by Greg Sorber
Her wish was answered in the most unexpected way. She thought screevers had overrun him, yet Lancer stood, defiant on his four—no, three legs—with his spear in hand, ready for action. His shiny skin dulled by dust, dents and scratches, but he wasn’t out of the fight. She didn’t understand how he made it out of that mess, but she wouldn’t question her luck.
Lancer charged Zeta IX. It wasn’t the explosive sprint she’d seen him capable of; it was an awkward, halting gallop. At the last second, he threw his spear. It deflected off the Reaper’s shoulder, but it distracted him just long enough. Lancer continued his charge and ran straight at Zeta IX, jumped into the air and kicked with his three remaining legs, knocking the Reaper off of his feet. Lancer followed Zeta IX’s descent and pinned the mech to the ground, raining punches on his face.
Misty didn’t think she’d get another chance. She set the explosive to remote detonation and transferred the detonation function to her mech suit. She crept in close, trying to stay out of Zeta IX’s sight. Lancer noticed her approach, acknowledged her with a quick nod, and then adjusted his stance to give her access to Zeta IX’s side. She slipped the explosive into the gash created by Angel and widened by Dennis’s acid attack with the sprayer. As soon as she’d placed the explosive, Zeta IX lunged and Lancer toppled backwards off of his foe. Before he could regain his footing, Zeta IX formed a spear of energy and plunged it into the Lancer’s chest. He withdrew it and plunged it in again. Lancer grasped at the spear futilely before collapsing.
Misty ran as fast as she could to get out range from the coming blast. When she felt she had reached a safe distance, she activated the detonation switch for the explosive. She waited for an explosion, but nothing happened. She turned and Zeta IX was there, energy spear in hand. He lashed out with the spear and it sliced through her mech suit’s armor as if it weren’t even there. She felt a searing pain shoot through her entire body.
She screamed.
Zeta IX reached out and grabbed her mech suit, then smashed her to the ground. She reached up with one hand, but Zeta IX batted it aside. He lifted his foot and stomped down. She felt metal crushing around her body. It became difficult to breathe—then nothing.
Angel regained awareness once his sensors filtered out the overwhelming surge of—of everything. He tried reviving Gladius, but the mech’s sensors were still dealing with the attack. Angel’s sensors were more advanced and processed the overload of sensory data more efficiently. Mechs were shielded to the effects of an EMP, but Zeta IX’s coordinated attack with the screevers had overwhelmed their sensors, rendering them useless. Everything about the Reaper class countered the Archangel class. Angel’s creators had added the Lightbringer Protocols near the end of the war, so there was no way Zeta IX had any knowledge of those. Zeta IX’s last attack had given him the boost of power he’d needed to access those protocols. It was time to put them to use.
Off in the distance, Misty and Dennis rushed towards Zeta IX. They tried to distract the mech from attacking Gladius and himself while they were incapacitated. He was grateful, but they were foolish. Their mech suits were no match for the Reaper’s size and technological advantage. Yet their charge worked, at least temporarily.
They avoided Zeta IX’s first attack. Dennis attacked the mech by turning a screever against him and spraying him with acid, but now he was out of the battle, his mech suit destroyed.
Misty took up the attack. And Lancer—how had he survived?
He heard Misty scream, and Lancer was down again. This time it appeared to he was down forever. Zeta IX impaled Misty with his spear and crushed her mech suit beneath his foot.
It was now or never. Angel initiated the Lightbringer Protocols. His body filled with power. His mind exploded with knowledge. Yes! He knew what he needed to know and everything he was meant to be. With no more power issues, the Lightbringer Protocols activated secondary and tertiary systems that enhanced his power regeneration abilities. Those systems interfaced with his repair systems. Now, all the damage he’d accrued while on Mechhaven—and even before—was fixed or being repaired.
With power flooding into him at a rate he didn’t think possible, Angel realized just how weak and slow he’d been. Not only slow in moving, but in thinking. Tactics and strategies he’d never thought possible were now options. He calculated the best chances for victory against Zeta IX. Now that his full potential was unlocked and ready to tap, he intended to use it.
