Mech

Chapter 19: Babel

At first everything was a blur. Running, fire, screaming, fear, adrenaline...We had maneuvered out of the junk yard and now raced through a city of skyscrapers. We didn't get far before we were completely surrounded by Moxi and Cycoffs. The Rebels, which amounted to maybe 150 rag-tag soldiers, were trapped on the low ground with our enemies surrounding us in the sky. The golden throne appeared on the rooftop of one of the shorter buildings and Synthia stood in the chair, peering excitedly downwards at her prey.

She laughed that sickening laugh where she threw her head backwards and snapped it back down to make her speech, "Sister! Friends! You play a such weak game! Your moves were really running away? How disappointing! You could at least try to make this fun. Come, children, laugh at these fools! Laugh for mommy!"

The Moxi members let out loud, obnoxious laughter that filled the air with an unnerving choking feeling. The Cycoffs opened their jaws and spit steam like Cycho had done in the library. I felt panic boil in my chest as my lungs contracted, but it soon dissolved into something else. My anger towards them only grew, and I realized my fear of this world and these psychopaths had turned to a driving rage, an overpowering need for revenge. Mitzi gripped my hand tight because she thought I was shaking out of fear, but it was hatred. Aaliyah stood on her toes and the crowd cleared around her.

"Sister, please! Stop this! This is not who you are! You were once such a kind soul! You loved and you laughed and we played together! You can be that again! Just call this off and we can go home!"

Synthia laughed again and stretched her hand out as a call for silence. The laughing around us stopped instantly.

"You were always father's favorite," the twisted girl said, as it was so quiet she didn't have to raise her voice for us to hear, "I loved what he made me! You hated his gift. How could you? He gave us unending power! He gave us immortality! All you want is to be..free," she spat the word with a disgusted grimace and all the Moxi groaned, "We could rule this Utopia together! It is ours, our world, to do with as we please!"

"This world does not belong to us. It was never ours. Mech was a mistake, why can't you see that? If we destroy it, erase all of this, we can start over, outside these walls, we can have a new and beautiful life!"

Synthia's face grew dark and contorted with anger, "You ungrateful..you hideous..you.." She was so furious she couldn't contain it and simply screamed. Cycoffs all around us let out screeches as well, but none stronger than Cycho's.

"This is my world! You don't deserve it! If you will not join me, then I will undo you!"

"So be it," Aaliyah retorted, "But I, equally, will not stop until I undo the horrors you have caused!"

"SLAUGHTER THEM ALL, CHILDREN! PAINT MY CITY RED!!"

The Moxi howled and Cycoffs leapt from the rooftops. The Rebels let out a battle cry and raised their weapons as the war began. All around me, Cycoffs crushed our allies and launched at everyone around them. Shredders dug into the necks, torsos, and limbs of the Rebels and screams filled the air. The Moxi descended and began to attack as well. Blood splattered about me and I dropped to the floor, crawling between legs and using my small size to my advantage. I shot a Cycoff and kicked another that tried to attack me. I dug my knife into the leg of a Moxi member, whom Mitzi shot after she found me again. She tried to say something, but I couldn't hear her amongst the gunfire and the pain filled yelling. I looked up and saw what she may have been trying to tell me. A familiar face. Fink Brewhether and the Cause took the place of the Moxi on the rooftops. Using ropes, they descended into the street and joined the fight. We were never going to get anywhere if we were stuck in the middle of this. Mitzi pulled me to an open sewer grate and I crawled inside. The rest of my group and a small team of Rebels waited and Joshua pulled the grate closed with his powerful metal arm.