Chapter Six, Armageddon
"Ha!" yelled Connor. "Contact!"
Jess smiled. "What is it?"
"It's the emergency radio system," he said, then he spoke into the radio. "Hello, this is the ARC, copy?"
"Copy," said a voice over the radio.
Jess and Connor squealed and hugged.
"Hi, uh, how are you?" asked Connor.
Jess winced.
"How are we? Mate, the country's being attacked by monsters! How the hell do you think we are?" came an agitated reply.
"Sorry. We've been cut off. We're trapped in the ARC."
"What the hell is the ARC?"
"Um, that's top secret."
"Top bloody secret, is it? Look, buddy, I'm trying to get to the authorities, so buzz off!"
The contact ended, and Connor said, "OK, not very polite."
"Connor, maybe you should..." began Jess.
"Hello... come in...hello..." said a different voice, through static.
"I read you," said Connor, fiddling with the radio to get a better connection.
"Identify again."
"This is the ARC, come in," said Connor, smiling at Jess.
"This is the royal army. Hold please."
Connor exchanged looks with Jess. She sent a tech for the others.
"Hello...are you there?" asked Connor after a few minutes.
"Connor? Is that you Temple?"
"Lester!" cried Connor.
Jess squealed and ran to him
"Well, I hear Miss Parker. She sounds well."
Connor laughed. "We're holding our own."
"Good, glad to hear it. Are the others with you?"
In incredibly good timing, the other team members ran in.
"It's Lester!" cried Jess, excitedly.
They all smiled. Connor held the radio up for Matt.
"How are you?" asked Matt into the radio.
"Fine, for being pinned underneath my own facility," said Lester. "We have a sticky situation out here, we've beaten the predators back for now, and shut down the anomaly, again. The darn thing is frightfully unstable. We're going to attempt to move back in, and try to get into the ARC. Not to sound patronizing, but why can't you get out through the loading bay, or other exits?"
"Lock down was triggered by the crash," said Jess, "even when we had full power, I couldn't over ride it. We think we have to re-program the whole system."
"We've been working on it," said Connor.
"I see," said Lester.
"How many predators are out there?" asked Matt.
"Too many" said Lester. "Good work with the signal and the emergency vehicles by the way. Saved a lot of lives."
Jess smiled.
"What about other incursions?" asked Becker.
"Doing the best we can," said Lester. "People are staying indoors, so that helps. We could use trained reinforcements."
Becker smiled.
"Becker and his men are ready," said Matt.
"Good man," said Lester. "All right, we're going to fire the signal up and move on the ARC."
"When?" asked Connor.
"Now, if that's convenient, Temple. I would hate to interrupt your breakfast."
They all laughed, and it felt good.
"We missed you," said Abby.
"Thank you. You know what they say, I'm always with you, in spirit, but it is better to be alive and kicking."
Matt chuckled. "Ready when you are. We're almost through on our side."
"Good, good," said Lester. "See you shortly. Have my office cleaned, will you?"
"That might take a while," said Jess.
"Bloody creatures. Why is it always my office? Lester out."
The ARC team smiled. Jess hugged Abby. The sound of their leader's voice and his usual sarcasm invigorated them all.
"Let's get some fresh air in this place," said Becker.
Matt smiled and nodded, and they, Abby and Emily headed to Ops.
After 21 hours, the ARC was opened to the outside.
Becker and Matt drunk in the cool, fresh air.
"Finally," said Becker.
"How are you?" asked a construction worker.
"We're good. Any signs of movement out here?" asked Matt.
"No, whatever those things are, they aren't here, so I'm happy," said the worker.
Matt laughed. "You and me both."
"Let's see about making the hole a bit bigger," said the man.
Carefully, debris was moved and a hole big enough for three or four groan men appeared.
"Thank goodness," said Abby, breathing. "I was beginning to feel like a mole."
The three ARC members stood on the wreckage, and then noticed movement down below. A man, in a worn and dusty suit was waving.
"Lester!" cried Abby.
"Miss Matiland! Good to hear you!"
"You too!"
"Get on up here, Lester. You abandoned ship," said Matt, causing Becker to smirk.
"How dare you! I did not! I was removed," said Lester, gingerly climbing up to them, "by stretcher, in fact.
Beside Lester was an older, slightly bigger man. Both he and Lester wore hard hats.
"How do lads do?" asked the man. "General Augin, Augie."
"Nice to meet you sir," said Becker, saluting.
Augie smiled. "Captain Becker, I assume," said Augie, out-climbing Lester and reaching them first. "I've heard fine things about you, all of you. I'm amazed at your daily jobs."
