by Chris Hechtl
“I think they are getting a whiff of us,” Leopora said.
“Heat signature,” the bear signaled. “Couldn't be helped even with the cloaks.”
“Then why …,” Chuckles started to ask.
“Because we are the real bait,” Parker said shaking his head as he realized the inevitable.
“Sucks to be us,” the gorilla said over the link.
“Ignore the maintenance bot. Leopora, take on the command bots in the front row. The rest of you pick your targets carefully,” the grizzly ordered. “I'll hang back for someone my size to come along.”
“Just drone workers and … oh, got one, now two construction workers in line. Now some stripped-down gynoids and androids … some drone troopers are standing on the corner.”
“Frack. Hate those. They are heavily armored.”
“They've got the heavy weapons too. One police mech way in the back. I can see …,” Leopora leaned slightly to see around the corner of the two-meter tall wall. Her movement disturbed some of the gravel and debris however. It fell onto a plate of metal making a distinct rattle and thumping sound that made them all wince.
“Shit.”
“Sorry,” Leopora said over the link. “Ah hell, here we go!” she said. They'd wanted an accurate account to know what they were up against, but that wasn't going to happen. “We've been made!” she said, taking on the command bot in the front row just as the maintenance robot began to repair the bait drone they'd left out.
“Rock!” Caspiana and Parker snarled out loud, popping up to fire at their targets. Immediately weapon fire was returned. It was fortunately small arms fire, so they ducked down under the safety of the concrete wall to wait it out.
“Two down,” Caspiana said. “I took out the Yellow mech,” she said.
“No, it's armored. Gotta hit it with tasers in a joint,” Chuckles said as he brought up his minigun.
“Save it,” the grizzly started to order but the chimp was already squeezing the trigger. The gun ripped into the front row, tearing apart the gynoids and androids. They were flung back as smashed parts and bodies.
The chimp wasn't carrying much ammo, however, so he quickly ran dry. “I'm out,” he said, ducking back under cover. He, like their lone human Parker, was wearing urban camo, full marine kit. The rest of the squad wore more personalized outfits. He felt something hit his helmet. “Damn it.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, ricochet I think,” Chuckles said, rubbing his neck. That was going to be sore later he thought as his hands went back to his weapon. He yanked open Velcro sealed pouches to belt more ammo together.
“Cover fire,” Parker growled as the enemy fire slackened. He popped up to fire into the nearest veteran trooper. The drone trooper was a bastard to take down; you had to hit it just right in a joint to get it to freeze up. Parker's infantry rifle couldn't do the job.
That wasn't the only thing that had his attention however. His eyes went up briefly as a familiar sound cut through the weapons fire. “Got eyes in the sky and a wasp incoming,” he said. “Wha oh! Plasma!” he snarled, ducking down and rolling away from the wall as the campaign veteran drone leveled its long box-like weapon.
The weapon was linked to the massive backpack it wore. The backpack made it cumbersome, mainly because it had been overloaded with ordinance and parts on top of the power pack. But it gave the drone a much more powerful punch.
Plasma slammed into the wall, superheating it. The rock fractured and began to glow.
“He's recharging,” Chuckles observed, seeing the red heat and waving air around the barrel. “And he's brought friends,” he snarled as the grizzly stepped up. The grizzly swept his chain gun from left to right and then back again, hand paw holding the trigger down. He ran through the entire ammo box in less than five seconds, but the depleted uranium-tungsten-tipped rounds did the job.
The veteran drones and police bot with its own Gatling gun were torn apart in the murderous fire. Small arms and other fire came back in return however. Some of the small caliber rounds tore into his body. He ignored it. A couple ricocheted off the ammo box. He snarled when a .22 round hit his skull above his right eye. It gave him an instant headache, but his hardened bones held. He did close that eye and squint a bit in pain.
When he ran dry, he ejected his ammo box and surveyed the damage. None of the infantry robots were left standing. One was just a lower torso; it slowly toppled over. “Damn that's fun.”
