Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners: Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Apologies for the delay, but I've been adjusting to what sort of schedule I can effectively maintain and it turns out it's not quite what I had hoped for. Still, I'm still making plenty of progress on chapters, even if getting them posted has been a touch tougher.
I've not been helped in my efforts by a trip to the theaters to see the thoroughly excellent 'Warfare,' that I highly recommend to everyone, and by a binge of Battlestar Galactica, which is almost as good.
Servermeta: Thanks for that comment, but I haven't actually played C&C Generals, more of a Red Alert fan myself. The bit with the train was inspired by a Cliver Cussler novel, Sahara, actually. That being said, I tried to keep this distinct from the sequence in that book now that we got to it here.
Up next is something a bit more traditional and direct, even though I do squeeze in a bit of military hardware. All set to a Sabaton tune from The War to End All Wars, a hard hitting and aggressive album opener about Stormtroopers that actually kick ass. No bulky white armor here, it's all Schmeisser and Stielhandgranate at the business end of the Imperial German Army during the Kaiserschlacht that was able to break the stalemate of No Man's Land.
Authority Without Asking
Chapter 11: Stormtroopers
Strike at zero hour
With overwhelming firepower
They're fueled by the fear in their enemies eyes
It's a shock troop infiltration
A fast and violent escalation
Out of the trenches the Stormtroopers rise!
A glimpse of the future, new tactics in war
New doctrine in combat explored
As fast as lightning, there's no time to mourn
A glimpse of the future and Blitzkrieg is born
Looking away from the main screen that displayed the feed from a Barracuda UAV circling far overhead the HYDRA base, Mary Jane saw Silver Sablinova impassively examine the results of the helicopter attack. The Associate Editor had watched with a similar expression, she was sure, from the safety and comfort of the Sable International Command Center as the same sort of building across the desert was hammered by helicopter launched missiles. The redhead was torn, knowing that there was some number of human lives snuffed out under the pillars of smoke rising towards the circling the UAV and that those were HYDRA lives.
A look around revealed that, if any of the Sable personnel harbored misgivings, they didn't show it, least of all the silver haired monarch beside Mary Jane.
"What happens next?" asked the redhead, eyes wandering across the other displays and not able to make sense of any of it. Mary jane watched symbols moved across the desert, markers for various units, all moving towards the HYDRA base in a great, coordinated dance that she couldn't hear the music for. Similarly, the HYDRA base, despite the damage it had sustained, was coming to life, heat signatures that looked like more vehicles emerged from the damaged warehouses.
Sablniova, eyes still scrutinizing the drone feed, answered the Associate Editor's question. "The main ground combat element will be the next to make contact," she said, head turning to look at another display. MJ saw the different shapes move, groups separating as the vehicles continued their drive across the desert. "Ah, so that is how the Lieutenant Colonel will handle this," realized Silver with a slight, but approving, nod.
Mary Jane was tempted to ask for an explanation, but it was likely whatever one she got would go over her head in any case. She jotted down a note to ask Cooper to walk her through things afterwards, since he was more adept at translating the jargon. When she looked back up, MJ saw that the number of HYDRA vehicles that were visible continued to grow, and they began to flow towards the edge of the base to take up seemingly pre-planned positions. "There are a lot of them," she noted, "Should we be worried?"
"We should not," answered Sablinova, resolute. "At least not due to their numbers. All that means is that we will have to expend more ammunition."
It was a line delivered with such a total lack of emotion that it sent a chill down MJ's spine, the cold hatred enough to cool the already frosty room another degree. After a moment of replaying Silver's words, the Editor picked up on something else. "You said we shouldn't be worried about the numbers. What should we be worried about?"
MJ saw the Symkarian's eyes glance towards the display showing the train the small infiltration force was on, a descending timer showing they were 27 minutes from arriving. Just the picture that she had been trying to ignore was enough to cause MJ to tighten the grip on her pen. "The drones that the Hannibals engaged suggest that HYDRA has the printers operational, and may have for some time. I am worried about what other such surprises they will encounter in the base."
Now that Sablinova had said it, Mary Jane was too.
A heavy metallic thunk announced the 120mm ASCALON's breech had slammed shut as the autoloader arm retracted, Lieutenant Williamson able to see the whole operation by the light from the screens casting a dull glow on the turret fighting compartment. "Gun ready," informed Smirnova over the intercom from her position on the right side of the low-profile turret, separated from Williamson by the bulk of the main gun.
Looking down at his own tactical display, the platoon CO checked the disposition of his own vehicles and, satisfied with what he saw, keyed his own vehicle's intercom. "Still with us, Kaiser? Put your Gameboy down, son, we got work to do."
"It's a Switch, Truck. A Gameboy is as old as you are," returned the driver from his position deep in the hull. The tank was still, lying in wait on the reverse slope of a dune a little under two miles from their target, with about 200 meters between the four tanks of 2nd platoon. The German then asked, "Is it time?"
Truck's eyes were focused on the Battle Management System, watching as the markers for the CV9035 scouts of 3rd platoon turned and came back towards Williamson's tanks. With a snap motion, Mack changed the radio channel he's transmitting on, "Claymore 2-1 to Claymore platoon," he announced, voice calm as he drifted into the familiar state of being like a tightly wound spring, "Bolo is heading back our way, get ready boys. United we stand, divided we ambush."
The message was simple enough, as every man and woman in the 7th knew, the Marauding Dragoons were divided.
Axe and Bolo companies had gone ahead to make contact with HYDRA forces, both to see and be seen. The total of 36 CV9035s were spread out thin to probe the HYDRA defenses, scout, and engage targets of opportunities the rotorheads had missed across a 120 degree arc and miles of desert. Instead of being decisively engaged, the light scout platoons in their IFVs were to turn tail and haul ass away from the base, drawing the HYDRA forces into pursuit and into the waiting 120mm guns of Claymore and Dagger companies, the heavies in their Griffin MBTs. The 24 tanks were spread equally thin, the platoons kept together and spaced between the lanes the scouts were operating in, and it seemed like one of the companies that Claymore-2 was backstopping had hit paydirt. "Bolo 3-1, we've met heavy resistance, falling back to waypoint Kilo, break. Enemy in pursuit, armor, estimate Battalion strength," reported the commander of B company's 1st platoon. "How copy, over?"
"Bolo 3-1 this is Claymore 2-1, we're two terrain features back, got you covered from the south side," informed Williamson as he watched the red dots appear on his BattleNet display in ever increasing numbers. "Get over that next outcropping and we'll service anyone that follows."
"Solid copy Claymore, Bolo out," was the response from the IFV commander.
While going back to his platoon channel, Williamson worked the controls at his own station to raise the launcher hanging off the turret behind his position. "Claymore 2, deploy Switchblades, let's see what sorta welcome mat they've rolled out." All four Griffin tanks fired one of their Switchblade 600 loitering munitions out of the mortar tube like launchers. The 120 pound loitering munitions extended their winglets as the electric motors hummed to life, propelling them skyward. Truck set his to fly to a waypoint and circle, feeding a real time birds eye view of the field to his tank.
