"We are all dead men on leave." -- Eugene Levine, "Men in Dark Times" Operation: Phoenix, Falls the Shadow, Part Two by J-Rock, jjr5020@rigel.tamu.edu # "Earth Government at Work" _Robotech Perfect Collection_ "Oi. The meeting started yet?" I asked as I entered the only conference room in the Ellipsoid _not_ damaged when the Lizards attacked. Looking around, I noticed some odd things about the room. First, CyberPyro was seated on the floor for some strange reason. Second, there were no video monitors to be seen. "Hey," Galand replied. "CP decided against video transmission. Thought it could be intercepted by the Lizards. And I don't blame him for that." "But how are we gonna reach Owsen and the rest of the Maenads?" "Actually," CP said as he got up, "I just finished telling Owsen where to meet us." "I didn't know you were a telepath," I said, taking a swig of my Dr. Pepper. The Cloud's attacks were getting worse. I must have gone through a whole six-pack of this stuff in the past hour. And at that rate, everybody who was laying eyes on me knew it. "I'm just now finding it out myself," CP replied. "I was picked to be Tasha's disciple during my days at the House of Eternal Night. When she was killed..." He was on the verge of breaking down, but quickly regained his composure. "I gained a great deal of her powers." "So, if you don't mind my asking, what's the scam?" "The Cloud comes into being through magic," a female voice said from a corner of the room I had ignored. Turning to face the sound, I saw a curiously pale woman step forward into the room. "And the only way to dispel magic is with magic." "But we can't do it alone," CP said, but I didn't hear him. My attention was fixed firmly on the woman, somebody who we'd all thought was Missing and Presumed Dead. In fact, she was one of my fellow Admirals. "Morgenna?" I asked, sounding like I had seen something I wasn't sure I wanted to believe, but didn't want to disbelieve. "The same," she answered. "But how'd you..." "Later," she said, motioning at CyberPyro to continue. "The only way to dispel something of this magnitude is if a sizable number of magick users lend their strength in a ritual," CP said. "And where is this ritual to be held?" I asked. "Des Moines, Iowa." "Hooboy. Do you realize how hard it'd be to get there?" "Yes. Which is why you are in charge of getting us fighters to go there." Sneckin' Hell, I thought. I sure hope this plan stops the Lizards cold, 'cause we ain't got much left. "All right, I'll see what I can dig up." Leaving the room, I saw Nina's face spring up on a comm screen. "Oi," she said. "You look down." "Tell me about it. I have to make flying arrangements to Des Moines, and the Lizards are prowling the skies as we speak." "Well, I don't know if you want to hear this.." "It's all right. Tell me anyway. It can't be any worse, right?" "The UN Security Council has instructed their forces not to fire on the Lizards, under any circumstances." I was wrong; things can always get worse. "What? That's suicide, Nina! Do they have any idea what those bitches will do to humanity?" "I can't really say. I do know that this comes in the wake of massive protests in every national capital to surrender to them." "It's the Cloud's influence again, isn't it?" Her icon disappeared for a second to show Fisher Stevens in 'Short Circuit' saying "Beem-bo." I set my jaw firmly and said, "Nina, can you do me a favor?" "Fire away." "Can you recite the whole Churchill speech before the Battle of Britain started while I make my way to the hangar?" "Sure," she said, giving me a second to start walking before she started to exposit. As she did so, her icon and words appeared to follow me across the comm screens and speakers (a neat ACI trick if the net is good enough) as I headed down to the hangar: "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." **************************************************************************** AND THEN... "...And that's how I got here," Morgenna said from the cockpit of her Jagatai. She had just finished regaling me and Cerberus (formerly Galand -- Windi had promoted him to Centurion when he contacted her) with the story of how she managed to evade the Lizard hunters. "Must have been some fight," Cerberus said, his Visigoth flying on my left wing as we streaked across the night sky. CyberPyro filled out our gang of four in his Andromeda. Strain, I appended mentally. Never could pass up a good obscure cultural reference opportunity. As for myself, I was flying a Visigoth, but with a much different weapons loadout. Apparently, the weapons were all damaged and/or destroyed from all the fighting in the hangar, and the tech who rebuilt this had a thing for WWII