entry_27

0253 hours, Wednesday, February 14, 1973.

I am trying not to panic but the only thing I found by the crate was one of Sniper's arrows and not actually Sniper. There was a little blood but so little that it might have come from a wound he sustained during the fight from earlier. I think he is still alive because he is not here, but what caused him to leave? Hopefully he wasn't stupid enough to try to run out through the door when he saw the situation deterioraHOLEN SIE SICH WEG VON MIR

This session has been idle for fifteen minutes. Would you like to terminate the program? Y/N

N

Session resumed.

Sorry. I was running- well, rolling, I do not have legs so I do not, ah, yes. I passed the cell I had been held in earlier and I was not looking where I was going and someone grabbed my coattails that are not really coattails. The sudden jerk from the grab almost knocked me over, but I managed to keep my balance as I turned to see what had stopped me.

It seems I did not kill 0396 properly. He had crawled out into the hallway with sparks coming from his head and every bit of him shaking uncontrollably. I do not even know if he was able to recognize me; his eyes flickered and were rather dim. As he pushed himself up with his free hand, I noticed that there were lubricating fluids smeared out in his wake, marking the path along which he'd dragged himself out of the cell.

0031: HOLEN SIE SICH WEG VON MIR!
0396: ...y...hh...r-r-r...

His grip was weak, so it was easy to pull myself free. But as I backed away from him I hesitated. I do not really know why except that I did not altogether like the idea of leaving 0396 crawling and broken on the floor like this. By no means does it make any sense especially given how ready he had been to kill me earlier. It did not matter for long though, because my hesitation allowed me to quickly find out that I had been followed. Unfortunately I was so engrossed with his mangled form that I did not notice the footsteps clanging behind me until they were quite close.

0484: YES SIR, AS I SAID SIR, THE HOSTAGE HAS BEEN SHOT. (pause) NEGATORY, NONE OF MY MEN WERE ABLE TO SEE WHERE THE SHOT CAME FROM. FROM WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE, THERE WAS ONE ROUND FIRED FROM A REVOLVER DIRECTLY THROUGH THE BACK OF HIS SKULL.

I looked up in alarm as 0484 and two Demolitions units rounded the corner. 0484 was talking on a handheld radio similar to the one Miss Pauling had been using earlier. He did not look up immediately, and I began to wheel backward toward where the hallway turned around a corner. The Demolitions units did not respond at first, though it seemed one of them was watching my progress.

0484: SIR YES SIR, I WILL RELAY YOUR ORDERS TO MY TROOPS! OVER AND OUT!

He put away the radio.

0484: PRIVATES, MASTER GRAY HAS A NEW METHOD HE WANTS US TO USE WHEN APPROACHING THE- TRAITOR!

I rounded the corner as quickly as my wheel could carry me, and not a moment too soon. A rocket exploded just where I had been standing. I skidded and fell hard against the wall as it shook the floor. My shoulder did not appreciate this; it was the same one 0396 had hit with his bat earlier. The reawakened pain gave me pause even though I expected 0484 and his troops to charge around at me at any second.

0484: HOLD YOUR FIRE, WE HAVE A MAN DOWN!
3055: Ach, what? It's just a wee Scoutbot.
0396: ...kch...m-me...
3107: Old unit too from the looks of him.
0484: PICK HIM UP AND TAKE HIM TO THE NEAREST MEDICAL UNIT. THAT IS AN ORDER 3107.
3107: What, like the Medic ye just shot at?
0484: THAT UNIT IS UNTRUSTWORTHY AND DOES NOT EVEN HAVE A MEDIGUN WITH HIM! I WILL DEAL WITH 0031, YOU HELP THE SCOUT.
3055: But our orders were to find the Engineer, not to go chasing Medics all over the bloody tank!
0484: HE'S BROKEN, STUPID. IF YOU WERE BROKEN YOU'D GO FIND A MEDIC EVEN IF YOU HAD ORDERS, EXCEPT 0396 CAN'T. THAT IS WHY YOU ARE GOING TO HELP HIM GET TO ONE.

Everyone paused. I kept listening despite my better judgment telling me to run. I had forgotten that 0484 was an old unit as well.

3055: So... we're just supposed to ignore our orders and run along to do something completely pointless?
0484: NEGATORY.I AM ORDERING YOUTO GO GET THIS UNIT REPAIRED, SO LISTEN TO THE ORDERS I JUST GAVE YOU.
3107: But Master Gray-
0484: DAMMIT PRIVATE, I KNOW WHAT MASTER GRAY SAID! IT WAS ME HE SAID IT TO, WASN'T IT? I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF CARRYING OUT MASTER GRAY'S ORDERS MYSELF! BOTH OF YOU ARE DISMISSED FROM THIS MISSION, AND IF I FIND OUT THAT YOU DID NOT HELP THIS SCOUTBOT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF YOUR ABILITIES, YOU ARE GOING TO BE THE ONES NEEDING REPAIRS! NOW GO!

It seemed utterly pointless to stand there listening to the Demolitions units grumbling and dragging off 0396, so I moved as quickly and quietly down the hall as I could. 0484 was following closely from the sounds he was making, and soon I had reached the end of the hall. Fortunately a large hatch to a weapons storage room was set into the wall at its end. I opened it as quickly and quietly as I could before slipping inside.

