Beyond Light

Combat Engagement.

Silence dominated. All troops and vehicles were on position, sensitive at every trace of movement, but nothing came out of the hexagonal tunnel of litmus purple.

“I’m not receiving any enemy lectures,” said Derek. “Maybe no one's home?”

“Maybe they’ve got some inhibitors,” said a soldier. “just like the Beyond Light.”

It was possible. John sent a scanning wave through his mech, but the red wave could not mark the shape of anything. Maybe those robots weren’t hostile. Could they be opening the doors of their home? He would have thought that if he knew that no one was that gentle.

But they couldn’t play passively. “Drone Recon Unit 1, get into the hole. Check for hostiles on the perimeter inside.”

One of the spiderish machines of four propulsors let out a confirming beep and flew to the tunnel. John connected to its cameras. A square on his layout showing the drone’s POV appeared.

“Stop hiding, come at Doctor Winslow and his pups…” mumbled Heinrich.

The drone approached the entrance of the six meters tall hexagonal gate. The tunnel descended vertically, the five walls around the floor shining with tiny blue lights. Some mini bays fitting for drones were on the ceiling, installed among the purplish silver metal.

“Nothing so far,” whispered John. “Keep going on, Unit 1."

The machine descended, its light laser weapon ready. But as soon as it crossed the edge of the door, an intense, red eye of light appeared, as if a combat laser aimed at the camera. The screen dazzled, and all connections died. Only distorted static remained.

Everyone then shook; a red laser dazzled from the metallic tunnel against the sky, followed by the thundering of an explosion.

“What the hell?” cursed everyone around.

“Possible enemy contacts,” said Derek. "Be ready, everyone..."

“We aren’t alone here, after all…” said Doctor Winslow. “And I was getting bored.”

“Keep quiet,” ordered John. The rumbles intensified. It was as if something heavy was marching inside the metallic interiors of the tunnel.

He took a step ahead, his shield ready to be deployed and his weapons to fire. But light blazed as he barely moved.

“Enemy spotted!” yelled a soldier, and weapons were raised. Various two-legged robotic units jumped out of the hexagon, their single eyes burning red.

John’s visor got bombarded by blood-colored light as muffled whistles impacted him. His shield counter percentage quickly decreased. He activated his static energy shield; a circular, transparent barrier appeared on his arm; reflecting light and giving out rainbow colors.

“Fire at will!” cried Derek. Kinetic bullets, explosive projectiles, and plasma beams rained on the machines. John rotated his cannons and unleashed fire.

But boiling water sounds were made. An invisible barrier protected the robots. They bent their legs and continued shooting laser beams. The soldiers ran to taker cover and the V99m’s made evasive maneuvers as their cannons fired.

“How frickin' many are them?” complained Derek. Three robots ran out of shields and exploded in lilac-colored clouds. “It’s working! Foes down!”

“I’ve counted two dozens. Keep your fire up!” responded Doctor Winslow, his V99m zigzagging forth and back. John’s energy barrier gleamed and shot steam away; it was about to fail.

“Something’s coming outta there!” screamed a soldier.

The rumbling steps intensified; John saw something rivaling the size of his Paladin: a mechanical creature of four bent legs that resembled a tailless apatosaurus, made of the same purplish-white material as the biped robots around it. Its dinosaur head counted with three red eyes, and its towering size reached nine meters tall. Its sides were cramped with apertures and other weapon bays.

“Damn it! Fall back” cursed a soldier.

The humans focused fire on the giant beast, but an invisible barrier around it protected its body from all impacts, the air around distorting in purple shine. Two hexagonal pods spread from its main body, and rain of purple lasers was directed at them.

“Get cover!” ordered John.

The artificial dinosaur looked up and focused fire on a Firefly. A combined lilac beam screamed at it, and its shields broke in electrifying sparks after one second. A blue explosion of lightning covered the VTOL, and then fire and smoke engulfed its obliterated hull.

“I’ve been hit! No controls! Mayday! Mayday!” screamed its pilot as the ship rotated on itself as it fell. It hit the right wall of the canyon and unleashed an explosion, making giant boulders and uncountable dust splash and thunder. Marksmen from Team Alpha screamed and fell with them as their support was gone.

“We’re taking casualties, let's do something, Commander!" yelled Derek, everyone else still concentrated on the remaining biped robots or the dinosaur.

