Chronal Disassociation Ch. 77 (Patreon)

Hana kept the camera preview open beside Tokki’s diagnostics. The smile looked wrong. She let it drop, caught sight of her own face, and put it back. The same three messages sat in the chat while another salvo from the coastal batteries drowned out the technician beside her.

“Alright, chat. The Gwishin are attacking.” She pulled the harness across her chest, “The stream’s staying up. If you have to evacuate, though, go. You can catch up with us once you’re safe.”

Yuna made each pilot confirm a check before moving to the next. Kyung-soo tightened his harness until a technician told him to loosen it. Jae-eun wore his usual smile, but hadn’t spoken for nearly a minute. Over the squad channel, Seung-hwa counted his drones again.

The military feed showed a giant, squid-like omnic rising above the waves, segmented tentacles trailing beneath its armoured body. Missiles struck its flank as aircraft pulled away. Another giant emerged through the spray behind it.

This was their first combat deployment. Every Gwishin Hana had fought had been in a simulation. Her ammunition read full. It had read full the last three times she’d checked, too.

[Gwishin_Slayer]: buses are here. go get them guys

Hana recognised the name, “Get on yours first. You can complain about my aim afterwards.” She waited for a reply that didn’t come.

Most of her viewers were Korean. They were leaving mid-conversation as the evacuation warnings went out, apologising for missing the stream. As if she was going to hold it against them. She kept scrolling back to familiar names, checking for a message that they’d reached a shelter.

[Tofu_Titan]: taking grandma downstairs. please be careful

[remsleep12]: anyone still on the coast get moving. recording will be here later

Had they found help with the stairs? Her thumb hovered over Tofu_Titan’s name until the technician tapped her canopy.

“Don’t worry about missing the stream.” Yuna’s voice came over the public channel while the technicians climbed down from her mech, “Follow the evacuation instructions for your area. The links are pinned. Use those for route changes, and listen to the people directing you.”

“Headphones off if you’re walking, too.” Kyung-soo leaned towards his camera, “That includes anyone watching on a bus. Stop asking whether we’re scared and listen to the evacuation people.” His eyes flicked towards Yuna’s feed, but she was still going through Seung-hwa’s checks.

“First useful thing he’s said all evening.” Jae-eun’s smile widened. Kyung-soo gave him a laugh a little too loud for the joke, then bent over his controls. Usually that would have started something.

The technician released Tokki’s last restraint. Hana returned his thumbs-up and acknowledged the deployment order as he climbed down. It was just like training, she told herself. Yuna would give the orders, Jae-eun would take her flank, and she knew what to do. She settled her hands on the controls.

“You can argue about it when we get back.” Hana glanced towards the other feeds, “I’m not listening to you two all the way out there.” Jae-eun complained that he hadn’t started, then switched to the squad channel.

“Are your hands shaking?” He was looking down at his controls. Hana checked that her own microphone was off the public feed before answering, “A bit. It’ll stop when we’re out there.” 

She hoped he believed her.

…

An ammunition cart rattled across Lena’s path as she entered the hangar. Myung stood beneath the tactical display, with Winston at Seung-hwa’s console. Red markers gathered beyond the shoreline.

Sombra had commandeered a spare terminal, keeping the connection off her implants. She was sorting evacuation calls by location while Genji helped the medics clear a route through the equipment to the recovery bay.

“How long before those reach the harbour?” Archer asked. Myung ended her call, “Before the coastal roads clear.” Kiara enlarged the view of the squid-like omnics advancing through the bombardment.

“Every local battery and all available air support are on the giants.” Kiara shifted the aircraft onto another run, “Divert them and we lose the bombardment. Smaller units are getting through.”

“MEKA takes the drones.” Myung marked their sector, “Hold them offshore until the evacuation clears. Leave the giants to the guns and aircraft.”

“It’s their first combat deployment. We can cover the approaches to the city.” Lena pointed to the shoreline, “Keep the squad offshore and let us deal with anything that gets past them.”

“No. Your team stays at the base.” Myung turned towards her, “The South Korean Army authorised training and technical assistance. It has not authorised Overwatch to enter combat.”

“Then ask them to change it.” The Army’s officers had repeated that restriction since the visit began, Myung louder than any of them. Lena kept her finger on the shoreline, “We’re already here.”

