The Natural Selection Retaliation
Page 15
Steve thought about it.
“Okay, Transiton, how does this new one work?”
“The same way the original did, but just with an upgrade. We have limited resources as well as the Program, so it can’t engineer a plasma rifle this quickly. The only way we were able to beat those things was Di’s hacking manipulation. The next step for the Program is to shield our attack. That means a shielding force field. I went a level up and made our shield breaker a frequency spread-spectrum nullifier. If the frequency changes, scan it again. This way, you can take out your foe with ease.”
“This sounds very different. How will we get good at finding the frequency when we get deep I the thick?”
“We attack at twelve noon. That gives your marksmen seven hours to get good at it and with the instant scan sweep, it shouldn’t be tough.”
“You don’t even know if there will be another attacker, or if your defense is the correct one is there another.”
“Remember my scientific method theory? I’ve been thinking about this ever since Cole died. I’ve assessed all the things the Program has done to stop us. Drone birds, undead Seals, and nanite controlled wild animals. It just moves to the next level to defeat us. When we beat the heat, it just goes to the next level. It’s pragmatic, Steve. I’m pragmatic as well. I just have the ability to skip a step, it can’t.”
“Y’know, Transiton, if you didn’t make any sense, I’d tell you to get outa my face. Since you do, what’s the next step?”
“Thank you for listening. Your compliance has just engineered my next step. If the crazy warrior is abutted to take up this mantle, your marksmen and the rest of Neo-Khaos will too. Gaia will distribute the other Magrupts to your team after you tell them they’re vital for victory. I’ll tell Sledge and distribute the rest. It’ll be your job to show them how it works after Gaia trains you.”
“See, Gaia. I listen. If it makes sense, I’ll do it,” Steve said.
Gaia was relieved he did listen. because his agreement was the cornerstone to Chip’s ‘house of cards’ strategy.
“Okay, first you have to know how to activate the spread-spectrum frequency analyzer,” she began as Chip went to meet Sledge.
“Okay, have them flank and place the Klaytrek. Have them clear thirty meters directly behind the explosive. It has a two hundred seventy-degree blast radius. You don’t want your troops losing legs because they weren’t in the correct position,” Kathrine told Sledge.
Chip went sledding.
“Hey, Sledge, I made a special chaos counter for the Neo-Khaos.”
Sledge saw Chip lugging many Magropts on a hover carrier.
“Why are you giving them Magrupts? We used those things until the Program took away the borgeys. The undead are just mindless soldiers with just motor functions. We can’t use those things on self-powered nanites.”
“It’s not for them,” Chip said. “They were designed to counter whatever's next.”
“What do you mean ‘ whatever's next’? You don’t know what we have to battle next, or even if there will be anything else when we win. Don’t burden my squad with useless weapons for future foes you don’t even know about when they need all their mobility to fight what we can see right now.”
“C’mon, Sledge, you know me. When have I ever speculated a hypothesis without any proof? I know what I’m saying, I’m a transiton.”
“Well, I’m a street-smart leader and this time I’m going with my gut. Take those things away.”
Katrine saw the exchange and interrupted.
“Wait a minute. What’s a transiton?”
“I’m the overzealous logic tech geek,” Chip told her.
“And you won’t take him up on what he knows, Sledge? The next lesson in training is to gather and absorb what you don’t know. I know you think we have this in the bag, but this attack is a one-sided attack. We have no covert intelligence. Expect to lose, but prepare to win. He makes sense. Your troops have been conditioned to carry extra equipment. Call back your troops and let Chip give them their next ‘show stopper’. A Good trainer won’t get their troops to get killed from arrogance.”
“Do you think there’s another threat?” he asked her.
“I don’t know and you don’t either. I’m a good trainer, so I’d err on the side of caution. If there isn’t another threat, we’ll be fine, but if there is…”
“I got you. When I’m learning, I do listen to the expert,” Sledge said. “I’m calling them in, Chip. They’ll get in line so you can issue the new Magrupts.” He turned to Katrine. “What do I tell them?”
“Just tell them all Steve’s marksmen are equipped with them and they’ll flock to these like they’re lining up for a celebrity's autograph,” Chip said.
Kathrine put her hand on his arm.
“The overzealous logic tech geek is right. Peer pressure beats all Irrational doubt.”
“You never had kids. What do you know about peer pressure?”
“I trained testosterone laden Navy Seals. Do I need to finish my explanation?”
Sledge called them in to get their new Magrupts. It didn’t take long for them to master their old friends.
At 12:00, everyone was ready to storm the battlefield. In sixty kilometers, they were about to dive into the toxic mud.
“When we’re about twenty kilometers from the facility, I’ll activate the stealth bubble and you send your bird. To nullify the undead” Chip told Alikira. “This will be our only advantage for our riders. I’ll download the undead’s field location of the remaining to our Arctic Special Forces, then it’s showtime.”
“We should be right on time to clean them up, so I can get in the facility. You know there’ll be facility resistance. I can take out twenty sentinels, but Neo-Khaos should be able to take out the rest.”
