Afterimage: A Baxter's Phantoms Story

Chapter 5

Sirens blared as another LRM salvo pounded Bjorn’s Stalker on the right side, sending the 85 ton machine staggering to the left. Bjorn fought the controls, battling with his life to keep the machine upright as he checked his damage readout. Nearly all of his armor was gone, his left leg was nearly crippled, and he had lost both of his SRM6s. His long-range weapons were depleted as well, leaving him with only his lasers to fight back the lance of heavy ‘mechs now rushing his position. A Warhammer punched a hole in his left shoulder with one of its PPCs, and a Catapult burned his right torso with its medium lasers. Bjorn’s breaths came in desperate gasps as he struggled to breathe in the heat of his cockpit. The enemy ‘mechs were all marked as friendly on his IFF scanner, yet they were still cutting his machine to ribbons. Behind him was the command post, where the command crew of his unit was rushing to evacuate, where Chandra was racing to save their lives. Scattered about his feet were the remains of the Brawlers, a twisted mass of steel and myomer bundles that had once been his friends. Bjorn was all that was left, and soon he would join them.

Rage welled up inside of him and tears stung at his burning eyes. His sweat seemed to boil in the overwhelming heat, pouring off his body in rivers as he gripped his control sticks with all his remaining strength. He switched off the Stalker’s safety measures and fired all of his lasers into the Warhammer’s center torso. The attack melted through its already damaged armor plating, exposing the reactor to the open air. Red strobes flashed in the Stalker’s cockpit as the ‘mech warned of an impending shutdown, but Bjorn ignored it. With a shrieking howl of rage he charged the enemy machine, throwing the full weight of his body against it. The monsters collided with a mighty crash, and the Warhammer lost its footing. It fell onto its back, then began to flail in an attempt to bring its PPCs to bear. Bjorn fired a large laser into the armor breach, setting the reactor ablaze. The Warhammer’s cockpit sparked, then let out a jet of blue flame as its pilot ejected. Bjorn threw the Stalker in reverse, hoping to get clear of the impending overload, but he knew that his broken leg wouldn’t allow him to escape. The blast of golden fire washed over his ‘mech, and the heat of the explosion nearly made him pass out. In his dazed tunnel vision he saw a nearby Blackjack stagger and tumble from the force wave, but the Catapult stayed firm and fired another barrage of LRMs. Bjorn braced himself for the final hit, but it never came. Instead the missiles sailed over his head, forcing him to watch helplessly as they screamed toward the command post. He could still hear her voice on the radio. Chandra was shouting evacuation orders, but she went quiet as the missiles drew near to her trailer. Her last words were quiet, filled with hushed terror.

“Oh my god…”

The LRMs detonated, sending fragments of the fragile command trailer hundreds of feet into the air. Bjorn screamed in fury and urged his Stalker to charge the murderer in the Catapult, but the machine refused to respond to his commands. He yanked the controls in every direction, mindlessly smashed his fist against the control panel, and howled threats at the ‘mech to wake up from its heat-induced shutdown. Still the Stalker remained silent. The Catapult turned to face him, the green IFF signal now flickering as the sensors slowly rebooted. The friendly marking was bright and clean, as if it was taunting him. The Catapult approached slowly, and Bjorn could almost sense its pilot laughing at his helplessness. The killing blow came swiftly, a streak of SRMs and the force of four medium lasers tore what remained of his ‘mech apart, melting its frame around him. Bjorn fumbled for the ejection switch and pulled it, but to his horror nothing happened. The Stalker fell to the ground, slamming him against his restraints with tremendous force. Bjorn pulled the switch again, but the ejection pod refused to fire. Panic gripped him as he pulled at it again and again, the ever-rising heat around him beginning to burn his skin. The reactor was about to overload, and he was trapped. He stared up at the triumphant Catapult, leering down at him. A siren blared in his ears, and the sudden noise broke him. He threw his hands over his face in terror, trying to block out the sight of his foe as he screamed for help.