Kathryn and Seth ran along the streets as police cars tore past them. People were running past them going into the buildings for cover or trying to drive in the opposite direction. The flash was the first thing to incite unease on the air but it was the robot patrolling the streets that really brought the panic. The giant things that had been on the TVs were suddenly very real and in their faces.
And unlike before when the robots simply meandered about these had only one goal. They were here to cause as much destruction as they possibly could and going after people in the city. There were easily dozens patrolling the city. More than they had ever seen before.
“Where did the they drop?” Seth asked. “I mean the majority of them.”
“The giant moving faces,” Kathryn said checking her phone.
They ran toward the intersection and Seth reached out grabbing Kathryn by the back of her shirt and dragged her back. A car jumped the curve skidding around them and into the traffic light. They stared at, listening to the beeping of the alarm and exchanged glances. Kathryn moved first forcing the door open and dragged the driver out. He was barely able to walk but between Seth and Kathryn tey directed him to a Starbucks best they could.
“So this is not good. Things really are going to hell,” Seth said and she nodded.
“Let’s hurry and get to the faces and then regroup with everyone else,” she said. “I can only imagine things are worse over there than here.”
One of the faces had been torn down entirely, destroyed by the arrival of the Taq-Law. The other one had a giant hole in it where they had been shooting. Some people had managed to escape but the amount of dead bodies lying around the area were piling up. A group of people were huddled under the wreckage of one of the first faces.
A police car rolled into what was usually a crowded area of families for an afternoon of fun. They broke out and drew their guns but the moment they got out of their car, one of the Taq-Law turned to face them and blew the car away with a concentrated laser beam. One of the officers was incinerated while the other dove for cover behind an abandoned car.
Pulling out his gun he looked over the top of the car and saw the five robots spreading out from the faces but staying in a tight formation. An explosion echoed and he flinched but he realized it was nowhere near him. But he looked past the robots and saw in the rubble of one of the faces was what he assumed was a family hiding and looking like they wanted to make a break for it.
One of them rotated slowly, the red light from its head scanning over the overturned cars, deceased bodies, but pausing as it neared the rubble. Before its light could go over them the cop poked forward and raised his gun firing a few shots at it. The bullets bounced off the plating but the machine did stop and turn to face him.
He ducked behind the car again but it already knew that someone was there. It took a step forward and its arms merged and morphed into a cannon protruding from it’s chest. Light gathered at the tip and fired as a straight line cutting through the ground like a hot knife.
The noise it made was a whine so high pitched it was like nails on a chalkboard. He ducked down just waiting for it to incinerate him just like it did his partner. But instead he was bathed in blue light and the laser never managed to connect. Looking around he stared at Kathryn as she stood on the car her hands raised. Seth stood behind her his gauntlets gleaming.
“You’re those guys that’ve been fighting the robots on the news,” the officer said pointing at them.
“Yeah that’s us,” Seth replied. “Now get out of here. This is above your paygrade. Big time.”
“Don’t gotta tell me twice,” He started to leave but paused and turned pointing at the rubble. “There’s a family over there. Trapped. If they try to move those things are gonna get them.”
Seth and Kathryn exchanged glances before Kathryn said, “We’ll get them.”
The arrival of the pair of them got the attention of all five of the Taq-Law. She raised her hands and created a larger blue shield around herself and then threw one onto Seth. He looked at the sudden blue glow along himself and smirked. “Take the lead and I’ll be behind you.”
Seth nodded, “Got it.”
Leaning forward he jumped over the car and sprinted, ducking past a laser and then was blown to the side by another. Landing on his hands and knees he picked himself back up and started running again. Skidding to a stop he raised his fist and punched the air twice. The purple energy bullets slammed into the head of one of them and blew it clean off.
Another flash of light and an explosion hit behind him and he flew forward bouncing across the ground and grunted, “God that’s annoying.”
Thanks to that recent explosion he was right next to the rubble and climbed back to his feet. When he got close enough, his helmet zoomed in and he saw within the rubble and his heart jumped a beat.
Two kids and a woman that he’d only met a few times in passing but the man in front of them with the torn shirt, terrified face but protecting his family he was intimately familiar with. He stared at Jeff and charged his fists again and went back to fighting.
Kathryn shoved her staff into her ground and vaulted forward landing in front of the rubble. She crept forward and she recognized Jeff as well glancing back at Seth before focusing on them. “Alright is anyone able to walk?” she asked looking at each of them.
One by one they nodded and she flashed a thumbs up and held out her hand. “Take my hand and hold on tightly. We’re going to walk out of here. My purple friend will protect us.”
They didn’t budge at first but when the rubble shook as another laser flew past them, the kids screamed and whimpered. Jeff looked at his wife and then the kids and nodded urging them forward. The first, a little girl, took Kathryn’s hand and the blue light covered her entirely. She gasped and Kathryn laughed. “Yeah it tingles a little.”
One by one they came out despite the sounds of chaos behind them and Kathryn made sure that the shield was on each of them properly. Seth skidded across the ground just beside them and he watched Jeff stand up taller a bit more protectively for his family and Seth just smiled behind the helmet. “You have a good family. We’ll make sure they get home safe.”
Jeff stared at him for a long moment and he wanted to say something but he didn’t get the chance as another laser tore through the ground and Seth ran to deal with it. Kathryn called her staff and tapped it against the ground turning to look at them. “Ready?” Once they all nodded she turned as creating a sweeping shield beside her. “Let’s go.”
The Harlequin Library 