More red and purple lasers and kinetic rounds flew through the canyon. John growled; with the tinier units distracted, his mechanical legs jogged, and he lounged at the giant machine o’war. A din rumbled as the shields of his Paladin met the Dinosaur's, collapsing in a multicolor energy wave.

John squeezed his three-fingered crane hand and grabbed himself from the machine's contracting neck, trying to put the superadvanced beast down.

“Don’t let the bastard go!” screamed Heinrich as both quarreled. John raised his hydraulic claw and punched the machine so badly on its torso, making a dented hole on its hull.

But the machine fought back; a lilac electrical wave emanated through it, and the Paladin’s systems froze.

“Damn. EMP!” yelled John. “I’m stuck!”

All screens emanated corrupted data and static, its systems beeping in the color red. The mech refused to move no matter how hard he tried. The alien robot then elongated its four retractile legs, giving it the shape of a daddy-long-legs spider, and whacked John’s Paladin so hard that it flew like a ragdoll against the rocky wall behind. Boulders splashed and buried him.

“Give the Commander cover!” yelled Derek. “Take this, you b***h!”

The four V99m’s of damaged shields made a formation and unleashed plasma at the transformable giant. It tried to run away through the hexagonal entrance, but the focused fire of all the human forces in the canyon annihilated its shields and tore through its body like a hot knife through butter.

It sent beeped strongly for a second, its four legs twitching uncontrollably as smoke and fire adorned it. One second after, and it was reduced to ashes with a lilac explosion. Various robot units blew up alongside it.

“C’mon, work, you piece of…” cursed John, the Paladin making wonky movements as he tried to get it up.

It eventually responded, and the systems returned to normality. He pushed the boulders away to get up. His depleted shields shot sparks, and there were some dents on the mech’s hull, but no serious damage.

The fire didn't stop; the few remaining biped robots hid their legs inside their boxy bodies, and propulsors came from their bottom bellies as they turned into drones. They shot lasers as they retreated into the hexagonal tunnel.

“That’s it! Runaway, bastards!” screamed Doctor Winslow.

“Commander, we’ve taken casualties,” informed Derek. “We lost a firefly and some soldiers from Team Alpha.”

“We’ll have our time to get even,” John sauntered towards the hexagonal tunnel. His shield percentage began to rise up again. “C’mon, Bravo, we don’t have time to lose. Alpha, get the Tortoises down here on the canyon. Those bastards won’t stand a chance against them.”

“Roger that, Commander,” the pilot from the Firefly left responded. “requesting an extra air support unit from the Beyond Light on orbit.”

John nodded, and moved to the hexagonal tunnel, the drones, V99m’s, and ground troops going behind him.

Their HUDs adjusted the illumination for optimal identification. The artificial tunnel was of no known human assembly; various strange symbols were carved on the metallic walls. They were Like Japanese or Chinese kanji or hanzi, except more geometrical and round, resembling more Korean hangul if one could give them a human counterpart. They looked more like hieroglyphics to John.

“Alright, Everyone’s inside,” said Derek. “Alpha’s got the Tortoises covering our backs.”

“Nice job,” said John. He went further, and they began to descend the giant ramp of obscure finishes.

“Look ahead, enemy contact!” yelled a soldier.

Five-legged robots appeared from the perpendicular tunnel ahead, their sidepods shooting additional lasers. Behind them, two new robot units appeared: two white balls with a single red eye and no extremities.

“Open fire,” ordered Joh, shooting his 5'5mm light cannon as he advanced, absorbing damage for his troops behind.

The legged units bombarded them with focus lasers; the spheres rolled and got adhered to the walls, moving on them faster than insects. Both signaled a V99m with purple lasers and shot rockets The vehicle exploded, sending troops behind away.

“We’ve got a vehicle casualty,” said Derek. Fire rained from both sides.

John raised the right arm of the mechs and focused both spheres with his 14u plasma cannons; two bolts of ionized power dazzled, and both robotic balls exploded. The legged units intensified their shields and retreated in their drone forms.

“Let’s keep going,” he ordered. They needed to be the fastest they could; strike their enemy without giving them time to breathe. The triangle mark was getting bigger.

Were those robots learning? The first ones stood on the open making a formation, but those legged ones retreated as soon as they began to get outfired. John felt concerned. They couldn’t know what to expect further down there.