Chapter 4
A long night
When the group had exited the sewers the commissar had issued an immediate order that all of the entrances be closed off. After this Cameron then suggested that melta bombs worked very well against these machine creatures, 2 hours later and here he was huddled back in his bunker with Dillon and the 2 nervous looking guards that had joined them down in the tunnel. All of them now held shiny newly issued grenade launchers. In the back near the cots they had a crate of 40 drums for the launchers all of which were filled up with melta bombs. Cameron wasn't used to having his suggestions being filled out.
The 2 guardsmen were an odd pair. The tall one was skinny and lanky as if his features were pulled out and elongated, his name he said was Elliot. The other his name Tim seemed the exact opposite, he was short with a thick powerful build his face was deep set and always seemed tired, not that anyone ever noticed since his black hair had grown far beyond the allowed length. The 2 of them talked little and kept to themselves not really taking much interest in Cameron or Dillon.
After an hour of uneasy silence and boring watch Dillon finally broke the tension. "Why do you think they have doubled the bunkers men?" Cameron sat wondering the same question while playing with the drum feed of his launcher. Surprisingly it was Tim who answered back. "They expect an attack tonight. With the amount of effort it took to kill that thing down there I don't even want to think of how hard it will be to kill and entire army of them."
"Well that's what these big heavy things are fore aren't they?" asked Elliot nudging his weapon on the ground. "I guess but how many rounds do you think it will take to kill one of them? And did u see how many of them there were out there before?" said Dillon turning from the firing slit
"Yea and what was up with all the villagers do you think all the machines are wearing people's skins?" As Elliot spoke one of the bunkers off in the distance started booming.
"Well it looks like we are about to find out" said Cameron as reports started to fill in over the vex. Screams and curses erupted in the bunkers next to them as the distinct thump whir of the grenade launchers sounded.
All 4 of the men stood up and took firing positions scanning the area in front of them fro the tell tale sign of the machine monsters. Besides the gun fire everything was silent. Nothing moved and the bunker remained under no attack. Outside the blackness was cut by thermal scopes that the men used, instead of the ugly grey of dead trees. There was a kaleidoscope of bright orange and reds and cold cold blues.
Dillon looked up from his grenade launcher and said in a bit too loud of a voice "I don't see anything. Maybe it's another miss f-"that was all Dillon could get out before a black scythed claw rammed through his skull. The claw was black as the night was and along the blade was a fine dark blue line from witch corruption seemed to leak. All around the claw frostbite began to crawl. Even before Dillon stopped twitching the blackness of frostbite had covered his once handsome features. As all 3 men stood looking on in horror Dillon's body was ripped through the firing slit and up into the night. "Shit! Their on the roof." Shouted Tim as another claw rammed down through the top of the ceramite bunker nearly impaling Tim.
Cameron ran to the bolt hole and ripped open the door only to be met with another of the tall black ice clad monsters. As it stood it mocked breathing with its shoulders moving up and down in an off beat rhythm making the stolen flesh crackle and the ice to break off in small dusty bits.
The machine swung at Cameron barely missing his head as he ducked and rolled out through the door. The claw embedded itself in the bunkers wall before it was ripped free along with a great section of the ceramite.
Once outside Cameron could see the entire encampment now, crawling with the black bodied machines. Some were on roofs others were stalking through the supposed killing grounds between the buildings. A few he saw had limp bodies on their hooks already black with whatever dark magic these things used. Before he could take in anymore he was slammed sideways by giant chunk of ceramite on the machines limb.
Cameron kicked out at the machine and succeeded in only numbing his leg from the insane cold of the machines body. He rolled as it swung down with the bolder on its arm, this time smashing on the ground and breaking it apart. With its arm free the machine flexed it and made a few swipes through the air as if getting feeling back into it. The machine itself was almost human. If it weren't for the black ill fitting skin the eyeless face and the giant deformed claw arm it could have passed of as a normal citizen, but now the machines didn't want to fit in they wanted to kill.
Before the thing could come in again for another attack it vaporized in a blinding pale blue light. The heat wash from the blast was amazing, so hot it singed off the hair from Cameron's arms. As he through them up to protect his face. Standing over the flaming puddle of molten metal was Tim with a grenade launcher slung under each arm.
