Steel Apocalypse

by Rodney Hartman

  Deciding to show his AI just how illogical he could be, Jake pointed the 75mm phase cannon clutched in the Paladin’s right claw at a point two meters in front of the trapped footpad.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Flying pieces of debris ricocheted off the windscreen as the Paladin began toppling forward.

  Increasing the output from both ion thrusters, Jake jumped over the now gaping hole in the roof and landed on a part of the roof the hologram’s schematics indicated was a structural steel beam. He shut down the ion thrusters to conserve energy. The structural beam held.

  The sound of explosions from the direction of the plaza was followed by a large plume of billowing black smoke.

  “Status report,” Jake said using command voice.

  Maggie touched several icons on the copilot’s control panel. Her windscreen changed to an overhead view of the plaza and surrounding areas. The pirates’ Kraken had been joined by a Long Cat medium UHAAV that was also painted white and black. The two pirate vehicles were engaging a Leviathan heavy cat, two medium Long Cats, and a Macron, all of which were painted in a desert camouflage pattern. A smaller cat was in flames near the center of the plaza.

  The ensuing smoke was so thick Jake couldn’t make out the model or paint pattern of the burning cat. “I hope that isn’t one of the Trecorians.”

  “Just hope it’s not going to be you in another thirty seconds,” said Maggie. “Recommend you get off this roof before— Incoming. Watch out.”

  Jake didn’t wait to find out where or what was incoming. He dove the cat forward and slid along the roof hoping against hope he could keep the Paladin’s center of gravity over the roof’s steel support beam. Meter-wide chunks of the roof flew past the windscreen, but the beam held. Glancing at the tactical hologram, he saw an anti-armor missile fly through the point where the Paladin had been. He back-tracked the missile’s path but saw nothing. With no target in sight, he flipped the Paladin over onto its back and fired the 30 megawatt plasma cannons located on both sides of the windscreen in the general direction the missile had come from. At the same time, he raised both the left and right gun appendages and fired a three-round burst from the 75mm phase cannon and a two-second beam from the 20 megawatt plasma rifle in the cat’s left claw.

  “I’m picking up vibrations at the far end of the roof,” said Maggie. “Switching windscreen to sonic filter.”

  The view on the windscreen changed to all-white ripples on a black background. The ripples reminded Jake of a pond after a rock was thrown in. He spotted a concentration of ripples about three meters high and moving from left to right. With the aid of the ion thrusters located in the Paladin’s back, he raised his cat to a standing position.

  “Maggie, fire everything we’ve got at those ripples.”

  “Compliance.”

  Four rockets shot out the missile launchers on the Paladins’ shoulders as the 20 and 30 megawatt plasma weapons opened up along with a three-round burst from the 75mm phase cannon. The anti-armor rockets and plasma beams kept going past the edge of the building. So did two rounds from the 75mm phase cannon.

  Boom!

  The third phase round exploded, sending ripples all over the windscreen.

  “Switch to normal filter,” Jake ordered.

  “Compliance.”

  As the scene in the windscreen switched from white and black to a normal view of the surrounding area, Jake made out a three-meter-tall UHAAV painted in white and black camouflage.

  “It’s a Warcat scout,” said Maggie. “They’re almost impossible to detect when they’re in stealth mode. The seventy-five took out its force field. Watch out. It’s still got another missile.”

  The red tip of an anti-armor missile was clearly visible in the two-round rocket pod mounted on the scout’s shoulder. Through the Warcat’s windscreen, Jake made out the features of the female pirate he’d knocked down the night before. She looked back at him with hatred in her eyes.

  Before the pirate cat could fire its remaining missile, Jake fired both of the 30 megawatt plasma cannons at the Warcat’s legs. The beams of plasma energy knocked the humanoid-looking UHAAV to its knees. Aiming the plasma cannons at the Warcat’s chest, he was just about to pull the trigger when strobe lights on the scout cat’s shoulders, arms, and chest began flashing.

  “She’s taken herself out of action,” said Maggie. “According to the tournament rules, she’s now a non-combatant. If you fire on her, the controllers will take action against you.”

