“Time’s running short,” Doyle warned as we reassembled below the school. “Belessar, you said the Greater Carnotaur will be able to use its ability again in another hour?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you come up with something?”

“I may have,” I suggested. “This suit has hardpoints for mounting missiles. I haven’t used them before.”

“Go on.”

“They’re universal hardpoints. Which means I can mount any class of missile on them - even anti-ship missiles. The caveat is that it has to weigh less than fifty kilos.”

“... You want a missile with a warhead capable of doing sufficient damage to kill the Carnotaur, and you’ll get close enough to it to fire at short range.”

“Yeah.”

“Ask Nanocloud to speak to the folks in the command centre.”

The reply came back in minutes.

: They’re sending something that might work to you. Keep pressing forward.

: Got that, what are they sending?

: A truck with a bunch of Hellfire-X missiles. Forty-five kilos each, meant for close range launch.

: I can only carry one at a time. Otherwise the armor gets overburdened.

: They’re sending you fifty.

: That’s a lot of very expensive missiles.

: The Colonel said the missiles won’t do any good sitting in a warehouse, so you might as well use them. Oh, and Windsor says they’re yours to use as you see fit.

: There are only eight inventors other than you with powered armor, but about forty Herculeans. I’ve managed to direct Chikaradzuyoi and Allegiant to Richmond Park, they’re running containment on the two Carnotaurs there.

: They can’t hold off two Carnotaurs by themselves.

: Thirty other ultras and a tank division are backing them up. Lafayette’s water constructs are there, too.

: What about the rest of the alien troops?

: There’s a hundred firefights going on across the city between human and alien troops. Casualties are… bad. The aliens are killing our troops at a ratio of ten to one.

: Half the soldiers will die at that rate.

: It’s worse than that. They’re still disembarking troops from the ships. Our estimate of aliens went up to at least a hundred thousand.

: There’s concern that even without the Carnotaurs, they might win.

: Steady on. The battle’s not lost yet.

: I know. Just… stay safe. This is going to be a long one.

: On that note… Lynxians en route. Stealth Rovers.

: On it.

“Alien armor!” I yelled. “Stealthed vehicles!”

Alpha Platoon and the Guard responded, darting to their pre-planned positions. The other troops stood around, looking confused, until their officers hastily ordered them into cover.

I reloaded the Mass Driver Rifle and waited.

Sure enough, seconds later, we spotted them.

Stealth Rovers are difficult to see unless you’re specifically looking for them. Standing still, the Rover’s surface mirrors exactly what’s behind it, giving off the impression of a mirage or a heat haze. In that condition, they’re almost impossible to spot, until they open fire.

The effect is created by armor panels across the entire body which act like perfect holographic display screens, making them effectively invisible - unless you walk into them.

When moving, however, the Rovers have to change the screen every second. Which means that there’s a slight lag in the refresh rates.

Which manifests as a shimmer.

TEST OF PERCEPTION: PASSED.

Three shimmers showed on the road. Yikes, three at once…

Well, no pain, no gain.

650 MP surged into the Mass Driver Rifle, and I fired.

The round smashed into the ‘shimmer’ on the left with spectacular effects.

LYNXIAN STEALTH ROVER -7000 HP!

STEALTH FIELD FAILURE!

CONDITION INFLICTED: SHATTERED ENGINE! BURNING HULL!

The masking field on the Rover collapsed, as did half of the front. A Lynxian soldier spilled out from the vehicle, yowling like a scalded cat.

HEPAR fire smashed into the Rover, blasting it apart.

LYNXIAN STEALTH ROVER DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +2500 XP!

The other two Rovers paused, apparently trying to figure out how their partner had been spotted. No matter, I had their positions fixed.

The Mass Driver Rifle barked again, this time with a normal round.

LYNXIAN STEALTH ROVER -1000 HP!

STEALTH FIELD FAILURE!

The second dropping out of stealth surprised the Guard, but they reacted efficiently. Plasma blasts smashed into the Rover, burning through its hull a bit at a time.

A loud boom! drowned out the noise for a second.

The second Rover blew up spectacularly.

The tank accompanying us had just fired.

LYNXIAN STEALTH ROVER DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +2500 XP!

The third rover seemed to sense that things were going against it, so it reversed and began to retreat at top speed.

