Waking Gods (Themis Files #2)(88)

Get out of here, Vincent! They’ll kill you!

{I said it first, Rose. Go! Run!}

The robot is turning away from me. I don’t know what to do … They’re firing! I’m heading back to the vehicle.

[Dr. Franklin. You need to get out of there!]

Yes, General! That’s what I’m trying to do! I can’t … run with this.… I can’t hold the dolly. Shit … I lost the container. It fell off and it’s rolling away.… Got it … I’m bringing … it … back—

{Rose! We’re gonna try to knock his shield off for you with an energy burst, like we did in Denver. Do you understand?}

Wh … I need more time!

{No can do. Get as far away from us as you can. }

Shit! Shit! … I’m leaving the container behind. I’m almost there. OK, I am back in the vehicle. Where did I … ? In the ignition. I’m turning around … Heading back south the way I came. I’m driving by the baseball fields now. I need to put at least half a mile between me and Themis before she discharges … Jesus Christ! Someone fired at the road ahead of me. A good chunk of it just … disappeared. I almost drove straight into it. I just crossed 97th, still heading south on East Drive.

{Rose! Ready or not!}

No! Not yet! Arrrghh!

…

God, that hurts. Everything went … white. I … I hit a car. The air bag … I … I think it broke my nose. My Jeep’s dead. I’m trying to get out of here. If I can just reach the handle … Yesss! I’m out. Wow. The road behind me is … gone. The pulse missed me by about a hundred feet. I can’t see Themis. Just the other robot pounding at the ground on the edge of the crater. It must be them.

General, tell them to teleport out of here. You have to get them out! General? General, can you hear me? Anyone? I have to get back. I hit an abandoned pickup truck. Let’s see if the keys are in it. Yes! I’ll just grab one of the containers … Put it … in the back …

Vincent, can you hear me! I’m coming!

I need to get their attention. I’m heading inside the crater. High beam, low beam. Fog lights! Yes! I hope they can hear the horn. The robot is standing above Themis. She’s not moving. I see some light in the alien robot’s left hand. Some sort of disc. I think it’s about to do what it did in London the first time. Faster! Here! I’m here! Come on! Come on! Look at me! There you go! That’s it! Turn around!

It’s looking right at me. I’m getting out of the truck. I’m roughly two hundred feet away. I’m taking the container out of the back. Getting the hose out of my backpack and … plugging it in. I think that’s how it goes. Now all I need is to … drag … this … thing … two hundred feet … in the dirt. The robot is just staring at me. I think … Yes, the light on him is getting brighter. It’s … it’s releasing gas. I can’t see where it’s coming from. It’s as if it’s forming around it. It doesn’t seem to be coming out of anything. The gas will reach me in about five seconds. I hope it’s the same thing it sent out before. We’ll know soon enough … That’s it. I’m completely surrounded. I can’t see. I can’t see my own feet.

That container’s so heavy … I’ll just … stop … sit for a minute … I can taste the blood running into my mouth. That iron taste … We’re … We’re all made of the same thing.

The gas is dissipating. I can see the sky again. I can see the light of the robot seeping through. I can see my feet. Soon they will see me too. Time to get up.

I’m about halfway there. It’s really … heavy. I … I wonder what they’re thinking. They’re probably wondering who this crazy woman is, dragging a beer keg in the dirt. At least, now they know I’m … not like them. There’s only a bit of gas left on the ground, like dry ice onstage at a rock concert. My feet are dragging through it, creating small currents in the mist. It’s really pretty … The keg doesn’t feel as heavy anymore. It must be the adrenaline. Those feet are gigantic when you’re standing next to them. I’m there. I can … I can touch it. The shield is gone. It’s … It’s cold. Even where there’s light, it’s cold.

I’m ready. Holding the hose. I’m pumping … It’s working. I can reach … maybe fifteen feet high. I can cover the whole foot, the ankle. I feel like a dog urinating on a lamppost. I’m afraid they’ll just kick me away. This side is pretty well covered. I’m dragging the container to the other side. The robot’s feet are fairly close to one another. If I stand here, I can probably … Bad idea. I have to get closer. I’m running out of solution already. That’s it. I’m all out. I’ll just give it a minute or two.

Slowly stepping away. I’m walking backwards the way I came so they can see me. So far nothing. It might not be enough. That container looked big until I was standing inches away from the alien robot. It’s like painting a building. I should have brought the other container. I can always go back to get it if this doesn’t work.

I’m beginning to doubt this entire plan. If they were looking for us to make a statement, my spreading green goo all over their feet seems a little … understated. I don’t even know if that’s what they’re looking for. I don’t know if they’re looking for anything. This might be a complete waste … Wait … Wait …