Terra was glad to have been able to talk to someone about her problems, although she wasn’t able to reveal all her secrets. She did feel bad that she hadn’t tried to learn more about him since she did take him captive but figured they’d have more than enough time to learn about each other on the trip to...wherever they were going. Indo hadn’t even told her, which annoyed the hell out of her, it wasn’t as if she had anyone to tell. She reflected to her weak moment the night before and cringed, maybe Indo was right to not have told her.
She turned to the silent 895G who was keeping his head down obediently as they passed by people on the way to Tinyon. A guilty feeling hung in the pit of her stomach when she put himself in his shoes. He probably had a home and friends who were worried about him, and she had taken that away from him like it had been taken from her. Hell, the only reason she was caught in this mess was because she had made a stupid wish to go home, and now she was involved in a government conspiracy and her other body was the key to solving some problem, and she had inadvertently involved another innocent person just so she could feel better about herself.
“I think it’s time to get rid of 895G.” She called out to Indo.
He turned around, surprised, but gave her a very eager nod.
“Please! We can’t spare any dead weight on this trip, and he’s more than his share. Should have never let you keep him. Do you need this?” Indo shuffled through his pack and drew out a crowbar, offering it to her.
“Sure, it’ll make it quicker.” Terra grabbed the crowbar and pushed the pack off 895G’s back.
Trying not to let her amusement at his horrified expression show, she pointed to an alley down the street, far enough away from Indo and Petri’s earshot that their exchange wouldn’t be heard. Tears started cascading down the Scout’s face and he pleaded for his life while Terra poked his back with her crowbar to make him move forward. She did feel pity for how much fear she saw reflected in his eyes as she prodded him down the unlit alleyway.
“Please, I’ll do anything! I don’t want to die!” He cried and turned around, dropping to his knees and grabbing the hem of her coat.
“Get yourself together man! I’m not going to kill you!” She shook off his hands in disgust.
“What?” His tears stopped and he stared up at her for a few seconds processing her words, then rose and backed away.
“Just scream a bit while I make a big racket and then shut up. Ready to scream and cry some more while I beat the ground?”
“Y-yeah.” He said.
Terra held back her laughter while he screamed in terror when she swung the crowbar past his head and hit a garbage bag. After a few more screams and broken trash cans, Terra felt it was convincing enough to anyone who had overheard that she had just beaten 895G to death.
“Hold still while I get that damn collar off.” She tugged him down and gripped the collar with her hands and pulled as hard as she could. With the sound of circuits popping and wires snapping, the collar was off and 895G was officially free.
“But why now?” He asked with a quivering voice.
“It’s a thank you for listening to my rank last night. And I’m sorry I held you captive, I know it’s never fun. At least you didn’t get tortured, right? Just wait a few days before you report us otherwise I’m really going to regret it.”
She traced the smile on the drawn skull on her respirator to indicate she was smiling. Although he looked relieved he was freed, 895G still looked frightened, and there was something she couldn’t recognize tucked away in his eyes. Before she could investigate further, she heard a commotion behind her in the main street.
“Terra, run!” She heard Petri’s voice call out.
She ignored his warning and sprinted out to the street, gripping her crowbar tightly. A few meters ahead of her Indo and Petri were surrounded by Patrol agents who were pointing guns at them.
“That’s the robot!” Terra heard a male voice ring out, and then a small army of Combatants charged after her from the shadows.
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She swung down on the arm of the nearest one, hearing a satisfying crunch of metal when she saw the arm fall to the ground. Terra jumped over the leg of another robot who tried to sweep her leg and simultaneously twisted in the air at two others swung at her head, grabbing their wrists and pulling them down with her. With her hands occupied, she kicked out the torso of another bot and used the two in her hands to block an oncoming hit from a Combatant.
Terra launched herself off the shoulders of a robot who had over-timed its lunge at her, swinging her crowbar at head level, permanently taking down two more Combatants. Her vision lurched forward and she realized a Combatant had jumped on her back. Using its momentum, she curled into a ball so the two would land on the opposing robot’s back, driving the crowbar into the engine in its chest. With no time to recover, she lifted bottom half to avoid getting her legs removed by three Combatants and pushed herself into the air with her arms, bring her weapon down on one of their heads.
