Freezing Shadows, Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Breach and Clear

It took less than a moment for DeeDee and the other Angels to finish off the remaining bugs. When it was done, she and the other Angels looked our way. Hesitating. I knew what they were thinking. Before, with just one mage, and an adept that didn’t have any magic attacks, spirits like them had the advantage. Even if we had some heavy weapons on our side. Now, though, we’d shown ourselves to be a lot more dangerous.

Shark knew when predators were reconsidering the strength of other predators in their midst. That was what a predator did when things changed. They always kept an eye on those who could be a threat. That was why Shark did not have a pack, like, say, Dog.

Magic scholars in the game world debated on Mentor Spirits, and why they came to some people and not others. Was a follower of Dog loyal because Dog wanted them to be? Or did Dog come to them because they were loyal? I couldn’t say, for most people, but for Shark, I knew it was because Like recognized Like.

“We did say we were prepared for what we thought were insect paracritters,” I said, slowly, and trying to keep any threat out of my voice. “Deal hasn’t changed. The hive goes down, we get our guy, or proof of death, and everyone walks away, at the very least.”

The other Angels looked to DeeDee, who just nodded, once. “Yeah, deal hasn’t changed. Just watch where you aim those things, hmm?”

“Of course. We have a rep to maintain, after all.”

“Boss! I found Tyler. He’s on the second floor of the main building, with a few other new arrivals. They have him drugged up pretty good, according to the information we’ve found. Probably to weaken him, make him easier to control during whatever process they use to put a bug in someone.”

Twilight cut in with that message, just as things were starting to relax. I put one hand to my ear, to show the Angels I was talking on comms, and said, “Is he safe where he is? Can we leave him while we hunt down the rest of the bugs?”

“Yeah, but there are four white jumpsuits grouped up in a hallway facing the door. These ones have AKs. Plus an ork who is actually wearing armor. Probably the hacker. She looks woozy. Probably from the dumpshock we gave her. But they’re all clumped up, ready to take out anyone who comes through the door.”

“Good work, Twilight. Lock down the ‘guest quarters’, so that our target can’t get out and hurt himself. Babydoll, you and your drones keep watch up top, just in case.” They both gave their assent, and I looked back to DeeDee as I took my hand from my ear. “Our package is secure, for the moment. They’ll be a lot more secure if there aren’t any ants running around, though. Like the few just inside the door, waiting on us.”

DeeDee nodded again. “Right. Rerun said the same. And there should be an entrance to the tunnels near where the ants are stationed.” She turned to look to the side, no doubt listening to one of the spirits that hadn’t bothered materializing. “The house is empty. The Shaman and his pets are off in the tunnels. They may be trying to bring out a Queen.”

I didn’t know what the difference between a Queen and the ones we’d fought already were, but I was willing to bet having one to deal with was worse than not having it around. “Then let’s get going. We’ll take out the ones in the lobby. You all go through, and start down the tunnels. We’ll catch up.”

DeeDee nodded, and the Angels parted for us to make our way through. We stacked up by the door, and I said, “Berzerker, first through. Lead with a grenade, if you please. Something to make the bugs rethink their life choices.”

Berzerker grinned, and switched the LMG for her SMG, the one with the underbarrel grenade launcher. “Good thing I prepped some white phosphorus, then!” And with that said, she kicked the door open, and fired into the lobby.

Tizzy’s Readied Action Attack (Berzerker): 5d6 = 1 Hit, 2 miss

Berzerker’s Modified Reaction: 10d6 = 4 Hits, 0 Miss (No Net Hits)

Caretaker 1’s Readied Action Attack (Berzerker): 5d6 = 2 Hits, 0 Miss

Berzerker’s Modified Reaction: 9d6 = 2 Hits, 2 Miss (No net Hits)

Caretaker 2’s Readied Action Attack (Berzerker): 5d6 = 1 Hit, 1 Miss

Berzerker’s Modified Reaction: 8d6 = 6 Hits, 0 Miss (No Net Hits)

Caretaker 3’s Readied Action Attack (Berzerker): 5d6 = 1 Hit, 1 Miss

Berzerker’s Modified Reaction: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (No Net Hits)

Caretaker 4’s Readied Action Attack (Berzerker): 5d6 = 1 Hit, 2 Miss

Berzerker’s Modified Reaction: 6d6 = 4 Hits, 0 Miss (No Net Hits)

Berzerker’s Attack Roll (Area): 11d6 = 4 Hits, 3 Miss

Airburst Grenade Scatter: 2d6 – 8 (2x Net Hits) = 0 Meters

White Phosphorus Grenade: 8P(fire), -1/meter, -half Impact Armor

Secondary Damage: 4P(fire) per combat turn, 10 turns remaining

Tizzy’s Damage Resistance: 10d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss (4P Damage)

Tizzy: 4/10 Physical Monitor (Knocked Down)

Caretaker 1’s Damage Resistance: 10d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss (3P Damage)

