Also from his position, Ross could see Dunston’s reconnaissance Eagle flying over St. Louis beneath the storm clouds, having thus far managed to avoid The Order’s Spooks and the powerful AA batteries protecting the Centurian artillery south of downtown.
Human guns launched a series of muted volleys from the east side of the Mississippi. The howitzers shots landed in isolated puffs and booms amid Voggoth’s
advancing force as the Roachbots, Feranites, and monsters of the mob passed the blasted remains of Busch stadium on I-64.
If everything went according to Ross’ plan, the lead elements of the enemy force would cross the Bridge and run head-on into Rhodes. He hoped the width of the bridge would create a bottle-neck for conditions like a modern-day battle of Thermopylae, negating the value of Voggoth’s superior numbers.
Ross’ plan did not execute as expected.
“Centurian guns are prepping to fire,” Dunston radioed. “If they’ve seen Rhodes they probably are going to starting nailing him.”
Ross agreed. He had witnessed the accuracy and firepower of that artillery firsthand in Wilkes-Barre the first winter of the invasion.
“General Rhodes,” Bear transmitted. “Enemy batteries are preparing to fire. You might be in their crosshairs.”
“Nothing I can do about that,” Rhodes responded solemnly.
A series of blue flashes flickered from the rail yard. Balls of energy arched into the air. Bear watched as those artillery shots-an entire cluster of them flying tight formation-slammed into Voggoth’s Leviathan standing amid the ruins of downtown. The hits turned large chunks of the creature’s skin into a powder that drifted to the wasteland below like a perverse snow.
Bear did not immediately comprehend what he saw. Did his eyes play a trick? Had the Centurians miscalculated their firing coordinates?
Dunston’s voice cut through the cavalcade of thoughts competing for Bear’s attention.
“Holy shit! They just blasted the piss out of the Leviathan!”
A mistake-this has to be a mistake.
As if to answer Bear, another volley of shots came from the Redcoats and-just as precisely as before- slammed into the walking skyscraper. This time the powerful rounds tore away an entire leg from the main body, causing the thing to collapse into the twisted girders and concrete mounds that remained of St. Louis. The tremor from the impact carried across the Mississippi shaking the Cargill building so hard that it threatened to break apart beneath him but Woody “Bear” Ross was too transfixed by the sight to notice.
Rhodes radioed from his place at the 12 ^ th Mechanized Infantry’s lead, “Woody! What the hell is going on?”
Ross answered, “I haven’t got a goddamn clue.”
Another round of Centurian fire fell into the ranks of Voggoth’s force. This time reducing Roachbots, Feranites, Ghouls, and assorted fiends to fine powder.
Dunston radioed from his observation Eagle in an even more excited voice, “Bear, if you think that’s fucked up, you won’t believe what I’m seeing now.”
They came from the west along Interstate 64, charging forward like cavalry from a John Wayne movie: Columns of Chaktaw infantry, the three-wheeled oversized bikes, elephant-sized lizards-and Nina Forest’s ragtag militia in cars and on foot forming a spear striking into the rear of Voggoth’s army.
Captain Forest had found the hilt of her blade and had pulled it to strike just as Jaff had said, “I have new orders,” and just as the figure in the dark shadow of the tent had stepped into the light. Not a bodyguard, but a Chaktaw woman of advanced age whose footsteps did not make a sound as she walked.
New orders.
The Chaktaw Force Commander had said those words as if it hurt his lips to speak them. She understood why as she raced forward in the passenger seat of a Trailblazer with her gun sights pointing east but expecting at any moment to be turned upon by her newfound alien ‘friends’.
The old woman-most certainly an architect of Armageddon-had told her, “The situation has changed.”
And Nina understood. She had mumbled, “Trevor?” to which the old Chaktaw woman responded with an affirmative nod.
Captain Nina Forest did not trust the Chaktaw. She had fought against them and their ilk for more than a decade. How could she set aside the hatred and anger to fight with her enemy?
The same way Jaff and his warriors set aside their hatred and anger. They had come to this Earth on the Old Woman’s call for crusade. She had steered them from battle to battle in attack the same way she had assisted the leader Fromm on the Chaktaw’s version of Earth in defense, a parallel universe away.
Nina and Jaff did what soldiers always did: they followed orders.
New orders.
And so the charge came from west to east-Chaktaw and human-hitting the rear area of Voggoth’s army by complete surprise. One of many surprises that day for Voggoth; and equally as many surprises for human and alien alike.
The joint force collided with the half-machine, half-monster brick-shaped boxes covered in red veins that provided the ‘Spook’ anti-air support for The Order. Chaktaw rail guns and human carbines cut through the undefended launchers in mere seconds.
The Chaktaw quickly assembled catapult-like artillery pieces of their own. Soon glowing red singularities joined the bombardment of blue Centurian guns aimed at the center of The Order’s forces near the stadium. The explosions sucked Ghouls and Roachbots into matter-eating beach-ball-sized spheres that ripped the targets apart atom by atom.
Nina-with Odin, a hobbling Vince, and the wounded corporal at her side-led a line of humans into battle at the flattened St. Louis Amtrak station against a horde of lumbering Deadheads, making quick work of the clumsy monsters before moving on to engage the tripod-like machines that had once been Feranites.
Jaff’s Chaktaw fighters slammed into a phalanx of Roachbots and Mortarbots; they engaged in a fierce fire fight around the blasted Scottrade Center north of the Interstate.
The Chaktaw lizards turned from pack animals to war-beasts, rampaging through and stomping a counter- attack of Ghouls. The ghastly creatures managed to pull down several of the lizards but not before the Chaktaw pets eviscerated the Ghouls’ charge.
Human citizen-soldiers fell by the dozen-but the Feranite machines broke.
Chaktaw fighters suffered 100 casualties, but routed the infestation of Roachbots at the arena.
The Centurian infantry entered the ground assault just as General Rhodes’ mechanized infantry crossed the Poplar Street Bridge.
Tank rounds joined powerful Centurian rifles; Chaktaw railguns fought in chorus with human carbines. Voggoth’s army-its Leviathan now nothing more than piles of gore-was corralled into a smaller and smaller circle among the ruins of the city they had destroyed.
Another blast of Geryon lasers cut a swath through a group of walking turrets as they tried to re-form a cohesive defense along Route 24 a half mile west of the riverbank. Their energy sacks ruptured and fire consumed the pillars and their guns; several walked around like self-propelled torches before toppling.
Through the fields to the north came the ten-foot-tall Golems of the Steel Guard. Their bipedal bodies resembled thick metal skeletons colored a scarlet red. Nothing elaborate or pretty; no concession to aesthetics. Large metal bolts served as joints on the knees and elbows. Two yellow camera-eyes glowed from beak-like faces. The arms ended in three thick, bulky clasps; similar to the projections on their ‘feet’ acted as toes.
Behind them rolled several smaller tracked machines resembling mine cars fitted with chutes and tubes so as to re-arm and maintain the mechanical war machines.
A line of Geryon infantry trailed the advancing Golems and their supply wagons. These humanoids wore battle suits made of materials similar to leather and metal. A tight fitting helmet covered their heads and a communicator next-of-kin to a ball gag covered their mouths. What little glances of their skin were visible-cheeks, wrists-appeared pale and soft. The aliens brandished weapons resembling high-tech crossbows that fired glowing steel rods.
The Geryon ground force chopped to pieces the Monks protecting The Order’s northern flank while the human force-supported by a handful of armored vehicles-overran the Spider Sentries covering the western bank of the
