He slung the manhole cover off and climbed from the darkness into a blinding light. He squinted as he found himself in the middle of a narrow street lined with colorfully lit shops and filled with squigglies carrying bright packages and bags. As he stood, the crowd recoiled, silently screaming as the fear rippled through their ranks. With a start, Collis realized that he still had his suit mikes turned off and flipped the audio back on. He wanted to hear them suffer and die. That was when the music started in his head again and he started laughing.
Bertha found the rhythm and took up the beat as she roared at the crowd. Slayer's slaves exploded in sprays of red pulp, showering the ground with brightly colored packages as they fell. He spotted a squad of men in shiny green armor coming towards him with a toy armored car and could barely hold back his laughter. They popped apart under Bertha's stare like bloody confetti and the APC caught fire.
Heavy metal rain. He loved the heavy metal rain.
Something dinked against his shoulder and the HUD locked in on the shooter's location. The ablative plate only took minor damage and he turned, letting Big Boy bark back. The shell slammed into a wall above the cover the shooter was hiding behind and buried him in bricks. Collis switched back to Bertha and took care of the squiggly's handful of friends. There wasn't any cover in sight that could stop her and she tore them apart in crimson chunks as they tried to scurry away.
One screamed and pulled a sword, charging over the bodies across the open ground. Collis happily chunked him, then turned his attention to a contact bearing down from behind. It was one of those "mighty" horse faced creatures and Bertha gave it a kiss. It held its ground for a few heartbeats, but came apart like a pińata and tumbled through a shop window. He bellowed at the top of his lungs, living in the moment.
"That the best you got, Slayer?" he yelled. "THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?"
More pings on the front of his armor and visor, but the heavy panels took most of it and he grimaced with minor pain. Something wet ran between his eyes, but he didn't care if it was sweat or blood.
"Takes more than that to kill me boy!" he screamed. The squigglie had tried to take him down with a pistol and Bertha stitched him from crotch to craw. Now this was living!
He was pumped up to the point that he didn't feel pain and he giggled as he got a lock on three new targets. Big Boy burped and caught the elfy one, one of those alien eyeless freaks square in the chest with a grenade. It went off a split second after it hit and Collis savored the kill. Music pounded in his temples and he could almost make out the words…
A jolt of pain shot ran through his collarbone and the HUD reported that the suit integrity was breached in the second chest quadrant. He trotted to get a better line of sight on the shooter, but sniping coward was already gone. Big Boy wanted it, so he let him go and started barking. He filled every window on the third story near where the shot had come from with a flash and plume of fire, sending bricks and debris tumbling into the street. That oughta shake him up, he thought to himself as he switched to thermal and noted the cooling prone figure.
"WHOOYA!" he yelled and spun around.
Bertha roared with him as she shredded everything in front of him, turning the street into a wall of shattered glass and concrete as he turned. Squigglies scrambled for cover, getting cut down in the open while others died in place as they cowered.
"Aim low, sergeant," Tupo said. "You don't want any of the little ones to get away!"
Sliding a foot backwards, he nodded and braced his arm to cradle Bertha like a raging lover. He savored the recoil and prayed that the destruction could go on forever, but suddenly his girl went silent. It startled him and his eyes snapped down to the counter, seeing that both magazines were flashing 000 rounds. Blinking in amazement, he slammed two reloads into place and started walking. The moment was ruined for him and he started looking for more targets. He had to keep the high going.
The golden pyramid loomed above the smoke and he sneered because it was still out of his range. Badger-face had been above the death he created for far too long and it was time someone brought it back home to make it personal. Collis knew he was the one to do it and couldn't wait.
After he set his motion sensors to proximity, he let his mind go within the music. The rhythm and the melody had him, and before he knew it, he was trotting through the rubble without watching. With his head pounding to the beat, he was invincible and nothing could stop him.
"I'm coming for you, you son of a bitch!" he yelled and heard his voice echo in the stillness.
Collis leaned inside the burning APC and laughed when he saw how it was little more than a stripped down version of the ones that he used to pop in the war. Bertha's heavy rounds had riddled the walls and floor, letting the pulped squigglies leak onto the street around his feet. He patted the husk and absently kicked a prone body in green armor. With no movement on the scanner, he became anxious with bloodlust.
"Good work, Sergeant," Tupo said as he fell in again at the big man's elbow. The prox sensors didn't go off, which must they were offline too. How bad off was his suit anyway?
"What do you want?"
"I just want to make sure you make it where we need to go. You've got more company," he added and stepped behind him.
