I leaned up next to the door, the entry way leading into the main area of the café. The sound of boots rushing down the aisles and shouts of alarm audible on the other side. A dozen footsteps all coming to a stop directly outside the door.
I looked down at the rifle in my hands, the gun connected to my hand with a thin cord. The gun whirred quietly, full of energy, I tightened my grip on it. I simulated a deep inhale, holding it for a moment before releasing it, the vents on my side coming to life, a dull orange glow already present in the metal.
I was ready....
The door was blown off its hinges, flying across the room, crashing into the far wall.
A grenade flew through the open doorway.
I caught the grenade midair, not taking any time to observe the device, I threw it back through the opening. A loud bang and electric crackle following the toss not a moment later, shouts of alarm and panic ringing out.
A large amount of shifting could be heard happening, gear being checked and tossed away, the grenade damaging some important equipment. I took a chance, peeking around the door frame.
Five bullets slammed into my face, my neck snaping back from the various round’s force, the impacts pushing me back around the corner.
One of my lens had blacked out, I wouldn’t be doing that again.
I switched tactics.
I reached into one of the dusters internal pockets, pulling out a grenade of my own. I pulled the pin, the device beeping rapidly as I did so.
I tossed it.
“Grenade!” a voice outside called out. I could hear bodies diving behind cover, I rushed out.
Within my first few steps outside of the door the grenade went off, throwing me through the air, my flight path leading me behind the now scattered group of soldiers. I had chosen the grenade for its explosive force, not its shrapnel, trusting my chassis to protect me.
I regained my composure and rolled behind a VR rig, taking notice of an armed man who was just now standing up, I shot him. The pinkish blue bolt burning a hole in his torso, his body fell to the ground as smoke trailed off the wound.
The remaining men turned to look at me, weapons raised within a second. I ducked just as a hail of bullets tore over me, the VR rig I was behind being torn into pieces as round after round slammed into it, raining debris down upon me.
I ran low to another rig, then another, and another, quickly making my way down the aisle.
The group of men started to fan out between the machines, slowly closing in on me. I pressed myself up close to one of the rigs and waited, attempting to hide, if only momentarily.
A man passed by close, I tripped him to the ground, releasing two quick bolts into his chest, turning to fire at another man standing next to him.
The man quickly side stepped behind one of the nearby machines, dodging the shots.
I rushed him, vaulting over the rig, I fell down on top of him, my body weight crushing his ribcage. I fired point-blank into his face, his head sizzling as it whipped backwards.
Bullets hit my side, the rounds scratching at my metal skin, I dove behind a machine.
The machine exploded, resulting in me being thrown through the air for the second time that day.
I hit the ground hard, dashing to the side as I spotted the cause of the explosion, some sort of launcher connected to one of the soldier’s shoulders, a collection of wire feeding from the weapon into the man's eye.
A rocket exploded behind me; my dash having happened just in time.
I charged forwards, toward the explosive man, throwing caution to the wind in order to close the distance.
Bullets rained down on me from all directions, the whistle of a rocket passed by my head, a heat wave hitting me from behind.
I reached the man, slamming my hand into his shoulder. I leaped over him, using his body as a fulcrum. My hand caught the wires attached to his eye, ripping them out with a fleshy ‘pop’. The man screamed as I landed behind him, I turned and fired a shot into his back.
He crumpled.
A heavy force slammed into me from the side, tossing me against a VR rig. A man in heavy armor holding me down as more bullets rained against my skull, another lens popping as it was shattered to pieces.
I strained against the man, my vents now glowing a white hot. Sparks flew from the man’s arms and shoulders as I forced against them, a sickening tear accompanying the disconnect of the appendages.
Free of the hold, I drew my side arm, firing it upwards into the man's jaw, blood sprayed across my face.
I shoved the body off me and ran towards a new location, anywhere to escape the near constant stream of bullets. I found refuge behind a vending machine.
I braced to run out into the fray again when I spotted Kassidy walking out into the open.
“What the hell are you doing!” I cried out to her, flicking my rifle to a man that was about to fire on her, my bolt clipping his shoulder before he could.
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The woman turned to me, “Finishing up. We are going to want to leave now, behemoth was just called in.”
What? A behemoth? I thought, unsure of the word's connotations.
The woman turned back to the remaining men and tilted her head, the soldiers stiffening and falling to the ground.
“What was that? What did you do?” I shouted at Kassidy.
“They shouldn’t cheap out on their armor’s security, locked those babies right up.” She smiled back, a string of curses coming from the incapacitated men.
I glanced around, the café had been destroyed, some of the rigs starting on fire.
It was time to leave, but first I had to grab something.
I ran towards the private room, Paris sticking her head out of the doorway, a pistol in her hands.
“Why aren’t you still hiding!” I shouted.
She looked up at me and smiled, “I brought a gun! I can fight too!”
Her face shifted suddenly to concern, “Oh my God Cee! Your face! It's all messed up!”
“You bet it’s messed up!”, I snapped back, my mind slipping into anger, “I just got shot! Thanks for that by the way.”
Paris lowered her gun, her face drooping, “What do you mean?”
“I mean you led them right to us; I got shot because of you!” I yelled at her.
Paris’s face scrunched up, her eyes immediately filling with tears.
“I just... I just wanted-d t-to help you-u Cee.” She sobbed.
“Well maybe you should just listen to me next time!” I shouted, my normal mechanical voice shifting to an all too human and all too angry counterpart.
