KERRRR-WHUMP.
A giant robotic leg daggered into the ground in front of Suttle’s face.
“What the—?”
He looked up to find a DD-12’s ugly face staring back at him, ready to punch him into the next dimension.
WHIRRRRR — CLENCH.
“Die,” DD-12 roared.
Suttle’s face fell, resigned to his fate.
“Oh, dear—”
KERRRRR—ACCKKK — SMASSSSSH.
DD-12’s van-sized fist rammed Suttle’s head through the back of the blue van, through the rows of seats, and into the engine.
Suttle died instantly.
His hand released the glove as his body, and the blue van, lifted away from the ground.
GRROOOOAAAAAAANNN.
DD-12 lifted its arm above its head, taking the van up with it, impaled on its forearm. The ground cracked apart as it stomped forward and slammed the van on the ground over and over again.
WHAMM — WHAMM — WHAMMMM.
The blue van broke apart with each punch, spraying gasoline-soaked shards of glass and metal in all directions.
Everyone jumped back and continued firing at their enemy. Three Misfits ran straight into the oncoming hail of bullets being fired from the mercenaries by the Research building.
Sierra spotted Suttle’s discarded glove lying a few feet from the devastated blue van. She hooked her gun over her shoulder, flung herself forward on all fours, and raced along the ground like a desperate cat.
“Aaaaaaaggghh.”
BLAM — BLAM — BLAM.
The mercenaries spun around and opened fire on her, their bullets trailing her feet as she launched forward, gripped the glove, and barrel-rolled onto her side.
“Hey, assholes,” she screamed as she listed the glove. “Duck.”
Her index finger punched the button.
BZZZZOOOWWWWW.
Everything went silent. Her view of the battle crashed to a halt, and then—
KERRRRRRRAA — BAAAAAMMMM.
IRI-Two exploded in two separate sections, killing Joseph the driver, and all the border guards inside.
“Whoa,” Sierra blurted as she lifted her head and witnessed the front of the vehicle rocket into the air.
The warring factions halted their firing as they, too, watched the spectacle in the sky.
“Everyone get back, get back—”
The flying, flaming chunky remains of IRI-Two hurtled towards the training facility building.
WHOOOSSSHHH — KERASSSSHHHH.
The charred slab of metal slammed into the ground, cracking the tarmac apart.
Maar lowered his shotgun as he watched the front half of the van crunch through the ground.
WHIIIIIIISSHH.
A plume of white, dusty gas escaped through the cracks in the tarmac.
“Jeez, get back. Run.”
He held out his arms and grabbed Santiago and Arden as he ran back to the Research building.
“Sierra,” Roman screamed. “Get away from the building. Run!”
The front of IRI-Two plummeted and cracked the cement apart. Sierra bolted towards the battered entrance gates, “Oh, God. The oxygen pipes. Run, run, ru—”
WVHOOOM — KRRRA-BAAAAAANNGG.
Anyone standing upright shunted to the ground.
The front of the Training facility lifted up in six giant chunks, taking dozens of Misfits and USARIC employees with it.
KRA-BA-BA-BAAAANG.
The training center’s walls exploded, sending debris flying like missiles in all directions.
Saad pushed Remy’s feet under the gray van, “Get underneath. Now.”
WHOOOSHH - SHUNT-SCHUNT.
Saad swung his legs under the van as the windows shattered all around his feet.
CRRAAAAAAACK.
The tarmac broke apart, throwing several cracks of death across the length of USARIC’s grounds.
The gates shunted back and forth, swallowing the entrance kiosk.
“Jeez, Jeez—” Remy panted as the entire compound shook and burst, blasting deep, thick cracks across the ground.
“Yaaaaaahhh,” Remy covered his ears and screamed as Roman raced towards him from the burning blue van.
“Stop screaming and man up, comrade,” he said. “You wanted to fight? You got your wish.”
Siyam returned fire at the hordes of USARIC mercenaries trampling over the corpses of their colleagues and Misfits that littered the grounds.
He opened fire on them, killing as many as he could.
BANG — BANG — BANG.
“For heaven’s sake,” he yelled as he dropped to his knees and took cover with Roman, Saad, and Remy, “How many of them are there?”
