Chapter Fifteen
The Best Of Plans
9:07 P.M...
Kat waited as Kim again sprayed the fire extinguisher. The K-99s' backup battery kicked in, and they powered up as the white cloud engulfed them a second time. The yellow-green Electrical Apparitions of the K-99s faded as the Knowing entered its third stage, and Kat saw a bright ghost-image of each of the K-99s that showed through the mist. She noticed the Team Leader and the two K-99s behind it raised their visors, so she carefully aimed and fired three times with uncanny accuracy, hitting the front K-99s in their kill spot.
"That one's empty," Kim said as she dropped the fire extinguisher and raced back to the second one.
Kat retreated with her. Kim picked up the second fire extinguisher and sprayed the remaining three K-99s, and she watched the middle one open its visor and that woman shoot it, dropping it. The last two K-99s stood frozen in place as they received data from their I-Link; it informed them the other four had been terminated.
After dropping the second empty fire extinguisher, Kim removed her gun as she yelled, "That's it on the spray!"
The two K-99s backed up several steps till they were clear of the mist and once the cloud dissipated, they saw the intruders heat signatures and had no need to raise their visors.
"They've adapted too soon!" Kat shouted as she removed the A.P.R. magazine from her pocket, ejected the regular one, cleared the chamber, and tossed the magazine to Kim. Kat inserted the new one as the Knowing's bright ghost-images faded along with the misty cloud. Her pupils retracted and returned to their normal greenish brown then beamed with blue Ult L-E. She fired once at the K-99 to her left, and the armor piercing round penetrated the visor and entered its weak spot. "Hurry!" Kat fired at the last one as she shouted, "Climb down!"
The K-99 turned its head slightly, and the bullet Kat fired, ricocheted off the metal visor. Kim holstered her gun, thinking this was the second time her weapon had been useless and maybe she needed to upgrade it. She placed the magazine Kat had thrown to her in her knapsack, hurried to the cliff's edge, and started down.
As the last dog bio-mecha charged and leaped, Kat took a step toward the edge, fired again, and this time the round penetrated its visor. She ducked as the K-99 jumped over her and the cliff, landing in a heap on the floor below. At the other end of the walkway, the hidden wall rumbled up, the elevator opened, and the other half of the pack rushed out, so she fired, taking out their Team Leader as the other five ran toward her. She tucked her gun and climbed down.
"Hurry!" she shouted to Kim who neared the bottom. "The other half is coming, and I'm down to four rounds."
Reaching the first level, Kim ran for the exit and five feet from the bottom, Kat jumped down and followed about a minute behind her.
The K-99s studied the height of the cliff, one of them jumped, and it landed hard but undamaged. The other four followed, and soon they pursued.
The two women ran through the sandy hall, through the concrete corridor, and to the door with the scanners. They entered the hallway with the blue pipes as Kat turned and fired, hitting one in its vulnerable spot. It collapsed to the floor about a hundred yards away, and the four remaining K-99s leaped over its body, continuing their pursuit. Kat backed up a few steps, fired twice, and struck one K-99, but the other one evaded her other shot.
"No, not another rogue!" Kat shouted as she turned and ran. "They've adapted again."
"What?" Kim was way ahead and paused at the corner.
"The one K-99 has evolved like the Rogue; it's able to dodge bullets!" Kat neared her.
Kimberly's view...
Hades... I'm trembling again as I see the three robot mutts closing in on that woman. I can't believe I'm acting this way. It's like I'm really afraid of them. I don't know what's behind my reactions, but I do know that I need to get out of here!
I run around the corner, shouting, "Well, use that Knowing thing on it."
End Kimberly's view...
"I can try, but I'm down to one round." Kat turned the corner.
"You better do something," Kim yelled over her shoulder as she controlled her urge to scream in fear. "Hades! They're gaining on us. We won't make it out."
"Right! Keep going!" Kat heard the fear in Kim's voice and was determined to save her, so she stopped about a hundred feet from the corner, turned, and waited for them to come around. Kat unslung her backpack, removed a screwdriver, knelt to one knee, and laid the tool beside her.
Kim glanced over her shoulder again and halted in her tracks. "What are you doing?"
"I'm buying you some time! So run!" Kat considered what she was about to do and shouted back, "Hey! You'll need your flashlight!"
"Right!" Kim removed it and started to run.
The three K-99s turned the corner, and Kat faced the pack as she muttered, "Come on! Come on! Kick in!" Her eyes dilated as the Knowing activated, sending an e-field pulse in all directions, and the lights in the area lost power and the K-99s shut down in their tracks.
Kim paused, turning her flashlight on. Kat switched on hers just as the K-99s fell over stiff as a day old corpse. Kat waited, knowing it was only a matter of time. She watched as their backup battery turned on, they powered up, and the three rose to their paws and looked around the dark area. Once they got their bearings, they charged. The ghost-images of the K-99s appeared, acting a second before the real ones did and Kat fired at the one in the lead and hit its weak spot.
"Keep running!" she yelled to Kim and watched the K-99 that she hit stumble, fall, and wipe out the two behind it, and the three landed in a heap.
Kimberly's view...
I run, thinking it's stupid the way I'm acting and then stop and turn. I'm running like some frightened rabbit. It's like that woman tricked me. She did some how; that woman wants me to owe her my life, and I can't have that. My fear vanishes as resentment replaces it. I'm not going to owe her anything!
I start toward her and shout, "I'm not going to let you save me! I can protect myself!"
"What are you doing?" she asks as she glances at me then turns her attention back to the pack. "Why are you coming this way?" She lays the empty gun down and picks up the screwdriver, holding it like a knife. "I said run! Get out of here! It's useless. There's nothing you can do."
"Shut up!" I aim at the K-99s. "Don't ever say something like that to me! I'm not useless!"
The last two K-99s lift from the heap and slowly stalk that woman as she grips the screwdriver and shouts, "I said it's useless, not that you're useless!"
"Oh..." I utter as my anger lessens but only a bit. "Well..." I notice the pipes running along the ceiling and ask, "Can these things swim?"
"No, they're not waterproof."
"Great! I can finally do something!" I fire, emptying my magazine along the pipes in front of the K-99s. "See," I whisper. "I'm not useless."
The pipes rupture and spray water on them, the K-99s jolt in place as electricity surges through their bodies, and they collapse to the floor.
"That was amazing!" that woman utters as she stands, grabs her things, hurries down the hall, and joins me where I stand as she looks at me with admiration. She's like a little girl looking up at her big sister who has just saved her from an angry stray dog, and that woman reiterates, "Really, that was amazing."
"I know," I say, trying to sound boastful, but instead I slightly blush as I receive the compliment. That woman seems sincere about it as she looks at me with her wonder-filled eyes, and for a few moments, I think I'm looking at a kid. I turn away, so she doesn't see me blush. I don't brush off the compliment since it has come from the Pandora Project who has great skill in her own right, but I also can't let that woman know I appreciate the praise, so I act irritated as I glance at her screwdriver, inquiring, "What were you going to do? Were you going to dismantle the tin mongrels before they chewed your arm off?"
"That's funny–" she chuckles and says, "–
but no."
Surprised by her reaction, I speak, "I believe that's the first time I've seen you laugh." I eject my empty magazine and insert the one she tossed to me earlier.
"It has been a long time." She glances over her shoulder, making sure nothing pursues us. "I can't believe you saved me. I thought you only looked out for yourself."
"Well, don't get used to it; it must have been a lapse in judgment. Anyway... I didn't want to owe your dead corpse anything. I might feel bad for a few hours." I start down the hall. "Or a least a few minutes. Come on. Let's go back to my apartment."