Cyber Viking 1

by Marcus Sloss

  “Ahem!” Lt. Dedric sang with praise. The man started to dance his shoulders to some hidden tune. “Redemption starts by following the Ten Commandments. Maybe the savior will bless our souls and keep us out of damnation.”

  Bonnet scoffed and said, “I am so fucked. Never getting into heaven if there is one. However, I do like the softer you. Those ladies are a good influence. Who knew getting the Cap laid brought out the compassionate man inside him. I personally prefer the doom and gloom version, but I can get behind the change.”

  My Gpad sent me an alert. The rules had come in and, boy oh boy, were there a lot. Over a hundred rules with most being very basic things. If I had to guess at some point that Eddy and his trooper buddies added a lot of these. This would give the state troopers a purpose while preventing me from having to do updates after every problem. At the bottom of the list, a caveat was noted. Subject to change. I fired the rules out to every Gpad in the area. The responses were mostly positive. A few were negative, but that was to be expected. Not everyone would like the idea of going from a free society to being told what to do.

  “Rule one, everyone must contribute to Stronghold Mansion,” Mclain said while reading out loud. “The name has a nice ring to it. Super out of livable space already. Is there a plan?”

  “I got all the teenagers exploring our valley with ATVs. I told them to start looking for cave openings while mapping out the area. We will adapt; there is no other option. We can convert cars, trailers, and build with salvaged stuff. Honestly, I am winging it at the moment,” I said to the table, who nodded in understanding. Jevon sent me a Gpad call that I answered with, “Hello.”

  “Feedback has been positive on the whole building a better tomorrow by saving people today. We found some typos in the rules list and sent them to Perci. RV one is about to hit the county road. If we get a roadblock, are we still assessing since you sent that message?” Jevon asked, seeking clarity.

  “No Gpad groupings on the road besides… Um… Shit. Harvard, his wife and two kids are up ahead on foot. I guess they can wait in my RV in the master room while we scope out the aliens. Outside of that, the rest are in homes or moving for the mansion,” I said and he scoffed.

  “I forgot Perci gave you an administrator on your Gpad. Can you ask -”

  “Done, you should notice when she gives you permissions. Let RV two pick up Harvard and his family.”

  “Wilco.”

  “They are not far?” Torrez asked.

  “We have no idea what condition they are in. Nancy!” I hollered for my medical Lt. who was napping in the back. She came in, still looking gorgeous with drool on her face. The RV glided to the side of the road. I opened the door and shouted, “Hurry up—get inside!”

  Harvard was a short man of Asian descent. He had dark hair, a sour demeanor, and absolutely adored his family. The entire time trying to get home, he would kiss a photo of them every chance he could. When Harvard, his wife Tara, and twin daughters entered, I smiled. His wife carried a shotgun with her black hair, brown eyes, and porcelain skin. Harvard had a ripped shirt, an illegal AR-15 with a thirty mag, and a sawed-off shotgun.

  The side door slammed shut. The tires squealed as we raced for Xgate 232’s drop location. I held a hand out that Harvard gladly accepted. Tara guided the kids to the empty master suite. I heard two groans of joy as those kids flopped onto the comfy bed. Nancy gave them a quick inspection, decided they were fine, and climbed into the loft to keep sleeping.

  “Harvard, good to see you,” I said with a genuine smile. Again I was reminded of my sore cheeks from seeing so many people I was happy to greet. “We have been in need of someone to run our S2.”

  “Ugh. I have been studying data while the auto drive was enabled. Such a funny story about how I lost our car… We are on foot because of pig aliens, about yea high with six tits.” His hand went up to a little over his waist. “They abducted my car between Denver and Boulder. We got out to push a downed tree out of the way. The little oinkers fucking stole all my supplies and gear,” the man said clearly still stunned. “One second, were pushing a fallen pine. The next, my ride is squealing away with four squealing pigs inside it. We walked up the hill until a group heading to Aspen let us hop in the bed of their truck. Apparently, there is an excess of mansions in these mountains that are all vacant.”

