Chapter 32
THE FIREFIGHT
“I’m not sure how long we can hold them off,” Selder stated anxiously. “Maybe we should have saved the missiles instead of using them to take out the combat robots.”
“We had no choice,” Anne answered. “There was no way that Brandix could escape with those combat robots running down his throat.”
“I suppose so,” Selder responded. “But I really wish we had a few more missiles. There are just too many of them, and they are on the move again.”
“Does anyone have a voice modulator?” Anne called out.
“I have one,” a young man with multiple tattoos on his arms and neck answered.
Anne took the modulator, punched in a predetermined series of passcodes, and announced, “Listen up everyone. The transponders are still being jammed, but voice modulators work with other voice modulators and with transponders. I want all of the platoon leaders to have a modulator. Ask around. Someone is sure to have one. Also, we are going to change strategy. Stop aiming at the advancing guards. Instead, aim for the base of the government office building at the corner of 27th Street, the one with the very large glass windows. It’s directly in their path. Let’s see how they like dodging falling concrete and glass. Spread the word. Everyone target the office building. Focus on the lower floors. Maybe we can get it to fall down. Repeat, everyone target the office building on 27th Street. Focus on the lower floors.”
Several laser blasts struck the designated office building, then several more. Soon the entire building was bathed in blue and red laser light. All of the building’s windows shattered at once, raining sharp shards of glass, large chunks of concrete, and metal support rods down on the approaching guards. Dozens of guards were impaled, their bodies riddled with glass and concrete fragments. The building’s foundation took the brunt of the laser fire. Huge chunks of concrete and stone were vaporized, leaving huge gaps in the building’s foundation. A huge crack opened up at the building’s base and spread up its side. Billowing smoke poured out of the building’s upper floors as errant laser shots torched the building’s insides. Automated fire alarms wailed.
“That should slow them down,” Anne thought as she continued to fire.
Most of Casseday’s remaining guards dug in, hiding under or behind whatever cover they could find. Others retreated back toward the factory, seeking safer ground. It looked like Anne’s strategy was going to work, but before she had a chance to celebrate three large, mobile laser cannons rolled out from an alley. Targeting the building directly across from Anne, the cannons fired multiple laser beams at the building’s middle floors, blasting huge holes through them and raining building debris down on the 10 men and women Anne had positioned there. They were killed instantly, crushed under an ever-growing pile of concrete, rock, metal, and stone. A momentary lull in the firefight ensued as several of Anne’s fighters fled down the street.
“There go the street gangs,” Anne thought as she heard cheering from Casseday’s forces and the three laser cannons recharging for another round of shots. This time, the cannons targeted the building Anne was standing behind.
“Everyone run!” Anne shouted over the near deafening roar of the laser cannons.
The dozen men and women with Anne ran as fast as they could down the street as the three laser cannons blasted huge holes though the building above them, sending tons of building debris raining down onto the street. Huge slabs of concrete and stone fell all around them as they ran for their lives. The tattooed man tripped over a slab of concrete and hit the pavement hard, scraping his hands and legs badly. Anne reached down to help him to his feet just as a huge stone pillar smashed into him, crushing him to death. Selder grabbed Anne’s arm and yanked hard, keeping her moving. Debris pounded the pavement. Still running, Anne pulled the tattooed man’s voice modulator from a pocket and shouted “We have to take out those cannons! Everyone target the cannons!”
Anne and Selder ducked for cover behind a clothing store. They were the only ones to survive out of the dozen men and women who were with them behind the building.
“Everyone target the cannons!” Anne repeated into the modulator.
What was left of Anne’s now dwindling force fired again, this time targeting the three laser cannons.
“Yes!” Anne shouted triumphantly as one of the cannons was hit, its firing tube blasted into pieces. “One down, two to go.”
The two remaining cannons recharged and fired again, this time targeting the government surplus supply store across the street from Anne. The five-story building exploded, sending debris flying in all directions. The building toppled and fell into the street. A thick, mushroomed-shaped cloud of dust rose high into the sky as the building struck the pavement. Anne knew that if anyone was over there they were now dead.
“Anne!” Kathryn’s voice shouted from the voice modulator strapped to Anne’s belt. “We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!”
“Anne!” Selder shouted in Anne’s ear. “What do you want us to do? Should we retreat?”
Emboldened by the laser cannons, Casseday’s guards charged up Emory Boulevard, firing at everything that moved. Anne took a quick look around. All of the buildings within eyesight were ablaze or completely demolished. Dead bodies and body parts littered the pavement. A choking cloud of dust filled the air. Charred hovercraft were scattered everywhere. Most of her attack force had fled, or were dead. Plus, they were about to be attacked from behind.
“It’s time to go,” she announced, recognizing that her position was now hopeless. “It would take a miracle to turn this around. Put out the word. It’s time to go.”
