Chapter 32: Breach into the Abyssal Trench

The descent into the Abyssal Trench smelled like rot, ozone, and Jax’s cheap tobacco.

The war party piled into Outpost 79’s reinforced assault transport, a heavy-duty monster truck equipped with tank treads and enough armor to withstand a nuclear blast. Jax was riding shotgun, casually feeding belt-fed explosive rounds into her dual-barrel cannon while humming a dirty tavern tune.

"So, boss lady," Jax shouted over the roar of the massive engine, glancing back at Phoenix. "How are we handling the Hive-Mother? Sneak past her guards, crack the vault, and run like hell? Or are we doing the stupid option?"

"Jax, darling," Phoenix purred, lounging back on an ammo crate while sharpening her star-iron spear with a diamond file. "When have I ever picked the smart option? We blow the front door off, slaughter everything with more than two eyes, and loot the vault till our pockets burst."

"I fucking love this squad," Jax grinned, racking a massive shell into her cannon.

In the back row, Killian was carefully adjusting Phoenix’s shoulder pauldrons, his massive hands surprisingly gentle despite his SS-rank strength. His knuckles occasionally brushed the sensitive skin at the base of her neck, sending a sharp, electric shiver down her spine.

"Armor's secure, Boss," Killian growled low, his deep voice vibrating right against her ear. "If the Hive-Mother gets past me, feel free to demote me to squad mascot."

"Mascot?" Phoenix smirked, turning her head just enough to catch his stormy blue eyes. "You're way too big and bitey to be a mascot, handsome. Besides, I like you right where you are—covering my back and looking ridiculously pretty while doing it."

Killian’s jaw twitched, a bright flush rising instantly on his neck as he cleared his throat and looked away, gripping his greatsword so hard the leather wrap groaned.

"Alright, lovers, save the foreplay for after we survive!" Valerie barked from the driver's seat, her hands white-knuckling the steering wheel as the truck hit a steep drop into the dark trench. "Soren, give me readings!"

Soren, who was sitting cross-legged on a stack of battery packs with his cybernetic neck-port glowing bright green, didn't even flinch as the truck bounced wildly. "We’ve got thousands of bio-signals swarming the main cavern. Lower tier drones, soldier guards, and one giant, ugly bitch sitting right on top of the vault entrance."

"And Sterling's guys?" Phoenix asked, her eyes narrowing with lethal focus.

"A covert Class A strike team just breached the eastern wall of the trench," Soren chuckled, flicking ash off his cigarette. "They think they're sneaking in unnoticed. They have no idea we’re about to hit the front door like a runaway freight train."

"Perfect," Phoenix cackled, rising to her feet and slinging her spear across her back. "Toby! Prepare the party favors!"

"Party favors locked and loaded!" Toby screamed frantically from the roof hatch, where he had mounted his modified tactical mower directly onto the truck's turret ring. "Deploying anti-matter fireworks in three... two... ONE!"

BOOM!

The assault transport blew through the thick outer crust of the Abyssal Trench, airborne for three glorious, airborne seconds before smashing down directly into the center of the Hive-Mother's breeding chamber.

Thousands of razor-clawed Abyssal drones screeched in horror as thirty tons of steel flattened fifty of their kin in an instant.

At the far end of the cavern, perched atop a massive, glowing blue Imperial Vault door, sat the Hive-Mother—a grotesque, fifty-foot monster with glowing crimson eyes, dripping acid jaws, and a pulsing egg sac the size of a house.

"Jesus fucking Christ, that thing is hidous!" Jax yelled, immediately opening fire with her heavy cannons. High-explosive shells ripped through the air, detonating against the beast's armored hide in a cascade of yellow gore.

Across the cavern, a hidden squad of Sterling’s Class A mercenaries scrambled out of the shadows, their high-tech camouflage failing under the flashing explosions. Their commander froze, looking at the giant truck, the screaming mower, and Phoenix standing on the hood like a vengeful war deity.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS SQUAD OUTCAST DOING HERE?!" the mercenary commander screamed over his radio.

Phoenix didn't answer with words. She detonated off the hood of the truck with a thunderous SSS-rank shockwave, flying straight across the cavern toward the Hive-Mother's face.

"Hey, ugly!" Phoenix’s voice echoed through the cavern, smooth, mocking, and backed by a terrifying dragon roar. "You're sitting on my loot!"