《Weapons Don't Have Names》Chapter 4
Advertisement
Planet Hephaestus. Stratos City.
The trip to Stratos City was almost luxurious; the replicants settled comfortably in the back of a truck loaded with empty CO2 scrubber boxes. They got into the truck bed by jumping off a convenient cliff overhanging a sharp turn in the road. All drivers - both living and robotic - would slow down here to avoid flying into oncoming traffic.
When the truck started braking on a straight stretch of the road, Chimbick peered out carefully. "Oh hell," he whispered. "Checkpoint."
Blaze leapt up and readied his carbine. The sergeant raised his hand in a calming gesture.
"Don't. Only if they see us."
There turned out to be no reason to worry though - the soldiers didn't even leave the sentry box. One of them waved at the driver to pass and continued talking to his squad mate. To add insult to injury, those sad excuses for warriors just leaned their weapons against a wall causally.
"Idiots," Blaze summarized the situation.
The sergeant snorted.
"No, brother, these aren't idiots. These are our passes into town. Follow me." He vaulted over the side before the truck had a chance to speed up.
Blaze jumped after him, stumbling forward a bit under the weight of his duffel bag.
"Are we taking them?" he asked.
"Yes."
The replicants moved off the road and began discussing the plan of attack. First they decided to hide the backpacks salvaged from the pod. Chimbick took only the agents' dog tags and the money bag, realizing that now these coins could make the mission easier. The hardest part would be figuring out the nuances of civilian life.
Backpacks hidden and stash booby trapped, the replicants activated the phototropic camo that turned them into a barely noticeable shimmer.
Advertisement
* * *
Sentries Quigley and Novak were enjoying life as much as it was possible while enlisted in Hephaesian Defense Force. The two friends ended up at a remote two-man station, a true gravy train as far as service went. All they had to do was sometimes walk into the road and check semis coming from the mines. Even if any inspectors decided to stick their noses in their business, usually some buddy on duty at the HQ would have time enough to warn them of the enemy approach, so both soldiers were relaxing like there's no tomorrow. The table was graced with a bottle of imported rum, a rarity in wartime, and a plate with some simple snacks. As an added pleasant bonus, Novak's collar was concealing a packet with "angel dust".
After a couple of shots, the buddies relaxed and moved on to stimulating conversation.
"I ain't slow, right?" Quigley was relaying a tale of his latest conquest. "So she starts complaining about her husband, like, he's an asshole, doesn't love me, doesn't pay attention, looks at me like I'm furniture... I'm like, thinking here, oh, you're gonna put out, honey. So I says, come to daddy, right, get my hands under her shirt... She's like..."
What she was like forever remained a mystery, since Quigley's speech was cut short by an abrupt opening of the door, as if it were kicked with a boot. Sentries leapt up, expecting to see a surprise inspection, but all they could detect was a wall of rain. Then a faint shimmering entered the door. The feckless warriors' brains, clouded with booze, were struggling to solve this phenomenon, and that moment of hesitation cost both their lives. With a crack of broken vertebrae, both militiamen fell to the floor.
"Just like "dummies", one of the shimmers snorted disdainfully and turned into an armor-clad replicant.
Advertisement
"Shut up, Blaze," the other shimmer was grouchy.
The sergeant turned off the stealth mode and rolled one of the corpses over.
"Move it," he hurried Blaze along and began unfastening a bullet proof vest on what used to be Quigley just a moment ago.
Blaze looked around, found a light switch and the room was plunged into darkness. That didn't, however, affect the replicants in their night vision helmets.
Uniforms were the reason why they decided to attack the hostiles unarmed, since otherwise an eleven millimeter rocket round would create a laundry problem for Blaze and Chimbick.
"Too big," Blaze noted with some consternation.
Local brick-red camo and light bullet proof vest looked baggy on a wiry replicant. At least the helmet and goggles fit.
Boots were the only part of replicants' own gear that they kept on. Their very noticeable Consortium armor and helmets were packed into an empty MRE crate.
"It will do." Chimbick waved Blaze off and continued fiddling with the looted harness.
Blaze remained sulkily silent. The sergeant understood and shared his mood - compared to the cutting edge Consortium gear, Hephaestian equipment looked rather lame.
Replicant battle armor included a body suit made from ballistic fiber, with muscle augmentation cables running along the limbs. The body suit would protect from aggressive environments, vacuum, shrapnel and some types of gun ammo.
Composite armor fit over the body suit.
A helmet, made from the same composite, was outfitted with a multitude of sensors and a tactical computer for automated battle command and control. It provided a 360 view, watched the tactical situation on the battlefield, monitored the solder himself and controlled a built-in doctor module.
The cherry on top was the phototropic camo feature that literally turned the wearer invisible.
This crowning jewel of technology was perfect at what it did and thus turned the replicants into deadliest and most dangerous soldiers in this part of the universe. But now they had to trade this thing of beauty for the pathetic Hephaestian militia gear.
The replicants booby-trapped the corpses, grabbed the MRE box and ran for the light patrol vehicle assigned to the post in case some miscreants needed to be chased. Chimbick jumped into the gunner's seat and Blaze took the driver's spot.
The LPV rolled on towards the city.
