Jinn scowled as he dodged another bolt of lightning. So far, he’s been able to stay ahead of the blasts but he wouldn't for much longer. Throughout the battle, the Spider-Worm was getting better at trying to guess where he would end up. All the while he had felt something each time the beast roared, something that seemed like terror. But he only felt it for a split second each time, and he was holding it together. But he only was able to do that because he had used an old trick to keep his emotions at bay. He knew he would have to release the buildup later, and there were no rage rooms here. But he could use the corpse of this thing to work through his issues with it. But he would need to rest for a few moments and gather his strength. He felt the fire that fueled his Power fading slowly each time he 'Dashed'
So with another ‘Dash’ that landed him on the opposite side of the hanger on a balcony, he stopped moving. As he panted he slowly regained his strength as the heat increased. He could feel the power rise in him and knew it would only take minutes to get everything back. He was on a balcony near the back wall, and he was hiding out of the monster’s sight. He would just need another few moments, and that would be enough.
As he took a deep breath, he risked a look over the barrier for a second and then slammed down. The Spider-Worm was prowling towards the right wall, where the other robot parts were. He didn’t know how to feel about that. The closer it moved to the door his friends were behind, the more dangerous it became. But he had to admit that it was looking like there was only one way to really end this. Well, maybe two of them. If he could just get it to chase him…… The more he thought about that, the more solid the idea felt. This might be the only thing he could do, it would be risky, but did he have a choice?
Thinking quickly, he prepared to do what he knew he had to. But then he saw Jess appear on one of the other balconies and aim at the monster. Without thinking, then he knew that he had to act fast. Without wasting a second, he ‘dashed’ to her and put his hand on her gun, forcing it down. “No!”
Jess looked at him like he had lost his head. “I thought this was the plan!”
“It was,” Jinn admitted and then looked at her with a frown. “But plans change! That thing is getting too good at aiming those blasts, you’d get killed before too long. We need to do something else, something risky.”
“What!?” Jess demanded in shock and anger.
Jinn only sighed and prepared to tell her the bad news. “It’s simple. I lead it back down that path. You get back to the others, find Paige! Get her to that room she used to escape the Ape! I’ll run to that room, but be ready to close it!”
Jess stared at him and he knew what she was thinking. They had seen the damage to the Access Pad, and there was a chance it wouldn’t work. But then there wasn’t anything else he could do, he had to protect the others. That thing would soon be able to get into the hallway and at the others. It hadn’t yet, not even looking in that direction. Maybe it didn't know the others were there? Or because it just didn't want to go after them? Maybe it wanted to kill him and Karakpace first. There were possibilities, but he would take all the advantages that he could get.
“I know what you’re thinking, but we don’t have a choice! We can’t keep fighting here, we need to take a chance! If we can buy ourselves some time to get away!” Jinn began and then there was a roar from behind.
Jinn turned and saw blasts hitting the monster from the darkened gloom of the doorway. To his shock, the monster just roared again, and then it fired a blast into the darkness. But the blasts fizzled out as something walked out.
It was another robot made of black steel. As tall as the Spider-Worm, its body was a humanoid body on a five-foot-wide platform with four legs set in an ‘X’ formation. The top of the robot was gaunt, with its arms ending in five long claws. Its head had three eyes, and each was blazing crimson. Its mouth was a piece of metal that was shaped like an open mouth, but it had no open space within it. On its back was a large pole that was drawing in every blast the monster sent at it.
“So you didn’t expect this body to give me vengeance even after I’m gone you beast! This is what proper planning can accomplish! Always have a backup!” The voice was the same being that had roared through the shuttle.
Jinn looked at the robot as its hands split in half at the middle finger. They moved out six inches and then bolts of energy. The bolts only seemed to force the Spider-Worm backward. As Jinn watched, the monster roared again and this time he felt nothing. Jinn looked at the monster, and his eyes widened as everything came together. The Spider-Worm kept roaring in rage as it was forced against the wall behind it.
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Blinking, Jinn looked at Jess as the robot kept broadcasting the rant of the being controlling it. “Okay, I didn’t see that happening.”
“New plan?” Jess asked with a deadpan tone. They watched as the strange robot kept absorbing each blast the Spider-Worm fired.
“Yeah, new plan. We wait for them to fight each other,” Jinn said as he looked at the battle between the two titans. As the Spider-Worm was pushed back, Jinn grabbed Jess and they ‘dashed’ away. Jinn landed on another balcony closer to the battle near the door. He looked at Jess as she dropped to all fours as soon as he released her. She took in a deep breath as she tried to catch her breath.
“Don’t. Do. That. AGAIN!” Jess whispered harshly but softly.
Jinn only shrugged and looked at the battle. The Spider-Worm was still against the wall, struggling to get free. Then the robot, the ‘Quad-Walker’ just stopped firing. As he watched, the Spider-Worm tried to charge. But no sooner than it had moved three feet, the Quad-Walker fired again.
