“Not bored anymore, G?” Braden said as they approached the door.
‘This is what I was made for,’ G-War said, emphasizing the word ‘made.’
“Much more than that, but I couldn’t ask for better people by my side. Is everyone ready to run?”
Micah looked at the ‘cats and back to Braden. “It’s pretty much just you and me,” she said.
“Then we’re off.” Braden opened the door, let the heat wave pass, and then headed onto the catwalk and down to the rough dirt of the artificial desert. In the distance, the factory lights flashed and material handling systems worked unabated. The enclosed vertical ramp stood near the factory. Braden pointed. “We need to be between the ramp and the factory. If they get in there, they could really screw things up.”
“And we can’t let them get behind us.”
Braden shook his head before he started to run. The footing was firm, but the heat was oppressive. The ‘cats raced ahead while the Hawkoids took to the sky, flying casually toward the factory. Braden and Micah started to sweat right away. Aadi hung on to a strap trailing behind Braden’s pack.
“You probably like this,” Braden said over his shoulder between great gulps of air.
‘I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, but the purpose troubles me. Are we out for vengeance?’
‘We’re out to eliminate a threat that has repeatedly demonstrated its disdain for life and human life, in particular. There is no compromising with such an attitude,’ Micah said.
‘I know. I always hope that there is another way.’
‘We appreciate that, Master Aadi. As president, I decree that these Androids must die.’
‘I believe that they are not alive,’ Aadi countered.
‘But they walk and talk. In that, they feign life. Their actions also suggest a malevolent intelligence. I think the renegade Androids are more alive than we will ever know, and that’s why they are fighting so hard. I doubt robots would be as inventive or driven.’
‘You are right, Master President. I stand corrected. These Androids need to go.’
“Now, you’re talking, old man.”
‘Who’s old?’
Braden laughed between breaths. Micah had been right about everything. Braden needed a certain amount of conflict in his life.
“Let’s wrap this up and go home,” he told them as they slowed to survey the land, see where they could remain unseen while waiting for the Androids, see where they could catch the enemy in a crossfire.
Braden pointed out a number of spots, where scrub brush would conceal a person and a small rise would provide cover. “Aadi, over there, please.” Braden waved at a spot that looked like a berm. It would provide the most protection and was behind him and Micah. “Micah.” He pointed to a closer point near the factory. “And I’ll go over there.” Braden was closest to the ramp. If the Androids got past him, he would be cut off, trapped. Micah and Aadi would be able to retreat into the factory if they were pressed.
The Hawkoids screeched from above. They found a place to roost at the highest point of the nearest building.
“Don’t you get yourself killed,” Micah cautioned, before kissing Braden and running for cover.
Braden headed for the spot he’d chosen for himself while the other two settled in. When he reached the position, he kneeled beneath a small tree, finding little respite from the heat. He tried to slow his breathing while checking his blasters one last time.
Seventy percent charge on one and forty-six on the other. It would have to be enough.
Ambush and Chase
‘We are on our way in. Please don’t shoot us, Jocelyn,’ Bounder said over the mindlink. He and Strider were arm in arm and moving slowly. Jocelyn hurried to the doorway to help them in. She put them onto two separate beds.
It wasn’t long before a squarish Med Bot appeared. It went to the Lizard Man first, conducting diagnostics but delivering no treatment before moving to Strider. The Bot stayed there for a while working on two laser burns on her ribs. When the Bot was finished, Strider slept peacefully.
The Med Bot spent the longest time with Bounder, putting the big Wolfoid under before doing more extensive work that included invasive surgery.
Jocelyn grew more concerned the longer the Med Bot took.
‘Worrying accomplishes nothing,’ Treetis advised.
“I know,” she replied, before sitting down and accessing her neural implant. ‘Holly, what is the Med Bot doing to Bounder?’
‘Repairing a deep wound. There was significant internal damage from one of the laser beams. A testament to how hard the Wolfoids are as a race is that a human with the same wound would have died.’
