by Noah Barnett
Grace gasped, covering her mouth and looked away. Gadreel said a quick prayer for the poor souls, while Sebastian and Missy both turned green around the gills. None of the corpses stood or moved from where they lay. Fara felt a little sick herself but glanced south again. At the small airport, the surviving men gathered, though they had only the equipment they dropped with. Fighters zipped past in a second flyover targeting parked cargo planes and single engine Cessnas. The fuel storage went up in a billow of black smoke, and the few remaining helicopters were cut apart as the crews jumped from them.
The lumbering dropship approached the island under heavy escort. It slowed skewing to the side as it moved over the quiet town of Longyearbyen. Other human players must have spawned there for gunfire erupted from the streets licking across the armored underbelly. In response, drop-pods released like diseased ticks.
"You guys won't win if that ship lands. They'll get to respawn as often as they like."
"How do we stop it?" Fara asked. The others looked at her with querulous expressions.
"The cannon on the tank below might have survived the fall. It's a small chance, but it's better than just watching the aliens land uncontested."
Fara didn't like the idea of moving away from the vault, but she couldn't think of a better plan. At the very least the tank made for better cover than anything near the bunker. Just down the slope, the wreck was visible. It had landed right side up, which was a miracle in its own right.
"Let's check that out," she said leading the way.
The loose stones were treacherous, and before long, she skidded into the impact crater. The others followed her down in a small avalanche.
The treads were a complete write-off, and most of the ablative plates had been torn free. Underneath however, the body seemed relatively intact. The turret had been locked in position, so the cannon's barrel still looked pristine. Fara climbed onto the tank, found the main hatch, and was grateful to discover the inside empty. Grace and Missy both shouldered their weapons and mounted the tan colored vehicle. Sebastian set his rifle on the rocky ground and laid down prone, while Gadreel stood by the edge of the pit.
Fara climbed inside and sat in the first seat. Grace entered next and slid down past the breach face to sit in the loader's chair. Missy wiggled in with some difficulty, and crammed herself into the gunner's seat. There were knobs, switches, and dials everywhere. Next to Fara was a small computer screen and keypad. She flicked the cover off a turn key and activated it. A green light flashed, and power came on in the tank. She had no idea what she was doing, but her hand automatically flicked several more switches. Pumps sprang to life circulating air and diesel into the engine.
While she did this Grace yanked open the breach of the loader. Inside was a safety plug which she pulled free. Then the woman unlocked the first ammo storage and withdrew a large shell. She shoved it inside the weapon, snapped the face closed, and locked it. As if against her own will she raised a hand and slapped Missy on the thigh.
"I do declare, HE rounded loaded… I don't know what HE means, but it's loaded." She shouted with a strange expression on her face.
Fara's hand hovered over a final button, because starting the tank would get the Roth's attention. The thought of bringing the aliens toward them made her mouth dry, but she forced herself to press down, and the engine slowly turned over. As it did the rest of the lights inside went active.
"I have feed," Missy said and grabbed the joystick next to her. Fara placed her eyes against a short periscope. It swiveled as she looked around. The dropship finished disgorging it’s payload of soldiers, and turned toward the airfield searching for a flat place to set down. A compass was at the top of the display, and Fara red off the direction.
"Target at 33 degrees," Fara called. Quickly the tank's turret spun facing toward the town. It actuated upwards as Missy started to track the vessel.
"I have good target," Missy called.
"Fire at will," Fara said covering her ears.
The tank belched flame as the cannon fired creating a massive wash of snow and dust. A glowing dot flew almost two kilometers toward the ponderously moving ship, and exploded against the dropship's right side. It wobbled slightly but continued forward minus a considerable chunk of armor. Unfortunately, the attack brought upon the notice of two escorting fighters, who immediately turned in their direction.
"Negative effect!" Missy called.
"Switch to AT rounds," Fara said as Grace unlocked the breech face. She yanked down on the loader, and the spent shell slid free landing with a clang.
Outside the fighters were screaming toward their position. Twin bolts of energy slid along the edge of the pit instantly melting the snow and ice. Gadreel braced herself against the tank and raised her weapon. The Gatling Cannon spun up for a second before a rain of bullets sprayed upward. In the night sky, the hot rounds were easy to track with the naked eye. She raised the spray into the path of an oncoming fighter, which slid into the hail of projectiles, and was torn apart like food in a blender. What was left tumbled from the sky.
Sebastian joined her in trying to ward off the fighters. He raised up to his knees and shouldered the M107. He tracked the second interceptor as it turned away from Gadreel's deadly aim. Slowly it spiraled skyward seeking a height advantage. Then it flipped to aim down upon them, and Sebastian fired almost directly upward. It connected with the fighter’s wing tip, snapping it off. Immediately the craft spun crazily as its control thrusters overcompensated. The Roth pilot fought to pull out of its earthward dive, but in a twist of fate, the aircraft slammed into the ground almost directly next to the downed Chinook.
"Fighters clear… for now," Sebastian said.
"AT loaded," Grace called slapping Missy on the thigh again.
