For Freedom and Vengeance

I feel my heart plummet when Isabelle brings me to the top of the hill, like it was the final minor obstacle. We made it. “Oh Izzy,” I tell her, “you got us here.” A pat on her neck, and she whinnies softly. I’ve always wondered how well her instincts can inform her. Does she even know why we went through all that trouble, crossing seas and deserts to make it here?

Honestly, I don’t think she does. She’s simply my loyal steed, and is willing to carry me anywhere. “You really are the best horse,” I remind her, while dismounting. Izzy replies with a grumbling snort. About to remove my rifle from the saddle like I always do, a thought stops me. “I probably won’t need this,” I say, strapping it back in. Can’t stop my nerves from running wild throughout my body.

A glance back at the fortress beyond, and some bittersweet peace returns. Walking up to Izzy’s face, I pet her soft nose for the last time. Resting my face on her cheek. “Thank you,” “Niiiihh,” she says. I close my blurry eyes, but the tear still escapes. “I love you too.” A kiss for my loyal companion on her cheek is my closing token of love before sending her away.

Watching the last of my friends trot to freedom, I wipe my tears and proceed with fastening my gun belts and bandoliers. Already set my gauntlets with titanium grappling wire earlier. Check my two revolvers, Mustang on my right, Sally on my left. Each hold their six .45’s and a 12-gauge shell in the center of the cylinders, set to automatically be their seventh shot every time. Always called those my lucky round.

Guns in their holsters, I hold my hat and slide down the rocky hill. As soon as I land in the valley, I’m off to the races! Running my ass off to that solid metal front gate! Red targeting lasers flash across my eyes, as ten turrets arise from behind the top of the metal barrier! They’re far, but screw it. This is for all the marbles.

Still in full sprint, I pop the pin and sling my first of only six grenades in the air above them! I run as far as I can – suddenly it blows! Every turret targets the explosion! Not a second to spare, I stop in my tracks and draw! Right, left, right, left, five, six, seven, eight, nine – fifty cal to my left shoulder – whiff my tenth shot, body goes into a spin, feet lift from the ground… I swing my right arm in line… Eyes never left that son of bitch pin-needle they call a turret. Squeeze the trigger!

Suddenly my back is on the ground, and I’m looking at the sky. If my shoulder could talk, it’d be screaming in agony. But I’m not dead. Must’ve landed that shot? Look up. Sure enough, busted turret. I sit up and slide my duster off my left shoulder. What was once a glimmering, metallic piece of fabric, now just a fried microchip. “Well pops, your deflector tech works. Or, for one shot at least.” I get up and peel the armor off my shoulder.

Underneath my shirt, I reach for the heart-shaped locket that I’ve been carrying around my neck. The magic piece to my mission. I pull it off and wrap the chain around my left hand. Its central amethyst jewel glimmers in my palm.

I make my way to the wall and shoot the grappling wire out from my gauntlet, connecting to one of the desolated turrets. Soon as I reach the top, there they are. Battle drones, and they don’t hesitate a lick! Immediately, I have to duck back behind the wall, as they unload heaps of lead in my direction! I pop the pin on my second grenade, and toss it over! No idea where it’s going! Don’t care!

I hear the boom and suddenly hurdle over the metal wall, knowing the drones will momentarily target the blast! My feet hit the ground, and I hurry behind the closest structure. Could be a building, a huge generator…don’t know, don’t care. I look underneath my gauntlet to check the digital map of the fortress. Just have to run through these structures to the tower in the middle. Got the security codes to get me in, just gotta survive the path there.

The heavy sound of an iron drone approaches. I flip open the cylinder to Mustang. Pull the bullets from my belt… load one, two, three… suddenly its ugly metal face appears around the corner! The bullets drop from my left hand, as I open my palm, shining the locket in its face! The machine points his minigun towards me, before shutting down and collapsing! I quickly pick up my bullets and finish loading Mustang. Close and spin the cylinder, then I take off through the grid of square structures!

A lone android guards the front door. Mustang in hand, I sprint to the machine and leap onto it before it notices me! Quickly, I shine the amethyst in its face! The soulless metal demon drops dead. Or deactivated, whatever. I raise my gauntlet to the control pad. Five seconds in the open feels like five minutes, but the doors successfully open! “You did it, sis. Your codes worked.”

I walk into a large, round room. The whole thing is an elevator. I walk up to the console and wave my gauntlet. Looking back to watch the doors close behind me, I see I’m spotted. I draw Mustang and send a bullet straight through its face. After holstering my gun, I manage to flick off the rest of the drones before the doors close. Machines don’t know what that means. But the message wasn’t for them. It’s for maniacs pulling their strings, watching from their safehouses on a beach somewhere.

