Knockin' At The Gates Of Hell {Chapter 8}

[dd]

What's on deck? Kurz Rocks! Melissa dishes out death and destruction. A world on the brink, and disturbing surprises. Tessa's bravery pays off. Someone won't be coming home.
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Sergeant Kurz Weber sat snug in his Arms Slave, his harness brace firm over his shoulder and across his chest...just like the restraints on some of the Zero-G rollercoasters he enjoyed from time to time...except that the M9, with its cold fushion reactor; quick bipedal gate; and satisfying array of weapons, was more fun than any thrill ride an amusement park could offer. No, strike that...the M9 actually WAS the best thrill ride Kurz could imagine. He wondered if Sousuke's ARX-7 was any more of a rush.

He flipped his shielded optical sensors back on for a moment, taking note of the progress of the pre-launch pressure buffers. The opaque swirling gasses outside of his M9 didn't block his view of the internal walls of the transport missile surrounding him, which meant that there was still a while before that step would be complete.

He set the sensors back to transport mode, and opened his personal Memory Stick file. Making his selection, he toggled the 'power' switch on the music player he had attached to the control panel and slaved to the tertiary power supplies. He inserted the music compilation he had selected for this mission and ran through the entries, deciding to start grooving before launch this time. He was already bored of waiting.

A few notes of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" filled his enclosure. No, he'd save that for flight, for the time of greatest acceleration.

He smiled evilly, listening to the opening of Queen's "Death on Two Legs." The title suited him fine. Oh yeh! In battle, and with the ladies. The song might be about scumbag music agents, but he could use Freddy Mercury's mood to juice himself up when it was time to engage the enemy.

"Running with the Devil," in honor of Melissa, he would save for later.

Judas Priest's "Delivering the Good"? Later, but definitely! Same goes for Iggy & The Stooges' "Search and Destroy"!!!

Ahhh...there it was. That's the ticket. Kurz turned up the volume some, and started humming. The Guns 'N' Roses version of a good old Dylan classic. "Knock Knock Knock Knockin' on Heaven's Dooor----or--or-or-or..." he sang, not caring a whit if he were off tune.

A light flashed on his communications board, and soon he heard Meliss'a voice.

"Urzu 6, turn that racket down so I can hear you!" Grudgingly, Kurz agree, after singing another verse.

"You got it babe, I'm all yours if you know what I mean!" He said.

"As, if, Sergeant Weber! We'll be done with buffering soon, and the quick coat won't take long," Melissa said referring to the short-lived but moderately effect stealth coating that would sprayed on the exterior of the missiles. "Before that, we'll go over the latest intel." She pushed a number of buttons and established connection with Urzu 4 and Urzu 5.

"You can save the detail stuff for last, sis, I just want to know if it's going to be a smooth ride, and what kind of party we can expect when we get there!" Kurz snuck in, uninvited.

Melissa ignored him. "Latest weather report is favorable. We should have relatively low cloud cover. Ground movement has increased significantly, with heavy ordinance on the move in large numbers. Aircraft have been loaded with ordinance, and have started to line up for taxiing. Troop movement by truck and bird is heavy, and in the direction of the target. Drone pictures of the factory site have not shown increased civilian or military activity in the immediate vicinity. The initial plan is unchanged, and we will launch in sequence. Urzu 5, no offense, but I hope you have a nice wait here. Gentleman, smoke'm if you got'em!"

"That was great, babe, really great...you should have been one of those sexy weather ladies or an informercial queen!!! Not to mention a model for tight fitting leotards...oh yeh!!!" Kurz said, staying completely in character.

Melissa continued to ignore Kurz. "Gentlemen...and Sgt. Weber...last chance to say any thing before we go to radio black out." She immediately killed the link to Urzu 6.

"Be that way!" Kurz muttered.

The buzzer and the flashing yellow light told Kurz that launch preparations were complete. A digital counter started counting backwards from 30. When the number reached 15, he cued up the appropriate song.

The powerful opening riffs of Kiss' "Rocket Ride" brought a big smile to his face moments before the boosters on his missile rushed to life, throwing him firmly back in his seat.

"This is what it's all about!!!" He said.

*************************************************************

***Well, you don't know...what we might find...why don't you come with me little girl...on a magic carpet ride***

"The music is hot, and so am I" Kurz said to himself, working on in-flight preparations before things got b-u-s-y.

***Last night I held Aladin's lamp..so I wished that I could stay...but before the thing could answer me...someone took the lamp away***

He entered a program into the descent computer, knowing he'd be too busy with surveillance scans to ride things in manually. He set the chute to rapid fill, and selected a broad spiralling descent, hopefully adequate to give a good view of the factory surroundings. He then switched over to his information systems to take inventory of the ammunition stores for the Starburst portable anti-aircraft cannon. He also took time to go over range and dispersion characteristics of the weapon. If they ran into any delays today, or if the enemy got a good jump on them, he and the Starburst would be very intimate very soon. "Hah," he said, thinking of the weapon, "I'll name you C-a-s-i-m-i-r-a," selected in honor of the delectable Lt. Concepcion. "Oh, yeh! Cassie!!! How about a date?!"

***Why don't you come with me little girl...on a magic carpet ride***

That finished, he moved on to his most crucial task...programming his tunes. When things started rockin' for real, he wouldn't have time to mess around with THAT. He soon had things in the order he wanted.

The loud hissing noise was his first indication that the fun was about to start. Once a sufficient volume of gases had been vented to the outside air, small explosive charges detached the nose cone of the missile and split the outer casing of the missile into four curved panels that promptly fell away from the Arm Slave within. After a few seconds of free fall, eight cannisters of a compressed helium mixture strated the rapid filling of an enormous winged chute.

