Date posted: 27th September 2022
Probably a bit too long for my liking but I don't have an editor so you get this.
Chapter 19: Nuke Squad
"The most important part is to be one with the machine. It is an extension of your body, like a limb or your head. To care for a part is like to care for yourself. Washing your machine? That's taking a long relaxing bath. Changing the headlights? That's getting new glasses. And tightening the chains is like going to yoga."
"Okay, but why am I doing this?"
"As you are my lover, it is imperative that, in the event I am incapacitated, you learn how to change the tires so you can drive me to the local hospital."
"Kazuto, I don't know how to ride a motorcycle."
"You've played GGO, it's the same thing really."
"So you wouldn't mind taking your baby for a spin? Remind me how much you've spent on it."
"... you know what, maybe that isn't a smart idea."
"Just hand me the tire irons."
It was a cold morning when they went to their block's garage. Shino didn't own a car, though she did have a license thanks to her job. Not that she drove a lot; she hadn't actually driven a car in close to two years. Daisuke-san refused to let anyone touch his precious Mustang, which meant Shino rode shotgun most of the time, or used the train.
Cold was relative; it was a low ten degrees Celcius. When Kazuto insisted she take off her hoodie while working, she thought it was to ogle at her, but no: she was getting legitimately hot and sweating despite the cool winter morning. And sweating, that too. So cold was the apartment garage, that Kazuto had to heat up his winter tires with a hairdryer. "Warm tires are easier to replace," he had said.
It took their combined effort to place the rim inside the tire, with Kazuto kneeling on the tire and Shino handling the tire irons. "Yep, that's right. Apply more pressure."
She did so, but couldn't help but sneak a glance at Kazuto. His hair had grown long, the bangs of his hair in danger of covering his eyes. He wore an old white t-shirt, which surprised her considering his almost entirely black wardrobe. Sweat had soaked through his thin shirt, revealing the outline of his body.
"Hellooo, earth to Asada. Tire's popped."
She blinked. "Right, sorry. Where were we?"
It took half an hour for them to finish both tires, less if had they own an air compressor. By the time they were done, both of them had been soaked in sweat, the winter air a delightful breeze on their skin. Considering that Suguha's dojo/gym was closed, it would suffice for a workout.
Kazuto spun the back wheel with a hand, fingers caressing the thick treads. "Not bad, my apprentice. We'll make a mechanic out of you yet."
"I should get one of these," said Shino, rubbing a hand on the tank. "We can go biking together."
"You would look great in a leather jacket," said Kazuto, drinking from a water bottle. "I can see it now: Asada and Kirigaya, Road Warriors. I know this nice little inn near Mount Fuji. We can relax there, after this whole expansion thing?"
"Do you always invite girls to your secluded mountain inn?"
He winked at her. "Just the pretty ones."
"Why haven't we had sex yet, again?"
"Sex is temporary, video games are forever."
"Dork."
"Says the virgin gun nut."
Shino looked at him with a completely serious face. "I haven't lost my virginity yet because I never lose."
The couple stared at each other for a good ten seconds before filling the parking garage with laughter.
"Give up! We've got you surrounded!"
There were a dozen guns aimed at him. Behind him was a wall. There was nowhere to run. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword and he unsheathed it with a delightful ring.
Kirito shot them a cocky look from behind his wolf mask. "All I am surrounded by is fear." The blade shimmered in the light. "And dead men."
"Open fire!"
He activated his «Drug-Assisted-Booster» and the world slowed to a crawl.
There was an interesting way of how slow-mo or Bullet Time worked in video games. The standard way used in video games before is that any player in LOS of another player would similarly slow down whereas everyone else around them moved at a normal speed. But things were different in Full Dive games, thanks to Medicuboid enhancements, it was possible to give players the impression of time slowing down or vice versa. The science behind it was far too complex for Kirito to understand, no matter how many videos he looked up on how it worked.
Kirito could see the 5.56mm round exiting the barrel of the AK in a fiery explosion, watch the casing eject from the side of the gun. Feet planted wide, body coiled like a spring, he had his arming sword strike down, edge meeting bullet -
– and the round immediately entered his shoulder, leaving a neat flower of blood blooming, followed by the other eleven rounds thumping into his torso, breaking bones, piercing vital organs, felling him to the cold floor.
Time resumed at the normal pace and Klein One lowered the gun. "Come on, dude. This is like, the seventh time. And you keep using the same line, it loses its coolness factor."
Kirito's fake blood was pooling on the floor. "No, I can do it! Restart the simulation! Eight time's the charm!"
Klein Eleven flicked the AK to full auto. "I should just empty the whole mag into you, you stubborn ass."
Behind the counter, Smith turned off the holographic machine. Eleven of the twelve Kleins disappeared as Kirito's fake blood disappeared from the floor. There was some commentary about using AR in a VR game, but whatever can be said Kirito was not succinct enough to say it.
The swordsman stood up, completely healed. Or more accurately, he was never hurt in the place. "Come on, I can totally do it! I'll pay for the simulation dammit!"
"No can do. I've got other stuff to work on," said Satoh.
"Klein, buddy. Shoot me with your gun."
"You realise you're just wasting money right? You know how expensive reviving yourself can get."
"Shoot me, coward."
"You cannot deflect buckshot, dumbass. You can't even deflect a single bullet."
"The smaller the shot, the easier it is to hit with the edge of my blade."
"That's not how guns work!"
Sinon walked into the training room and saw Kirito arguing with Klein. Satoh answered her unasked question, "Kirito-san has been trying and failing to cut bullets out of the air for some time."
Sinon rolled her eyes and smiled. "He even asked me to do that when we first met."
"He did what?"
