by L. Fergus
The Rider lowered her revolver. “I am not a monster. I want to save my command.”
“Your command just changed, sister,” said Talon. “You’re no longer just a legionnaire, you’re an Angel. Kristi and I are here to help you.”
“Is Kristi a pet of yours?”
Talon nodded to Cinnamon, who gave the newest Angel a wave. “We all come from somewhere, sweetheart. You’ll learn.”
“We don’t have time for introductions,” said Talon. “We have to find the rest of these Machines and put an end to them before they set up and take over the planet.”
“Dire, don’t you think?” The Rider scoffed.
“No. We need to get back to the headquarters building and reprogram the stationary turrets. They can take out swarmers and disrupt seekers with lucky hits. We’ll send the shuttle up to spot for us, but the majority of the legionnaires will have to make it on foot.”
“Why don’t we leave everyone here and go reprogram the turrets ourselves?”
“You and I will be busy keeping Machines off the others,” Talon replied.
“So what, you’re the bait?”
“I’ll hit them every way I can.”
“I’ll be the bait,” said Cinnamon.
“What?” Talon asked, unable to hide her surprise and concern.
“You learn some interesting things proofreading research reports. If they mine xeox here, the stuff has got to be everywhere. The compound has interesting properties if you heat it up past a certain point. It creates a false drop into the Nothing. It’ll look similar to pushing a cookie cutter into dough. Part of whatever’s in front of me will be pushed several feet away.” She flipped her hair playfully. “I know, smart and beautiful.”
“No,” said Talon, crossing her arms.
“What?” Cinnamon responded, her playful manner disintegrating. “Just because you’re the wise owl does not mean you get to risk your neck any more than me.”
“I have experience fighting these things.”
“She doesn’t, and you didn’t get it without going out and doing it.”
“When I did, I had an army of Angels at my back.”
“And it still wasn’t enough,” said Cinnamon. “None of you knew what you were doing. Not even Kita. She told me about her dealings with the Harbingers and Machines. With you two watching my back, I should be fine.”
“This sounds like we can’t leave your girlfriend out,” The Rider said chuckling at Talon.
Talon grabbed The Rider’s flaming jaw and pulled her face-to-face. Talon’s eyes glowed a golden yellow. “I know you think you’d give your life for your command, but when the feathers fall, you won’t. But, when you find that person you are willing to die for, I want you to remember this moment and what you felt. I want Kristi safe because I don’t want to live without her. I’ve done it before, and I don’t want to do it again. It is selfish, and I know she’ll do her part, but that doesn’t change how I feel.”
The Rider laughed. “Being a warrior isn’t for everyone. Maybe you should go back to cooking or whatever it is you used to do.”
“A true warrior is ready for any battlefield. Kita understands this better than anyone I have ever met.”
“Pearls of wisdom won’t get us across town,” said The Rider. “Let me reload, and we can go. I suggest going back the way we came. We know those containers are empty.”
Cinnamon glided over to Talon. She stuck her head in Talon’s hood and touched foreheads. They stood silently, hand-in-hand.
Cinnamon stuck her head around a street corner. The group had traveled five blocks without finding any Machines or shipping containers. She entered the cluttered intersection stacked with crates, boxes, and trash. She didn’t see anything, as she waited in the middle of the intersection for something to attack her. Deciding it was safe, she called the legionnaires forward.
An explosion lit the intersection. Cinnamon jumped to her right. A large shipping container smashed into the ground where she had been standing.
She searched the smoke for her attacker. Out of the smashed container came two swarmers. Grabbing a handful of dirt, she heated her hand.
“I’ve got two,” she reported. “They’re north of the container that just smashed into the intersection.”
The swarmers floated around the intersection on gravity repulsor drives. The pair rushed Cinnamon.
“Girls, a little help?” called Cinnamon.
