“Sounds like a plan,” Kent smiled as he attached his silencer.
Jack took his stance with his weapon at the ready and took aim at his first target.
Bennie closed his eyes and focused. A low-pitched hum filled their ears, “Okay. I’m dampening any signals, but you best hurry. I can’t hold it too long before they figure out I’m dampening them.”
Kent sighted his target and gave the signal to his partner, “Ready,” he whispered.
“Set,” Jack added.
“Fire!” The two said in unison as they pulled their triggers.
Each weapon sent a silent projectile aimed at each mechanical cyborg’s head.
Both targets fell to the ground after the two bullets hit their heads, destroying their chips.
Kent and Jack quickly pulled back on their bolts, ejecting the last round casing. The next round loaded into their chambers with the slide of the bolts before the two fired their second rounds.
The final two mechanical clones attempted to send an alert before joining their partners on the ground of the rooftops.
“We got ‘em!” Jack exclaimed.
One of the mechanical cyborgs dropped his alien blaster rifle over the edge, sending it plummeting downward right at the three cyborgs below.
Bennie opened his eyes, extended his amped arm at the falling weapon and caught it with his mind a few feet above their heads. Using his amp mind, Bennie gently floated the gun down the street, out of the alien’s view and into Charlie’s hands.
“There you go,” Bennie smiled, “Because, snakes really don’t have armpits, as you say.”
Charlie smiled in return, arming his new weapon.
Kent and Jack returned to their seats with Bennie. Mitch scanned down the street using Charlie’s field glasses, “Good, they are clueless about it!”
Returning the field glasses, Mitch gunned his jeep’s engine before slamming the shifter into first gear.
“I’m gonna charge down the street, right at those three clinkers! Bennie, can you invoke another dampening field?”
“Such exciting times,” Charlie added, “Let’s go to the bowling alley, because mechanical clones can be fun!”
Bennie held on to the bar in front of him as he closed his eyes, “Sure thing, Mitch, I’ll let you know when I’m ready,” focusing on the task, he continued holding his eyes shut, when the familiar hum invaded their ears, “Okay, Mitch, make your run!”
Kent and Jack changed out weapons to a pair of rapid-fire rail-guns while Charlie held the alien blaster rifle.
Mitch popped the clutch, taking off down the street.
The jeep traveled at a high rate of speed. Mitch slammed through the gears as he held the gas pedal to the floor of the jeep. Jack and Kent stood, holding their rail-guns on the jeep’s weapons holders. Depressing their triggers sent hundreds of metal projectiles down the street, aimed at the mechanical clones.
The cyborg held a stance with one weapon returning fire and a shield in their free, ricocheting the rounds in all directions. The third cyborg attempted to send a signal, but Bennie kept the signal dampened.
Charlie held his blaster out the side of the jeep and began sending blue energy bolts at the cyborg.
With each second, the jeep narrowed in on the cyborg, the rounds from the rail-guns began weakening their shield. Bennie held his arms up and deflected the cyborg gun fire.
With two more blaster emissions, their shield collapsed.
“Hang on!” Mitch shouted as the jeep barreled toward the three mechanical cyborgs.
The three cyborgs held their hands up defensively as the jeep crashed into them. The sliding jeep sent them skidding toward the alien barricade.
The mechanical bodies of the cyborg crushed with the impact from the speeding jeep, they slid on their backs as the jeep ran over their top. Skidding to a stop, Mitch and the others exited the jeep and laid their rail-gun shot into each of the mechanical cyborg’s heads, shattering metal debris in all directions.
Charlie held the blaster weapon and continued sending blue energy charges, even after the glowing red eyes of the aliens faded to black.
Mitch held Charlie by the arm, “Take it easy, CB, I think we got ‘em, okay?”
Charlie laughed his nervousness as he stopped firing and held the weapon in the air, “Yeah, man… it’s like spilling your marbles all on the floor. These mechanicals aren’t going to regenerate anytime real soon!”
