Chapter 6

"Well that wasn't so hard." Montayva smiled, joining Irish and LiveFree at the top of the stairwell where Kitty examined the power core she had just found.

"I..." Kitty began to speak as she stood at the edge of the lookout on the top floor, but was silenced by LiveFree.

"Shhh!" He snapped, raising his hand in emphasis.

"What the hell is that noise?" Irish said quietly as they all strained to hear. The dry Pandoran wind made a slight whistling as it pushed its way through the empty Hyperion outpost. But there was something else.

"Ah, guys!" Montayva was the first to notice.

The red central eye on the constructor bot began flickering. The barely audible buzzing noise they could here was caused by the robots system attempting to reboot itself as it detected its foes.

"Shit. Take cover!" Irish yelled, ducking down the staircase as the missile launcher on top of the constructor began to charge.

"Monty! Over here!" Kitty called, hiding behind a stack of crates in the corner. Montayva raised her shotgun and fired twice at the bot, hitting it square in the eye. A few small sparks flew, but the bot fired its heat seeking missiles regardless of the assault. Montayva threw the Tediore weapon at the bot as she reloaded, taking cover with Kitty before the explosion shook the building. Kitty was the first to peak over the crates.

"Stay down!" She yelled, ducking in time before being struck by the laser beam the bot conjured. Kitty checked her Ladyfinger. Fully loaded "you still have those couple of grenades?" Kitty asked Monty, who nodded her head. "we should throw those between your reloads, keep the explosions up to it. I'm gonna make a run for that ledge over there. I can get a better shot from there, plus one of us will still be able to shoot while it fires its laser"

"Good thinking!" Monty took two grenades and handed them to her friend. "Take these, in case I can't make the shot. Gives us both a chance" Kitty smiled her thanks, and set her focus on the ledge. "I'll cover you" Monty reassured. "Hey, girly." Monty grabbed the other woman by the hand "Good luck ok?" Kitty squeezed Monty's hand in return.

"You too" she waited for Monty's cover of bullets before she ran for the ledge.

Kitty through the first grenade as Monty let her 5 rounds loose on the bot. The building shook again, and for a moment Kitty worried about its integrity. Monty reloaded, throwing the gun, which exploded upon landing beneath the machine. The constructor let off another round of missiles and the girls both took cover. Surprisingly, they took neither woman for a target.

"The boys!" Kitty shouted over to Monty, "It must be after the boys" Monty threw one of her grenades, and it found its mark as Kitty fired as fast as her pistol would let her. Sparks flew, and the sound of broken circuits crackling and hissing could be heard. But the machine continued its assault.

"Fuck this for a joke!" Monty yelled, firing another round at the machine. Kitty was just about to toss her last grenade, when a burst of fire erupted on the bot.

"It must be Irish with his Volcano!" Kitty suggested, then threw her grenade. Monty reloaded, and threw the shotty just as the grenade exploded. The two explosions were followed by a third much larger one.

When everything had been quiet for a moment, the women emerged from their cover. The motionless bot lay in an unrecognisable lump of contorted steel.

"Well..." Monty breathed, standing beside her friend.

"We did it," Kitty laughed. "We actually killed that thing"

With their adrenaline still pumping, Kitty grabbed the power core for the vending machines, and they jogged off to find the boys.