Machine Story

Second Battle

The massive cannon fire was so loud it could be heard from the colony. Niall, Roop, and Shaan arrived on the scene to find the colossal mechanical unit that had brought havoc to the area. They readied themselves to disable the weapon before it could cause more harm to others. However, the task would not be as easy as the army of Metadross that had left the assault of the colony, was now here to defend their heavy artillery.

Roop and Niall stood on the front lines repelling the countless numbers of Metadross away. Shaan stood at the rear, aiming his weapon at the colossal unit and firing a bullet right at the head of the target. The shot passed all the sky scanner units and struck against the heavy unit but bounced off.

Shaan fired two more rounds but nothing changed, his weapon was completely ineffective against the enemy. “Guys, we are going to need a new plan.” he alerted his teammates. “What happened to mister ‘I had a score of 48’?” Roop rebutted. Niall gave Roop a serious look as now was not the time for jokes. He stared up at the gargantuan enemy and slowly pulled a device that he kept in his pocket. “Guess it’s time to test out the contraption that crazy lady gave us,” Niall said to them.

After Niall gave the signal, Shaan pulled his rifle away from the original target and began firing at the smaller units. Roop would follow up by whirling his weapons, creating a clear path for Niall to charge through. With the device ready in one hand and holding one sabre in his dominant hand, he began to slice his way through the remaining enemies.

The plan was working but when Niall got about 75% of the way, a Metadross came from his blind side and knocked him over. This forced him to drop the device, which fell on the ground and activated. Suddenly the device began to flash red. “No! The bomb has activated, we don’t have much time to get it on that giant Metadross!” Niall yelled.

One of the Metadross nearby attempted to steal the device but Shaan quickly fired a bullet and took out the enemy. Roop then quickly threw out one of his chains to retrieve the device into his possession. “You and Shaan cover me, I can get into better range with my weapon!”

Niall pulled out his other weapon and began clearing the path for Roop. Once enough of the enemies had been cleared and he was in range, Roop winded up the chain that had the bomb secured and threw it at the colossal Metadross. Unfortunately, the device detonated right after it came off the chain, catching Roop and the Cannon Unit within the blast. Niall wanted to save his comrade, but Shaan held him back and urged him to take cover.

After the explosion subsided, a thick layer of smoke lingered around, causing limited visibility and difficulty breathing. Niall and Shaan came out of cover and proceeded to find Roop. They could barely see and everything beneath them on the ground were scraps of the Metadross that got caught in the aftermath. They continued their search until suddenly in the distance they heard something unusual.

Whatever was ahead of them seemed to be savaging the area looking for something. Shaan and Niall kept quiet and slowly crept towards the unknown being. They were still a few meters away but the target they were spying on had caught wind of their presence. It immediately turned around and gave an ominous stare at the two men.

Its mechanical glowing pink visor glared into Niall’s eyes. It had armored plating similar to the Metadross except it had an “I” engraved on it. But Niall also sensed something very different about this unit. Niall couldn’t pinpoint what it was but chills were sent down his spines the longer he made eye contact with this enemy.

While Niall was still distracted, Shaan pulled out his sniper rifle to fire at the target. The unknown unit immediately grabbed what it was looking for and fired up its thrusters and escaped. Shaan retracted his weapon and turned around to make sure Niall was okay.

He shook Niall back into reality and asked what had happened. Niall was at a loss for words. He was certain that thing was a Metadross but for some reason, it gave off a completely different vibe from all the others.

Many questions were left unanswered but there was no point in staying around any longer. The smoke had almost cleared but Roop’s body was nowhere to be found. Seeing the sun beginning to set, they realized they had to turn back to the colony.

As they turned around to head home, Shaan noticed a human body in the distance. He and Niall quickly rushed towards it hoping it was Roop. When they arrived, they found two bodies surrounded by broken parts, one was a teenage boy and the other a teenage girl.

They could tell from their injuries that the girl was in a far more critical state but the boy was badly hurt as well. These wounds were beyond what either Niall or Shaan could treat but they knew someone back in the colony who could save them. They did their best to stabilize their condition before finding a way to carry them back.