“We need to move!” Arija shouted as she and Adal made their way to Ypsilon.
Ypsilon kicked the Geartha for good measure before turning her attention to them. “Any ideas?”
One of the soldiers screamed. Through the rusty storm, Ypsilon saw a lantern drastically jerk one way, then the other, then disappear off the side of the platform.
A shadow moved in the fog around them and Adal fired blindly into the mist. “Any idea is a good idea right now.”
“Then let’s start killing these things,” Ypsilon shouted, firing into the air.
“Except that one,” Adal argued. “That’s a terrible idea. The black guy always dies first in those movies.”
Static filled Ypsilon’s mask. “We… get… the cell.” The sergeant’s words were coming out fuzzy but she understood what he needed.
“No kidding,” Arija yelled into her mouth piece. “Directions would be nice.”
“North on the platform.” Another soldier’s voice.
Ypsilon nodded. Get north; kill shit. Got it.
“Watch out!” Arija yelled.
A Geartha carrying the upper half of a soldier swooped down at them. The commanding officer. His legs had been ripped away and the Geartha clung to the top of his head with its teeth.
The look on the officer’s face was slack, his eyes bloodshot and dull. His mouth moved up and down like he was trying to talk.
Or scream.
The Geartha’s bladed arm plucked off a piece of the officer and dropped it to the ground next to Ypsilon.
Arija took aim and a hole took form in the officer’s head. His jaw dropped open and his eyes closed, making his terrified face look almost peaceful.
The Geartha dropped its prey. Furious, it turned back and flew at Arija.
“Nice try.” She smirked. Another shot from her rifle and the monster dropped to the ground and slid the rest of the way to them.
Ypsilon placed her boot on its neck and fired another round into its brain. “Better safe than sorry.” She shrugged.
“We need to go. Now,” Adal shouted.
Ypsilon turned to address Adal just as the clouds shifted behind him. At least a dozen more Geartha were circling the platform.
“North,” Arija yelped, pointing.
Ypsilon, Adal and Arija sprinted north. Ypsilon pushed past her friends, taking the lead. She dropped, rolling forward just as the claw of a Geartha swiped at her head.
A volley of shots flew through the air and Adal and Arija jumped to cover Ypsilon. Arija pulled Ypsilon to her feet and they continued toward the north side of the platform.
“Get ‘em off me!” someone screamed.
Reluctantly, Ypsilon turned and fired at three shadows that crouched over a mass on the ground. One took flight while the two others turned towards her. Adal followed suit and alternated fire from his pistols as Arija engaged the one in the air.
Something jerked Ypsilon up and then she was being lifted into the air away from her team. “What the...?” She looked up to see a Geartha clinging to the top of her kit. Twisting in her vest, Ypsilon loosened the straps enough to aim at the creature.
She squeezed the trigger.
The Geartha’s wing jerked backwards. It squealed as they plummeted to the ground. Ypsilon pushed away from the monster as they landed. She rolled across the platform. Her kit’s auto-assist boosted her to her feet. “Shit.”
In the crash, she’d lost both Bangarang and her rifle. As she turned, she realized the Geartha had also gotten to its feet and was making its way toward her. “At least it’s a fair fight.”
She charged. Just when she thought she could reach out and touch it, Ypsilon dropped to the ground and slid underneath the robotic praying mantis. The creature’s arm stabbed the ground where she’d been standing as she drove a foot upwards and kicked the animal in the small of the back. The insect dropped to the ground. Flailing, it rose to its feet again.
“Now Mama’s getting angry.” Charging again, Ypsilon made it a point to mirror her moves. She dropped just as she did the first time but, when the Geartha swiped at her, expecting her to slide underneath it, she said, “Gotcha.”
Placing the sole of one boot to the ground, a powered-piston release propelled her into the air and over the creature. Ypsilon grabbed the Geartha’s shoulder and wrapped her legs around its head. Leaning forward with all her weight, she forced the creature off balance until it fumbled to the ground.
