Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 9 of 30

 

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 9 of 30

11/26/2020

“Target moving outbound. Check all fire. Watch for others.”

 

“You can power down the Aux Panel now. It will slip down under the Drive Panel till next time.”

 

Still have us at half speed, will give it a few more minutes then throttle back to quarter speed to continue heading to The City.

 

“Keep watch though. Just in case it wanders back for another try.”

 

I turn back to the Main Drive Panel. Checking ammo stocks and other diagnostics. Glance at the Ready Panel and still Green across the board. Will leave them that way for a little while longer. Sometimes the big ones will come back even if you had hit them pretty hard.

 

A few minutes later, “Sir, what is this on the Radar?”

 

I lean over and check it out. Something really big is heading our way. Not from the same direction the other one headed to. This is a different thing entirely.

 

“Second target, heading in our direction, man all Guns, man all guns. All Suits prep for close combat.”

 

I point at the panel, “This is larger than the last one. Looks a little slower, still a little ways out. We have maybe 5 minutes before in contact range.”

 

He pulls the Aux Panel back out and readies it.

 

I turn away from the target, hoping again it will miss us or decide to attack something else. It had been a quiet patrol so far. Only a few things sighted and fired on. Driver 1 getting injured was a fluke happening and now with Drive 3 down with issues, this all has to come about.

 

After a little while the Cameras pick it up. We are screwed. Looks like it will get us and it is massive. Might be about the largest creature I have ever seen out here. About 200 meters in length, with a huge body, long tail and massive head full of serrated ridged teeth. Has like ten legs holding it aloft and moving it easily through the heavy terrain.

 

“Target is on the left side, prep both Main Guns and all Side Guns. This one is about twice the size of the prior one. Stand by with all Guns.”

 

“Kid, Drivers have control of the missiles the Track has. They are located on the Panel under the Main Driver Side where I am.”

 

I check the Camera feeds, the mouth opens and roars, cannot hear it or feel the vibration here inside our armor, but everything around us must have felt it at least. It has sighted us and definitely changed direction to cut us off.

 

Suddenly the lights dim, and the recoil from the two Main Guns is felt inside. It is just about in range of the Side Guns and then I see the screens go blank with the flare of energy and projectiles. The kid kicks off the IR Distractors and pops Chaff and Smoke at the same time. The Mains fire again and again with constant action on the Sides. All of them are impacting on the thing, but it does not slow down. Not sure if the Mains are even penetrating the thick armored hide on the head.

 

“Beware Missle Preps, beware.”

 

“Suits deploy once missiles away.”

 

I lock on the neck area and launch a dozen streaks of high energy penetrator rounds from the forward turret. Soon as they streak away the Deploy Board sounds off that all Suits are deployed and they start to fan out and lay more fire into the oncoming monstrosity.

 

It is finally close enough, towering over the Track and all Guns are firing as fast as they can. I launch another dozen missiles into the same spot. That seemed to sting, it roared and lurched a little bit. I can see the suits lumbering around and firing their lasers into the legs trying to disable it.

 

A couple good hits from the Main Guns catches its attention and it leans down and clamps its huge maw on the middle of the track. The PDW and PDGs all fire off at the same time scratching off some of the layers of protective hide armor. The main guns fire point blank into the head while the Side Guns closest rake the underside of it.

 

The kid launches Flares and IR Distractors right into its face as well and it starts to increase the bite. I hear the metal creak and moan with the crushing force. The lights dim as the Mains fire again and again. All weapons are still Green, too close for more missiles while it is still trying to eat us. The Point Defense weapons are firing on continuous with it being so close and all the other Guns are landing rounds and energy into the beast.

 

Finally, some of the shots are affecting it. It seems to shake its head making the whole vehicle shake and shudder. I engage the spikes to grip better and keep us moving as much as we can. Tearing and shrieking sounds come from metal being tortured by the giant fangs of the thing grabbing us.

 

I see ichor spraying out finally from multiple high velocity rounds impacting over and over in the same areas. There are gaps in the armor and now the Shock Cannons and Plasma Lightning Guns are penetrating into the slightly softer interior.

 

It leans back and shrieks, the soundwave rocking us and drowning out the engine and weapons sounds. More fire lashes into it and it rears back and this allows us to drive out from under the head and maw. Now the Tail Gunners can get into the firing more than the Side Guns while the Mains continue. I launch a dozen more missiles and it seems to have gotten the hint.

 

Suddenly with another roar it stopped following us and then a few more Main Guns hits in the head convinced it that we were more work than worth.