  “Pigs!?” I asked, shocked, scrolling through my files. “Huh, yeah I see them now. They are resourceful and not overly dangerous. There is a note here. Tastes better than bacon…” I chuckled. “As for empty mansions, I wholeheartedly agree. There probably are hundreds of luxurious homes ripe for occupation around Aspen. Glad you got help up the mountain and made it to us safely. We’re going to scope out our local Xgate. It should be landing in just over an hour. Why don’t you head back for a nap before all the excitement happens?”

  “That is one order I will happily follow. Thanks for the ride. The family will stay out of the way during the mission. Tara knows how we operate,” Harvard said with a wave to the others.

  The bedroom door closed and I checked my Gpad for messages. There were additional complaints. A few said I was a tyrant while others were making demands. The rule stating you were assigned housing was the one most complained about. I must have read a dozen demands for three bedrooms, or must have a master suite. I ignored them all. The rules were the rules.

  The convoy rolled down the smooth road. I monitored our progress on my Gpad and realized we would have plenty of time to set up. Apparently, we were not the only people interested in the arrival of Xgate 232. I saw five Gpads in the valley fields that the construct was landing in. I read over the data on the Gpad owners and saw they were devout alien fanatics. Of course my gate would have to get some of them. The news had been perfectly clear. The aliens were not some mythical saviors.

  I crawled into the loft to open the roof hatch. Nancy tugged me into a snuggled embrace that I freed myself from. She gave me puckered lips when I denied her request. Her eyes gazed at me sadly. I think she was taking her breakup harder than she was letting others see. My weak smile was enough to cheer her up. The roof hatch propped open with a thud as the wind slammed it into the locked position.

  The light that streamed in reflected off Nancy’s blue eyes. I saw tears. A quick wipe of her sleeve tugged at my heart. I stroked her hair with empathy. She thanked me with a smile and I was gone out the hatch a second later. I left my legs in as I surveyed the area.

  The Xgate was only a few hundred feet above the ground. At three hundred feet tall and fifty feet wide, the rectangular construct was intimidating. No exhaust plumes, whirling blades, or flapping kept the portal device in the air. To see the mysterious creation in person was something else. The dull gray had more of a sheen to it than the videos portrayed. I also thought it would be smaller. I knew the dimensions before coming out here, but this object was massive.

  I tore my eyes from it to see mountains surrounding us in the distance. The right of the road held rolling low-lying grass fields. The area was void of humanity beside the road with power lines. The left side was a heavily wooded area that was hard to see into. Ahead of me, RV one was moving faster than we planned while a trail of trucks was bumper to bumper behind us. Our convoy rounded a corner that revealed a small section of homes nestled in the trees. I saw forty plus Gpad icons active inside the gated community. I let them figure out their own fates as we passed the homes.

  A few minutes later, I saw three men and two women waving welcome signs for Xgate 232. They waited near a lavish electric SUV. Awesome. This was a double win for me.

  “Six to five,” I said, ducking back into the loft.

  “Go ahead, over.”

  “Secure that SUV while disarming those civilians if needed. Standard shakedown.”

  “Roger, five out.”

  Nancy had curled up in a ball. I rubbed her back and whispered in her ear, “It is go time. Join the kids if you need to sulk. If not, I need you, Nancy.”

  She dried he
r eyes, plucked on her helmet, and stole my seat at the table with the others after scurrying out of the loft. Nancy was allowed to be upset. Depression was a constant battle on our retreat through Saudi Arabia. I always tried to be understanding if it was not getting in the way of the mission. Others would see upset people with negative reactions. If they still protect their buddy beside them, while facing the bad guys… well, then they could cry on my shoulder if they needed to.

  I watched the troops inside RV one spill out with weapons at the ready. The five people here to welcome their new slave master or aliens wanting to eat them were shocked. This is where my humanity left me. I robbed them. They were stripped of essentials, their fancy ride stolen, and we vacated the area. When they tried to spread the word that we were thieves, I disabled their Gpads. Ah, the glories of controlling information. As we retreated for the highest hill with trees for cover, I saw the group grow happy. They decided all that mattered was that the aliens were coming to save them. Any guilt left me at that moment.

