The light from Cove’s flashlight struck the wall as he stepped back out of the shadows. “How many have we gotten, do you think?”
I took a few seconds to run memory-based calculations. I answered the more pressing question, “We’ve perhaps 20 or so left?”
Cove cracked his knuckles. “We’ve really been cracking down on them.”
I restrained my long-suffering sigh.
We took out two more groups before Bearard’s eyes glowed nearly bright enough to light the cavern on their own. Looking in his direction was akin to staring directly into the brand-new LED headlights of an oncoming car in the middle of the night.
Cove and I were unable to stop moving, tense with anticipation. It had to be close.
Some strange feeling in my chest begged me to turn to the funnel. I followed the feeling, watching as a brilliant pair of headlights turned down the final curve, joining Bearard’s pair. We watched in awe as the simmering gold lights took its final steps in, followed by two dimmer pairs of red.
I heard the tell-tale click of the mouse, and the red lights dimmed.
The robot with golden eyes went berserk. It spotted Bearard, and moved to him faster than any robot we’d encountered yet. Bearard froze beneath its gaze.
Ani nipped the nape of Bearard’s neck, dragging him off the desk as the robot smashed his arms into it. The desk splintered; the monitor cracked.
Ani kept hold of Bearard, dragging him just out of the robot’s reach. Cove lept into action, picking up one of the frozen robots to throw at it. With an unfairly quick reaction time, the golden-eyed robot ducked out of the way, and the tossed one cracked against the wall.
Cove teleported next to it, stretching his arms out to restrain the robot. The robot took great offense to this and spun, smacking Cove in the stomach. It sent Cove flying back. He struck the wall with a loud CRACK, and slumped to the floor.
The blood froze in my veins.
Bearard let out a horrified shout. “COVE!”
The robot continued it’s hunt for Bearard. Ani’s nimble form kept them ahead of the Robot’s strikes as he leaped and flipped over the flapping arms. If possible, this only made the robot more enraged.
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Metal clattered against itself behind me, and I turned briefly to see another two robots. Panicked, I looked at the computer, only to see it in pieces on the floor, and my heart stopped.
Ani sprinted nimbly between my legs, and I twisted to see the robot aiming for me. Eyes wide, I ducked and rolled away, landing back on my feet like Cove had taught me. A gust of air brushed through the tips of my hair as the robot arm missed me by millimeters.
The two newcomers marched my way as the golden-eyed one continued after Bearard. They were slower, and I darted behind them, trying to pick up the frozen robot as I went. My tug sent the heavy thing crashing to the ground, and it nearly crushed me.
With his unconsciousness, the newfound strength granted by Cove was gone. I cursed as the two heads turned in unison to face me. I backed up and scanned the floor of the room, looking for any loose stone or rock. Something sharp dug into my back, and I touched the surface of a shelf behind me.
Without much time to spare, I plucked any parts that looked like they might be strong enough off the shelf. Whirling back, I sent old hard drives and robot bits flying at the two. My aim was true, and they crumpled to the ground.
The tunnel shone red once more, and I grabbed whatever I could carry in my hands, knocking items to the floor in my haste. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Ani darted through the robot’s legs. It bent over and began to tip.
For a moment, I thought it would teeter to the ground. It reached two arms out and caught itself on the ground as three more entered the cave.
I flung more parts and pieces at them. One of my attacks missed, but the rest collided with the craniums, and the robots careened to the ground.
My eyes darted back to the tunnels, and I looked for signs that more robots were incoming. Seeing no red lights, I stuck everything that would fit into my pockets, keeping an ear and an eye open and ready.
With the golden-eyed robot distracted by Ani and Bearard, I sprinted over to Cove, using the wall as a break. I bent over, inspecting his fallen form, being careful not to touch him, or disturb the concerned Ranch, who pawed at his arm.
I took half a second to check his chest to make sure he was breathing. His chest inflated and deflated, and I released my breath. He wasn’t dead.
Black bruises crawled up his neck and down his arms from beneath his shirt, and blood dripped to the ground beneath his head. I reached out and trailed one set of fingers gently over the back of his neck and what I could reach of his spine, searching for breaks.
Finding nothing concerning, I willed my pounding heart to slow and slapped his face lightly. “Cove!”
He didn’t stir.
Robot footsteps sounded from the cave entrance. Without much time to spare, I grabbed his leg and shook it more fiercely, still wary of moving his spine. “COVE!”
My shout echoed through the cave.
He didn’t even twitch.
My heart dropped.
Four more entered the cave, and I stood up to my full height, thanking every god I knew of that my next few strikes struck dead. As the robots collapsed on their comrades, I thanked my training with Cove and Azure for good measure, vowing to continue it.
Suddenly, the way forward was clear. While Ani and Bearard continued distracting the berserk robot, I went to the piles of collapsed robots. Most of what I needed was already in place, and I planted my shoulder, shoving the stacks of robots inward with all my might, blocking off the entrance.
The next time a robot tried to get through, It would have to climb over these ones first. If that stopped them there, perfect. If it didn’t, I hoped to get lucky enough to strike their heads as they were climbing, adding more to the pile.
Red flashed against the tunnel wall behind them.
I’d get to test my theory.
I found the perfect angle and readied my projectiles as they began their climb. I let one fly, then another, and they fell perfectly into place. By then, the stacks formed a waist-high barrier.
The fear and adrenaline that had been tearing through my chest settled, and my thoughts cleared. I returned my attention to Bearard, Ani, and the Robot and analyzed the movements for clues.
My previous dreams flashed through my head.
Everything clicked into place, and my lips twitched in a semblance of a smile.