Powered Individuals

Chapter 9 - Taking Down the Iron Giant 2.0

You know that movie about the kid and the giant metal robot? That's what this thing was like, except it was about a billion times worse and didn't seem too nice. We ran at it full force, yelling battle cries of our own while the giant roared at us. Any more roaring and I was afraid my ears would start bleeding.

Ruby found and punched and kicked its weak spots while Tristan stabbed at it a couple times with his knives. I stood back and tried to assess how it worked.

There were many spots where the monster creaked and shuddered, and other places where the wood and metal met that weren't screwed together so well. They were striking in all the wrong places.

"Guys!" I called to them. "Fall back, you're not hitting the right places."

It didn't do anything and they ended up getting smacked away. Time stopped and in an instant we were back where we had been at the beginning: staring down the monster about thirty feet away from us. I turned to look at the other two quickly.

"We need to look at the weaknesses before going all in," I reasoned. The monster started toward us and we didn't have much time. "Try to find where he seems to be damaged already. Don't get in an easy position for him to strike. Stay under his arms or around his legs."

Just then, a shadow loomed over us and we looked up to see a metal foot coming down. We scattered and made it out by a hair. Surprisingly, the other two followed my directions.

When I picked myself up, Ruby was going for the elbows and slashing there while Tristan stayed around the legs, appearing and disappearing to distract it. Then I realized they were keeping an opening for me to climb up the monster and tap a button. I got a running start and hooked my hands and feet into nooks in the monster, climbing higher until I reached the shoulders.

This thing was scarier up close. I could feel the heat from the inside radiating off of him and I started to sweat. In front of me lay a big red button. I peered around the neck of the monster and saw a blue button on the other side, and the top of the head sprouted a yellow button.

I inwardly groaned and jumped on the red button. Time stopped and then I was back on the ground staring down the monster with Tristan and Ruby next to me. They shared a confused look and then I facepalmed.

"I hit the wrong button!" I exclaimed. They looked at me and I explained. "I made it to the top and there were three buttons: blue, red and yellow. I hit the red one and apparently that was the wrong one." I was mad now. This was infuriating.

"Calm down, we'll get it this time," Ruby said. I shook my head and focused on the fiery opponent.

We followed the same things we did before and I got back up to the top. I stepped around the red button and was almost shaken off as the monster bellowed. I started my climb up the head and reached the top. I was sure that my eyebrows were singed off from the smokestack, but nevertheless I slammed my hands down on the yellow button. Time froze and we were back on the ground again.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Tristan yelled. I was as frustrated as he was, and it seemed like Ruby was the only one who still had her shit together.

"Third time's a charm," I muttered as the monster came at us.

——

Turns out it wasn't. I had climbed up there and over the head to the blue button and then I pressed it, but we were back on the ground again. This time, Ruby was angry along with Tristan and I. I tried the red button again, but we were stopped once again. I tried the yellow and then the blue another time but it didn't work. It seemed like we were running in circles and we were all getting incredibly tired.

"We might as well just hit all of them at once for any work!" I screamed at the sky as the monster roared for the hundredth time. Ruby's head perked up and she whipped her gaze over to me.

"That's it," she said. A rare smile grew on her face and I was sure that she was going insane. I didn't blame her. "We have to press them all at once. There's one for every person here, right? Zoe, you go up first and stand by the red button. Tristan you go up after her and stand by the yellow button. I'll distract him long enough for me to climb up and go to the blue button. I'll count to three and then we all hit them at the same time. Pay attention, or else we'll have to do it again."

I was a little taken aback by her rough plan, but I was tired so I went with it. I climbed up the monster for the millionth time and held on near the red button. After a second or two, I saw Tristan climbing up and latching himself to the monster's head. He flashed me the thumbs up and we waited for Ruby.

Thirty seconds passed and then I saw Ruby climbing up the front of the monster. She was pressing herself as close to it as she could so that the flying hand didn't knock her off and we would start over. I closed my eyes when she almost got hit, but then I heard Tristan yell out happily.

I faintly heard Ruby yell "THREE!" and then I pressed my whole body to the button. Time stopped and I was sure that we had screwed up again when my eyes abruptly opened and I was in the training room again.

When Ruby opened her eyes, she bolted out of the room and left us behind to eat her dust. Sebastian was grinning smugly and staring at me and Tristan. We shared a look and then got up, not even thanking Seb for the session.

"Oh come on!" Sebastian called from the room as we went out to the hallway. "Not even a thank you?"

"No way! You made us fight a stupid-ass monster for three hours, you're glad we didn't try to fight you," I yelled back. I could feel fatigue come over me from the mental workout, and then I realized that, for once, we worked as a pretty good team.

Tristan and I walked to the boys' hallway where he bid me a goodnight. I groggily waved at him and made my way to my own room.

I didn't know what time it was, but it was dark outside and Winter was fast asleep when I came into the room. I didn't bother changing out of my clothes and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

But I wished that I had stayed awake.