Wrath of Doc

Doc feels like he's caught between the axe and the grinder. He knows he's got to take control of the situation or they'll all be killed or worse.

He decides a motivating speech is in order. "Gentlemen, let's look at this a minute. I can get us across the bridge and through town with a minimum of fuss, or we can raise unholy hell and perhaps kill some of them and most or all of us. I understand that your thirst for revenge is strong, and I am all about justice, but we six men and a boy are not about to fight and overcome every man, woman, and child in that village and live to tell the tale. We are not to die today. Sure, we have mighty weapons and great skill but that won't carry the day. Let us use our minds AND our warrior skills to overcome this."

Skullfucker looks about to protest, but shuts up quickly. When the speech ends, he asks, "So what do you have in mind?"

"First of all, any adult male who opposes us is fair game. Anyone else isn't. Remember what we are after: the remains of your people and your culture, not the wretches who were so cruel to you. We have come for rescue, not for retribution."

"Can't we do both?" asks Skullfucker.

"Not right now. We've got a mountain to climb, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." The vikings nod in agreement.

"Doc," starts Mark.

Doc takes him and Broderick aside. "No one will be hurt. We're going to put the fear of the Lord into them, but no one will be hurt. Mark, get that rocket launcher ready. Aim at the tower and wait for my signal. Broderick, I need you to play your role as druid."

"[But, I don't...]"

"Just start chanting gibberish at the sky. That's all you have to do."

Brother Broderick nods, nervous as always.

Doc turns to the rest. "Alright. Fair warning, we're going to raise some serious hell. There will be fire and noise and fearful things the likes of which you've never seen or will ever see again, but remember: it's on our side. Just get ready to run across the bridge when I say go, got it?"

"Got it," agrees the party.

"Good. Thunderhorse, Skullfucker, Fairhairson, you lead the way. Mark and I will provide cover fire. Aerikson, you and the druid stay behind us, got it? Everybody ready?"

"Aye!" call the Vikings in unison.

Doc turns to Broderick. "Druid, begin your spell," he says aloud.

Brother Broderick starts humming a low drone, interrupted occasionally with words spoken in backwards latin. "Lord, please don't let me die," is the gist of it.

Doc calls Veronica. "You still up there?"

"Affirmative. No sign of modern tech on the radar. Everything alright on the ground?"

"Yes, but I need some fireworks. Can you help me out?"

"Fireworks?"

"Fire, brimstone, wrath of God kinda stuff. Got any?"

"I think I've got what you need. What location?"

"See the village across the river from us? Within sight, but no casualties, okay?"

"Understood. Cover your ears and close your eyes. Bochkariva out."

Doc returns to the group. He motions for everyone to stay down.

The Maria Bochkariva appears silently and swiftly from the eastern horizon, flying low. The roar of her powerful engines catches up with her as she stops to hover directly over the village. The sleeping guards awaken, the fishermen drop their nets, people start shouting and crying. Some run out of their homes, some run in.

Broderick is crying, too, but he continues chanting. The vikings are impressed.

"By Odin's all seeing eye!" Fairhairson cries. "You've summoned a dragon!"

Veronica revs her forward maneuvering jets, blowing small bursts of fire from the "nostrils" of the monster, her engines roaring.

Two archers appear on the tower and start flinging arrows at the starship. They glance easily off the armored hull. The Bochkariva suddenly turns upward and rockets into the sky. As she dissapears into the upper atmosphere, she leaves a small flare behind.

Veronica calls in. "Cover in ten seconds, nine, eight, seven..."

Doc yells at everyone to look away.

"...five, four, three, two, one."

The flare bursts with an eye scorching light. For an instant, Doc can see the bones of his hands through his eyelids and the sunglasses. The air turns hot, like he just walked into a dry sauna. The ground around them turns from white to brown as the light snow cover melts instantly away. Nothing catches fire.

They look up. A giant fireball glows high in the sky. Clouds form, rippling along the edge of the shockwave growing away from the new sun. The clouds expand closer and closer.

Doc yells at everyone to cover their ears.

Even muffled through their hands, the shockwave is the loudest thing anyone but Doc has ever heard.

Thatch blows off the rooves of the huts. Fires are extinguished. The trees shake loose the all the melted ice they held. Older villagers, at least those who haven't already fainted, are blown off their feet. The cross falls off the church across the town. The stone houses still stand.

Doc's had to go through this drill before. This bomb wasn't anywhere near as large the one he sat under in training. This one was only 20 kilotons or so, and was extremely well placed. Those who looked should be temporarily blinded, those who heard it will be temporarily deafened, and everyone will be scared shitless. No one will suffer any permanent damage, apart from some hearing loss roughly equivalent to a youth spent at metal concerts.

Doc signals Mark to fire.