She waved a hand nonchalantly. "Oh we did it in a back alley with an airsoft gun. It's a long story. Then a cat stole my cheesecake."
Satoh blinked and shook his head. "The youth these days. Can't you just meet at a nice cafe or something?"
Then the PA system rang, echoing throughout the base.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
There had to be some four hundred plus players standing in formation. They had gathered in the largest chamber, packed shoulder to shoulder like warriors in a spear wall. Zakon and Warhawks mostly but Kirito could spy even more Mobile Guard members, as well as a few more stragglers that had braved the underground tunnels to enter the base over the days. Nowhere near enough cloning vats to cover the extra players.
Standing on the platform, CHAD was still in his stitched up fatigues, mismatched red and blue lens, nonsensical letters on his helmet, arms folded his back, and Lieutenant Makarov his constant shadow. With them was Major Nikita and her officers, Colonel Honshu and his captains, and Lieutenant Khawla and her underlings.
Lots of folk like to paint GGO players the sweatiest of gamers, with all the lingo, uniform, and self seriousness for what what was a video game, but they were that sweaty. The air buzzed with excitement, as if they were in a real campaign.
The commander had them all in rapt attention.
"In one day, the Clearers will be bombarding the city. For tomorrow will be red days."
The red days meaning the weekend.
"More and more of the userbase have bought The Mutant Horrors of Old Earth expansion, meaning more players will be pouring in to storm Corinth for all of its precious treasures. This time, there will be no pink slime to repair the walls. Few dragons will terrorise us in the sky. There will be little in the way of ammunition for the defenders."
Murmurs of excitement at that.
The hall's projectors lit up, showing a map of the city, and the centerpiece being the Ark Biologis. Numerous arrows and red circles decorated the map.
"In exactly eighteen hours, the walls will fall and the Clearers pour into the city. While that happens, we will strike at the heart."
The projector zoomed into the Ark Biologis, a 3D map of the ship. It was three kilometers long, its hull long embedded into the earth itself. Coils the size of great trees dug deep into the earth, smaller coils expanding like roots.
"We will strike from the underground while the Clearers engage in urban combat. Colonel Honshu and his forces shall be the speartip, followed by the Zakon's APCs and the Mobile Guard's Iron Cogs."
The armoured turtle stepped forward, raising his fist. "The Hawks will feast on the corpse of the doctor! We will be the first men on the ship!"
The hall itself shook like an earthquake.
CHAD continued, "You will be split into your companies, given specific orders to breach the ship from the underground at numerous points. You will be briefed by your officers. No one comes in or comes out HQ until the allotted time. Respect OPSEC and keep your lips sealed. This will be the tipping point. Prepare yourselves."
Security had been beefed up since the last time Kirito was logged in. More guards, more checkpoints, more cameras. It felt like a prison of some kind. He'd go hang out with Klein, but the FuurinKazan and Black Dog both had been sent away an hour ago.
They were in Vladimir's lab again, though curiously more spacious than the last time; less science equipment overall. "Did you do some decorating?" asked Kirito.
Vladimir, for once, was not hunched over a table doing sciencey stuff. Instead, he had his Gucci Glock and a very stocky sniper rifle in hand, looked to be modified to have a larger chamber and specialised mags to hold darts. Even his «Wasteland Scientist» coat had been padded in vital spots, and he was sporting a new flak vest under it.
The scientist loaded a fresh mag into his Glock 17 and peered down the sights. "Wall-San and a few others had the crates of «Anti-Mutie» ammo moved further into the tunnels to simplify logistics. Alongside some men, with the mortars, extra weapons, medical supplies, that sort of thing. That way we won't be lacking. Are you two ready?"
"Ready as we'll ever be," said Sinon. Her Lynx was strapped on her back, across a backpack, and her Daewoo K2 she held in her hands.
"What's that sticking out your backpack?" asked Vladimir.
"Oh, it's nothing. Hey!"
Kirito took off the sheath and whistled. "Wow, this is some high quality plasteel." He twirled the tomahawk in hand. "I knew you'd be my first convert to the KFotoSvsF."
"The KFo-what?" asked Vladimir.
She snatched the axe back. "Don't mind Kirito, Vladimir-san. He thinks melee will be viable in a game about guns."
The chemist adjusted his glasses. "Sinon-san, I've literally seen you tear people apart with your bare hand-claws."
She waved the worries away, sharp claws poking through her tactical gloves. "That's different."
"But not the axe," said Kirito.
"It's not an axe, it's a tactical tomohawk."
"A tomahawk is a type of axe," said Vladimir.
"Fine, it is a melee weapon. I just wanted my own weapon," she said, as she shoved the axe back into her belt. "I've borrowed your swords enough, I don't want to be That Guy."
He cocked his head at that. "You know, I don't mind sharing my swords with you," said Kirito. "What's yours is mine."
Sinon made a choking sound, eyes glistening. "Kaz …"
Vladimir turned back to his table, before the couple got disgustingly nauseous with each other, deeply wishing for a distraction. An idea came to him.
"Hey, so there's been a few shops that have been set up in the canteen, you should stock up on some supplies."
"That is a great idea, Vladimir-san. See you in a bit." With that, Kirito held Sinon's hand and dragged her out of the lab.
"Wait! Nooo, you can't hold my hand! People will see!" squealed Sinon before the doors slid close.
Dining rooms, like bathrooms in video games, existed primarily for verisimilitude. The majority of games don't require players to do all the things stories skip over. It was not until recently, with Full Dive games, that making food taste delicious in virtual reality that it became a priority for game devs.
GGO itself boasted having the most diverse set of MREs in all Full Dive gaming, with military culinary experts helping design hundreds of different brands of rations. It was, to most of the gaming community, a weird flex. Some players collected weapons, some collected vehicles, and a select few collected MREs. Amongst certain groups, Pepperoni Pizza MREs were currencies in itself.
