FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Joined with new comrades, Nora embarks on a rescue of the one she loves.

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Refuge

by TypicalFloof

Chapter 13: Lifeline

Chapter Theme: Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies OST - Lifeline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFhMGXI6B9k

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A terrifying specter loomed in a blur over Casey. As his vision cleared, it resolved into the sneering form of Wei. Casey struggled for each wheezing breath. He wondered if this was causing permanent damage to his lungs.

Wei focused his cold gaze on Casey.

“Let's try this again, Jenson. The village. What is so important to you that you would endure all this?" Wei began to pace back and forth in front of Casey.

“You knew how to find the village. Something gave you that information!" Wei paused, midstride. Casey felt sick as the man's eyes widened. “Or some_one!_ Of course! Why didn't I see it before!"

Wei resumed his pacing. “I don't understand you, Jenson. Why go through all this just for some miserable half-breeds? They're freaks of nature! Nothing more than vermin, to be wiped out at our leisure!

“Who are you protecting," he growled. “Which half-breed led you to the village?"

Casey clenched his jaw, but he couldn't keep the rest of his body from shaking. Already he felt like his chest was being compressed. Wei tsked and shook his head. Casey shivered. The inevitable thump of the closing doors, the terrible hiss, the agonizing pain…

Wei barked an order in Chinese. Surprised, Casey saw one of the soldiers march into the cargo bay. His mind whirled as the man unclasped the straps binding him. He was being let off the hook? A sense of unease gripped Casey as the brute dragged him back to his cell.

***

“Reactor online. Sensors online. Weapons online. All systems nominal."

“Command, Recon Lance reporting. Bravo One, ready," said Greer.

Nora exhaled at the controls of her Wasp and keyed the mic. “Bravo Two, good to go."

“Bravo Three, check," said Freeman.

Trish was last. “Bravo Four, in the green."

“Recon Lance, Command," came Colonel Roget's voice. “You know your route and the timetable. Once you are in position, do not engage! Wait for Strike Team's signal."

“Roger, wilco." Greer pushed his Phoenix Hawk forward and the rest of Recon Lance fell into line. Nora glanced at the distance they would have to cover. Hang in there Casey!

***

Mikkels gripped his MP-20 submachine gun and watched as the lieutenant glared at the crowd of anthros spread before him. Nash hovered nearby, the guns of his Locust trained on the group cowering in the village street. It had been easy enough to round them up with threats of a fiery, violent death if they refused to comply.

“Mongrels," Wei began. “You aided the mercenary known as Casey Jenson. I know that one of you brought him here. He has broken under interrogation and revealed your name!"

A shocked murmur ran through the assembly of pathetic creatures.

“Silence!" Wei roared. The crowd stilled. “Before we burn your village to the ground, the Capellan Confederation wants to make an example of you, as a warning to any who resist—"

The lieutenant was cut off by cries of outrage. Nash's burst of machine gun fire over their heads cowed them into silence.

“Enough!" Spittle flew from Wei's mouth. He scanned the crowd before marching forward and grabbing a child trying to hide behind its mother's legs.

“No!" the rabbit yelled as her male companion surged forward. He jerked to a stop when Mikkels leveled his MP-20 at him. Dragging the crying child away, Wei pressed the muzzle of the gun to its head.

“Let him go!" the male rabbit cried.

“Then give me the miserable creature who—"

Mikkels heard a mumbling sob as the female rabbit dropped to her knees.

Wei cocked his head. “Speak up!"

The rabbit hitched as she stared at the dirt. “It-it… it was Weiss! Nora Weiss! She brought the human here!"

“No!" A stout fox elbowed his way to the front. “That's not true!"

“Abbott!" the male rabbit hissed. “My son!"

Wei grinned. “This… Nora. Bring her to me!" Another murmur rippled through the crowd. Furious whispers were heard from one end to the other. “Well?" Wei said impatiently.

“Sir, please!" the fox finally said. “She's… gone!"