Something sizzled above him and he dove under an awning out of reflex. An air bike that reminded him of a mosquito passed overhead as the pilot swiveled around. As he slung Bertha, he reached back and popped the cork on one of the 303 Lancers.
"Stupid bastard's running recon on a fucking bug bike!" Collis snickered. "I got your swatter right here!"
He braced the tube over his shoulder and hit the release, feeling the tube extend and snap into place. The liquid crystal array pivoted and locked down, giving him a tone for the lock on. The heat of the backblast warmed him as it scorched the wall behind him and torched an awning. As he watched the bird fly, he realized that he hadn't warned Tupo about the danger of standing behind him. Oh well, the boy needed a tan anyway.
The SCAF pilot caught the flash out of the corner of his eye and pushed the bike into a steep dive towards a moving billboard, but didn't have the speed to get away. Collis grinned as the missile struck mid-fuselage, blasting the pilot into the next life with a shower of orange flames.
"Wonderful shot!" Tupo exclaimed and patted him on the shoulder.
Collis glared, but let that one go and tossed the smoking tube to the little man as he brought Bertha back up. The next street was completely deserted and he started to feel queasy, almost like he was in a dream. Then the music came back loud and clear in his ears and startled him so badly that he almost fired. He could almost make out the lyric, but then he lost it again.
"To your right. That's the way to go."
Without speaking, he nodded and followed the small man's suggestion. Sliding his jaw to the left, he flipped the contact switch to change the HUD mode. An area map flickered across his visor, but blinked out and was replaced with a flashing error. He tried two more times, but the error continued to bounce across his vision and he cursed, turning it off.
"Equipment failure's such a pain. I guess you'll just have to trust me," Tupo laughed. "At the next intersection, hang a left and that will take you in. Just follow the yellow brick road to the wizard's castle."
Music poured into Collis's head like rain and he paused as he strained to pick up the words again. He couldn't remember quite where he heard the song first, but one this good had to have been written by someone like him. As the music got louder, he began to hear the lyrics and had to sing along. Shapes moved in the distant mist and took up defensive positions. Bertha growled, ready for more and he started forward.
"You looking for trouble? I'm the man to see! You lookin' for satisfact-ion, I'm satisfaction GUARANTEED!"
"What are you doing?" Tupo asked, looking uncomfortable. Collis ignored him and kept walking, the song growing louder in his mind.
"Cool as a body on ice! Hotter than rolling dice!" he began to yell. His body was alive with electricity and he set Bertha to Rock n Roll mode. Ahead of him, more of Slayer's slaves gathered and took cover. This was going to be fun.
"Sergeant! Sergeant, look at me!" Tupo yelled, trying to turn the suit's head. "LOOK AT ME!"
Collis responded by straight-arming the little man to the ground and kept walking. A slug hit him square in the chest and sent up a spray of water.
"Oh yeah? That the best you got? He asked but Bertha and Big Boy strained to answer for him.
"SEND YOU TO HEAVEN, TAKE YOU TO HELL!" he screamed and Bertha took backup, screaming along with him. With Big Boy on the bass all hell broke lose on the street. The pavement exploded and bucked around him as jets of light and energy ripped the air. Slugs rattled off him like pounding hail and he yelled louder, stumbling under the impact. He couldn’t feel his legs and the world began to tilt and warp. Bertha's muzzle flash was blinding him and her roar sounded far away.
"I AIN'T FOOL'N! CAN'T YOU TELL!" he screamed, feeling Bertha's first mag go empty. She started sucking from the secondary and he clutched at his hopper to reload. The spare mag slipped out of his grasp and spun away and he was absently aware that everything in front of the wrist went with it. Pain didn't matter, only the song did.
"COLLIS! LISTEN TO ME! CONCENTRATE ON ME! ON ME!" the little man screeched as he pulled on his arm. Collis backhanded him like a fly and he slammed against a dumpster where he crumpled.
Pain flared up his chest and the inside of his visor was tinted with red streaks. He growled and locked the triggers back on Bertha and the Big Boy, the sound like a distant angry thunder. Impacts from above, from below, all around. Suit integrity failing… red lights… suicide charge not responding…let it rain danger close…
"I'M A L-L-Live W-Wire. Gonna…gonna" his voice trailed off into a wet gurgle as the ground came up to meet him. Bertha kept bucking and growling underneath him, refusing to give up.
"set thiz town on fire…" he rasped and everything reeled into blackness.
