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ABERRANT: WEIRDER STUFF - CHAPTER III "THE BALL DROPS"


WS ST

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GUARDIAN SHIELD OPS

BULWARK AFB

"Yeah," He leaned off the desk, standing upright.  "She's right... something just... happened.  I feel, good."  The suit purged the lactic acids from his muscles, and his fatigue lifted.  His node surged with strength... "Woah, dude... duuuude... it just juiced me.  The suit juiced me Sean, I have my powers back!  Oh, man, this is awesome... I wonder if it has a feature that'll tickle my ba-"

Laurie gently covered his lips.  "Ooookay..."

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GUARDIAN SHIELD OPS

BULWARK AFB

"Interesting, very interesting," Sean murmured with rising excitement. "Convenient too."

More variables and permutations were resolving themselves in her mind as she attempted to determine a path to ending the invasion. Seemingly ignoring Devin's lewd comment about the suit's apps, she continued looking at him, and Laurie, or rather their suits, with clinical intensity, head cocked slightly to one side. World ending events or not, she still found the suits fascinating, all the more so that they very well may help with curtailing said world ending events.

"I can see how that would be possible. The suits have a ridiculously efficient energy absorption rate. You're practically emitting zero quantum emissions, Jaunt, and I can't penetrate the suit with a high-end electromagnetic scan to see into or through it." If Sean was embarrassed about just admitting about trying to look through his 'clothes' she gave no sign of it. "I'm guessing it's using your natural quantum field - and body heat in Laurie's case - to power itself, and that the suit has massive energy storage potential."

Sean ran a finger down Devin's arm, watching to see how the suit reacted, and Laurie felt a surge of annoyance her sister was taking even if they was nothing sexual in the touch. Sean could see on the microscopic scale and she had fine enough motor control to move at a thousandth of a millimeter. "The suits aren't fabric or organic in anyway guys. They're made up of nanomachines, constantly shifting and moving. The nanomachines are behaving like organic cells, but they are purely mechanical-electrical. Very different from the manufactured organic Asheen tech we've studied so far."

She focused on Devin and Laurie directly now. "Whether given to you or forced on you, I believe the skinsuits are from a different alien race, possibly from one that is opposed to the Asheen or the Overlords. Whether they were given to help us, or forced on you to use you as an opportunity still remains to be determined." They could essentially be suicide bomber vests, she thought, not wanting to worry them."You said you are getting impressions from them, can you 'ask' them about their purpose? And Laurie, how do you feel?"

Being juiced with Quantum energy would effect a non-QEH very differently.

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GUARDIAN SHIELD OPS

BULWARK AFB

Laurie felling , how did Dev put it juiced up, nodded at her sister vigorously. "Yeah I feel great!"

Before Sean could say anything else Mckellers voice cut into her thoughts.

"Hey! Savant! Focus! We have a war starting over here. And we don't know shit about whats going on. We are blind except for you." Mckeller Steps having heard what the Irregulars had been saying.

"Jaunt, your out of this until we know more I want you to take Ms Cassidy and go some where remote and far away from people"

"But you need me I have my power back..."

McKeller cuts him off  "Jaunt until we know that those suits are not booby trapped we can't risk it. Take her and go. That is an order."

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THE BATTLE OF BUNNIES DINER

SHELLY MONTANA

<"Okay Vanguards. Two on each of the big ones and two start clearing the perimeter. And all of you aggress toward the enemy. You are the vanguard. Draw as much fire as you can and make sure to use cover. And watch out for civilians."> Lilly both thought and said aloud, so the Deviants could hear her giving them orders. They did not know about the Irregulars' 'Guild Chat' and she wanted to keep it that way.

With a thought a wave washed over all of the the Vanguards, turning the dark PAM suits to a white and gray snow cammo and causing a patch to appear on the arm.

Spoiler

large.Irregulars_Gray_BG.jpg.1184dfdb40e839d6fb62922097a119d5.jpg

<"We have to get that slug as soon as it is through the portal and still vulnerable, so be ready guys. I'll cover."> she added, addressing all the Irregulars.

The summoned Vanguard spread out, pairing off and moving through the streets and snow with bows drawn like some sort of sexy, sci-fi ninja from a video game. The advanced toward the gather force of aliens, keeping alert.

<In position.> though Vanguard 3, followed immediately by, <Taking aim...> from Vanguard 6 as they all draw bacl the PAM enhanced bows, bending metal like it were flimsy plastic, taking aim on their respective targets.

<Fire!> thought Vanguard 1

With perfectly timed precision, the  Vanguards fired simultaneously, so as to make it more difficult to spot their positions, adding to the ninja comparison. A half dozen arrows with graphite shafts and tooled, depleted uranium arrowheads sailed through air so fast that the human eye could not hope register them.

