Jonah, in the lead, came to a stop at the door that led into the transport area. He remembered when they were last there, Jericho had disabled the door, and now he stared in disbelief as a large hole stood in the door. The burned and irregular edges still seemed to glow. Jericho and Gabrielle followed him as he carefully eased into the room on the other side. The rows of stacks obscured their view of most of the room, and quickly they took cover behind the first row. Jericho, armed with the control stick took the lead. He peered around the edge, and froze. He had seen a Guardian down the aisle, as it headed in their direction. He pulled back quickly.
“You two. Over there!” He said under his breath, and motioned for them to move to the next aisle. He climbed up the stack, and held on to the top with one hand. In an instant, he swung out with his other. The control stick flashed in the overhead light, just as the Guardian stepped forward and revealed itself beside him. Sparks flew, as did the control stick held by the Guardian. It fell from its hand and clanked towards the door. Gabrielle ran and grabbed the stick, and then joined Jericho behind the stack. He jumped down, and knelt to peer around the now disabled Guardian that remained erect. He could see another Guardian far down the aisle, near where the skid would stop. “Let’s go” He said. And be quiet.” He led the way, and moved quickly from one stack to the next. He paused to hide behind each one briefly, before he peered out. Suddenly a Guardian stepped out from between the next set of stacks, and moved quickly in Jericho’s direction. He took several steps back, and raised the control stick as he readied for a fight. The Guardian raised its own control stick, just as Gabrielle reached out from behind the stack and gently touch its leg with her own stick. The momentum carried the Guardian forward in its gait, and it toppled to the floor, frozen in mid step.
Jericho ran to the next stack, followed by Gabrielle. Jonah stepped over the mechanical body carefully and paused briefly to remove the stick from its immobile hand. He ran to join the others behind the next stack.
“You just hold it back here?” He asked. He hoped he had it from the correct end. Gabrielle nodded, and pointed to the other end.
“Just touch them with that end.” She instructed, and then took out after Jericho as he moved further up the aisle. Jonah took a moment to firmly grasp the stick, and felt the heft in his hand, before he ran and joined them behind the next stack. Jericho peered around the corner, with Gabrielle close up against him and ready to move. Jonah stood with his back against the stack, as he still held up the control stick and marveled at its balance in his hand, when suddenly a Guardian stepped forward, just inches away from his left. Without hesitation, he swung the stick, and instinctively brought his hand to his eyes to protect them from the sparks. Both Gabrielle and Jericho jumped at the sound, and turned, their sticks at the ready. They realized that Jonah had taken care of the problem, and they relaxed slightly.
“Not bad.” Jericho said, as he reached over and pulled the control stick from the frozen Guardian’s hand. Armed now with one in each hand, he motioned for them to follow. He jumped into the aisle and began to run towards the center of the great room, and towards the Guardian which stood there motionless. As he approached, the Guardian suddenly lunged forward, as it swung swiftly with its stick. Jericho pivoted to the side, as he swung as well. The tips clanged together in a shower of sparks. As he completed the motion, Jericho lunged to the right, and jabbed out with the second stick at the Guardian, which deflected it with a strike of its arm, and then swung its own stick at Jericho. Jericho moved, and deflected the blow, as the stick bounced harmlessly off the one in his right hand. The Guardian had spun around to face him and lunged again, and as it swung with amazing speed Jericho once again side stepped and blocked the blow of the stick. Suddenly, the massive arm of the Guardian swung around and slammed into Jericho. He was knocked into the open area where the skid would normally be parked. Even as he landed, Jericho could see Gabrielle and Jonah as they stood there and watched him. And he could also see the Guardian as it approached them from behind. He yelled, even as he continued to slide across the floor.
