by Muga, D. M.
Abraham Jackson narrows his gaze and focuses on Ben, and Ben sees him clench his jaw.
“Yes. I'm Captain Abraham Jackson and I did come here… with my fellow Federalists and the Leviathan to usher in a new era of strength and abundance for the human species.” Captain Jackson replies, sternly in a matter-of-fact sort of way.
“That’s a nice line, Abraham. The whole hearts and minds approach, I take it? Did you have that approach with Edwards Air Force, before you dropped a sleeper on them, killing hundreds of thousands?” Ben questions the Captain of the Leviathan.
Abraham Jackson tilts his head in what looks to Ben like confusion and anger.
This guy’s not used to being talked to like this. He definitely doesn’t like not being referred to with his title, Ben thinks as he smiles.
“Sir, they pieced together what the sleepers are and what happened at Edwards. They also know about the disrupted communications. They have a primary member of the SXS Program in the settlement.” Staff Sergeant Mahoney explains.
“That is apparently evident, now… Staff Sergeant.” Captain Jackson says sourly.
Ben hears the clicking of a hammer on a revolver and his Uncle speak. “That’s about enough out of you, Mahoney. Another word or if you reach for your fancy bracelet… you’re about to have a new hole in that head of yours.”
Ben looks over to his Uncle, seeing that he has his revolver pointed at the back of Mahoney’s head.
He then sees movement out of the corner of his eye, to his right, where Burke is.
“No, No… Alicia. Same goes for you. Don’t you dare move.” Eileen says to Burke, in an eerily calm and angry voice.
Ben looks to his right and sees Burke freeze, going for her MECCU, and sees Eileen with her M&P Shield pointed at the back of her head.
Well, looks like we are doing stuff today… Ben thinks as he hears multiple rifles racking and coming to the ready behind him. And it looks like I'm at the head of it all… Well shit, I guess it’s going to be one of those days...
He looks back to Abraham Jackson. “So Abraham… It seems that you have likely committed an act of genocide here on our Earth and that you have come here under false pretenses… with promises of grandeur.”
“To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?” Captain Abraham Jackson replies, without answering the question.
“My name’s Ben Reilly. And I’ve got to say, it doesn't really seem like a pleasure to meet you.” Ben replies, which gets another clench of Abraham Jackson’s jaw.
“And who might your associates be? So that we can have more cordial communications.” Captain Jackson replies.
There’s silence behind Ben and then Mahoney speaks. “The one behind me is Sheriff Steven Reilly. He’s the Sheriff of their settlement.”
“Another word, Mahoney and I will make good on my word. Don’t press your luck. You don’t need to die here today…” Uncle Steven replies with a hardened sound to his voice.
“So, I take it that your avoidance of the question on genocide is confirmation that you committed the heinous crime.” Ben says, pressing the question of genocide onto the Captain again.
“Is this settlement the one that you look after, Sheriff Steven Reilly?” Captain Jackson questions, gesturing toward the area of Big Bear.
This asshat is ignoring me, just to piss me off. This smug son of bitch.
“No, it’s not, Captain Abraham Jackson.” His Uncle replies.
“Then from which settlement do you hail from?” Captain Jackson asks.
His Uncle stays silent and Ben knows why. Giving out that sort of information can put their people’s lives in jeopardy.
Unfortunately, Christian speaks up from behind Ben, “We are from Crestline! Why?!”
This gets a look from Ben over his shoulder and he hears his Uncle swear under his breath, “Shit.”
Dammit Christian!… We’re going to have to have a discussion on OPSEC, if and when we get out of this.
Before Ben realizes what is happening in front of him, Captain Jackson raises his right hand, and his MECCU opens up instantly, with a mechanical arm coming out to the right of it. Within a few seconds, the arm forms into a small cannon, a blue orb forms just outside of the small wrist cannon. He points it in their direction, and the blue orb is there one second and gone the next.
Ben looks to Eileen, with Burke standing in front of her and Eileen still holding a gun to her head. He then looks to his Uncle, who’s holding a gun to Mahoney’s head out in front of him.
Ben watches as a shock wave seems to hit Mahoney, and then he slumps down to the ground.
“My condolences, Sergeant Burke… for Staff Sergeant Mahoney and yourself. I will not have these barbarians speak to me in such a manner, nor will I have these cretins thinking they can best me.”
Burke looks at her fallen fellow Federalist. “Brian! No!” She then looks back at Captain Jackson.
Ben notices she reaches her left hand over to her MECCU, tapping it several times. Eileen doesn't do anything to stop her, likely still in shock from seeing a blue orb just come out of Abraham Jackson’s MECCU.
At that moment, another blue orb forms at the end of Captain Jackson’s wrist cannon, extending from his MECCU. Ben also notices that several other blue orbs appear from the other Federalists’ MECCUs... all pointed at Ben, Eileen, his Uncle, and the rest of them.
“Oh shit!” Ben blurts out.
He sees, out of the corner of his eye, Burke sticking out her hand in a Stop motion.