“And the UN’s order?” Myung asked, “Does that stop applying if I say yes?” Winston showed Lena their unanswered request for an exception.

“Morrison and Reyes are both enforcing it. The UN threatened to shut us down over another unauthorised deployment.” Even Reyes had fallen into line since the rumours about Helix Security International began. The UN was said to be considering the new company as a cheaper, more effective replacement. Fine. She understood what another breach could cost them. She’d still like whoever had written that order to sit here and listen to Seung-hwa counting his bloody drones.

“Can we at least give them a minute off camera?” Lena indicated Hana’s feed. She was explaining that watching from the beach was a stupid way to support them.

“The stream reaches people who ignore the official alerts.” Myung pointed to a viewer thanking Hana for sending him home, then opened the squad channel, “No commentary required after launch. Focus on your orders. The public feed is our responsibility.”

Sombra separated the broadcast from the operations feeds, “Evacuation notices and pre-launch clips only. No combat footage.” The chat remained available to the pilots, though the public picture cut back to the hangar recording. On the private feed, Hana was still smiling.

Archer asked whether any aircraft could cover the squad. Kiara shook her head, “They’re all committed. We’re struggling to slow the larger omnics as it is.” Myung brought the interception line closer to shore, “Then MEKA stays within reach of the batteries. We may need to redirect them.”

Archer leaned closer to hear coastal command. His notebook had disappeared. The questions Lena had about that contract would have to wait. Myung was calling for readiness reports.

Seung-hwa hesitated over his reserve figures. Winston opened the readings, “That’s correct. You’re limited to the material you’ve loaded. The simulator let you replenish it between rounds; out there you’ll have to return to base.”

“Understood.” Seung-hwa swallowed as Archer added, “Keep drones back to protect yourself. You won’t repair anyone if they bring you down first.” The boy checked their positions before answering.

Lena took the microphone next, “You know your withdrawal signals. If Yuna calls it, you pull back together. No arguing over the last target.” She looked towards Hana’s feed as she said it.

“Even if we’re winning?” Hana asked. Lena had heard the same complaint in the simulator, usually just before Hana tried to prove she could finish the fight.

“Especially if you think you are.” She wanted to keep going until Hana sounded bored with her again, but Myung’s hand was already moving towards the launch controls. Lena stepped back as the captain ordered the squad to deploy.

…

Yuna cleared the bay first. Hana counted the interval and engaged her boosters. Below, police waved buses ahead of the cars while an ambulance tried to work through the queues.

Out to sea, a squid-like omnic towered above the shell splashes. A jointed limb swept through the water beneath a flight of aircraft. Hana lost the planes in the spray before they emerged, climbing hard.

“D.Va airborne.” She matched Yuna’s speed, watching the ambulance until Yuna told her to give Overlord room. Overlord’s drones were closer than she’d realised. She nudged Tokki sideways, embarrassed to need the reminder before they’d even reached the fight.

With the squad settling into formation, Hana shrank her camera preview to make room for the approach. The chat underneath it was moving slowly enough to read every message.

[Salt_Free_Gaming]: shelter has wifi. we’re inside
[BobaKnight]: stay safe everyone

The next message was in English, asking why the chat was so quiet. Yuna called the approach over it. Hana closed the chat with the shelter message still visible.

Five smaller Gwishin drones broke the surface between MEKA and the giants under bombardment. Two climbed towards Yuna in the centre, one went left towards King, and the others split wide on Hana’s side. She and Casino held the right, with Overlord behind Yuna. The coastal batteries lay behind the squad, marking the way home.

“Hold your lanes.” Yuna assigned the targets. Hana recognised the nearest machine from training. She could draw it across Casino’s guns, provided she kept it from turning towards Overlord. She called the manoeuvre and waited for Jae-eun to answer.

It fired before she settled her aim. Hana hauled Tokki aside, overcorrected, and a second shot struck the outer armour hard enough to knock her teeth together. For a moment she could hear nothing but the impact. Her display said minor damage. She was still staring at it when Jae-eun called her name again.

“I’m here.” Her first burst went wide. She dragged it back across the armour, flinching as a shot passed Tokki’s shoulder, and almost missed Jae-eun saying he was ready. Hana called the crossing and boosted clear. His fire caught the exposed joint; the Gwishin twisted, tried to climb, and fell into the sea.