The temperature in her hand rose, and she squeezed the dirt. A bright flash lit the street as she threw the clump. The xeox extended like a straw, punching through the Machine. It collapsed into the dirt. Talon appeared between the Machines and slashed through both with her sword.
Cinnamon walked over to the swarmer she’d killed and inspected the hole left by the xeox.
“We don’t have time to examine kills. We must go,” Talon insisted.
“Give me a second to see exactly what I did. I’m still running on theory. I’d like to move to practical application. We could have a new weapon. Finish cutting this thing in half.”
“Why? They smell awful inside.”
Cinnamon gave her a dirty look. With a silent sigh, Talon slashed the swarmer in half. Fluids of different colors spilled and mixed in with the dirt. With a bright flash and a loud pop, the dirt went up in flame.
“That’s interesting,” Cinnamon said, kicking dirt over the flames. She returned to searching for her hole. Finding it, she traced it. She wasn’t sure if she’d hit something critical or if it had been luck that took the swarmer down. The xeox had punched a hole through the swarmer’s exterior crystal armor. She looked at Talon. “I’ll turn over the findings to Athena. She might be able to do something with it.”
“Just don’t take any more chances,” Talon said in a dire voice.
“I did just fine.”
“Then why were you crying for help?” The Rider asked coming up to them.
“Because I was expecting help after I called them in,” said Cinnamon.
The Angels watched as the legionnaires crossed the intersection. Cinnamon glided out ahead of them to take the lead.
They reached the headquarters without another attack.
“I would think we’d have had more. We passed at least six of those new containers,” said Cinnamon to Talon.
Talon nodded. “Major Baxter, how long to reset the turrets?”
“We’ll have to do it manually. Telling the computer what a Machine looks like is going to take time.”
“It’s going to take the legionnaires some time to get the guns programmed,” Talon said to the others.
“We’ve got time, let’s go crack a container open and see what’s inside?” suggested The Rider.
The Angels approached the container with weapons drawn. They tossed aside the other crates and junk piled against it. The control panel contained a security system.
“I can open it,” replied Talon.
It was still early, but the little town was waking up. A shift change at the port would happen soon. Having people in the streets would complicate things.
“We’re in,” Talon announced as she opened the door.
A seeker lay suspended in the middle of the container.
Cinnamon picked up a handful of dirt and stepped inside. Talon grabbed her arm. “You might wake it up.”
“Then you and bonehead better be ready to kill it,” said Cinnamon as she pulled free of Talon.
“I got you covered, spicy,” said The Rider.
The seeker took up most of the available space, and she had to turn sideways to make her way to the back. Metallic silver disks were on the six sides of the container. On the back wall was a control panel. The panel controlled the suspension system created by the silver disks.
Cinnamon returned the way she came but stopped where the tentacles met the body. She stuck her hand full of dirt into the center of the tentacles and sent a xeox bullet into the sensory organ. She returned to the back of the container and shut down t
he suspension system. The creature fell to the container floor, causing The Rider and Talon to attack.
“Stop,” Cinnamon yelled over the gunfire. “It’s already dead.” She stepped onto the creature to examine it. After pushing aside some tentacles, she found something attached to the sensory organ. “What do you make of this, Scarlett?”
Talon looked at the device. “I don’t know. The Machines we used to fight didn’t have anything like that.”
Cinnamon removed the device with minimal effort. “Interesting…We haven’t seen anything like this on the swarmers. I wonder what it means.”
“Probably nothing,” said The Rider.
“Or, everything,” said Talon. “This is not something to ignore. Neither are the states of the containers or the ring on Franks’ finger. Someone has control of these Machines or at least thinks they do.”
“Time to talk to Franks.”
The Angels entered the headquarters and found Franks hanging around the machine Talon had seen him near earlier. When he reached behind to touch it, she produced a throwing knife. The blade hummed through the air and impaled his hand.
Franks roared in pain, causing everyone in the headquarters building to jump. He clutched his hand. A second blade eviscerated the finger with the suspicious ring. Talon leaped sideways and caught the finger in her foot talons.
