Falling Like Rain

Cereta hadn’t slept at all, but she didn’t feel tired, she was energized. It was so exciting to think that today was the day. For seven generations, they had plotted and planned, hidden and organized. Now the secret would be unveiled and they would no longer have to live in the shadows.

She had to slow her pace to avoid notice. The wind blew the layer of ash off of the charcoal grey streets, and the crowds lowered their heads and walked into it. There were more people than usual on the streets today, dressed in the typical black or grey trenchcoats. The black basalt buildings caught the wind and funneled it down the alleys, stirring up more dirt and ash.

In addition to the crowds, there seemed to be more Doomsayers on the street today. One, his beard straggly with spittle, howled into the wind. Occasionally, she could make out words and phrases. “The end times are coming...Fear…Great…Devourer…Souls!..light nevermore.” Wearing only a loincloth, his skin was being scoured by the ash in the wind, but he paid no heed. “The beast awakens! Tremble at it’s approach-“ he was cut off by a sharp blow to the head. As he fell to his knees, several members of the Peace Guard surrounded him and began beating him with their truncheons. When he stopped moving, they left him there.

Cereta edged around the Peace Guard, averting her eyes like the other citizens. Keep focused. Walk with a purpose, that was how to blend in. She kept her head down and continued walking. It was several minutes before she realized something strange was happening. There were…things falling from the sky. There weren’t a lot of them, and they were almost lost in the flying ash and dirt, but they were there. Little things about the size of a small nut, they looked like strange seed pods. They were drifting in the wind, falling and collecting in alleyways and sewer gratings.

Cereta didn’t have time to stop and look at them. She needed to make sure she was ready before everything happened. She simply took the pods as a sign from the All-Father that everything would go according to plan.

There was a child crying across the street, howling open-mouthed and unashamedly. Cereta was distracted enough that she almost bumped into a bulky figure in a trenchcoat. The figure reached for her with a heavy, gloved hand, and she looked into his eyes. “Caliban,” she said under her breath, “is everything in readiness?” She couldn’t help looking at the bulge around his waist. It almost looked like he was simply getting fat, but she knew what lay underneath and how dangerous exposure would be.

“We are ready and willing, sister.” He had definitely taken after his father, with his widely spaced eyes and bulging forehead. She had more of their mother’s characteristics, which meant she didn’t need to wear a hat pulled down today. Or cover up certain other parts…”All of us that can disguise ourselves are spread between here and the square. Those that must be hidden are within a few blocks, ready for the signal.”

Not wanting to attract attention, they quickly parted and went their separate ways. The crowd was paying more attention to the seed pods now and Cereta stopped to take a look, herself. They were little, hard greenish brown kernels that skipped and bounced when they hit the plascrete road surface. As she watched, one found a crack in the pavement and fell into it. After a few moments, it cracked open and small, green tendrils began to grow out. She stepped back, then hurried on her way.

The crowds in the square were much thicker and milled around looking up at the sky. Cereta worked her way around the edge of the crowd. On the far side, she turned down an alley that passed along a warehouse. Turning down another alley, she stopped near the trash canister and looked around. Finding no observers, she opened the canister and reached into it. She pulled out a couple of cardboard boxes and a long tube. She knelt down behind the canister and got to work. From the boxes came a series of bolts and dials and parts that she assembled into a vox caster. From the bottom of the canister, she pulled a few more pieces that slotted together to form a pistol. She had assembled both countless times, forcing herself to do it over and over again, in darkness, with gloves on her hands, so that it was effortless. Finally, she screwed the long tube onto the pistol, making it the size of a short rifle. Finished with her assembly and confident she had no one following her, she slid open the old warehouse window and slipped inside.

Cereta crawled along the catwalk until she came to the 7th window. As she slid down beside the window and powered up her ‘caster, she could hear heavy engines choking to life. It was time! She opened the window slightly and peered out. There were 3 armoured cars driving up to the front gate near the barracks diagonally across from her vantage point. By their markings, she could tell they were with the 43rd, and quietly reported it into her ‘caster. As they pulled away, several infantry carriers rolled up, belching oily smoke. Based on the line of tanks and trucks behind them, the whole of the 43rd Planetary Defense Force company was on the move. She duly reported this into her vox caster, noting any units or vehicles that took different routes from the compound. One truck turned down the alley and someone in back looked her right in the eyes.

Even as she heard him shout, Cereta grabbed her ‘caster and her carbine and ran up the stairs to the third level of the catwalk then out to the roof access hatch. She silently prayed that The Devourer would shelter her as she waited for them to give up their search, then went out to the rooftop. She looked down on the convoy and continued her report. The seedpods were falling more steadily now, she noticed, and the skies were darker, too.

Rain started falling from those blackish-green, brooding skies. It took her a few moments to realize that the rain was stinging her skin. She pulled a hat out from her coat and continued her report. The 43rd was moving into the square now, pushing the crowds back as the soldiers jumped from their transports.

The soldiers fanned out and advanced on the crowd. She couldn’t hear what was being shouted down below, but the crowd seemed angry. The soldiers shoved some people out of the way, and pushed down those that didn’t move fast enough. A rock came flying out of the crowd and struck a soldier’s riot shield. More followed. A bottle bounced off the head of a soldier, knocking him down. Some of the soldiers fired into the crowd. The crowd surged forward into the soldiers.

Cereta grabbed her equipment and ran, to the other side of the roof, to see how the crowds and soldiers were doing in the streets surrounding the area. Some of the squads had been completely overrun by the crowds and were in a confused brawl. She reported briefly, then ran back to the square. Panic and chaos reigned here as several of the squads were mixed with the crowd and the other soldiers looked on fearfully. A Lieutenant leaped to the top of a tank and shouted for them to fire into the fight. Cereta swiftly raised her carbine and rested it on the edge of the roof. As the Lieutenant turned to issue more orders, she gently squeezed the trigger. The click of the hammer was louder than the cough the gun made, and the officer went down bleeding from his neck. Several members of one of the squads in the open suddenly turned on their squadmates, shooting and stabbing them. She reported this and checked on the other PDF units.

Another voice came on the ‘caster. It simply said, “Checkmate.” Good, that meant that the Planetary Governor was dead, which would throw everything further into confusion. The time was here for Alpha! Cereta gave the final command, then used a drainpipe to slide down to street level. Even before she reached the ground, she could see several of The Brethren ripping off their coats so their second sets of arms were revealed. With howls, they leapt into the PDF squads. The fighting was intense and swirled around her. Cereta stabbed a guardsman in the back, taking his pistol as he fell. She fired point blank into another, and looked for more targets. She saw another raising his weapon toward one of The Brethren and fired into him. Before he fell, however, he triggered his weapon, catching the hybrid and dropping him to his knees. She ran to him. His abdomen was torn open and she could see one of his lungs. His second set of arms hung uselessly as he tried to drag himself upward. She reached out to help him and he fell into her arms, knocking her off balance.

They sprawled in the rain. She sat up, but his body pinned her legs. She pulled him closer to her and looked down at his face. His little eyes had gone wide with shock and she stroked his bulging forehead. He looked up at her and said, “Sh-Shereta?” She told him not to talk and said it would be alright. She cradled him and held him close, looking in his eyes until the lights went out. Her tears mixed with the rain. She struggled to stand, then ran toward the sound of fighting. She was sure the PDF was losing, but she wanted to make them pay.

If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know

Return to Warpstorm!