Conor raced to Jonnelle’s side and attached a field medical kit to her left arm. Relieved that she was still alive, he stepped into the street, or what was left of it. Huge chunks of metal and concrete and twisted combat robot parts dotted the edges of two large craters in the middle of the street. The lead robot’s right leg was the only recognizable piece of the robot left. It lay motionless on top of a pile of rubble between the two craters. Conor stared at the two craters for another moment before turning his attention to the firefight at the far end of the street. Red and blue flashes filled the sky. He reached out with all of his senses and felt the presence of nearly 300 armed guards advancing on Anne’s smaller force. He felt the heat of Casseday’s laser cannons as they blasted the buildings, raining debris down onto the Boulevard. He felt the pain of the dying and injured, the panic of the gang members as they ran away, the growing fear and anxiety of Anne’s remaining forces as they retreated, and the growing confidence of Casseday’s guards as they advanced. Conor reached out even farther. He knew that Kathryn was out there somewhere. It took a few more moments before he found her. She was on Scrafford Avenue, a few blocks past Anne. But something was wrong. Her heart rate was twice normal, her adrenal glands were pumping extraordinary amounts of adrenaline throughout her body, she was breathing so fast that she was hyperventilating, and she was in great pain! Conor’s heart skipped a beat as he felt the heat of laser blasts all around her. He sprinted up Emory Boulevard as fast as he could.
Several guards stationed in front of a restaurant spotted him as he passed 31st Street. Firing their laser pistols at point-blank range, they fully expected Conor to be vaporized. To their surprise, the laser blasts ricocheting harmlessly off of Conor’s invisible levitation shield. At 30th Street, eight guards, laser assault rifles at their shoulders, lined up in the middle of the Boulevard, blocking his path. Their laser blasts blanketed his levitation shield in a sea of blue and red laser light. Conor barreled ahead forcefully, guards flying through the air in his wake as he sped past. As he approached 29th Street, someone ordered Casseday’s two remaining laser cannons to turn around and target Conor. The cannons belched out massive laser beams of greenish-blue light straight at Conor’s head. Conor swallowed hard and braced for impact. A tremendous ear-shattering roar erupted as the laser blasts hit his levitation shield straight on. He felt
a burning sensation on his hands and face, but the shield held. Focusing on the nearest laser cannon, he knocked it to the pavement. The guards working the laser cannon couldn’t believe their eyes as the firing tube cracked in half. They stood dumbfounded as the other laser cannon floated up into the air and came crashing down onto the pavement. Its firing tube cracked in several places and its firing mechanism bent nearly in two. The guards working that cannon panicked as Conor ran straight at them. They dropped everything and fled into a nearby building. As they rushed through the building’s front door an officer pushed his way through to the street and started firing his laser pistol at Conor. The officer rocketed high into the sky and plummeted to the pavement. Blood gushed from the man’s mouth, his brains splattered hideously across the sidewalk.
At 27th Street, Conor turned right and raced down an alley to Scrafford Avenue. Aided by a burst of adrenaline, he turned left and broke into a full sprint. He heard explosions in the distance, the exchange of laser fire, and lots of shouting. Up ahead, he saw the building towering over Kathryn begin to break apart. He felt her pain as she was pelted by debris. He heard the sound of her bones breaking and sensed an eerie, dark void envelop her as she lost consciousness. Her breathing slowed. Her heart rate fell precipitously. Her adrenal glands shut down. Her kidneys failed. Her body temperature plummeted.
Chapter 33
ARMAGEDDON
Conor’s levitation shield reached Kathryn just as the building crashed down on top of her. She was more than two city blocks away, but his shield held as tons upon tons of shattered glass, concrete, stone, and metal fell to the pavement, burying everything in sight, including Kathryn, in a mountain of debris. Leaping over multiple slabs of concrete and tall piles of fallen building parts, he passed dozens of corpses. Many had been killed by laser fire, and many more had been crushed to death by building debris. Most of the dead were uniformed guards and ground assault commandos, but there were others as well. He recognized several faces from the meeting at Aunt Emma’s house, including one of the twins and the older gentleman who had argued against helping them. After what seemed like forever, he finally reached her. Three young men and a boy were frantically removing building debris from around her. With a wave of his hand, Conor cleared off the building debris. His heart sank when he saw her. Curled up in the fetal position, her face was all puffed up, her nose crushed, and her lips swollen. Most of her hair had been burned off by laser fire and a laser had scarred a deep trench across her left shoulder. Her pants and blouse were bloodied and ripped to shreds. Her left arm was broken in several places, her collarbone was shattered, and her right leg was mangled, twisted in an unnatural, grotesque way. It looked as if she had been beaten to a pulp. Conor knew that if he did not get her to a medical facility soon, she was surely going to die. One of the young men, identifying himself as Kyle, handed him a medical kit from his backpack. Attaching the kit to Kathryn’s right leg, Conor knew that the odds were long, but that she had a fighting chance.
