entry_20

2333 hours, February 13, 1973.

I forgot the Pyro. I thought I could get out of the base undetected, but it came for me.

It was just after I had placed the brain into the storage unit Herr Medic had prepared that it pushed the door open. The head with its mask tilted to the side as Pyro took in the scene. There was Herr Medic stirring feebly next to the wall. There was Herr Engineer, motionless on the gurney with his head open. And there I stood in front of Pyro with an organic processor in one hand and Herr Medic's bone saw in the other.

And the Pyro screamed. I have never heard it make a sound like that before. Even on the battlefield you would almost think it was playing a game with the way it acts, and at the base I hardly saw it troubled about any injuries or hardships. But there was nothing confused in that noise it made, just fury so pronounced even I had no trouble identifying what it was. And then it came at me with its flamethrower ready.

If it hadn't stopped to cry out, I might not have escaped. As it was I only just managed to shove past it and into the hall without getting burned, the saw dropping from my hands in the process. A burst of yellow light cast each crack and plank of the hallway into relief, and I wheeled at the fastest speed I could manage to put distance between myself and the site of the operation. Shuffling footsteps followed me, and even though it meant nothing good for my situation it did at least mean that Pyro would not inadvertently burn down the surgery along with its occupants. And I was still faster than Pyro. The door to the outside stood up ahead. I was going to make it.

Then it opened, and I pulled up so suddenly I almost toppled over. Miss Pauling stood in the doorway.

We stared at each other for a moment, and I remember so many pointless details even now, things that do not matter but cling to my processor anyways. She was small and slender for a figure that had been haunting my fears since I had joined the base, and she seemed cleaner than most of the others save perhaps Spy and sometimes Herr Medic. Her eyes were wide in an expression I could only ever interpret as utter shock. I am sure if I were human- what a fanciful thing for me to say- the expression would be mirrored in my own features.

Before either of us had time to move, I flew sideways into the wall. It took 0.24 seconds longer than usual for me to realize what had happened, perhaps a side-affect of living with humans for too long or because Herr Medic jarred a connection when he was defending himself. Either way, I could see the Pyro advancing slowly on me with that flamethrower still held up. Apparently it had air blasted me away from the door, and now both it and Miss Pauling were between me and freedom. She raised her gun and her radio simultaneously, glaring down the barrel at me. The surprise was already gone from her features.

I dropped to the floor, curling myself around the brain to protect it. The bullet sank into the wall where my head had been.

Miss Pauling: Intruder in the building, I repeat, we've got a robot in the base!

My free hand scrabbled at the wall, but it slipped over the planks without catching on to anything. There wasn't time to pull myself up anyways as Pyro cast its shadow across my field of view. I turned over to try crawling away past Miss Pauling; she took a step back from me as she reloaded her gun, looking incredibly composed.

Pyro's boot slammed down on my wheelstalk, and I fell pinned against the floor. I spun my head around. The creature had leaned forward so the bulk of its weight pressed down on me, and I could see my single working optic's glow reflected in the lenses of its mask. I am sure that Pyro is not a robot, but the expressionless state of its mask reminded me of one for just an instant. The flamethrower descended, pilot light waving centimeters from my face. In my peripheral vision, I could just see Miss Pauling taking aim again.

I rolled the brain toward her. If I was unable to escape from Pyro, there was no need for both of us to be destroyed.

0031: Catch, bitte!

Her gaze flicked down to the metal and glass orb with obvious bewilderment, and the gun lowered slightly. But I did not take the time to watch what she did next; instead I spun my upper body completely around so my back was against the ground and my arms could stretch upward toward Pyro. Just like when Herr Engineer and I had fought the robots, I grabbed hold of the flamethrower with both hands and jerked it hard to the side.

Pyro roared at me again. Flame streamed around us in drunken circles, but it could not aim at me properly. And even through the confusion I could hear Miss Pauling, who had been very much distracted from our fight.

Miss Pauling: Is that a brain?!

A burst of static accompanied by Sniper's voice, sharp and questioning, responded to her question. I glanced over again to see her raise the two way radio to her mouth.

Miss Pauling: It's what the robot had with it! No, I don't know where it came from- wait, is Medic with the others?

Sniper's voice let out a stream of heated noises that were almost certainly swears.

He knew.

In my distraction, my grip loosened slightly. Pyro managed to wrestle the weapon out of my hands, but it staggered back a step from the force of its pull, thus freeing my wheelstalk. I had to act now or all would be lost.

I swung the lower half of my body toward its leg with a swift axe-like chop. Pyro toppled with a thud.

My wheel spun to propel me toward the wall. I curved my back and neck so the force pushed me upright once I collided with its surface then held out my arms to regain my balance. The Pyro was still in the process of righting itself, and Miss Pauling was still distracted by the steady stream of curses coming from the radio.

I grabbed the brain from the floor and took off past her toward the door.

0031: Danke Fraulein!

I was answered with another gunshot. The bullet buried itself in the doorframe next to my head as I sped outside.

Miss Pauling: Sniper, what the hell is going on?!

It was all open flat asphalt now. On my wheel I had a distinct advantage over my pursuers, both of whom I could hear shouting behind me. I wove back and forth to make landing any more shots difficult. But soon Miss Pauling wasn't the only one shooting at me. At a crack most dissimilar from the sound of her pistol, I chanced a look backward over my shoulder. A small dark silhouette stood against the sky over the rooftop, rifle up and poised. Sniper.

I just kept going though. There were only 20.5 meters between me and the fence, approximately. I swerved to the left so that I would leave plenty of space between the distracted mercenaries holding the front lines and myself. But even as I approached, Miss Pauling's shouts began to attract their attention.

Miss Pauling: Guys, look out!
Soldier unit: MISS PAULING, WE ARE BLOWING UP ROBOTS RIGHT NOW!
Pyro unit: (muffled screaming)
Heavy unit: What is wrong? Why is Doktor not here yet?

The Heavy turned during a lull in the attack to see Miss Pauling firing more shots in my direction. His brow rose when he saw me next to the fence.

Heavy unit: MISS PAULING STOP! IS NOT BAD!
Miss Pauling: What are you talking about? Why was that thing in the base?!
Demolitions unit: Oi, what's he got in his hands there?

I pulled myself through the hole in the fence and shot off through the trees without waiting to hear her reply. The trees did not block out the low rumble of confused murmurs that was the others responding to her. Or Heavy's roar of anger afterward, for that matter.

I have been hiding in a clump of trees some ways from the fence, waiting for 0396 to contact me again. I hope he comes soon. There were footsteps here earlier; I think one of them has come after me.

/entry_20