by Briana Ervin
Garenede now looked around at us, surprised. I guess he didn't expect us to lie.
“'Lied'...?”
“Wait a second! You're taking his one story over our eight?!” Trista burst out angrily.
“Quite frankly, Trista, his higher rank and lower code level make all the difference,” the judge pointed out. She opened her mouth, but he continued: “We have dealt with Garenede multiple times in the past, and he has told the truth in every occasion. We have met you only today, and you outright lied to us. You and your peers,” he gestured about the room to encompass all of us.
“But! This isn't fair!” she objected.
“Agreed!” Stratien spoke up, “Garenede said one thing and you believed him!”
“Yeah!” Joleus jumped in.
“SILENCE!” the judge roared. Everyone fell silent, wincing. He stood, glowering at everyone.
“The tribunal's decision is final!” he asserted. He glance at his peers, and none of them objected to the “decision”. “You have all been found guilty of dishonorable opinion, endangerment of others through negligence, disobedience to orders and meditated deceit.” He enunciated each word loudly and clearly. “You will all be punished through the lowering of your code levels down to Code Orange, including Garenede, and all of your mechs will be confiscated and redeemed!”
“NO!” The cries were simultaneous, a mixture of fear and ringing defiance. I wasn't sure who was shouting and who wasn't!
Everything suddenly erupted into chaos.
There was a clunk and the floor disappeared from under my feet. Other clunks sounded through the room to my right where the other hangars were. I internally panicked, unable to decide if I should keep playing dumb or do something about this! The 72 Superiority model jumped to the ready as the Xinschi-uual subjects rushed toward their mechs, their shackles and cries rising into a cacophony, with the exception of Garenede, Sirun, and Gilus. The latter was frozen in panic and the median simply collapsed and gnawed at his chains. Garenede remained on the podium, yelling at the tribunal about how they couldn't do this to him... again?
Cyrii latched onto my leg, even as I felt an intense heat coming up from below. The implications flashed through my mind.
No Cyrii! Don't do this! I begged silently, wanting to kick her off. Don't come down with me!
“I won't let them take you, Fiddlesticks!!” she cried.
...Did you just call me-?
The thought was broken as a very large grey mech suddenly rushed his way out of his hangar, struggling with a mechanism attached to him! The mechanism pulled back, but he dug his claws into the floor, fighting and thrashing against it. The judges backed up in horror.
“Wha.... what the...?”
438! That's all I could think as the mech wrestled with the mechanism. Garenede bristled and ran off to his mech, on auto-pilot about stopping a rogue AI. The 49 model ignored him, slowly stomping his way toward Sirun and ripping out pieces of the hangar with him. The 72 model finally jumped into action, recovering from his shock and charging into him.
“438!” Trista's voice, or rather, 199's. I saw her struggling to come out of her hangar in my peripheral. 438 and the Superiority model crashed together with resounding force, the latter pushing back. 438's immense size was enough for him to stand his ground. The mere implication of winning the fight caused the other shackled pilots to make a mad dash for their mechs.
“Traitors!” a judge gasped.
“ROGUE AI!” one of the judges cried the alarm over him.
“DESTROY THEM!” the main judge began screaming, “DESTROY THOSE MECHS!”
“Nooooooo!” Cyrii's scream, still holding on to me. I was dropped suddenly, but I came to life and braced myself against the walls of the hangar, digging my bayonets and claws in and leaving nice gouges in the walls. I pushed myself out of the burning hole in the floor, my legs lighting up with blistering pain signals, Cyrii clinging onto me for dear life. We had to be positioned above a live redemption line for that kind of heat! The retraction of the hangar mechanisms freed 438, but it didn't matter much. The 72 model effortlessly punctured him with a white-hot rod, striking him in multiple places repeatedly as I shimmied my way up the shaft. 438 switched focus from his pilot and split his arms into the four lesser limbs equipped with a chainsaw each, swiping them at the mech. His size though was a disadvantage, the deadly whirring blades missing each swipe as the Superiority model strafed around him. 438 kept trying even as his circuitry was being melted, oozing out from the wounds like blood. The fighting gave me a vigor that I used to jump out of my hangar!
