They climbed over the castle walls carefully.
Jesse dropped down, followed by Neil's relatives. They carefully scanned the courtyard, turning their gazes in multiple directions.
There were numerous small cottages scattered around the area, and oddly, about thirty or so metal statues of armored warriors in the exact center of the courtyard. They were in a standing pose, with a spear in one hand and shield in the other.
"Are those statues of hoplites? Weird." Neal commented, cocking his head.
"Yeah, they are." James confirmed.
"Why are they there?" Sandra wondered.
"Your son must be vain or something." Jesse remarked.
"I'm the exact opposite of vanity, Jesse." came Neil's voice.
They all turned to see Neil step around one of the cottages, clad in a Viking's armor and with a spear in one hand and a round metal shield in the other.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Robert, (one of Neil's cousins) wondered.
"You assholes did. Now kindly fuck off." Neil snapped.
"I don't care how big you suddenly got, son, nor what weapons and armor you wield, we are many and you are one." Neal snapped.
And then with a collective cackle that transformed into a snarl, they all transformed into their monstrous forms!
"Now what nephew?!" James hissed menacingly.
"How about this?" Neil replied. There was suddenly the sound of a deep horn. Its ominous note echoed around the yard.
Neil's vile foes looked around, confused.
Then without warning, the statues of the hoplites' eyes glowed a bloody red, and as one, their heads turned to face Jesse and Neil's relatives, followed by their bodies.
"What in the actual fuck?!" Robert exclaimed in disbelief.
The hoplites formed a phalanx and advanced toward the intruders, spears and shields at the ready.
Neil imitated their movements, closing in on his enemies.
The monsters heard more marching behind them, and turned to look.
There was another phalanx of hoplites coming up behind them...
That nearest target was Giles! Giles's eyes widened in fear as those wickedly sharp swords swung toward his face!
But fortunately, Buffy and Faith proved faster!
Buffy blocked the machine's blows with her Scythe while Faith pulled Giles away to safety. Buffy fought with the construct skillfully and rapidly, but she was hard-pressed because she only had two arms and the guardian had ten! Plus it was insanely quick!
Neil's friends turned to assist, but quickly perceived more of the damn machines advancing swiftly down the passageway! They raised their multiple arms, and with hands metamorphosed into crossbows, fired a volley of bolts! But these were stopped cold by Athena's and the others' shields as they raised them.
Their response was to return fire with their rifles, armed with AP (armor-piercing) rounds, but these proved useless, simply bouncing off their mechanical adversaries. Dropping the empty guns, they drew their melee weapons and moved in to intercept.
The battle was joined as they parried and thrust and slashed, with the machines doing the same. One teleported behind Hera, but she reacted too quickly, knocking it backward with a vicious kick to its chest.
"Go fuck yourself!" Hera snarled.
Her opponent rose back up and initiated another assault, which she blocked with her scimitar.
"They weren't exaggerating about this duplicating crap, were they?!" Helen yelled as she fought ferociously.
"No they weren't!" Buffy yelled back.
Buffy and Faith were trying to keep their machine preoccupied so Giles could attack from the rear, but it was as though it had eyes in the back of its head, and it evaded Giles's every attempt!
"Damnit!" Giles swore.
"MOTHERFUCKER!" Athena hissed.
Faith looked back worriedly and saw her lover fighting THREE of the fucking things!
And there were more coming…
As the armored vehicles made their way through the deserted streets of this foul metropolis, the crews kept a tight watch on their scanners. But that wasn't the only thing they relied on.
They also paid close attention to their instincts.
And their instincts told them they were not alone in this place.
There were hungry eyes observing them from the shadows.
And they were hardly alone in this belief.
"I have a feeling this place isn't as empty as it seems." Sam remarked.
"I feel the same Major Carter." Teal'c agreed.
The IFVs came to a stop near the great pit, and their back ramps opened. The occupants exited the transports and looked around warily, because after all…
...everyone found themselves in agreement with Sam and Teal'c had stated.
They began making their way closer to the massive hole, followed closely by the infantry fighting vehicles. Overhead, the fighter squadrons continued their patrols. Their weapons were held at the ready as they closely scrutinized their surroundings.
"How's it going down there?" Dante's voice said through the communicators.
"So far so good." Daniel replied.
"This place is giving me bad vibes." Jack replied.
"No argument here Jack." Jacob commented.
"Wait, I sense something ahead." Eppy said suddenly.
"What do you mean Flipper?" Spidey asked.
