Frost’s green eyes widened. It wasn’t every day that a teenager asked about the truth regarding his parents’ death. Unfortunately for her, I had to know, so I wasn’t afraid to be blunt.
“Don’t you dare lie, Frost,” Beth said. Her helmet was down, and her rifle was aimed at the Purple Dwarf. “I’ll know if you do. After everything you’ve put my brother through, he deserves to know the truth.”
“Perhaps you have a point.” Frost’s gaze lingered on my right arm. Funny how her own soldier had been the one responsible for taking my bionic arm. “I’ll reveal the truth as a reward for everything you’ve done. To recap, I’ve known you since you were an infant. It was my job to look after Michelangelo’s family and search for a successor to his legacy. Even though I chose you, I knew you weren’t at your full potential. Your life was too perfect. You had no urgency—no reason to become the hero that the galaxy needed…so I made one. I sent out an encrypted signal that would reveal the location of the ‘Alpha.’ Then, once I’d confirmed that the AI had invaded New Selene, I released an experimental frequency that was meant to spike mechanical. aggression. It was designed for the prototype Dwarfs, but it served this purpose well. I had to make sure they wouldn’t miss their target…I’m sorry.”
My heart sank. Frost really was the one who had killed my parents. She had hired the assassins and even provided the weapon that finished the job. If it hadn’t been for her aggression frequency crap, the AI might have just captured my parents like they had captured Beth. This was all her fault. Everything was. Someone this sick and twisted had to be stopped even if I had to team up with killer robots to do it.
The ground shook, a sign that Exo was walking. “Alpha, how do you feel—”
“Stay away from him!” The Purple Dwarf lunged toward us.
I rolled away as Frost slammed her purple fist into Exo’s jaw. Exo stumbled back and readied his arm cannon. He fired a red blast that the Purple Dwarf blocked with crossed arms. The explosion pushed the Dwarf back but didn’t do nearly as much damage to it as it had to the Black Dwarf. This thing was strong, maybe even stronger than the White Dwarfs. I’d expect nothing less from Frost’s personal robot.
Frost smirked as she lowered her arms. “Is that all you’ve got, scum? Defeating you might be easier than I thought.”
“Then try two at once, you hag!” Peta’s minigun spun around as he unloaded its contents into the Purple Dwarf. The exploding bullets pushed it back but didn’t do much else, just like Exo’s attack. Would these two be enough?
I sighed. “We need to help them destroy this thing. If it gets past us, it’ll destroy their servers.”
Kaela sighed. “So we’re definitely helping AI now? Great.”
Peta and Exo held off the Purple Dwarf while I devised a plan, but Frost’s purple blasts were pushing them back. Frost giggled like a kid on Christmas as she unleashed a barrage of missiles on the two of them. The explosions blew us all away, and the smoke shrouded the AI. That Dwarf was definitely stronger than the White Dwarfs, but it had one weakness that they didn’t. Since Frost wasn’t actually in the thing, I could zap it. At least I thought I could. I hoped this would work because I didn’t know what I’d do if it didn’t.
“AI, move aside!” I said as I charged up electricity.
When the smoke subsided, Exo and Peta had stepped away from the purple menace, leaving it wide open to attack. I pointed at it and shot a stream of electricity. Frost gasped as it swarmed her Dwarf. The thing was so complex that I could feel it throwing me off. I couldn’t keep it restrained for long.
“Attack it now!” I said as my arm weakened.
The air was electrified with energy as colorful blasts zoomed past me and burst against the Dwarf’s torso. I couldn’t tell if the quakes were coming from the mansion behind me or from the light show in front of me. I released my stream and stumbled back as the mayhem died down. Now there was another smokescreen blocking the way. I couldn’t see whether the attack had worked or not.
“Did we get her?” Laura asked as she held up flaming fists.
A purple beam zoomed out of the smoke, detonating against the ground and knocking us all off our feet. The Purple Dwarf stomped out of the smoke. It was covered in scorch marks and the screen was cracked, but it wasn’t down yet.
“After everything I’ve done for you, you’re really siding with these fiends over me?” Frost shouted directly at me. “I realize what I’ve confessed to, but they are the ones who have hunted humans for centuries and Implanted them against their will!”
“That was long ago.” Exo pushed himself up. His body clicked and whirled as he slowly rose like a garage door, or ship ramp. “I was desperate after your species refused peace. I didn’t understand which other way to turn, but, thanks to the Alpha and Beta, I have renewed hope. We have another chance at unity.”