The judges fled at the sight of two rogue AI, leaving their Superiority model by himself. I pushed myself up, almost tripping over Gilus as he came out of his hangar in his mech. I heard an enraged scream, I wasn't sure from who. I hesitated only a moment to allow Cyrii to clamber up into my head before slamming those entry panels shut and running over to 438 to help him, bayonets poised. With two spinning blades dug into one side, fending off the other two, and with me coming right up to him, the Superiority model backed up in a panic, disentangling himself from 438 only to be struck by a heavy thermal blade from the side, nearly slicing off his tail!
“TAKE THAT!” Joleus roared, gashing open his leg, “AND THAT!”
I was astonished that the model wasn't yelling at him! He tried to kick him away, but when the nimble mech dodged he shot a pointed glare at him, making the Assassin model yelp and stumble unexpectedly – a cyberattack? – but his distraction opened up an opportunity for me to rip open his tail with my own blades. He shrieked in trinary, swiveling and dislodging 438's saws. I tried to recoil in time but was still had my face sliced up by friendly fire. I could feel Cyrii fumbling with the DIAS, but I ignored her, focusing more hard strikes on the 72 as he dodged each one. I felt my fury mounting.
STOP MOVING AND DIE ALREADY! I screeched internally. He was too fast though! With Joleus paralyzed the Superiority model was free to stab 438 in the knee, making the heavy model buckle and nearly bring me to the ground, his saws now held up in defense.
“Too close! Too close!” Cyrii gasped out, finally getting the DIAS on, just to wrench it back off and ramble about something not working. I took the message and backed up, giving us some fighting space, but all it did was give the 72 model an advantage. He turned his deadly gaze to me, emitters flared on his face.
No! I activated my defenses immediately! My ears shot upright, a powerful current running through them. The 72 model lurched, the magnetism drawing his rods into the air and disrupting him, forcing him to dig back against the force. Unfortunately it also made Joleus slide toward me in a panic and plaster 438 to my side, the collision throwing Cyrii into an inner wall.
I expected the victorious discovery to be short-lived as the thermal rods came straight for me, causing me to back up in a hurry and take my two “attached” comrades with me despite their loud objections. Familiar bangs rang out behind us, resounding so loudly in the room it was deafening: gunfire!
Unfortunately, I saw no rounds going past me or at the 72 model, but a mirror image of myself – except in color – shot out behind him, ears flared as well and pulling the magnetism toward him.
“I'm so going to regret this!!” the striped model cried. The 72 hissed as he was now being torn against his will in two different directions, Joleus flying into him thanks to being so light! I looked gratefully at Stratien.
“Keep him there!” I ordered, shrugging off 438. The giant 49 model was silent as the force pulled him back toward the middle, his sawblades still screaming on. Cyrii fumbled with the DIAS again, trying to put it on.
Back to square one, except this time the 72 model couldn't move as fast!
438 struck. The Superiority model tried to block with his arms and hack him at the same time. The blades tore up and spat out metal and sparks as 438 tried to penetrate the defense, pushing his target into the ground, but even when I jerked away from the Superiority model he held fast. Cyrii put on the DIA
S, the sounds of battle escalating behind me as well, making me concerned that we were sandwiched by guards; but as soon as I realized that there was a flash and a loud BANG! from Stratien.
“AGH!” The magnetic field dropped to half, making both Joleus and the 72 model fly into me! Joleus stuck to my head, still paralyzed. I anticipated the impacts but not the thermal rod. I screeched at the searing pain in my side, making Cyrii jump and throw off the DIAS. The Superiority model used the same tactic on me, pocketing my side with deep, molten holes with shocking speed. I went into a panic, squirming, trying to block it. How should I fight back?! I wasn't fast enough!
Cyrii yelped as the rod went completely through my hull, nearly hitting her. I hissed, furious and indecisive. I had to get this guy off!
My immediate reaction was to plunge further into the danger, using the magnetism to keep us stuck together while I opened up my retrieval panel and began gnawing on his right shoulder. The mech shrieked, but mostly in shock at the spray of sparks and the crushing of plating. Honestly I was shocked too! I was eating someone! Was this good?!
