by Chris Hechtl
She looked out the window and saw people running to their vehicles or taking to bike or foot as they panicked and headed for the hills outside the city. “I think we better do the same,” she said as she turned to the kitchen.
Don stared at her and then waved a hand. “You aren't serious, Malory! It's all just a hoax! Some idiot playing with his computer …”
Malory frowned pensively as her hands began to pull the bags out of the cupboard. “Mom?” Patricia asked pensively.
Malory grimaced at the quavering sound in her daughter's voice. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Every instinct told her to run. “I don't know. I don't think so. No,” she shook her head. “Don, this seems real.”
“Damn it …”
“Pack. Do it quickly,” Malory ordered. She turned to the kids. “Go. Grab only what you can carry,” she warned as she tied the bundle together and then pulled out the kids backpacks. She dumped their school work out and then began to throw things in them. “Come on kids. We need to pack and go fast.”
Patricia nodded and got moving. Malory sicced her eldest kids on packing their clothing as well as the bathroom supplies while she worked on the pantry and ignored her husband's vehement protests.
When she was finished, she bundled up Faith. “Come with us or not, your call,” she said.
“Wait! I haven't packed anything …”
“We're headed for the tree line. Catch up or stay, your call,” she said coldly as she tugged the kids out of their apartment and into the hallway. The place was almost deserted.
When they got outside, she realized it was getting close to evening. She looked around, but there were few cars. She didn't have a key anyway. She shook her head. “Come on,” she urged, taking off at a trot despite her load. The kids did their best to keep up.
~~*^*~~
Eternia City went to emergency mode as they tried to figure out what to do. Some whit realized it was wise to go dark so they shut down all radio transmissions and then cut power and began to camouflage the city the best they could.
“Doctor, what do we do?” the Sorceress, his A.I. asked. She was a new addition to the base, still young and growing. He'd created her to manage the castle facility and all of its equipment so he could concentrate on his experiments.
Doctor Grayskull swore when the Sorceress got the alert. He'd just finished a shield design using his newest force emitter design. He'd been forced to triple the castle's fusion reactors to build the thing. He'd had an idea in the back of his mind for a nanotech treatment to prolong his life while also giving him great strength, but that would have to wait he thought as he read the news.
He immediately saw the advantages of hiding, but he had a problem. His fusion reactors weren't exactly easy to hide. Oh, sure they were underground … he frowned and then forced the problem of shielding the neutrino signature out of his mind.
Shielding … his eyes widened as he realized he had the key. If he adapted the force emitter design and his new energy shield plan … tweaked it a bit … the surface area would be a problem. It would have to be a bubble …
He began to issue orders through his implants as his fingers flew to type out new plans for his nanotech replicators. He hoped and prayed he had time.
A new thought struck him as he began to type, camouflage. He realized Eternia City was on to something so he wrote a script to begin venting some of the steam into the frigid air around the castle. With any luck, it would form a mist and shroud the castle for some time. If he added a bit of particles to the mist, that would block radar or at least muddle it a bit …
~~*^*~~
Governor Thrakle continued in vain to try to communicate with the aliens as they approached the planet like some sort of silent armada. There was no response so he ordered the last of his staff to get out.
When Deidra balked, he stole a passionate kiss and then flung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. She kicked. And cried, but he tossed her to Paki. “Get her out of here. “I'll be right behind you,” he said gruffly.
She struggled in the Neogorilla's arms. Finally, she managed to get her right arm free. It lashed out to slap him in the face, and then she grabbed him by his dirty sweaty shirt and pulled him in for another kiss. “I'm sorry,” she sobbed.
“I'm not. Make sure she's safe, Paki,” he said as he turned away.
“I love you!” she wailed.
“I love you too,” he said back as he walked away.
Paki slung the woman up on his shoulder and walked for a bit. When Deidra struggled, he slapped her on the rump. She stiffened in indignation. “Are you going to behave or am I going to have to tape you up like a mummy lady?” Paki demanded. “I don't have time for this shit nor do you,” he said gruffly as he ignored the sidelong looks from people around them. “I'll tan your ass with my big hand; don't think I won't. One way or another, you are going to come with me.”
“I'll be good,” she said in a meek voice after a moment. He snorted in reply as he slung her into the back of a jeep and then climbed in with her and his mate.
~~*^*~~
“Their leadership is near one of the major cities. The radio calls have been coming from what is most likely a spaceport,” the communication's tech reported.
“Take out their leadership, and their herd will be headless. They'll band together in order to select a new leader making it easier to stampede over them. Start the first bomb there and then the city,” the Delta bull ordered.
~~*^*~~
The Sorceress saw what the doctor was doing and passed on some of his simpler ideas to contacts in Eternia City. The mist was a great idea; it would obscure the glittering city. It still wouldn't help with the evacuation, but it be of some use. Most of the refugees were headed to Snake Mountain to hide in the caves and lava tubes there she noted.