Unfortunately, the faster you move, the worse the shimmer. I aimed.

LYNXIAN STEALTH ROVER -1000 HP!

STEALTH FIELD FAILURE!

The tank commander must have been really on the ball, because within a second, another shell smashed into the Lynxian vehicle.

LYNXIAN STEALTH ROVER DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +2500 XP!

FOR DEFEATING 3 ENEMY VEHICLES WITHOUT A SCRATCH IN THE PRESENCE OF A POTENTIAL ROMANTIC INTEREST, YOUR SUITABILITY AS A POTENTIAL MATE ENHANCED! +1 ATT!

...it’s free CP, it’s free CP, it’s free CP….

“That was easier than expected,” Bulldog commented from beside me. “I thought I’d have to wrestle with them or something.”

“Helps to have a friendly tank along,” I joked. “Tucker? Can you give the tank commander my thanks, please? Those things are hard to kill for infantry.”

“Lieutenant - I mean General - already did that,” replied Tucker. “The tank commander’s Captain Hillcrest of the Royal Hussars, said he’s happy to shoot any more aliens we want shot.”

I eyed the motley column following us. Hillcrest’s tank, a Challenger Mark III, was the heaviest unit in our collection of odds and sods, but definitely worth it.

At least the enemy hadn’t deployed any tanks of their own.

So far.

: Heads up. There’s something funny coming up the street.

: More Stealth Rovers?

: No, it looks like an alien in armor.

Rhodia was the first to spot it.

“There’s something up ahead.”

There was a figure, all right. Eight feet tall and covered from head to toe in what looked like steel, the creature strode forward, unworried.

“A Sergeant,” said Doyle. “Platoon, take positions. Phoenix Company...”

Daisy nodded, and the Phoenixes fell into formation. A simple firing line, spaced far enough apart that a stray grenade couldn’t harm more than one person.

“Where’s the rest of his buddies?” Rhodia asked.

: Nanocloud? Any sign of others?

: No, he seems to be alone.

: Maybe a straggler?

I voiced this thought to Doyle, who frowned. “Seems awfully confident for a lone trooper separated from his unit.”

“Overconfidence may be a universal trait. Shall we?”

Doyle nodded, then swept his hand down in a chopping motion.

Forty soldiers and thirty Phoenixes opened fire.

The crack! crack! crack! of assault rifles and whine of HEPARs drowned out all other noise for a second. I focused on the alien.

Instead of blowing him away as expected, the plasma bolts smashed against a shimmering barrier a foot away. The bullets simply bounced off, while the plasma glowed white for a second, then dissipated.

“He’s got a shield,” I muttered. “Of course he’s got a shield.”

Doyle nodded. “That explains the confidence. Close combat, then.”

“My preferred style,” grinned Bulldog. “Watch and learn, boys.”

I watched as the Herculean charged towards the shielded enemy. Was this meant to be a probe?

Observe.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR

LEVEL 40

HP: 10,000/10,000

SHIELD: 93,460/100,000

CLASS: ULTRA

… a Level Forty alien ultra? Of an unknown species?

“Stop!” I yelled.

Unfortunately, I was too late.

Bulldog had reached the Rakturai and thrown his first punch.

Instead of dodging, the creature leaned in and grabbed Bulldog’s hand. The two twisted, and somehow it was the ultrahuman who was lifted off the ground.

A sense of wrongness suddenly emanated from the alien.

Bulldog screamed.

With another twist, the alien bent Bulldog’s arm at an unnatural angle. An audible crack, following by a ripping, tearing sound….

Bulldog was lying on the ground, screaming, and the alien stood over him.

It hoisted an object over its head.

Bulldog’s arm.

… How strong was this thing?

“Bulldog!” screamed Rhodia. Derry grabbed her arm, stopping her from rushing in.

A sickening crunch sounded.

The alien had stepped on Bulldog’s head - hard. Blood oozed from the remnants.

“This one’s an ultra,” I announced. “An alien ultra. Their version of - us, I suppose.”

“Countermeasures?” asked Doyle.

“Can you hit that thing with a shell? Plasma fire eroded it.”

Doyle nodded. “Vonnegut. Fire for effect.”

Corporal Vonnegut hoisted what looked like a bazooka over his shoulder. A rocket shot out of it, aimed directly at the alien.

The rocket flew. The alien blurred.

