AMP- Aftermath

by Brian K. Larson

  “We could use more hands, Colonel! Get everyone you can on the front line. We have a bit of a ways to go before Saratoga Base will be safe!”

  J and Mitch pulled up. They each excited their vehicles and headed to the frontlines to help.

  “We’re heading that way, General!” Griffin said, ending his comm link before shouting to the new arrivals, “Good to see you two decided to show up,” he yelled to everyone, “To the frontlines! We’re all on sand bag duty! Now double-time it!”

  Chapter 22

  Port Angels Field – Government Armory

  January 18, 2068 11:46

  Bennie and Trudy made their way to the front of the armory building, the emergency lighting fading quickly under the small battery power of each light unit.

  “I think the power junction boxes were over there, Ben,” Trudy said, pointing down another corridor.

  “Do you have enough amp charge to light our way in there?” Bennie asked, looking up at the metal roof and the red glowing scars from the sun’s killer light beams.

  Trudy nodded her answer before extending her hand out in front of them, “I don’t have a lot of energy left, Mister Bennie. Maybe we should self-amp together.”

  “Yeah, maybe so… you know, just in case.”

  Trudy stopped, her light emanating from the palm of her hand dimly lit the dark passage.

  The two closed their eyes and joined hands. All at once, the familiar golden glow flowed from each of their chips, surrounding them both. Bennie wrapped his arms around Trudy while Trudy wrapped hers around him. The two hugged each other, the golden glow intensified before Bennie opened his eyes and gazed into Trudy’s.

  Trudy batted her eyes and smiled up at Bennie, “Mister Bennie, your self-amp charge feels so wonderful…”

  “Yes…” Bennie answered with his voice cracking, “I can’t help but think about when we first met. You were really something on that monorail…”

  Trudy nodded once more, never taking her green glowing eyes from Bennie, “Oh, Mister Bennie, I wish things had turned out different for us.”

  Bennie closed his eyes and held Trudy closer, “Sometimes, I do to, Trudy…”

  Trudy reached up to Bennie’s chin and pulled him forward, toward her approaching lips.

  Bennie opened his eyes and leaned closer to her. His lips nearly touching hers before he broke the trance, causing the golden glow around them to diminish. He held Trudy out at arm’s length, “I’m sorry, Trudy… I wish things were different, but they’re not. I can’t… I love Jenny… I’m sorry, Trudy…”

  A tear formed at the corners of Trudy’s eyes. She turned away from Bennie and wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her coat, “I know, Mister Bennie. I am sorry too… I know you are… I’m sorry… it’s just… it’s…”

  Bennie interrupted Trudy, “There’s no need to apologies… I have the same feelings for you too… It’s not your fault… these chips… that’s why we’re so attracted to each other right now… the amp juice from our chips… that’s it…”

  “Y-yeah… it’s just these chips…”

  Bennie grabbed her by the neck and pulled her to his lips, the two locked with passion, wrapping their arms around each other once more, their lips and tongue slipping between each other’s.

  The golden glow intensified around the two, their eyes glowed bright green, the power surge sparked and snapped blue discharges in the room before the dark corridor as the two separated and stood in the golden glow of their amp charges.

  Trudy blushed as the golden glow diminished and faded away, “Oh, Mister Bennie, I-I-I’m so sorry!”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Trudy. I am attracted to you, but these chips…”

  Trudy nodded once more before she took him once more, this time, she pulled him closer to her and she kissed him twice, three times, and a fourth before she released her lip lock.

  She wiped her lips dry and smiled at him before turning away, “C’mon, we have to get the power back on.”

  “Y-yeah, y-you’re right,” Bennie answered, regaining his composure.

  Trudy held her hand out in front of her. Computer traces flowed down her extended arm and wrapped around her wrist before forming a new device on her palm that emanated a bright light.

  The two slowly made their way, Trudy’s light scaring the darkness from the long corridor before coming to a locked door.