Minutes crawled by as the Switchblades went forward and the friendly CV90s came back towards the Sable International tanks, crossing the next ridgeline ahead of Claymore's position and scampering across the open ground. Going a bit further on, Truck could see the swarm of thermal signatures one terrain feature behind the retreating IFVs. "Cyka blyat, there are a lot of them," observed the Russian in the gunner's seat.
"Don't get too eager, Ludy, let 'em come," allayed Truck, holding his own nerve as the lead enemy tanks reached the base of the next ridge ahead of them.
"Claymore 2-2, Bolo 3-1, we're past waypoint Kilo, you're clear to engage anyone that comes after us," reported the recon platoon commander.
"Solid copy Bolo," answered Truck before going to his intercom, "Kaiser, take us forward, nice and slow. Bring us up to the edge of this hill." Arc reactor purring behind Truck, Bronco II crawled up the gentle slope until Truck saw the crest in his periscope, "Driver, halt."
His gaze went back to the monitor that showed the feed from the Switchblade; overlayed on that display was more information coming in from the sensor fusion function of the Griffin, synthesizing data from the high flying Barracuda UAVs and the data from the CV90 scouts. The lead HYDRA tanks were coming over the next terrain feature, their turrets locked straight ahead, the thermal imager of high enough resolution for Williamson to see the distinct shape of the turrets, confirming they were all M1 Abrams tanks.
If not for the Griffin he was currently commanding, Truck would have argued that the M1A2 Abrams was the best tank in the world. The seventy ton behemoth with its 120mm gun and Honeywell gas turbine engine had taken him through Iraq, they were surprisingly fast for their size and very tough machines, not something Williamson had ever wanted to go up against.
Not that he had the choice now.
With a few taps on the touch screen, he designated targets for the four Claymores, the lead enemy platoon. "Driver, advance to hull down," ordered Truck as the tank crept forwards and he looked through his own thermal imager as the well drilled rhythm took over, "Designate, gunner, sabot, tank!"
The turret turned even before he had eyes on the target, Ludy acquiring the HYDRA tank through the sensor net and laying the 120mm gun on even before Bronco II had crested the ridge. As the top of the turret poked over, the breech of the gun went up to its maximum of ten degrees, meaning the Griffin was presenting the smallest profile possible when it had its prey in Ludy's sights. "Identified, tank, range 850!"
As surreal as it was to see an American designed tank through his viewfinder, Truck gave the order automatically. "Fire!"
"On the way!" answered the Russian as the ASCALON cannon slammed back against its stops as the DM63A1 APFSDS round was sent down the smoothbore barrel, 5 kilogram tungsten alloy dart racing towards its target at 1700 meters per second.
In the half second that the dart flew through the air, the other three Griffin tanks fired their own shots, Truck watched intently, almost in shock to see the thermal 'splash' of the dart shattering against the composite armor on the turret cheek of the Abrams. No doubt the crew inside had ringing ears, but the HYDRA bastards were still breathing, which Williamson took personal offense at. "Reengage!" he barked, "Hit the turret ring, turret ring or the gun mantlet!"
If not for the intercom, there was no chance Lyudmilla would have heard his order, not as automatic reload cycle played out between them. The gun came down to a more neutral position as the breech slid open and the remaining stub base, usually called an aft cap, was extracted and ejected out the top of the turret. Simultaneously, the heavy blast door that separated the fighting compartment from the ammunition compartment slid open just enough for a tube to connect with the breech and the next DM63 shell to be rammed home before the gun, linked to the stabilized gunner's sight, returned to the target.
The reload was fast, less than four seconds, but that was enough time for the Abrams to turn it's turret towards Bronco II and raise its gun, giving Ludy the best possible shot. "Up! On the way!" yelled the gunner, though her words were drowned out by the recoil of the gun firing again. This time, the round sliced through the weak spot where the turret was mated with the hull, the tungsten dart tearing through the fighting compartment. Spall cut into the HYDRA crew before the deformed penetrator buried itself in the power pack behind them, causing the JP8 jet fuel powering the tank to leak and start to burn, the tank quickly brewing up.
"Target!" called Williamson, "Driver, reverse. Displace, fifty meters."
Lurching back, the Griffin descended below the ridge just as the next HYDRA tanks returned fire, shooting through the smoke emanating from their destroyed comrades in an effort to engage the Claymores. With the hull turning beneath them, the turret kept its same absolute bearing, barrel hanging over the side of the tank to receive its new round, the cassette behind Truck spinning behind its armored door. Swinging his viewfinder around, the platoon commander confirmed the dispositions of his subordinates were as they were on the Battle Net display, the entirety of Claymore safe after their opening volleys had claimed six HYDRA tanks, but there were a lot more coming at them.
The arc reactor hummed as Bronco II swung around and climbed up the hill, ready to reengage. "Gunner, sabot, tank, top of the ridge!" rattled off Truck, searching for the Abrams with his own optics.
Smirnova, pro she was, found the Abrams he picked out first. "Identify, tank, range 1200!"
"Fire!" ordered Williamson, "Fire and adjust!"
"On the way!" returned Lyudmila, loosing the next round, the fire control system accounting for the temperature of the barrel in addition to the range and weather conditions to put the tungsten dart right where Trucks gunner put it.
The next call was a formality, "Target!" shouted Truck as the Abrams erupted in a fireball and he swept his sight across the field below him when he spotted Bronco IIs next target. "Gunner, tank, 10 o'clock, he's running for that dune."
It was clear that the HYDRA tank commander was trying to get out of the kill zone of the Sable International platoon, but Truck wasn't keen to let him. "Identify, tank, 1400!"
"Fire!" ordered the platoon commander, "Fire and adjust!"
"On the way!" called Ludy as she sent the next dart down range, straight through the side of the big Abrams' hull. "What?" she exclaimed.
"Load MPHIE! Reengage!" ordered Truck, realizing his gunner, used to serving on and shooting at Soviet derived vehicles, had shot where she thought there was ammunition in the enemy tank. "Hit the turret bustle!"
The breech slammed shut on a red-headed Multi-Purpose High-Intensity Energy shell, the fire control computer already updating the targeting profile for the different ballistic performance of the heavier, less aerodynamic projectile. "On the way!"
Traveling at half the velocity, Truck was able to track the MPHIE as it arced right into the rear of the Abrams' turret and set off the ammunition in a spectacular explosion, the blow out panels on top of the tank were ejected spectacularly as the propellant cooked off. "Target," confirmed Williamson as the vehicle burned down.