Missy pressed her face to the sight feed and minutely inched the turret to the left. The cannon fired again at a dropship that seemed considerably closer. The armor piercing round punched through the middle thruster, and into the ship's internals. Highly flammable space fuel exploded making the massive vessel lurch. However, it didn't go down, as the other five thrusters compensated for the loss. Grace yanked open the breach and reloaded again as the ship tried to gain altitude. Without fighter cover, it was now just as vulnerable to Fara, as the helicopters had been to them.
"Aim at another thruster."
"You're joking right?!" Missy asked looking up at Fara. "I was just trying to hit them," she added.
"Well, hit them again... in another thruster," Fara replied pushing Missy back toward the camera feed. The Roth dropship warbled as it rose skyward. Grace slapped Missy's thigh again. The M1 Abrams turret skewed left and rose as it tracked the dropship. The girl fingered the joystick, sending another AT round skyward which just barely clipped the last engine. Fuel sprayed from the damage before exploding. The ship spun, dancing like a toddler high on sugar. Suddenly it flipped over on its back and came crashing down near the airport. The command deck crumpled in as the remaining thrusters were twisted off.
"Good job!" Fara said thumping Missy on the back.
"The demon craft is down, should we capture it, as Tobias did?" Gadreel called from outside.
"No, the objective was to defend the Seed Vault. We are the only ones defending the entrance, so we'll have to leave the dropship to someone else." Fara said and pulled free of the tank.
Down below the surviving men were converging on the alien wreck. Small lasers could be seen shooting out from damaged parts in the hull. However, It was in town that the fighting was most prevalent. Several thousand Roth tried to pull back to the downed Dropship.
"Load HE, and target the larger groups of Roth," Fara said climbing free. The angel was standing at the edge of the pit looking down toward the airport.
"How is your ammo?" Fara asked Gadreel.
"I have only seconds left," she admitted.
"Return to the bunker; the Roth will advance on us soon."
"I wish to remain with you," Gadreel said.
<
br /> "Your weapon is already low on ammo, but when the Roth breach the vault, they'll be concentrated in the hallway," Fara said pointing back up the hill. The angel clumsily climbed the slippery shale with her heavy weapon, and disappeared over the edge.
Missy fired toward the town. The glowing shell exploded amid a group of lanky armor, and pieces went flying. Sebastian was like a white colored rock next to the pit. He lay on the ground entirely focused on the approaching enemy. His M107 fired, and a much smaller dot shot into the night toward town. More than a kilometer away a soldier's head vanished, but at this distance, Fara could only see a tiny figure falling to the ground.
"Take out the Captain's if you can. They'll have the biggest weapons."
"Yes, Sir!"
Fara certainly wasn’t a sir, but she’d forgive the man. The Roth made two blobs. The majority moved toward the airfield, but several hundred were headed in Fara's direction. Players in the city were just starting to push them from behind.
Both Sebastian and the tank continued to fire on the approaching horde, but most had scattered, making them much more difficult targets. The leading troops were less than six hundred meters away. Fara climbed the steep shale pit and lay down next to an outcropping of rocks. She waited a while longer with the M16 tucked into her shoulder.
“We are going to die,” Fara thought. It came to her unbidden, and unwanted making her heart suddenly pound. Fear filled Fara’s belly like battery acid, and she fought the strange urge to retch.
"I'm very proud of you," Charlie said hearing her heart thunder.
"What?"
"I said, I am proud of you. Keep up the good work, and I'll make the bite later gentle."
“Ass,” she muttered but smiled. Fara was going to suck Charlie's blood tonight. Even if he did bite her back, it would be worth it. Just the thought of seeing his pained expression made her a little horny.
A Roth soldier crested the rocks two hundred meters away, and Sebastian fired. The bullet split its chest open and knocked the alien back down the hill. Six more ran over the crest toward them.
Thankfully the alien weapons did considerably less damage at range. The thick air dispersed the red beams making them virtually useless past two hundred meters. Several such beams slashed into the snow nearby and did little more than melt a puddle. Fara fired once at a soldier who was standing still, and the bullet punched into its thigh knocking the alien over. The tank fired one last shell into a group. Several aliens were blasted into pieces and yellow gore rained down over the snow.
"We'll need to pull back. Grace, move to the vault doors under our cover." Fara yelled. The woman clutched her musket and ran up the pit slope. Missy took a position near Sebastian before spamming grenades at the ridge line.
"Save your grenades for inside, and move once Grace takes up position."
Sebastian was a machine. He ignored the lasers zipping past him as he slid another magazine into the well. Reaching forward he charged the weapon and continued to fire. Dozens of Roth were close enough to shout at, but he mechanically fired on them. Fara joined in by quickly firing bursts from the M16. After reloading her grenades, Missy scrambled past Fara toward the Vault with an expression close to panic on her face.
"Sebastian—"
"I am running low on ammo, so I will stay." He said dropping the next mag and reloaded. His rifle wouldn't be much use in the hallway. It rankled Fara, but she had to move. From up the hill, a musket fired filling the night with smoke. A young alien soldier dropped to the ground kicking as it's right shoulder went missing. Fara discharged her clip then stood and sprinted for the vault doors. Lasers raced after her as she scrambled up the short incline.