Roman caught his breath and reloaded his gun, “Reinforcements. There must be thousands of them.”
“What? No National Guard? No police?”
“I dunno, just keep firing,” Roman said.
THRAAAA-AATAT-AAAT.
The cacophonous noise of bullets chewing through the other side of the gray van drowned out their voices.
WHIZZ — WHIZZ.
Several returning bullets flew past their heads, nearly taking them out of the game.
Siyam coughed the smog out of his lungs as best he could, and pinched his mouthpiece.
Sierra?” he screamed over the incessant sound of war, “Where are you?”
“Trying to get to the damn Research building.”
“What? Why? It’s certain death if you go—”
“—Sheck’s falling back there with the others,” she yelled. “There has to be something he cares about in there. I think Jelly’s inside—”
BLAAAAAAAAM.
A grenade exploded inches away from her feet, blasting one of the Misfit’s waists away from his body.
“Gwugh,” the man screamed as his legs slammed to the floor in a heap.
“Christ,” Siyam licked his bottom lip and closed his eyes. “This can’t be happening.”
Roman pushed Siyam’s shoulder in anger, “Shut it. No time for daydreaming, my friend.”
Biddip-beep-beep.
Roman peeked at his left forearm and noticed the ink dance around his skin - a call from someone named Santara Iskra.
“Huh?”
Siyam rose to his feet and blasted at the oncoming USARIC mercenaries firing on the van.
“Eat this, you bastards,” he screamed at three more mercenaries running towards him.
BAM - BAM - BAM — BAAAAMMMM.
The first mercenary’s shin’s broke open as he ran, forcing him down to his knees. The second bullet took his head off, pushing his body onto the smoke-laden ground.
“Yeah,” Siyam cocked his gun and ducked behind the van, “That is very much what I am talking about.”
Roman kicked himself along the ground, making sure his body covered Remy, “Santara?” he screamed into his wrist and watched Saad join Siyam firing at the mercs, “We’re a bit busy here right now.”
Santara’s voice shuddered through the holes in his wrist, “Are y-you in n-need of ass-ass—” she tried over the sound of a slab of metal locking into place. “Assistance?”
Roman tilted his head up at the driver’s side wing mirror on the gray van to see a wave of mercenaries pushed towards them.
“More to the right,” Roman hollered.
Saad slid across the ground and pressed his back to the van, “They’re mine.”
He jumped out from the van and sprayed a hundred bullets in their direction.
“Damn it,” Roman screamed into his forearm, “What’s going on over there, Santara?”
“Who is it?” Remy yelled from under the van. “What is happening back at the dome?”
“I don’t know,” Roman spat.
“Need to l-leave. B-Battery level cr-cr-critical—” Santara’s voice shuddered through the holes in Roman’s wrist.
His face fell when he deciphered what she’d said, “Leave? No, don’t leave.”
BLAM — BLAM —
BLAM —KERAAACCKK.
Saad’s armor busted open in a hail of gunfire, and sending him stumbling back-first to the ground.
“Gaaaaaah,”
Saad gripped the front of his suit and tore it away from his chest. He screamed at the oncoming horde of mercenaries and flung the battered piece of armor at them like a Frisbee.
WHI-WHI-WHIPPP.
The battered plate of Kevlar sliced through the air like a bulky vehicle hood and crashed against three mercenaries.
“Nggggg,” Saad pointed his gun past his feet and fired the last of his bullets at the mercs.
THRAAA-TAT-A-TAT.
Thick strings of blood shot out of his mouth and nose as he took out as many USARIC mercenaries with the few bullets in his gun.
“Die, die, die, die--”
“—Saad,” Roman barked. “Get over here. You’re gonna get yourself—”
THRAAA - TA — SPATCH—SPLOTCH.
Saad’s forehead and left cheek bust open in a flash. His left hand released his gun. The back of his skull slapped the tarmac.
The burly man died before Roman and Remy’s eyes.
CLANG.
