attacked Yamaguchi Airport, and since a huge part of our force is down in Los Angeles, it’ll take time for them to send the necessary backup without the main airfield.”
“So there are four total left?” I ask.
“At least. There may be more. It’s hard to tell. When we land, our primary duty will be to defend the city against the biomechs until Griselda arrives. We can’t defeat them by ourselves.”
“There’s one way,” I say, referring to Chieko’s sacrifice.
“Neither of you are as good a wrestler as she was,” Nori admonishes us. “If the biomech gets hold of you, there’s a higher chance of your being killed before you can do anything, which would be a waste. All three of us need to survive and let Griselda destroy them.”
“Not to be the optimist here, but even Balaam’s Donkey collapses under one too many straws,” Kujira observes.
“What?”
“What if she fails?”
“I won’t fail,” Griselda, who’s still linked with us, states firmly.
“I’ll devise a contingency plan for that scenario,” Nori replies. “For now, our plan is something right up your alley.”
“What’s that?” Kujira asks.
“I want you to go ahead of us and see if you can lead the biomechs away from the civilian area.”
“How?”
“Annoy them and get their attention.”
“I sense you’re trying to tell me something.”
“Sense?”
Kujira laughs. “Do these things come with speakers?”
“They do,” Nori replies.
“I can also give you their direct channel,” Griselda replies.
* * *
• • •
Up in the air, I take a look at the whole bay, skyscrapers and houses on the north and east side as well as San Francisco proper. It angers me that many of the architectural marvels are being destroyed by the two biomechs in a swath of devastation. I would have presumed their destination would be BEMA, but they’re heading into Oakland, which is puzzling. What would they want there?
About seven years ago, there was a massive earthquake that caused heavy damage and necessitated reconstruction of several of the major freeways. I see the areas where older buildings have been supplanted by new ones and the roads have likewise been updated. I think about Griselda, wonder what the surgical process was like as she had parts of her body excised. If the same had been required for me to become a mecha pilot, would I have done it? A year ago, the answer would have been a definite yes. Now, I’m not so sure.
I look at Griselda, Nori, and Kujira on the communicator. Nori is stoic, Griselda is suppressing pain, while Kujira actually looks eager and impatient. Even though I’ve achieved my dream of being a mecha pilot called on to protect the city, I don’t feel any excitement. Dread has usurped all other emotions. I try not to think about Chieko and Kazu, but I can’t help myself. They deserved so much better. Kazu’s expression the moment he realized he was going to die is still clear in my head. Chieko’s words were melancholy, but determined, and I could feel how the burden she’d been carrying this whole time broke free in her final sacrifice.
“Griselda,” Nori says. “Do you know what their target is?”
“They’ve already achieved their main one since they’ve extracted Dr. Günter. When I was piloting for the Reich, we were always told our secondary goal was to cause as much destruction as possible,” Griselda replies.
“Then why don’t they attack BEMA?”
“Because they want to make sure the USJ can respond,” Griselda explains. “Their ultimate hope is to provoke a war between the Empire and the Reich.”
“Mac, Kujira. Our priority is to protect the civilians,” Nori reminds us. “Since their chemical weapons are ineffective against us, we need to keep our distance and draw them back to the bay. Avoid engaging them in direct combat if possible.”
On the sensors, I see Griselda racing in our direction. Her biomech is fast for its size, but it’ll still be a few minutes before she reaches us. Ahead of us, the two biomechs are engaged in a fistfight with four Guardian-class mechas. I should actually call it a beatdown. Our mechas, whose guns are ineffective, are trying to fight them in close-quarter combat. But the Guardians are no match for the biomechs, which have already battered two of them to death and are crushing the remaining two with their bare hands.
Kujira lands first in a commercial area full of warehouses that’s not far from where the biomechs are.