Grace was just finishing her reload as Fara reached her. The weapon had found a small depression next to the door, and Fara looked around for the same sort of protection. Ten feet away was a second deeper foxhole, and she dove for it. The musket fired again, before Grace suddenly giggled.
"How dare you make me laugh, Monty. I'm trying to fight." Grace said lowering the musket to reload. Her fingers deftly withdrew powder, patch, and ball like she’d done it a million times before.
Fara took the chance to reload her own weapon. Her heart rate was pounding in her ears as she aimed at the approaching Roth. Fara unleashed a long spray into the rushing troops. Six or seven soldiers slammed into the ground in a shower of yellow blood, and the ones behind slowed to return fire.
"Quiet Monty, the girls are at work," Grace said in a sharp voice. She lifted her musket aiming at a closing enemy. A pulse of three lasers hit her shoulder and neck. The woman remained upright long enough to fire back, and the ball slammed into the creature's stomach doubling it over. Fara reloaded as the other woman slouched. She ran forward hosing the area ahead of her to reach Grace, then grabbed the woman by her collar, and dragged her inside.
Lasers skidded off the concrete and metal doors as it slid closed. Grace was still alive, if only barely. Blood flowed from her wound, but she dutifully continued to reload.
"You should go in further," Grace said weakly. Fara ignored her statement, dragging the woman toward the airlock. As the metal entrance opened, Grace fired. The ball caught the creature in the visor, splitting its head open, and knocking it backward. Fara took the chance to pull her wounded comrade inside the second airlock.
"I can't feel my hands anymore. Is this what's it like to die, Monty?" The woman asked. The musket dragged along behind her, and smiled wanly to something the Monty said.
"I'm sorry for slapping you. I'm so tired—"
The woman relaxed as her eyes closed. Fara turned and pushed the second airlock door closed. She didn't want to see Grace’s body harmed more than necessary. Both Gadreel and Missy were already aiming weapons at the door.
She let go of Grace near Gadreel, who stood closest to the airlock with her heavy armor. Missy was further down the hall near the actual vaults. Fara moved to put herself halfway between them. There was no point in retreating any further. If the seed vaults were breached, the objective would be lost, so she knelt reloading with one of the few remaining magazines left. The two others she laid on the floor next to her.
From the airlock, there was a loud banging. Gadreel set her feet and spun her barrels up to speed. A Roth opened the door revealing several squads of soldiers were already inside the bunker. The Gau 19-B fired for a little over a second, and a mere forty-two rounds cut through the metal door, but it was a slaughter. Ten or twelve aliens were sent back to their respawn—if it was still active.
Laser fire finally started punching through the metal airlock in return. Gadreel, empty of rounds spread her arms wide to cover her comrades, while Fara slowly fired her weapon one shot at a time. The door opened, and she put a bullet into the soldier’s mask. It's body wedged the airlock open, and Fara dropped the magazine to reload. The next few seconds saw a dozen lasers hitting Gadreel. The Angel withstood the assault until her knees buckled, and she collapsed.
A small carbine laser burned a line across Fara’s right thigh. She winced. It wasn't the worst pain she'd experienced, but it was close. Fara unconsciously emptied her mag as another laser hit her stomach, and she fell backward onto the concrete. Struggling against the pain, she grabbed the last magazine laying on the ground and reloaded. She was past aiming now, and just held the trigger down spraying bullets into the doorway.
Suddenly exhausted, Fara slumped backward. The airlock contained more corpses than soldiers, and they struggled over them to get inside. Missy waited until they'd clawed free of the blender, then sent grenades skipping up the hallway and into the new crowd. Fara watched in almost detached interest as yellow blood coated the ice-covered walls. As darkness closed on Fara, she thought she could hear gunfire from outside. For nearly a minute nothing happened. Charlie too floated in the dark void, and wondered how things turned out.
[Event Complete]
A door opened before Charlie. He stepped out to see the girls hugging Fara between them, while she feigned
annoyance at the praise. Something was in Charlie’s hand, and he looked down to discover a Golden Ticket.
[One Free Ride to Space]
[Return here with the ticket in your possession on Saturday the 4th]
[A special event will begin at noon, but please arrive early]
Charlie had to admit, that was an impossible task Fara had completed. With it, she'd earned him a place at another special event. Saturday would be in about five days, and he was going to fuck the hell out of that girl. He tucked the thick foil ticket into his shirt pocket carefully, then bowled into the cluster of weapons. Charlie grabbed Fara by the hips and lifted her up.
"You’ll get what you want tonight!" Charlie said spinning her around.
"You'll let me bite you?" She asked, blood already flushing her face.
"Anywhere," Charlie agreed. Fara's eyes crossed and started to glow as her processing center went into overdrive. Drool slipped from the corner of her mouth as the scenarios grew more and more vivid. Charlie laughed at her expression.
