Artificial

Breakout

Ex-Hunter Katya

I push the breaching charge into the wall, unfolding the flaps until it forms a square with round edges. I look back at Riot, who gives me a solemn nod and raises a machine gun. I squeeze the detonator, and the wall erupts. When the smoke clears, a sinister maw of crumbling concrete and bent steel is all that remains in the charge's place. Through the hole, I can make out Operator Evo, chained to a chair. I carefully clamber through the smoking puncture, cut him loose, and walk with him to the breach. Riot helps us into the dropship, and we begin flying toward the other side of the base.
"Here, bro," Riot begins as he tosses Evo a bag. "I figured you wouldn't want her to see you busting her out in prison garb."
A smile crosses the AI's synthetic face, and he and Riot exchange in a half-hug, each wrapping one arm around the other's shoulder and patting each other on the back.
"Thanks, bro."
"Don't mention it. You'd do the same for me."
The bulky soldier starts to strip out of the orange jumpsuit, and Riot and I turn away.
I never knew how poor my self-control was until I found myself looking over my shoulder.
The now disrobed android is a mass of matte black cords that at first looks chaotic and tangled, but, upon further inspection, it is revealed that each cord is meticulously placed, woven to simulate the perfect human physique, only... better. He pulls a pair of combat pants over his legs, and drapes a woodland camouflage tank top over his smooth, defined shoulders. Suddenly, he looks me dead in the eyes.
"If Vel caught you staring at me like that, you'd be dead before you hit the ground."
Gulp.
"And you really shouldn't stare at people you hardly know while they're changing, even if they're as interesting as I look."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Don't let it happen again. I'm taken."
My gaze drops to the floor as the dropship continues circling the base.
"We're approaching the depot now," the pilot announces.
"Vel should be on her way," Riot adds. "Katya knows a sympathizer inside, he should've let her out and told her where to go."
We swing around to the depot, and see Vel come sprinting out of the main building, desperately fighting off guards as she tries to escape.
"There any weapons on this bucket?" Evo asks as he begins rooting through the ship's cargo hold.
"There's a twenty-mil PAR in the back," the pilot answers. "But I don't have a frame for you to use it with."
I lean over to Riot.
"A what?"
"A twenty-millimeter Power Armor Rifle," he whispers. "It's basically a shoulder mounted anti-tank cannon, but it's meant to be used with power armor."
"That won't be necessary," Evo answers, his jaw set in grim determination. He picks up the beast of a weapon, which looks like an oversized magazine-fed sniper rifle, and walks past me to the open door. He delicately wraps his fingers around the charging handle at the weapon's rear right side, then yanks back with great force. I watch as a massive bullet rises from the magazine into the chamber as Evo lets the bolt return forward. He raises the cannon to his shoulder and peers down the scope, his upper body adjusting to account for the swaying of the ship, the weapon perfectly steady. With a slow, steady trigger squeeze, he fires the weapon. Fire and smoke erupt from the front and sides of the muzzle, and the raw force generated by the shot is enough to stagger me. A massive spent bullet shell ejects from the side and clatters to the floor at my feet, and Riot sweeps it off the ship's floor with the side of his foot. Evo continues firing, and I watch, awestruck by the inhuman precision he's capable of.
Operator Velox practically floats across the depot, dodging and vaulting any obstacles on her path. Soldiers stand in her way, but all fall before they reach her. A rifleman shoulders his weapon, only for Evo to pull the trigger and send it flying from his hands. He tries to draw his sidearm, but Velox is already upon him. She springs off of a crate, pouncing on the soldier. He finally frees his pistol from its holster, only for the fearsome Operator to render him unconscious with a single punch. She continues her incessant advance, vaulting over a railing to see a firing squad of three assailants taking aim. She rolls to the side, ducking behind a shipping container as bullets begin to pound against it. Evo stops the hail of fire with three headshots in rapid succession, showing no regard for recoil or human limitation. He checks his weapon, and finds the bolt locked open. He removes the magazine, tossing it off the side of the ship. He turns to me.
"Need ammo."