“Conor!” a voice shouted in his mind.
Conor jumped and nearly tripped.
“Conor!” the voice repeated. “Where are you?”
Conor wheeled his body full circle.
“Can you hear me?” the voice repeated.
“Yes!” Conor answered using telepathy, recognizing the voice. “Where are you?”
“I’m headed for Emory Boulevard in the ship’s hovercraft,” Kristi answered. “Six robocameras and three local police hovercraft are on my tail. In just a few moments they are going to have to decide if they are going to follow me into the exercise zone or turn back. If they follow me in, the whole universe will see what is going on.”
“Kathryn needs immediate medical attention,” Conor interrupted. “We are at the corner of Scrafford Avenue and 22nd Street. Kristi, she is dying. We need help right away!”
“I just informed Michael,” Kristi answered. “He’s working on it.”
“Thank you!” Conor answered, hope growing for a rescue.
“Hang in there,” Kristi continued. “If they follow me in, this will be over soon.”
“How did you get those robocameras to follow you?” Conor asked, rechecking the medical kit for the fifth time, making sure that it was still working.
“I walked into city hall, shot out several very large glass windows with a laser pistol, and knocked over the reception desk with my levitation power,” Kristi explained. “Just as I knew they would, the guards stationed at city hall tried to arrest me. I raced out of the building, hopped into the hovercraft, and took off. A robocamera stationed at city hall broadcast the whole thing. Most of the planet is probably watching the chase.”
“Are they still following you?” Conor asked.
“Yes, they are right behind me,” Kristi replied. “Once the public sees what is going on … Wait a moment. I sense more hovercraft approaching. They’re moving very fast. They must be military hovercraft. I bet that they were sent to shoot me down. Got to go.”
Anne and Selder fired repeatedly, doing their best to cover the retreat. Laser blasts struck all around them as Casseday’s guards closed in. Anne switched hands as her right arm went numb. Nearing exhaustion, she leaned against the building’s side. Its warmth was comforting, but the reason for the building’s warmth was not. Looking up, the upper half of the building was ablaze and thick black smoke billowed out of broken windows and into the clear, blue sky. Suddenly, the firing stopped. An eerie silence descended.
“Why have they stopped firing?” Selder wondered out loud.
“I don’t know,” Anne answered, as they both peeked around the building’s corner trying to see what the guards were up to.
“This is crazy,” Selder stated, hardly believing his eyes. “They’re retreating!”
“They sure are,” Anne replied as she watched the guards running down the street in the opposite direction.
Reaching for the voice modulator, Anne shouted, “They are retreating! I repeat. Casseday’s guards are retreating!”
Anne raced into the street, waving her arms. One-by-one, what was left of Anne’s attack force gathered around her as the last of Casseday’s guards disappeared in the distance, heading back toward the factory. Anne took a head count. There were only 43 of them left.
“Okay, listen up everyone,” Anne announced, using her most confident, authoritative voice. “As you can see, they’ve turned tail and are on the run. My guess is that Brandix’s forces have launched their counter-attack from the factory. It’s our job to press them from this end of the Boulevard, forcing them to fight in two directions at once. This is our opportunity. We’ve taken quite a beating, but we are still standing. They have their backs to us. Let’s go get them!”
Anne raised her laser pistol high over her head as they all let out a loud cheer. Turning toward the factory, she headed down the street breaking into a slow, controlled jog. Her troops followed close behind, spread across the street, filling it from side-to-side. They continued forward at a steady pace, their boots slapping the pavement in almost perfect rhythm.
Conor felt a strange tingling sensation start at the back of his neck and run down his spine. Reaching out with his senses, he isolated the sound of over 300 distinct heartbeats heading in his direction. The guards and ground assault commandos were packed in tight, running five and six across, shoulder-to-shoulder, moving as fast as they could down the alley to his right. Conor looked down at Kathryn. Moving her was out of the question. He focused on the five guards at the head of the line. They were still more than a full block away, but he knew that he could do it.
“Maybe they will turn back after this,” Conor thought.
Conor lifted the five guards off of the ground, shook them violently from side-to-side, and snapped their necks. They died instantly. Conor slammed them into the pavement for dramatic effect. Blood flowing from their mouths formed grotesque puddles on the alley’s pavement. Conor listened in as an officer ordered everyone to keep moving. Conor lifte
d her into the air and snapped her neck. She fell to the pavement, a look of disbelief and horror frozen forever on her dead face. Chaos erupted. Some turned and fled, screaming at the top of their lungs. Others ducked for cover behind the many piles of debris littering the alley, pulling out their laser pistols as they hit the pavement, looking frantically for anything to shoot at. Some just froze, not knowing what to do. Then, another officer who had positioned himself behind a concrete pillar aimed his laser pistol at a guard who was running away and shot him. The laser sliced a fist-sized hole right through the guard’s back. Daylight streamed through the dead man’s chest as he fell to the pavement.
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