Punk Rock

Automatic fire cut through the jungle, chopping up vegetation, dropping the charging cavemen and their tamed dinosaurs.

The power plant had been built atop a volcano, then fortified with high walls and laser gun turrets. But none of them were firing at the moment. Only the guards were active, spraying into the vegetation, struggling to keep the attackers at bay. A woman stood on top of the ramparts, surveying the battle. This was just the latest in the series of human wave attacks that had kept the project on edge since its inception.

A camouflage jumpsuit clung to her body. Belts that held pouches and holsters crisscrossed her torso and legs. A kind of girdle sat on her midriff, it was covered with extra magazines for the submachinegun that she carried. A fairly short head of jet-black hair was kept neat with a few metal clips, which were painted blue. Her features were predominantly Japanese, although that word would be meaningless to her. Her left eye was artificial, being jet black with a tiny white dot for an iris. Several pieces of silvery metal were grafted to the flesh on the side of her neck and head.

The voice in SYN-42J’s ear was frantic, “Syn, we need to get those turrets back online!”

A heads-up display identified her current objective and the status of nearby friendlies, along with any hostiles that the group’s intel gathering systems had identified. Thermal imaging systems and motion trackers had tagged no less than three hundred attackers, many of them this world’s equivalent of dinosaurs.

The primitives wielded crude weapons made of fallen tree branches, sturdy bones, and roughly hewn stone. Their attire was just as archaic, consisting of pelts from mammals, many of them brightly colored. The dinos were massive, protected by thick hides, and armed with razor sharp claws and horns that were known to be able to punch through a war mech’s armor.

The majority of the friendly troops were from the Advanced Science and Technology Corporation, all of them looked the exact same, because they were all cloned from the same guy, and then issued the same equipment and cybernetic enhancements. They were like a parody of an over muscled, square jawed, action hero from an old cheesy movie or comic book. The troopers wore heavy body armor that was painted olive drab and sported massive shoulder pads. Their eyes were mechanical, emitting an eerie red glow.

These forces were supplemented by a few government personnel, as the state had taken great interest in the project. And then there were the people that ran the day to day operations. Syn was something else. They had sent her there to fix the power problem, and not a moment too soon.

The computer system that was linked to her brain plotted the quickest course to the turbines. She frowned, it was the quickest route, but by no means the easiest. Years of training, both in VR and in real life took over, all of it aided by eight combat tours spread across three wars. She ran past a group of ASTC troopers. They were popping in and out of cover, firing bursts at rabid cave people and vicious lizards. She vaulted over a wall, using the equipment that jutted out of it as handholds. Then she sprinted across a roof, leaping off of the other side. Syn hit the ground running, raced along the top of the wall toward the buttress that would take her to the rim of the volcano.

Ahead, several of the primitives cleared the top of the wall, instantly spotted her. A hairy brute hurled a stone tipped spear. She dove, emptying her SMG into the savages as she slid. Syn jumped up, loaded a fresh mag. The buttress was close now, she could see the antennas, vents, and other assorted apparatuses that would help get her to the top.

An axe wielding maniac screamed as he charged toward her. The cyborg lined up her weapon’s sights and fired a burst, the madman fell, slipping over the edge. The way was clear, she had a straight shot. Then, as if on cue, one of the lizards leaped over the wall, landing on the rampart and blocking her path. The giant reptile walked on two legs, moving with frightening speed and agility. It ran toward her with jaws and claws at the ready, like a soldier handling his weapons.

Why didn’t I bring any grenades? Syn thought. She expended the rest of the magazine, peppering the creature’s torso. Few of the rounds penetrated the thick hide. She slapped another mag into place, this time aiming for the head. The rounds bounced off, except the one that caught the beast in the eye. Syn bolted past the stunned dinosaur, reaching the buttress and jumping up to grab the support strut for a power converter.

Syn clambered up and on top of the device, glancing down, she saw that the creature had recovered. Enraged, the dinosaur showed a mouth full of razor-sharp death and started rushing toward her. Ignoring the threat, Syn looked toward the next step in the path. A running leap got her up to the next level and a quick scramble up the side of a cooling unit got her up to a ledge.

The dinosaur leapt, reaching the cooling unit, stripping it off of the building as it clawed its way onto the ledge. Syn pulled the longed barreled, large caliber pistol off of her hip and took aim. The armor piercing round struck just above the remaining eye. It ricocheted off of the thick bone. She didn’t bother trying again, choosing a different target instead. The shot took out an antenna’s support, causing it to swing down. Syn ducked, the beam struck the reptile, sending it tumbling to its doom.

Tearing her eyes away from the falling creature, Syn scrutinized the area immediately above her, looking for the next step up. Before starting, she instinctively looked back down the structure. A woman wearing only a purple and green loincloth was climbing toward her, a stone blade knife clutched in her teeth. Syn took aim, extending her arm out, the gun an extension of it. Sensing an attack, the cavewoman leaped, taking hold of the cyborg’s outstretched arm. Syn was pulled off of the ledge.

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The first handhold that presented itself was the woman’s shoulder. This changed the trajectory of her fall so that Syn landed on a ledge, hitting the back of her head hard on the cement. It also caused the primitive to lose her grip and land right next to her.

Before Syn could recover, the savage was on top of her, all of her weight put on the tip of the stone blade. Syn pushed up on the attacker’s arm, her eyes fixed on the point that was aimed at her heart. She tried kneeing her opponent in the groin and stomach, only to be blocked by her legs. Then she tried head butting her, the cavewoman responded to this by delivering a blow to her temple. The knife inched closer. It was ironic, a technologically advanced being like her would be killed with the most archaic of weapons…unless.