“No!” The Purple Dwarf rushed forward and grasped Exo’s throat. She swept his legs and slammed him into the ground. “It’s far too late for that. I’m destroying you even if I have to obliterate this whole damn planet to do so.”
The way I saw it, this was about the past versus the future. The AI had been awful in the past, but their vision of the future was better for everyone. Frost hadn’t been publicly evil in the past, but a future with her in charge didn’t look good. Why wasn’t there a third option?
“Get back here, coward!” I turned to see Nessa firing at Alhabor as he ran from the battle. Why was that weasel so good at sneaking away? He was heading straight for the mansion, but since Nessa had been knocked out of her wheelchair, her shots just soared over him. It didn’t help that her hands were shaking. She couldn’t even hit the White Dwarf that was trailing behind him. “Damn it!”
A flash of purple filled the air. I turned to see purple plasma shoot out of the Purple Dwarf’s wrist barrel and solidify into a blade. Frost yelped and plunged it into Exo’s chest. Exo grunted even though he couldn’t actually feel pain. Peta growled as he blasted the Dwarf off Exo. One arm was a blaster, one was a minigun, and the other two remained normal. I’d need to remember not to mess with Peta.
“My father isn’t escaping me again,” Nessa said as she sat up. “Sorry, Wander, but it’s time to give our product a beta test.”
Nessa shut her eyes and breathed through her nose. The metallic spine on her back glowed blue and silver. She groaned as she pushed herself up…and bent her knees. I watched in awe as Nessa stood up on her own two legs. She stumbled forward but quickly regained her balance. She was using the unfinished space suit legs to walk. They were unfinished for a reason; the legs might cycle between active and inactive, which could get her killed. She wanted to beat Alhabor so badly that she was willing to endanger herself?
“Nessa, are you insane—wait!”
Nessa took off sprinting before I could reprimand her. She didn’t even appreciate the fact that she could walk again. Temporarily. I glanced back at the robot fight and watched the Purple Dwarf rush at Peta with the purple blade. Frost only had eyes for the AI. It’d be easy for my friends to chip away at her from a distance…
“Guys, stay here and help the AI take down Frost.” I slapped Anderson’s shoulder. “You and I are going after Nessa and Alhabor.”
“Wait, shouldn’t I go with?” Laura waved her flaming hand around. “I think I’d be pretty useful against a human.”
I backed away from her, and, more importantly, her flames. “No thanks. You’ll be better off here. The three of us can handle this. Come on, Anderson.”
“I’m coming. Sheesh!” Side by side, Anderson and I sprinted toward the mansion.
I felt guilty about brushing Laura off, but I wouldn’t be able to focus with fire rushing around me. Nessa was enough of a distraction at the moment. She was already inside the building.
I couldn’t believe I was even heading toward AI headquarters that were being bombarded with missiles and robots. Even crazier was my objective: protecting the AI servers. I couldn’t prove that Alhabor was after them, but what else would he want from a building he’d never been in?
We ran into the mansion, returning to the red hallway. It was littered with the remains of AI and Black Dwarfs. It felt good to see Kilo pieces scattered everywhere. I couldn’t properly appreciate it because I was chasing Nessa down the bloody hall. Despite her barely functioning legs, she was so far ahead. Her thirst for vengeance must have been fueling her.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Nessa, slow down!” I shouted. “We can’t rush into this. We need a plan.”
“I have one: kill my father,” Nessa said without even turning around. “It’s a little dark, but it’ll get the job done. Besides, I don’t need help from that ruffian at your side.”
She was obviously referring to Anderson. In hindsight, this wasn’t the best team.
“How many times do I have to apologize?” Anderson shook his head in frustration. “Being nice is such a pain, Locke.”
“Next time you’re apologizing, try not to complain about how much you’re doing it. Anyway, get ready. We’re almost at the green room. We won’t catch up with Nessa in time, so we have to be extra careful about what happens next.”
Nessa charged into the green room at the end of the hall and immediately stumbled. The spine on her back dimmed just like I thought it would. She grunted as she fell to the floor but immediately pushed herself back up. Luckily, Anderson and I reached her side before things could escalate. Alhabor and the Sirius Dwarf were standing beside a few fallen Megas. Alhabor smirked at us as he folded his arms. Unlike Frost, this idiot was actually here. I wouldn’t let him escape again. He was going to answer for his crimes.
I stood in front of Nessa, blocking her from Alhabor’s view. “Even though I hate you, I’ll give you one chance here: stand down and surrender Sirius.”
