anyone I'd ever known.
"Yeah, we're fine."
"Don't get too comfortable. We'll be moving out in a few marks." He slumped against a shredded bulkhead, staring into space.
"How's Fourteen doing?" Dragon asked. Speedy was outside, with the others.
"Merlin, you were close to him, weren't you?" Snow Leopard asked.
"Sorry, One—the guy's just fallen apart. There's no talking to him anymore. He just doesn't want to hear it."
"He's bad news, One," Psycho said. Snow Leopard did not respond. But I knew he would deal with the problem, one way or another.
"How about our weapons, Merlin," I asked. "Will all this fancy hardware really work?"
"Don't worry about the weapons," Merlin said. "We're set—and you can thank the techs. The stuff we used on Mongera was so primitive I'm amazed we survived. But the E2…" He lifted his weapon to examine it. "It's specifically engineered to bust O's. Fire canister x and you shatter the mag shields and explode the O simultaneously. Then you can finish him off with whatever you want—more x, biobloc, plasma, even laser. Once the shields are down, he's dead meat."
"Forget it, gang," Psycho interrupted. "My tacstars are tipped with magbusters now. You'll never get close to the O's. I'll get 'em first."
"How about the O's psypower?" I asked. "It's not going to give us any trouble?"
"I don't see how," Merlin said. "We had to fill the skies with psybloc last time. This time we carry it with us. We've got the freqs and as soon as the O projects, our helmet units will counter." Our A-suit helmets had been modified and were now topped with psybloc transmitters.
"It'll make us easy to spot," Dragon said. The psybloc was not subtle when activated. It was kind of like walking around under a fireworks display.
"The important thing is, they won't be able to control us," Merlin said. "And you've all got plenty of psybloc grenades. If you're ever in doubt, use 'em! You have no idea how wonderful this psybloc is. Our fathers died by the billions, helpless in the power of the O's. But the Legion has just changed that. It's payback time, gentlemen."
Psycho laughed. "I had no idea you were such a hardcore, Merlin."
"It was Mongera," Snow Leopard said quietly. "It was Beta, it was Badboy—it was us. We did it, gang. We killed the first O, and brought its stinking carcass back to the lifies. Everything flows from that one dead O. We're all going down in history, guys. When they look for the turning point, they'll find Mongera—and Beta, and Gamma. They'll find the Black Twelfth." History—that was One's obsession. Well, he was probably right. Maybe it was our destiny to kill that original O, and then die on Uldo along with the rest of the 12th. Fine—let it be so. But we'd go down fighting, I knew. They couldn't deny us that.
###
We were walking into a silent, holy snowfall. Fat white snowflakes drifted down gently, covering the ground, transforming it all. The sky was all white as well. It all seemed so clean, so pure—as if we were walking through heaven. Most of the wreckage from the Eighth was gone by now—we were on the outer fringes of the Cauldron.
"How you doing, Thirteen?" I asked. I don't know why I was so worried about Twister, but I was. I felt she was a part of our squad now. I didn't feel the same about Speedy.
"Thanks, sir. I'm here. You're not going to lose me—no way."
"Good. That's great! You just stay close, Twister. You need any help, I'll be there. Remember it!"
"Thank you…Thinker."
"ALERT! ENERGY SPHERE!" Sweety's metallic voice echoed harshly in my ears. "Two energy spheres, as marked! Recommend biodee!"
"Go to ground!" Snow Leopard ordered. "Freeze! Weapons on biodee!" I dropped to one knee, my E up, making the adjustment. The tacmap was a blizzard of chaff, but I could see two phospho specks, fading in and out, off to the north, heading roughly east.
"They may not spot us," Snow Leopard said.
"Spheres changing course," Sweety informed us. "Spheres reversing
"Yeah, we're fine."
"Don't get too comfortable. We'll be moving out in a few marks." He slumped against a shredded bulkhead, staring into space.
"How's Fourteen doing?" Dragon asked. Speedy was outside, with the others.
"Merlin, you were close to him, weren't you?" Snow Leopard asked.
"Sorry, One—the guy's just fallen apart. There's no talking to him anymore. He just doesn't want to hear it."
"He's bad news, One," Psycho said. Snow Leopard did not respond. But I knew he would deal with the problem, one way or another.
"How about our weapons, Merlin," I asked. "Will all this fancy hardware really work?"
"Don't worry about the weapons," Merlin said. "We're set—and you can thank the techs. The stuff we used on Mongera was so primitive I'm amazed we survived. But the E2…" He lifted his weapon to examine it. "It's specifically engineered to bust O's. Fire canister x and you shatter the mag shields and explode the O simultaneously. Then you can finish him off with whatever you want—more x, biobloc, plasma, even laser. Once the shields are down, he's dead meat."
"Forget it, gang," Psycho interrupted. "My tacstars are tipped with magbusters now. You'll never get close to the O's. I'll get 'em first."
"How about the O's psypower?" I asked. "It's not going to give us any trouble?"
"I don't see how," Merlin said. "We had to fill the skies with psybloc last time. This time we carry it with us. We've got the freqs and as soon as the O projects, our helmet units will counter." Our A-suit helmets had been modified and were now topped with psybloc transmitters.
"It'll make us easy to spot," Dragon said. The psybloc was not subtle when activated. It was kind of like walking around under a fireworks display.
"The important thing is, they won't be able to control us," Merlin said. "And you've all got plenty of psybloc grenades. If you're ever in doubt, use 'em! You have no idea how wonderful this psybloc is. Our fathers died by the billions, helpless in the power of the O's. But the Legion has just changed that. It's payback time, gentlemen."
Psycho laughed. "I had no idea you were such a hardcore, Merlin."
"It was Mongera," Snow Leopard said quietly. "It was Beta, it was Badboy—it was us. We did it, gang. We killed the first O, and brought its stinking carcass back to the lifies. Everything flows from that one dead O. We're all going down in history, guys. When they look for the turning point, they'll find Mongera—and Beta, and Gamma. They'll find the Black Twelfth." History—that was One's obsession. Well, he was probably right. Maybe it was our destiny to kill that original O, and then die on Uldo along with the rest of the 12th. Fine—let it be so. But we'd go down fighting, I knew. They couldn't deny us that.
###
We were walking into a silent, holy snowfall. Fat white snowflakes drifted down gently, covering the ground, transforming it all. The sky was all white as well. It all seemed so clean, so pure—as if we were walking through heaven. Most of the wreckage from the Eighth was gone by now—we were on the outer fringes of the Cauldron.
"How you doing, Thirteen?" I asked. I don't know why I was so worried about Twister, but I was. I felt she was a part of our squad now. I didn't feel the same about Speedy.
"Thanks, sir. I'm here. You're not going to lose me—no way."
"Good. That's great! You just stay close, Twister. You need any help, I'll be there. Remember it!"
"Thank you…Thinker."
"ALERT! ENERGY SPHERE!" Sweety's metallic voice echoed harshly in my ears. "Two energy spheres, as marked! Recommend biodee!"
"Go to ground!" Snow Leopard ordered. "Freeze! Weapons on biodee!" I dropped to one knee, my E up, making the adjustment. The tacmap was a blizzard of chaff, but I could see two phospho specks, fading in and out, off to the north, heading roughly east.
"They may not spot us," Snow Leopard said.
"Spheres changing course," Sweety informed us. "Spheres reversing
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