Book 2 Chapter 24: Even Footing

Book 2 Chapter 24: Even Footing

We moved toward the door before the buildings shaking had ceased. Id been worried that my violent actions wouldve been heard from outside the door, or Mercys screaming wouldve been, but it looked like the room was soundproof, and the guards were far more concerned with the beginning of the siege. Leah led the way, using her thermal scope to scan for threats. I helped Mercy walk for a few steps until she gestured me away, but I stayed close in case I needed to move her quickly.

We moved across the catwalk toward the roof. I saw Leah risk a glance down toward the ground floor to make sure we hadnt been made. At that exact moment, a prisoner in the cage below happened to look up, her eyes widening.

Leah! Leah! Help us!

Leahs eyes widened and she made a shushing gesture, but it was too late. The guards below looked up and started lifting their guns.I hoisted Mercy up and started toward the door that led back to the roof. Leah ran ahead of us, but not before dropping one of the guards with a smooth flash of silent red light that dropped him where he stood.

We managed to avoid a sudden hail of gunfire and duck into the room leading to the roof. I dragged a metal shelf in front of the door, then had Mercy wrap an arm around my back so I could haul us both up the ladder at the same time. Once we were through the trap door, Leah fired her lasgun twice, severing the ladder's connection to the roof, and I hauled it up, throwing it onto the roof to keep us from being easily followed.

I pulled out my 9mm and handed it to Mercy along with two clips.

Its full.

She took it, but looked a little sick as she did so. I imagined Id feel the same if I was given a gun and told to fight my fellow deadmen in Potts.

Ive requested an extraction from Graves, but the battles ongoing and itll be dangerous for him to land.

The building rocked again, and this time I was able to see a massive explosion in the distance where Id seen the STAR and remnant forces mustering. Before I could find my balance from that one, there were three additional explosions at opposite ends of the compound. It looked like the siege was occurring from all sides at once.

I dropped my gun, feeling my heartrate speed up and my vision blur read. I grabbed the handle of the hammer and attempted to disarm him. I was able to move him slightly, and I realized that his strength wasnt much greater than mine, even with the power of the armor, but unfortunately, his weight gave him the edge.

He yanked backward and I was lifted into the air along with his hammer which I released finding myself in the air several feet above him. I landed in a heap behind him, taking a moment to freeze a man climbing up the trapdoor, and giving Mercy the time she needed to shoot him as I stood back up.

The man in the armor lifted the hammer high, For the prophet! he yelled as he swung it downward in a straight arc that wouldve flattened a truck.

I dodged backward, keeping just the balls of my feet on the roof, then slammed my entire body into him at full force, while kicking out toward where the hammer had landed. I managed to dislodge it from his grip, and it went tumbling down to the ground. I then grabbed the armor on the mans forearm and pulled it at its seam. There was a sickening grinding noise, that was only interrupted by a right hook that forced me to release my grip.

From there the armored man sent a number of strikes my way. I was able to block, deflect, and dodge all of them. He was marginally stronger than me in full armor, and had a superior defense, but I was significantly faster.

He threw a haymaker, but over-extended. I used that opportunity to dodge around his back. I leapt up and jammed my fingers into the gap between the mans helmet and the rest of his armor, and yanked backward. There was a grinding of servos and a straining of metal as I pulled back with all my strength. The man fought back, trying to pull my hands away, but he couldnt reach them in the bulky armor. I pulled harder, and the helmet began to bend at a terrifying angle. The struggling power armor began panicking, and ran toward the edge of the roof. I yanked back, using all my strength and the leverage of my legs, there was a sickening pop, and the body went limp, collapsing just before we reached the edge of the roof.

I panted for a few moments. I wasnt used to having to fight people my own size and strength. I preferred fights that were unfair in my favor. Id learned very early on that in the wastes a fair fight was a death sentence.

I stood up, drawing my rifle, and swiveling around to face the trapdoor where another man was making his way up, I fired, and he dropped. There mustve been a pile of corpses there high enough to climb by this point. Mercy and Leah had been firing almost constantly, covering my back and doing their best to keep too many more people from making it into the building and onto the roof. There were fires and the sounds of battle drawing closer, but from what I could tell, it was still a long way off. We had to last until either the city was taken, or Graves was able to get close enough for a pickup, and it wouldnt be long until we ran dry.

There was a flash of light as a shot from a lasgun fired up through the ceiling.

Fuck, I muttered. It seemed that theyd finally figured out how to use their lasguns properly.Read latest chapters at nov(e)lbin.com Only