Dawn of the Void

Chapter 72: Get there fast

It took ten more minutes of bloody work but they cleared the last of the Nem3s. Having four Black Hawks in the sky helped like crazy, though they almost lost one when a Nem3 wheeled and loosed a harpoon straight up at is undercarriage. The bird wheeled away at the last second, the harpoon missing by a yard.

When finally the last Nem3 collapsed to their massed gunfire, James set the Wing down and staggered off it. Took a moment to take stock, looking up and down the line of buses.

Perhaps a quarter of them were wrecked. Gauged open, caved in, tires torn off, roofs ripped up. But casualties were, at least at first glance, light. Aeviternum no doubt, but also plain good tactics. Synergies showing their worth. Shields and Circles of Protection, Smite-enhanced M4s and the fact that their tactic of riding buses had forced the Nem3s to the outside, needing to cut their way in even as Blue Team triads and Black Hawks cut them down.

Command, this is Kelly. Brooklyn Convoy is cleared.

Hackworth responded. Copy, Kelly. The Queens convoy is still engaged. Can you catch up with them on the Wings?

Yeah, we can do that. James looked at this crew. Mount up. Weve more work to do.

Command, heading up the 87 now, over.

They got back on the angelic crafts and rose smoothly to a height of some ten yards. His divine power pool was dangerously low; having blasted out two Heavenly Assaults was a wicked drain, but he still had enough to urge the Wing to glide forward with ever faster speed.

No need for words. No time for a god damn speech.

Just time enough to hurry and help out as best they could.

Some of the teams along the Brooklyn convoy let out ragged cheers as they flew by, but the sound only infuriated James. Didnt they see? Didnt they understand? This was nothing. This was a fucking appetizer to the main course that was coming. Theyd put a stop to about a hundred Nem3s without taking too many losses, but it had been a hard fight, and theyd been forced to burn a lot of resources.

How the fuck were they supposed to handle the hundreds of thousands coming with the Fourth Wave?

Command, please relay a message to Miles. The bubble of calm around the Wing made it easy to speak even as they went ever faster. We need to increase out Fabricator output. Not just Wings. We need everything. We need it yesterday. Over.

Copy, Kelly, said Star Boy, voice sober.

James grimaced and leaned over the handlebars. Urged the Wing faster. They blew past Carvajals team that was mounting up, no doubt having received the same message. The Black Hawks had streamed ahead, moving shockingly fast for such massive vehicles.

Kelly, situation with Queens convoy is bad, said Star Boy. They dropped their Nem3s north of Yonkers, and two thirds of the buses got away. Last third was trapped by a crash, theyve circled wagons, but are facing almost a hundred Nem3s. Get there fast.

Get there fast.

What would happen if he dumped a point of Aeviternum into the Wings tank? He had three points left. That was three Heavenly Assaults, but what use would those be if he arrived five minutes too late?

He checked his sheet, a quick summons that brought the numbers before him. 15 unspent points, 10 just gained, 5 from his last level that hed never spent. Checked Aeviternum costs. 15 a point now.

Damn.

Boost Arete? Buy another Aeviternum? What was the right call?

He needed that aura. With what was coming, another Heavenly Assault wouldnt make a difference.

Better Iron Aura would.

He dumped the 15 points into his Arete. It rose to 70. His divine power pool swelled, his Iron Aura rose to 4, and with savage determination he summoned his second Aeviternum and poured it into the Wing.

What the fuck? shouted Serenity as the hoverbike began to glow gold.

Hold on, growled James, and the Wing flew.

They left the pack behind, skimming forward ever faster, the trees blurring around them, the empty blacktop speeding by. Faster and faster, and then the Black Hawks were growing larger, crawling back toward them through the sky. James kept his gaze locked on the road up ahead. Willed the Queens convoy to swell into view.

They sped under the Black Hawks.

This is Super Six Three, what is that passing us below?

Super Six Three, this is Alpha Five One, thats an Angel Wing, over.

An Angel Wing? The Black Hawks pilots calm, almost bored tone came close to cracking. Its going almost three hundred miles an hour.