  Bennie held his hand out and sent an amped spark at the lock, resulting in a distinctive click. Smiling, he turned to Trudy, “I think someone showed me how to do this once.”

  Trudy pointed at the words ‘Electrical Room’ on the door, “I think we found it.”

  Bennie pushed the door open, reveling several electrical panels.

  Trudy turned and shinned her light back down the corridor before entering the room. She shinned her lighted hand all around the room, “I don’t see anything bad in here.”

  “I’m not sensing anything bad in here, either,” Bennie nodded.

  “Look at this,” Trudy shinned her light on the lever in the downward position on the panel at the end of the room.

  They walked over to the panel and examined the handle, Bennie reached up and rattled it, “It’s not tripped, Trudy.”

  “That means someone intentionally cut the power!” Trudy exclaimed.

  “I’m not feeling really warm and fuzzy anymore,” Bennie said, taking Trudy’s hand and passed it all around the room.

  “What does your friend, J, say?”

  “Really-really!”

  “C’mon, try to turn it back on!”

  Bennie grabbed the cold metal handle by the rubber grip and shoved the lever in the upright position, sending a spark of current through the building. The florescent lighting above flickered three times before remaining fully on.

  Trudy withdrew her lighted palm, but the computer traces didn’t retract within her body.

  “Oh, Bennie!” Trudy shouted, “I’m feeling something bad… I’m starting to grow Keeper armor over here!”

  “Jenny!” Bennie shouted, “They’re in danger!”

  The two took off back down the long corridor, now fully illuminated by the facility’s own lights.

  Trudy turned to go down the hallway toward the protected armory when she skidded to a stop and raised her fully Keeper armored arms producing a screen of protection.

  Bennie slid to his knees, stopping just before crossing Trudy’s shield. Rail-shot echoed down the corridor, impacting Trudy’s shield. Each hit illuminated the circumference of her shield coverage.

  Bennie’s chip increased in energy with the adrenalin now pumping through his veins.

  “We’ve got clinkers!” Bennie shouted; his arms grew traces of his own before blue blaster shot was fired from his forearms.

  The three metallic cyborgs were cut down quickly, their metal pieces clanking to the floor before their red colored eyes dimed to blackness.

  Trudy’s shield lowered briefly before she turned behind them and immediately rose it once more, “Squids!”

  Bennie turned, still on his knees and opened fire with each arm, firing one and then the other. This time, the squids erected their own shielding as they fired blaster shot at Trudy’s shield. The circumference of her protection shrunk with every few hits she absorbed.

  “I can’t hold them off for long, Bennie!” Trudy panicked.

  Bennie continued firing at the alien shielding, but only shrunk theirs slightly, while theirs continued to diminish in size and power.

  “I’m going to lose this in a minute!”

  Bennie closed his eye and focused on his chip and grew a Gating-gun down his left arm. Opening fire, he sent fifty-caliber shot from his new weapon, putting holes in the alien shield. Aiming his blaster with his right, he shot through the opening and hit the three-legged creature holding their shield.

  Once Bennie knocked that alien to the ground, their shield failed. Bennie’s Gatlin-gun, paired with this blaster, cut the other alien creatures down to the g
round, eliminating the current threat at the moment.

  Trudy relaxed her arms, lowering her shield, they turned to the corridor where the metallic cyborgs were already pulling themselves back together. One arm moved and grew back in place as its eyes lit up and the torso lifted off the ground on the one arm before another arm jumped up into position, healing itself. It didn’t take long for the legs to shift into position before Trudy raised her, already tired arms, and raised their shield once again.

  “Where did these come from, Bennie shouted as he inspected his two weapons, “I thought we checked everyplace and there was no infestation!”

  “We did check everywhere! I don’t know, Bennie, but we better check on Beverly and Jenny real soon!”

  Bennie opened fire at the forming metallic creatures before they fell to the floor once more, the Gatling-gun sending round after round at the cyborg.

  New metal creatures rose from the floor of the armory, making the total count of metallic cyborg at seven.

