Critical Strike (The Critical Series Book 3) by Colin F. Barnes, Darren Wearmouth, Wearmouth, Barnes
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directions, shrouding the valley’s surface.
When it cleared thirty seconds later, half of the troops were down, large sections of their suits degraded by the orb’s load. A beam of light shot from the front of the mech and searched the ground for targets. It advanced, rotating in the air and firing bolts, meeting little resistance as it neared the first bodies of its opponents.
“I want to be as far away from that thing as possible,” Charlie said.
Denver edged away from the ridge. He raised an arm, and his gauntlet clanked against Layla’s shoulder plate. She smiled through the visor at him, appreciating the gesture. She wondered if he shook with fear inside his suit as much as she did.
“This way,” Vingo said. “I’ll take you to a temple in the forest.”
***
The group cut right and descended into a dark ravine. The suit auto-corrected when Layla thought she’d lose her balance. The visor’s night vision enhanced further, giving their surroundings a green tinge, creating a sharp edge around the fauna and rocks that littered the slopes.
Layla resisted the temptation to grab the trunk of one of the squat trees or the thick stems of the oversized pink ferns as they cut their way toward the sound of flowing water. Her confidence grew when she realized the sure-footedness of the suit in adverse terrain.
A shallow stream ran along the bottom, gushing over smooth rocks. Vingo splashed through the middle of it, crunching over the pebbled bed, away from the sound of gunfire.
The sparse steep hills on either side of the stream dropped until dense undergrowth covered either side. The forest ahead appeared to be an impassable dark mess of trees, vines and plants.
“How’s your leg, son?” Charlie said.
“I’ll live. The suit helps,” Denver said, although Layla could hear the strain in his voice. “Are there any wild clusps living in the forest?”
“Yes,” Vingo said, “but it’s unlikely they’ll attack four of us with weapons.”
Charlie just grunted and kept his rifle held high.
As Layla closed on the edge of the canopy, her visor switched to infragreen vision, giving her a clear view through the forest. Small rodent-like creatures with long snouts huddled around a group of spiny yellow plants. When Vingo waded toward them, they scattered deeper into the undergrowth.
“These helmets are amazing,” she said, viewing other small creatures shuffling around the forest floor.
Denver paused and scanned the immediate area. “I need to take one of these back to Earth.”
“You don’t have a wireless reactor or filters,” Vingo said in a matter-of-fact kind of way. “They also require regular maintenance from skilled engineers.”
Nobody replied. Layla knew it wasn’t the time to discuss cultural differences.
The stream thinned to a crack in the ground as Vingo cut to his right. He thrashed through ten meters of clustered spade-shaped leaves with his rifle. Charlie followed, sweeping them out of the way. They snapped back against Layla’s suit and visor, but the power in her arms and legs allowed easy passage.
On the other side, a winding beaten path cut through the forest. Vingo trudged along it, sweeping his rifle from left to right.
“Over there,” Charlie said, jabbing his weapon to his left.
Denver spun and aimed. A clusp tracked them twenty meters away in the forest. It stopped. Its two muscly tentacles writhed on its back.
“Ignore it,” Vingo said. “One followed us when we entered the forest.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Layla said.
“It wasn’t important; it would be a needless fight. They’re not dull-witted creatures. It’s probably just tracking us, making sure we don’t threaten its young.”
She thought it was, especially after seeing what the creature could do once close. The creepy rumbling noise it made sent a shiver down her spine.
“We should kill it now so it doesn’t pose a threat later,” Denver said.
“Save your ammunition for when
When it cleared thirty seconds later, half of the troops were down, large sections of their suits degraded by the orb’s load. A beam of light shot from the front of the mech and searched the ground for targets. It advanced, rotating in the air and firing bolts, meeting little resistance as it neared the first bodies of its opponents.
“I want to be as far away from that thing as possible,” Charlie said.
Denver edged away from the ridge. He raised an arm, and his gauntlet clanked against Layla’s shoulder plate. She smiled through the visor at him, appreciating the gesture. She wondered if he shook with fear inside his suit as much as she did.
“This way,” Vingo said. “I’ll take you to a temple in the forest.”
***
The group cut right and descended into a dark ravine. The suit auto-corrected when Layla thought she’d lose her balance. The visor’s night vision enhanced further, giving their surroundings a green tinge, creating a sharp edge around the fauna and rocks that littered the slopes.
Layla resisted the temptation to grab the trunk of one of the squat trees or the thick stems of the oversized pink ferns as they cut their way toward the sound of flowing water. Her confidence grew when she realized the sure-footedness of the suit in adverse terrain.
A shallow stream ran along the bottom, gushing over smooth rocks. Vingo splashed through the middle of it, crunching over the pebbled bed, away from the sound of gunfire.
The sparse steep hills on either side of the stream dropped until dense undergrowth covered either side. The forest ahead appeared to be an impassable dark mess of trees, vines and plants.
“How’s your leg, son?” Charlie said.
“I’ll live. The suit helps,” Denver said, although Layla could hear the strain in his voice. “Are there any wild clusps living in the forest?”
“Yes,” Vingo said, “but it’s unlikely they’ll attack four of us with weapons.”
Charlie just grunted and kept his rifle held high.
As Layla closed on the edge of the canopy, her visor switched to infragreen vision, giving her a clear view through the forest. Small rodent-like creatures with long snouts huddled around a group of spiny yellow plants. When Vingo waded toward them, they scattered deeper into the undergrowth.
“These helmets are amazing,” she said, viewing other small creatures shuffling around the forest floor.
Denver paused and scanned the immediate area. “I need to take one of these back to Earth.”
“You don’t have a wireless reactor or filters,” Vingo said in a matter-of-fact kind of way. “They also require regular maintenance from skilled engineers.”
Nobody replied. Layla knew it wasn’t the time to discuss cultural differences.
The stream thinned to a crack in the ground as Vingo cut to his right. He thrashed through ten meters of clustered spade-shaped leaves with his rifle. Charlie followed, sweeping them out of the way. They snapped back against Layla’s suit and visor, but the power in her arms and legs allowed easy passage.
On the other side, a winding beaten path cut through the forest. Vingo trudged along it, sweeping his rifle from left to right.
“Over there,” Charlie said, jabbing his weapon to his left.
Denver spun and aimed. A clusp tracked them twenty meters away in the forest. It stopped. Its two muscly tentacles writhed on its back.
“Ignore it,” Vingo said. “One followed us when we entered the forest.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Layla said.
“It wasn’t important; it would be a needless fight. They’re not dull-witted creatures. It’s probably just tracking us, making sure we don’t threaten its young.”
She thought it was, especially after seeing what the creature could do once close. The creepy rumbling noise it made sent a shiver down her spine.
“We should kill it now so it doesn’t pose a threat later,” Denver said.
“Save your ammunition for when
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