Chapter 13
And then everything was exploding.
The pulse rifles made a quietthwumpeach time they fired. They were not automatic like I was hoping, and I had to squeeze the trigger each time I needed to fire. My first shot was low, and I saw the heat pulse drill into the ground about three meters in front of Skeet. I hit just on the edge of the “B” on the white rocks that spelled out “Burnt Ends.” Rocks shattered and flew through the air like shrapnel. Next to me, Sam was also screaming and firing. His first shot was also wide, but he managed to hit Chode right on the egg part of the body. A visible but shallow scorch-marked dent appeared in the mech like it had been hit with a hammer.
“Uh-oh,” Sam said as he moved his aim, nailing the leg of Skeet just as I did the same.
The two mechs started to react just as lines of distorted air streaked from the woods to our right, Tito and Axel both firing. A fifth streak came from the left, this one from Rosita. This one nailed the back-facing knee joint on the left side of Skeet.
The mech barely shuddered at the direct hits.
“Finally,” Skeet shouted as two missiles streaked out of his battery.The missiles went straight up into the air and started circling, seeking a heat source.
At the same moment, I saw the spinning soup-can-sized canister tumble through the air and land against the steep hill. Lulu had fired it way too wide, and it landed about halfway between me and Sam and the two mechs. A third missile, this one from Chode, corkscrewed into the air just as he fired his cannon in our general direction.
The canister blew at the same time as the concrete barrier to our left exploded in a shower of rocks, blasting my ears.
“Run,” I shouted, pointing east. I couldn’t hear my own voice.
Flares were shooting straight into the sky. They’d come from the drone that had rolled down the hill. A second drone jogged out of the warehouse. This one was also shooting something from its back. More flares. Multiple explosions echoed across the air as the missiles started hitting the flares instead of targeting us. The trees in front of us exploded as one of the two mechs fired their cannon toward Tito and Axel.
And then another Lulu canister exploded on the hill, followed by a secondary explosion. I turned in time to see Chode’s mech topple over. The round sign thing was just gone, as was the missile battery on his shoulder. Lulu had nailed the missile launcher directly, and it had caused his two remaining missiles to go up.
“Target two has been destroyed. A gold star for Lulu,” Roger said in my ear.
Sam was right beside me, screaming something as we jumped behind another concrete barrier. We popped up in unison and fired again, once again aiming at the remaining mech’s legs, despite the lack of damage.
“Aim for the missile launcher,” I started to shout as Skeet fired his last two missiles, probably more as a protective measure than a targeted attack. He was stopped on the hill near his flaming compatriot, bringing his cannon to bear on the woods where Lulu and Rosita hid.
Fire poured from the opposite side of the clearing, telling me Axel and Tito were okay.
More flares shot into the air from the drones as the first drone sprinted back up the hill, moving faster than I’d ever seen one of those things go. It streaked across the hill and slammed into the mech’s leg. That didn’t budge it, either.
Skeet was shouting something incoherent as yet another blast and a crunch echoed from far below us. This was followed by an even bigger explosion that knocked me on my side and right onto the paved road, exposed. I stared wide-eyed at the mech as the entire hill shook.
“Targets three and four have been fully knocked out of commission,” Roger said, his voice frustratingly calm.
I watched in horror as Skeet fired his cannon toward Lulu and Rosita’s hiding place. Trees exploded, and I suppressed a cry. But a moment later, a third canister appeared, lazily spinning through the air as it emerged from the smoking forest and landed right in front of the mech and next to the black drone that was still slamming itself ineffectively against the mech’s leg.
Bam!
Dirt, rocks, and drone parts showered as Lulu’s canister dug out a portion of the hill.
“Oh, shit,” I said, scrambling to my feet. “Not again. Sam, run!”
Skeet’s mech tottered as the dirt shifted underneath it. The entire northern half of the Sombrero was starting to cave in. The mech fired again as it turned, this time facing us, but it aimed high. The top corner of the warehouse exploded as the mech continued to pivot. It turned almost like a ballerina as it started to fall. It hit the ground and it rolled right in our direction.
The sign atop its head detached and also started to roll down the hill, angling away from the tumbling main body.
“Grenade,” Sam shouted as he popped up to run. He tossed one of the round grenades as we both sprinted away.
It landed on or near the spinning, rapidly disassembling mech, but it didn’t detonate. We continued to run away just as the giant robot crashed loudly into and then through the concrete barrier where we’d been standing. The gun arm broke off, and the pincher arm also cracked off at the elbow as one of the legs broke apart. The egg settled to a stop against the sliding barn door, pushing it in with an enormous crash. A pair of pulse blasts from the Serrano twins hit the egg, and the grenade—which Sam had apparently forgotten to arm—exploded, sending more parts flying. The giant barn doors fell in, revealing the five hoppers still sitting there in the barn getting loaded.
“All threats appear neutralized. Please stand by while we confirm their destruction,” Roger said.
“Are you guys okay?” came the panicked call from my sister over the band just as I asked after everyone.
“We are,” I said, standing up. Sam had blood streaming down from a superficial cut on his head, and my ears felt muffled, like they usually did after band practice. All I could smell was things burning. My heart was in my throat, and I couldn’t stop shaking.
