Crimson Judgment

by Robert Lyons

  “I don’t remember asking for your concern,” Focol growled.

  Lume chuckled. “There are plenty of chances for you to get back at them, so curb your cravings for now until the time is right.”

  “…Fine.” Focol exhaled, calming his nerves. Cora removed himself off of the other purple-eyed Chroma.

  “You need to remember that we are not replaceable like the Bifol. The longer you have that purple eye in your skull, the clearer the bigger picture will become for you, got it?” Lume cracked her knuckles. “You can only make so many novice mistakes before it costs you.”

  In response to the popping of the joints in her fingers, six Bifol emerged from the darkness of the hallway that led to the depths of the facility below their feet.

  “Let’s get started.” Lume smiled, her numerous fangs poking out from under her upper lip. “If Kayto is testing us, we better not make him wait.”

  3.

  “Hustle, captain! We’re almost there!” Zoe yelled as John huffed along. “About fifty yards to go!”

  “Good,” John muttered, his knees a little shaky as he trekked across the landscape.

  “We’ll get you on that bird, and you’ll be fine after that!”

  “What’s our strategy, Zoe?” Steeljaws asked, two steps behind Zoe. An unconscious Sandy was still slung over his shoulder. “We’re not going to have much time to plan out a tactic once we get to the ride.”

  “We use the same strategy as before. Outlive the enemy!” Zoe said over her shoulder. “If you can’t manage that, you shouldn’t be worrying about anything else.”

  “This would have been a shit-fest if we had to kill a purple eye using only our guns and knives.” Steeljaws huffed.

  Zoe was experiencing an unsettling feeling in her inner core. She wouldn’t ordinarily get butterflies before a fight, but this was different. The Chroma were capable of utilizing subordinate beasts that could break through the Aeonian armor plates. It was the first time in a long while where she felt she was going to have to rely on all of her past training in order to outlast the enemy.

  Their load-out was three Heavy Ordnance users and a team of ill-equipped military personnel. In short, it was a recipe for a potentially one-sided slaughter—but these were the cards they had to play.

  “Wha—where are we?” Sandy grumbled as the running and jostling from Steeljaws her woke her up from her incurred slumber, thanks to Zoe’s quick knee. “Uhh … my stomach…”

  “Looks like you’re finally awake!” Steeljaws almost laughed. “We’re closing in on the chopper!”

  “We made it out alive?” Sandy’s question slipped out involuntarily. Despite all of the danger they faced, they got out of what had become enemy territory in one piece.

  “Oh, we’re not done, yet!” Zoe shouted. “We still have that purple eye to kill! After what it did to Roadblock and Smokey, we ain’t going to let it get away!”

  Steeljaws began to laugh softly. “Just another day in paradise.”

  Zoe flashed a challenging smile in return. The Hellcat knew this occupation was far from paradise, but it sort of helped to put their unsettled souls at ease by ironically proclaiming this hell-on-earth to be some sort of nirvana.

  Due to the ever-present hazard, the harsh reality was that any minute could be their last. That moment came for so many others in the past. Now her husband Drew was included on that list of people who were taken out of this world while doing the right thing. Once she was armed, she was going to go find her husband’s killer. Zoe’s mouth crinkled with her building anger.

  The Chroma will understand a widow’s wrath is bottomless.

  However, the looming notion still remained. Even if the infamous Zoe “Hellcat” Arsenault entered the fray, there was no guarantee she would be able to take down the monster. Every battle was different. Nevertheless, no matter how bad things were going to get out on the battlefield, Zoe had the nuclear option of using the weapon she stole out of the armory. She was well aware that she wasn’t supposed to take it, but Zoe lived by the old code, “Luck favored the prepared.”

  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…

  “Hey, Zoe!” Steeljaws caught up to his trusted wingman, looking at her with the cheesiest grin that his metal reinforced jaw would allow. “Make sure that when I’m done killing that purple eye, I don’t see you sitting on your ass!”

  “Fat fucking chance!” Zoe yelled back, the noise of the helicopter’s whirling blades almost drowning her voice out. They were just below the belly of the helicopter when Zoe tapped into her headset.

