Argonomics 101 -- Part 2

**Armitige3** · 02/28/2006 10:42:59

[[ Read "Argonomics 101 - Part 1" ]]

Black air was violently thrown aside as the silver-black body of the Argo raced through it. The tunnel walls pulsed blue, glistening with the electric light emanating from the hoverpads as they worked overtime to forge an escape for the ship and her crew. The hull pitched back and forth as Syphon manoeuvred the light hovercraft around the twists and bends of the tunnels.

"God damned rookie pilot!" Dischord's voice crackled across the comms system. My guess would be he lost his balance and fell over like a neophyte crewman during a docking manoeuvre. But I didn't have the time to find out.

"Head's up. They're in attack range!" I hollered at the comms console.

The gun camera peered out into the darkness ahead, barely registering the red glow from the optical sensors on the group of Sentinels ahead. Ugly metal bodies swarmed and writhed in our path, as if waiting for us to come to them. And damned if we weren't. I brought the gun sights up in line with them, preparing to fire, but an odd "shimmering" caught my attention in the gun camera. It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing.

One Sentinel had moved out ahead of the swarm, and was spinning quickly, preparing to launch an explosive.

My hand flew to the comms panel, "SYPHON! EMERGENCY EVASION! NOW! INCOMING BOMB!"

I turned my attention back to the grouping in front of me, squeezing the triggers. My ears rung and my teeth chattered as 50 calibre guns barked forth fire and heavy metals at the Sentinels, reverberating within the small gunner's cabin. Tracers flashed out ahead of the Argo scattering most of the Sentinels. I caught the lead Sentinel in a hailstorm of rounds, late by only a few moments after its release of the explosive drone.

The gap between the Argo and the explosive was closing rapidly. My stomach lurched downward as Syphon wrenched his controls about, swinging the Argo's mass to and fro as if he were riding a bull, trying to maintain agility. I did my best to train my sights on the incoming drone. Again, my fingers pressed the triggers sending reverberations through my ears and into my teeth. Sweat beaded upon my brow, running down into my eyes, causing them to sting. I didn't care. I had to shoot down the drone.

Time seemed to slow down and stretch out before me. My teeth ached as I gritted them together. My shoulders began to burn from being tensed up. I watched tracers arc out in graceful streaks as I swung the turrets towards the drone. My mind barely registered the form of the Sentinel that threw it falling, destroyed, in the background on my gun camera screen.

"Come on... die! Die! GOD **bleep** IT, DIE!" my mind screamed as round after round missed the fast-moving drone. The close-range indicator lit as the drone moved within leathal range. I couldn't save the Argo, now.

Then it happened. The explosion rocked the ship violently. I barely had time to marvel at the miracle that had occurred before I was thrown from the gunner's seat. Several rounds had hit the drone in succession, shattering its sensory array, sending it spinning off course. It careened into the tunnel wall and exploded as the Argo passed it. But we did not escape unharmed.

The shockwave from the explosion rocked the ship violently, briefly causing a power dip in the hover pads. The ship's sudden dive coupled with Syphon's compensatory adjustments sent me flying from my chair. I hit the floor hard, biting through my lower lip. The hot, coppery taste of blood filled my mouth as I crawled back to the chair, hoisting myself up on it. I spat out blood and saliva onto the floor. Syphon's voice echoed in the chamber from the PA system.

"Everyone okay?" There was definite worry in his voice.

A chorus of voices replied back in rapid succession over the comms system. No one was seriously injured.

I performed a fast test, and found the forward turrets were still online and undamaged. That was helpful.

The close-range indicator lit up again. My eyes rivited to the screen. The swarm was upon us.

[[ To Be Continued ]]

Message Edited by Armitige3 on 02-28-200601:42 PM