EarthFall

Chap 28. Knightmares.

They spent a few minutes trying to muscle the door open. Carson still didn't know how exactly it worked, it didn't seem to have any hinges...

Suddenly it popped off in one piece, clattering to the ground and revealed some sort of laboratory. There was broken equipment scattering the ground.

Carson jumped out and looked around the room.

It was undeniably Titan. An all too familiar world of stainless steel. HUD seemed to have an endless supply of metal, and built a vast grid network of boxes and hallways on top of Saturn's moon, instead of underground, like Mars.

He had remembered it was cold, from when he was little, but he had forgotten just how bone wrenching it really was. He shivered. He could see his breath. He turned around and looked at his Crew.

"I never thought..." Cornelius began.

"Get it together. We're here. Let's move quickly." Tucker said. But he didn't move. None of them did.

Doc eventually stepped out of the cockpit and remarked on the broken equipment.

"What a wasteful way to send a message."

Suddenly Maia rolled out of the ship and extended her spokes, raising herself up to nearly eye level.

"I... want to come with you... this time."

Doc flinched slightly but regained his composure.

Carson shared a glance with his crew members. They just shrugged.

"Ok. But stay close. Abel, you've spent the most time here, why don't you lead the way? We need to get to the intelligence bridge. The communications center. That's where Hail will be, most likely."

"Who is... Hail...?" Maia asked.

"He's a white haired, bionic armed, fat piece of shit. And he runs this place." Abel said simply. Before Carson could respond.

"I... see..." Maia glowed softly.

"They are... sending men... lots of them... along with something called... Abel? What's a sentinel? I'm reading the reports but I don't have... visual on them yet..."

"Bad news." Abel replied.

Abel shouldered his rifle and took off at a dead sprint.

"What are those? I... Can hear them... but... they are... not right..." Maia asked as they sprinted. She rolled beside them, spokes scratching the steel floor as she spun to keep up with them.

Then, they heard it. Howling. It was coming from all around them.

"FUCK!" Cornelius panicked.

"Move!" Abel sprinted faster. They rounded a corner, and got the drop on a small watch force of 6 men. Phase rifles burst and Doc's relic barked. They shot them down in less than a second and sprinted on, but the howling grew closer.

They came to a door, but the access code flashed red.

"Fuck!"

"Try Talson's codes!"

The hallway behind them suddenly filled with moving shadows. They were close.

"It worked!" The door slid open.

They rushed in and tried to close it. It wouldn't budge. The howling grew louder.

"On to the next one!"

The next door opened, and they ran through. But it wouldn't close either. The shadows grew closer. They were right behind them...

"Next one!" Carson shouted. He made it 10 feet before looking back to see Abel, fiddling with the wires of the doorframe. The Sentinels filled the hallway they had just come from. Dozens of them. They bared their black, metal grafted teeth, and dashed straight for their group. Carson raised his rifle...