Jocelyn nodded, even though Holly wouldn’t see her response.
‘Get some rest,’ Treetis said as he sat, keeping his eyes on the clear tanks. Tubes and wires trailed from the Hillcats as they grew at a phenomenal rate, their bodies finalizing their shape.
“In due time, I will rest, but for now, anything these stalwart warriors need, I’m here for them.” Jocelyn moved from one to the next. She found the Med Bot closing the last of Bounder’s wounds before moving to the corner of the room and powering down. Bounder’s rhythmic breathing told her that the worst had already passed.
She unpacked her bedroll and laid it on the hard floor next to the ‘cat. She curled up around him and was soon asleep.
‘Can you hear me?’ Treetis asked.
‘We hear you, Father,’ the voices replied as one.
‘Good, now listen carefully as I tell you the story of your people’s king. He was born Prince Axial De’atesh, and he knew the future of life on Vii depended on humanity and ‘cats working as one. As a mere kitten, he selected a human named Braden, shaping him into one who would lead humanity...’
There were two doors on the ramp. A small door for people set within a large roll-up door to accommodate vehicles. The small door opened quickly and then closed.
Braden blinked to make sure he didn’t miss someone coming out.
‘Did you see anyone come out?’ Braden asked.
‘No,’ Skirill replied. ‘I will move to a better vantage point.’
‘Don’t let them see you,’ Braden warned.
The Hawkoid leapt into the air and flew quickly to a point opposite the door. He made a figure eight as he stayed well out of range, but in an area where he could see within even if the door cracked just a hand’s width.
They didn’t have long to wait. The door popped open and the Androids ran out, accelerating across the hard ground. Braden fired on the first Android using the narrowest beam. It staggered but kept running. Braden fired again and it went down, but it had taken too long. He thumbed the setting to a little wider and fired both blasters, not bothering to aim.
The Androids were hit, but they used each other as shields. Three of them slowed and dropped, but the other six ran by. Micah fired, killing the new frontrunner.
Aadi hit the bunch with his thunderclap, but he was too far away. It barely fazed them. Braden hesitated for a moment before pulling the triggers on both his blasters and washing the fleeing forms in flame. Micah followed suit.
Two more dropped. The final three, trailing smoke, made a beeline toward the factory’s front door. Micah started to run.
Zyena dropped from the roof and arrowed downward. Her titanium-augmented, razor-sharp talons ripped into the back and shoulders of an Android. She tried to lift it, but it was too heavy. She let go and winged away. The Android ran with a sideways tilt, but made it into the factory after its fellows.
‘One more has just exited the ramp,’ Skirill ‘shouted.’
Braden had taken a number of steps toward the factory, already having left his cover. He dropped to a knee when he turned. A laser flashed overhead. He fired, but his beam was too broad for the distance. The Android fired again, and the laser creased the side of Braden’s head, making sparks dance before his eyes. He fired and rolled away from his position. The Android ran a lazy zigzag
as it approached. It varied its speed, making it a hard target. It fired again and scorched Braden’s chest armor.
Braden fired one blaster on the wider flame setting as he dialed his second to a tight beam. When he adjusted his weapons, the Android ran behind the berm where he’d recently been hiding. He stood and jogged forward, both blasters aimed before him.
A ‘cat’s scream sounded nearby. Braden listened and watched. He couldn’t see. ‘Where are you, G?’
‘Where you were hiding,’ Skirill advised.
Braden ran ahead, swinging wide around the stubby tree. G-War and Fea were blurred as they slashed and fought, staying clear of the Android’s weapon. Braden didn’t have a clean shot. He kept trying to get an angle but none would appear. The ‘cats were too fast and the Android was matching their speed, defending itself against their attacks.