“Gabby!” He came to a stop, and turned his attention back to the Guardian that rushed towards him with its control stick out stretched. He rolled to his right just as the stick made contact with the ground, and deftly grazed the side of the Guardian’s arm with the stick in his left hand. Sparks flew and the Guardian toppled over him as it fell to the ground. He continued to roll as he scrambled away from it and came to his feet. In one motion he slung the stick in his right hand through the air. It pivoted end over end towards the Guardian that rushed towards Gabrielle and Jonah. They watched as the stick spun through the air past them, and slammed into the Guardian. Sparks flew, before it clanged to the floor. The Guardian froze and then fell. Jonah stepped aside quickly, and barely missed getting landed on by the huge thing. It was total silence for a moment, as each of them realized how close the encounter had been.
“That’s new.” Gabrielle said as she stepped over and picked up the fallen stick, while Jonah removed the one from the fallen Guardian at his feet. Jericho bent over and picked up the stick from the Guardian that had almost taken him out, just as the huge door slid open from the tunnel. The skid swept inside.
“Jericho!” Yelled Gabrielle, as Jericho dove to the side, just as the skid plowed into the room and slammed into the fallen Guardian on the floor. The track derailed as it came to a stop. He rolled, and came to his feet just as the Guardian on the front of the skid jumped down and attacked him. He lunged back, as the stick swung at his middle, and brushed the front of his shirt. He spun to the right, and tried to regain his balance as a second Guardian joined the first. In a blur, he swung with the left then the right, as he desperately blocked the blows from the two Guardians. Their actions seemed to be a carefully coordinated high speed ballet of gleaming steel. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see other Guardians as they tried to control Gabrielle and Jonah, but he was unable to help them. It was all he could do to block the lightning fast strokes from the Guardians in his face.
Gabrielle and Jonah stood side by side as the four Guardians approached them rapidly. They brought up their sticks and readied for battle, as the four approached side by side. She had no time to look towards Jericho to see if he was okay. It was up to her and Jonah to fend for themselves, she thought, as Jonah suddenly leaped forward towards the Guardians, and began to swing both sticks wildly. Without another thought, she leaped as well, and swung both of her sticks in a blaze of fury. One by one, she and Jonah, blocked the Guardian’s swings. Sparks flew as control stick tips touched, and though they were able to stand their ground, they could not seem to back down the Guardians in the least. With one pointed jab, Jonah made contact with a Guardian, which sparked, and froze, but in the process the control stick in his hand was knocked loose and clattered to the ground. He continued to fight, as he held his remaining stick with both hands and he fought to hold their ground.
In a flash of speed, the Guardian closest to Jericho swung its control stick, which he deflected, and followed with its powerful arm, which Jericho ducked at the last second. He felt the hair on the top of his head being swept aside. The arm continued with fierce momentum, and slammed into the Guardian beside it, temporarily upsetting its balance. Jericho popped it in the torso, and the bright flash blinded him momentarily. He jumped backwards, away from the melee, and ran towards the nearest stack for cover. He glanced towards Gabrielle just as she lit up the Guardian in the middle, and ducked as the one to her right swung again. Jonah caught its arm with the tip of his stick, and its motion froze, but the momentum of its swing caused it to topple over. Suddenly there was a bright flash, and the stack of boxes behind Gabrielle exploded in a flash of sparks and debris. Jonah, dropped and rolled to his left, and Gabrielle rolled to her right. Both of them scrambled to find cover behind the nearest stacks. Again there was bright flash, and the stack that Gabrielle had been running too exploded. She d
ove to the ground, rolled, and came up, as she leapt for safety under the cover of the smoke and debris as it rained down. She tucked and rolled behind the next stack behind the one that was just demolished.
“Cover the door.” A voice from atop the skid yelled out. The last Guardian that had faced Gabrielle and Jonah turned and walked up the aisle towards the entry door. From his position at the far side of the skid, Jericho watched with puzzlement. The Guardian that he had fought, turned away from his position and approached the left side of the skid. It turned around and looked back towards the aisle they had originally come from and became motionless. Jericho shook his head as he sorted out their newest dilemma. They were separated. They couldn’t go back the way they had come. They could not move forward. They were trapped.
Chapter 35
Immortal Page 34