CHAD had allowed a few brave and foolhardy merchants who dared to brave the tunnels to set up shop, transforming the canteen into a market. Already, there were a couple dozen stalls set up, selling all sorts of things for the prospective mercenary: guns and ammo, explosives and traps, and of course, there's always that one businessman selling MREs.
Sinon wondered how the hell CHAD and his staff managed OPSEC. The sheer amount of people would give her a mini-heart attack in her line of work.
"You know, I heard a rumour that the next expansion will have survival mechanics," said Sinon.
The two were walking down the hallway, hand in hand. Had she not covered her ears with her scarf like a makeshift keffiyeh, there would probably be more eyes on her.
It was amusing at times, looking down at Kirito. He had not seemed to mind the height difference. "That will greatly change the game balance, if players need to put food in their inventory. As if the game isn't anal enough about us carrying ammo, medicine and bedrolls."
"I thought you were in favour of more restrictive inventory limits?"
"Not a complaint, just an observation. Hey look, it's Mason-san."
The journalist was chatting to a merchant selling all sorts of drones. He scanned his PDA on the register, picking up his purchase. Still clad in the black/tanned colours of the Mobile Guard, he now had a cyberdeck slung around his person, and was armed with a SIG Rattler. Sinon approved of the choice.
"Ah, it's you two. How are you?"
"Fine, nice digs by the way. Black is always a good colour," Kirito opined. Sinon rolled her eyes. Even his bike was black.
"Have you decided on a build? Oh, that's a Busy Bee X-series drone, isn't it?" asked Sinon.
With a proud smile, he held up his cyberdeck by the handle and with a few taps of the keyboard, the drone came to life.
The buzzy little drone was small, roughly the size of a soccer ball. A little half spherical machine with an anti-grav thruster on one end, an array of antennae swept backwards. Below it was, of all things, a retro Nikon camera. It floated just over Mason's shoulder. "That's right. Looks like it'll be able to catch good footage with this."
Sinon nodded appreciatively. "You know, some solo sniper players use drones in lieu of a partner. Not as useful as having a fellow player, but if you need to go very light, it's not a bad choice."
"You should put a chainsaw on it," said Kirito.
"I'm afraid that'd be a little too heavy for my little Bee."
"You should put a machine gun on it," said Sinon.
Mason chuckled at that. "Maybe when I'll level up. Looking for something to buy? I see you've got a nice axe on you."
Sinon looked down at herself. "Hmm, I could use some new duds. I've been wearing this vat suit back during the first infiltration all that time ago. Something less … conspicuous?"
"And hide your physique from the world? Never!" said Kirito. "Fun fact, she's almost this big in real life too."
"Kazuto!"
"What, it's true! I haven't seen shoulders on a girl … ever."
"You know, I'll leave you lovebirds at it. I need to chat with our Vladimir about something." With that, he patted Kirito on the shoulder and made his way out of the canteen-turned-market.
She dug a finger in his collarbone, hard enough to make him step back. "You don't see me asking you to dress sexily, now, don't you? And as good as this vat suit is in terms of protection, it doesn't exactly have the highest Durability." She could already feel the wear and tear around some spots. It was only a matter of time until it disintegrated.
Kirito waved her worries away. "Fine, I'll pick something for you to wear, and you pick something for me to wear, how about that?"
A cascade of images flashed through her mind. She wondered if there was a combat maid dress around here ...
"You're thinking of lewd thoughts, are you?"
"No, I'm not."
It didn't take long for them to find an outfit for each other. Gathered in the middle of the canteen, where there was still a few tables for people to eat at, shopping bags in hand.
"Okay, you first," said Kirito.
"No, I insist. Femboys first," said Sinon.
His voice rose a pitch. "I am NOT -"
"Relax, relax, I'm joking. How about we pull them out at the same time?"
He pouted. "Fine. On three: one, two -"
They both took out their purchases and placed them on the table.
They stared at what the other brought before simultaneously bursting out laughing.
"W-what the hell is this?" asked Sinon through stifled laughter. "Oh my God, are these shorts?"
Kirito was laughing harder than she was. "What is this weird skirt thing? It's not even connected all the way around! And is this a freaking collar-choker?!"
"Do you know how much I spend my time on the ground? If I wore this, I'd get sand in my ass crack."
Kirito checked the trousers. "These don't even go all the way down to my boots. I do like the black though."
"Wait, the leotard doesn't even cover the above section of my groin? There isn't even any pockets."
They pointed an accusing finger at each other. "This is fetish wear!"
"I'm just saying, you'd look very pretty in it," said Sinon. "You'd look great with a collar on."
"Shino please, we're in public."
She scoffed at that. "Excuse me, but these 'pants' are abominations! You know how uncomfortable it is to travel in the scorching Wastes!"
Kirito folded his arms. "Well, I guess neither of us are wearing it."
She did similarly. "I guess we aren't."
Both mentally kicked themselves at failing to convince each other to wear the chosen outfits.
It was at that moment they were interrupted by a familiar face. "Oh hey, Wall-san. What's up?"
"URGENT MEETING."
They found themselves in CHAD's office, alongside Major Nikita, her officers, Colonel Honshu, his captains, and the commander-in-chief himself. The gasmasked man spoke first.
"Gentlemen and lady, I have an important task for you. Lieutenant Makarov, the package."
Gingerly, Makarov brought forward a locked box. It was a massive thing, easily taking up the entirety of CHAD's desk. Both men produced a key from their person, and the locks opened with a satisfying click. Everyone tensed at what Makarov brought out while CHAD slid the box away. The thing was the size of a backpack, roughly the shape of a bullet and wrapped in canvas.