“Noooooooo,” Roman cried and smashed his fist against the van wall, “No, no, no—”
“—Aaaaah,” Remy squealed in terror as he watched dozens of boots storm towards the van from under the tailpipe, “There’s more of them coming—”
Siyam reached into his leg pocket and took out a red grenade.
FLICK — SPITCH.
He dug his thumb in the pin and flicked it away, arming the device in his hand.
Biddip-biddip.
“This’ll keep them busy,” he said as he flung it over the roof of the van and returned fire. “Saad, rest in pieces, comrade.”
A youngster’s voice came from his Individimedia, “Roman Roman? This is Jamie Anderson. I repeat, this is Jamie Anderson—”
“Jamie?” Roman spat with surprise. “What are you doing with Santara’s Viddy Media?”
“No time to explain,” Jamie said. “It’s Noyin. He’s destroyed the dome—”
BANG — BANG — BANG.
Siyam unleashed a wave of bullets at the enemy from behind the van. The last two bullets in his magazine smashed into the heads of the first two mercenaries.
The red grenade bounced off the first man’s shoulder and spun around by his feet.
Biddip-beep-beeeeeeeeeeeeep — clang.
It toppled over, slapping its top to the ground.
One of the mercs spotted it and pushed his neighbors away from the device.
“Everyone get back, now,” he screamed from the other side of the van. “Incendiary. Run, it’s gonna explode—”
WHAAARRR — KRAAAA-BLAAAMMMMM.
Roman’s red dumb bomb exploded and pulverized the ground underneath. Chunks of cement, limbs from surrounding corpses, and freshly-charred mercenaries shot into the air like a beautiful fireworks display.
The impact forced the gray van onto its side, threatening to crush Roman, Siyam, and Remy.
GRROOAANNNN — NN.
“Whooaaaaa—” the boy covered his eyes as the vehicle reached full tilt.
The van swung back and slammed its right tires to the ground.
WHAAAAMMMM.
“He’s one of Sheck’s men,” Jamie’s voice whirled through Roman’s Individimedia, “We need to leave. We’re coming to get you—”
“God no,” Roman screamed.
Siyam jumped out from behind the van and blasted at the mercs who hadn’t been killed in the explosion.
“Die, die, die—”
THRAAAAT — THRAAAAT.
A wave of bullets screamed overhead, creating a temporary shadow over the three men.
“Jamie,” Roman barked into his forearm. “Do not come to USARIC R&D—”
THRAAAA-TA-SPATCH.
The back of Siyam’s head burst and spat a bullet through the exit wound. His body somersaulted at waist-height and crashed face-first to the ground.
“Gah,” Roman yelped and kicked his feet along the tarmac, “Oh, J-Jesus Christ. Siyam—”
“Roman?” Jamie asked. “Roman—”
He pushed his thumb across the ink on his wrist, cutting the call off, “Remy, stay right where you are.”
“I w-wasn’t planning on moving,” the boy bawled. “I d-don’t want to die. I want to go home.”
“Good luck, comrade.”
Roman nodded at Remy’s hand gun.
“Use it or lose it, comrade. If you want to go home, you’re gonna have to earn it.”
— The Bay Corridor —
Jelly’s ears lifted as she heard footsteps rumbling from the far end of the corridor near the entrance.
The bulbs illuminating the path flickered on and off, plunging the area into utter darkness and bright light every half-second.
ROOOAAAARRRR.
“There she is,” Brayn’s voice echoed up the corridor, “Kill her.”
Jelly wasted no time.
Unarmed, and practically naked, she gripped the back entrance door in her hands and tore it off its hinges.
BLAM — BLAM — BLAM.
Three bullets whizzed through the air. She twisted around and bolted towards her oppressors using the door as a shield.
CLANG — CLANG — CLAAANNNGG.
Three bullets punched into the door as she continued to run. A fourth whizzed past her head and clipped a length of fur from her left cheek.
“Agghhhhhhh—”
She stopped outside Bay Seventy and peered through the window. Julie had gone, presumably out of the building and away to safety.
CLANG - CLANG.
Two more bullets exploded on the door, pinging the metal handle from its housing.
Jelly faced an unenviable choice. She could take cover in any of surrounding bays and wait for certain death.
Or she could run and try to escape.