  “Evan! We’re here!” Zoe announced, setting John down slowly to avoid inflicting more strain on his body. “We’re ready to deliver John and receive the Heavy Ordnance!”

  “Putting the bird to autopilot mode and taking over the gunner seat!” Evan called back. “Be careful out there!”

  “Did it already sent out harpoon monsters to feel out the situation?” Steeljaws inquired while looking around and taking note of his surroundings. An ambush could be sprung at any given moment. He had to be ready.

  “If ya mean dem crab-monsters, then yessir! Dat’s de reason why we cannot move!” Jim shot back. “Have John hook in!”

  “What?” Zoe asked, caught off-guard.

  “Yes—Zoe!” John mustered what strength he had left in his battered body. “I’m taking over the gun … while you three take that purple eye out!”

  “Captain! You—!”

  “Come on, Zoe! Give me more credit than that!” John growled. “I’ve been through worse!”

  Something heavy landed next to them.

  Standing up at his full height that reached over six feet and six inches, Jim McBride was projecting his desire to fight. John and Sandy were raised into the helicopter via the cable that Jim used to rappel down with.

  Jim’s back was stacked with three weapon containers, each one holding a Heavy Ordnance. As the boxes were opened, Jim shot a sidelong glance at Zoe. He didn’t see that weapon anywhere on her, so where had it been relocated if it wasn’t with Zoe?

  Dis is strange … Oi culda’va sworn! Jim thought to himself.

  Steeljaws extracted his Heavy Ordnance weapon and a small glowing, cyan cylinder. The small shimmering object was no bigger than a standard 9V battery. This was the very same power source that fueled all of the functions of the Aeonian Armor Systems.

  The weapon was a pole, roughly three feet in length, with several ribs lining the length of it. He rotated the top section one full rotation and slid the power cell into the slot that opened up. In response, the pole doubled in length, narrow slits of lights jetting out from the openings that ran down the weapon. He swung it once or twice; the gust of wind generated by the weapon was powerful enough to ruffle the grass more than ten yards away.

  The weapon that Jim fetched from its secure container was a pair of metal-plated gloves. Upon pulling them on and inserting a similar power cell into each slot that appeared, the metal plates on the gloves expanded. The plates slid back and forth until the armored gloves produced spikes at the knuckles and armor plating all the way up to Jim’s elbows.

  Zoe removed a baton-like object from the strongbox.

  Once the device was switched on after the installment of a cyan cell, the baton transformed just like the gloves Jim was wearing. The weapon split and multiplied in surface area until a metallic sarcophagus engulfed her hand. The pointed end of the baton whirled up as the final stages of the transformation took place. A dark-purple liquid snake sprouted out of the end, slithering slowly back and forth in mid-air. Unlike a conventional, leather whip, this whip’s main body was comprised of a concentrated, quasi-plasma liquid that was strung together with a four-way woven copper mesh. The air around the plasma became turbulent; the intense heat made the sweat roll down Zoe’s face, even with the Aeonian armor protecting her.

  “Evan, order de soldiers ter move back! We are gonna start de first strike! Dis long of silence can only mean one thing, dey are trying ter
make us drop our guard!” Jim yelled out in anticipation.

  “I read you, Jim!” Evan responded, switching channels on the comms.

  “Forward!” the giant said over his shoulder, taking a couple of steps toward the bunker where the men were still lined up. Steeljaws followed, keeping the stick in one hand, held diagonally behind his back. Zoe stayed a little ways back, keeping her head low.

  Maybe me assumption was wrong. Der is no way dat she would take another Heavy Ordnance if she were already armed ‘ith somethin’ else. Jim kept his thoughts to himself.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Jim withdrew a stainless steel flask from the inner pocket of his bulletproof vest.

  “Drinking on the job, Jim?” Steeljaws chuckled. There was a specific tone in his voice that hinted his desire to enjoy some as well.

  “Tis’ true, lad.” Jim smiled, throwing the flask behind him. Steeljaws, in turn, caught it in one hand. “Gonna enjoy de finest that I’ve saved up for years.”

