Sonic Boom Rifts - 01 Adam Chilson (v1.0) A message from the scanner: I apologize in advance for the quality of this book, but due to the lack of proper editing in the original paperback there was no way to correct some of the errors. Most of the spelling errors and missing punctuation have been fixed, however, there are several places where entire sections of text are missing. A look at reviews of the paperback version of this book will give you an idea of the number of errors that were missed by the editor. I realise that because of these errors this book will not be up to my usual standards, but there is no way to fix the areas that are missing. I figured that even in this state, it is still better than not having the book at all. I hope you are still able to enjoy the book. Undead Prelude Searing walls of incendiary destruction rolled away from the point of detonation. Multiple warheads mirrored the first, their glowing domes rising skyward. Millions of cries were silenced in an instant by the spreading nuclear inferno. The earth shuddered beneath the melting towers and nature moved to finish what man inadvertently sought to accomplish. Complete and utter genocide. Shifting tectonic plates threw down cities and shook lakes from their beds. Displaced water left its ocean home, and floods sprung from the ruptured earth to cover the wasted land. Thrust up by incalculable force, magma burst its fragile bonds and set fire to what humanity failed to ignite. Cities ablaze blocked out the sun with their rising smoke. But the holocaust had just begun. Dormant for thousands of years, the lattice work of ley lines interwoven around the planet surged with power like never before since the dawn of man. Millions of people gave up their life force energy at the moment of death, and the energy surged down the lines like a flood without a dam. Incomprehensible powers of nature charged out of control, waves of energy colliding with violent turbulence. At the point of nexus the most destructive phenomenon yet took place. The very fabric of time and space was torn apart at the seams, creating Rifts into realms never intended to meet. Energy gushed forth, sweeping down the surging lines and sending billions more to feed the insatiable Rifts. Mankind?s citadels of concrete and steel were nothing more than a house of cards before the devastating onslaught of energy. Humanity was plunged into a dark age illuminated by the eerie blue glow of the ley lines. Once again nature dominated the earth. For two hundred years mankind teetered precariously close to extinction while the world healed itself of its wounds. From the Rifts had come new contenders for the land; Dimensional Beings from alien worlds and far off places in countless forms of the universe. Some viewed the strange world with its surging lines of power as a wonderful new place to explore and study; others called it home. Among the new inhabitants of Earth were extraordinary beings with plans of conquest and acquisition. Not all were willing to share the land with Earth?s native species. Even as mankind clawed its way from the abyss, a new struggle was about to begin. Decades passed quickly for those constructing their lives from the apocalyptic ashes of their world. Feudalistic societies grew up in the wilderness, carving out their existence by what means they could obtain. Some derived their might based on technology of centuries past, while others adapted to the changing world and harnessed the incredible powers of the ley lines. Still others found allegiance with strange new races also forging their lives from the wastelands. Many more perished at the hands of supernatural invaders from the Rifts. As the dawn of a new age sheds its first rays of light, it reveals that the age of man has vanished into the past. In a world where only the strong survive, the challenge is set forth and battles are waged. Who will arise victorious is the eternal mystery, but for those struggling for survival it is their life. These are their tales? Chapter 1 Breaking glass gave away the rebel?s position. The Enforcer?s audio amplifiers registered rapid speech and glass crunching underfoot. There were no windows in the ruins of old Chicago. ?Lisa, thermo scan three o?clock,? The robot?s pilot instructed his co-pilot / communications officer. ?Scanning. Two heat signatures, third floor, approximately twenty meters. Too much heat for body armor. These two aren?t ours.? ?Call it in,? Dave instructed her and switched the Enforcer?s targeting system over to thermo-imaging. Two targets. Probably not much of a threat to the heavily armored war machine he piloted, but this area was restricted and they shouldn?t be here anyway, He rationalized. Bringing the shoulder-mounted rail gun around, Dave locked the sights on the closest target and flipped the selector to single round discharge. There