Something groaned behind them, and he turned quickly as the gates they had opened now closed again behind them with a heavy thump.
It appeared that they were trapped in the chamber with the defenders, an interesting proposition although not something he’d expected.
He turned to face the enemy when they began to beat mechanical fists against something positioned at their sides. Low, deep chants emitted from the mechs themselves as they took a step forward and set themselves into place.
One by one, they pushed the heavy metal plates that were at their sides out in front to act like shields. They were a good deal thicker and taller than those the Desert Warriors carried. The mechs shuffled a little closer and sections of the shields interlocked to form a perfectly solid barrier between the attackers and the gate behind them.
The Prophet suppressed a hint of trepidation. Even with those shields, they were still at a disadvantage when it came to melee combat. Once his troops closed the distance, gaps would be found or made as necessary and they would break through the lines.
"My warriors!" he called, raised his rifle, and lowered it slowly to point at the opposing shield wall. "Give them hell!"
A low roar issued from the men as they began their advance without horns or fanfare. They could almost taste victory.
He’d no sooner thought that when the Quadrupeds tightened their formation and adjusted their shields. Gaps were created around ten meters from the ground and once they appeared, huge barrels emerged.
A strong sense of foreboding swept over him, but he steeled himself and continued the advance with his warriors.
The first volley felt like an earthquake ripped through the room and clouds of dust puffed loose from the ceiling.
The rounds savaged his group. Their shields offered little resistance and huge holes allowed the ordnance to plow into the mechs that were behind them. Chunks of metal exploded from the impact, and mechs fell to pieces, unable to withstand the force.
"Shit!" He growled his frustration and fury. The reason for shutting the gates behind them now made sense since there was no cover between them and the attackers. Their shields wouldn’t do them any good, and all they could count on was their mobility to avoid complete annihilation.
The Prophet scowled and hastily scanned their surroundings as another volley of rounds obliterated their shields and felled a group of his warriors. The floor shuddered beneath their feet in a series of aftershocks.
"Evasive maneuvers!" he shouted over the comms, and his men were only too glad to comply. They immediately broke formation and separated to make use of as much room as the cavern gave them while they advanced.
The fact that there was no retreat available to them was known to every member, so the only way was forward and through. Of course, there was no way through, not unless Jessica13 and Robert7's team did what they had been sent to do.
"Don't you dumbasses let me down," he muttered and hoped they would somehow hear him. His heart heavy, he pushed his Argonaut forward to attack.
Chapter Eighty
There was no other place for the central control facility to be. It stood at the dead center of the city and its structure rose like the spire directly above it. Although considerably less impressive, of course, it was still extremely effective.
It was likely in place to control the spire and would be exactly what the Prophet needed to aid in his assault.
Jessica13 slipped into the Minato and moved them toward the entrance. They had expected defenses but the sight of a couple of assault mechs standing at the ready at the front of the building made her take a quick step back.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Mini asked.
She shook her head. "Nope. How about you?"
"I do, but I didn't want to step on any metaphorical toes in case you had something in mind."
"The mech is yours."
"That is appreciated."
Mini took control and guided the Minato into the open street ahead of the control facility. He kept to the shadows as the two mechs appeared to be very much on the alert thanks to the shrill alarms that continued to blare through the city. All the citizens had apparently been drawn into their homes for safety, which made this maneuver far simpler.
After a moment, she had an idea of what Mini attempted to do. He snuck in closer to the tall building and deliberately added enough stealth to the movement to make sure the two guards would see them.
They wouldn’t ask questions, not when a strange mech with no known markings appeared while the entire city was on high alert. They immediately swung their weapons, aimed quickly, and opened fire.
Mini was already on the move. He darted to the right and immediately to the left before he shifted seamlessly into Bulletfoot mode and bounded off the wall with all four limbs and landed in front of the two defensive mechs.
They fired where the Minato had been rather than where it had gone, and most of their rounds missed. A few connected but deflected off the armor. The AI had brought them in a little too close for comfort, but she already knew what her role was. She disconnected the dart from their grappler, waited, and braced herself inside the cockpit.
He shoulder-charged the closer of the two mechs, shoved it to the side, and resumed the Minato’s bipedal stance as she immediately aimed the grappler's air gun into the chest of the other mech and fired.
It was enough to make them stagger a couple of steps and hopefully make the enemy assume that the tiny support mech had rethought the concept of attacking the assault mechs.
The Minato turned tail and sprinted away while it lowered to all fours and remained mobile enough to