James left the Black Hawks behind. Hunched over the vibrating, burning Wing he willed it to go faster, felt its components rattling, starting to come apart beneath him. Willed it to hold together, to give him just a little more juice, to just get there

They blasted over a subtle rise in the highway, crested, and there was the convoy just ahead, Cortlandt Park long gone, a large grassy bank rising on their right to warehouses, more bare trees on the left.

The buses had formed a crude triangle, many of them overlapping, and atop their roofs stood Blue Light teams, guns blazing, Circles of Protection flaring into view again and again.

Thirty or forty Nem3s were massed around them, hunching over to launch harpoons, leaping and being rebuffed by shields, though there, on the left corner, three had gained a bus roof.

James came tearing down upon them at full speed, but even so he wasnt in time. He could only watch as the Nem3s tore through the team, ripping bodies which healed with Aeviternum and then were torn again, swiping heads off, bulling their way deeper into the defenses.

One of the Queens convoy Black Hawks came roaring past, unleashing hell, but the Nem3s leaped aside, mercurially quick, having figured out how the choppers worked.

Hold on, shouted James. Two Aeviternum points, just enough divine power for another Heavenly Assault.

Slow down! Serenity screamed back.

No time to slow down. They came bleedingly fast down the interstate, silent but for a deep thrumming in the wind, and at the last second James yanked the Wing to one side, letting traction slip so that they slid broadside into the mass of Nem3s.

At the same time, he burned an Aeviternum, fueling a Heavenly Assault. It dropped from the skies like a blast from fucking Thor, slamming like a redwood made of living silver and gold right into the densest part of the Nem3s, obliterating them with Gloria.

But the demons possessed crazy reflexes. They reacted instantly as the Wing slid amongst them, turning, snarling, preparing to leap.

James dropped a second Heavenly Assault on the other side of the bus-triangle, shattering the world again with livid light.

The first flared away, revealing a dozen dead Nem3s, each little more than standing columns of ash.

Three Nems launched themselves at James, and he shunted the Wing forward, jerking ahead four or five yards, turned it hard to the right, skidded a yard, leaped forward again.

Nems landed around them.

Serenity opened up with her Ma Deuce.

DONDONDONDONDONDONDONDON -

This time her 50 Cals punched clear through the demons, not killing the ones behind, but far more effective than moments ago.

Text was flickering into view:

Your rank is now Novitiate 4

You have 5 unspent points.

James stopped the Wing short, reached for his remaining Divine Pool and summoned a final Heavenly Assault. This one he dropped on the very far side of the triangle, close enough to the buses so that its energy would wash over them, clearing the Nem3s whod breached.

Again the world flared white and gold. Again an intoxicating wave of power washed over them, and another blocks worth of Nem3s were immolated.

Your rank is now Novitiate 5

You have 5 unspent points.

10 more points. James slid them into Arete, bringing his total to 80, his Iron Aura to 6.

No more Aeviternum. Not enough Arete even with the new boost for another Heavenly Assault.

James looked around the interstate. Piles of ash were blowing away in the wind just about everywhere. The men and women atop the buses were gaping at him.

But that wasnt a complete end to the Nem3s. A handful had stood just outside the blast radiuses of his Assaults, and now these oriented on them, hissing and drawing close, moving slowly as if taught caution by his power.

Serenity had paused for a moment as well, half-turned to stare at him, but then she caught herself and swiveled the huge gun about and unleashed hell once more.

This signaled the Nem3s to attack. They exploded forward, bounding on all fours, a couple of them hunching to loose harpoons.

James leaped off the Wing, snatching up his axe as he went, and swung a Sacred Strike into the face of a Nem3 falling upon him, the sheet of flame enveloping the demon as James hurled himself clumsily aside.

Fuck. Theyd left the Bless crew behind. Hed grown used to working with heightened Agility and Power, and now he was down to his basic stats.

He felt old and creaky, but fury bore him on.

The Nem3 crashed down where hed been, its front charred and cracked. James lurched toward it, axe swinging, Smite enhanced, and brought its blade thokking down on the side of its head.

The skull shattered; the huge demon went down.

But there were more.

