Drex looked at the enforcer one last time, the ruined human face was staring back at him. He couldn't imagine what would happen if they were captured by the enforcers, would they turn to one of these things too?
He quickly turned around, his heart racing. Not from the fight but from what he just discovered. Hundreds of thousands of human had been captured by the Overmind, hundreds of thousands turned to deadly machines.
It wasn't imprisoning them like they had thought, this is the end of humanity. They might be the last line of the human race.
He had to warn the others.
He had to….
THUD! THUD!
The ground shook slightly beneath his feet. Dust poured from the ceiling, falling like ash. The tunnel filled with smoke again.
Two more shapes dropped down through the hatch above, slamming into the floor hard enough to shake the walls. The gas hissed around their joints as they stood tall in perfect formation.
Enforcers…. Again.
But this time, they didn't hesitate.
They had read the data and they knew the first one was dead. These two came prepared, their weapons were already raised, their sensors glowing completely red through the dust and soot.
They stood completely still, waiting.
Their scanners vibrated softly as they searched through the dust, their eyes glowing bright and shifting.
Everywhere they looked the tunnel was empty.
But then….
Click! Click!
The sound came sharp and sudden, it sounded like someone imitating a gun with his mouth. But that was enough to raise their alarms.
Both enforcers turned towards the sound immediately, their weapons ready to fire.
But they never turned before it was over, their head had just spurned halfway before….
Pzzzzzzzeeeow!Pzzzzzzzeeeow!
Two laser blasts fired from behind them, the two shots ripped their head apart in a devastating way. Their body went limp and their sensor flickered then it went dark.
Their bodies dropped simultaneously, hitting the ground hard with a loud metallic sound.
Drex stepped forward from the dust, smoke rising from the weapon in his hand. "Thanks for dropping by," he said silently under his breath.
There was no time to waste.
He ran forward, and quickly grabbed both of their guns. He sprinted towards where the elevator went down with the three guns in his hands. There were no signs of it on the floor but he could still remember how they found it the first time.
He hit his hand on the spot three times consecutively.
For a second, nothing happened. Just silence.
Then.
krrrkkkkk….
He heard mechanical gears groaning, the floor beneath his feet began to shift, the panel sliding open slowly as it revealed the hidden elevator platform rising from beneath the ground.
Drex exhaled hard, just as he was about to step inside, he froze.
The sound of something massive dropping echoed behind him.
Then again. And again.
One. Two. Five. Seven. Ten.
Ten enforcers dropped through the hatch. Their white metal exoskeletons shinning in the flickering light, all ten lifted their weapons without a word.
Pzzzeeeeow!Pzzzzeeeeow!Pzzzeeeeeooooowww!
Laser blasts flew past Drex, the floor inches from him were scortched black. He swiftly dropped flat on the elevator floor and slam his hand against the close button.
"Shit"
The door slid close at the pace of a snail compared to the enforcers speed. The rushed forward like a nightmare and they fired without pause.
Sparks rained down on him.
One of the shots hits the elevator wall. Another grazed his arm burning through his sleeve. He gritted his teeth, but he tried hard not to scream.
The door finally closed shut with a loud bang and the elevator began to descend.
Darkness surrounded him as the elevator descended, one of the shots must hit the light.
The only sound now were the slow creaking of the old machine carrying him back to their underground world.
It felt like the longest minute of his life.
When the elevator finally descend. Drex didn't even wait for the door to finish opening as he forced himself to squeeze through the little gap as soon as he could and then he ran down the corridor. His chest felt sore, he had taken few blast to the chest, and even though the armour absorbed them he still felt the sting.
He reached the core room and it was empty.
Every bunk, every hallway, there was no sign of life.
"Good job, Vox…" Drex whispered softly. His little brother had done what he asked.
Then
Click!
Drex spun around, aiming the gun instinctively.
A middle-aged man stood just a few steps away, both hands loaded with weapons.
"Tony?"
Tony, the resistance leader gave him a tired grin. The type of smile you make when you know that this is the last time you are going to be smiling.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Drex ran to him, frowning deeply. "Why are you behind? Why didn't you go with the others?"
Tony shrugged, his eyes calm. "You think I'd let you be the only one left behind?"
Drex shook his head quickly, his hands clenched. "Tony, this place is about to be overrun. We gotta move now!"
"They're gone," Tony said simply. "Your mum, your brothers, the kids, the families. They made it onto the escape ship. They're already up there."
Drex felt a knot in his throat. "Vox… Vex… they're safe?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah. Your mom made sure of it. We launched five minutes ago."
He pause, then he continued, "There's still one pod left, Drex. I connected it to the main ship's guidance. It'll follow them wherever they go. It's fast."
Drex blinked, his voice came out low. "You're not coming?"
Tony turned his back to him, reloading his weapon slowly. "Nah. Someone's gotta make sure those bastards don't follow. And someone's gotta make sure you get out of here."
"You're staying to die."
"I'm staying to fight," Tony corrected him. "Now quit wasting time. That pod won't wait forever."