Rift Warrior: Ghost Signal by B. V. Larson

Author:B. V. Larson [Larson, B. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Iron Tower Press
Published: 2024-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Half an hour later, we gathered at the base of the hill. About a hundred men were there all told, each with a pulse-rifle tightly gripped in his hands. All thoughts of peace had vanished from our minds.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the barren landscape, the metal bodies of the synthetic creatures glinting in the fading light. God, how I was beginning to hate their tireless, industrious nature.

“That force field,” I said to Hawkins, “it’s getting bigger. There are two layers to it now, as well. We need to be smart about this.”

“What do you suggest? You’ve crossed through. Been on the other side.”

I stooped and used the butt of my rifle to illustrate my plan in the ash. It was pretty damned simple.

“Let’s charge the frigging bubble. Once we breach the field, we’ll have a few moments before they react. That’s when we punch them in the face with everything we’ve got.”

Hawkins nodded, his eyes never leaving the guardians.

I watched and waited as Hawkins passed orders through the ranks. I could feel the tension rippling through the militia like a wave of nervous dread. The guardians worked on, seemingly oblivious to our presence.

Finally, Hawkins raised his hand, his eyes locked on the guardians beyond the energy bubble.

“Advance!” he shouted, his voice ringing out across the plain.

We surged forward, a hundred strong. The electromagnetic field pushed against us, trying to force us back. Charging ahead, we gritted our teeth against the resistance.

As I marched upslope, I was reminded of how massive these things were. I was also reminded of just how relentless they were when they wanted to grind you up into goop. We passed into the first barrier field—and pushed through it. Once inside, Hawkins and his men paused—but I kept going.

You would think that with so many armed men approaching, the guardians would react—but you would have thought wrong. They continued to work on their strange multifaceted device. It was like we were invisible—or not viewed as a serious threat.

Lifting my rifle, I fired it. The sound cracked the very air around me. A flash sparked about a dozen yards away—between me and the robot I’d been aiming at.

Nothing. I’d hit nothing at all. The plasma bolt had been consumed by—another force field? Were they layered up here, like the fleshy shells of an onion?

Despite the fact I’d hit no one, the guardians did pause in their work. Their metal heads swiveling to face me. For a moment, I thought they were going to attack, to see me as a threat to their precious device.

But they just stared at me, their glowing red eyes boring into mine. And in that moment, I realized the truth.

They didn’t see me at all. To them, I was nothing more than an insignificant speck, a tiny blip on their radar. After a long moment, they all turned and went back to work on their devilish device.

Well, if they were still shielded… then I was going to have to penetrate that second shield.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.