10 Minute Tales

Apr 13th

Aurora struggled, focusing on digging her way back to the surface. Sentinel stopped the barrage, still glowering with his hatred.

"You are powerless." he growled. "Struggle as you wish, side with this inhuman as you desire, you will not be able to defeat me."

"Gh..." she grunted, struggling into a sitting position. The snow dwindled, drifting around her, settling down once again.

"Consider this your last chance. I am not afraid to destroy you permanently." he lowered his hand again. Snow whipped around it, quickly forming a large icicle as natural on him as his own arm. Queenson groaned, struggling to get up. He was barely able to roll onto his back before he had to stop, panting weakly for breath. Each breath hurt a little less, at least.

"You listen here, you broken-down hunk of junk..." Aurora huffed, staggering a little as she got to her feet. "I'm not... not afraid of you... not as much as you are of me..."

"A bold claim. Shall I demonstrate how inaccurate you truly are?" he hunched over slightly, the icicle raising to point at Aurora's torso. She steadied herself, panting softly, angry. Queenson sat up with a groan, causing Sentinel to glance over. "Curious." he commented. "I believed you would have succumbed to your injuries by now."

"I'm not..." he groaned, an arm falling back to support him. "Not a pushover. I just... need a little more time is all..."

"Time? Time for what?" Sentinel asked, the icicle drooping.

"Time for me to do something stupid." Aurora grinned. Before either of the two could reach, she brought the batteries out - one in each hand - and slammed them together as fast as she could. The batteries were designed to withstand this type of impact if a human attempted it, but at the speeds Aurora could summon, they smashed immediately. The chemicals within the batteries reacted to the air and the energy Aurora's clap provided was enough to spark a chemical reaction; the differing power levels caused a cataclysmic reaction, sparking a blue-tinted explosion to scorch a path through the air. Snow melted away as Aurora's frame was disintegrated, the crystals that formed her core shattering and scattering. Sentinel's frame was next, borne aloft by the force of the blast. Even if his body had survived the blast itself, Queenson would later regale, the energy in the explosion would have overwhelmed the crystal circuitry within his body. As perfect as it was, nothing could withstand the force of the lightning bolt that struck from all angles. Queenson was spared only because Sentinel's body took the brunt of the blast; even then, he was thrown bodily into the wall of the experience chamber, breaking one of the connections within it. The snowy landscape flickered erratically and faded, leaving Queenson and two piles of robotics in a dark, cold chamber.