“Impact imminent,” the suit AI announced.
“Brace for impact,” Simon warned. He gripped the seat’s restraints and held on tightly. “Weapons, you have point blank range.Fire.”
The lead Blood Angel dropped onto the second ATV. It crouched there like a great hunting beast, arrogant and powerful. Then the Greek Fire missiles ripped from the launch tubes and slammed into the Blood Angel.
SIXTEEN
Greek Fire enveloped the Blood Angel. Gold and green, with flashes of livid red, the flames charred the demon’s flesh from its bones. It leaped from the ATVand screamed loud enough to be heard over the vehicle’s audio dampers.
The other two Templar ATVs loosed a barrage of Greek Fire missiles. Most of the weapons found their targets. Five of the seven Blood Angels turned into burning comets and shot across the sky in an effort to escape immolation before losing that battle and dropping like stones. One of those two still living landed in a tree in the path of the ATVs.
“Reload,” Danielle ordered calmly as she swung and searched for targets.
“Reload complete,” the gunner’s mate called.
Nathan steered immediately for the tree with the flaming demon sitting in it. “Hold on,” he warned.
“Impact imminent,” the suit AI warned.
For a moment, Simon wondered if Nathan had been too ambitious in his attack. Even with the ATV’s momentum and mass, it was possible that the vehicle would beblocked or receive damage.
Or get jammed up. That particular thought was chilling. The demons would cover them like ants on prey.
Then the ATV hammered the tree and knocked it over.
The vehicle clambered over the collapsed tree, then ran over the Blood Angel while the flaming demon tried to scamper away. Nathan roared in triumph.
Simon took control of the large Spike Bolter mounted on top of the ATV. He tracked the Blood Angel’s panicked run through the forest, brought the gun tobear, and opened fire. The palladium spikes ripped through the Blood Angel and dropped her in shreds to the ground.
At his command, the HUD displayed the locations of the other two ATVs in relation to his. Both vehicles ran closely behind his.
Without warning, the remaining Blood Angel landed on the nose of the ATV. It hunkered down and tried to peer through the reinforced observation window.
“Simon,” Nathan called. “There’s a”
“I’ve got it,” Simon responded. He adjusted the Spike Bolter and opened firejust as the Blood Angel punched the observation window with a knotted fist. The impact-resistant glass shattered but held. However, Simon was pretty sure that it wouldn’t withstand another such blow.
Palladium spikes filled the air and the Blood Angel. Pieces of the demon ripped off and blew away as the ATV raced through the forest. The dead body toppled over to the side.
“Close call, mate,” Nathan said.
Simon didn’t respond. They weren’t out of it yet.
Less than a minute later, they engaged the main body of demons. The creatures stood thickly packed in the middle of the route Nathan had laid out. More than that, they had piled fallen trees across the narrow gap. The walls on either side were ten or fifteen feet high.
“Hold on,” Nathan warned. He accelerated and steered to the left.
The realization of what Nathan was about to attempt turned Simon cold. It was a risky maneuver at best, but under the circumstances possibly the only thing they had open to them. Stopping would have left them open to immediate demon attack, and the probability of getting through the barricades was slim.
The ATV’s NanoDyne electromagnetic engines, which weren’t standard on theBritish military versions, whined at a higher pitch. A glance at the speed indicator readout on Simon’s HUD revealed that the ATV was traveling at 148 KPH,and still accelerating.
The Gremlins opened fire and bathed the ATV in corrosive acid, explosive toxins, energy discharges, and fiery blasts. The impact-resistant windscreen shuddered under the attack but thankfully held.
Warning, the suit AI stated simply. ATV armor has sustained damage. Integrity levels down to eighty-two percent.
The armor was holding up better then Simon had hoped. Given time, they had the tools to repair the armor and the supplies to get it done. But time was a rare commodity on the battlefield.
Then the ATV roared up the left hillside and went almost perpendicular as a shot over the barricade. Only the centrifugal force caused by the high speed held the vehicle into the hillside. Even then, the wheels on the ATV drifted dangerously close to losing traction. Simon felt the posi-track transmission shift to drive only the wheels on the right.
Someone cursed, but Simon didn’t know who it was. He thought it might havebeen himself.
Just as it seemed that the ATV would inevitably flop over onto its top like a turtle, Nathan cut the wheels sharply and guided them behind the barricades. The luckless Gremlins in front of them were mown down like wheat before a thresher.Their bodies bounced from the front of the ATV.
One of them exploded through the weakened windscreen and sent shards of Plas-glas spinning. If the crew hadn’t been armored up, some of them might havebeen mortally wounded in the barrage.
Simon checked his HUD and pulled up a quick medical report on the team. No one had been injured.
Incredibly, the demon caught in the window remained alive. Only its head and one arm were inside the control compartment. It reached for Nathan at the controls.
Calmly, but quickly, Nathan fisted the Spike Bolter holstered at his hip and shoved it into the demon’s face. When he pulled the trigger, the Gremlin’s faceand head crunched and fell to pieces. Still driving by instruments, Nathan holstered his weapon and shoved the Gremlin back through the window.
A quick check of the HUD showed Simon they were through the worst of it. He linked with the Spike Bolter and targeted the nearest demons.
At the same time, Danielle unleashed the Blaze Cannon mounted on the front and rear decks. Greek Fire spewed over the demon army and turned them into burning pyres.
Simon watched as the second ATV on the right hillside to negotiate