“What do you mean, gone?" Wei snapped.

“She–she went missing! After you came! No one knows where she is!"

Mikkels's heart jumped into his throat as the lieutenant shot him a sharp glance. “We'll discuss this later, Sergeant," he said.

Wei raised his voice, glaring at an elderly trio standing at the front of the throng. “I'm not a very patient man. I've tolerated you sniveling beasts long enough." He checked his watch and sighed. “You have 'til 0800 tomorrow. I'd suggest you find Nora by then!"

Wei turned, dragging the sniffling child beside him.

“No!" the female rabbit wailed. “Don't!" The male bared his teeth but remained frozen in place at the gun barrel trained on his chest.

“I'm taking it with me," Wei snarled.

“Why!" came her miserable cry.

“Insurance." Wei struggled to walk a few paces as the child wailed and scrabbled at his arm. The lieutenant stopped and cuffed the creature on the back of its head.

An agonized yelp sounded from the female rabbit at the same time her companion took a bounding leap in Wei's direction. Bullets slammed into the dirt as Mikkels stitched a burst close to the rabbit. He halted, fists clenched at his side. Mikkels tensed, ready with his finger on the trigger in case the crowd tried to rush forward. But the animals stood still, glaring and whispering as Wei dragged the limp form to the feet of his Firestarter.

***

Casey's eyes snapped open. He put his hand to his forehead and groaned on the cell bunk. A dull clang coupled with a muffled thump reverberated throughout the ship. He must have dozed again because the next thing he knew, rough hands were dragging him from the cell and marching him along the all-too-familiar route.

Casey was shoved in the chair and restrained. He glared as Wei swaggered into view. A chill swept through him at the smug look on his captor's face.

“Ready for another round?" Wei put his hands behind his back and sauntered into the cargo bay. “Before we resume, I thought you should know that your animal friends let something slip."

Casey could hear his heart pounding in his ears. What had he done to the villagers? Wei leaned close.

“I know about Nora." A shock coursed through Casey as he desperately tried to keep his face neutral. “And you're going to tell me where she is."

What the hell? A thousand questions flashed through his mind.

“I don't know what you're talking about."

Wei's infuriating grin only widened. “I don't need my monitors to know when you're lying, Jenson. I'll ask you one more time — where is Nora?"

Sweat trickled down Casey's back. He had no idea what Wei was talking about, or even if he was telling the truth. Nora missing? It made no sense! Had some of the villagers managed to escape after all? Was Wei just toying with him?

“I can't say I'm surprised, Jenson. But no matter…" Wei strode outside the door and motioned. Casey's eyes widened as one of Wei's assistants dragged a small anthro behind him and threw him into the cargo bay. The white-furred rabbit skidded to a stop with his back to Casey. The bunny's ears lay where they had flopped, and the rest of his body was unmoving. Casey couldn't tell if he was breathing.

“You've proven most reluctant to answer anything about the village," Wei said. “So I thought I'd try a different tack to loosen your tongue. I brought one of the half-breeds back with me…"

The anthro finally stirred. It turned over and Casey gasped at the familiar eyes staring back at him.

“Thomas," he breathed. The toddler was bound and had a gag stuffed in his mouth. Casey could hear his frightened whimpers as the rabbit fixed him with watery eyes.

Casey's stomach flipped. He realized what was about to happen just as the door hissed and began to close. Since Thomas was much smaller than Casey, the toddler would suffocate long before he did. He thrashed in the restraints. They bit into his arms, rubbing his wrists raw. The door was almost closed.

“Wei!" Casey shouted. The door's travel stopped. He had no choice but to lie. “I'll tell you! I'll tell you where she is! Just let the kid go!"

Wei's mocking laugh echoed through the speaker. “I know you will, Jenson. I know you will."

