by Mark Harritt
He hit the magazine release and the magazine slid out, and he replaced it, hitting the slide release. The slide slammed forward, and he shot another. The last one leaped and he put two bullets into it as he dodged to the side and rolled across the paving stones. The robot slammed into the ground sliding to the feet of the giant.
Mike looked at the giant. It wasn’t walking anymore. The head was wreathed in flames. Smoke was billowing out of every joint. Thermite burned at 5000 degrees centigrade. The thermite had burned down the back of cowl into the robot and down into the torso. Anything inside of the giant was a puddle of molten liquid. The knees gave out, and the robot tilted to the side.
Mike ran out of its shadow, praying he could get out of the way in time. The robot toppled, slamming into a wall. It rebounded and slammed into the ground. The ground shook, making Mike stumble. He came to a stop, shock and adrenaline hitting him hard as he tried to get a breath. He leaned over, putting his hands on his knees. He panted for a few moments, then stood up straight. He started breathing in, deeper and slower. His pulse rate started slowing down. He wiped away the sweat on the side of his face.
The wind shifted, and the smoke billowed towards him. He moved back to get away from the fire and the smoke. It was strangely quiet, the crackling of the flames devouring the giant robot the only sound he heard.
Mike tilted his head back and yelled, “Fuck You, Murphy!”
That calmed him down. He smiled.
“Jesus, Mike, what the hell were you thinking?”
Mike turned and saw the team walking towards him. Everett kept yelling as he walked to Mike, “What the hell was that, you dumb ass. You think you’re James Bond or something?”
Mike’s smile died on his lips, “Dude, I saw how to kill it. I didn’t want you guys to get hurt.”
Everett punched him in the arm, hard, making Mike wince, “And what am I going to tell Jen if you don’t come back.”
“Why the hell does everybody hit me?” Mike thought. Mike didn’t have anything to say. He started stammering.
“Yeah, exactly. That’s exactly what I’d be able to tell her if you died doing some dumb ass shit like that.” He pointed his finger at Mike’s face, “So don’t do dumb ass shit like that anymore.”
Mike held up his hands, palms towards Everett, “Whoa, Ev, I’m sorry.”
Everett stepped back, and calmed down. He looked over at the smoking ruins of the giant robot. A grin replaced the frown on his face. He looked back at Mike, “Still, that was some bad ass, James Bond shit you did. How the hell did you do it?”
Mike grinned, sheepishly, “Thermite.”
“How did you get it into the robot?”
“I rammed it into the collar around the robot’s neck. I figured gravity would take over from there.”
Tom kicked one of the small robots, “And you took out six of these little bastards with your pistol?”
Mike nodded.
There was admiration on every face as they studied Mike. Then Everett noticed that something was missing.
Everett studied Mike, “Where’s your rifle, soldier.”
The sheepish look came back, “I left it on the floor back in the building.”
Tom’s slow drawl punctuated what everybody was thinking, “You know your drill sergeant is rolling over in his grave right now.”
Everett slapped Mike on the back, “Okay, superman, let’s go get your rifle.”
Matki walked over, gripped Mike’s arm, the concern on his face evident. He handed Mike his backpack and smiled, “Carry your own shit.”
Mike’s laugh echoed through the street. He grabbed the backpack and put it on, “Okay, seriously guys, you’ve got to stop teaching Matki how to curse.”
“Wasn’t us, Mike. He was listening to you when you came running up the stairs,” Tom drawled.
“I was cursing when I was running up the stairs?”
Tom nodded, “Not just you. Everybody was cursing on the way up.”
The fire in the giant robot was dying down. The torso was a melted, twisted, amorphous mass. They gave it wide berth as they walked around it.
“Damn, that smells horrible,” Rob said.
“Yeah, let’s get the hell away from this thing,” Everett said.
They walked to the ruined building and stopped outside. Mike dropped his backpack on the ground and clambered over the rubble to get to the stairs in the back. He grabbed his rifle, and made his way back to the team. He picked up his backpack and put it on, “Alright, I think we can finally get out of this hell hole.”