Before it could elaborate, the lunar surface began to shake!
And some thing began to emerge from the pit…
This was insane!
Neal thought this as he fought with his son Neil. When did his son become such a good warrior?!
He swung with his scythe only for Neil to parry with his round shield and powerfully slash with his great axe. His spear had been broken in half after he had stabbed Neal with it and it lay nearby. Neal barely parried his son's axe with his scythe. His offspring's speed and strength was terrifying!
And he couldn't count on the others' help because they were barely holding their own against the warrior statues! And this was for six reasons:
They didn't feel pain.
They didn't feel fear.
They were tireless.
They could withstand a great deal of damage.
They were too many of them.
And they were as skilled as the Spartan hoplites they were modeled after!
Robert, having metamorphosed into a humanoid scorpion-like creature with multiple barbed tails and pincer arms, picked up one of the hoplites and threw it through one of the nearby houses, only for two of the hoplites to stab him with their Dory spears! He screamed in pained rage and swung his many arms at them, but they parried with their shields and continued their assault.
And the one hoplite Robert had tossed through the house earlier had already reemerged and was advancing to counterattack, his xiphos (short sword) and aspis (shield) raised high…
Jesse cautiously prowled through the castle, looking for Xander and Willow. He had slipped away when the battle in the courtyard began and was now on the hunt for his quarry.
Ah...he could hear their voices…around the corner...
With a vicious grin, he sprinted around said corner and headed straight for them! Their backs were to him as they ran down the passageway.
Well, except for Dawn, who glanced over her shoulder and spotted him!
"LOOK OUT!" Dawn screamed.
Joyce, Xander, and Willow also looked behind them and sped up!
"OH SHIT! RUN! FUCKING RUN!" Willow cried.
"HE'S GAINING ON US!" Joyce shouted.
"KEEP GOING! WE'RE ALMOST AT THE SHELTER!" Xander ordered.
"YOU'LL NEVER MAKE IT!" Jesse hissed.
And with a roar, he sprang at them!
But was forced to stop short and jump backwards!
And what caused him to halt was a pilum (javelin) that was tossed at him! Everyone halted at this! The pilum embedded itself in the opposite wall.
They all stared in shocked disbelief at what had thrown it.
There was a warrior statue there! It's glowing red eyes focused on Jesse.
But it wasn't a hoplite however.
Instead, what confronted the monster that Jesse had become was a Roman centurion, one of the deadliest combatants in the ancient world. It raised its gladius (short sword) and scutum (shield) and moved in on the intruder…
"OH SHI-!" Jack started to say, when the "thing" screamed a massive bellow of challenge!
They couldn't actually hear it with their ears of course, with no atmosphere.
But they could hear it in their minds!
The monster was a mass of tentacles and eyes on bony stalks, all red and green and blue.
And all its eyes were focused on them.
One of its tentacles slammed down towards them with malicious intent, but the IFVs reversed with startling velocity, while SG-1, Jacob, Eppy, Spidey, and the infantry used the gravbelts built into their suits to jump away, evading the attack completely!
But before it could initiate another assault, the monster screeched in surprise as it was peppered with explosions!
They looked up and saw the Retribution's fighter squadrons coming to their aid, firing balls and bolts of azure energy at their assailant, launching many missiles as well at the beast. They streaked past, avoiding the bolts of green lightning(?) that emitted from the creature's multiple eyes. It seemed more annoyed at the small crafts' attacks than injured by them.
Dante's voice crackled in their communicators suddenly.
"You've got unknown contacts approaching your position!"
"From where?!" Jack yelled.
"From every direction Jack!" Dante shouted back.
"Take defensive positions!" Eppy cried.
"Radio the dropships for support!" Spidey ordered.
As one of the infantry did so, the others readied themselves, weapons trained in every direction. The IFVs brought their own weapons to bear.
"Here they come!" Jacob warned.
With their scanners at full power, everyone could see their new enemies quite clearly.
And they wished they couldn't!
These new aberrations were loathsome beyond description, all pale and slime and fangs and razor-sharp claws! They emitted a psychic and ominous howl!
"Open fire!" Jack ordered.
They all did, their rifles spraying the beasts with automatic plasma, particle beam and laser fire. The blue energy bolts and beams sliced and burned through their purulent hides. Some of the infantry tossed grenades or fired them from their long guns, adding to their foes' destruction. Their armed transports opened up with their cannons and missiles, adding to the carnage.
But it was ultimately no good!
"There's too damn many of them!" Daniel screamed.
