Novels2Search

Extraction

“Herja, can you get our coordinates yet?”

“Negative. Mechanical damage as well as magnetic interference.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Maddox muttered under his breath.

He’d finally found a spot in the canyons where he was able to climb out with his damaged Mech. It was far from the base—he could see the lights over the horizon, but nothing close to it.

What was he supposed to do? If he returned to the base, the Zynthian Army would come after him again, and there was no way he could fight them off with a damaged Mech. He hadn’t even been able to fight them off in the first place—he was ridiculously outnumbered.

If he went on foot, he could be discovered and executed. Could he convince them that he was one of them? What about Xiomar? What would they do with him?

He didn’t know where Reina was, either. When the Zynthian Mechs had rushed out to the desert after them, they’d gotten separated. He hoped she and her Mech were in better shape than him. He wondered if maybe he should head back and see if she had returned to the old workshop. Then again, if her Mech was as damaged as his, could she even make it that far? If so, would they be able to regroup and formulate a better plan?

Just then, a small alert started flashing on his console. He pressed it, and the one remaining display that worked showed something just barely within range, moving across the landscape. It was too far for him to see, though, but he could tell it was large, and it was heading in his direction.

“What the hell is that?”

***

Xiomar lay face down on the concrete in front of GLITCH, his whole body trembling. Everything ached, but he still refused to give in. He wasn’t going to hand GLITCH over to anyone, especially not a traitor like Lotharing. Fuck him, the traitor.

“Heartbeat irregular, and minor interference to the nervous system,” GLITCH said, scanning Xiomar again. “First degree burns on chest, and increased risk of cardiac arrest.”

“You’re only prolonging his suffering,” Lotharing told the Mech. “Give us access to your console and it all ends.”

“No, GLITCH,” Xiomar said through clenched teeth. “Don’t give them anything.”

“Shut up, Haydn!” Lotharing kicked him in the side, and he cried out in pain.

“Pilot orders are to deny all access to the main console,” GLITCH repeated for the fifth time in an hour.

“Then you won’t have a pilot anymore!”

Lotharing grabbed Xiomar by the back of his jumpsuit and tossed him like he weighed nothing. He slammed to floor, unable to defend himself with his hands shackled behind his back. All he could do was lay there while Lotharing attacked him ruthlessly. He couldn’t even feel the individual kicks or punches anymore—it was all just a steady stream of pain.

“I've always considered myself to be a very patient man,” Lotharing said, taking a riot baton in his hand, “but I’ve had enough now. Nothing personal, Xio. I really did like you.”

“Fuck you,” Xiomar spat, blood dripping from his mouth. “Go to Hell, you fucking traitor.”

Lotharing brought the baton down on the center of his chest. He held it there for what felt like an eternity, and Xiomar’s agonized screaming was the only sound that echoed throughout the hangar.

“Access to the main console granted,” GLITCH said, and there was a hydraulic hiss as the door to the pilot’s compartment opened.

“Finally!” Lotharing laughed, gesturing for two of his men to grab Xiomar. “Get him up there. Let’s go.”

“No,” he said weakly, barely conscious. "GLITCH..."

He was dragged by the soldiers up onto a lift and brought to GLITCH’s pilot’s compartment, where they shoved him down on the seat. He just sat there, struggling to breath. His vision was blurry, his body still shaking uncontrollably.

“Now,” Lotharing said, leaning against the back of the chair. “Show us how it works.”

“Fuck you,” he said breathlessly, rubbing his chest where he’d been struck so many times by the riot batons. His skin was red and blistered, and his entire torso felt like it had been crushed. “It’s got glass photovoltaic panels, a layer of TMDs across its exterior, hydraulic tendons, stretch-wire coil muscles, and—”

“I don’t care how it gets its power!” Lotharing slapped Xiomar on the side of his head, and he scowled at him. “Tell me how it got its sentience!”

“I don’t fucking know!”

Lotharing growled in frustration and got him in a chokehold. Xiomar grabbed his arm, digging his nails into his sleeve while he tried to pry him off. It had already been hard enough to breathe in the first place.

“Tell me how it works if you want to stay alive,” Lotharing demanded.

“I just told you,” he choked out, “I don’t know. I only know how it’s powered. I don’t know what Acennan did!”

“Stop lying!”