He turned to Rob, “Okay, you’re up.”
“Which way?” Rob asked.
Mike pointed down the street they were going to use three days ago, “Well, that one’s the quickest way out of the town. I think we should go ahead and use it.”
Rob started walking. The team fell in behind him. The sun was shining, and the breeze blew into their faces, driving the smoke away from them. Now that they didn’t have to worry about killer robots, it was turning out to be a very pleasant day. Tom started whistling.
Everett started talking, “I wonder where the hell those things came from.”
Mike thought about it, “I would think they’d have to be somewhere close by.”
“They’d need techs, right? I mean, to fix anything that’s broken,” Mickey speculated.
Everett laughed, “Their techs are going to be pretty damn busy today.”
“What about that one that was left in the city. Nobody fixed it.” Rob pointed out
Mike’s curiosity was piqued, and he said so, “Those are good questions. I wonder where the hell they did come from.”
Everett continued that thought, “Shouldn’t be too hard to find them. That big one should leave a big trail.”
Mike looked over at Everett, “What do you think, want to check it out?”
Everett thought about it, then nodded, “I get uncomfortable thinking there might be enemies on my back trail.”
That made sense to Mike. He yelled out, “So, anybody up for some payback?”
A chorus of, “Hell yeah,” rang out.
Mike looked back over his shoulder, “Hey Everett, I’m thinking we need to find the jackass that sent these things to kill us.”
“You’re damn straight.”
“Matki, Tom, think you’ll have a problem back tracking the robots?”
Tom looked back at Mike, “There’s a first time for everything. Tracking a robot, not it being a problem. Should be pretty easy.”
“Good. Find them, then we’ll see if we can’t ruin their day.” Mike thought for a moment, “Ev, you aren’t going to tell Jen about the giant robot are you?”
----------------------------------------------------
Tom was right. There wasn’t any problem backtracking the robot. Giant divots of dirt pointed the way down the valley. An hour later, they were standing at a fissure that led back into the mountain side. This fissure was the same color as the cliff faces around it, dark black with red bands throughout the walls. It seemed to glitter in the morning sun. Scree littered the floor of the fissure.
Tom looked back at Mike, “Mike, I’m not sure I like this.”
Mike looked into the opening of the fissure. He agreed with Tom. It went forward for at least a hundred feet before it turned to the right. It was a funnel of death. If there was a claymore or a machinegun back there, they wouldn’t walk out. Mike wasn’t willing to send anybody down there in less than full mech.
Mickey walked up to the debris at the foot of the wall, and picked up a sample, “Hey, fool’s gold.”
He brought back the stone, and handed it around. Mike looked at it. Mickey was right, the stone was pyrite, shining a brassy gold in the light
Mike shook his head, “I don’t think I want to go down there, and I’m not willing to send anybody else. It’s too dangerous. It would be like walking down a shotgun barrel, with a finger on the trigger.”
“Mike, I’m not sure we have a
choice. If we don’t find out what’s down there, it may spit out more of those things,” Everett pointed out. “I don’t want more of them on my trail. Especial in the open.”
“I agree with Everett. I don’t think we can leave this alone,” Rob added.
Mike turned to Mickey and Tom. They nodded their agreement. He looked at Matki. Matki shrugged, advanced combat techniques not being his forte.
Mike paused, then he spoke, “Well, we might find something that indicates where the hell these things came from.” Mike shrugged off his backpack, “Okay, but I’m going down there to check it out.”
Rob hit the quick release on his backpack, and it hit the ground. He stepped off and headed towards the fissure. He looked back over his shoulder and winked at Mike, “The quick and the dead, Mike, the quick and the dead.”
Mike continued dropping the ruck to the ground. He shook his head in consternation as Rob entered the fissure.
Mickey looked at him and smiled, “What, you think you get to have all the fun? It’s not like there are more giant robots for us to kill.” Mickey waved towards the field behind them, indicating the absence of large killer robots.
