They were approaching the back-up network center. The staff who should have been here were gone. If they had followed procedure they'd be inside the shelter right now. If not… They hadn't come across any stragglers so far.
The offices were empty. Eerily so. Here and there were bits of food and drink left on desks. A trolley with equipment loaded left to one side. Benches with signs asking people to wait for a representative.
The Onyx were moving in force. Squad two swept the way ahead. Squads one and three were with Emmerich. Four brought up the rear guard, the DeeBees heels clanking loudly. They were on the upper floor of the Admin center but the sounds of the storm were getting louder.
Coming around the corner they found the reason. The building had been breached. One of the armored shutters was gone. Something must have torn it off.
Emmerich and his escort waited whilst squad two darted forward to check.
Their radios clicked on still awash with static. Durham's voice came through. 'Clear. Looks like something smashed up the road outside.'
'Any sign of casualties?' Myers said,
'A few DeeBees that must have run into it. Left a big pile of rubble in the middle of the road. Looks like we need to get this place done from scratch. I can see dirt under the concrete.'
'Ok then let's do this by the book. One with me we'll clear the room. Two keep an eye on that breach. Three wait with the Governor. Four hold this corridor. Clear?'
A round of affirmatives came back.
Myers gave a swift hand signal and the Onyx sprung into action. It was still strange to see people in full armor move that fast. One moment they were crouched behind cabinets or benches. The next a group of blurs shot across the room.
They entered the room a few moments later reemerging with a nod. Then it was their turn. Emmerich ran as hard as he could past the breach. It was only a few dozen meters but he was winded all the same. The Onyx seemed immune to the strain. He paused at the door.
'Need any help with this part?' Myers asked.
Emmerich shook his head. 'It will get crowded in there if we all pile in. I can run the start-up by myself. It should only take a few minutes.'
'Get inside and let us know once you're done.'
Nodding Emmerich slipped inside squad two following.
The space was exactly to specification. Shaped like a U it had a backup antenna in the middle that could be raised if the main one was damaged.
As Emmerich walked in he picked up a binder sitting in a bracket on the wall. On its cover was the bold text. COG EMERGENCY PROCEDURES - BACKUP NETWORK HUB. He might have been trained but he wasn't going to mess around if the process had changed. Not that you could change much.
He flipped it open as he passed the terminal and chair in the middle of the room. On the other was a DeeBee dock for the support unit. He paused looking at it. It was empty.
'Where's the DeeBee?' Emmerich asked.
'Sir?' Figueroa said, looking at the dock.
'They keep a support unit here in case anyone needs help in an emergency. There's no maintenance notice stuck up. And they should have replaced a faulty unit with a spare. Not leave the dock empty.'
'Maybe someone called it away.' Hickman said, shrugging.
'Perhaps not like we need it for this.' Emmerich said, shaking his head. What the hell was he thinking worrying about that now?
Flicking the binder open to the first marker for power check. He stood in front of the battery. It was fully charged. He flipped open the cover and went through the sequence to connect the power to the rest of the backup.
Something moved behind the cabinet. He froze then leaned over. Nothing. Just his nerves.
The lights licked on a second later. Emmerich turned around, seeing black streak on the floor.
'What the hell?' Spencer said, readying his Lancer.
The Onyx looked around. There were black streaks all over the room.
'This place is a mess.' Hickman said checking his own Lancer. 'Could be our missing DeeBee left to try and find a mop or something.'
He chuckled lightly. But they were all on edge.
Emmerich turned to the second marker. System check. He moved over to the terminal and sat down. It had powered up the moment he'd connected power. He watched the bars move across the screen as the system checked for any faults. A small chime played as they all finished.
Something scraped along the floor behind him. He snapped around, finding nothing?
'Are you sure we're the only ones here?' He asked. Looking at the corners of the room.
'There was no one else in here. Why?' Figueroa said walking over.
'Nothing just nerves. Sorry.'
Emmerich checked the final parts on the terminal. Then turned to the third marker. Network connection. He walked over to the junction box. Opened the case and snapped the connections across. A moment later his radio crackled with more voices. Then the lights went out and the voices cut off.
'Oh come on.' Hickman said. He walked over to the power console with his lancer light on the panel. Then stopped.
They were all looking over at the battery. In the cone of light from the rifle light they could see the cover was open again.
Myers' voice cracked in their ears. 'Sir? Is something wrong?'
'I don't know.' Emmerich checked his Snub.
He walked round to the desk again. There was a creak from the door. He turned to see a black DeeBee standing in front of it.
