Iron Empire

Fifty-Six: Sand and Fire

"Watch your step!" Martin called. "It's a bit treacherous in here."

"Are we out of range?" I asked.

"Until those Aegis mechs get closer, yes," Alyx responded.

"Portable energy shields," Martin sighed. "What's next?"

"Damn laser," Kitt grumbled. "Blew a hole in my front shield."

"Better your shield than any of us," I responded. "Keep moving."

The interior of Terminus' vast hangar had appeared dim from the outside, but a massive hole in the ship's ceiling let sunlight into the space, filling it with an uncharacteristically welcoming glow. As my eyes adjusted I took in the space around me.

Mechanical arms hung limply from their rails on the ceiling, as lifeless as the rest of the ship, and the twisted remains of scaffolding marked where mechs once resided. Like Terminus itself, the entire hangar was on a slight upwards angle towards the damaged front section of the vessel, making traversal dangerous. A single row of unbroken LED lights remained attached to the scorched ceiling, flickering intermittently. Miraculously, some parts of the ship still had power.

Any dropships that Terminus had once contained were long gone.

My HUD flashed a warning, informing me that the area was extremely radioactive.

"What now?" Alyx remarked. "We can't go back the way we came or those Aegis will melt us."

"We find another exit," I replied. "If we move towards the broken front of the ship we may be able to find a second exit. As long as we stay under cover we'll be safe from enemy mechs."

"Speaking of enemy mechs," Martin chimed in, "we have incoming to the southeast."

"Our shielded friends?" I asked.

"Unfortunately so," Alyx responded. "Want me to take a shot?"

"Keep our position hidden," I replied. "I have an idea, but it's risky."

The four of us began making our way up the inclined hangar, heading towards the shattered front of the ship. We had to put a lot of distance between us and the open hangar door, or the Aegis would obliterate us the moment they got a line of sight. It wasn't as sunny inside the hangar bay, but I had no doubt that their helios lasers were still dangerous.

"What are you thinking, Jax?" Martin inquired.

"Draco trapped me in an inverted energy shield on Yamantau," I replied, "so I experienced its effects personally." I remembered the helplessness I had felt, trapped in a cage as my friends fought for their lives. "Those Aegis won't take any damage from a distance," I continued, "but those shields aren't impenetrable."

"What do you mean?" Kedrick probed. "We hit those mechs with everything we had and it did nothing!"

Shadows danced around the hangar as two Aegis approached the wreckage. They were close, now, and we still had a lot of distance to cover!

I could see

"We aren't getting past those shields," I replied, "but we don't have to. A small part of the generator extends outside of the shield's radius—it was the same for the inverted shield on Yamantau. It seems to be a necessary part of the design."

"I'm not sure I can hit a target that small from so far away," Alyx admitted.

"So we need to get closer, and fast," I assured her.

"We have the Wedge," Kitt offered. "I could shield Alyx while we rush—"

"No need," I interrupted. "There's a better way to close the distance. When does each mech move the fastest?"