Mike knew that Mickey was BSing him. It wasn’t that they liked to tempt fate and cheat death. They weren’t going to let Mike take all the chances. That didn’t keep Mike from feeling guilty as Rob stopped and looked around the bend in the fissure. Rob wasn’t a dummy. He wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks. Rob did a quick peak, then moved around the curve, and the team couldn’t see him anymore. Now, Mike’s guilt turned to trepidation as they waited for Rob to come back.
It didn’t take long. Rob was gone about ten minutes, then he reappeared. He walked out to where the team was standing.
“What’s back there?” Tom asked.
Mike watched as Rob walked up to the team and stopped, “Big metal door. Not much else, though. The fissure heads back about another hundred feet past the bend, then it stops. That’s where the door is. It’s set into a metal frame.”
He paused and took a drink from his Camelbak, “I walked up to the door and touched it. I don’t see any way to get inside. The metal felt cool to the touch.”
Mike thought about it, “Well, I definitely want to take a look at it. I don’t think we should all go down there, though.”
Everett nodded, “Yeah, I agree. How about we do groups of two. That way, if something does happen, it won’t happen to all of us.”
Mike agreed, “Fair enough.”
He pointed at Matki, “Hey, Matki, how about you and me . . . “
Everett shook his head, “Oh no, James Bond. How about you wait until the rest of us go.”
Mike grinned, and motioned towards the fissure, “After you.”
Everett pointed at Matki, then motioned for him to follow, “Come on if you want to see it.”
Matki smiled and eagerly stepped forward. They walked down the fissure. Matki was about to step forward past the bend, but Everett put his hand on Matki’s chest to stop him. He did a repeat of Rob’s move, and peaked around the corner. Once he was satisfied that things hadn’t changed, he put his hand on Matki’s shoulder to indicate that he could continue. They stepped around the corner. Once again, Mike worried until he saw them coming back around the corner.
Everett and Matki walked back to the group. When they stopped, Everett started speaking, “Well, it’s exactly what Rob said. A big metal door set back into the mountain. It’s got a metal awning over it.”
Smiling, Rob spread his hands, “What, you thought I was making that part up?”
Ignoring Rob, Everett continued, “The door looks like it won’t open from the outside. I banged on the door, and there was no response. If you want to see the inside, I think we’re going to have to use some explosives.”
Mike’s eyebrow went up at the last. It wasn’t something that he had considered previously, but he damn sure wanted to see what was inside that big metal door. Beyond destroying whatever it was that wanted to kill them, he wanted to find out more about the technology, and get some information on who created it. His thoughts were interrupted by Tom.
“Why?”
The group turned to look at Tom.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked.
“Why is this here?” Tom asked.
The team didn’t say anything, perplexed by the question.
“I mean, there has to be a reason. Killer robots don’t just grow on trees. There has to be an investment of resources for them to be here,” Tom continued.
Mike got it. “Why would somebody put these robots here?” he thought.
Aloud, he said, “That’s a damn good question, Tom. There has to be reason for them, whoever they are to put robots here.”
Everett hooked a thumb back at the city, “Has to be something to do with that city. They killed everybody there for a reason.”
Mike looked around, “Any ideas?”
Nobody answered. Mike looked at Matki, “What do you think?”
Matki took a bit before he answered, “It is a mystery to me. My people, the people that live in these mountains, we don’t have towns or cities like that. Too many people are a target. They would have to fight off dragon spawn all the time.”
Mike looked at Matki’s atlatl and arrows, “Maybe they had better weapons than you do.”
Matki spread his hands, “Anything is possible, my friend.”
Everett asked the next question, “You say there are lots of cities like that?”
Matki shook his head, “Not like that, Everett. There are all sorts of ancient cities in the mountains. But they are all long deserted, buried, overgrown with weeds.”
It was a mystery to Mike, “My question is, why use them to target people?”
Mickey nodded, “Right. I mean, if the people were in a war, they were outclassed. Iron Age tools and weapons against robots. You’d have to be pretty stupid to start a war with somebody that has killer robots to send after you.”