Two arrows pierced into each of the huge, Class 4 War Drones, entering through the front of the chest or head and exiting out the back due to their points and the tremendous force behind them. One of the Class 4 War Drones managed some sort of gurgling, cry of agony while the other simply did not know what had even happened, falling to the ground in silence, each of the 50' monsters hitting with such force that the Irregulars and Deviants could feel the ground tremble beneath them. Cars and corners of buildings were caught by the creatures on their way down, crushing automobiles easily beneath their bulk.

The two reaming arrows each found their way to wolves that were curiously searching the area, driving right through them, leaving each wolf standing for a moment before their legs wobbled and they fell to the ground in a heap.

<Nice shots!> Lilly though in praise.

Then a thought occurred to Lilly.

<Hey Sean? What the likelihood of these big'uns being bombs like the Centaurs?> she asked cautiously.

<Not very. It would be too great a danger to their own forces.> Sean answered, sending a small wave of relief over Lilly.

She then thought about what Abel had just said, considering it for a moment.

<Intel would be cool, and it will take s bit of time to take out all of these guys, so I guess get what you can ASAFP? You might even get to see how they think and react, because all hell is about to break loose. When we do kill him, I am guessing that taking out the alien field commander will either make the rest go still, awaiting new orders, or they will keep following their last orders, and/or defend themselves. So if things go sideways, I'm gonna take their field commander out.> she though in Guild Chat as she readied her bow.

Lilly crouched keeping an eye out for any aliens who got too close for comfort, her sense sharp, covering the rest of the team and their makeshift allies in case a sneaky wolf had gotten past the perimeter, her eyes scanning the rooftops for snipers as well.

 

With Vanguard cutting into the enemy forces, drawing their attention, Abel set about his own task, Ripping every bit of useful information from the enemy field commander.  He would share it all with Sean for immediate analysis, That way they could plan for the other mass incursions.  While he makes no offensive moves, Surprising the Deviants in all likelihood, he's not one to engage in an open battle, that isn't his strength.  He reached out concentrating his will and intellect to the task of gathering information.

 

Sara sees that aliens are still coming through the portals, <there's too many and more are coming I'm going to try and block the portals>

She launches herself into the air and begins concentrating, pulling the quantum energy inward then out she becomes the snow around the nearest portal and begins to move. Sara hovers a perfect target as she starins to move the snow.

Slowly the snow creeps into a bank, pushing up against the Portal an Alien comes through knocking a good bit aside but it doesn't seem to notice.

<I don't know if I can do this!> She cry's out in guild chat.

Alec encased in armor of light waited for the team to arrive and attack. As soon as Lilly shouts “Fire” He attacks. A surge of quantum energy and the impressive warrioir of light apears in the midst of the nearest group of Infantry drone twin blades of laser light slashing in and through two of the alien army.

 

Kia's eyes widen on seeing Lilly's new trick, even as she can sense the play of alien energy in her body echoing it. It wasn't the precise awareness and understanding that Sean could get. What Kia did was more like a parrot hearing a sound and repeating it, with no understanding of the structure or meaning of that noise. She did know one thing though:

This was going to get intense.

She ran towards the towering portal that Sara was trying to contain, and the army of insectile soldiers who had swarmed out through it. Her PAM suit...she'd changed in the car, never one to be shy...crackled with bizarre 'quantum' energy as it synchronized with her and became part of her transformation. Her cell growth exploded recklessly, fueled by physics-defying forces. Kia seemed to stumble, to fall forward, and steam engulfed her for a moment as excess energy blew off in the form of heat. The persistent breeze pushed that cloud away in seconds though, and the 'new' Kia stepped out. Four-legged, vaguely centaur-ish in configuration, if centaurs were twenty feet tall and covered from head to foot in thick chitinous plates of organic armor. Rather than hooves she had more reptilian clawed feet...her 'hands' had enormous talons that came to achingly sharp tips despite their prodigious size.

And then she called on the 'echo' from Lilly. From the one beast came many. Suddenly their bulk all but filled that end of parking lot, crushing a car or two underfoot. The beasts from the portal were bigger...but there was an entire wolfpack of Kias now, and they bounded forward now with delighted giggles that were horribly recognizable as a sound Kia would make; albeit reproduced with thoroughly inhuman vocal cords. They waded into the fray and started ripping into the infantry along with Alec!

In seconds over a dozen of the alien warriors lay shredded and strewn around the field!

 

The Deviant's are shocked by the sudden violence which explodes around them, all but Chet who laughs like an insane man. “HAHAHA! We can just kill these guys?” not waiting for an answer he rushes forward toward the nearest group of Infantry. Quantum lacing across his skin leaving shiny chrome armor plating as it passes making him look just like the X-mans Colossus. With an inarticulate cry he leaps up and comes down in the middle of the squad right on top of one of the drones and at the same time giving another an astounding upper cut that sends the drone flying into the air arching across the street and through the roof od the nearby bowling ally.

Courtney can do nothing she is frozen with shock and fear, staring wide eyed and open mouthed.

Dan steps back and grabs Courtney around the waist lifting her up as he runs carrying her to cover around the corner of the diner. “This is out of our league we need to get Otter here now!”