Bennie opened his eyes and gazed at the destroyed alien cyborg, “Wow! We did it!”
Mitch held his weapon at the ready, looking down each way before nodding,” Stay focused, team. There could be another squad down this way soon.”
Bennie closed his eyes and focused his amp charge on the surrounding area, “No, I don’t think so, Mitch. I’m not reading any more cyborgs for at least a four-block radius.”
“Is that so?” Mitch asked. “You can sense the clinkers?”
“Fully amped, yes, I can.”
“I can only guess that we have less than five minutes before these clinkers start being missed,” Charlie nodded as he stood by Mitch with his gun held at the ready.
“Wait,” Bennie said as he knelt to the ground.
He placed the palm of his hand on the pavement and closed his eyes. A jolt of amp energy flowed from his chip, down his arm out of his palm. The shock wave extended out in a circle in all directions before he stood to his feet.
“I know which way. To the jeep, now!”
“What is it, Ben?” Mitch begged as he flew into the driver’s seat.
The rest climbed aboard and held on as Bennie pointed, “That way! Go now!”
Mitch slid the shifter into first gear and eased the clutch out, sending the jeep cautiously across the broken alien barricade.
Stopping the jeep, Mitch looked over his right shoulder, “Jack, Kent, I need you two to hold this position. Stay hidden behind something. Take out any clinkers that happen this way. We have to maintain this opening!”
Jack stepped out of the jeep and nodded his acknowledgment, “Come on, Kent. Let’s take up positions over there and there,” he pointed.
“Those are great spots, Jack.”
Mitch look up at Kent, “Stay in contact.”
“Roger that,” Kent nodded before the two took off for their positions.
“Take a left!” Bennie pointed, to which Mitch obliged. “We’re making our way to the side of the south boarder.”
The jeep sped down the vacant street before Bennie instructed Mitch to turn right down the alley.
The tires screeched around the corner before they disappeared down the backstreet.
“To the end and come to a stop, Mitch,” Bennie instructed.
Mitch parked the jeep along the brick wall, leaving only enough room for him to exit.
Bennie exited after Charlie on the right and ran up to the corner of the building. Peering his head around the corner, he darted back around with his back planted firmly on the wall behind him.
“What is it, Ben?”
“There’s an entire squad of clinkers at the barricade; all in marching mode and high alert,” Bennie whispered.
“Take positions, and get ready,” Mitch ordered.
Bennie quickly made his way back to the jeep, “I need to top off, first, Mitch. If I don’t, I won’t be able to dampen the field long enough.”
“Well, you best hurry it on up there, mister!”
Ben hurriedly connected one cable to his chip socket and the box before sending the remaining gamma waves from the portable unit.
Once the PAM unit lights faded, Bennie yanked the plug and ran back to the corner, “Okay! I have the dampening field in place again,” Bennie said, with the low-pitched hum filling their ears.
They heard the screech of tires and a roar of a high-powered internal combustion engine before seeing a black Humvee take flight over the alien barricade.
Mitch and Charlie stepped out into the open street and opened fire on the mecha
nical squad as Bennie stayed behind the brick wall and out of the cyborg weapons fire.
The Humvee skidded to a halt before J and Nadine exited the front seats, followed by Kurtis all extending their hands, sending a wave of energy down their arms.
The alien shield fell with the added power surges from the new arrivals. Mitch cut the mechanicals on the left down while Charlie focused on the right. It wasn’t tool long before the squad was left as piles of metal debris.
Bennie came out into the open and saw J’s beaming smile. The hum faded as Ben lost concentration after seeing his missing friend, “J! You’re alive!”
“In the flesh, Bennie, my man.”
Mitch ran up to the three, “Come on, we don’t have much time. We can get reacquainted back at Saratoga Base Camp! Now, everyone, get back into your vehicles and follow us back up this alley to the south east barricade. I have two men, fully amped holding position at the break we made.”
The radio crackled Kent’s voice, “Mitch, come in, over!”
