The New World: Crimson Winter

by Andy Skrzynski

  Zo’s heart sunk. Though Caru had warned him, he never imagined facing so many aliens.

  To the north, a flock of pterodactyl mutants darkened the sky. His brother’s precious pterror-rexes slashed and tore into clickers near the base of the mountain. Encouraged by their tenacity, his eyes remained glued on Gno’s inventions, but before they could slow the wave of attackers, they too grew sluggish from the cold and tumbled to the ground.

  Wherever Zo looked, different forms of denamods attacked with voracious appetites, but their foes fought back with far greater numbers and were more vicious than his own creations. Within minutes, he knew his mutants’ battle was swiftly coming to an end. While a few wolverine-skunks and raccoon-polecats continued spraying attackers, most of the denamods had already succumbed to their cause of antagonizing the aliens for as long as possible.

  He drew a deep breath of the frosty air. They had no chance — way too many clickers.

  Years of sacrifice and hard work vanished before his eyes. Zo’s heart sunk further.

  As he squeezed Vra’s palm, someone screamed. “Look, aliens are gaining on us.”

  Startled, Zo scanned the area. Two six-legged monsters galloped behind Terminator.

  He banged on the hatch. “Faster down there! We’ve got company on our tail!”

  Fear filled Vra’s eyes as she repeatedly pressed Teli’s face on her Halo Watch. She kept scanning the skies. “Where is he?”

  One of the clickers leapt in the air as the engine roared. Opening its jaws wide, the vicious creature extended its claws.

  Zo yanked his sister from the edge closest to the monster and protected her with his body. While they clung to the deck, he turned his head and looked behind him.

  Several green lasers streamed from above, and the clickers tumbled across the ground in a trail of dust. A voice blared overhead. “Vra, are you okay?”

  She perked up and yelled. “Is that you, Teli? What took so long?”

  “Of course, it’s me. I got here as fast as I could, but I gotta run. There’s a lot more aliens coming!”

  Waving, she mouthed, “thank you,” as the drone banked and flew toward the mountains. A little later, the armored vehicle’s engine quieted and stopped near Quaker.

  Zo slowly rose and observed the action. Archers and drones fired at clickers from several locations on the battlefield.

  In the distance, another armored vehicle flung a huge ball of energy, releasing what looked like fingers of lightning as it soared through the air. When it struck the cliffs, a wide web of electrical charges shot in all directions leaving a swath of charred, smoldering bodies.

  Storm joined him. “That’s Slayer with the new Hurler we added. Pretty impressive, huh?”

  “Never seen anything like it, but I could say that about a lot I’ve seen today.” While he continued to watch the action, a young man popped out of Terminator’s cabin and leapt off the deck. He raced to Hoot, clutched her in his arms, and planted a big kiss on her lips.

  Storm’s eyes rolled as he mumbled. “Young love.” He shook his head and sighed.

  As the romantic warrior raced back, Zo recognized something familiar. “Is that?”

  Storm chuckled. “Yep, that’s Hound Dog, kissing my daughter. Not exactly thrilled about it, but who’s to get in the way of a daughter’s wishes?”

  He slid his sunglasses from the top of his head to the bridge of his nose. “Well, we better get moving. There’s a battle calling.”

  As the muscular Uke disappeared down the hole, Zo watched the war raging across the mountains. Despite the heavy attacks from so many sources and all the advanced weapons, the never-ending onslaught of aliens continued to race down the slopes.

  Dread gripped his heart as he looked at Vra and shook his head. “There’s too many.”

  She tugged his arm. “Then, come on! Let’s get Quaker up and running and show them what we got!”

  After hopping off, he spotted Hoot and the androids waiting next to his masterpiece. This thing better work after that crazy robot made so many changes.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Quaker Blaster

  Beside Quaker

  Anxious to see if the modified machine still worked, Zo motioned at the drones to place the Quaker Blaster a little closer to the base of the mountains. He looked at Andralec. “I hope you know what you’re doing. It doesn’t look good out there. Everybody’s getting worried.”

