Prophet and the Blood March (Prophet of ConFree) (49 page)

"Delta, advance," Doggie ordered. "Kill anything that moves. Take out any resistance from inside the building. Secure the area, enter the building and secure." I got up and moved forward, still firing lightning bolts. There was no let-up in our firing. I aimed at the building, main door, windows, roof. The building slowly disappeared into a glowing eruption of lightning strikes, tacstars and auto x.

"Alert, taking fire! Note enemy positions." The positions appeared on my tacmap, taking fire from those windows, from the roof. I blasted them and the windows blew away and the building shuddered. Somebody was doing airburst x over the roof but I didn't bother doing that. Die, you bastards! Take on humanity, will you? Take on the Legion, huh? Did you think it was going to be easy? Nothing to it – they're just humans. Die, you stinking alien freaks! We're not afraid of you!

We were walking into the inferno, shrapnel pinging off my armor. Somebody was firing flame, spraying it over the rubble just like a garden hose. We were stepping through Hell, a glowing junkyard of shredded, smoking armor, blackened flesh still bubbling, blood spurting, my armor turning red from the heat. Movement! A Dark survivor, slowly burning alive. I brought my E up and blasted him with x. He stopped moving.

"Cease fire! Stay alert!" Doggie ordered. "Ensure they are all dead. Prophet, Smiley, you're on point, get in that building and cleanse it. Go! Delta, follow and set up. I want three hundred and sixty-five degree coverage. Anything that approaches this building is going to die."

Δ

By the time we chased down and finished off the Dark squad that was hiding inside the building, all hell was breaking loose outside. The enemy had figured out exactly where we were, invisible or not, and we were going to live with the consequences. It was a giant six-story building, constructed of massive blocks of artificial stone, and it was serving as a warehouse, full of all types of war material. We didn't have time to investigate anything as the missiles were falling on us almost as soon as we entered. Tacstars and antimats, blasting everything all to hell. Artificial stone was almost indestructible – almost. The building shook and shuddered more with each impact. The noise was deafening. We scrambled to get in place.

"Prophet, you're on the fourth floor," Doggie ordered. "Cover the west – the route and everything else that comes at us from that direction. Smiley, you're on fourth on the east to cover the route in that direction, but be ready to move fast to wherever we need the chainlink. Bees, you and Willow are on fourth to cover the front of the building, the route and the south. Stay dispersed. The Prof and I will be on or close to the roof to let everybody know what's coming. Scout, cover the rear of the building and the north, again on the fourth floor. Saka, you're on the first floor to cover the north. Ice, cover the west from one, the ground floor, and be prepared to guide everybody towards the stairwell to the underground levels if it comes to that. Nitro, cover the east from the ground floor as well and also make sure you can find that stairwell to the basement levels on your side." A series of missiles blasted right into the roof and the building shook.

"Doggie, we've got two more intact lightning weapons we recovered from the gang we took out inside the building," Ice said. "Willow has removed the friends deflection function so they’re set to go. Who gets 'em?"

"Great!" Doggie replied. "Scout and Nitro, now! That way we'll have lightning firepower on all four sides. All right, we're a good target but this is one big bad building and it's going to make a fine fortress when it’s a pile of rubble," Doggie said. "We don't move from here. This is our last stand. Everybody feel free to change position whenever you want, just cover your assigned target areas. Now get in position and check out those eyemote views, there's a whole lot of bad guys coming to visit, real soon. Move it, Delta!"

I hustled to the fourth floor up a stairwell choked with rock dust as tacstars flashed above us and lit me up in fluorescent blue light. I found a good wide window and blasted out the plex. I had a fine view of the southwest and I could cover the road perfectly as it snaked towards us. The eyemotes showed hosts of Darks and Demons, at a dead run along Track 932, headed our way. My! Such enthusiasm. I could hardly wait to blast them with my lovely Battlestorm lightning rifle. It was almost miraculous – the damned thing never needed ammo. Just choose the target and touch the trigger, contact was made, and positive and negative electrical charges sought each other out like murderous traveling lovers and bam! Somebody dies. What a wondrous concept. I could hardly wait. And I felt no fear at all, waiting for those Darks and Demons. None at all. I was dead already, you see? What did I have to fear?

Breakblade, this is Black Angel. Do you receive me?
It was Bees, probably at the Prof's direction, trying for telepathic contact with Breakblade.

