Chapter 81: Red Line

Chapter 81: Red Line

Bless Green, James said as he eased the Wing around. The blessings boosted his stats even as he scanned the intersection. The triangular median. The subway station building.

The crowd shifted, uneasy, like deer that have caught the scent of wolf.

A Nem3 appeared inside a sandwich shop. Its hulking thirteen-foot-tall frame was hunched, the glass distorting its bulk.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

The first screams sounded. The crowd surged away from the sandwich shop. People tripped and were stepped on.

Hello, said Serenity, brought her Ma Deuce down and around and opened fire.

DONDONDONDONDONDON.

The sandwich shops window exploded as the 50 Cals made of pure Smite punched through even as the Nem3 leaped forth. Momentum carried it outside even as fist-sized holes cavitated through its body.

The crowd screamed. It lost cohesion, broke apart, and people began streaming in every direction away from the collapsing Nem3.

Jason leaned over the side of his Wing, M4 raised, butt against his shoulder, and opened fire.

A second Nem3 had appeared behind the subway stations building. It was crouched low, blank, bulging bone visage raised to their squad. The muscled hump rippled and its harpoon exploded forth.

Shields! shouted Denzel, manifesting his own at 45-degree angle. The harpoon hit the shimmering wall of force and bounced away.

Becca and Joanna joined Jason in shooting the second Nem3, their Deadeye Benediction allowing them to place their shots in its head, neck, and shoulders.

The Nem3 roared, mouth opening horrifically wide, and leaped behind the subway entrance.

Motherfucker, cursed Jason, and his Wing eased out wide, Becca and Joanna following after.

James, theres a third demon atop the building behind that roof entrance.

James scanned the shops that lined 4th Ave. The buildings were joined together, their rooftops forming a continuous plane that jerked up and down depending on how many stories each unit boasted.

There.

Serenity, Nem3, there. He pointed, turned the Wing, and she brought her Ma Deuce around.

DONDONDONDONDON.

The Nem3 burst into a run as soon as it realized it had been spotted. Its legs were gangly but long. It crossed the rooftop with stunning speed. Serenitys shot tracked it neatly, blowing chunks out of its torso and thighs, but it reached the edge of the roof and leaped at them.

There was no way it could reach. A futile gesture. But James approved when a Shield manifested before it, stopping it cold, causing the huge brute to bounce off and crash to the street three stories below.

Serenity rose slightly on her seat, aimed the Ma Deuce almost straight down.

DON.

A single bullet of burning gray fire punched through the Nem3s brow. It jerked and lay still.

Jason and the others were firing on the remaining Nem3. It was in bad shape. M4s didnt pack a tenth of the punch of a Ma Deuce, but the combined firepower and Smite tore the demon apart as it sought to flee.

James thumbed on his radio. Command, this Kelly. Our intersections been cleared.

Roger, Kelly. Duffy on the line. Hang tight.

A helicopter flew overhead, its nose tipped down, rotors blurring. Not a Black Hawk. Tan and segmented, huge guns, narrow windows. An Apache. It scudded overhead and banked to the right, following the trail of intersections down Lafayette Ave.

Gunfire was echoing across the city.

Screams.

The crowd below had dispersed.

A single man was picking himself up from the pavement. Old, white-haired, his jacket tan and muddied by slushy footprints.

Boss, should I heal him? asked Denzel.

No, said James.

The old guy rose to his feet, swayed, got his bearings, limped away.

All kinds of gunfire was breaking out. James urged his Wing to rise. Cleared the rooftops, got a view of the skies.

Helicopters were following the route, occasionally diving down out of view to strafe the streets. And there.

A Warthog.

It was coming their way, silver and low, looking almost like something from another era. No sleek weeks, no fancy jetfighter.

It gleamed sullenly in the overcast light. Then it angled down and a distant, almost electronic sound reached them:

BRRRRRRRR

Smoke engulfed the nose of the plane for a moment, and then it was past.

Hot damn, breathed Jason, rejoining their group. Fucking uranium depleted rounds. Some Nem3 just got ashed.

The Warthog flew overhead, banking to follow Lafayette.

Kelly, this is command. Head to intersection 71 where Lafayette meets Bedford. The intersections overrun. Air support cant get clean shots.

Roger. He looked to the others. Lets move.

The Wing slid forward with ever increasing speed, the acceleration silky, slicing east over Lafayette. Ahead he watched the Warthog bank north, passing over the intersection without going brr.

Overrun.

James looked at the map taped between the Wings handlebars. Intersection 71 punched the deepest into Brooklyn, a right angle that made it the closest point for most of the borough to reach.

If folks hadnt followed their instructions, if theyd just traveled to the closest spot, thats where theyd go.

Shit.

The Wings just kept on accelerating, speeding over other intersections. Some were nearly empty, while others were choked with folks and Blue Light operators battling handfuls of Nem3s.

Looked like almost nobody had followed the instructions at all.

Seven huge brick high rises rose on the left side of Lafayette. Housing projects, maybe. Each arrayed askew, close to each other over two blocks, trees thick around their bases. Just a couple of narrow blocks before intersection 71.