  Hoot nodded. “I hate to say it, but I agree. The aliens keep coming no matter what we throw at them.”

  The android shot a scowl. “We’ve got a task to do, so I suggest we set up here and get started.”

  With his machine in position, Zo waved off the drones. They began firing at snatchers as they sped toward the slopes.

  Vra screamed. “Duck! A denamod!”

  Everybody but the precocious robot crouched as a stray fox-owl swooped from above. Andralec continued to look straight ahead as she spoke with a calm tone. “Don’t worry, Croaker’s got our backs.”

  After circling overhead, the fierce denamod dove again. The android’s pet frog nestled itself on her shoulder as the monster closed to within 50 yards.

  Croaker blinked, and two thin lasers struck the winged attacker. Flames engulfed its eyes while it flailed for a moment, then plopped to the ground in a motionless heap.

  Her purple-tufted brother petted the mechanical frog’s tiny noggin with his finger. “You beat me to it this time, but don’t let it go to your head.” The cocky pet flicked its tongue at Havoc.

  Skeeter’s urgent voice flew from a speaker in Andralec’s chest. “That was too close. I’m moving one of my drones overhead, but I have to keep one closer to home. We’ve spotted movement in Porcupine Forest.”

  Hoot hollered. “What do you mean by movement?”

  “Teli and I have spotted a large cluster of heat signatures. It looks like aliens are slowly moving toward Ukkiville.”

  Storm’s voice boomed over the waves. “Skeeter, you and Teli need to protect the village with all your drones. That’s your top priority. Wolfuk, it’s time for Slayer to return home. The rest of us will try to hold them off near the mountains.”

  The Master of Arms immediately responded. “On my way. I’ll give you an update shortly.”

  Skeeter replied in a sad tone. “Yes, Pa, I understand, but….”

  “No buts about it, young man. You’re doing great. Now, keep Ukkiville safe!”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Hoot tried to cheer him. “Hey, Little Brother, how many drones you flying? Are you using the headband?”

  His spirit seemed to lighten. “Just two drones. When I tried a third, I almost crashed them all; and no, I’m communicating with Brain Meld through my noggin, like Angella taught us.”

  The robot looked at the craft hovering above. “Thank you, buddy. Don’t worry about me. Croaker’s watching out for us. You’re doing wonderful!”

  “Stay safe, Angella, and you too, Hoot. Gotta run.”

  Zo wrinkled his brow. Who is Angella?

  As he watched the drone head toward Ukkiville and shoot a couple of aliens along the way, he looked at Hoot. “Your brother sure has spunk. How old is he?”

  “Almost 11, but he likes to think he’s 21.”

  Andralec scoffed. “Enough of the jabber, we’ve got to get Quaker up and running.”

  Zo lifted the cover of the control panel and looked at the android. “Okay, show me how this thing works.”

  “In due time. Tiger, give me the coordinates of the nearest Halo Gatherer.”

  While Zo watched the mechanical humanoid, he kept an eye on the battle. “Hurry, more aliens are penetrating the front-line!”

  After obtaining the satellite position and booting Quaker, Andralec pressed an icon on the screen labeled “Receiver.”

  She gently pushed against Zo’s chest with her hand. “You might want to step back.”

  The bossy robot glanced at Vra and Hoot. “All of you.”

  Zo�
��s scalp started to tingle as a huge four-foot column of energy shot from the clouds into the tube on top of his treasured machine. Leaping back, he gawked at the yellowish-orange tower swirling like a tornado’s funnel.

  “What in the world?” A deafening hum, emanating from the electromagnetic charges, drowned his words.

  A devilish smile creased Andralec’s wine-colored lips. “The sun’s power is impressive, isn’t it.”

  She carefully placed a headband around his skull and over his ears. “This Brain Meld gear reads your mind’s waves. Just think what you want Quaker Blaster to do, and she will follow your brain’s instructions.”

  The android looked him straight in the eye. “Be warned. Don’t let your thoughts wander from the task at hand. I’ll get it started and show you how it works.”

