The DiggerDirective Part 3

Therain pelted down as ever, driving into the walkway like a dribbling tidalwave.  Fresh water from the skies mixedwith tainted water ricocheting off the buildings behind.  As it flowed down the sides of the suburbiawall, it turned an opaque pink as the blood of the fallen dissolved intoit.  The stench was worse than theCannibal sector walls on a hot day.

Itwas far from the warm bed and loving wife he craved.  Commander James Hutton had never seen so much death before, notin 20 years of active duty.  He had beenresponsible for most of it.  It had beena harsh call.  A large warband ofcarrien had assaulted the Krosstown position. The carrien came from all angles, jumping from buildings rushing downalleys and popping up from manhole covers. The gangers of Krosstown Traffic were hard from a life on the streets,but far from an organised combat unit. Their position had been swamped and James had a birds eye view of itfrom the height of the wall.

Indesperation, many of the gangers had dashed from their cover for the wall,counting on the charity of their fellow man.  For a moment, James had taken pity on the poor souls rushing forsalvation at the suburbia wall.  He orderedhis forces to stand down and allow them to approach.   He was preparing to open the gate when, in amongst the crowds,he saw the carrien obscuring themselves in the stampede.

Hecould not let them in.  He ordered hismen to open fire.  Bodies broke and fellapart in the lead storm.  The crowdswere mown down without exception.  Thecarrien kept back after that.  Nottrusting the whim of one so callous as they. The screams of the few gangers who remained reverberated long into thenight.

Jamescaught a few hours sleep after that.  The years he spent on sleeper duty served him well.  The horrors he witnessed during that timewere nothing compared to the last week. He slept well, dreaming of his wife at home, in upper suburbia.  He had managed to call in a favour from anoperative and get her safely to Uptown before he left to report for duty on thewall.  Suburbia had already starteddegenerating by the time he arrived.  Hewasn’t sure if his task was to keep the monsters out of suburbia or to keep themoff the wall.  He was surrounded bymadness and his only salvation were the bullets in his gun.

Helooked down on the weapon.  A FEN 30-30he took from the corpse of a fresh young operative who died on the firstday.  He had slipped in the rain andfallen from the wall.  His armour helpedcushion the slide and fall, but he was a sitting duck for the ganger snipersfurther away in the derelict apartments. His Body Blocker pinged like popcorn as the CAF rounds impacted.  He was dragged through the gate, his body amass of bruises.  He was bleeding hislast blood from numerous wounds in the chinks of his armour.  James took his gun from him, not wanting towaste that precious resource.

Thecall came on his headset.  The carrienwere charging the wall.  James hadtrouble shaking the sleep from his head. He picked up speed as he clambered up the stairs to meet the stinkingrain again.  Taking up position on thewall, he saw the massed amounts of carrien clambering over a hill of their owndead.  Thinking fast, he orderedincendiary Mako’s targeted at the mound. 

Twopinpoints of light flashed out, trailing smoke and weaving through theair.  They slammed into the pile ofbodies with a blinding flash.  As hisvisor flash suppressors reopened, the mound of bodies had shifted and was onfire.  Many carrien were buried and  many others were burning.  The way was clear for long range fire, acrowd of carrien exposed from the cover of the mound.

AsJames thunked away with the 30-30, he couldn’t help noticing the desperatelooks on the faces in the crowd.  Ofcourse, the average carrien doesn’t have many expressions other than wildbloodlust and wild abandon.  But thecries of the crowd sounded more like screams of terror than howls of war.

Jamesincreased the resolution of his sight and looked back to the buildings.  What he saw filled him with fear.  It was a gut-wrenching fear, primordial innature, more powerful than his courage or aggression.  His scope filled with the image of teeth chattering on fetid meatand a single flesh rimmed eye pivoted towards him, glowing redly.  A taloned, dessicated hand rose up and afinger extended in his direction.

Heknew it was coming for him.  His heartgave way a split second later.

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