A terrific clatter filled the cabin as the side of the tank was peppered with shrapnel, dirt, and stones. Truck looked out a wing camera to see the splash of a near miss from a shell on the reverse slope of the hill, behind the Griffin. A quick scan with the thermal imager confirmed that there were no tanks behind him, leaving just one option as another explosion through up a shower of sand from the top of the ridge. Another check with the thermal imager showed that the HYDRA tanks weren't pressing them. "Claymore 2-1 to Claymore 2, break contact and get to your fall back positions," he ordered, feeling his own tank retreat down the slope as he switched channels. "Claymore 2-1 to Durendal, we are taking enemy indirect fire, break. Requesting immediate counterbattery. Over."
Lieutenant Colonel Højbjerg answered, "Claymore 2-1, Durendal, COBRA had that salvo coming in from west of Primary, but we have no visual, stand by."
The HYDRA commander had placed his artillery battery separate from the main base, which had saved it from the helicopter attack earlier in the night and they were now firing on him from under the cloaking canopy, Truck realized. "Durendal, request bearing for enemy artillery."
"Uploading," was the response, and a moment later it appeared on Trucks MFD. Seconds later, his Switchblade 600 had turned and flew straight down that line, all seeing eye swinging on its gimble mount for any sign of the HYDRA big guns. Bronco II tore across the desert, tossing up sand as it neared the designated secondary position, even as more enemy shells landed on the ridge Claymore 2 had just occupied.
A flash on the screen caused Truck to look down at what had gotten the drone's attention and furrowed his brow. There was a blotch on the viewfinder, but it was black, not white, indicating the desert floor was colder than its surroundings. Realizing that it might be the cloaking canopy over compensating for the heat generated by the firing of the big guns, Williamson tapped the center of the screen and sent the loitering munition in to fulfill the second half of its mission. Diving, the Switchblade homed in on the suspicious blob, guiding itself down until it burst through and the connection was lost.
Even if the screen went to static, the drone still had its own on-board targeting logic, bursting through the camouflage canopy. Already in its terminal phase, the loitering munition slammed into a giant, formerly hidden structure shaped heat signature right ahead of it and already in its terminal phase, slammed into it. The tandem High Explosive warhead tore through the structure, damaging it enough so the massive array at the top caused the remainder to twist and topple, disabling the cloaking canopy.
"Claymore 2-1, Durandel, we have eyes on enemy artillery assets. Sit tight, counter battery is on the way, 90 seconds."
"What's that mean?" asked Mary Jane idly, hearing the radio chatter and seeing the feed from the Barracuda UAV showing the HYDRA artillery battery on the monitor.
The Symkarian monarch eyed the various displays, and MJ thought she would be making more sense of things in a few seconds than the Bugle Editor could in a few minutes. "It means we shall see if the Lockheed Martin sales people were exaggerating," replied Sablinova, her eyes settling on a monitor showing the diagnostics of the rocket artillery battery in support of the 7th.
It was a rather unimpressive thing to see a simple graphic announcing that the M142s had fired their salvos of rockets, a half dozen 230mm weapons from each of the three launching trucks, all now streaking towards the target shown on the other monitor. Holding her breath, the redhead watched the view through the magnified thermal imager, detailed enough that she could make out the shapes of dozens of men clustered around the carriage mounted artillery guns. She could see them moving quickly, obviously realizing they were exposed as trucks were maneuvered behind the guns. "To tow them," explained Sablinova, the question forming in MJs mind but unasked. "They will not do so in time."
Before Mary Jane could ask for an elaboration, the first rocket streaked in on the imager before bursting above the battery, followed a second later by a section of the earth exploding, looking like the burst of a firework on the Fourth of July. She realized these missiles had cluster warheads, and it was raining dozens, no, hundreds of small explosives down on the HYDRA position. The smoke cleared enough for the effects of the weapon to be visible, bodies had been shredded and dismembered, fires had broken out from the vehicles and ammunition that had been hit, and the ground at the impact point now bore more of a resemblance to the lunar surface. Across the rest of the small outpost, MJ could see the other white shapes, people, she knew, react. Some dove for shelter, others just ran, but it did them little good as more rockets duly arrived, spraying their deadly payloads across the entire base. Each time she saw a white shape get drowned out by an explosion and disappear, she remembered that it was a human life, one that worked for HYDRA, but that didn't totally diminish the way her stomach churned at the display the others were watching with cold detachment.
Just as she was about to turn away, weather to catch her breath or look for a trash can, even MJ didn't know, Sablinova's voice gave her some relief. "Good effect on target. Readjust the feed," she ordered, and as quickly as that, the gruesome display was over, even if more rockets were yet to arrive.
Reaching back, the Associate Editor found a chair and half collapsed into it, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath when Sablinova spoke again. "It appears the Major is about to make his entrance," she said, getting MJ's attention and prompting her to force her head up, even if her stomach was still in knots. "You, bring a fresh coffee for Ms. Watson. It is poor time for her to nap."
Rocking on the balls of his feet, Spider-Man could feel the slight sway of the train as it slowed, and he tried to focus on that instead of checking his webshooters again. Just as his conviction was about to falter, a hand came down on his shoulder as Cooper said, "Stop looking so damn nervous pal," encouraged the Pilot, "It's just another day at the office."
"I didn't realize you had an office, Coop," joked Peter weakly, rolling his neck, "And there aren't any muggers, no supervillains, and I don't have the latest episode of J. Jonah Jameson's podcast insulting my character." Thinking back, Peter recalled the chase with Rhino and a particular rush through a certain podcast's studio. "I'm sure JJJ had some particularly pleasant things to say about me in his latest episode."
The Pilot chuckled, "Sounds like fun, you should have brought it up earlier, would've made this train ride pass a helluva lot quicker."
Before the banter could continue, the comms piece came to life in Peter's ear. "Axe 3-1 to all Raider victors, stand to Dragoons, sixty seconds to disembark!" announced Lieutenant Jenna 'Trumpet' Garret, a young American platoon commander who had named her command track 'Reveille' and always carried her namesake instrument with her, the same one she'd played in the Aggie Band.
"Saddle up, Cowboy!" called Felicia from the other side of the train car, prompting Cooper to give Peter a half salute and jog over to the crouched Titan and jump up into the open hatch, licks of flame shooting out of his Jump Kit. Firing a webline at the bulk of the machine, the Webhead pulled himself to the Titan and clambered onto its back before the Black Cat said, "Lend a lady a hand, Spider?"
"You'd just steal it anyways," quipped the Wallcrawler, hanging off BT and reaching down to grab the Thief's hand hauling her up onto the machine's back. She flashed him a gamely grin that Peter couldn't have matched even if he wanted to, not with the slight hum he felt at the base of his skull.
The massive metal hand of the Titan reached out to wrench the door of the train car open, revealing the HYDRA base. Peter could see the obvious disarray, the few remaining lights that were supplemented by the smoldering fires from destroyed vehicles and equipment, illuminating the people and vehicles that were rushing about. When the train came to a stop, the Wallcrawler felt the Titan lurch beneath him as it stepped out of its hiding spot and stand to its full, twenty foot height, the gun in its hands sweeping from side to side as the rest of the Sable International vehicles disembarked.
