Close up, it looked even more terrifying. Dwarfing even Axus, whom they killed eight months ago, and he had been no pushover, in fact, he had damn near killed them both.
Its heavy mechanical legs hissed and crackled with power. With heavy footfalls that pounded the very ground, this behemoth of a Krenaran slowly, ominously advanced towards them. Its huge triple barrelled cannon levelled straight at them.
This monster regarded them as though they were nothing more than little inconveniences, to be crushed by his merest whim, “I am Alax, overlord of the Krenaran race, and you had better pray to whatever deities you believe in, because only they can help you now!” The aliens voice boomed across the length of the corridor.
The sight of this massive lumbering Krenaran triggered something in Michael’s mind, suddenly he went back to that time eight months ago, trying to remember something important, damn it, he couldn’t remember what it was.
Reality rapidly snapped him out of his reverie when three simultaneous beams shot forth from Alax’s weapon, they both dived in opposite directions as the shot flashed past them and blasted a sizable crater out of the concrete floor.
They both let loose with their Armschlagers, the roar of weapons fire was deafening around the deserted corridor; the weapons juddered as round after round pumped into the oncoming leviathan, spent cases tinkled and danced off the hard floor. A transparent yellow haze formed around this lumbering beast of a Krenaran, and the shots simply ricocheted off it.
“ He’s got some sort of god-damn energy field!” Michael shouted in desperation.
“ No shit! Like I didn’t know that!” Vargev retorted.
Another blast shot past the Russian and they retreated, stumbling down the corridor and back into the wider loading area.
Slowly, inexorably, as though death itself; Alax followed after them.
“ We have to get to the raider, it’s our only chance!” Vargev shouted.
They ran further into the loading area, with Alax in pursuit. The only advantage they had was that for all his power, all his brute force. Alax was slow on those mechanical legs of his, although it wasn’t much of an advantage.
“ Now I remember!” Michael said, as his mind returned to that time eight months ago.
“ Remember what!” Vargev shouted over the increasingly loud footfalls behind them.
“ Eight months ago, when we fought Axus,” Michael said breathing hard.”
“ Yeah, what about it?” Vargev replied as they raced towards the safety of the parked raider.
“ Axus said that he had a master, and he was going to deliver us to him.”
“ And this guy must be it.”
They almost made it to the raider when three blindingly bright green energy beams shot past them and smashed into the vehicle. Vargev and Michael both dived out of the way as the sheer force of the impact smashed the 4x4 onto its side, its engine caught fire and began churning out thick black smoke.
“ I have wasted enough time with you pitiful humans, prepare to die!” Alax said, with such an evil uncaring tone to his voice, these Terrans were nothing to him, weak insects to squash at his merest whim.
Both Michael and Vargev were down, as the force of the blast had momentarily dazed them. Their heads were swimming as those heavy, pounding footfalls continued to close, there was a kind of grim finality to those ominous footfalls, maybe this was one enemy they couldn’t defeat or escape from.
Together, both of them picked up their weapons and opened fire at the hulking great Krenaran in one last valiant attempt to bring it down, its yellow energy field blazed into life once again.
It was at that point that Vargev accepted his fate, this enemy was simply too powerful, too strong, they were hopelessly outmatched and deep down he knew it; there was just nothing he could do against an enemy of such power.
The battle at the main gate had intensified, the constant chatter of heavy machine gun fire and intermittent buzzing of pulse rifle shots, met the powerful ‘wuu-doom’ of Krenaran energy weapons. Both humans and Krenarans were dying in equal measure in the bitter fighting.
The wreckage of a blazing apollo main battle tank, and a dominator assault walker was spread out across the road. Surviving commandoes and infantrymen were using it as a kind of makeshift barricade.
The Krenarans were continuing to press the attack, throwing everything they had against this gate despite the horrific casualties the E.D. F troops were inflicting on them.
A shot from a Krenaran weapon blasted apart the head of a heavy machine gunner, the crimson spray of blood and brain matter coated the nearby sandbags in a deep red sheen. A dozen Krenarans tried to charge the sandbagged position, but were mercilessly ripped apart as the heavy assault cannon of big Bertha roared its anger.
In the loading area, the battle was every bit as intense, as Michael and Vargev raced past the huge Krenaran, trying to use their speed to their advantage, their lungs burned, patches of sweat, blood and grime marked their skin.
The enormous trunk like fist of Alax tried to swat them as they sprinted past, but only whipped through fresh air.
Michael spied a covered metal box at the top of one of Alax’s mechanical legs, a small light blinked at the top of it. Michael had an idea what this was.
“ Aim for the shield generator at the top of its leg!” he shouted to Vargev, pointing to this box.
Alax opened fire with his weapon again, the Russian barely had time to jump out of the way of the blast as it narrowly missed turning him into crimson froth. The shot blew a large hole in the metal clad wall behind with a loud explosion.
He hit the ground hard; face first, his weapon skittered away across the floor. The thunderous footsteps came closer. Vargev, now winded was breathing hard desperately searching for some kind of weapon, anything he could use.
“ Move! Get out of there!” a desperate Michael shouted over to him.
It was too late; Alax had him. With one enormous hand hefted Vargev high into the air, and held him close to the aliens face, the colonel could feel his hot breath on his face, as those evil crimson eyes bored into his own, “you have troubled me enough, and now I will crush you like the bug you are.” Then flung him like a rag doll into the corrugated steel wall behind. The Russians body smashed against the hard cladding with such force his body went limp.
“ Bastard!” a desperate Michael shouted, as he let rip with his weapon. Blood and sweat trickled down the Liberty captains face.
A returned shot from Alax’s weapon made him dive for cover to his left as the shot barely missed him. He hid amongst the burning wreckage of the raider.
“ Face it Terran, you cannot defeat me, surrender and I’ll end this quickly.”
Michael was fast running out of options, there had to be something, anything he could use against this thing.
Then he spotted it; the damaged dominator. Its cockpit glass was shattered and the pilot was dead, but it looked reasonably operable. It was the only thing even capable of hurting this monstrosity.
The thump, thump of heavy footfalls were slowly getting nearer, he needed a distraction.
Vargev gradually came to, and quietly got back woozily to his feet, he was in agony, his ribs felt busted, he blinked as his vision slowly cleared and looked over to Michael, Alax was almost on top of him and he was keeping cover amongst the wreckage of the raider. He noticed he was pointing towards something, as though trying to tell him something, Nikolai looked to where he was pointing; the damaged dominator, and instantly knew what Michael was thinking.
“ Keep him busy,” he whispered hoping Michael could read his lips.
“ Easy for you to say,” the reply came.
Michael continued to play cat and mouse amongst the burning raider, Alax was slow and easily evaded. He was desperately tired though and wondered just how long he could keep it going.