Robot Rampage
“Yeah, that’s what he said. Yeah, I don’t get it either. We’ve got the address and we’re heading home now. Don’t worry, we’ll watch it. Bye.”
“I take it Buck’s as puzzled as we are?”
Hitomi nodded, “If this is some weird power play, they picked the wrong targets. One thing bothers me, though. Okay, more than one thing, but the whole thing with the Beloved Children of Anubis doesn’t make much sense.”
“How do you mean? He didn’t want his organization taken over, so he got the word out. Granted, in a ridiculously complicated way.”
“That’s just it. He still had loyal people, enough to ransack several places around town. He knew Buck, so he had to know that calling him out like that would be disastrous. It’s like he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory before he was totally subsumed.”
“I see what you mean. It makes a twisted kind of sense, now that you say it like that. Most of his group was gone, he probably hated the Fourth Reich, maybe even a personal hatred for the head of the group. Why not take himself out and shine a light on his destroyer.”
“I suppose. He did say he wanted to make a deal though.”
“Which he had to know would never actually happen.” She shrugged squinting up into the sky. “He made a move, and it destroyed him.”
“Yeah, literally. Though where that… thing came from, I don’t know.” Hitomi shuddered. “I really hate the supernatural.”
“I wonder about that. A lot of flash, definitely odd, but I wonder,” she trailed off, “Do you hear that?”
Hitomi stopped and listened, “Yeah, almost sounds like a jet. But not right.”
She didn’t need to go on as what looked like a giant, rusting steel bowling ball flew overhead and landed in the street. As they watched, jet pods retracted, and several parts unfolded, forming arms and legs. A “head” of sorts popped up and scanned the area.
“You know, this should surprise me. It really should. Is it bad that this doesn’t surprise me?”
“I don’t know, Hitomi. It doesn’t surprise me either. That worries me.”
“Oh, okay. We should probably get under cover.” They ducked around the nearest corner, and Hitomi pulled a pistol from the small of her back.
“When did you start carrying a gun?”
“Remember when I said I thought I was relying on my gadgets too much?” Alana nodded, “Well, I decided I should probably scale back. We’ve had “stun” rounds for years,” she shrugged. “Right now I’ve got some customized fragmentation rounds.”
“You just happen to have them?”
Hitomi grinned, it was a bit savage. “No, but after CJ was attacked by a robot, I decided it would be a safe bet to have a clip or two with me.”
“Good call. What now?”
Hitomi and Alana watched the robot start lumbering down the street towards them. As it moved, the machine’s sides continued to reorder until it’s shape went from spherical to roughly cylindrical. “Didn’t CJ say the ‘bot that attacked her looked run down, too?”
“Yes, I believe she did. I think Garrett had it right. We’re being attacked by a dying sect.”
“Yeah, but it just takes one lucky shot. Come on, I’ve got an idea.” She pointed at the fire escape behind them. They grabbed the ladder and pulled it down, then scrambled up.
The robot cleared the corner as they hit the roof. It stopped, it’s ‘head’ scanning the area. They looked down on it as it slowly walked under them.
“It looked smaller. This thing is half the height of this building.” Alana whispered.
“Yeah. Stay here. As soon as the thing is under us, I’m going to jump on it.”
Her friend’s eyes widened in horror, “Are you nuts? You’ll be killed! What if you miss?”
Hitomi looked seriously at her, “I’m not, I won’t, and I won’t. Look, we’ve got to take this thing out, and unfortunately I can’t throw a concrete table at it. I’ll be fine.” She moved to the edge and jumped as the robot was under. She landed square on it’s back. The thing paused and swiveled its head, trying to see what hit it. Hitomi thumbed the safety and grabbed the pod. She fired twice, her customized ammunition just about shredding the inside and eliminating it’s sight.
Gears whined as it reached its arms up to try and knock Hitomi off, however they were too short and she was able to avoid them. Looking down, she saw a gap in it’s plating. Taking a chance, she stuffed the muzzle of her gun in there and emptied the clip into it. Almost immediately, the machine started smoking and began collapsing. Quickly, Hitomi leapt as the robot fell forward, snagging the fire escape. She pulled herself over the railing and dropped to the platform on her back.
She rolled over as Alana quickly climbed down to her. Together they watched the robot collapse to the street. In short order, it began to burn white hot.
“Thermite. Nice way to self destruct.”
Alana shook her head knelt next to her friend. “Please don’t do that again. Think of the paperwork I’d have to fill out.”