A bone harpoon came flashing toward him. His Iron Aura flared, extending a good three yards out now in all directions, but the harpoon was pure bone and didnt give a damn about his aura.

James froze, would have taken the attack square to the face if Serenity hadnt tackled him, knocking them both aside as the bone spear flew by.

Up! she shouted, releasing him and rolling to her feet with enviable skill.

Cursing his Agility 5, James climbed clumsily to his feet and then let out a cry of alarm as Nem3 appeared before him, huge and fell, a clawed fist the size of a tire scything down to take off his head.

His Iron Aura had subsided, but he felt it within him, dour and ponderous, lethal and waiting. Pure reflex made him reach for it again, and his panic caused him to flare it out, push it forth like an outflung arm.

Iron Aura blazed out and hit the Nem3 like a wall. Knocked its clawed fist aside and hit the towering monstrosity in the chest like a Mack Truck.

James felt the impact, the bone rattling force of it. The Aura slammed into the Nem3, lifted it off its clawed feet, and hurled it back, its entire front charred, muscle cracked and blackened.

It crashed to the ground a handful of yards away and lay there mewling.

Fuck me, muttered James, then raised his axe, caused Smite to flow down its length, and looked up to see a Nem3 falling upon them, its leap taking it insanely high.

Only for a Black Hawk to train its miniguns on it and tear it apart midair.

Two Nem3s remained. Fearless, they bounded forward, but slammed into Shields. Teams had dropped down from the buses and were approaching. Smiters unleashed M4s on it, Serenity trained her Ma Deuce, and the last of the Nem3s were torn apart.

James reeled back, sucking in huge chestfuls of air. Looked around. No more left. Just piled of ash, blackened bone, torn chunks of demon.

You good? he asked Serenity, whod put up her gun.

Yeah, I think so, she said, then propped the barrel against her shoulder. You did all this?

James took an extra deep breath, held it, then released. Most, yeah.

Fucking hell, said Serenity. Im Level 6. That happened fast.

More to come. James activated his radio. Command, this is Kelly. Queens convoy secured.

Uh Hackworth sounded speechless. We, ah, saw, Kelly. That was I mean, good work.

The other Wings were speeding into view now, the rest of Crimson Hydra and with Medusa and Dragon coming up behind. They all slowed, eyes going wide.

Teams came up from the buses. James recognized most of them. Ebon Ogre, Ivory Naga, Ivory Pegasus, Crimson Yeti, Ebon Centaur. A bunch of others, all of them rushing up and then coming to a stop, expressions awed.

Young, the tall, bony leader of Crimson Hydra, stepped forward. Her blonde-white hair was intricately braided into a crown; she visibly swallowed and gave a sharp shake of her head. Jesus Christ, James. How did you do that?

Novitiate 6. James didnt want their admiration, to waste time hanging around. He thumbed his radio again. Command, this is Kelly. Status on the other convoys?

Kelly, this is Command. That was the S3, Major Duffy. Manhattan convoy is clear, minimum damage, heading north on the 95. Bronx convoy is bogged down ten miles north of your position. Staten Island and Jersey convoys are clear, heading south on 95.

You going to do more? asked Young, disbelieving.

If I dont, who will? James clapped Serenity on the shoulder. Come on, Eternal Fire. We aint finished yet.

James! shouted Olaf as they mounted their wing. Dont leave us behind like that!

Then keep up, growled James. No time for dawdling. We got ten miles to cover. Lets get going.

Whatever you say, jefe, said Yadriel with a dark grin.

God damn. Joanna removed her aviators to examine the battle scene. You did all this yourself?

What am I, chopped liver? asked Serenity, climbing back on the Wing.

The Black Hawks, eight of them now, were scudding north at full speed. James sat on the Wing, willed it to rise. No Aeviternum left, just a quarter of his divine power left in the tank. No more shock and awe, not today at least.

Tend to the wounded, he said loudly so that everyone in the crowd could hear. See what buses you can salvage. Get to work. Tomorrow were facing the Second Wave.

Expressions hardened, people nodded, turned away, began to return to the buses.

James hunched over the handles and willed the Wing on.