“Hey, Nazis!” Kujira yells over the Leviathan’s speaker, which I presume is also connecting directly with their cockpits. “Yes, you two big tall ones with rooster heads and toxic-waste skin. You ever hear the story of Balaam’s Donkey?” The biomechs, which were attacking the Guardians, turn toward Kujira. “No one listened to the dude. His owner beat him for speaking the truth. Donkey has more guts than y’all, targeting civilians. You know what the best toilet paper I ever used was? These smooth ones that had the pictures of famous Nazi leaders on them. I used to wipe my ass with Hitler’s face, and it felt gooood. I hear German toilet paper is tough and coarse, so y’all prefer using old issues of the Volkischer Beobachter. I don’t think I’d want to use old newspapers to wipe. I don’t want ink on my butt.”
The temporary reprieve allows the two Guardians to withdraw, but the biomechs don’t seem to care. They stomp in Kujira’s direction.
Nori gets dropped second, and asks Kujira, “What’s with Balaam’s Donkey?”
“’Cause that’s one sharp donkey that doesn’t get enough credit where credit is due. Want me to stop?”
“Please continue.”
They both start firing their guns at the biomechs, but all along, Kujira doesn’t stop vilifying the biomechs. “Cock a doodle, you f—”
Just as I land, the biomechs fire the chemical missiles. The ones that hit us are ineffective, but a few strays hit the tilt-rotor aircraft. Three of them spin out of control and crash into the ground. Two others are incinerated in the air.
How many more will have to die today?
“I heard Nazi leadership is being controlled by a race of reptilian lizard aliens who taught y’all to build spaceships in Antarctica. Is that true?” Kujira asks.
The biomechs run in our direction. The one on the left does look like it has a rooster head with a huge crest running down its spine. Its partner has a massive protrusion behind its back that resembles wings, almost like a moth.
“What do we do?” I
ask.
“Retreat and rendezvous with Griselda.”
Nori runs toward the bay. Kujira and I follow.
“It makes sense that y’all are controlled by reptiles,” Kujira continues, as we’re running. “But you realize reptiles would have a helluva bad time in space ’cause they’re cold-blooded? You’d have to have heaters on all the time, and it’d be hot and humid. This girl I met from Osaka used to have a pet lizard, and she’d feed it crickets and cockroaches. Do your masters eat bugs? I personally am not a fan of eating bugs. But damn, lots of bug eaters in the world. Your reptile bosses can have all the bugs. It’d make sense, though, if it turned out all your older leaders were related to snakes. My ma used to cook up fried snake and eat it. I hated it, but she’d dip it in vinegar and soy sauce and force me to have some. It was gross.”
Nori has calculated the path so we only pass through areas with minimal residential properties. Still, the footsteps of biomechs alone destroy most things in their path. They’re fast, but we’re even faster than they are. I’m actually amazed at how smooth the controls on the Leviathan are and how running feels so intuitive. I feel superhuman.
That’s when the Moth biomech veers away. We calculate its trajectory, and it’s heading for one of the condominium skyscrapers. It ignores Kujira’s mockery, so Nori yells, “I’ll head it off,” and runs in pursuit.
Rooster continues to chase Kujira. Fortunately, Griselda arrives and charges straight into Rooster. They ram each other hard, and their fists start swinging.
“Mac! Go help Nori!” Kujira orders. “We’ll join you soon.”
I run in the direction of the condominium. Nori has caught up with the Moth. Moth tries to fire its missiles, but none of them work on the Leviathan. It ejects fumes and propels additional limbs from its back. Nori blocks each of the attacks, using her spear. There are multiple blows, but she anticipates each of them. It’s almost like she has another set of arms, helping her to defend against the biomech’s assault. Even though it’s twice as big as she is, she doesn’t show an ounce of trepidation. She is parrying brilliantly, refusing to budge. I scan the condominium behind her. There are 242 people inside. Nori doesn’t try to take the offensive, possibly because her primary objective is to delay. I want to see if I can give her a little assistance. I take aim with the M87 and fire three rounds. They hit the Moth’s wings, which causes it to flinch, then let out a gut-wrenching bellow. The Moth turns toward me. Part of its left wing has dissolved, surprising me that the M87s worked so well. Griselda’s modulation update has helped.
Mecha Samurai Empire (A United States of Japan Novel) Page 40