"Oh! Of course," I respond as I jog to the munitions crate. I pick up one of the magazines only to struggle with the weight. I'd like to think I'm pretty strong, but moving just one of these takes effort. I'm able to carry the dense munitions to him, where he easily takes it from me with one hand and secures it into the back of the weapon. He slaps the bolt down, releasing the lock and sending it forward once more. He aims the cannon once again, and fires five more impossibly accurate shots as we near the end of the depot. I hand him another magazine, and he reloads as the ship swings around to the end of the platform, where Velox is rapidly approaching. She leaps from the edge, but doesn't get the distance she needs, her arms slapping down on the ship floor as her stomach slams against the side of it. Evo leans down to offer a hand, but she's already climbing up using pure upper body strength. As soon as she gains her footing, she charges into Evo like a rhino, causing him to stumble back into the wall. Her arms wrap around his waist, and she buries her face in his chest. She shows no intention of letting go. He smiles, then lets out a short chuckle.
"I'm happy to see you, too," he whispers, barely audible, as he strokes her hair.
Riot taps Evo on the shoulder, and points to a group of pilots exiting the base.
A pursuit force.
"Hey, bro?"
"I see them," he responds calmly, his smile still unwavering.
"Katya, would you be a dear and get Vel some hearing protection?"
"O-of course!"
I turn and grab a pair of protective headphones off of the wall, then run over and secure them over Operator Velox's ears.
"Get clear," Evo orders, and I get behind him.
The moment I do, he opens fire. Four shots ring out, one after the other, so loud I can feel it in my chest. Four shells rattle against the steel floor, giving off the slightest trail of smoke. Four dropships have their canopies painted blood red, courtesy of Operator Evo. He removes his forward hand from the weapon, repurposing it to embrace Operator Velox. The cannon rests at his side, his finger carefully removed from the trigger.
"Babe, I'm more than happy to let you keep doing what you're doing, but you gotta loosen your grip," he informs. "You're gonna bend one of my ribs."
"Oh, sorry," she responds, blushing as her tense arms loosen their hold. "I'm just... so glad you're here, you know?"
"The feeling's mutual, I assure you," he replies with a smile.
The pilot brings the romantic moment to a grinding halt.
"There's one more!"
"Vel, take my hand," Evo orders urgently, quickly jumpstarting the romance once more.
She does as she is told, looking deeply into Evo's eyes.
"I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that?"
She suddenly seizes his shirt in her hands, pulling him into a passionate kiss.
"Always," she answers. "I'll always find the strength to help you. You can count on that."
"God, I love you," he responds, pressing his lips against hers once again. "Now grab that bar above your head and don't drop me."
"Okay!"
She reaches up and secures a firm grip on the bar above the door, and Evo leans outside at a near-forty-five-degree angle, facing the rear of the craft. I watch in astonishment as Operator Velox's body bursts to life, the well-defined muscles in her arms, back, and shoulders straining to keep Evo in place. Calmly, Evo pulls the cannon into his shoulder one-handed. There's a pause, and the tension is palpable. Worries are flying through my head at light speed.
Will Evo land the shot?
Is Velox strong enough to hold him?
Are we gonna get out of this alive?
I step toward Velox to help, but Riot holds me back.
"Don't. She's got this."
As I look again at her, I see that he's right. Although it looks like she's being pushed to her absolute limit, her jaw is set in confident determination. She's driven. God himself couldn't take Evo from her.
The cannon goes off, and Vel begins pulling Evo in with near-supernatural might. They collapse on the floor, at which point Evo pounces on Velox and they begin a graphic display of affection the likes of which could make a teenage fanfiction writer blush. Turning away, Riot holds my hand as I lean out the door, trying to ignore my racing heart as I watch the enemy ship chasing us. Suddenly, the glass of the cockpit goes crimson, and it falls to the ground like a bag of rocks.
Then, looking past it, I see the depot, where soldiers gather and fire useless shots from their rifles.

A tear runs down my cheek.

"What's wrong?" Riot asks, in the caring tone I love to hear.
"This is it," I respond. "No going back. My home..." I trail off, trying my best not to lose my composure completely. "...wants me dead," I finally finish.
"Hey, isn't this what you wanted?"
"Y-yes, but—"
"But nothing! Trust me, Katya. It's always better to look for the good to come than dwell on our mistakes and our past. Be hopeful, not regretful."
"I'm trying," I reply, wiping my face. "But it's hard. Home is all I've ever known."
"Well, then get ready to see a whole new solar system."
We both stare out the door, refusing to acknowledge the love-fest going on behind us. He taps me on the shoulder, and hands me a pair of headphones. I take them, and he puts on his own pair. He taps his wrist, and a song begins to play. Two melodic guitars are calming, and go perfectly with the light drumbeat. The singer joins in, and begins singing about leaving the past behind and embracing today, and I lean against Riot. Not only does he not stop me, he slings his arm around me, and rubs my shoulder a few times. As the dropship takes me further from home, and find myself relaxing more and more.