Chapter 248: (Hesstla) (2/2)

”My display's showing red and yellow on all my armor,” he paused for a second. ”Sir, are we going to die?” It was getting hard to breathe, like an iron band was tightening around his chest.

The Major sighed. ”I don't know, kid,” the Major cut his link as he started coughing again.

Kelvak felt like it was easy for the Major to say. He was Terran. If he got killed, he'd just get downloaded into a new body and could keep going. Kelvak didn't have that choice, didn't have that option. He had one life, and he was roughly a third of the way through it already at nineteen.

He refused to cry. Refused to snuffle like a podling. He stared through his cracked and starred visor as more Hesstlan ran through the park, running right by him, in between the Major's massive warmech and Kelvak's scout armor. They ran around the heavy equipment boxes that kept taunting Kelvak by showing their contents but refusing to respond to anything else.

More and more Hesstlan began moving through the park until it was a steady river of them. Move than a few moved by close enough that they kicked him, although he could barely feel it.

”Sir?” Kelvak tried. There was a sudden feeling of pressure release in his chest and he groaned out loud. ”Sir?”

He got no answer.

Kelvak laid their, helpless as a spluttering roaring sound started. The crowd screamed and began trying to run every which way. Blocky, crude looking flying machines swooped in, thrusters on the bottom of the craft spitting and spluttering, glass globes on the top with wires and rods sticking out. He saw they grab a few of the Hesstlan, pulling them into the air for a moment before the body jerked a few times, went limp, and was dropped. The glass globe would light up, then glow blue, and the machine would swoop in on another victim.

The Hesstlan were panicking, screaming and wailing. He got kneed in the face and his faceplate cracked more. Another Hesstlan grabbed something that Kelvak couldn't see, but that made his guts erupt in fiery pain, so that they could climb over the top of the downed power armor troop.

The machines swooped away, but the crowd was still screaming and going every which way.

Five times more the crowd, still moving across the park, was attacked by the fliers. Every time the crowd panicked, trying to scatter, hemmed in by the sheer amount of bodies.

It started to get dark. The crowd was down to just plodding along.

”You there, kid?” the Major asked suddnly, jerking Kelvak out of a half doze. He was breathing fast, a wheezing whistle in his voice.

”I'm here, sir,” Kelvak said. He coughed for a moment and the tight band released his chest.

”How long was I out?” The Major asked.

Kelvak checked the chrono and saw that part of his faceplate was damaged. ”I don't know, sir, my chron display is damaged.”

”Anything,” the signal cut out. When it came back on, the Major was breathing heavy. ”Anything important happen while I was out?”

”The locals started going by,” Kelvak said. He coughed. ”The enemy's got hovercraft, they keep attacking the crowd then leaving.”

”Oh,” the human coughed.

They were both silent as the crowd slowly thinned, slowed to a trickle, then the park was clear. The night was lit up by distant explosions, streaks and explosions in the sky, and the sounds of combat could be heard echoing through the empty streets.

”Not sure if that's good or bad, kid,” the human coughed.

”What?” Kelvak asked, jerking his head and thumping his head inside his helmet. The pressure sleeve had completely deflated.

”Either the civvies are all dead, or we managed to hold the clankers closer to the edge of the city,” the Major coughed. ”Good if we held them, bad if they're all dead.”

They were silent for a bit, the only sound was the breathing of the two wounded men.

”Hey, kid, do you see that?” the Major asked.

”See what?” Kelvak asked, blinking rapidly to clear his blurry vision.

”That. In between us. Do you see it?” the Major's voice was stressed.

”I don't see anything,” Kelvak said. He tabbed up a piece of stimgum, then chinned the control to open his faceplate.

The night air was cool and tasted sweet to Kelvak even though it was full of the taste of burnt meat, scorched lubricants, carbonized metal, and heavy ash. He could hear the sounds of combat, but far away.

Layered over everything, in the dimness, was the sound of screaming from all around them, of millions of terrified beings howling in terror and pain.

”Kid, close your faceplate, it sees you,” the Major snapped.

Kelvak blinked rapidly. He still couldn't see anything.

”Kid, it's getting closer, close your faceplate,” the Major shouted. ”Kid! Kid!”

Kelvak chinned the button again and his faceplate slid back into place, one of the cracks lengthening.

”You can't see him?” the Major asked.

”No, I don't see anything,” Kelvak said. ”What is it?”

”I have no idea,” the Major admitted. ”It's, three meters, maybe a bit more, tall. It's wearing some kind of glittering robe, rippling iridescence. Two arms, long fingers, six fingers per hand. Pointed head, tentacles on the lower third. Three big all white eyes. It's dark purple, shiny, like its slimy. It's just floating in mid-air above a bluish disc that kind of looks like a graviton disc.”

Kelvak squinted. ”I don't see anything.”

”It's touching on you. Hold still,” the Major said. ”Turn off your com.”

Kelvak turned off his comlink using his neural jack. It took twice, the first time the 'muscle' not flexing. He saw his arm get lifted up in front of him, but still couldn't see or feel anything. His hand was moved up and down, then whatever had him bent his elbow back and forth, then waved his arm up and down before dropping it.

A moment passed then the massive warmech lifted up, hanging limply in midair. It was flipped over and dropped back on the ground.

Kelvak couldn't see what was doing it.

KID. STAY. SILENT. floated up on his cracked and damaged faceplate from the command channel.

The cockpit on the massive warmech suddenly began to tear open, the warsteel armor bending back like cheap plas. Metal equipment ripped away, thrown away, and then suddenly the Terran appeared, held up in mid-air.

Kelvak could see that the Terran was wearing a pilot's cooling suit, that as he was pulled from the mech loops of his intestine spilled out. Still, the Terran reached forward, grabbing at something only he could see.

THFWOOP!

The Terran jerked, the sound was more in Kelvak's head than anything else. The Terran swung a fist, is other arm moving as if he was slapping something aside.

THFWOOP!

The Major jerked again as the sound hit. The Terran swung his fist, thick purple fluid suddenly coating his hand. Kelvak could see the Terran's eyes were bright red.

The Terran was suddenly yanked spread eagled. He tore in half, the lower body falling back into the cockpit of the warmech. He struggled, then his arm tore off, then the other.

The body was dropped into the warmech.

Kelvak sudden felt very very lonely.