"Fight on Daniel Jackson! We will die as warriors!" Teal'c responded.
"Where are those dropships?!" Sam shouted.
That question was answered with a series of massive explosions among the vicious demonic predators! They screeched in surprise.
The dropships moved in, decimating the swarming army of monstrosities with heavy guns and rockets as they approached, door gunners blazing away with heavy automatic gun fire.
The pit monster roared in astonished agony without warning. SG-1 and Jacob looked around and saw why!
The Retribution had now joined the fray, opening up with its weapon batteries on the giant guardian of the pit. Massive crackling beams of blue light and immense grav missiles impacted the gigantic abomination, and glowing cylinders fired from the cruiser's torpedo tubes arced down toward it, resulting in massive explosions on the writhing beast. It retaliated with its green electricity, but these were stopped cold by the Retribution's energy shield. The shield shone brilliantly as it absorbed and dissipated its adversary's onslaught.
On the bridge, Dante snarled:
"Hit the big motherfucker with the main gun!"
The Retribution split along its middle, and immense power surged and moved there. A titanic sapphire-colored ray of incredible destructive force sprang forth and smote the guardian! With a death cry of hideous torment, the monster shuddered and fell lifelessly to the moon's surface. It quivered once and lay still.
"Holy shit." Sam whispered.
With the guardian defeated, the fighters and Retribution turned their attention to the smaller fiends.
But they didn't need to do that for long.
After a few minutes, what remained of their attackers had beaten a hasty retreat.
It was over.
Apollo was knocked backwards as five of the vicious machines plowed into him, their swords and axes barely being deflected by his shield. Zeus was trying to reach him, but another five constructs stood in his way! Both men were bleeding from numerous tiny wounds all over their heavily muscled bodies.
And the others were faring no better.
Giles was no longer a factor in the battle, having been knocked unconscious and laying on the ground. Buffy and Faith were doing their best to protect him, but it was tough going, as they were assailed by three of the tireless mechanical abominations. Buffy has a deep slash on her right shoulder, while Faith was dealing with a nasty cut on her neck.
Bellona was facing a similar dilemma, have received a brutal stab to her side. She was currently fending off seven of the fucking things.
Ares had almost lost his right eye but had backpedaled in time and only sustained a serious wound on his right cheek, while Hera's left hand had been battered by a powerful mace blow. They were struggling to hold their own against twelve of their mutual foes.
Helen was staggering, her right leg injured by a potent war-hammer strike, but was fighting back as best as she could. Neptune was also severely hurt. He had had a sword thrust into his stomach. They were both cornered by eight of the robots as they resisted desperately.
Athena had been separated from the others and had been wounded in her back by her opponents' curved blades, and was fighting them off as best she could. Ten enemies were her unlucky number.
Even Diana and Artemis were hard-pressed, but their injuries were relatively minor thus far. Fifteen were assaulting them. Their swords swung frantically.
Taryn had taken a beating, with deep bleeding bruises all over her, while Lilith had been relatively unharmed except for a black eye. They were battling fourteen of the guardians.
Without warning, Taryn was knocked to the ground. Lilith moved to defend her, but a vicious shot from one of the golem's feet as it kicked her in the face also sent her to the floor!
As their adversaries' moved in to exploit their advantage, something very surprising occurred!
The relentless bots were taken off guard when a white-haired woman attacked them ferociously!
Lilith and Taryn looked up in astonishment as their savior protected them with great skill!
The silver-haired girl from the castle has come to our rescue? But what is her reason? Lilith mused thoughtfully.
But she wouldn't be able to stave them off for long. There were simply too many!
And then something weird occurred…
Athena had a strange insight.
Control them. It is within your power.
What?! Athena thought.
Do it.
"Stop." Athena ordered their robotic antagonists.
They paused, trying to defy her orders...and then…
...they exploded in a shower of sparks!
And then they literally fell apart, their heads, limbs, indeed all of it, plummeted to the stone floor.
Defeated.
Everyone else stared at Athena in astonished shock.
"How the fuck did you do that?!" Hera demanded in disbelief.
"How the fuck do I know?!" Athena snapped.
"How could you not know?!" Helen asked, incredulous
"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW!" Athena growled loudly.
"Jesus! That's kinda what happened with those robot bugs!" Faith exclaimed.
"Seriously?! You're the one who zapped those Lego spider Repli-whatchamacallits?!" Buffy inquired.
