very brink of the beams. She had taken the rear during the departure as was customary for a Squad Captain. Sadly, it meant she would be the first to go down if the Spider's Shield overcame us. Sentria was trying to dive away from the webs when someone came to stand in the way.
"Move aside," she called out. "Get out of the way!"
It was Nix. Sentria made a few attempts to fly past her. Apparently unaware, Nix was blocking each pass. Whatever side Sentria banked to, Nix obliviously maneuvered to wedge her out.
Sentria's moment of opportunity was soon over as was all of ours. The pulses of the Spider's Shield flew into us and took out many of my fellow Thralls. Suits deactivated and jet packs ceased to ignite. Still alive, they would all know a terrible death as they plunged helplessly to the island below.
Sentria was one of them. She got hit by a beam straight through her center. Not only did the web overload her conduit, but her muscles locked up and all she could do was witness her slow demise.
Like the Commander, the Overlord, and myself, many of us had timed it just right. When the Spider's Shield flew over our position, we carefully glided our way through the openings of the constantly interlacing webs. It wasn't easy and only two thirds of our legion had effectively pulled off the trick. The other third was lost, but I wasn't just going to let Sentria fall to her death.
I flew over to her immobile frame and held her close in my care. Whether we were going to crash or if I could manage to land us both safely, we would be together through it all. In my arms, we would either know life or death as our two bodies hugged onto each other.
"Solomon, I can't feel my arms or legs," she voiced out to me in panic. "I can't move!"
"I got you," I assured her. "I got you."
Suddenly, Zero radioed out into every earpiece, "Alright, you mob! Here we go! It's about to come-a-guster all over again!"
The remains of our legion had miraculously slipped through the Shield's descent over our heads, only to realize it had settled to stand in our way beneath us. Below, just above the far reaches of the tallest structure of the island, was the Spider's Shield. It was waiting for us.
We had already bypassed it twice. Once, when we first entered the weave. The second time, when the lasers passed us on the way down. The legion would have to face the puzzle of webs for a third time and it would prove to be the most difficult. The webs were expanding as the dome around the island was getting bigger. The furious, crisscrossing beams of the Spider's Shield were on their way back up to us.
"Now would be a great time for you to get us out of here," pleaded Zero to Deadstock.
"I think I got one more weave left in me, but I don't have a fix on everyone," worried the Overlord as the beams approached closer. "We're not all going to make it!"
Heads first, our descent then met with the manic escalation of the Spider's Shield. The two forces collided. The Overlord weaved all that he could focus on and sent them under the webs. Though I never got hit by a beam, I was one of the unlucky Thralls that Deadstock found himself unable to weave. He was weak and could only save so many. Holding Sentria tight to my chest, I yelled out in adrenaline as I squeezed through a gap in the web work and barely escaped three beams crossing into me.
Those of us that were still operational came through to the other side. Some had rematerialized. Others, like me, had flown safely through the Spider's Shield.
In air and nearing the ground, the legion had come beneath the skyline of a central tower. A mess of antennas was peeking out from its every shamble and patch. Over the island, the webs weren't come any closer than the top of the structure's height. We were safe. The Spider's Shield returned to its place on high, out of sight.
In one fluid moment, the legion then positioned out of its nosedive. We all flipped on our backs, like cradled babies as our jet packs steadied
"Move aside," she called out. "Get out of the way!"
It was Nix. Sentria made a few attempts to fly past her. Apparently unaware, Nix was blocking each pass. Whatever side Sentria banked to, Nix obliviously maneuvered to wedge her out.
Sentria's moment of opportunity was soon over as was all of ours. The pulses of the Spider's Shield flew into us and took out many of my fellow Thralls. Suits deactivated and jet packs ceased to ignite. Still alive, they would all know a terrible death as they plunged helplessly to the island below.
Sentria was one of them. She got hit by a beam straight through her center. Not only did the web overload her conduit, but her muscles locked up and all she could do was witness her slow demise.
Like the Commander, the Overlord, and myself, many of us had timed it just right. When the Spider's Shield flew over our position, we carefully glided our way through the openings of the constantly interlacing webs. It wasn't easy and only two thirds of our legion had effectively pulled off the trick. The other third was lost, but I wasn't just going to let Sentria fall to her death.
I flew over to her immobile frame and held her close in my care. Whether we were going to crash or if I could manage to land us both safely, we would be together through it all. In my arms, we would either know life or death as our two bodies hugged onto each other.
"Solomon, I can't feel my arms or legs," she voiced out to me in panic. "I can't move!"
"I got you," I assured her. "I got you."
Suddenly, Zero radioed out into every earpiece, "Alright, you mob! Here we go! It's about to come-a-guster all over again!"
The remains of our legion had miraculously slipped through the Shield's descent over our heads, only to realize it had settled to stand in our way beneath us. Below, just above the far reaches of the tallest structure of the island, was the Spider's Shield. It was waiting for us.
We had already bypassed it twice. Once, when we first entered the weave. The second time, when the lasers passed us on the way down. The legion would have to face the puzzle of webs for a third time and it would prove to be the most difficult. The webs were expanding as the dome around the island was getting bigger. The furious, crisscrossing beams of the Spider's Shield were on their way back up to us.
"Now would be a great time for you to get us out of here," pleaded Zero to Deadstock.
"I think I got one more weave left in me, but I don't have a fix on everyone," worried the Overlord as the beams approached closer. "We're not all going to make it!"
Heads first, our descent then met with the manic escalation of the Spider's Shield. The two forces collided. The Overlord weaved all that he could focus on and sent them under the webs. Though I never got hit by a beam, I was one of the unlucky Thralls that Deadstock found himself unable to weave. He was weak and could only save so many. Holding Sentria tight to my chest, I yelled out in adrenaline as I squeezed through a gap in the web work and barely escaped three beams crossing into me.
Those of us that were still operational came through to the other side. Some had rematerialized. Others, like me, had flown safely through the Spider's Shield.
In air and nearing the ground, the legion had come beneath the skyline of a central tower. A mess of antennas was peeking out from its every shamble and patch. Over the island, the webs weren't come any closer than the top of the structure's height. We were safe. The Spider's Shield returned to its place on high, out of sight.
In one fluid moment, the legion then positioned out of its nosedive. We all flipped on our backs, like cradled babies as our jet packs steadied
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