Alhabor laughed. “Look at the little guy making big demands. He didn’t even ask for his arm back. I can’t believe you’re still playing hero even after it got that old hag killed.”
“Shut up, you asshole! I can’t believe you’re still joking around like you’re not a piece of s—”
“Locke!” Anderson cut me off with a stern look. I glared back before I realized what I was doing. When Alhabor had thrown Maria’s death in my face, it had made me snap. I wanted nothing more than to choke him to death right then and there. That kind of thinking wouldn’t get me anywhere. Even Anderson seemed to realize that. “Keep a cool head, man. You’re the only one here who can.”
Anderson’s arrival at that conclusion was exactly why I needed him nearby. He knew that we were polar opposites, so when I started acting like him, he stepped in to stop me. We balanced each other out.
“I’ll give that outburst a seven out of ten,” Alhabor said as he examined the end of his left arm; the spot where his hand had been before I’d come along. “I know from experience that you’re not as angelic as you seem. I swear that, after I’m done wrecking those servers, I’m gonna tear your other arm off to make us even—”
“So you are after the servers. Got it.”
I held my hand out and fired a bolt of electricity at Alhabor. It slammed into his chest, shrouding him in blue light. Judging by his wide eyes, he hadn’t seen that coming. I willed the electricity to shut off Alhabor’s suit, but the suit was so advanced that it was taking longer than usual. Then I realized that the White Dwarf was aiming its arm barrel at me.
“Get down!” Nessa tugged on my legs, pulling me to the floor.
My jaw hit the ground right as the purple blast soared over me. My hair stood on end, and the blast whistled down the hallway, eventually exploding against the building’s entrance. Now my head hurt, I’d undoubtedly be left with a bruise, and I’d almost bitten my tongue off, but at least I was alive.
Alhabor shook as my electricity faded. “Whoo! Being electrocuted is such a rush, ain’t it? Think I’ll skedaddle before you try that trick again.” He tapped the Dwarf’s shoulder. “Hey, do what you want with the other two, but don’t be too hard on the girl. She’s my daughter, after all.”
Nessa’s face turned red, becoming a mask of rage. “How dare you?!”
“Don’t say I never gave you anything, Nessie. Hey, Ben, open this thing up for me.”
The White Dwarf raised a hand to the elevator, which dinged before it slid open. I’d forgotten that Frost’s robots could interact with technology. It seemed the elevator couldn’t tell the difference between Dwarf and AI. Alhabor marched into the metal box and examined the control panel. As soon as he figured it out, he’d be gone.
The metallic spine on Nessa’s back lit up again. She grunted as she jumped to her feet and bolted for him. I called her name, but she was already across the room. The White Dwarf watched her run by, but did nothing to stop her. The orders that Alhabor had given it must have been more than a taunt.
Nessa yelled as she leaped into the elevator. The doors immediately slid shut behind her. Alhabor had figured it out.
“No!” I groaned as I struggled to keep a clear mind about the situation. Nessa wouldn’t last a minute with those malfunctioning legs. We had to beat this Dwarf and go after her as quickly as we could. “Anderson, cover me.”
I charged at the Dwarf and stretched my hand out. Dazzling energy zoomed by me as Anderson fired his pistol. The Dwarf didn’t even flinch when the blasts made contact. It stepped out of my reach…then rushed forward to strike my chest. The blow knocked me back, simultaneously sending indescribable waves of pain through my body. The Dwarf advanced on me as I struggled to tell up from down. I hoped these guys were still being programmed to keep me alive.
“Back off, Ben!” Anderson ran up and socked the Dwarf’s head. Then he sucked in air as he waved his hand around. Punching a Dwarf was probably like punching a cement wall. “God, it’s like you’re freaking made out of diamonds! Listen Ben, you don’t have to do what Alhabor or Frost says. I know you’re still in there; you’ve still got your mind. How else could you accept orders?”
The fact that the Dwarf was letting Anderson speak was proof of his statement. Some part of Ben was still in control, and Anderson was appealing to him. Anderson grinned at the Dwarf’s hesitation and struck his face again. We’d seen that faceplate separate into four pieces before. That meant it wasn’t as sturdy as everything else on the bot. It might have been its weakest spot.
I raised my throbbing arm and willed out a stream of electricity. It grasped the robot’s leg, and would hopefully hold it in place. Anderson reeled back and hit the Dwarf’s face again. That blow actually pushed its head back. Progress? He swung at the Dwarf’s faceplate over and over again, and the robot did nothing to defend itself. Anderson’s swings slowed down as he huffed. He was getting tired. My chest ached as I pushed myself up. Maybe this was my chance.
