The Legend of The Lightning Girl: A Red Queen Fanfiction

Chapter 11: War Wheel

The metal beasts rolled to a stop in front of us. All of us- with the exception of Farley, Eve, Tyton, and Arezzo- watched as Ada led the War Wheels off the train.

It took Ada and Cameron two days to design it, and it took Montfort a week to make them.

They were titanium beasts, laced with Silent Stone like the Lakelander's sunken Kraken. Reds operated them, since they were unaffected by the Stone.

The titular wheels were massive, each one as tall as Cal. Each War Wheel has four. The wheels are jagged, meant to grab the ground. The ports were made of diamondglass. They fire hundred-pound balls of lead at the speed of sound. Even a magnetron would have a very hard time deflecting it. The hull itself is bulky. Shaped like a trapezoid from the sides. Its fifteen by ten, with about five feet of height inside the hull.

"Impressive." Cal said. The trio of War Wheels stood tall.

"They are compatible with all terrain. They're heavy, so climbing is a struggle. Shouldn't be too big of an issue in this case, since the terrain isn't sloped too much in either direction. They have a lot of air, meaning they can float. The wheels can act as rudders, albeit slow ones. Its still five metric tons, thanks to the titanium shell, Silent Stone frame, and lead ammunition.

"Speaking of which, each War Wheel comes with a total of fifty shots. The rounds are loaded into the frame of it. To help, we made companion vehicles- the Wrenches. They can carry up to two hundred additional rounds, and each War Wheel comes with two. The Wrenches have a compatible mechanism to load rounds quickly and easily." Ada explained.

"So... Its death on wheels?" Kilorn concluded.

"Pretty much." Cameron agreed.

"The Lakelanders are in for one hell of a surprise. Captains!" I shouted. The crew captains came to me and to attention. "Eat, shower, sleep- whatever you need to be at peak performance by o-six-hundred sharp. We are going to storm their lines with these beasts. Ensure your crews do the same. Dismissed." They left to do as I instructed.

"Command suits you." Cal said.

"Everyone, do what I just told them. Ada, Cameron- take Kilorn back to Ascendant and stay there. Kilorn, I need you to summon any Alliance leaders that are not in the field and debrief them on details they don't yet have. In a private room. The War Wheels, Operation Hidden Blade and Spear Team, all of it. By the time you do, we should have gained some ground here."

"On it." Kilorn said. He and Ada went to the plane. Cameron started to follow, then turned to me.

"Thanks for keeping your promise. Keeping me out of the fight." She said.

"Don't sell yourself short. You don't need to take a life to be a good help. I'm sure Ada would agree." Cameron nodded and went to catch up.

I looked at our remaining group. Cal, Bree, The Colonel, Davidson, Ella, Rafe, and Ptolemeus.

"Colonel, be ready to lead from the War Room. Bree, you will be with him. Protect him. Make sure neither of you die, please. Ella, Rafe, Davidson, and Cal. We will be with the War Wheels, pushing them along. Davidson, make sure to sleep well. Your power will be very needed." I said. They nodded in agreement. We dispersed.

Cal and I walked to our room.

"You are one hell of a leader." Cal said.

"Its an odd role for me."

"Only you think that."

"Maybe, but I'm still more used to taking orders."

"You were not meant to be an attack dog. You're better than that." He said.

"Something tells me we won't get as much sleep as the others." I said before being grabbed up by the big bear of a man. I threw my head back, laughing. He carried me with his arms under my back and knees into our room. He kicked the door shut and dropped me onto the bed. I put my feet on his chest. "What are the magic words?"

"You look incredible." He said, throwing his clothes to the floor.

"Close enough." I lower my defenses.

I call it a morale booster.