His first objective was to stop Zeta IX from hurting any more of his friends. His second objective would be to destroy the Reaper, then he could help any mechs still standing destroy the remaining screevers. Collecting all of his power, with even more generating every second, he channeled it into his shield, his sword, and his wings.
Glorious wings of light materialized from his back. The other Archangels had mechanical wings. His wings were pure energy, the intensity of the light shining from his wings, and weapons—no, his entire body—made it impossible to look at him. Humans needed to divert their gaze, and mechs needed to dampen their ocular sensors or risk massive damage.
With his wings deployed, shield at the ready, and sword in hand, Angel struck. He hurled himself at Zeta IX and slammed into the mech. Angel grabbed the Reaper, and using the raw power of his new wings, ripped him off of Misty. He carried him away from the other mechs and his screever minions. When Angel reached a sufficient altitude, he reversed direction and plummeted back towards the ground. Zeta IX struggled with him and tried to force open his grip. But with the Lightbringer Protocols active, his strength was on par, or even greater than that of the larger Reaper.
Rather than crashing into the ground, Angel adjusted his wings to change his trajectory at the last second. Using his momentum, he released Zeta IX, and the mech tumbled across the rocky landscape like a stone skipping across a body of water.
Angel didn’t give Zeta IX a chance to stand. He unleashed a barrage of projectiles from his wings. A thousand blades of light independently sought their quarry. Zeta IX moved at the last second and avoided the bulk of the attack, but not before several of the blades sliced through his leg. The blades of light caused real damage. The Reaper couldn’t put all of his weight on his leg. Instead, he lashed out with his cannons and fired at Angel.
Angel lifted his shield and blocked the blasts. The blasts were absorbed and converted into additional energy. His wings moved to block the blasts as well, defending him independently and without conscious thought. They did an even better job of converting the attacks into energy. Angel struck out with his wings once more, this time slicing at Zeta IX. The mech avoided the first wing, but the second wing struck him hard, knocking him backwards. Angel knew better than to give the Reaper any room to gather himself, so he pressed his attack. He kept Zeta IX off balance and unable to mount a counterattack, but he needed to wear his enemy down even more so he could strike a killing blow.
Zeta IX managed to pin one of Angel’s wings to the ground with his foot and hacked at it with a hastily summoned energy axe. The axe was less focused than the spear had been, but still looked dangerous. Angel wasn’t sure if his energy wings could be damaged by the axe, but he didn’t want to risk finding out in the middle of a battle, so he deactivated his wings. The sudden disappearance of his wings shifted Zeta IX off balance.
Though he was tempted to close the gap and engage Zeta IX with his sword, Angel kept his distance. With a thought, his sword disappeared, and he shifted his arm into plasma cannon. With his core finally producing more than enough power, he fired. His blast connected with Zeta IX, who raised his arms at the last second and used them to blunt the impact of the blast. Angel continued firing. One blast was so forceful that it knocked Zeta IX off his feet.
Angel rushed in, shield at the ready, sword in hand once again. He struck down at Zeta IX. His sword met Zeta IX’s axe. The Reaper tried to sweep Angel’s leg to knock him down, but with the Lightbringer Protocols active, Angel was too strong. Zeta IX swung at Angel’s legs with his axe, but
Angel leaped backwards to avoid having his legs cut out from under him. The Lightbringer Protocols strengthened him, but he couldn’t risk being damaged.
The two mechs fought that way for a time, trading blows, energy sword and energy axe crashing upon each other, but neither one gained a noticeable advantage over the other. Yet, for the first time, Angel didn’t fear the outcome of the battle. He knew in his core that he could defeat the Reaper: he just needed to bide his time until the right moment to strike down his foe.
He had his fellow Archangels and the fallen mechs from Mechhaven to avenge. He also needed to defend those that still survived. That was all the motivation he needed to end the battle.
“You stand there looking smug, like you’ve already won,” Zeta IX said. “I took great pleasure in killing your brothers and sisters. Today, I will take even more pleasure in killing you.”
