Okay, there are currently twelve people with a story alert subscription on "Our World". And yet, it's been more than a month since the last time I received a review… que pasa, twelve people? I do need some encouragement…
And just FYI, I really like people who review every chapter instead of just the most recent one. If you want me to fall utterly in love with you, that's the way to go.
Chapter 21: The Very Best
7 instictively lowered her visor, and 5 fingered a crossbow missile. They had heard enough from and about Kyland Williams to instantly be prepared for battle.
"What are you supposed to be?" Kyland roared. "A new sort of creature? Step away from my race's children!"
Kyland bore down on them ferociously. 5 took a shot, the needle sticking into Kyland's boot. Kyland dove into a roll, and punched 5 clear in the face, sending him flying back into the wooden barrier.
Kyland barked out a laugh. "How could the Siblings have thought this an efficient design?"
7 hopped to the top of the wall. "I witnessed the war," she said thoughtfully. "Always wondered how I'd face off against the human soldiers."
Kyland pounded his fist on the railing, exactly where 7 had been a second before. She nimbly dodged to a point a mere inch away from Kyland's hand and whipped a cable around his wrist.
The blonde-bearded general angrily lifted his hand, and reached out to strike at 7 with his other hand. She scurried up his arm, and leapt to his face. His swat intercepted her airborne course, and she began to fall. She managed to whip out her spear and dig it into Kyland's abdomen.
He roared in agony and picked 7 up in a clenched fist, holding her up to his eye level. Her arms pinned down to her sides, she shook her head until her helmet tumbled off. She caught it between her feet, then kicked it beak-first into Kyland's eye. It bounced off of his brow, but distracted him long enough for 7 to pry herself loose, her entire body just strong enough to defeat his fingers.
7 produced a long coil of rope, tied it to Kyland's thumb, and swung down to retrieve her spear. For the first time in her life, she saw a bleeding wound… not one of her favorite sights.
She continued to swing, getting her coil twice-wrapped around Kyland's neck, then dropping to the ground. He gagged and spluttered. 5 got to his feet and took another shot, the needle hitting right between two of Kyland's vertebrae, with enough force to dig the missile completely into his flesh—irretrievable without surgery.
5 loaded a third needle almost immediately—and this one went into Kyland's throat.
Kyland bent over the short wooden wall, shoulder-high to the children, quaking in pain. 7 climbed back up his body, and hopped to his shoulder.
"Well, that was… disappointing," she said. "I'm hoping this one wasn't a soldier."
"Foolish machine," Kyland hissed. "I am the greatest soldier… the very best of all humanity."
"Well, I hope that's not true," 7 said simply.
She bounced off the top of his head, and took her place on the ground as Kyland keeled over the edge, screaming hoarsely all the way.
"Well," Ray said casually. "How about that?"
"How about that indeed…" someone said.
The two children and three stitchpunks turned rapidly. Anthony stood there with a gun.
"Dad!" Ray said. "What… what… what did you see here?"
"I saw your new toys beat the crap out of Kyland," Anthony said.
"Ah," Ray said. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."
Anthony holstered the gun and gave the stitchpunks two thumbs up. "NICE!" he said.