by Noah Barnett
"I'd be happy to help, especially if you'd be willing to take on a role in the group. We need someone with heavy armor. A tank that can take some of the heat."
"I am willing."
"Did you rank up?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, my Division Rank is now Silver One." The giant admitted with a humbled voice.
"Good… Good, we can find a primary weapon for you."
The conversation paused as the action restarted. Less than a minute had passed since Charlie's demise. Smoke filled the parking lot in a thick fog of war. Jen and Remy had retreated to the entrance lobby. Two surviving alien soldiers were firing from the armored Humvee, while the captain was slowly plodding a course between the ruined cars. Charlie's body lay on the ground near the fallen Roth soldier. It was a little disconcerting to see his corpse and the massive pool of blood it lay within. Both women returned fire as best as they could. Jennifer was at a severe disadvantage with her pistol. She popped up to shoot, and a pulse of three beams narrowly missed her face. It singed her cheek, and she dropped below the concrete planter.
"The enemy is as cunning as they are wicked," Tobias said pointing to a second screen. Another squad was coming up from behind through the mall. In less than a minute they would be pinched from both sides. Remy must have realized something was going on. The Roth seemed too content to hunker behind cover, which was unusual. All morning they had rushed pell-mell into combat like kids straight out of Bronze rank.
"It's the endgame!" Remy said enthusiastically. She pulled the teddy-bear off her back and dug out the C4. She stuck a blasting cap into the plastic wrapped explosive. A wire was connected to a transceiver and Remy tossed it across the gap. Jennifer holstered her weapon and grabbed the explosive.
Jen's breath stilled, and a calm took over. She rose and awkwardly sprinted through the sagging glass entrance. The Roth fired at her, and a laser ripped into her already injured leg. She fell hard but managed to toss the armed C4 just underneath the Humvee. A series of pulse beams hit her, digging into her unarmored torso, and cooked her pounding heart. Remy activated the radio button. The Humvee lurched upwards in the explosion, then crashed down atop the two soldiers.
Remy smiled and dug another stick of C4 from her pack, and added the blasting cap. A laser shot out from within the darkened mall. It cut into her teddy-bear, and she yelped in pain as her armor started to melt. Thankfully the C4 didn't detonate. Instead, it spilled out across the glass covered tiles. She rolled to her feet and ran toward the toppled Humvee just as the Roth captain came around the smoking wreck.
"Fuck me in the ass," Remy cursed.
The red armored suit planted its feet apart as Remy neared. It was the oddest thing Charlie could have watched. A massive alien leveled its laser cannon at the charging elementary school girl. Her pigtails and plaid skirt flapped wildly as she sprinted forward. A red glow sparked to life deep within the heavy weapon. Remy threw herself forward shredding the skin off her legs and ass on the rough concrete. The cannon fired and she skidded below the superheated beam of energy. Her blue pigtails instantly melted away along with most of her scalp. One eye exploded like an egg cooked too long in the microwave, and her blackened body slid to a stop just between the captain's legs. For a second she lay there unmoving before her head turned exposing a bright green eye. She reached up pressing the adhesive side of the C4 to the Roth's crotch.
"I… Love… Explosions," Remy said pressing the transmitter in her right hand.
The girl disappeared in a mist of liquefied flesh and bone. The charge pierced the weak spot between the front and back armor, and the suit toppled backward from the force of the explosion. Just like Remy, the alien's reproductive organs were liquefied, and the result was a messy yellow discharge from the armor's cracked groin. The kill instantly made the highlights on the central display. Around the arena, men shuddered and clutched themselves in sympathy for the alien invader.
Jen and Remy would be coming into the lobby soon. Tobias followed Charlie as he stood and walked toward the respawn tubes. Jennifer was near the exit collecting her wits after the battle, and Remy strutted out of the door quite proud of herself.
"Congrats, those were some nice kills," Charlie said nearing the duo. Jen looked up and smiled, while Remy preened. They checked their stats on a nearby console.
"I got gold," Remy exclaimed as her screen came up.
Charlie was disappointed to still be Silver Master, but he had expected the result. Jen placed her hand on the screen and smiled. Just like Tobias she had risen to Silver One. Everyone had ranked up except him, and he felt a pang of jealousy, but quickly pushed it aside.
"Tobias asked me to help him find a weapon. Want a ride to the Armory?" Charlie asked Jennifer.
"Sure, I have some time."
"You coming too Remy, since you ranked up?" He asked turning to the smaller woman.
"Naw, my weapon's already waiting at home. She'll be happy to get unhandcuffed from the bed finally." Remy said with one of her usual smiles. Charlie glanced at her, as did the others.
"What? I fed her," She said in the silence.
"I can't tell if your joking or not, and that kind of scares me," Charlie admitted. In response, Remy blew him a kiss and waved at them.
"Have fun," She called skipping away.
