by Noah Barnett
From outside a rain of lead punched through the wall and slammed into the heavy armor. Several rounds cut apart its back shoulder, and the laser cannon drooped. It fired down into the water flash steaming it in an explosion. Charlie was forced to duck on the stairs as the fusillade continued. He tried shouting for Tobias to cease fire but the noise was cataclysmic. Finally, after the longest thirty seconds of his life, the tempest ended.
The smoke and steam slowly dissipated, and Charlie was amazed he was still alive. He patted himself checking for damage. The bottom part of the stairs and the lobby cars were shredded. Tobias broke through the wall holding up his glowing tri-barreled weapon. The Roth captain and his armor were in little bits, and pieces of plate were scattered about as if the suit had exploded. Both the legs had been melted off, and a single arm was still attached by ribbons, but the rest of its torso was a picture of destruction.
Remy crawled through the hole next as she continued to load grenades into her weapon. Charlie reached up fingering his right ear and was rewarded with a pop as sound came back.
"Jennifer," Charlie called into the silence. A bedraggled and soaked woman stood from behind the ruined sports car. She dripped stinking water but was otherwise unhurt. They'd survived their first encounter, which he could be happy about. His boots splashed in the yellow tinted muck as Charlie jumped from the upper stairs to the lobby floor.
"That was…"
"Loud," Jennifer suggested.
"I was going to say impressive, but yes. Loud too." He said turning to Tobias. "You're out of ammo now?"
"Yes, a demon dared stand before thee, and I was carried away in my zeal." He admitted.
"Now you know why I don't use heavy machine guns. They are like two-pump chumps. Once they run out of juice, they are little more than big paperweights." Remy said sliding the cylinder closed on her weapon.
"Your grenades wouldn't have done much against a heavy either," Jen said sloshing forward. She pulled the partial magazine free of the rifle and reloaded.
"True,"
"Whatever, we'll head back and get a resupply. It won't even take that long." Charlie said and motioned for everyone to head outside.
"Hopefully big boy here won't dump his load again on the first attractive alien that comes along," Remy said adjusting her grenade belts. As Charlie passed Remy, he gave the girl a slap to the back of the head.
"Hey," she called after him.
Tobias sloshed through the water toward the street, but Charlie easily caught up with him.
"We came out alive, which is always a win in my book. Anyways, Remy had a nasty way of saying you should try firing in one-three second bursts."
"I'm sorry."
"Tobias, I'm glad you're on the team. Don't let Remy's snarky attitude get to you." Charlie said moving beside him.
"When it comes to slaying demons I shan't let anything stop me."
"Good," Charlie called back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dropship Pt2
The street was littered with human bodies from the ambush. It had been a surprise, and Charlie felt highly annoyed. That last move to jump from the balcony hit a little too close to home, like the aliens were adapting by stealing tactics they'd seen used on them. Charlie paused next to a female corpse. Her weapons were gone, but at its shoulder, the radio was squawking. He bent and stole the equipment from the dead player, because she'd respawn with a new one anyway. The squad turned towards the Marina as Charlie played with his new toy. He turned the channels back and forth, and listened in.
"Roth on 9th and Jackson, waiting in ambush."
[Click]
"Travis you stupid motherfu—"
[Click]
"Shee’t, did these guys rank up overnight?" Someone asked, and Charlie flicked the channel again.
"Move to West Anaheim Street; the aliens have destroyed the bridge to Ocean Boulevard." A female voice said.
Now, that was useful information. The Los Angeles River cut through Long Beach nearby. The bridges would be natural choke points, and the aliens were making it hard to move around the city. It was a good thing they'd been stopped by this ambush because he'd planned to cross the river near that location.
Los Angeles felt like a war zone, and the aliens were in control. They reached the respawn center after a few minutes of backtracking. The massive wave of soldiers had slowed until a trickle was coming out of the pod doors. Tobias approached one, and it slid open for him. As he stepped inside the pod snapped closed, and lights flashed around the seals. He was gone for maybe ten seconds before it spat Tobias out like something foul tasting. At the bottom of the ramp, the tank verified his weapon was loaded. Satisfied, they turned to leave.
Once past the choke point, Charlie turned to the group directly north and navigated the maze of flooded streets. The trip was made slower by Tobias, but after twenty minutes they reached a battle raging at the bridge. Charlie halted a block down from the fighting to watch. Two players in light armor tried to sprint across the concrete span. All of the cars had been pushed from the bridge into the river below, so there wasn't a sliver of cover to hide behind. Neither man made it more than halfway under the hail of accurate laser fire, and several squads haphazardly fired back on the Roth positions across the street.
"I don't like it," Charlie said mostly to himself. He could take his group further north and hope for an easier crossing, but suspected the highway bridge would be equally protected. It was late summer and water was about half of its usual level. Fording the river under the bridge might be possible. He pointed to a tall billboard next to the street. "Jen get on that and give those aliens something to keep their heads down. Tobias, you'll have to stay here with Jen. Remy and I are going to swim across the river."
