The Repressor stood in front of a large circular pad. On the pad were forty Annihilators, the green light grew from the center and moments later they disappeared. The Repressor turned and looked down at Betsey.
"You have failed me miserably. You were to monitor their actions only! You disobeyed my direct programming not to harm Susan, now we only know that they will soon be coming," he boomed.
Reaching out he grabbed Betsey by the arm, his other hand swung out smashing into her face. She felt no pain but to him the action seemed appropriate. Locking his hand around her throat he sent a surge of energy into her body shocking both her human and mechanical forms. This he knew she felt.
Releasing her, Betsey fell back onto the floor her human face bruised and her arms and legs twitching from the power surge.
"You will not disobey me again!" he boomed.
"Yes master, I will not fail you. My programming was overrun by the absorbed emotions of the real human female," she said with a mechanically synthesized voice that wasn't her own.
"It is the only flaw from the absorption process. Even I am plagued with them. But it is necessary for our complete resemblance of a human. Without the emotions we would be detected," he said. "You will be spared this time, but to not fail me again. Monitor the complex using the scanners and detect where and when they arrive...then destroy them all."
Betsey nodded and rose to her feet heading quickly for the doorway. she had to get to the scanning module...she would not fail her master again.
Tinker and Bill entered the power reactor room followed closely by James and Mead. The room was immense, the roof forming a cathedral ceiling that seemed to go as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the room sat a massive cube. From the top and sides ran conduit power pipes like they had seen in the previous room. Colored lights flashed on and off in sequence from each side. Running up the middle all the way to the roof was a large black rod. Moving closer to the cube they could feel its pulsating power.
"What do you think that large rod is in the center?" Bill asked Tinker.
"I don't know," he said looking up at the roof.
"The only way to find out is to follow it up to the roof," Mead cut in.
Bill moved forward switching his sniper rifle with Tinker's M16 rifle. Grabbing a case of explosives by its roped handle he headed for the ladder to begin his arduous climb to the top.
"Careful ole buddy," Tinker called to him.
Bill just nodded and kept climbing. Tinker turned his attention back to the power module before him. Grabbing the crates they brought he began opening them and removing the plastic explosive. Walking around the power unit he slowly surveyed it. The charges had to be placed exactly right for the maximum effect. Mead and James stood poised for an attack that could come at any moment.
Every so often James glanced up to see how far Bill had climbed. His pace was steady as he climbed the steel rungs, his breathing became labored and his arm ached from the weight of the explosives. He was almost there when he stopped and looked down, everyone looked like ants moving around the power unit. Up ahead he could see an opening where the ladder ended, an uneasy darkness lay beyond. Peering out through the opening he could see buildings all level with each other, they were also all gray in color. Beyond the buildings were sand dunes as far as the eye could see. The sky was vermilion with deep purple streaks running as far as the horizon. Lightning was constant and intense. He pushed the crate through the opening along with his rifle, then pulled himself out onto the roof. Grabbing his rifle he flipped the safety off.
The building's roof was much higher than the rest, in the middle of the roof sat a colossal dish. Every so often there came a flash that caused him to cover his eyes. Lightning struck the dish and the power was absorbed and channeled down to the power reactor. Watching two more bolts hit the dish he returned to the hole and poked his head through the opening.
"It's hooked up to a dish!" he screamed.
"Blow it!" Tinker yelled at the top of his lungs not stopping to look up.
"They must be using lightning energy to power the reactor, they're feeding off the planet itself. They create conditions for the Earth to produce lightning, then harness it," Mead said looking at James.
"incredible...unlimited power!" James said glancing out the doorway.
From the scanning unit Betsey sent pulses throughout the whole complex. The impulses that returned showed humans in the main power reaction room along with the room next to it. How long they had been there she couldn't tell. Relaying the information to the Repressor, thousands of robot drones and Annihilators began moving to the reactor room. The Repressor watched as more of his Annihilators disappeared on the glowing time pad. Nothing would stop his plans for total time domination. The humans would be destroyed and the threat would be over.
Tinker finished placing the charges, then wired the timer. There was no way to stop it now, and if they tried to remove or cut the wires it would automatically blow. He stared up at the ceiling hoping to see Bill.
"Bill ya ox, where are ya?" he called up.
Bill heard Tinker call, he had just finished setting his charges. Moving to the opening he looked down at the others. He didn't hear the clanking of metal on the roof top coming near him. There suddenly came a pulse of light different from the lightning flashes. Before he could react the light struck his leg severing it just below the knee.
Howling in pain he collapsed to the roof top. Looking up he saw his attacker, it was a little girl no more than 10 years old. In the girl's hand was a rifle, it looked awkward in the child's hands due to its size. Another beam of light shot out grazing his arm, he again screamed in agony.
Down below they heard Bill's first cry. Tinker looked up his pulse racing. When they heard him cry out again, he grabbed for the ladder. Mead grabbed him hauling him back.
"Git yer damn hands off me ya bastard! That's my friend up there..." he yelled.
"Forget him, he's probably dead by now! They'll soon be coming in here!" Mead shouted.
Tinker looked up the ladder, the need to go after his friend was tearing him apart and rushing back old memories of Vietnam.
Bill couldn't believe what he was seeing. Blood gushed from his severed leg soaking the roof. Pulling up the M16 he squeezed the trigger rattling off an entire clip into the child. The bullets pounded into the girls chest ripping up the fleshy outer layer. Crying in anguish and pain at what he was doing he slipped another clip into the gun and continued to fire. The girl tumbled back off her feet.
Tossing the spent clip he loaded another and watched the girl laying there, moments later he rose up her body riddled with holes.
"God forgive me!" he screamed letting off another burst from the rifle.
The bullets knocked her back down again, this time the gun fell from her hand. Dropping his own gun he tried to stop the bleeding from his leg. He felt faint as he tried to make a makeshift tourniquet. Suddenly he was slammed onto his back, his eyes opening in horror. The little girl stood above him her foot planted firmly on his chest not allowing him to move. Her body was all ripped apart and bloodied but she looked down at him, her face still and emotionless. In her hand again was the ominous rifle she carried, raising it she pressed it firmly against his forehead. Bill cried out, the last thing he saw was a brilliant flash of light...then nothing.