My head felt like it got hit by a bus, a sharp pain rocketing through it. I fell to my knees, the world fading out.
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A fist landed against my face, knocking me to the ground.
“Just pay us what your sister owes us, and all of this can end.” My assailant sneered, standing over top of me.
His face was a red and black blob, harsh electric sprites firing off of it.
“I already told you; I'm not paying you dipshits anything!” I spat back, slowly pulling myself to my feet, my muscles aching.
“Too bad.”
I was hit again, a group of men joining in to knock me to the ground, a flurry of kicks slamming into me from all sides.
The world shifted, spinning me into a standing position.
Rain fell from above as I slid open a door, walking inside, out of the downpour.
My sister raced up to me.
“**** are you okay!? What happened?” she fussed, reaching out to touch my face.
I slapped her hand away, “You happened.” I spat.
“What?” she asked softly, her voice confused and hurt.
“I told you to stop dealing with the Jays. This is what I get for you not listening!” I shouted at her.
She took a step back, “But, I did stop... I did!”, she tried protesting.
I stepped forward, striking her across the face, “Don’t lie to me! Just listen to me next time!”
After my strike, her blurred face scattered across the room, the world turning dark.
Laughter rang out from all around me, then sobs, then laughter again.
The noise grew too loud and I covered my ears, falling to my knees. My ears bleeding from the absolute volume of noise.
I started screaming in pain until I lost my will, falling into tears until those too ran out.
Laughter erupted from my throat, the futility of the situation getting to me.
Then it was silent, a break from the remorse.
“Don’t waste it.” A voice whispered in my ear, my sister’s voice.
I woke up.
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“Little girl you better get him to move now or it’s the end of the line for Mr. Cee.” Kassidy said.
“I’m trying!” Paris responded; the tears once cried now drying on her cheeks.
“Cee! Wake up! We have to leave!” Paris pounded on the robot's head, a metallic hand reaching up to stop her.
“Paris, I'm back, it's fine.” Cee told her, his voice returned to its mechanical nature.
“Cee!” the girl shouted in excitement, her face quickly shifting to shame and sadness as she remembered the mistake she had made.
“Cee...,” Paris looked down and away from the bot, “I'm so sorry, I just wanted to try and help you.”
The machine touched her cheek, turning her to face him, taking one of her hands in hers.
“No, Paris. I'm sorry. I should have never blamed you, it's not your fault. I should have brought you with me from the beginning. I broke my promise.” The machine’s voice sounding slightly less mechanical than usual.
Paris looked at Cee’s face, the left eye missing two of its red lenses. She thought about all the trouble she had caused Cee, the many times she didn’t listen to him when he only wanted to help her. She deserved to be yelled at, but Cee still apologized to her.
She broke her hand free from Cee’s grip and wrapped her arms around his steel chassis.
“It’s okay Cee, we are a team.” The little girl said, mechanical arms hesitantly hugging the girl back.
A crazed woman’s voice broke the moment, “This is very touching and all, not to mention the scientific implications, but we really need to leave, the behemo-”
Her words were drowned out as a shock wave flew through the ruined café, a massive figure impacting the ground outside.
The asphalt was cracked and glass shattered, a cloud of dust flying into the air.
A giant walked forward towards the café, the large frame lit by flickering neon lights.
It was a monster.
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I stood to my feet, placing Paris behind me, lifting my gun to face the steel beast.
“Run you idiot!” Kassidy shouted from behind me, the woman sliding out a back door.
I turned to look back at the apparent behemoth.
It took a step forward, then lunged, smashing into the café's front.
It tore straight through the brick, sending VR rigs flying across the room.
I threw Paris onto my back, carrying her piggyback style, turning towards the back door that Kassidy had run through.
I broke into a sprint, so did the monster behind me.
I reached the door, leaping out of it and racing down the alleyway.
A boom echoed out from behind me as bricks were sent tumbling past me, I raised my arm to protect Paris’s head.
I continued running, the sound of thunderous footsteps resounding behind me, a living death sentence.
I rounded the corner onto a street, dashing forward into traffic, dodging and jumping the speeding vehicles.
I barely made it to the other side of the road when I heard a shriek and saw a shadow fly over me, I dove to the side, careful not to hurt or lose Paris.
A mangled car fell out of the sky, landing in the spot I had just been standing, the occupant deceased at the wheel.
Behind me a voice boomed out with mechanical enhancement, “Stop resisting, failure to follow directions will result in lethal force.”
You already are using lethal force, I thought at the voice.
I turned down another alley, hoping to gain some distance. The rapid booms behind me did not help to reassure me that I did.
Rounding a corner I found a ladder leading to an apartment's roof. Making sure Paris was holding on tight I climbed it, rapidly ascending. Pulling myself over just as bullets started to pepper the ladder, the rounds taking chunks out of the building’s side.
Not wasting time, I ran to the building's edge, gauging the distance.
I jumped, crossing the gap to the next building.
Paris screamed the whole way.
I continued to do these leaps, changing direction multiple times, before dropping back to the ground and entering an absolutely massive mall.
I lowered Paris to the ground and attempted to blend into the crowds, making my way over to a clothing store.
I exchanged a few chips for a small grey hoodie and a black jacket.
Paris donned the hoodie and I the jacket, opting to buy a black beanie to pull over my head as well. My face was still and issue, but I was able to find a store selling respirators.
Tying the respirator around my face with no ears was a bit of a challenge, but possible.
Finally, I took Paris to the food court, buying her a ‘Joyful Meal’.
Hopefully no one would check for a robot here.