Emmerich licked his lips taking aim. 'Did anyone send a DeeBee in here?'
The squad two took aim as well. In the illumination of their lights they saw it wasn't painted black.
The "DeeBee's" head rotated to look at them. Then its torso turned in place. Its limbs were wrong. Hanging by its sides is attached by what looked like black threads. Its lights were dead. The only illumination was the red eye on the ornate mask covering its face.
There was a moment of stillness.
Emmerich screamed and fired into the thing falling backwards. He had twelve shots in his Snub. The first went wide. The second hit its right arm separating it in a burst of black smoke. The intruder was knocked away.
'Sir stay down.' Day snapped, firing a Gnasher past him.
'What kind of Reject goes stealth?!' Hickman shouted, firing a burst at their attacker.
'Who gives a damn just kill it.' Figueroa barked.
The machine took several hits then fell to pieces. Its remaining arm, legs and head all rolled away from the bullet riddled torso.
Myers' voice came over the radio, 'Squad two report!'
'We engaged a Reject. Its down' Figueroa radioed back.
'Say again?'
'A Reject was hiding insi-' She stopped.
The head moved. It turned to look at them. The mask hissed.
Then it got weird. Something came out of the head.
It looked like some skeletal hooded figure. With the mask in place of its face. It just floated out of the DeeBee's head. It wasn't standing over the remains, it was floating on a cloud of smoke where its lower body should have been.
The door cracked open as one of the Onyx outside tried to get in.
With a cry the creature flew across the room. It darted through the top of the open door. It flew past the shouting Onyx outside even as they fired after it.
Those inside were still in shock.
'Was that a ghost?' Hickman whispered.
'I don't know.' Spencer whispered back.
'How do we kill a fucking ghost.'
'I don't think it was a ghost.' Day muttered, loading her Gnasher.
'Why? Did you not just see it possess a DeeBee?' Hickman said, now loading his Lancer.
'I think Day's right. That thing looked like the ones outside.' Figueroa said as she began to approach the door.
'What if they're all ghosts? Are we fighting ghosts now? Can the COG stop starting fights with monsters for a single moment?' Hickman said. slamming his magazine home for emphasis.
'What makes you think the COG started a war with ghosts?' Emmerich asked as he checked his Snub.
'Oh I don't know. Maybe all the animals that died because of the Hammer strikes.' Hickman said. Moving towards the door.
'If everything killed by a Hammer is about to jump us we're going to need a lot more fire power.' Day muttered.
Gunfire roared outside the room. They moved forward and opened the door.
Outside the Onyx were trying to fight… a set of benches?
The furniture from the corridor had taken on a rough humanoid shape and was swinging at them. Bullets chewed up padded seats and sparks flew as rounds punched into metal.
One of the benches connected, sending an Onyx back along the corridor with a grunt of pain. Then the Onyx DeeBees arrived firing into the things back. With a howl it dove out the hole in the wall vanishing from view.
Squad two returned to their positions sweeping the dust from the impact.
'Does anybody see it?' Durham asked. Her own lancer playing across the street.
'I think I saw something.' The Onyx next to her muttered.
There was a set of red pulsing lights. The sound of rock and metal scraping against each other. Then a small red light floated in front of them inside the dust.
'Contact!' The squad fired in unison.
Their rounds cast sparks from something inside the cloud.
'Down!' Durham shouted.
A section of road smashed into the hole where squad two had been standing.
'WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!' Hickman shouted.
The dust cleared. The rubble outside was now standing up. The mask was on the center of some headless hulk of concrete and metal.
'Open fire!' Myers shouted.
The Onyx opened fire with little effect. The thing recoiled, covering its body with an arm made of the storm panels. Lancer and Gnasher fire left holes but no real damage. The creature raised its other arm behind it.
'Cover!' Hudson shouted.
The arm hit like a wrecking ball. Caving the roof in slightly. The Onyx moved further back as more blows rained down on the roof. Cracks were forming in the ceiling. Dust was falling.
'We need more fire power. Small arms aren't working.' Hudson shouted.
'What I wouldn't give for a Boomshot right now.' Hickman muttered. Slamming home another magazine.
'Options people?' Myers called.
Options Emmerich thought. Then he felt a spike of pain-
The Onyx were moving across the street drawing the creature after them. Several were crushed or smashed aside as the walking pile of ruble lashed out. He was cowering inside the Backup room with squad two. Listening as they died.
No wait.
They were opening the shutters to draw its attention while two of them ran back to the vehicles. A few moments later as the Onyx were being killed one by one a Packhorse with a Stomper on the roof began to take it apart. Still Emmerich was inside the room.