***

Nora's fingers drummed impatiently on the console. Alongside the other members of Recon Lance, her 'Mech was mostly submerged in the river which served to conceal their heat signatures from the DropShip's sensors. The 'Mechs were in low-power mode, idling with their heads barely breaking the surface. Nora had been slightly apprehensive about letting the Wasp crouch in the river, but the environmental seals held without a problem.

The ridge of the riverbank sloped high enough in front of Nora that she couldn't see any part of the DropShip. But that meant the DropShip couldn't see them either. Half a klick downriver, men from Yates's commando unit lay prone on the gentle slope. One of them periodically scanned the DropShip with binoculars, peeking as little of his head over the ridge as he could. He painstakingly crawled backwards to Yates.

“Nothing on the ship," he said. “It's sealed up tighter 'n a Kurita oyster!" The soldier grimaced and whispered. “Enemy infantry to the west. I saw two Galleons and about three squads, Sarge."

After sending a runner to inform Greer, Yates took the binoculars and wormed his way up the ridge until he could barely see the massive spheroid. He pressed the binoculars to his face and the valley popped into view in harsh shades of green. The Confederation soldiers were moving east, right into the commandos' path. Yates only had two squads with him, and because of the need for stealth and speed, they hadn't carried any of the cumbersome, heavy anti-armor weapons needed to eliminate the tanks. Greer's gonna have to deal with that armor, or we'll be in deep shit!

After several minutes, something at the edge of Yates's view caught his eye. He swung his gaze and tracked the progress of a small cloud of dust streaking down the mountain.

***

Parks rubbed her gritty eyes as the Stinger lurched away from the village. She had been on patrol and was now headed back so that Nash could relieve her. As usual, Mikkels had been at the helm of the Locust near the village entrance when she'd arrived. It was bad enough being stuck in the Stinger, but when the greenhorn tried to suggest that she be the one to stand guard, Parks immediately shut that down. Her time with Devraux meant that she had seniority over Mikkels. She shook her head. Moron should've known better than to ask if he could take a turn patrolling!

Wei had rightfully torn the sergeant a new asshole about letting one of the animals escape. Unfortunately, all he could do was yell at him since he was still needed in the rotation. Parks' fingers itched on the stick. When were they going to be able to destroy the village already?

Parks rounded another of the unending corners, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. She, Nash, and Mikkels had been forced to pull double duty since the lieutenant was busy with his interrogation of the mercenary MechWarrior. Apparently, he was being rather difficult. Parks wondered why and shuddered. Nothing on this primitive planet was worth suffering Wei's cruelty.

Turning the final bend, Parks tossed the Stinger around the boulder at the trailhead. Finally! The 'Mech's speed increased with a whine as she thrust the throttle forward. The DropShip loomed comfortably in the distance.

The agile 'Mech closed the gap in no time at all. Parks tapped a button causing the main cargo bay ramp to begin its juddering descent. Marching the Stinger up the ramp, Parks exhaled a sigh of relief as she settled the Stinger into its small repair cubicle. Yanking off her neurohelmet, Parks heaved herself out of the cockpit and jumped to the waiting gantry.

The cramped Stinger had rolled off the assembly line centuries ago; it was the Capellan company's oldest 'Mech. She was always glad to be free of its ancient confines.

Stretching her aching muscles, Parks trudged down the ramp and shivered at the cool night air blowing in from the still-open hatch.

“It's stuck!" cried one of the techs.

Parks rolled her eyes and weaved her way through the other 'Mech bays. She had a severe case of not-my-fucking-problem-itis. The clarion call of her bunk had never sounded sweeter.

***

A bead of sweat broke out on Yates's forehead as the enemy Stinger trundled inside the DropShip. For some reason, the hatch didn't immediately close behind it. Despite the position of the enemy infantry, there was never going to be a better chance than this.

Yates broke radio silence. “Strike Team, advance! Strike Team, advance!" The commandos surged toward the DropShip. Yates crested the ridge and pounded down the slope into the valley. “Recon Lance, engage! Engage!"