Tupo blinked the stinging water out of his eyes and tried to come to his feet, but found he couldn't move. When he realized he couldn't feel anything below his neck, he cursed and thrashed with his head in anger, only succeeding in making his limp body slump into a heap. As he fought to swallow, a song drifted into his mind and he tried to laugh. It came out as a muffled gurgle and turned into a whimper.
An operative squad casually searched Coliss's body and pulled the weapons clear as Shivers fought to keep civilians on the perimeter. In the distance, he saw the golden pyramid and winced. So damn close. I was so damn close this time…
As the music in his mind got louder, a shadow blocked his view and he smelled dead roses. The rain came down almost on cue around her, but she was untouched by it. Her raven hair was perfect as always as she posed to look down at him. Always pushing for the dramatic, he thought. God, if only he could move.
"Nice try Tupo," she said as she squatted on her haunches next to him. " You almost got it that time. Almost."
He tried to speak, but only managed a wet cough as he cleared his throat. Something black and sticky hopped out onto his chest in a clump. Bile and blood welled up in his throat and he tried to swallow.
"I expected something
more refined than that song," he said with a weak smile. He couldn't feel his arms either, but he saw his fingers were twitching. She leaned closer, kissed him gently on the brow, and smoothed his hair back. When she pulled back into his view again, her smile had turned into a wicked sneer and she began to sing along with the music in his head. Once her voice had filled his heart with warmth, but now it turned it to ice.
"I'm a roll'n thunder, a pour'in rain," she began with a voice dripping with acid.
"D-d-don't," he mumbled. His lungs burned as he gasped to speak. "P-please don't-"
"I'm com'in on like a hurricane, my lightning's flashin across the sky," she sang with her eyes boring into his. Suddenly he could feel his feet again, but they were wracked with painful spasms that shook him to his core. They grew more intense and ran up his spine like an earthquake along a fault line. As he lay there trembling, his tears mixed with the falling rain and dribbled off his chin. She leaned forward and kissed him warmly one final time, then wiped the water from his eyes. As his vision blurred, she licked the salt from her fingertip.
"You're only young, but you're gonna die," she finished and it was over. Pulling the suddenly acrid air into her lungs, she stood and dusted the pale sand from her hands. It sprinkled to the ground only to vanish into Mort's black rain.
A Chagrin had crouched next to the shattered pile of armor and casually ripped the helmet free with a pop, confirming that the target was dead. As he held it aloft, he admired his reflection in the shattered visor and noticed the tall woman standing in his squad's crime scene. With a low growl, he rose and lumbered over to remove her.
She looked up as he approached and gave him a winning smile that made him queasy. Something about her wasn't right and he tensed and flexed his claws as he came within range. He knew he could tear her in half if she moved, but she seemed unusually harmless and calm.
"Little woman – only take one hit," he thought to himself.
The woman smiled at him again like he was a small child and motioned towards the helmet in his hand. His eyes followed her finger and he saw something bright just behind the visor that sparked his curiosity. Upending it, the water and blood splashed over his hand and a tiny piece of metal landed in his palm. Turning it over, he read the inscription and saw that it was a Dante Medal of Valor.
"Be careful with that," she purred. "He was a hero."
He looked up and flinched when he saw she was gone, then spun in a circle to find her. . He looked behind the dumpster and sniffed the air, but there was no trace of her ever having been there. The only thing left was a pile of dust and ash, but it was just more fire damage from the combat and he stepped over it. Suddenly a cold gust of wind cut him to the bone and brought the hair at the back of his neck to attention. A wave of dizziness hit him and he leaned on the dumpster for support.
"Hey Stupid! Quit sight seeing and get your ass over here! We need you to pick him up," the Brainwaster yelled.
Shaking his head to clear the vertigo, he slowly backed up then retreated to the squad. The Frother had started to drag the corpse across the cracked concrete and he intervened by snarling and shoved him backwards. The small man landed with a splash in a puddle, drawing the attention of the rest of the squad. The rain had kicked up a notch and the Frother's mane matted across his face, making him look like a drowned rat.
"What th'fuck is your problem?" he yelled as wiped the hair out of his eyes and came to his feet.
"Keep," he ordered as he shoved the medal and the helmet into the Frother's chest. The impact was hard enough to make the smaller man stumble again.
The medal caught the Frother's attention and he lifted it by the ribbon, turning it in the rain to read the inscription. Giving a funny look towards the rest of the squad, he saw that 714 had gently lifted the body and was carrying it towards the meatwagon.
"Who the fuck was he?" the Frother asked, shouting to be heard over the rumbling downpour.
"He wuzuh hero."
Comments to rw