The pictures swirled, grotesque and
unfamiliar but still vaguely recognizable. The imagery was coming back, that
had enormous consequences.
“Tell
Washington, and everybody else, Phase One is complete. We got the bird in and
we’re getting data out. There is something the other side of that gate and we
can get at it.” The agent’s voice broke into a chuckle. “No huge letters of
fire yet, now we’ll try and change all that.”
He
played with the optical head again, looking for something important. He found
it, at least it seemed important. Some sort of review stand at a far part of
the field. The Predator was closing in on it, the trouble seemed to be that it
was hard to judge ranges in the red-clouded murk. A quick flash with the laser
rangefinder built into the Predator told him what he needed to know. The target
was four thousand yards away, easily within range of the two Hellfire missiles
hanging under the Predator’s wings. He locked their homing heads onto the stand
and fired them both.
Martial
Field of Dysprosium, Hell.
The
parade was over, the Army of Abigor had departed into the lower dimension, and
the guests who had watched it leave were making their way off the stand. It had
been quite an unusual sight, never before had such a force been sent to a lower
dimension to enforce the will of those above it. Defiance was unprecedented,
such a display had never been required. Now, with the mighty force appearing
before them, they would be regretting their failure to submit. The demons who
had watched the army leave never saw the two missiles streaking through the red
murk towards them, or, if they did, they never realized the significance of
what they were seeing.
The
explosions destroyed the stand totally, sending fragments of wood and stone
flying through the air, ripping into the hides of all around them. Blast seared
their skin, flaying flesh from bones, shattering limbs, tearing at bodies. What
had just a demonic second before been a decorated review stand was now a pile
of shattered wreckage, splattered with the green, yellow, black, red and white
body fluids of those who had been standing on it. Those outside the blast area
looked on appalled at the catastrophe that had suddenly enveloped the senior
guests. The more astute of them started running towards the disaster, hoping to
gain status and rewards by being the first to aid the stricken. Above the
chaos, still unnoticed by those below, the Predator turned around and flew back
towards the Hellmouth.
Headquarters,
1st Armored Division, Task Force Iron, Multi-National Force Iraq
“Phase
Two complete! Two solid hits, it’s chaos down there. Wherever it is, whatever
it is, our weapons work there. Look at that people, boy have we just kicked an
anthill over.” The CIA Agent’s voice was triumphant, the camera on the Predator
was showing a boiling mass of confusion where the target had been. He had no
idea of who or what he had just killed, if indeed he had killed them, but there
was no doubt of the destruction. The reviewing stand had gone, its position
marked by a pyre of smoke and flame. There was just one thing to check and that
was coming up soon. The Predator approached the Hellmouth and flew through it.
It took a second for the optics to readjust but when they did they showed the
blue sky and yellow sand of the Iraqi Desert.
“Phase
Three complete. UAV recovered.”
“Confirmed,
we have a radar paint.” The transponder in the Predator marked the position of
the drone as it set off on its long flight back to base. It had done its job
better that anybody could have hoped and certainly far better than its
manufacturers could have ever contemplated.
The
Oval Office, The White House, Washington D.C.
“My
fellow Americans.” President Bush paused, then shook his head. “No, my fellow
humans, for today we all stand shoulder to shoulder against a threat that
promised to engulf us all. Truly, in these desperate days, if we do not
unfamiliar but still vaguely recognizable. The imagery was coming back, that
had enormous consequences.
“Tell
Washington, and everybody else, Phase One is complete. We got the bird in and
we’re getting data out. There is something the other side of that gate and we
can get at it.” The agent’s voice broke into a chuckle. “No huge letters of
fire yet, now we’ll try and change all that.”
He
played with the optical head again, looking for something important. He found
it, at least it seemed important. Some sort of review stand at a far part of
the field. The Predator was closing in on it, the trouble seemed to be that it
was hard to judge ranges in the red-clouded murk. A quick flash with the laser
rangefinder built into the Predator told him what he needed to know. The target
was four thousand yards away, easily within range of the two Hellfire missiles
hanging under the Predator’s wings. He locked their homing heads onto the stand
and fired them both.
Martial
Field of Dysprosium, Hell.
The
parade was over, the Army of Abigor had departed into the lower dimension, and
the guests who had watched it leave were making their way off the stand. It had
been quite an unusual sight, never before had such a force been sent to a lower
dimension to enforce the will of those above it. Defiance was unprecedented,
such a display had never been required. Now, with the mighty force appearing
before them, they would be regretting their failure to submit. The demons who
had watched the army leave never saw the two missiles streaking through the red
murk towards them, or, if they did, they never realized the significance of
what they were seeing.
The
explosions destroyed the stand totally, sending fragments of wood and stone
flying through the air, ripping into the hides of all around them. Blast seared
their skin, flaying flesh from bones, shattering limbs, tearing at bodies. What
had just a demonic second before been a decorated review stand was now a pile
of shattered wreckage, splattered with the green, yellow, black, red and white
body fluids of those who had been standing on it. Those outside the blast area
looked on appalled at the catastrophe that had suddenly enveloped the senior
guests. The more astute of them started running towards the disaster, hoping to
gain status and rewards by being the first to aid the stricken. Above the
chaos, still unnoticed by those below, the Predator turned around and flew back
towards the Hellmouth.
Headquarters,
1st Armored Division, Task Force Iron, Multi-National Force Iraq
“Phase
Two complete! Two solid hits, it’s chaos down there. Wherever it is, whatever
it is, our weapons work there. Look at that people, boy have we just kicked an
anthill over.” The CIA Agent’s voice was triumphant, the camera on the Predator
was showing a boiling mass of confusion where the target had been. He had no
idea of who or what he had just killed, if indeed he had killed them, but there
was no doubt of the destruction. The reviewing stand had gone, its position
marked by a pyre of smoke and flame. There was just one thing to check and that
was coming up soon. The Predator approached the Hellmouth and flew through it.
It took a second for the optics to readjust but when they did they showed the
blue sky and yellow sand of the Iraqi Desert.
“Phase
Three complete. UAV recovered.”
“Confirmed,
we have a radar paint.” The transponder in the Predator marked the position of
the drone as it set off on its long flight back to base. It had done its job
better that anybody could have hoped and certainly far better than its
manufacturers could have ever contemplated.
The
Oval Office, The White House, Washington D.C.
“My
fellow Americans.” President Bush paused, then shook his head. “No, my fellow
humans, for today we all stand shoulder to shoulder against a threat that
promised to engulf us all. Truly, in these desperate days, if we do not
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