Advertisement
- In Serial128 Chapters
Shamrock Samurai
How many shotgun blasts does it take to kill a Banshee? Sean’s a martial arts enthusiast who just discovered his Luck magic. Will his new powers be enough to combat the slew of celtic monsters that cropped up to terrorize his city? He’ll unload a whole barrel of Luck on these paranormal pests, cruising in his ‘69 Fastback, slaying shades after dark. You’ll ride shotgun with Sean as he battles Banshees, clashes with Leprechauns, strives against Vampires, and defends his own against Celtic Demigods. There’s plenty of magic sword fights, shots fired, car chases, fisticuffs, and portal hopping while adventuring between the Bay Area and the mythical realm of Irish legend, Tir na nOg! ------------------------------------------------ I'm happy to offer this COMPLETE SAGA (6 arcs) here PERMAFREE (never in Kindle Unlimited). Imagine the intense action of JOHN WICK + the swords-n-guns slaying of DEVIL MAY CRY, and that had a baby with CELTIC MYTHOLOGY and some PORTAL HOPPING, add a pinch of INUYASHA's horrific monsters, a smattering of YUYU HAKUSHO angst, and that's Shamrock Samurai.*Contains portal hopping as a major element in each arc, but this story IS NOT Isekai (nothing against it personally. Want to make sure you know what you're getting into). Enjoy, and good luck ☘️! ------------------------------------------------ Readers say... “This series is kind of wild.”_David Simpson, author of the Zombie Road series. “Loved the plot twists and the action.” “I found the concept of magic/luck to be original and refreshing... PLENTY of action.” “Cool blend of geek culture and Gaelic mythology in a modern paranormal setting.” “Hang on till the end. There’s a wild twist I didn’t see coming.”
8 522 - In Serial785 Chapters
Oh My God! Earthlings are Insane!
Fifty years ago, Dragon City transmigrated to the Other World. Alone in the world, they lifted the banner of Earth’s civilization and fought against the terrifying forces of the Other World. And in the end, Dragon City was destroyed. Then, Meng Chao was reborn after Dragon City was destroyed, and he returned to the time fifty years after Dragon City transmigrated to the Other World. But he was not alone, he returned with a system named Kindling, who told him that he can become stronger if he contributed to society. So Meng Chao swore that he would become stronger. In the beginning, he only wanted to make small contributions to the society by teaching them technology, martial arts, and skills from the future, and in the end, everything snowballed from there, and he found that… Earthlings were really insane.
8 431 - In Serial31 Chapters
Beneath Within
Look a little closer. See the cracks growing deeper. See here, in Entithea, old dead things grow restless. Witness their release. In the underground city of Entithea, Orphans are those without magic living a life devoted to the Church of Royals. For breaking the law of their Family, their magic was stripped from them. Nadira of the Orphans is sick of spending her life looking after the Church on behalf of her matron. Having been raised in the Orphanage, she wants an adventure, and to find out who she is outside of her role. An opportunity comes when a newcomer seeks justice for the murder of his teacher. With his help, she decides to run away. Unfortunately, her matron will stop at nothing to get her home again. Her interests will ultimately collide with four others, for good or ill. Each has their own story to tell. They will change Enthithea’s future. It is inevitable. Beneath Within is a ghost story. It is a fantasy adventure with possessions aplenty, murders, and monsters. Slow-burn dark fantasy with 5 pov. Hope you enjoy it! Returning July 2022 Many thanks go to Mary Evans for the cover! [This fiction will deal with topics of mental health, specifically emotional and physical abuse and trauma]
8 201 - In Serial14 Chapters
The Bad Guy Always Wins
Why is the world so dark? Why do people steal? Why do people kill? Why are people evil? I can answer all those questions with an simple answer. "Because being evil if fun and in this world, the bad guy always win.""
8 99 - In Serial7 Chapters
Shrike
He wants to play the latest and greatest VRMMORPG game, but he can't muster up the cash for the fancy new proprietary hardware and membership license. After months of saving up cash and arduous work, he has built a behemoth of a machine relying almost entirely on seedy old technology and a DIY guide by some dude named "Jimmy Bob." This is the story of his entry into the game. This is also a story of intrigue, exploration, introspection, batshit crazy game design, and unintended but entirely predictable consequences. This is G.C.O. Undergoing a total re-write, mostly because I think things were too rushed rather than any content or direction changes. If you are one of the few who tried Shrike when it was briefly updating, consider giving it another shot. Of no relation to either The Great Crusade or the recent (in 2017 lol) Shrike book for Warhammer by Games Workshop. All similarities in these cases are superficial; please don't sue me. Feedback welcome and encouraged, never be afraid to review or comment. HQ/Kindle-Grade cover art. Book Cover 2.0: "From the Dark"
8 117 - In Serial140 Chapters
Battle of the Killers
What happens when a bunch of killers are forced to live together? BATTLE OF THE KILLERS is a reality show that follows Betinia Woods, a girl kidnapped and forced to live in an underground bunker with twelve other killers. The bunker is equipped with hundreds of cameras and microphones that follow the killers every move. Every week, the killers must participate in challenges and other activities to gain points. The four killers with the most points get to leave the bunker. How do you get the most points? By killing the other contestants.↬ Winner of over ninety Wattpad Awards↬ First Draft
8 180