Hunter's Moon

Chapter 18

            The fighting arena was a barricaded off area measuring approximately nine square feet. The barricades themselves were dual-layer stacks of two by fours standing three and a half feet high, they were fastened to each other in a manner that provided the arena a hexagon shape. At opposite sides of the arena where the participants would stand, controlling the robots, were two booths.

            The rest of the room was a cluttered disaster with numerous tables and desks filled with robots, half-built robots or parts for robots. There were shelves all throughout the warehouse type room, all filled with various states of mechanical debris. A couple of tables off to the side of the arena had already been cleared when the group entered for the group to sit and watch when they weren't competing.

            The two robots charged each other. One had a spinning buzzsaw mounted vertically in the front, trying to ram into its opponent. The opposing robot had what looked like a catapult sitting on top of it.

            When the two collided, the saw connected with the steel frame of Catapult Bot. The spinning saw whined as it tried vainly to slice the harder material. Catapult Bot, when Saw Bot hit its front pressure plate, triggered the weapon on top of it. As a result, a heavy sledgehammer head came smashing down on top of Saw Bot. Sparks flew and Catapult Bot backed up. The sledgehammer head started reeling back into place for a second strike.

            “Oh, you're going to get it now.” TJ said, holding the remote control for Saw Bot, he looked across the robot arena to where Taylor was controlling Catapult Bot. Her response was to laugh and ram her robot back into TJ's immobile Saw Bot, activating the sledgehammer smash once more. The buzzsaw stopped spinning altogether and smoke started emanating from the defunct robot.

            “Yeah, this round goes to the girls,” Charlie, playing referee, announced. They had split up into two teams of three. Matthew, Xavier, and TJ versus Juli, Taylor, and Ed. They were taking turns going against each other, so long as the prototypes lasted. “Next up, Juli and Matthew.”

            Taylor moved away from the edge of the arena and set the remote down on the shelf she'd gotten it from. Juli was picking out another robot at random. “Good luck,” Taylor said.

            “Thanks!” Juli said.

            Taylor walked over to a table where Ed was sitting. She sat down and Ed nodded to her. “So, apparently my girl went against my advice and professed her undying affection for you?”

            Taylor laughed. “Yeah. 'Undying affection'? Wow. I don't think it's quite so severe. I mean what happened isn't exactly normal.”

            Ed's face went sour. “You don't think it's normal for a woman to profess feelings for another woman?”

            “No. Oh, wait, no that's not what I was referring to,” Taylor corrected herself. “Just the fact that her feelings may not be coming from a natural . . . uh, that doesn't any sound better. What I mean . . .”

            “You're talking about the eye contact thing. Happened to her and me as well.” Ed said.

            “Wait, what?” Taylor was surprised. “How long has this been going on?”

            “Far as I know only three times. You, last night. Me, yesterday at lunch. And the first time was the night before when she made eye contact with some freak in the dance club. She saw a glimpse of the future, saw herself leaving the club with him, and then he vamped out on her and killed her . . . in the vision that is, drained her blood.”