by L. Fergus
Cinnamon flew to her left where she had a chance at the sensory organ. The driller slammed into Talon, sending her into a stack of crates. Cinnamon fired. The Machine crashed to the ground and went slack.
Cinnamon rushed over to her girlfriend. “Scarlett?”
“I’m fine, cupcake. Just a couple of ribs out of place and injured pride. I was trying to do too much at once, and it caught me.”
“You busted a wing by the look of it,” said The Rider. “Better get back to headquarters. You don’t want to slow us down.”
“It’s just dislocated. I can still move on foot. Set it and I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
“We’re basically on foot, anyway,” said Cinnamon.
The Rider chattered her teeth but didn’t say anything. She looked at Sarin.
“I’m fine with her coming along; you girls help her reset her wing and ribs.”
While the others helped Talon, Sarin investigated the activities of the Machines. Entering the building, she found shredded metal, upturned dirt, and a few dead humans. In the center was a hole. She looked in.
She examined the equation. A large xeox deposit lay several thousand feet below, larger than any discovered by humans.
Sarin went to one of the dead seekers. She reached into the nest of tentacles and put her hand on the dead Machine’s sensory organ. The Machine shook as she woke it up.
“That’s right, you bitch,” Sarin hissed. “A real god awakens you. Now tell me, why do you want xeox?” She wasn’t addressing the seeker, but the queen. The queen refused to answer, still outside Sarin’s direct grasp. “Fine, don’t tell me now. But, when I do get a hold of you, I won’t ask so nicely the second time.” She dropped the seeker and returned to the others.
“How’s it going, red?”
“I’ll be fine,” replied Talon.
“Glad to hear it. Good to see you’re as creative and resourceful as ever.” Sarin squeezed her friend’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. “Don’t overdo it. I'm not bringing home anyone in a bag. Remember, you just got a girlfriend. She cares as much for you as you do for her.”
Talon nodded.
“All right, let’s go kill the queen and get out of here.”
“Commandant, the queen has begun to climb the main xeox storage silos,” said the shuttle’s spotter.
“Thanks, I can see part of her strands from here,” said Sarin, examining the creature in her scope. She took aim at a weak point, but decided against firing, not wanting to give their position away. She motioned the others to follow her down the last two blocks.
“Where are the t-rexes?” Sarin called to the shuttle.
“One is on the far side, and one is two hundred yards to your left, behind a hangar.”
Sarin called Kita. “Can you see the t-rexes?”
“Sure, but I can’t do much about them.”
“I just want you to draw it out from behind the hangar. I’ve got a round that’ll do the trick.”
“I’ll see what I can do, pretty blackbird.”
A pair of turrets on the shuttle port’s perimeter fired at the area behind the hangar. Sarin glided up on top of a building and picked a clear firing position. From her ammo box, she pulled out a round with a solid crystal tip. Bullets from another group of human Bureau soldiers struck the building around her. “Keep those worms off me,” she yelled to the other Angels.
The Rider stepped around the building and chattered loudly at the two humans drawing their attention. She fired and killed them. Two more humans appeared from around the corner. She swore and charged the pair. The soldiers saw her coming and fired. When their bullets didn’t have any effect, they dropped their rifles and ran. The Rider caught them by the backs of their uniforms.
“Lieutenant Chow and Private Lee. Strange seeing you so far from your post.” The Rider tossed the pair into the dirt.
“Who…Who are…?” Chow said cowering in fear.
“General Starr.”
“It’s a demon,” said Lee, making a symbol in the air.
“Don’t be foolish. I am General Starr. I need you to get a message out to the rest of the legionnaires. Tell them to stop attacking the headquarters, automatic turrets, or any woman with wings. And, everyone is to obey orders coming from a Major Baxter. We need to stop these metal monsters and the Political Bureau. They are the true threat.”
“Why should I believe you?” said Chow.
The Rider took off her burning hat and dropped it between the pair. It returned to normal when it hit the ground. “That’s my hat, isn’t it?”
Chow nodded.