It may be immoral, but it opened up opportunity. Joleus finally came to, reoriented himself on my head and striking down on the 72 model with a thermal blade while 438 slammed into me again in an awkward hug, digging one side's saws into the mech's back. He finally began to panic, beeping furiously; things were looking hopeless for him! Stratien eventually recovered from whatever happened to him and quickly he reengaged his defenses, throwing everyone back into the middle and giving Joleus a chance to tear a nice gouge in the 72 model.
Then a pulse! My senses flashed and I shook with static, my entire body ringing out with pain like I was just launched into a cliff! I recovered too quickly for it to be an EMP, and yet... my defenses! The 72 model was standing unaffected!
There were shouts of alarm behind me, but I forced myself to focus on my one target, the only one I could see. I spun my turrets but the pistons refused to work, making me hiss angrily. The buzz of 438's saws was gone and the heat of Joleus's blades dying down. The smaller mech swiped at the 72 model's legs regardless.
The Superiority model was done toying with us, turning and giving Joleus a vicious kick into the wall. Right then 438, Stratien and I all lunged. Trinary burst from the mech's speaker as we all crashed into him in a roar of noise that mingled with the battle behind us, squashing him from all sides. He struck a thermal rod down in my face, making me pull back in fear of Cyrii being hurt, yet he received a blade to the shoulder by Stratien and was brought to his knees by 438. Joleus picked himself up to execute a nice, downward aerial kick to the machine, ripping open his head. The 72 model shoved me away when I tried to mirror the blow. There were no words; just hissing and the screeches of metal striking metal. I stomped back toward him, intent on finishing the job.
Screee! He left a parting gift on Stratien's leg: a gaping, searing hole. The 56 model fell down in vocalized pain, but before the 72 model could strike again I raised a leg against him:
CRASH! Now he was part of the wall!
Literally in the wall. His eye lens shattered and the hull squashed itself with the momentum; he immediately shut down. Perhaps his pilot survived that. I didn't care. It was a nice use of a power-jumping piston!
“DUDE!” Joleus gasped, actually laughing, “that was wicked!” 438 stumbled on his bad leg, pushed past me, and finally collected his pilot – who was now unmoving, apparently from exhaustion – using the multiple arms to pick up and cradle him. I swiveled about quickly, assessing the rest of the action.
Trista, Gilus, and Garenede were over by the door, the entire area littered with giant gouges and burnt spots from fired rounds and sharp blades. The door appeared to be half-melted shut, and Trista was already trying to pull it open, while Gilus stared numbly at an arm socket as Alesia soldered pieces of his arm back together. Cyrii was moving feebly, but I could feel her fiddling with the DIAS for some reason, not saying anything. I looked up at the raised wall, searching for the tribunal, but they had long since disappeared; there must be emergency exists up there. All noise of battle had ceased, with only Trista's struggling with the door, the sparks from Alesia's welding, and the loud thrum of our engines and fans breaking the silence.
“A little help please?!” Trista suddenly shouted. Garenede stepped out of the way as Joleus bolted over, 438 and Stratien limping right behind him and assuring each other of their injuries. I turned around, realizing someone was missing...
Krysis. He stood, immobilized, by himself in front of a hangar. There were a few burnt spots nearby from bullets that miraculously missed him. My engine hiccuped. Recognizing it somehow, Cyrii's weight shifted, and she paused.
“Krysis...?” she whispered. I walked over to him while everyone else struggled with the door. He didn't respond to me, so I crouched down comfortingly. It was astonishing that he remained detached from the battle.
“My only friend...” he choked out, shaking with emotion. “They... they took my only friend...”
“'Only friend'?” I echoed. He whipped around to glare at me.
“You don't understand!”
“I'm a machine,” I said calmly, “I understand.”
“He's in the incinerator down there!”
“I know.”
“He's not ALIVE anymore!”
“I know.”
Krysis broke down in front of me, his demeanor of independence completely crushed. “He's not alive! They burned him! They killed him! They killed him!!”