Charlie needed to lose some of his gear. He stripped out of his jacket and armor, dropping them to the ground. Remy whistled at him as Charlie tugged his shoes and pants off.
"That's what I like to see," Remy said eyeing him. Charlie ignored the comment as he refastened the holster to his thigh and stuffed Elva inside.
Remy was already dressed for swimming so followed him to the high rocky berm. Behind them, Jen climbed onto the billboard and quickly laid down. She dialed the scope to two hundred meters, which was point-blank range for the fifty caliber rifle she was using. After a few seconds, Jen opened up with a series of loud booms. Charlie rose and ran barefoot to the chain-link fence. He put his hands together waiting for Remy. The schoolgirl dashed to him, and Charlie tossed her over the barrier. Several lasers zipped past as he climbed over himself. There was another boom. Together he and Remy ran down the bank. The water was warm as Charlie hit the river, and he quickly dove under the surface. Remy passed him as she kicked to the bottom. Then pulled herself along using the rocks and sunken cars. He followed the bikini-clad girl through the clear water.
Witnessing Charlie's attempt, other squads rushed to jump in the river. Some dared the bridge again as the aliens were temporarily pinned down. Lasers zipped overhead as the Roth responded, and one or two beams sizzled into the water but quickly dissipated in flashes of steam.
Charlie broke the surface on the other side. Above them, the battle picked up again as both sides fought to control the bridge. Remy popped open her cylinder and reloaded with grenades covered in pictures of clouds. Then fired over the edge, and pink smoke began to fill the street.
They vaulted the next fence, and crept through the haze until they hit the side of a three-story office building. Above them, lasers were firing from the second and third floor. Remy patted him on the back, then pointed to herself, and gestured toward the front of the building. Finally, she poked him and pointed toward a side employee entrance.
Charlie nodded and shuffled along the wall as Remy ran around the side. The employee entrance was kicked open and hanging by a single hinge. Inside powdered milk and creamer covered the coffee lounge. Around the front, a brass bell rang as the customer entrance opened. A white armored alien jumped out
of the supply closet and aimed it’s weapon down the hallway. Charlie stepped through the door and fired at the young warrior while it's back was turned.
"Captain!" Remy called from inside the lobby.
Charlie ran forward to the lounge door. There was a short hallway with offices on each side. At the end, the captain was standing with legs apart aiming at Remy. Charlie unloaded the M16 at it's back, but his bullets only dug grooves into the armor like he was chipping paint. Two magnum rounds hit the captain in the helmet sending out sparks, before it fired into the lobby. The beam cut apart the reception desk, and Remy burned in a flash of energy.
A wave of superheated air hit Charlie in the face as he ran forward. His lungs burned, but he transitioned to his pistol in a single fluid motion. Elva was cold to the touch and still wet from the trip through the river. Charlie slid to a stop behind the giant armor. He hadn't realized just how tall the Captains were from afar. This one was a few inches over seven feet. On its back was a rounded pack of equipment that powered the suit and filtered the oxygen out of the air. There were small vents dotted around, and he shoved his pistol into a random one. He pulled the trigger and Elva went off with a muffled pop.
The creature spun ponderously knocking Charlie into the supervisor's office and he landed on a desk. Behind him the towering captain dropped its laser cannon, and clawed at its blank visor trying to pull it off. With a hiss, the thickly armored helmet felt to the ground.
The alien’s scaled skin was slightly yellowish instead of green, and an intricate black mark was burned into the right side of its face. The creature dragged in a lung full of air and immediately coughed up yellow blood. It staggered sideways crashing through the thin wall into the opposite office. The captain spat more ichor as Charlie retrieved Elva from the ground, then stepped to the side of the large suit, and looked down. The alien coughed again and glanced up with it’s beady golden eyes. Charlie put two rounds into the top of the Roth's head, and the four-fingered hand dropped to the stained carpet. Almost immediately the suit began to bleat like a disgruntled sheep.
He turned and walked into the office lobby, then balked at the stench. Remy's body was a charred corpse. One crispy arm hung in the air, and a black fist was giving the Roth the cheeky finger. Armored boots approached the stairs, and Charlie quickly laid on the ground next to the charred corpse. He pulled the husk of Remy in close as the alien came down the steps. It was suited in green armor and carried a large pulse rifle. Charlie held his breath while the Roth scanned the lobby.
On the landing, it aimed down the hallway to the lounge. Charlie raised the 1911 and fired what was left of the mag, and holes appeared across its green armored side. The creature jerked, rolled down the stairs, and slid to a stop at the bottom. Immediately it began to bleep that annoying SOS and another pair of armored boots pounded the floor above him. Charlie rolled to his feet and ran for the laser rifle on the ground. It was heavy, but he managed to aim it up the stairs. The last alien had orange armor on and was carrying a new type of laser weapon. It was five feet long with a thick square scope on top.
