Invading the Past

Chapter 05: Confrontation

The pounding steps of the mechanical army were softened as they crossed between times and left behind the metal flooring of the staging area and entered the grass covered plains where the conflict was being fought.

The droids were fast and agile, their movements smooth, powerful, and precise. Despite their size, they dodged and weaved between the combatants with the skill of a dancer. Laser weapons rose out of concealed pockets in their upper forearms and hit every target they fired upon with pinpoint accuracy, cutting through metal, leather, and flesh with beams of cyan colored light.

Colin lifted the remains of the shattered droid he still gripped in his claw hand, using it for a shield, the reinforced alloy of the droid blocking most of the incoming fire. The first ranks of the defenders were not as fortunate and were cut to pieces in seconds by the initial attack wave. As the casualties increased, Colin quickly found himself alone on the front lines with greater and greater numbers of enemies focusing on him.

Hooking a flat lever on his left forearm with a specially designed hook on the underside of his right arm, Colin opened a valve to increase pressure to the leg pistons of his armor. In a jump punctuated by an enveloping cloud of white vapor, Colin launched himself from the ground and took to the skies. He came down closer to his own forces, landing on a droid with his claws extended to sever the machine's head from its body. Sparks and hydraulic fluid spilled from the broken machine as it collapsed.

"Fredric!" Colin shouted as he closed the valve on his armor. "Fire the artillery!"

From behind the armored ranks of the townsfolk Colin and Fredric had recruited to defend their homeland, a series of steam bursts launched white clouds into the sky as pressure cannons fired in sequence. Red sticks landed among the combat droids, but the robots had never seen dynamite before and didn't know it was a threat until the fuses burned down and detonated. Pieces of flaming debris showered the battlefield on smoking trails.

The fight suddenly stopped when the defenders realized no more droids had come through the portal. Colin looked through the open gateway into the future and saw many ranks of robotic warriors still waiting to be deployed, but none of them were moving. Standing at the front of the mechanical formation was a human, Travis Wellner. The head of the Zelen Corporation watched calmly, his face an unreadable mask. Turning around, Travis calmly clasped his hands behind his back as he walked away. A nod of his head to someone outside Colin's visual range caused the portal to deactivate and snap closed.

A rousing cheer rose from the defenders as the battle appeared to have been won. Colin remained cautiously reserved.

"Why aren't you celebrating?" Fredric asked. "We've driven back an army and won the day!"

"This wasn't an army," Colin denied as he pulled loose from his armor. "It was only a private security force, and the total numbers were limited as they still needed some to defend their holdings in the future. Other corporations have android defense forces of their own and wouldn't hesitate to strike at them should they appear vulnerable. Another reason for the attack not being at full strength is because they weren't expecting such heavy resistance."

"Do you know how many people we lost in this fight?" Fredric questioned. "If this wasn't at full power, how can we possibly stop an actual army?"

"I have a plan," Colin admitted. "Since they will need to build and deploy their own military, we have time to prepare our defenses."

"I don't think defenses are going to do it," Fredric denied. "Their forces were too powerful as is, and if they send in an actual army, we won't stand a chance."

"They do hold advantages in that they don't have to invent anything," Colin agreed. "They already have manufacturing facilities in place and ready to begin production. Also, they have the ability to attack wherever and whenever they choose. If they invade in a different part of the world, they will meet little to no resistance, and it will be much harder to dislodge them once they've established a foothold."

"You're full of good news," Fredric grumbled.

"As I said, I do have a plan," Colin reminded, lifting his goggles and resting them on his forehead. "As long as the corporation is intact, they will continue to send forces here to invade, so the most logical conclusion would be to take them down."

"Are you suggesting we invade their time?" Fredric queried.

"I don't think they'd be expecting it," Colin confirmed. "Also, any damage done to their manufacturing ability in the future would slow their attacks here."

"If they have defenses to hold off strike forces from other companies, similar to the one we faced, their headquarters has to be heavily guarded," Fredric pointed out. "Breaking past their lines will be incredibly difficult. Do you have some innovations to assist in this?"

"I do," Colin said with a knowing smile. "Something we can use to our advantage is the divided and antagonistic society of the future where I come from. Rival companies hate each other and will openly attack and destroy competitors if the situation presents an opportunity to do so. If we damage their ability to protect themselves and their interests enough..."

"The enemy companies will take over and finish the job," Fredric concluded.

"Quite right," Colin agreed. "To properly defend this time, we'll need to ensure every city and nation is upgraded with new innovations, weapons, and defenses because when the attack comes, I want all people prepared to repel them forcefully."

"There are those who may misuse the technology you're providing," Fredric warned.

"True," Colin accepted. "But, we know what will happen if we don't take action. If they want humanity to avoid spending the rest of its existence in chains, they'll help us. It's their only chance. This fight will stretch over the entire world and across centuries, and it's only getting started."