"This is a bomb," said CHAD.
"MY GOD," said The Wall.
"There's more."
"NO!"
He ignored the GI. "The W54 Special Atomic Demolition Munition is a portable nuclear bomb created during the Cold War. Both the Americans and the Soviets had their own version. I need a small squad of elites to transport to the ship's vitals and detonate it. This will be a vital phase for the conquest of Corinth."
The players looked at the nuke, suddenly very wary of it. Half of the office took a step back, as if being a foot away would save them in the event of a sudden nuclear detonation.
Makarov pointed at a map on the wall. "We already planned out a route from the base to the objective. The distance is technically only ten kilometers, but the nature of tunnels and their dangers makes this a very optimistic guesstimate. This is where the Zakon comes in."
Nikita spoke up, "We will be sending Comissar Tadao's best Outriders. The BTR's will be too loud and cumbersome in the tunnels and they're needed for other assaults. The Mobile Guard has generously provided a CAMEL for the mission, it will carry the nuke for you."
"Well, it has been a while since I rode Lyubimiya-chan," said Kirito.
Tadao tipped his beret. "We move fast, we run through everyone. No stopping for breaks. We'll be done before dinner."
"As for the rest of the Zakon," said Nikita, "We'll prepare the rest of the troops. We're going to have to fight tooth and nail in the tunnels, but by the time we reach the bottom of the ship, the rest of the Clearers will already be swarming inside the city."
"The Warhawks shall be the tip of the spear," said Honshu, his presence overwhelming in the small office. "You better not take a single step on it until we do."
"Yes, we agreed on this, colonel. Now if you'll excuse us, I need to speak to the team privately," said CHAD.
That left Sinon, Kirito, Tadao, and Wall. Mason entered the office at that moment. "Hey, I got the call, what's - IS THAT A NUKE?!"
"Nevermind that, Mason. I need you to commandeer a CAMEL unit. You're the only available decker around."
"Whoa, whoa - hold on. I'm like level 7. I haven't shot anyone that isn't with my camera."
"Exactly. There is a difficulty modifier when players travel in a squad. The higher the level -"
"The more dangerous the enemy," finished Sinon.
"If I could, I would have sent my Virtues, like Wahyu, to run the mission, seeing as they're all max-levelled at 60. But they're currently indisposed on other missions. Your low level lowers the average level to something much more manageable."
"We're min-maxing, literally," said Tadao. "I don't like it. It's against the spirit of the game."
"True, but we're not cheating. Just putting the odds in our favour. There's also something else. It concerns the enemy's own elite."
"The Thunder Fighters," said Kirito. "I haven't heard any reports of them in a long while."
"We believe they're all currently on the Ark Biologis itself. The sheer amount of Stormtroopers that have been thrown at us we believe is the game attempting to rebalance the design encounter," said Makarov.
"Well, I would actually consider a single Thunder Fighter to be stronger than a squad of Stormtroopers,"said Sinon.
"Klein's FuurinKazan and Dyne's Black Dog have been sent further into the tunnels, on their own missions. It is unlikely your groups will meet, nor will you likely be able to communicate so deep underground with radios. The CAMEL has been armed but speed overall will be your greatest weapon. You're the only decker we have available."
Mason sighed and shrugged. "Well, I guess I did want to level up faster …"
"Any more questions?"
Kirito raised his hand. "How sure are you that the Thunder Fighters are on the ship?"
"To be honest? Not very sure. My Virtues can't even find them. They were last seen on the outskirts of the city, taking out individual player tanks. We believe some of them have been left out in the field to attack the Clearers from behind."
"What if they aren't on the ship, to act as a guard. Or to flank the players in the Wastes?"
"What are you saying, Kirito-san?" asked Makarov.
"Well, if it were up to me. I'd be using them as my secret weapon to counter my enemy's counter. I'd hide them as long as I can, until just before the enemy attack."
In a rare moment, they heard CHAD's voice strained. "You think -"
"I think so, yes."
The average temperature of the room dropped by a little.
Then the klaxons blared, and every screen in CHAD's office suddenly died.
The radios came to life. "Commander! We've got Thunder Fighters in the base! I repeat, Thunder Fighters in the base!"
Khaveh grew up the oldest sibling of five, an almost unheard of number of siblings in modern Japan. He had been instilled with the duty and care of his two sisters and brothers, which was less about open communication and more about herding them with a mixture of threats and rewards.
So when Lt. Khawla offered him the rank of sergeant in the guild's elite Mubarizun company, it felt almost pre-ordained.
He had no idea how it worked in real world militaries but it really wasn't that different from managing his siblings in his youth or running a group project. Make sure your troops keep their gear up to date and maintained, have enough ammo, update them on mission perimeters, and most importantly, keep their mouth shut.
He was just in the process of going to bed to logout when someone stopped him. "Sergeant Khaveh, a word?"
It was one of the Warhawk captains, Lootz, if he recalled correctly. "Can I help you, captain? You caught me at a bad time."
"It'll only take just a moment." She had her PDA in hand. "Remind me, Tunnel B2-A, your Mubarizun are supposed to be holding that checkpoint, yes?"
"That's right, Corporal Harun and Corporal Joichi. Why?" It was one of the many, many new tunnels leading out of the base, seeing as Commander CHAD had a good chunk of the pre-existing tunnels collapse. Even he didn't know how many tunnels were there overall; too low clearance for that.
"My camera shows them, well …" she held up her PDA to him, and a spark of anger surged through him, they were playing cards!
"I apologise for my men's conduct, Captain Lootz. I'll set them straight."
"Well, no, here's the thing. Look closer. Under their seats."