As they fell, Ypsilon pulled as hard as she could on the monster’s arm. Metal whined and groaned. Landing hard on her shoulders, Ypsilon swallowed the pain and rolled as far from the monster as she could. She pushed herself up, brushing off the fall as she readied herself for the next hit.
The Geartha rose from the ground, shook its head like it had water in its ears, and turned to face her. It let loose a whining shriek, like the sound of grinding metal. The creature looked down at where its arm should have been. Its head cocked sideways as it studied its missing appendage.
Ypsilon stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled. “Looking for something?” She twirled the severed arm around her fingers like a baton. Air whistled as she spun it around and around. “You want it? Well, you’re going to have to come and get it.”
She gripped the blade like a sword. The Geartha let out another screech, then charged her.
Ypsilon smiled. “Awww, you’re so cute when you’re angry.” At the last minute, she ducked and twisted around. Swinging the bladed arm like an axe, she sliced down the creature’s back to its legs. Her attacker trudged several more steps before its body split into two pieces, each falling in a different direction.
Ypsilon brought the blade to her face, her eyes wide. “Oh, I’m keeping you.”
“You good?” Adal asked, running up to her.
“Yep.”
Adal looked from her to the dead Geartha. “Did you just kill that thing with your bare hands?”
Ypsilon shrugged. “Can’t you?”
Arija joined them, scanning the area with her scope.
Adal cleared his throat and reloaded his pistols. “No clue, but it looks like the last of the soldiers are heading that way.” He nodded towards where the four remaining lanterns bobbed in the distance.
Arija lowered her rifle. “Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute,” Ypsilon said, searching the platform. “I lost my guns.”
“No time.” Arija shook her head.
Adal tossed Ypsilon one of his revolvers. “Take one of mine. We’re running low on ammo but I don’t think we have a choice.”
Ypsilon growled as she examined the revolver. She’d never lost Bangarang before and she wasn’t about to lose him now. But she’d have to come back for him or they might all be in trouble. “Yeah, fine. Let’s go.”
Ypsilon slid the bladed appendage into one of the loops on her belt and sprinted in the direction of the fading lanterns with Adal and Arija trailing behind her. One of the lanterns abruptly dropped to the ground and slid across the platform out of sight. “Fuck.”
She pushed herself harder, needing to make it before everyone was killed. Through the rusty fog, a building started to take form. The three remaining soldiers stood at the base of a large door, shooting in every direction as the Geartha swarmed the building.
“There!” Arija yelled.
As they approached the soldiers, Ypsilon whirled around and shot down a Geartha. Adal and Arija spun, slamming their backs up against the wall of the building and taking aim at the incoming insects.
“Are you all that’s left?” Adal asked, reloading his pistol.
“Yeah,” a soldier replied without taking his eyes off the swarm.
Arija chambered another round and shot a Geartha in the head. “How do we get in?”
“We need the key.”
“Where’s that?” Ypsilon asked, stomping on a fallen Geartha to avoid wasting a bullet.
“Lieutenant had one. Sarge had the other,” the soldier replied, his voice tremblin
g.
Adal reached into his pocket and pulled out a few more rounds. “You got a plan ‘C’?” he said as he reloaded the cylinder of his revolver.
An explosion in the distance seemed to answer Adal’s question.
“Hey guys…” Arija pointed to the swarm of Geartha that had stopped fighting.
Ypsilon backed up until she was flat against the wall of the building. “Well, this doesn’t look promising.” She tilted her head and waited.
Another explosion. Then another and another.
She narrowed her gaze.
Those weren't explosions.
They were footsteps.
“What the shit is that?” Ypsilon whispered.
“Defensive Formation Gamma!” one solider shouted, ignoring her question.
The three remaining soldiers gathered in a triangle with their weapons pointing down the platform.
Ypsilon looked over at Adal and Arija who mirrored the confused expression on her face. Adal shrugged and she turned back towards the direction of the sound. Through the fog, a giant shadow began to form.
“Duck!”
Everyone hit the floor. Something collided with the wall above them, sending shrapnel raining down.
