Felix stuck by Calhoun through the rest of the tower, the silence as they traversed it even more awkward than it had been before. Finally, the pair reached the rooftop, where the beacon stood. Cy-bugs swarmed everywhere, crawling across the roof and buzzing through the air. Most of the beacon, a large machine that towered over even Hero's Duty's soldiers, was exposed; there was a secure shed that housed the computers that ran and controlled it.
Even over the buzz of the cy-bug horde and the blasts from Calhoun's gun as she fired at them, Felix could hear the hum of the machine. He immediately ruled out the possibility of a disruption with the power supply.
"I don't think it's a problem with the computers. They seemed to be running fine," Calhoun informed him between bouts of gunfire. Felix should have found that comforting, since he was far more experienced with machinery than computers, but he couldn't help but wish for the shelter of the computer room.
"Yes, ma'am," Felix responded, although he was unsure whether Calhoun even heard him above the clamor. He made his way carefully to the machine. The area immediately surrounding the beacon was the only spot completely devoid of cy-bugs, as if the creatures knew how dangerous it was.
Externally, the beacon appeared fine. Felix tapped it with his hammer, just from a sense of hopeful thinking, but he was unsurprised when the machine did not change. It was a complicated piece of machinery, and the problem would take a bit more skill than a single tap of a magic hammer to fix.
He opened up the casing to look inside, frowning at the criss-cross of wires and gears. At first, he didn't know what to make of the machine, but he began to understand how it worked once he'd studied it for a few minutes.
"I'm pretty sure I've found the source of the problem, ma'am! It-" He'd turned away from the machine to face her, and stopped short when his gaze found her. She was pinned against the ground by a cy-bug, pushing against its gaping mandibles with her rifle to keep it from devouring her.
All of Felix's sensibility was gone as soon as he registered the scene. The only thing that crossed his mind was the first time he'd lost his Tammy. And he wouldn't watch her die again. He couldn't watch her die again.
He took the pistol from his tool belt without hesitation. He fired a few quick shots. Of those that hit, the shell of the cy-bug still remained unharmed; it didn't even seem to notice. He fired again, more frantically. He unloaded the entirety of the weapon's ammo into the side of the beast, but the small rounds seemed to only bounce off the enormous beast's metal shell.
Still, he knew he couldn't watch her die again, and in a fit of desperation he brandished his hammer, ready to charge the cy-bug if that's what it took- and, as it seemed, that was what it would take.
"Dammit, Fix-It!" Calhoun's voice was harsh and strained due to her struggle with the cy-bug. "I will respawn! You need to worry about the beacon!"
Felix stopped in his tracks. He realized how ridiculous he was being, stupid even. The entire arcade could go down if the beacon wasn't fixed, and if he was killed because he tried to save the sergeant who would respawn anyway, there was a good chance it wouldn't be fixed.
"Fix-It! Beacon! Now!" Her voice was even more strained as she struggled against the bug. Felix knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it at bay for much longer.
Felix sighed, frowning. He had to let her be. He'd have to fix the beacon. He breathed deeply and returned his hammer to its place in his belt. He gave Calhoun a stoic nod and turned back towards the machine.