Ben instinctively pulls out his PX4 Storm but isn’t able to raise it quick enough. Ben’s eyes go wide as he sees the blue orbs flying toward his Uncle, Eileen, Burke, himself, and everyone else behind him.
He cannot look away, and time seems to slow down as the blue orbs reach them... only to stop a few feet in front of them and disperse into a radiant blue wave over and to the side of them.
He blinks, confused as to what’s happening, his sidearm still only halfway raised up to shoot at Abraham Jackson and the other Federalists on the platform.
Everyone else must have been just as confused and shocked, because no one says a word, simply staring in shock and confusion.
He watches as the dispersing blue wave around them gives way to a translucent curved wall, just a few feet in front of them, looking very similar to the shimmering translucent film surrounding Abraham Jackson’s platform. Only with this one starting exactly where Sergeant Alicia Burke’s hand is out in a Stop motion.
What the shit!...
18
Eileen Rivera
Eileen watches as the radiant blue waves hit the translucent shied, bouncing off and dispersing into a wave all around them. She blinks a few times, registering what just happened.
We’re still alive? Eileen thinks as she watches radiant blue waves hit a shimmering barrier that she can only describe as a force field.
She had truly thought they were about to die, and her heart was still beating at a rapid pace.
She looks over to Ben to make sure that he’s still there. She then looks to Steven and then to the body of Mahoney that’s laying on the ground. The body didn’t look like it had any blood pouring from it or any wounds of any kind. In fact, Mahoney looked like he was sleeping in a very awkward position with his eyes closed.
“Is that what a sleeper does? I thought it was a bigger explosion…” Eileen says aloud, not even realizing she was talking.
“No, Eileen. Those are a much smaller version of what sleepers do. We call them dozers and those specific dozers are referred to as IMDs... Now! If you wouldn’t mind, could you start shooting your antique weapons at the maniac that just killed another one of my friends?!” Alicia Burke explains quickly and then shouts at her.
“Wait, what?” Eileen pulls her M&P Shield away from Burke’s head, bringing it down to her side and looking at the translucent field in front of them with blue orbs still hitting it, dispersing bright blue waves everywhere around them, but none of the blue orbs were penetrating the
shimmering shield and hitting them, turning them into sleeping dead versions of themselves.
“What about your force field or whatever it is? Won’t our bullets destroy it?!” Eileen questions, worried about the shimmering shield that’s currently saving their lives.
“No, Eileen. We designed Armor Enclosures for defensive measures with offensive capabilities. Things can’t get in, but things and people can get out. But more importantly, we found out that your antique weapons can damage our Armor Enclosures… over time. Similar to the damage that our IMDs inflict upon our AEs. But your projectiles result in a much more hastened deterioration of our AEs. So, if you don’t mind… start shooting those ancient pieces of iron at those men trying to kill your group and myself!” Alicia Burke explains in a very frustrated and louder voice than she has heard from the small woman.
IMDs? AEs? Projectiles? What on God’s green Earth is this woman talking about?! And wasn’t I just holding a gun up to her head? Why the hell is she helping us?! Eileen thinks and then looks back down at Mahoney’s lifeless body.
::Crack::
::Crack::Crack::Crack::
::Crack::
Eileen jumps from being startled by the gunfire that’s erupting right next to her. She looks to her left and sees Ben and Steven with their rifles pointed toward Captain Jackson and the rest of the men on the platform.
::Crack::
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She watches as Ben and Steven shoot across the fifty-foot gap between themselves and the people trying to kill them. She watches as the bullets go through their side of the force field and hit the other force field, which is encasing the entire platform. After a few seconds she sees that a bright yellow line is starting to form where Ben and Steven are hitting Captain Jackson’s force field.
::Crack::
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She watches as the bright yellow line on the platform's force field becomes bigger and splinters off in different directions. She then notices more yellow lines appearing.
Those are lines… those are cracks… She thinks as she inspects bright yellow lines forming on Captain Jackson’s force field, with the contrast of blue waves hitting their own force field.
“Any day Eileen… you heard Burke! Our bullets have an effect on their force fields or whatever the hell she called them!” Ben shouts at her.
She looks back over at him, as he hits his magazine release and the magazine dropping to the ground. He reaches into the pocket on the front of his vest and pulls another magazine out and slams it into his rifle, and the bolt goes home.
“Hey Burke! Did you guys figure this out about your force fields over at Edwards Air Force Base?! Is that why you guys killed them?!” Ben shouts at her over the gun fire from the others behind her, who have now stepped up next to her and are also firing at the barrier that encases Captain Jackson and the other Federalists.
“Yes, that’s correct. Their reaction enraged Captain Jackson and he utilized one of our last sleepers on that military installation. It was rather rash and wasteful, considering why we are here.” Burke says back in a loud voice.
“I fucking knew it! I knew we couldn’t trust your people!” Ben shouts back.
“Deputy Reilly, you must understand that…” Burke replies.
“Screw that shit! We’ll talk more about what your people are up to, once we get out of this mess! How much longer will your force field last Burke?!” Ben shouts back at her.