Despite the pair of Griffin tanks and trio of CV9035 Infantry Fighting Vehicles now rolling into the base alongside the striding Titan, Peter's sixth sense stayed at the same dull hum. "Axe 3-1 to Durandel, Raiders are on the field, no resistance. Moving to Objective Tango," reported Garret as the vehicles crossed the gap between the train line and the nearest buildings before stopping briefly to regroup.
Peeking over the top of the Titan, Spider-Man spotted Objective Tango, an office building that towered over the low roofed warehouses, distinguished by the shattered remains of a radar and radio array on the rooftop. It was a large, solidly constructed building, and Sable International guessed it housed some sort of command and control, while also being near the base perimeter, making it the objective for the small force would seize before the rest of the Sable forces arrived.
Unexpected movement on the warehouse rooftops drew the Wallcrawler's eye, the lenses on mask narrowing as he tried to discern what was lurking atop the dimly lit building. One of the lurking figures stood and slung a shape Spider-Man instantly recognized onto his shoulder. "Rocket launcher!" he warned, flipping up to stand atop BT's roof right before there was a flash in the darkness.
Spider-Man tracked the projectile flying towards him and tensed, ready to react when the Titan spun around, arm up and blue light swirling out of the palm of its hand that caught the rocket. "Contact! Infantry on the rooftops!" called Cooper over the comms as the Sable Platoon came to life, unleashing a barrage of laser bolts up at the rooftops from the vehicle mounted Tri-Barrels. The HYDRA guards unleashed more rockets on the disorganized Sable platoon, and Spider-Man leapt off the Titan, firing a webline at one of the incoming rockets, snatching it out of the air and spinning around to fling it off into the desert and firing another webline at the edge of the roof and diving down to the ground. At the bottom of his swing, the Webhead took a few long strides until he leapt up on a Sable vehicle and looped back up into the air. Letting go of his line, Spidey flung himself up, flipping around and looking down on the group of HYDRA soldiers when he saw the flash of another rocket firing.
This time, when the Webslinger fired a webline at this second rock and slung it around, slamming the explosive into the roof and sending the guards flying before the Wallcrawler landed atop the warehouse. "Call me the Rocket Man," he quipped, unleashing a barrage of webs to pin one HYDRA trooper down.
"It's Spider-Man!" shouted a voice behind the Webslinger before he felt a buzz and dodged away from the stream of bullets that cut through the air.
"Weren't you listening?" Spidey shouted after the gunfire faded. Firing a webline, he yanked the rifle from the goon's hands and tossed it away before firing another webline at the trooper and zipping to him and flipping up and over the HYDRA man. "I said, 'Call me the Rocket Man!'" he repeated before launching an uppercut into the trooper and sending him up into the air, firing another pair of weblines and spinning to hurl the man into one of his fellow HYDRA lackies before more webs pinned them both.
The last pair of HYDRA troopers took aim at Spider-Man, and the hero's sixth sense rang loudly in Peter's mind as he was forced to sprint and dodge away as shots came in until slung out a trip mine that stuck to the chest of one. "Que?" exclaimed one of the HYDRA goons in the darkness as he looked down at the blinking blue light coming from the gadget as he turned to his friend and the laser flashed, activating the trip mine and sending a webline to the other goon before pulling both men together and exploding in another burst of webs that bound both. Firing another pair of weblines at the men's feet and yanking hard, Spider-Man caused the entire bundle to topple over and stick to the roof.
Taking a quick look around and relaxing as his Spidey Sense dimmed, the Webhead pressed a finger to his ear, "Roof's clear!"
"Good work, Rocket Man," drawled Cooper, "We're moving out, scout ahead."
Moving to the edge, the Webslinger watched the armored vehicles start to trundle forward, forming a column that advanced directly towards Tango. "What have I gotten myself into?" he wondered aloud before firing a webline and swinging to the next rooftop, running along it while he heard what sounded like thunder rolling in the distance, complete with flashes in the night, but the light didn't come from the sky, but the ground as big cannons traded shots outside the base.
But the Wallcrawler could hear the clattering of tracks and rumble of diesel engines of the Sable column below echo off the warehouses with even greater clarity, pulling his attention back to the immediate area. A sour feeling pooled in his gut, even if Spider-Man's sixth sense remained quiet as he veered off to a hole that had been punched in the roof by some munition and peered inside, wondering what had been stored. All he saw, however, was an empty space, "Was there ever anything in there?" wondered the Webhead, "Or has it already gone somewhere?"
"Contact front!" announced Garrett over the radio, causing Spider-Man to whip around and rush back to the edge of the building, "Enemy UGVs, light 'em up!" The rhythmic report of the big autocannon on Reveille hammered at Peter's ears as it's muzzle flash lit up the column, big yellow tracers streaking down the corridor and striking the vehicles Peter saw at the far end. They were the too small four wheeled vehicles with gun turrets that had been seen by the Sable reconnaissance drones, and they were now shooting back.
One, hit by the opening shots from Garrett's CV9035, exploded spectacularly, but more quickly appeared, the HYDRA drones shooting back with their own guns and missiles. Peter watched as the Sable vehicles' Active Protection Systems swatted down the incoming munitions while the vehicles themselves continued to unleash their own weapons as they advanced. The Webhead looked for an opening to help, but when the blast of a Griffin tank gun hit him with enough force that he reflexively stepped back, he was given pause.
A buzzing from his sixth sense caused Spider-Man to turn back and retrace his steps, moving swiftly back to the hole he had looked through earlier, the buzz only growing stronger the further he went. Looking inside the warehouse, Peter now saw movement, a trio of the unmanned wheeled drones entering from the far side, moving to flank the Sable International vehicles. Firing a webline at the jagged roof edge, the Webslinger dropped down through the hole and swung towards the three UGVs.
Firing weblines at the girders bracing the roof, Spider-Man felt more at home as he bore down on the black and green painted ground drones, illuminated by the intermittent fluorescent lighting that dotted the warehouse. Letting go of his line and backflipping through the air, the Webslinger fell towards the trailing UGV, landing atop the small turret and forced to cling on as it whipped around until the right moment, he bent at the core to throw his legs up and get his footing. Grabbing hold one of the main sensor arrays on the turret, the superhuman pulled until he felt the metal sheer and tossed the entire assembly away in a casual motion before a buzz at the base of his skull caused him to leap skywards.
A machine gun mounted atop the turret cut loose, the chatter of its fire hammering on the Webhead's ears as he fired a webline at the gun and pulled hard as he flipped, ripping the gun from its mount and whipping it around as he came back down on the vehicle, slinging the bulk of the weapon into the UGV's running gear and jamming it up as it crushed its own machine gun. Crawling down to the hull, Spider-Man grabbed hold of a panel on the front glacis plate and pulled until the bolts stripped and he peeled the aluminum armor like a banana and was about to reach inside when his sixth sense buzzed.