Cyrii was gravely silent in my head, sympathizing with him as she finished tweaking the DIAS. There was a horrible tearing sound behind us, accompanied by repeated blade strikes, then a loud scraping as the door slid open.
“Krysis...” I began uncertainly, “we must leave.”
“I...! He was awake...!” He grimaced, unable to finish the sentence, fists clenched and shaking with emotion.
“We gotta go!” Trista said behind me, “Those hallways are red and it ain't looking good!”
“This place will be flooded by guards!” Garenede confirmed.
I twitched to show that I acknowledged them, but didn't move. “Krysis,” I said.
“He was awake when they killed him. He was awake. And they killed him!” he ranted to himself over and over.
“Krysis,” I said firmly. He glared at me, tears in his eyes.
“We're above a factory.”
He just choked out something ineligible, still devastated. He didn't object as I picked him up with my retrieval arms, simply collapsing, gritting his teeth and trying to contain his sorrow. Cyrii finally threw the DIAS back on, and immediately I detected how much fear she felt.
Breathe, I tried to assure her, I'm still alive. We're all here.
“Yeah but...! I could have been Krysis...!”
“LET'S GO!” Trista screamed, interrupting the moment.
“I know!” I shouted back at her, turning and going for the door, now wedged open with two pods and held open further by Trista and Stratien so we could escape. Garenede was sending trinary down the hallway, letting it echo out... he was misleading incoming guards? How courteous of him. Joleus looked between us and chuckled, switching our glares onto him.
“...What?”
“One of the judges must have hit a Code Red alarm before they fled,” Garenede said, ignoring him, “All of the exits are blocked by now.”
“Yeah, that's why we gotta go!” Trista spat.
“Go where?!” Gilus asked, about to point out the same thing Garenede did.
“The factory!” I decided immediately, “I came up on a lift. We go to the lift and descend.”
“It'll be blocked,” Garenede discarded the idea as soon as I exited the door.
“Where else?” the 74 model said, letting Joleus jump though.
“Outside?” Stratien asked.
“Not a chance. We'll be blown to pieces,” Garenede pointed out.
“We gotta go somewhere!” Trista snapped.
&n
bsp; “The lift!” Cyrii and I both insisted, glaring at them even though 438 squeezed through next, blocking my sight.
“But-” Gilus began, but Joleus cut him off:
“Let's do it!”
“We can fight our way to it,” 438 agreed, still cradling his pilot. Gilus hummed nervously, but came through next, Alesia right behind him and soldering his arm back on, solemn and quiet. Trista looked back at Garenede, but he sighed, holding his peace.
“All right, where's this mighty lift?” she asked.
“Just follow,” I said eagerly, pushing past 438 while still holding Krysis. I left them to exchange looks before pursuing me, Trista coming in last as she was light enough to rush through the door before it closed.
She was right: the sterile hallways were now bathed in a red light, and even though no sirens or guards could be heard I could feel alarm flowing through the group. I ran down the hallway in the lead, taking twists and turns but not entirely sure of where I was going.
Cyrii, I should have a log somewhere of where I came from! Pull it up! I ordered. She wordlessly obeyed, still traumatized by the thought of losing me. Suspicions confirmed: mechs mean a lot to Xinschi-uual.
“Um...! L-Left! No, right!” she ordered. I banked a hard right, everyone still following me. “Now left! Then straight! Then left, then right, then right again!”
“Good grief, this place is a maze!” Gilus commented, even though he couldn't hear the directions. Alesia was doing a remarkable job and keeping pace with that solder, only now wrapping up her work.
“We have Superiority models from behind!” Garenede reported from somewhere in the back of the group.
“Goody!” Trista muttered. I took another left; this was familiar now!
“It's up ahead!” Cyrii confirmed. “That door!”
I skidded to a halt in front of the door, searching for a panel but finding nothing. Everyone almost crashed into me at the sudden stop.
“What? Having second thoughts already?” Trista scowled. She let out a shout as she and 438 were roughly pushed aside. I felt a shove, and was surprised to see Garenede. I backed out of the way for him.
