Red

Date/Timing: 25 September 2024, night
Setting: /Vulcan Specter's Conn-pod; Brisbane harbour, QLD, Australia
.
Christ, it gets worse every drop.
Straightening up.
She's tired. All her muscles begging to stay in standby, go back to the 'Dome and sleep.
Too bad for her you have a job to do.
And a whole lotta people in the city over there counting on you.
"/Vulcan Specter on the ground a Miracle Mile from Brisbane. Tracking's on."
Jack sounds like Jack tonight, like every drop—day /or night. Command Gold all the way, a warm glow at the back of the brain.
Home, really.
Tramp eastward, away from the coast.
Away from town.
Not gonna think about the last time you blew in here looking for a fight.
Warmth from Jack's spot.
Sigh.
Focus.
""Copy, /Vulcan. You thinking of turning the lights on?""
Trip the comm, scoff, "You know us better than that."
""Unfortunately, I do,"" sighs [Commander O]. ""You've got about three minutes before it gets t'ye.""
Footing's finally solid enough, let her rumble to a stop, take a breather.
"'n how long 'til /Striker gets here?"
""Ten minutes, Jackson. You're on your own 'til then.""
"Cuttin' it awful fine these days, ain't we?" he murmurs.
Don't think about busted winches leaving your backup grounded.
Say, "How's the evac?"
""Bridges're clear. Emergency management says eighty percent turnout in the shelters.""
Jack tosses a smile your way. "You'd think they didn't trust us."
Grin back, "Why /should they? Not like we're /professionals 'r anything."
Jack laughs.
It's almost like there's nothing wrong.
Lock your comm 'open' like Jack's already done.
""One minute, Joneses.""
Jack sobers up right quick, game face on, battle aura in place.
Roll your shoulders, shake your legs back to life, get your jaw set, flex all your fin—
Goddamn thumb's sticking again. What the fuck is that thing's—
/proximity alert
"There y'are, ugly."
Thing surfaces like a submarine, right fuckin' in front of you, maybe a hundred meters off.
Ugly's right.
And /big.
Long, long, /long tail curled up over its back and ginormous claws on its forelimbs.
It's a gorram scorpion.
Shortstack'll scream like a little girl when he sees it.
Jack snorts a laugh (or maybe that's you).
Circle; gotta be an angle, but it's got reach on you from /both ends.
Kaiju charges—way fast—levels its tail, smacks you dead in the chest.
Skid on your ass back into gun range.
That'll save some time.
Heave yourself upright, twist the controller, feel the electricity sizzle along the nerves of your arm.
Jack shuffles you back, keeps the distance open.
It's faster than your gun, closes up, snaps a claw—
Dodge, barely in time.
/Finally.
Ready, aim—
Fire.
Miss.
Grit teeth.
Recharge.
Kaiju scuttles toward you, tail snaking back and forth over its head.
C'monc'monc'mon/chargeyoustupidfuckinthing
Jack sidesteps—
It rushes you, full speed, claws wide.
Fire.
Hit a leg.
No effect.
Recharge.
Kaiju slams on the brakes, tail lashes, clips your arm.
Stings.
Shake it off.
/damage alert
Two capacitors blown.
Fuck.
"I'm gonna be slow!"
"We're /always slow!" Jack hollers back. "Keep it up! I'll hold the ran—Jesus /FUCK!"
Claw bites his knee, snapping girders, shredding cables.
Fire.
Lurches away best he can, knee folding, dropping you—
Miss.
Snarl.
Recharge.
Kaiju's too close, shrieks—sounds like a cackle—whips 'round.
Tail catches you full in the gut and you're tumbling.
Land stupid and something pops in Jack's wrist.
/damage alert
Ow.
Water closes over your head and you hit bottom.
"My gun's gone!"
Great.
Just fuckin' /peachy.
Don't think about the patchwork armour over the tracks.
The cold feels soooo good against the burn in your leg.
Jack drags you up anyway, engines whining, frame rattling.
Break the surface, waterfall in front—that was one big-ass shark—of the glass, flick your head to clear the sight.
Where's—
"Jack! Watch—!"
Claw bites Jack's knee, shear through metal like cardboard.