“You're hurt,” Caspaina observed. “Medic!”
“It'll keep,” the bear growled. “Let's finish the job.”
“Eye in the sky is banking. She's an AWACs,” Leopora said, shading her eyes as she aimed.
“Save …,” the grizzly was cut off by the bark of her weapon. It took two shots, but she managed to hit the drone near the rear engine compartment. The saucer on top of the broad winged craft was now a burden as the engine cut out and it dove head first into the ground. “Got it.”
“Okay …,” the grizzly said, reversing his previous statement with a grimace. “Nice shooting,” he said mildly.
“Thanks,” Leopora said, making a show of blowing on the tip of her barrel.
“We've still got heavies,” the gorilla growled, peaking through a hole in the wall. “AT and ohhh shit,” he said, hustling to aim his RPG.
“What … shit,” the grizzly said, leaning over the wall fast. He saw the massive mech behind the AT. “Frack me! Take it out!”
“Working on it, boss man,” the gorilla said. “One at a time,” he said, closing his off eye to aim and fire. The RPG kicked clear of his launcher, acquired on the AT mech and went in for the kill. The AT mech was a four-legged spider mech over three meters tall. It was flat metal gray with a rectangular box on top. The box was modular; it could house anything from an energy weapon to a rail gun to artillery or even SAM missiles.
It had doors on one end of it. The AT was usually partnered with another mech unit to be able to see, most likely the AWAC drone. With it knocked out, the AT was now myopic unless it tied itself into another mech's sensor feed.
It didn't matter. The smart RPG found the sweet spot on the mech and dodged last minute incoming laser fire before it hit the mech, right in the center thorax. The shaped charge tore into the unarmored joints tearing apart the body. It seemed to crumple as the legs gave out from under it.
“That got … oh shit,” the gorilla snarled, hastily moving away as the larger mech lumbered around the corner and lined up a shot with its four arms.
“Laser can't get a shot,” Parker said, looking back to the trio of backpacks they'd lugged into position and set up behind them. “I told you we should have put it on higher ground,” he growled, glaring at Chuckles.
“It's occluded by the wall. Nothing we can do there. And if we'd stuck it higher, they would have seen it,” Chuckles replied. He pulled his sidearms out and let the minigun drop to hang from the sling as he fired with both hands into a small camera spider that had been modified with a gun. It had somehow gotten through the lieutenant's fire without getting too much damage. His fire however finished the unarmored thing off.
“We're going to get strafed!” the chimp said, looking around for air cover as he hunched his shoulders.
The lieutenant plugged his fiber optic cable back in and sent a signal to the squad behind them. He got an affirmative response immediately. “No we're not,” he growled. Chuckles turned to him in disbelief. The bear crossed his arms and nodded to the incoming UAV. The chimp slowly turned to look.
A SAM went off behind them with a woosh. The WASP, really a SWAT drone with massive ducted lift fans and two .50-caliber rail guns under the body seemed to dip, then duck behind the building. The missile hammered into the building, raining bricks and debris down onto the street and heavy mech below.
That distraction was enough to get the grizzly to pull his people back. He swatted at them, snarling with one eye open. “Move your asses,” he snarled. There was no way they could
stand that sort of firepower.
“I got this,” the gorilla said, reloading.”
“Damn it …,” the grizzly snarled as the gorilla ducked through the hole and charged forward. The mech had four arms. Each arm had a weapon’s turret. The top two above the main body were the same—short barrel rail guns. The bottom right was a massive chain gun, the left was a plasma gun. It was painted in forest camouflage and had a laser on top.
“Cover fire!” Parker snarled, firing his minigun into the street.
“Oh hell,” the grizzly snarled. “Cover him!” he yelled, yanking his last box out and snapping it into place on his gun. He hefted the gun and squeezed the trigger. Rounds tore out but answering rounds came back, walking their way to his position. He immediately let up on the trigger and dove behind the cinderblock wall. He wasn't too proud or too far from his ancestors to move on all fours away from the wall and into deeper cover as it disintegrated.
