critical moment, but hindsight was always more accurate than foresight.
The MPT sounded off, but it still worked.
“Energy levels rising, Commander. In twenty seconds, the laser will be ready.”
Bao nodded. The fuzziness in his mind faded as his adrenaline surged. He sat forward in his chair. The great moment of his life had arrived. It was inspiring. His frown evened away to a calm appearance. He forgot about the pain in his ears.
“Engage the lead Behemoth,” Bao said.
The MPT pumped massive power into the laser coils. The energy poured into the chambers and pumped the laser. The incredibly heavy beam struck the first focusing mirror. Then it shot out of the cannon in a tight ray, traveling at the speed of light and crossing the forty-one kilometers instantly.
Bao curled the fingers of his right hand into a fist.
“Miss,” the targeting officer said.
“Recalibrate,” Bao said, refusing to raise his voice. He could imagine American surprise, seeing the ground burn near the tank. He wanted the enemy to face an even greater surprise.
“We’re ready,” the targeting officer said.
“Fire,” Bao said once more.
The massive beam shot again, and this time it struck the Behemoth.
“Keep the beam on target,” Bao said. His eyes itched as he stared at the screen. Would it work? Did the MC ABM #3 have the power to burn through the thick armor?
“The tank is moving, Commander,” the targeting officer said.
“Keep the beam on target,” Bao said.
The MPT’s howl turned into something fiercer. Despite himself, Bao’s face screwed up in pain. The magnetic-propulsion turbine wasn’t supposed to sound like that. Bao clamped his hands around the headphones/mufflers, pressing them against his ears to protect his hearing from the horrible sound.
He watched the screen. The beam struck the same tank again. The enemy vehicle kept moving. The ferocious beam speared across the forty-one kilometers. It stayed on one spot now, burning and melting into the incredible armor. Much of the heat dissipated throughout the rest of the armor. The front plate began to glow. Liquid metal poured away as the beam chewed deeper into the armor. Then the beam breached the mighty Behemoth and exploded the power plant inside. A tremendous explosion blew off the top turret hatch. Flames geysered twenty meters high. The giant enemy vehicle ground to a halt, its crew dead and burned and its vitals destroyed.
“We killed it, Commander!” the targeting officer shouted.
“Good,” Bao said. “Shut down the MPT.”
Immediately, the horrible howl quit.
“Red levels in octagon regions,” the Engine Tech said.
“Flush it with number seven coolant,” Bao said. “We’re going to need the laser soon.”
“The recommended wait is twenty minutes, Commander.”
“No,” Bao said. “You have three. Now begin the procedure, we lack time for further discussion.”
I-70, COLORADO
“Fire!” Stan shouted from his commander’s seat.
For the seventh time so far, the mighty engine revved and supplied power to the rail-gun. A surge shook the tank. The penetrator roared from the cannon and sped at Mach 10 toward the hateful laser tanks.
Forty-one kilometers was longer than effective rail-gun accuracy. They were deadly accurate within ten kilometers. They could hit most of the time at twenty. Forty-one was too much for battlefield accuracy, although the shells had no problem reaching that far.
“Miss,” the gunner said.
Stan could see that on his screen.
“We’re heating up,” Jose shouted.
Stan heard the hateful sound once more. A heavy laser beam chewed through the armor. It was a bubbling noise and a high-pitch screech.
“Move, move, move!” Stan shouted.
He’d already lost three Behemoths to the lasers.
The air-conditioners began to hum and sweat beaded onto Stan’s face. The heat rose to an intolerable level in here. The great Behemoth lurched to the right and then it spun on one giant tread, and went back and left. The beam missed now, flashing past.
The terrible heat in the compartment lessened as the air conditioner did its work and because the laser no longer poured heat onto the tank.
“Fire again,” Stan shouted.
The engine revved, the surge came and Stan pushed out of his seat and climbed up, throwing open the hatch. He looked down. The front armor was still red hot, and there were three big burn holes, but none had breached the hull. Some of the melted metal had cooled into strange-looking lumps. Stan looked back, and he saw steam rise from clumps of burned-off Behemoth armor sitting in melted snow.
As Stan watched, Dan Clifford’s tank ground to a halt. The front armor was glowing red, with a hole in it. The top hatch blew away. Flames roared upward.