The Collapse

Chapter 14: Street Cleaning

Alder sat in Nova's pilot cockpit, running through the controls again and again. Since his mind and the machine's AI were connected through the neural passages, all he would have to do was think a command and the war machine would (hopefully) carry it out. He flicked his head as an annoying crackle filled his ear.

"Alder, this is Ember. Get ready, our radar's picking up multiple enemy contacts between us and the cutoff strike teams."

Alder cleared his throat and replied, "Roger that. Any idea what kind of enemy?"

A pause, then, "Yep, looks like mutants. I'm surprised they managed to circle our boys. What next, a giant fuckin' dragon's gonna swoop down? "

Alder grinned despite his deep-seated worry, then cleared his thoughts. He'd need all of his concentration to be focused on the task at hand. Suddenly, a rapid beeping began to sound in the cockpit as Nova announced in Alder's head, "Entering Frontline Combat Mode. Deploying CQB Electricity Weapon."

Alder watched in astonishment as Nova's left hand transformed into a double-edged blade that hummed with a blue aura that crackled into a field of lightning on his command. He turned his attention to the right hand, witnessing the 35mm IBR morph almost seamlessly into the limb to become a rapid-fire battle cannon.

The sound of battle became more powerful in Alder's ear as a male soldier radioed in, "Ember, this is Tornado 1-2. Where the hell's our knight support you promised?!"

"Hang tight, 1-2, Nova and her new pilot are on their way now." Ember replied on the open channel.

"What'd ya mean new. . . Ah, fuck it. Roger 'at. But whoever this new bastard is, he'd better be at least half the pilot Captain Washington was."

A new voice, this one belonging to a female soldier, suddenly broke into the line. "Lieutenant! This is Tornado 1-3. We're at the old munitions factory, and there's some sort of. . . of thing here. I don't know. . . ." A spout of gunfire exploded in the background, along with a ferocious, distorted screech that made nails on a chalkboard seem like musical talent. The voice came back with a fearful tone. "Shit, it's broken through the door! We need that knight here, ASAP!"

Alder spoke then, to the lieutenant. "Tornado 1-2, this is Nova's pilot. How long can you hold?"

The officer was silent, probably thinking, more that likely judging Alder's worth. "Twenty-ish minutes, maybe double that if I use the rest of my autocannon ammunition. Why do you ask, pilot?" He replied, saying the last word in a mocking voice.

Alder bit back a snarky retort and responded, "I'm going to the factory first. If you're up against muties, you'll be fine for another half hour or so."

The lieutenant started to argue, then spoke in a strained, pissed voice "Roger that. Your math had damn well better be on point. Out."

Alder steeled himself after the lieutenant cut the line. This would be his first combat action in an Iapetus, and he knew that when he was at the controls, there would be no second chances. It was do or die time. "Nova, let's get to the factory and help those beleaguered troops."

The heavy metallic voice spoke through the mental link into Alder's thoughts, "Roger that, pilot." The machine shifted her weight as a radar device popped onto the view screen, with a large red chevron moving rapidly towards the center -- towards them. "Airborne hostile detected. I believe it is the same one from the munitions complex. Prepare yourself, Alder."

Alder peered through the port, watching in horror as a titanic beast smashed through a decrepit building before flaring two wings, each at least thirty-five feet in length. A horrendous shriek ripped itself loose from the creature's throat as a gout of fire spewed out, causing the air around the snout to waver. Its blood-red body caught and reflected the moonlight, and the brute rippled with an unnatural, almost supernatural strength.

Alder fingered the comms button without taking his eyes off the devil. "Ember, you were more right about the dragon than you might wanna believe."