He didn't look back until he was under cover. He saw the gorilla pop up for a look, then moved to another location before he popped up again, this time with the RPG. He shouldered the launcher and squeezed the trigger the moment he had a lock.
But that was too much time for the robot to have to play with. Its upper weapon mounts fired their rail guns on his position. Rounds tore into the blue rebar reinforced concrete wall as well as the top. His round answered the fire before he fell over backwards.
“Frack!” Caspiana breathed. “Mico!”
The bear was too intent on the RPG. The round wavered, seeming to pitch and twist as it tried to dodge the laser lock. It finally got close enough to detonate, but it wasn't a mortal impact. The round exploded in the mech's face, momentarily blinding it.
“Frack,” the grizzly breathed, trying to get his thoughts in order to find a way to kill it. Someone getting up to it with a satchel charge or EMP grenade might do the job. Operative word, might. They also had to survive to get there first.
But, to his relief the mech had seen enough. It turned and limped back the way it had come.
“Mico!” Caspiana called out. The gorilla lifted one bloodied arm to hold a thumbs-up before he let it drop. His arms went to his chest like he was sleeping. The grizzly could tell from pinging his IFF that he was hurt. Still, the gorilla had to ham it up by twiddling his thumbs.
“Don't mind me, just taking a break!” the gorilla called out. “Get to me whenever you can,” he said.
The grizzly snorted, then moved. That movement reminded him of his own injuries. He growled. Somewhere, a bear was in pain. It was a distant thing, the implants and adrenalin were holding the pain at bay. “Parker, Chuckles, finish the job. You know the drill. Caspiana, cover them. Leopora, find a high spot and keep an eye on the frontier. Make sure someone keeps track of that damn mech,” he ordered.
“Roger.”
“And the wasp,” the grizzly added.
“Roger,” the leopard said as she moved out. He watched Parker and Chuckles pull their machetes and pistols out, swapping them for their rifles as they warily moved in on the downed robots to finish them off and then destroy the electronics. Good, post op chores complete he thought. He sat back, head against a cool brick wall and closed his good eye. He felt someone working on his left arm and cracked the eye to look down. A chimp medic was busy with the wounds there.
“According to your IFF, you don't have any hits to your vitals other than the head hit. Your armor protected you. You should have worn a helmet though; you're going to have a concussion.”
“I've got a thick enough skull,” he replied dryly.
“Ain't that the truth,” she replied. He snorted. “Too much fur here for me to see what I'm doing. Going to have to shave it,” the chimp said.
“The hell …,” the grizzly saw obstinacy in the medic's brown eyes and sighed. “Okay, I guess you are,” he said, giving in gracefully to the inevitable. It had been one of those days apparently.
“Good boy. Besides, you don't want the glue I'm going to use to seal the wound to get in your fur. Trust me on this,” Sylvia said with a grin as she ducked down and went back to work.
“Yes, ma'am,” The grizzly snorted then chuckled softly.
<>V<>
After some heated debate, the brass decided to hold off on using antimatter as a ground weapon to keep the A.I. from knowing about it and finding a means to detect it. They would also need to keep it in reserve in case another nanotech attack was detected.
The third reason for holding off was the most telling. The antimatter was in finite supply even though Star Reach had stepped forward with their own modest stockpiles.
“This is our best Sunday punch. You only get one of those once if you are lucky, so let's make it count,” General Murtough growled gruffly to the senior staff after the last suggestion to use antimatter liberally. “We'll open up with the antimatter only after the Hail Mary has started and only if we fail. God help us all if we do; I don't even want to think of what more of that stuff will do to the planet. She's been battered enough already.”
“She may be down, sir, but she's not out. We'll see this through. One way or another,” Isis said.