Just as Ypsilon lifted her head again, a much larger shadow came spiraling towards them. She grabbed Arija’s wrist and Adal’s ankle and pulled them out of the way as the fuselage of an airship exploded against the wall of the building, then crashed against the platform.
“That was our ride!” Adal yelled, standing.
Ypsilon pulled Arija to her feet. “What could have—?”
One of the soldiers ran towards them. “Umar!”
“A what?” Ypsilon turned toward Arija.
Adal and Arija pointed at the giant spider stepping through the fog. “That!” they yelled in unison.
The mechanical tarantella shook the ground with each step it took. Rust covered the metal components on one side of its body and its many eyes glowed rusty orange like the Prowlers'.
Ypsilon gasped. “Oh shit.”
The soldiers opened fire at the creature. Their rounds looked like small firecrackers exploding against the impressive body.
“Move!” Arija commanded.
Ypsilon raised her pistol and fired at its eyes. “Everybody has a weak spot.”
Adal watched her, then raised his revolver and did the same.
Above the raging machine, several Geartha flew into view. Arija took aim and one of the creatures plummeted to the ground as she fired.
Ypsilon, Adal and Arija inched back towards the door and the other soldiers as they continued to shoot at the Umar. Their shots bounced off the creature, barely causing any damage.
Reaching the door, Ypsilon reloaded her pistol. “Anyone have any more ammo?” she asked as she approached the soldiers.
The creature raised one foot and slammed it down on the group of men, killing the soldiers instantly.
Pulling the arm-knife from her belt, Ypsilon ran at the Umar and sliced at the tubes and pipes that made up the creature’s leg.
A sharp pain ripped through her side as Arija pushed her out of the way.
One of the Umar’s rear legs slammed onto the platform where she’d been standing, leaving a large crater in the steel.
“Think!” Arija yelled, forcing Ypsilon to look at her.
Ypsilon tugged her arm free, brushed herself off, and charged at another leg.
“I’m about out,” Adal said as he jogged up to Arija and Ypsilon.
Arija raised her weapon. “Shit, me too.”
Adal turned toward Ypsilon. “What now?”
“Run!” Ypsilon yelled as the Umar stomped, trying to crush them. She slid out of the way as one trunk-sized leg smashed into the ground, crushing the small mechanical pieces that littered the platform.
“We need to get inside!” Adal yelled.
Arija jumped out of the way. “How?”
Ypsilon chewed her bottom lip as she looked around. She eyed where the door parted down the middle. “Damn it.” Twisting to avoid another hit, Ypsilon ran towards the door. “This better work,” she mumbled as she skidded to a stop. She turned and waved her arms at the Umar. “Over here, you ugly piece of crap!”
The creature either ignored her or it hadn’t heard her.
“I said look at me!” Ypsilon threw the blade at one of its legs. The tip of the knife buried into the lowest joint of the arachnid. A flurry of sparks spewed from the area.
The beast turned to face her. It lunged at Ypsilon, reared one leg up and slammed it down on her. A boost from her boots rocketed her away from the area of impact. The dense air convulsed around her as the impact ripped into the frame of the door.
Ypsilon pivoted to see a small hole, just big enough for a person, in the seam where the door met the frame. “That’s it. Get in!”
Adal grabbed Arija and the two sprinted towards Ypsilon. The Umar followed.
“Go, go, go!” Ypsilon yelled. Another shot of pain enveloped her entire body as the monster swiped a leg at her, slamming her against the side of the wall. Her head bounced off the hard surface. Darkness pulsated at the edges of her vision, her breath coming in short gasps.
Arija stopped short of the makeshift door. She turned toward Ypsilon just as Adal pummeled into her sending them both into the hole.
Ypsilon’s vision went dark.
15|What’s The Worse That Could Happen?
“So, the energy waves cause the components to vibrate. The heat produced will melt the nanites of the virus and kill the threat. In theory, the host will then be cured,” Kip told Van as he showed her the pistol-like device he’d made. Sections of the top spun and slid continuously. A cone and antennae extended from the front and three cathodes jutting from the side glowed.