“Acennan Pierce worked in the Emporian crystal mines during an extended period of hard labor as punishment for insubordination,” GLITCH stated, and Lotharing released Xiomar. “In the mines, he discovered a Time Crystal and embedded it in a hidden compartment under the console.”

“What’s a Time Crystal?”

“The Time Crystal is always in motion, conducting and distributing energy throughout the connected system.”

“Like a brain?” Xiomar asked.

“Affirmative. Major Acennan Pierce replaced the energy-conducting quartz crystals found in regular Mechs with the Time Crystal. This action is what was considered to be the origin of sentience.”

“Show us,” Lotharing demanded.

GLITCH was quiet for a moment, the lights above them pulsing slowly. Was GLITCH thinking of something? Could he figure out some way to get himself and Xiomar out of there?

There was a loud clang, and a panel in the floor by Xiomar’s feet shifted a bit.

“Open it, Xio.”

Xiomar sighed, leaning forward with a pained groan, and he kicked the panel up. There was a ladder leading down below the pilot’s compartment. Lotharing unlocked his shackles and shoved him to the floor in front of it.

“Get your ass down there.”

It was a struggle for Xiomar. His hands and body were still trembling from being tortured with the riot baton. He was only able to get down a few rungs on the ladder before he slipped, and dropped down into the hidden compartment, slamming to the floor with a loud thud. He just lay there, face down, struggling to catch his breath as the others followed. Lotharing grabbed him roughly by the arm and hauled him to his feet.

It wasn’t a terribly large area—there were definitely too many people in it, and the others ultimately had to go back up to the pilot’s compartment, leaving Xiomar alone with Lotharing.

The only light in the small compartment came from the massive Time Crystal. It glowed the same shade of purple as the lights that ran throughout GLITCH. It was embedded in some kind of metal panel on the top of a massive transformer.

It didn't even look real. It was spinning and turning and changing shape. Would it even feel solid if he touched it? Could he touch it? Its movements were strangely rhythmic, almost like a heartbeat, and warmth emanated from it as it moved.

“Get it out of there,” Lotharing demanded, shoving Xiomar towards it.

“Have you fucking lost your mind?” Xiomar asked. “You can’t just rip shit out of a transformer! Do you want the whole thing to blow?”

“How about I blow your head off instead?” Lotharing pulled out his pistol, pointing it in Xiomar’s face. “I don’t give a damn how you do it, just get that thing out of this Mech!”

“Fuck you,” Xiomar said with a scowl, staring down the pistol. “If you shoot me, you won’t figure anything out about this Mech works. That’s why you made me Chief Mechanic, isn’t it? You need me.”

Lotharing lowered the gun, and then a deafening bang rang out in the small compartment. Xiomar hit the floor, screaming in pain and clutching his bloody leg.

“You don’t need your legs to do mechanical work, so stop pissing me off, Haydn.” He was unusually calm after just shooting Xiomar. “Just do what you’re fucking told.”

There was a low rumble, like thunder, and GLITCH shook a bit. Lotharing let out a sigh of frustration as he rolled his eyes.

“What now? Go find out what’s going on,” he called up to his men.

After they’d gone, Lotharing knelt on the floor beside Xiomar. He used the belt from his pants to bind his leg tightly like a tourniquet. Xiomar gritted his teeth and tried to push him away, but Lotharing just slapped his hands away.

“Stop trying my patience, Xio.” He grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled him up. “I’ve waited twenty years to get my hands on this Mech, and babied you for the last nine. I’m done humoring you and your bullshit.”

Xiomar’s breath came out in quick, labored huffs, and he whimpered in pain every time he put slight pressure on his leg. His pant leg was soaked in blood.

“Get me that crystal,” Lotharing demanded. “Now.”

I hope it fucking blows us both to Hell, Xiomar thought as he reached out one shaky hand towards the Time Crystal. If Lotharing hadn’t had a firm grip on his arm, he probably would’ve fallen. He was struggling just to stay conscious at that point, cold sweat running down the side of his bruised and bloody face.

As his fingers touched the strange, glowing crystal, it sent a painful shock up Xiomar’s arm. He shouted and yanked his hand back, his fingers twitching and shaking. The lights around the compartment flickered a few times, and some of them went out completely. An alarm light started flashing above them, flooding the tiny room in an ominous shade of red.

“Warning,” GLITCH said. “Removing the power source may result in mechanical and electrical damage. Risk of electric shock may result in operator death. Removal of transformer components may result in electrical shock or explosion.”