It was difficult to see through the grainy filter of the camera but they didn't seem to be moving much, aside from Corporal Harun scratching his nose from time to time. Corporal Joichi's cards seemed to be the same set of aces and kings. Khaveh had been in charge of security long enough to know what was going on.
"It's looped footage."
"I think it is," said Captain Lootz. "I've got a few Warhawks with me, do you have any men?"
"None close by, I think." Lieutenant Khawla was squeezing in the last round of training alongside the Warhawks, leaving few Mubarizun to guard the tunnels. "We should investigate."
"We should."
They picked up the pace, five more Warhawks following them. The base was mostly empty, with most members either logged out in their barracks, training, or maintaining their gear. Sergeant Khaveh himself had been online for almost a dozen hours, and he promised himself to not let it consume him, to his failure.
They almost reached the entrance of Tunnel B2-A and the room leading into the tunnel was dark. Everyone tensed. He unholstered his sidearm, cursing the lack of his rifle.
"Anyone got a light?" asked Lootz. One of the Warhawks raised his rifle and shined a light.
And in that flash, they saw bronze.
"Holy sh-"
Mason had rushed back to Vladimir's lab only to find a gun stuck in his face. "Wait, wait, it's me!"
Vladimir lowered his pistol. "We're under attack," he stated simply.
"I need to pick up my drone."
He was in the process of fine tuning his drone when he was called. The act of actually upgrading his little drone was really not that different from building a computer in a way. Just gotta slot the right compartments here, maybe spray some paint here and there, and presto!
With a few clicks on his deck, the little Bee rose into the air making a buzz buzz sound as its anti-grav thrusters provided lift off. It still had the chopper blades to hover, at least, that's what the guides he read on the Internet suggested he do.
On its face-grill, he even painted it a black and yellow colour combo. It looked absolutely adorable.
"You're the prettiest drone in this game, Nahla."
"Beep beep!" buzzed Nahla. God, he was so good at making up names.
"Mason, we should get moving."
"Damn, the paint job's sloppy. Do you think I have time to -"
Another explosion rocked the base.
"I think we should go find your team," said Vladimir as he racked the bolt of his Vintorez.
Mason cursed as he picked up the rest of his kit.
They were running down the corridor, a difficult thing to do considering the lack of lights. More than once, Kirito had bumped into something he didn't intend to. At one point, he was damn sure he might have cracked the scope of his gun. It was only thanks to Sinon's pathfinding skills that he didn't run face first into a concrete wall. Somehow, CHAD was completely able to keep up despite not having any NVGs himself.
"OPSEC! What the hell happened to fucking OPSEC?!" said Makarov, also struggling to keep up.
"It was only a matter of time before they found us. Too much power, too many people," said CHAD, voice calm like still water.
"WHAT ABOUT THE CLONING VATS, SIR?" asked the Wall, the nuclear bomb on his back weighing nothing to the big man.
The base shook as something exploded, the rumbling coming from the direction of the vats. "I think they're gone now," said Sinon.
"What's the new plan?" asked Tadao, the only one who had packed a flashlight.
"We have to continue the mission prematurely. Makarov and I will rally the troops and try to get everyone out of here. It's either this, or we'll be repeating what we've been doing again for the next month."
They were closer to gunshots now. "Hey, maybe I'll get another chainsword out of this," said Kirito.
"Shouldn't have spent the money on the axe," said Sinon.
As they rushed down the tunnel, Zakon's Skirmisher-chan appeared at the end of the junction. The barrel of her gun was smoking. "Commander CHAD! Major Nikita told me -"
Whatever words that were to come out of her mouth died on her lips as the poor soldier was bisected in a hail of.50 BMG rounds. The sheer power and the booming gunfire in the corridor made most of them cringe in pain and shock.
The enemy appeared, a bronze-clad giant, taking up the entirety of the hall. The aeureusite armour glistened under the splotches of blood. In his bear paws was the a M2 Browning machine gun, the barrel cut in half, and a bulky wooden stock attached to it. Only a beast such as it could have wielded it with the ease as a player would an SMG.
Its face was covered in a warmask, the face of a grinning skull. "Death to the Overlords' dogs."
A blur flew towards the transhuman warrior, he angled a massive pauldron towards it as Sinon's axe bit into it.
It gave CHAD enough time to pull out a flashbang. "Cover your ears and eyes!"
Everyone did and the entire hallway exploded into light. The Thunder Fighter staggered back in pain. The rest of the squad exploded into action.
Tadao's revolver was the first to line up. With one hand, the commissar planted all five .45-70 Govt shots into the enemy's gorget - the armour piece protecting his neck. CHAD followed it up, handguns akimbo, his FK BRNO and Manurhin spitting 7.5 and .357 Magnum rounds into the same spot.
Kirito was upon the giant, sprinting into the fray, chainsword whirring. Sinon saw his long hair whipping past him, his bright eyes shining with slaughterlust and twinkling with a pinch of madness.
He struck the M2 Browning right in the middle, sawing it in half. By that time, the Thunder Fighter had recovered. He dropped his gun and started swinging fists. Kirito ducked and shoved the tip of his sword into the cracked gorget. Both player and transhuman fell onto the ground with a crash. Sinon sprinted after, Daewoo in hand, followed by the rest.
By the time they reached him, the Thunder Fighter's head was sawed off, bits of concrete missing from the floor. Kirito was bloodied, face and hair covered in red. "Kirito, are you okay?!"
He struggled to stand up, leaning a hand against the wall. "I'm - I'm okay …" He grinned, white teeth shining in the darkness. "What, do I look bad?"
"You should head to the motorpool," said CHAD, already reloading his handguns. "The base is gone. Hopefully Mason is already there. Keep contact with the enemy minimal, we only have that one bomb."
