The Fractured World 5

by David Aries

  Faris backflipped out of danger. “It’s hooked to The Core’s power supply,” she explained once she’d landed. “It’s using it to recharge.”

  I jumped back to join her before the sentinel could squash me.

  Now that she mentions it, that shield is looking bluer than I remember…

  “So it can practically heal itself?” I said. “How’s that fair?”

  “It isn’t.”

  Touché.

  “This wouldn’t be a problem if I had that damn railgun,” Trez complained, having joined back with the others on the upper level.

  Fortunately, the sentinel left them alone and focused its assault on me, Faris, and Vay. It chased us with its ground-clubbing flail, firing the needle-torpedoes whenever it scored a near miss.

  I weaved around, keeping mobile, swinging my axe when I needed to knock some spikes away.

  That was about all I could accomplish. The threads connecting the metal thorns to their master were surprisingly durable. It didn’t help that they were so flexible it was hard to score a clean hit on them.

  “Okay, it can recharge,” I said as I jumped away from another room-shaking attack. “So how do we stop it?”

  “That’s the tricky part,” Faris said, pointing at the glowing tubes rising from the central terminal up into the ceiling. “One of them powers the sentinel… but we don’t know which.”

  “Then let’s destroy them all,” Vay said.

  “That would be most unwise,” DD warned from her vantage point. “If the central terminal were to become damaged in any way, it could compromise the planet’s structural integrity, leading to its destruction.”

  “Wait, what?!” I said.

  She really needs to mention this sort of stuff earlier…

  “Then what do you suggest, little herix?” Vay asked while smacking away a couple of spikes aiming for her throat.

  “I’m not sure,” Faris said. “The tube should lead to the back of its neck. We can’t exactly reach it.”

  The sentinel hadn’t taken a step forward since the fight began. While its shield protected its front and sides, the terminal kept its back secure.

  “It’s not sounding very good for taking out this tube,” I said. “So what are our other options?”

  “Hit it as hard as we can and try to outpace its regeneration.”

  “Okay… and how likely is that to work?”

  “Take a wild guess.”

  From the tone of her voice, I was gonna say: not at all.

  “So… what?” I said, throwing myself away from a long-distance spiked punch. “We’re just supposed to run around until it gets bored?”

  “No. I… I don’t know,” Faris said, growling as she flipped away from the spikes chasing her like homing missiles. “We never worked that out.”

  “Apologies, Master Brandon,” DD said. “Although I helped maintain the sentinel, I am not privy to its weaknesses.”

  Vay chuckled. “Then it seems we must try breaking through after all.”

  “We’ll support you however we can!” Casella said from afar, pistol ready.

  “As long as you stay out of harm’s way, be my guest,” I replied. “Let’s do this!”

  While Casella, Akko, and Trez offered support from afar, I worked with Faris and Vay to overwhelm the sentinel’s shield while evading its attacks.

  The sentinel could aim for two of us at once. That meant there was always someone testing its barrier, be it Faris with her spear, Vay with her blade, or me with my axe.

  And that was on top of the constant barrage of lasers pinging from above.

  We didn’t give the sentinel time to breathe; our attacks were a constant menace a carborios queen wouldn’t have been able to withstand. Yet it wasn’t enough. Even though we gave it at all, getting the shield down to a lime yellow seemed like a pipe dream.

  “Why won’t you break?!” Vay snapped after the barrier absorbed another of her hits.

  “I warned you,” Faris said as she focused on playing keep away.

  We were still a step faster than the sentinel, but there was no guarantee that would last. Each dodge and swing sapped away a dose of our stamina. Our breathing was picking up, and my legs were starting to burn.

  If this becomes an endurance battle, we can’t win.

  Nor could we retreat and risk the sentinel turning its attention on the others.

  I need to think of a way to beat this thing.

  But how? There’s got to be a way—there’s always a way!

  I had to focus. What could we use?

  What was I missing?

