“I actually meant, I doubt I’ll survive,” Bardain corrected.
She opened fire, trying to draw some of the Hydras away from him. It didn’t quite work—she attracted another group of bioweapons from a nearby neighborhood instead. But that was fine, as it meant less Hydras rummaging for residents.
Bardain’s robot followed close behind her, but then it swerved away, drawing off some of the Hydras racing toward Rhea.
“We have to make them collide with one another,” Rhea sent. “It’s a strategy that worked well for us in the Outlands. Let’s converge here.”
She marked a waypoint that was roughly in the center between herself, the robot, and Bardain.
“I can do that,” Bardain transmitted.
“As I,” the robot sent.
Rhea waited until she was only fifty meters from the closest Hydras, then she turned toward the waypoint. The bioweapons rapidly closed with her.
She glanced at Bardain and his robot. They, too, were drawing bioweapons toward the waypoint.
Rhea reached Bardain and continued past him. She rolled to the ground, dodging between those stampeding feet. She was nearly crushed several times, but then she was past them.
She turned around to observe her handiwork.
Several of the Hydras had piled one atop the other, though a few had managed to navigate past their brethren. Two of them were continuing to head straight for Rhea.
But then Bardain appeared on the back of one of them, and he harpooned to the neighboring Hydra, causing the first to slam into the second.
Rhea had a moment of respite and was about to take cover behind a series of collapse cargo containers, when a group of seven people stood from the rubble. They were Robos, with augmented legs. Perfect for dodging the bioweapons. Some were armed with rifles or pistols—probably members of a criminal gang.
Though their eyes were filled with fear, there was also determination in them.
Rhea nodded. They were ready to help.
She tossed those who were unarmed some of her spare weapons. “Spread out!”
More able people joined in as she continued drawing creatures away from the wall, and she handed out the rest of her spare weapons.
“They don’t like it when you target their butts,” she transmitted.
Behind her, the settlement churned with chaos. Residents, mostly Robos, were joined by actual robots, who together used their bodies as bait. They led the Hydras from the wall, and often tried to make the creatures crash into one another, with varying degrees of success. Rhea coordinated with the fighters by recognizing hotspots and setting suggested waypoints. Unfortunately, for every two Hydras they managed to entangle, there were always three more—it felt like there was an endless supply of them. The commotion was obviously drawing in bioweapons from all sides of the settlement, which was good in a way because it meant she and the others were distracting the creatures from their task, giving the climbers much needed time, but also bad, because Rhea knew that she, and those with her, probably weren’t going to survive.
The Hunter Killers had stopped trying to intervene, and Aradne’s turrets had ceased firing—the security forces apparently wanted to avoid shooting civilians.
Still trying to pretend they care, are they? Or just afraid of a public relations nightmare?
Probably too late for the latter…
One particularly nasty bioweapon came at her. The biggest, baddest Hydra she’d seen yet. She fled down an aisle of rubble, trying to draw the creature toward the closest hotspot of activity, hoping for a collision.
“Send some bioweapons my way,” Rhea transmitted.
Bardain and his robot rushed to intercept her; they passed by only ten meters to her left, bringing with them two Hydras. Rhea weaved between those giant feet, and when the creatures were past, she glanced over her shoulder.
The big Hydra simply batted aside the two bioweapons in its path.
The creature was quickly overtaking her, so she turned around and raced toward the Hydra instead. Those heads came down at her, but she dodged them, and they smashed into the asphalt, sending up fragments. She leaped between the slicing forelimbs, so that she was underneath the creature. It tried to crush her by dropping, which was a common tactic she was used to by then, and she was forced to roll to the side, coming out on the right flank.
The Hydra didn’t know where she was, so she used that to leap onto its rib area. She climbed, scrambling upward until she reached its back.
That tentacled tail came in, and she was forced to somersault out of the way. Its heads twisted back, trying to snatch her off, and she was forced to dodge those jaws.
Two more Hydras struck the distracted creature from the right. They crashed into its flank at the same time, and their combined momentum managed to topple the creature. Rhea leaped free, rolling into the rubble nearby.
The big Hydra shook off the blow and stood up. It batted aside the two bioweapons that had struck it, and then turned toward Rhea once more.
But then it started rearing, and those heads turned upon itself, striking at unseen targets on its back. It stumbled upon a broken heap of cargo containers and staggered sideways, crashing into one of the other two nearby bioweapons, which had only just recovered and was trying to get up.
Will and Horatio hopped down as the two bioweapons entangled.
She stared at the pair in amazement. “I thought you left?”
“You didn’t think we were going to let you have all the fun, did you?” Will said, a huge smile on his face.
Gizmo swooped low overhead, buzzing in agreement.
The big Hydra tore free of the smaller bioweapon and spun toward the three of them.
“Ah, crap,” Will said.
The trio scattered in multiple directions.
The Hydra plowed straight toward Rhea. She had nowhere to run… desperate, she leaped into a partially crushed cargo container. It had been rotated on its side, so she was forced to vault across the furniture and other personal effects that were strewn about.
A leonine head darted inside behind her.
The container proved relatively long, but unfortunately it terminated in a