No turning back. The only hope she had was to press forward and into the path of Brayn and his USARIC mercenaries.
GRUNT.
She kicked her hind leg across the floor and moved forward, extended her infinity claws on her left hand and scraped them along the wall.
FIZZZ — SPATCH — SPATCH.
A wave of orange sparks exploded at the end of her claws, lighting up the darkened pathway.
“Jelly, drop the door and give up,” Maar screamed from behind Brayn as they shuffled forward with their weapons drawn, “We promise we won’t hurt you. There’s a good girl.”
GROOWWWLLLLL.
Jelly wasn’t about to give up and surrender. The door suffered most of the bullets and threatened to crumble in her paws.
“Goddamn it, you irritating pussy,” Maar yelled. “Get killed.”
“I’m trying,” Brayn yelled. “Everyone, advance. Shoot to kill. The first one to put a bullet in its fricken brain gets a promotion.”
GRUNT.
Jelly lifted the door and pushed forward. The door to Bay Thirty-Three had broken off its hinges.
Jaykay, Rowan, Nathan, and Jonas’s bodies prevented the shattered door from closing fully.
GROOWWWLLLLL.
She punched the door off its hinges and grabbed Jaykay’s left ankle.
WHUP.
She lifted the body up by its leg and swung it around her head like a whip.
HURL.
Brayn lowered his gun as the door protecting Jelly tipped forward and released a dead USARIC mercenary - flying straight at them.
“Duck,” Brayn screamed as he fell to his knees.
WHOOOSH — THWUDD.
Jaykay’s body smashed into the first two mercenaries, pushing them down like a bowling ball crashing into a set of pins.
Maar raised his eyes with terror and raced towards the gantry.
“Jesus Christ. She’s throwing our own dead bodies at us, now?”
Jelly squinted at him with a deathly stare through the broken window in her protective door.
“Jelly?”
Maar felt a wave of unadulterated fear pummel his body. Slowly, he lifted his gun, as Brayn and the two remaining mercenaries climbed to their feet.
“Hold your fire,” Maar said.
He trained his eyes down the sight of his gun, directly at Jelly’s forehead.
He squeezed the trigger and bit his tongue, “Night-night, Jelly friggin’ Anderson.”
CLICK — BLAMMMMMM.
Jelly lifted the door and hit the deck.
KRAAA — SMASSH.
The top of the door exploded, coughing sharp fragments of steel down around her shoulders.
The door was no more, and provided little in the way of protection.
Brayn and his two colleagues opened fire on her as she pushed forward and slid across the floor in their direction.
“Agghhhhhhh—”
Jelly slid across the corridor floor on her chest towards Brayn and his team, who opened fire on her.
BAM — SPATCH—SPATCH.
Two of the bullets hit her - one in the right shoulder, and the second in her hind leg.
“Yaarrgghhhh.”
Brayn and Maar ran back as far as they could and pushed into the gantry overlooking the research center.
Brayn ushered Maar backwards, “Sir, get out of here.”
“I wanna fricken kill her.” Maar wailed like a petulant child.
Jelly squealed in pain as a streak of thick, red blood ran from under her body. She lifted her left arm and extended her infinity claws.
SWIPE — STAB.
Her index and middle claw stabbed into a mercenary’s chest and crunched through his ribcage. He dropped his weapon to the floor in time for Jelly to catch it in her claw-less right hand.
KRACK-CLUTCH.
She cowered behind the mercenary and lifted her left arm above her head, impaling the screaming man into the air.
“J-Jesus Christ,” the second merc said. “I c-can’t b-believe—”
“—Nyieeeeww,” the impaled mercenary grabbed at Jelly’s wrist and kicked his feet around, “P-Please, l-let m-me go—”
Jelly turned her eyes up at the man and daggered the end of his shot gun into his chest.
“Okay.”
She yanked the trigger.
BLAMMMM - SPATCH.
The mercenary’s back exploded. His body went limp and slunk down the length of her infinity claws, impaled like a kebab on a skewer.
The second mercenary held out his arms, hoping he wouldn’t be next.
Star Cat Forever: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Adventure (The Star Cat Series - Book 6) Page 23