  We had picked out this observation point for a few reasons. It had cover, quick access to the road home, and was far enough away we could react to whatever spewed out of the Xgate. The timer showed a full hour before the slowly lowering device landed. We paused the convoy outside of the trees behind the incline. Troops rushed out to start hooking up chains around tree trunks.

  I watched from the rooftop with half my body exposed as the unit went to work. My anxiety built, knowing we would get to greet the newest arrivals to earth soon.

  CHAPTER 12

  The wrenching sound of roots tearing free of the earth assaulted my ears. The whine of the electric truck reduced as the tree was dragged forward; forever removed from its comfy home. Every available vehicle was breaking multitudes of environmental laws. My goal was to clear space to conceal our vehicles while building cover to hide behind. Based on the other encounters I watched, many armies would hesitate to jump through a gate. They would follow the gate along until they felt the area was clear and then transition. A few even neglected to turn off the other portals. There was no set standard because others would race into the new world to secure the button first.

  As I hoped for three empty gates and one nice trading partner, I sighed. We were mainly here to observe. I had zero intention of diving onto another planet’s surface on day one. Even if the killer in me thirsted to. We were short on a lot of items and our meat supplies were almost gone already.

  The downed trees created a long line for us to get behind on top of the hill. When the countdown timer hit five minutes, our convoy was parked and ready for a quick exit. My troops were stationed behind cover while I was in a good observation location. Our reports told us to avoid scopes if wanting to get the magical rotational view the portals allowed. I looked left and right to see sergeants ensuring soldiers were ready. Peterson released her drone for our eyes in the air with a soft throw and nearly silent whirl. The meek, sweet, and adorable little black woman had saved us hundreds of times, if not thousands, with her eyes in the skies in Saudi. Her direct actions got us home, and caused her to cry at night the entire way because of how I used her information. She appeared happy and at home as I watched the little device soar high. The sound of the whirl faded, letting a tense silence settle in. The massive Xgate 232 shifted to find its landing location. When the one-minute warning pinged on my Gpad, we readied for war.

  The rectangular building sized construct did not thud or slam into the ground. It hovered for a few moments, adjusting to its new home. Blue flaring light illuminated three of the four sides as the Xgate did a warm up rotation. The blurry mess of the generating connections was somewhat blinding even on a bright sunny day. I covered my eyes until the light dimmed.

  “D20!” Jevon whispered beside me.

  I ignored his comment as I was able to view a desolate volcano planet with contrasting dark gloomy colors brightened by flaming reds and oranges. A dozen flying black creatures with scorpion tails, short humanoid torsos, smushed flappy faces, pincer hands, and red wings were present a few hundred feet away from their entry. I shifted my angle of observation and, sure enough, something magical occurred. I could see all the way around the Xgate on the alien planet. Thousands of these hovering aliens waited defensively with stick weapons at the ready. The Xgate shifted, moving closer with the smallest of spins. When nothing charged into the breach of their portal, the dozen flying creatures retreated to their awaiting army. The formations shuffled around the gate as the Xgate silently moved with speed for the first time.

  “Steady,” I said into my radio.

  Before the construct finished its spin, a horrifying monster leaped out. The creature was so long it landed on the ground three feet down with no issues. The fleshy skin twisted as the hundreds of legs propelled it forward. A narrowed tube mouth flicked in roaming patterns as it sensed its area. A wormipede (worm-centipede hybrid) found something in its search because it darted for the gate rapidly.

  My eye caught a sudden movement on the backside of Xgate 232. Thin animal legs stumbled with a quick recovery as they landed. A human head with antlers bent over to see under the gate. The wormipede’s body raced for the button with their rider extending their hand on top. The deer hybrid tried to leap back to their home planet. The thin legs spun, shot off the ground, and at first, I thought it made it back in time. The other portals despawned before he could escape. I only briefly saw his weapon discharge with a dark blue flare that slammed into the wormipede. The warrior bolted for the nearest woods when his weapon did not kill the creature. It was instant. I tried to study his armor and weapons, but I knew drone replays would be needed as he vanished into the trees with cheetah speed.