The rocket crashed into a neighbouring house. The explosion was spectacular.

The alien was unharmed.

The Rakturai stood there unmoving, as if mocking us.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR SPECIAL ABILITY REVEALED.

BULLET EVASION: AVOID PROJECTILE WEAPON FIRE BY NOT BEING THERE. PREDICTIVE REFLEXES CAUSE THE VANGUARD WARRIOR TO AUTOMATICALLY DODGE OUT OF THE WAY OF ANY PROJECTILE WEAPONRY.

Perfect, an alien species with Dodge Bullets as their superpower. “We’ll have to get close and personal. Ultras only, he’s too strong for normal soldiers.”

“Close combat,” Rhodia’s voice was shaking. “Animus, Derry, circle.”

Animus growled, then bounded forward in his half-tiger form. Derry scarpered right.

“I’ll lead,” I said. “He can’t punch through fullersteel.”

With that, I activated Powercharge.

The good thing about melee combat?

It ignores shields.

The Greyhound smashed into the Rakturai, who was knocked back from the impact. He was fast, though, and bounced back on his feet in a second.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR -208 HP!

Before he could get up, I smashed at him with the Lightning Hammer.

DEADLY BLOW! RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR -570 HP!

Three more Deadly blows followed in quick succession.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR IS STUNNED!

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR USES SHADOW STEP!

In an instant, the ultra vanished.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR SPECIAL ABILITY REVEALED.

SHADOW STEP: SHORT-RANGE TELEPORT TO GET AWAY FROM A HOSTILE FOE. RANGE 10 FEET.

“Behind you!” yelled Derry.

I spun. Animus had pounced on the Rakturai and knocked him down.

The sense of wrongness permeated the air again.

And suddenly, Animus wasn’t a blue-skinned tiger any more. Instead, a naked man sprawled across the Rakturai’s body.

The alien kicked him.

Animus flew backwards, smashing into a concrete block.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR SPECIAL ABILITY REVEALED.

NULLIFY: WEAKEN OR REMOVE ULTRAHUMAN POWERS ON TOUCH.

….. They had abilities like that? ….

Derry darted in towards the Rakturai, his blades whirling.

“Back!” I roared.

The power required skin contact, which meant I was protected, but the others weren’t. I had to put him down, fast.

I propelled the Greyhound forward in a Powercharge. The Rakturai had barely got on his feet when I slammed him down again.

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR -208 HP!

The sense of wrongness emanated again, and this time I was its target.

My nerves screamed in agony.

RAKTURAI USES NULLIFY ON YOU!

SKILL PROPHET’S ROULETTE REMOVED.

… It could reach through my armor?

No time.

The Fullersteel Javelin slotted into my arm launcher and I slammed it home with Javelin Strike.

POWERED JAVELIN STRIKE!

8x DAMAGE!

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR -6,400 HP!

The Javelin impaled the Rakturai, pinning it to the ground.

Greyish-red blood spouted from the wound.

110 AP left. I grabbed the Lightning Hammer and swung again.

DEADLY BLOW! RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR -570 HP!

Just enough left for a follow up….

The wrongness hit me again.

It was like my fingernails were being pulled out.

SKILL FIELD SURGERY REMOVED.

No time to think any more.

DEADLY BLOW! RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR -570 HP!

RAKTURAI VANGUARD WARRIOR DEFEATED!

+10,000 XP!

The alien's body was pulped in places, its armor battered and broken.

I staggered back.

Two skills.

The Rakturai had removed two of my hard-won skills. Including Prophet's Roulette - a skill which had helped me to find my way in the confused, chaotic landscape of my power.

How many more of these were there?

How many such battles could I survive?

Rhodia was standing over Bulldog's body, crying softly. I glanced at Animus…. medics were helping him, but from the look of things, his back was broken.

I stomped over and cast Heal, then Cure.

Animus’ expression relaxed. “The pain is gone,” he sighed. “I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened….”

“Relax,” the medic told him. “You just had a heck of a shock.”

The man nodded, then a look of panic passed over his face. “I can’t shift. I can’t shift!”

“Animus,” I said. “I have … some bad news. The alien there had an ability to remove powers.” I swallowed. “I think he used it on you, and on Bulldog.”

Animus paled. “Is it permanent?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well… can you do something?”

I silently cast Observe.

