This is it! THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!
Actually...probably not...but enjoy anyway! ;)
Chapter Eighteen: The Fight
* Heatwave's P.O.V *
I had never been a fan of abandoned buildings.
They always smell the same, look the same, and sound the same. The smell of water and mold blended with the smell of millennia-old rocks, the darkness that surrounded me emitted that uncertainty of what was in it, and the constant sound of water dripping from a leaky pipe or a gutter that didn't completely dry from the last time it rained all filled my mind.
I recognized the place with the dim streams of moonlight slipping through the hole filled roof. It was the abandoned mine...on the other side of the island from the plaza.
Questions swarmed my mind along with nausea. Why was I was here? How could two people bring me this far without tipping anyone off? I tried to move my arms first. A wave of pain and soreness all came crashing down on me. My nausea intensified.
The shock from it almost made me go unconscious again. I tried to be as quiet as I could, but the popping coming from my chest every time I moved was not as quiet as I wanted it to be. The pain every single time those pops sounded off, I had to silence myself so I didn't scream.
The pain became the least of my worries when two waiters from the party rolled over. Their burning red optics were telling enough. They weren't here to help me.
"Cooperation s-s-set you free...sooner than not...will" It stuttered. Its hollow voice carried itself down the tunnels and back again. If I had any power over them...strength, size, a weapon...I would have laughed. You can barely talk, how are you going to make me cooperate.
But I knew I was powerless. I was weak from the fight and I didn't have any weapons. And I knew one false move would make me blackout...or break something even more.
Distant rain patted the ground outside and on the steel paneled roof. Puddles started to form where the roof failed to cover. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could make out the outline of old mining equipment and cautioning anyone that read them to stay out. The glow from the robot's optics was harsh against the blackness.
"What do you want from me?" I growled, coughing violently afterward. My chest ached, my arms screamed at me when I tried to move, my fingers were almost twice their usual size, and my legs felt like they had two hot metal rods shoved up into them. Colors splashed my vision once again. My hand felt wet.
My heart pounded harder and my mind started to race, the situation just becoming clear for the first time. 2 to 1. No...2 able to 1 injured. How did they get me here? What do they want? How did they knock me out?
What did they do to me?
The questions swirled in my brain.
Calm down I told myself. Your team will be here soon.
"I was expecting more resistance." The other bot said. Chills sprinted down and up my back and I shook. That voice wasn't that robot's normal voice. It was more sinister. More...alive.
A harsh light exploded from one of the servers servos. The back of my eyes felt like they were being beaten like drums. I could feel I was dancing on the line between consciousness and blacking out.
The robot held something out in his other hand. I panicked and went cold at first, thinking it was a gun. But then I looked closer. It was a white instrument with a glass vial attached to it. A needle stuck out.
A million disgusting scenarios flashed through my brain. My eyes widened in terror and tried backing away. It advanced forward and tried to grab my arm. I pushed myself a few feet back. One more move and I was stepping over the line.
I hated feeling so weak and helpless.
The robot stopped. I heard the same thing it did. Footsteps...getting close fast.
* Ricochet's P.O.V *
This is right. This is right. I chanted in my mind. Muddy tracks were helpful, but I also had to get creative. I veered left, my tires squealing. Frantic drivers created chaos. A crashed motorist lead me to another left. Then another one lead me right.
Muddy tracks? Yes. The waiters must have dragged Heatwave into one of the self-driving limos, zapped the AI, and dashed away. Since the grass still hadn't dried from the last day it rained and the limos were all parked in a grassy area, the beeline for the road made muddy streaks in their wake. I already lost time fumbling to start my alt but I was hoping they didn't have too much of a head start.
I figured he had a minute or two on me, but I knew that every second could count. Especially since it was a completely reckless driver
A spilled dumpster with a massive dent made me veer right again. I was on the other side of the island now.
This is right. This is right.
My team would find Heatwave even if I didn't. They knew something wasn't right. With 12 people looking, he was going to be fine.
A muddy limo was parked outside a rickety old building. Bingo.
I shut off my lights and I got closer. There were tread marks were the bots had tried to drag Heatwave into a building. He must have been unconscious or already dead because they succeeded.
I changed into a new set of clothes as quickly as I could. Not only was I really getting uncomfortable in the dress, but I knew I wasn't going to get anything done stumbling around in it. Once I was done, I grabbed a flashlight and sprinted into the shack, hoping he would be there. I swung open the large oak doors and looked inside...he wasn't.
Panic welled up in my chest and I started to search frantically. He wasn't here!
I looked at the walls to see if there were any secret places the robots could hide him, there weren't. I looked in and around the old mining equipment stored there, not a single sign. I tried to remember if there were any other clues that I missed in my rush to get here, but I couldn't think of anything.
I was about to go back and see where I took a wrong turn. Then, I spotted a small pool of blood next to a splintering support beam. I stopped. I had been on Earth long enough to know it was fresh. My stomach started to tie itself into knots. He was injured.
The blood looked like paint smeared on a dark grey canvas. He was moved. I looked around the spot for more clues, but I couldn't find any.
The smear was pointing towards outside the shack again, so I walked out and looked around. My hands were shaking. My eyes darted around frantically. My heart was trying to break free from my ribcage.
You know this feeling...you've only had it once before...
CRUNCH
I yelped and jumped. Then I looked at what I just stepped on. His Commlink.
He was leaving a trail.
Sure enough, when I kept going, I found his tie clip. Then a button. Then two buttons.
The trail lead me to an open clearing. Sand clung to my shoes as I got closer. The ocean waves lapped against the beach and the moon was bright enough for me to see everything. It was beautiful.
