The men at the top of the hill cheered loudly along with their ongoing horn blasts. As if the opening shot were a signal, they began to stream down the hill. The ATVs kicked dirt up as they careened beside the mechs in a massed advance toward Delta Company's position.
"Delta leader, we are under attack," Davis5 announced over the comms and highlighted targets. "Get in position, you sons of bitches! Hold the line, and would someone please fucking fire?"
Chapter Forty-Two
Jessica13 scowled, frustrated by the fact that she was out of ammunition.
Her bullets were long gone and she made do with the grappler to keep the enemies at a distance while she fought back. Fortunately, they didn’t pay her too much attention at the moment and most only shot at her if she got between them and the other Knights.
The defenders held their ground for the time being. Athena's fighters didn’t fling themselves forward to soak bullets in like they had before and now played the role of the attacker with far more care and caution. Even so, they assaulted a well-defended position and one that was difficult for their heavier artillery to reach.
That aside, she knew it was only a matter of time. The refugees who had been sent away in advance of the fighting had been forced to return. They’d told of troops who held the roads outside Auburn and made it clear there was no escaping this.
Hammerhand was still standing, as were Tinker, Windchime, and most of the Knights. None had died yet, but a handful had their mechs damaged to the point where they had to be dragged away from combat between waves of attacks. The same couldn't be said of the townsfolk. Even those who had mechs of their own weren't quite as disciplined or trained as the Knights and had a tendency to charge after Athena's men when they retreated, despite orders.
They could feel the heat of the fight and likely personally knew those who had been lost when the buildings were bombed. It explained their fervor, but it would also cause more deaths if they continued like this. Every time she saw one of them fall, unable to get up, something cold struck her in the chest. It was like the point was hammered in that they wouldn’t get out of here alive.
Jessica13 had thought her reaction would have been different. She’d expected something a little closer to panic and the shaky rage she had felt when she’d faced the raiders who had pinned her down in the city. But that wasn't the case. She wasn't calm, by any means, but there was a certain serenity that came from knowing that she was on the right side of this, even if it meant they would pay the ultimate price for it.
And there was, of course, the fact that there wasn't much time to think about it. The fatigue in her body from moving to and from the Beast was evident but she pushed past it and largely ignored it. She was able to do that when she focused on her role to keep all the weapons loaded and ready to fire. When the opportunity presented itself, she assisted those she could and even joined the fray to distract and maybe drag a couple of Athena's fighters away with her grappler.
Mini had taken control of the mech when she needed him to, and with the nicks and dents in the armor, it was only a matter of time before something found her in the battle and that would be the end of it. Hopefully, it would be quick.
She steadied herself and studied the battlefield through the scope of her depleted rifle. Their attackers rushed the line much less than she’d expected, and the Guardians and Argonauts held their positions farther away from the Knights. If they had joined the assault with their other attacking mechs, it would have ended the battle long before. The only reason she could think of why they would have held back was their memory of what Hammerhand had done with those that had rushed in.
They didn't want to lose their heavy mechs—which was understandable, she supposed. Athena herself had held back from committing to the battle for the same reason, or so Jessica13 assumed. She gestured her men forward but she made no effort to join them herself. They seemed content to poke and prod at the defenses instead of committing their full might.
Even so, a few of the waves had ended with Hammerhand being forced to step into the fray. He swung his hammer to keep the enemy at a distance and blocked any further advance with his shield until his people had regained enough momentum to retaliate. There was nothing she could do except stand beside them and try to support them however she could. The Minato's magnetic clasp carried ammo and weapons from the Beast to the front lines and back again.
She had taken her shots where she could, but Windchime had been right in the end. The Minato wasn't designed to go head-to-head with mechs that had been designed to fight other mechs. Throwing herself into combat would get her killed, exactly like it had the Auburn residents who broke formation and ran out to continue the fight and were cut down in the process.
Not that anyone really expected to get out in one piece, of course. But there was still something to be said for fighting as hard as they could for as long as they could. They would last and make an impression on Athena and the rest of the area that she had held in an iron fist. This was a way to send a message of their own.
A ping on her comms snapped her out of her reverie. The alert told her that the enemy had initiated another assault and a handful of highlighted mechs needed more ammo. The townsfolk had been pulled back to mostly support roles
