02-03-2018, 11:13 AM
The concept of a mechanized creature that kept repairing itself was both fascinating and horrifying. After all, how much would they have to melt, burn, and blow up before the lumbering DesertMan.EXE stopped assailing them?
Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to deal with that issue, because neither of the android had opted to continue what appeared to be a fruitless confrontation with the seemingly unstopping machine-monster. Instead, a rapid succession of energy attacks blew apart one of its legs, and the twosome turned and made for the cliffs that would lead them back to their companions. Perhaps it was his shorter legs, but Proto Man made it to the destination a few paces ahead of his companion. What he saw brought a scowl to his face, and he found himself spinning back to face the approaching Vision.
While there wasn’t much emotion to read on a face half occupied by opaque shades, the other android must have caught the tense twist of his ally’s visage. “What is the issue?”
“Tunnels are gone,” Proto Man said with a jab of his thumb. “Collapsed.”
The Vision glanced around to verify the facts for himself, and once he was done with that, he paid a cursory gaze over his shoulder to the approaching monster. He nodded without saying anything before turning his eyes straight up. “The paths that loop around these cliffs have likewise been damaged. We’ll have to ascend directly.”
“Straight up?” Proto Man asked rhetorically as he shifted through apps on his dashboard. By the time the Vision had nodded to verify, the preteen machine had already activated his flight app. The pair of wings materialized after a brief swirl of lights, and a beat later, the smaller android was teen feet off the ground and ascending toward the summit.
Not wanting to be left behind to deal with the approaching monster, the Vision knelt momentarily before leaping into the sky to pursue his diminutive companion. As the pair began their ascent, they heard a distorted roar—like one issuing from a malfunctioning speaker—from down below. With some luck, the junk machine wouldn’t be able to climb or fly.
Whatever joy that the sound of the frustrated monster brought to the pair’s ears was undone when the heavy ordinance started to fall.
The first shells exploded some ways away—near still undamaged paths or at the front of tunnel entrances. Wherever the others were, Proto Man had to guess that the initial salvos were intended to bring them some very warm happiness on their own climbs up the cliff. The next bombardments exploded directly above the path of the two vertically inclined androids. Chunks of stone started to rain down from what had once been a nicely carved cliff face.
Proto Man performed a swift barrel roll to escape the path of a jagged boulder three times his size. With a lot more grace and finesse to his movements, Vision simply shifted his flight pattern and avoided any harm.
“Meet at the top!” Vision shouted before another rapid succession of artillery shells shredded into the cliffs above the pair.
With his eyes on the finish line up above, the red robot swerved hard to the left and laid onto the boosters as he tried to reach the summit before it ceased to exist. As he drew closer, the noise became defeaning, and if not for the shades, he was certain he would be going in blind due to the endless flashes of heat and white light. Clenching his fingers into tight fists, Proto Man squeezed his jaw as he emerged at the other end of a blossoming cloud of dust and vaporized stone.
A glimpse forward showed the summit to the cliff. He could spot Klaymoor quit literally bunkered behind an array of artillery weapons and an army of recycled soldiers.
The No Man’s Land between Proto Man and the entrenched bunker seemed to stretch on forever, even if his GPS told him it was under a quarter of a mile.
Even so, many of the artillery cannons had dropped their barrels to bear on the hovering machine, and more than a handful of the soldiers were shambling across the uneven terrain to intercept him.
Beyond the fortified position was the final destination of the Liberators.
Proto Man’s arm shifted into a Proto Buster.
Game time.
Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to deal with that issue, because neither of the android had opted to continue what appeared to be a fruitless confrontation with the seemingly unstopping machine-monster. Instead, a rapid succession of energy attacks blew apart one of its legs, and the twosome turned and made for the cliffs that would lead them back to their companions. Perhaps it was his shorter legs, but Proto Man made it to the destination a few paces ahead of his companion. What he saw brought a scowl to his face, and he found himself spinning back to face the approaching Vision.
While there wasn’t much emotion to read on a face half occupied by opaque shades, the other android must have caught the tense twist of his ally’s visage. “What is the issue?”
“Tunnels are gone,” Proto Man said with a jab of his thumb. “Collapsed.”
The Vision glanced around to verify the facts for himself, and once he was done with that, he paid a cursory gaze over his shoulder to the approaching monster. He nodded without saying anything before turning his eyes straight up. “The paths that loop around these cliffs have likewise been damaged. We’ll have to ascend directly.”
“Straight up?” Proto Man asked rhetorically as he shifted through apps on his dashboard. By the time the Vision had nodded to verify, the preteen machine had already activated his flight app. The pair of wings materialized after a brief swirl of lights, and a beat later, the smaller android was teen feet off the ground and ascending toward the summit.
Not wanting to be left behind to deal with the approaching monster, the Vision knelt momentarily before leaping into the sky to pursue his diminutive companion. As the pair began their ascent, they heard a distorted roar—like one issuing from a malfunctioning speaker—from down below. With some luck, the junk machine wouldn’t be able to climb or fly.
Whatever joy that the sound of the frustrated monster brought to the pair’s ears was undone when the heavy ordinance started to fall.
The first shells exploded some ways away—near still undamaged paths or at the front of tunnel entrances. Wherever the others were, Proto Man had to guess that the initial salvos were intended to bring them some very warm happiness on their own climbs up the cliff. The next bombardments exploded directly above the path of the two vertically inclined androids. Chunks of stone started to rain down from what had once been a nicely carved cliff face.
Proto Man performed a swift barrel roll to escape the path of a jagged boulder three times his size. With a lot more grace and finesse to his movements, Vision simply shifted his flight pattern and avoided any harm.
“Meet at the top!” Vision shouted before another rapid succession of artillery shells shredded into the cliffs above the pair.
With his eyes on the finish line up above, the red robot swerved hard to the left and laid onto the boosters as he tried to reach the summit before it ceased to exist. As he drew closer, the noise became defeaning, and if not for the shades, he was certain he would be going in blind due to the endless flashes of heat and white light. Clenching his fingers into tight fists, Proto Man squeezed his jaw as he emerged at the other end of a blossoming cloud of dust and vaporized stone.
A glimpse forward showed the summit to the cliff. He could spot Klaymoor quit literally bunkered behind an array of artillery weapons and an army of recycled soldiers.
The No Man’s Land between Proto Man and the entrenched bunker seemed to stretch on forever, even if his GPS told him it was under a quarter of a mile.
Even so, many of the artillery cannons had dropped their barrels to bear on the hovering machine, and more than a handful of the soldiers were shambling across the uneven terrain to intercept him.
Beyond the fortified position was the final destination of the Liberators.
Proto Man’s arm shifted into a Proto Buster.
Game time.