She watches as he raises his rifle, aiming back toward Captain Jackson and the others. He then looks back at her.
“Eileen. Wake up! We are still alive, and we are still in this! Get your rifle up and let’s put some hurt into these assholes that are trying to turn us into sleeping dead people!”
She looks at him and then snaps out of her haze. She holsters her M&P shield and then unslings her rifle, clicking off the safety and aiming toward Captain Jackson, directly.
::Crack::
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“Now that’s more like it!” Ben shouts at her. “Hey Burke! You didn’t answer my question. How long do we have until your force field goes down?!”
Looking over Burke’s shoulder, she sees her tap her MECCU as she keeps her right hand extended out, holding up her force field. She then sees a small holographic screen materialize above her MECCU, with a lot of different diagrams and numbers displayed on it.
“My AE’s at 63%! We have maybe five more minutes until it collapses! Likely closer to three minutes!” Burke shouts back.
::Crack::
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“Three minutes is better than nothing! Let’s hope their shield goes down before yours does!” Ben shouts out between firing his shots.
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“Hey Burke! Does your spaceship have this sort of force field too!” Steven asks her.
“Yes, Sheriff Reilly! It does!” Burke replies.
“Alright then!” He shouts back over the gun fire.
Steven then stops firing and turns around to face the rest of the members of the DFC unit.
“Alright! Here’s the plan. Once you need to reload, step back and let those behind you get some shots in! And while all that is happening, make sure you follow Sergeant Burke’s movements as she guides us to her spaceship!”
This receives shouts and nods of understanding from the DFC unit members.
Steven then looks back to Burke. “Burke, slowly lead the way to your ship… so that we have a chance of surviving more than three minutes!”
She nods and begins a slow sidestep as Eileen and the rest of the group slowly move along with her to stay behind the protection of her force field.
::Crack::
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“Alicia! How much longer until our bullets break through their force field?!” Eileen shouts at her over the gunfire.
“Likely any moment, Eileen. But remember they still have their own personal AEs from their individual MECCUs!” Burke replies back.
Shit! They have more force fields for us to get through… Eileen thinks as she looks across to Captain Jackson, who’s staring fiercely at all of them, continuously firing those blue orbs at them.
She can see the frustration on his face as the blue orbs from the MECCUs turn into radiant blue waves, washing over Alicia Burke’s force field. She looks to his MECCU, as another blue orb materializes and is launched at Eileen and their group.
As it hits the barrier and turns into another bright blue wave, she looks back to Captain Jackson and his MECCU.
That’s it!
“Hey Alicia, if our bullets hurt your force fields, do they damage your MECCUs too!?” Eileen shouts at her over the gunfire, making sure to continue moving with Burk’s pace toward her spaceship.
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Burke turns her head to look at Eileen with a look of thought. “I’m not sure! It has not been tested against your antique weapons. But it stands up to reason that they could damage it.”
Eileen nods and looks to the spiderweb of bright yellow lines forming on the force field that’s protecting Captain Abraham Jackson and the rest of his small group of Federalists.
“It’s worth a shot and will stop them from using more of their force fields… if they don’t use them before that one goes dow
n.” Eileen replies.
“Hey Ben! Steven! Once their shield’s down, aim for their MECCUs on their right arms! That may give us a chance at stopping their second set of force fields from being able to be used!” Eileen shouts at them.
Ben looks over at her and smiles. “Beauty and brains! Nice thinking Eileen!”
He then looks over his shoulder at the DFC members behind him. “You heard the woman. Start aiming for their big ass bracelets now, so when we break through, we already hit them.”
Eileen looks back at Captain Abraham Jackson who has stopped firing and is looking directly at her. He then looks over his own force field, likely realizing the frailty of its current condition. He then looks down at his MECCU and Eileen can see a small screen materialize.
Upon looking at him, he shoots another glance at Eileen. He then begins to step back through his men, and other Federalists take his place at the front of the platform. She can see him make his way to the back of the group. She watches as he taps his MECCU and puts his hand out in front of him, with the same Stop motion that Burke had done to activate her own force field.
Shit! He either heard us or figured it out on his own. He had to have heard us over the gunfire. We are pretty damn close to each other. She thinks as she looks over the other men of the group of Federalists. She realizes that none of them are putting up their own force fields yet.
Why hasn’t he given them the order to do the same? She thinks as she stares at the man in the back of the group with his own force field up, but the rest of his men are still shooting their blue orbs at herself and the others.
Did he hear us? He had to have heard us… we are literally only fifty feet apart... Is he now testing the durability of the MECCUs? That’s insane!
At that moment, a piece of the force field, in the middle of the bright yellow web of cracks, disappears, right where Captain Jackson was just standing.
“Aim for their right arms!” Ben shouts.
With the Federalist only being fifty feet away, the shots are not difficult ones to make accurately.
Eileen hears one of the men scream in pain, as his MECCU shatters on his blood-soaked forearm. The man screams out in pain quickly, with the next few rounds hitting him in his vest and one hitting him in the head.