"lets get out of here before more things come to get us" he said, as if to emphasize the point 2 more of the black machines leapt from a nearby building and began their awkward run to Cameron and Tim. Before they could take a dozen steps Tim spun on his heel and delivered a trio of grenades into both of them sending them flying through the air in a melted jumble of limbs and burning dead flesh.
Cameron got to his feet "we need to find the commissar he can help" as he said this Elliot popped out of the bunker with a large sack on his back. When Cameron and Tim gave him questioning looks he replied "we may need more ammo" Cameron shrugged and began a heavy jog for the commissars bunker hq.
Through the streets they ran occasionally blasting away a would be attacker or stopping for a second to see if the half black bodies showed any signs of life. All around them the sound of grenade fire was slowly diminishing and as it got quieter the screams got louder.
The streets were black and quiet now. Skinless bodies lay on the ground bleeding out or lying still and quiet. Cameron Tim and Elliot did not speak. It always seemed to draw more of the machine monsters. By now they had melted down and blasted more machines than hey cared to count. Their grenade stash was running dangerously low and Tim had suffered a glancing slice from one of the cold caws ( name donated by Tim after having his arm half frozen from it) now they came to the intersection in the middle of the make shift military town. In front of them was the HQ. Its once shiny metal and ceramite sides were now littered with the dead black flesh and out front was a score of half melted metallic body parts.
The gun slits on the walls had been opened and from here Cameron could see the dark green tubes of grenade launcher barrels sticking out the window. Cameron slowed to a walk cautious and yet trying to keep himself in check. No need for any friendly fire.
As Cameron slowed Elliot raced the entire faster forward. Letting his grenade launcher fall loose on his sling and waving his arms in the air. "Commissar! Commissar Open up let us in!!" shouted Elliot. As he took another few steps a black from lunged out of the shadows and crashed into him impaling him in the chest with the cold claw.
Elliot tried to scream but what came out was a cold rasping sound like feet dragging through gravel. Cameron fired a round into the machine instantly vaporizing it and Elliot, he would have died any way, and Cameron told himself. As the blue flame died down Cameron saw at the front of the HQ the commissar standing outside motioning for them to get in. when Cameron opened his mouth to question the commissar put his finger up to his lips then disappeared inside the building. Cameron and Tim jogged cautiously down the road and into the building checking for more hidden surprises. Once inside the metal door clanged shut behind them. Inside stood the commissar and some of the officers that were absolutely useless during the first signs of enemy.
"Welcome to what's left of my proud garrison" said the commissar picking up another cylinder of melta bombs and placing them on a hook on his belt. "We have been systematically wiped out in 1 night corporal" the commissar said turning and looking at Cameron and Tim. "I thought me and my command staff was all that was left when we couldn't raise any one on the vox, so we have been hunkered down here blasting away at anything that moves out there." Cameron was shocked at this surely there had to be other survivors? Before Cameron or Tim could voice opinions 2 of the officers sounded off at the same time "sir we have enemy contacts" the commissar looked over his shoulder at the officers then back to Cameron and Tim. "Time to fight eh boys?" the commissar walked back over to one of the gun slits and prepped his grenade launcher. "Oh yea" said the commissar as if in an after thought "they can't see so they hunt by sound, try to keep conversations to a minimum." Cameron and Tim looked at each other in shock.
From space the great black hulk loomed over the world below. The sides of it were bristling with weapons like spines on an animal. Inside the beings judged the planets fate. Some said to destroy it; others said they should send a party down to see if there was any life left. In the end in the end one made a decision in 3 hours there would be a full scale bombardment on the planet below to destroy the machine things. Until then 1 shuttle could descend to investigate.
So like a probe from a great sea behemoth a small shuttle detached from the underbelly of the ship and cruised down leaving an orange flame through the planets atmosphere.
Cameron stood in the room reloading his grenade tubes sweating like a mad man. It had been 2 hours since the machines had started attacking and it was now down to him and the commissar and Tim. All 3 covered a side of the square block closing the 4th side as the last under officer had died in a horrid spray of blood and kicking legs.