He worried about that one sometimes, but all he could do was shake his head. Charlie made his way to a nearby console to access his money account. If Tobias was going to join the squad, Charlie didn't mind donating ten thousand credits for the cause. That would help pay for his heavy armor, mods, and any ammo he'd need. They left the Competition Center and piled into his muscle car. It was a short trip to the enormous hotel resort. The Armory lobby was a virtual ghost town today, and barely a dozen weapons were lounging around in skimpy bikini tops. Elva had cleaned out the building by dropping her bombshell idea on the place. It wasn't even that big a mental leap, but the developers must have purposely not given the AI that option.
The gun shop side had more of a selection. Under the glass cases, a couple of dozen handguns sat waiting. Racks on the wall held more shotguns, rifles, and a smattering of SMG's. There was one weapon, unlike the others. A Tri-barreled Gatling Cannon looked out of place sitting on the counter. It should have been mounted on the door of an attack helicopter, or aboard a Coast Guard cutter. The cannon had a motorized housing and a thick rubber carrying handle on the top. Red and yellow triggers were mounted on the second-hand grip to the rear. Tobias's eyes raked over the heavy weapon like a man fallen instantly in love, and his shaking hands itched to stroke the three long barrels to its triangular shaped head.
"No touching that one till you satisfy the requirements." A man said sharply from nearby. Tobias turned with feverish eyes to the speaker.
A middle-aged clerk was pointing to a small sign on the counter. It read in large letters, "Must have four strength to contract with this weapon."
"You're a bigg'un, but I need you to verify your stats before you go pawing the girl. She's new, and might get a little excited." Tobias put his hand on the nearby screen, and his ID came up. He did indeed have four strength score, and the clerk smiled. "Alright then. Be gentle with her. She came out of the factory only hours ago, so her personality hasn't fully formed yet."
The GAU-19B Gatling Cannon began to glow a brilliant yellow. In the flash of light, a young nineteen-year-old stood in front of him. She had hair the color of driven snow and the most incredible eyes. They were like the stained glass windows of a gothic cathedral. One was a pale light blue like the color of natural diamonds. The other was a dark translucent green, and shaped white eyebrows highlighted her distinctive eyes. She instantly looked down at the carpet when she noticed so many people staring at her. Her lips were small, and frowning slightly from all the attention. The line of her jaw was straight and came to a pointed noble chin. She had a transformative face, one that could change with her expression. That expression turned to confusion as Tobias fell to his knees, put his foreh
ead to the carpet, and began to trembled. The young woman stared at the giant cowering before her.
"What are you doing?" She asked in a nervous voice.
"I am not worthy to look upon your beauty, Angel," Tobias said in his deep voice.
The girl blushed furiously, and her innocent cheeks burned with heat. She glanced around and noticed Charlie watching. He made a ‘go on' gesture and the girl swallowed. "Please, you're embarrassing us both."
Tobias lifted his head but didn't stand. His eyes welled with unshed tears as he looked up at the Valkyrie before him. She blushed furiously again.
"What is thy name?"
"I don't have one, yet." She responded, and Tobias looked stricken for a moment, then he gathered himself.
"Nay, you have had a name all along. The Great Creator imbued you with one at your inception." Tobias stated in a deep, reverent voice. The young girl looked genuinely confused as she quickly searched her memory bank. She started to shake her head, but Tobias quickly added, "Surely you are Gadreel the Angel of War, and the Guardian of the Gates of Heaven."
The young woman paused, staring down at the giant. "Gadreel…" She repeated several times as if tasting the word from different directions. When she was satisfied, the girl asked in a small voice, "What is your name?"
"This humble servant is beneath your notice. However, I am known as Tobias." He replied.
"May I call you Toby?" She asked.
"Yes, Angel. If it pleases thee."
Finally, she held out a delicate hand and asked, "Do you accept me as your weapon?"
Tobias took her petite hand in his massive paw and pressed it to his forehead. "If it is thy wish, I would be honored to carry thee into battle," he said.
"Yes, I find you very acceptable. Please stand." She replied, and he did as instructed. His massive frame towered over her, but he looked down into her eyes with worship.
"It is Providence, that we met today."
"There are…" She said pausing as her decision process worked. Finally, she shyly tried again with, "There are chambers nearby so that we may anoint our union." Tobias followed the girl toward the back hallway. Halfway there he picked up the weapon. She squeaked in surprise before wrapping her arms around his thick neck. Charlie watched the two disappear down the back hallway and wished them luck.
Finally, he turned looking for Jennifer. She was standing next to an open console with a frown on her face. Charlie wandered toward her and glanced over Jen’s shoulder.
"Woah, whoaw, wooah… How are you going to find a gun if you check off everything?" He asked seeing the filters she'd applied.
"Well, I want a man."
"I did warn you there were fewer male guns, so you may have to settle for a girl."
"I'm not a lesbian," She said hotly.
"Ok, what are your stats?"
"Three Strength, Four Agility, and One Endurance," Jen said.
"Ouch… It was no wonder Jen had broken her ankle jumping from the building."
"You did well with that," she added pointing at the short barreled rifle hanging from his shoulder.
"You're not going to win any stand-up fights. Most everyone puts at least one extra point into endurance. You're like a squishy glass cannon."