Wait, what was this?
Hickman was standing on top of the roof. Helmet off with his Longshot pressed to his eye. He fired whilst the squad distracted the monster. The round hit the mask on the creature's torso, shattering it. The beast fell apart.
Did they win?
They Onyx were falling back into the center of the building. The monster was circling the building lashing out if any tried to escape. Around them dark shapes were closing in. A large shadow was cast over the camp. They died under the rubble as it was stomped flat by a giant.
'-right.' A voice distant.
'Sir are you ok?' Spencer said. Crouched over him. When had he fallen over?
'We can try drawing it off. Give us some breathing room.' Durham said over the radio.
'What about bringing round one of the vehicles. A Stomper might make this thing into gravel.' Hudson added.
'No!' Emmerich shouted. Seeing the Onyx die again. He tried to bolt upright.
'Sir, stay still.' Spencer said. Trying to pin his arms.
Emmerich managed to hit his radio. 'That won't work. It's too fast and we won't last for someone to run back for the Packhorse.'
'Sir this is a combat situation.' Myers responded.
'It's the mask that's the key.' Emmerich said between breaths. Trying to think of what he saw. How to say what he'd seen. It seemed so real.
'When we shot it in here. We hit the DeeBee it just hopped out and ran. Then in the corridor you shot its body but it just kept going. Whatever it is, that mask is the only part it cares about.'
'Let's say we try your plan, how do we hit it? Any time we try to fire it draws back and blind strikes.' Myers said.
'It knows we're in here. It knows we have to expose ourselves. But the Backup's antenna opens to the roof and it can't see that high. If we get Hickman up there he can take the shot.'
There was a moment as they thought the plan over. The sounds of the monster trying to get in setting them on edge.
'Let's give the kids idea a shot. Worst case we lose Hickman.' Hudson said.
'Hey?' Hickman called back.
'I second the Hickman on a stick plan.' Durham called.
'Oh come on!' Hickman snapped.
'Figueroa it's your squad?' Myers asked.
Figueroa nodded, 'I think we can live without him. worst comes to worst we can get a Deadeye in Onyx.'
'Not funny. At all.' Hickman muttered drawing his Longshot.
'Look at it this way Hickman. This is democracy at work.' Hudson chuckled.
'Just get me on the roof.' Hickman said, walking over to the antenna.
Emmerich restarted the power. Checked the antenna was disconnected. Then nodded to Hickman who was standing on the highest rung. He'd taken his helmet off saying the HUD would get in the way.
'Ready?' Emmerich asked.
'If I die to a pile of rocks my ma will kill me.' Hickman whispered.
'You're aiming for a literal red spot.' Spencer said, shrugging.
'Fair point.' Hickman said before nodding to Emmerich. 'Hit it.'
Emmerich pressed the button to raise the antenna. The rest of the Onyx outside began to fire. The sound of their shots drowning out the sound of the roof hatch opening. There were more impacts as the creature struck the building.
As the hatch opened Hickman crawled onto the roof. The gunfire continued as did the blows. Dust from the roof was falling in thin curtains now.
There was the boom crack of a high power shot over the rest. A ghastly scream followed along with the ground trembling under their feet for a moment. Then silence.
Their radios clicked. 'Ladies and gentle Onyx. I have killed a road with a Longshot.' Hickman declared.
'Yes!' Emmerich declared. The Onyx let up a cheer. Hickman was already climbing down from the roof.
Emmerich began the startup again. This time the sequence was completed. What they heard cut their celebrations short.
'-at least 15 stories tall. It's coming in from the North. Any station please respond.' A distressed voice called.
Then they noticed the shaking was still happening. Dust was still falling from the cracks in the roof.
'Oh come on!' Hickman shouted looking out to the north from the top of the ladder.
The Elder had closed slowly, taking care to make as little disturbance it could. It wanted to get as close as it could to this new village before it struck.
It paused short looking at the ground it saw a ring of false stone shapes. Each was letting lose lines of fire into the younger ones trying to reach the humans. Yet still the young came. Hungry for the bounty this battle would promise. The Elder paused and looked at this strange place proper.
This place was not made of wood and stone. This place was metal and the false rocks the humans cast. But such a place should have impossible to build without it knowing. Its ears were sharp and it kept a keen watch over its domain.
The lights here were so soft as well, so dim. Even when they were in fear the glow was so soft the Elder almost dismissed them. Were there no champions of the light to do battle. Had the lesser done them in already?