I ran into Sniper so suddenly I almost fell down.

0031: ACH!
Sniper unit: Shh!

He clamped a hand over my mouthpiece, and I got a good look at him. It did not seem as though Sniper had been harmed further since our adventure in the cell, but he had tied a cloth over his injured eye. A small dark spot near its edge showed that a wound there had begun to bleed. I pulled his hand from my face, a feeling of relief sweeping over me.

0031: Sorry, sorry, you startled me. But why did you leave? I thought you had...
Sniper unit: I was chasing Engie. He went right past me, didn't even look over.

He turned away to lock the hatch. I am still not any sort of expert when it comes to deciphering the sound of human voices, but his had a sort of tension in it, I think, that made me pause.

0031: Did you see who shot-
Sniper unit: No.
0031: I am sorry, I just thought... I did my best to help him. I did not want this to happen.
Sniper unit: Nothing you could have done. We just got to keep moving.

I could hear 0484's footfalls clanging down the hallway. Sniper was right. There was no time for discussions or thinking about things. He frowned at the hatch.

Sniper unit: Sounds like we've got company.
0031: Yes, there is a Soldier following me. He is an old unit und suspects that I am not trustworthy. Fooling him will be difficult, but he is alone.
Sniper unit: Well there's another door in. We'll go out the way we came; I only ducked in here to try and avoid some of your pals.

He motioned for me to follow him as he strode past shelves of ammunition and crates of various stock weaponry. It was a larger room than I had realized, and nearby stood another hatch where he obviously intended to exit. Before we reached it, I could hear the Soldier pounding on the door to the hatch. Sniper paused to thrust something into my hands. The light was dim and his face was cast in shadow under his hat, so I could not see his expression.

Sniper unit: Here. Picked this up when I went back in the cell to scavenge for arrows.

It was the SMG. I looked to him with incredulity.

0031: You trust me with a weapon? Earlier you said-
Sniper unit: I changed my mind, all right? It's better if you can defend yourself.

I turned it over in my hands as he set to opening the hatch we were taking out of the room. It sounded like 0484 was making progress against the latch Sniper had thrown on the door.

0031: Bitte, which way was Herr Engineer headed?
Sniper unit: Just shut up and follow me. I'll find him.
0031: He is probably trying to find Herr Gray though. If I can ascertain where-

The hatch behind us flung open. Sniper pulled me through the door with a curse then kicked it shut behind us. The Soldier unit shouted after us.

0484: SURRENDER TRAITOR! THERE IS NO ESCAPE NOW THAT YOU ARE ON THE TANK!
Sniper unit: Just keep moving!

And I did. I wheeled right past him down the hallway and around the corner. Doorways blurred into one another on either side of me while the confused sounds of banging metal and 0484's shouts rang out behind me. Sniper was quiet aside from the occasional stealthy footfall I caught amid the other noises. I turned the corner and almost stopped dead in my tracks. Another robot stood in the hallway ahead of us.

But even from the back I recognized his yellow helmet-shaped head plate.

0031: Herr! Herr Engineer!

He did not turn around. I cannot say for certain if he even paused. He just kept marching forward with his gun as though he knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going. That did not deter my enthusiasm.

0031: Sniper, come quickly, I have found him!

I spun around to address him. But the Sniper wasn't there. I slowed.

0031: Sniper?

0484 charged around the corner, the lights of his eyes shining brilliantly enough to be seen coming out from under his helmet. I jumped and raced away from him. A panicking sensation began to creep into my brain. I hadn't heard any sort of scuffle behind me. Had Sniper slipped off to take another route, or had 0484 grabbed him?

The tell-tale "thunk"-ing noise of rockets being loaded into a launcher reached my auditory receptors.

0484: HALT, THAT IS AN ORDER!

I had a fraction of a second to throw myself to one side of the hall as the rocket soared past me. But Herr Engineer had already thrown himself to the floor, avoiding its trajectory entirely, and as soon as it passed over his head he opened fire on 0484. The spread of the bullets was wide enough that I was clipped by some of his buckshot, but the majority of it went into the soldier's right leg. He fell forward with a cry onto his face, and his rocket launcher rolled uselessly beside him.

0484: WAIT, DO NOT PROCEED! UNIT E-001, I AM TALKING TO YOU! DO NOT GO THROUGH THAT DOOR!

Herr Engineer turned away from 0484 and began sauntering down the hall again. I only just realized that there was a very secure looking door at the end of the hall, one that might have been placed on what humans call a "safe-room". And suddenly I realized who might be behind it. I pulled away from the wall and addressed him shakily.

0031: H-herr Engineer? What are you going to do?

He didn't pause or look at me as he replied.

E-001: Don't follow me Steve. You won't like it. And I don't want to have to hurt you.

0484 shouted incoherently and tried to push himself upright, but Herr Engineer was already to the end of the hallway. The locks were strong, but he knew the door's weak points. In a few minutes it was hanging off of its hinges, ripped off with barely even a grunt of exertion from its assailant, and he was gone through it.

I followed him. I had to, because otherwise I would just be in the hall with 0484 and I don't know what Herr Engineer is going to do. It is dark, but this room seems to be some sort of antechamber with another safe-room door behind it, which he is destroying now. I am just being quiet and watching because I do not know what else I can do.

I have the worst of feelings seeping into me.

/entry_27