Drex moved the mech forward. Each step groaned. Left leg lagged slightly.
“Core’s at 41%,” he said. “We can take one more fight. Maybe.”
Juno didn’t reply. He was watching the dark between the pillars.
The HUD flickered.
[ ENEMIES DETECTED – MULTIPLE SIGNALS ]
Threat Type: Light
Numbers: 10+
Formation: Encircling
Suggested Action: Disengage or Overwhelm
“That’s more than last time,” Drex muttered.
He scanned left.
A blur moved.
Then the rats came—smaller than the last one, but fast. They hit the mech from all sides.
Two bit into the right leg’s actuator. One jumped on the back and clawed at the cockpit housing. Another sprinted under the foot and latched on.
Drex slammed the foot down and felt something crunch.
“Left stabilizer’s already red,” he shouted.
Juno unstrapped. “Pop the hatch. I’m going out.”
“No chance.”
“We’re going to get pulled down.”
Drex didn’t respond—he was too busy swinging the clamp arm. He grabbed one rat, flung it into the wall. Another replaced it instantly.
A shriek came from the rear sensors. A rat had bitten clean through the cooling line.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
[ WARNING: CORE OVERHEAT ]
Shutdown in: 90 seconds
The cutter blade jammed mid-swing. Dead weight now.
Drex swore. “We’re out of tools.”
“I’ve got one left,” Juno muttered.
He opened the side hatch, pulled the pin, and rolled a grenade down the back plating.
Boom.
The mech staggered. Rats flew.
Drex caught one with the frame’s elbow, drove it hard into a pillar. It twitched once and stopped.
“Core’s cooking,” he said. “If we don’t end this, we’re dead.”
Another rat lunged for the front sensor array.
Juno leaned out and shot it in mid-air with a stubby pistol from his jacket.
Drex froze. “Where the hell was that?”
“Doesn’t matter. Keep swinging.”
Another grenade—tighter blast this time. Cleared the rear leg. Gave them a gap.
Drex shoved the mech forward, one dragging leg. He crushed two more rats underfoot and slammed the clamp arm down like a piledriver into the last one on the floor.
It gave out a final squeal.
Then silence.
[ HOSTILES CLEARED ]
Reward detected.
A low click echoed across the chamber. One of the side pillars slid open.
A pedestal rose—short, with a curved black casing sitting on top.
Drex limped the mech over and opened the side hatch fully. The internal clamps were dead. He’d have to get it by hand.
“I’ll grab it,” Juno said.
He climbed out, landed badly, and groaned.
“Leg?” Drex asked.
“Bit through the thigh plate. Flesh wound. Mostly.”
He limped over, lifted the casing. The moment he touched it, the material thinned—revealing a metal band inside, like a bracer, engraved with symbols.
It pulsed once—light, then heat.
Juno almost dropped it.
[ ITEM ACQUIRED: REACTION BAND ]
Origin: Unknown
Function: Enhances short-term neuromuscular response.
Boost: Reflex +15%
Duration: 3 minutes active / 3 hour cooldown
Warning: May cause nerve strain
“Wearable tech,” Juno muttered. “Human-use only.”
“Pocket it,” Drex said. “We’re not dead yet.”
Just then, the mech gave a deep groan. Rear leg snapped at the hip joint. One more twitch, then nothing.
Black smoke hissed from the torso.
Drex swore under his breath. “We’re out of power.”
The far wall lit faint blue. A door opened—slow, deliberate.
Juno turned. “There’s our exit.”
Drex winced and pushed himself to his feet. “We’re not walking.”
“Got a plan?”
Drex gritted his teeth, climbed back into the cockpit, and started working manual overrides.
“You help me shove this thing, one wheel at a time.”
Juno looked at the busted frame, then at his own bleeding leg.
He didn’t argue.
Together, step by dragging step, they pushed the broken mech across the floor, forcing it toward the ramp. Sparks trailed behind. Armor plates fell off. Every screech echoed.
Neither of them spoke.
Not until the mech’s foot crossed the threshold—and the light outside finally touched them.