Half an hour later, I smashed my Nanothorn Kukri into a roaring Grizzeloid. GRIZZELOID WARRIOR -2000 HP! GRIZZELOID WARRIOR IS DEFEATED! +750 XP! “All clear!” “Clear this side!” barked Daisy. “Clear to the right!” corrected Tucker. “Not ‘this side’!” “Left?” I asked. “Clear to the left,” came the clipped tones of Captain Grey, Royal Queensland Infantry. “My men have the Shield Tower in sight.” “Steady,” ordered Pemberley. “Fireteams 16, 22, 43, blow up that tower.” Heavy rockets streaked towards the enemy position. The Shield Tower exploded, spectacularly. “Shields down.” “Fireteams 14, 36, 37, first AA gun. Fireteams 29, 38, second AA gun.” More rockets streaked in, and the two alien weapons shattered under the force of the blasts. “Airstrikes inbound on the last Carnotaur.” “About time,” Agni muttered. “Do they want us to handhold them any more?” “Hey,” snapped Pemberley. “You didn’t lose anyone today. Not all of us were that lucky.” “Everyone calm down,” I interrupted. “Let’s save it for the Hierarchy.” : You okay? That was bloody work. : I know. I lost count of how many aliens I’ve killed. : 142 Raptor Guards and 36 Grizzeloids. : You kept count? : Infinite multitasking. And I got a few, too. About thirty Raptors, all via Nanospikes. : That’s really good. We have to check your level once we get time. : Actually, I only get about ten per cent the XP you do. : What? Why? : No idea. But I get ten percent of your XP, too, so it works out. : They’re hitting the Carnotaur with everything they have… huh. Not working as well as expected. : Might be a good time to lend a hand. I sighed. “All right, let’s move onward. The Carnotaur’s apparently not dead from airstikes, so we get to add the finishing blows.” “Oh man,” groaned Tucker. “And I was looking forward to getting a beer.” “You can join me for a pint after,” Winford said. “There’s this place called the Wellington Arms which’ll grow hair on your chest.” “British beers?” The German non-com beside Winford scoffed. “Weak, lightly flavoured water. Come to Stuttgart sometime and I’ll show you real beer.” “Fine, whoever offs the most aliens between now and then drinks for free.” “Can a merc join this contest of yours?” came Donna Bartoli’s voice. The German doffed his cap. “Fraulein is welcome.” “Let’s make it a unit contest,” joked Winford. “Brits, Germans, Americans and Phoenixes, whoever offs the most picks the pub, whoever finishes last pays the tab.” “Are ultras allowed?” inquired Shamrock. The three soldiers made a face. I sighed. “Shamrock, ultras have an unfair advantage in contests like these.” “Hey, I don’t have a massive battlesuit like you, I just have flaming potatoes. And I like to drink.” “How about Belessar brews you a special beer,” volunteered Anne. Several dozen eyes turned to me. “You brew?” asked Tucker. “You never told us.” “Maybe we can discuss that after killing the next Carnotaur?” “Yes,” Pemberley’s tone was frosty. “Let’s concentrate on the battle going on right now, shall we?” The infantrymen grinned sheepishly and fell into formation. “What’s happening with the Carnotaur now?” I asked Pemberley. “The thing’s smart. Too smart. They’re going to take a while to wear it down, so the Gamma-ray bomb would help. Or a few Hellfire missiles at close range, or - er - your friend’s unique skill.” “You mean Agni’s ability to make Carnotaurs go up in a big ball of flame.” “Yes.” A quick march later, we could see the Carnotaur. Unlike the remaining battlefields we’d fought on, Richmond Park was chaos. Ultras were slashing at the kaiju as it danced around the battlefield. Burning