Scout walked slowly to the designated spot, constantly scanning the region as well as the feeds on his visor. His sensors showed the location of his teammates; Hawk and Tank flanked him, concealed in the rubble of what had once been a small settlement. They had chosen the best vantage points for providing cover fire, should it become necessary. Pilot was to his right and slightly behind him, ready to pounce on the kids and haul them away from the scene. Power was further back, corralling Locke in one of the other buildings that remained standing. Without tying him up, there was no way they could trust him to be left alone – and they didn't need the added hassle of untying him if all hell broke loose.
The eye-in-the-sky he had deployed minutes earlier fed them a grid on their visors, giving real-time displays of their targets. Two humans hid within a crumbling structure in front of him and just to his left. Four more were in another, more intact, shack behind the first. And a half dozen mechs were split among the outside of both structures. The rest of the area was abandoned.
"I'm here! Now show me my kids!" Scout's shout shattered the silence.
A tense minute passed before the two figures in the first building emerged. The overunit was a tall male, his uniform impeccably pressed and his crisp hat pulled down over well-groomed brown hair. Two steps behind him was a female Youth leader, immaculate in her own uniform.
Scout wondered how long they'd been there and how they managed to remain so kempt.
They moved silently until they stood in front of him, the Youth two steps behind her superior officer at all times. Clasping his hands behind his back, the overunit sized him up, then grinned smugly.
"You will get your offspring back when we have Power and his team," he gloated.
It took everything Baker had not to reach out and smack the smirk off his face.
"That wasn't part of the deal!" Locke hissed with rage and Jon had to clamp his hand over the man's mouth to keep him from giving away their position.
To his right, Pilot turned at the voices in her helmet, ready to offer assistance but knowing that if she moved now, they would be seen.
He hastily shook his head at her and signaled that he had it under control. Both had seen Scout startle slightly at the voice that had undoubtedly blasted his ears but heard him recover immediately and continue the negotiations.
"That wasn't part of the deal. I delivered the message and the disk. I can't control what he does with it," Scout snapped, delivering the information only slightly less emphatically than Locke had. "When they find out I sold them out, I'm as good as dead."
"All the more reason for us to keep your offspring. They will be entered into our Youth program, where they will be taught the way of the machine." The overunit's eyes gleamed with the psychological torture he was inflicting.
Scout's stomach clenched and they weren't even his children.
"The girl would fail out. Too much drama. And the boy? Can't even keep track of his shoes, let alone follow a string of orders."
Locke had regained enough of his composure to feed Scout the comments and he had a hard time not laughing as he repeated it. The man was certainly keeping them on their toes.
"They will learn quickly or die." A cold sneer crossed the man's face. He was enjoyed the taunting.
Scout had had enough. "Give me my children. Now."
It took a moment longer, but the overunit finally snapped his fingers at the Youth leader standing behind him. She immediately turned to the shack and returned with two more Youth leaders, nearly dragging a much smaller boy and girl with them.
Dread's eyes narrowed on the screen. The data springer had been nothing but a thorn in his side since the beginning. The begging for his offspring had made him want to digitize him without even trying to get anything out of it, but he'd reigned in that impulse. Monitoring his offspring had been even worse and it had only been three days. How did the man live with such snivelry? The incessant whining and crying would have no place in the Youth ranks.
"Lord Dread."
He barely took his eyes off the vid. "Yes, Overmind."
"Aerial monitoring was detected by the surveillance mech six point eight minutes ago. Source unknown. The data springer must be digitized to reveal Power's location. BioDread Soaron has been deployed to the location. ETA is three point four minutes."
Dread's face turned to stone. "Why was I not informed of this surveillance, Overmind?" The supercomputer had been making decisions like this more frequently. Their neural link should have sent the command through, especially if it was to one of the BioDreads.
"The established protocol was followed. Soaron is within striking distance."
It was not an answer to his question, but it WAS the most logical plan. A direct handoff had not been enough to flush Power out of his hole. The BioDreads had been positioned within range of the sites to move in if necessary and Overmind had executed the order utilizing all available data. It was only a matter of time before Power was taken.
"Yes, Overmind." Dread returned his focus to the events unfolding on the screen. "The springer will be unable to resist the will of the machine. And we will soon learn everything he knows."
As soon as the children showed on the eyepiece attached to his headset, Locke tried to bolt. Jon slammed him into the wall, holding him with an arm across his windpipe. He managed to gasp out their names, confirming what Power had hoped. Those were his children.
With the kids in sight, Jon signaled Cypher to start the attack.
"DADDY!" The girl cried out, wrenching her arm away with surprising strength from the Youth male holding her.
He grabbed her and harshly pulled her back, holding her with an arm across her throat.
"RAND! NO!" Scout yelled the order, using the nickname Locke had for her. He held up his hands, trying to diffuse both sides and hold off any shots from being fired. "Petey, do NOT move!" The boy stood, frozen in terror, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
The overunit's eyes locked on Scout, his rage barely under control. He pressed his fingers to his earpiece and listened for a moment but didn't acknowledge.
"Overunit Sobel, prepare for –"
Dread stopped speaking and stood as the first volley slammed into the waiting squadrons from all directions. Mechs dropped, sparks flying as they barely got off their own rounds before being destroyed by the still hidden resistance fighters.
"Blastarr!" Dread all but snarled the name and didn't wait for acknowledgment. "Advance immediately to these coordinates! I want Power alive or digitized! The rest…you may have your way with!"
With his fury fully unleashed, he turned back to his throne and pounded a fist on the console of his chair. "Soaron!"
"Yes, my Lord!" The BioDread's voice boomed through the comm, reverberating around the throne room.