He went up to the wall where Skirmisher-chan's torso was slumped against and tapped the very top with a finger. The wall shuffled in place, sliding open to reveal another smaller corridor and tipping the dead player over. "This is a shortcut. There should be some backup NVGs inside for you to use."
"WE WILL NOT FAIL THE MISSION," said the Wall.
CHAD nodded. "Godspeed, gentlemen."
The door slid closed, plunging the group into darkness. "I hope there's no Thunder Fighters in here," said Kirito.
"Do not jinx us," said Sinon.
The base had turned into a warzone.
The canteen/marketplace was completely trashed. The merchants were dead, their merchandise being set on fire.
On the eastern side of the base, Colonel Honshu and Lieutenant Khawla were rallying their men. They had detonated the hallways in an effort to slow down the enemy. Mason could spy the group that was being trained, fortifying the door to the training hall. On one side, someone was planting blocks of C4 in an attempt to dig themselves out.
Mason peered at his PDA's screen. Down by the motorpool, Sergeant Gregory and the Zakon had set up a firing zone. They had collapsed two of the three doors leading into it and had set up dual machine gun nests aiming at the largest door. Already, two of the bronze giants lay dead, their great bulks creating a natural barrier.
And here Mason was, in the vents. Like a super cool spy and not a coward.
He was so glad he followed the advice of shrinking his six foot height to something more manageable. Then again, the vents were abnormally large. But that's video game logic for you.
"This is a bad time to reveal I'm a bit claustrophobic," said Vladimir, just behind him, voice booming within the ducts. His sniper rifle made horrible scraping sounds as it was dragged through the vents.
"We're almost to the motorpool. Come on, Nahla. Show me the way."
Mason had no idea where he was. He only thought of using the vents because there were giants killing everyone in the halls, and because of decades of playing old FPS games. You don't see much vent hopping in video games as of late, really, quite the lost art. He'd have to note this positively in his upcoming article.
As he mourned the death of immersive sim design in today's games, the vent before him suddenly sprouted holes as someone's stray burst of rounds shot into the ceiling. "Shit!"
"Mason!" Vladimir's hand shot out to catch the journalist by the boot.
In one moment Mason was cooped up in a long tight tunnel, the next moment he crashed onto the floor. He looked up to see a pair of shiny greaves. What looked at him was a bearded giant, his eyes covered by a pair of red lense goggles. In his massive fists was an equally massive machine gun.
"Die, janissary."
Double shit. "Go for the eyes, Nahla! Go for the eyes!"
Nahla came hovering down the vents like a chrome angel from heaven, right into the Thunder Fighter's face and let out the brightest flash money could buy. The transhuman cried out in pain.
He didn't intend to stay around to see the photo Nahla took, legging it as quickly as he could. Mason hurled himself around the corner, just as a shower of concrete and. 50 cal rounds gave him a light dusting. He could hear Vladimir cursing something in Russian above and hoped he wouldn't be discovered.
Mason sprinted down the corridors, following the helpful signs to the motorpool. All around, the Thunder Fighters were gunning down any player that resisted. He could hear the tell tale sound of whirring chainswords in the distance followed by screams.
He barged into a set of double doors and tripped over something as a round of shots struck where his torso was mere moments ago. "Halt your fire! Cease!"
Mason looked up to find Zakon soldiers behind a row of sandbags and turned over furniture. A familiar bearded face greeted him and reached out a helping hand.
"Ah, you are the journalist? Aren't you supposed to be with the commissar?" asked Sergeant Gregory.
"Sorry, but I've no idea where they are."
At that moment, something crashed. All guns aimed to the Eastern side of the garage as two bodies crashed through the upper parts of the motorpool wall. A black clad figure crashed onto the hood of a Humvee as a bronze giant landed a few feet away, his sheer weight leaving craters where he landed.
Gregory shoved Mason behind his considerable buck and hefted his AA-12 autoshotty at the new enemy. "Open fire!"
Rifles barked and blasted at the Thunder Fighter but he was too quick and took cover behind a Bradley IFV. Someone hauled the injured Kirito off the Humvee and towards safety. Mason took that as a sign to take cover behind something more solid.
The Thunder Fighter stepped in and out of cover, his massive revolver blowing holes in a couple Zakon soldiers. A Warhawk at one end of the chamber took aim with a sniper rifle only for their scope to explode in a shower of plastic and glass, blinding them in one eye, before taking cover behind a pick-up.
Gregory unloaded the entire magazine into an ancient Honda pick-up, blowing fist size holes with his slugs. The gun clicked empty and he chucked the magazine away for a new one.
Someone shouted, "Everyone, look!"
The Honda, with its tires flattened and with enough holes to qualify as a new type of cheese was lifted into the air, as the dark aweful power of gene-sorcery and space age powered infantry armour systems melded into the ultimate warrior. The giant held the five thousand pound vehicle over his head with the ease of a professional powerlifter doing a light workout. So impressive was the feat that most of the players stopped shooting, mouths agape.
"Look out!" Gregory shouted, as the Thunder Fighter threw the pick-up into the crowd. Mason watched as the vehicle flew through the air, defying all laws of known physics, almost in slow-motion, only to land on a group of players with an almost cartoonishly splat; slaying half a dozen instantly.
Suddenly, Mason felt the cyberdeck beeping. Pulling it out, he saw a top view of the motorpool. He looked up to see Nahla recording the fight.
Sure, he was likely going to die to some monstrous lab grown super soldier, but at least he'll die with good footage on him. Definitely gonna bring up a pay raise next time he meets his boss.
The Thunder Fighter was in the process of picking up … an animal? No, it was a robot. A robotic … camel. His camel.