aircraft. Inspired by the Hawker Hurricane (the Spitfire's lesser-known cousin), he had put four laser cannons in each wing. Two PIST missile launchers in the nose filled out the available space for weapons. "You don't know the half of i--" Morgenna began before CP interrupted her. "X'hirjq fighters coming up behind!" I immediately slammed down my enhanced visuals visor and engaged the mag-res. "Tally-ho!" I called out. "Six of them, coming in at six o'clock low!" Pulling the Visi-kludge into a simple Immelmann, I pushed the Combat Music floptical into its player. # Down By Law "Punk as Fuck" _punkrockacademyfightsong_ I swept my targeter around the Look out for your chances Lizard formation. Two assaults, two To try to get away lights, the rest mediums. Should be When voices scream inside your head an interesting battle. "Morgenna and Just turn your amp up all the way CP have paired off already," Galand All the lights are black lights stated. "Need a wingman?" Except when they turn grey "Sure," I said, powering up my I flipped the switch, I made my choice weapons systems and aiming the Visi- I'm gonna change it all today kludge at a nearby medium. Eight laser bolts drilled the aerofighter 'Cause I know... dead center, causing the port shield That I can take them on to momentarily flicker and armor to 'Cause I know... melt into slag. Before I could That I can take them on follow that up, she pulled a high-G dive and vanished from my gunsights. Want to find a way out? But she couldn't elude Morgenna. Just get me out of here Adding a few missiles just to be Climbing to the next rung sure, she opened up on the medium, Well, this is my wonder year blowing it to Kingdom Come. CP, on Burning up inside the other hand, was faring poorly In my body and my mind against an assault. Morgenna brought After all this work her guns to bear on it, but couldn't I've decided this is my time knock it down. "It's not that easy, Lizard!" I cried, opening up with my 'Cause I know... own arsenal. The eight lasers gouged That I can take them on great holes through the front armor, 'Cause I know... and the PIST missiles I'd thrown in That I can take them on turned the assault into one pretty fireworks display. And I'm not sorry that it's done "I owe you one," CP said while I And I'm not sorry that I've won zoomed through a victory roll. "Yes, Because I've cried my last tear I know I'm good," I said. Then I Because this is my freakin' year heard Cerberus shout a warning: "J! 8 O'CLOCK!" I turned my head to look and saw that the second assault was Look out for your chances intent on avenging her wingmate's To try to get away death on Mr. Convenient Target: me! When voices scream inside your head I instinctively rolled into a dive Just turn your amp up all the way loop and tried to get away, but the All the lights are black lights Lizard stayed on right on my tail. Except when they turn grey Then CP shouted, "DIE!" as he I flipped the switch, I made my choice got in behind the second assault. I'm gonna change it all today His targetting system must have been tweaked, because his shots didn't just hit the ship, but the pilots! 'Cause I know... The stricken fighter began its last That I can take them on! dive as CP formed on my wing. "Didn't think I'd be collecting on that favor that quickly," I said while trying to catch my breath. That was just way too close! CyberPyro just smiled over the vidlink and said, "You would have -- and did -- the same for me." Meanwhile, Morgenna and Cerberus had dispatched the last medium, and the two lights decided to invoke the better part of valor. "Let 'em go," CP said over the tacnet. "We've wasted too much time already." The four of us formed up and resumed our journey. **************************************************************************** INTERCESSION [AUTHOR'S NOTE: The video montage for this one is the fighters landing, followed by the rest of the crew linking up in the city and getting chased all over town by Lizards and B'Harne Bots. -- J-R] Smoke... lingers 'round your fingers Train... heave on to Euston Do you think you've made the right decision this time? You left... your tired family grieving And you think they're sad because you're leaving But didn't you see the jealousy in the eyes Of the ones who had to stay behind? And do you think you've made the right decision this time? You left... your girlfriend on the platform With this really ragged notion that you'll return But she knows that when he goes He really goes And do you think you've made the right decision this time? -- The Smiths "London" _Louder Than Bombs_ "Ok, ok, enough with the hugs!" Doberman Fleet Commander Samhain barked in the midst of the group-hug from the rest