Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 6.42 - Countdown

Emmett watched Mod and Arsenal team-up but barely had time to be jealous before the battle shifted.

One heavy drone came down, but they weren't safe yet.

The second drone crashed into the field and tried to crush Emmett. Thanks to Mod and Lock, Emmett had barely made it out of the way. Both Emmett and Mod stood unscathed and contemplated their next moves.

Lock had rushed right into the path of the heavy drone—risked his life for Emmett. For a moment, he couldn't see anything except the deep canyon carved by the drone. Emmett feared the worst for his friend.

But then Lock climbed out of the gorge. Blood trickled through his tattered suit. He spat dirt as he ran over to them.

The heavy drone skidded across the field. Its side guns continued firing while it swung its fifty ton bulk around, preparing for another charge. Bullets thudded against their suits, but none were large enough caliber to be worried about.

Emmett shook his head at Lock. "You didn't need to do that."

Lock scoffed. "TINA's already giving me an earful. What's the plan?"

Mod hesitated. "... We're still working on that."

Fighting a fifty ton battering ram wasn't the worst part. They had to destroy it quickly—before the drone's reactor went critical. Emmett didn't have a HUD's up display, but he knew exactly how much time they had.

43 seconds...

42 seconds...

Emmett and the others might have been able to get underground and get far enough away from the blast, but that meant leaving the rest of the city limits unguarded. Bastion had truly lost its mind—it was ready to jeopardize innocent lives and the public opinion of the Brotherhood in order to take out Emmett and the others.

None of them had the strength or power to get through the drone's armor. They needed something else—

Emmett's eyes went wide. "I need you guys to cover me—maybe buy me some time. I'll tell TINA the plan."

Emmett raced across the field to the downed heavy drone. Meanwhile, Mod and Lock raced in the opposite direction toward the still-active drone. They meant to intercept it before it picked up speed and momentum.

Emmett pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He stood next to the downed drone. Mod and Arsenal's team-up attack had left a wound half a foot wide and ten feet long. Emmett could see daylight on the other side. He could also see all the critical wiring that had been cut in the attack.

He commanded the swarm to go inside it.

As the swarm spread out, it sent information back to Emmett, and he built a diagram inside his brain implant. As he focused, time slowed down. Again, Emmett felt like he was half-remembering the drone's systems and subsystems—finding things exactly where they ought to be, even though he couldn't remember seeing them before.

Then he started piecing things back together. He bridged connections, rewiring some and crossing others. He needed to bring power back online, but he also needed to keep the drone cut off from the network so Bastion couldn't take control again.

Again, it was easier than it should have been.

He'd forgotten so much—buried so much. This was just one more thing.

Emmett would have to come to terms with it all...

But not right now.

Nanites spread out through the drone, coating the inside like spiderwebs. Emmett sent a flicker of power through the side guns. They responded, swiveling and aiming. Without using his eyes, Emmett could see along the barrels.