The Nine of Hearts
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Day 19
The sounds of missiles being launched broke the fragile silence of the twilight. Archnos flyers chased the few of their Longbow counterparts that were left in the sky, like hounds. On the ground the crack of rifles could be heard, only to be answered by the energy blasts of the Wolfspiders. Fossburg was alight with fire and bloodshed tonight. The sun was just dissapearing behind the horizon, and already Jack could tell it was going to be a long run to dawn. More riffle shots, more energy blasts, more screams.
The Gentleman Gambit took a deep puff of his cigar as he stood on top of the highest pile of rubble he could find so he was able to survey the carnage. Archnos held the upper hand as they almost always seemed too, and now that their enemies were without air support, they began to advance cautiously. When the snipers Jack didn't have failed to materialize, they began to advance faster. Jack shook his head and sighed. Nineteen days he'd been here watching Recluse pour out his army's blood like water. Tonight would be just another night.
A trio of wolfspiders recklessly broke off from the main formation and rushed at his little hill. Their damnable energy weapons thundered at him, but their first volley was too low. They lept over a crevice in the ground and kept advancing...only to find that the crevice had been a makeshift trench for a squad of Longbow. The Longbow popped out of hiding and fired, the Wolfspiders falling under their spray of bullets. One of the Longbow Riflemen raised his fist and roared in triumph, but it was short lived. Gentleman Gambit saw it before they did: a Fire Tarantula had been stalking the Wolfspiders, using them as bait. In an instant it was on them, one of it's firey claws ripped through the chest of the Rifleman who had just cheered, a look of triumph and suprise were mixed on his slackening face. Before his compatriots could be similarly slaughtered Gambit had literaly leapt into action, his brown leather coat trailing in the wind. He drew his Colt and fired a single enourmous round at the head of the Fire Taurantuala. It hit home, penetrating her forehead and splattering her brains over her armoured abdomen. The monster shrieked and rolled onto it's back, it's deadly legs flailing in the air.
Gentleman Gambit looked on it with disgust. That monster had once been a woman, and what could possibly motivate a woman to surrender her body to Recluse? To have her brain put in that...machine? Gentleman Gambit turned away from the grotesque corpse to the Longbow squad members still left, and then his eyes turned to the horizon. The Longbow jets were still putting up a fight in the distance, but where there had been five contrails there were now only two. It was possible he just couldn't see the other three... Sure it is Jackie Boy, he snorted mentally, But them's a gamble of long odds ain't they? Nah Archnos'll have the sky soon enough. Probably peck at us for a spell before they really charge. He barked out orders in his New Orleans drawl, "Alright, best we be gettin back to work. Follow me!" But the Longbow agents didn't move. He saw real fear in their eyes, eyes that were too damn young by half, younger even than his 25 years. "Listen to me! Listen!" he shouted over the renewed weapons fire behind them. "Now Archnos said they's was going to waltz through Fossberg, and we choked 'em with those words! We have done the impossible, and that makes us damn mighty. So y'all get back on the line, and you hold! You Hold!"
((Work in Progress))
