NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: The Steel Terror.
September 2184. Surface. Warehouse 12.
The shot from the Quasar Cannon ripped into the side of the grotesque, mechanical centipede, sending pieces of its legs and body flying. A synthetic scream echoed inside the warehouse as the creature thrashed violently, damaged but not defeated. It came charging toward them. Behind Jason, the SEAF soldiers opened fire with everything they had: bullets, autocannon shells, and rockets slammed into the abomination, driving it back. Jason needed time to fire the Quasar Cannon again. Slinging it over his shoulder, he pulled up his Liberator and opened fire.
"[Pain] Ow," the centipede remarked in a robotic, deadpan tone as chunks of its body were blown off, and bullets tore into its metal hide.
Jason paused for a second, his eyes shifting to the three individuals who had caught the monster's attention just moments ago. Without hesitation, he pointed toward a door. There was no time for questions—they had to move.
"Get out of here!!!" he yelled, his voice urgent as the three looked at him and his squad with startled expressions.
"We'll bring it down!!! Just get the fuck out of here!!!"
Turning back to the monstrous centipede, Jason hoisted the Quasar Cannon back over his shoulder, aiming at the creature's head. He squeezed the trigger, and another glowing ball of plasma formed, hurling itself through the air. It struck near the front of the beast with a thunderous crash, sending it slamming to the ground. The SEAF soldiers kept pouring fire into it as the creature's tentacles—armed with sharp claws—flailed, trying to shield its massive body. But it was a futile attempt; the barrage was relentless.
The three individuals huddled for a brief moment, then bolted for the door at the far end of the warehouse. With inhuman strength, they forced the door open and disappeared through it. Jason knew it was time to end this fight for good. He backed into a space between the storage containers, glancing at the SEAF soldiers, who were hastily reloading their heavy weapons.
"Clear out! I'm calling down an orbital strike! Move to the exit, now!" Jason ordered. The squad immediately dropped what they were doing and sprinted for the door.
As he took a few steps back, Jason raised his wrist and typed a series of commands. The mechanical creature, now rising again, focused its cold gaze on him.
"[Anger] You… You and your kind were supposed to be dead and gone," the creature intoned, its voice neutral but laced with irritation.
Jason smirked, pulling a beacon from his waist. "We're just new arrivals."
He tossed the beacon at the creature and sprinted for the exit. Above, the Super Destroyer locked onto the target. As Jason dove through the doorway, the orbital strike hit—obliterating the roof and sending the warehouse crashing down in a catastrophic collapse.
Lying in the snow, Jason glanced back at the destruction. The sound of groaning steel and crumbling concrete filled the air.
"Good shot. Everyone accounted for?"
The SEAF soldiers, while shaken, gave him a thumbs up in response.
"Got out just in time. What in the name of liberty was that thing?"
Jason shook his head, standing up to brush the snow off. "No idea. Never seen anything like it on the frontlines. Has anyone seen our guests?"
One of the SEAF soldiers shook his head. With everything that had happened, they hadn't had time to search the area after the strike.
"Sir, up high! Got something in the sky, picking it up on thermals."
The driver, manning the autocannon from the open hatch of the APC, peered over the flames, watching the now-destroyed warehouse. The gun was tracking something, turning to the right. Jason and the SEAF followed its aim, looking up at the sky. Above them, two figures with steel wings glided just below the clouds—one carrying a smaller third one.
"Are those metal wings?" one of the soldiers asked, as the light from the flames gave them a better view of the newcomers descending.
"Sir, orders?"
Jason observed the duo, their wings not even flapping, extending naturally from their backs. They stopped about thirty feet away, and it became clear these were not Automatons. Their design and features were beyond anything he'd ever seen, signaling a new kind of machine.
"Watch my back. I'm going to see if they're in the mood for a chat. We pulled them out of there, so I doubt they'll try anything." Despite his words, Jason wasn't fully convinced. But they needed information, and that was still the mission.
Jason stepped forward carefully, the snow crunching under his boots. One of the figures, appearing male, retracted his wings, while the smaller, feminine one kept her weapon—something resembling an upgraded RS-422 Railgun—at the ready. The third, another female, kept her claws and wings out, clearly prepared to act if necessary. Jason stopped about ten feet away, deciding it was time to see if they spoke the same language.