As the UGVs turret swung around, the Wallcrawler sprang up and grabbed hold of the gun barrel and let his momentum carry him through a loop before he came down and kicked his feet out. Just as he let go, the chatter of a machine gun echoed through the warehouse and the Webhead saw the stream of bullets fly into the vehicle he had just been on, sparks and fire erupting from the panel Spidey had pulled open.
Flipping over, Spider-Man's danger sense buzzed again as he looked to the third UGV just as there was a flash from a missile motor igniting, the weapon leaping from its tube and flying straight into the webline the Webslinger fired. Spinning in mid-air, the guided missile was redirected to boomerang back at the launching vehicle, exploding against the thin armor and setting off the vehicles remaining ammunition. As the rippling blasts echoed through the warehouse, the Webslinger flipped around and fired a pair of webs at the back of the vehicle, pulling himself towards it as the gun trained on him.
Just when his sixth sense buzzed frantically, Spider-Man fell back and slid across the concrete floor, under the hull of the UGV before flipping up on the front and fighting to get purchase as the machine accelerated violently. The Webslinger clung to the cold metal as the UGV slammed through the warehouse side door, bursting into an alleyway and whipped around with ferocious acceleration all the while Spider-Man tried to clamber atop the vehicle, but his muscles were straining just to stay stuck fast to the hull.
The gun turret swung around overhead and the cannon cut loose again, firing a stream of shells that caused Spider-Man to crane his head around to look at their target, eye lenses widening at the sight of BT-7274 facing off with the UGV, hand extended with the glowing blue 'Vortex Shield' swirling the entire barrage of cannon shells that had been fired at the Titan. "Spi… Rocket-Man, get clear," called Cooper over the comm, and the Webhead didn't need his danger sense to tell him what was coming.
As soon as he'd leapt clear, the Webslinger loosed a webline at the warehouse to swing towards the Titan while the UGV's own shells were sent flying the other way, destroying the HYDRA drone in spectacular fashion. Landing atop the Titan, Spider-Man looked around and saw that the base was littered with the smoldering wrecks of dozens of the HYDRA vehicles, which seemed to have come at the Sable troops in small groups from every direction and were destroyed in droves. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who was busy," commented Peter as the Titan carried him through the swath of destruction the Sable International force had left in its wake.
"We're not through yet," responded the Marauder as the Titan rounded a corner and rejoined the other Sable vehicles. The sole Griffin Main Battle Tank trundled around a corner and fired its main cannon, the shockwave throwing up sand and dust before the armored vehicle rolled back around the corner with clattering tracks. Before Peter could comment, he saw a flash come from the looming form of Objective Tango as a missile slammed into the spot the tank had just vacated. Cooper then asked, "Where'd that one come from, Cat?"
On cue, the smooth purr of the cat burglar cut into the comm, "Same two spots, Cowboy. 2nd floor, west side and 3rd floor, east side."
"Copy that Cat," answered the Marauder before BT's hatch opened and the Pilot emerged onto the machine's four fingered metal hand. "We need to take those launchers out, BT's going to throw us over." Before Peter could argue, the Titan shifted under him, turning to line up with their objective and drawing the hand that held the Pilot back. "See you on the other side, pal," said Cooper, "Yippy ki yay!"
The 40 ton Titan shuffled forward and heaved the pilot into the air before quickly returning to its previous position, Spider-Man slididng down into the waiting palm. "You ever mess one of these up, BT?" asked he Webhead.
Spinning, the singular blue eye at the center of the machine looked down at him and blinked in time with the Titan's warbling monotone. "Analysis indicates you have greater resistance to injury and enhanced healing properties compared to the Pilot. Probability you will be seriously injured is 4.73%," answered the machine, "Trust me."
Before Peter could retort with a joke about how much it would still hurt, the Titan moved with surprising grace before Spider-Man was hurled skyward like a shotput, but he put his arms back so he flew like a dart towards the building, even as a constant barrage of bullets, punctuated by the occasional rocket, poured from its windows. There was a flash of blue from the Marauder's jump kit ahead of him, propelling the Pilot along the building's wall as he went right and into a third-floor window.
When the Webslinger began to lose altitude, he fired a webline at the building, swinging left through the outgoing fire and flipping off his line before firing a second and zipping to an open second floor window. Flipping around, Spider-Man plunged feet first through the window, shattering the glass and rolling across the floor, handspringing up towards one of the HYDRA goons inside the open room to deliver a roundhouse kick that sent him slamming against the far wall.
Spider-Man stuck clung to the wall, looking at the HYDRA soldiers serving the missile launcher mounted a top a tripod in the window. Eye lenses narrowing, he sprayed a blast of webbing at the goon on the floor below before leaping off the wall as a burst of gunfire rang out, bullets stitching across the plaster as he extended and arm, fingers sticking to the ceiling while he swung forwards. Thrusting both feet forward, the Wallcrawler planted a powerful kick in the first soldier's chest that sent him flying back into the missile launcher, toppling it over.
Sixth sense buzzing furiously, the Webslinger flipped out of the way of a burst of gunfire, "Guns are dangerous," he quipped, firing a webline at the trooper's weapon, "You shouldn't play with them." With a flick of his wrist, the Superhero wrested the gun from his foe's hands and slung it into the other remaining trooper's chest, staggering him. While the newly disarmed HYDRA goon tried to recover, Spider-Man dashed forwards and unleashed a powerful uppercut into his ribcage, launching the HYDRA trooper into the ceiling, the Webhead following up with a salvo of web blasts that left him hanging from the surface in his synthetic silk cocoon.
Whipping around and firing a webline at the last HYDRA goon, the Wallcrawler zipped to him, a wild punch stunning his foe. Before he could follow up, the sound of the door bursting open behind him caused the Webhead to look back just long enough to see additional troopers burst through. Throwing a quick jab at the HYDRA man in front of him, the Wallcrawler ducked down and slid between his legs, coming up behind him and pulling a web bomb from his belt. Slamming the spherical gadget onto the HYDRA goons back before jumping up and delivering a spin kick to the trooper, sending him tumbling forwards into the newly arrived group where the web bomb's timer triggered the device. Synthetic silk exploded out, cocooning the entire group in white webbing that they futilely struggled to escape. Firing a line at the tube of the HYDRA missile launcher and yanking it from its mount, the Webslinger flung the weapon at the group, bowling all of the troopers over like so many pins.
Swinging over their webbed up forms and out into the hallway beyond, Spider-Man rushed around the corner and came to a stop when he saw who was coming towards him. "You get yours?" asked the Marauder through his helmet's voice filter, the Pilot all business.
"Yeah," answered the Webhead, "And took care of all the hired help. Hope HYDRA has good insurance."
The joke didn't get a response, with the Marauder instead putting a hand to the side of his helmet and keying his radio. "Marauder to Axe 3-1, missile teams down, you're clear to advance," informed the Titan Pilot.