“Roger!" Greer replied. His Phoenix Hawk shot into a standing position and leapt forward. “Form up! Target enemy tanks and PBIs first! We need to pave the way for our boys!"

Heart thundering, Nora streaked after the other 'Mechs in a spray of water. She could hardly believe her eyes. The DropShip soared above her, cargo bay yawning open. Next to her, Freeman fired a volley of missiles toward one of the enemy tanks. His aim was true; the missiles impacted low on its body, between the tracks and one of the vehicle's side turrets. The explosion flipped the vehicle onto its side, burning where it lay.

Nora let loose a beam of laser energy at a clump of enemy soldiers. A number of them simply vanished after being hit, while others scrambled for any cover they could find. She jolted as brilliant light splashed across the front of her Wasp.

“Two, get out of there!" Greer yelled. She pivoted, redirecting to put distance between herself and the Galleon that had her in its sights. Greer dashed in between her and the tank. Coruscating energy streams lanced from his Phoenix Hawk and joined with the combined fire from Trish's Locust. The tank's armor shimmered and glowed from all the energy pouring into it. As a needle of light pierced an overheated armor panel and penetrated the Galleon's fusion engine, the tank was torn asunder by a massive explosion.

“Spread out and watch for incoming fire!" Trish yelled. No sooner had she given the heads-up than lasers poured from the massive DropShip. Nora dodged and weaved, outpacing the initial inaccurate volley. The 'Mechs fired back at the ship, hoping to knock out some of the gun emplacements.

Recon Lance knew they wouldn't be able to cause any real damage to the ship. Now that they had eliminated the enemy infantry, their goal was to divert the focus of the Capellan gunners away from the commando unit to their sprinting 'Mechs. So far it seemed to be working. A PPC blast streaked down and gouged a chunk of sod where Nora's Wasp had been an instant before. Recon Lance was rapidly approaching the DropShip, and the commando unit had almost reached the cargo bay.

A vicious hail of bullets cut down the first man who charged up the ramp. More men rushed behind him, adding the fire of their rifles to the cacophony. A few smartly-lobbed grenades reduced the volume of incoming fire, allowing the commandos to reach the entrance. They spread out. Yates's men suffered a handful of casualties in the intense firefight, but they succeeded in capturing the cargo bay. The commandos fanned out into the tight stairwells that would lead them upward to the DropShip's bridge.

***

Casey jerked as the sounds of furious gunfire echoed in the small chamber. Thomas jumped and wiggled closer to Casey. The bound MechWarrior heard Wei's exclamation of surprise followed by a rapid-fire string of Chinese. Casey struggled, but the wheels of the chair wouldn't budge. His head snapped up at the sound of the door thumping shut.

“Have fun, Jenson! I need to go!" Wei sounded out of breath. Urged by the familiar hissing, Casey yanked even harder at the restraints. His wrists felt like they were on fire, but he continued even as his lightheadedness began to intensify. He had to open that door, or Thomas was going to die!

***

Royce spun as Wei sprinted onto the bridge. Gasping and red in the face, Wei doubled over and panted.

“Sir! The… ship… breached!"

Devraux remained irritatingly calm as he leaned on the bridge's main console.

“Seal off the—"

Devraux was cut off by an ear-splitting barrage of rifle fire that was followed by a handful of small canisters flying into the room. Focusing on them, he had a split-second to realize—

Brilliant white seared his eyes as a series of deafening bangs shook the compartment in quick succession. He was knocked to the floor. Blinded, Devraux crawled away from the door as he shook his head, trying to clear it. The ringing in his ears was painfully loud. Devraux couldn't hear the attackers approach, but he felt the vibration of their boots on the deck. Blinking, he could finally make out blurred forms. The commander was hauled to his feet and handcuffed. The black-clad men shoved him unceremoniously onto his stomach next to the bridge crew.