"Do you understand me? Do you speak the language of Super Earth?"
The three exchanged glances, their expressions shifting subtly, before the male spoke up.
"Um... I'd say yes?"
The nervous tone in his voice was enough to reassure Jason that they understood. Time for some answers.
"I'm Helldiver Jason from Super Earth. I'm on an important mission, and things are getting more complicated by the minute. First question: What in the name of liberty was that back there?" he asked, pointing back to the burning warehouse.
"It's something that's been a problem for us for a long time. Not the first time we've run into it, but the first time we've been cornered by it. And what is 'Super Earth,' anyway?" the winged female asked.
"It's our home, that's all you need to know. Do you have a name for that thing? And are you sure it's dead?"
"There are stories about it being killed, but it always seems to come back. We don't have that kind of firepower... human. We call it the Steel Terror," the smaller one with purple eyes said, glancing back at the warehouse.
"I see. I think this time, it's gone for good. Now, my next question: What are you? I've encountered robots before, but you three are more advanced than anything I've seen."
The three machines exchanged another glance before the male responded.
"From what I recall, we were built to help the humans of this planet... before everything went up in flames."
"How long have you been around?"
"Um... since humans first arrived here, I think. My memory's... foggy. I get flashes now and then."
"What he means," the female interrupted, "is that he was near one of those orbital strikes. I had to dig him out. I worked with the armed forces here, but I have the same problem—I can't remember how long we've been on this planet."
Jason turned to the smaller one, who hadn't spoken much.
"I have no memory of the surface; I wasn't around at that time," she said quietly.
"You were created afterward? So, there are more of you?" Jason asked.
The male nodded.
"We have several places on the surface where some of us live, but our main home is in one of the big bunkers."
Jason took this in. That explained how they survived the nuclear bombings. Their shelters could withstand the blasts, and as machines, they didn't need food, water, or air. Radiation posed no threat to them, allowing them to operate long after humans had perished.
"Not to cut this short, but we've got to report back to our superiors," the female said.
"You have superiors, just like me. That's no problem. But before you leave, I have something that will allow me to find you again." Jason reached for a beacon at his waist. "Your choice, since you're not part of our mission. But I think we can help each other."
"I don't think that would be a problem. They'll definitely want to know humans are still around," the male said.
Jason tossed the beacon, which the male barely caught.
"One last thing—I've told you my name. What are yours? If we're going to meet again, I'll need to know."
"I'm N," the male said. "This is V, and the little one's name is Uzi."
"Some very odd names," Jason remarked.
"Bite me," Uzi snapped.
"Come on, we need to get out of here before it gets any later," V said, clearly eager to leave. N extended his wings, grabbing Uzi, and with a smile and a wave, the three machines took to the sky.
Jason watched them disappear into the clouds. "Why can't this operation be simple for once?" he muttered, heading back to the others near the APC. The SEAF soldiers looked at him expectantly.
"So, what did they say?" one asked.
"We got some details, but they weren't telling us everything. I don't blame them. First off, it seems we humans made them, though I don't remember us having robots like that during the first galactic war—or even now. As for that thing, it's been a problem for them for a while, but not anymore. I gave them a beacon so we can track them later."
"Are we going to follow them?"
"Not right now. We still need to check out the communication hub. It might give us more answers to the questions we've got, and hopefully lead us to the other facilities we're supposed to check out. That's still our mission."
With their orders clear, the soldiers climbed back into the APC. Jason followed, placing the Quasar Cannon on the weapon rack.
"Get us back to the hub, but take it slow. We made a lot of noise, and we don't know if that skyscraper—or any other building around here—is still standing."
The APC lurched forward, moving away from the burning warehouse. As it did, something stirred in the wreckage. A mass of flesh with metal claws attached to tentacles crawled out onto the crumbling roof, watching them with a single yellow eye.
"[Anger] Annoying humans," it muttered in a neutral tone, clearly displeased.
With a flash of yellow light, it vanished, retreating to plan its next move.
Edited thanks to ELE73CH.