"Copy that Marauder," answered Garret immediately, "Sit tight and lay low, cavalry's coming."
"Roger that, Marauder out," said Cooper before Spider-Man found himself looking at the pilot's x-shaped visor. "So…" began the Texan, swapping magazines to one wrapped in blue tape, less lethal ARC rounds, "Want to go find some trouble?"
"Will Cat be jealous?" asked Peter with a grin, hitting the buttons that ejected his mostly depleted webbing cartridges and cycled fresh ones into his wrist mounted webshooters.
"Nah," returned Cooper, the Pilot turning to head back to the stairs and start back up, "She's probably found some of her own trouble already." With a flare from his jump kit, the Pilot leapt up and bounced of the wall, ascending rapidly. The Webhead fired a webline and pulled himself up the central shaft until they both arrived at the top floor.
Flipping off his line and coming down on the landing, Spider-Man looked down at the HYDRA goon slumped down in the corner. "You work fast," he commented as he turned to look at the Pilot.
"Wasn't me," answered Cooper with a shake of his head. The Pilot lowered his rifle and walked up to the ajar door ahead of them and threw it open, revealing a security room full of computers and screens, and bent over the keyboard was a familiar cat burglar. "Just couldn't wait, could you, Darlin?" drawled the Pilot.
"I thought you liked it when I was eager?" purred back Felicia as she looked over her shoulder and smiled at them. "And I think you'll liked what I've found," she said, pointing at one of the screens.
Spider-Man and the Marauder made to get a closer look, and after they saw what the Black Cat had found, Cooper keyed his radio and spoke again. "Marauder to Silver Bird…."
Mary Jane was intently scrutinizing Silver Sable's face, watching as the Mercenary Monarch processed the update from the Marauder. The woman's cold blue eyes shifted from one screen to the other before her jaw clenched ever so slightly. "Marauder, I do not have the assets in place to assist…" she began.
"I wasn't asking," cut off Cooper, the flippant answer causing MJ to crack a smile she hoped went unnoticed.
"Let me finish," chastised the Symkarian, her accent thickening slightly. "I want to be sure you understand what you are going to do. Say it for me clearly, Major."
"Spider-Man, and I are going to take BT to that big concrete building 600 meters southeast of our twenty and secure HVT: Aurore Cassel," answered the Marauder.
Sablinova took a breath, "And what will you do should you find her?"
"Extract her, if we can," replied the Pilot, "If we can't, we'll form a perimeter, hunker down till y'all can get to us."
"You do understand I can not say when that will be, yes? It could take some time," hedged the Symkarian. Mary Jane could tell she was measuring her words, trying to crawl towards the inevitable.
There was a low chuckle coming from the speaker, "We brought plenty o' ammo" said Cooper in his Texas drawl.
Sablinvoa let out a long breath, and now the Bugle Editor didn't bother hiding her smirk, "I will send what aid I can. Good luck. Silver Bird, out," signed off the Symkarian Monarch before she began tapping at the radio controls. "You knew how that was going to go, no?" asked Sablinova suddenly, and MJ shook her head when she realized the question was directed at her.
"Yeah, kinda," admitted the redhead with a bob of her head. Watson then saw one of Sablinova's eyebrows rise, "You're telling me you didn't?"
"It was obvious, I suppose," conceded Sablinova before she pressed the button to transmit. "Claymore 2-1, this is Silver Bird, I have new tasking for you…."
Shaking the ground with each footstep his Titan took, Cooper pushed BT-7274 to a full sprint as he tore through the HYDRA base, relying on the feeds from the drone's overhead to avoid any roving enemy UGVs. Spider-Man swung alongside, keeping up ably with the gargantuan bounds of the 20 foot tall machine as the distance to the waypoint displayed on the HUD before the Pilot steadily ticked down. "Pilot," intoned BT over the comm link the pair shared, "Overhead reconnaissance is detecting multiple hostile UGVs in close proximity to our objective. I suggest you eliminate them."
"That's the plan, buddy," drawled Cooper, "Show me." A second later, red diamonds appeared on his screen, the lines dashed to denote he lacked line of sight to the targets they marked. "Spidey, let me go first, I'll clear the hole," called Cooper over the radio as he warmed up the Acolyte missiles snuggly nestled in their launcher pods.
"Got it Coop," answered the Wallcrawler between heavy breaths, "I'll try to find a way inside."
Nearing the corner, the Marauder didn't let up even though he knew what was waiting for him on the other side. It was for that very reason, in fact, the Pilot activated the thrusters to throw the Titan around the corner, just nearly scraping by the closest UGV. Instead of trying to bring the XO-16A2 chaingun to bear, Cooper merely lashed out with the Titan's colossal foot, giving the small drone a shunt as it fired a stream of bullets into one of the neighboring warehouses. Before the turret could turn back towards BT, the Titan's fist came crashing down, squashing the machine like a bug.
Looking up, Cooper saw the next UGV's rush around the corner right as the Titan's missile pods came up and an Acolyte missile streaked out of each, homing in on the UGV. One was swatted down by the HYDRA drone's Active Protection System, but the second detonated, its variable warhead set to create an Explosively Formed Penetrator that sliced through the UGV's thin armor and rendered the machine a smoking wreck. A second UGV raced around the corner, screeching to a halt as it fired a salvo of four missiles before retreating.
Cooper barely had time to bring up the Vortex Shield and defend himself from the incoming weapons, and failed to notice the other pair of UGVs coming around behind him until machine gun fire was chipping away at the Titan's own energy shield. Warning lights flashing in the cockpit, the Marauder snarled as he whipped around and sent the missiles he'd caught with the Vortex screaming towards the UGVs, catching one with the salvo and watching a fireball erupt from one of the drones. Not keen to let the other escape, Cooper sprayed it down with the chaingun, 20mm shells tearing into the running gear and immobilizing the UGV as the Titan's thrusters flared and the forty ton machine rocketed forwards, shields rippling from the bullets hitting its back from the missile firing drone behind him. With hydraulics straining, the HYDRA UGV in BT's hands went flying through the air and tumbled across the ground until it crashed into its companion and burst into flames that quickly spread to the other drone and began to consume both as ammunition cooked off.
"Hey, come around this way!" called Spider-Man, a marker appearing on the HUD on the left side of the fortified building. "Got a door, a big one, can BT open it?"
The Titan stomped around the corner, "You weren't kidding about the door," muttered Cooper as he saw the huge construction, easily tall enough to accommodate BT and twice as wide as the bulky Vanguard Class Titan. With a mix of moves on the control sticks and through the neural link he shared with his Titan, Cooper sent the Vangaurd's balled left fist into the heavy metal with all the might the hydraulics could muster, shaking the slab of steel but accomplishing precious little else. Snarling inside his helmet, the Texan stowed the Titan's XO-16 and attacked the door again, the second strike coming down on the seam between the two halves of the door, causing the gap to open up ever so slightly. Attacking this weakness, both of BT's hands dug into the metal, fingers slipping between the gap and slowly peeling the metal back, allowing the Titan's entire hands to gain purchase.