GLITCH shook more than before, and there was the sound of cannons somewhere far off. Lotharing let out an annoyed breath, then dropped Xiomar onto the floor in front of the transformer.

“Don’t move from that spot until you figure out how to remove it. I’ll have the medics fix your leg up later.”

Lotharing stormed off, his boots thumping loudly as he ascended the ladder.

Xiomar was quiet until he heard him leave the pilot’s compartment. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was starting to get noisy out there. Was it the Emporian Army trying to take back their base, or was it Maddox and Reina again?

“GLITCH,” he said as quietly as he could, “is there anyone else still here? Don’t speak. Flicker the lights once for yes and twice for no.”

The lights in the compartment flickered once, and Xiomar sighed. It was probably some shitty Zynthian mechanic messing with GLITCH’s console, or some random soldier making sure Xiomar didn’t do anything stupid. Not like that was going to stop him from trying.

“Any idea what’s going on out there? Can you speak in a way that only I can hear you?”

GLITCH’s voice came out very quietly from a speaker in the wall close to where he was sitting.

“Magnetic interference has disrupted all scanners not linked to Zynthian Army systems. However, traces of radioactive activity can be detected within short range. Likely source: Valkyries or Reavers.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Valkyries or Reavers?” Xiomar wondered if it was someone from Emporia. Maybe Maddox or Reina. Had they escaped the attack when he had surrendered himself? “We need to get the hell out of here. Any ideas?”

“Sync-Suit link redirection in progress. Engaging auto-pilot.”

“Hey!” The soldier that was up in the pilot’s compartment scrambled around, trying to use the console to control GLITCH as the Mech started to move.

GLITCH didn’t get very far. The Mech had been secured in a reinforced hangar bay, its arms and legs held firm with enormous metal brackets. They groaned under the pressure of GLITCH trying to pull free, but didn’t break.

“Stop it, right now,” the Zynthian soldier demanded. “Turn off the auto-pilot and disengage the Sync-Suit link. If you don’t, I’ll go down there and kill your pilot!”

Xiomar scowled as GLITCH stopped moving. He couldn’t believe how desperate Lotharing and the rest of them were. GLITCH wouldn’t do anything that put anyone’s life at risk, so threatening Xiomar’s life was their only way to control it.

“GLITCH, please,” Xiomar said quietly, leaning against the wall. He was tired and sweaty. Every breath and movement was excruciating. “Listen, don’t worry about what happens to me. Don’t let them have access to your console anymore. Don’t let Lotharing get his hands on the Time Crystal. I’ll do what I can, but you have to just let me do what needs to be done.”

GLITCH’s lights pulsed for a few moments.

“Do you mean you intend to lose your life?”

“I don’t intend to, but if I do, you need to just let it happen.”

Xiomar thought back on his life. It had been a struggle ever since his parents had died and he’d been shipped off to become a soldier. He’d spent most of his Army career fucking around, and had only ascended the ranks because Lotharing wanted to use him. He was done. If this was where he died, so be it.

“I know you don’t usually listen to orders if it means letting someone die,” Xiomar said, “so I’m not giving you an order as your pilot. I’m asking you as a friend.”

GLITCH was quiet, the lights pulsing slowly around Xiomar.

The Time Crystal flickered a bit, making a few of the lights go on and off. An electrical surge? That was what had caused GLITCH to malfunction when Acennan had died. Was GLITCH getting emotional?

“I am programmed to avoid and prevent loss of life whenever possible,” GLITCH said, and Xiomar let out a long breath of frustration, “but I will respect your wishes.”

Xiomar laughed softly, slowly forcing himself to his feet.

“See you around, hopefully.”

He climbed up to the pilot’s compartment. There was only one Zynthian soldier—the one wearing the Sync-Suit to try to pilot GLITCH—but he had his back to Xiomar, guarding the door to the compartment while there was the sound of cannons and shouting somewhere far off outside the hangar.

He took a few calming breaths, testing how well he could stand on his injured leg. It was difficult, but not impossible. He took a moment to hype himself up before bracing himself and rushing at the man. He twisted his arm painfully and shoved the soldier against the wall, covering his mouth with his hand so he couldn’t call for help.

“Sorry,” Xiomar said quietly, taking the soldier’s gun from the holster at his side. “I’m not going to help Zynthos cause any more destruction.”