“So you didn’t expect this body to give me vengeance even after I’m gone you beast! This is what proper planning can accomplish! Always have a backup!” The Quad-Walker repeated as it kept firing.
“He just said that! Does he just like the sound of his own voice!?” Jess asked in disbelief.
Jinn said nothing, only nodding as he looked at the battle. There was something about it, something that was bothering him. The whole thing just looked so, so…. Robotic he had to think. The robot was just moving in, staying out of range and absorbing any shot that the Spider-Worm was able to shoot. But how it kept doing nothing but what it had done, was something that bothered him. It reminded him about something, something that he just can’t remember. Some kind of training maybe? Yes, that was it! That one, the one where….. Jinn went still as he
“Oh Stars! That thing is operating on a program! That must be a recording!” Jinn breathed out in horror.
Jess looked at him in shock before looking at the robot, her eyes squinting as she tried to see what he had. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I am. And that’s bad for us. Very bad,” Jinn said bitterly.
“What don’t I know that makes this so bad?” Jess asked horror in her voice.
Jinn only gave a bark of laughter and shook his head. “That means that it might only have a few attack patterns. And the lighting blasts, That's only after it drank some of the shuttle but it liquefied. Who wants to bet it gets stronger when it destroys that thing?”
“Oh. Yeah, there’s that. I mean yeah. But what do we do? Help the robot?” Jess asked as they looked at the ‘battle’.
“No! We can’t do that. For all we know, it’s programmed to kill us as well! We don’t have any choice but to wait!” Jinn said with anger in his voice. He knew that leaving the two to kill each other was the only move that made sense, but he hated it. Anything could happen, anything that might make things worse for them. But if they found, it might turn into a three-way battle to the death, and those were pure chaos!
The Spider-Worm hadn’t fired another shot for moments now, and that might mean that it was out of ‘juice’ to throw them. But something was telling Jinn that they weren’t that lucky. Something was telling him that this was just the calm before the big storm.
“Get to the others, we need to be ready to move! That’s an order! Don’t argue!” Jinn barked and Jess looked at him in shock. He looked at her and scowled, his eyes set in a hard line. “You haven’t been in many life-or-death battles before we crashed, I have! So go!”
Jess looked like she wanted to argue, but Jinn just glared at her until she left in a ‘dash’. He turned and looked at the battle, trying to think of what he could do. He had been speaking the truth, but he had left something out. If the robot won, then who’s to say it wouldn’t attack them in turn? That meant whatever won, they were the ones that were going to be at risk either way. So the only logical thing to do was wait, and attack the victor once the battle was done. But who knows how that would happen or when?
But then something else happened, the Spider Walker stumbled.
From the passage came ten robots, Rail Skimmers if Jinn remembered the name right. Five of them broke off and started to fire at the Spider-Worm, but the others attacked the Quad-Walker.
Jinn could only stare in shock, but then he looked around and then up at the ceiling. There were marks here and there all over it. Even here on this balcony, there were marks that showed where things had been removed. If he was right, then this whole room then this whole room was meant to be open to the vacuum of space. That meant that this place might have something that they could use. But then the Access Pad was the one thing that let them operate the systems here. And that meant that only Paige could use them if they were still active.
The Spider-Worm roared and then spat at one of the Rail Skimmers. The black blob engulfed the robot and the robot fell to the ground, slowly liquefying as it sat there.
He looked at the Spider-Worm as the fire from the Quad-Walker died down, planning how to do this. He looked at the Quad-Walker, seeing one of its arms was destroyed by the Rail Gliders, and made a choice. He was going to hate this, but he had no choice.
With a single ‘Dash’ he appeared by one of the Rail Gliders and drew his blade. He knew the trick that Karakpace had shown him and he had felt it as his warmth went into his blaster or rifle. Time to make a test, one that he hoped would work. With all his will he forced the Warmth down his arm as he drew his blade and turned it into its sword form. Then with all his might, he forced the warmth into the blade. The blade itself suddenly gained an energy aura and he grinned. With a single motion, he slashed one of the Rail Skimmers that had been attacking the Quad-Walker.
For a moment nothing happened, then the Rail Skimmer suddenly split in two where he had cut it, and he grinned. With a savage yell, he ‘dashed to just above the Spider-Worm. As he fell, he yelled and the beast turned to him. That gave him an opening to slash through all the spike limbs on that side of its body. As soon as the slash was made, he ‘Dashed’ away, not letting any of the monster’s blood get on him. Landing, he watched the Spider-Worm roar and pain and he looked at the wounds.
They were still there, and not regenerating instantly like he feared. That meant that he had a chance, not a good one but a chance. If he could make a kill shot on that beast, then maybe the Rail Skimmers could handle the other one.
“Okay, Beastie, Final Round!” Jinn roars as he runs at the Spider-Worm