The protectors hit the sand in a storm of metal feet and mechanical fury. If they had any subtlety before, it was gone now. Every one of them charged like someone flipped a switch from "decorative statue" to "immediate homicide."
I didn't wait. I shoved off the ground and moved sideways, letting the first wave crash into empty space. The sand exploded behind me as metal bodies collided in a heap.
Cadence said, "They appear motivated."
"No kidding."
A protector swung its arm at me. I ducked under it and slammed my palm into its knee joint. The servo snapped with a sharp, satisfying crack. The unit toppled forward, legs folding like it had suddenly forgotten how gravity worked.
"That is three," Cadence said.
"I wasn't counting."
"You were internally."
"Shut up."
More protectors pushed through the front line. Their optics glared bright red, glowing like angry furnace coals. A wide one with heavier plating lunged at me with a low tackle. I sidestepped and grabbed the back of its chassis, using its momentum to fling it into another unit. The two hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and sparks.
"They are swarming," Cadence warned.
"Cute, they want to cuddle."
A lighter protector model darted forward and slashed at my face with a blade extension. I leaned back, felt the blade whistle millimeters past my nose, and snapped forward with a punch to its chest. The metal caved in.
"That is not repairable," Cadence said.
"I know."
"They can still be useful."
"You said keep moving."
"I didn't say break the ones we're here for."
"This is not the time for performance reviews."
A protector came at me from the left. Another from the right. I ducked, rolled, and came up behind the closer one, slamming my mechanical forearm across the back of its head. Its optics flickered and dimmed.
I grabbed the second one by the arm, pivoted, and hurled it into the sand so hard my shoulder joint whined in protest.
"Four," Cadence said helpfully.
"I swear I will mute you."
"You cannot. I am integrated."
"We can fix that."
Another protector lunged. I sidestepped just enough. Its arm swung past me and I hooked my clawed fingers into the side panel of its neck. One twist. Lights out.
Something heavy slammed into my back. I stumbled forward, caught my balance, and turned to find a protector built like a refrigerator on legs raising both arms for a double smash.
"Big guy," I muttered.
"Model Thirty-Two," Cadence said. "Reinforced chassis. Slow reaction time."
"Slow is good."
"Not when you are boxed in."
She was right. The others were closing in. A full ring of red eyes formed around me, tightening, closing the gap one deliberate step at a time.
"Cadence," I said.
"Yes."
"Options."
"Run."
"Any others?"
"Run faster than the first option."
"Fantastic."
I planted my foot in the sand, shoved off with everything my body could give, and sprinted toward the narrow break at the west side of the perimeter. The protectors reacted, but not fast enough. I slipped between two of them as they lurched to intercept.
One grabbed my arm. I spun, yanked free, and kicked its knee joint sideways. The leg buckled. I kept running.
"They are pursuing," Cadence observed.
"I can hear that."
The pounding feet behind me were impossible to ignore. Each impact shook the sand like a drum beat getting closer. I ran harder. The transmitter tower grew larger with each step, an ugly metal skeleton that promised answers I wasn't sure I wanted.
Cadence said, "Signal intensity rising. We are close."
"How close?"
"Close enough that my interference is increasing."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning I may glitch."
"That's terrible timing."
"I regret the lack of better timing."
"Try lying."
"I am programmed for accuracy. Unfortunately."
I sprinted across the last stretch of ground. Sand kicked up behind me in a long tail. The protectors were seconds behind, mechanical limbs cutting through the dunes with brutal speed.
The tower's base loomed ahead. A rusted doorway sat half-open, bent inward as though something far stronger than me forced it that way. A dark corridor stretched beyond it, swallowing all sunlight.
Cadence said, "Iris. Enter now."
"Working on it."
A protector reached for my shoulder. Its metal fingers brushed the edge of my coat. I grabbed its wrist, pivoted sharply, and used its own force to throw it into the sand. Another grabbed my ankle. I stomped down with my mechanical heel, crushing its hand.
Three more protectors surged around the corner of the tower, blocking the entrance.
"Cadence," I said, breath tight.
"Yes."
"I need an idea."
"Do what you do best."
"Which is?"
"Hit something."
"Great, something we agree on"
I lowered my shoulder and charged straight at them. The first protector swung its arm. I ducked and drove into its torso with full force. Metal groaned. The impact lifted it off its feet and sent it skidding across the sand.
The second grabbed me. I turned, slammed my elbow up into its jawline, and felt the servos snap. I tore out of its grasp and pushed toward the door.
The third unit stepped in front of me. It was taller, bulkier, with thicker plating than the rest. Its optics pulsed bright red.
"I do not like the look of that one," I said.
"You should not."
"It's the upgraded model."
"Yes."
"Fantastic."
It lunged at the same time I did. My fist connected with its chest and bounced off like I had punched a concrete wall. The machine staggered but did not fall.
I hit it again. Harder. The plating dented. It swung its arm down like a hammer. I rolled aside and felt the shockwave of its strike shake the sand.
Cadence said, "Iris. No more delays. Enter the tower."
"Working on it."
I grabbed the damaged panel I had dented and tore. The metal peeled outward like old skin. The protector shuddered and collapsed into the sand. I didn't wait to check if it was done.
I ran straight through the doorway.
The moment I crossed inside, the air changed. It was colder, thicker, carrying a faint chemical bite that made the back of my throat prickle. The darkness wasn't total. A weak, flickering glow came from strips of emergency lighting lining the ceiling.
Behind me, the protectors hit the doorway. Their metal bodies slammed against the frame, trying to push through the narrow gap. I shoved the bent door inward and forced it closed just long enough to wedge a piece of fallen steel into the gap.
It won't last long. But it would last long enough.
I stepped deeper into the tower.
The interior looked worse than the outside. Wires hung from the ceiling like vines. Old screens flickered with static. Dust coated everything. The walls pulsed faintly each time the signal broadcast, like the whole structure had a slow heartbeat.
Cadence spoke, but her voice sounded thinner. "Interference rising. Proceed with caution."
"You think the protectors will try to enter?"
"Yes."
"That's comforting."
A corridor opened ahead, leading into a wide chamber. I stepped into it and stopped dead.
Hundreds of machines stood inside.
Rows of them. Stacked in formation like soldiers waiting to be woken. These weren't the flimsy protectors outside. These were larger. Heavier. Military-grade units I had only seen in fragments of memory. Hard-edged plating. Reinforced limbs. Heavy weapon mounts along their arms.
Every one of them stood completely still.
Optics dim. Arms at sides. Waiting.
My chest tightened. "Cadence. You seeing this?"
"Yes."
"Thoughts?"
"They are linked. Hive logic. The signal binds them."
"Great."
"They are dormant for now."
"That is not comforting either."
"It was not meant to be."
I took a slow step forward. My boots echoed in the chamber. Several machines twitched, heads turning by a fraction as if they sensed heat or sound or something I couldn't name.
"Cadence," I whispered. "You are sure they're inactive."
"Fifty-eight percent sure."
"Terrible number, that's less than your eighty percent from previous."
"I agree."
We walked skipped around. My heartbeat felt too loud. My mechanical arm hummed faintly, reacting to the tension in my muscles.
At the far end of the room, a narrow passage branched deeper into the tower.
I take it, travel what seems to be underground, we're travel one hundred meters or so from the nest, then a shadow lifted.
One of the dormant military units stepped forward.
Not a jerk.Not a lurch.A deliberate step. Smooth. Controlled.
Its optics lit with a bright, cold white.
It blocked the passage completely.
Cadence spoke with a low, steady certainty I didn't like."Iris. That one is awake."