Closer They Come

From the point of detonation, the smoke plume's base obscured everything in a wide circle. The Prime Beacon lifted his chin, daring the green-fur to emerge alive. Or emerge at all. And it did, much to his chagrin and disappointment.

But that befouling sense in his chest didn't last long as he saw what the mine had wrought on it. Its green fur, or once green, was crisping on the tips and coming away in clumps. Beneath those balding spots, cracked, sallow skin twitched as the musculature beneath spasmed.

He did not care what from. Its eye sockets sealed shut, and the balls within turned into a soupy jelly from the scalding, explosive jet that erupted from below. And it had become relieved of the burden of two of its limbs.

Though none of these observations were the most eye-catching or imperative. That honor belonged to the pit rupturing its side like a bladed mold had pressed down into and through its ribs to cut out a chunk of fur, flesh, and bone.

It was unsteady on its feet, but that it remained on its feet at all sent the occupants of Directory Control into a collection of disquieted moans of frustration. A targeting program located the missing hunk of flesh still flying through the air in an arc, though it would crash down before reaching the walls. He could imagine the wet splattering slide it would perform upon touching down.

One of the targeting crews redirected an electric to the injured green-fur and had it release beam after beam upon the pitiful monster. It staggered as the first struck, then the following ones made it curl up into something resembling a fetal position.

They would never know if the green-fur was close to death, however, because another green-fur close behind reached its position. It knelt on its front appendages, hooves grinding deep into the stone. With its teeth clicking, the maw opened and it seized its injured brethren by the scruff. The Prime Beacon's blood ran cold as it carried out the next steps.

Bending its own neck at what must have been an uncomfortable angle, it lifted the limp body while the cords around its throat bulged and squirmed. With its head facing behind it and oriented toward the ceiling, it lined up the injured body with its own and resumed motion.

Far behind it, the rest of the Aud in the ring began engaging in similar behavior. Now, there were plenty of bodies that had ceased forward movement, or any at all. The remaining white-furs--which remained the majority of the ground forces--were especially interested in securing a body over their backs. The next time the beams released from electrics' barrels, they were not struck down as easy as before.

Most of the thermal energies in transit entered into the first matter the beam made contact with: the stone ground, the air, and the carried bodies. Four scowled when the sight of this phenomenon became widespread throughout the ring. Not even the blues, which had the least to fear from humanity's ranged armaments, remained out! "They're not even trying to pretend anymore, are they?"

"As we suspect they have our intelligence, perhaps they've suspected we've discovered the deception. But it should be obvious after everything the Nyx Breaker's original crew saw. And if this were some reality where we were still in the dark, what better time to catch us unawares than now?"

"That's not important; save those discussions for after, or for the scholars. We have different considerations," the Prime Beacon admonished his head generals. He whipped out his communicator and asked for further surveillance directed toward the base of the walls. Several drones escaped from the tops of the walls at his request.

Digging their clawed spurs into the wall's faces, they began the vertical descent in a spindly, jockeying fashion. The fact that his communication made it through to whoever was on the other end of his most recent call at all stuffed him full of relief and misgivings in equal measure.

"Why are we still able to communicate? Shouldn't the communication dead zone have established when the attack began?"

"They may be holding that particular weapon in reserve until a moment we least expect it." Four's offered explanation was sound, though knowing it did less to soothe him than he wished.

"Come, sir, it was you telling us to save meaningless discussions for when this battle has concluded. If it hasn't happened and we don't know when it will, there's no reason to waste time or thought for it any more than you already have." Two scratched his temple, abandoned the attempt to settle the itch, then resumed. "Besides, we have found a real problem."

"I'd rather you have found a real solution, and told us that." Four's smile remained thin, though Two did share it after a second of contemplation.

"You've had better." He clicked his fingers. "Sir, the green and blue-furs are advancing too quick for comfort. They'll arrive at the base of the walls before the maintenance gate has had enough time to close."

The maintenance gate, opened earlier in the confrontation to permit the Nyx Breaker to exit from the city, was still working its prodigiously-sized gears to close the thickened slabs of metal they called doors.

A few hours before the Aud had initiated their approach, the Titans waiting outside the Last Light's walls had to wait a long time before the doors had spread enough for the Dervish of Palm, the slimmest among their number, to enter. The Nyx Breaker was longer than it was stocky like the upright or quadrupedal Titans, but even it was no small size when measured along its frontal girth.

"How soon until the leading Aud arrive?"

"ETA is three minutes, sir. The maintenance gate will need two more," the seated officer supplied, interjecting at Two's expense. The head general took it with grace though, and nodded at his junior.

The Prime Beacon wasn't worried by the information. Even if a few Aud were to infiltrate the walls before the maintenance gate could seal the rest outside, there were plenty of defensive strategies and retaliatory countermeasures the servicemen manning the wall and the Directory-prioritized districts immediately bordering it would employ, trapping or debilitating them until he or a large group of carriers of the Blessing could arrive to put the intruders down for good.

Then again, none of them getting past the main obstacle humanity has obsessively erected would be better. He could make it there without his suit and deal with the closest threats in three minutes. It would be cutting the matter close, as he'd likely engage them in the gate's shadow and underpass, no matter how fast he'd leave Ardiseg Hall now.

He sighed. No, he wouldn't do that yet. He had given his word to his head generals that he would wait, and he would do it until even they could not deny the necessity of his presence on the walls. That left a plethora of other solutions to start or try.

The Sixth had not been idle, despite what In-3 sinuated at that one meet…the one that felt so long ago, years back instead of the weeks it'd been. Secrecy dictated much of their findings and patents remained out of the other headmen's eyes especially.

It withheld much in reserve that not even he knew details of; that was not a concern, nor a hindrance. He had something specific he wanted to test. And he had a hunch the Sixth Headman wouldn't oppose it.