“Damn it!” Anderson pounded his fist against the Dwarf’s chest in the same way that a frustrated person might hit a desk. The Dwarf looked down at him. Its cold, silent stare was a stark contrast to Anderson’s heaving chest and exhausted expression. “Why does it come down to me socking my own brother to save him? Why did she drag us into this? I’m so…tired.”
If only I had a cruiser for every time I had been in this exact situation. No answer was satisfying enough. There was no good reason why I had to watch Opifex’s mom die or get Implanted with my dead grandpa’s Implants against my will. It had all been because of evil people, villains who had to be stopped. And, in this case, I literally had the power to stop them.
I tiptoed toward the White Dwarf. As long as Anderson was distracting it, I could secretly shut it down and catch up with Nessa. That was when I noticed that one of the Dwarf’s barrels was pulsating with purple energy. It had been building it up this whole time! Anderson’s head was lowered, so I guessed he hadn’t noticed.
“Anderson, watch out—”
My words caught in my throat as the Dwarf turned the barrel on me. It had never been aiming at Anderson. It had been hiding its true intentions, just as I had.
Anderson’s head snapped up. His eyes filled with concern as he watched the barrel charge. Purple filled the room as the blast zoomed toward me…and hit Anderson instead. The idiot had leaped in front of the blast. He had taken the hit for me. Why?
The beam didn’t detonate on him; it pierced his side and kept going. Then it flew by my left ear, sending pins and needles through my head. It went on to blast against a wall, turning into a miniature purple Sun in the process. Anderson fell to the floor. He screamed and clutched his wound as blood coursed out of it and pooled beside him. His screams of agony drove a knife through my heart.
The screams paralyzed the White Dwarf too. Its eyes flickered between red and purple like it was losing focus. Despite the sinking feeling in my stomach, I ran for the Dwarf. I slapped my palm onto its chest and willed it to deactivate.
The human presence protruded from the ocean of data. It was like Sirius was lost at sea and I was the searchlight that had found him. I reached out and grasped the outstretched hand that was rising above the water. It was taxing, but I heaved Sirius from the depths. He was drenched but alive. He had survived the ordeal…and, hopefully, so would his brother.
I blinked as I returned to reality. The White Dwarf’s faceplate opened up, revealing Sirius’ glazed-over eyes. He was unconscious. I willed the rest of the suit to open up then rushed to Anderson’s side. He was still screaming his head off, but I tried my best to tune it out. Though the blast had damaged his starry suit, the suit must have absorbed most of it. He hated his Constellations suit, but it might have just saved his life.
“You’ll be okay. Don’t worry, man.” I tried to keep eye contact as I said that, but his bloody side was so distracting. Plus I didn’t want to watch the color drain from his face. “I’ll go find something that can heal you. The AI have to have something like that—”
“No.” Anderson’s voice was weak and strained. He struggled to keep his eyes open. “Go on. Save the silver girl. She needs you more. I’m just the jerk.” He mustered up a smile as blood trailed down his lips. “But now…I’m the selfless jerk. I finally got it, Locke. I got what you were talking about last night. All that heroic nonsense…it makes more sense in the moment.”
Anderson shut his eyes. My heart rate spiked. He was pale and losing blood by the second, but I couldn’t let him die. I surveyed the room. There were destroyed AI and Dwarfs all over the place. Perhaps I didn’t have healing powers, but I’d performed a resurrection before…
I hurried over to a Giga that had two of its arms torn off. There was a hole in its chest from which wires protruded. Moreover, its head was dented. It still had both of its legs and two arms. So it’d do. The last time I’d done this, it had been completely accidental. I had seconds to learn how to do it properly. My willpower and my desire to protect my friends usually did the trick, so this time I’d just think of…life. Bringing it back, preserving it, living it: all of that would fuel me this time. I kept those thoughts in mind as I shot electricity into the AI’s shell.
The Giga convulsed under the blinding light. Its eyes flickered on and off before the blue glow stayed lit. It sat up and craned its head around the room.
“What happened? My troops—”
“No time!” I pointed at Anderson. “That boy is badly injured. If there’s anything in this building that will save him, use it. That’s an order from the Alpha.”
Recognition flashed in the Giga’s eyes. Now that was what I wanted when I next showed up on Earth.
“Yes, Alpha.” The Giga stood up and bowed. “Your ally will be safe. No need to be concerned.”
I stared at the elevator. “You’re speaking too soon.”