"Eight? Eight? There should be twelve!" Kurz cursed, looking at his staus board. "Didn't Sousuke check these things out?!" Moments after he said that, the other four cannisters joined in. "Ahhh...of course he did! Atta boy, Sousuke!"

The drag of the chute stretched the slightly elastic cords tautly, giving Kurz a brief bungy effect to add to his list of fun experiences. The programed descent kicked in, and computers automatically altered the shape and inclination of the wing as needed.

"OOOOOKay!!! Lets get busy! Kurz is in the house!!!"

***The head nurse spoke...and she said leave this one alone...she could tell right away...that I was bad to the bone......bad to the bone......bad to the bone......B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone***

He put the long range Doppler on auto-scan...he'd want to know when Urzu 2 and Urzu 4 arrived. He turned on his optical sensors, leaving one set under computer control to serve as large object motion detectors.

He cued up a set of satellite photos of the target area on his console display screen, using that to help him guide his reconnaisance sweep. No radar detected. No sign of active infra-red. No sign of sirens were picked up by the acoustic aerials.

A buzzer drew his attention to the console. The number of lights flashing, and the timing of their pulse, told Kurz that a number of land-based vehicles were entering his detection range. He manipulated his viewers with the ease of a seasoned maestro, picking up sight of three armored vehicles. He increased zoom, and keyed in his armored vehicle recognition system. The tanks were quickly identified as Ukranian supplied T80s...formidable enough as tanks go, armed with 125mm guns. They were headed away from his direction slowly, but he knew that could change as soon as he was noticed.

Kurz placed his fingers on the ECS control switch, debating whether or not to engage the system. The pros, of course, included reduced visibility. The cons, though, held the winning hand at the moment. The likelihood of damage to the ECS on landing was increased if it were active at the time of impact.

***And when I walk the streets...Kings and Queens step aside...every woman I meet...they all stay satisfied***

Another buzzer drew his attention: The radar system. One contact, two contacts...large enough to be Urzu 2 and Urzu 4...his friends had joined the party!!!

Kurz knew that things could get real hectic real soon. He watched as the casings from his two comrades' missiles crashed into the rooves of nearby industrial buildings, wincing when he realized that he had forgotten to turn off the sensitive external pick-ups. "Shit!!!" was all he said. That would draw attention, for sure!

Scanning their drop points, Kurz watched as Urzu 2 and Urzu 4 each made a textbook thruster-retarded hot landing. Nice footwork! He lost sight of them visually as they engaged their ECS systems, but he could still track them by radar. He checked their ground behind them visually as they walked, making certain they were not leaving an easily detectable trail of footprints. So far, so good!

***Megaton...leviathan load...ready to hit the roof......you better watch out and hold on tight...we're headin' your way like dynamite*** and Kurz added "Uuuuooo...Deliverin' the goods!!!"

Aware of his altitude, Kurz took over with manual control of his descent. He tried for a landing on one of the taller and sturdier looking factory buildings and succeeded, fortunate that the roof held.

"Urzu 6, this is Urzu 2, report." Melissa's voice was clear and abrupt.

"Urzu 2, this is Urzu 6. Welcome to the party. No guests have arrived yet, but I saw three T-80s out for a stroll a few blocks over. If they want, and if they don't throw their tracks in too big a hurry, they could get here in 10 or 15 minutes, minimum. No airborne activity, no advanced detection systems. No troops on the factory grounds. I will commence search for infrared signatures within the buildings and and will be on the look-out for external findings of interest. Do you copy?" Kurz started a slow sweep of the buildings highlighted during the intelligence briefing, usuing one screen to show infra-red intensities of select areas and the other to show a variable zoom natural light picture of the structures and the ground.

"Roger, Urzu 2. Urzu 4 and I will head for the two largest external doors, and will change our actions at your direction. Over."

***Shake down...rockin' boys...crack that whip strap mean......pulse rave...air waves......Vitalizin' every place we've been***

Kurz scanned the two large factory doors with infrared. There was a increased heat signature behind the nearest door, suggesting a group of individuals. "Urzu 2, there is a heat source behind the grey door...," Kurz said, pausing as a small reflection of light caught his attention. Zooming in on the spot, he continued "there is also a short set of metal tracks leading away from the door. They're pretty shiny, sis, so I'd judge them to be pretty recent. Over."

"Good work Kurz, we might make a soldier of you yet. What about the black door? Over."

"Already on it, babe...it's got a track too, same as the other. Heat signature was low to start with, but seems to be growing in intensity. We might have a bunch of folks running to the area behind the door, sis." Kurz said.

"Roger, Urzu 6. We're on it!"

"Kurz scanned the area looking for other tracks. Seeing none in the time he allotted himself for the task, he activated his long range message system. He reported his findings, suggesting the possibility that track-mounted launch systems might be behind the doors, and that crews may be preparing the missiles for firing. He stressed his concern about not finding a third set of tracks, and requested that the intelligence division do a high resolution computer scan of the tracks, allowing the computers and their human counterparts to set up a reference for search.

"I strongly suggest that you run a check of the lands surrounding any factory or other large buildings in this vicinity, continuing further outward from there. If there's another track, we had better find it sooner than later." He had said all he could. It was up to the Intel boys and girls now.

Kurz resumed his scans. The grey door was opening!

"Urzu 2, this is Urzu 6, the grey door is opening..." he started, pausing as he increased resolution. "Melissa, there's movement inside, something is riding the tracks. Copy."

"I read you Urzu 6. I'll direct Urzu 4 to pick up speed in that direction. I will continue towards the black door. Over."

Multiple threat detectors went off in rapid succession. Kurz quickly went to work attempting to find out what dangers they would soon encounter.