A flying machine circled high. Some born with flight gave chase. The machine passed over one of the human defenses who tore the pursuers from the sky. What was it doing? Trying to find a place to land? Its shape was strange like craft from years past. Perhaps like those old machines it was not able to descend in place. Why would they build such a thing?
Its eyes traveled over the humans dwellings once more. The larger ones and those closest to the middle were always important. With their metal towers and strong rooms for the humans to hide in. It saw the Howling Ghost already breaking its way inside one of them. It broke a few of the humans metal servants as it did so.
There were other buildings that seemed important. It had been thinking how best to crush them when it noticed it. A marked one.
How strange for one to be here. There were few touched by the dark. This place must be important if the Lady had sent a Servant to ensure its destruction.
The Elder watched the marked one move from one place to the other. Its the shadow was so faint the Elder would have lost it had it not been for the group it traveled with. All black with their machines marked with dark stripes.
Were they hiding their allegiance? Those Grimm already inside the camp paid them no heed. Yet the Elder watched as the group struck at any they passed.
Ah so they were playing that game. Earning the trust of others and then striking when they were weakest. It remembered when one of the Lady's servants had helped lay low another village. Cutting the strings on their great engines. Stopping them from casting rock and metal leaving them helpless.
The Elder was amongst its herd then. Now it was alone.
It watched the marked. As it entered the same building the Howling Ghost had. Was it there to help?
It followed as the mark drifted down under the building. Interesting were there more spaces hidden from view. Was the marked driving the humans out into the open perhaps?
The mark drifted back up. Then moved towards the hole the Howling Ghost had made. Ah seeking aid that must have been it. Something that required the Howling Ghost to strike a blow.
Moments passed. A light on the wall had seen it it ran over the Elders body. A few attacks came from near the light. None did more than scratch its hide. Such small things were ignored.
Then it watched as the Howling Ghost dived from the building. It was pursued by the marked one's guards. But why? Some mistake?
Howling Ghost rose and drew on its powers forming a new body. It struck out fighting the humans. The battle lasted minutes but for the Elder it was an eternity.
Howling Ghost was one of the few others that had been named. To be named was to be known. To be feared. It was an honor that few lived to. Many had the title of Serpent. But Howling Ghost was more cunning. It knew to hold its power back and learn how its foes would strike. But it had held back to much.
One of the humans emerged from some moving part of the roof. It slipped into the shadow of the roof. Drew a long metal weapon. Aimed over the edge for just a moment. And killed Howling Ghost.
The Elder was still for a moment. Then it was fury. No true marked of the Dark would have allowed such a thing. This place had been hidden from their senses unlike like other attempts before. This marked must have been false as well the Elder would see it crushed. Or better yet take it and have the Seer show its face to the lady.
The Elder let its fury be known. It would bring this place to ruin. So willed the Dark. It began to walk forwards slowly but now ensuring each step shook the ground. Let them feel their dooms approach.
O'Connor's thoughts were a blur. The network had come back up. They had started to organize and regroup. When the first report came in.
He looked at the feed from the Condor. It looked like an elephant but its footsteps were leaving caters like artillery fire. The thing had the same white and red on black of the other hostiles. But it was on another level. A whole other level.
Mortars won't work in this weather. The Ravens were on the deck because of the storm.
He opened a wide channel. 'Any personal receiving with anti-armor weapons. Fire on the oncoming large hostile from the north. Say again, target the large one with anti-armor.'
On the screens showing the camp a wall of rockets and missiles rose from across the Camp. On one monitor linked to the Motor Pool a Centaur was elevating its gun to add to the barrage. The wall guns were opening up as well. It was like a wave of fireflies.
Some missed. Pushed off course wind from the storm, luck or poor aim it didn't matter. There were thousands of rounds and dozens of rockets flying at the thing. Some hit its legs causing bursts of black smoke. But the thing lowered its head letting most of the fire hit the large bone like armor on its head.
What did it take to kill this thing?
'Sir Kestrels are engaging.' A flight Controller called out.
Yes Kestrels. They had some heavier missiles. If they could land a hit they might do some damage. The things could fly into a Windflare, for a time.
Two Kestrels lined up their attack run. On their first past they unleashed a full rack each. Eight missiles raced between the craft and their target.
The missiles blew chunks from the beast's mask. Craters were torn into its hide. It let out a roar as the Kestrels passed. O'Connor felt the room shake with the sound.
It made to swipe the Kestrels but they were too quick. Each flared its rotor coming about for another run. Their racks reloaded from their internal bay.
The creature reached down raking the earth. It tore trees from the soil. Lifted boulders with ease. The hurled the mass at its attackers.