Finally Lester appeared, huffing, and Matt helped him up. Lester moved inside the ARC and gasped.
"What have you lot done to my ARC!" he yelled.
Becker, Abby, and Matt smiled.
"Lester!" squealed Jess, running to him and hugging him.
"Nice to see you, Jess. Dear lord, young lady, where are your shoes?"
"Ask my boyfriend. Come on, to the command center," she said. "We have work to do." She took his hand and led him through debris to the labs.
"Where are we going?"
"I told you, Ops."
"You've remodeled!" he cried.
"Funny," said Jess, as they walked out of the destroyed Ops. "We couldn't do anything here, so we moved to where we could."
Emily greeted him with a hug, as did Connor.
"So, we don't have all communications up, and we're only getting a small fraction of footage on our monitors," said Connor.
"Why are we in such bad light?"
"We're doing what we can," said Emily.
Augie piped up. "Crews have been working non-stop, and I assure you, the ARC is priority. You should have all the power you need soon."
"Good," said Connor. "Connor Temple."
Augie smiled and shook his hand. "So your the genius."
Connor blushed. "Yeah."
Lester shook his head. "We need answers. Why so many anomalies?"
"It's natural," said Matt. "Believe it or not, this is actually the earth evening out convergence."
"Why are they so concentrated on London?" asked Augie.
"Are they?" asked Jess. "We didn't know."
"There have been isolated anomalies all over the world," said Lester, "but by far, we are the hardest hit."
"Can't say for sure," said Matt. "Could be because this is where Burton's anomaly was."
Connor hung his head.
"Old news," said Lester, patting Connor on the shoulder. "We need locking devices, people and weapons."
"We've been preparing," said Abby.
They walked back to the wreckage and pointed to the lined up locking devices, EMDs, and other guns.
"We're ready," said Matt.
Lester smiled, and turned to Augie. "Did I tell you?"
"You did," said Augie with a smile. "They are efficient."
"Right, well, get to it," said Lester.
Matt smiled. "We could use help deciding where to go."
"I've got maps with the worst incursions," said Augie.
The men studied the maps.
"Watts can take a squad and help at the Royal gardens," said Becker.
"Two squads can assist the army and take back communication and utilities," said Matt.
"Take back?' It sounds like a war," said Jess.
"I'm afraid it is, Miss," said Augie. "I'd like some more men to help patrol from street to street. Some creatures are bound to be hiding."
"Agreed," said Becker.
"We've got predator movement," said Jess.
The men went to her monitor.
"Damn it," said Augie. "Looks like you'll be starting here."
The men ran out with Augie.
Jess heard Becker barking orders.
"Set up a line of defense! Nothing gets in the ARC!"
Ops was a few corridors from the lab where Jess was set up. The sounds of fighting were closer than they'd ever been. It hit Jess that she was dangerously close to the front lines.
Becker had left an EMD at the makeshift ADD for emergency. Jess eyed it. She really wished he was with her. She heard his voice, but it was alongside gunfire, and creature calls. She was terrified for him.
"Hold your positions!" she heard.
Close predator growls.
"Watch it! They're moving on the right!" cried Matt.
"Why aren't they stunned?" asked Becker.
Connor yelled, "The signal must not be reaching them. We don't have a proper system here any longer to transmit it.
Jess brought up the sound system schematics. They were all totally wrecked just where they were needed. She could blare it out of nearby transmitters, but she didn't have enough power.
"Bruce," she cried.
The engineer appeared.
"We need power. I need to broadcast that signal."
"We're working as fast as we can."
She nodded. The situation was desperate. She was glad she had only one monitor. The predators kept coming, and now they were climbing the mountain of debris.
It would be a bloodbath, and very near her.
"I need something. Anything to play that signal," she muttered. She had all the systems patched together, all she needed was power.
The predators were close, they'd be near enough to pounce the soldiers soon. They were playing tag with them, moving at lightning speed as they crept, so firepower missed.
Then she saw the gray begin to overtake the ARC people. She prayed for the power to come on.
Lester narrowly ducked a predator.
Emily shot and missed.
Becker's second in command was torn to pieces.
Augie blasted a predator from a soldier.
Another soldier was dragged away.
Connor stayed by Abby's side. Abby fired and missed
Becker shot a predator, one of the few hits.
Matt pushed Augie down and saved his life.
Then Jess heard a scream. At the same instant she saw the image. A predator jumped on black figure.
Jess went pale and her heart stopped as the team screamed.
"Becker!"
He was gone, physically dragged from the wreckage.
End of Chapter Six