Chapter 46
Even with fins it was difficult keeping up with Rhane, who used his tail to propel himself through the murky water like an alligator.
Visibility was practically nonexistent as they made their way through the underwater labyrinth. On more than one occasion Colt thought that he saw the silhouette of something enormous, but they managed to make it through the tunnel system without running into anything that could swallow them whole.
Rhane led them into a drainage system where a grate opened up into a storage room inside the facility. Once inside, Colt checked his backpack to make sure the detonators hadn’t gotten wet while Rhane pulled up the holomap of the facility.
“Remember,” Rhane said, “our singular goal is to get Colt inside that reactor room, and that means we do whatever it takes. Understood?” He was looking directly at Pierce, who started to cough.
“Yeah . . . I got it,” Pierce said.
They were all surprised by how few guards patrolled the facility. Whenever a detail would approach, including the drones, they’d simply duck behind pipes or slip into empty stairwells until the Defense Corps soldiers passed. But Colt’s heart nearly stopped beating when he almost ran smack into a Wächter.
Adolph Hitler’s secret scientists first developed the Wächters—robots that had a narrow head atop broad shoulders and a wide breastplate, all painted red.
Colt stood there holding his breath as he waited for it to either shoot him or sound an alarm. But it didn’t do either.
“Is it deactivated?” Danielle asked.
“I think so, but I’m not sure,” Colt said. The light behind the robot’s eye was dead, and Colt decided to tap its chest to see if it would respond.
“Let’s go,” Rhane said. “We don’t have much time.”
The robot’s eye lit up. It raised its hand, releasing a stream of energy from a disc on its palm that knocked Rhane into the wall. Colt fumbled in his pouch for a magnetic grenade, but the Wächter was too quick. It knocked Colt’s hand away and wrapped a claw around his arm.
“This wasn’t part of the plan,” Colt said, choking as an alarm sounded and red lights flashed across the ceiling.
Pierce raised his gun, but again the Wächter was too quick. A compartment opened on its forearm, revealing a Gatling gun. It opened fire, catching Pierce in the chest. He stood there, mouth agape as he watched plumes of red spread across his shirt. His eyes went to the Wächter and then to Colt, and blood started to pour from his lips.
Colt caught him as he fell.
“I’m sorry.” Pierce coughed. “I . . . didn’t . . .”
“It’s okay,” Colt said. “You’re going to be fine.”
“No . . . I’m not,” Pierce said. “And . . . it’s okay.”
“Don’t talk like that.”
“Just . . . finish.” Pierce closed his eyes. His breathing was rapid. “Finish it . . . and tell my dad . . .” Pierce went limp, and his head rolled back as his spirit left his body.
Colt felt the rage well inside of him and he leapt at the robot. Power surged as he tore its arm from its socket, using it as a club to beat its head until it caved in.
“That’s enough,” Oz said, but Colt kept pounding the Wächter. “Come on,” Oz said. “We have to get out of here before more show up.”
Colt stopped, chest heaving as he stood and looked at Pierce’s motionless form.
“There’ll be time to mourn when the battle is over,” Rhane said. “Right now we need to finish what we started.”