All Chapters of Apocalypse: Survivor-in-Law: Chapter 91
- Chapter 100
109 chapters
Zero Plaiting
"They are cutting the primary lock."Kira leaned against the bulkhead in the dark engineering bay. She watched the thermal monitors flicker on the auxiliary screen. A bright localized heat signature bloomed directly against the thick exterior titanium plates of the primary airlock."They possess industrial breaching equipment," Malcolm noted. He stood beside the fusion core. The improvised braided copper conduit pulsed faintly with residual static charge.The thud of military boots echoed off the ceiling panels above their heads. The military infantry squad marched across the roof of the Leviathan with absolute confidence. They believed the metal behemoth was completely dead.The external communications array crackled with a burst of harsh static. The bunker artificial intelligence managed to catch a fragment of the unencrypted radio frequency the soldiers used to coordinate their assault."General Varga, this is Captain Hayes," a gruff disciplined voice reported over the local channe
Zero Blast
"Ignition confirmed."Captain Hayes yelled over the roaring plasma flame. The industrial torch sounded like a screaming jet engine in the freezing night air.He leaned his weight forward. He braced his boots against the slick icy surface of the elevated airlock threshold. He thrust the blinding blue jet of superheated plasma directly against the titanium oxynitride armor plating of the Leviathan.Hayes expected the metal to yield instantly. He expected the intense thermal output to slice a glowing molten line straight through the locking mechanisms. He anticipated the victorious screech of yielding steel.The plasma torch touched the hull.The roaring jet of blue fire did not cut the metal. It did not even scorch the matte gray paint.The violent high voltage electrical loop generating the plasma arc collided instantly with the unfiltered direct current surging through the entire titanium shell of the mobile fortress.The electrical circuit instantly inverted.The blinding blue flame
Zero Spark
A deafening crack echoed from the primary power coupling on the wall.The bright crisp white light flooding the corridor flickered violently. A shower of bright orange sparks rained down from the dense web of braided copper wiring.The faint bioluminescent blue glow of the experimental fusion core sputtered and dimmed. The gentle hum of the industrial climate control fans ground to a sudden halt deep within the ventilation shafts.The pristine synthetic voice of the bunker artificial intelligence distorted into a harsh mechanical squeal."Warning," the system chimed through the emergency speakers. "Voltage regulating conduits compromised. Automatic failsafes engaging."The emergency floor strips went black. The warm air stopped pumping through the cabin. The Leviathan plunged back into freezing darkness."What just happened?" Kira asked. She gripped her kinetic assault rifle and stared at the dark engine."The electrical discharge on the exterior hull drained the residual battery char
Zero Takebacks
"No, I will not order my men to climb that coffin General." Captain Shaw pointed a trembling finger at the smoking corpses scattered across the frozen asphalt of the Monroe Street plaza. "You watched the hull electrocute Captain Hayes just ten minutes ago. The electricity cooked his eyeballs inside his own skull. The machine is a death trap."General Varga turned away from the tanks idling on Lexington Avenue. He rested his hand on the grip of his assault rifle. He looked at his subordinate with a cold flat stare that carried zero empathy."You will follow my orders Shaw or I will shoot you for treason right here in the snow," Varga said. His voice cut through the howling wind. "We lost contact with the subterranean squad down in the vault. We lost a breaching team on the surface. I am not leaving this intersection without that fusion engine.""The billionaire wired the exterior armor to a high voltage loop," Shaw argued. His breath plumed in the freezing air like thick gray smoke. He
Zero Fear
“What are they doing?” Malcolm asked"They are packing the exterior vents with explosives."Kira recognized the distinct scraping sound vibrating through the hull of the Leviathan. She pulled the thin thermal emergency blanket tight around her shivering shoulders. Her military training instantly categorized the threat matrix. The demolition teams were using metal trowels to smear chemical paste into every vulnerable seam of the fortress."They are not trying to blow the door open," Kira realized. "They are applying thermite. They are trying to turn this cabin into a blast furnace."Malcolm stood in the center of the command center. He listened to the preparation occurring just inches away on the other side of the frozen metal. The temperature inside the room hovered near absolute zero. His fractured ribs throbbed with a dull persistent agony every time he drew a breath of the stale icy air."Thermite burns at four thousand degrees farenheit," Kira said. Panic edged into her frail voic