Neural feedback from the link allowed Cooper to feel the strain he was putting BT under, but the doors began to slowly open. Able to leverage the Titan's full forty ton mass, the doors opened more quickly, grinding all the way. The screech of metal on metal was suddenly replaced by the screech of the missile approach warning as Cooper looked to see the flash of rocket motors light up the interior of the vehicle bay on the other side of the doors. One missile slammed into BT, shattering the shields as the second one bored in, only for a white line of synthetic silk to snatch it out of the air and redirect it into the gate, bending it so it was jammed open enough that the Titan could squeeze through the gap and come up, chain gun at the ready as Spider-Man landed on the Titan's shoulder.
From the far side of the room, two machines emerged from behind the stacks of equipment and the reasoning for the doors was clear. Cooper was faced with a pair of bi-pedal walkers, standing on massive rectangular feet with stabilizing pads on either side connected to digitigrade legs with a pair of thick pin joints in each. Instead of supporting a humanoid torso-like construction, there was a big boxy turret swiveling on the 'hips' where the legs were pinned in. That turret looked well protected and sported an array of weapons, a pair of autocannons on the front, missile tubes on either side, and a minigun on a swiveling mount on top. "What the…" murmured Peter over their shared channel.
Cooper was less eloquent, "Holy shit, what the fuck are those?" blurted the Marauder as he raised his own chain gun and hosed down the pair of large Battle Walkers. Twenty millimeter HEIAP shells shattering and ricocheted off heavy armor as BT-7274 strafed left, getting behind a pillar just as the HYDRA machine's returned fire. Their heavy autocannons tore into the thick pillar as Cooper loaded a fresh drum into the XO-16 and Spider-Man jumped off, the hero swinging through the massive vehicle bay as more tracers chased after him and the Pilot weighed his options.
Selecting the Acolyte missiles and putting them into IR seeker mode, Cooper extended the launchers up and poked one around the corner, loosing four missiles at the Walkers. The instant after, Cooper hit the Titan's thrusters to propel BT out around the other side of the pillar, peppering the HYDRA machines with more chain gun fire as the missiles streaked in. There was a series of explosions as the HYRDA Walkers' APS swatted the missiles out of the air before they could find their mark and Cooper had to press his attack with the XO-16, shifting his fire down to the legs, trying to destroy the sturdy joints.
When alarms went off in Cooper's own cockpit warning of an enemy missile lock, the Marauder popped smoke and steered BT to the next pillar, pausing only long enough to load a fresh drum into the XO-16. More warnings flickered on the HUD as BT's mechanical monotone filled the cockpit, "Warning, hostile mechanized unit in close proximity."
Cooper's hands tightened around the controls, "Come on you dumb bastard, come and get me," he sneered inside his helmet, unable to help but let his lips take on a predatory curl as the first leg of the HYDRA Battle Walker came around the corner. The Marauder pressed the stick forward into a full sprint, rushing past the HYDRA mech before turning back as the Battle Walker's turret turned, but Cooper wasn't going to give him the chance. The Titan's shoulder lowered as the thrusters on the back of the Titan flared and the 40 ton machine slammed into the HYDRA Walker, knocking it off balance and pinning it against the pillar while he brought his XO-16 to bear, jamming the muzzle into the inside of a joint and unloading the belt until the leg faltered and the entire machine toppled over.
Both BT's missile pods and foot came out, with the foot coming down first, smashing the sensors and equipment atop the bulky turret, clearing the way for the Acolyte missiles that followed suit, blasting apart the top half of the Battle Walker in spectacular fashion. Turning to find the second Walker, Cooper saw Spider-Man make his move, a line of webbing latching onto the minigun atop the second HYDRA mech and yanking it off, the Webslinger moving in to wrap webbing around the thick mechanical legs as the turret turned to face the Marauder.
Cooper brought up the Vortex Shield, the defensive gadget absorbing the salvo of autocannon fire as BT bored down on the HYDRA mech. Just before the Vortex Shield was about to fail, the Marauder dropped the left arm and hurled the caught shells back into the leg of the Battle Walker, knocking it askew long enough for the Titan's thruster to carry BT close. The HYDRA Walker attempted to flee, but the webbing cacooning its legs slowed it enough for BT's balled metal fist to slam into the side of the turret and rip off the missile launcher, tossing the rubbish across the room.
Atop the staggering machine, Spider-Man coaxed the hatches open and fired a webline through each, yanking both crewmen out of the stricken Battle Walker and throwing them at a nearby pillar, followed by blasts of webbing to keep them there. As soon as the Wallcrawler was clear of the Walker, Cooper drove BT's fist through the front of the machine's turret, feeling the internals of the HYDRA mech as if hey were in his own hand, the Pilot crushed them in the Titan's grasp and drew BTs hand back, leaving the smoking Battle Walker to topple over.
"No additional hostiles detected," alerted BT, "To continue your search, I suggest you disembark, Pilot."
With a thought, Cooper caused the Titan to crouch down and open the hatch as the Pilot scooped up his rifle and jumped down. "I'll search this floor, Spidey, can you go up?" asked Cooper, looking up at his friend.
"Can do anything a spider can," answered Spider-Man chipperly as he waved down at the Marauder from beside an air vent high up the wall before disappearing inside.
"Good hunting pal," said Cooper as he reloaded a magazine of lethal ammunition before kicking open a door and plunged into the hallway, R-201 at the ready. Minutes and hallways blurred together as the Pilot's search dragged on, and with the first floor clear, he found a stairwell and quickly ascended to the second. Emerging onto the second floor, the Marauder saw a sign for 'security wing' and turned in that direction.
Even as he pressed on, Cooper saw no sign of any HYDRA troopers inside the halls and grew uneasy. That didn't stop the Pilot from activating his STIM, pushing himself to sprint faster until he leapt out around a corner and found himself in a lobby full of HYDRA troopers. The goons were equally surprised by the Pilot's sudden appearance, but Cooper was quicker to react, not by retreating, but sliding straight into the midst of the eight troopers. Pulling an Electric Smoke grenade from his belt, the Pilot thumbed the pin out and dropped the cylinder before clenching his left fist to activate the Phase Shift, ripping him between dimensions as the room, and all the HYDRA goons in it, were consumed by thick clouds of white that crackled with conducting arc energy.
Cooper returned from the Phase Shift to the scene of chaos unfolding in the room as HYDRA troopers tried to get clear of the smoke, with one blundering towards the Marauder, who raised his rifle and fired a burst, cutting him down before turning to a second one and squeezing off another burst to the same result. Jump kit flaring, the Pilot leapt up onto a nearby wall and displaced as gunfire cut through the smoke at his previous position, giving him a clear idea of where his remaining foes were. Leaping off the wall, Cooper spun and delivered a roundhouse kick to the nearest trooper, knocking him back into the smoke and watching as another string of gunfire lashed out from the other HYDRA troopers.