tanks and bleeding ultras littered the grounds. The reason for the difficulty faced by the soldiers was - unfortunately - only too clear. Around the Carnotaur, hundreds of tiny figures dodged and ducked, shooting back at the attacking human forces. Raptors. Lynxians. Sarnak. Grizzeloids. : I count seventeen thousand alien troops. : Where did they come from? : They’ve been filtering in from all parts of the city. Rallying to the last Carnotaur. Pemberley spoke up. “This is the last hard knot of alien resistance. Cut through it, and we’re down to a manageable fight.” “Any orders from Windsor or Curry?” “Windsor says to use your discretion.” “Our discretion?” “Yours. He said he’ll back you, whatever you choose.” I stared at the scene for a moment. Plasma flying everywhere, aliens and humans exchanging fire, ash and flame everywhere… Deep breaths. “Shamrock. On my mark, I want flaming potatoes everywhere.” “Right.” “Chequers. At the right moment, hit the Carnotaur with the shield disrupter. Vorsai, Unity - you’re close defence, break anything that approaches us.” I turned to the men and women behind me. “Ranged forces. Hunker down behind cover, and on my mark, open fire on the aliens.” Hundreds of nods. “Chequers. I need to know a two-second window when the Carnotaur will be relatively still.” “Understood.” “Agni. A wall of fire between us and the aliens, surround them and sweep inward. Leave a channel for the ultras in contact to fall back. Nanocloud - when I say, letters in the sky. Warn the others to fall back.” “What’re you going to do?” asked my sister. “I’m going to end this, and quickly. Samuel. When Chequers commands, give me a portal thirty-five metres above the Carnotaur.” DEATH FROM ABOVE: SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED! LESSER CARNOTAUR -693,059 HP! Streaking downwards thirty-five metres, propelled by Afterburner on a Medium Power Pack, takes one-and-a-half seconds. Knowing that you’re smashing into a massive, sixty-foot tall beast with the force of a falling comet makes those seconds stretch out. Then you’re plunging through tissue and capillaries, ripping a path of destruction through the creature’s body like a malignant tumour. Unfortunately, sometimes you don’t plunge all the way through. I could hear the squelch as the Greyhound Armor stuck in the Carnotaur’s torso. No matter. I wrenched out the Nanothorn Kukri and began to cut my way out. Too slow. ACID ATTACK! -50 ARMOR / SECOND. ARMOR: 4750/5000. Great, I was being digested by the Carnotaur’s stomach acids… DEADLY BLOW! LESSER CARNOTAUR -10,000 HP! CONDITION INFLICTED: BLEEDING STOMACH! THE LESSER CARNOTAUR’S STOMACH CAVITY HAS BEEN CUT OPEN! I burst out of the creature’s chest cavity like a certain horror franchise monster. TITLE GAINED: CHEST BURSTER! 50-500% INCREASED CHANCE TO BREACH AND ENTER ENEMY COMBATANTS LARGER THAN YOU. WRECK THEM INTERNALLY AND EXIT FOR A 400% BONUS TO INTERNAL DAMAGE. I hit the ground rolling, a mess of alien fluids coating my armor. A roar of pain sounded behind me. Evade Blows moved my body out of the way just in time, as the Carnotaur’s claw smashed the ground behind me. SNAPSHOT EXECUTED. The HEPAR swung into my hands, its launcher function active and targeting the Carnotaur’s stomach cavity, as I launched the Gamma Ray Bomb into its body. The world went white. GAMMA RAY BOMB FALLOUT CONTAINMENT FAILURE. HEAVY GAMMA RADIATION DETECTED. ACTIVATING SELF-HARM RESTRAINT PROTOCOLS. GAMMA RADIATION DIVERTED FROM ARMOR. LESSER CARNOTAUR -1,270,332 HP. LESSER CARNOTAUR DEFEATED! +25,000 XP. AREA EFFECT: GAMMA RADIATION BURST. +4000 DAMAGE WITHIN 10 METRES. +1000 DAMAGE WITHIN 20 METRES. +250 DAMAGE WITHIN 40 METRES. +60 DAMAGE WITHIN 80 METRES. +15 DAMAGE WITHIN 160 METRES. +4 DAMAGE WITHIN 320 METRES. +1 DAMAGE WITHIN 640 METRES. 