Three vessels tore across the darkening sands in a desperate line. The lead vehicle was the heavy transport truck carrying the civilians, the precious cargo, and the remaining Galvanizers. Two enemy assault trucks pursued them closely from behind. They kicked up rooster tails of red dust as they closed the gap.
In the lead truck, Sophie huddled behind a crate of ammunition. She peeked over the rim and look at the man leaning out of the pursuing vehicle. He shouted words that were lost to the wind, but his face was twisted with a familiar malice.
Sophie tugged on her brother's sleeve.
"Aidro, look. That man. Who is he?"
Aidro glared at Reiner Klitz. His small hands balled into fists.
"He is the captive Mom and Dad brought back. They saved his life from the Rusters."
Sophie frowned. The concept didn't fit in her head.
"If Mom and Dad saved him, why does he want to kill us?"
Aidro spat on the floor of the truck.
"Because he is an ungrateful bastard. That's why."
"Huh." Leik noticed her children poking their heads out into the line of fire.
"Get down! Stay in cover!"
She pulled them back and turned to Kingham, Divento, and Gustov. The wind whipped her hair across her face.
"You heard his demand. He wants everything. The cargo, the gear, and me. If we give him that, he says he will let the rest of you live."
Gustov checked his rifle's magazine.
"If we give him what he wants, he will kill us anyway. A man who betrays his rescuers does not leave witnesses."
Divento nodded from the floor of the truck.
"Agreed. He has seen the Adamantine. He has seen the W-H2O. Greed is a fire that does not stop until it consumes the house. We cannot trust him."
Kingham made the call. He leaned toward the driver's cabin.
"Driver! Head for the canyon entrance! In the open like this, we are vulnerable to their long-range weapons from both fronts."
The driver nodded and cranked the wheel. The truck swerved toward the dark fissure in the earth.
Reiner's patience snapped.
"Give me your answer! Or I burn you all!"
Kingham shouted back.
"Go to hell!"
Leik raised her rifle. She didn't hesitate. She aimed for Reiner's head and squeezed the trigger.
Crack-Crack.
Reiner ducked back inside the truck just as a bullet sparked against the turret's frame where his head had been.
"They shot at me!"
Reiner's face turned purple. The veins in his neck bulged.
"Fire! Burn them to ash!"
The soldiers prepared to unleash their laser rounds.
"No! Wait!"
Reiner stopped them.
"Don't shoot the truck with those rounds! You will damage the cans! Those are worth a fortune! Ram them! Push them off course! We salvage the cans, kill everyone, and I get my armor back."
The Cloud 9 unit commander grunted.
"Ramming speed."
The other enemy assault truck surged forward. The engine roared as it pulled up to the refugee truck's flank.
Leik saw the heavy grille approaching.
"They are going to ram us. Gustov, fire!"
Gustov unleashed a volley, but the bullets flattened harmlessly against the thick plating of the enemy vehicle.
Divento grimaced.
"It is useless. Lead cannot cut through that metal. Even a Chainblade would struggle to find purchase on that slope."
Leik looked at the Adamantine sword strapped to her waist. An insane idea took root.
"If that's the case… Adamantine might be able to cut it."
Divento followed her gaze. His eyes widened.
"Leik, you would have to get up close. How do you plan to..."
He stopped. He understood.
Leik smirked. "Driver! Slow down! Let them hit us!"
The driver eased off the gas. The enemy truck caught up instantly.
CRUNCH.
Metal screamed as the enemy vehicle slammed into their side. The impact was violent, but the uneven terrain kept them from flipping. The trucks locked together for a moment. They ground side by side at sixty miles per hour.
The enemy driver prepared to ram again.
Leik didn't wait. She dashed towards the side.
"Cover me!"
She leaped. She cleared the gap between the speeding vehicles and landed with a heavy thud on the roof of the enemy truck.
Reiner watched from the rear window of the third vehicle. His jaw dropped.
"She's crazy!"
Leik unsheathed the blue sword. She drove the blade straight down into the roof of the truck and cut the mechanism that sealed the hatch.
Shing.
