Chapter 9: The Four-Phase Contingency
The screech of the Twilight Hunter echoed through the town as it tore a car door off its hinges. Panic erupted. People screamed and scrambled for cover.
In the diner, Jin was perfectly calm. He tapped a pointer against a complex, color-coded map of the town he had spread across a table.
"As I predicted," he said to his terrified, newly-formed command team, "the Class-2 Hostile has breached the preliminary barricade. We now transition from defense to Protocol Chimera."
Jade, the tech genius, stared at the map. "You have a name for it?"
"Of course," Jin said. "Naming conventions are critical for operational clarity. The protocol is a four-phase strategy." He pointed his stick at Boyd. "Phase One: Tactical Kiting. The 'Bait Asset' will lure the hostile into Kill Zone Alpha."
Boyd's eye twitched. "I'm the Bait Asset, aren't I?"
"Your high survivability rating and leadership status make you the logical choice," Jin said without a hint of irony. "Phase Two: Immobilization. Teams Bravo and Charlie, led by Jim and Kenny, will activate pre-placed snare traps to entangle its limbs. Phase Three: The Decisive Strike. Once immobilized, the 'Mark I Ballista' will deliver the incendiary payload."
"And Phase Four?" Kenny asked, his voice shaking.
"Phase Four," Jin said, gesturing to a smaller, separate map, "is my personal escape and evasion route in case Plans A, B, and C result in a catastrophic mission failure. You are not cleared for access to Phase Four."
The sheer, deadpan seriousness of his multi-layered, overly-complex plan was so absurd that for a moment, nobody knew how to react.
The battle began. Boyd, channeling a level of terror he hadn't felt in years, ran through the street, firing his shotgun at the massive spider-creature. "HEY! UGLY! COME AND GET ME!"
The creature, enraged, gave chase.
"Bait Asset has successfully acquired the hostile's aggro," Jin's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie he'd given them. He was perched in the church steeple, his "Overwatch Alpha." "Team Bravo, your timing for the snare was 1.8 seconds late. This has resulted in a 12% decrease in snare effectiveness. Acknowledge."
"ACKNOWLEDGE?!" Jim Matthews yelled back, diving behind a car as a massive, tree-like leg smashed the spot where he'd been. "WE'RE A LITTLE BUSY, JIN!"
The traps worked, just barely. The creature became tangled in a web of steel cables and heavy nets, roaring in fury. It was pinned in the town square, right in the crosshairs of the ballista.
"The hostile is immobilized," Jade yelled from his position next to the giant crossbow. "Ready to fire!"
"Hold your fire," Jin's voice commanded over the radio.
"WHAT?! It's a perfect shot!" Jade screamed.
"Negative," Jin replied calmly. "I am detecting a 7% wind variance from the west that was not in the initial forecast. It could affect the bolt's trajectory. Recalibrate your aim 2.3 degrees to the north-northeast."
"IT'S THE SIZE OF A BUS! JUST LET ME SHOOT IT!"
"An uncalibrated shot increases the risk of a non-critical hit by 22%," Jin's voice was ice. "Recalibrate. That is an order."
Fuming, Jade cranked a heavy wheel, adjusting the aim by a minuscule amount. "Recalibrated! Firing!"
He pulled the lever. The giant bolt hissed through the air and struck the creature dead-center. It erupted in a massive fireball, the incendiary payload igniting its dry, root-like body. The town cheered. It was a victory.
"Cease celebrations," Jin's voice cut in, killing the mood instantly. "The incendiary payload was effective, but my thermal scope indicates its core temperature has not reached zero. It may regenerate. Prepare the 'Mark II Strategic Impalement Devices' for a close-range follow-up strike. Just in case."
As if on cue, the flaming creature began to stir.
"Of course it's still alive," Boyd sighed, grabbing one of the ridiculously over-engineered spears. "Of course he made spares for the spares."
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Chapter complete! I read every single comment, so let me know what's on your mind! If you want to support the fic even more, a review or some power stones would be amazing. Cheers!