Andrew could hear footsteps approaching from shortly behind him. If ever there were a time for
caution, it was now. He'd almost completely lost concern for his own safety while watching the
Blakist Nexus and Marc Lucas's Spider collide. Cocking his gun as he whirled around, he
prepared for a firefight.
To his surprise, Ryan Allen was standing there. His gun was trained on the edge of the building
from which the Spider had jumped out of. Before Andrew could call out a greeting to his
teammate, Ryan opened fire with his gyrojet rifle.
Rocket-propelled shells smashed into the side of the Mech shed, blowing bits of cement and
cheap tin siding away in a thunderous crackle. Andrew winced, closing his right eye and
beginning to run away from the horrible sound. He quickly closed the distance between him and
Ryan. He turned his eyes back to the building as he neared the other Mechwarrior. Andrew
could see now what was happening.
Ryan had been aiming at a cloaked Purifier armor. Under intense fire from his rifle, the enemy's
suit had failed to properly adjust to the instantaneous light changes affecting its surroundings. It
was plain to see, but still seemed like some kind of phantom as it desperately tried to match its
surroundings. Andrew fired his pistol several times at the armored form, but it seemed to have
little effect. After several seconds, the gyrojet rifle fire stopped. Ryan was out of shells.
The Purifier fired back. The underslung machine gun it carried reminded Andrew of something
he'd seen in an action flick. Shells smashed into the cement before the two men. Almost like an
Elemental, the original battle armor to appear in the Inner Sphere, the Purifier stalked forward
while its cloaking ability dissipated. It was ready for a stand up fight.
Andrew broke to his right and started into a run. He knew Ryan was doing the same to the left.
Before either of them had gained much speed, the Purifier's powerful machine gun burst into
operation a second time. The light from the flash alone blinded Andrew. It seemed to be pulsing
straight into his eyes. As the thunderous noise from the weapon took away his sense of hearing,
Andrew felt stinging jolts along his shoulders and neck. He collapsed as his back exploded in a
burst of excruciating pain.
High in the Mech facility command tower, Xandar Harlow smiled at Samuel Stark. The Purifier
armor had failed to conceal itself from Stark's custom-built sensor array. Located within the
massive armored walls of the main complex, the Mech facility was home to most of the Strider's
Strikers Mechs and armor. The sheer number of weapons housed inside the complex, ranging
from deadly aerospace fighters to 100-ton Mechs, from ammunition supplies to the latest
amateur-designed prototype firearms, made it the biggest threat for any enemy to neutralize.
Without a doubt, it had to be one of tonight's primary targets.
"You've got one guy on your right Ryan. Looks like about a 10 o'clock on the screen." Xandar
said softly into the mic attached to his headset. Looking closer at the display, he continued.
"Watch yourself cause those shock troopers are closing in just behind him."
The coded communication between Ryan Harrison's Longinus battle armor suit and the Mech
facility's control room was one of the best hopes for those defending the facility. Ryan Harrison's
experience provided him with most of what he needed, but Xandar and Samuel were there to
make sure any other gaps were filled. Thus far they'd dispatched two squads of battle armor, a
total of 8 suits, to deal with the attack. They were now operational with 5 suits, all of whose
pilots ranked as elites with the Longinus model. Ryan Harrison was their leader.
"Affirmative control. On three. Two. One." Ryan answered back, his voice barely audible
through the overhead speakers on the main security display screen.
Vibrations abruptly registered in Ryan's sector. Samuel flicked the audio pickup. The sound of
gunfire crackled through the room's speakers. Just as soon as it had begun, the shooting
stopped. The red X flashing to the left of the blue RH vanished as the room's sensors lost the
Purifier's signal.
"What's the estimate on those shock boys, control?" Ryan asked. He said nothing to indicate
the fate of the Purifier armor he'd just destroyed, only worried about what lay ahead. Xandar
looked at Samuel and raised his eyebrows.
"This is why this guy's the highest paid grunt we got around here." Samuel grinned. He touched
a switch on the control board in front of him, then spoke up for the mic. "Those guys are just
down the corridor on the left of that Purifier. They've stopped dead in their tracks in a group."
Samuel pushed a shining white button above him, then nudged a small joystick with his left hand
to adjust a camera he'd just taken manual control of. He continued on, "I can help you out a bit
if you get them over to the corridor just south of Lab C. Problem is, they probably won't follow
you after they see what you did to that friend of theirs in the hallway." The camera zoomed in on
the still form of the Purifier, zooming in on the shadowy pair of haunched shoulders. Switching to
thermal sensors, the red outline of the armor revealed a nasty secret. The head was no longer
there, but something warm surrounded the entire area.
Before Xandar could comment on the gore, a muffled thump was heard somewhere outside the
control room. Xandar got on his feet. He'd been in the same situation as this before, only last
time it'd been out in space. He wasn't about to wait around for whoever was coming for him.
"Where's the TK?" Xandar spat out. "And no Samuel, I don't want to use your latest ..."
"Okay my friend." Samuel interrupted. Though he was an amateur weapons designer and
always carrying his newest design, Samuel had remembered that Xandar had always preferred
the TK to any other weapon. He pointed to the wall.
"Now you know I'm going with you, right?" Samuel asked. "I won't be any use to Harrison if
I'm splattered on the control board."
Xandar moved back to the board, grasping his headset. "Ryan we got company. We're sorry
to leave you on your own." He waited for a response from Ryan for a moment, then threw off
the headset and grabbed the TK in his left arm. "Come and get us," he said under his breath.
From out of the darkness came an arm, a leg, and finally the entire form of an assault Mech.
Devon recognized it as a Vanquisher. Its squat form was unmistakable. Long arms, each ending
in gigantic barrels, touched out towards him. Short backward-facing legs supported the main
body of the Mech, which sat mere meters off the ground. The 100-ton monster was somehow
close enough for short range attacks. Devon touched his vineers, hoping he'd show his best.
Though he'd forgotten what the odd Mech was armed with, Devon could remember it was rather
new Inner Sphere technology. He wasted no time in firing all his weapons.
