Chapter 764: Loud annoying distractions.
The Dragonfly aircrafts set off from Fortress Four at the stated time: 2:00 AM.
In the combat one, which carried the Storm squad, just like the last time, when they set out for such a mission, the air was thick enough to choke a horse. Silence reigned. Some soldiers were white-knuckled, whispering prayers into their palms; others stared blankly at the floor, hoping the mission would actually work according to plan.
Only Phillip seemed at ease. The man was listening to music through headphones, shaking his head slowly, as if this was any other day. The rest wished they had his confidence.
Sunshine, standing near the center aisle, didn’t share their visible dread or Phillips’s relaxation. Her mood could not be determined so easily. One reason was because she had handpicked this team and trained with them. The other reason was because she had the Shroud Barrier. It was her ace in the hole, a piece of tech that promised opportunity and safety.
Her thumb brushed across the right side of her breast pocket. Inside, was a picture of her family. She always kept one in there for emergency. In case death ever came for her, it was the last thing she wanted to see.
The combat aircraft slowed, the silence of the engines coming to a halt. They hovered a few hundred meters from the rift, suspended in the air like ghosts. Thanks to the cloaking tech, they were invisible to the enemy.
Sunshine walked toward the cockpit, her boots clicking softly on the metal floor. Her eyes flicked to the timer, which indicated that they had traveled a distance of 2500 miles in ten minutes. "Status, Major?"
Major Elio didn’t look up immediately. He was hunched over a glowing dashboard, his eyes darting between three different monitors displaying drone footage. He adjusted a slider, zooming in on the area around the rift.
"Bad news, Sunshine," Elio grunted, rubbing a hand over the stubble on his chin. "The mutant dogs are thick up there, I have counted one hundred sixty seven. Even if we split them in half, we’re still looking at a small army of teeth and claws. It’s a damn mosh pit."
Sunshine let out a short, sharp sigh. She leaned over his shoulder, watching the thermal signatures dance on the screen. "The number has increased compared to yesterday. They must have realized that the first rift had help in being closed." She straightened her back, her expression hardening. "Doesn’t matter. There’s no turning back now, we must close the Mockland rift today." She almost added ’or die trying.’
But, she didn’t have plans of dying--not just yet anyway. Those words could be saved for the biggest rift.
She grabbed a communication device off the console. "Ground distraction team, you’re up. Make them hate you. Sunshine out."
Two aircraft’s dipped lower, their bellies opening like the jaws of a whale. Vehicles rolled out one after another, hitting the ash with muffled thuds. They moved in total darkness_ no lights, no rumbling engines, just shadows sliding across the ruined land. Once the last vehicle was out, the aircraft’s retreated back into the clouds.
Nimo, sitting in the lead modified truck, checked her watch. She grinned, a predatory look that made her co-pilot visibly nervous. "Alright, boys and girls," she whispered into her headset. "Time to be the most annoying distraction in the universe. Green light. I repeat, Green light, Dance naked on the roof of a car if you must."
On her command, every vehicle roared to life. The silence of the early grey morning was shattered by the scream of high-performance engines. It wasn’t just noise; it was an invitation. Loud music that had no business being played in the area. Between pauses, a speaker that carried Zulu’s voice, campaigning for apocalypse world president! They tore across the flats, leaving plumes of ash in their wake, heading straight for the heart of Mockland.
High above, Carson watched through the Dragonfly’s floor-viewers. "Look at those idiots," he muttered, pointing at the Watchers.
The watchers were lounging around, complaining in their clicking language about the boredom of guard duty. When the roar of the engines hit their ears, they scrambled like ants in a disturbed hill.
"Is that... Fortress Four?" one Watcher hissed, its long neck snapping toward the approaching dust cloud.
"It is! Look at the markings!" another shrieked. "I can’t believe I am finally seeing humans from ’The Fortress four.’"
"Do you think the one they call Sunshine is here?" Another asked.
As the lead vehicle drifted into a turn, Nimo lowered the armored window of the co-driver’s seat just enough for the enemy to see the occupant: Sunshine’s clone.
"It’s her!" a Watcher screamed, pointing a jagged finger. "The Sunshine Quinn human. It can’t be good that she is here. I must inform Commander Pickery immediately!"
"Forget Pickery!" another hissed, shoving the first aside. "If we take her ourselves back to Xylas, we’ll be kings! Think of the rewards. The leader will give us new positions, hell we will be of the same status as Pickery."
"It’ll be fun to see her bleed," a third laughed, a sound like grinding glass. He turned to the massive, hulking mutant dogs guarding the rift. "You! Half of you, go! Bring me that girl’s head!"
"We take her alive, maybe we could turn her into some mutant too," Another suggested.
They burst out laughing.
Sunshine, watching from the aircraft, tapped her earpiece. "Neems, they bought it. They’re coming for you. Lead them on a chase."
"Copy that, Boss," Nimo’s voice crackled back, sounding far too excited. "Hey, you ugly freaks! Come and get some!" She screamed this loudly, as the vehicle transformed into something that resembled Tank, but was still a car.
The pursuit was on. The Watchers and their mutant dogs-’ masses of muscle and fur with jaws that could snap steel_ lunged after the vehicles. The drivers waited until the monsters were close enough to smell their fetid breath.
"Now!" Nimo yelled.
The vehicles’ ’Flash’ boosters engaged. With a sound like a whip cracking, the cars vanished into a blur of speed, leaving the mutants biting at empty air. The enemy, blinded by rage and greed, didn’t stop. They sprinted harder, their distorted limbs pumping.
Then, the vehicles slammed on the brakes.
The mutants skidded to a halt, growling, ready to pounce. But the Invisible teams weren’t just watching anymore. They made their exo suits visible as well, a calculated move for the watchers to see.
"Drop them!" Father Nicodemus commanded.
Canisters fell from the sky, exploding into thick, clouds of itchy, burning, stinky dust. The Watchers shrieked, blinded, coughing as the grit filled their lungs. Even the mutant beast that had been pursuing the team were caught off guard and blinded.
"Visors on," Morris shouted, his voice echoing in his exo-suit helmet.