Chapter Twenty-Nine - Trench Run

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Trench Run

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Trench Run

Operator: Why is the city on fire?

Lord Burninator: There were aliens in it.

Operator: That cant be your response to everything.

Lord Burninator: You clearly havent thought this through.

--Excerpt from official transcript between Family operations centre and samurai field command, 2038 Venezuela Incursion

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The turrets I was setting down on the edges of the tallest trucks were the same cheap crap Id been using for a while. A laser-gun, a small battery pack, a little strip of solar cells and three legs which ended in suction-cup grippers that had no difficulty attaching to the stainless steel roofs of the trailers I was passing.

From earlier observation, the turrets took about three, maybe four seconds of continuous fire on a single model three to take it down. Way less time to take out model ones though, the little birds were easy to knock out of the air.

By the time I was at the back of the convoy Id set down nearly fifty of the things. They had pretty decent range, and some of those near the front were zapping the quickest of the aliens already.

Id dipped down four times between slower trucks and bought a few cat mecha. They were more than capable of keeping up with the convoy, and I figured the extra bit of mobile firepower might give us an edge if... or when, the aliens reached us.

I placed the last turret on the roof of the very last vehicle in the convoy. I probably didnt need to bother, it was another of those oversized mobile bases, with guns bristling out of its sides and a few turrets on the top already, but the turrets would give me and Myalis an idea of the convoys status as it moved ahead, and I figured I could retrieve them after, maybe hand them off to the Family to place them along the length of the defences around the city. It was that much more firepower, and the self-sustaining sort.

Hey, Grasshopper, I said.

Thats me, Grasshopper said. Is something wrong?

Nah, not yet, I said. Im about to start my bombing runs. Ive set down some turrets here and there, should keep the convoy... safe-ish. Honestly, its not much, but itll put a dent in their numbers I hope.

I understand, Grasshopper said. Do your best!

Right, I said. I kicked my bike into gear and shot up a ways. From above I could see the vague formation the antithesis were taking. A large group of them were spread out to the left and rushing in towards the convoy. More were out by the front, where a few patches of forest made it hard to tell where they were hidden.

There was actually some sort of facility in the middle of those woods. Probably abandoned by now. Still... Myalis, can you check to make sure theres no one alive around here, I dont want to bomb some poor sap hiding in that building over there.

Searching now... no signs of life. The facility is an older slaughterhouse, it has been out of operation for a decade.

Myalis, I think we need to switch it up, I said. Concussions are nice, but theyre too... binary. They either kill the fuckers, or miss outright. Maybe something a bit more... fire-y?

Something that will last longer, then. A liquid that combusts with contact to oxygen might suffice. With a dispersal system to spread it. Perhaps a napalm-based explosive? It would create a temporary barrier between the antithesis and the convoy.

I nodded. That sounds perfect. Same rate, on my mark?

Ready.

I dropped down, much closer to the ground than I had been on my last run. A bit more dangerous, sure, but I also wanted to be more accurate with my fire.

Now, I said as I took off.

The first grenade appeared next to me, a small canister, the size of a bigger soda can. It flopped down and out of sight. I couldnt afford to look back, not when I was so low to the ground that the taller stalks from roadside weeds were whipped back with the air from my passage and the nearest antithesis to my right were so close I could see the saliva clinging to their teeth.

The first grenade went off with a sound like a fart in a tin can. It made up for that with a wash of heat that I felt on my back as I raced ahead.

Each burst increased the burning crackle until I pulled up and away at the end of the antithesis formation. When I glanced back, it was to see a sight that would make Gomorrah proud, a wall of flames, thicker by the middle, but still a good couple of metres wide. Some aliens were caught in the flames, writhing around as they burned.

The rest, smart enough not to run into a puddle of napalm, were bunching up and hesitating. A few started to run around the flames, but theyd have a long way to go.

A long way while staying entirely within the range of the turrets and manned guns in the convoy.

Flickering laser beams caught aliens in their sides and followed them long enough to put them down and the few trucks with turrets protecting the convoy opened up, firing past the napalm and into the enemys flanks.

Thats a lot of fire, Grasshopper said over the coms. Its actually good for the environment to clear out some surface brush on occasion. I dont think youre supposed to use napalm for that though.

Itll go out eventually, I said. How are things by the front?

Well enough, so far, Grasshopper said. But the numbers are increasing. I think the forest will be a problem.

Well, I have plenty more napalm, I said.

I think passing through the forest while its on fire would also be a problem. Maybe we can come up with another solution. One that doesnt harm the nice trees as much?

I sighed. Well see.

***