Devraux seethed as he was finally able to make out the emblem on the attacker's uniforms. He cursed inwardly. He had been arrogant and stupid. Relying on the DropShip's sensors and weaponry to be enough to guard their position had been a foolish mistake! One that was likely to get him killed. Recalling the infantry platoon commander's breezy assurances, he gritted his teeth.

The Capellan turned his head as he heard a strange sound. Identifying it, he glared at his second-in-command as the lieutenant giggled uncontrollably.

“Shut up!" One of the commandos kicked Wei in the ribs, but that only made him laugh harder.

***

Casey knew he was running out of time. His vision was tunneling. Thomas didn't have much longer, and neither did he. He heard a rushed, repeating pattern echo through the speaker. He struggled to focus. It almost sounded like…

“Hey!" Casey tried to yell, but it was little more than a whisper. Gathering as large of a breath as he could, Casey focused on using his diaphragm.

“Hey! In here! Open the door!" He struggled to stay conscious as his head lolled forward. Just as he was finally slipping away, Casey heard the most wonderful sound he'd ever heard in his life. The hatchway door slid open with a grating rumble, and a black-clad figure stepped through.

“What the hell?" he said.

Casey coughed and gasped as air rushed back into the room. He lifted his head and was overjoyed to see the Baker Company insignia on the man's arm. He caught sight of the soldier's nametag as he gaped at Casey.

“Jones! Sergeant Casey Jenson," he said. “Get me out of this damn chair, Private!"

Jones sprang into action and freed Casey. The MechWarrior tore the metal band off his head and ripped off the adhesive patches. He coughed and leaned against the private for support. Another man stepped into the room.

“Yates! Damn good to see you!"

“Jensen, holy hell!" Yates approached, looking bewildered. “We searched the brig, but didn't find you."

“Don't worry about me." Casey freed himself from the private and pointed to Thomas on the floor. “Private, check his airway! He's been suffocated!" Jones stooped to the bunny and rolled him onto his back as Yates barked an order. A medic came running. He knelt down and began attending to Thomas.

“What's the situation here?" Casey asked.

“We've captured the whole ship. We've got the bridge crew rounded up on the bridge, and any other personnel are in the cargo bay."

“How the hell did you get inside?"

“Recon Lance and my men were waiting for an opening. We figured out that the Liao 'Mechs went in and out at regular intervals. One of 'em came right on time, so when the cargo bay opened, we stormed the ship."

Casey whistled and shook his head in disbelief.

Another thought seized him. “How many 'Mechs are in the cargo bay?"

Yates blinked. “Two, why?"

“Tell your men I'm taking one of them!"

Casey didn't give Yates a chance to reply. He took off and pounded down the hallways until he reached the bay. He shot into one of the 'Mech cubicles and frantically looked around. Finding a uniform, Casey suited up. He spied a Stinger in one of the gantries, so Casey yanked open the lid of a nearby toolbox. Eyes darting around the organized mess inside, he saw what he was looking for: a spindly, extendable magnet. Grabbing it, he raced toward the Stinger.

Casey sprinted up the ramp and was soon standing outside the 'Mech's head. Winded, he doubled over to catch his breath. He was weak but determined to see this through. Doggedly, Casey climbed up to the hatch and dangled his feet inside. He carefully lowered himself into the cockpit and hissed as his battered muscles were taxed.

Tumbling into the seat, Casey sagged as a wave of pain rolled through him. He coughed, wincing at his ribs. At least the Stinger hadn't been shut down. Still idling on low power, that meant Casey wouldn't have to go through the lengthy startup procedure.

Glancing at the neurohelmet, Casey grimaced. Most helmets were coded to only respond to a single MechWarrior's brain waves. There was a slim chance that Casey's brain patterns were similar enough to the enemy MechWarrior's that he would be able to control the Stinger, although he would probably be beset with headaches and nausea at best. At worst, he would suffer severe neurological damage. Occasionally, helmets were programmed for two or three profiles if a particular lance was being used to rotate several MechWarriors through.