The metal parted like wet cardboard. Leik flung the hatch open and dropped through the hole before the men inside could process the intrusion. She landed in the cramped space behind the driver.
"Surprise."
"Kill her!"
The soldiers reached for their sidearms. One pulled a combat knife.
Leik moved like a whirlwind. The space was tight, but the blade sang. She dodged a bullet that cracked a window.
Slash.
The Adamantine blade severed the gunner's hand.
Slash.
It took the second soldier in the throat. A bullet ricocheted off the dashboard and killed the third man instantly. Leik danced between them in the confined space.
The driver heard the wet sounds and the screams.
"Why can't you kill one bitch?"
He turned his head to look.
Thwack.
Leik drove her sword through the back of the seat. It impaled his chest. He coughed blood and slumped over the wheel.
Leik grabbed his collar and dragged his body out of the seat. She tossed him into the passenger well and took control of the wheel.
Outside, Kingham watched the erratic movements of the enemy truck.
"I can't see her! Is she alive?"
Divento gripped the side of the truck. "It's been too long."
Gustov racked his slide. "She's Leik. She's fine. Look!"
The enemy truck steadied. It stopped attempting to ram them. The driver's side window rolled down.
Leik waved her hand. She signaled them to come closer.
She shouted over the wind.
"Gustov! Jump! I need a gunner!"
Gustov didn't hesitate. He dropped his rifle and sprinted to the edge of the truck bed.
"Catch me!"
He leaped across the gap and grabbed onto the side of the captured truck. He climbed up and mounted the heavy laser turret on the roof.
Reiner saw the hijacking. He stamped his feet.
"Those useless morons! They couldn't kill one woman!"
He screamed at the soldiers around him.
"Quickly! Blast them with the RPG before they fire the laser rounds at us!"
A Cloud 9 soldier shoved Reiner back into his seat.
"Shut up! You are not our commander! One more word and I kill you myself!"
Reiner clenched his teeth. He sat back, fuming.
The soldier turned to his squad.
"RPG! Take out the captured truck! Gunner, suppress the lead vehicle! End this farce!"
From behind the ammo crate in the lead truck, Sophie saw the movement.
"Grandpa Kingham! That man has a rocket!"
Kingham spun around.
"RPG! Everyone brace!"
The civilians in the truck started to panic. The old lady in the back clutched her cat tighter and prayed to a god up high.
Whoosh.
The rocket streaked across the gap.
Leik saw the smoke trail in her mirror. She slammed the brakes and swerved her heavy, armored truck directly into the path of the missile to shield the civilians.
BOOM.
The rocket detonated against the side of Leik's captured vehicle. The explosion was massive. The heavy truck jerked violently. It threatened to tip over, but the density of the armor held.
Gustov cursed as the shockwave nearly tossed him from the turret.
"You missed, you uglies!"
He swung the mounted gun around.
"Now it's my turn!"
He unleashed a stream of laser fire at the enemy.
The man with the RPG quickly tucked his head back inside the vessel. Their driver started swerving to avoid getting hit.
Gustov saw this and shouted with joy.
"Cower before my might!"
Just as he thought he was overpowering the enemy, he noticed the sand shifting on a high dune to their left.
A massive shape erupted from the earth. The Komodo Corroder surfaced.
Gustov's face went pale.
"That monster followed us! Why now? Goddammit!"
He swung the gun away from the enemy and aimed at the dune. He fired a desperate volley at the beast.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The enemy troop noticed the distraction.
"Gunner! Fire at them!"
Bullets peeled over the roof of Leik's truck. Gustov had to abandon the gun and dive inside the cab for cover.
"Leik! Drive!"
The Komodo leaped. It was a blur of rusted metal and claws.
Leik stamped the gas pedal to the floor. The truck surged. They barely managed to evade the humongous beast by a slim margin.
The enemy driver saw the massive Komodo sliding across the sand directly in front of him. He yanked the wheel hard to avoid crashing into the monster.
They swerved around it and continued to chase after Leik's group, but the Komodo regained its bearings. It locked onto the closest target. It started chasing the enemy vessel.
