The frame powered on with a low hum. Red lights turned green one by one. Steam hissed out of the shoulder vents.

  “It’s on,” Drex said.

  “No fire yet,” Juno replied.

  The mech stood about four meters tall. Rough plating. Scavenged joints. One arm ended in a reinforced clamp rig; the other held a welded-on hydraulic cutter, modified from a demolition tool. It had no ranged weapons. Just weight and torque.

  Drex climbed up the side and dropped into the cockpit. Harness locked. HUD flickered to life.

  [ SYSTEM BOOTING ]

  Power: 68%

  Core Temp: Stable

  Balance: Acceptable

  Weapons:

  [L1] Industrial Cutter – Pressure-Linked (Mod)

  [R1] Hydraulic Clamp – Reinforced

  [ PILOT: DREX ]

  Status: Linked

  [ READY FOR FIELD TEST ]

  “Looks stable,” Drex muttered.

  Juno stood back, arms crossed. “Do something with it.”

  Drex moved the left stick. The cutter arm buzzed slightly and tilted forward. He tapped the foot pedals and the mech took its first step—slow, but solid.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  It walked across the junkyard in a wide arc. Servo lag was noticeable, but manageable. Steering was heavy, but Drex could feel the frame adjusting.

  He tried the clamp. It snapped shut with a dull thunk. Strong. Clean. Could probably crush bone. Or armor.

  The cutter was slower. Drex revved it once and triggered the extension. The blade kicked forward with a sharp hiss, then retracted.

  “Still charges too hot,” he said. “Needs a cooldown buffer.”

  “Works, though,” Juno replied.

  Drex walked the mech to the far wall and drove the clamp into a rusted-out chassis. It punched through the hood clean and tore it back out with a crunch. The whole car shifted sideways and collapsed.

  The HUD buzzed.

  [ Structural Impact: Registered ]

  Clamp Load: Acceptable

  Armature Strain: 9%

  [ SYSTEM STABLE ]

  Drex exhaled. “It’ll hold.”

  He powered it down and climbed out. Dirt crunched under his boots as he landed.

  Juno looked at the mech. “You think that’s enough for what’s inside?”

  “No idea,” Drex said. “But we don’t have better.”

  Juno walked around the frame again. “We still don’t have shielding. No eject system. No countermeasures. Just one guy in a steel box with two tools.”

  Drex popped open the rear hatch and pulled out a crate of wiring. “That’s all the tanks had too.”

  “They had armor.”

  “And we’ve got four tonnes of ugly.”

  Juno didn’t argue.

  They both looked toward the horizon. The tower near the docks stood black and silent, as it always did. But now, for the first time, they had something that might get them inside and back out.

  “Next time it opens,” Drex said, “we go.”

  Juno nodded. “You drive. I’ll grab the next one.”