Penguins of Anarchy

Eleven

The snow was illuminated by the full moon's light as the ten operators snuck to the dock to find several small unit reverine crafts (SURCs) mounted with heavy machine guns on the sterns and bows, suited to their purpose.  They boarded two of them--Fragnile, Ursynz, Bledsoe Much, Felly, and Marcosis in one; Drake, Dreemo, Sam, Klondike, and Riker in the other--and sped off so that by the time Administrator Revnos realized they were leaving, they would already be on their way.

After an hour or so, Dreemo and Sam started to get restless.  "Hey Drake, you see a radio anywhere?" Sam asked.

"It's built into the bow," Drake replied, surprised that Sam hadn't seen it.

Sam flicked on the radio and turned the knob to find the proper station.  Tuning into one that he and Dreemo had listened to quite often on Waddle Island, he turned up the volume as a heavy metal song blared over the speakers.

Riker, positioned at the machine gun on the stern, glanced back in surprise as the sounds of electric guitars, drums, and screaming singers vibrated the boat.  He then acknowledged Dreemo and Sam as having the same musical preference as he, and began to jerk his head back and forth to the beat.

In constrast, however, Klondike rolled his eyes at Sam, Dreemo, and Riker's enthusiasm over such seemingly mindless music, and shared his opinion with Drake.

"They're just kids," Drake remarked.  But even he felt skeptical as he watched Dreemo brush his flipper across the machine gun he manned at the bow, pretending it was a guitar.

Fragnile and the others in the second boat were startled by the sudden sound.  While Bledsoe Much seemed to enjoy it, Fragnile, Felly, Marcosis, and Ursynz wondered what pleasure they could possibly find in it.  "They'll get the attention of every MA soldier within five miles if they keep this up," Ursynz said, a hint of concern in his voice.  He tried to reach Drake on one of the new radio transceivers they had acquired before leaving Clearwater Isle, but the music was so loud that Drake couldn't hear him.

"Get us closer," Marcosis told Felly, who was driving.  They pulled alongside their twin boat and Marcosis gestured for Sam to turn the music off.

As Sam was about to protest, spotlights shined on the two boats.  Everyone followed the bright beams up to the three gray camouflaged helicopters projecting them overhead.

"Gun it!" Dreemo cried.  Music still blaring, Drake accelerated the SURC to maximum speed, and Felly imitated him.

The helicopters and their spotlights followed the boats as they attempted to perform evasive maneuvers, driving in zigzag patterns or doing 180's to try to discourage the Martial Alliance aircraft from firing on them.

"They're not trying to shoot us!" Marcosis exclaimed.  "Why?"

"How should I know?" Fragnile replied.  "They might be trying to lure us into a trap."

"Well what do you want us to do about it, Colonel?" Bledsoe Much demanded.

"Slow down so Marcosis and Bledsoe can start shooting at them!" Fragnile ordered Felly.

"Yes sir!"  Felly slowed the boat and stopped driving so wildly so that the gunners could try to down the helis.  However, she knew that by doing so, it provided the helicopters with an easier target as well.

Drake saw the adjacent boat's strategy and stopped driving crazily as well, gesturing for Dreemo and Riker to start firing at the helicopters just like their counterparts were.  Still, nobody bothered to turn off the music, which added to the excitement for all of the gunners except Marcosis.

"Kill them all!" Sam cried.  He pulled out the LMG he had taken from the Clearwater Isle arsenal and fired wildly at all three aircraft, screaming in anger and invigoration.