Talon examined the finger and ring. “Tell me, General, what command school did you graduate from? I see nothing about a school on this. I do recognize the language of the Harbingers when I see it.”
“Curse you, bitch,” Franks snarled over his twice-wounded hand.
“We have enough curses for one day,” Talon said. “How does this machine control the containers?”
“It’s too late. I’ve freed them all,” Franks spat.
“Then your hand will be the least of your problems. The Machines will harvest you like all the rest. You are nothing but a tool for them. If Galina thinks she can control them, she is a fool. What have you released?”
“See for yourself,” said Franks with a vengeance laced grin.
Cinnamon looked at the screen. “Thirty swarmers, eight seekers, four drillers, a pair of t-rexes, and a queen,” she announced. Looking at Talon, the other Angel had her head down. “Scarlett?”
Talon raised her head, but she was talking to someone else. “The colony will have to be sacrificed, that is the only way unless you want to come back and fight…If they start harvesting the population, then the number of swarmers will increase exponentially once the queen has found a place to make her nest…They have plenty of organic and nonorganic material to make thousands. My suggestion would be to blow the xeox facility and rebuild once the danger has passed…I am thinking positive, Jane, and no, sacrificing the colony’s people is not my first choice…You are making these choice’s difficult, not me. I am not a combat leader nor have I ever claimed to be…The Owlery was a force for good, protection, healing, and hope. Fighting was the last resort, and you know that. Don’t rub their deaths in MY face,” she ended in a terrifying yell.
“I am not trying to rub Iza, Ana, and Lola’s deaths in your face,” Sarin said from behind her. “I would never do that. As much of a bitch as I was at the time, they were my friends, and I did care about them.”
A ball floated away from Sarin’s belt, and Kita appeared. “If you want someone to blame, blame me. I put them in positions they shouldn’t have been in. They were never meant to be soldiers, but humanitarians. I don’t think I ever told you how sorry I am for their deaths. I owe you more than I can ever repay, and I keep running up the tab. You shouldn’t be suffering on my account.”
“I’m not,” said Talon. “I’m suffering on hers,” she motioned to Sarin. “She is my friend, and Kristi is making it worth it. You just see the world as your oyster, even Jane. You’ll shuck us all, take what you want, and leave the rest to rot. You really are the true embodiment of evil. As I am proud to be an Angel, I detest that you walk among us.”
“Hate me all you want—”
“I don’t hate you. You are my friend and my enemy. I care for you like I know you care for me. But like the Caesars of old, sometimes you need a slave whispering in your ear that all glory is fleeting.”
“Is the middle of a battle the place to be dysfunctional?” The Rider chattered from behind them.
“Yes,” Kita, Talon, and Sarin said together.
“Surveillance is picking up movement all over the capital,” Cinnamon reported. “I’ve got the queen. She’s headed for the shuttleport.”
Sarin sighed. “Plenty of tall things to string herself up around there.”
“We’ve got to get to her before she can get anchored,” said Kita. “I’ll stay here and take over the turrets. You four go stop her. I’ll get Baxter’s people on the roof and windows to shoot at anything that comes close.”
“Let’s go hunting. Ready?” said The Rider.
“Oh, yeah,” Sarin growled in a sultry voice after the bolt of her sniper rifle slammed closed seating one of the giant rounds in the chamber. Her uniform changed to her schoolgirl outfit. She shook her hair back and forth, looking like a vixen shaking out her tail.
“You can stay here,” Talon offered Cinnamon.
“I just escaped a desk job, I’ll be damned if I’m going to go hide behind one now.”
“Here,” Sarin passed her pistols to Cinnamon. “These will make sure you punch a hole in the bastards.” She waved at Talon. “Come on, hoots. Let’s go live a little,” Sarin clucked with a teasing smile.
With a sigh, Talon nodded.