  “Roger that,” Jake said as he moved his finger away from the plasma cannon’s trigger. “Let’s see what we can do about this gal’s buddies down in the plaza. I think we can—”

  A blast of fire erupted from the Warcat’s shoulder. A missile came streaking straight at the Paladin’s windscreen.

  Boom!

  The Paladin rocked back, but the front force field held.

  Jake placed his finger on the trigger for the 30 megawatt plasma cannons. “Why that sorry son of—”

  “No!” shouted Maggie. “That was her last missile. None of her other weapons can hurt us.” She pointed toward a water tower built on top of a building a block away. “Look!”

  Jake looked. The sides of the water tower lowered. No water rushed out. Instead, a turret with a large barrel was revealed. The turret swiveled until the barrel was pointing directly at the pirate Warcat. A bright green ball of phase energy shot out the end of the cannon and struck the scout UHAAV on the back.

  Boom!

  A ball of fire and phase energy rose fifty meters into the air along with large sections of the roof and shattered pieces of the Warcat. The Paladin was thrown to its knees as the end of the roof caved in. The gaping hole in the roof continued to enlarge as it made it ways toward the Paladin. The metal support beam underneath the cat twisted and gave way. Jake’s shoulder harness bit into his flesh as the Paladin crashed through the roof. Giving way to the Paladin’s weight, the floor below caved in as the UHAAV fell to the next level. Desperate, he released the cat’s grips on both the 75mm phase cannon and the 20 megawatt plasma rifle and grabbed at another support beam, latching onto it with both claws. The beam held as the floor around it crashed into the level below.

  Hanging from the steel beam, the Paladin’s footpads were only a couple of meters from the bottom of the hole that now extended two more levels below.

  Knowing none of the floors would hold the Paladin’s weight, Jake worked his way claw over claw to the side of the building. “Maggie, bring up a schematic of the building. I’ve got to know where the strongest points are.”

  “Compliance. Schematic is complete. You’re fortunate I think at nanosecond speed. I took the liberty of hac—”

  “Maggie! I need to see the schematic.”

  “Compliance.”

  A schematic of the building complete with gaping hole appeared on the tactical hologram between the pilot and copilot seats. Green vertical and horizontal lines marked the locations of structural support beams.

  Moving the cat’s legs back and forth, Jake got the Paladin swinging. At what he hoped was the right moment, he released the cat’s claws. The cat went to the side and down, hitting a part of the floor two levels down that according to the schematic was a steel beam. It was. The support beam held.

  “Hmmm,” said Maggie. “You’re on solid ground, so to speak, but what are you going to do now? We lost both the 75mm and the 20 megawatt rifle. We’ve only got the twin 30 megawatts and the missiles in our rocket pods left. That’s not going to be enough to take out a Kraken and a Long Cat.”

  “Not on our own it won’t be,” Jake agreed as the sound of explosions echoed from outside. “Fortunately for us, that Kraken has more to worry about than us. Make a sensor sweep and bring up the results on the tactical hologram.”

  “Negative on the sensor sweep. That’ll give our position away. As I was about to tell you earlier, I already hacked into the controllers’ network. I’ve got data on everything that’s happening in t
he battle area.”

  “Well,” Jake said when the hologram next to his chair continued to show only the building’s schematics. “Are you going to keep the information to yourself? Or are you going to share a little with me so I can try and keep us alive.”

  “Oops,” said Maggie as her face took on a reddish tint. She punched an icon on her armrest. “Data’s coming up now.”

  The image in the hologram changed from the damaged building’s schematic to that of the plaza and surrounding structures. The Kraken was twenty meters from the edge of the damaged building, trading fire with a dozen UHAAVs. Four cats were outlined in flashing strobe lights. One of the four was the pirate Long Cat at the base of the damaged building not far from where the Paladin was located.

  A wild idea popped into Jake’s head. “Could you bust through the outside wall and land on that Long Cat?”