  It was a job I was forced to do on the move. The sentinel wasn’t the type to let me stand there contemplating. It kept throwing its flail through its shield to chase us down while it stood there like an immovable titan.

  Wait… through?

  I hadn’t put too much thought into it, but the flail’s chain was going straight through its barrier rather than around.

  “Are these shields supposed to be one-way?” I said, pretty sure my portable model hadn’t been that way.

  Is it even one-way if it can drag its chain back through?

  It was more than that, even. Whenever the chain swayed from side to side, it phased straight through the barrier as if it was an illusion—something my axe disputed.

  “The sentinel’s shield is as solid as any other,” DD explained from across the way. “The phenomenon I believe you are referring to is caused by the sentinel’s CPU. It automatically detects when a collision should occur between the barrier and the main body and selectively disables portions of the shield to allow passage.”

  “So another cheat ability?” complained the man abusing one of the most wanted powers in the universe. “Talk about a pain in the… wait, did you say that works for the whole sentinel and not just the flail?”

  “That is correct, Master Brandon.”

  And, just like that, something popped into my head. “Girls, I’ve got an idea. I’m not sure if it’ll work—”

  “But it can’t hurt to try,” Faris said.

  It was like she’d read my mind.

  Because she hadn’t actually done that, I shared my plan with Faris and Vay while we weaved around the flail getting closer to scoring a lethal hit.

  “Interesting. Very interesting!” Vay said while laughing. “Let’s see if this’ll work!”

  The sentinel’s spiked weapon was incoming. It short forwards, aiming for the three of us.

  Once again, we all jumped our separate ways.

  Its spikes didn’t like that; they fired from their slots toward us.

  Rather than smacking them away, I weaved my body to the side while grabbing for the metal threads connecting them to the ball.

  Got them!

  It was like squeezing down on barbed wire… but it sure beat being punctured by a couple of robot thorns. I wrapped the harsh metal strings around my hands, making sure they weren’t going anywhere.

  Faris and Vay did likewise.

  With the ball effectively declawed, we moved in and wrapped ourselves around it while keeping its spikes contained.

  “Pull!” I said.

  Together, we dragged back, taking the flail with us.

  The sentinel tried to resist, it tried to draw its weapon back, but it lacked the strength needed to beat us in a tug of war.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, we edged back, pulling more chain from the sentinel’s insides.

  “Brandon, Faris,” Vay said through gritted teeth. “Let me take care of those spikes. Get on that chain and start pulling!”

  We did just that. While Vay anchored us from behind, Faris and I heaved, butchering our hands as we sought to find out how far the flail could stretch.

  Bit by bit, second by second, we dragged the spiked chain from the sentinel’s arm before our progress clunked to a halt.

  “That’s the end,” Faris snarled as blood dripped from her hands.

  “Keep pulling!” I said, biting back the wincin
g gasps bulging my throat as spiked metal cut into my palms.

  It hurt like hell, but we couldn’t give up after coming this far. We had a theory to test.

  Our stubborn effort remained too strong for the sentinel to withstand, and it didn’t have any more chain for offer. With its feet planted firmly to the ground and uninterested in progressing, it only made sense that its arm led the way, bringing its upper half along for the ride.

  Sure enough, its arm, then shoulder, phased through the barrier which was supposed to act as an impenetrable shield.

  “Just a bit more!” I roared as I tore the flesh from my hands in pursuit of victory.

  Once the shoulder was through, the next part to come was a portion of its torso, followed by its head and neck.

  The back of its neck.

  My eyes widened. “Faris, go!”

  She was already on the move. As quick as she could, Faris raced to the sentinel’s exposed head and leaped above it. While passing through, she delivered two strikes: one to rip out the tube supplying the robot with power and another to skewer through the leftover hole.

  The sentinel didn’t let out a distressed cry like a beast might. Instead, it spasmed as its shield flickered.

