Jess tried to keep calm as she ran after Jinn. Her question had been unanswered, as even Karakpace didn’t know that. He had admitted that he hadn’t thought they were evolved enough to even think of revenge, so there was that. She had admitted that the best thing to do was maybe keep moving, and act once they knew what the Apes did.

Sara had decided that she was doing her best by staying in the back. She said something about having the medical supplies. As she had been looking at Karakpace, Jess understood. She didn’t want him to know that she had a Power to heal. She didn’t fully agree with it, but they had to protect themselves. And since it was her Power, it was her choice. That was how Jess saw it, and that was enough. All they needed to do, was try and get to the others before the Apes did. She didn’t think they would kill the others, but they wanted Callahin. Ahead, Jinn suddenly held up a hand.

They all went still, looking ahead at the corner to the left. Jess could make out a door, and this one had more marks like the door they left behind them. If that wasn’t a mark they were on the right path, she didn’t know what was. But just why were there marks on it in the first place?

“The others, they must have escaped through here,” Jinn said suddenly.

Jess looked up and saw Jinn gazing at something. She turned her head and found an Interface Pad, only somehow it was torn off.

“The Apes are strong to have done this. Stronger than I thought,” Karakpace rumbled as his bugs moved ahead and around the corner. He seemed to stare into space and then nodded after a few moments. “Long gong I’m afraid. But there’s another turn ahead of us.”

“So where could they be going?” Jinn asked.

Jess could believe that. Those two both seemed to be people who wouldn’t let others down. And that meant going into the fire to pull others out. So now they had to go and help their friends so they wouldn’t die.

“Then since they made it through that door, should we try and find a way to them? I mean we don’t know where they’re going now, right?” Sara asked and she looked at the others.

“No, we do now. They came here to save us from Karakpace’s forces. If that’s their goal, then we know where they’re going. They have to be still after that room, it’s the only thing that makes sense,” Jess said bluntly.

“How does that make sense?” Sara asked incredulously

“Sk’p is military. Officer at that. They always think about what the enemy is doing. He has to think the Apes are trying to flank them.

“Yeah. And I think Al dropped a package into the network. If Paige found it, then she’ll know what we think Callahin is. So let’s move!” Jinn said with a scowl on his face as he ran past Karakpace.

Karakpace didn’t even react, only his eyes glowed black and the bugs he was controlling ran after Jinn. “They can transmit what you say to me, stay alive!”

“Same!” Jinn's call echoed off the walls.

Jess gripped her weapon tighter and walked forward, stopping by Karakapace.

“Thanks, big guy,” Jess said with a small smile. She felt her blood start to boil as she knew that there was going to be a battle soon. Her new power had saved her life last time, and she was ready to use it.

“You are allies, these are bugs. I expect them to die, so I send them to protect you. They can’t even think you know,” Karakpace said absently, looking at the bugs.

“Wait, what?!” Sara asked.

Karakpace only chuckled darkly. “They can’t think at all. They are nothing but extensions of the Queen, or a controller like myself.”

“Organic robots?” Jess asked shock and horror in her voice. Suddenly she was back on the Spirit, watching one of the horror movies that they played sometimes.

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Before she could speak Karakpace went still, black energy leaving his eyes.

“He’s found them! He said something is attacking the Apes!” Karakpace rumbled in anger.

Jess looked at him, and then she was moving. “Battle Enhance; Flame!”

With that one shouted command, a crimson aura suddenly sprang up around her. She ran down the halls, letting her power lend her strength. In moments she had passed the corridor and turned, seeing Jinn down the corridor by around fifty feet. He was standing by a doorway, just standing to the side looking into it.

In seconds she had joined him and looked out into a hell she had never expected to see.

There were ten of the Apes, and they were attacking robots of some kind that she had never seen before. There were ten of them, each one as tall as the Apes. They were made of red metal, and they had a ‘head’ of a single black visor in the center of their bodies at the top. Their two arms ended in four claws set in a “+” formation and they had three think legs set in a triangle formation.

“Okay, these are the security bots from this thing, right?” Jess asked, shocked at what she was seeing.

“No, they’re not,” Jinn said bluntly.

She looked at him and saw that he was looking beyond the battle. She followed his gaze, and her free hand went to her mouth. Out of everything that they might find on this ship, that was the last thing that she had ever expected to see.

It was a large red steel vehicle of some kind. It was large, maybe twenty feet tall, just thirty feet below the ceiling. It was shaped like a large block of metal and seemed to have six legs all around it. It had a ramp on the side facing them, and that had to be where the robots came from.