The elevator descends. Probably the last moment of peace I’ll ever have in life. Looking at my mother’s locket, I remember my family’s dream. To free the world. Funny how I was the one who never cared about it. Accepted life as it was, until I found out first-hand what they were freeing the world from. I didn’t realize how bad it was, outside our land. Didn’t know our home was really a hideout. A place to avoid the slaughter.

I feel the subtle jolt in the floor as the elevator reaches its destination. Close my hand around the locket. I grab Mustang and sigh, “stay with me.” Even though I know they never left. Doors open. Two drones! I flash the locket before the machine on my left, while placing Mustang below the mechanical chin of the other! Pop! Sparks fly! Red targeting lasers flood my position from the turrets along the cylindrical walls! Six pillars surrounding the core is all I have for cover!

Slipping underneath the drone I just blasted, I slide to the closest pillar on my right, popping the next two turrets in sight! The metal corpse gets obliterated by turret fire from the left! Suddenly a drone jumps out from behind the pillar! Another blast in the face from Mustang! Can’t stay here though, or I’ll get pinned down quick!

Sprint to the next pillar! Fifty caliber rounds fly past! I manage to shoot down the next two turrets before diving into cover! I reach around the backside of my belt for an already loaded cylinder… Mustang’s on its lucky shot. Who’s gonna be the lucky drone I wonder, when a metal hand suddenly bursts through the pillar and grabs my left arm! I open my hand, cylinder held between my fingers, so the locket can do its thing! But the amethyst light can’t reach my enemy through the pillar! “Shit!”

The machine suddenly throws me like a rag doll, into the air, across the other side of the room! Slammed into the wall, about fifteen feet high, I’m luckily close enough to grab hold of a turret! I holster Mustang and wrap my arms around the turret’s neck! As it turns to face me, I flash the locket in front of its targeting laser, immediately deactivating it!

Drones open fire! I shoot my gauntlet at the next turret! The grapple pierces its metal, and I loosen my arms to swing away! Just before landing behind another pillar, I draw Sally, still with one .45 round in the chamber! Pop goes the final turret! A drone marches around the pillar as I land directly in front of it! Lucky 12-gauge blast to its face! Quickly, I reload Sally with the cylinder I had for Mustang. “Take out the drones, get to the core. Okay.”

I peek out from my cover, immediately spotted! Its minigun revs up and starts raining lead as I swiftly return to cover! An idea comes to mind. They wouldn’t shoot at the core, right? I dash behind the floating core, center of the room! Five drones remain! Quick head shot to the one with the clearest line of sight to me! The other four won’t shoot from the other side of the core! “Wait!” shouts a stern voice! Drones lower their miniguns. “Boy,” says the voice, “who are you?”

Wasn’t expecting this. I stand up and reply, “who’s asking?” To which there’s a pause. “You’re the one infiltrating my facility,” the voice answers, “surely you already know who I am. Come out from behind there. Tell me what is the reason for all of this?” I can’t help but shake my head and smirk at this guy’s level of ignorance. I walk around from behind the core. Four quick rounds from Sally and the remaining drones fall to the floor. I open the locket. It’s glowing core, a virus, ready to destroy the android armies and corrupt their entire mainframe beyond recovery. “I’m the one who’s finally gonna put you in your place.”

Suddenly, the walls crumble into a snake-like machine, emerging from all around the cylindrical walls! I sling the locket into the core, toss Sally into my left hand, and grab a grenade in my right! The core begins to change colors, and the mecha-snake lunges for me! I pull the pin and throw the grenade into its mouth just before I slide underneath it! I take off for the elevator! The explosion goes off as the doors close behind me! With haste, I use the gauntlet on the elevator console!

While ascending, I quickly reload Mustang and Sally. Doors open, and those damn drones are still active! But the gate is straight ahead. I knew this was a suicide mission anyways. I break for it! Popping every drone in my way until I feel a bullet hit my calf! My body spins before I hit the floor! I throw a grenade toward the tower with the elevator after taking another couple shots! Their attention shifts to the heavier heat signal! I cough up some blood on my way back up! Blast away the three machines surrounding me, and continue running for the wall!

I shoot my grapple to one of the turrets I shot down earlier, and zip up to the wall! Bullets rain down around me until I hurdle over the wall! “Holy crap… I did it…” Coughing up more blood, I can’t help but laugh as I roll over to lay on my back. I’m done. That’s it. If an android climes over that wall and kills me, fine. Until I hear that unexpected whinny.

Kicking up dust beside me, my loyal steed… “Izzyyyyy…” Somehow, I get up and mount her, as the ground begins to rumble! “Time to go, girl!” I tell her, as she suddenly accelerates like lightning! Blasting out of the ground behind us, the mecha-snake makes its last-ditch effort to kill me! “Yah!” I shout! “Yah, Izzy! Yah!” Glancing back, the lights on the machine monster suddenly go out… and it crashes into the ground.