“Motherfucker!” I screamed as a pack of Model Twenty-Threes tore through my lines.

  As we emerged from the cave, Bob and the badgers rushed forward to engage the wave of Antithesis that were trying to buy time for the Thirty-Two to escape, bashing and burning their way through the remaining forces.

  It seemed like a safe move, but the instant they engaged the fodder, a half dozen Twenty-Threes came sprinting around the side of the tunnel, barreling directly into my combat line. They didn’t even stop to engage, instead tearing through whatever they could as they passed, crushing and chewing whatever they could before vanishing around the other side of the burrow. One even clamped down on Heavy, carrying the larger bear away as they retreated.

  And it was all my fault. For a minute I’d forgotten what I was dealing with.

  “Bob, get back here! We need to go after Heavy!” I shouted.

  “What about the worm?” came the faint reply.

  “Now we’re out in the open, we can use the Kodiaks to fly after it, but we can’t leave that many Twenty-Threes running loose behind our lines, especially if they’re being controlled by that fucking Seventeen,” I yelled.

  “You just want me to run after them? “

  “No, get in one of the Kodiaks. You and I will deal with the Twenty-Threes while Deadbeat collects the damaged units. Bandit can follow the Thirty-Two from the air. I’ll leave the command vehicle with him so he can report its position through the interference.”

  “Smashing a bunch of Twenty-Threes without backup? Sounds like fun!” Bob exclaimed as he jogged back.

  “Yeah, fun. Get in the transport before we lose them,” I muttered. After quickly glancing over my devastated forces before turning to the other two bears. “You two have any questions?”

  “Go do what you need to,” Deadbeat said, without looking up. “Leave the wounded to me.”

  “You can count on us,” Bandit added.

  I nodded, then turned to sprint towards the nearby Kodiak where Bob was waiting.

  “Go, follow those stupid lizards,” I shouted at the driver as I stepped inside and slammed the button to close the ramp. The vehicle rose smoothly, leveled out just above the tree line, and banked to follow the oversized Antithesis.

  Even though they weren’t the swiftest Antithesis, their massive strides meant they could cover a decent amount of ground in a short time. It didn’t take long for us to catch up to the bipedal monsters, but there was a serious complication.

  “They’re splitting up!” Bob exclaimed as we watched the monitor. “I wanted to fight all of them!”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t give a shit about that. I’m more concerned that if we stop to engage one group, we’ll lose the other two,” I grumbled. “I can drop you on one group and send the Kodiak after the second, but that still leaves one group running loose.”

  “You have any ideas?” the big bear asked.

  My eyes glanced around the interior of the Kodiak, looking for anything we could use, until my eyes finally fell upon the heavy weapon locker. “I do, just not a good one.”

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  Yanking open the locker, I pulled out the massive coilgun sitting inside. Even with my enhanced muscles, it was quite heavy. “Do you think you can take two of those things solo?”

  “Absolutely!” Bob declared, nodding enthusiastically.

  “Then I’m going to drop you on the first group. I’ll take the badgers with me and then send the Kodiak after the third. Don’t move from your position once you're done. We’ll never be able to find you if you wander off while this interference is still active. If your group has Heavy, please try and keep him in one piece.”

  “Okie Dokie!” Bob replied. He triggered the ramp, stepped out on the back, and waited a couple of seconds before just leaping off. On the monitor I saw him land directly on the head of one of the first set of Twenty-Threes, driving the monster to the ground before the Kodiak flew away.

  “Nyx, I can actually wield this thing, right?” I muttered under my breath.

  It was designed for the heavy bots, which have significantly more mass than you do, but it is doable. You’re going to need to deal with some serious recoil, though.

  “As long as I can do it,” I said. “It’s unfortunate that the assault bots are so bulky, and they can’t fire something this size with those oven mitts of theirs. That would have made this much easier.”

  You’re approaching the second group, Nyx informed me.

  I glanced at the display; the second pair of Twenty-Threes were rampaging through some brush, heading towards an overgrown field. Not an ideal location, but I liked our chances in the open better than in the trees.