The Rider took off the cursed gun belt, and she returned to normal. Her burning wings changing to brilliant reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows matching a sunset. “Minus the wings, it’s me.” The two legionnaires’ mouths hung open. “We don’t have time for y’all to gawk. Get moving.”
“Can we trust it?” Lee said to Chow.
“Private Lee, I will have you riding Solo White Pine Ridge patrol on a donkey ass-backward for a month if you don’t get moving. Chow, it’ll be two for you.”
“Yes, General,” Chow muttered as he climbed to his feet, refusing Ryder’s offered hand.
“Good, move.” Ryder waited until the two men turned the corner before slipping the belt back on.
“Nice job,” Sarin said over the comm. “I knew you were a smart cookie.”
“That should cut down on some of the lead flying our way.”
Sarin didn’t answer, her attention taken by the appearance of a t-rex. She fired, and the t-rex’s chest exploded. “One down.”
“That’s good,” said Talon, “because the queen is climbing the silos. She already has a bottom anchor in place.”
“Damn. She’s moving faster than I expected. Where are you, red?”
“Kristi and I are at the shuttle port’s fence. There’s no other Machines or people nearby. I can see the other t-rex on the far side of the port.”
“Be careful. You know they can pop up without warning,” Sarin said trying to contain her horror over the two being out alone. “Wait there. I’ll catch up. Ryder, get your ass moving, too.”
“I’m almost there.”
The four Angels gathered at the fence.
“So, how do we kill the queen?” said Cinnamon.
“Drop it in lava,” said Sarin with a frown.
“No lava …What’s the plan then?”
“Shoot it until it quits moving.”
“Or, I thought I could get to the xeox tanks and heat up a large amount in a hose or pipe and blow her out of the sky.”
“That could work if we can get close enough,” said The Rider.
“Yeah, but we still have a driller, a couple of seekers, and at least two dozen swarmers to deal with,” said Sarin.
“Your big gun isn’t big enough for all that?” The Rider chided, her flames growing brighter.
“You get me the damn target I’ll make sure it dies.”
“Do not let her get to you, Jane. We need you focused,” said Talon. “Ryder, do not antagonize her. We need her fighting with a technician’s precision, not an artist’s passion.”
“I’m always perfect,” Sarin huffed. “Get moving. I’ll cover you.”
The other three Angels floated over the fence and moved into the open grounds of the shuttle port.
“Look,” Talon pointed to the top of the xeox silo. A thin cable from the queen wrapped around the top, and more cables wrapped around the wire to strengthen the hold. “Jane, can you break that anchor?”
“I’ll do my best. Those cables are thicker than they look.” Sarin took out her shooting cap now that things were serious. She put that hat on backward and took up a prone position. Placing the crosshairs on the cable, she could barely see it even with her vision and scope. The rifle fired but didn’t break the cable. Instead, it swung wildly as she fired another shot. Did I actually miss? The cable sagged and snapped, sending the queen to the ground. Didn’t think so.
“She’s down,” Sarin said to the others.
“We’re moving toward her,” said The Rider. “Just keep being our guardian angel.”
“You—” Sarin spotted a trio of swarmers making for the others. She picked them off in rapid succession and then replaced her magazine. “This guardian angel doesn’t work for free.”
“Would you prefer dirt or horse hair? That’s all I own in the world.”
“With what’s in this dirt a handful is worth thousands.”
“I must have some of the most expensive rounds around,” said Cinnamon with a laugh.
“Hardly,” Sarin said rolling her eyes as she scanned the area for more Machines. “Hurry, the queen’s recovering, and that t-rex is coming up to protect her.”
Sarin didn’t have any of the pure crystal rounds left. Everything else was crystal laced, which was good for everything except large creatures like queens and t-rexes. She fired two shots, one in the t-rex’s head and one in the chest to disorient it.
She searched the landing area for something powerful enough to kill the Machines. She couldn’t set the xeox off in a controlled way, but unless she took care of the t-rex Cinnamon would never be able to get close enough.