Kestrels were designed for close air support. They were armored. Built tough enough to take multiple rocket strikes. It would take disciplined well aimed fire to bring them down. They were faster than nearly anything else in the arsenal. Driven by an on-board AI that reacted faster than a human.
Nothing in their design covered being hit by several tones of forest floor coming the other way. The gunships came apart like cans thrown into a wall.
O'Connor watched the fireballs fall to the ground. Perhaps a tanker could reach that thing first. Set a charge and blow the thing sky high. No they didn't have enough time to fill one and even then they risk the thing falling on them. It was minutes away from them now. The room was shaking with each of the beasts steps.
He looked at the Air-Corps area. The remaining Kestrels were not flight worthy. His eyes drifted to the feed from the Condor. The thing seemed to be getting bigger. How could it be getting bigger? No... Wait. That wasn't it. The Condor was getting closer.
Inside Condor CO-254 Lieutenant Khan was leveling off. She was at the max drop height. She punched in the purge command for the drop bay. The ramp opened and the pods began to slide out. No need for the handling arms. They were all going out the back.
Her radio crackled to life. 'CO-254, Control. Request status. Have you taken damage?'
'Control, CO-254. Negative on further damage. I'm still in control.' Khan said adjusting her straps.
'Be advised your current heading is approaching the large hostile. We've lost the Kestrels, you need to change heading.'
Of course we've lost the Kestrels those things weren't exactly discrete.
'I'm aware Control. But I've got no bots left and a few tones of fuel and metal heading for that things neck. Request someone on the west sector try to keep its attention. Out.' Khan clicked off the external comms. She took a breath and adjusted the heading slightly.
The seconds crept by. Somewhere on the west wall a set of spotlights were flashing the monster's eye. The defensive fire was now focused on its right side it was turning its head.
'That's it a little more.' Khan whispered.
The thing was nearly all she could see now.
'CO-254, maintain current speed and heading. Confirm.'
'Unable to comply. Please note there is an obstruction ahead. Course alteration required.
'Override. PNK412'
'Acknowledge. Maintain current speed and heading.'
Khan reached down and pulled the yellow lever hard.
Several things happened nearly at once. The straps holding her in the seat snapped taut pinning her in place. Her headrest dropped forward cushioning her neck. The floor dropped open. Ejection hatch blown clear by the explosive bolts. Her seat shot down the fixed rail. A set of arms snapped out over her arms the loops around her legs tightening so she her limbs were held in place.
She knew the sensor in the seat was active. Since in a split second it checked her airspeed and altitude then selected a deployment mode. First a strong yank as the drogue chute deployed. Once she had slowed enough the main parachute burst out and the cords holding her legs were released. Her seat fell away leaving her drifting down on her chute. It had been seconds since she pulled the cord.
Khan watched as her Condors automated pilot completed her final instruction.
The Elder was getting tired of this. When would they learn? Its hide was sturdy enough to take their meager blows. It longed for when they would despair. Give into the fear and try to run like they always would.
But the lights were not lit with fear. They were not afraid. Why? What would could have given them such hope?
It thought it heard a sound closing but the storm was so loud.
The humans had stopped firing. Were they about to run? Flee before its might?
The Elder heard a roar to its left. It began to turn. But it was too late.
Condor two five four. Slammed into the neck of the beast. It wasn't a direct hit on were the creatures spine would have been. But Grimm didn't have spines.
The radar dome crumpled, windows shattered and sections of the outer panels crumpled. But the Condor like many things the COG made. Designed and built from years of experience from a time of untold peace. Twisted pressed into service for a war of raw attrition where raw durability was key.
It was no sharp blade by any measure. More a multi tone blunt instrument. But the force was all that mattered and even bear of its cargo. The Condor had enough mass and speed to kill a monster.
The Elder felt a blow crash into it. Its head snapped to one side. It began to fall onto its front right leg. It was getting lighter. The weight gained though years of hunting and killing were lifting?
It was dying? How? One moment of weakness. It had allowed its fury to hold its focus.
With its last moment it looked to the center of the human buildings. Well played little false shadow, well played. It felt itself drifting away. Becoming... at peace. It felt the masters call.
Khan would have punched the air if she wasn't steering for a clearing. She'd done it. The monster was coming apart like some vast mass of ash losing its cohesion.
She made the landing and released her chute. Her beacon tripped letting off a soft tone. The signal marking her location for the combat search and rescue team. If they could send a rescue team.
She checked her Snub and looked around hearing a branch snap behind her. She turned to see glowing eyes at the edge of the clearing.