The camel for the mission.
He tapped on the keyboard in a vain attempt to connect to his ride. The deck's screen fizzled with the ever so annoying - SIGNAL TOO WEAK - prompt. "Gregory! I need to get closer!"
"You need to what?! Are you crazy, you'll die! And you'll be respawning all the way back in Glocken if you do!"
"Just cover me!"
Not waiting for any confirmation, Mason dashed towards the Thunder Fighter, ignoring the gunfire around him. Despite being the closest person to the Thunder Fighter, the transhuman was ignoring him. That irked him in a way he rarely felt.
"Hey ugly!" He tapped on his deck inserting a command. "Let go of my ride!"
The Capable Automated Multipurpose Engine Lifter or CAMEL unit as it was known (the game devs must have really struggled to make that acronym work) was absolutely massive, slightly larger than a cybersteed. Yet, even in the transhuman's arms, it still looked comparatively small. Like a man carrying a large dog over him.
It also had one upside compared to a cyber steed, its prodigious size. Useful to carry extra materiel, such as another weapon.
A panel opened up by its artificial hump, revealing a XM250 machine gun, aiming straight down on the Thunder Fighter's dome.
Mason tapped ENTER and unloaded a hundred rounds of 6.8 mm ammo, completely pulverizing its head. His body did a macabre dance as it was pummeled by the sheer impact of point blank fire. The corpse fell like a tree and the CAMEL landed unceremoniously on its side.
The room plunged into an eerie silence as the fighting died down. From the hole where the Thunder Fighter and Kirito emerged from came Sinon, Commissar Tadao and Titanium Wall. To Mason's surprise, Vladimir was with them too.
Tadao approached the journalist, a smile on his face. "That was quick thinking, pardner. Remind me to install something similar in Lyubimaya-chan."
"AMRIKI, THAT'S LIKE TWO LEVEL UPS RIGHT THERE. MOST IMPRESSIVE" said the Wall.
Mason's eye glanced to the corner and sure enough, there was the Level Up notification. "Well, would you look at that."
One of the Zakon came up to the sergeant, PDA in hand. "Sir, we've got more hostiles incoming. They look like they're converging on the Warhawks' position in the training area."
Gregory nodded. "We'll send a relief force. As for you, you need to get out of here ASAP." He thumbed backwards. "We've got the bikes and horses for you."
"Where are the rest of my Outriders? There should be twenty other men here," asked Tadao. "Don't tell me -"
Gregory frowned. "Sorry, Tadao, but they're all wiped out, probably in Glocken. We can have some other boys -"
Tadao brought up a red gloved hand. "No. They don't have the skill to ride the motorcycles. We will go as is. The rest of the Zakon needs you here. Everyone, get ready. We move in five."
Sinon went to check up on her boyfriend. "You good? You took a rough beating there."
"Bah, I'll just rub some dirt on it, that'll be fine."
"Kirito, your forearm is dislocated."
"No it's not," he said, bringing up his right arm, where it bent at an unnatural angle. "That's just how my arm looks like."
"You need medical attention."
"I need to bathe in the blood of my enemies."
It was then Vladimir appeared. "Allow me," he said, placing both hands on Kirito's arm.
With a twist and a disgusting crack, he settled the arm in place, making everyone nearby wince. "I'll apply a splint and lend you some stimpacks. Just don't use this arm for a few hours and you'll be good."
Kirito's ear perked up at the mention of stimpacks. "Oh, what kind of stimpacks?"
The scientist produced a leather pouch from a coat pocket, revealing a dozen aluminum vials the size of a finger complete with auto-injectors. "This is something I've been cooking up."
"Oooh! What is it?"
Vladimir pushed up his glasses with a finger. "Using a mixture of artificial herbs from the Untamed East and adrenal glands harvested from Flesh Puppers, it should increase your metabolism by 250% and increase your muscle density by 150% above the maximum limit. I call them «Davai Shots». Pretty neat, huh? People really underestimate the «Chemistry» skill tree in this game."
Purple eyes blinked. "So are they Fallout stimpaks or Starcraft stimpaks?
Vladimir sighed. "They're a combination of both."
"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?"
Meanwhile, Sinon had taken one of the Outrider's KLX250 motorbikes. It was a lot lighter than Kirito's Ninja 250R in the real world but that may just be her increased strength.
Seeing that one of the mirrors was loose, she popped open the seat to find something to fix it with and found a set of wrenches. A little elbow grease later and the mirror was right as rain. She checked the ignition, the tire pressure, the headlight, the blinkers, all were working well. She dusted her hands, a job well done.
"Ah, I see you know your bikes," said Tadao. He rode striding Lyubimiya 2.0, the cybersteed no worse for wear despite the combat in the motorpool.
"Oh, Kirito just taught me a few things."
"You know, I've got a cousin in Saitama that owns a motorcycle shop. If you ever find yourself in the neighbourhood," he tapped his PDA and Sinon received a link in her HUD. "Just so you know."
She smiled. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind. Hey, what's the price of a beginner bike these days?"
It took them ten minutes to gather everything. Kirito and Tadao sat upon their cybersteeds; Mason looked nervous being so high up on his CAMEL and the bomb slung around a hump; the Wall was bobbing his head to some music in his pickelhaube helmet astride his Harley-Davidson; and Sinon rode on the borrowed Outrider bike with an ease she never felt with motorcycles, engines revving.
"Y'all ready?" asked Tadao. Everyone nodded. "We've got a spaceship to nuke! We ride!"
The motorpool garage door opened and the squad was off, nuclear intent in their hearts.
They sped down the tunnel at high speed. Long corridors and flashing ceiling lights made for a challenge. Sinon was conservative with her speeding, breaking more often than not when the others were going at full speed. Mason and his CAMEL stayed in the middle, the rest of them acting as his guards.
