Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 48: Our Turn

"Talon-1 and Talon-2, inbound to Fireteam A position. ETA: Two minutes," said the pilot of the Apache with a callsign, Talon 1.

Inside Talon-1, Captain James Whitaker, the lead pilot, scanned the battlefield through his helmet-mounted display.

"IR sensors picking up multiple hostiles," his co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Derek Nolan, reported. "A lot of movement on the bridge. What's left of Fireteam Alpha?"

Static filled the radio before Command's grim response came through.

"Fireteam Alpha is gone. Assume all ground personnel are KIA," Thomas informed with a low voice, completely affected from their loss as they were the first summons that had been killed.

Whitaker tightened his grip on the cyclic stick. "Shit."

Talon-2's pilot, Lieutenant Brian Adler, came through the radio. "Command, confirm if any survivors are still moving."

"Negative. Drone feed shows no movement. Your priority is eliminating all remaining hostiles."

A pause.

Then Thomas's voice came through—cold, controlled.

"Do not drop below 500 feet. Those things can reach you. Engage from range."

Whitaker nodded. "Copy that. We'll light them up from here."

His HUD locked onto the Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge, the infrared sensors painting eighteen remaining targets—the Mawbeasts, still prowling near the wreckage of the downed Black Hawk.

"Talon-1 engaging."

Whitaker flicked the weapon selector on his cyclic stick, switching to the M230 30mm chain gun.

Meanwhile, the Mawbeasts sniffed the air, their elongated heads snapping toward the approaching helicopters. Their glowing eyes reflected the searchlights from above.

One of them—the largest in the pack—let out a deep, guttural snarl.

They knew they were being hunted.

Talon-1 opened fire.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The M230 chain gun sent explosive 30mm rounds raining down on the bridge, the rounds detonating on impact.

A Mawbeast caught the first burst center mass, its chest obliterated in an instant, its body shattering apart as the force of the blast flung it off the bridge into the murky waters below.

Another Mawbeast sprinted, zigzagging through the wreckage.

Talon-2's gunner adjusted his aim, tracking it.

"Got you."

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The 30mm rounds smashed through its ribcage, the sheer kinetic force splitting it in half, sending a shower of blackened ichor into the air.

One of the Mawbeasts leapt from the wreckage, trying to scale a nearby building.

Whitaker switched to Hydra rockets.

"No, you don't."

FWOOOOSH!

A pair of Hydra 70 rockets streaked down.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion engulfed the creature, the shockwave sending shrapnel in all directions. Its charred remains crumbled off the side of the bridge, a smoldering husk.

The remaining Mawbeasts scattered, realizing that their usual predatory tactics meant nothing against the sheer firepower raining down from the sky.

Talon-1's gunner lined up another shot. "Next target."

One of the Mawbeasts broke into a sprint, heading for the ruins of the Black Hawk, trying to use it as cover.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The 30mm cannon rounds found their mark. The Mawbeast's upper body disappeared in a fine mist, its lower half collapsing onto the burning wreckage.

A second Mawbeast attempted to leap off the bridge, diving into the streets below.

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Talon-2 didn't let it escape.

FWOOOOSH!

A Hydra rocket intercepted it mid-air.

BOOM.

The fireball illuminated the night sky, chunks of flesh raining down onto the city streets below.

Nine left.

Whitaker switched back to his M230 chain gun, tracking two more Mawbeasts darting between wrecked vehicles.

"Still moving. Engaging."

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The first was ripped apart, its limbs separating from its torso as the explosive rounds ripped through its carapace-like hide.

The second dodged, leaping behind an overturned bus.

But Talon-2 anticipated it.

Adler lined up his sights.

THUMP-THUMP!

The first round punched through the bus, setting off a chain reaction as the vehicle exploded, sending debris flying in all directions.

The Mawbeast never emerged.

Whitaker's HUD pinged three more targets—one of them, the Alpha Mawbeast, the largest in the pack.

It wasn't running.

It stood its ground.

Whitaker smirked. "Let's see how tough you really are."

He fired a Hellfire missile.

WHOOSH!

The AGM-114 Hellfire missile streaked down, its laser-guided system locking onto the Alpha Mawbeast's heat signature.

The creature finally moved—too late.

BOOOOOOM!

The explosion devastated the bridge, the shockwave collapsing what little structure remained under the Mawbeast's feet.

When the smoke cleared—nothing was left.

"Direct hit," Nolan confirmed.

Talon-2 cleaned up the last two stragglers.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The final Mawbeast fell, its body reduced to a pile of steaming gore.

The bridge went silent.

Thomas watched the drone feed as the last Mawbeast ceased moving.

He exhaled. It was done.

"Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge is clear, but we still have undead crossing it," Whitaker reported.

Thomas sat in the MOA Command Center, his eyes locked onto the live drone feed. Though the Mawbeasts had been eradicated, thousands of shambling undead were still pouring onto the bridge. The initial collapse of Guadalupe Bridge had rerouted the horde, and now they were funneling toward the remaining crossings.

He pressed his radio.

"Talon-1, Talon-2, return to base, the rest of the air support in the air will take care of their respective fireteams, over."

"Copy that."

Thomas exhaled, his mind already shifting to the next point of battle. The horde was adapting, and so would they.

He turned to Adrian Vance, Chief of Air Force.

"Status on the other bridges?"

Marcus adjusted the holographic display, highlighting the remaining two strategic crossings.

"Fireteam Bravo is still holding at Estrella-Pantaleon, but they're seeing increased undead movement. Fireteam Charlie at Jones Bridge is reporting large groups of fast-movers, possibly more enhanced infected."

"Are those normal or mutated?" Adrian asked, turning his head to Thomas.

"Nope, those zombies just moved fast," Thomas replied, though he could certainly notice that the other zombies are just moving too fast than the others.

Marcus crossed his arms. "If they get overrun like Fireteam Alpha—"

"They won't," Thomas interrupted. His eyes were cold. "We've learned our lesson. Deploying Apaches first, ground forces second. We clear the area before we send in boots on the ground. Now, let's consider the worst possible scenario. If there are other mutated zombies like the Mawbeast who are stronger than them, then we'll have to prepare for the possible overrun. Even though we blew up the Guadalupe bridge, the timer didn't even change. We now have less than an hour before the real wave begins."

"What is your plan sir?" Marcus asked.

Thomas then flickered his gaze to Rebecca. "I want all civilians and non-essential staff in the SMX Convention Center. That way when the fighting reaches the MOA complex, they won't distract our troops, as they are going to simply focus on killing the zombies, not rescuing them in each of their rooms."