Black Angel, Breakblade, go.

Situation report. We have attacked into Industrial Sector Nine, we have blocked track 932 and are holding as shown. They're going to have to come through us to get to you.

Understood, Black Angel. Do you require assistance?

Negative, we do not require assistance. Just keep killing Darks.

Will do, Black Angel. Our thanks. We will relieve you when we can.

Good luck, Breakblade. May God's will be done.

More missiles, impacting. The roof started to fall in – huge blocks of stone, tougher than steel, crashing down, raising blinding clouds of dust.

"Recon Ops, this is Delta Research, General Prof. Do you read me?"

"Delta, Recon Ops, we receive."

"Recon, please note our zero," the Prof said. "Sitrep. We have been separated from our host Task Force Glory as they had to emergency teleport to another site. We have attacked into Industrial Sector Nine and are now blocking Track 932 which leads to Zero Alpha Fourteen, which is under attack by the Darks. We're going to hold here."

"Is it just you, Delta?"

"No, we have one Bright with us."

"What's that? You're with a Bright squad?"

"Um, negative, Recon. One Bright trooper. Our total strength is ten."

"Ten. All right, we can't reinforce you, Delta. We've got nobody anywhere near you."

"No problem, Recon. We don't need help. Well, I've got to go. We have visitors."

"May Deadman be with you," Recon said.

No, I thought. We don't need help. We can handle this bunch by ourselves. The lead Dark element was almost within range, hustling along the road. I lay in my position by the open window and targeted the road, waiting for them to appear. Something awful erupted against the outside wall just above me, spraying debris. A little lower and I would have been history. Several tacstars hit all around our fortress, shaking everything. Just a little longer, I thought. Let me kill some Darks before I have to go. Let me do the right thing.

Δ

I laid down an exceptionally accurate field of fire on the advancing Darks and Demons as they came at us from all sides, a giant circle of shielded, armored soldiers, Satan's finest, firing lightning bolts and tacstars and auto x and laser. By that time, the Demons had discovered that their plasma firing mechanisms did not work so at least we did not have to worry about plasma.

They all learned very quickly that they could not march through the lightning that I was dropping on them. Willow, Scout and Arie were blasting them with their own lightning bolts. Ice was firing on them with canister darts and auto xmax from below me, and Bees was doing the same from her fourth floor position at the front of the building. Prof and Doggie were joining in from the roof. The rest of the gang was equally busy because the hostiles were coming at us from all sides. The enemy was trying to break free of the conflagration of lightning, tacstars, canister darts and auto x but was not succeeding. They were being torn to shreds and cut down – like a scythe through grain, I realized with a thrill. My prayer!
Give them strength, let their aim be true and let them move through the enemy like a scythe through the grain.

"Smiley, move to east, Nitro, keep covering the west. We need the chainlink to stop these crazy bastards."

"Doggie, Smiley. Coming."

Enemy missiles were now dropping on us like rain, thundering and flashing, rattling the building to pieces. I could see them on my tacmap, coming at us like swarms of bloodsucking mosquitoes, dropping fast and erupting on our fortress. The top floors began to collapse.

"Building coming down," Doggie said. "Seek shelter and–"

An awful rumbling boom shook us all and the building buckled, falling in on itself. It felt like it all fell on me personally as I struggled to flatten myself on the floor of a narrow aisle between stacks of large dropboxes. Two stories and the roof, right on my head. I closed my eyes and prayed for life. I was not through yet! I wanted to dig myself out and keep on killing Darks. I wanted to die defending my comrades!

It's hard to hurt yourself in an A-suit. I opened my eyes. I was alive, but it was dark all around me. The noise of the battle continued. I was surrounded by rubble, giant blocks of stone and unidentifiable debris, barely visible in my darksight. I had no idea where I was. My cloaking was off. Honey reported my torch spot was damaged. I dug into my ratpack and pulled out the little present that Good Soul had given me. I activated it and was immediately encased in a soft blue-white glow that lit up everything beautifully.
Light for the darkness,
she had telepathed.
Peace and love.
What a touching present. There was nothing magical about it – it was just a torch. But it was straight from the heart. Light – and love.