They weren’t hurting it, but they were keeping it from whatever it had intended. Braden roared and charged. He jumped and hit it in the chest with two booted feet. He activated the jets to increase the power of the impact. All that managed to do was send him into the tree and flinging the ‘cats away. The Android flew to the ground, rolled, popped to its feet, and sprinted away, reaching the ramp and closing the door before anyone could follow.
“Are you okay?” Braden asked while extricating himself from the branches. The ‘cats didn’t answer. They were already running toward the factory. Braden hit the hard packed sand and ran after them.
Micah caught a glimpse of one of the Androids as they ran down a narrow passage with a door at the far end. Micah leaned against the wall and fired a series of narrow beams. Two of the Androids kept running, reaching the door and disappearing through it.
The rear Android lost power and its body slumped, slowly toppling. Micah started running again. When she reached the body, she didn’t bother checking it, opting to blast it twice more before jumping over and continuing to the door. She grabbed the handle and stopped.
On the door, she saw the faces of her children. Was she willing to leave them behind?
Fight smarter, not harder. We have them outnumbered now, she thought. ‘Braden, I’ll wait for you. Only two left, but they are somewhere in the guts of this place. I’m not going to search alone.’
‘On our way,’ G-War replied. ‘One escaped up the ramp, too.’
‘Holly, we need your help finding the last three. One went back up the ramp and two others are somewhere in the factory. The odds are a little more even.’
‘I am activating the monitoring systems while shutting down factory operations. We don’t need the Androids to churn out a hundred new bodies while you are elsewhere.’
G-War and Fea trotted down the passageway, stopping to sniff the dead Android before rubbing against Micah’s legs.
“Where’s Braden?” she asked.
The ‘cats looked back down the way they’d come. Braden jogged up, slowing to a walk when he saw the group. He had Aadi in tow.
When Braden reached Micah, he pulled her close for a long hug.
“I don’t think I can express how much I hate Androids,” Braden said. G-War and Fea waited at the door through which the Androids had gone.
Micah saw a light flashing before her eye. ‘Any information on the Androids in the factory, Holly?’
‘The Androids have exited the factory and made it into the access shaft linking the aft core with the forward core.’
Micah held up one finger to tell the others to wait.
‘What about the one that escaped back up the ramp?’
‘The best I can do is lock out Oceanus, prevent any egress. It’s not a place to visit for humans so it won’t be missed.’
‘Lock out Oceanus and show me the way to the nearest access to catch a vehicle to the forward core.’
‘I will need to deploy Androids to physically seal the access points of Oceanus. Be aware that any Android you see in the aft core is under my control. They will be in pairs, so you can tell them apart from the lone escapee.’
A map appeared on the screen before Micah’s eye. Exit the factory and around the back side, they’d find the wall. Avoid the vines and take the nearest stairs to the nearest landing. The door would lead to a platform where Holly would have a tram waiting.
Micah blinked her window closed. “Follow me,” she said, heading away from the door. No one questioned her. When they made it outside, Braden whistled for the Hawkoids. The great birds circled as he pointed to the stairs against the bulkhead behind the factory that signaled the forward end of the aft core section.
The Hawkoids met the others on the catwalk landing, where Micah hurried through to the platform beyond. The tram was waiting as Holly said it would.
“If my mental map is correct, the next stop is your home deck,” Braden said.
‘Yes. I look forward to it.’ Zyena ruffled her feathers with the excitement of seeing her former home.
When they started toward the forward core, Braden brought the Hawkoids up to speed. He finished with, “We’ll need your help to talk with those who live in the aviary to show us where the Androids have gone.”
‘As soon as we arrive,’ Zyena promised. She started to bounce, unable to contain her energy. Skirill started bouncing, too. Micah smiled at her partner, who was trying to stand still while two Hawkoids rocked out of sync.
‘We will find them,’ G-War promised.
The car came to a stop well short of the forward end platform. “What’s going on, Holly?” Braden said aloud, looking out the windows to discern a reason for the delay.
