Imminent Domain. SEAN KOPING

the explosives!!”

      The Colonel swore beneath his breath.

      Without thinking I leapt over our barricade and sprinted toward the on-coming Podies. Behind me the Colonel called for covering fire. Reaching the edge of the glass-tiled deck I put aside my rifle and dropped to one knee. Drawing my USP46 I focused through the moving forest slender deformed legs and fired.

      The explosion rocked the deck and bathed the advancing podies in flames. Several were thrown clear by the violent explosion. The glass-tiled floor cracked white with hair-line fractures, to my surprise, remained intact. Recovering quickly the podies charged past the charred remains of their brethren with renewed vigor. Stunned, I knelt there as they came right at me.

      Suddenly the Colonel appeared at my side with Matilda. The horde surged towards us. He looked at me angrily,

      “While I appreciate the initiative, Son, if we survive this…,” the Colonel growled softly, “You and I are gonna have a little talk.”

      Pulling me to my feet and out of my stupor he shoved me back toward the barricade. Glancing over my shoulder I realized that he wasn’t following. As a matter of fact he stood his ground at the border where the glass tiles ended and the steel deck floor began.

      Before I could yell a warning the sawn-off Maverick-88 12 gauge pump-action shot-gun let out its signature ‘Crack-Clack’ as the Colonel chambered a shell and looked away. Without aiming he fired into the cracked glass-floor. About second after the deafening blast, the glass floor which comprised the roof the fourteen deck atrium, shattered and collapsed instantly swallowing up the horde of podies.

      For the moment we had stopped the podies. A few of us let out shouts of victory and jeered at the podies as they gathered on the opposite side of the gap utterly confused.

      “This isn’t over yet, People!” the Colonel pointed out wasting no time with celebration. “Train, Captain Li I want the adjoining port and starboard passages and balconies cordoned off. We’ll focus on containment till our back-up arrives. All non-combatants report to the heli-pad.”

      Turning on his heel walked away from edge toward the others who were now emerging from behind the barricades,

      “Mr. Portland, tell about my explosi-.”

      Suddenly from the lip of the chasm where we were standing a podie sprang into the air as if shot from a cannon. Sailing over my head it slammed into the Colonel’s back and slammed his face into the steel plated deck. Straddling the stunned Colonel the podie raised its scythe-like arm and was just about deliver the killing blow when I did the only thing I could think of, I body-tackled it.