  Maggie did a double-take at Jake. “Of course I could, but the pirate’s Long Cat is out of action. If you try to harm it, the controllers will fire on us. You saw what they did to the Warcat.”

  Nodding his head, Jake moved his control stick to edge the Paladin along the support beam to a point above the Long Cat. “I’m not planning on firing on the Long Cat. I just want to borrow something from it. From what I was told, the rules allow us to take weapons we find on the battlefield. That includes from incapacitated cats, right?”

  “Uh…affirmative. I should point out the Long Cat’s weapons are all attached. We’d need to find an out-of-action cat carrying weapons in its claws for us to use them. What do you think you’re going to do? Rip the Long Cat’s gun pods off and throw them at the Kraken?”

  Shaking his head, Jake gave his copilot an I-finally-got-one-over-on-you grin. “You’re getting slow in your old age, Maggie. You’re thinking the wrong kind of weapons. Long Cats carry anti-tank mines, don’t they?” Since his AI really did think at nanosecond speed, Jake didn’t think she’d take long to figure out his plan.

  “Are you out of your freakin’ mind?” She shook her head. “That’s crazy. Standard issue of anti-tank mines for a Long Cat is twelve. Even if we borrowed a few of them, how are you planning on getting them to the Kraken. It’s got a force field, just like us.”

  “True,” Jake agreed. “But the field’s being weakened by the fire from the other cats. Plus, force fields are always more vulnerable close to the ground. We might be able to low crawl on the ground, blow a hole in the Kraken’s shield with our twin thirties, and place some mines in a couple of weak points on the big cat. What do you think?”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “What do I think? I think that’s the most illogical plan I’ve ever heard.” She wrapped a hand around the copilot’s control stick and laughed. “It’s also crazy enough to work. I’ve got the controls.”

  “You’ve got the controls,” Jake responded as he let her take over the Paladin’s movements.

  Without waiting for further instructions, Maggie charged the Paladin forward, making sure she kept the cat’s footpads directly over the support beam in a move similar to a circus’s high-wire walker. At the same time, she pulled the trigger on the 30 megawatt plasma cannons, blasting a hole in the wall of the building.

  Out the hole the Paladin dove, twisting in the air to bring the cat’s legs below it. Both legs’ ion thrusters roared as they slowed the Paladin’s descent.

  Feeling somewhat helpless, all Jake could do was go along for the ride. Everything was happening too fast for mere human reflexes to react. He saw the Long Cat through the windscreen, directly below the Paladin and coming closer at a high rate of speed. The empty claws at the end of the Paladin’s left and right appendages reached out and grabbed something off the Long Cat’s back as it passed.

  Even with the ion thrusters at full blast, the Paladin hit hard. The double servos in each leg did their jobs. The Paladin bent its knees, taking up the shock as it did a summersault and came out of its roll in a prone position behind the Kraken.

  Jake made out six round pieces of metal gripped in each of the left and right gun claws. “You got all twelve mines. I could never have—”

  Maggie laughed. “Of course you couldn’t. That’s why it pays to have me around.” She looked at him and grew serious. “On the other hand, I’d never have come up with a plan as illogical as what you’re trying to do. Apparently the Kraken’s tactical computer hasn’t thought of it either, otherwise it would divert energy to strengthen the part of its force field that’s in front of us.” She smiled. “Do you want me to continue driving, or do you want to do the honors?”

  “Hey, you’re doing fine. Keep going.”

  Maggie wiggled her control stick as she alternated pushing her foot-pedals to make the Paladin low crawl on the ground toward the shimmering field of energy between the Paladin and the Kraken. Maggie pulled the trigger on her control stick. Red beams of plasma energy shot out, striking the Kraken’s force field a meter above the ground. The shimmering in a three-meter by three-meter area stopped.

  “The force field was weak just like you thought,” said Maggie as she used the last of the ion energy in the legs’ maneuvering thrusters to shoot the Paladin through the opening.

  Jake switched his windscreen’s camera to rear view. Just as the cat’s footpads made it past the opening, he saw the shimmering return. He switched back to forward view.