  “Drop me in the middle of the field, then go engage that third group,” I yelled to the pilot. “As long as you drop to about five meters and slow to ten kilometers an hour, I should be able to make a jump for it.”

  The pilot didn’t answer but did as I asked. As the vehicle made its approach, I glanced at the two massive assault bots. “I need you two to cover me. Keep those monsters from getting close.”

  They nodded, a goofy smile growing on their faces. “And no plasma throwers. That field’s probably bone dry, and I don’t want to be roasted alive if the fire spreads.”

  Their faces immediately fell again. Just like little Bob.

  As soon as I felt the Kodiak decelerate, I walked to the ramp, and as soon as I felt comfortable, I leapt off. I landed a lot harder than I expected, not properly compensating for the heavy weapon in my arms, but I still managed to stay on my feet. The badgers landed heavily behind me. I could still feel the ground shake at their impact, even after jumping from a relatively low height.

  Across the field the Twenty-Threes slowed, the Seventeen probably trying to size up the threat. I could see Heavy hanging from one of the Antithesis’ jaws, arm shredded but still intact. The big bear kicked the monster in the chin, which it looked like the Twenty-Three didn’t even notice, while the Antithesis idly ground its jaws together in an attempt to sever the limb.

  Seeing this, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Seventeen had intentionally taken the bear, like I first thought, or if he’d just accidentally gotten snagged on the creature’s teeth during the quick skirmish.

  The fact that Heavy was with this pair was actually an issue for me. Even though I was a slightly better shot than when I first became a Samurai, I wasn’t confident enough that I could hit the Twenty-Three while missing the bear, especially while he was hanging down covering the alien’s front profile.

  While I was sizing them up, the pair, or more likely the Seventeen controlling them, decided that attacking was worth the risk, because the aliens charged. With their heads low and jaws snapping, the Twenty-Three’s profiles were even smaller than before. That wasn’t going to stop me from trying to blow them away.

  “Get Heavy out of that thing’s mouth,” I growled. “I’ll handle the other one!”

  While the badgers sprinted forward, claws extended, trying to intercept the first Twenty-Three, I dropped into a crouch. I flicked a couple of switches on the side of the coilgun, booting the weapon and starting the process of charging the capacitors. I knew the basics of the weapon, how it worked; it didn’t mean I was comfortable handling it.

  Pulling the bulky weapon to my shoulder, I did my best to target the Twenty-Three, braced myself, and as soon as I heard the beep that indicated the weapon was charged, I pulled the trigger.

  I felt a sharp pain shoot through my shoulder and my arm going numb as I was thrown backwards. I must have sailed for over three meters before slamming to the ground and tumbling through the weeds.

  Even though I was disoriented, I scrambled to my feet, trying to figure out what happened. The coilgun had hit its mark, removing most of the Twenty-Three’s upper jaw and head. The creature had immediately collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust as it rolled to a stop, unmoving.

  The badgers had already tied up the second creature, which was striking wildly, stomping and biting at the pair. Heavy actually appeared to be working to our advantage, as he swung about, blocking some of the attempted bites as he bumped the badgers.

  It didn’t take long until the Twenty-Three had enough; it bit down as hard as it could, shaking its head wildly until Heavy was finally thrown loose. The bear flew through the air, slamming into the ground and rolling for a couple of meters, in a good impression of my earlier maneuver.

  Unlike me, Heavy still had a full grasp on his faculties. He immediately popped up and waddled towards me, snatching up the coilgun from where I’d dropped it.

  “I don’t think that’s a good…” I started, but it was too late. Wielding the gun with just one hand, Heavy sighted the remaining Twenty-Three and pulled the trigger. The force of the shot caused him to stumble back a couple of steps, but it did much worse to the Twenty-Three. Punching right through the creature’s chest and blowing out its spine. The alien tumbled to the ground, crippled, allowing the badgers to fall upon it and slowly pick it apart.

  I stumbled over to Heavy and patted the bear on the arm.

  “I’m never going to take you for granted again,” I wheezed. “It’s good to see you, buddy.”

  He just nodded.

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