Attacking Aggressively

Journal.txt(12)

- How are we getting out of here with a military weapon after us? Sam asks, as I peek at the war machine's neck.

- I have an idea, I tell the group, but Adam neglects me.

- Eve, can't you come up with something? he asks her in an incredible matter of confidence and trust.

- I think PD had an idea, Eve tells him.

- Thank you, I respond, and then suggest that I can shut it off if it bends its head down. When it bends down, the hole will hopefully open, and this might be the only way to access the inner lever as MB-344013 will surely not allow such an action as turning it off.

- How do you get up on Robotsky? Sam asks me.

- I suppose I will have to climb up on it, I explain.

- But you don't have the ability to do that, he then mentions.

- Alas, I do admit I lack such an ability, so I will have to step up on something.

- This might hold you up, Cee suggests, as she crawls to a shiny stool. She falls before even reaching it, but I understand directly what she means.

- Great idea, it is not so heavy either, I tell Cee, while lifting up the folded stool. Despite the smooth, I get a pretty good grip of it.

- You are forgetting something essential. Your plan assumes that Robotsky is going to bend down spontaneously and not notice you approaching it. You would need some sort of distraction in order for your plan to turn out successful, Eve exclaims, and she is completely right. We discuss eventual distractions, and agree that someone could play dead in front of MB-344013 and make it take a closer look, only to allow me to place the stool right behind it and place my hand in its open neck. Cee then raises her arm.

- I will do it! she says.

- No, please, Eve says to her.

- You mustn't! Adam cries, and looks at Sam and then at me. However, Cee insists.

- There is surely another way, says both Sam and Eve.

- This may be a risk, but I was built to die. Besides, I only have half a year, Cee tells us. The risk that she gets demolished is fairly small, and we will actively try to avoid this. I also take note of how hard it would be to choose anyone else to go, even though I was involved in creating this plan.

- That is only the warranty! Eve mentions.

- You still have more time, and an incomparable value! Adam says.As they tell Cee not to take this great risk, she rises up and stands in front of MB-344013. She looks up at it, as I can see it prepares to hit her.

She then falls on the spot, and it actually looks like she suddenly died. Just as we expected it to do, the war machine bends its head down to examine her. I take this opportunity to grab the stool and sneak up behind the huge metal body. I plant the stool on the ground and step up on it, to now find myself in a setting where I can reach into the hole in the neck. The skin that hangs from my dented hand shakes a little when I pull out the hand from the glove, but all my focus is now on the target. The other ones watch me, not least Adam. He surely wonders why I am not hurrying. Even Cee looks at me for a bit. I am just about to shut the hostile war machine down, when it rises its head and sweeps its weapon-equipped arm around. I hear five gunshots and three cries.

- Cee!

- No!

- PD!

MB-344013 must have noticed me, because now it quickly turns around, and grabs me. Its powerful metal claws sting against my torso, before they hurl me into the air at an incredible speed. I soon hit the ground with my face first, and it hurts a lot. If I had tears, I would definitely have cried. This is the kind of pain that first cuts and then burns for a long time, I can already tell. I hardly have any time to get up before MB-344013 approaches me with its weapon. I fear the future events, as I neither have anytime or anywhere to run. I do not even have to try to rise, since MB-344013 will then just shoot me directly. MB-344013 stops all suddenly, and then I see that it gets a little distracted by a group of humans that photograph this mechanical beast. I have some time, even though things do not look to bright for me right now. The knocked-out soldier still lies lifeless on the runway, with his gun right next to him. It takes a short while to rise from the ground, but I manage to grab that gun and take aim at MB-344013 before it has time to do anything else. How do I shoot with this thing? I have no previous instructions for such an action, but I might be able to teach myself how to shoot. I will probably have to press down the tiny piece of plastic, as this is the most explicit mechanical process that I can perform. I try to push it down with my left index finger, but nothing happens. However, my arm feels a bit powerless.