He struck the soldier in the side of the head with the gun, using as much strength as he could muster, and the man collapsed at his feet.

“GLITCH,” Xiomar called, and the lights in the pilot’s compartment lit up. “I’m going to try to get to the bay controls to release you. Use this guy’s Sync-Suit to engage auto-pilot again. No matter what happens from here, deny all access to the console, even if I get killed. Just get the hell out of here as soon as you get the chance.”

“Sync-Suit link redirection in progress. Engaging auto-pilot.”

Xiomar went out onto the lift, and the hangar was mostly empty. There were only a few soldiers—most of them had gone outside, where Xiomar could hear the sounds of some kind of battle going on. It must have been Emporia, trying to take back the base. How long could they hold out, he wondered.

There was no one down at the console that controlled the bay where GLITCH was being held. Xiomar climbed down as carefully as his injuries would allow, trying to keep quiet. If he used the lift, the soldiers would hear and stop him.

He hit the floor with a thud, and ducked quickly behind the console. If it caught the attention of the Zynthian soldiers, they must have not thought anything of it, because no one came to investigate the sound.

His heart started to race when he heard the hangar doors open. Lotharing and a few of his men returned, and the sounds outside were still intense, making loud booms and causing the ground to rumble. If it was Emporian soldiers out there, he hoped they were all right.

“Unbelievable,” Lotharing muttered to himself. “They keeping coming back like flies to shit. They know they’re outnumbered, so I don’t know why they even bother.”

“Sir!” Another soldier came rushing in, and saluted Lotharing while trying to catch his breath. “General, we’ve captured one of the Mech pilots.”

“So what?” Lotharing asked, a hint of disgust in his voice.

“He claims to be a Zynthian soldier, and demanded to see you.”

“What in the world?” Lotharing laughed. “Is Emporia really that desperate? Bring him in then.”

Xiomar crawled to the edge of the console so he could see what was going on. Two Zynthian soldiers brought in an Emporian soldier, who was struggling against them. His face was covered in blood, and he growled in pain as they threw Maddox onto the floor at Lotharing’s feet. He glared up at Lotharing, who scowled, while Xiomar’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Lotharing asked. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Lieutenant?”

Xiomar’s breath came out in small huffs. Maddox was a Zynthian soldier? Was he involved in the raid on the base? If so, Xiomar felt like a fool for trying to protect him. He was never in any real danger, was he?

“I’m here for Zynthos,” Maddox told him, using his sleeve to wipe some of the blood off his face. “Check your records if you don’t believe me.”

“It’s right here, General.” One of the other Zynthian soldiers handed a tablet to Lotharing, who looked over the record with great interest.

“Major Adam Maddox... It says here that you went AWOL years ago,” Lotharing said. “So, how could you have anything to do with this operation? You really think I would just—”

“I got in close with Dufault, didn’t I?” Maddox sat up straighter, looking more confident. “He knew I was from Zynthos. I was honest about it from the start, and he kept my secret. Going AWOL was the only was for me to get my position here without raising suspicions, especially when records of registered soldiers are public record. Dufault knew you were from Zynthos too, and he didn’t trust you. Why do you think he put me on the Mech assignment with Haydn?”

“Perfect,” Lotharing said with a sinister grin. “Then you can get your ass up there right now and help Haydn remove the power source from that Mech.”

“Yes, sir.” One of the soldiers helped Maddox up, and Xiomar cursed silently. They were going to head straight for where he was hiding.

Xiomar took a few deep breaths. It was now or never. He was going to get caught either way, but he could still get GLITCH out of there. He forced himself to his feet, and Lotharing and Maddox stopped short, their eyes wide.

“I already told you, you’re never getting GLITCH,” Xiomar said, pressing a few buttons on the console. “Fuck you, traitors.”

“Haydn!” Lotharing rushed forward, but Xiomar had already unlocked the hangar bay. There was a series of loud clangs as GLITCH was freed from its restraints, and the Mech immediately shot forward, causing soldiers to rush out of its way or risk being trampled. GLITCH rushed out of the hangar and into the night without stopping.

Lotharing swung at Xiomar, who quickly moved aside. He grabbed the general’s arm and yanked, pulling Lotharing down and striking his face on the console.

The soldiers didn’t dare shoot at him—Lotharing was too close to him to risk it. Another one rushed in to get him, but Xiomar managed to throw him down too.