  I knew an opportunity when I saw one. Without missing a beat, I abandoned the chain and charged in, bleeding hand clutching hold of my trusty axe.

  Alright, you bastard… let’s see how tough you are without that shield.

  With a roar, I put my axe right through the center of the sentinel’s chest.

  The whole thing caved around my blade. Metal fell away, spilling out a range of busted-up gizmos one would presume were pretty important in helping the sentinel operate.

  Sure enough, its whole body lurched backward.

  “I don’t think so,” I said as I twisted my axe and pulled, dragging the sentinel toward me.

  Rather than collapsing back onto the terminal, the sentinel fell forward onto its chest, Faris’s spear still lodged in its neck.

  It didn’t move a muscle.

  There was a long pause as we waited to see the sentinel kick back into life… but it didn’t. The robot remained flat on its face, limp limbs sprawled helplessly.

  “It’s… it’s over?” Akko squeaked.

  DD glided over and inspected the corpse. “I can indeed confirm that the sentinel is no longer operational.”

  Eager cheers filled the sky from a distance away.

  I, instead, fell back to my ass. “Now that's what I call a boss fight…”

  Vay laughed as she wiped the perspiration from her brow. “You said it, stud! It’s been a while since I had such a good workout.”

  “That better be the last of them,” Faris said while glaring at DD.

  She giggled. “There is no reason to fear, Lady Faris. This facility now belongs to us.”

  I internally jumped for joy. If she’d said otherwise, I’m not sure I would’ve kept my sanity.

  With the coast clear, the rest of my mates rushed over to celebrate and check on our injuries.

  “Alright,” Trez said after she and the others had finished patching up our palms. “How exactly do we… you know, actually do this?”

  “It is rather simple, although I shall require someone to perform the inputs in my stead.” DD bobbed down low. “Master Brandon, would you do the honors?”

  “Sure… why not?” I replied, although I really would have preferred more time to rest.

  With DD walking me through the controls, even someone with my ham hands couldn’t go wrong. After a few button inputs, the light drained from the glowing tubes above, plunging the room into darkness.

  “Is that it?” I asked.

  “That it is,” DD said. “The central computer is now offline, as is the jamming field which has caused you so much grief.”

  My lips curled into a grin. I twisted around to face my girls. “Did you hear that? We did it! We’ve won!” I thrust an arm into the air in celebration.

  Casella jumped into the air, arms aloft. “Jfgrtguhtu!”

  I twitched as my eyes bulged open.

  H-huh?

  Trez danced on the spot. “Ossne gogo glaga osdesedes.”

  “Drfff,” Akko said while sniffling. “Dr frr d.”

  Vay laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “NFFHUBF MNSYKSY.”

  “Krasis xtevs,” Faris replied.

  My jaw dropped further and further with each mind-boggling… could they even be called words?

  Casella tilted her head as she looked at me. “Jftshlgrn jay bsher?”

  Obviously, I had no idea what to say.

  “Ybdis zukka vllskhy trskhi vgda tksriskita?!” Sylvetty yelled while gesturing wildly.

  DD gasped, covering her lips with her fingers. “Oh, my.”

  “W-what did she say?” I asked.

  “You too, Master Brandon. Dearest apologies.” She curtsied. “I overlooked that shutting down the central computer would also deactivate the planet-wide translator field.”

  “The planet-side… well, I guess there’s the mystery of how we could communicate.”

  Emphasis on the could.

  Trez grinned as she leaned in close. “Gabasea ooga gaga gassee?”

  “Erm…”

  DD giggled. “May I remind you that everyone bar yourself and Lady Sylvetty are appropriately equipped to communicate without the field, including understanding your responses.”

  “Oobis gogaga galasee,” Trez continued.

  “NFLASVEN MUNCHIN VLSKY,” Vay added with a smirk of her own.

  “Galtaya oogabin ogogis.”

  I exhaled. “They’re insulting me because I don’t understand them, aren’t they?”

  “That is indeed the case,” DD said.