  “You say that like you are going to die, Jim,” Zoe said in a low voice. “Don’t tell me you know something we don’t.”

  “Ha! I’m not saying anythin’ of de sort!” Jim shrugged.

  “Whoo-hee! That’s smooth!” Steeljaws’ faceplate was temporarily moved to allow the exquisite product to instantaneously purify his gastrointestinal tract.

  “Oi always carry one, Zoe. Every single mission.” Jim looked over his shoulder, half-smile still playing on his lips. “Because every assignment dat we go on is special. We live together, fight together, win together, and one day it ‘ill all end. So ‘hile we are here, whatcha say we kill dose bastards … together?”

  The cams in Zoe’s helmet disengaged, partially sliding the faceplate away to provide an open path to her mouth. She snatched the flask out of her wingman’s hand, striking at her prey with the accuracy and swiftness of a cobra. After throwing her head back, she instinctively wanted to vomit as soon as the liquid touched her tongue.

  It was like chugging down gasoline. The high alcohol content burned the inside of her mouth, throat, and in between all of her teeth, but she persevered. She was able to force it down a mouthful.

  “Heh! Oi am impressed, Zoe!” Jim raised his eyebrows in response. “Dat’s a man’s drink!”

  The flask came flying at him, but Jim was expecting it to be returned in such a swift manner after his comment. He returned it into the pocket he extracted it out of.

  “Ya feelin’ it?”

  Zoe cleared her throat, but her voice was still hoarse.

  “Oh yeah … we’re carving a road for humanity … and we’re going to pave it with Chroma bones.”

  4.

  “Night Hawk 2. Ground troops are pulling back from the hot zone,” the pilot from Night Hawk 3 informed the HAWKs, simultaneously relaying the message to the ground teams.

  “Hey … Evan.” The captain was short of breath.

  “Yes, sir?” Evan asked, flipping some switches on his panel on the dashboard.

  “Have you ever seen a fight against the Chroma when we use the Heavy Ordnance?” John asked, still keeping his eye down the barrel, looking for movement at the bunker. Had Evan not set up a bucket seat for John, the captain would have already collapsed.

  “No, sir. This would be my first time,” Evan admitted.

  Information concerning the forgers of the Heavy Ordnance was one of the highest guarded secrets of the HAWK. A small group of higher-ups in the HAWK chain of command knew only the bare minimum about the forgers and where to pick up said ordnance when there was a new delivery to replace broken equipment. Not even John was allowed to know where the Heavy Ordnance originated.

  Using a small headlamp to illuminate the wound, Sandy was able to perform first aid on John with what she had in her pocket kit while the captain held the gunner position.

  “I’m sorry,” Sandy whispered. “I don’t know what came over me … back in that room…”

  John grunted as he kept one eye open, staring down the sights. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”

  “I know—but I put more people at risk because the strategy had to be changed!”

  “Well, that’s true, but that’s another part of our job. We have to be able to adapt to any situation. If it’s any means of consolation, you made one hell of a shot. When we use training rounds during dry runs back at the base, not even Zoe could manage to hit me like that.” John chuckled.

  “Looks like the shot I fired only grazed your sense of humor.” Sandy brandished a small smile.

  5.

  The military teams retreated.

  The order was to pull military team back to their transport helicopter and to provide support fire in case a threat tried to rush in and attack the getaway vehicles. This move also cleared space for Zoe, Steeljaws, and Jim to fight without having to worry about friendly casualties.

  Zoe bit the inside of her cheek, staring at the open doorway that led into the depths of the facility.

  We’re going to end this right where it all started, Zoe thought. She still felt the weight of it on her back; the possibility of its use was still in the equation. But that’s last resort only. Even with all the training I did on my own, I haven’t gotten full control of it just yet.

  “De moment de poorpil-eye shows its face, it will more than likely make its escape. Dat cannot happen.” Jim looked sternly at Steeljaws and Zoe. The stance she took, with the expression that her whole body was projecting, confirmed Jim’s initial assessment from earlier in the day.

  She was hiding something.

