Invasion!
I was visiting my parents' home just outside the Dream City. The neighborhood is older, a little overgrown with tree branches arching out over the streets. The houses are eclectic mixes of on and two story homes without any common architectural themes. Even in the dream world the house is raspberry sherbet pink with maroon trim. I was just packing up with Dad to go shooting when we heard explosions and gunfire outside. The radio indicated that there had been an alien incursion, their airships had landed in the village square and they were marching out from there, already having taken over the strip malls and burning the library. (Those bastards!) They were radiating out from there into the suburbs in what looked like an attempt to cut off our little community. The local sheriff was coordinating the resistance. The invasion seemed to be limited to just this community, and the aliens had no idea about jamming radio or TV, and certainly nothing about phones. We unpacked the deer guns and reported to the Eleventy Seven store on the corner. (There was much looking about and adjusting the barrel on the .306 as it didn't seem to be on straight to me.) We took up positions just behind a ridge in a park. Alien yellow sprays of high energy plasma started falling around us and knocking branches off the trees over our heads. I could hear the machinery in the woods across the park, but couldn't see anything.
"What am I supposed to be shooting at?" I asked.
"You'll know when you see it!" responded the sheriff.
Unfortunately, we couldn't see them until blasts of alien Yellow burst from the distant tree line.
"Now that's some camouflage!" I shouted as I ducked behind some artistically placed rocks. I remember thinking that I couldn't usually hit anything in these sort of dreams anyway so loaded five rounds into the rifle and fired at where I heard the sounds coming from, or at the origin of the alien yellow blasts. The latter seemed to work as three smallish explosions followed each shot at the source of the blasts. I told the rest of our patrol what I'd aimed at. "Because you know I can't seem to hit a living creature directly with this thing." My Dad and the sheriff, who seemed to know me (friend of my Dad's) laughed and switched to shotguns. Their four barrels of shot spread out along the tree line (it was about a third of a mile away) and there were two more sets of explosions. The sound of machinery stopped advancing and began to withdraw.
When they left the trees I could see them where they bumped onto the road. Listening carefully I watched for the soil to be disturbed and then lead the spot. It was strange shooting at empty air, but the first shot struck something and ripples of distortion highlighted a stubby tanklike vehicle. It had a glassy looking dome on the back that had a barrel structure sticking out of it. It swivled our way. I put a couple of rounds into it and shouted for everyone to run back. The rocks exploded behind me, one fragment smacked me in the lower back and forced me down to the ground behind the ridge. Large alien yellow blasts cut through the trees over our head and then there was a massive explosion, but not here, down by the road.
The sheriff climbed about 15 yards to the left of our position and up to the edge with binoculars. "There's three wrecks on the road, you must have hit something important. How much ammo do you have left."
"490," I had only fired ten rounds, and I'd brought about 500 rounds with me. "But there's about two thousand rounds made up."
"You wouldn't happen to have another 'deer' rifle like that would you?" the sheriff asked my Dad. "Looks like you're our sniper, then. Let's go get some more tanks."
"If we have to make them shoot at us as part of the plan, I'm not so sure this is a good idea." I managed to get up despite the knots in my back. I looked down the barrel of the rifle, it looked like it had been straightened out. "We need some diversions, and everyone has to be able to make it to cover, or we're toast," I swept my arm back towards the blasted trees that were still steaming on the ground behind us and in front of us. It had the sobering effect I wanted.
The sheriff's radio made a low beep then he quickly keyed the mike until he got the headphone plugged in. There was no fire from the road below, though. "They've been pulling back to the mall. It looks like you put the fear of God into them." He then proceeded to give whoever was on the other end an update on what we'd discovered. "It looks like the Guard is on it's way."
"About time," someone said, maybe me. I passed out and woke up in bed.
"What am I supposed to be shooting at?" I asked.
"You'll know when you see it!" responded the sheriff.
Unfortunately, we couldn't see them until blasts of alien Yellow burst from the distant tree line.
"Now that's some camouflage!" I shouted as I ducked behind some artistically placed rocks. I remember thinking that I couldn't usually hit anything in these sort of dreams anyway so loaded five rounds into the rifle and fired at where I heard the sounds coming from, or at the origin of the alien yellow blasts. The latter seemed to work as three smallish explosions followed each shot at the source of the blasts. I told the rest of our patrol what I'd aimed at. "Because you know I can't seem to hit a living creature directly with this thing." My Dad and the sheriff, who seemed to know me (friend of my Dad's) laughed and switched to shotguns. Their four barrels of shot spread out along the tree line (it was about a third of a mile away) and there were two more sets of explosions. The sound of machinery stopped advancing and began to withdraw.
When they left the trees I could see them where they bumped onto the road. Listening carefully I watched for the soil to be disturbed and then lead the spot. It was strange shooting at empty air, but the first shot struck something and ripples of distortion highlighted a stubby tanklike vehicle. It had a glassy looking dome on the back that had a barrel structure sticking out of it. It swivled our way. I put a couple of rounds into it and shouted for everyone to run back. The rocks exploded behind me, one fragment smacked me in the lower back and forced me down to the ground behind the ridge. Large alien yellow blasts cut through the trees over our head and then there was a massive explosion, but not here, down by the road.
The sheriff climbed about 15 yards to the left of our position and up to the edge with binoculars. "There's three wrecks on the road, you must have hit something important. How much ammo do you have left."
"490," I had only fired ten rounds, and I'd brought about 500 rounds with me. "But there's about two thousand rounds made up."
"You wouldn't happen to have another 'deer' rifle like that would you?" the sheriff asked my Dad. "Looks like you're our sniper, then. Let's go get some more tanks."
"If we have to make them shoot at us as part of the plan, I'm not so sure this is a good idea." I managed to get up despite the knots in my back. I looked down the barrel of the rifle, it looked like it had been straightened out. "We need some diversions, and everyone has to be able to make it to cover, or we're toast," I swept my arm back towards the blasted trees that were still steaming on the ground behind us and in front of us. It had the sobering effect I wanted.
The sheriff's radio made a low beep then he quickly keyed the mike until he got the headphone plugged in. There was no fire from the road below, though. "They've been pulling back to the mall. It looks like you put the fear of God into them." He then proceeded to give whoever was on the other end an update on what we'd discovered. "It looks like the Guard is on it's way."
"About time," someone said, maybe me. I passed out and woke up in bed.
posted by Fermius Firefly | 8:29 AM
2 Comments:
Have you been playing X-com recently?
Sadly, no, I haven't had time to install it on the new computer. The Geoscape was so fast as to be unplayable on my previous system, which is half the speed of the current box. I have managed to get Diablo II to work under Wine, without audio, however.
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