"Crawl southwest, Prophet," Honey said. "As marked." I crawled, struggling between giant chunks of stone, using the A-suit's superhuman strength to push aside impossible obstacles. I reached a breach in the wall. I could see the Darks, coming at us, as if revived by seeing the building go down. I poked the Battlestorm out the breach in the wall and fired. I fired auto, spraying their line of advance. The bolts tore them to pieces. I was overjoyed.

"Delta, Prophet. Anybody survive?"

"This is great, Delta," Doggie said. "Now we've got better cover. They'll never get us outta here. Count off! Prof, you here?"

"Prof is here. This is wonderful! The building did not collapse. It fell in on itself, but these giant stone blocks are mostly intact. You can't hurt them! This is an ideal fortress!"

"Two – Scout – you all right?" Doggie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Digging out."

"Ahhh-yah! Three, sound off!"

"Saka is here."

"Four! Let's hear it!"

"Four! I'm here!" Ice said. "I'm kinda buried. Give me a mo."

"Yeah, this is Five," Smiley said. "I'm kind of buried as well. I'll let you know if I need help."

"We need everybody to take a position near whatever wall is closest. Ahhh! They're advancing. Oh God! Bees, Bees."

"Bees is here."

"I hate to bother you, Bees, but I'm blacking out," Doggie said. "Scout, take charge. Bees, I think I've lost a leg. Please…"

"I'm coming!" Bees replied. "Hold on!"

"Delta, resume the count!" Scout demanded. "Prophet, Nitro, are you there?"

"Prophet is here. I'm on the west wall and firing." Doggie was down! Damn it!

"Nitro is here. I found an opening and I'm covering the east – love the lightning! They're coming at us."

"I'll cover north," Scout said. "Willow, you – somebody telepath to Willow to confirm he is covering the south."

"Scout, Ice. Willow is covering the south. He's firing now."

"Delta, alert!" I called out. "They're almost on us, a bloody wave attack, cut 'em down!" Lightning bolts were cracking all around my position, blinding and deafening me, blasting with terrific force against the giant artificial stone blocks that surrounded me. Doggie was right, this pile of rubble made a damned fine defensive position. I knew I should move my position because they knew where I was but they were almost at the walls and there was no time. I continued firing lightning bolts, and I watched as the eye-searing flashes illuminated the scene as the bolts tore those Darks into pieces, armor and all. Meantime their bolts were crashing against the rubble that surrounded me.
A scythe through grain,
I thought.
May God's will be done
.
Here is where I die
, I thought.
But I don't care
. I kept firing – like a god, I thought. A Legion god, wielding this mighty weapon, casting lightning into the foe. Doing God's will. Leaving the field covered with dead. Come on, Darks, step right up and die. I'm only a human. What are you afraid of?

"Delta, Prophet. I've got a name for our fortress."

"Let's hear it, Prophet," Scout said.

"Rockpile One," I replied.

"I like it," the Prof said. "Rockpile One it is."

Δ

"They're pulling back," Scout announced. "Too many casualties, likely. But they'll be back. Everybody into new positions, right now. Snuggle up to the rocks real close and set up good fields of fire."

It was true, the fools were no longer throwing themselves at me. They had slunk away, leaving a junkyard of shredded smoking armor and blackened corpses. I crawled through the rubble to find a new position.

"How's Doggie?" Smiley asked.

"Doggie is stable," the Prof replied. "Bees has sealed the wound. He'll be all right. Look to our defenses, Delta. You people are magnificent. I am so proud to be associated with you all, Delta. Now we are going to hold this position no matter what they throw at us. Do whatever Scout says. Saka, if anything happens to Scout you take tactical command."

"Yes sir!" Saka responded.

I found another good killing spot and settled in. I was likely in permanent shock by then, my adrenalin just frozen in my veins. I snuggled up against the rock, just like Scout suggested. No – they were not going to blast us out of here, I vowed. Never!

"Delta, check out the eyemote view of our fortress roof." Scout said. I activated the view on to my visor. It showed a tall twisted vertical metal pole sticking up from the very highest point of our massive rubble pile. The black flag of the Legion was flapping boldly at the tip of the pole, as another series of missiles fell down onto our position, the flashes illuminating the silvery Legion cross coldly burning against a black field. I was thrilled to see it. I knew it was Doggie's flag. He always carried one in his ratpack. So – now the bastards knew who they were dealing with. Welcome to ConFree! This was now officially ours, our rubble pile, Rockpile One, and if anyone wanted it back they were going to have to fight for it.