He knew he couldn’t fight for long—his whole body screamed in pain, and it was hard to stand on his injured leg, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. He took out one more soldier before he felt like he was going to pass out.

Maddox was the one who finally stopped him. He twisted Xiomar’s arms behind his back and slammed him down face-first against the console. Xiomar struggled with no success—he was too worn out.

“Get off of me, you fucking traitor!”

“You’ve done a lot of stupid shit in the past, Haydn,” Maddox said, still gripping him tightly, “but this is probably the stupidest.”

“Let go of me!”

“Get him out of my sight!” Lotharing demanded, wiping some blood from his nose. “Teach him a lesson, Maddox, and then leave him in a cell to rot.”

“What about his leg?” Maddox asked, and Lotharing rolled his eyes. “You don’t want him to bleed to death before we get the Mech back.”

“Fine! Take him to the infirmary.” Lotharing grabbed Xiomar by the front of his jumpsuit, and he had a sinister grin on his face. “Let them remove the bullet. No anesthesia though.”

“Fuck you,” Xiomar said, and he spat in Lotharing’s face.

Lotharing struck Xiomar in the stomach so hard that he vomited, and the only thing keeping him on his feet was Maddox’s firm grip. He pulled him away from Lotharing, forcing him to walk down the corridor, away from the hangar.

“Do you have some kind of fucking death wish?” Maddox asked. “Stop pissing off Lotharing before he actually kills you.”

“Fuck you too, Maddox.” Xiomar continued to struggle against him, even though he knew he wasn’t strong enough to actually break free. “I should’ve known you were working for Zynthos, you piece of trash. It’s no wonder why it was so easy for them to take over the base.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maddox told him. “Just shut up and do as your told.”

“Whatever. It’s not like it matters what happens to me now. GLITCH is gone and no one here is ever gonna get their hands on him.”

“I don’t care about your fucking Mech.”

Maddox turned down another corridor without warning, still dragging Xiomar along with him. The majority of the base was deserted, and there were multiple infirmaries throughout, but Xiomar didn't thing there was one in the wing where they were headed.

"Where the hell are you going?" he asked, struggling with the pain in his leg. He was sweaty and out of breath. "Doesn't this lead to the training arena?"

"Quiet," Maddox demanded. "I'm trying to think."

"Think? You don't have the fucking capacity. You threw your lot in with Zynthos and fucked us all over—you don't think."

"Would you just shut up for five goddamn seconds, Haydn?"

When they reached the training arena, Maddox shoved him inside, shutting the door securely behind them. It was dark, and there were no other soldiers in the area.

It had always been like that. The arena was only used to test new Mechs. It was built to withstand pretty much any kind of attacks, so it had been deemed unnecessary to station soldiers there. No one was breaking in, even if they had a Mech with weapons.

"What are we doing here, Maddox?" Xiomar asked breathlessly, but Maddox just hushed him. The pain in his leg was becoming harder to bear. He was covered in blood and sweat, and he was sure he'd collapse if Maddox let go of him.

The crossed the arena, which was eerily silent despite the battle going on outside, save for a few rumbles in the floor. Maddox glanced out a few of the exit windows, a firm grip still on Xiomar's arm.

There was a small, garbled sound, like a broken radio, and Maddox put his hand to his ear. Did he have an earpiece in?

"Yeah?" He was quiet, listening to the strange muffled sounds.

Xiomar couldn't make them out, and he was too exhausted to try. He leaned against the wall and took slow, shaky breaths. Waves of lightheadedness and nausea flooded his body, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to throw up or pass out or both.

"Yeah, I've got him... We're at the doors to the arena—there's no interference on this end of the base," Maddox said in a hushed voice as he glanced out the window again. Who was he talking to? "Yeah... I don't know—it ran out of here... Who knows? It must be using someone else's Sync-Suit... Uh huh...Yeah, Lotharing was—"

Xiomar's leg gave out under him, and he dropped to the ground with a loud thump. Maddox sighed and wrapped his arm around his back to haul him onto his feet again, and he gasped in pain.

"He's in bad shape," Maddox said. "This better go smoothly. Remember, let the others handle the rest. Our job is just the extraction."

Extraction? Xiomar slumped over against Maddox's shoulder. Extraction of what? The bullet in his leg?

"We're ready," Maddox said. He knelt down with Xiomar behind the giant arena door. "Brace yourself, Haydn."