Doctor Grayskull continued to work on his defensive plans. She sent robots out to hide the outside equipment and to install the force emitters that the doctor directed her to place. She had no time to bury the cables however. Grayskull's castle face was a problem however; the edifice was easily seen as man-made.
She knew Eternia City would be the primary target though.
~~*^*~~
“They are in range to fire a kinetic strike on our cities and towns at any time, sir,” Bob warned as Fin rushed people out of the city. “You are a priority target since you are a leader. So are the cities. We need to get out of the cities now.”
“I know. That's why I was using the transmitters at the spaceport. It's been evacuated,” the governor replied as he helped the hospital staff with the sick and supplies. “Are the refugees going to the safe zones?”
“Safe? I wouldn't call them safe. It's a long haul to the caves in the hills, sir.”
“But it's something. For the moment, that's all we've got going for us,” Fin said as he saw a nurse and orderly collide, each carrying armfuls of gear. He winced and then went to help them pick the mess up.
~~*^*~~
“Thermal sensors report signatures of columns of aliens moving out of the city,” the sensor tech reported.
“Strike the population centers then send follow-up tactical strikes on the columns to clean them up before they scatter,” the Delta bull ordered.
“As you command, Herd Leader.”
~~*^*~~
Governor Thrakle felt the planet tremble as the bomb tore apart the city behind him. He felt the crushing hand of wind smack them down, the blast of heat and deafening noise. It was like being in a hurricane. The screams of terror were ripped from their throats.
He turned, eyes blind, ears deaf to the din around him as debris began to fall like some sick rain. He had been the last to move out in the rear of refugee colony. He looked up; vision just beginning to return when the first strike slammed down like a god's hammer and obliterated him and everything he'd wanted to be.
~~*^*~~
Malory somehow caught up to Birdy despite the other woman's head start. Som
e of the people were pulling apart skid row for camping supplies while others directed the people into the hills to relative safety.
She had mixed feelings when Don managed to catch up with them too. On the one hand, the kids were grateful to see their father. On the other, he had come light.
They and others got to some shallow caves with what they could carry as the aliens arrived in orbit. To Malory it was a bit of a blur; she was exhausted from the walk. Just as they got within sight range of the caves, a bright blinding light lit the night sky behind her. She turned and shielded her eyes to see a mushroom cloud rising where Landing City had once stood.
“Oh, my fracking …”
Her dismay and fear changed to confusion as she saw lightning strikes along the rear of the column. It took her tired mind a full five seconds to recognize what she was seeing was an orbital bombardment walking up the rear of the column like some angry tornado.
“They are coming after us!” Birdy said urgently, tugging on her arm.
“They are like someone with ant spray going after a trail of ants!” Malory said as she turned.
“What do we do?”
“Get in deeper or get the hell out of the way of that!” Malory said as she saw the refugee column break up and scatter.
~~*^*~~
“The tactical kinetic weapons have covered the aliens trail; our thermal sensors cannot see the area at the moment. We are down to reserves on tactical kinetic weapons. We are not getting optimal results; the aliens are scattering,” the weapons bull said.
“It is the proper tactic in such a situation I suppose. Some would have drawn together in a herd for comfort and would have been easily obliterated. These will either die due to exposure or be stomped out by the ground parties,” the Delta bull observed.
The weapons bull nodded sagely at that statement.
“Cease the bombardment.”
“What of the other alien city?”
“Call on the supply ship. See how many bombs they have left in their inventory,” the Delta bull ordered.
~~*^*~~
Doctor Grayskull paused what he was doing to look outside. He had to look, despite the risk. He stared out the virtual window to Eternia City. The bombs had struck, but they'd hit only the outer edge of the city.
He felt his castle rumble and winced as something struck the energy shield. “So much for hiding,” he said, looking up to the ceiling as dust floated down. “Status?” he turned.
Sorceress projected her holographic avatar to stand before him. She was a bird-like woman, with long flowing white and platinum feathery hair and angelic rainbow colored wings. She was his ideal angel he had said when he'd brought her online.
“The shield is holding. The impact has driven some of the force emitters into the ground and has superheated the area outside the shield. Thermal shock will be a factor with the force emitters when it bleeds through the ground—if the ground doesn't liquefy and turn into lava.”
“You are just full of nice thoughts,” the doctor said as the A.I. projected an overhead view of the castle. He grunted when he saw the damage. “Well, I always wanted a moat. I guess we've got one,” he said.
~~*^*~~
“Delta, sensor report. One of the alien facilities is projected by a powerful energy shield,” the sensor technician reported. “There is no way to penetrate it with a kinetic bombardment.”
“What?” the Delta bull bellowed as he stomped over to the technician. He yanked the tech's chair back so he could get an unobscured view of the glowing blue shield in the image. “What is so important there I wonder?”
“I don't know. We do not have the means to penetrate it,” the tech said, rolling his eyes and exposing his throat in an unconscious reaction to his boss's wrath.
“Attend to your duties,” the delta said. “Complete the bombardment as planned. When it is done, we'll go back and try to crack that nut once more.”
“Yes, Fleet Herd Leader,” the ship's Alpha bull rumbled.