The stream of robots was endless, but for the first time since coming here, she felt exhilarated by the experience, completely forgetting what her real purpose was and just living in the moment. When the last Combatant fell, she looked around expectantly, thinking more were hiding in wait to ambush her when she let her guard down.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you told me this robot was something else!”
Terra turned to see a man in uniform facing someone to her right. When she turned to follow his sight of vision, she saw that he was taking to 895G, who was uncomfortably avoiding her gaze as he crept towards the Patrollers.
“Listen, robot, if you want your owners to live, you’ll have to drop your weapon and lie down on the ground with limbs spread out.” The man said while pointing at Indo and Petri.
“They aren’t my owners, jackass! And my name is Terra!” She spat out at the man, raising her crowbar at him. Oh, she was going to have fun playing with this one.
“So be it.” The man waved his arm and a sharp pop shattered the still air. Petri suddenly fell to the ground clutching his stomach.
Terra watched in horror as she watched Indo leap to his side and press his hands to Petri’s wound. Red blood crept onto the dusty ground, bringing Terra to earth when the reality of her situation set in. There was no way she’d make it to their sides faster than a bullet could hit the two. She could run, but Indo and Petri would most definitely be killed. Terra tried convincing herself that she didn’t owe them anything and that she should just run, but for the past few months, she had grown accustomed to them always being around.
“How do I know you’re not going to harm them if I surrender?” She announced, glaring daggers at 895G who was looking down at his feet.
“You don’t.” The man lifted his arm again and started bringing it back down, a motion that mimicked what he had done when Petri had been shot.
“Wait!” Terra screamed and threw her crowbar a few feet away from her, lifting her arms in surrender.
Slowly, she got down on her knees and put her mask on the dirt, spreading out her arms and legs to show she was no threat. She couldn’t see the man’s face anymore, but she knew he was probably gloating nonverbally. Gritting her jaw, she remained still as a group of Patrollers hesitantly made their way to her and bound her wrists together. They bound her legs together too and rolled her onto a flat metal board. Once they strapped her to the board, she was completely immobilized.
The man sauntered up to her and snapped something around her neck.
“There. Now we’re even. You put a collar on a Scout, and now you get a pretty collar of your own. Too bad we’re not as nice as you.” The man revealed crooked teeth when he smiled and Terra was sure that if she could smell anything, she would be gagging on his breath.
The man turned back around and barked more orders at the Patrollers.
“Bind them up. Make sure Petri doesn’t bleed out, he goes back to the pharmaceutical lab where he belongs. Indo gets taken to interrogation. The robot goes to robotics for experimentation. Take that stasis tube to biological research.”
The Patrol agents jumped into action as soon as orders were vocalized.
Terra could see Indo being torn away from Petri and was shocked to see ghosts of tears on his cheeks, screaming at the Patrollers to let him go so he could help Petri. Petri was pale and unconscious on the ground and Terra was worried he was already dead. Her doubts weren’t countered as agents bounded Petri’s chest with gauze and strapped him to a board where he was so still Terra was certain he wasn't breathing. Indo had managed to break free from his captors and rushed to Petri’s side, grabbing his hand and giving it a tight squeeze before a Patroller struck him on the back of his head with the butt of their gun and Indo fell limply to the ground.
Terra wanted to scream and cry, but nothing came out of her throat. It was her fault Petri had been shot. Her fault Indo was being shoved and strapped to a metal bed. If only she hadn’t tried to let that bastard go and paid closer attention to her surroundings they wouldn’t be in this mess!
“I will get you!” She screamed at both the man who was causing her torture and to 895G. “I will make you pay for what you’ve done! I swear on my body I will destroy all you care for!”
“Well, robot, keep up that energy since you’re going to need it for the tests the robotics team is going to run.”
“My name is Terra.” She spat out, wishing she could actually spit in his face.
“Not for long it’s not.” The man said with a leer.
He lifted his arm and revealed a small box with a switch on it. Using his free hand, he flipped the switch and Terra could feel an overwhelming burning in her head. It didn't last long as the darkness consumed her.