The Thirteen Knight

Chapter 9- Drones Attack

I squeezed the handle.

The cutter bit into the servo cluster and sparks flew. The drone screeched a horrible electronic sound and its legs locked up. It collapsed onto the belt twitching.

"Move!" I grabbed Sylvia's arm and pulled her up.

"There's more," she gasped pointing up.

Three more drones were dropping from the ceiling. They landed on the belt with heavy thuds surrounding us. They weren't just cleaning up trash anymore they were in security mode.

"We can't fight them," I said. "I don't have a weapon."

"I can't cast properly," Sylvia said her face pale. "My mana flow is blocked by the pain."

I looked around. The conveyor belt was stopped. The incinerator intake was about fifty feet away a giant black maw that led to the fire. I looked at the control panel on the wall of the walkway above us but it was too far to reach.

But the wiring...

A bundle of heavy cables ran along the side of the conveyor belt powering the magnetic drive.

"Sylvia," I said. "Can you cast a lightning spell? Just a small one?"

"I... I think so," she stammered. "But my aim is bad."

"You don't need to aim at them," I said. I pointed to the exposed cable junction near my feet. "Aim at that."

"The power line?" she asked confused. "Why?"

"Just do it!" I yelled as the drones advanced their buzzsaws spinning up.

Sylvia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A spark of electricity danced on her fingers and she thrust her hand forward.

Zap.

A bolt of blue lightning shot out and hit the cable junction.

BOOM.

The cable exploded. The magnetic field that held the conveyor belt in place collapsed. Usually that would stop the belt but this belt was on an incline leading down to the fire. Without the magnetic brakes gravity took over.

The belt lurched and started to slide.

The drones weren't ready for the floor to move. They lost their footing. One of them tumbled backward rolling down the slope toward the incinerator pit.

"Grab the railing!" I shouted.

I lunged for the maintenance railing that ran along the side of the belt. I caught it with one hand and the metal dug into my palm. I reached out with my other hand and grabbed Sylvia's wrist just as she started to slide. She dangled there her feet kicking over the moving trash.

The other two drones tried to stabilize themselves digging their claws into the belt. But the trash pile was shifting. The heavy debris including the Wasp carcass slammed into them.

I watched as the materials I needed for the second version of my suit slid down the ramp dragging the drones with them into the dark.

"No," I whispered.

I lost the main chassis. I lost the big pieces. But I felt the heavy weight in my bag. I still had the leg plate. It wasn't enough for a full suit but it was a start.

The belt ground to a halt as the emergency brakes kicked in. The silence returned broken only by the distant roar of the fire. I pulled Sylvia up onto the walkway and we both collapsed on the grating gasping for air through our masks.

"That was..." Sylvia wheezed. "That was close."

She sat up checking her pockets. Then she froze. She opened her hand.

Sitting in her palm covered in soot and grime was a small silver ring with a blue stone.

"You found it," I said surprised.

"I grabbed it," she said a smile spreading across her face under the mask. "When I fell. It was stuck in the grating right next to my hand."

She looked at me and her eyes were shining.

"You saved me again Chase. You knew how to disable the drones. You knew how to stop the belt."

"Basic mechanics," I shrugged trying to play it cool. "Machines are predictable."

"Maybe," she said putting the ring on her finger. It glowed faintly recognizing its owner.

"We should go," I said standing up. "Before the maintenance crew comes to check the surge."

We climbed back up to the elevator. The ride up was silent but it wasn't awkward. When we reached the dorm level Sylvia turned to me.

"Chase," she said. "About what I said earlier. About you being a Zero."

"Yeah?"

"I was wrong," she said. "You might not have mana. But you're not useless."

She touched my arm gently.

"You're amazing."

She turned and walked away toward the girls' dorm. I stood there watching her go and felt a weird feeling in my chest. It wasn't the heart monitor. It was something else.

I shook my head because I didn't have time for feelings. I went back to my room and locked the door. I disabled the loop on my bracelet.

I emptied my bag onto the bed.

A single large piece of black chitin fell out. It was curved and jagged. It was the shin guard of a Shadow Wasp. It wasn't much. I couldn't build a massive armored suit with this.

But then I looked at it closely. The inside of the shell was lined with a strange organic mesh. It was a muscle fiber that reacted to heat.

I realized something. I didn't need to build a heavy shell like the prototype. I just needed to use it for the joints. The parts that melted first.

For the rest... I would have to improvise.

I pulled out my notebook and turned to a fresh page. I wrote APOSTATE GAUNTLET V2 at the top.

I started drawing.

I didn't have enough for a knight's armor. But I had enough for an Assassin's rig. A stealth suit. Fast. Light. Deadly. But I guess this is enough for now, at least I got my suit to be ready. Better than nothing in this world. Because I don't know when danger gonna emerges but... 

I smiled. The Wasp was fast. Now I was going to be faster.