"Yeah. But I don't know how." Athena confessed. She then looked at Minerva, who looked up as she she sensed the gazes of the others from where she was tending to Lilith and Taryn.
Giles took that moment to awaken and sat up as Buffy knelt down to check on him. He rubbed the back of his head and cast a wondering look around him. Then he spoke:
"Oh my...did we win?"
Shit! Jesse thought. His day had just went from bad to worse!
He had been having enough trouble with just one Roman soldier statue.
But three?! You've gotta be kidding me!
Even with his eight clawed hands, he was struggling to fend them off. And his injuries didn't assist his case. Jesse had sustained several deep cuts from his foes' short swords, plus a nasty wound in his side from one of those spears the latest arrival had thrown. He was hurting and bleeding and even with his superhuman stamina, Jesse was tiring.
But the statues sure weren't!
With a roar and a mighty blow from two of his powerful arms, he sent one centurion flying backwards.
But that left an opening.
Which one of the others took advantage of to lop one of his hands off with his sword!
Screaming in enraged agony, he swung violently at the warrior that had claimed his hand, but the centurion skillfully blocked the attack with his shield.
The third centurion took advantage of the monster's distraction to stab him in the back! Jesse shouted in pain and tried to jump away but the centurion he had knocked away earlier swiftly advanced and stabbed him in the chest with his own blade!
With a violent slash to the throat, the roman soldier that had chopped off his hand dealt him a mortal blow.
Gurgling, the creature that had once been Jesse McNally sank to his knees.
His implacable opponents gave him no quarter.
Their swords gleaming, they hacked and slashed and stabbed until their vile enemy breathed his last and moved no more.
Moving away from him, the Roman centurions turned away and marched toward the courtyard where the other intruders were.
And as they went, other centurions joined them.
Neil's relatives were having no better luck!
Several of them had been slain by the formidable hoplites.
Now only Sandra, Neal, James, and Robert were left.
Robert, who had suddenly manifested multiple wings, flew above the battlefield and swooped down at Neil.
But he didn't get far.
One of the Spartans threw his spear at Robert and it impaled his chest! With a cry of anguished defeat, Neil's cousin plunged to the ground and perished on impact.
"NO!" James screamed. He snapped at the hoplites with his crab claws with a determined but unreasoning fury!
But giving into emotion was the wrong approach when battling such disciplined warriors.
As he attacked one Greek warrior, others stabbed him with their spears or cut him or plunged into his body with their swords.
This went on until the weakened James fell to the ground. One hoplite robbed him of one his snake heads with a powerful swing of his kopis.
Spears and swords working in concert finally deprived James of his miserable life.
Sandra swiftly met her own end now, a dory spearhead shoved through her throat. She was soon pinned to a cottage wall by multiple spears! Her body and tentacles shuddered and became still.
"MOTHERFUCKERS! YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!" Neal roared. With a potent shoulder-block, he knocked his son to the ground and raised his massive scythe high.
And was the unwilling recipient of several pilum to his broad chest!
Howling in pained surprise, he looked up and to his mounting horror, saw a legion of Roman centurions emerging from the castle gates and advancing on him!
His distraction proved fatal.
Neil arose, sliced through his scythe arm, taking his weapon from him and then beheaded him with his ax using several savage slashes!
Neil's father body slumped and fell to the uncaring earth. Neil jumped aside to avoid it.
The intruders were no more.
Neil and his metal army looked around, looked at each other, nodded, and then his warriors began a patrol, seeking out any other threats that may still be lurking.
"Neil!" Willow called. Neil looked up and saw Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Joyce come running out of the gates and head towards him.
"You guys okay?!" Neil asked them as they reached him.
"Yeah! Thanks to your metal guards." Xander confirmed.
"Where's Jesse?" Neil wondered.
"He didn't make it. Those Roman centurions got him." Xander replied grimly.
"I didn't even know you had something like that here. Freaky." Dawn commented.
"Yeah. That's why everybody left. We basically had a garrison defending this castle." Neil replied.
"Are you okay Neil?" Joyce asked.
"Not really, but I'll "deal", I guess." Neil answered sadly.
"I know what you mean, Jesse…" Xander's words trailed off, and Willow put her arms around him comfortingly.
"It's going to be okay, Xander." Willow said gently.
"I hope so." Xander responded doubtfully, but he relaxed visibly.
"I wonder if Buffy, Rupert, Faith, Diana, Artemis, and everybody else is doing okay." Joyce thought aloud.
"Well, if they're not, we're going to look for them with a literal army at our backs!" Neil stated determinedly.