An idea struck her. She hopped down to the ground and pulled out her bullet maker. She tapped away at the controls, programming a hollow jacket with thermite and dirt she added to the materials port. The machine did the rest.
“Jane, where are you?” Talon cried.
Sarin drifted up and saw the Angels battling the remaining driller and seekers. She set the maker aside and with two shots blew apart a seeker attacking Cinnamon. The Rider’s revolvers flashed even as the tentacles of the last seeker entangled her. Three shots into the base of the tentacles caused the seeker to spin wildly. It wasn’t dead, but it was enough to free The Rider. There was a bright flash in Cinnamon’s hand as she hurled a clump of dirt at the damaged Machine. It fell to the ground.
Talon flew around the driller, racking it with her talons and slashing with her sword. The thick tentacles were more nimble than they looked.
“We’re coming,” Cinnamon yelled.
“Stay back,” said Talon. “It’s too dangerous.”
Cinnamon’s hand flashed as she threw another clump of dirt. The Rider fired adding to the Machine’s fury. Two large explosions on the side from Sarin’s rifle sent Talon reeling. As she tried to shake off the effects, a tentacle grabbed her around the waist and squeezed her.
Talon thrust her sword up to the hilt in the soft underside of the tentacle. The tentacle relaxed. She expanded her protective bubble pushing the slacked tentacle away from her, and she fell across the other tentacles. She shook her head trying to clear the pain. The tentacles curled around her.
A small glint of crystal was attached to the Machine’s sensory organ. Talon slammed her talons into the fleshy pile. The Machine’s tentacles closed over her as she frantically struck at the machine’s weak spot until they trapped her.
Cinnamon and The Rider pulled the giant tentacles apart and pulled Talon from inside. Talon regained consciousness looking into the eyes of Cinnamon. “Hmmph,” was all that came out when she tried to speak. It was enough for Cinnamon. The Angel grabbed her and hugged her.
“No new injuries, just aggravating the older ones,” said Sarin. “But I suggest you stay here for now and let me and bonehead go finish off the rest.”
“I killed it?” said Talon.
“You clawed the sensory organ out,” Sarin said with a smile. “It won’t be long before the queen tries to get up on something else. We need to hurry.”
“I can make it,” Talon said struggling to her feet.
“I’m coming, too. But, you should stay here,” said Cinnamon tapping Talon on the chest.
Talon sighed and gave her a playful dirty look. “I guess I deserve that, but I’ll rest when it’s over. I can still watch everyone’s back.”
“I—”
“That’s only fair,” said Sarin. “Come on. We need to get into position. I’ve got a magazine of rounds that should keep the pair busy while Kristi figures out how to heat up the xeox and kill them.”
“So killing them is all on me?” Cinnamon said with a nervous laugh.
“Welcome to the big leagues. Let’s move.”
“We’ve found the xeox tanks,” said Cinnamon. “The hose and pump are connected. I need someone to get that big chicken’s attention.”
“We’ll start shooting,” said The Rider. “Darling Jane, are you in position?”
“No, I’m in the middle of moving.”
“Damn girl. It shouldn’t take you more than a twitch of your whiskers.”
“I don’t have whiskers.”
“Uhm, girls…” Cinnamon went quiet as the t-rex roared. “It spotted us.”
“What happened?” Sarin demanded.
“The pump wasn’t as quiet as we thought.”
“Stuff around here is held together with wire and a prayer,” said The Rider. “This isn’t Neptune with sound dampening coils and frictionless motors.”
“That would have been nice to know a few moments ago,” said Talon.
“I’m coming around the hangar now. You girls vamoose, and I’ll give him a spicier meal to think over.” The Rider shot at the t-rex. “Come on you big, dumb oversized buffalo wing. Let me show you who the real hothead is around here,” she yelled with harsh laughter.
The giant Machine roared at the Angel’s challenge. It charged as The Rider stood her ground.
Sarin thumped down hard on the ground. She inserted the magazine with her xeox rounds. She couldn’t see the t-rex, but she could hear it roar. Through her scope, she watched The Rider hold her ground.