  I grew concerned as hundreds of wormipedes streamed out after the gate was locked. These creatures were at least thirty feet long, six feet tall, and each probably weighed the same as our RVs. On their back rode purple large-headed aliens with frail bodies. They reminded me of the gray-headed aliens, increased oval heads, sunken dark eyes, and vulnerable bodies. The riders assessed the situation. Our hasty defenses were meager at best and a complete giveaway of our position. These were a repeat invasive duo that had been seen before we lost contact with Gcorp. The wormipedes ate bodies while the puroons (government-issued name) looted resources. They were extremely hostile. Evident when the five alien greeters were brutally killed. Two wormipedes fought over one of the men, ripping him in half with an explosion of guts.

  “Wait!” I hissed into the radio. “Target the riders. After your ten rounds are expended, hustle for the vehicles. Get ready. Three, two, one. Open fire!”

  My weapon was on my shoulder a nanosecond later. There were so many wormipedes spilling out, I did not have to be picky with my target selection. I fired two per rider, moving my aim without waiting for my rounds to land. The crack of our weapons split the air, resulting in my ears ringing angrily. I saw my first two targets falling without expending valuable time checking on the rest. With my magazine empty, I followed my own orders. I spun for our awaiting vehicles with my feet digging into the earth as I bolted down the observation hill.

  There was a mad dash across our battle line as soldiers ran for lined up vehicles. I was so grateful we had planned for a rapid extraction. I was the last one into our RV and slammed the door closed behind me. The electric motors whined as Lt. Dedric punched the acceleration pedal.

  “I want both RVs in the rear, make it happen drivers,” I ordered into the radio.

  Torrez went into the loft to face backward. Mclain, Bonnet, and Nancy were reloading weapons at the table with expertise. I burst into the back bedroom and startled the Harvard family. The rear curtain was peeled open, giving me a great view. The tree defense we had set up was being crested by an army of wormipedes. Torrez snapped ten rounds into a wormipede’s head area, causing it to tumble and roll down the hill. The mass of soft skinned mounts halted, seeing one of their own go down. The puroons were oblivious to our fire as they hopped down to investigate our spen
t casings, our tracks, and then their eyes followed our tire trails. My soldiers stopped firing with the increased distance. The puroons shot orange plasma rounds with yellow cores. The balls which sought our demise slammed into the RV. The rocking motion was followed by glowing patches of the steel exterior spreading the heat to the interior. The whipping cool air we drove through calmed the angry hot metal. We were over a mile away now and gaining when the incoming fire stopped. Far on the horizon, I caught the centipedes sniffing the air. I saw their heads turn as one for the small community not far from the gate.

  I sent those humans too slow to flee a single message: “Run. Hostiles incoming.”

  Torrez closed the hatch as he returned to the interior.

  “Six, this is five,” Jevon said to my radio.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Are we proceeding to Mansion?”

  “Affirm,” I said and let my shoulders droop. “That army is more than we can handle in the open. Even when the gate lifts and the other portals open, they will be in a bad position. I am showing the drone has a full half-day charge and is linked to our Gnet. We head home and observe. We executed exactly what I wanted to. We killed some aliens and lost no one. Great job, everyone.”

  “Roger, five out,” Jevon said and the radio went silent.

  I joined the others at the table. We were all watching the footage from the drone that had escaped notice. The wormipedes with their riders bolted for the homes not far away. They were fast, maybe thirty miles an hour at a dead run. We watched a few creatures tumble in death from the defender’s gunfire. The defense was far too little. The large creatures smashed sideways into homes to break them open. Doors were not needed when you crash through a wall. Death was inevitable. The initial assaulting hundreds became thousands of puroons and wormipedes descended on the community. Eventually, the flow stopped from the gate. I turned away from the carnage to think over the few minutes that had transpired.