Gina laughs at Chet and watches as Dan and Courtney hide. “Pussies” she mumbles as she fades from view. Seconds later unseen missiles flash out in multiple directions striking two of the infantry in their eyes dropping them in their tracks.

 

The assault of the QEH's was a surprise but it had been expected. The elimination of the Anti- Air drones was a set back. A signal transmitted and 2 dozen Class 2 Aerial drones were under production for delivery in less than a minute. Attack programs were triggered and Drones fired.

It sound like the rattle of snare drums as dozens of alien rifle spoke rounds flew and slammed into the Lilly's the rounds smashing to little effect except against one who was struck in the cheek drawing a slim line of blood. . Alec and Chet being in close quarters did not draw weapons fire but were instead attack with the rifles as clubs, neither were damaged from the blows which connected.

Detecting an aerial threat one unit turned it's guns to the sky. Dozens of projectiles flew many found their target.

Sara was flung upwards from the impact of the projectiles her quantum flared but it wasn't enough. She spun and began to fall several of the bullets passing through her in a spray of blood.

Spoiler

Lilly #6 has taken 1 level of damage... all of them were hit with multiple rounds.... Sara was hit and badly wounded even after making her Absorbtion roll... she has take 4 Levels of damage

4 infantry are down 2 each in 3 groups from the deviant's (chet and Gina) attack

it is round two now

 

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GUARDIAN SHIELD OPS

BULWARK AFB

On 7/8/2017 at 10:23 AM, AWS ST said:

"Hey! Savant! Focus! We have a war starting over here. And we don't know shit about whats going on. We are blind except for you."

"I'm well aware of the situation, Captain McKellar," Sean replied coolly, her gaze the direct one of an equal rather than a subordinate as she glided back towards him and the other personnel. "And I believe the providence of the suits may pertain to it, in an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend sort of way, though you do have valid concerns."

<The suits will almost certainly not explode> Sean thought back reassuringly to Laurie and Devin, glancing at them over her shoulder.

Laurie glanced down at the second skin she was wearing then back to her sister, dark red brows deeply furrowed in concern. <Almost certainly?>

<Extremely unlikely. If you are getting impressions from the suit, Devin, keep pursuing it, perhaps in a roundabout fashion so you don't run straight into the lockdown protocols until we find a way to jailbreak them. But stay on standby, I think we're gonna need your mad skillz soon.>

"What forces do we have on base or nearby, Captain?" Sean asked, disparate facts falling into place, giving her a rapidly forming picture of the situation, as she updated McKeller on the situation at Bunnee's with what Abel had discovered. She hid a wince at the pained sensation she felt over her link with Sara, but the only sign of it she displayed was a tightening of her lips. Vanguards healed her and Sara's own regenerative abilities had her up soon. She hated it, but she, and all of them, would be going into greater danger still. <Stay strong, babe. It's going to get worse before it gets better.>

"I believe the Irregulars will be needed elsewhere very soon. If you've managed to reestablish contact with the Pentagon, advise them to activate any forces they can contact, along with their counterparts in other nations."

"Which ones, Savant?"

"Why, all of them," she informed them with an arched brow. "I think I understand what they are doing and how they are doing it. They're blitzing the major population centers and capitals while keeping us tied down."

The constant motion and evolution, regeneration and multiplication of the nanomachines comprising the skinsuits had triggered a hypothesis. Abel had show her the Shelly portal how it divided into multiple portals including a larger one. Their research how shown that a normal portal didn't stretch through space, but brought space together and that transition through a portal was instantaneous. But the large drone was taking measurable time to pass through the large portal in front of Bunnee's. And Devin had shown her the anomalous black disk Clare had seen in China, portals appearing then disappearing over its surface.

She recalled her premonition of Sydney's destruction, the portals opening and the drones pouring through. It wasn't only Sydney that was going to face that, Sean now knew. She inhaled sharply, the pieces falling into place.

"The Goatul Feem warned us the Asheen were masters of portal technology, Captain," Sean commented. "Earth is now witnessing it. Co-opting our own portals was just the beginning. Those aren't actual portals at Bunnee's and wherever else they are appearing. They are Termini. Their forces are coming through a single portal and being shunted through to termini as needed, which they can open at will without having to open a new portal. The Asheen have made what is essentially a cable splitter for their portal, with an unknown number of outputs they can add to when necessary."

Sean turned to directly face Captain McKellar and Colonel Pryor, who had just returned, standing at ease with her hands clasped behind her back. "And its at the Mission Zone in China. The only reason they are attacking here, with a contingent too big for a population center the size of Shelly - even accounting for Fort Bulwark - is because of us. It's a diversion to prevent us from disrupting their plans for the rest of the invasion."

<Irregulars, get ready to ship out,> Sean sent to her friends, and now, her comrades in arms. <We're being distracted from the main danger. In China, they have a means to open termini anywhere they want without opening a new portal, and are able to keep sending troops when and where needed instantly. We need to fuck their shit up and destroy the thing letting them do that, guys. I suggest we leave a pair or trio of Vanguards and Chimeras behind as overwatch in case they open a new terminus for another diversionary force while the rest of us make a surgical strike at the Mission Zone. The device they are using appears as a massive black disk. We destroy it and withdraw.> Sean's eyes narrowed, considering options. <Jaunt, how many do you think you can handle in one trip? You can get us to where you jaunted Laurie and Clare away from?>

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GUARDIAN SHIELD OPS

BULWARK AFB

Jaunt was glaring at McKeller ordering him around like a soldier, he almost over looked Sean...Savant's thought <All of us, the irregular's and Laurie, plus another 2 or 3 hundred kilograms. I can't take the other guys, except for Clare.> he shot a look at Laurie even though she wasn't in the GC Link and couldn't hear that thought.

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Time seemed to slow, the Irregulars moved so fast Beside him Dan could hear Courtney in a panicked voice “Otter Otter, I can't get the phone to work Otter where are You!

Dan just watched the unfolding scene and realized really for the first time that the world was not the same...would never be the same again.

 

Lilly's eyes went wide as she spotted Sara plummeting toward the ground.

<Sara!> she yelled into the Guild Chat at... herselves?

Vanguard 1 looked up and with a surge of strength jumped into the air toward Sara, judging the lead perfectly she snatched the falling Irregular from the air and landed with her cradled in her arms. She then shifted stance and leapt again, landing back at her starting point as she focused on Sara's body, finding the injury easily. She sent energy into the tissues, nerves, bones and simply body of Sara, repairing the damage somewhat.

Just as the effect faded Vanguard 2 reached over and sent the same surge of energy, adding to the restorative effects, making Sara feel significantly better, though still not one hundred percent again.

"You okay, girl? What were you thinking?" Vanguard 1 asked Sara with a small smile, glad to her doing better.

"We patched you up as best we could this fast, but watch yourself." she added


Sara rolls to her feet in a smooth move as the two Lilly's minister to her. <Thanks Lilly...Lilly's, but i did what I needed to get the power maybe took a  risk but lots of live depend on Us!>

Vanguard 2's hand left Sara's body as she and Vanguards 3-6 all leapt into the assembled alien infantry, interspersing themselves, along with the Kias, among the enemy. The five identical Lilly's lashed out with devastating strike, kicks, knees, and elbows, each strike easily dispatching them until nearly 20 dead infantry drones lay scattered around the various Lilly's as they continued to lash into the enemies.

All the while Lilly took the opportunity to survey the battlefield, so to speak, drawing on what she had learned in the tactics course McKeller offered. Individually the infantry were weak, but each was part of a greater whole, a unit of twelve or so, and if several units focused their fire on any one Vanguard, the result might be undesirable, but with them and the Kia-taurs, and even Chet,  laying into them, over three dozen infantry, more than a third of their number, were already dead.

<We gotta block those portals. The big'un's bodied might block the big one, and I'll have the other Vanguards see about using cars or something to block the others if we need.> she thought over Guild Chat to the rest of the Irregulars.

<Where the hell did Gina go? She turns invisible or something?> she added.

Lilly looked over her shoulder to spy Dan carrying Courtney to cover and nodded. 

"Good job, Dan. We're not all fighters. Keep yourselves safe. We'll try to keep the fighting over there." she said to him approvingly.

Abel scowled as Sara was hit but still he saw what she'd been trying to do.   Taking up where she left off, he picked up the hulking corpses of the two dead large aliens with his telekinesis and used them to block at least temporarily, the portals that would let more aliens through.   It would buy them enough time hopefully to clear out the rest of them without anyone getting injured.  "as we thin them out they will get more accurate, be careful." he yelled over the din of battle, and noted how the enemy commander reacted to the new developments.

Patterns shifted. The command was sent. Scout/Hunters pattern delta3 initiate.

Remaining Squads reform Pattern Omega2 Initiate

 

Sara steps up holding her hands out she pools her quantum and gives it all she has.

This time the snow flows like water rising up to cover the barriers built by Abel and then the temperature plummets and the snow turns to solid Ice Trapping the creatures inside a prison of frozen death!

"Concentrate on the remaining portals and the hounds!" She yells as loud as she can"

The Wolf Howlers as they had been dubbed a lifetime ago at the Scout Camp on the lake, suddenly broke off into small groups of five and scattered running in all directions as fast as they could away from the scene of the battle.

 

Seeing what the others are doing to block the portals, Kia quickly catches the attention of a couple of her clones and sends one to each of the two remaining rifts in space. Their bulk prevents others from easily getting through, and their strength and durability make it difficult to force the issue.

The other five Kias spread out, selecting the 'Hound' creatures that were bolting from the immediate area and running them down and tearing them apart with ease!

Alec had slashed and cut down two more of the infantry and let loose a barge of laser bolts taking out three of the fleeing hounds.

Chet was swinging wildly missing mostly but with devastating effect when he connected. But his wild and untrained movements kept the infantry near him confused and unable to attack effectively.

The remaining un engaged infantry moved with precision forming two single units and turning their firepower on two of the Kia clones. The hail of rounds pound the two Kia's but leave them unhurt.

At the large portal the wurm creature is almost half emerged and turns its blast crystal toward the nearest Kia, green energy crackling as if building a charge when suddenly the thing jerks and literally rips itself in half the part of its body outside of the portal fly's straight up into the sky leaving the rest plugging the portal.

By the limo clad in the alien suit still Clare stands her eyes solid black hands outstretched raising as she watches the wurms body disappear into the night.


 

Spoiler

there are approximately  40 infantry left. about 100 hounds the hounds are running in all directions deeper into the city.

turn three


 

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EARTH

The invasion of the Asheen war machine began. With global communications severed immediate panic set in however the Asheen were not aware of humanities history. True, civilian communications were wiped out but for over half a century the major powers on Earth had planned and prepared for global war, and those plans and preparation far outdated the birth of satellite communication and global gps.

Within minutes of the crash of the various communication networks the militaries of most of the industrial nations had switched to their old methods which had been kept in working order for just such an emergency.

The invasion was swift hundreds of Portal's opened across the glob disgorging thousands of wolf howlers and souless Infantry. In minutes the alien invaders were beach headed in over fifty cities around the planet. No communication, no call for surrender, was issued, the Death and Destruction began.

 

GUARDIAN SHIELD

BULWARK AFB

MONTANA

 

New York, Miami, Washington DC, San Francisco, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Buenos Ares, Mexico City, Santiago, London, Geneva, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Moscow, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beging, Sydney, Shelly...

 

The big wall map started showing where the Portals appeared as Data once again started flowing albeit slower than normal. Col. Pryor came back in glancing at the map and called Sean and McKeller over to him, Devin and Laurie followed discreetly.

“Washington is under attack. There are confirmed reports of at least five portals there. They tried to get some helicopters to get the president out but they have hellish anti air, so at the moment the President is in the warroom in the whitehouse. Even with the military on readiness it's going to take hours to mobilize anything to even slow this down.” He looks at Sean. “This command center in China, will a nuclear strike knock it out?”

She shakes her head. “No. Even if you could get nukes on target the most you could do is delay them disrupt the portal for a time. Gouatol Feem were very explicit that to shut down a portal it had to be done on the originating side.” She studies the map

“I don't get some of these targets. Why Mexico? Hell why anywhere in southamerica?” McKeller asked shaking his head.

Sean looked at him, “Material. They make their soldiers, they need ready sources of organic and inorganic material to make them here.” She replied in a clinical voice which sent shivers down the spines of those nearby who heard and saw this beautiful woman speaking of the victims as resources with utter detachment. “Five Portals in DC.” She stared at the map her mind calculating analyzing visualizing.

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GUARDIAN SHIELD
BULWARK AFB

MONTANA

"Are there any numbers on termini opening in other cities, other nations, coming in, Colonel?"

Sean contemplated the Portals in DC, extrapolating on their significance beyond simply as a means for rapid deployment. Assuming each population center was subject to five portals, that would be at least 250 portals at the moment, likely more, if more cities were attacked. Even with Vanguard's clones and Chimera copying the ability, there weren't nearly enough Irregulars, Deviants, and previously manifested QEHs to stem the tide of the invasion in a direct confrontation.

There was also the billions of quantum particles each portal emitted to consider. Major population centers were being targeted. Even though it took a very specific series of conditions to activate a nascent MR Node, sheer numbers would indicate there would be more than a few quantum events triggered. Being masters of Portal Technology, Sean assumed the Asheen were aware of the emitted quantum particles, if not their exact effects on human physiology. Still, she couldn't believe they didn't find a use for them. Wireless Energy Transmission for their war machines perhaps? Using disturbances and fluctuations in a thickened quantum field to track military movements?

"Scramble what assets you can, Colonel," Sean advised, her melodious tones still impersonal and professional. "Packs of howlers are fleeing from the portals and spreading throughout Shelly. If you can get an emergency broadcast out, warn people to remain in doors. The Shelly Termini will all be impeded momentarily - though I can't say for how long with any certainty - and we'll leave at least half of Vanguard and Chimera clones behind for overwatch and mop-up duty, as well as several other QEHs, but the Irregulars are going to the China Mission Zone."

Her eyes flashed, her lips curving in a fierce, determined grin as she strapped on her packed military rucksack and a case containing a broken down prototype Gauss rifle. "If we can't get the Alien Portal closed, then the probability of a successful resistance to the invasion is negligible."

Without turning around to look, Sean spoke to Devin, despite him trying to stay innocuous, knowing exactly where he was. "Get ready to pickup the rest of the Irregulars, Jaunt. The recon mission in China is now a surgical strike."

<We're going to have to leave the clones behind to hunt down the howlers and to stay on overwatch, keeping the eye on the termini, or watching for new ones, Vanguard,> Sean informed the rest of the Irregulars over GuildChat. <The Alien Invasion is striking at fifty cities world wide concurrently, and counting. Our only option to halt their advance is to close their Key Portal. From their side. And the only way to do that is by going to China. Jaunt and I will be with you momentarily. Be prepared everyone. The Asheen Portal will be under heavy guard, we're going to have hit it hard and hit it fast.>

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GUARDIAN SHIELD
BULWARK AFB

MONTANA

Col Pryor gives the order and new data starts appearing beside many of the beleaguered cities – DC 5, London 8, Moscow 6, Berlin 12, Beijing 24,... and so on

Pryor shakes his head “We can't confirm these numbers though, they could be many reports of the same portal just from different sources there is no way of knowing.”

Sean is calculating and one part of her mind notices that Laurie and Jaunt seem to be having an argument in low whispers.

“You are not going!” Hissed Jaunt at his new girlfriend.

“The hell I 'm not I am not going to be stuck here waiting fer the end of the world while my b... while my sister runs off trying to save, it...”

Jaunt cuts her off. “Laurie I've read the reports of when the talking dog and the plucky comic relief soldier went through the last portal. They almost didn't make it back. And the aliens weren't expecting them to do anything like that. Their gonna be waiting for us this time. We might not be coming back.”

Sean as Laurie's sister is in total agreement that Laurie shouldn't be coming with them. Sean as hyper skilled and competent super agent thinks having the three nano-machine skinsuits with them might serve a purpose (hopefully not a fatally explosive one to the wearers).

“Why don't they just use nukes?”

McKeller question caught Sean's attention away from her sister and Jaunt. She looks at the military man as she weighed the question.

“I mean if they are just here to kill us why go through all the expense and trouble of an invasion?”

“I don't know the answer to that Captain Mckeller, there isn't enough data.”

As she says this to the SEAL she notices over his should on the other side of the room that Telena is looking at her and smiling the smile the kind of smile you give a small child or a puppy when they do something right or at least try to.

Sean turns every human, superhuman, and meta-sensory sense she has to 10 and looks at Talena. That smile brings to mind other instances of weirdness surrounding the young indian girl. But even with all of Sean's super sensory powers and her overwhelming cosmic awareness all she can see is a normal young teenage girl. True a teenage girl who is calmer than any teenage girl should be in a situation like this.

And for that matter so is Sandy. Who smiles at Sean with an identical smile.

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GUARDIAN SHIELD
BULWARK AFB

MONTANA

"Wraith one and two are airborne. Packard one, two, and four will be off in two minutes." Reports an Airman out loud to the room as she updates the relevant maps.

"ETA  to the LZ  10 minutes. Wraiths will be on site to provide air support in 4. Packard three has suffered an engine casualty. Transferring the troops to ground transport. It's going to take them a while sir."

"LZ?" asks Laurie barely whispering.

McKeller gives her a look which is  a question all it's own but he just answers hers instead of pursuing it. "Landing Zone," He points to a detailed street map of Shelly, "The Stadium is our designated base of ops if we ever had  to make an assault  into town, like tonight.  Secondary would be the hospital. The troops can get to Bunnies in just a few minutes from the school."

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<I'm ready!> reported Kia. One of the ones chasing Hounds broke off the attack and came galloping back towards where Abel was situated.

She then added <How are they telling drones to become leaders without a leader to do it? Could you jam THAT signal maybe?>

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THE BATTLE OF BUNNIES

<Good job blocking those portals guys! Quick thinking Kia!>

Lilly's eyes suddenly went wide as the half of the slug that is through the portal is ripped off and flung into a night sky by an unseen force. Reflexively, Lilly drops to a knee, arrow knocked and bow ready as she scan for the source and spots.. Clare?

<Uhh guys. Clare is here and she just ripped a 50' tall slug-thing in half... like.. with her mind. She seems friendly, or at least helpful. Just be careful with her. She was seriously flipping out back at the dance.> Lilly reported over Guild Chat at the speed of thought, to make sure the other Irregulars were well aware.

"Uhh.. hey Clare. Nice one." Lilly said with a cautious smile and a thumbs up before returning her attention to "The Battle of Bunnee's Burgers".

<How's things coming Savant? What's going on at the base? Any leads? Plans? Ideas? > Asked Lilly, Sean filled them in with the pertinent information and his recommendation with the near instantaneous telepathic communication all of them shared.

Lilly replied in kind, <We've eliminated over half the infantry and dozens of wolves. The wolves are breaking and running through in pace. They will be a pain in the ass to hunt down later if we cannot get them now. So Vanguards, focus on those fleeing packs. Every pack we take out now will save us A LOT of headache later.> she thought over Guild Chat.

<Got it!> came the response of the six other Lillys at nearly the same time.

The Vanguards each ran and leaped after a pack of wolves, landing in the middle or toward the front where they unleashed an onslaught of powerful punches, devastating kicks and crushing grapples in a lightning fast display of speed, skill and precision. Bone broke, limbs were torn off, body cavities were punched through, leaving a ring of mangled alien corpses around each of the Vanguards, with Vanguard 6 still chasing after a wolf she had missed... because she slipped in blood or something. Yeah. That's it.