Mitch grabbed the radio as he ran to his jeep, “Copy you, Kent. We’re heading back, over.”
“We’ve got another squad heading in. They know we breached the barricade!”
“We’ll be there in less than two minutes! You’ve got to hold them off!”
Bennie climbed in the jeep with Mitch and tossed three spare rail-guns to Nadine, Kurtis and J, “Take these and watch our six!”
Nadine snatched her gun with one hand and cocked it ready before climbing in the jeep.
J grabbed his gun and made it ready as he climbed into the Humvee. Kurtis quickly followed, slamming his rear passenger door, “Go!”
Mitch took off through the streets and down the alley toward their wall breach with J bringing up their rear.
Chapter 10
Downtown Seattle
January 17, 2068 13:43
Tonya, Luella and Sly, along with Matt, Jim and Chuck followed, Hargrove as he darted between buildings and down Seattle’s backstreets, heading to the northern most alien border.
Armed with every weapon they could find in the old antique pawn shop, a few blocks away, they stayed hidden and off the main streets to avoid the ongoing Mechanical Vanguard squads.
Armed with three grenade launchers, four assault rifles and two, special issue, alien blasters, they crept down the backstreet before coming to a stop at the alley exit.
Chuck poked his head around the corner and then darted back in, “One squad marching this way, Sir!”
Hargrove drew a map with his finger on the ground as he knelt, the marshaled beat of the approaching Vanguard rang louder in their ears, “Chuck, take this point. Matt and J, you each take point here,” Hargrove drew a line across the street to the next backstreet entrance, “Tonya and Luella will provide cover as you cross. Then you send some blaster shot at them and Sly, Matt and Lue will cross next. I’ll take up the rear and cross last.”
“They’re getting closer, Sir,” Chuck alerted as he looked around the corner once more.
Ducking around the corner, pieces of the brick shattered off the wall with the Vanguard rail-shot.
“They’re on us now!”
Hargrove returned to his feet and held his weapon at the ready, “Okay, we go now!”
Chuck ran out from the alley, aiming his rail-gun and firing down the street at the ten Vanguard. Matt and Jim took position and added firepower to Chuck’s rail-gun. Luella lobbed three smoke grenades down the street while Tonya raised a shield for the team sending rounds at the squad.
Sly stepped out into the protection of Tonya’s shield and fired three mortar shells from the weapon he held, a nervous laugh rang out over the THUMP, THUMP, THUMP of the mortar launcher.
Smoke filled the streets, blinding the cyborg as Sly’s shelling finished off the front two mechanicals before they adapted with shielding.
Chuck reached the other side of the street and darted into the alley just as more brick shattered behind him.
Tonya moved to the center of the street with her shield taking considerable damage, “I don’t know how long I can hold them, Major!”
Hargrove ran out after Sly and fired his alien blaster weapon at the Vanguard, now holding their position thirty feet down the street.
“They’ve got three of them making shields,” Luella reported as she ran across with Jim to where Chuck continued firing at the squad.”
Taking refuge in the safety of the backstreet, Jim and Luella reloaded and joined with Chuck in his attack.
Sly reloaded as he stood behind Tonya’s diminishing shield and lobbed three more shells at the base of the shielding before darting across in the cover Chuck, Jim and Luella provided.
Matt and Hargrove were the last to move into Tonya’s shielding. Several rail-shot slipped through and zipped passed them as the Vanguard squad continued firing at the escaping freedom fighters.
“We’ll never get through those shields,” Tonya shouted, “Not Three of them,” she added as she slowly moved across to the others with Matt and Hargrove behind her shield.
Three Vanguard knelt on the ground. Each held their palms out, their shielding solid and strong, kept the freedom fighters’ weapons barrage from penetrating. Three additional Vanguard held Gatling gun weapons down each of the armored-covered forearms and laid a continuous rain of rail-shot at Tonya’s shield.
The last two Vanguard each fired an alien blaster and erected more reinforced shielding to protect their left and right flank.
