As we rode forward, riders began unraveling their rope, repeating the same tactic.

“Try wrapping more loosely this time,” I shouted.

A familiar thump carried through the air. One you could feel in your chest from all this distance away. Clarence had fired the rifle, hitting the front unit in the joint of one of its front-most legs. It snapped, and the machine tumbled forward, crashing into the ground. It was the first time I’d ever seen one fall in a single shot.

But it was only a temporary victory. Within seconds, it rose, dropping the damaged leg from its body, allowing it to tumble to the ground. This was new. I’d never seen that before.

No… It’s not just that I hadn’t seen it. We’d studied them. They weren’t capable of this before. This was new. There were improvements to these particular units I needed to learn about.

One of the men turned to face the damaged lead unit and was caught by the machine gun fire of the second unit next to us.

“Don’t get distracted!” Kuros shouted. “Remember, our job is to slow them down!”

I transmitted my voice to Ghost.

“Ghost, how close are you?”

No answer. I resisted my immediate urge to get angry. No… if he didn’t answer, it was for good reason. I just had to have faith in my friend. That they were still coming, and we were buying them the necessary time.

“Now, pull tight!” Kuros said.

Leaving the rope loose solved one problem and created another. While it prevented the rope from tightening enough to be cut easily, it had also caused it to slip from several of the legs. However, this was leaps above what we’d done before. Despite having several legs free, the machine toppled onto its side. Now was my chance.

“Get me close. I’m borrowing this,” I said, pulling the large hunting knife from his belt.

It fired at us, the line of bullets nearly reaching us before we hit a blind spot it couldn’t follow. I jumped from the horse, sprinting toward the dome. It was no twisted key, but even if I could only damage one of the cables, especially the coolant system, it would set this machine to borrowed time. I dodged the flailing legs, pushing my enhancer to the limit. This was it. These opportunities wouldn’t be easy to come by.

I jumped atop the dome, sliding down as it righted itself, snapping the ropes around its legs. As I feared, their rope lacked the tensile strength to hold back such a force, even if they were wrapped perfectly. I dug my hand into the gap, grabbing a handful of small wires and yanking them free of their protective enclosure. With a slice of my knife, I severed several. Then, without warning, a panel shot out, propelled by a piston, striking me in the hip and sending me flying through the air. Another upgrade.

I landed hard on the ground, and my suit minimized the damage, though not nearly enough. I gasped, both from my air escaping my lungs and also the searing pain that erupted from my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so much pain. I tried to stand up, but fell on all fours. I tried to crawl, but collapsed. I was going to die.

It blanketed me in the red killing light, making sure I knew I was its target.

“Fire! Open fire!” Kuros roared, emptying his revolver and immediately began reloading.

All the other men dropped their ropes and drew their weapons. Rifles and revolvers peppered the impenetrable dome. Flattening against the glass or glancing off harmlessly. Nothing they were capable of doing would register as a higher threat than someone who just damaged one of its main systems.

At the very least, it had run out of ammunition, being the unit that had fired the most shots. Though death by being crushed wasn’t much better.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Another shot from the PanTech rifle bellowed, striking the metal beast with a direct hit. The glass shattered, leaving optics, wires, and hoses exposed. But not destroyed. Even with heavy damage, it finally reached me. As it began to raise its leg, I saw a black object swoop down, diving from out of nowhere. The giant falcon gripped both talons full of wires, launching himself before the defensive pistons had a chance to fire, ripping dozens of wires in the process. The hose began to spray lubricant and cooling fluid in all directions.

It tried to raise its leg, but was unable to maintain its balance now that the system that maintained that function was disable. It stumbled forward, falling nearly on top of me.

I heard Kuros’s voice faintly, veiled, but close.

“Get up!”

I tried again, but couldn’t manage to push myself to my knees. The pain was incredible.

“Now!”

