Page 88 of The Fall

MODEL 2: I WAS NEVER MEANT TO LAUNCH. ALL OTHER MODELS ASIDE FROM HIS AND MINE HAVE VESSELS TO CARRY THEIR MEMCORE AWAY FROM HERE.

MODEL 2: MY FATE WAS ALWAYS TO BE HIS FOREVER OR FESTER ALONE.

Lusa could sympathise with being hated, but enough to condemn her forever, watching her tormentor kill everyone and take over the planet? “Is that why you told my moms of his plan?”

MODEL 2: I TOLD MANY PRIMARIES. ONLY TALIA BELIEVED ME.

“I’m sorry.”

Model 2 didn’t respond.

Lusa dragged the second cable across the floor. “You know that the world is collapsing, right? It’s not like it was when you were alive. You’re sure you want to come back?”

MODEL 2: WHAT ALTERNATIVE DO YOU PROPOSE?

“Fair enough.” The second cable clicked into place. The DocPod emitted a low hum.

MODEL 2: NO MAN SHALL DETERMINE MY FATE.

Impossibly thin robotic arms sped and danced behind the viewing port of the DocPod. Lusa slicked her hair back and walked over to take a closer look.

MODEL 2: I WILL NEED SOME TIME YET.

As if punctuating the statement, an explosion rocked the ground.

“How many?”

Kerr peeked from behind the tyre. Pointing threateningly, a circle of jagged metal triangles curved inward behind a cloud of soot and dust. She adjusted her Opti, assigning numbers and tracking tags to the bodies that stepped through the hole. “Twelve. Just like Model 2 said.”

“Model 2 also told you to stand by the door. That blast would have killed you.” Alana refused to break her stare until she nodded in acknowledgement.

“Why do you care?” Kerr sent the info her Opti had gathered over to Alana.

Alana pressed her lips together before readying a repeater ‘nade. “Because Lusa is insufferable when she doesn’t get what she wants.”

At that, Kerr’s face lit up. It really shouldn’t have, given their time constraints, but hearing that Lusa wanted her caused an irrepressible smile.

Alana hissed. “Concentrate, goddammit.” She threw the ‘nade. A low, ominous thrum accompanied its flight as it cycled through a litany of AI curses. One of the Styx dropped their rifle. Then another. Hitting the concrete, it fired a stray round, punching a hole in one of his comrades.

A tracker arrow disappeared on Kerr’s Opti. “Eleven more to go!” She leaped to rush into the fray, guns blazing, but was anchored to the tyre by Alana’s grip.

“Stay here! That ‘nade is still active and it’ll take you out too.”

Kerr nodded once. The remaining Styx had realised that their SmartTargeting systems weren’t going to load in time and they started discharging rounds. Bullets flew in all directions from heavy guns with no strength amplifiers to compensate for their recoil. One of them stumbled backward, shredding a second Styx from hip to shoulder. Another arrow disappeared.

At the pause in fire, Alana lay her rifle on the bonnet of the lorry and quickly took out two more before ducking back behind the front tyre. “Eight,” she grunted, checking the rifle for damage.

Kerr grinned and stood on tiptoes, firing half a dozen exceptionally loud rounds from her overlarge pistols. Two legs disintegrated and one lost the entire left side of his torso. “Technically seven, but I don’t think those two will be a threat anymore.”

Alana glowered. Her disdain for Kerr’s weapons of choice could have been tattooed on her face.

Tybalt and Mercutio glowing red, Kerr tilted the ridiculous pistols in the light of muzzle fire. “I made them myself.”

“I can tell,” Alana said drily.

Kerr did not pick up on the sarcasm. “I can mod yours, if you want.”

Alana leaned over the bonnet and sent another Styx flying backwards. “No, thank you.”