was no need for overkill. ?All clear,? Lisa stated, almost cheerfully. ?The Lieutenant says it?s a clean shoot. Sharp spotted rebels in sector seven, about two dozen. Cowboy and a fire squad are checking it out. The Lieutenant wants us to go back him up after we?re done here.? ?Affirmative. Tell him we?re on the way.? Dave pushed the fire button and a cold spot appeared in the center of the target?s torso. The second target was running now. Where did he think he could go? Hydraulics whined as the robot?s torso rotated, rail gun following the rebel?s frantic course. The high speed kinetic slug hadn?t slowed a bit, tearing clear through the fleeing rebel?s body and continuing its course past the next dozen walls. ?Probably a D-Bee anyway,? Dave muttered, switching targeting back to visual. Patrolling these ruins wasn?t his idea of a well-spent afternoon, but HQ thought some rebel stragglers were holed up here and assigned his unit to seek and destroy. So far this had been too easy. The Enforcer prowled around a dilapidated brick building?as quietly as an eighteen-ton robot could move?and headed for sector seven. Dave hoped he would have a better story to tell than two dead rebels before his patrol was over. ?How many times ?av I gotta tell you bone heads! Keep it on setting three!? Cowboy yelled to be heard above the roar of another four-story building collapsing in a fiery heap. Bullets screamed and ricocheted like a swarm of angry hornets around the five man fire squad, the crack of automatic weapon fire almost deafening. ?But they?re shooting at us!? Bill yelled back over the roar. Fifteen rebels had set up the perfect ambush, and the Coalition soldiers had walked right into it. Now they poured lead down on the soldiers standing in the street below. So far they had messed the hell out of the paint job on the soldiers? composite body armor. ?Jist take ?em out one at a time. On setting three!? Cowboy pointed at the selector switch on his own C-12 laser assault rifle for emphasis. ?And don?t ever let the Sergeant catch you doing that!? He pointed to the burning rubble. Cowboy shouldered his weapon and opened up on the rebels in the old toy store down the street. A rebel screamed, several smoldering craters burned into his chest. His companions fled as the five man fire squad sprayed them with laser blasts. ?Rex! Nim! Go finish off the ones you didn?t kill!? Cowboy ordered. Several rebels howled in agony inside smoldering buildings. War was tough, but even these rebels didn?t need to suffer. Compassion was a quick end to one?s enemy. Cowboy turned to fire on a fleeing rebel when a mini-missile struck the soldier behind him. Nim?s arm shattered and his ribs cracked inside his armor; the squad was flattened by the blast. Hurled eight meters by the explosion, Nim sailed head first through a wall and slammed into a steel support. Temporarily deafened and feeling numb from the impact shock, Cowboy spied his C-12 another five meters beyond him. Thank the Coalition for full environmental body armor, he thought, and jumped up without feeling his legs beneath him. Snatching up the assault rifle, Cowboy turned to see his squad running for cover as the second rocket cratered the earth, sending Rex into the side of a burned out Chevy van. To hell with orders, Cowboy thought, and flipped the selector switch to level one. Time to kick some ass. Leaping up, he saw smoke rising from the four-story savings and loan down the block. ?Bye bye assholes!? Cowboy let out a battle cry and held down the trigger. Bricks exploded and girders slagged away as blast after blast burned through the structure. It groaned and creaked, then disappeared in a cloud of dust and smoke. Cowboy thought for an instant he might have gotten the wrong building when a bright flash and shock wave knocked him off his feet. The rebel?s magazine spread brick fragments and metal shards for blocks. Perched atop a venerable sky scraper, Sharp watched the cloud of smoke and dust. Cowboy, he thought, it had to be. ?What the hell just happened, Sharp?? Lieutenant Merrick?s voice cracked over Sharp?s helmet radio. ?I can?t raise Cowboy, you got anything?? ?Pretty much the usual, Lieutenant. Looks like Cowboy just blew up a city block, again.? ?I?m sending in the Enforcer. Keep an eye on it. Greg out.? ?Yes sir. Sharp out.? The spotter moved to another corner, putting the multi-optics weapon sight to his eye. Something was moving down there. Increasing magnification, Sharp had a clear view of the airborne exoskeleton maneuvering down alleys and side streets. Titan make flying power armor. Quick, deadly, and headed toward the Lieutenant?s hover rover. ?Sharp to Lieutenant Merrick, over.? Sharp spoke calmly. ?Greg.? ?You got a Titan make exo sniffing you out. Looks like they?re armed with a rifle and wing mounted...
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