“Maybe these people had something that somebody else wanted,” Everett mused.
Mike turned his head to look at Everett, “If that’s true, I’d think they’d have taken it and left. Why leave the robots?”
They were stumped. None of this made any sense.
Mike made a decision, “Well, I don’t want this thing behind us. I don’t want to have to fight my way through to get back. I sure don’t want to give them time build more, or bring more here.”
He looked at Rob, the explosives expert. Rob was trained as a Special Forces 18C, engineer, and had a degree in structural engineering, “Do we have enough explosives to take that door down?”
Rob grinned, and slowly nodded his head, “Oh yeah, I have enough det cord and C4 to bring down the side of the mountain on top of the door.”
Mike grinned back, “Well, I’d prefer you not do that. I want to get a look inside and see what’s in there.”
A hurt look appeared on Roberto’s face, “You have no faith in my abilities, Mike. I operate with incredible precision, my friend. I can perform surgery with explosives. It will knock the door off its hinges, and nothing inside will be harmed, I assure you.”
Mike laughed, “Sorry to impugn your integrity and capabilities, Rob. I promise you, I have nothing but respect for your considerable talents.”
Rob performed a small bow with great dignity, “Thank you for your patience and comprehension of my capabilities.” He studied Mike, “You are a very perceptive man.”
Mike laughed and Mickey’s eyes rolled. Tom snorted as a small laugh escaped him. Rob glared at him and Tom changed the chuckle to a small cough, his fist over his mouth.
Rob took charge. Since combining blasting caps, det cord, C4, and claymores was an inherently bad idea, the explosives had been farmed out between the team members. Now, everybody pulled out the explosives that they had. They brought it over to Rob, who made sure that the blasting caps were kept separate from everything else. He grabbed a block of C4, a length of det cord that he�
��d measured out, a blasting cap and one of the electronic remote switches, transponder and receiver, placing them away from the rest of the explosives.
While he was doing this, Tom and Mickey walked into the fissure to take a look at the door. They just went as far as the bend and stepped out to take a look. Satisfied, they didn’t go any further and came back. They told Mike the same thing, a metal door, a metal frame set into the rock, and a metal awning.
Rob took a look at what he had. Evidently satisfied with it, he stood up and started retrieving the explosives he’d set aside.
Mike stepped forward, “Well, I’m the only one that hasn’t seen it yet, so I’ll help you set it all up.”
A smirk appeared on Rob’s face. He responded by motioning Mike forward, “Come here, mule, I have something for you to carry.”
Mike grinned and walked over holding his hands out. Rob piled the explosives in Mike’s hands. Rob kept the switch set and blasting cap. Rob made sure that the cover for the switch was in place, then he slid it into his pocket. Rob started walking and Mike followed. They moved into the fissure, Rob slightly ahead of Mike. They stopped at the corner and looked around. They didn’t see anything problematic, so they rounded the corner and walked toward the metallic door.
Rob whistled as he walked. Mike studied the door as they approached it. It was large, very wide, big enough for the giant robot to walk through. It seemed to be made from the same metal as the robots. That, or it was covered in something that protected it from the elements. There were no markings on the door. The door either slid to one side or opened inwards since there were no marks indicating that it opened outward. It looked like the door butted up to the inside of the frame. Mike pointed this out to Rob.
Rob nodded, “Yeah, if it swings in, that will actually help. If it slides from one side to another, it might have some more support. Either way, I’ll get it open.”
Rob took the det cord from Mike and started at the bottom of the door, pushing it into the space between the door and the frame. As he moved up the frame, he motioned for Mike to give him a boost. Mike walked over, interlaced his fingers, and hoisted Rob up high enough so that he could wedge the det cord all the way up the side of the door. He took pieces of the C4 and molded it like clay to push in behind the det cord to keep it in place. Once he had the det cord wedged in and stable, he took a big chunk of C4 and started molding it. He wedged it into the frame about where a lock might have been. He repeated the process on the other side of the door. Then he extended a single piece of det cord between the two big chunks of C4 and attached it.