Jae-eun swore in relief. Hana laughed too, breathlessly, already turning after the second machine as it skimmed away. Casino dropped out of her side display. Shit. She hauled Tokki back into position, the kill marker still flashing.

“Right contact down. Holding.” She had lost the second target behind the spray. Yuna told her to keep watching that side, and Hana widened the view until she could see Overlord behind them.

…

Lena watched the low contact bend around the squad’s flank. Sombra kept its last confirmed position marked whenever the return disappeared into surface clutter, “Don’t assume it’s gone just because you can’t see it.”

Its turn led towards Seung-hwa. Lena marked the approach for Myung, who moved Overlord closer to Yuna as Archer added, “They’re drawing the weapons forward. Watch the support drones.”

Kyung-soo broke across Yuna’s next order, “There’s another one. I had it, it was right-” Yuna asked which side. He said he was looking, too loudly, then apologised while she tried to repeat the question.

“King, just the direction.” Yuna’s voice had gone sharp. Lena saw her close her eyes for a second before she added, “Take a breath. I’m listening.” He gave her a bearing at last. She repeated it back and brought King closer.

“Any clearance?” Lena asked. Winston shook his head. Myung told her to keep watching the pilots, then turned towards a report of drones crossing into the city. Lena caught the name of the road. There had been buses on it when they flew in.

Archer hadn’t pushed to go after the kids, but Lena knew the lug. If they needed him, he’d move first and argue afterwards. That bloody bow had practically no limit to its range, “You could cover them from here.”

“They have cover. If it fails, I’ll take the shot.” Archer indicated Yuna’s shield, “Until then, I won’t put everyone in Overwatch in breach of orders.” He followed Lena’s glance towards the city, “Those reports don’t give me a target. I need to see what I’m shooting at.”

A bus driver broke through on the evacuation channel. A drone had brought cables down across the road ahead, and cars were still pushing forward behind him. Glass covered the seats. A passenger was bleeding by the jammed rear door, where the driver couldn’t reach him, “I can’t leave them here! Where am I supposed to go?!”

Sombra found the bus on a traffic camera and pinned its position beside the base perimeter. Myung listened with one hand braced against the console. Lena could see the service gate in the corner of the image. The bus was close enough for someone on the wall to wave it in. The driver asked again as somebody behind him shouted to move.

What a bloody joke.

…

The low Gwishin rose beneath Casino before he could turn. Its first burst struck his left side. Hana heard metal tear over his microphone, then a cry that went on until he caught his breath. His feed showed a broken section of console pressed against his arm.

“Casino?” His answer tangled with the alarm, “I can’t hold it!” The mech rolled towards the water. Hana had the attacker’s exposed joint in her sights, close enough that she could probably finish it. Then its guns turned after Jae-eun.

She released the trigger and drove Tokki between them. Her matrix broke the volley apart, white flashes filling the canopy. The Gwishin slipped beneath her guns again. She swore at it and kept the matrix where it was. Casino was still falling behind her.

“Overlord, get to him.” Hana couldn’t tell whether she was shouting. Seung-hwa sent his repair drones across while keeping the rest close. One flashed blue beside Casino, then a shot crossed from the centre and shattered it beyond the edge of her matrix. The new thruster casing broke away and fell into the sea.

“I’ve lost one!” Seung-hwa brought the surviving drones together. Hana’s matrix was almost empty. “Yuna, I’m running out!” The reply was a shouted order for King to finish his target and get across.

King’s target fell on the far side of the formation. Yuna backed away from the two machines in front of her, bringing her shield across Hana’s view. “Back towards me.” Jae-eun shouted that he couldn’t move. Yuna started to repeat the order, heard him, and stopped, “King, underneath us. Drive it up!”

Kyung-soo dived left of Casino, firing across the attacker’s retreat. It climbed away from him into Hana’s sight. She fired until pieces came off, then kept firing as it fell, unable to hear Kyung-soo telling her they’d got it. Yuna had to call her name before she let go.

Seung-hwa committed another drone. Blue light gathered around Casino’s thruster, drawing metal into the new assembly. Hana remembered how badly she’d wanted a closer camera angle that afternoon, when Kingprotea had called the mech an action figure.

