going to work. My pistol had an effective range of around five meters, but wide-open spaces in the middle of the field guaranteed nothing would be approaching from less than ten. It’d be hard to close that distance each time. Better to stick to the tight corners and obstructed sight lines along the side alleys between buildings.
Crouching low, I dragged the bot along with, for use as a shield. I made no attempt to be silent. Silence was never really my strong suit. I was about as stealthy as a rockslide on a firecracker factory.
The hogans didn’t offer great cover, but many of them were cracked and broken. With a quick hop, I ducked into one from the side, creeping through it to exit out the back. There was a bot there, its sharp, glowing eyes tracking back to where I’d entered. A quick double tap with the pistol took the back of his head and the center of his chest. It clattered to the ground in a heap.
The next hogan was intact, so I skirted around the outside of it. Most of the spotlights from above shone into the main street, so the darkness fell like a cloak around me. Once, I saw Legs jump from one hogan to the next—a flash of silver in the moonlight.
The crack of a rifle sounded up ahead, followed by the clatter of falling bots. The fountain was just a few meters away, and I could see the gleam of the metal ball shining in a dedicated spotlight.
Two bots stood on either side of the ball, scanning the surrounding area. These bots seemed faster, their movements harder to predict. I was hunkered down behind the remains of a brick wall, peeking over it with my hat off. Legs was up a short distance away, trying desperately to wave me forward. He didn’t have a good line of sight to the fountain, or I expect he’d have already dispatched the bots. Once he popped up from hiding behind the rise of a dome, he’d be a sitting duck for anything we didn’t drop immediately.
Putting my hat back on, I signed to Legs that there were two enemies and that he should take care of the farthest one.
Legs gave me a confused look.
I held up two fingers.
He nodded.
I motioned that on the count of three he was to jump up and take down the farthest bot with his rifle.
He gave me another confused look.
I shook my head. Using the still-glowing eyes of the bot that I carried, I checked on the pistol. There still wasn’t any good indication of ammo count. Everything seemed to be in order, so I met Legs’s eyes and mouthed, “One, two, three,” then jumped over the wall.
The closest bot shot me before I even hit the ground. My metal arm jerked back, ringing out a clear note and throwing me slightly off balance.
I whipped the bot that I was holding up in front of me and let out a slow breath to steady my aim.
Another shot rang off of my left arm.
I fired. My target’s head exploded into a shower of sparks. The bot behind it took a few plugs from Legs’s rifle and ate dirt.
“Just grab it and toss it to me,” Legs hollered from the roof. I could hear movement of more bots. There must have been dozens of them nearby, moving in on us. It sounded like we were surrounded. “I’ll run it in while you hold them off!”
I looked down at the ball. It was a shining, silver thing with two dull eyes sunken into a painted face. I licked my lips, grabbed the thing, and pulled back to throw it.
A bullet whizzed past my ear. I ducked on reflex, almost dropping the ball. Instead of throwing it, I tucked it under my arm.
That’s when the bots moved in.
First a few, then ten, then more than I cared to count. They sprang from the ground, emerging from the dozens of manhole covers that dotted the street. A wall of them formed between the bucket and myself. More swarmed from among the buildings. Rows of pulsar eyes pierced the dark blotches of night.
I dove behind the fountain, just as the first volley of bullets washed through the square. Dust and concrete kicked up around me.
There was no space, no room to maneuver in order
Crouching low, I dragged the bot along with, for use as a shield. I made no attempt to be silent. Silence was never really my strong suit. I was about as stealthy as a rockslide on a firecracker factory.
The hogans didn’t offer great cover, but many of them were cracked and broken. With a quick hop, I ducked into one from the side, creeping through it to exit out the back. There was a bot there, its sharp, glowing eyes tracking back to where I’d entered. A quick double tap with the pistol took the back of his head and the center of his chest. It clattered to the ground in a heap.
The next hogan was intact, so I skirted around the outside of it. Most of the spotlights from above shone into the main street, so the darkness fell like a cloak around me. Once, I saw Legs jump from one hogan to the next—a flash of silver in the moonlight.
The crack of a rifle sounded up ahead, followed by the clatter of falling bots. The fountain was just a few meters away, and I could see the gleam of the metal ball shining in a dedicated spotlight.
Two bots stood on either side of the ball, scanning the surrounding area. These bots seemed faster, their movements harder to predict. I was hunkered down behind the remains of a brick wall, peeking over it with my hat off. Legs was up a short distance away, trying desperately to wave me forward. He didn’t have a good line of sight to the fountain, or I expect he’d have already dispatched the bots. Once he popped up from hiding behind the rise of a dome, he’d be a sitting duck for anything we didn’t drop immediately.
Putting my hat back on, I signed to Legs that there were two enemies and that he should take care of the farthest one.
Legs gave me a confused look.
I held up two fingers.
He nodded.
I motioned that on the count of three he was to jump up and take down the farthest bot with his rifle.
He gave me another confused look.
I shook my head. Using the still-glowing eyes of the bot that I carried, I checked on the pistol. There still wasn’t any good indication of ammo count. Everything seemed to be in order, so I met Legs’s eyes and mouthed, “One, two, three,” then jumped over the wall.
The closest bot shot me before I even hit the ground. My metal arm jerked back, ringing out a clear note and throwing me slightly off balance.
I whipped the bot that I was holding up in front of me and let out a slow breath to steady my aim.
Another shot rang off of my left arm.
I fired. My target’s head exploded into a shower of sparks. The bot behind it took a few plugs from Legs’s rifle and ate dirt.
“Just grab it and toss it to me,” Legs hollered from the roof. I could hear movement of more bots. There must have been dozens of them nearby, moving in on us. It sounded like we were surrounded. “I’ll run it in while you hold them off!”
I looked down at the ball. It was a shining, silver thing with two dull eyes sunken into a painted face. I licked my lips, grabbed the thing, and pulled back to throw it.
A bullet whizzed past my ear. I ducked on reflex, almost dropping the ball. Instead of throwing it, I tucked it under my arm.
That’s when the bots moved in.
First a few, then ten, then more than I cared to count. They sprang from the ground, emerging from the dozens of manhole covers that dotted the street. A wall of them formed between the bucket and myself. More swarmed from among the buildings. Rows of pulsar eyes pierced the dark blotches of night.
I dove behind the fountain, just as the first volley of bullets washed through the square. Dust and concrete kicked up around me.
There was no space, no room to maneuver in order
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