Syanic Earth 2: Cubic Arc

Chapter 12: SHRIKE Collision

As Oreic and Niode prayed for the group, an explosion shook the entire runner.

"Ack! Are we dead?" Niode panicked as Tetsuyin screamed.

They heard people yelling along with gunfire and explosives as the barracuda turned away from the runner's location.

"What's going on?" Rahim looked out the window.

Soldiers dressed in green along with a few tanks fired at the massive hovertank.

"Those are M1 Abrams," Niode observed. "I'm guessing they're US soldiers.

Rahim observed the soldiers' green attire. They all had bird-shaped symbols with the word, SHRIKE.

"What's SHRIKE?" Nashura asked.

"I don't know. Never heard of them."

"Could they help us?"

"I doubt we can trust the US army judging how the civilians have turned against us. We don't know what President Forroway plans to do with us at this point."

The barracuda blared sirens, firing its rotating ball turrets to kill the soldiers. Its main tank cannon blasted the SHRIKE tanks into oblivion. When snipers and rocketeers fired from above, the hovertank lifted its massive warhead launchers, to blow up the buildings.

"This is our opportunity to escape," Rahim advised.

Naphthien nodded, jumping into the cockpit. She swiftly backed up the cloaked runner through the ruined parking lot.

"At least we are out of that mess," Oreic sighed.

"We made it, my dear," Niode hugged Tetsuyin.

"Niode," Rahim looked at the control panel. "You know the map format better than any of us. Can you lead the way?"

"Of course," Niode ran to the control panel.

Naphthien abruptly stopped the invisible vehicle just in time before it could crash into a rushing armored vehicle.

"Ack!" Niode banged his head on the control screen. "What now? I was reading the map!"

"That's an armored personnel carrier," Rahim noted. "SHRIKE again."

Naphthien showed her husband sign language.

"Yeah, doesn't look like it saw us," Rahim nodded.

The vehicle's top machine gun fired at another barracuda hovertank as it unloaded more soldiers wearing SHRIKE outfits. As Naphthien made a U-turn away from the armored vehicle, more SHRIKE soldiers scattered across the streets, firing at the Federation droid forces. Naphthien frantically swiveled the runner about to avoid crashing into the soldiers and their incoming vehicles.

Isrina hugged Shien. "We are caught in a battle!"

"Look out!" Rahim shouted.

A gunship shaped like a hammerhead shark hovered above the road. Swarms of missiles were fired at the SHRIKE forces. Naphthien reversed the vehicle, evading the explosions. The vehicle bumped into something hard.

"What the?" Rahim hit his head on the floor.

"Our stealth is gone!" Niode looked at the control panel.

The group looked in front of them to see a large four-legged walker blasting a SHRIKE tank away with its arm cannons. It stomped towards the runner, staring at the group.

"Brachyura terrortank!" Isrina yelled.

Naphthien swung the steering wheel 360 degrees as fast as she could, but it was too late. The walker's arm cannons shot pink fireballs at the runner, sending the vehicle sliding across the rocky ground in flames. Isrina woke up to see Oreic carrying her and Shien outside.