From ahead, Leik looked in the mirror.
"It's attacking them! They aren't shooting at us anymore!"
She shouted at the lead truck. "Kingham! Tell the driver to enter the canyon! We will lose them there!"
Kingham relayed the message.
"Into the breach! Go!"
The lead truck accelerated into the mouth of the canyon. Leik remained behind the main truck to guard their rear. Two trucks entered the canyon; the refugees first, Leik second.
It was already dark inside the gorge. The terrain was rough and bumpy. The passengers shook around like dice in a cup.
The driver in the lead truck squinted into the gloom.
"I can't see a thing!"
He flipped the switch for the high beams.
Click.
Twin cones of light cut through the dark. Immediately, the path was illuminated with horror.
"Rotters! Horde ahead!"
The canyon floor was a carpet of movement. Thousands of Class 1 Rotters. Giant, rusted roaches swarmed the ground. They writhed over one another in a metallic sea.
Kingham shouted. "Drive straight through! This might disintegrate the integrity of the truck, but we can't stop!"
The truck plowed into the mass.
Crunch-squelch-crack.
Kingham and the other Galvanizers leaned over the sides. They opened fire on the ground and at the roaches crawling up the sides of the truck.
Bang-bang-bang.
Because the canyon was so narrow, they had to travel in single file. Leik was directly behind. She saw the swarm.
"Gustov! Help them! Clear the sides!"
Gustov looked at his empty hands.
"I dropped my rifle when I jumped!"
Leik gestured to the dead bodies in the back.
"Use the dead men! Take your pick! They have guns!"
Gustov grabbed an assault rifle from a corpse. He checked the chamber and leaned out the window to fire.
In the lead truck, Kingham fired wildly.
Click.
His submachine gun stopped. Smoke poured from the barrel.
Divento warned him. "It's overheated! The component is blown! It's useless!"
Kingham threw the gun at a Rotter. "Cover me!" He reached for a spare rifle.
Just then, a passenger screamed.
"Help!"
A massive Rotter had climbed up the wheel well. It clamped its mandibles onto a man's shoulder and began to drag him over the side. The other passengers grabbed his legs and pulled, but the Rotter was strong.
"Dammit!"
Kingham struggled to load his new gun.
Crack.
A single shot rang out from behind. The Rotter's head exploded. It released the man and fell back into the swarm.
The passengers pulled the man back in. He sobbed in relief.
Gustov gave a thumbs-up from the window of the trailing truck.
Kingham finished loading the ammo and continued to shoot at the roaches.
Leik steered with one hand.
"Gustov! Pass me a gun! A handgun!"
Gustov handed her a pistol.
Leik took the gun and rested the barrel on the window ledge. She fired at the Rotters that tried to climb her own tires.
Bang. Bang.
The panic was absolute. The noise of the engines, the gunfire, and the chittering of the swarm echoed off the canyon walls.
WHAM.
Something hard rammed into Leik's rear bumper. The impact jerked the gun from her hand. It tumbled into the darkness.
Leik looked in the rearview mirror.
"What hit us?"
It was the enemy truck. Reiner's truck. They were directly behind her.
The enemy driver was screaming at her.
"Speed up woman! Move! It's coming!"
"What is coming?"
Leik looked beyond the enemy vessel. Something huge raced up behind them. The Komodo Corroder ran on the canyon walls, defying gravity. Sparks flew as its claws dug into the stone.
The mounted gunner on the enemy truck swiveled his turret backward. He screamed in panic as he fired laser rounds at the beast.
Zzzzt-Zzzzt.
The beams chipped away at the Komodo's tough body, but it didn't slow down. To make matters worse, it wasn't a steady target. It leaped from wall to floor and back again.
Rusted scrap peeled from its skin because of how fast it was moving.
"It's going to pounce!" The gunner shrieked.
The enemy driver slammed into Leik's truck again, desperate to push through. But he could not go any faster due to the two vehicles blocking the path.
Inside the enemy truck, Reiner slammed his fists against the seat.
"This is all her fault! That witch! She trapped us!"
He hyperventilated as the shadow of the monster fell over them.