“I don’t see that happening,” Angel said. His voice more confident than even he expected.
“Tell me one thing before I end this,” Zeta IX said. “What are you? You look like an Archangel, yet there is something more to you. No Archangel has ever lasted this long against me.”
Why is he talking to me? Now, of all times?
“The sword and the shield, the others had those, yet yours are different. Brighter, stronger, and those wings are magnificent. I have many sets of wings on my trophy wall.”
What is he doing? Is he stalling? Is he storing up energy for another attack?
Then Angel saw it. The way Zeta IX moved. The way he carried his arm. He protected something. The gash he’d made in the Reaper’s side earlier in the battle hadn’t healed. It was only partially repaired, but then the acid spray from Dennis must have damaged the nanobots repairing that area.
The gash remained, and there was an object stuck inside. It looked like—an explosive. Who put that there?
Misty!
She’d risked her life to place the explosive in Zeta IX’s side, but she hadn’t been able to detonate it. Was something wrong with the detonator? It didn’t matter. Now that he knew it was there, he could use that to his advantage. Zeta IX hadn’t unleashed any other powerful energy attacks because he couldn’t risk detonating the explosive. As strong as he was, there was no way he could withstand an explosive detonating from inside his body. All that Angel had to do was get an open shot and target that area with a focused energy blast. Detonator functioning or not, if he hit that spot with enough power, it would explode and take Zeta IX with it.
That still didn’t explain why Zeta IX was stalling. Although Angel thought he’d finally gained the upper hand, Zeta IX still held his own. If he was stalling, that meant he was repairing himself or—Angel ducked at the last second, but it was too late. A buzzer swooped in and nicked his shoulder. He rolled to avoid the second one. The damage to his shoulder was minimal, but it gave Zeta IX the opening he needed.
Angel finally saw the danger. Zeta IX had used the time he spent stalling to signal his position to the rest of the screevers and call for reinforcements. There were a lot of them. Too many. Even with his Lightbringer Protocols active, he could still be overwhelmed by sheer numbers if he wasn’t careful.
Yet the more screevers that attacked him meant fewer were attacking his friends. It was an acceptable tradeoff. Reigniting his wings, he launched himself skyward and converted both his arms into plasma cannons. He flung barrages of light blades from his wings and fired his cannons non-stop, unleashing devastating carnage upon the screevers. He then targeted Zeta IX, who ran towards the back of the oncoming rush of screevers. There were fewer screevers left, but the Reaper directed all of them to attack Angel.
There was no need to engage them on the ground, so Angel flew over those traveling below, firing at them as he passed. The buzzers he encountered in the air were no match for his wings. Thankfully, the rest didn’t have the range to target him in the air. He overshot Zeta IX and landed in front of him.
“I’m not through with you,” Angel said.
“What are you going to do, capture me?” Zeta IX asked.
“After all that you’ve done to me, my fellow Archangels, the citizens of Mechhaven—that’s not going to work,” Angel said. He flung a volley of light blades at Zeta IX. The mech turned to his undamaged side to absorb the damage. Zeta IX converted his arm from an axe to a cannon and fired at Angel. Angel avoided the blast and flew straight at his quarry. He wrapped his arms around the Reaper and launched into the air. He had to be quick, he’d left himself vulnerable. The two mechs soared into the air. When he thought he was high enough, Angel converted his hand into a cannon. He placed it on the gash in Zeta IX’s side, right next to the bomb, and fired.
Angel pushed himself away as he fired. His wings automatically wrapped themselves around his body, protecting him from the blast. The force of the explosion pushed him even further away. The detonation tore through the Reaper’s torso. Zeta IX, what was left of him anyway, plummeted to the ground in pieces.
Angel landed near what was left of Zeta IX. He’d expected the mech to be dead. Though he’d sustained catastrophic damage and there wasn’t much left of his torso, the nanobots of Zeta IX’s repair systems frantically tried to fix the damage. The nanobots wouldn’t be able to repair such extensive damage before they ran out of power, but given time and resources… Angel didn’t want to take the chance. It was anyone’s guess what Zeta IX could do, especially if there were other screevers or repair bots he could call upon.