Xiomar couldn't do anything. He could barely breath, and all he could feel was the pain radiating through his body every time he moved his leg. He didn't know what Maddox was planning, but he wasn't sure he'd be conscious long enough to find out.

A massive explosion just outside shook the entire arena, and probably most of the base, throwing them to the floor. Red lights started flashing everywhere and raid sirens blared. Maddox stayed low as some Zynthian soldiers rushed by. What the hell was happening outside?

"Come on, Haydn," Maddox said, helping him stand again. "On your feet."

Xiomar groaned in pain as he was forced back up, trying not to put too much pressure on his injured leg. If he had the energy, he would have fought, but he'd already done too much already. He was lucky he was still alive for the moment—he would just have to accept his fate at the hands of the Zynthian Army. At least GLITCH had gotten away.

Maddox took a deep breath and headed outside with Xiomar, and the entire base was engulfed in chaos, even more than when Zynthos had taken over.

There were Mechs and soldiers fighting everywhere, and half the place was in flames. Cannon shots barreled through the area from somewhere beyond the base—there must have been Mechs in the desert.

Xiomar gritted his teeth as Maddox rushed him across the base towards the open desert.

"Stop," Xiomar begged, and he stumbled and fell to his knees in the dirt. He pulled out of Maddox's grip before he doubled over and vomited. His whole body tensed painfully and his shoulders were trembling.

"Haydn, come on, we gotta—" Maddox dropped to the ground and covered his head as a blast from a cannon exploded against the side of the training arena. The force of the impact threw them both to the ground, and the whole area became obscured by smoke and dust.

Xiomar just lay in the dirt as he took quick, labored breaths. His vision was blurred and his ears were ringing, but he could faintly see Mechs and soldiers flooding the area. Were they from Emporia or Zynthos? Xiomar couldn't tell.

Someone knelt in front of him and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders before they pulled him into an upright position. He could heat the muffled sound of voices somewhere beyond the ringing in his ears.

It took a moment, but everything slowly came back to him. He was being shaken awake by Reina.

"Xio, come on! Focus!"

"Rei? What the—"

Maddox grabbed him under his arms and hauled him to his feet, and the three of them rushed off in the opposite direction on the other Mechs and soldiers. Their Mechs were just outside the base, hidden among the large stone spires that surrounded the base.

Once inside Maddox's Valkyrie, Herja, Xiomar slumped over against the wall while Maddox rushed around to get it up and running.

The medical officers were there too, and fussed terribly over Xiomar. They moved him to a room just off the pilot's compartment, and lay him on an cold metal exam table where they strapped him down. Maddox had designed his Mech to be much bigger than most of the other Valkyries, with extra rooms like a medical area and even a kitchen and bedroom in order to comfortably accommodate being deployed for long periods of time.

"Can't that wait til we get back?" Maddox asked as he buckled himself into the pilot's seat. "It's gonna be a rough ride."

"It's already been in his leg for too long," one of them said. They wore special harnesses that linked to metal bars around the edges of the exam table so they didn't get jostled around too much while they Mech was moving. "Don't worry about us."

Xiomar inhaled a sharp breath as he felt a needle going into his leg, just above his knee. He tried to speak, but was cut off as an oxygen mask was fixed over his face.

"Now isn't the time to chat, Major," the medical officer said, and Xiomar sighed and closed his eyes. His leg quickly went numb, and he felt like he was finally able to calm down for a minute. It made him realize just how exhausted he was. He just lay there and listened to the sounds around him.

"All right, Reina," Maddox said over his radio. "Let's get the fuck out of here while we still have the chance."

"I'm tired," Xiomar muttered. He couldn't have opened his eyes again if he tried.

"Hey, stay with us, Major," one of the officers said. They lightly slapped his face. "His blood pressure is dropping. He's lost too much blood."

"Major Haydn, can you hear me? Open your eyes!"

Xiomar groaned in response, but he was too tired. His body felt cold and heavy, and his chest felt tight. He didn't care what happened to him anymore. He was just glad that GLITCH had escaped.

"Wake the fuck up, Haydn!" Maddox called out.

There was an enormous crash, and Xiomar's eyes shot open as the Mech was thrown to the ground. Pain shot through his limbs as the straps dug into him, and Maddox swore loudly.

"I guess Zynthos isn't gonna let us off the hook as easily as last time," Maddox said.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter