A Web Serial by M.C.A. Hogarth
| 08. Break for Rage. | 10. Insomnia. |
|---|
09. Shields
Small common room. There is a poster above the door that reads: "Varmint Gutter: Crawling Out of it So You Don't Have To." Scythe and two other squad leaders are playing cards at a round table: a tall, broad man, bald, with black skin and a green-eyed woman with light brown hair. There's a half-empty bottle (unmarked) and three glasses. The one nearest empty is next to the woman.
The black man speaks first.
"Need more, Dusty?"
"Shut up."
"Just deal the cards, Roach. She can pour a bottle same as you."
"Hey, just taking care of the lady. Varmint hospitality."
The woman: "Is that what you're calling this **** we're drinking?"
"**** would taste better. At least mine would."
The door opens for another woman, Asian with bronze hair.
"Well hey-lo, Big Lion. What's the news?"
She sits. "We're ****ed. None of us special snowflakes are getting more warm bodies. Deal me in."
"What! Have you seen what those new shells are doing to us? I've got three Dogs on biobeds tonight!"
"I know, Dusty."
Scythe is tense, but calmer than the other two. "We need more people. We can't send them out in pairs anymore. And if we start sending more we're going to run into serious fatigue issues."
"**** it. I think Roach is the only left with a fire-team that knows any of its own by name."
"Doesn't change anything. We're a depot for the front, we're not supposed to need replacements. We'll talk more about it tomorrow, along with the really ****** parts."
"There's worse?"
"There's always worse. Pass the hooch."
###
Later. Scythe is coming back by way of Control.
"Any problems?"
"We were just about call. Your B-team had a breakthrough and they handled it. Alone."
###
Much later. Practice Room. Claws is leaning against a wall. Spots is in armor (without helmet) standing in front of a 3d target next to Scythe, a short, limber man with brown skin, black eyes, black brows and a Persian mouth. He speaks with a faint accent: Southern, maybe Cajun.
"So you cut them by shortening the shield's field. How did you keep them off your back while you were doing that?"
"By turning it back into a full shield, sir."
Scythe looks over at Claws. "Didn't you have this talk with her?"
"Yep. Spots, didn't we have this talk?"
"About... oh, I'm not supposed to call Scythe 'sir'. Sorry, s—um, sorry."
Scythe shakes his head. "So you shortened the shield radius in the middle of a fight?"
"Yes. Claws showed me how to toggle on the interactive mode... he also said we never use it. 'Shields are for protecting snipers from enemy needles.' "
"That's right. There's a reason for that. Do you remember?"
"Yes s... um, Scythe. We are to avoid closing with the enemy at all times. Because they can snip off a limb or cut through armor if you close."
"Good t'know you were actually listenin' to my lectures, there."
"Show me this shield modification."
Spots nods and faces off against the foam target. She lunges forward, swinging her arm in an arc in front of it, never actually hitting it. But as she redoubles, the top of the target slides off the bottom and bounces to the floor. Scythe picks it up.
"And you can reconfigure on the fly."
"I... guess I must ha—"
Scythe throws the target head at her. She brings up her arm and it bounces off with a splash of bright light.
"Damn. Interesting."
"Is it? I... mean, I'm sure someone else has done it before. It's the same shield built into all the standard suits, right?"
"Yes, but you might be the only one crazy enough to have rammed a forty-bug group with nothing but a shield. Why didn't you use your gun?"
"I... didn't think I could shoot them fast enough."
Claws coughs behind a fist.
Scythe eyes him. "Well, obviously you need to work on learning to shoot faster, yes?"
"Right."
"Good. Somebody spent a lot of money shipping you all the way out here, Guitart, we don't need you dying yet."
"Yes. Um, right. I'll work on it."
Scythe shakes his head and leaves.
Spots sighs. "I guess I should go to the range."
"I guess we should. Come on, ninja. Lemme introduce you—again—to the wonders of automatic weapons."
| 08. Break for Rage. | 10. Insomnia. |
|---|
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