The attacks had subsided as now there was a lake of molten metal around the HQ. The entire mass of machines had been drawn to the HQ now because of the sounds of high explosive grenades one of the officers had accidently used. Now in the darkness small glints of moving ice and the crunching of heavy shodded feet could be heard. Cameron and the commissar knew it would only be a matter of minutes before they were finally over run. Times arm had festered with frost bite. He only barley had control of his hand and even then it was sporadic. That's when all 3 of them heard the noise. A sonic boom. And the after burners of a shuttle entering the atmosphere. As soon as Cameron and the rest heard it all the machines heard it to and a great keening howl rose from the city.
Cameron left his post and ran to the commissar "sir we need to get topside now and get the attention of that ship" the commissar nodded and ran to the middle of the room and pulled a small ladder down from the roof. He climbed it quickly and reached up. Cameron could hear the tortured squeal of metal on metal as the commissar opened up some hatch on the roof. "Up here corporal. We may yet live to see another day." The commissar disappeared into the dark night. Cameron yelled out for Tim who fired another few rounds through his slit before running back to the ladder and swinging himself up it.
On top of the roof was allotted worse than inside the bunker thought Cameron as he entered the dark and unnaturally cold night. All around he saw the black forms of the machines with new skin on, how he hated them. The commissar was already on the vox trying all channels to reach the aircraft. When his first few quiet attempts failed he slapped the vox as hard as he could. Some how, Cameron would never no, he knocked the machine into working order, it squealed on top volume the aircrafts response"...-understood we have your co ordinates and will be there in 5 minutes…"
The commissar looked up from the vox with a terrified look on his face. Before Cameron could say anything he rolled left and onto his back and fired 3 rounds into the air. All 3 of them found their mark on black forms jumping through the air.
Cameron spun and ducked as a pair of claws flew for his face. He fired a melta bomb into one of the machines sending it flying through the air before it finally detonated leaving a pale blue light on the HQ and surrounding area.
As he relished his victory as another pair of attackers leapt for him colliding in mid air as he dived out of the way. The cold claws cut into their own flesh and ripped open he fired another melta bomb into them leaving a nice gapping hole in the roof of HQ.
As Cameron fought off more attackers practically back to back with the commissar and Tim the shuttle cam for a fly by. The back wash from the jet engines nearly sent them all to the ground.
The shuttle spun in the air and gracefully came in for a landing. As it did so Tim was stabbed yet again by a claw and dragged to the edge of the roof. The commissar yelled out a battle cry that would make an orks blush and ran at the machine impaling Tim the commissar then drooped his grenade launcher and in a great leap drop kicked the machine in the deformed and eyeless head. The claw slid free of Tim and the commissar and the machine flew into the darkness below which was now teaming with cold machines.
Tim sagged backwards with his grievous wounds. Cameron ran over to him and dragged him back to the middle of the HQ firing and melting at least a dozen of the machines. As he was being dragged Tim leaned out and grabbed the commissar's grenade launcher. When Cameron stopped dragging Tim looked up at him, all he could see was a blurry outline as the flood lights of the space shuttle was now lighting up the roof for its dissension. "Go without me. I'm going to die any way and I want to go out in my blaze of glory" Cameron looked Tim in the eye and Tim smiled a half black smile as the frost bite continued to crawl over his body. "Ok "said Cameron "I wont let them forget you Tim" and with that Cameron was gone. Leaping up into the open hatch of the ship and yelling at the pilot to punch it.
When Tim saw the afterburners kick in and the shuttle leave the ground level he focused back on the hear and now. All around him black machines were slowly limping towards him. He smiled and hefted himself up off the ground using his grenade launchers as a lift. "Today I die" he said catching the attention of the machines as they moved towards him "but ill be damned if I'm not taking as many of you with me as I can"
From the shuttle Cameron saw the have of blue light on top of the HQ as Tim unloaded 2 whole tubes of melta bombs into the hoard. When the haze disappeared the last of Cameron's stamina left his body and he fell limp to the ground exhausted beyond measurement.