Caretaker 1: 3/11 Physical Monitor

Caretaker 2’s Damage Resistance: 10d6 = 2 Hits, 4 Miss (6P Damage)

Caretaker 2: 6/11 Physical Monitor (Knocked Down)

Caretaker 3’s Damage Resistance: 10d6 = 5 Hits, 2 Miss (3P Damage)

Caretaker 3: 3/11 Physical Monitor

Caretaker 4’s Damage Resistance: 10d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss (4P Damage)

Caretaker 4: 4/11 Physical Monitor

Iceblade’s Attack Roll (Caretaker 1): 13d6 = 6 Hits, 3 miss

Caretaker 1’s Dodge: 2 Hits, 3 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Winter’s Breath: 9P, -1 AP (Impact Armor)

Caretaker 1’s Defense: 4d6 = 1 Hit, 0 Miss (8P Damage)

Caretaker 1: 11/11 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Sexkitten’s Attack Roll (Caretaker 3): 12d6 = 6 Hits, 2 Miss

Caretaker 3’s Reaction: 5d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (4 net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 16P Acid, -half AP, +4 Allergy

Caretaker 3’s Damage Resistance: 8d6 = 2 hits, 0 miss (14P Damage)

Caretaker 3: 17/11 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Sexkitten’s Attack Roll (Caretaker 4): 10d6 = 4 Hits, 3 Miss

Caretaker 4’s Reaction: 5d6 = 1 Hit, 1 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 15P Acid, -half AP, +4 Allergy

Caretaker 4’s Damage Resistance: 8d6 = 4 hits, 1 miss (11P Damage)

Caretaker 4: 15/11 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Shadowgirl’s Attack Roll (Tizzy): 13d6 = 2 Hits, 2 Miss

Tizzy’s Reaction: 4d6 = 1 Hit, 1 Miss (1 Net Hit)

Semi-Auto: 13P Acid, -half AP, +4 Allergy

Tizzy’s Damage Resistance: 8d6 = 1 hits, 1 miss (12P Damage)

Tizzy: 16/10 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Shadowgirl’s Attack Roll (Caretaker 2): 11d6 = 4 Hits, 2 miss

Caretaker 2’s Reaction: 4d6: 2 Hits, 1 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 14P Acid, -half AP, +4 Allergy

Caretaker 2’s Damage Resistance: 8d6 = 2 hits, 0 miss (12P Damage)

Caretaker 2: 18/11 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Just as Twilight predicted, there was a hail of gunfire that ripped through the doorway the moment Berzerker kicked it open. Unfortunately for the defenders, ‘spray and pray’ was all they were good for, and they couldn’t even do that right. Berzerker was utterly untouched by the wild fire, but her grenade was right on point. A gout of flame rushed out of the door as she quickly stepped back, the result of big fires in enclosed spaces.

The moment the backblast of flame cleared, I was through the door. The Ork and one of the white jumpsuits were on the floor. I made my target one of the standing ones. A quick cut of my enchanted blade, and that bug didn’t need to worry about the fact that they were on fire any more. Dead things didn’t care if they were on fire, after all.

Then two pairs of shots came from the doorway, where Sexkitten and Shadowgirl were still waiting. Each shot hit their target, and, once again, the insecticide bullets proved to be just the thing for showing these bugs just what we thought of them. And we still had plenty of rounds left.

“Clear!” I called out, for the benefit of the Angels outside, before pushing forward, through the smoke. Anything flammable in that had been in the entranceway was burning, including the desks and other such things, but the sprinkler system was already coming online. The white phosphorus still burned, of course, but it did tamp down on the smoke and heat.

DeeDee followed the rest of my team in. Looking around, she said, with a bit of respect in her voice, “You could have taken this whole hive by yourselves, couldn’t you?”

“Maybe, maybe not. We didn’t know what we were up against until we got word from you. Without your intel, at the very least, we would have had to either go in blind, or spend time trying to infiltrate. Either way, it probably would have been a lot messier, and a lot bloodier on our side. And some of the bugs would have escaped, since we didn’t have people to cover all the exits, or sit around in the astral and keep some of them from running that way.”

I paused, and looked around at the other Angels. “Working together, though? Well, we each have talents and abilities the others don’t. These ants have their hive mind and spirit abilities, but they weren’t prepared for more spirits backed up by people with toys that bring the pain.”

“I can see that,” she nodded. “I may need to see about… expanding our recruitment. Or at least getting a list of people we can call on, if there’s a big job, like this one.”

There wasn’t anything else to say about that. Instead, we moved forward. The entrance to the tunnels was in what was listed as the employee lounge. Literally, there was a hole in the ground, leading downward, big enough that only Tiny, the troll, would need to watch their head. Then a scream echoed through the tunnels. Sounds of fighting.

