Chapter Seventy-Six – Fight Fire with Fire

Chapter Seventy-Six – Fight Fire with Fire

“One way to take care of uncontrolled fire is to use more fire.

I don’t know. I kill things, I’m not a smart person!”

–US Army, Flamethrower tank operator, 2037

***

I took a deep breath, then another when that one didn’t feel so good. There was air in the… air, but it was thin, like breathing around some of the vents near street-level factories.

“Think it’s safe?” I asked Gomorrah.

The tunnel was pretty much cleared, the charred remains of Antithesis slumped here and there, and the walls ever so slightly blackened by the wash of fire that had burst past. I could feel a stirring in the air, wind coming in from the opening into the mines and pushing in towards the hive.

Had the bombs going off created a sort of vacuum? I didn’t know enough to say, really, but that sounded likely.

“I don’t think anything about this is safe,” Gomorrah said. “But I figure it was a lot less safe for the aliens.”

I nodded, then shuffled a bit before tucking my launcher to my shoulder. “Let’s move in, then?”

Gomorrah hefted up her flamethrower, the tip of the nozzle burping with a lick of flame. “Take the lead?”

“Yeah, because being in front of the pyro nun is where everyone wants to be,” I said. She gave me a look before I chuckled and jogged ahead a bit. My mecha cats moved up around us, forming up in a wedge with me at its point and Gomorrah in its centre.

We started walking down the mineshaft, at first with easy confidence, but when I started noticing the smoke pooling by the ceiling I slowed down a little.

“Let’s take it easy, yeah?” I asked.

“Certainly,” Gomorrah said.

I flicked my augs around and found Cause Player’s contact. I sent him a quick text.

S.Cat: You ok?

It didn’t take long for him to reply.

CP: Yes.
CP: Thanks for the explosion. It made for a cool scene!

If he was happy about that, then he was fine. At least, that’s what I figured.

We came around a bend, and I slowed down as I noticed light ahead. A lot of light. Oranges and reds and yellows, splashing against the grey stone walls. “That’s concerning,” I said.

“It’s a fire, way out ahead,” Gomorrah said. “Do you have oxygen?”

“Just a filter,” I said.

“Do you have a catalogue with that kind of thing?”

I shook my head. “Not that I know of. Nothing specialised for it.”

“Give me a second then,” Gmorrah said. “I have a catalogue for modular headgear.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” I said. “My helmet’s cheap, anyway; it’s due for an upgrade. Besides, you’d get me something uncool.”

“Uncool?” Gomorrah repeated. She sounded a little insulted.

“Probably all nun-like and appropriate,” I said. “Myalis, are there any really cool helmets in my Sunwatcher catalogue? Something that’ll let me breathe?”

Gomorah scoffed. “You’ll probably go for something ridiculous and over the top. With cat ears again.”

“Lucy thinks the ears are cute,” I defended.

I have something you might like. It’s a little over three hundred points. It has a full communications suite, thermal and night vision, is armoured and lined with impact-resistant gel, has a filtration system that refills a tank, which in turn feeds you an appropriate amount of air. It’s of course fully sealed. Also, the eyes glow.

“That sounds good,” I said.

New Purchase: Leopard Mark IV Survival System
Points Reduced from… 7854 to… 7554