“You’re talking about the foes you took out to save Cole. I never saw them, so what are they?”
“Mindless metal defenders. Make them eat a B-14 incendiary round and they’ll be useless melting metal.”
“Our success depends on us,” Purge said. “Give us about five kilometers to get to them. That way, If they are more reserves, they won’t be able to replenish in time. These Arctic beasts are fast.”
“See, I don’t know everything, Lance,” Chip said. “What do you call that battle tactic. Purge?”
“That’s an ancient tactic us New Yorkers have used for centuries. We call it ‘Flatbush Style’.”
Lance grinned.
“That’s ‘homegrown’ New York right there. We never woulda thought of that.”
“Sometimes you guys have to learn things about living on the streets instead of reading your compu-documents to know what really works.”
“Like I said, Chip.” Alikira began. “Stop trying to be the absolute director and let everyone play their parts.”
“It’ll be the epic you want to tell your kids in the years to come,” Lance said.
It was late in the afternoon when they were 5 kilometers out from the building. They rallied before the onslaught.
“Okay, this is it. We need to execute this with precision. Steve, I need your team to begin to run towards the building,” Alikira said. “I talked to Purge and to start this New York ‘Flatbush’ attack, the Arctic animals will pass you right before you engage whoever’s left. When I send my albatross and it sweeps the enemy, it’ll transmit the disable count to the beast’s minds through Jean-Renae’s synaptic implants. They’ll clean up the rest. I need you to make sure I’ll be clear to get in unscathed so I can dismantle that beast.”
“I know we’re more than just ‘clean-up’, Di. We’ve been training for this,” Steve said.
“Yor team is way more than just clean-up. Your team is built to take out Chip’s speculated X-factor and the slew of sentinels inside. I can only take out twelve without breaking stride and I know there will be many more.”
“You never told me about a sentinel. Are they super dangerous?”
“What do you want me to do?” Chip asked.
:I need the transitons to fix the bird when it fails, so we can hit them double time. The strategy sounds good, but expect failure so you won’t be disappointed if it happens.”
“You’re trying to keep us centered,” Lance said. “I’ve been a hermit for years and I was just introduced to Cindy. I’m not letting the Program disrupt my pleasure any longer. “ARE WE FIRED UP, PEOPLE?!”
Alikira heard the roar of motivation. That was when she knew they were going to win.
“I know you’ve upgraded my memory, Chip. Can I do attack precision timing to the second?”
“Relative timing synchronization is automatically in your memory upgrade. I added the emotion voracious detection on top of your memory storage, so yes.”
“Alikira smiled.
“Good, I know every Arctic Special Forces’ speed with each rider’s weight ratio to calculate momentum and each of Steve’s marksmen’s load-out speed calculations. I know the airspeed of my albatross and when to send everyone at the proper time to do Purge’s Flatbush attack. If everyone’s ready, we can begin!”
Everyone was set and Chip asked her, “How ‘precise’ will this be when you can’t factor in the resistance fortitude of the enemy?”
“This will be the best-hypothesized estimate available with every known factor of this battle. Like Major Cavanaugh said earlier to you. We don’t have any inside intelligence to calculate this attack perfectly. I heard something from an incredibly intelligent friend before. You work with what you got. I think I should trust that friend, don’t you?”
Chop knew he told her that and felt better about her attack. He turned to everyone else and yelled.
“On your mark, People! It’s time to destroy that beast!”
Alikira began the attack by telling Steve and his crew to run towards the undead. They broke out in a victory roar.
Alikira felt satisfied with her people. Just a year ago, they mistrusted her. They thought her a spy for the Program. She changed their minds with the help of Steve, her greatest doubter. The one who wanted to blank her the first time he saw her. Then with normal interaction with him, he began to believe she was an integral help, not an insidious harm. He told the rest to give her a break and once the door was cracked, she kicked it down. Now, everybody followed her lead without question.
“When do we advance?” Purge asked. “I think Mario’s itchin’ to break some dead guys.”
“You go in twenty-three minutes,” she told him. “”Your team is from New York, so you can navigate city streets to ‘break’ the undead mechanical resistance defenders throughout the Baltimore downtown area. Baltimore downtown should be a New York suburb to you.”
“I lived there, so everything in America seems ‘podunk’ to us. We’ll clear your path. When will the bird download the information?”
Chip transmitted the Baltimore downtown area into the Arctic animals.
When Di’s bird sends the field info, it’ll overlay this mental map. You direct them and let your beast riders do the rest.”
“I’ll send it fifteen minutes, thirty-two seconds after you deploy,” she said. “Flying is much faster than a ground attack.”
All the attackers converged at the exact time. The albatross flew into the city to wipe out as many undead as it could, flew back, transmitted the new field layout to everyone through digital maps, or animal mind chip implants, and everyone gathered right outside the city.
“Okay, team, we’re about to take out the rest. Steve, use your marksmen to ensure they’re all disabled. Di and the rest will be here in ten minutes. Can we make sure their Baltimore adventure will be just another walk in the park?” Purge asked.