We hurried, the rushing through the tunnels, which lead down, through the rock and linking up with different paths. The first signs we saw was one of the Angels, dead, or at least disrupted. They’d been hit from behind, it looked like. We came across more bodies, all from the Angels. Either whatever hit them got away, or they’d been true forms and disappeared when disrupted, instead of leaving a vessel behind.

The sounds got louder. And then we saw them. The remaining guards had fallen back to what looked like a barricaded position. There were four of them, behind decent cover, and from the way the angels were moving, they were also being attacked by spirits hiding in the astral. That was the problem with dual-natured creatures. Unless I opened myself to the astral, either by perceiving or projecting, I couldn’t actually be attacked directly from the astral. Of course, any spirit that was looking at me from the astral when I wasn’t open to it was safe from my attacks, as well, so it balanced out, for the most part.

“We got the barricade,” I said.

“We have the ones on the astral,” DeeDee agreed.

There was no need for more talk than that. In my HUD, I designated targets for my team. Four guards, four of us. Simple math, but I wouldn’t complain if someone bagged two or more kills.

Iceblade’s Initiative: 9d6 = 3 hits, 2 miss (Init 12, 3 passes)

Berzerker’s Initiative: 9d6 = 4 Hits, 0 miss (Init 13, 3 passes)

Sexkitten’s Initiative: 9d6 = 1 hit, 2 miss (Init 10, 3 passes)

Shadowgirl’s Initiative: 9d6 = 4 hits, 2 miss, (Init 13, 3 Passes)

Guards x4 Initiative: 13d6 = 4 Hits, 3 Miss (Init 17, 2 Passes)

The guards were taking shots at the Angels. Looked more like distraction than anything else. The shots certainly didn’t seem to be doing any real damage to the girls. However, they couldn’t just write off the guards, either. A good shot in a bad place could hurt, or even disrupt them. But the more attention they paid to the guards, the less they could pay to the deadlier threats of the spirits attacking from the astral. And the guards didn’t have to worry about accidentally hitting their friends, because the bullets wouldn’t reach the astral. It was actually a damn solid defensive plan, right until we showed up.

Berzerker’s Attack Roll (Guard 1): 9d6 = 2 hits, 2 miss

Guard 1’s Reaction: 7d6 = 0 Hits, 2 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 12P Acid, -half AP

Guard 1’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss (7P damage)

Guard 1: 7/13 Physical Monitor

Berzerker’s Attack Roll (Guard 1): 9d6 = 5 hits, 2 miss

Guard 1’s Reaction: 4d6 = 1 Hits, 0 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 14P Acid, -half AP

Guard 1’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 3 Hits, 2 Miss (11P damage)

Guard 1: 18/13 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Shadowgirl’s Attack Roll (Guard 2): 11d6 = 4 Hits, 3 miss

Guard 2’s Reaction: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 10P Acid, -half AP

Guard 2’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss (6P Damage)

Guard 2: 6/13 Physical Monitor

Shadowgirl’s Attack Roll (Guard 2): 11d6 = 4 Hits, 2 miss

Guard 2’s Reaction: 4d6 = 1 Hits, 2 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 11P Acid, -half AP

Guard 2’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss (7P Damage)

Guard 2: 13/13 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Iceblade’s Attack Roll (Guard 3): 8d6 = 4 hits, 0 miss

Guard 3’s Reaction: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 miss (2 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 12P Acid, -half AP

Guard 3’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 5 Hits, 2 Miss (7P damage)

Guard 3: 7/13 Physical Monitor

Iceblade’s Attack Roll (Guard 3): 8d6 = 4 hits, 1 miss

Guard 3’s Reaction: 4d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 13P Acid, -half AP

Guard 3’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 6 Hits, 1 Miss (7P damage)

Guard 3: 14/13 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

Sexkitten’s Attack Roll (Guard 4): 10d6 = 4 hits, 0 miss

Guard 4’s Reaction: 7d6 = 1 Hits, 2 miss (3 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 13P Acid, -half AP

Guard 4’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 5 Hits, 2 Miss (8P damage)

Guard 4: 8/13 Physical Monitor

Sexkitten’s Attack Roll (Guard 3): 10d6 = 4 hits, 1 miss

Guard 4’s Reaction: 4d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 13P Acid, -half AP

Guard 4’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss (8P damage)

Guard 4: 16/13 Physical Monitor (Disrupted)

The cover from the barricade gave the guards a bit of protection, making it harder for us to land our shots. But it didn’t matter, in the end. All four went down in a blaze of gunfire, screaming in pain as the insecticide caused their bodies to start melting with acid. Which was good, because my skills with a pistol weren’t nearly as sharp as my ability with a blade. But I didn’t have confidence that I could vault the waist-high barricade and still take out my target in one go with just my sword. So, guns.

A moment later, the rest of the fighting stopped, and the Angels, bloody except for the ones who had come down with us, turned our way. “There’s a ward beyond here. With the way the soldiers were defending it, this must be the heart of the hive.”

DeeDee nodded. “Then let’s cut down the ward, and end this.”