They both fired. Charlie's weapon let out a whine, and three beams shot from the end. His laser bolts hit the Roth in the chest, and it’s armor plates sagged in. The sniper's tightly focused laser sliced past his right side and burned a long streak in the carpet. Then it fell over the staircase railing, and slammed into the bottom floor. The alien weapon in Charlie’s hands grew warm as the beeping reached a climax. He tossed the alien laser away, but it exploded showering him with bits of hot metal.
Welp, that was it. He had a few rounds left in his pistol, but Fara was empty and dangled on the sling across his chest. The brass bell jingled as Charlie pushed from the front entrance. Aliens were still firing on the bridge, but some players were making it across and swarmed the surrounding buildings. Several paused to look at him standing outside in his boxers, and covered in blood. Tobias and Jen crossed the bridge after another ten minutes. The sniper held out his clothes, which he took.
"Remy dead?"
"She's smart enough to catch up, so we will wait for her," Charlie grunted, pulling on his pants and shoes.
He tore the white shirt into four large pieces to use as bandages and tied them crudely around his stomach. Then he tugged on the armor and green jacket. Tobias kept watch nearby, while Jen scanned the road to the east. The radio was squawking again with traffic, but most of it was about the Anaheim bridge. Charlie clipped the speaker to his lapel, then took the time to reload.
Remy joined them as he finished up. The teal haired elementary school girl trotted across the bridge with a fresh bandolier of grenades. Together, they headed north past the warehouses, then east toward Hilltop Park, but they took their time securing each intersection. Charlie learned the hard way that the aliens loved ambushes.
Upper-middle-class houses lined the winding path up the hill. After an hour they finally made the summit. All but Tobias crawled across the overgrown grass to the edge of the park, and Charlie parted the hedgerow to peek through. About half a kilometer to the south the Roth Dropship sat like an engorged blood tick upon the track field. Respawning soldiers ran down the ramp in small groups and dispersed into the city.
Jennifer pushed her rifle through the thick bush, and used the 15x scope to scan the field. "There are defenses. Cables are running from the ship to two fixed emplacements."
She pointed with her hand. On either side of the park, the Roth had constructed a high platform, and heavy cannons were mounted in armored positions. Black cables ran across the ground to each. Only one turret was visible from this angle, but the fact the dropship was powering them was a little worrying.
The urban fighting spread out along six blocks south and east of the ship. Charlie could see smoke from an explosion and lasers shooting between the buildings. Automatic gunfire continuously raged like the buzzing of angry hornets, and he wasn't interested in sticking his nose into that nest. After about two hours, the Roth stopped running out into the city. Instead, a horde gathered outside of the ship on the field.
Jen watched them through her scope. "Twelve hundred and some change," she said after the Roth finally stopped coming out. As one body they moved directly west toward the Marina. Charlie turned the radio back on and repeated her words.
"Now might be a good time to attack the dropship, while the aliens are moving out." He suggested.
"Ok, everyone push hard, and get to the field." A Female voice replied back.
Charlie turned to their sniper and asked, "Jen, can you take out the fixed gun?"
"I might be able to kill a crew-member, but they’ll just replace them. The weapon armor is thick, so it may be easier to hit the cables. They're six or so inches in diameter, so maybe… I could hit them." Jen said hesitantly. She pulled a piece of paper out of her magazine pouch. On it was a list of numbers, which Jennifer double checked. Then she dialed up the elevation knob on her 15x scope.
"Take your time."
Jen snuggled up to the weapon and put her cheek against the pad. Slowly she took aim, let out her breath and held it for two seconds, then squeezed the trigger. The M107 fired with a massive boom. The impact was visible as a spray of dust several feet below the cable.
"Way low," she muttered and dialed the knob six more clicks.
Charlie could only watch with his naked eye as she fired again. From the field, a dark beam of red energy lanced out and struck the house just below them. The wall burned through in a second filling the air with smoke. Jen let out her breath, focused on her sight alignment, and fired again.
"Fuck, so close." She hissed as dust kicked up inches shy of the cable. The cannon picked another house nearby and started cutting it up. The Barrett M107 bucked as Jen fired two more shots, and she reloaded with a fresh magazine.
"Not to rush you, but the Roth are running out of houses to shoot," Remy said from nearby. There was a loud crackle of burning air as a beam sliced the top off a palm tree ten meters away. The flaming fron
ds caught the dry grass under the tree on fire.
Jen let out a long breath to steady her nerves and settled her cheek against the padded stock. She squeezed the trigger slowly until the weapon thundered. The round sailed through the air leaving a long wake. Half a kilometer downrange the thin black thread snapped apart, and one end flailed turning the sand into glass.
"Good job! Now the second one, before we get off this burning hilltop." Charlie said slapping the sniper on the shoulder. She shifted to aim at the second cable, and thankfully, this emplacement couldn't shoot back. Jen quickly blew the wire apart with a few more shots.
The silenced guns were the signal the players had been waiting for. The surrounding blocks lit up in battle. The dry hilltop was ablaze as they ran down the slope. Charlie's squad pushed south on the field along with twenty others, and he sprinted for the back of the dropship.
