Wonder World: Ignition

Impact

Abandoned Warehouse, Cannery District

New Olympus, WA

16 May, 17:22 Pacific Time

"Damn this guy hits hard," John thought as the massive mechanical fist slammed into his chest, sending him sailing across the roof. The hulking clock-bot had kept up a relentless assault, and John could barely leave a dent in its interwoven latticework of brass armor. It's spherical core ticked ominously as it lumbered forward, its cold blue eyes glaring remorselessly down at John. It took another heavy swing, but John rolled underneath the blow before throwing a mighty uppercut. His fist ripped into the tangle of gears just bellow the beast's shoulder, sending scraps of metal flying.

"I've got you now," John shouted as his fingers dug deep into the clock-bot's joint. He could feel the metal bending as his muscles strained. "Come on!" he yelled, and the brass finally gave in, screeching as he ripped the arm clean off. John sidestepped the counterattack, then swung the severed arm in mighty arc that caught the clock-bot in the chin. The beast toppled backwards with a tremendous crash. "Now," John panted with his hands on his knees, "stay ... down."

Tires screeched behind him as two black sedans skidded to a halt in front of the warehouse. A door swung open and Langley stepped out, looking pissed. "What the fuck is this, Mars?" he started to say. "We explicitly tell you not to pull this kind of shit and then ..."

WHAM! John's vision flashed white as he was sent flying forward, tumbling off the warehouse before crashing through the roof of a smoldering cop car. Everything was blurry and his ears were ringing. Through his hazy vision he saw the silhouette of the clock-bot standing triumphantly above him. There was the crack of gunfire from somewhere behind him, but the bullets just ricocheted harmlessly off the armor. The ticking core flashed with electric blue light as tendrils of metal snaked outwards, wrapping themselves around the dismembered arm and slowly stitching it back into place.

"How do I stop this thing?" John asked himself in disbelief. A crowd had started to gather, cell phones panning from him to the automaton, exclaiming in excited voices. "Get these people back, Langley! I'll handle this thing," he ordered. For once, Langley didn't argue with him. All he had to do now was figure out how to bring down the self-repairing giant robot. "Stay calm, one thing at a time," he told himself. He hauled himself out of the wreckage of the police cruiser, his ribs aching.

The massive clock-bot lurched forward and jumped from the roof, slamming into the parking lot with an earth-shaking crash. John heard screaming behind him. The civilian's excitement had turned to panic as the behemoth started to approach. John placed himself squarely in its path.

"You want them? You gotta go through me!" he shouted. Someone cheered behind him. The clock-bot lowered its shoulder and rumbled forward, gaining speed as it approached. John clenched his fists and charged, tackling the robot around the waist with all his strength. But it wasn't enough. The clock-bot stopped him dead in his tracks, slowly forcing him backwards. His feet were slipping, he couldn't hold it back much longer. "If I fail, they all die," John thought as he heard panicked yells and running footsteps behind him. His arms shook with exhaustion as he fought with all his strength against the machine. "I'm losing!" he realized in panic. In an instant he was back at another warehouse in another country, the fear of failure about to overwhelm him. He thought about Burns and the three kids he left behind, about how they had only ever found pieces of Reilly. A horrified scream brought him back to reality. "These people are counting on me!" he realized with a start. He wasn't about to die here. Not when there was more good he could do. Not while there were people counting on him. "I will not fail!" he told himself, his fear turning into iron resolve. "Not again. Not this time!"