/Gold dims, still yanks /Vulcan away, her whole body tilting bad to his side.
Fire.
Take off a leg.
Kaiju backs off, roaring like a jet intake.
Recharge.
Shake loose some static.
His knee won't straighten, won't hold you to move.
Fuck.
Taste blood on Jack's tongue, but he's bright, fighting.
Thank god.
Tail lashes, tags your elbow.
/damage alert
Another capacitor.
Is this thing /playing with you?
Jack flickers.
"LOCCENT! We need /Striker /now!"
""Two minutes!""
""Hold on!"" yells Old Hansen.
Snap back, "An' here I was plannin' on dyin' on ye!"
Shortstack breaks in, ""Don't ye /dare—""
"Not rid of us that easy, Chuckles!"
Fire.
Midline.
Lots of Blue, squealing, flailing.
Re—
Tail buries itself in Jack's hip.
Stagger.
Jack saves you from face-planting—pays for it when the tail crashes upside the Conn-pod, caves his side in a meter.
Something knocks the wind outta him and you taste more blood in his mouth.
His breathin' ain't right.
"Get medevac ready! We're gonna need 'em!"
Tail flicks again, rips out most of Jack's hamstring.
/Vulcan's falling.
Good knee slams into the seabed as Jack's bad one locks flexed.
""One minute!""
Stand up stand up stand up!
Can't.
Don't.
Fire.
Lower jaw.
Tears away, pouring Blue.
Recharge.
Kaiju gurgles, flails some distance between you.
The ground trembles.
"'bout time, ye bastards!"
""Pull back so we can get a shot!""
"Can't move, sir—"
Roll your eyes.
"—leg's gone!"
Kaiju throws itself at you, bashes at your head with its tail.
Jack's side groans, gives.
A whip-crack—
/Gold winks out.
Head's ringing.
(comebackcomebackcomebackcomeback)
Something /gritches in your neck.
Jack's gone for an /eternity, comes back swearing, screaming.
There's blood splattered on your visor.
The inside.
Nosebleed.
Not good.
Another blow to the head.
A /crack like breaking bone.
Jack screams blue murder.
Sympathetic jerk almost dislocates your knee.
Head's filling with static.
And you're rooted here like a goddamn tree.
Kaiju spins, locks your knee in its claw.
Fire.
Miss.
How'd you miss from point-blank?
Recharge.
/Goddammit!
Shut it down, save the power.
Why /now?
Kaiju squeezes.
Titanium splinters.
Keep punching.
Damn, your arm is heavy.
—Can'thelpsorrysorrysorry
Claw grinds your knee's last steel.
""Can't get a bead on it!""
That's a /terrible idea, Jack; you'll—
"Hansen! Fire!"
""/What?!"" squeaks Shortstack.
"/Just do it!"
"Jack, don't—!"
He wrenches his leg harder against the edge.
Claw twists against the motion (Kaiju moves—rises!—with it), ridges splitting the final connections.
—knee's agony, foot's numb, whole body's tipping to his side—
Kaiju sounds kinda frustrated with only half your leg.
—water swallows you again, one of Hansen's missiles skips off your trailing wrist—
/damage alert
Your gun's gone for good.
—without blowing, a couple /booms rattle your teeth—
A knife-edged claw aimed straight at the sight.
"It's not dead!"
Get your arm in the way, deflect—
Claw buries itself in muck.
Whack at its face, but /fuck your arm's heavy.
Not like this.
Keep whacking.
Suddenly, no Kaiju.
""Stay down!"" barks Old Hansen.
"Roger, that," wheezes Jack.
/critical damage alarm
""Pod's gonna give!"" shrieks [O].
/Please not like this.
""/Vulcan!"" hollers the Marshal. ""Bail out!""
"Startin'—fuck!"
Shitshitshit.
"Damaged! Movin' t' backups!"
He sounds—feels—drunk, fights the controls.
Try to push yourself up.
""Get outta there!""
Can't.
"We're /tryin', Shortstack!"
Slump back to the bottom.
"Release is stickin'!"
""It's comin' back for—""
Throw all you've left into your arms, protect your head—
Everything's red.
Something stabs you in the heart, there's fire—
Scream.
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