Chapter 28

　　Kal sprinted away from the destruction with all the speed he could muster.

　　Behind him, the booming sound of metal striking metal rang out as the two Mechs fought. Glass windows shattered, the street splintered and cracked, and buildings crumbled from the intense struggle as the ground rumbled and shook from the heavy blows.

　　He had barely made it past an alleyway when a concrete structure fell, cutting off his line of sight to the Mechs and giving him a reprieve. He was exhausted, his body shaking from the adrenaline despite it only being a virtual avatar. Aside from the lack of pain, everything in this game was similar to reality. It was stunning how real it all felt.

　　Kale took a moment to find his bearings. Avoiding the fighting mechs had turned him away from his goal, forcing him to use a series of side streets and alleyways to reach the building where the supply cache was located.

　　Why haven`t the Rogue Mechs destroyed it yet?` Kal quietly wondered as he approached the building that held his target. Ahead of him, another player entered the structure before making their way to the roof.

　　His question was answered as he approached the building, feeling a cold and tingly sensation pass over his body as he entered the interior.

　　A distortion field.` Kal recognized it. A simple trick of bending the light to obscure targets from sight, although power intensive and immobile. A Mech`s sensors could pierce its camouflage if they were close enough.

　　It was likely that the players hired by Raven`s Riders were granted the ability to penetrate the concealment while the Rogue Mechs were left blind. It was a way of giving the Mechless players some minor advantage in this mission.

　　Confident that he wouldn`t be attacked unless an errant shot struck the building randomly, Kal quickly climbed the stairs, bursting out of the enclosed stairwell onto the flat concrete roof to see over a dozen other players, already digging through the supplies and observing the Turret Cannon.

　　After surveying the area and the other players briefly, Kal made his way to the crates stacked in the center of the roof. Already opened, there were a few weapons available that would be effective against a Mech.

　　A missile launcher was smaller and more compact than the Light Class Mech had fired earlier. It would only fire a single rocket, unlike the barrage he had seen released before. There were also several larger Lasguns, but after trying to heft one of them, he found it would affect his mobility too much, and he wanted to be able to run and hide after striking.

　　Slinging the launcher across his back, he focused on the Turret Cannon.

　　On a raised platform, the long-barreled gun was similar to what the sniper had used but mounted on a swivel device so a regular person could aim it. Lines of cable stretched from the cannon to a row of battery packs near the weapons cache, and a row of text hovered above the turret.

　　Agamemnon Systems Particle Projection Cannon Turret. Warning: Use of Turret will negate camouflage distortion field generator.

　　Kal was reading through the text when he was interrupted by shouting behind him. Spinning around, he saw a young man climbing the turret platform. The cannon was on an elevated pivot, allowing a single person to swivel and move the weapon unassisted by gripping two large handles.

　　"What the hell are you doing!? We aren`t ready yet!" A young woman shouted from beside the weapons cache. She was loaded down with a rocket launcher and a crate of ammunition. Dropping it, she sprinted forward to stop the young man.

　　"Too bad! More for me than!" The young man shouted, lifting the handles of the turret and spinning it towards a target.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

　　In the distance, Kal could see the two fighting Mechs still grappling with each other. The Raven`s Riders Light Class was on the losing end, missing one of its arms, and its frame sported multiple dents and rips in its armour. It was on the ground, the Rogue Mech about to crush it with a large chunk of concrete ripped out of the building beside it.

　　Lining up the turret`s aiming sights with the standing Mech, the young man pressed the trigger. A keening wail emerged from the cannon, the mechanism inside rapidly spinning as it charged. Kal could see lines of power run through the cables from the batteries to the gun, burning red hot from the energy.

　　With an ear-splitting roar, the PPC turret fired, a line of red tearing through the city as it sped toward the Mech.

　　The Rogue Pilot, warned of the imminent attack by its sensors, attempted to dive away, its thrusters powered on full as it leapt to the side, but the energy beam arrived first. Burning a hole through its lower body, the Mech tumbled to the ground.