  The darkness of night was upon them. The stars of the night sky were concealed by the thunderclouds that had rolled in. A cold wind, a flash of light, and after a delay, the heavens spoke with a mighty roar.

  That’s when Jim saw it in the flash of the lightning.

  There was no longer a doubt about Zoe having taken the weapon from the vault. Jim was about to open his mouth to bring attention to the sight he caught on to, until he felt a small tap on his head and shoulders.

  The dark clouds covering the stars and moon began to pour rain. It was by far the worst possible timing.

  Zoe tensed up, preparing for the worst.

  “Heads up!” Steeljaws yelled, twirling the rod in his hand and transitioning to an overhead striking position.

  Two Bifol darted out of the bunker’s entrance at breathtaking speed, crisscrossing each other’s paths, making them harder to follow and shoot down. Once they covered a certain distance, both Bifol bolted to the far-off open plains, making a getaway for the forest beyond. The sudden downpour from above made visibility outside of the spotlights provided by the helicopters next to zero.

  “Night Hawk 3! Track usin’ thermal! Two targets north an’ southbound to de woods!” Jim yelled into his headset before his jaw was knocked loose.

  Whirling back to see what was in front of him, another fist flew right by Jim’s ear. The entire left side of his head was numb from the impact, ears ringing for good measure. He took a step back, feeling the enemy dart past him.

  In desperation and anger, Jim threw his hand out and grabbed a hold of the passing Bifol by the wrist. He grinned with the side of his face that he still had feeling in. Utilizing the Heavy Ordnance Punch Glove, Jim crimped down, pulverizing the arm of his enemy with a sickening crunch.

  “Gimme more, ya’ ugly bastard!!”

  The Bifol screeched in pain, struggling to break free of the redheaded giant’s grip. In desperation, the monster fired a bone spike out of its chest, which was less than a foot away from Jim’s vitals.

  Quickly reacting, Jim placed his metal-plated arm in between them. The spike deflected to the side after smashing against the forearm plate. The redheaded giant grunted as the energy carried through the armor. Nevertheless, the plates from the weapon held against the attack.

  The Aeonian armor ain’t stronger dan de steel in dese gloves!

  Jim chuckled as he reached his defensive arm into the Hunter’s face and dug the
fingers of the gauntlet into the eyes and mouth of the beast. All the while, the military forces behind the three Heavy Ordnance users mowed down the first two beasts that made a getaway into the woods.

  Zoe was facing off against one of the three that rushed down the middle. Her quasi-plasma whip struck fast at her foe, but the beast was as equally nimble as her. Every strike the Hellcat launched, the crab-legged/human torso beast would side-jump and initiate a counter-attack.

  Arsenault kept light on her feet. Holding her ground in this type of a fight would mean certain death. She coiled up the whip, taking a couple side steps that enabled her to walk a circle opposite to her enemy.

  It mirrored her every move.

  She grinned with anticipation.

  Hook. Line. Sinker!

  In an instant, Zoe dashed right through her opponent, striking out the whip ahead of her at the last second and sliding forward at the same time.

  The beast didn’t have enough time to deploy the bone spikes out of its chest as a counterattack. The female warrior had already cut the beast asunder. There was no way for the monster to guard against the whip’s attack. She looked over her shoulder, taking note of her comrades and their progress.

  “McBride!”

  “Finishin’ up!” Jim, who had the beast by the mouth and eyes, quickly moved both hands over to the sides of its head. With a minimal effort, he began to squeeze the cranium of the beast, compacting the skull with immense pressure imposed by the gloves. As a result, the head came apart in pieces with juices exploding out in all directions.

  As soon as the beast fell, Jim bit back a scream of agony.

  His hands, wrists, and arms felt like they were about to be torn asunder. The exertion from using the Heavy Ordnance was starting to manifest in the immense strain in his muscles.

  “Gunnar!” Zoe yelled.

  Since Jim and Zoe each had one beast, Steeljaws had to pull his weight plus another as he faced off against two Bifol at the same time. Zoe quickly realized that Steeljaws was battling only one creature at the moment. The second Bifol was already flung a couple of feet away. Its broken, motionless body was twisted up like a rag doll.