The kneeling two shield-holding Vanguard returned to their feet and began making their way forward toward the alley.
Matt and Hargrove made it to the backstreet as Chuck and the others retreated and ran down the alley for cover. Tonya focused the rest of her amped energy in the shield, sealing the entrance to the alley as she ran off to catch up with the others.
Hargrove waved his arm, ordering the team to double-time it, “Let’s move it, people!”
He stood ensuring each team member followed Chuck to the next street crossing before running after them. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the Vanguard reach Tonya’s shield and quickly breech it as their shield connected. Tonya’s shield sparked blue arcs as it discharged and faded away, leaving the backstreet open.
Hargrove looked over his shoulder once more, find a door! We’re sittin’ ducks in the alley!”
Chuck took charge running back and forth across the alleyway, checking for open doors. Finally, he was rewarded as his left shoulder slammed into the building door, knocking it open.
“Inside, quickly now,” Chuck said as he held the door for the running teammates and frantically waved his arm, motivating them to move faster.
A new Vanguard squad appeared at the opposite end of the alley, walking a light red-colored sparkling shield, sealing off the exit point.
The firing Vanguard charged down the alley at the freedom fighters, their shield traveling down the walls of the alley, closing down any way of escape.
Jim and Matt each took a stance with their assault rifles, Matt knelt below Jim as they fired in opposite directions while Tonya, Luella and Sly entered the open door. Hargrove added to the weapons fire at the first Vanguard, “Jim, you, Matt and Chuck are next, I’ll secure the door on my way in… GO! GO! GO!”
Jim, Matt and Chuck darted inside the safety of the room Chuck found, followed by Hargrove as he grabbed the door and pushed it closed. Tonya stood up to the door and held her hands up to it, “I don’t think I can stop them from getting’ in!”
She lowered her arms and looked around the room, “Where are we, anyway?”
“Some kind of warehouse,” Jim nodded, “Come on! We have to find a way to the roof. It’s the only place we’ll be safe.”
“We’ll have to jump roofs again!” Luella added.
They made their way through the warehouse, darting behind the support pillars and hanging sheets of plastic.
Their footsteps echoed against the cold cement floor as they made their way across the roo
m. They cautiously crouch-ran, stopping every few steps behind crates.
The door they came into slammed open with a bang which was followed by the sounds of mechanical cyborg’s clanking their haunting tune as they followed the freedom fighters through the warehouse.
“They’re on us!” Hargrove shouted, his voice now echoing across the vacant building walls.
They ran for cover behind a few crates and took position, as the alien cyborg squad advanced.
“Matt and Jim, go with Chuck to find a way to the roof. We’ll hold them off here.”
Chuck saluted his acknowledgment as Matt and Jim nodded with raised eyebrows and silently followed the marine.
“I don’t have much charge left,” Tonya panicked, “I don’t know if I can hold out their weapons fire.”
“Just do the best you can, Sister-T,” Luella said as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
The mechanical clanking slowed and then was followed by various scraping sounds as crates where moved around inside the warehouse.
“What do you think they’re doing?” Sly asked.
“Hard to say,” Hargrove answered, “But I’m sure it’s not good for us.”
“He’s right,” Tonya nodded, “We’re sitting ducks just waiting for the slaughter. Why don’t we go with the others to the roof?”
“We have to make sure the roof is secure first, Tonya. They’ll be back soon enough.”
The warehouse quieted. No clanking movements where heard by the team.
“I don’t like it, either,” Luella added. “Tonya’s right. We’re sitting ducks if we stay here.”
“Shhh, shhh, shhh,” Hargrove said, placing his fist in the air.
“What? Whattya hear?” Tonya whispered.
“Shhhhh,” Hargrove responded once more.
Hargrove closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. The sudden change of pressure in the building told him that another door had opened.
Turning as he opened his eyes before seeing a barrage of metallic Vanguard marching toward them from their rear. Squeezing his trigger, Hargrove let out a battle cry as he unloaded his rail-gun at the metallic cyborg.
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