  “The Kraken’s computer is diverting energy to its rear force field,” said Maggie. “It’s anticipating our plan. I’m too logical. Recommend you take control.”

  Grabbing his control stick, Jake stood the Paladin up and ran for the nearest leg. “Plot a weak point for me, Maggie.”

  A joint where the two-meter-wide footpad connected to a massive leg was outlined in red on the windscreen. Jake threw three of the mines at the weak point.

  Anticipating his move, Maggie switched on the mines’ magnetics at just the right moment to make them stick to the footpad’s joint.

  “The Kraken’s got eight legs,” said Maggie. “I calculate taking three of the legs out on this side will do the job.”

  “Roger that,” Jake said as he ran for the second leg.

  Explosions sounded above as steel rain peppered the ground all around the Paladin.

  “They’re firing the anti-personnel mines on their belly,” said Maggie. “I calculate they’re trying to set off the mines we’re carrying.”

  Jake hunched the Paladin over and tucked both claws and their precious cargos of anti-tank mines to his chest. The rain of metal pellets continued, but what few got past the Paladin’s force field bounced harmlessly off his cat’s back.

  “What say we give them something to think about besides us?” Jake said. “Activate the three mines.”

  “Compliance.”

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Unable to resist, Jake switched the windscreen to rear mode long enough to make sure the mines did their job. Instead of a footpad, ragged pieces of metal dangled from the end of the Kraken’s right rear leg. He switched back to forward view just in time to see one of the Kraken’s legs coming straight at him.”

  “Their computer’s trying to step on you,” said Maggie. “It’s what I’d do. None of its heavy weapons can reach you as long as you stay under the Kraken’s belly.”

  Jake dodged the Paladin to the side, tossing three mines at the footpad as it smacked into the ground where he’d been.

  Once again, Maggie did her part and activated the mine’s magnetics to make them stick on the weakest point. This time she didn’t wait to be told to set the mines off.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The big Kraken wavered as a second foot disappeared and began backpedaling toward the damaged building.

  “I calculate it’s going to try and use the building’s support beams to help keep it upright,” said Maggie. “Recommend you take out another foot before it gets to the building.”

  “Believe me, I’m trying.”

  Two rockets came streaking in. One passed over the Paladin’s shoulder. The
other struck the Paladin’s left front force field.

  Boom!

  Jake glanced at Maggie. “I thought you told me the Kraken’s weapons couldn’t reach us down here.”

  “I did, and they can’t. The Kraken’s force field is getting weaker. Those missiles came from one of the cats attacking the Kraken.”

  “Why are they shooting at me? I’m trying to take out these blasted pirates.”

  Maggie laughed. “They don’t care. It’s not like you’re on their team. If they take you out as well as the Kraken, it’s one less competitor to worry about later.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “No,” laughed Maggie, seeming to enjoy the situation. “It’s logical. Oh, by the way, our left front force field’s down to seventeen percent. Another direct hit will take it out.”

  Glancing at the tactical hologram, Jake counted no less than fifteen cats firing at the Kraken. Most were light and medium cats, but a purple-and-green Leviathan had joined the action. As he watched, the Leviathan opened up with everything it had.

  Blasts of energy exploded against the Kraken’s force field. The big cat took another step back in the direction of the damaged building.

  As the Kraken raised its footpad to take another step, Jake tossed three more of the anti-tank mines. They stuck to the bottom of the foot and exploded. As the dust and smoke cleared, he made out the jagged end of the leg trying vainly to find solid footing. The Kraken began leaning to one side.

  “She’s going over,” said Maggie. “Recommend you not be here when she comes down.”

  “Roger that,” Jake said as he shoved the control stick full forward and ran out from underneath the big cat.

  The shimmering field of energy surrounding the Kraken disappeared as the cat’s tilt turned critical. Gravity took over, and the big cat came crashing down.

  Jake barely scrambled out of its way.

  As soon as the Kraken’s energy field deactivated, plasma beams and anti-armor rockets came streaking in from the surrounding cats. The Kraken hit the plaza’s concrete hard as the incoming missiles tore holes in her belly.