"What do I do?"
"You have three strength, and that's good enough to carry a large caliber rifle. I would suggest something like this." He said tapping the screen.
He first selected only male weapons. The catalog dropped to two dozen weapons currently staying at the hotel. Next, he sorted them by type. At least half were handguns, so he added another filter to exclude them. That left just ten, and he selected the first one. A picture of a blocky long barreled rifle with a massive muzzle break came up on the screen.
"That's huge," Jennifer complained.
"Yes, it is. You have three strength, so you'll have the equipment load to carry it."
"I wanted something compact, like what you have."
"That's the thing. Small caliber weapons are close range. Face it, your hit points blow, and you're going to be banging your head against that ceiling. You could pay to change your stats, or pick a weapon that compliments them." He said tapping the call button.
"No…" she hissed trying to stop him. An audible ping sounded from the screen, and Jen groaned. Charlie glanced at the other weapons while they waited. Ten or so scantily clad girls were carefully avoiding eye contact. They had, however, started to gather on the nearby couches.
The weapon came out of the elevator like on military parade, and Charlie laughed watching him walk toward them. He had seen some characters in this game, but this weapon was impressive. The guy looked like the poster image of an American GI. He was easily over seven feet tall with muscles on top of muscles. His eyes were like bright green targeting lasers, but that chin said it all. It was shaped from a solid piece of marble, and above that square jaw was a simple, understated pair of lips. The nose was similarly straight. He had light auburn hair cut into a regulation crew fade. Charlie waved at the man before Jen grabbed his arm.
He came to a stop and saluted with military precision. "Reporting for duty, Sir!" The man shouted, and Charlie laughed again.
"Charlie…" Jen hissed.
"This is exactly what you need. Seriously... you asked for my advice. He's male, and a standoff rifle." He said turning to the man. "Jen here is looking for a primary weapon. Tell her about yourself." Charlie suggested.
"Aye aye, Sir! I’m a Barrett M107 .50 caliber anti-material rifle with a magazine capacity of ten rounds and a maximum range of two thousand meters. My barrel length is 29 inches and I have a dry weight of 30.9 pounds, sir!" The weapon stated as if speaking to a drill sergeant.
Charlie whistled and asked, "How long have you been waiting, soldier?"
"Five days; Twenty-Two hours; Sixteen minutes, sir. I am ready to serve," The GI stated glancing between the two.
"You hear that? This man is eager to serve you. How could you say no to that." Charlie said slapping the rifle on the shoulder.
Jen's face looked both furious and embarrassed. Still, she scanned the weapon. The gun put his hands behind his back like someone at military parade. Her eyes rolled down the hairless chest toward his rock hard abs, but Jen absolutely refused to acknowledge the heavy bulging Speedo.
"Fine," she said at last. "I'll give him a try, but not here. I have an apartment nearby."
"Very well, Ma'am!"
"You can call me Jennifer," She muttered while turning away, and headed for the door. The soldier followed her out at a quick march, and Charlie watched the two exit the armory. Once again, he was a little jealous everyone else was getting a contract tonight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Cheesecake
Jennifer had just left the lobby with the hunk hot on her heels. Tobias was deep within the Armory's royal suites getting blessed by that nubile angel. That left Charlie with nothing to do but go home and clean his weapons.
He checked his watch one last time, then pushed from the console, and headed for the exit. It was dusk, and the sun cast the sky into a kaleidoscope of colors. He walked by the mustang and trailed a hand over the hood. Then climbed into the car and put the M16 between the seats. The engine started with a roar and a whine from the turbocharger, and soon he was fishtailing out of the parking lot and headed home. Even before Charlie pulled into the garage, he could hear the sound of music. The stereo was on full volume, which reminded him that the house was full of guests.
He entered the garage door to a battleground. In the living room, plates of dinner were left half finished. Bottles of wine had been uncorked, and glasses lay like slaughtered corpses over the table. Several wet and sandy towels sprawled over the living room couches. The kitchen was a bigger disaster. Dirty pans littered the oven top, and it looked like someone had pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it into the refrigerator. One door was still open, and bags of food scattered over the counter. A milk jug had tipped over and was slowly dribbl
ing its contents onto the tiles. He was dumbfounded how five girls could do so much damage in a few hours. Charlie walked to the stereo, turned it off, and was treated to thunderous silence.
"Ladies?!" He called loudly. The girls in the living room glanced nervously between one another. A fourth Asian weapon came out of the bedroom with a towel around her head.
"I did say you could entertain yourselves. However, I think there came a point where you may have gone overboard. This kitchen is unacceptable." He said looking pointedly at each one of them.
"Are you angry with us?" The auburn-haired girl asked, and nervously hid behind another weapon.
"I am disappointed. I think the Armory pampered you all a little too much." He said. To his statement they each showed varying degrees of guilt.
"Where is Sofie?" He asked, and they pointed down toward the beach. "Fine, I'll talk to her later. You three clean up the kitchen." He ordered aiming a finger at the first group. Then pointed to the woman wrapped in a towel. "Clean the living room."
