War Robots: Springfield

2/4: Bright Ideas

The robot shook with impact, powerful hydraulics absorbing the impact. Eli's stomach caught in his throat, dropping back into its rightful place. With a hum his HUD came online, the Griffin's glass cockpit alight with technical information projected on the glass. The HUD, or heads-up-display, was a relatively new technology implemented by the TMC. The HUD was powered by cameras on the robot's exterior and would provide information like ammo count, armor integrity and, most importantly, enemy distance for targeting. An automatic targeting system meant less guesswork when aiming at the enemy. It was a powerful new tool.

“Form up, folks,” Commander Bright barked. “You know the drill. Unless anyone else has any bright ideas, I'll take point with the Griffins behind me. Adam and Eve will protect our friend in the Fury.”

Eli's heart jumped. He hadn't noticed the Fury in the hangar! The massive mobile artillery platform chugged along, carrying three Kang Dae cannons. That much artillery could allow the Fury to level a city block, or hold its own in a powerful firefight. The strange fact was that Eli knew more about the robot than the mysterious pilot inside. The rest of the squad, aside from Eli and Mathias, used Gl Pattons, the four-slot robots that made up much of America's current military.

They'd landed on the far side of the river, staring down into the reflection of the raging waters as they crashed through the dam's drainage tubes and flowed violently past the mining district.

One side was occupied by a lush farm, hexagonal fields of carefully curated crops and a cluster of massive grain silos. Only two bridges crossed the river into the mining district. They would be a critical bottleneck for our assault.

Mathias sighed happily.
“Time to go to work.”

One minute after landing, Eli's scanners picked up movement across the river.

Two minutes after landing, the first enemies were detected on the Griffin's scanners. Eli couldn't see what robots they were, but he knew what to expect.

Three minutes after landing, the first shots were fired, missiles arcing down towards Eli and his squad as they marched into one of the two bridges.

Four minutes. It took four minutes for Bright Squadron to reach the bridge to the mining district.

That was when the real battle began.

Eli felt the change in terrain under his Griffin's feet, the lush grass of the farmland giving way to the unforgiving steel and stone that made up the bridge. Missiles pounded the ground around Bright Squadron, tossing soil into the air in violent bursts. Eli grimaced as a few successful shots rattling him in his seat. His HUD flashed as his armor integrity decreased ever so slightly.

“If we keep moving they'll have a harder time hitting us!” Mathias shouted.

Commander Bright growled.
“Those cowards won't even leave cover to fight us! I wanted a real battle! Where's the challenge?”

All at once Eli's HUD was lit up with targeting information and the mining district was awash with green, Russian War Robots leaping out from behind buildings.

“You had to ask, didn't you, commander?” Adam sighed, sarcasm tingeing his voice.

“They were deactivated!” Eve shouted, panic evident in her voice. “Our targeting systems can't detect them unless they're powered up!”

A perfect ambush. Eli's panic was tinged with admiration. They'd been drawn in by the long-range artillery, and now their enemy was only the distance of the bridge from them and closing fast. Eli counted two Cossacks, two Rogatkas and a Vityaz, each packing firepower equal to their own.