Chapter 25, Like M.C.Escher’s House of Stairs.
Paris, Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tower and Champ de Mars.
People from Paris were proud of the Eiffel Tower. Their monument went through red brown, brown ocher, some yellows variations, and since 1968, the Eiffel Tower’s brown. It still was painted with different colors, as the more the metal parts got close together, the more “dark” the grouped colors would seem. Painters then used three different tones for their work, the darkest close to the ground, brightest one for the top, and middle tone between.
Takashi was flying high above Paris, checking as his drones took position around the mission’s area. He had them cloaked, ready to undertake a secret mission that would help, not only the Paris’ team, but all gantzers around the world. If all went well, the team tonight wouldn’t notice the big differences with their usual fights. A little away from the tower, were the police put their provisional HQ white truck, a shiny black sixteen wheels truck was parked, ready. It’s driver, an insurance agent, was in the police truck, drinking coffee while looking at the different screens in front of him. A police officer reported to him the present forces readiness to evacuate civilians and bring them to the truck.
“Clear the surrounding streets too, I want a five blocks buffer zone around the Champ de Mars and the Montparnasse tower, we don’t know if the combat zone will grow or evolve.”
“Yes, sir.”
I already saw what you could do in Japan, don’t disappoint me. He thought.
He then threw his empty coffee cup in the garbage can, taking another one fuming hot, from the isotherm box.
At least I can still drink good coffee, can’t say I wasn’t surprised the Japanese imported beans from Reunion Island.
Team Montparnasse.
Kurono and Camille opened fire when they spotted their targets. They could see the Eiffel tower team firing at the same time. The snake-monkeys’ nests were either under the first floor, or near the third. Kurono was shooting monkey after monkey from the nests near the top, making sure the combat team was safe. Next to her, Camille was doing the same for the first floor. The problem with theses aliens were multiples.
Their twin tails with snakes heads.
Their muscular arms and bodies.
Their claws.
Their fangs.
But the most troublesome features were their backs. Bubbling with innumerable small bumps. Each and every single one of them, an egg.
Takashi warned the team when he saw them. Unlike gantz’ description as “hate bananas”. His was frightening. They could spread eggs instantaneously, and it would grow to the small monkeys high of 1,5 meters in a few seconds. They would be deadly under twenty seconds. If a single monkey escaped, it could hatch a whole new troop in a few minutes.
Team Aerial Corps.
“Ready to launch?”
“I was born ready!” replied Squirrel.
“...” When she saw Takashi turn his head behind him questioningly she added.
“Always wanted to say that.” before spreading her arms and legs, deploying her wingsuit. She may not have a deep-rooted fear of a certain kind of nocturnal animals, but she pulled the move spectacularly.
Sorry Christopher N. I liked your movie but after tonight, if you ever do the same stunt it will be considered a copyright violation. Wonder if Hollywood could put her name on it? Could downright became a brand or genre.
G-GM Zero pushed his engines, making a close-up near the ground reaping countless monkeys as he did so.
Team Eiffel Tower.
Kurono’s moves were spectaculars. He was jumping from one metal support to another, not letting the monkeys ever got close to him. He was even trapping them by luring them to a supposed advantageous position, just to jump to another foothold less than five seconds later at most. His training payed, as he was the most efficient behind Takashi as this kind of moves. Reason why he was assigned to the top part of the tower. His partner for the mission was Sam, a.k.a Victor.
As a member from the GRIMP, he was used to find himself in dangerous and tricky situations. Kurono didn’t know what the acronym meant and after a too long moment of silence he gave up and asked what it meant.
French acronym GRIMP, with a pun on the verb “grimper” meaning to climb, was constituted of the words Group de Recherche et d’Intervention en Milieu Périllieux. Or, Perilous Environment, Research and Intervention Group. With a look of total disinterest in the differences between the English and French versions of the acronym, Kurono only replied he was just a really jumpy kid.
A hundred meter under them, Needle, or Richard was trying for the world record of monkey-javelin, monkey-bowling, monkey-hammer-throw, and whatever names he came up with. He never used a riffle or a gun, but the monkeys themselves. The worst of them ended up as a flail, full of goo and blood, leaving fur, spit and teeth. The jock looked like a gory and bloody version of Michelangelo in the TMNT. Changing nunchaku every-time his old one was “broken”.
And he upgraded to two nunchakus now… thanks a lot their isn’t an alien version of Green Peace. I’m not cleaning the floor after him. Thought Frederic.
Tom and Frederic were shooting the monkeys, back to back. Covering each other. Tom was supposed to at least. Frederic had to shoot monkeys before they reached him. At first, he thought the young dancer was nervous and afraid, but by glancing at him when he was saving him again and again, he realized the truth. He was simply distracted. That freaking Billy Elliot kept looking at the other teams again and again. It finally earned him a head-slap.
Team Champ de Mars.
Anzu was firing in succession, never stopping as Sei drove around the green field. Luckily, Takashi’s plan to clear the area helped them all, as she didn’t have to be careful of the civilians. At least at first. They hadn’t started firing for least than two minutes that the monkeys rushed in the Montparnasse tower direction. Crashing, bumping and slashing at everything in their way.
“Sei, Anzu, fire at will, shoot civilian if needed don’t worry.”
“SHOOTING CIVILIANS? Are you crazy Takashi?” Screamed Sei. Not believing the word her longtime crush said.
“Yep, I know, but believe me, your Y-guns will differentiate the aliens and the civilians. The later will be transferred near the Champ de Mars at the provisional police HQ. Best gun for crowded areas ever. I’m coming too”.
And that’s what they started to do. Creating a panic alas, as people only saw them shooting indiscriminately at everything that moved. Thankfully, Takashi’s drones were deployed there too. They were fast to shoot with their inboard Y-guns. In less than a minute, the street was clear of the civilians, the only people still here being the police troops. The later were in disarray until an authoritative voice commanded them to shut up. It was then explained that all disappeared people were currently in the police HQ, safe and sound.
“Reika-chan, prepare for incoming, they climbing the tower.”
Reika was ready for them, her traps and perimeter array of sensors deployed.