Zero Flare
Captain Shaw squeezed the trigger of the detonator.A blinding flash of pure white energy eradicated the shadows across the Monroe Street plaza. The chemical explosive packed beneath the titanium undercarriage ignited with terrifying velocity. Four thousand degrees of fire bloomed against the belly of the dead mobile fortress.The snow covering the asphalt vaporized instantly. A thick cloud of boiling steam rushed across the intersection.General Varga stood behind the safety of a rusted city bus on Lexington Avenue. He lowered his polarized goggles over his eyes to watch the execution. He expected the metal of the Leviathan to buckle and slag. He wanted to see the molten titanium pour onto the street like a metallic river.The engineers who planted the charges scrambled backward. They raised their thermal shielding to protect their faces from the blistering radiant heat. They waited for the inevitable structural collapse of the billionaire bunker.But the metal did not melt.Inside t
Zero Percent
"Leviathan rebooting starting," the artificial intelligence chimed through the pristine acoustic speakers. "Leviathan will become available after rebooting. Zero percent…One percent…"Malcolm stood near the primary console and watched the progress bar crawl across the main monitor. The experimental engine possessed power but the archaic diesel infrastructure of the mobile fortress required time to process the energy transfer. The newly woven copper conduits needed to synchronize with the staggering output of the reactor."Five percent," the system announced.Kira leaned her exhausted body against the desk. The internal climate control vents roared to life above their heads. A glorious wave of hot air flooded the dark room and banished the lethal winter chill. The thick white frost covering the reinforced glass viewport began to sweat and run down the window in heavy clear streaks."The system is taking too long to wake up," Kira said. She watched the slow crawl of the blue digital bar
Zero Discombobulation
"One hundred percent," the artificial intelligence announced with pristine clarity. "Leviathan is active."The titanium fortress shuddered as the infinite power of the fusion core flooded the primary drive train. The interior tactical lights flared brilliant blue. The deep humming vibration stabilized into a smooth continuous thrum that resonated through the floorboards.Outside in the frozen Monroe Street plaza the four main battle tanks fired their heavy cannons simultaneously.The deafening roar of the artillery strike tore through the howling winter storm. Four depleted uranium shells crossed the icy intersection with terrifying supersonic velocity. The armor piercing slugs aimed directly for the center of the reinforced glass viewport."Engage defense parameters," Malcolm roared the command. He gripped the steering yoke and braced his feet against the floor.The Crucible Matrix did not require human reaction time to calculate the threat. The advanced automated defense grid powere
Zero Stock
Varga pressed his bleeding hand against the frozen brick wall of the Lexington Avenue alleyway and dragged freezing oxygen into his burning lungs. He could still hear the deafening crack of the hypersonic railguns tearing his armored division apart in the plaza behind them. The winter coat he wore as a symbol of his supreme authority was torn and stained with thick black soot.He looked back at the four surviving soldiers who followed him into the dark maze of the city. The men refused to make eye contact with their commander. They clutched their rifles and cast terrified glances over their shoulders toward the roaring fire consuming their tanks.Varga recognized the panic radiating from his infantry. He spent years cultivating an image of invincibility to keep the surviving population in line. He built an empire on the promise that the army controlled the ruins. That entire mythology shattered the moment the gray mountain crushed his tanks."Keep moving," Varga ordered his squad. He
Zero Continuation
The digital display dissolved into a sea of dark static before resolving into a crisp high resolution image. The screen did not show a military command center or a laboratory. It displayed a dark featureless room where three human silhouettes sat behind a long polished table.Heavy shadows obscured their faces and their clothing. They existed only as dark voids against a dim gray background. They were the architects of the new world and they called themselves The State."General Varga," the center silhouette spoke. The voice was heavily modulated to conceal any identifying pitch or tone. It sounded like grinding metal and crushing stone. "We are monitoring the localized radio traffic across your assigned territory. We hear your infantry screaming in the streets."Varga gripped the edge of the console. He kept his hands pinned to the metal to hide their violent trembling. The arrogant warlord who crushed skulls and burned cities suddenly felt like a frightened child called before a jud