Hold them! HOLD THEM! Sputnik shouted, firing a blast of blue bolts past the pirates ear.
Mister Squinty held them, though he knew not how.
The smell of burning oil lingered in the air, streaming in thick columns of smoke from the broken shells of the 5th Columns new army of Mek Men. Bastion hadnt been kidding when he warned Task Force Steel of the threat these new machines presented. Squinty grabbed another robot, holding it up by the neck as bullets from Sergeant Silvers rifle shredded its carapace, sending sparks and shards into the line of 5th Column soldiers crowded into the narrow gap.
The gap that Squinty held.
Nearly blinded by the flashes of gunfire, deafened by the explosions of rockets, Squinty could only scream challenges at his foes, punching and grabbing anything that came within arms reach, softening up another target for his friends to dispatch. His job wasnt to dispatch, it wasnt to arrest, it was only to hold.
Squinty held.
The setup was seemingly too perfect. A narrow passage separated a small foyer from a large assembly area. The hordes of red and black clad fascists massed at the far end of the passage, firing their rockets and tossing grenades as they could. But so long as this end was held, they could not bring their full might to bear, could not return fire on Silver and Sputnik, could not see Shadowmynx casting her mystic spells of darkness that slowed and chilled them, could not determine where the slightly metallic cursing was coming from as Khaelons power supplies threatened to overload his armors circuits, depriving Task Force Steel of the energy and healing they needed to fight on. So long as this end was held, they were safe.
Squinty held.
Suddenly, from the smoke, a giant emerged, firing great bolts of scarlet energy from an arm cannon as it charged. Vandal, the 5th Columns metallic mad scientist crashed into Squinty, sliding the pirate backwards to the edge of the passage. Squintys fingers scrabbled at the walls, his feet shifted, looking for purchase.
And held.
With a roar of rage, Squinty uncoiled, lifting Vandal from the floor and halting the monsters charge. A fusillade of fire poured into Vandals metallic carcass as Squintys friends redoubled their efforts, finally seeing the final target and the source of the 5th Columns dire threat. Vandals eye slit glowed nearly as brightly as his cannon as he focused on Sergeant Silver, who had maneuvered for a clear shot. The cannon rose, targeting one of PPDs finest, only to meet a meaty fist. Servos screamed in protest as Squinty grabbed Vandals arm, pulling it to the side to throw the shot wide. In the distraction, Sputniks well aimed bolt blasted through a gap in the crazed cyborgs armor to explode within.
Vandal fell.
Squinty cracked his knuckles, shaking loose the tension from hands clenched too long into fists, and turned. Khaelon slumped against a wall, the air hazy around his armor as it finally began to cool. Sputnik and Shadowmynx held each other in relief and exhaustion while Sergeant Silver, always on duty, began to count prisoners and mentally fill out forms to account for her ammunition expended. For while fights eventually ended, paperwork never did.
Better her than me. thought the pirate.
And grinned.