“Keep level, Casino.” Yuna was trying to sound patient. His left hand lay in his lap, blood soaking the sleeve, while his right hauled at the remaining control. Each pull made the mech lurch further. Yuna began his callsign again, then switched to his name.

“Jae-eun. Hold. Altitude! The switch on your right.” He tried to answer and only managed a sound through his teeth. Hana wanted the repair to finish so he could complain and they could start again. Then Casino’s leg struck the water, dragging him sideways. She shouted at him to pull up, though he’d just told them he couldn’t.

“Hana, cover the drones.” Yuna waited until she saw Jae-eun’s thumb move, “That’s it. Let the stabilisers work.” The new thruster caught. Water boiled beneath Casino, his leg lifting clear before dipping back into the spray. Hana stopped trying to follow him down and brought Tokki level with the repair team.

“I have him.” Seung-hwa said it twice before she believed him. The mech rose under automatic altitude control. Jae-eun tried lifting his left hand with his right and cried out. Kyung-soo edged closer, “Leave it alone, you idiot! I’ve got your side.”

Myung ordered Overlord to escort Casino back and called for the recovery crew and medics. The other three were to hold the line. “Use the right stick to follow my marker,” Yuna told Jae-eun, “No weapons-we’ll cover you.” He nodded without looking up.

“Can you put his armour back?” Hana asked. She could still see exposed machinery beside the rebuilt thruster. Seung-hwa took too long to answer, “Not with what I’ve got left. I had to build part of it twice. I can patch small hits, but I can’t do that again.” The missing drone’s icon stayed dark when he recalled the rest.

Yuna asked the base for permission to bring everyone back, then told them her shield couldn’t keep taking this. Overlord had to slow down for Casino, leaving King to cover them both. Hana kept Casino’s altitude in the corner of her display as she moved up beside Yuna. Every dip drew her eyes away from the two Gwishin ahead.

“Thanks, Hana.” Jae-eun came back on the channel. She told him to thank Seung-hwa, and he answered, “I’m thanking both of you. Just take it.” She managed a grin, absurdly relieved to hear him sounding annoyed. Then she looked back towards the two remaining Gwishin and called their positions for Yuna.

…

“There’s a gate beside the maintenance road,” Lena told the driver as Kiara worked overtime to translate, “Can you reach it?” He could, if somebody moved the barrier. Myung turned sharply, “That road has to stay clear for the squad’s recovery.”

“Then give me somewhere to put them.” Lena held out the microphone. The driver was telling his passengers to stay seated. Myung looked at Casino’s feed, then at the map, “The maintenance apron. Clear it and open the service gate. Keep the bay approach free.”

Myung sent the gate order herself. With Kiara translating, Lena guided the driver while Sombra cleared his turn by holding the traffic behind him. Genji was waiting on the maintenance apron when the bus arrived. He cut through the damaged rear-door hinge and helped a medic reach the bleeding passenger.

[Tofu_Titan]: we’re down. grandma says thank you

“They’re turning towards the base.” Archer brought up the new tracks. The giant squid-like omnics remained offshore under the bombardment, but smaller machines were peeling away from either side, heading past MEKA towards the coast.

Myung had Yuna’s withdrawal request open beside the evacuation map. The coastal road still hadn’t cleared. Lena watched her trace the route to the service gate, then open the squad channel, “Abandon the outer interception line. Bring everyone back. D.Mon, keep Casino and Overlord behind your shield. King and D.Va, cover the retreat. Stay together until the batteries can fire past you.”

They wouldn’t make it.

Casino was too slow, and the drones were closing. Kiara’s heavy batteries were still firing at the squid-like omnics. Turning those guns towards the squad wouldn’t give them the precision they needed.

“Enough.” Archer’s voice reached Lena through their connection. He left the console while Myung demanded a firing solution, slipping behind a maintenance rack towards the stairs. Lena kept her eyes on the pilots.

The drone lining up on Casino broke apart before it fired. Something struck the one beside it, driving it down through the spray. Neither hit had the broad blast of a coastal shell. On the squad channel, Hana swore, then called that their right side was clear.

“Who fired?” Myung turned to Kiara. Another drone tumbled out of the pursuit, its centre torn open, “Those aren’t our guns. Is there another force out there? Get me an identification!”

