Marco and Isaias looked on as two Rollers waltzed right into the fight.

“We have to take these out,” Marco said as he avoided the Roller from squashing him like a pancake. Others weren’t so lucky and he winced as the Roller rolled over them allies and enemies alike it didn’t matter to the driver. Isaias nodded and shadow warped inside the Roller. He snapped the neck of the driver and removed the body before sitting in the driver’s seat. Now how do I drive one of these? He put the Neural cords on and the Roller came alive. Marco stay back! I’m driving this tin can into the other Roller! He took the wheel and pushed down on it. It went forward and he grinned. This isn’t so bad! It’s like driving that shift-gear car in the Deadlands! Now, where did the other Roller go?

A blinking map told him exactly where it was and he headed after it.

Zen sighed and turned all the machine bullets against the Rollers, sending them flying back and puncturing the machines. Stephan stood by with his blaze and launched two acid balls at the Rollers. The men screamed as the Rollers melted over them then they were melting. It was gruesome and Zen couldn’t watch.

Stephan shrugged. “Oops, forgot how potent I am.”

Zen grimaced and nodded as the acid dissolved everything til nothing was standing.

“Well that takes care of that problem,” she muttered, turning back to the horrified crowd.

“I think you might have scared them.”

Stephan walked over to her and took a step forward. Everyone took a step back.

He sighed and turned to her. “I think you’re right. I don’t think we have to worry about fighting anymore.”

She sighed and walked forward. They took another step back.

“Are you kidding me? Me too? What type of cats are you?”

“The yellow-bellied kinds,” muttered Stephan as he walked into the crowd and shot a soldier, The men ran for it and he sighed. “Guess that’s it for this corner. Let’s find another”

“Let’s join the Dons. They don’t have any protection against the Rollers.”

Zen and Stephan headed out to where they had seen the Dons and her mother earlier.

Bernado had an explosive in his hands. The minute they came into view he launched it and took cover. The level three explosives were enough to stop one Roller as it blew sky high but the other kept coming. Rosalinda and Carmelo came running toward him a tech shield in hand. They activated the blue magnetic force field just as the hail of bullets began. They stood under the force field trying to figure out what to do when the bullets ended. They looked up to find Zen had stopped the bullets and was about to launch them into the Roller when another Roller appeared and slammed straight into the other Roller, running it over and colliding with it. The driver did not survive the crash and Isaias' shadow warped a minute before impact landing a few feet from the giant explosion. He got up to run but he knew even shadow warping would be cutting it too close. The explosion engulfed him. A shield covered him and he looked up to spot Zen running at him.

“Isaias that was stupid! You could have died in that explosion,” she yelled, hugging him. He ruffled her hair and smiled. “Nah you always got my back, hermanita. I got to get back to the fight! I left Marco alone in the middle of battle.”

“Oh I say he knows about the crash,” Zen said grinning.

“Why do you say that,” asked Isaias.

‘Because you are sleeping on the couch for the next decade! That’s how many lives you scared out of me today!” screamed Marco as he rushed at Isaias. Isaias sighed and relaxed in his lover’s arms for a minute before turning his head to take in the battlefield. More Rollers were on their way.

“What do we do about them? I don’t think I have it in me to do another stunt like that again,” he said pointing to the decimated Rollers.

“Alpha team is dealing with it. Should be another few minutes til they are in position,” Bernado said.

He ducked his head and listened then he said, “Excellent.” He turned to the others. Team Alpha is in position.”

Senka signaled Alejandro who signaled everyone else. All were in perfect positions to shoot their drivers. He gave the signal and as one, team Alpha shot. Nine Rollers stopped moving. The last realized what was going on when the barrel of the gun became visible through one of the many visors the Rollers had. The driver slammed his foot on the gas and sent the Roller straight into a pack of Guerreros and Arachnids who were fighting. He shot into the large crowd and managed to take out a large fighting force before he was halted by Val and crushed into a metal tin ball and tossed aside.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Kiera got an influx of shot soldiers to attend. She kept an eye on Edline. The poor girl was huddled in a corner shivering against the three-foot menace of the team. The battlefield is too much for a ten-year-old but her brothers grew up on battlefields and have forgotten how vulnerable a child can be, how impressionable.

Kiera walked over to Edline and took out a book from her dimensional pocket. It was a favorite of the kids she used to care for before she was replaced.