　　Seizing the opportunity, the Raven`s Rider`s Mech stomped on the downed Mech`s cockpit, driving its foot through the damaged armour and ending the Pilot`s life.

　　"See! That`s how you do it fuc-" The rest of the young man`s cheer was ended by a thunderous crack of a Lasgun`s discharge. A bluish-white line of superheated energy vaporized the turret. Kal`s last sight of the young man was his look of surprise before he was gone.

　　The destructive energy looped back through the cables feeding the PPC Turret, rushing to the storage batteries and overloading them.

　　"They`re gonna blow!" The young woman shouted, punctuating her cry with a mad dash off the roof, slinging her missile launcher and a crate of ammo over the side with her. As electrical discharges seared the rooftop around the batteries, the players ran in different directions.

　　Kal was already in the air, his own launcher slung over his back, his Lasrifle gripped tightly in his hands as another explosion rocked the roof, sending a wave of superheated air against his back. The blast pushed against him, propelling him sideways, and he smashed through an apartment window in the building next door.

　　Rolling with momentum, Kal shattered a coffee table and a couch in the living room before slamming into the apartment`s wall, indenting his frame into the wallboard. Coughing, his body suddenly felt stiff and challenging to move as he slowly climbed back to his feet.

　　The game simulated injuries in ways other than pain, restricting bodily functions and movement. Kal`s health bar in the bottom right was yellow, indicating severe but not life-threatening injuries. His armour showed large tears from the glass and burned marks from the flames.

　　Limping across the room, Kal lifted the rocket launcher from the floor where it had been dislodged in his tumbling. His hearing was muffled like cotton gauze had been stuffed in his ears.

　　Looking around, he could see the fire raging through the building he had leapt from while streaks of Lasgun fire and missiles flashed past the apartment windows. Above, a Light Class Mech was hovering in the air, its metallic grey body reflecting the sunlight while it hammered the buildings around it with its Heavy Lasgun.

　　Unlike the Scout Light Mechs, this one could maintain its height due to large thrusters attached to its back, spreading behind it like wings, although it appeared to pay the price for its agility, lacking the thicker armour of its grounded counterparts.

　　Kal could see scorch marks from the Player`s returning fire, evidence of the few attacks that the flying Mech hadn`t been able to dodge. Focusing on the Mech, he could see a gap in its torso armour in the rear of the machine, just behind the cockpit.

　　As he stared, it felt like time had slowed for Kal. He could hear the beating of his heart, its rhythmic pulse taking an eternity between each thump.

　　The Mech in the air was painfully sluggish, its movements lagging to his eyes.

　　Even the streaks of Lasgun fire took an age to reach their target. Kal could follow the line to its destination long before the beam arrived. With this new awareness of his surroundings, he suddenly realized how he could defeat the airborne Mech.

　　The gap in its armour was like a beacon, calling to him and begging to be struck. Kal hefted the Missile Launcher, securing his Lasrifle on his back. The heavy launcher felt light in his hands as he dashed toward the windows nearest his enemy.

　　His body moved with a grace and speed that he didn`t know he possessed. Each step he took was sure and steady, perfectly balanced.

　　Bracing his shoulder, he dashed through the window, shattering the glass as he did so. Spinning around, Kal raised the Missile Launcher and aimed down the sight, the weapon locking on the target in his mind`s eye, the small gap in the Mech`s armour.

　　Too late, the Rogue Pilot noticed the threat, its movements agonizingly slow as it tried to respond. Kal was already firing, a streak of flames discharging from the Luancher as it fired its payload.

　　The missile darted through the air, closing the distance between them in an instant before slamming into the Mech, sinking deeply beneath its amour before detonating. The Mech exploded in a great gout of flame and metal, shrapnel flying in all directions.

　　Time resumed its flow to Kal, the wind rushing around him as he felt the heat strike his face. Turning, he saw the ground approach rapidly before his world turned black.

　　Respawn: Atland City