Sombra’s camera found Archer in the gantry’s shadow. Winston leaned over her shoulder, “Can we get Casino’s approach up?” She changed the view just as Myung turned back. From the bay doors, Genji called that the recovery team was ready; he was still looking up at the gantry as he spoke.

“No launch from our batteries.” Kiara left the source field blank. Lena glanced at her and received a small, quite deliberate smile.

“Find them. I want to know who’s shooting through my airspace.” Myung was speaking too quickly now, asking coastal command whether an allied unit had arrived without notifying her. Lena kept her attention on Casino’s descent towards the bay.

“Casino’s crossing the seawall,” Winston said. Myung turned towards his screen, and Lena passed Yuna the cleared approach. She kept the squad channel open while Archer fired again, listening until all five pilots had answered.

Beyond the retreating squad, smaller Gwishin were reaching the shore. Calls from the city piled onto the evacuation channel, and Lena was trying to pick out a street name when the water behind the giants began to rise.

For a moment she thought one of the squids had rolled onto its back. Then she found it beside the shape breaking the surface, still upright, its tentacles trailing against an armoured limb that kept rising. So that was the Gwishin. She’d never seen Kingprotea that big.

The Colossus.

Water poured from its armour in sheets. Kiara pulled the view back twice before the whole thing fitted on the display, and one of the giants they’d spent the last several minutes trying to kill passed beneath its hull.

Even through the spray, Lena could make out guns stacked along the Colossus’s flanks. Its broad body rose on jointed legs, with more of each one emerging every time she thought it must have found its footing. She looked out through the bay doors and could see the upper guns rising above the smoke.

“Concentrate the next strike on it!” Myung had abandoned her questions about the unknown shooter, “Kiara, get me the heavy guns.” The nearest batteries began turning. On the feed, a formation of aircraft broke away from the smaller giants and climbed, their missiles drawing converging trails across the water.

Missiles tore a plate loose from its chest. Lena leaned forward as the next volley struck the gap, willing something underneath to catch, to break, anything. Through the smoke, another leg came down. She heard herself swear and realised she’d been holding the squad microphone open.

Casino touched down behind her with a scrape that made Lena turn. Genji reached the cockpit with the medics as Jae-eun tried to undo his harness one-handed. Winston was already moving towards them, telling the ground crew which parts of the frame were still damaged. Beyond the bay doors, people from the bus were hurrying towards the shelter entrance, stopping whenever somebody ahead of them stumbled.

“Keep moving.” Lena caught a technician staring at the sea and pointed him towards the recovery crew. “Pilots to the shelter as soon as they’re clear. All five.” Hana had come down beside Casino, but Tokki’s canopy remained closed. The ground crew had to call her twice before she looked away from the coastal feed and released it.

The Colossus planted another foot, sending a swell through the wreckage towards shore. The vibration reached Lena through her boots. Behind her, a medic shouted for someone to hold the cockpit ladder steady.

Covers were opening across the Colossus’s front. Behind each one sat a gun, and another row was opening underneath. Lena had spent the last few minutes wanting the kids back inside these walls. Now she could see the barrels turning towards them.

The batteries kept firing. A hit hid one of the upper guns in smoke; it emerged still turning, a broken shield hanging from its side. Lena was already moving towards the recovery bay.

Genji was helping Jae-eun onto the stretcher. People from the bus were still crossing the apron, some carrying bags, one stopping to look back towards the sea. How many could she get through the corridor before it fired? She grabbed the nearest crewman by the sleeve. Archer was still up in the gantry, and she reached for him through their connection, “Tell me you can do something about those.”

“Everyone away from the bay doors!” Myung shouted. Sombra put the warning through the base speakers as Lena pushed the crewman towards the interior corridor and shouted for the others to follow. On Kiara’s display, the firing lines converged over the recovery bay.

The Colossus finished turning. Every deployed weapon was aimed straight at MEKA base.

They fired.

…

A/N: Went to visit family for the long weekend. Unfortunately for me, the cousins I usually talk to didn’t come with, so didn’t have anyone to really catch up with. Fortunately for all of you, that meant just typing on my phone for a while until I lost track of time.

That was a good twelve or so hours of writing. Fucking wacky.