“Got you,” Sarin whispered after the sound of her shot bounced off the nearby buildings around the headquarters. She’d removed her rifle’s silencer. If people weren’t awake after the first shot, they are now.
“That rifle doesn’t leave much, does it?” said The Rider after looking at the remains of the swarmer.
“That’s the idea. You should see what happens to a human head. It’s like a party balloon filled with wet confetti.”
“Lovely,” The Rider said in disgust.
Sarin’s smile became sicker at the legionnaire’s response.
“We don’t have time to appreciate art,” said Talon. “We need to catch the queen.”
“Art, huh?” said Sarin. “You want Kita. I’m a technician.”
Sarin led the others into the air to hunt down the Machines. Shots from humans forced them to take cover.
“Where in Neptune’s rings did these fools come from?” said Sarin as she shot a Political Bureau soldier.
“They must have gotten a message out to the outposts and guard stations,” said The Rider as she gunned down a trio of soldiers coming round a corner.
“How many people is that?” said Talon.
“About five hundred if they get everyone around the capital and the processing area. Eight hundred once all the mine guards arrive.”
“We can’t wade through that many,” said Cinnamon.
“I’ve waded through more,” grumbled Sarin, thinking of her battles against the Red Legion. In the distance, she could hear the automated turrets firing. “Kita should keep them busy. Let’s keep moving, but we’ll have to stick to below the buildings. I don’t feel like pulling bullets out of anyone today.”
The group floated down the street toward the shuttleport. Talon took the lead. They passed several blocks. She stopped at a corner and stuck her head out. “We’ve got a driller and two seekers tearing apart the buildings on the far side.”
“Why would they do that?” said Cinnamon.
“No idea. Swarmers do the harvesting for the Machines. The bigger ones are their warriors.”
“They’re not watching for us. So, we can get the drop on them,” said Sarin, looking over Talon’s shoulder.
“What do you suggest?” said Cinnamon.
“Ryder and I will take out the driller. You and Scarlett hit the seekers. Everyone watch each other’s backs. They love to ambush. Let me get on a
roof.” Sarin phased on top of a corner two-story building. “Hell’s bloody bells,” she yelled and fired.
“Jane, what happened?” demanded Talon.
“Seeker ambush. It’s dead, but look out! Here come the others.”
A massive tentacle from the driller slammed through the corner of the building causing the Angels to scatter. From atop the building, Sarin fired, putting a bullet into the nest of tentacles of a seeker. It bobbed and fell to the ground.
Talon dodged sideways out into the middle of the street, the remaining seeker behind her. She pirouetted and slashed at the tentacles with her sword and talons. Two bullets ripped through the side of the seeker, just missing her.
“Kristi, be careful. Those things punch all the way through.”
“Sorry, I’m not used to something so big—there’s something I never thought I’d say.”
Sarin laughed at her over the comm.
The Machine moved erratically around the intersection. “Keep firing,” said Talon.
Cinnamon fired several more times while Talon leaped into the air. Cutting through the tentacles reaching for her, she landed on top and plunged her sword into the sensory organ. The Machine crashed into the dirt catapulting Talon into the air. The Angel opened her wings and landed.
A giant tentacle lashed out hitting Sarin’s building. The side of the building collapsed. She took a snap shot and put a bullet between two armored plates where she knew an altimeter control was located. The driller flew upwards then crashed into the ground. “Kill it,” she ordered the others as she shot it from behind.
“Where do I shoot?” said Cinnamon after several shots didn’t do much visible damage.
“Same place as a seeker,” said Talon.
“Those arms are two-feet thick, we’ll never get in there,” said The Rider.
“I will get them to open while Jane keeps it busy. Be ready to kill it,” said Talon.
“How do you reckon to do that?”
“Watch and learn.” Talon leaped in front of the driller and attacked the tips of the large tentacles twisted together to protect the sensory organ. The driller took the bait. The giant tentacles untwisted to swat the Angel.