Chapter Eight

As they did on previous missions, Lina got onto higher ground, and scouted the area for the deviants. Today, she saw nothing unusual. This was cause for concern. The deviants didn't advertise their presence, but with the millions of cameras and drones around the city, they couldn't hide for very long. Not knowing where they were hiding though, was a problem. Deviants were stronger and faster, and it helped knowing exactly where they were. Going into a situation blind would only cause someone to get hurt, or worse.

Ezra wasn't happy with the way things were playing out. Something was amiss He knew that only two bots had been spotted, but that didn't mean that there weren't more.

"Lina, keep scouting the area, everyone else stay close together. Don't break formation" he ordered, his voice uneasy. Ezra joked a lot, but when it came to his duty as a Martinet, the mission was most important. He was responsible for the lives of the whole group, and that was no joking matter.

For the next fifteen minutes, no one spoke. They walked, hunched over their weapons, the heat licking into their faces and backs.

"I can't take this anymore. Taka is breathing a little too heavy in my ear" Khaleel joked. He was trying to release the tension that wound around them like an ever tightening knot. Taka grunted in response. Lina snickered. "Stay focused…" Ezra whispered. One moment there were snickers and giggles, the next the air filled with a BANG loud enough to rattle teeth, debris and fire. They had experienced explosions in a simulation scenario, but it felt nothing like the real thing they were experiencing now. Even though they were dazed, they maintained calm. Their breaths catching the burning air, their throats parched from the heat and now flames, none of them spoke. Their legs shook, their ears rang, dust hung in the air and filled their lungs, and then Lina screamed.

"To your left, TO YOUR LEFT!!" she was shouting, wild with fear, unable to control herself. The explosion had been a small one, meant only to disorientate. As the Martinets regrouped, a large group of deviants surrounded them. There were at least fifteen. Ezra mumbled something under his breath, so inaudible that not any of his unit could make out what he'd said. The deviants closed a circle around them, blocking any possible exit. They made no attempt to attack. Instead, they watched the group with something akin to curiosity.

The Martinets stood in a circle, their backs to each other, their weapons drawn.

"Well, I guess we had a good run…" Khaleel laughed drily. Never had they found themselves in such a bleak situation. And from the looks of things, they were not likely getting out, at least not alive.

"Put down your weapons, we don't wish to harm you" a deviant spoke. Two others gave way, and a third moved forward. He looked pretty much like all the others, except that he wore a tattered cloak tied around his neck.

"Like hell" Shea growled, fixing the position of his weapon.

"All we want, is to have a civilized conversation, can you not do that?" the Deviant with the cloak said. His voice, that of a human's. One could argue with better articulation. All part of the design.

"Ez… What is going on…" Sophia whispered, her voice trembling.

"Stay calm everyone. Lina, code red" he whispered, only loud enough for them to hear.

"Already called it in. Help will be here soon, hang in there" Lina's responded, uncertain about their fates. She wanted to rush over and help, but with the dust flying around, her vision would be of little use. She had to wait, just like the others. She bit the inside of her cheek, cursing under her breath.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ezra shouted, his ears still buzzing from the explosion.

"We don't have any weapons. Put down your weapons, then we can talk" the deviant said, raising his arms in surrender.

"You don't need weapons, you are weapons" Ezra retorted. He steadied his weapon, training it on the deviant who seemed to be the leader. Deviants had leaders? This was uncharacteristic, and unheard of. No report had given any such information, yet here he stood.

"So are you" the deviant smiled, leaning half its body forward, mimicking laughing.

"Talk, we don't have all day" Ezra urged, not shifting focus.

"We can take them, why are you encouraging it?" Petra muttered, shifting focus from one deviant to another. She noticed that these deviants, unlike others, had markings painted along their arms. Some on their faces. Almost like... tattoos.

The deviant smiled.

"You're a smart boy. You're biding time until help arrives. You aren't interested in what I have to say. Well, you leave me no choice" it said.

As the word choice left its mouth, Ezra fired, the others didn't wat for orders.. The deviant on the right stepped in front of the leader. The EMP hit him on the chest, and he crumpled to the ground. There were pops going off all around them, and deviants were falling to the ground. The Martinets were given a false sense of confidence. The deviants were drawing them out, and apart. They'd gone so far without noticing, that two deviants snuck between them. Khaleel turned and fired, but missed. They were on him instantaneously. Taka tried to fire at them, but a deviant hit him from behind. Taka crumpled in a heap, motionless. Shea had been firing at everything that moved, and spent through the entire cartridge. He pulled the trigger, only hearing empty clicks. Realising he'd run out, he swung his gun at the nearest deviant. Metal clanked against metal, but the bot remained un-phased.

Desperate, Shea grabbed the larger disc that hung from his vest and rushed the deviant. He managed to bring it down, only to have another one bring him down with a sharp blow to the midriff.

Sophia was screaming, as two deviants closed in on her. She was shooting, frantic, with her eyes closed.

Three others worked their way closer and closer to Petra, and she kept firing.

Others had Ezra pinned into a corner near one of the buildings. His eyes left the bots every so often, as he checked on his team. He needed to get them out, if only they could hold on.

A little bit longer, just a little bit longer, he pleaded, his message telepathic. Why were reinforcements taking so long...?

Petra's heart raced, thrilled by this unexpected challenge. She held off the three deviants. She had formulated a plan. It was there in her mind, and then a sharp jolt of pain muddied it.

The sun shone, glinting mirror-like off of the metal bots. The shine filled her eyes, and then the world turned dark.

Ezra watched helplessly as the deviant with the cloak threw Petra over its shoulder. He saluted Ezra as though he'd gotten what he'd come for. And in a flash of silver, he and the others disappeared. Never in his life had Ezra felt so hopeless. He looked around at his team, lying on the ground, defeat on their faces. Ezra fell to his knees and let out a scream...

He had failed them.

01N rested Petra on the ground with the gentleness and care of a mother. He opened the satchel that rested under his cloak and pulled out a syringe. Inside was a transparent liquid.

"Are you sure it's safe?" his lieutenant asked.

The other bots gathered around Petra and 01N like it was some kind of ceremony. 01N uncapped the syringe, and squirted a tiny bit out. Just as he'd been taught.

"We're not like the humans, we have our laws" he said.

He lifted Petra's sluggish arm, and stuck the needle in with utmost care, injecting the contents.

"Won't they be able to detect it?" one of his followers, a bot with a painting of a daisy on its arm, asked. 01N laughed, a hollow sound.

"No"