  She glanced up. “Attention all drones. Quaker is about to scorch the middle elevation of the mountains. Clear the zone immediately.”

  Hoot gulped and hollered. “Slasher, return! Hurry!”

  Her eagle streaked across the sky. When it neared, she motioned to her left and yelled. “Stay out of the way!” After her magnificent bird reached a safer area, she nodded, and Andralec pressed an icon labeled ‘Blast.’

  The massive machine redirected the sun’s energy beam out through an array of black tubes extending from the front. Super-heated columns of flames torched everything along a rocky ridge as it slowly swept from left to right.

  Horrifying screeches filled the canyon as hundreds of seared clickers writhed in agony for a moment before their charred bodies collapsed into a pile of glowing ash. Zo’s jaw flopped open.

  As Andralec continued her destruction, several more moletrans lit up the mountains. While new clickers joined the charge, some of the older ones fled up the cliffs. A handful of larger aliens joined the leaders near the top and greeted those who retreated by ripping them to shreds.

  She looked at Hoot. “Do you want to use your mind control for a minute before Zo gets his hands on it?”

  Hoot’s smile filled her face. “You bet I do.”

  “Okay, concentrate on telling it where to go and move it across the slopes, like I did. Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll release the controls.”

  The young woman stared at the mountains for a moment, then nodded. “Ready.”

  The movement of the fiery blast slowed to a stop, but when she focused her mind harder, it proceeded along the same path. In an excited voice, Hoot exclaimed. “I think I’ve got it.”

  She turned her head slightly toward Andralec, and the blaster’s flames jerked to the left along the southern ridge, setting a stand of pines ablaze. “Oops, sorry about that. I see what you mean about concentrating.”

  The android chuckled. “That’s okay. You did fine. I’ve got the controls now.”

  She looked at Havoc. “Do you want to try?”

  Her brother chuckled. “Nah, whatever you can do, I can….”

  She stuck her palm in front of his face. “Don’t even go there.”

  Hoot smirked. “I guess she told you.”

  Seemingly undaunted, Andralec continued to torch the monsters. “Come on, let’s keep our focus on the aliens.”

  She stopped and looked at Zo. “It’s your turn. You ready to take over? The clickers have gained momentum. Havoc and I can serve the cause better at higher elevations. We’re going to eliminate their leaders at the top.”

  Unsure at first, he nodded. “Okay, if you think I’m ready.”

  She peered at him. “Just do it and remember, don’t think about anything except where you want the blaster to go. When you’re done and ready to stop, simply tell it to shut down. Got it?”

  “I hope so.” He focused his mind on moving the flames of terror and followed its track. After scorching the mountainside for a few seconds, he yelled. “How do you like Earth now, suckers? The sun’s fury doesn’t taste so good, does it?”

  Hoot chuckled. “Leave a few for the rest of us. Vra, why don’t you hang around and make sure your brother doesn’t get into trouble. I’m going with Robo Woman.”

  Andralec leaned toward Zo and whispered in his ear. “You’re doing great. We’re taking off.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Annihilation

  The Battlefield

  Hoot jogged and kept pace with the androids as they moved closer to the mountains for a better view. The wave of aliens racing down the slopes triggered the stupid nightmare she shared with Snatcher at the Skalag cave. Please, Lord, don’t let this dream come true.

  Searching for her pet, she found him circling at a safe distance from Quaker’s flames. She looked at the robot. “Why do you two have to go after the big ones? Why didn’t you torch them with Blaster?”

  “I tried, but they moved back from the ridge whenever I got close.”

  “What about the drones?”

  The android pointed to the cliffs. “Look out there, everybody’s busy. Havoc and I can take them out in no time.”

  “How you gonna get up the rocky slopes?”

  “You ask too many questions. Just watch!”

  Wolfuk’s concerned voice blared through Hoot’s headband. “Thoruk! Storm! There’s more than 200 aliens on the eastern edge of Porcupine Forest with more joining them from the rear. It looks like they’re staging to attack Ukkiville.”

  Thoruk replied. “Stay put and keep an eye on them. If they advance, do the best you can and let us know if you need help. Teli and Skeeter, be ready to support him with everything you’ve got!”

