Chapter 35: Shock and Awe

Tears welled up in Ice's eyes as he stared at the jar the voice came from. You could see the pain written plainly on his face even as he answered the jar with a startled,"Wha-? I uh- I don't know what you're talking about."

He reached across his body and grasped the stump of his missing right arm tightly.  

“I see. The clone is still not aware of the corruption.” The voice paused,” Who then are you? Most organics would not survive on a planet taken by the Rifts.”

Ice felt the blood slowly trickling between his fingers as he tried to think of a response to this supposedly simple question. “I… fuck…. My name is Ice…. I don't know where I am or who you are or what is going on. At this point i just want some fucking answers. This is not the game that was advertised to me and I cannot log out.”

“I see. My name is Francis, I am what remains of the AI of Clockwork, The Automation System User. I was there when he died. However, I think you are in a similar circumstance to what he was when he arrived. If somewhat more injured."

"Who is Clockwork? Where is everyone? Can you help me?" Ice's questions all came out in a rush. "I – I--don't feel s—." Ice slowly sank to the ground from his seated position, the blood loss and shock finally overwhelming the adrenalin.

                          

Followed by the small squad of automatons lead by the two francis called captain class, Ice left the factory. Francis, true to his word, had provided a temporary clockwork prosthetic leg. It was slow and with every jarring heavy step it caused him pain. The Nano devourer staff he had found helped immensely as a crutch. He was rather glad that Francis had been able to activate the nanos inside the staff since it seemed to be a very potent weapon. He still did not want to get that close to a Theriope.

The gate slowly opened before him and he saw the D.O.G waiting outside with Leroy sitting on its back. Both had marks from the battle with the Blade Spider. The C.A.T slunk out of the gate heading in the direction one of the Captains indicated.  

Ice checked the pistol that he now had a holster for thanks to the armory inside the factory. It was a simple enough object not like it was made for his pistol or anything. He also had three spare magazines and two boxes of ammo were strapped to Leroy flanks.  

As they plodded along the automatons would periodically split off to handle small single Theriopes dragging the bodies back so Ice could touch them with the Nano Devourer. It was extremely creepy watching the corpses get taken apart bloodlessly by the nanos before they would go back inside the staff. Francis had told him it would take several hundred to charge the battleship grade laser build inside the staff.  

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Ice had to rest more often then he was used to. More than once Raven admonished him not to push himself.  

While they walked, Ice reviewed the many things he had learned. First and foremost was the fact that this wasn’t a game. That Raven was a Prototype AI System from 3000 years ago. And that this world was considered interdicted due to the Theriope. Help would not be coming.

Surrounded by the clunking and ticking and whirring of the automatons Ice felt safe. Well as safe as he could feel under the circumstances.  

As he tapped another theriope body with the Nano Devourer. He heard the D.O.G’s sub machine guns firing. Looking up he saw a nightmare heading straight for him. Five type 7s had dropped out of the trees and surrounded four of the automatons.  

Sparks flew off the legs as the bullets impacted without doing much damage. The C.A.T seemed to come from thin air as it dashed threw the formation of blade spiders using its plasma claws to rip into the underbelly of one of the spiders even as another one nearly clipped it the tip of one leg. One of the captains strode forward firing the cannon in its left arm even as it reached for the nearest type 7’s body letting the legs glance off it's much harder body. 

One of the automatons reached for a spider's body grabbing onto a joint just as another spider's leg came crashing down on the automatons arm severing it at the elbow. The automaton didn’t even notice, merely reaching forward with the other arm to continue ripping the leg off and splattering its body in sizzling yellow blood. The severed arm made a grinding sound as the oil inside slowly drained out of the still spinning gears

  Ice shuddered even as he awkwardly drew his pistol attempting to line up a shot on the nearest spider’s eyes. He slowly squeezed the trigger. The gun went off loudly in his hand. The spider spun in place to face him. As the shot tinked off just to the left of one of its eyes. It barely broke the spider's black hairy flesh.  

All Ice could see was mandibles dripping that viscous black fluid as the spider changed towards him. Before he realized it he had completely emptied the pistol into it without so much as making a dent. He stepped backwards with the automaton leg dragging on the ground in his panic. Dropping the pistol he brought the staff up from leaning on his stumpy shoulder pointing it at the creature knowing the nanos inside wouldn't eat it fast enough.

"Activating FAFO laser at 25%" Raven's voice rang out in his head.

  As he pointed it the clear end lit up blindingly bright for a second before a beam visible even in the noon sun shot out, skewering the spider's mandible and continuing all the way through its body. It hit another spider and one of the automatons even as Ice flinched at the sudden bright light. As the staff shifted the beam moved with it slicing through the spiders and the automaton as easy as a hot wire through Styrofoam. He could even see a few of the trees in the distance catch fire even as they fell the trucks cut completely in half.

"What in the holy fucking shit!?" Ice screamed even as the heat seared his skin leaving him feeling sunburned.

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