  Trudy glanced over her shoulder as she held her shield in place in front of her, “The squids are reanimating already!”

  Taking one hand, Trudy focused a second shield of protection, causing her to fatigue under the new stresses of both fronts sending blaster bolts and rail-shot from each end.

  Her head dropped low as she strained under both fronts, her shielding shadow of coverage waning with every blast from the two fronts.

  “We’re trapped, Trudy!” Bennie positioned his Gatling-gun at the metallic cyborg while he swung his blaster weapon at the reanimating creatures behind them.

  Sweat formed on Bennie’s brow as he weakened from attacking on the metal cyborg and three-legged creatures.

  His eyes closed. His head lowered like Trudy’s. The Gatling-gun rounds slowed while his blue bolts emanating from his arm lightened in brilliance, evidencing this weakening state.

  Beyond the metal cyborg, the vault door to the protected armory swung open.

  Jenny stood at the door, her hands raised out before her, she aimed at the metallic cyborg sending a wave of power down her arms and out her fingertips like an electrical shower of sparks. The continuous shower of lightning arced across the metal bodies of the alien cyborg.

  The cyborg squad of seven ceased fire at the same time the shield bearers dropped their arc of protection. The dwindling Gatling-gun ripped across the metal bodies, sending shrapnel out in all direction, eliminating the threat on one front.

  Trudy swung her, now free arm, toward the approaching squad. Bennie collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted from firing at the two squads.

  The three-legged aliens held their shield stronger than before, but Jenny began moving down the corridor at the squad. Stepping over Bennie and through Trudy’s shield, she sent a powerful wave of energy down her arms, causing the alien squad to return to its liquid state once more.

  Jenny’s eyes glowed brilliantly as she slowly lowered her arms and turned back to Trudy and Bennie. Both now lying on the floor in total exhaustion.

  She moved back to the two. Bennie opened his eyes and looked up to his, very pregnant, wife, “J-Jenny?”

  Jenny, now appearing fully nine-months-pregnant, looked down at Bennie, “No, Father, it is Eva. My Birth nears… I will arrive in less than twenty-four hours.”

  The brilliant glowing eyes began to fade as Beverly joined them from the armory’s vault room.

  Collapsing to the ground on top of Bennie and Trudy, Beverly broke out in a run, “Jenny!”

  Coming to her side, Beverly rolled her to her back and then Bennie helped prop her against the wall.

  “Eva?” Bennie asked, shaking her shoulder with one hand, “Jenny? What’s going on?”

  Jenny slowly opened her eyes and looked up to Bennie, “It’s me again, Ben. Eva is unconsciousness,” Jenny struggled to say. “She-she told me she eliminated them… but… she doesn’t know how-how long it will last.”

  Bennie examined his wrist-watch and nodded, “Well, the last time she knocked them out, they didn’t regenerate for over thirty hours.”

  “Eva said that it might be only twenty or so hours until they regenerate again.”

  “Does this,” Bennie started, motioning with his hand, “whatever it is she did, does this affect all of them?”

  “Yes… every one of them except those that are clone bodies from a host.”

  “So,” Trudy began, “That’s why our team members that are clones, like Kurtis and Nadine didn’t dissolve the last time.”

  “Yes… Kurtis’ chip was successfully reprogrammed. So was J’s.”

  “Not before Nadine transferred to another clone she had online,” Bennie grimaced.

  “But it seems her efforts, whatever it is she’s doing, have been put on hold for the time being,” Beverly added.

  “Yes, Bev,” Jenny answered, “They’re trying to launch the sphere. They’re trying to save it from the saltwater.”

  “That means they were successful in blowing the seawall,” Bennie exclaimed.

  “Yes, Eva says they have done it. Now they’re trying to keep Saratoga base from flooding. Most of the seawater has filled all of Seattle’s underground.”

  “At least we’ve got her focusing on something more than attacking us!”

