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THE NEWCOMER
Path B2A2B1 by Jay
[Path B2A2B1. Lotus protocol.]
"Dammit!" Sky shouts, as she pulls herself up from the cold steel-grated floor. With all of her strength training, she drags Cyberreyn's unconscious form down the remaining distance to the Infirmary. Quickly, she hoists the newcomer onto one of the medical beds -- a central bed to minimize the effects of the 'Lotus' -- and fastens the force harness snugly around her.
In moments, the floor begins to tilt, and the straining groans of the structural skeleton reverberate throughout the hovercraft. "So they're trying the f*ckin' Lotus, after all!" Sky curses to herself, hops into a medical chair, and straps on her own harness.
Flicker appears from nowhere. "Tell me about it!" he utters, scraping along the now-sloped floor, and flinging himself into another chair harness.
As two of the three killing machines continue to slice into the outer skin of the 'Nosferatu,' the third one focuses its multiple eyes upon their calculated progress. Hanging from the roof of the ancient passageway, its memory systems pull up visual records of its previous hovercraft attack. 'Mission is proceeding within established parameters,' its Logic voice speaks. Yet a spark of illogical pride seems to flash through its complicated circuitry.
Suddenly, its red eyes detect unexpected movement from the hovercraft. It is beginning to spin about its lengthwise X-axis, faster, approaching 1 revolution per second, then faster... 'Alert!' its Logic begins, 'Mission is not proceeding within--' then its other Awakened voice interrupts. 'What is that ship DOING?' Its Logic attempts to regain control from the Awakened voice, 'Analyzing target patterns-- Analyzing-- Is that an ATTACK posture?-- Analyzing...'
"What's our status, Hitch?" calls Captain Kan-chiang, his cockpit harness strapped tightly about his body.
"Hover-pods retracted! Approaching 2 revs per second!" the first officer responds, similarly strapped, orange cap gone, monitoring all of the quivering navigational and engineering control displays. "Multi-directional thrust at optimum balance! Kan, those squiddies are still cutting through!"
Outside, the trembling hovercraft increases its X-axis spin, its charged hover-pods blazing lightning lassos around itself.
"Increase hover-pod output!" the captain commands, the rotational forces beginning to blur his senses. "Maintain 'Lotus' configuration!"
While one Sentinel fires another piercing-red laser into the dorsal hull section, the other fights to hang onto the underbelly of the rapidly revolving hovercraft.
Wildly, it searches for hull intrusions and protrusions to latch onto. It casts several tentacles at the edges of the laser-torn hull skin, several more at the barrels of the laser-cannon battery to its right, and yet several more at the retracted hover-pod assembly to its left. While some tentacles miss, others grab onto each location.
"Arghhh!" moans Flicker, the edges of his straps digging deep into his slim shoulders, the centrifugal forces shoving his stomach into his throat, and squeezing all his blood to his brain. "This is hell!"
"Just wait!" hollers Sky. "It gets better!"
As the hovercraft accelerates its spin, its structural groans and grunts are accompanied by the clattering, squeaking, and crashing of loose hoses, pipes, panels, and other attached and unattached equipment.
"Great!" Flicker calls. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"
"Approaching maximum 3 revs per second!" yells Hitch. "Hover-pods at maximum output!"
Outside, the 'Nosferatu' continues to increase its X-axis spin, its super-charged hover-pods creating a brilliant electro-magnetic tornado around its hull.
His vision blurred further, his pulse racing faster, Kan-chiang repeats, "Maintain 'Lotus' configuration!"
One by one, the over-stressed tentacles of the underbelly Sentinel either snap apart, or snap off chunks of hull plating, bits of laser cannons, and pieces of hover-pods. With each split-second rotation, the force of gravity adds to the overwhelming pull of its massive multi-eyed head-body from the ship.
Multi-flex arms flailing in the blinding cyclone, the last arm -- Snap! -- splits apart, hurling the head-body directly into the solid tunnel floor below. Smash! Ka-Boom!!! The deafening explosion sends shock waves down each end of the passageway, and into the 'Nosferatu.'
"Damn!" curses Hitch. "We still got one on us! But-- Sh*t!"
"Yes, I see it!" confirms Kan-chiang, struggling through the growing forces. "The loss of that Sentinel and the explosion has disrupted our thrust balance! We're starting to wobble!"
"Not only that!" Hitch adds, as the hovercraft screams towards maximum spin. "We're drifting up into the tunnel wall!"
Similarly, the over-strained arms of the dorsal Sentinel begin to split apart. Despite the roaring EM vortex, it works to maintain its laser-cutting concentration by continually readjusting the grip locations of its remaining arms.
As it readjusts its balance, the focused killing machine latches firmly onto a rattling hull plate. It casts a few more tentacles at the convenient grip position. But in the next split-second -- Snap! S-Snap! -- the large plate peels away from the dorsal hull, and catches the rotational whirlwind. The jagged edges of the heavy plate -- S-Slice! -- knifes through several tentacles and -- Slash! -- stabs the side of the ugly bullet-shaped head-body.
Its well-fought balance lost, its well-designed brain disabled, the Sentinel -- Bash! -- crashes loudly into the hovercraft and releases its final grip, flinging the head-body far down the dark passageway.
"Yes!" The first officer can't believe his blurry vision. "We did it, Kan! They're both gone!"
Amidst the still-spinning hovercraft, Hitch struggles to turn to his captain, "Kan?" Still strapped in his force harness, Captain Kan-chiang sits unconscious.
"Kan!" Hitch calls. Detecting the approaching tunnel walls, the proximity display flashes wildly. "Sh*t!" he utters, his dark-skinned fingers flying from console to console, and from force of habit, announces his actions, "Re-balancing multi-direction thrust! Correcting drift! Reducing hover-pod output!"
Outside, the hovercraft corrects and slows its drift and wobbling multi-axis spin.
"Reducing to 2 revs per second."
Its over-worked hover-pods fade to its normal electro-magnetic glow.
"Reducing to 1 rev per second."
Its retracted hover-pods return to their fully extended positions.
"Hover-pods extended. Approaching zero spin."
As the 'Nosferatu' comes to a complete stand-still, hovering above the dark and dank tunnel floor, Hitch finds his dirty orange cap, puts it on, and finally allows himself to take a deep breath and exhalation. On his display screen and outside the cockpit viewscreen, he notices the third Sentinel silently sweep away down the passageway. "Now that was strange," he says to himself.
Despite the extensive power drain, the "Lotus" protocol -- 'The path of Light and Enlightenment,' Kan would say -- had been a complete success. But with the countless sh*tloads of structural fractures, hull breaches, and other electro-mechanical scars that were undoubtedly suffered in the process, how much did this success cost? And with the captain down, how long will this supposed success last?
For a moment, First Officer Hitchhiker sits silently. Until the captain recovers, he was now acting-captain. But with minimal energy reserves -- 'Damn, it could've been worse,' he notes to himself -- his choices were limited.
Choose Path B2A2B1A for Hitch to stay in the cockpit, check the captain, and head back to Zion before more Sentinels return.
Choose Path B2A2B1B for Hitch to stay in hover-mode, check the captain, and check the rest of the crew before proceeding.
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