Jess didn’t know where this thing came from, but she had a bad feeling they weren’t on the Castaway's side.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Burt tried to keep calm as he followed after Racha and Al. he knew that something was going to go wrong, but nothing like this. They had running for ten minutes, but he thought it was longer. He was starting to jump at shadows, thinking that one of those Rail things was in every shadow. Robots like those things, they just weren’t right. To just set something that could activate on its own as a trap! That was just the worst kind of thing to do, just why? What had whoever had done this been thinking?

So far, they had been able to keep ahead of the Rail Skimmers. After they had left the room with the passage, they had been free for five minutes. Then they heard the sounds of one of them following behind. Burt had thrown open every door along that corridor, and it had slowed them down. As he hoped, whoever made these things programed them with tactics. To think that Burt had to hope that those things were programmed to stop and search for ambushes. So each opened the door had bought them at least a minute, the time they needed.

But that wasn’t the only problem. Twice they had to hide and let a Rail Skimmer pass by, and both times he hadn’t fired at it. After they had destroyed one of them, two more had appeared where within seconds. Al had been able to close and scramble a door with an Interface Pad, but it had been closed. The blasts from those bots had almost gotten them, and only Burt’s quick actions had kept them alive. Since they had made it into this corridor, they had started to hide, at Burt’s instance.

“You sure that this is the right thing to do, Burt?” Racha asked as she hid next to him.

Burt only chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I am. It’s an old stalking trick. Kill then hide away from them. These things only have sight, so we can hide and move on.”

“But they should have sensors, nothing about them makes sense!” Al said with a scowl.

Burt didn’t understand, but that was expected. Let Al and others like him handle the tech, he could help with his tricks and skills.

Racha looked around, her eyes going all around. Currently, they were hiding in a side chamber that looked like it had been a place to eat.

“Move! Follow me,” Al said softly.

“Sure it’s gone?” Racha asked just as softly.

“Yeah, and that has to be the last one. We just need to leave this place now,” Al said as he led the way.

Moments later, they were running down another corridor, only one had no other doors. All in all, Burt was starting to get worried. If that thing came back, the six-foot-wide corridor had nothing to hide behind.

“So how close are we to the bridge!?” Burt demanded as they ran into another small room around forty feet wide and long. Unlike others, this one had what looked like metal furniture, tables, and chairs. There was something that had fallen on the right wall, and the only other door was across from them. And to Burt’s complete lack of surprise, there was another Interface Pad next to it.

“Close, very close!” Al said as he looked at the door. He almost touched the pad, then he pulled his hand away. “Oh.”

“What? What is it?” Racha asked with a hard tone in her voice.

Burt looked at her and almost whistled. He had no idea who these Special Service people were, but they had to be something. That kind of command voice was something that you had to learn.

Al slowly turned to look at the others. There was a wide and worried look in his eyes. Something told Burt that Al had just realized something that was going to be bad for them.

Al swallowed before he spoke. “I just thought of something. The bots are newer than the ship. But one of them was hooked into the ship. If the person who did that is half as good as I think they are, then we’re in trouble.”

“Why, how?” Racha asked and Al looked right at her.

“The how is easy. It means that these robots can see where we are if I access the Pad. And if we break down the door, they might still see us then too,” Al said bluntly.

Burt looked at him, then he swallowed down a curse. “Great, just great! How close are we to the bridge?”

“Just through this door. And the last door into the internal path we used, it’s behind us. They have to go through that door,” Al said.

“Okay, okay. We can do this,” Racha said.

Burt snorted and shook his head. “We nothing, You two go on. I’ll stay here and hold them off as long as I can.”

“What!?”Al cried out in shock.

“Yeah, it’s a good plan. This way I’ll be able to hold the line and all. They come in here, and I’ll fire at them from there. Just help me move these tables and chairs. We put the chairs in front of the entrance and the tables on their sides all around. Good cover with what we’ve got,” Burt said absently as he looked at one of the tables. He put his hands under it and lifted, smiling as he felt the weight. “Hmmmm. Not as light as I feared, good. This should take a shot or two. Just help me move these things before you touch that Pad.”

“You can’t……” Al began only for Racha to put a hand on his shoulder.

She just looked at Burt before she nodded. “It’s the best way for us to save the others and the ones we’re here for. I don’t like it, but it makes sense. We just need to do it right.”

“And this is the right way!?” Al asked.

Burt just chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, I do. But how long until you can get those things on our side?”