“The Androids have departed their tram and are traveling along a catwalk beside their car. They are now behind you, but in the radial. You will have to hurry to catch them.”
“Can’t we wait for them at the other end?”
“I can’t guarantee that you can access the door from the Aviary.”
Braden studied the area outside their tram. “I can’t guarantee that we would be able to make any headway at all out there. Take us to the far end, Holly. We’ll take our chances with the door.”
The vehicle immediately lurched into motion and accelerated quickly. “Sorry, Zyena. No sightseeing for a bit. When we get inside, we hit the ground, take a hard left, and run to the next stairs up.”
‘We will precede you,’ Skirill promised.
“I never doubted that, my friend.” Braden tried to scratch the Hawkoid’s head, but his dance was too erratic. The human settled for a smile and a nod. The doors opened after the tram stopped at the platform. The ‘cats were first out, running to the door. G-War stretched his skinny body upward until the bracelet/collar activated the door. As soon as Braden stepped through, the Hawkoids were off. The foliage was heavy against the catwalk. Skirill and Zyena flew upward until they were clear and then dodged into the trees.
“Doesn’t look like there’s going to be much running,” Micah said as she used her sword to hack her way down the steps. Once on the ground, they worked their way into the trees to find a clearer path. The ‘cats ran up a trunk and started running through the branches, jumping from one tree to the next. They soon disappeared into the distance.
Aadi hung onto the rope trailing Braden. He bounced off trunks and branches as Braden forced his way through the growth. Micah hacked and sliced, trying to maintain her pace.
“Maybe we should try the branches, too.” Micah kept forging ahead, but gave up after less than a hundred meters.
“I guess we’re going vertical,” Braden replied, huffing and puffing to catch his breath. He holstered his pistol and climbed the nearest trunk. Once above the dense undergrowth, the way ahead was clear. He walked down the branch, reached across to the next branch, and walked it to the trunk, pulling himself around and repeating the process with the next branch.
Micah’s legs were shorter and that made for a harder time getting around the tree trunks, but she persevered and caught up to him.
Braden finally took a break to drink water, handing the flask to Micah first.
She downed it in small sips before giving the flask back. Braden accessed his neural implant. ‘Update on where they are, Holly.’
‘They are getting close to the platform. I fear that you will be too late.’
Braden chugged the rest of the flask. “We are going to miss them. We need to run,” Braden told Micah before starting to run down the branch, vaulting to one over and back to the next, quickly bypassing the trunk. Micah followed, eyes fixed on her targets as she launched herself across the gaps.
She didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate. She kept up the breakneck pace that Braden set. ‘G, Ess, do what you can. I think we’re on the homestretch.’
‘I see you. It is not far now.’ Skirill flashed through the trees to keep Braden and Micah going in the right direction.
‘The door is opening,’ G-War said. The wings of many birds filled the air between them and their goal. Braden dispensed with the last bit of caution as his run turned into a sprint. A ‘cat’s scream made him yell his frustration. The beating of a thousand wings sounded like the greatest of waterfalls.
A laser beam lashed out and then another. Braden threw himself from the final branch to the catwalk. He slammed into the outside of the railing, clamped an elbow over it, and drew his blaster with his free hand. Aadi rammed into him from behind, before the Tortoid let go and started to swim through the air. Birds were everywhere, big and small. The ‘cats were clinging to the Androids’ arms with the lasers, clawing and biting to keep the Androids from taking aim.
A grunt signaled Micah’s arrival as she hit the railing. Braden helped her over and she drew her sword, charging before Braden could get into position. He scrambled as fast as he was able to so he could catch her.
Micah hit the first Android like a battering ram, the point of her sword driving through most of the mechanical creation’s neck. She hit its shoulder with hers, toppling it into the second Android. The ‘cats leapt free. Micah lost her balance and fell. Before either Android could fire on her, narrow beams sliced into them from Braden’s blaster. He fired as he ran, keeping his aim high.
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