The Hunter, part 10
The five of them slowly made their way across the clearing and into the forest beyond. Rommie suddenly raised her hand to signal the others to stop: There was something in the trees up ahead. She raised her forcelance, and used its in-built scanner to try and see what it was. She looked at the results and her eyes went wide. "DOWN!" she screamed as loud as she could, instinctively grabbing the person next to her and throwing them to the ground.
A green and brown painted Planetary Warfare-bot sent a stream of high- explosive rounds into the area they had been standing. Tyr fired back with his Gauss Rifle, doing no apparent damage to the huge war-machine. It tracked its weapons left and right, trying to find a target.
Dex tapped a quick stream of commands into his wrist-com and smiled: a panel on the side of the Argo opened-up to reveal a heavy Gattling-gun. The weapon locked onto the Planetary Warfare-bot and fired off a burst of depleted-uranium rounds: the armour piecing shells ripped the robot to peaces, sending it's smoking hulk to the ground with a thump.
Rommie looked down to see who she had knocked out of the way, and found herself lying on top of Dylan. She quickly rolled off of and turned her back to him so he couldn't see the expression on her face. She quickly picked up her dropped Gauss Rifle and stood-up, "Sound-off." Voices started to reply from the threes: "Dex, clear.", "Tyr, clear." "Trance, clear.", "Dylan, clear." The last voice came from just behind her, and she found herself relived that he was safe.
Tyr looked at the decimated Planetary Warfare-bot, then at the Argo, "What the hell did you use on it?" Dex smiled, "An old anti-missile cannon we picked up on Earth a year or so back. It can take out anything short of a anti-ship missile, or, as you can see, a Planetary Warfare-bot." Tyr shook his head, "Any other surprises built into that ship?" Dex grinned, "Now that would be telling."
Dylan placed a hand on Rommie's shoulder, making her jump. He smiled slightly, "I just want to say thank you for saving my life again." Rommie kept her back to him, "It was just a reflex action, nothing special." Dylan's face fell slightly, "Well, thank you anyway." He turned and headed off to where the others where waiting.
Rommie swore under her breath: of all the people she could have knocked over, why did it have to be Dylan? It truly had just been a reflex action like she had told him, but he had obviously seen her reaction when she saw him looking up at her. She had to stop pretending and admit it: she still loved Dylan, and would gladly give her own life to save his. Not a good idea for a mercenary to feel like that, but it was the truth.
Dylan slowly made his way other to the others, but his mind was on Rommie: did she still feel for him? How did he really feel for her? Did he, could he, love her? He stopped and thought for a second: when she had left he'd felt like the bottom had fallen out of his world, and now she was back, he felt whole again.
The realisation hit him like a lightning bolt: he did indeed love Rommie! More than that, he felt curtain that he had loved her three years ago when she had confessed her feelings for him. How could he have been so stupid? He had driven her away, and now it looked like he had lost her forever. Cursing himself, he continued on to the where the others stood.
Rommie joined them, "Ok, the main AI must know where here now, so let's get moving." She stalked off into the forest, leaving the others to follow.
TBC
The five of them slowly made their way across the clearing and into the forest beyond. Rommie suddenly raised her hand to signal the others to stop: There was something in the trees up ahead. She raised her forcelance, and used its in-built scanner to try and see what it was. She looked at the results and her eyes went wide. "DOWN!" she screamed as loud as she could, instinctively grabbing the person next to her and throwing them to the ground.
A green and brown painted Planetary Warfare-bot sent a stream of high- explosive rounds into the area they had been standing. Tyr fired back with his Gauss Rifle, doing no apparent damage to the huge war-machine. It tracked its weapons left and right, trying to find a target.
Dex tapped a quick stream of commands into his wrist-com and smiled: a panel on the side of the Argo opened-up to reveal a heavy Gattling-gun. The weapon locked onto the Planetary Warfare-bot and fired off a burst of depleted-uranium rounds: the armour piecing shells ripped the robot to peaces, sending it's smoking hulk to the ground with a thump.
Rommie looked down to see who she had knocked out of the way, and found herself lying on top of Dylan. She quickly rolled off of and turned her back to him so he couldn't see the expression on her face. She quickly picked up her dropped Gauss Rifle and stood-up, "Sound-off." Voices started to reply from the threes: "Dex, clear.", "Tyr, clear." "Trance, clear.", "Dylan, clear." The last voice came from just behind her, and she found herself relived that he was safe.
Tyr looked at the decimated Planetary Warfare-bot, then at the Argo, "What the hell did you use on it?" Dex smiled, "An old anti-missile cannon we picked up on Earth a year or so back. It can take out anything short of a anti-ship missile, or, as you can see, a Planetary Warfare-bot." Tyr shook his head, "Any other surprises built into that ship?" Dex grinned, "Now that would be telling."
Dylan placed a hand on Rommie's shoulder, making her jump. He smiled slightly, "I just want to say thank you for saving my life again." Rommie kept her back to him, "It was just a reflex action, nothing special." Dylan's face fell slightly, "Well, thank you anyway." He turned and headed off to where the others where waiting.
Rommie swore under her breath: of all the people she could have knocked over, why did it have to be Dylan? It truly had just been a reflex action like she had told him, but he had obviously seen her reaction when she saw him looking up at her. She had to stop pretending and admit it: she still loved Dylan, and would gladly give her own life to save his. Not a good idea for a mercenary to feel like that, but it was the truth.
Dylan slowly made his way other to the others, but his mind was on Rommie: did she still feel for him? How did he really feel for her? Did he, could he, love her? He stopped and thought for a second: when she had left he'd felt like the bottom had fallen out of his world, and now she was back, he felt whole again.
The realisation hit him like a lightning bolt: he did indeed love Rommie! More than that, he felt curtain that he had loved her three years ago when she had confessed her feelings for him. How could he have been so stupid? He had driven her away, and now it looked like he had lost her forever. Cursing himself, he continued on to the where the others stood.
Rommie joined them, "Ok, the main AI must know where here now, so let's get moving." She stalked off into the forest, leaving the others to follow.
TBC