MICHAEL BASKIN

LEVEL 3

HP 120/120

FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE HERO ANIMUS, BASKIN HAS LOST HIS POWERS DUE TO AN UNFORTUNATE ENCOUNTER WITH A RAKTURAI VANGUARD. HE JUST NARROWLY ESCAPED WITH HIS LIFE. CURRENTLY, HE IS ABOUT AS EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE ALIENS AS A NORMAL, PHYSICALLY FIT HUMAN - WHICH IS NOT MUCH.

“I’m sorry, Animus, but there’s nothing I can do about your power. It’s… gone.”

Derry placed his hand on Animus - Michael’s - shoulder. “Hey. At least you survived.”

“D… Derry, I can’t leave you like this.”

“I’ll be fine, I’ve still got my powers. Get home to Mum, she’ll want to know you’re safe.”

They were brothers, then.

I turned to Rhodia, who was still weeping over Bulldog’s corpse. Two of Phoenix Company were with her. Well - one Phoenix and ‘Nina’.

Agni had her arms around Rhodia as I approached.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I didn’t know… the Rakturai could remove people’s powers.”

Rhodia looked up. “... Rakturai? Is that what that thing was called?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” She wiped her eyes. “You know, he didn’t want to come? He came for me. He died for me.”

“Were you married?”

“Engaged. We planned to wed in the fall…. I don’t know what to tell his kids.”

Winford spoke up. “Ma’am. I didn’t know your fiance for long, but he did what a father should do. He put himself in harm’s way to protect his children, and the children of thousands of other people. Tell them that he will be remembered.”

“I will.” She stood up. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I can keep going.”

“That’s all right. We’ll have someone escort you and Animus back to safety.”

I watched as the medics led Rhodia and Animus off.

Derry turned to me. “So I guess it’s just the two of us now. Seems a little light to take on the Carnotaur.”

“You want to head back with your team?”

Derry shook his head. “I’m sticking with the mission as long as I can. We knew going in there was a chance we could get hurt. And I’m guessing you didn’t get off from the fight scot-free.”

“It cost me something, yes.”

“At least you got the bastard. Least I can do is stick by you, for what it’s worth.”

“Belessar,” interrupted Tucker. “Lieutenant - I mean General - wants you.”

I strode over to where Doyle was inspecting the corpse of the Rakturai. “You okay?” he asked.

“I … will be.”

“Losing a man hurts. Can you handle it?”

“Yes. I’m just… we had no idea these things existed.”

“Welcome to the military. Intelligence isn’t, orders are outdated, and information has to be paid for in lives.” Doyle stood up. “If you consume this thing’s armor, will it help you?”

“Probably.”

“Then do it. I’ll send the corpse back to command for analysis. Two minutes, then we move out.”

REVERSE ENGINEERED: 1x VANGUARD WARRIOR ARMOR.

SKILL UPGRADED: POWERED ARMOR FORGING TO LEVEL 3.

BLUEPRINT UNLOCKED: FOX CLASS BATTLE ARMOR.

BLUEPRINT UNLOCKED: RESONANT SHIELD ARRAY (COMPONENT).

: That creature wasn’t in the list of species Sarvenimazarus gave us.

: What else do you think he hid?

: We’ve no contact with Gragareth station right now, so maybe we’ll talk to him after the battle.

: Pemberley should know this.

: She already does. She and Goldman are here at the Tower now. Windsor too, he’s taken charge of organizing things.

: He’s also sending you what reinforcements he can find. Three more ultras from nearby. Some troops are hitching a ride along with your missile truck.

: Take the A205 and then the A307 and you’ll have a fairly smooth ride until you hit the cluster potluck at the end of the street.

: … cluster potluck?

: Well it rhymes with the word Windsor’s using. Two regiments of Indian infantry occupying the buildings on one side of the road are shooting at about four hundred odd Raptor Guards on the other side. Buildings are just a hundred metres apart. A tank squadron got burned up in the initial crossfire and they’ve now settled for exchanging bullets and plasma. ‘Course, nothing’s getting sorted, and if they keep shooting the buildings on both sides will probably collapse.

: Windsor suggests that you can go in and do something to break the stalemate. Hopefully before the other side realizes their Carnotaurs can do the same thing.

: Your reinforcements will meet you at the A307 turnoff.