She looked to her sides, discovering that the pistol had landed near the edge. Her hand shot out, reaching desperately for the gun. It was only just out of range. Syn tried shifting her body in the direction of the weapon, but the cavewoman adjusted her stance, making it impossible.

Syn reassessed the situation, noticed that her opponent’s foot was near the weapon, her other leg braced against the wall to help her keep the cyborg pinned in place. This time Syn used her legs to push herself forward. The primitive adjusted her stance, kicking the pistol as she shuffled forward.

Syn reached again, fingertips touching the edge of the grip, digging into the gritty, grooved material as she slid it toward herself. The second it was in her hand she moved the weapon, darting it past the primitive’s arms. Several bullets ripped through the enemy’s torso, she stumbled back, slipping over the edge. Syn got back up and continued her journey up the side of the building.

A message came in from one of the squads, “They’re overrunning us!”

How could this have happened? The inhabitants lacked technology and organization, yet they had been a constant threat. Overwhelming numbers and superior willpower, that was how they had done it. The primitive’s desire to free their god was far greater than the company’s desire to utilize its power making potential.

She had at last reached the top. From there it was a short sprint to the rim of the volcano. Fearful of a sudden burst of superheated gas, Syn cautiously peered in. After several long seconds she sent a transmission to HQ, “The turbines aren’t turning, that is why we aren’t getting any power.”

“Can you get them operational?”

“Not unless you can tell me how to get the volcano working again,” she replied.

The guy on the other end was too desperate to pick up on her sarcasm, “I don’t know. Can you try throwing an explosive into it?”

A thousand petty insults and smartassed remarks crossed her mind. She opted to calmly inform him that she had none and that it wouldn’t work anyway.

There was a long pause before his response, “Roger that, just do what you can,” it sounded resigned, like he had given up.

Sounds near the jungle side of the roof, three more of those creatures, each moving toward her. Her pistol in one hand and her SMG in the other, she prepared to make her last stand.

The high velocity round punched a hole clear through the dino, blood and liquefied organs sprayed out the backside of the hole. This was quickly followed by the other two being killed with precision shots.

A gruff, familiar voice in her ear, “This is Archangel Omega, we’re here to help.”

Syn looked over the edge excitedly. Four armored figures were standing by the exit to the part of the building that housed the portal.

Miri, the demolition expert, and Arell, the team leader slash CQB man, climbed the stairs to the ramparts and got to work. Miri hurled grenades and satchel charges, while Arell used his automatic shotgun to keep any primitives that got onto the wall away from her.

There was Nex, he was easy to spot because he was a clone whose templet had been modified for increased size. He launched a volley of shoulder mounted rockets. They landed in a line that ran the length of the enemy’s ranks. Flames expanded out and upward into mushroom clouds. Then he spun up his Gatling gun, sending a stream of lead into the tree line, cutting down scores of cavemen.

Syn ran over to the side that faced the jungle, “Karlin, I will call out targets for you.”

“Roger that,” the sniper said, still looking down the scope of his longed barreled anti-tank rifle. She scanned the jungle with her enhanced vision. The trees moved as a lizard that was at least two stories tall stomped its way toward the facility. A structure on its back housed several spear throwers. Aided by her cybernetic enhancements, Syn fed the trajectory data to Karlin. The hypersonic round dropped the massive beast, sending the spearmen flying from their perch.

Several more targets were dropped. Horns sounded, the remaining enemies turned tail, fleeing back into the jungle. Syn worked her way back down. Archangel Omega was there to greet her.

Arell took his helmet off, seeing the shock of red hair on his head always surprised her. He gave her a sly grin, “Looks like we got here just in time.”

She returned his smartassed smile, “Well, then it’s a good thing that I wrote that report. You know, the one that recommended the creation of a special rescue team.”

The program director exited the building, he was flanked by two guards, their body armor contrasting with his business suit. The team left to go inspect the perimeter.

The sight of his bald head and ruddy skin brought up a range of mixed emotions. “What went wrong?” the director asked, angry, but at the turn of events, not at her.

“There is still something wrong with the turbines. They aren’t producing enough to power the defense systems.”

“We checked them four times already. How is this still an issue?”

“I don’t know. I inspected them personally, they are in working order. The thermal output on the other hand,” she shrugged.

“Are you telling me that this volcano isn’t making enough heat?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”

“How is that possible? It is an active volcano!”

She turned away, examining the jungle, “There is something wrong with this place. Things don’t flow in the right way.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Something is off with all of the readings, the background radiation, the sunlight, the way that the ecology functions. It is like the place is operating at a lower setting.”

He put a hand to his temple, “If we can’t produce enough power to run a few gun turrets then we certainly can’t make enough to export. This whole thing has been a waste of time and resources.”

“It certainly has.”

“Fine, fine, sunk costs shouldn’t be a concern. We will cut our losses and abandon this facility. I want you to get with a scout team, Archangel Three probably needs another member.”

“No,” she said flatly.

“I need you to find us another prospect.”

“I work alone.”

“Listen, what happened wasn’t your fault. No one could have known what you were going to find in that place.”

“Doesn’t matter, I failed them. I will go looking, but I will do it on my terms.”

“Okay, okay,” he grinned shyly, “Sometimes I wish that they hadn’t freed the clones.”

She smiled in spite of herself, “You are trying to get a boot in the groin, aren’t you?”

“You would let me off that easily? No bullets to the head?”

“Maybe one or two in the gut, depending on my mood.”