But the onboard computer posed the greatest hazard. Sometimes, its security protocol would be programmed to send thousands of volts through the helmet if a step in its routine was missed, frying anyone unfortunate enough to attempt unauthorized access.

Casey didn't fancy becoming a vegetable for the rest of his life, but he did have a trick up his sleeve. From the outside, the 'Mech looked old and battered. The electronics on the inside of the cockpit were serviceable, but clearly showing their age. Casey was counting on it. He grabbed the magnet he'd swiped from the toolbox and waved it over the cockpit's security box and the line snaking from it. Casey said a silent prayer as he stuffed his head into the helmet and closed his eyes.

After a few seconds of detecting nothing except the rank odor of stale sweat, Casey opened his eyes. He could see a pattern of two sine waves dancing on the helmet's display. The wavelengths were similar, but the amplitudes were quite different. As the helmet warmed up, Casey felt a sudden surge of nausea. He rapidly twisted the dials, but the nausea remained even as the waves moved closer together and overlapped, in sync. Noticing that this helmet did indeed store multiple configurations, Casey pressed a button causing one waveform to be replaced by another with an amplitude better matching that of his own.

Casey synchronized the waves. It wasn't perfect, but a slight headache was the only noticeable effect of his intrusion. He could work with that. Testing his balance, Casey found the 'Mech to be responding appropriately. He checked the gauges and readouts. All systems were green.

Casey turned his attention to the 'Mech's IFF transponder and used the manual override to switch hostiles to friendlies. That would fix his targeting-and-tracking systems, but more work needed to be done if he didn't want to be misidentified and blasted to pieces. Casey toggled his comm unit and punched in a certain frequency that would broadcast over Baker Company's main channel.

“All units, all units," he said. “This is Bravo Two, Sgt. Casey Jenson. Stinger in DropShip bay is a friendly. I say again, Stinger in DropShip bay is a friendly!" Casey rattled off his personal identification string.

After a brief wait, Casey heard a pop, and then a familiar tone came through with the hiss of static.

“Bravo Two_,_ this is Bravo One. Hot damn, is that really you, Casey?"

Casey grinned. “Good to hear your voice, Greer."

“I saw you power up and was just about to send Freeman in there to check it out."

“Good thing you didn't. Request you switch my IFF tag, sir."

“Roger."

Casey heard another pop and then Greer's voice informing him that he'd instructed Recon Lance to follow suit.

“Recon Lance, switch comm freqs to general channel," Greer said. “Casey, by the way, I am designating you Bravo Five. Two is currently in our Wasp." Casey heard pops as the other MechWarriors adjusted their comms.

Wondering what could have prompted Trish to give up her Wasp, Casey walked the Stinger down the ramp and blinked at the four 'Mechs arrayed outside the DropShip.

“Greer, you found a replacement for me already?" Casey quipped.

“That's a negative, Five. Two, why don't you say hello."

The Wasp's torso rotated toward him. “Casey!"

He gaped, slack-jawed at the Wasp. “Nora?! How the hell…" Casey shook his head. He had no idea how Nora managed to wrangle herself into Recon Lance's Wasp, but he would have to figure that out later. Right now he had an urgent task to take care of.

“Uh, Greer, where are the other enemy 'Mechs? The Firestarter's in the bay, but what about the Locust and the rest?"

“Far as we can tell, Devraux shifted his lances around to put his lightest 'Mechs here. We bagged one of their Locusts weeks ago_,_ so that leaves one probably up in the village."

Ignoring his fatigue and worsening headache, Casey gritted his teeth. “What about ground units?"

“We neutralized a patrol here, but we don't know if there are more. We're scanning for threats."

Casey squeezed the sticks. “Sir, request permission to engage the 'Mech at the village."

“Granted. Two and Three, you're with Five. Go nail 'im."

Without another word, Casey turned and rocketed toward the mountain trail. Casey's adrenaline surged as his Stinger reached the first turn and loped around the corner. He adjusted the directional comm controls to send a tightbeam transmission behind him.