of the crew. "Let's get this spell under way." I had tried to ascertain any knowledge of why Sam was breathing once more, but he brushed it aside. Oh well, just seeing his sorry ass alive was the best thing I had seen in a good long while. We were still missing Sheridan, but there was no time to worry about that. After a small arguement about who got to drive the Spam truck me and Cerberus had appropriated (Sam won), we were underway once more. **************************************************************************** ABOUT THREE MINUTES LATER... # Kool & The Gang "Jungle Boogie" _"Pulp Fiction" soundtrack_ "Damnation," Owsen said as he finished scrying. "They're waiting for us at the tower." We had stopped the truck about a block away from the skyscraper in order to do some magical recon. And that decision was paying dividends, although I wasn't entirely sure if they were the right kind. "Lizards?" Most Holy asked, jacking a round into his 10-gauge. "Nay, MoHo, I speak of Spongin. Lots of them, all heavily armed." "Oh, darn. Guess we'll just have to kill 'em," CP said, dripping sarcasm like he just climbed out of a swimming pool. "Hey, CP," JFox responded. "Don't get your ammo wet, ok?" I added a Space Hulk quote that only Sheridan would have picked up straight away: "Move quickly, for the enemy will detect the malice in your movements." After the usual quizzical looks from everybody in the back, followed by a "Never mind" from me, MoHo asked CP, "Why does the site have to be that particular building? Can't we perform the ritual elsewhere?" "Nope," CP replied. "It must be performed at the highest point of a given area. And that building happens to be the tallest point in Des Moines." "And B'Harne knows it," Owsen contributed. "Either way, there's gonna be a fight." Windi just smiled at that statement, unsheathing her Big-Ass Claws (tm). "So?" MoHo asked, feeding the pig (read: M-249 HMG) in the back an ammo belt. "We can take 'em without a problem." "Right," Sam said. "But we gotta remember that we're not out to kill 'em all, just the ones that get in our way." "Don't worry," I said, getting to my feet as Sam shifted the truck into gear. "I've been doing that for years." "Doing what? Killing 'em all, or just the ones that get in your way?" JFox asked. I merely smiled at him and said, "Yes." There are times when I truly love being obscure. Up ahead, some Spongins had come out the front door and waved at the truck. Sam just said, "Ok, kids, don't try this at home." Then he slammed on the brakes and wrenched the truck into a bootlegger reverse! I immediately shifted my weight to avoid being tossed around the truck as MoHo opened up with the pig, yelling "YEAH! GET SOME!!" Cerberus swung open the side door and jumped out, followed by CP, Sam, and myself. However, we couldn't move a meter before some more Spongers opened up with their artillery, sending all of us diving for whatever cover we could find. "FUCKIN'-A!" I shouted plaintively as I returned fire, only to blow out the windows in the cars they were using for cover. MoHo saw this and lent some support, but he wasn't able to do much else. Suddenly, a loud hiss rent the air, and I looked back for a second before staring at what I saw. Windi was standing at the threshold of the side door, bleeding from one ear while the Big-Ass Claws (tm) flexed impatiently and her face was twitching more than Mel Gibson's was in "Lethal Weapon". Her fur started to stand on end, and waves of heat began to emenate from her body. "Uh oh, Chongo! It's Danger Island Time!" I breathed, watching the (in)famous Holy Warpspasm spring into being with a terrifying scream from Windi. She then proceeded to bust ass toward the Spongers behind the cars. # Judas Priest "Screaming For Vengeance" _Screaming For Vengeance_ Evidently, CP saw this, for he yelled "COVER HER!" But I was already sweeping the roofs of the cars with my XRifle, and was soon followed by everybody else doing the same with their own weapons. Just when the minions thought they could rally, white-furred Hell descended upon them. Within minutes, the snow around the cars was stained bright red. Amongst a pile of quasi-human hamburger, Windi looked upon her work and saw it to be good. She threw her head back and screamed at the sky, hands and forearms covered with blood that was already beginning to cook. Then she started to make all sorts of neat-looking belts out of Spongin entrails. "Windi, come on!" CP shouted from the tower's front door. Suffice to say, the rest of us didn't just stick around and watch. She trotted up to us just in time to watch MoHo, who was on point, go through the door. To be continued... All material copyrighted by the original author.