Hitomi clapped a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze and a smile. “Okay, if only to save you the paperwork. Now, let’s call this in. Then I think we really need to check this warehouse out.”
“I take it Buck’s as puzzled as we are?”
Hitomi nodded, “If this is some weird power play, they picked the wrong targets. One thing bothers me, though. Okay, more than one thing, but the whole thing with the Beloved Children of Anubis doesn’t make much sense.”
“How do you mean? He didn’t want his organization taken over, so he got the word out. Granted, in a ridiculously complicated way.”
“That’s just it. He still had loyal people, enough to ransack several places around town. He knew Buck, so he had to know that calling him out like that would be disastrous. It’s like he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory before he was totally subsumed.”
“I see what you mean. It makes a twisted kind of sense, now that you say it like that. Most of his group was gone, he probably hated the Fourth Reich, maybe even a personal hatred for the head of the group. Why not take himself out and shine a light on his destroyer.”
“I suppose. He did say he wanted to make a deal though.”
“Which he had to know would never actually happen.” She shrugged squinting up into the sky. “He made a move, and it destroyed him.”
“Yeah, literally. Though where that… thing came from, I don’t know.” Hitomi shuddered. “I really hate the supernatural.”
“I wonder about that. A lot of flash, definitely odd, but I wonder,” she trailed off, “Do you hear that?”
Hitomi stopped and listened, “Yeah, almost sounds like a jet. But not right.”
She didn’t need to go on as what looked like a giant, rusting steel bowling ball flew overhead and landed in the street. As they watched, jet pods retracted, and several parts unfolded, forming arms and legs. A “head” of sorts popped up and scanned the area.
“You know, this should surprise me. It really should. Is it bad that this doesn’t surprise me?”
“I don’t know, Hitomi. It doesn’t surprise me either. That worries me.”
“Oh, okay. We should probably get under cover.” They ducked around the nearest corner, and Hitomi pulled a pistol from the small of her back.
“When did you start carrying a gun?”
“Remember when I said I thought I was relying on my gadgets too much?” Alana nodded, “Well, I decided I should probably scale back. We’ve had “stun” rounds for years,” she shrugged. “Right now I’ve got some customized fragmentation rounds.”
“You just happen to have them?”
Hitomi grinned, it was a bit savage. “No, but after CJ was attacked by a robot, I decided it would be a safe bet to have a clip or two with me.”
“Good call. What now?”
Hitomi and Alana watched the robot start lumbering down the street towards them. As it moved, the machine’s sides continued to reorder until it’s shape went from spherical to roughly cylindrical. “Didn’t CJ say the ‘bot that attacked her looked run down, too?”
“Yes, I believe she did. I think Garrett had it right. We’re being attacked by a dying sect.”
“Yeah, but it just takes one lucky shot. Come on, I’ve got an idea.” She pointed at the fire escape behind them. They grabbed the ladder and pulled it down, then scrambled up.
The robot cleared the corner as they hit the roof. It stopped, it’s ‘head’ scanning the area. They looked down on it as it slowly walked under them.
“It looked smaller. This thing is half the height of this building.” Alana whispered.
“Yeah. Stay here. As soon as the thing is under us, I’m going to jump on it.”
Her friend’s eyes widened in horror, “Are you nuts? You’ll be killed! What if you miss?”
Hitomi looked seriously at her, “I’m not, I won’t, and I won’t. Look, we’ve got to take this thing out, and unfortunately I can’t throw a concrete table at it. I’ll be fine.” She moved to the edge and jumped as the robot was under. She landed square on it’s back. The thing paused and swiveled its head, trying to see what hit it. Hitomi thumbed the safety and grabbed the pod. She fired twice, her customized ammunition just about shredding the inside and eliminating it’s sight.
Gears whined as it reached its arms up to try and knock Hitomi off, however they were too short and she was able to avoid them. Looking down, she saw a gap in it’s plating. Taking a chance, she stuffed the muzzle of her gun in there and emptied the clip into it. Almost immediately, the machine started smoking and began collapsing. Quickly, Hitomi leapt as the robot fell forward, snagging the fire escape. She pulled herself over the railing and dropped to the platform on her back.
She rolled over as Alana quickly climbed down to her. Together they watched the robot collapse to the street. In short order, it began to burn white hot.
“Thermite. Nice way to self destruct.”
Alana shook her head knelt next to her friend. “Please don’t do that again. Think of the paperwork I’d have to fill out.”
Hitomi clapped a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze and a smile. “Okay, if only to save you the paperwork. Now, let’s call this in. Then I think we really need to check this warehouse out.”
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