The harsh light of the flashlight and the soft light of the moon made it really easy to find his other clues. His tie, a shoe, and drag marks lead me to around most of the beach.
"Hold...still," a hollow and monotone voice ordered from behind me. Instinctively, I didn't. I spun around and came face to face with some sort of taser like thing. I lunged to the side as the robot shot it.
I rolled to take the impact of the ground, stood up, ran at it, and tackled it into the shallow water on the beach. It took a few tries, but after I hit the sensitive spot with the flashlight, the wheels stopped spinning. Then I hit it a few more times and it just stood there glitching as the waterproof shell cracked and let the saltwater seep into its internal components.
17…that meant-
"Not bad." The voice was the same as all of the other server bots, but it felt like something else was talking. It felt like chills were running up and down my back. I tried to pinpoint why it felt so...different. But at the same time...I was also trying to pinpoint why it felt so...familiar.
I turned around and saw the robot. While I was standing on the wet sand, he was standing close to the path that lead up to the shack. Covered in wet sand, Heatwave laid right next to him. He looked like he was fighting to stay awake. Even from this distance, I could tell that his injuries were very extensive. He wouldn't be any help anytime soon.
I started to walk towards him, but #18 held a taser like object of his own. Siren had told me about them when we got back from the mission with the dogs. And whenever he pressed the button, the stick crackled with electricity. But what was different was it was much larger than the one Siren had...and it looked from this distance like it had a lot more bite.
"Put down that stick and I'll show you I can do better." I raised my hands. I didn't know how much range it things had. And I knew if they didn't have any range anyway, it wouldn't matter. One sharp turn and Heatwave would be stabbed with Primus knows how much force or current.
"All I need is a few samples...of your blood." This voice was a lot less monotone, a lot more aware.
Why does it sound so familiar?
"You could probably bathe in the amount of blood people lost to the party by getting beat up by your buddies. Why not take theirs?"
He was silent… then answered: "None of those vermin have the blood that you do… Or for that matter… Your team does."
"Why?"
He ignored me and aimed the taser at Heatwave.
"You are a medic, are you not?"
I didn't answer, but apparently, the question was more of a statement.
"Then be a good doctor and draw some blood for me… Then, I will leave this pathetic body and island alone."
A million questions popped into my head at once. What was he going to do with that blood? What would a robot need blood for? I didn't want to find out why the hard way, so I tried to find a way to get him before he could hurt Heatwave.
"I need tools," I said, exaggerating the worry in my tone. It looks like it's wheels for two caked in sand and mud...to do much high-speed travel…
"I have sufficient tools for you to do your job," it said coldly. The arm that was holding the taser, it's left, looks just slightly lower than the other one.
"Are they sterilized?" There was a visible cracking on its chest panels. The ocean waves were still caressing my ankles and he looked like he was only a few yards away.
"Just do as I say and no one gets hurt."
"I sincerely doubt that." Its optic seemed to glow with hatred.
"DO AS I SAY OR YOU CAN START SAYING GOODBYE!"
"Rico-c-chet…"Heatwave said weakly. My attention and #18s attention snapped to him.
"Take care… Of my team for me."
My heart skipped a beat, my body went cold, and my stomach dropped down to my sand-covered feet.
"Take care of our sisters for me..."
Multiple things happened at once. Heatwave grabbed at the taser, the robot jerked back, and I ran forward. The taser was ripped from the robot's grasp when I tackled it, but I knew it still could have been dangerous.
The robot didn't seem to have been built the same way as the others. It spun and knocked me onto my back before I could reach Heatwave. It grabbed me by the hair and struck me in the stomach and chest with his other servo. Fresh pain exploded with each blow.
I was powerless. I knew there wasn't anything I could do to defend myself, save for putting my hands up and hope.
I tried to pull away from #18 fist, but he didn't let me go. And having no traction in the sand didn't help either.
Heatwave, who was barely standing up on his own, whipped the bot around to face him. The shock from the pull made #18 Drop me. I got a face full of sand but compared to another fist to the gut, it wasn't bad.
When I got myself to look up, Heatwave was holding the taser and the robot was on the ground.
I whimpered from the pain I was in. My head felt like it was being dented and then undented, my scalp still flared from my hair having been pulled so harshly, my entire body ached from each punch. Heatwave looked at me and was about to call out my name when the robot rolled forward, straight at him.
Time seemed to slow down. Every single click on the gear in the robot filled my ears. Every single breath Heatwave and I were taking seemed like the only other sound. The foam of the ocean folded over itself in slow motion. And all of my other senses went numb.
You know this feeling… You've only felt it once before…
The robot charged and struck Heatwave in the side, the deafening crack and pop sounded off into the night. Heatwave's screams of agony mixed with the machine's roar of its motors. And in one fluid motion, it grabbed the taser from Heatwave's hands, spun it's torso, using his hips as a pivot, and stabbed Heatwave in the gut.
The sickening sound of a sword being sheathed into flesh canceled every other noise. Heatwave's eyes widened.
Click.
Heatwave's body convulsed, the arc of electricity making every little fiber in his body spasm. Bright red burns blistered to life on his skin. A trail of blood leaked from the stab wound.
Everything went red.
I don't remember what happened first, his collapse or the robot being kicked with all my might into the water. The robot experienced its own form of electrocution, but I knew this was not the time to be concerned with revenge.
The taser was off but the damage had been done. Heatwave wasn't moving.
Alright that's the end of this story! I hope you all liked it and-
Nah, I'm just messing around with you...or am I? Stay tuned to find out!
Stay not sick...and anybody this is right now...get better. We need you here.