James saw what had happened. That whole group of Second Wavers had just descended to the street and marched to the same spot.

The intersection in question up ahead was strangely empty. Of course. People had fled. He saw them sprinting away, hundreds if not thousands of people racing back down Lafayette, pouring around parked cars, charging north up the first side street, getting away.

Ebon Griffin had been given this intersection. Shoulda been a Crimson team. James had seconds to assess as they dove down.

Big intersection. Two main avenues. Each corner was a three- or four-story building, turning the ground into an arena. A dozen Nem3s at a glance. Ebon Griffin was retreating north up Bedford. Corpses lay strewn everywhere, torn in half, gutted, tossed aside.

Yadriel sank both claws deep into the demons shoulders and wrenched it around, hurled it with Hulk-like strength.

The demon became airborne. It flew through across the intersection, clawing at the air, and hit a cement ledge between the second and third stories of a building.

Hit hard enough to crater the wall, bounce off and hit the ground with a crunch.

Serenity finished it off.

A final Nem3 charged out of a side street. It tried to get the drop on Jason, but he twisted about, extended a hand, and a log of Aura six feet thick pulsed into the Nems head, ashing the bone and decapitating it.

The Nem hit the ground. Momentum caused it to slide right under Jasons Wing, which he raised a couple of feet so as to remain clear.

The guns fell silent.

Everyone looked around, evaluating, scanning rooftops.

Silence but for the rattle and brr off distant guns.

Holy shit, said one of the Ebon Griffins.

A strange fascination. Why such reverence?

James released his Smite and dropped the axe down upon his shoulder. Becca turned about, claws flexing, seeking new prey, and then released her shadow form, sinking down to her normal figure.

Yadriel took five long steps and hammered his fist into the roof of a Hyundai. The cab collapsed, and then Yadriel kicked in the door, tore it free with a great squealing of tortured metal, and hurled it like a discus clear over the far building.

Fuck yeah! he shouted as he shrank back to his human form. He looked miniscule in comparison.

Dude, said Jason. That door coulda hit somebody.

Yadriel scowled. If it did, Ill write an apology.

Only then did James turn to glare up at where Bjrn sat astride his Wing.

Bjrn met his gaze with burning defiance.

Kelly, this is Command. Duffy.

Command, this is Kelly, one moment.

You fucking asshole! screamed Serenity, rounding on Bjrn. You nearly got him killed.

He nearly got us all killed. Bjrn raised his chin. One Heavens Assault and this would have been over in an instant. Instead we were all forced to risk our lives.

Everybody in close, said James, and the tone of his voice ended the argument.

Bjrn hesitated. James could almost read his mind. Now was his chance to take off, if he were going to. But if he did, James would surely follow, James had more Aeviternum, could go faster on the Wing -

Bjrn lowered down and parked beside everyone else.

They gathered in a hesitant knot. Yadriels grin had disappeared. Becca was frowning, clearly worried.

Denzel? asked James, not taking his gaze off Bjrn. You OK?

Yeah man. Denzel rubbed blood off his chin. Hurt like a fucker for a second, but then Healing Grace took care of it.

You could have ended this immediately. Bjrns voice was cold. This was all unnecessary theater.

I said we needed to conserve resources. James moved to stand beside Serenity.

We also need to get through the damn day.

Fuck, what happened? asked Jason.

Dickhead here used Inspire to try and force James to use Heavenly Assault, said Serenity. Made James take a harpoon to the face which transferred to Denzel.

Oh shit, said Jason softly.

Bjrn lifted his chin.

James studied the man. Looked deep into his eyes. He saw pride there, endless depths of pride, along with outrage. Resentment. Fury. A hint of uncertainty in how he glanced flickerflash at the others to gauge their expressions.

I told you to never use your power on one of us.

I wouldnt have had to if youd done this right.

Youre not the leader.

Maybe I should be.

Hell naw, said Yadriel.

Over my dead body, said Serenity.

James is our leader, agreed Olaf.

Jason, Joanna, and Denzel all nodded.

Bjrn licked his lower lip, calculating. Then we must agree to disagree.

For a long, aching moment nobody spoke.

With Bless Green, Jamess Agility was 18.

In one smooth movement he drew Serenity's Sig from its holster, thumbed the safety off, and shot Bjrn between the eyes.

The crack echoed in the silent intersection. Becca screamed. Bjrns head snapped back and he collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

James thumbed the safety back and slid the Sig back into Serenitys holster.

Not feeling anything, James turned on his radio. Kelly here. Intersection 71 is cleared.

Fuck yeah, he heard Star Boy yell in the background.

Kelly, we need you back at Intersection 51. 4th Ave and Prospect Highway in South Slope. Ivory Medusa isnt reporting back.

Roger, Command. Heading over there now. Out.

A Killer Egg buzzed overhead, spec ops guys watching from behind their aviators.

Becca had fallen down beside Bjrns body, her eyes wide, mouth working silently.

Everybody else was staring at him.

Mount up, folks. James strode over to where his Anima was lowering the Wing. Days just getting started.