Rise of the Automated Empire: Stolen Dreams by Dennis M. Myers

Author:Dennis M. Myers [Myers, Dennis M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2024-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Beast of Fire

Thursday, February 16, 3290, 10:37, Sycorax, Uranus Orbit

Brenna extended her tool into the passageway at the intersection. It looked small in her heavily gloved hand. “No sign of the bot. Bumbles is still intact. Ahana, get your winch mounted and hook us up.”

Ahana braced herself against one bulkhead wall and pushed the winch against the other, then set the magnetic clamps. Three spools of cable allowed each member of the forward team to have their own safety line.

Jim took the lead. He held a shield of plating like a medieval knight between himself and the doorway the warbot had last been seen to enter.

Brenna followed, her focus on Bumbles. Such a simple job, to plug it back in. While a warbot waited to tear them all apart.

Mandi kept to the opposite side of the passageway and took position next to the dangerous doorway. She hoped to be able to surprise the warbot from behind when it attacked Jim.

Brenna approached Bumbles, moving too quickly. She grabbed one of its appendages to slow herself down. Her legs swung to the wrong side and hit the wall. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I see it,” Jim said. “Hasn’t noticed us yet. I think.”

Brenna extended her tool inside the gash in the side of Bumbles’ main section. The loose cable was right where she expected it to be. She closed the tool on the plug and pulled it to the socket.

“It’s moving. Headed this way.” Jim sounded excited, frightened.

“Almost got it,” Brenna said. The plug slid partly into the socket. She applied more pressure. The plug slid home. Bumbles lurched, dislodging Brenna from her perch. The tool still in her hand scraped over a circuit board. Sparks flashed. “Shit.” She pulled the tool out.

Jim’s body slammed into her and pushed her into Bumbles.

“It’s attacking,” Mandi said.

“Check the command line,” Brenna said. “Is it working?” With both arms, she pushed herself away from the bot. A splash of red liquid spattered her visor.

“Jim’s hurt. I got the warbot to back off. It’s gone for now.”

Brenna twisted to see the damage. Jim’s lifeless face hung through his broken helmet. “Shit. Jim’s gone. Ahana, pull him back to you.”

“No, wait.” Mandi pointed at Jim’s shield. “Keep him here. He can still protect us. You get that damned bot working.”

Ahana screamed.

Brenna’s safety line snapped tight, hauling her toward the intersection.

Ahana clutched her stomach, panic on her face. “It flew by so fast.”

The winch stopped short of pulling them into the wall.

Brenna unhitched herself. “How bad?”

“Air. I’m losing air.” She lifted one arm to reveal two parallel gashes across her stomach. One of them spurted out blood.

Brenna grabbed her safety cable, wrapped it under Ahana’s arms, tied, and tightened it. “Get her back to the ship, right now.”

“It’s too tight. Hard for me to breathe.”

“Yes, but you are breathing. Keep doing that until you get back to the ship. You aren’t going to bleed out, but your suit won’t hold air below the cable. Got it?”

Ahana nodded.

“What about you?” Mandi asked.

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