<What about you, Abel? Got what you need from the Field Commander? Should I take him out now?>

Abel opened up his mental scanning again and sent through the linl <Go ahead let's see what happens. Be ready for anything>

Lilly let fly at the exact point in time Abel gave his clearance. The Arrow flashed across the intervening space and struck the alien in the forehead. The force of the arrow wasn't even dented, the drons head exploded and the creature dropped dead in its tracks.

Killing the leader had no noticeable effect as another drone was tapped to be the leader instantly, running the same sort of multiprograms the original had.   What was more was the direct link to over a thousand incoming drones and preparations to take on the load of coordinating them.   He could feel them and they were almost there.

<better hurry and get them fully blocked everyone, we've got at least another thousand drones incoming and they are nearly here.  Killing the commander does nothing as another simply takes on the role.  We need to gear our combat to cutting down large numbers at once, as many as we can.> came Abel's thoughts over guild chat, laced with worry.

 Staying out of the mental conversation Sara concentrated on the battle. She burst into flame and took to the air again,but this time she flew an erratic course to throw off any shots at her all the while hurling Balls of Flame at the running packs of wolf howlers. Two of the flaming spheres struck the centers of two different packs while a third sphere vanished into a snow bank.

All three exploded at the same time roasting the hounds caught in the blast and the third sphere setting fire to the Jackson residence.

Alec seeing that the light sword, while effective were limited to what was close at hand and the only drones within range were those lying dead at his feet. With a surge of quantum energy the sword collapsed into twin spheres of radiant light which began shooting beams of powerful michine-gun like laser blasts at the retreating/reforming drones around him. Each Beam which hit blowing smoking pencil thin holes clean through the chests of the organic machines killing them instantly and painlessly.

Across the street several men who had been in the bowling ally ran outside and stopped wide eyed at the sight before them then turned and fled back inside as the nearest drone open fired on them.

The wolf howlers ran their programing directing their course, the Kia monsters chased and caught several of the packs dismembering them in the process bu there were too many and they were two fast. Even though their numbers had been smashed by over half by the combined attacks of Lilly and Kia, over twenty packs had made it out of the battle zone and were taking different routs and attack pattens.

As each pack reached a distance away from pursuit the pack split and the individual beasts smashed through windows and flimsy wooden doors to savage the unsuspecting homes inhabitants.

One of the Lilly's let loose with her bow at the pack she pursued felling two of them as they split. She managed to kill the other three the last her arrow taking it out as it lept through a window it crashing death throes awaking the unsuspecting dwellers of the small home. Lilly recognized the home as the Trang's the Vietnamese owners of the towns Chinese restaurant. <Guys, we have a development!>

Back at Bunnies...

<I'm ready!> reported Kia through GC in response to Sean's plan. One of the ones chasing Hounds broke off the attack and came galloping back towards where Abel was situated.

She then added <How are they telling drones to become leaders without a leader to do it? Could you jam THAT signal maybe?>

Abel opened his mind again scanning reading collating... as he thought and calculated the Air crackled and vibrated as four new larger portals formed, each twenty meters across and immediately troopers began marching out in columns of ten...


 


 

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Abel stepped back as the new portals opened and new troops joined the enemy faster than the Irregulars and their allies could stop them. <I don't know Kia, there is so much i'm not sure ... I'll try.> For the first time Kia, through her private link with Abel felt the lack of the confidence her boyfriend always had had. This more than even the horde of Aliens sent a shiver of fear through her.

<How long till we get air support Sean?> Abel's thought rang through guild chat.

<Two minutes, Maybe less.>

Abel focused on the new drone commander and sent his mind into the Alien Brain.

He had never done this before. He knew that he could of course. like all of the enhanced he knew how to use his powers from almost the moment thy manifested. But he had been alone. The only one like himself he had thought and so he hadn't dared use his powers not to their full extent.

But now...now he had to try.

 

The true alieness of the mind of the creature struck him and almost overwhelmed him but he held his own thoughts together and penetrated deep into the drones mind. He could no longer hear guild chat even Kia's thoughts were lost in the mental roar of a thousand organic computers executing thousands of organic programs.

They are computers and their language is a computer code and I don't know it, Thought Abel as he took control. But i do know how to work a computer and the interface is right here. He had wanted to command them but he couldn't not with his limited ability to communicate but he could mess with them. Like something from a and old scifi cyber punk movie Anel began moving the programs from drone to drone mixing them up confusing them.

 

The drones began to falter. Their formations began breaking up as drones form different units were suddenly giving new programs send ing to other units or tasking them wih tasks they weren't suited for.

Alec, Sara, Lilly, Chet, Kia, and Clare used the drones confusion to press thier own attacks.

In the distance the sound of helicopters could be heard over the din of the battle.