  “Bennie,” Jenny said, reaching up with a hand and placed it on his cheek, “If she launches this sphere, there will be no stopping the aliens. Eva says the Sons of Horus are less than twenty-hours from reaching Earth’s orbit. If that sphere is launched, the device they bring will give them free access to the portal.”

  “Ohhhhh!” Jenny wailed, “I think Eva’s coming sooner than later!”

  What’s wrong, Jenny?” Bennie nervously asked.

  “She about to have this baby,” Beverly nodded, “That’s what’s wrong! C’mon, help me move her back to the vault room! That’s the only safe place here!”

  “Let’s just hope they don’t reanimate sooner that later, either,” Bennie protested, “We don’t need them to be shutting our power off anymore!”

  They helped Jenny back to the vault room and Beverly attended to her.

  Bennie looked up at Trudy, “There isn’t much we can do here. I suggest that we go look at the accelerator and hook ourselves up.”

  “Good idea, Mister Bennie. Maybe we can string a network connection to this room and get Beverly and Jenny amped as well.”

  Beverly stood and took the two away from Jenny’s earshot, “It’s okay, she’s just beginning labor. She could take twelve to eighteen hours for this.”

  “Let’s just hope it’s not the same time the aliens decide to reanimate,” Bennie nodded.

  “Just hurry it up and get back here as fast as you can, Son.”

  “We will, mom. Take good care of her, okay?”

  “Stop worrying, just go!”

  Trudy and Bennie took off down the corridor toward their discovered accelerator.

  Chapter 23

  Downtown Seattle

  January 18, 2068 16:30

  General McKenzie walked the front line. The sandbagging complete and the water being held to a two-foot level around the entire frontline, the Saratoga base was safe… for now.

  Standing with Major Preston, McKenzie nodded his satisfaction, “That was some good work you and your teams did, Major. You should be commended. Saving this base was an absolute necessity.”

  “Thank you, Sir, but I don’t think I hold all the credit.”

  “I understand the alien infestation suddenly returned to its liquid state, just like before, what about five hours ago?” McKenzie examined the time on his watch.

  “Nearly Six hours, Sir,” Preston corrected, “and I know we can only assume somehow Jenny was responsible.”

  “What makes you so certain it was Jenny? All communications are cut off from the atmospheric static. At least anywhere within a thirty-mile radius of Seattle, that is.”

  “Once the repairs to the transport are complete, a team will be heading north to Port Ang
les and the armory.”

  “How soon will that be, Major?”

  “They’re working on it now, but it won’t be until mid-morning or early afternoon.”

  “Well, the last time these squids and clinkers returned to their alien matter, it was about thirty hours before they started reanimating.”

  “My men are standing guard at the entire wall around base camp regardless, Sir. We’ll not be caught off-guard again, Sir.”

  “Good plan, Preston, good plan. For once, maybe we can keep a couple steps ahead.”

  “How about the Saratoga? Are we advancing on when she’ll be sea worthy again?”

  “Yes, Sir. Since she’s been righted, the repairs are going much faster. We’ll have her ready in a couple of days.”

  “And the turrets?”

  We left two fully manned gun turret stations for the city protection. The rest are fully functional already, Sir.”

  “I must say, I am pleased on your progress. With the seawall breach, the aliens returning to their neutral state, either by the seawater or by something we think Jenny did again and soon return of the Saratoga’s flight status, I think we’re in pretty good shape for our next encounter.”

  Calvin, escorted by Colonel Griffin, Matt and Jim, approached them the three escorts sported rail-guns, loaded and ready.

  “General McKenzie,” Calvin began, panic set in his voice, “There’s something going on.”

  General McKenzie turned to Calvin, “Spill it, Jones!”

  Griffin nodded to the General, “It’s something both Calvin and I have seen before, General.”

  “Are you two going to keep me in suspense the rest of the afternoon? It’s going to be getting dark soon!”

  “No, Sir,” Calvin began, “We’re picking up seismic readings underground…”

  “… okay?”

  “Those readings are the exact amplitude we read when the first and second sphere began its launch sequence!”