  Yep, sounds about right.

  I’d know those cheeky expressions anywhere…

  “So… is there any way to turn this field back online before anyone else joins in the fun?” I asked.

  “Allow me. Now that the terminal has been deactivated, I should be able to use it as I please without disobeying my programming.” And she proved as such by opening her right index finger and plugging herself into the computer.

  The terminal we’d spent so much effort trying to turn off reactivated.

  “My Brandon?!” Casella said.

  I spun around and showed off my best Hollywood smile. “Hey, beautiful.”

  She giggled and threw her arms in the air. “He understands us again!”

  “Forget about him?! What about me?!” Sylvetty complained. “Will someone tell me what the bleeding feck just happened?!”

  “Sincerest apologies, Lady Sylvetty,” DD said with a quick curtsy. “Please allow me to implant you with a translator chip post-haste to stop this from ever happening again.”

  “A what?!”

  “Do not fear. I assure you the procedure will be completely painless for the majority of its duration.”

  “That’s just the same as saying it’s gonna hurt!”

  I covered my chuckling mouth. If getting some weird robo gadget installed was what it took not to miss out on interactions like this in the future, DD could count me in.

  Faris cleared her throat. “You reactivated the terminal. What happened to the jamming field?”

  “Still deactivated, as are The Core’s security functions,” DD said. “There is nothing to worry about, Miss Faris; The Core belongs to you.”

  I grinned. “And if we run the place that makes this planet tick… well, I guess that means we run this planet, full stop.”

  This underground base had thrown everything it had at us, yet we’d persevere and come out on top. We weren’t just a step closer to escaping the planet, we were hovering on the finishing line.

  Crossing that last remaining boundary was all that remained, and I was confident it wouldn’t take long to make it so.

  Chapter 11

  Our feet echoed down the metal hallway.

  “I can hardly believe how big this place is,” Casella
remarked.

  “Somehow, it feels even bigger than when we were running around like headless chickens,” I replied as we traveled back to the entrance.

  Time did have a way of skipping by when you were being attacked by homicidal robots. Fortunately, that was no longer a problem; as DD had promised, all the robots were deactivated.

  That hadn’t stopped me from receiving a fright when we ascended back up the elevator and ended up surrounded by a decommissioned army of stationary sentries.

  Rampaging footsteps raced our way.

  My adrenaline surged, but the heat cooled off long before it could boil over.

  “Faris!” Demi yelled while rushing closer. She threw herself at her companion, capturing her in a spine-creaking hug. “There are you! Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”

  Faris spluttered as her cheeks burned red.

  I couldn’t help grinning like an idiot. This was quite the treat to welcome us back to the junction leading to the surface.

  Once Demi was done coddling Faris, she explained how she’d come to investigate after the grav lift had deactivated and gotten stuck on the wrong side of the sealed hatch. Despite her best efforts, she hadn’t been able to open it… until it did so on its own.

  After that, she was paralyzed by indecision over which path to take until she heard us coming.

  “Yeah, she was seriously worried,” Joobee—the only backup to have joined Demi—said with a small chuckle. “I’ve never seen her get so emotional before. Usually, she’s just busting my balls.”

  Demi shot him a glare.

  Joobee squeaked and snapped his maw shut.

  “Now that I know you’re safe,” Demi said, clearing her throat. “What is this place?”

  DD curtsied. “Welcome to The Core, Lady Demi: the facility that manages this planet.”

  Demi’s eyes widened as she seemingly noticed DD for the first time. She drew a knife and squatted into a combat stance. “Who are you?!”

  “I am DD14-Z52X, the android in charge of overseeing this facility.”

  “Android?!”

  “Hold on,” I said, gesturing for calm. “We’ve already been through this rigmarole once. You don’t need to worry about DD; she’s on our side.”

  It was my turn to explain everything that had happened in this facility, from the information we’d learned, to the battles we’d fought, all the way to the end result we’d achieved.