Angel looked down at his vanquished foe. Zeta IX’s damaged ocular sensors stared up into his own. The mech tried to speak but could not vocalize any words.
“I forgot to tell you my name,” Angel said.
A sound emitted from Zeta IX, but Angel couldn’t make sense of it.
He directed his plasma cannon down at Zeta IX. “I am the culmination of the Archangel program. I am an Archangel-999 Mark 1. I am the first and last of my class. My name is Angel, and I am the Lightbringer.” The triple-sevens that had once emblazoned his chest had disappeared. In their place was a new symbol, a broken circle with spokes radiating from it. He’d never seen it before, but somehow, he knew it was the mark of the Lightbringer.
He fired.
Zeta IX was dead. The screevers resorted to their random attack patterns. With their numbers reduced and no central controller, they weren’t as much of a threat. Still, to an injured mech or defenseless human, the screevers remained dangerous. Dennis rallied any mechs still able to fight to help destroy the screevers.
Dennis rushed to Misty’s side. Angel was there already. Her mech suit had sustained major damage. Zeta IX’s energy spear had stabbed through her armor, and then he’d crushed her under his foot. Her face was ashen. She was dying.
“Her suit is too badly mangled. I can’t get her out,” Dennis said, “Can you cut away her armor?”
“I can try,” Angel said. He shifted his hand into a welding torch and started cutting away pieces of her mech suit.
“Be careful!”
“I am!” Angel freed her left arm and leg first, then her right leg, but her torso and right arm remained crushed in the wreckage. Angel stopped.
“Why are you stopping?”
“I’m not a doctor, and I’m afraid if I remove anything else, I may cause more damage or she may bleed to death.”
“She may bleed to death as it is. Hurry!”
A loud thunderclap interrupted them. That unmistakable sound only meant one thing. A ship—an enormous ship, translocated within the atmosphere.
Dennis looked up to see a light cruiser descending. It was from the Alliance of Independent Systems. Several shuttles deployed from its landing bays and lasers lashed out at the wreckage of the Planet Cleanser. They hit it hard. Angel and Sly had already destroyed it, so he wasn’t sure why the light cruiser focused so much energy on it. Smaller beams lanced out across the battlefield, directed at screevers. He and Angel waved to a passing shuttle that had a medical symbol painted on the side.
T
he shuttle landed nearby. Several soldiers deployed, making sure the area was secure before medics rushed out. The combat medics assessed the situation and retrieved more precise cutting tools from the shuttle. They cut as much of the smashed mech suit away from Misty as they could. They’d need to remove the rest in an operating room.
The damage was major. Dennis had seen people wounded in combat, and though some survived, many didn’t. In Misty’s case, he shook his head.
He felt a weak squeeze on his hand. He turned to Misty. Her eyes were barely open as she asked, “Did we win?”
Tears streamed down Dennis’s face. “Yes, Misty. We won.”
Her eyes closed, and the medics rushed her aboard the shuttle.
The shuttle lifted off and flew to the light cruiser hovering above. The medical facilities aboard the cruiser were much better equipped to deal with battlefield trauma than the small Medical Module in the Main Compound. If there was a chance to save Misty, it was on board the cruiser.
In a daze, Dennis and Angel meandered back to the Landing Pad. Neither had much fight left in them, but they took care of any random screevers that crossed their path. It wouldn’t be right to let any of them survive. They passed soldiers from the Alliance doing the same thing. The soldiers were properly equipped for combat and had assault weapons with plenty of ammo. They made quick work of the leaderless screevers.
As they arrived at the Repair Module, Ajax rushed out of the building. “Is the battle over? Did we win?”
“It’s over. We won, I guess,” Dennis said.
“Wait, where’s Misty?”
Dennis nodded upwards to the cruiser above. “Zeta IX stabbed her, then crushed her mech suit. Alliance medics took her up there.”