Concrete and asphalt made way for dirt and ancient metal. She thought she had seen all of the Underground; she was mistaken.
It took no time at all for them to make contact.
"They've set up a checkpoint!" called Mason, looking at his cyberdeck; he had sent his drone forward to scout. "Five Thunder Fighters with M2s!"
Kirito was laughing and already had his Scorpion in his non-broken hand. "We should rush them!"
Mason went wild eyed. "And risk the nuke?!"
Tadao made the decision. "We run through them, no slowing down. Mason, prep your machine gun. Wall, you'll be the spearhead."
The Wall unslung his China Lake grenade launcher from a holster. "THE WALL WILL WREAK DEATH ON THE THUNDER-HEADS!"
The GI sped ahead of everyone, the retro cruiser giving impressive power for something so old. Everyone had their guns out, save for Sinon who lacked any single-handed pistols to use. She unsheathed her tomahawk, more a totem of calmness than a weapon.
They rounded the corner, tires screeching, into the floodlights of the checkpoint. Sinon saw the grim warriors standing in line three hundred yards away.
They raised their guns but the Wall was faster. The grenade 40mm popped out the barrel, arching through the air, and the transhumans took cover before it even landed. The tunnel lit up like day as the Wall drove ahead, cackling like a madman.
The rest of the riders opened fire. Tadao dinged a Thunder Warrior in the dome with his ludicrously massive revolver. Kirito's SMG did little but tickle their plate. But it was the CAMEL's spray of machine gun fire that kept their heads down.
"Come on, we're almost there!" said Tadao, his horse's legs moving at a rate no real horse could.
Sinon recalled what Kirito taught her. She leaned forward, kept her head down, just as a spray of .50 caliber narrowly avoided her. "Hah! Miss!"
Then her bike made a coughing sound, like players do when they have shrapnel in their throat. Her bike chugged, a force of speed but now a lead weight. Mason's CAMEL passed her, its side machine gun still pouring fire backwards automatically. No amount of revving the throttle did anything, except making sputtering sound.
Tadao was first to notice. "Sinon, are you hit?" he radioed.
"My bike's hit!" She could feel the quaking steps of the Thunder Fighters behind her. "Cover me!"
Not missing a beat, Sinon stood on the seat of her damaged bike and launched herself through the air. She surprised herself by how high she jumped, and the poor machine hit a wall before she landed on both feet.
She pushed herself, one step over the other. The rest of her team was waiting at the end of the tunnel, shooting at the enemy out of cover. Machine gun fire roared from both ends of the chamber.
Then, to her dismay, she heard the whoosh of a rocket as an RPG-7 launched past her lighting the tunnel as The Wall's grenade did. Blocks of concrete the size of furniture began to collapse, covering the tunnel entrance.
"Sinon, hurry!" called Kirito, popping shots with his rifle.
There was a hundred meters between her and the tunnel entrance. Bits of asphalt bit into her as the rounds missed. The rubble had begun to gather and a dust cloud was beginning to form.
Fifty meters left. In an act of desperation, she stripped off her kit, rifle, AMR, backpack and all, and flung them towards the team. If she didn't survive, at least her kit would.
"Sinon, watch out!"
Another rocket flew past her and into the ceiling.
She looked up, to see a piece of debris the size of an engine block fall on her. She closed her eyes.
The second rocket took everyone by surprise. The rubble of concrete fell onto Sinon, burying the sniper like an avalanche. The sheer of destruction bathed the kill team in a layer of dust, blinding them; everyone coughed and struggled to breathe.
When the dust settled, all that was left was rock and debris. The only thing left of Sinon was her gear, thrown at the CAMEL's feet.
"No, no, no!" Kirito rushed to the pile, digging into the pile with his one functioning hand. "Sinon, can you hear me?!"
Tadao made a face. Mason looked away. The Wall looked away. "Kirito, buddy, I'm sorry … she's gone."
"Maybe the cloning vats are still operational? She's not back at Glocken, is she?" he asked, in an almost manic tone.
Mason opened his mouth to say something but decided not to. "Sorry, man. Looks like we'll have to finish the mission without her."
He dug the tip of his chainsword, using it as a lever. "I know she's in there! We gotta save her!"
The commissar put a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Get up, soldier. We've got a ship to nuke."
"How about you help me dig her out of the concrete?" he snapped. "Do you know how much of our paid leave we've used up to play this stupid DLC?"
It was the Wall who was the voice of reason. "FRIEND KIRITO, WE MUST FINISH THE MISSION. IT IS WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED."
Kirito clenched and unclenched his fists, his glove torn from the digging. He breathed in and breathed out. "Okay. The mission. The mission comes first."
"WE WILL DO IT FOR THE SNIPER CAT."
"She saved my life before, it's only fair we do it for her," said Mason.
"For Sinon!" said Tadao.
"Nya!"
Kirito stood up and dusted himself. "Yeah, you're right. We should - wait a second."
Everyone turned around, to see a very fluffy blue cat, wearing what could only be described as green baby pyjamas. The cat's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Didn't think you'd get rid of me easily now, did you?" said a voice in his head.
Mason pointed at the cat. "Wait, is this supposed to be ..."
Neko-Sinon rolled over, exposing her belly. "Nya!"
YOU FOOLS. YOU COMPLETE IMBECILES. YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE SINON BECAME A CATGIRL, SHE CEASES TO BE KITTEH. YOU ABSOLUTE MORONS. READ SUN TZU WHY DON'T CHA.
To anyone who's interested, I posted a RimWorld oneshot. So if you're into that, give that a read! Until next time.