Spoiler

no need to continue with round at this time. the troops are soon to arrive and the aliens assault is slowed, but not halted.. post directly into the thread  you closing fluff for the scene... ou tof everyone in the group only Sara and clare have been hurt and neither of them are badly hurt. Lilly, Kia, Alec, and chet have all taken negligible dame that amount s to one level of bruising. Some of the clones probably have more injuries but not enough to hamper them .

This scene will end when Sean and Jaunt arrive. I will post when that occurs. unitll Sean or Jaunt post feel free to continue killing drones. they don't stop coming through the gate ten at a time so basically 40 every 5 seconds. Feel free to use the two attack helicopters if you wish they are modernized Apache's just remember your in the middle of town and there are civilians

 

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Standing tall in the command center, Sean listened to the updates from Guardian Shield and the Irregulars, analyzing them, fitting them together to get the full picture. They were approaching the tipping point. It wasn't just the Asheen being able to open new termini at will that was the issue, it was the rate at which they could send their forces through. They must've had a monstrous staging area or...

She reconsidered something else that Laurie and Jaunt had described during their trip, specifically going through the portal back to China. The Asheen wouldn't need a huge staging area for their forces if they could send them into the portal without them going all the way through, holding them in transit as it were, then shunting them were needed. If they could collapse the Origin Portal, and they might very well dispatch a large portion of the Asheen invasion force, including their reserves.

"We're off to engage, Colonel, anymore delay will just leave us further behind," Sean informed Lilly's dad and Captain McKellar. "New portals are opening in Shelly, and the howlers have scattered. We are leaving the clones behind to help while we strike for the China Portal. If possible, see if our Pacific forces and allies in proximity can prepare a contingency strike force in case we fail. A heavy bombardment including low yield tactical nukes may be able to clear you a path to the Portal, but the force will still need to enter it to close it from the other side. Jaunt, we're going now."

<I am too!> Laurie declared taking a step towards her sister, hands fisted at her sides.

Jaunt and Savant both turned to look at her and while Laurie hunched her shoulders at their penetrating regard, she didn't back down. Damn, Sean is tall now.

<This isn't a game Laurie! We can very well die in this attempt,> Jaunt exhorted vehemently.

<I know Devin. But if my choice is to wait to see if you or the aliens win or see it through the end, I want to see it through the end. Besides, this greenskin stuff saved my ass from Crazy Clare, it can protect me from the aliens. I'll be as safe with you guys as I'll be hiding here with the aliens running through town.>

Only the faintest of frowns crossed Sean's face for the briefest of moments before she gave her sister a minute nod. She could understand Laurie's reasons, if not necessarily agreeing with her assertions. Further, there was still the reason for the skinsuits forced upon Jaunt, Laurie, and Clare. Sean hated herself for considering that reason, but she didn't shy away from it.

<Don't tell mom.>

"Now, Jaunt."

Standing between the two Cassidy girls, Jaunt slapped them each on a bodysuit-clad ass, and the three of them blinked out of sight, instantly appearing amidst the chaos at Bunnee's. Sean took it all in with a single sweep of her eyes. One of her coilgun pistols appeared in her as though by magic. Four rapid shots later - sounding much higher in pitch than a standard pistol - four drones fell to the ground, a precise bullet hole punched through their foreheads. If it wasn't as destructive as the blows from Vanguard and Chimera, the drones dropped all the same.

<Close in, Irregulars, we going in to China right now. Shelly, let alone the rest of the world, can't afford anymore delays. Leave the clones behind to engage here and aid the military, if their existence can bear the distance from the prime, Vanguard and Chimera.>

The Irregulars could feel the tendrils of Jaunt's power reaching out for them, connecting them in a way that was and unlike Guildchat...

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9 minutes ago, Sean Cassidy said:

"We're off to engage, Colonel, anymore delay will just leave us further behind," Sean informed Lilly's dad and Captain McKellar. "New portals are opening in Shelly, and the howlers have scattered. We are leaving the clones behind to help while we strike for the China Portal. If possible, see if our Pacific forces and allies in proximity can prepare a contingency strike force in case we fail. A heavy bombardment including low yield tactical nukes may be able to clear you a path to the Portal, but the force will still need to enter it to close it from the other side. Jaunt, we're going now."

Both Col. Pryor and Capt. McKeller looked at each other as the three youths simply vanished.

"Clones!?!" They said in astonished unison.

9 minutes ago, Sean Cassidy said:

<Close in, Irregulars, we going in to China right now. Shelly, let alone the rest of the world, can't afford anymore delays. Leave the clones behind to engage here and aid the military, if their existence can bear the distance from the prime, Vanguard and Chimera.>

The Irregulars could feel the tendrils of Jaunt's power reaching out for them, connecting them in a way that was and unlike Guildchat...

Quantum surged, the radiant energy of the portals feed the furnace, the Irregulars are...Transported

Spoiler

This ends the chapter. I will be supplying xp later but do not spend your xp at this time... the next Chapter will begin almost immediatly

thank you all for playing.

 

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