The general looked at the colonel for a long moment before he nodded. “Agreed. But let's not press our luck if we can help it.”
“It's going to cost more in blood, sir,” Commander Mizu warned.
The general eyed him. It was clear from his expression that he knew that and the commander had said a rather stupid thing. Slowly the commander nodded.
“I want the saturation bombardment schedule reworked if possible. We also need to deploy more of the antimatter armed platforms as quickly as possible. We need at least one, probably more than one over each continent.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We're also going to, yes, need to get some of the antimatter down to the ground,” Isaac mused, shaking his head. He held up a hand as the commander started to open his mouth. “No, not for general use. I'm thinking in case a robot walked up and set a nanotech weapon off.”
That earned a shudder in the staff, none of it feigned. Isaac closed his eyes in pain at the very scary scenario he was presenting. Very scary and possibly all too real all too quickly.
“Sir, the antimatter would … it would kill our own people,” Tao-ling protested softly.
“I know. But I think they'd rather have a quick death over being slowly torn apart and devoured, don't you?” the general opened his eyes to look into Tao-ling's. Slowly the other man nodded.
<>V<>
Jack couldn't leave Wendy in the dark. He knew when she came out to the capital, that once he saw her, he'd have no choice. The moment she asked where her brother was he let her in on what her brother was up to.
He also knew how it should have gone. Oh, not well, he knew better than that. He'd just hoped for less angst. Less blame. More understanding. She was reacting emotionally, which surprised him. She was usually so logical about things. Apparently when it came to risks the family took, such things went out the window.
“Look Wendy, I don't like risking your brother. But I have to; it's his plan, his choice. I wouldn't stand in his way; it's not right. It is his decision to lay his life on the line.”
“And what? Sacrifice it on the altar of Lagroose greed?” she asked bitterly. “How many more of us will you sacrifice?”
His eyes flashed as his temper soared out of control. “Bullshit! I call bullshit on that. You know it, and I know it's not about the money. It's about getting the job done,” he snarled. He shook his head. “I just said it's not my decision, damn it! You think I want to have him stick his head in the lion's den? To get it bit off? I know the risks; believe me, I know! I know it's a damned suicide mission, so does he! He planned it! And he's doing it anyway!”
“Because …” she looked away, biting her lip.
“What?”
“Because he doesn't want to disappoint you. Because he wants to live up to the Lagroose reputation. Because … because he thinks the fa
mily luck won't let him die! I don't know!”
Jack stared at her for a long moment then shook his head in resignation. “None of the above I believe. Zack is his own person, Wendy, just like you and Yorrick are your own. As far as the family luck ….” It was his turn to be bitter. “Tell that to your mother,” he said again.
“You keep throwing that in my face,” she said, turning accusing eyes his way.
“Because it is true. I didn't kill her. I didn't sacrifice her. You want to blame me for her death, fine. That is your choice. But I. Didn't. Do. It. That thing,” he stabbed a finger at the holographic image of Earth, “down there did. Some malicious thrice-damned, superior, smug bastard made the thing. The only consolation I've got out of it is that he didn't live long enough to enjoy it. The thing turned on him too,” he smiled darkly. She saw the look and turned away. “But first, your brother has to stop it. He has to get in there and do what must be done no matter the cost. He's willing to accept it. I personally hope he drops the bomb and runs like hell. I hope he gets his ass out and home no matter what shape he is in. I know you'll do the same.”
She nodded.
“You also know what is at stake. The nanites. He knows it too. It's why he insisted on this plan.”
She winced. “If it kills him...” his face worked as he paused. Finally he cleared his throat as he regained a semblance of his previous composure. “If it does, I'm going to tear that world apart, brick by brick to make damn well certain there is no trace of that virus anywhere that will come back and bite future generations. It'll be up to you and others who are going to remake it once it is over with. Better. Cleaner. Together.”
“If you say so, Dad. We've got to get to that point first though,” she muttered, head down as she left the room.