Kip pointed the device at Maza and held down the trigger.
Maza jumped back, expecting to catch fire. But nothing happened.
“I don’t want to get too into the science. But the way this thing works will have no effect on you. It’s completely safe.” Kip smiled.
“All right.” Maza narrowed his eyes at the small robotic boy. “Let’s see how the other half of this plan is doing. Van, will you check on her?”
Van walked around the corner to the door Molly had locked herself behind. At first, the girl had kept repeating that she was only trying to help. But Molly had stopped answering them over a half hour ago.
Van knocked on the door. Silence. After a few seconds, Molly started to giggle.
The sound sent chills down Maza’s spine. “So, when we get her out of there, you’ll hit her with this thing?”
Van turned her attention back towards her brother and Kip.
“Yup.” Kip nodded.
“How long does it take to work?”
Kip shrugged. “Depends on the intensity of the infection. As long as I get a straight shot, should be within seconds.”
“Will I need to hold her down or something?”
“Don’t know.”
“Uh, guys?” Van called from the other room.
Maza jogged past Kip towards Van. Rounding a set of cases, he saw Van standing in the open doorway to Molly’s prison. The room was empty and she was gone.
“Oh shit.”
“What? Oh no,” Kip said as he came around the corner. “Van weren’t you just here? How did she get out?”
Van’s eyes bulged. “I just turned by back for a second to listen to the plan. I don’t know what happened.”
Maza stepped past Van to examine the inside of the room. The arm Molly had taken lay just beyond the door. The fingers had been worn down to the third knuckle. On the inside of the door, the word ‘Kipper’ was scratched hundreds of times. “Now what?” Maza growled.
“Guys,” Kip began in a whisper. “She’s still here.”
Maza went cold, his body tensing up. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. The doors of the shop are all like this one. I locked them when she locked herself in here
. The only way out is with the key and I have it.”
A clatter of trays hit the floor on the other side of the room. A childish giggle followed, then the sound of footsteps. She was still in here all right, and she was playing with them.
Maza looked at his sister, his eyes wide as he silently communicated in the way only siblings could. He took a careful step towards the sound of the footsteps.
Van stepped in front of Kip, preventing him from following. “Not yet.”
Maza slowly rounded the corner, ducking just as a surgical knife burrowed into the wall above his head.
“Aw. No fun.” Molly giggled, the sound like something from a horror movie.
Cases rattled and Maza shot his gaze to the side of the room. He dove for the cases but she was gone.
“Is that all you can do, Molly?” Maza baited. “Attack me from the shadows? Not very brave now, is it?”
Something shifted in the reflection of the glass in front of him and Maza dove out of the way as a large gyroscope crashed to the floor where he’d been standing. Molly laughed as she ran past him, bumping him as she went.
Standing back up, Maza tore after her. As he rounded a stack of medical equipment, a pole slammed into his face. Stabbing pain spread throughout his body as he stumbled backwards and swiped his arms through the air.
“Not such a smarty now, huh, big fella?” Molly teased.
The water welling in Maza’s eyes vanished as he blew the blood from his nose. He snarled. A trail of blood dripped into his mouth, making him look demonic. He was done playing nice. Now he was going to hurt her. “You better bring more than that, little girl!”
“Ok, Mr. Maza,” Molly said in mock innocence.
The sound of creaking glass. Then a jarring bang as a large crate slid over, bursting when it hit the floor.
Maza turned just as Molly leapt at him.
She grabbed him around the neck and kicked her feet at his chest. Maza gripped the little Dweller by the shoulders and squeezed her as tightly as he could. As he pulled her off him, Molly kicked him in the chin.
Maza spun her around and threw her against a large pillar. Molly flailed as he slammed her against the pillar again. When she let go, he threw her across the shop. She connected with a case and toppled to the floor. Maza bent down to grab a large wrench at his feet, spinning it in his hands as he stormed across the shop to where Molly lay.
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