1.9 Mad Beasts Part 4

We got a couple of police cars in front of the truck and another two behind it. In each of the five vehicles, there are two police officers armed with pistols. I’m flying overhead while Robyn and Carrie are following on Robyn’s motorcycle.

If all goes to plan, we’ll arrive at our destination in about an hour without any trouble. For some reason, I doubt everything will go according to plan. I call it paranoia.

It ends up going fine for the first half of the journey. Things only went to the pot when the scorpion drones decided showed up.

A dozen of them fly in, three from each corner of the compress. They’re sphere shaped with three legs on both sides and seem to fly using some sort of anti-gravity device. On their back is a set of nasty looking quad guns while on the front, they have pair of what appear to be energy cannons. And they’re moving fast.

Even at a first glance, I can tell they’re related to the Machine.

“Carrie!” I call over my League communicator, “Hostiles incoming from multiple directions. I’m engaging the ones closest to me.”

I break off from where I’m flying over the truck and head towards the western drones. At about thirty metres we exchange fire. Pink energy balls fly from the energy cannons while pink energy balls come out of the quad guns. I fire with my lasers.

I roll out of the line of fire as quickly as I can. I come out on top, only sustaining a single hit to the shoulder, burning the armour little and jolting me about, but nothing more. The drone I aim at explodes as one of my lasers gets a clean, direct hit.

One of the surviving drones turns to face me while the other remains on course to the truck containing Mad Dog. The drone’s quad gun spins around to face me, but I fire my lasers, blowing off the quad gun.

I zoom at the drone as it brings his energy cannons to bear, weaving and rolling to avoid its fire. I really don’t want to see what a direct hit will do to me.

I get in another clean hit, blowing up the second drone. I turn to pursue the third drone, now only about ten metres from the truck.

Robyn and Carrie have engaged the southern drone squadron while the other two are almost upon the police convoy. Robyn has been able to take down a couple of the drones like I have using explosive arrows.

I fire at the third drone in the western squadron, but it makes a sudden jerk to the right, coming back at me. I risk a look at the rest of the situation. Robyn is engaging her third drone, her cycle trashed, while Carrie has transformed and is dashing on all fours to catch up with the truck.

I turn by attention back to my opponent before I can look at the convoy. I am not making the mistake of getting distracted in battle again.

The drone zooms at me and I fire both lasers. It doesn’t dodge in time and both lasers blow it to pieces. I’m getting good with my laser aiming skills.

I look back at the convoy and freeze.

Good Lord! And I’m not taking His name in vain.

The first two police cars are burning wrecks while Carrie has grabbed a hold of the one of the drones. The other five are launching an attack run on the truck.

The truck driver barely leaps from his vehicle in time as the scorpion drones open fire. The front of the truck his blow away, passenger include while the back is torn open.

The rear drone swoops down and fires into the truck. I wonder whether it freed Mad Dog or just killed her.

I receive my answer as Mad Dog staggers out of the truck’s remains as Carrie brings her drone down. 

This is bad. Five officers dead, Mad Dog freed and five, maybe six drones on the loose.

I only installed some of the heavier firepower I’ve been meaning to into the Sentinel armour. Charlie and I have been focusing on the Bulk armour when adding better weaponry. But I do have a couple of mini-missile, each mounted on the shoulders.

Now seems like a good time to use them as the launcher pop out of the armour where they’re hidden. I fire both of them along with my lasers at the drones as they move into an attack run on the last two police cars.

Success, I smile grimly as both missiles blast a drone out of the sky and my lasers gain me another kill. Two drones left if Robyn has taken hers out.

I fly at the closest, only a few metres away. I slam into it, denting its side. I smack its quad gun off and punch it with my other hand. It struggles to stay in the air as my fist smashes through its insides.

I pull away and the drone falls out of the sky.

“Sentinel!” calls Carrie suddenly, “Roll!”

Trusting her judgement, I roll to the side. I’m barely in time to dodge several pink energy bolts.

As I turn to face my attacker, I hear gunfire, panicked shouting and a couple of animalistic howls below.

I fire at the final drone. It tries to dodge my lasers and is partially successful. Half of the quad gun and one of the energy guns are blown away and it zooms off.

Rather than pursue it, I decided to check of Robyn, to see if she needs any help. The Defender is okay despite her bow getting destroyed. She has also lost her hat as I expected. The scorpion drone she was fighting is flying away, apparently damaged

I look around. The five remaining police officers are still alive and Carrie is still on the ground.

Mad Dog is nowhere to be seen.