Mr. Ruins: A Thriller (Ruins Sonata Book 1) by Michael John Grist
Authors: Michael John Grist
Tags: Science-Fiction, weird
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flash through the ultras in my HUD until I fall upon infra and the world phases purple and green.
Now Ray is a hot orange silhouette driving forward through cold blue brush, toward something terrible happening ahead. I can see to the clearing where we left them behind, the hot shapes of So, La and Far clear, and surrounded by a range of advancing blue and purple figures.
My blood runs cold, as I watch either So or La fall to the ground beneath the encircling horde. The other figure is standing and dispelling QC particles in recurrent waves, each a tiny red blip on the screen.
"They're waking up!" Doe shouts on mic, even as I see something purple loom at me out of the trees. I tongue back to holistic vision and see one of the soldiers striding toward me, his rifle held out with the bayonet sparkling in my suit lights. His face is motionless but for the mouth, which is a black and champing nightmare that stretches down and through his neck. There's blood stained from a bandaged wound in his head, and he's almost upon me.
I disassociate him with one blast of the QC, but he doesn't flay apart like he should, only staggers backward. I reach him and drive the haft of the parabolic into his solid plastic forehead with a thunk, followed by a suit-enforced thrust-kick that sends him wheeling back into the screen of trees.
"The QCs are ineffective," I call on blood-mic as I run on. "Use the suit exos."
"Roger that," I hear Ray huff. Far's scream rings out louder now, then I emerge into the clearing beside the hole where we started.
There must be 50 of the soldiers gathered in a rough circle around the tree where I left Far. Their backs to us, red coats and blue tunics pressed close in together like they've called a truce and are huddling for warmth, against a pale red dome rising up in their midst. I breathe a brief sigh of relief, that the twins had the sense to erect the lava shield we brought from the sublavic.
It ripples like a film of oil on water, and I wonder how long the power supply can hold back the plastic soldiers. I can't see if it's So or La at the center, but unlatch my QC and start firing as fast as the parabolic will charge, into the mass.
"Carve a path and we evac," I call out on mic. "Report!"
Ray is already ahead of me and pulling at the soldiers with his hands, tossing them backward with the suit exos. "Carving," he calls back. "Do something about the ones I've cleared."
"Roger that," I answer and stride up to one of the ones he's hurled and unload a stream of QCs into its mouth. Even at this range though there is no dissociating effect. If anything the black jaw starts to champ faster.
Far screams again, and I hear the breathy voice of So on blood-mic. "Help, the QCs do nothing, and they have La. Help us!" I'm thinking fast on how to clear them, as Ray hurls more aside only to have them rise again and lurch back toward him. Then Doe is by my side and unshouldering the bondless cannon, a heavy chunk of black metal that contains a compressed atomic accelerator.
"Cut a path for Ray," I tell her. "I'll keep them out. Ray keep doing what you're doing."
Doe nods as she assembles the weapon and sets the tripod braces into the ground. Ray calls a grunting, "Roger" as he hurls more soldiers aside.
I pull out my grapnel and fire one hook around the nearest tree. It catches and I pull the line taut, then start to run, weaving between all the soldiers rising back to their feet and making for Ray. They champ their teeth at me but do little else as I circle them each, wrapping them in the cord like a spider wrapping flies in its web.
I enfold ten, perhaps fifteen, before their collective drag begins to pull me with them. I cut and re-head the elasteel rope end, then fire it back to the same tree with an automatic haulier. The hook locks in and begins to wind, and the soldiers caught in my web are jerked off their feet and dragged toward it, bundling tight.
I turn to Doe, see she's sighted behind the cannon,
Now Ray is a hot orange silhouette driving forward through cold blue brush, toward something terrible happening ahead. I can see to the clearing where we left them behind, the hot shapes of So, La and Far clear, and surrounded by a range of advancing blue and purple figures.
My blood runs cold, as I watch either So or La fall to the ground beneath the encircling horde. The other figure is standing and dispelling QC particles in recurrent waves, each a tiny red blip on the screen.
"They're waking up!" Doe shouts on mic, even as I see something purple loom at me out of the trees. I tongue back to holistic vision and see one of the soldiers striding toward me, his rifle held out with the bayonet sparkling in my suit lights. His face is motionless but for the mouth, which is a black and champing nightmare that stretches down and through his neck. There's blood stained from a bandaged wound in his head, and he's almost upon me.
I disassociate him with one blast of the QC, but he doesn't flay apart like he should, only staggers backward. I reach him and drive the haft of the parabolic into his solid plastic forehead with a thunk, followed by a suit-enforced thrust-kick that sends him wheeling back into the screen of trees.
"The QCs are ineffective," I call on blood-mic as I run on. "Use the suit exos."
"Roger that," I hear Ray huff. Far's scream rings out louder now, then I emerge into the clearing beside the hole where we started.
There must be 50 of the soldiers gathered in a rough circle around the tree where I left Far. Their backs to us, red coats and blue tunics pressed close in together like they've called a truce and are huddling for warmth, against a pale red dome rising up in their midst. I breathe a brief sigh of relief, that the twins had the sense to erect the lava shield we brought from the sublavic.
It ripples like a film of oil on water, and I wonder how long the power supply can hold back the plastic soldiers. I can't see if it's So or La at the center, but unlatch my QC and start firing as fast as the parabolic will charge, into the mass.
"Carve a path and we evac," I call out on mic. "Report!"
Ray is already ahead of me and pulling at the soldiers with his hands, tossing them backward with the suit exos. "Carving," he calls back. "Do something about the ones I've cleared."
"Roger that," I answer and stride up to one of the ones he's hurled and unload a stream of QCs into its mouth. Even at this range though there is no dissociating effect. If anything the black jaw starts to champ faster.
Far screams again, and I hear the breathy voice of So on blood-mic. "Help, the QCs do nothing, and they have La. Help us!" I'm thinking fast on how to clear them, as Ray hurls more aside only to have them rise again and lurch back toward him. Then Doe is by my side and unshouldering the bondless cannon, a heavy chunk of black metal that contains a compressed atomic accelerator.
"Cut a path for Ray," I tell her. "I'll keep them out. Ray keep doing what you're doing."
Doe nods as she assembles the weapon and sets the tripod braces into the ground. Ray calls a grunting, "Roger" as he hurls more soldiers aside.
I pull out my grapnel and fire one hook around the nearest tree. It catches and I pull the line taut, then start to run, weaving between all the soldiers rising back to their feet and making for Ray. They champ their teeth at me but do little else as I circle them each, wrapping them in the cord like a spider wrapping flies in its web.
I enfold ten, perhaps fifteen, before their collective drag begins to pull me with them. I cut and re-head the elasteel rope end, then fire it back to the same tree with an automatic haulier. The hook locks in and begins to wind, and the soldiers caught in my web are jerked off their feet and dragged toward it, bundling tight.
I turn to Doe, see she's sighted behind the cannon,
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