4,736 RAPTOR GUARDS DEFEATED. 332 SARNAK TROOPERS DEFEATED. 33 GRIZZELOID WARRIORS DEFEATED. 3 SARNAK SERGEANTS DEFEATED. 18,647 RAPTOR GUARDS SUFFERED SEVERE RADIATION BURNS. 6,978 SARNAK TROOPERS SUFFERED SEVERE RADIATION BURNS. 187 GRIZZELOID WARRIORS SUFFERED SEVERE RADIATION BURNS. 48 SARNAK SERGEANTS SUFFERED SEVERE RADIATION BURNS. ALLIED FACTION INJURIES: 14 ALLIES SUFFERED SEVERE RADIATION BURNS. 2,625 ALLIES SUFFERED MINOR RADIATION BURNS. 46,332 ALLIES SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. -140 ETHICS FROM SEVERELY INJURING YOUR ALLIES BY ACCIDENT. … I hadn’t anticipated THAT. : Andrew! Are you okay? : I’m fine. The gamma radiation didn’t hurt me. : Well it scrambled a chunk of my nanobots… I’m bringing up more but you need to get out of there, fast. The aliens are rallying... : I’ll try to cut my way out of here. : Hold on… Agni says stay put. : … I can guess why. Flames erupted across the field. The surviving alien troopers, already brutalized by gamma radiation, found themselves caught in the inferno. The firestorm swept past them in seconds, carbonizing the Hierarchy’s finest troops. And in the centre of the blaze, I stood unharmed. Agni’s control of fire was terrifying - and magnificent. Black smoke billowed into the sky, as the aliens crumbled into ash. Ten seconds. Fifteen. Twenty. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the flames snuffed out. Ashes surrounded me. Ashes and carbonized bodies. All dead and gone. 18,647 RAPTOR GUARDS DEFEATED BY ALLY. 6,978 SARNAK TROOPERS DEFEATED BY ALLY.. 187 GRIZZELOID WARRIORS DEFEATED BY ALLY. 48 SARNAK SERGEANTS DEFEATED BY ALLY. WARNING: YOU HAVE ACCIDENTALLY INFLICTED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE UPON YOUR ALLIES. YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO HEAL AND CURE YOUR INJURED ALLIES FROM THEIR CONDITION, OR FACE A -1 ETHICS PENALTY FOR EACH CASE OF MINOR BURNS AND ADDITIONAL -5 ETHICS FOR EACH CASE OF MAJOR BURNS. NEW QUEST ALERT: ATONEMENT. CURE 14 ALLIES OF MAJOR RADIATION BURNS, AND 2,625 OF MINOR RADIATION BURNS. REWARDS: +10,000 XP FOR COMPLETION, +1 XP FOR EACH PERSON CURED. PENALTY: -1 TO -5 ETHICS FOR EACH PERSON NOT CURED, CONDITION INFLICTED: LAWSUITS. : Andrew! Are you okay? The acid had eaten away at my armor a bit, and the heat hadn’t helped, but the Greyhound Armor had survived … largely undamaged. : I’m okay. I can come back now… : No, don’t! Agni says the ground is still hot. You’ll burn yourself… There’s a lot of people here who’re bleeding or sick. : We didn’t know about the full effect of the gamma ray burst. Give me a few minutes and I’ll run Cure by them. : I’ll check. Windsor’s radioing in, saying that with the Carnotaurs gone he can redeploy the troops to hit the surviving Raptor and Sarnak pockets…. It’s going to take a while, but I think we’ve turned the corner. : By the way… did you level up? I’m getting some funny messages. I suppressed a grin. : I might have. TOTAL XP GAINED: +13,364,700. HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED: TWO MAN ARMY. YOU AND YOUR ALLY DEFEATED MORE THAN 30,000 ENEMIES WITHIN 60 SECONDS. IMPRESSIVE. A FITTING REWARD IS IN ORDER. +300,000 XP BONUS. +10 TO ALL ATTRIBUTES. SKILL EXPLOSIVES UPGRADES TO LEVEL 15. NEW BLUEPRINTS UNLOCKED. LEVEL UP X 22. YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 46.