“The rest are spread out through the city, Purge,” Mario said. “Bravo, Charlie and Delta have our quadrants. We’ll take them down.”
“We’ll back each of you,” Steve told Mario. “You’ll never see a side-attack coming, we will.”
“Okay, break out in three,” Purge said, counted down, and they all dispersed to their quadrants.
As they traveled nearer to the Cercian building where Circumscriber was housed, they went slowly through the abandoned buildings. Just as they were about to attack the remaining defenders, gunfire and concrete divots exploded from the buildings they were behind!
“FALL BACK! WE ARE UNDER FIRE!” Purge yelled!
Steve transmitted to the rest of his marksman on the secure line it was time to use their rifles. They all took out their Devastators and fired upon the undead! Their accuracy was moot, because every round B-14 and D-18 alike, were redirected away with a deflector field!
“Di didn't tell us about this!” Steve yelled.
“How could she?! She’s phenomenal, but she still isn't a psychic! I know the Program blocked her from any new info! We have to beat these things on our own!”
Steve thought about Chip’s crazy theory, pulled out his Magrupt, scanned the frequency, and fired at an undead. The Magrupt scanned the undead, beeped, and fired to shut down the firing mechanism!
“We ain’t alone, Snark! Use your Magrupt to shut that defender down! Chip was right, but they aren’t new attackers! The undead nave the upgrade!”
Snark and the rest returned to their old tactics to shut the undead down. Once they couldn’t fire. The Arctic Specia Forces began to bend and tear them apart. They look like rag-dolls being shaken by rabid dogs.
The wave kept coming from abandoned buildings. There were many more than the speculated 324. They were lucky the albatross put a major dent in their defense.
They were deep into deactivating and dismantling the undead security when Alikira’s crew arrived. Chip was watching Steve’s marksmen using those aforementioned ‘useless’ Magrupts.
“And you said my job was done. You’re a transiton, Lance. You should know how my mind works.”
As Lance nodded, the rest of Neo-Khaos switched on their Magrupts and began to disable the security. Porge and the rest of the riders tore them apart.
“Hey, Steve! Your team ready to infiltrate?!” Alikira yelled at him.
“Lead the way, Di! My team wants some fried sentinel sticks to wash down these undead appetizers!”
Alikira smiled as she stormed the entrance of the Cercian building. Steve and his crew locked, loaded, and followed.
As Alikira got to the front door, she saw the random probability lock. She equipped her plasma cutter, but this wasn't a normal lock to open the door. The entire door was the lock. She began to try to crack it.
“We’ll be in the building in a minute! All I have to do is anticipate a chaos causality problem in a certain amount of seconds to allow me access to breaking the binary lock!”
“Hey, Di! Get back here! I’ll open the door!” Steve yelled.
Alikira wondered what lock-picking skills Steve had and went back to him.
: How are you going to break that lock? I’m the tech-ripper, remember?”
Steve cocked his D-18.
“A tech-ripper stealthily infiltrates, A war veteran breaks through by making a little noise.” He fired at the door.
The round pierced and blew off the carbinium-armored door with a rude raucous explosion!
“Elegance time is over. You’re in my situation now. Enter the building and let us clean up the sentinels!”
Alikira understood kid glove time wasn’t appropriate for taking out the Program. It was animosity prime time. She went into the building, turned the compu-tracker, and began to destroy the sentinels!
Steve and his team blew away the backup sentinels while Purge’s riders kept dismantling the excess undead.
Alikira worked her way down a corridor to the sub-level access stairwe
ll beheading the sentinels and reaching the lower level. When she got to the sub-level, the sentinels retreated back into the walls!
Steve and his marksmen came around the corner to see Alikira walking cautiously towards some double-doors.
“Hey, Di! Where’d they go?!”
“Stay back, Steve! They retracted into the walls. If you see the metal of the walls ripple in any way, light ‘em up! I’m going to crack this door. We might just be at the core.”
Steve and his team compiled while Alikira scanned the lock mechanic. It was a simple universal serial bus port. She put in her USB finger application to jack in.
She read the tumbler display and dropped them in their respective slots. It was time to destroy the sociopathic monster. All she had to do was open the door and deal with its best protector to get to it.
In war, inside intelligence is an integral aspect of winning that war. All successful leaders had their own great operatives to provide that secret intel. As much as they planted this attack and defeated every opposing force, their arduous efforts became all too futile without the inner intelligence.
A transparent metallic-sounding barrier materialized a meter in front of Steve and his crew! They began to fire an all the rounds were absorbed in the barrier! Alikira turned swiftly to see what was happening
. When she began to go back to help them. She froze!
The door opened and four metallic servants picked up her frozen body and brought her into the room!
“DI! WE’RE COMIN’!” Steve yelled.
“Sadly for you. Your group isn’t ‘coming’ for anything.” A strange voice Imminated throughout the corridor. “All you are slated to do is watch these events and tell the rest of you annoying pests, you will be swatted forthwith.”
A large view-screen unfolded in front of the door to portray the events of the happenings inside the room! All they could see and hear was a frozen Alikira standing in front of a strange man!