“Edline, why don’t you read that? It’ll help with the noise of the battlefield,” she said.

Edline picked up the book and nodded curling up more against Skin who curled around the girl and let her pet him and hold him without a fuss. Kiera headed back to work grateful for Skin. A large battalion was hit with machine gunfire and the casualties were pouring in.

###

Layna had just rounded the table when something caught her eyes and made them widen in alarm. The Dons have to know that the best of the reserves are being held back! I need to send this info to Carmelo now!

She walked around the model one more time recording then she blinked and shut off the recording. She walked towards where the bathrooms were and went into a stall. She commed Carmelo’s comm and loaded the files into his comm all the while pretending to wash her hands after using the toilet. She hummed to cover the slight noise of uploading and then exited the bathroom. She walked back to the room.

Carmelo received the upload and sighed.

“Bernado we’ve been duped. Our forces need to rest for what’s coming especially our strongest.”

“What’s coming Carmelo?” asked Bernado as he walked over to the holo V that was stationed at their tent.

Carmelo uploaded the map and showed him. “This.”

Bernado leaned in and scowled. Mielda! I thought their forces were a little too small. They’ve been hiding the best for last!”

“They plan a pincer move against us once we are worn down fighting riffraff,” Carmelo said. Rosalinda leaned against him. “How long till they are deployed,” she asked.

“Four hours. They intended for the Rollers to do major harm to us.”

Rosalinda grinned. “We can play one on them. Hide the troops and pretend we have taken a severe hit. While the troops are resting they will think they have the upper hand and possibly deploy their best earlier.”

It’s a good plan but what about the decimated Rollers? Won’t they show that their plan didn’t work as well,” Carmelo said pointing to mass rubble from the two Rollers of before.

“We’ll get our men to drive the Rollers that still stand, that way they’ll think that the Rollers are still in commission,” Bernado said.

“What about their comms? Surely they would still be getting orders from headquarters?”

“We set up an EMP attack and make it flashy enough to be seen. It has to be strong enough to knock comm systems down. The downside is it’ll knock our comms down as well,” Rosalinda said.

“We have four telepaths. We can put them in the four cardinal directions and communicate that way for the radio silence,” Carmelo said.

Bernado grumbled. “Who died and made you Doña?”

Rosa sighed and faced her brother not afraid to stand up to him. “When are you going to get rid of your hatred for me, hmm?”

Bernado glanced at his sister. The way she stood with Carmelo so self-assured was nothing as she had been. He could be proud to call her sister now and yet some part always resented her and her children. He didn’t hate her however and he said so.

“Then what is it, Bernado? Why do you dislike me so and my children? What have we done to earn such ere from someone we call family?”

Bernado didn’t want to say. He knew it was petty to be jealous of how close Rosa was to her children. How well her marriage went until it hadn’t. She, who didn’t have most of what he did. But she did have something he didn’t. Their father’s love. She always had that and that’s why he hated her. She had been the apple of that man’s eye and no matter what she did she could do no wrong. Isaias Maldonado Arrio had been a cold man to most. To him most certainly but when Rosa was around he’d thaw for his only daughter. His brothers wanted to kill his sister, he stopped that quickly. Once he protected Rosa as he would a gem…so why the hate? When he saw there was no winning over his father but his sister only had to smile and she had gained his heart, well Bernado and the rest got mad and instead of killing Rosa they planned to kill their father until he blew his head off with a nine-millimeter. Only Rosa had gone to the funeral out of the seven of them. That’s why he disliked her.

“You would’ve gone on to be Doña if he hadn’t died,” Bernado muttered.

Rosa had listened but she couldn’t believe her brothers were so dumb. “Honestly men are so stupid,” she muttered before bringing her brother in a tight hug. “Mother passed away and I was the only girl, Bernado! He treated me like China or have you forgotten our row when I was fifteen and wanted to fight with the guys? He loved us equally he just couldn’t show how much to his male children. You all had to work for it and work you did. It was after all you who made Don not me for a reason.”

Bernado glanced up from his sister’s arms and decided to finally let things go. He could see the different instances for what they were now, once she mentioned them, and he felt guilty for planning his father’s demise somewhat.

Carmelo looked uncomfortable and Rosa grabbed him and made them group hug.

“I’m guessing the plan is a go?” he asked trying not to touch his rival.

Bernado grinned. “Let’s do it.”