AMP Siege by Stephen Arseneault Page A

Lieutenant! Best we be prepared for that eventuality. If the storm assault comes tonight as the captain predicts, we might just need it."
    I sat on my rock looking off into the distance as the orange-red sun slowly slipped over the horizon. The few scrubby plants that existed poked up through the hundreds of thousands of dead Fergie that covered the landscape. The high clouds reflected a pink brilliance that lit up the rest of the sky like a fairy-tale land.
    As the darkness approached, my helmet night vision began to kick into gear. The heat of the day lit the land as the darkness of night took over the sky. We soon saw the first movements on the horizon.
    York yelled out as the word spread over the compound. "We have incoming!"
    Seconds later the phizz sound of the laser mounts firing signaled that the first wave had begun.
    I spoke with a loud voice. "Remember, wait until they get to midfield to open up. We can't waste any rounds!"
    The air was soon filled with the buzzing sound of Gonta blasters firing and the whump , whump , whump sound of the ion bolts detonating amongst the hordes of Fergie attackers. Again, I found that a defensive stance went against my instincts. I had the desire to charge out and take the fight to the enemy with York and Frost by my side.
    The first wave came and went with tens of thousands of Fergie slaughtered on the killing fields before us. When the assault had come to an end and the last of the Fergie retreated, we took note of the unusually long time that passed before the next wave began.
    Five minutes into the new wave, two whistle blasts could be heard.I yelled over our continued fire, "York! You and Frost move left! Goddard and I will hold them here!"
    As Frost hopped down to the ground, I got a sudden feeling of foreboding. I was alone on my rock. Thousands of Fergie were coming my way. I wondered if I would perish right there on that rock, overrun by our furry little enemies.
    Goddard yelled out, "I don't know what you have going on over there, Mr. Grange, but you best be pulling that trigger!"
    After shaking myself back into reality, I yelled back and squeezed my finger. "On it, Lieutenant!"
    For the next forty minutes, the Fergie conducted a heavy assault of the east wall of the compound. Several times a number would make it past the Tantric walls only to be mopped up by the Gonta engineering crew that was tending to the laser towers. When the second wave had ended, the captain had placed estimates at nearly five hundred thousand Fergie dead in the single assault. The piles of the dead were beginning to become a hindrance to the Fergie attacks.
    Frost soon returned, tossing several cases of ammo packs up onto our rock.
    Frost spoke. "Geez, what a waste of life, Sir. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't have a lot of empathy for those who are looking to kill us, but that slaughter out there is just almost unthinkable. Even for someone who doesn't have much of a conscience, like me."
    I replied, "Are you turning soft on me, Frost? Are you telling me you have a heart in there?"
    Frost continued, "I'm just saying that I have been in some nasty, bloody, horrifying battles, Sir. This slaughter here, this is a first."
    One of the Gonta engineers yelled out, "We need assistance over here to raise up this cannon! Anyone with a strong back who can be spared!"
    York was the first to hop down and jog towards the Gontas. As Frost turned, I grabbed her by the arm and pointed out towards the fields.
    I spoke. "Nope, I got this, Frost. You stay here. I may not have the endurance you have, but I have the muscle. Take a break and get a few minutes of rest."
    I was soon on a winch line, pulling with everything I had. York was made the anchorman due to her overpowering prosthetics. The ion cannon from the shuttle was slowly raised and permanently welded onto a mount on top of the tallest tower. A command chair was fastened to its side, and controls placed on a panel in front of the chair. The ion cannon