Drawing the kuni from his chest rig, the Marauder slung the Pulse Blade at the source of the gunfire, watching the orange wave emanating from the knife light up a trio of men. The Pilot's -201 came up and Cooper emptied the magazine, cutting two down as the smoke began to fade. With one HYDRA trooper left in the lobby, the Marauder charged him, jump kit spitting fire as he dropped down and slid along the floor, smoothly drawing the MK6 Smart Pistol from the holster on his chest and leveling the bulky handgun at the HYDRA man. When his HUD showed a pair of locks from the MK6, Cooper squeezed the trigger, the pistol bucking in his hand as the pair of guided slugs struck home and killed the Trooper.
Taking a quick count, Cooper realized that one HYDRA man was missing and quickly deduced which hallway he hadn't had eyes on during the firefight before setting off down it. He didn't get very far before he heard a distinctly feminine scream and the sounds of struggle. Coming around the corner, Cooper saw the last trooper with his hand dragging a slight, redheaded woman by the collar of the white jumpsuit she was wearing, his gun pressed to her head. "Drop it!" barked the goon in a heavy accent the Texan couldn't place. "Drop gun or I shoot her."
"Take it easy," snarled Cooper, contempt coming through the voice filter as he kept his gun low, the muzzle not pointed at the Trooper, but close enough for the Smart Pistol's sensors to begin locking on. "Just let her go," ordered the Marauder, watching as the gun got one lock, then two.
Cooper's finger curled around the trigger as the man pressed his gun Cassel's temple, causing her head to turn so the Pilot could see the tears in her eyes. "I kill her!" he screamed just as a third lock marker appeared on his head and the Pilot pulled the trigger.
Coughing three times, all three of the MK6s slugs steered themselves into the intended target, his head snapping back from each impact before he fell to the floor, the gun he held clattering down beside him. There was a cry from the woman, a scream, a whimper as she whipped around to look at the corpse of the HYDRA trooper before she looked back up at Cooper, the Pilot seeing the look of terror in her tired eyes.
"Aurore," said Cooper, seeing the Frenchwoman's eyes go wide as he took a step forward and extended a hand, "I'm here to get you out of here."
But the redhead scampered back from the Pilot, eyes still wide. So Cooper reached up and lifted his helmet up and off to reveal his face. "Aurore, look at me," he said, "Look at my face, remember me? From Colossus?"
Holding his breath, Cooper saw recognition in her eyes as a trembling hand came up and a finger pointed at him, "You, you were the one from the club."
Cooper nodded, slowly taking her hand in his, "Yeah, that was me," he said, slowly getting the woman to her feet, "Can you walk out of here?"
"Yes," she said with a nod, but her first step was shaky and she held up her shackled hands, "Can we find the key?"
Before the Pilot could answer, an explosion rocked the building and he moved to support Cassel as BT's voice emanated from the helmet the Marauder pulled back on. "…ected multiple explsioons throughout the building. I suggest you egress immediately."
"Copy that buddy, I've got our HVT, we're getting out," Cooper answered, wrapping an arm around Aurore and hauling her up, slinging her over his shoulder. "What the hell's going on?"
"Coop, I'm outside, it's not just this building, it's happening all across the base," said Spider-Man, tension in his voice as Cooper ran back towards the lobby. "HYDRA's trying to scuttle it!"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the elevator shaft the Pilot was running to exploded, and Cooper turned away to shield Cassel from the debris pelting his side, wincing as he felt concrete chips slice through his arm. Dust filled the air, Aurore starting to cough as there was another crash, and Matthew realized that, with the load bearing columns destroyed, the whole building was starting to come down. Turning back the other way, Cooper activated his STIM and ran as fast as he could towards the far edge of the building, making just one turn and making a beeline to the first window he saw, emptying the remainder of his MK6 magazine into it. With the glass spiderwebbed, the Marauder through all of his weight into it, propelled further by the jump kit on his lower back, bursting through.
Cassel screamed as the pair fell from the high window, but Cooper saw what was waiting for them below. Knowing what was coming didn't prevent him from wincing from the impact with the unforgiving metal hand of BT-7274. The Titan took off, each massive stride rattling Cooper's teeth as he carried Cooper and Cassel from the collapsing building, getting clear of the falling rubble.
Through the smoke and dust, Cooper could hear the clattering of tank tracks and looked up the street to see tanks materialize through the haze. Before Matthew could discern their make, his radio crackled to life. "Marauder, this is Claymore 2-1, I don't suppose you left any for us, did ya?"
BT's warbling voice came through the comm, blue eye blinking in time, "I detect no additional HYDRA forces in the immediate vicinity, Pilot."
Unable to suppress a low chuckle, Cooper answered the query, "That'd be a big negative Claymore 2-1. Go find your own. Marauder out."
Cooper's Logbook - Vehicles: M142 HIMARS
The HIgh Mobility Artillery Rocket System is what happens when the kind of thinking that creates the image of Toyota Hiluxes fitted with ZSU anti-aircraft guns and S-8 rocket launchers the budget and technical know how inherent to any project undertaken by the US Military Industrial Complex. Remarkably simple in concept, the HIMARS is a Medium Tactical Vehicle fitted with a single pod holding either six Guided Multiple Launch Rockets or a single ATACMS missile taken from the M270 MLRS.
It fills the need for a rocket artillery battery that can be airlifted by C-130 or similar, while still providing the range and striking power advantage that rocket artillery offers over traditional tube artillery. In most typical militaries, they are a divisional or corps level asset, but Sable International splurged to give her air mobile battalions a disproportionate level of firepower when faced with overwhelming odds, and to make up for the lack of tube artillery.
The weapons have been given the appropriate moniker of 'Hammer' by the troops that have seen them tested, unleashing a volley of rockets in the span of a few seconds, each one carrying over 500 submunitions of the advanced M85 variety with advanced electro-mechanical self destructing fuses to prevent collateral damage from duds. That totals to over 3000 life, limb, and armored vehicle threatening DPICM warheads arriving on time and on target in under 30 seconds, per HIMARS launch vehicle.
There's no kill like overkill.
Closing Notes: Alright, that was a long delay to get to this point, but that is the big finale of this first story arc, next to come is the wrap up before transitioning to the second one, even though I said I wouldn't do a second one. If anyone was wondering, the UGV drones that the Hannibals engaged in the previous chapter and Spidey here are based heavily upon the Behemoth from Ghost Recon: Breakpoint while the Walker that Cooper and BT take on is the EU's L5 Reisig Battle Walker from Battlefield 2142. These definitely won't appear later...
What is up next is some more character stuff, mostly, and a bit of Miles, who I didn't completely forget about. If you have something to say about that, or anything in this chapter, leave a review.
Otherwise, Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.