Spit flew from his mouth as he shouted, "Digitize the data springer and his offspring and bring them DIRECTLY to ME." He pounded the information into the keyboard and shouted, "GO!"
"Approaching coordinates, my lord!"
With a final, gleeful, acknowledgement from the beast, he cut the line, fuming. Somehow, Power had gotten through their surveillance. The springer was the only way that could have happened, and he would pay dearly for his transgressions. He would watch his offspring suffer and when they were nothing more than mindless organic shells, every bit of information would be extracted from his own brain. He could then join his offspring in hell.
Dread snarled as the vid screen displaying the melee went black; the surveillance mech was blown into dozens of pieces.
It no longer mattered. Blastarr would be on scene to mop up the mess and bring Power to him.
Confusion spread across the overunit's face as he continued to listen through his earpiece. Scout wanted to strike him while his guard was down, but the hold the Youth had on the kids prevented him from doing so.
Power's voice buzzed in his ear. "Diversion started."
That would explain the overunit's reaction. He was likely hearing Dread's reaction to the mayhem that was underway.
"Please, let my kids go." With the diversion started, Scout knew that Tank, Hawk, and Pilot could stun the Youth with a single word by Power. And he also knew his commanding officer would have to make a strike call in less than a minute, while the diversion was still happening.
A sneer raised the overunit's upper lip. "Your deception has been discovered, springer."
Scout barely reigned in reaching for his blaster, realizing his cover had somehow been blown. But if that was the case, why hadn't Power signaled the others to shoot?
"Soon enough, you will wish Power had found you instead of us. It does not matter, now. Power and his followers will shortly be destroyed by Blastarr." Sobel couldn't help but gloat, revealing nearly everything he'd just heard through his earpiece.
Jon hissed into his communicator. "Cypher, incoming BioDread! Bug out! I repeat, bug out!"
Dread had taken the bait and assumed his team had launched the attack, but that now put Angel City resistance in jeopardy.
When Cypher's voice came through his communicator, giving the retreat orders, Jon breathed out.
"Please get my kids!" Locke croaked out, though he was still crushed against the wall.
"Working on that!" Power snapped back.
A mechanized screech filled the chamber and Dread gave his full attention to the still functional vid. His winged warlord swooped into view, beak open, announcing its arrival.
The springer would soon be divulging all his secrets.
Blaster fire streaked across the screen, striking both mechs, humans and the BioDread before the screen went black.
"Soaron! Report!"
He was answered by silence.
"NOW!" Power shoved Locke to the ground and launched himself out from behind the wall. Scout's disguise shimmered out as he pulled his blaster and fired a direct shot at the overunit. The man slumped to the ground and before the female behind him could even draw her weapon, Pilot's shot sent her down.
The terrified children stood, frozen in place, even though their captors had been dropped by Tank and Hawk. Mechs exploded all around them, barely getting off a handful of shots.
Blasts from the BioDread shattered the building they had been in only minutes before and fiery debris rained down on them. Scout reached forward, forcing Miranda toward the sound of Pilot's footfalls before yanking Peter into himself. The boy thunked hard against his armor and began to sob, only to be drowned out by an unmistakable whine.
Both Scout and Pilot caught the aim of the digitizer and shoved their shrieking charges in the direction of their father. The last thing the teammates saw was the children tumbling to the ground before the digitizer beam engulfed them.
Jon saw the digitization beam envelope Scout and Pilot and everything ceased to move at normal speed. It felt like he was slogging through mud as he turned his blaster on the beast, his frantic shouts muted to his own ears.
Blasts from Hawk and Tank joined his, the onslaught momentarily redirecting the BioDread's attention. In a burst of light and sound, the beam ceased, freeing Pilot and Scout from their paralysis.
Power watched in horror as they fell to the ground, their suits failing on impact. They were defenseless and unmoving. They had to be shielded, had to be moved, had to be hidden somewhere safe.
Trusting in the abilities of his major and lieutenant, Power raced past Locke and his kids to his two soldiers. There was no time to determine injuries. Refuge was his primary concern.
Scout was already pushing himself up, weak, disoriented, but moving, nonetheless. As Power started to scoop Pilot, she roused as well, as confused as Scout. Refusing to lose either of them, Power grabbed both under their arms and hauled them behind the wreckage of a nearby transport.
"Gonna hurt tomorrow," Scout groused before doubling over and holding his head.
Pilot quickly turned, pushing Power aside before vomiting near the back of the truck. A split second later, Scout launched himself in the opposite direction, losing his own stomach contents.
The vital signs their unpowered suits registered indicated both were barely within normal parameters, yet Power still helplessly watched as they both held their heads, groaning at the revolt their bodies were staging.
"Captain we need you out here!" Hawk was calm, but insistent. "If the kids are safe, we've got a BioDread to shoot down!"
He hated to leave them, but he had no choice. If they didn't fight now, they'd all lose. Pressing his laser stars into Scout's hand and laying his extra blaster down beside Pilot, he spoke quickly. "Stay here. Do not power up your suits. Yell if anything comes your way and I'll be right back here." He gently squeezed Pilot's shoulder and returned to the melee without a look back.
Hawk had launched himself into the air and sent Soaron backward with a direct shot of his wrist rockets into its chest. Before it had a chance to orient itself, Tank's proton blaster combined with a trio of Power's therm grenades to blow off both wings and a leg.
The mechanized bird howled in distress and began a backward spiral, it's left arm sheered off by another blast from Tank. Its collision with the ground sent up plumes of dirt and shook the area with enough force to nearly knock them off their feet.
"Too far away for us to blow off any more parts!" Hawk announced as he landed, immediately crouching down to check the Youth on the ground. They were all out cold and would remain that way for the next couple of hours.
Enough time for them to gather up their own and get them to safety.