“Nora, Freeman, switch off your IFF beacons and maintain radio silence. Do not fire until I engage. This sonofabitch is mine!" Receiving affirmatives, Casey continued his climb.

***

Mikkels stared at his display as the blue chevron threaded its way up the mountain. He scratched his head. He had heard snatches of comm transmissions, but they were garbled and confused. Since he hadn't received any direct instructions from Command, he shrugged and disregarded them. Nash was almost at the top of the mountain.

Mikkels sighed. His lancemate was still abrasive, but it was better than being stuck with his own thoughts. At least he had finally rotated out of the Stinger. The cockpit of the Locust was more comfortable_,_ though it was still a tight fit. Cradling his chin in his palm, Mikkels found his eyes glazing over as he stared out over the quiet village.

***

Nora and Freeman trailed behind Casey as he rounded the final bend. He wanted to preserve the element of surprise as long as he could before taking a shot. Spying the Locust, Casey smirked and eased his targeting reticle over the stationary 'Mech.

Mikkels didn't immediately look up at Nash's approach. After several seconds, he slid his eyes to the side and frowned. Why was Nash approaching so fast? He thought of hailing him over the radio but decided against it. He didn't want to risk another tongue-lashing.

Casey squeezed the trigger and saw his two lasers hit home. He fired his jump jets and executed a neat pivoting turn, placing him slightly behind the Locust, but at an angle that would allow Freeman and Nora to engage at the same time. The Locust jerked, sluggishly tracking Casey, but it stopped as it saw the other two 'Mechs.

Mikkels knew he was in a terrible position as soon as the Stinger vaulted to his side. Its shots had sawed into his torso armor, gouging a deep hole in the ablative armor plating. The 'Mech was angling for another shot as the other two rapidly closed the distance. Faced with a difficult choice, Mikkels backed up and pivoted to the two advancing 'Mechs. He saw a Wasp and a… The sergeant's blood froze at the sight of the Shadow Hawk.

As the first missiles and cannon rounds slammed into the Locust, Mikkels knew he was done for. He triggered his laser and machine guns, focusing on the Wasp. Infuriatingly, his laser missed wide as the Wasp danced sideways and only a few slugs from his machine gun grazed the 'Mech.

Savagely, Casey poured megajoules of laser energy into the Locust. All of his rage and pain bubbled to the surface as his vision tunneled on the besieged 'Mech. Already smoke was pouring from more than one location and Casey could see misshapen armor plate that had deformed under the intense heat of the incoming lasers. He stalked forward, tightening up with Freeman and Nora as they trapped the Locust in a cone of fire.

As the Locust was rocked by impacting rounds, Mikkels couldn't see due to the thick smoke that was filling the cockpit. The acrid cloud burned his lungs and he could feel a sickening heat intensify below him. The Capellan groped and his hand finally closed on his seat's emergency ejection handle. Coughing, he yanked with all his might. The handle popped, but nothing happened. Leaning his head forward, Mikkels stared in disbelief at the deployed handle through streaming eyes. He coughed and yanked again, but the seat remained fixed in position.

The heat was now great enough that Mikkels felt like his feet were in a furnace. Taking a painful breath, Mikkels reached up to unlatch the hatch above him but cried out as the hot metal burned his hand.

Mikkels could feel the skin all over his body blister as the temperature continued to rise. Panicking, he realized it was too late to reach for the fire extinguisher at his feet. There was a possibility of his ammunition bin cooking off and ending his suffering in a merciful explosion, but there was no telling how much agony he would have to endure before that happened. He had only one course of action if he didn't want to burn to death. Mikkels could barely see as he pushed the Locust forward, but he only needed a vague idea of where he was going.

Casey watched the burning Locust as it staggered forward. Transfixed, he and his companions had stopped firing. Casey's gaze followed the Locust as it sped to the edge of the trail. Gathering its final stride, the blazing 'Mech launched itself out into space and fell to the cliffs below.