  While the background chatter continued, Andralec turned toward Havoc. “Are you ready?”

  The purple-haired robot moved next to his sister. “I can’t wait for my chance to eliminate a few of those aliens. I’m prepared for takeoff.”

  Hoot scrunched her nose. Takeoff?

  Andralec looked at the cliffs of Erik the Red. “Alert, everybody! Havoc and I are headed for the mountains to dispose of the leaders. Do not shoot at us!”

  Skeeter’s concerned voice shot over the waves. “Angella, you better not get hurt!”

  “Don’t worry, there is less than a 2% chance of either of us being damaged if we keep our distance.”

  “Maybe so, but I still wish you wouldn’t go.”

  “We’ll be fine, Skeeter.” Standing firm with her arms to her sides, Andralec glanced at Havoc. “Let’s get them.”

  She turned and stared at Hoot. “You better step back.”

  A loud gurgling noise rose from both robots’ legs while a gush of liquid and bubbles blasted from the bottom of their feet. They slowly floated upward.

  Hoot’s eyes bulged as she watched in amazement. Brutish, they can fly! That brother of mine, he never mentioned that!

  Though she bore plenty of doubts about Andralec, the mechanical wonder’s take-charge spunk downright impressed her. After the androids rose more than 10 yards, a powerful blast of spray and bubbles exploded from their feet, quickly propelling them toward the mountainside.

  Andralec flew a direct route while Havoc zig-zagged his way up the rough terrain. He swooped low and antagonized the aliens by hooting and hollering like a maniac.

  When one of the monsters leapt at him, he grabbed it with one hand and ripped its head off with the other. The killer robot repeated the technique several times, creating chaos among the hordes as they scattered to avoid his wrath.

  Hoot gawked in utter amazement at the android’s tenacity. Now I see how he got his name.

  While he and his sister continued further up the slopes, green lasers streamed from their eyes and extended fingers, killing several monsters along the way.

  Encouraged by the ease at which both androids terminated the aliens along their paths, Hoot fired a barrage of reapers, two at a time. After killing three snatchers, she glanced back at the airborne robots. Good luck up there.

  Airspace Over Erik the Red

  Harboring no fear of the aliens, Andralec grew annoyed at their persistence. She’d rather usher the Ukes and
Skalags into the new world than to mess with pesky creatures from some other planet. We’ve got to stop them before this gets out of control!

  She halted her lasers for a moment and searched the ridge. The biggest of the snatchers stood tall where she last spotted them.

  Her pet pounded on the compartment door above her waist. She pleaded. “Stay put, Croaker. You’re safer in there.”

  A moment later, her brother shot past her. What’s gotten into him?

  His childish antics quickly exceeded her programmed limits for patience and forgiveness. Perhaps, he’s been around Storm too much these past couple of days? That human seems awfully immature for his age.

  When her brother flew further ahead, she yelled. “Not so fast. You’re getting too close!”

  Noticing the aggressive android, two of the large alien leaders galloped and leapt off the cliff.

  While firing her paired lasers, she hollered. “Havoc, watch out!”

  She struck one of the snatchers, and it fell to the earth, snapping its spine across a boulder. Before her brother could react, the other landed on his back. While wrestling with the heavy beast, he quickly lost altitude and began to tumble out of control.

  Andralec activated her boosters and accelerated toward her brother. While closing on him, she tried to lock on the monster, but they spun so fast, she failed to find a clean shot.

  Havoc’s arm extended to twice its usual length as he clutched the snatcher by the chest and squeezed tight. While the alien squealed in pain, her brother’s fingers of his free hand grew longer and sharper.

  Plunging his hand deep into the alien’s chest, he ripped out both hearts with most of its arteries still dangling from the steamy organ. Copper fluid splattered Havoc’s chest and face while he regained his balance. Just as he began to rise, another snatcher dropped from above and landed on him.

  Havoc reached for it while the monster clawed and chewed at the back of his neck. Immediately, her brother went limp and plummeted.