~~*^*~~
“They are exterminating us. Wiping us out,” Birdy said from the safety of the cave mouth. The bomb that had hit Landing and wiped it off the map in a blinding flash of light late the evening before had been the first bomb but not the last. Then the bombs had come down on the refugee column, starting at the back and working their way forward. That they'd survived at all had been luck, blind luck.
“And there isn't a damn thing we can do about it,” Malory said darkly.
“I know. I saw a couple people with rifles, fat lot of good they'll do,” Birdy replied with a shake of her head.
“Oh, I dunno. Against the ships, nothing at all. But if we can get even a tiny bit of payback …,” Malory growled as she cuddled with Faith. Pat and her brother had cried themselves to sleep. Their whole world had just been destroyed, and they knew it. Faith knew about the distress of the others and was reacting to it. She'd fused until someone had given Malory a shot of rotgut to knock the child out.
“I'm with you there. Most definitely,” Malory replied with a grim nod. A few of the other people in the cave growled in agreement as well.
Malory looked out into the morning sky. It was clear, very clear. She wasn't certain what the impacts would do to the environment. She snorted at her train of thought. She was tired; she knew it. Exhausted from the walk and lack of sleep.
“Come on. It is going to be dark again soon. We need to plan on scrounging for food. You and your wife survived the war?” a Neogorilla asked, moving forward to them. People got out of his way, some subconsciously, others in a hurry.
“Yes, we did,” Donald Randall said with a nod.
“Okay. Well, we can use that experience here to help folks survive,” Paki Bello said as the late governor's wife came up behind them. Paki turned respectfully to her.
“I'll arrange for someone to mind your kids,” Deidra murmured.
“We can talk a bit, ma'am, but we all need rest,” Birdy said firmly. “I'll mind the kids though,” she said, wrapping a long arm around Patricia and Tirel's shoulders.
Deidra nodded once. “Okay. We've got a lot to do. Let's do what we can,” she murmured, looking out to the devastation outside and then painfully away.
Chapter 28
Protodon
Broken Horn, also known as his Romeo bull for his rank of Sixth Herd Leader in the hierarchy of the Fleet Herd, ran a hand over his broken horn set. He had lost the horn set in the last mating fight, ironically against the Echo bull leader. It had not snapped off clean, instead splitting within his skull. The healers had been forced to remove the horn bud. Come the next time he could participate in the rut of the mating season, he would be lopsided.
But that was something to consider he reminded himself as he studied the initial results of the sensors.
“Another world conquered for the herd! I'll get a fiefdom here!”
His excitement cooled a bit as data about the planet came in. The visual told him the world was inhabited, but it was something the herd didn't care for, an island world of mostly water. There were many islands, a few large but eight of the power of eight eights small ones. The long-range radar signals told them that the islands were mountainous. They were steep too with few flat stretches of land that the herd preferred.
They were also occupied he noted coldly. The aliens had taken up residence on many of the islands. They had only a few large gatherings however. He was also down to half of his load out of kinetic rounds, so he would have to be careful how he used them.
No matter. One way or another he would get the job done he thought.
~~*^*~~
Luca Hawk was soaring on a thermal when he saw a bright intense flash off to his right. Instinctively, he turned away from it until the light faded. When it did, he turned to see the air clear but a cloud on the ground. As it rose into the air, he wheeled away. Whatever had happened, he knew it couldn't be good for Landing City.
If he could time the evening thermals right, he might make it to t
he McDonald holding to find out what was going on.
~~*^*~~
“What the bloody hell is going on?” Bobby demanded as her little sister, Ana, and the others rushed to the window. “It's just lightning but on a cloudless sky?”
“Tisn't lightning,” Claudia replied, staring at the distant horizon between the hills. “It was straight.”
“Straight?” Betty asked with a frown as she came up behind her mother and her friend. “How is that possible?”
“It isn't,” Ana murmured softly. Bobby saw the woman pale visibly. “That was a kinetic strike. I saw them on Earth during the war.”
“Are you sure?” Bobby asked with sudden intent as she came up behind them as well.
“Yes,” Ana said as her daughter sucked in a protesting breath. “It's is right where New Dublin was,” she said.
“Was,” Bobby unconsciously echoed, picking up on the meaning Ana had just put into that last word. She could just make out an ominous cloud rising from where New Dublin was. It rose like an obscene mushroom.
“Pack,” Ana said. “We need to get everything and go. Whoever is doing this, they will start at the city and spaceport, then move on.”
“Landing City …”
“But …,” Claudia protested, turning searching eyes to her sister.
“Pack,” Bobby echoed the order as she turned the radio on. All she got was static however.
“Don't transmit,” Ana urged.
“I won't,” Claudia murmured as she changed channels.
~~*^*~~
“The alien holdings are scattered across many islands, Herd Leader. Targeting is having trouble getting a clean shot at some of them.”
“Focus on the large population centers. We can work down the list,” Broken Horn ordered. “Any who transmit, mark them down for follow-up strikes. They will be the leaders.”