Sarin gulped. She was counting on an untested round based on a best guess to save her new friend’s life. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t have a choice. All she could do was take the shot. If it didn’t work, well, she had other ways of putting down the t-rex. The rules be damned. “Ryder, back up. I need more room.”
“More room for what?”
“I don’t…” The t-rex appeared in her scope. On instinct, she pulled the trigger. She held the trigger down, and another round fired. The first struck the crystal head guard and exploded without doing any damage to the Machine. The second struck half an inch from the first, contacting a fleshy bit of gum. The hollow round shattered and set off the thermite, igniting the xeox charge. A thin straw punched through the t-rex’s skull.
The t-rex stumbled and flipped over The Rider. As she ducked, the dinosaur’s tail smashed into her. She tumbled backward and disappeared underneath the t-rex in a cloud of dust.
“Ryder…Ryder…” Sarin yelled over the comm, but she got no response. “Girls, is it down?”
“I don’t see her,” said Talon. “What happened to her?”
“I lost her in the dust. It looked like the damn thing came down on top of her.”
“She’s probably knocked unconscious under it.”
“Girls, the queen is starting to climb again,” said Cinnamon with a hint of concern in her voice.
“I don’t have a shot. You girls will have to slow her down,” said Sarin.
“We’re ready. By the time you get here, it’ll be over.”
“Don’t do anything stupid while I move to you.”
“You aim—I’ll heat up the xeox,” said Cinnamon to Talon.
“Are you sure this air pump will give us enough PSI to get a shot from here to there?”
“All we need is to direct the xeox. It’ll do its own launching,” said Cinnamon tartly as she grabbed the air hose and kinked it.
Talon poured a handful of xeox into the hose. “Loaded.”
Cinnamon heated the hose with her hands. When she felt the xeox expand, she released the kink, and the xeox false dropped out the end of the hose toward the queen. “Did we hit her?”
“I don’t know. Reload and fire,” Talon barked.
They repeated the process three more t
imes, but with no visible result.
“This isn’t working,” Cinnamon cried. “And she’s reached the top of the silo.”
“We’ll have to wait for Jane,” said Talon calmly.
“Jane! Jane! This isn’t working,” called Cinnamon.
“I’m a little busy,” Sarin replied with a growl. “Think for yourselves.”
Cinnamon looked at Talon and raised an eyebrow.
“It sounds like she’s in trouble, but is handling it.”
“Then we’ve got to get the queen down,” said Cinnamon.
“How?”
Cinnamon looked at the landing area and the silos. “She’s above a xeox conveyor, and I can reach her anchor. Give me your sword, and I’ll cut her off.”
“This is a queen. Do you know how dangerous she is?”
“Do we have a choice?”
Talon clenched her fists but relented and reached into her cloak and handed over her sword. “Let me show you how to use it.”
“How hard can it be?” said Cinnamon.
“Blades are a lifetime of learning, ask Kita or Jane.” Talon showed Cinnamon how to grip and swing the sword in case she got into trouble.
When Talon finished, Cinnamon pulled the other Angel’s hood back. “I’ll be careful,” she whispered and then gave her a kiss.
“You better come back to me,” Talon hissed.
“Don’t be possessive and don’t use that tone with me,” Cinnamon retorted.
Talon sighed. “Sorry. But, you’re young and inexperienced. I’m worried.”
“I know, but we don’t have a choice. After I cut her down feel free to crash in and tear the queen up.”
Talon hugged Cinnamon tightly. “Be safe, cupcake.”
“I will, hoots.”
Around them, the ground rumbled, and a quintet of swarmers crawled from the dirt.
“Kristi, go!” said Talon.
“I’m trapped.”
“I’ll clear you a path.” Talon let out an ear-splitting hoot blasting the swarmers backward. “Go!”
Cinnamon leaped into the air, refusing to look back to see if Talon was all right. She felt guilty leaving Talon with only her talons for defense. She turned invisible and ducked into the shadows. Using the silo to screen her, she flew up the side and peeked over the top of the flat roof.