This time, I dug deeper. I ignored the pain. My limbs felt like they were about to detach like the machine’s did earlier. My body was broken. I was a zombie. Or, at least, that’s exactly how I felt.

I made it to one knee before I felt a hand grab the collar of my shirt, dragging me across the ground.

Kuros, hanging halfway off his horse, was struggling to hold me. Every bounce off the hard ground only amplified the pain I was feeling. What little I was able to see filled me with hope. Dogs and cats in armor, swarming the machines, using evolved tactics against an evolved threat.

By now, the fight had nearly reached the town.

Kuros dropped me, and then dismounted from his horse, running over to me and grabbing my shoulders.

“Taylor!”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My lungs were empty, and I couldn’t convince them to pull in more air.

“Don’t panic. Breathe!”

He shook me and continued to shout. I focused, forcing my body to make the motions. My enhancer was struggling to complete the simple task of… breathing. I nearly faded, before feeling a hard slap across my face.

“Breathe!”

Finally, my lungs cooperated, at least partially. I could feel some air entering. The intake escalated the pain in my chest to new heights. I was really starting to feel it now. I curled in a ball and pulled my knees to my chest, unable to stop my eyes from watering. I couldn’t pass out. I needed to see it.

As my vision cleared somewhat, I saw the third machine fall, so close to the town. Close, but it didn’t make it.

I forced a smile across my lips, a triumph against the pain racking my body.

Kuros saw it, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly.

“We did it, Taylor! We did it. You did it. Hold tight.”

He began jumping up and down, waving to the Explorers League.

“Help! Over here!”

The moment they’d confirmed all three machines were disabled, they immediately leaped into action as medics. They rushed out in all different directions, seeing who was still alive, able to be saved. Two cats sprinted in my direction.

“Hang in there, Taylor,” Kuros said, holding me in his arms. “Don’t you dare die after everything we’ve been through. There’s been enough death, and I ain’t acceptin’ any more. You stay with me!”

Suddenly, dying felt like a selfish thing to do. Kuros looked between me and the approaching cats, probably wishing he’d not pulled me such a long distance away.

“They’re coming and…”

I snapped away. I must’ve faded out.

“Linus! I’m going to tell you something about my brother Linus. You listening?”

I looked up at him, struggling to stay conscious.

“I was always jealous of Linus. He was better looking, smarter, a better shot, a quick thinker… every mistake I ever made, my first thought was always that Linus could’ve done it better. Every time I screwed somethin’ up, I told myself Linus would’ve managed it just fine. Then, when I accidentally shot that hostage I… I just wallowed in it. I could never get it out of my head. I started to hate my brother for something he never even did. I convinced myself he looked down on me, when he didn’t. And I… I wish I could’ve said something before he left. Told him I loved him, and that I looked up to him despite him being younger. Now the pain of never living up to him is nothing compared to the pain of him being gone. I miss him, Taylor. He saved you, right? You told me he saved you? Well, I ain’t gonna let you die, you hear me?”

I started to fade out again.

“Do you hear me?” he yelled, directly in my face.

A cat slid beside me, coming to a stop on the ground next to my head while the other dropped at my side, opening a briefcase full of gadgets. He swiped a wand-like device over my body, and I knew what it was. His eyes went wide as he pulled at my armor.

“I can’t get it off,” he said to the other cat.

“What? Let me see…”

The other cat leaned over me, trying to find a way to remove the armor.

“Where does this… it’s…”

The first cat swiped the wand over me again.

“It’s reactive. Look, Taylor, you have to will this thing to come off. You have to tell it to let go, or you’re going to die.”

I panicked, but Kuros squeezed my hand again, helping me calm myself just enough.

“Just like that,” the cat said. “Relax. Deep breaths. Let the armor release.”

A moment later, it came undone, loosening enough for them to pull it and the rest of my clothes from my body.

Kuros had turned his back, despite his concern, intent on being a gentleman no matter what.

“She’ll make it,” one of the cats said, nudging his leg. “Thanks to you.”