***You better watch out and hold on tight...we're headin' your way like dynamite............deliverin' the goods.***

"Urzu 2 and Urzu 4, we have incoming aircraft, type as yet unidentified," Kurz said as he shouldered Cassie. "Sis...Conrad...they may not want to drop ordinance in the vicinity of the buildings...or the tracks...if the things we are looking for are behind those doors."

"Good thought, Urzu 6" he heard Sgt. Conrad say, "I'm already closing in on my goal...and I can confirm there is a missile...I repeat, there is a missile...rolling out on a very large launch platform." He then asked "Why does it have to be that large for a missile that size?"

"Urzu 6, do what you can about the aircraft. I'm going to have my hands full for a bit, getting through this door. We won't have much time...I'm going to request a cruise missile launch to cover both sites and everything else in this whole area. Hopefully we will give them reason to abort detonation. We cannot let those missiles launch!" Melissa said.

Kurz saw a huge shower of sparks at the door Melissa was attacking with her Heavy Cutter.

"Way to use the old noodle, babe. If the third missile is inside, it will be be toast. If it's not here, it's up to the Intel guys to find it." Kurz had no more time to give to conversation.

A flight of three planes flew towards the factory complex. The identication system named them to be Q5s, Chinese-supplied ground attack aircraft. "Three Q5s coming in hot, and near the bullseye." Kurz radioed.

***I'm a street walkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm...I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb***

Two of the aircraft lauched large awkward munitions carriers towards the ground in front of the factory doors. "Incoming, big dispersers!" Kurz called out. The third aircraft passed overhead without dropping munitions.

Urzu 2 was almost through the door and Urzu 5 prepared to engage the one missile just as the Munition carriers did what they were designed to do.

"What the Hell!!!" all three pilots appeared to yell in unison. And for good reason. The weapons had eached discharged a large mass of green paint!!! "What IS that shit?" Kurz heard Sgt. Conrad exclaim.

From his viewpoint, Kurz could see large areas of paint surrounding each large door and track. A large circular area around the missile launch platform was untouched, however...HOW??!!

"Urzu 4 you are visible, partially visible...the back of your M9's legs are marked with paint. Ditto you, sis, your back is covered too!"

"Sons of a fockin' bitch!!!" He heard Melissa swear, "the bastards must have know there would...or could be...ECS-capable Arms Slaves coming!!! Shit...How the Hell...???"

***I am the world's forgotten boy...the one who searches and destroys***

Things were happening too fast to follow. The three previously sighted T80s roled into a clear field of fire, soon to be accomapnied by two T59s. Two armored personnel carriers were on their way too.

The third Q5 had turned and was returning fast, just above the roof tops, headed in Kurz' direction...he had neglected---or been unable to---move his large chute out of site.

One flight of F-16s was flying high cover, and another set of two...configured for ground attack...were coming in.

Sgt. Conrad fired six shots in rapid succession from his Bofors 57mm gun...none reached the target! "Shit...what's GOING ON here?" he asked, still charging towards the target. "I'm too damn close, I COULDN'T have missed!" Four more shots had little success. "Guess I will just have to do this the old fashioned way,: he said, grabbing his anti-tank dagger and making a fiercesome leap towards the missile.

Kurz had sufficient warning to turn in time and see the Q5 hurtling towards him. He judged his shot placement well, and the buzzing swarm of flechettes flying from the Starburst's projectile turned the aircraft into small shards of glass, metal, flesh, and bone, all surrounded by a halo of exploding aircraft fuel. "That a girl, Cassie!!" he yelled, "the first round of drinks is on me!" His elation was short lived though: the munitions carrier was flying sufficiently slower than the jet to avoid being totally disabled. It exploded near target, partially covering Kurz' M9 with paint, blinding a number of his visual sensors. Soon thereafter, he was targeted by the lead group of tanks which soon began firing.

Melissa had gotten enough of the door pulled away to see the second missile inside, surrounded by a few brave souls remaining at its transport control equipment. She cleared the area of human opponents, but swore when her 57mm rounds failed to come anywhere near the missile. She had a sinking feeling she knew what the problem was.

Before Melissa could relay her suspicions, Sgt. Conrad had already discovered the startling nature of the missile's invulnerability. He had bounched of an invisible shield, five feet from the Missile. He rammed his dagger towards the target, only to see its blade snap off against the unseen barrier. Cursing in a number of different tongues, and choosing particularly nasty phrases, he brought his Hellbore flame cannon to bear.

"Urzu 2, we may have lambda driver technology here. I repeat, lambda driver technology highly suspected!" Sgt. Conrad said. He send out a large stream of napalm-like flame towards the missile and its support apparatus. The flame formed a large dome shaped mound of intense fire, but the normally adhesive spray slid easily to the ground, leaving the missile untouched, and forming a huge ring of burning fire around it, obscurring it somewhat from view. "Shit!" she said.

Kurz moved quickly, making a prodigious 30 meter jump just as 125mm tank rounds punched into the area he had just vacated. Hopefully out of the line of sight of the ground forces, he quickly addressed the problem posed by the F-16s closing in on their positions. He fired Cassie again, shredding one of the planes before it could discharge its attack load.
One of the two remaining aircrafts veered off without attacking, but the third remained on course.

"Urzu 6, this is Urzu 2. Priority one is the missile. It is guarded by what appears to be a lamda driver driven shield. Consider the missile invulnerable prior to launch. After lauch, the missile should be easy prey for Starburst fire. Copy."

"I read you, babe. I'm on it." He took a prone position, crawling just enough forward to be able to see the missile. Lamda driver? What the hell was going on? The Intel folks had missed out on this one big time! How he wished Sousuke and the ARX-7 were here now.

************************************************************

Kurz was not the only one to come to that decision. Captain Testarossa, Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin., Lt. Concepcion, and others were gathered around a table covered with satellite photograps and other intelligence data.

"Lamda driver?" Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin asked, highly concerned. "This not only provides a difficulty for the attack team that we didn't have any reason to suspect, but also raises major questions about the whole plot in general."

"You are quite correct, sir" Mr. Windham said. "We were able to determine that the cabal was behind the plot, but we never saw reason to question who was behind the cabal!" Lt. Concepcion nodded her head in agreement.

"Captain, would there be time to deliver your Arm Slave with lambda driver technology to the battle site?" Mr. Windham asked.

"I am sorry to say we could not. It would take too long to purge the transport missile, unload the M9, set the ARX-7 in place, prepare, and then launch. It may also prove unnecessary."

"How so, Capatain?" the intelligence operative asked.

"The cruise missile we just lauched is carrying the maximum explosive charge we have at our disposal and will no doubt render the two known missiles inoperable...assuming neither make a successful launch prior to detonation" Tessa said.

"But with lambda driver driven shields..." Lt. Concepcion started.

"The missiles and their launch assemblies might survive the blast, but there would be an exceedingly high probability that the extensive physical damage to the ground beneath the missiles and surrounding the missiles would render launch impossible for some time. And if the weapons fall hard enough or suffer seismic damage, the lambda drivers may well be disabled." Tessa explained. "Right now, I believe our highest priority is locating the third missile. We have to operate under the assumption that it will not be destroyed with the other two."

"Yes, I understand Captain," Lt. Conception said. "But, we are looking for a needle in a field of haystacks. We still have no leads to report at this time."

Tessa turned slowly and met Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin's gaze. "If there is indeed lambda driver technology is use here, there is another means by which we may pinpoint the location of our third target."

Kalinin said "If you are suggesting what I think you are Captain, I strongly disapprove. You are by no means guaranteed success, and you could place yourself in an extremely difficult situation. You would be exposing yourself to significant physical and mental risk."

"I understand that, Mr. Kalinin." Tessa said. "But, what other choices do we have?"

*************************************************************
Tessa was willing to take all manner of risks, it seemed. She ran down the hallway of the TDD-1, realizing that every second may count. She didn't keep track of how many times she tripped and fell, or how many people she ran into during her all out sprint...if she had, she would have been mortified. At a time like this, she was VERY envious of Kaname Chidori, both for her athletic ability and for her unflappable nature. "Just another thing to add to my growing list of envies" she thought, shortly before arriving at her destimation.

She pushed a button on the intercom near the door, spoke, and heard Mr. Kalinin answer on the other end. "Madame Captain, are you alright?" he asked.

"I-I'm...a b-bit winded, Mr. K-Kalinin...and...and a b-bit b-bruised..." Tessa replied, pasuing to catch her breath.

"Captain?...Madame Captain?"

"I'm OK, Mr. Kalinin. I am about to enter the chamber. Were you able to locate Sgt. Sagara?" she asked.

"Yes, Captain. He has been informed. He is on his way to guard you while you are incapacitated." Kalinin replied.

"Thank you Captain." Tessa said, feeling stronger now.

"Good luck Captain...be sure you bring yourself back to us."

"I will do my best, Mr. Kalanin" Tessa said, trying to reassure Mr. Kalinin and herself both.

She entered a code number into a security touchpad and heard a pleasant chime when her entry was accepted. A doubly-reinforced panel slid open, revealing a control panel with a small number of dials and switches. After she finished with the neccesary adjustments, she pushed the switch that opened the large glass canopy of the chamber at the center of the room. As Sousuke was not there yet, and time was of the essence, she removed her lipstick from her uniform pocket and drew a circle around the switch that would close the assembly.

She hesitated a moment. Was there time? No! She reconsidered. Yes, there was time if she moved quickly. She walked over to a blank section and wrote a message on the wall. If she never had a chance to put her thoughts into words, this may be the only way. She didn't want to die, leaving certain things unsaid. Shortly after she finished the last word, Sousuke ran into the room.

"Madame Captain, I got here as soon as I can. Are you ready. Should we begin?" Sousuke said. He saw the Captain flinch, then quickly rub her hand over a section of the wall that he couldn't see from his vantage point.

"Uh--Yes, Sousuke. We should move as quickly as possible." She ran to the chamber and climbed up into the reclining bed within...but not before Sousuke could see that her palms were colored a deep pink color.

"Captain, what should I do next?" he asked.

"You need to press a switch now, Sousuke. I have drawn a circle around it. Hurry. There is something I want to..." Tessa said, unable to keep Sousuke's attention as he ran to comply.

Souske threw the switch.

The canopy closed ever so slowly as the computer assessed its occupant's physical size and vital signs, automatically adjusting bed shape and configuration to best fit her needs. Tessa quickly made a request. "Sousuke, before the top is down...I may not recover from this, so...I...I" She faltered.

"Captain?"

"Souske...could...could you please call me Tessa?" she asked, her heart beating quickly, bedeviling the medical assessment program.

"Yes. Tessa. Please come back...." That was all Tessa heard before a very weak concentration of anesthetic gas helped her rapidly reach the state required for operation of the system. Small mechanical arms lowered measurement and stimulus electrodes to gently caress her face.

"Yes. Tessa. Please come back to us all. We could never find another Captain like you" Souske had said. He had called her 'Tessa.' She was placing herself at risk for the benefit of other people. Sousuke would do no less.

Walking over to stand at a point on the floor that would allow him the best view of the room and quick access the the control console, Sousuke finally allowed his attention to focus on the discolored area of the wall. He saw handwriting and a big indecipherable smear. In dark pink. Similar in color to the Captain's palms.



Souske

I XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (smear)

Tessa



He could readily make out his own name and that of the Captain's...and the letter 'I.' The rest could not be made out. The spacing of the words resembled that seen in personal notes and communications.

What had the message said? Why had the Captain rendered it unreadable if she was the one who had written it in the first place? Sousuke developed reasonable conjectures. He was correct.

Fading into her targeted mental state, Tessa heard "Tessa. Please come back" repeated slowly, almost dreamlike, as she gave control of herself over to her Whispered talents.

************************************************************

The Pakastani F-16 released two CEM munitions, with each bomb itself giving birth to a number of hockey puck-sized bomblets, raining the small explosive packages over Urzu 4 and bouncing some off the shield surrounding the Dhanush missile. The resultant explosions sounded like a louder version of the universal firework strings often set off on national holidays worldwide.

The T80 and T59 tanks had switched targetting to Urzu 2. A few rounds from the he first wave of HEAT rounds impacted on the back carapace and left leg of Melissa's Arm Slave, burning away small areas of the outer armor layer in those areas. Melissa hoped they would not hit those same areas again, but was more concerned they would switch over to armored piercing projectiles. She swiched priorities, knowing that the missile transport section could not make it past the twisted wreckage she had created from the factory door.

Kurz had not seen the explosion that enveloped Urzu 4, as he had already switched his attention from the Dhanush missile to another incoming flight of aircraft. Damn. A-10s, and three of them. He had no desire to face the snarling maw of those old monsters. They were slow...he should have little trouble taking them out...but in battle things often don't go the way you expect!

The rapid succession of explosions drew Kurz' attention back to the missile...and to Urzu 4. The Arm Slave was down, and showed dark black pock marks over its right side and rear...but, it had begun to stand up again. The missile, as he had expected, was untouched. The clock inside his head ticking, Kurz began to sweat. The cruise missile was on its way. The Dhanush missile remained invulnerable. And he didn't know how much longer he would have before some clever pilot(s) decided Urzu 6 would make a nice dumping ground for a whole shitload of hurt.

If he were taken out of the picture before the launch? Best not to think about that. He heard slow eerie bells ringing, and almost freaked out, wondering if he was experiencing some bizarre...and ultimately fatal...precognitive episode. No, no tunnel of light...and no burning flames.

Inside Urzu 4, Sgt. Conrad swore when he read the computer assessment of his M9's combat capabilities. Weapons down. Near breeches in multiple areas of armor. Most sensors out of operation. He had some visual left, and that was about it. He had focused so myopically on that damn missile, that he had negelected to correctly assess and deal with the threats around him.

A clever man...and a brave man...he had no trouble coming up with the only thing left that he could do of value.
He moved the appropriate control devices, coaxing his M9 into an unhappy lurching half walk/half crawl. After reaching the front area of the Lambda driver driven shield, he reclined his M9 flat upon its back and started the Self Destruct sequence. He didn't have an abundance of time to reach a safe distance.

Melissa, cursing loudly and near incoherently within her M9's enclosure, brought her full wrath upon the tanks that had DARED to damage her Arm Slave. Discharging two flights of Javelin missiles, four missiles per flight, she wiped the ground clean of the offending vehicles, leaving an exploding and burning pile of turrets, tracks, and tank bodies. Had she bothered to look, she wouldn't have noticed anything that still remotely resembeled a human being. The repeated jerking motions her M9 made was a clear indication that she had been hit again. She needed to assess the damage.

***I"m a rollin' thunderr...a pouring rain......I'm coming on like a hurricane...My lightning's flashing across they sky......Your'e only young...but you're gonna die***

Oh! That's where the bells were coming from. Kurz thought momentarily about shutting the song off...but the groove was going to be just too tight! He might need the extra adrenalin soon enough.

Scanning the area, he saw Urzu 4 move and lay down in front of the missile, and assumed he knew what Conrad was doing. But, the blast still wouldn't penetrate the shield!

He switched his view briefly to Urzu 2, just in time to see Melissa open a substantial can of whoopass. "YOU GO GIRL!!!" he shouted. She was hit, but still standing...still moving.

He checked his Doppler: the A-10s were looking before they leapt. They circled a bit before heading in, each taking a successively wider flight path, seeking to arrive from different directionss and at roughly the same time. Shit...THAT may end up being trouble. Shit again...he saw flashes from each aircraft, but from under the wings, not from the nose. They were going to take him on with missiles from a distance, then close in and try to turn him unto a freakin' collander with those multiple-barrel high speed guns of theirs. Funny, he'd checked the menu before leaving the TDD-1...he could swear he didn't see 30mm depleted uranium projectiles on the list!!!

***I won't take no prisoners...won't spare no lives......nobodys puttin' up a fight...I got my bell...I'm gonna take you to Hell......I'm gonna get you, Satan get you***

Sgt. Conrad opened the access hatch, and jumped down from the M9, gaining a number of small burns from the remaining flames caused earlier by his Hellbore. Thankfully, there were no ground troops in his vicinity at the moment. He quickly checked all aspects of the sky. Not sighting anything headed in his direction, he looked to find the best place to run to. Quickly. Now!!! Deciding that Urzu 2 might be his only reasonable chance for survival, he located the Arm Slave and sprinted towards it, using the factory wall as cover.

Melissa turned her attention back to 'her' Dhanush missile. A few unsuccessful shots from her 57mm told her the shield was still operational. Unable to destroy the missile, she could still render it useless. She fired a salvo of rockets at the ceiling above the launch assembly, burying the shield and its cocooned missile deep under a large mound of rubble. "There you go, you motherf@ckers!!! Dig your sorry asses out of THAT!!!"

She turned her attention back outside, heading off to see how Urzu 4 was doing with the other missile.

The massive explosion from the self destruct mechanism within Urzu 4 threw Sgt. Conrad to the ground, covering him with a thick blanket of charred soil and small stones. He lay still, but was still breathing.

Kurz saw the tremedous explosion, and felt a rain of dirt and stones at his location as well. He didn't need to have the dust and smoke clear for him to see the immense sea of flames surrounding the central area of the explosion. The charge had ignited the remaining reservoir of the Hellbore!!! It would be a few moments before he could visualize the missile. If it weren't for the lapping flames, the enemy could have launched the missile and Kurz might not have been able to see it.

He got up and moved again, determined not to be a stationary target for whatever dogs were on his trail. He got only five steps before the first of the camera-guided AGM65 Maverick missiles exploded on the rooftop, the shock wave throwing him agains a rooftop aerial. Looking quickly around him, he saw for a split second the burning wall of flames below, and the quick flash of missiles headed in his direction.

***Hell's Bells...Yeah, Hell's bells......you got me ringin'...Hell's bells........my temperatures high...Hell's bells***

Sgt. Conrad got to his feet slowly, shaking off litres of soil, spitting out pebbles, and testing his abililty to stand on his injured right leg. He hobbled away as quickly as possible, sweating profusedly in the great waves of heat eminating from the fire. He couldn't see the launch assembly, and had no clue whether his gamble had worked. He silently gave thanks to the pile of dirt at his feet: that covering may well have kept him from being singed by the roaring fireball that followed the initial explosion.

Melissa had her M9 running at top speed, heading back in the direction of the other Arm Slaves. She zoomed in on a small speck of movement and located Sgt. Conrad.

An explosion drew her attention to a rooftop, where she saw Urzu 6, moments before multiple missile impacts on that rooftop collapsed the structure and dropped Kurz' M9 out of sight. Holy Shit!!! Kurz!!! No time to worry about him now. With Urzu 6 out of sight and Urzu 4 totally obliterated, it was up to her to take out that remaining missile. Her long-range communicator buzzed. Oh Hell, that's all she needed at that moment!!!

The galant sacrifice of Urzu 4 was effective...but only partially so. Technicians within the factory building peered outside through binoculars, assessing the situation. They were serving as forward spotters, afraid to run because they knew their lives would be forfeit if they were caught...their lives, and the lives of their families. The missile controls were being manipulated by radio waves, the transmitter located a few blocks away.

The operator demanded that the technicians judge the nature of the situation, and they were proceeding as ordered. The explosion had created a large pit in front of the missile, and had lowered its trajectory by five to ten degrees, but no more than that. The flight path of the missile appeared to allow enough leeway for correction after lauch without the missile being in danger of hitting a building or veering sufficiently away from the programmed flight path. Things still looked good for a "Go" signal. It remained a matter of timing.

***I'll give black sensations...up and down your spine......you're into evil...you're a friend of mine......see my white light flashing...as I split the night***

The flames, the fall, the song, and the incoming missiles raining down like arrows caused Kurz to flash back to his days of reading classical literature.

"Shit!!! The only things missing here are centaurs and a freakin' river of boiling blood!!!"

It had seemed that he, the great Kurz Weber , had a one way ticket punched for the 7th bolgia of Hell...departure site for the The Violent. And he had been hoping for the molesting whirlwind of the 2nd bolgia...the punishment site for the Lustful.

Ears still ringing loudly from the explosions, Kurz quickly monitored the functions of his Arm Slave. He had to MOVE. He couldn't leave that damn missile unwatched!!! His M9 had very little function in the right leg and none in the left. Half of his external sensors were either twisted wreckage or covered with paint.

Cassie looked to be intact. "Good girl! We're an item you and I!"" Heh heh heh. If he got out of this alive, he'd have to tell the story to Lt. Concepcion. Maybe over a bottle of chilled champagne? Oh Yeh!!!

"Up and at'em Kurzie boy." His M9 made its way towards an opening in the unstable wall, crawling slowly.

Sgt. Conrad cursed when he saw Urzu 2 bound past...but he didn't curse Melissa: he knew without a doubt that he would be doing the same thing if that unholy missile still remained and he was the only one left who could treat it in the manner it deserved. Godspeed, Sgt. Major.

*************************************************************

Her body shrinking and growing, breaking off into many pieces and coalescing back again, Tessa's Whispered form talked to colors...touched thoughts...and drank time...and it all seemed so simple and so peaceful. THE sense of purpose was there, and SHE did not enjoy the twisting swirling dance. The sense of purpose forced her Whispered self to send out webs of thought and reel them back in again to see what she had caught. She tossed out lines of farseeking energy, waiting for something to pull on a line. Light came and went. Sound too. Smells. Sensations of every type. Erotic. Sensual. Reserved. Chaste. Feelings faded in and out of being too. Love. Anger. Fear. Curiosity. Confusion...Everything.

The further her whispered self reached, the more the earthbound Tessa shivered. The more energy she used, the more she cried out. A watchful Sousuke was very concerned, not knowing what Tessa was doing...and not knowing what she was doing to herself. He felt professionally impotent, and had no way to offer her strength, reassurance, or comfort. He turned away after seeing her go through a partcularly agonizing series of convulsions. At first she whimpered pitifully...then she laughed hysterically.

Soususke walked over to the control panel to see if any of the indicators were showing in the red. He saw the Captain's lipstick sitting on the counter. He looked at the message on the wall.

After recalling some of what he had learned over the past few days, he decided on a quick course of action. He could do this and then return his attention to the Cap-...to Tessa. He took the lipstick and walked over to the wall. His plan somehow felt childish, but he was determined to do it for Tessa. Again, If she could risk so much, why shouldn't he? It would be 'Tessa.' At least for today.



Tessa

It's OK. I'm growing too.

XXXXXXXXXXXX Sousuke



The smear covered an area where he had originally written Sgt. Sagara. He changed that. Tessa definitely deserved 'Sousuke.' He stared almost in wonder at his hand, its palm deep pink...just like Tessa's.

When he turned back to check on Tessa, he was surprised. She had her arms outstretched as far as the canopy would allow, as if she were pointing.

************************************************************

The viewscreen in the conference room came on of its own accord, startling the busy team of people nearby. Satellite image flashed by, too fast to decipher. GPS coordinates came and went...glowing, fading, and glowing again, all the while darting across the screen like a frightened flock of birds. Eventually one image stayed on the screen. One set of coordinates refused to move. A ghostly representation of a naked Captain Testarossa floated across the room, passing by Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin, Mr. Windham, and the assembled members of the Intel Department. The ghostly Tessa pointed to an area on the image, and that area increased in resolution, showing a cluster of buildings.

Kalini quickly wrote down the coordinates and told Lt. Concepcion to download that image directly into the search data base. For the first time in a while, the people in that room had hope.

A second cruise missile was launched...the assembled professionals would use the time alloted by its flight to better define the target parameters.

An unspoken thought ran through the room, but did not squelch the new found enthusiasm. The threat behind the Pakistani cabal had been clever and effective. Hopefully, they hadn't had the forethought or resources to set up a number of lambda drivers to serve as red herrings.

*************************************************************

The enemy had made a concerted effort to move increasing numbers of medium and long range howitzers into range, and the fruits of their endeavors were showing up as a steadily increasing steel rain. First a slight drizzle. Then a medium downpour. Later, a deluge.

The advancing front moved inexorably towards Melissa's M9 as the ground spotters supplied coordinates to artillerymen located far outside of visual range. A few laser guided Copperhead round were in the mix, forcing Melissa to pilot her Arm Slave in a random dance of movement.

The enemy's new approach was a double edged sword. Obviously, the Dhanush could NOT launch at this time. That was fortuitous. Obviously, the enemy must think that by saturating the target area, they could obliterate the invading forces. They may well be correct, Melissa thought. And, if it they WERE...well, that would be distinctly less than fortuitous.

Melissa looked at her console. A highly significant countdown had made its way down 10:00. Ten minutes. That was all the time she had left to reach a mission objective that would allow her to call off the patiently waiting cruise missile. At the appointed time, when the clock read 00:00, the circling death would default to its terminal path, and destruction would come crashing down from the sky.

Damn it Kurz! Are you still alive, still functional? Why haven't you showed up? Why haven't you ansewered the radio? She watched the countdown again. If she was disabled, and saw no sign of Urzu 6, she would send out a signal that would immediately call the cruise missile in.

Kurz had managed to drag Urzu 6 to a point where he could see the missile. He could also see Urzu 2. As he reached a more open location, his remaining operational threat sensor started to complain incessantly. He had to find someway to let Melissa know. Dammitt! He had lobbied for them all to carry longer range sensors, but 'flexibility' had won out over 'caution.' Or, as Melissa had said, 'paranoia.'

"When we get back, Melissa..." he started smugly, before stopping.

"IF...if we get back. If we BOTH get back..."

His radio was broken, and he could not waste a single shot from Cassie. He thought of two alternatives. He would use the white phosphorus grenade as a last resort, lest he damage any remaining sensors in either Arm Slave. Instead, he went with a plan that would appeal to an expert marksman...and a man way too full of himself.

The flames had died down to a point that they themselves no longer presented a threat to the Dhanush. Fortunately, the ongoing artllery barrage precluded missile launch. At least until the enemy stopped being cautious.

Pushing his M9 up on one arm, Kurz brought the other arm forward briskly, throwing his anti-armor dagger.

***'Cause if God's on the left then I'm stickin' to the right***

The dagger missed. Kurz swore and cursed his aim. However, he shouldn't have been so quick to lambast his efforts. Melissa had caught sight of the motion of the M9's arm, and had quite obviously turned her Arm Slave towards Kurz' position. Hoping she'd see, and hoping she'd catch on, he pointed the exposed arm of his M9 skyward.

Melissa, just as quick in mind as she was quick on her feet, DID get the message. She turned just in time to see an incoming flight of A-10s, staggered horizontally, vertically, and from front to back. The rain of shells continued behind her too. Looks like she was going the get it from the front and from the rear at the same time. Oh! Good thing Kurz didn't hear the words she just thought!

All three A10s fired at once. As the advancing rain of death began to fall heavily around her, Melissa had the happy bonus of seeing three rows of stinging death advance along the ground towards her current site. She knew it was certain death to stand still. She headed quickly towards the open factory door, hoping could could make it to cover in time. And hoping the missile wouldn't launch while she was inside.

Kurz cursed. He had lost a number of cartridges of Cassie's ammunition during his fall or soon thereafter.

"Sorry pretty lady. I'll make it up to you. Will dinner and dancing suffice?!" he said while checking on the internal load of the anti-aircraft cannon.

Three shots left. It would be wise to save all three, just to be as safe. But, his confidence still high despite his miss with the dagger, he figured he just might be able to spare one round. Seeing what Melissa was trying to do, he was about to fire on the A-10 closest to the factory door.

His 'shoulder angel' spoke for the first time that day, and told him to hold his fire. If an enemy observer hadn't seen the thrown dagger or the movement of the M9's arm, that observer might think that Kurz was down for the count. The enemy might feel overconfident and launch the missile: it would be a sitting duck for good old Kurzeroo!!! He couldn't risk being detected.

"Sorry, Melissa. Please be well!!!"

Sgt. Conrad had definitely seen better days. With death all around him, he figured his number had come up. It was just a matter of time. His pending death certainly bothered him...but his inability to do perform any additional usueful act bothered him even more. He saw Urzu 2 make a quick dash-and-leap towards the open factory door. He also saw the bottom half of the Arm Slave almost literally fall to pieces at it was caught in the converging fire from all three A10s. He hobbled off to see if he could be of any assistance, even though he figured that they had all failed. He was guessing that Melissa would have arranged for some external source of massive destruction to cover for their mistakes.

The surviving portion of Melissa's M9 rolled awkwardly through the factory like an ovoid bowling ball, knocking over stacks of equipment as it passed. When it came to a stop, there was no movement inside.

The wave of incoming artillery fire hadn't ceased yet, despite the disappearence of all Arm Slaves from sight. In fact, like an invisible and infernal pair of hedgeclippers, the widing breadth of incoming fire began to chop away at the walls of the factories bordering both sides of the open area. Perhaps the enemy had mistakenly taken out their own spotters.

Either it was Kurz' lucky day, or his shoulder angel had called in a flight of guardian angels. The destruction passed him by like the eye of a hurricane. He was still there. And, of course, that damn missile was still there. He wanted that damn thing to launch! He laughed when he realized just how politically incorrect that wish was.

*************************************************************

A number of airborne American remotely piloted vehicles were diverted towards the coordinates supplied by Mithril operatives, and one of the 'secret' scramjet powered high-altitude ultra-high-speed reconaissance crafts had launched from an equally 'secret' base at the infamous Skunk Works in time to be of assistance.


*************************************************************

Tessa, a blank expression on her face, waved to Sousuke, and pointed to the console. Correctly interpreting her actions, Souske activated the switch that he believed would open the canopy. He was relieved when the canopy began to move.

He headed over towards the enclosure where Tessa sat, and saw that she had put her hands over her eyes, and had lowered her head down into her lap. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She lifted her head back up again. The look on her face made Sousuke suspect she wasn't fully cognizant yet. Nonetheless, he felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw her smile

*************************************************************

Sgt. Conrad saw that he would not make shelter in time. He dropped to his knee and offered a prayer just before the rain of explosions passed by him and through him, erasing his future existence.

*************************************************************

The downwardly counting digital display remained the only thing purposely moving in Urzu 2. The ragged breathing and gentle rise and fall of Melissa's chest indicated that she was still alive. The small amount of blood running from the corner of her mouth was evidence that she was not entirely intact.

*************************************************************

The rain of artilery shells stopped. Kurz' mind snapped into even greater focus. This was the calm before the storm...the red and yellow lights before the green one that would send the dragsters down their track.

Kurz was too busy to see his life flash before his eyes, so he turned that channel off. He guessed that he would meet his end in the violent embrace of an incoming cruise missile, but that didn't change the task at hand. This was a tag team match. If the cruise missile ruined the cabal's day, the good guys would still win...even if the incredibly handsome Kurz Weber died. No strike that!!! 'Even if the incredibly handsome and exceedingly wonderful' Kurrz Weber died.' No no no. 'Even if the incredibly handsome and exceedingly wonderful babe magnet Kurz Weber died.'

But until the Kurz Weber who IS became the Kurz Weber who WAS, he had a job to do. That Dhanush wasn't going anywhere before the cruise missile arrived!!!

Kurz made an important systems check, careful not to take his eyes away from his target for too long. Yes IT still worked. "Oh yeh!!!" Kurz cued up another song to help pass away the time.

***Is it any wonder, you got me comin' under fire......coming like thunder...you know you make me walk the wire***

Kurz kept his fingers crossed. He wanted very much to make it across that deadly tightrope they had all been walking on this day. If any one of them could make it across that wire and successfully accomplish the mission, he felt that he could die in peace. He may well be the only one left standing. He could NOT let himself fall.

A flash of light caught his avid attention. Flames shot out of the back of the Dhanush, and it slowly made its way into the sky.

Kurz blew a quick kiss to Cassie, sighted, and fired.

Fortunately, the fall had not damaged the Starbust. Of equal good fortune, one of the rare but catastrophic misfires of that relatively new weapon did not occur at that inopportune moment. Of greatest good fortune, Kurz' shot rang true, and the missile burst first into pieces and then into flames. Kurz put his head down and closed his eyes.

Hell's bells, indeed!!!

*************************************************************

The American drones had picked up the destruction of the Dhanush and relayed their electronic messages in time to avert the impending cruise missile strike on the Hydrogen Peroxide plant.

Another set of drones had seen the third missile on the move exactly where Captain Testarossa had insisted it would be. The second cruise missile changed it from a threat to an afterthought.

There was jubilation in the ready room of the TDD-1, and everywhere else the message of success had reached. The tone was somewhat hushed though, as no one knew the fate of the three brave pilots who had contributed to the day's great victory.

The threat behind the cabal still remained, but that was a mystery for another day. It was time for some well-deserved relaxation.


*************************************************************

Sousuke helped Tessa from her enclosure, and caught her when she stumbled. Seeing her cry quietly, he enfolded her in a gentle embrace and held her until the tears stopped.

When she was able to speak again, she looked up and spoke to Souske.
"Sousuke, were we successful? Did we get all three missiles?"

As I understand it captain, we did. One missile was apparently shot down. One missile is assumed to be buried and no longer a threat. And the Dhanush that you located was destroyed by our second cruise missile" Sousuke said.

"I'm glad to hear that." Tessa said.

Yes, Tessa. I am too." She smiled at his use of her name.

"It also seems that the cabal will be hoisted by it's own pitard. They did indeed call for American assistance, as Mr. Windham expected they would. The Americans responded to their request , sending in an overly large number of special forces squads...of course, they are calling them anti-terrorist inspectors. I am am certain it is only a linguistic mistake" Sousuke said, grinning.

"I think I can walk now, Sousuke. If you support me, I think I can make it to the sickbay." Tessa said.

As she walked towards the door, Tessa caught sight of Sousuke's message. She stopped. She read the message several times. She began to cry again. "Thank you Sousuke. Thank you." She said.

"It's not a problem. Tessa" Sousuke said.

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