Almost Running but not Quite

[Kiwi]

Panic filled the air, smoke hung in the sky, and everything had gone to hell. The young hedgehog didn’t want to think it over, the only thing that registered in her mind was getting away. Her eyes focused forward, and she tried to desperately ignore the screams of other Mobians, and the dead bodies that lined the street. If she bothered to stop and take in her surroundings, she’d be afraid that she wouldn’t be able to leave. Tara knew how self-less she could be, but she didn’t have time to act like a bloody hero. She clenched her teeth. She didn’t dare risk using her air gear at the moment. As fast as she was on it, she didn’t know how fast the robots were either. The shame was, that traveling with her air gear strapped to her back only slowed her down. Don’t get her wrong, her air gear was probably the lightest board out there, but it still had some weight.

She dived into the closest alleyway, covering behind a dumpster as she heard the metallic roar of another squad of robots land in the middle of the street she was just moving through. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she found herself unable to move. She tilted her head, looking down the alleyway towards the robots.

“Heat signature spotted.”

Red eyes turned towards her in a flash.

“Oh son of a-” Tara threw her air gear off her shoulders and jumped on. The air gear rose into the air, and the white hedgehog was off in a gust of wind. No, not towards the robots, but away. What? Tara wasn’t aware of anyway to fight with a air gear. The only thing she knew was that she moved fast with it. Neck breaking fast.

She pulled a sharp turn around a corner, leaving a trail of wind behind her. She flew low to the ground, and her eyes would scan the area around her ever few moments. The damage was bad, and sometimes, she found it hard to peel her eyes away. She swore bitterly under her breath. She was worthless, only able to run away when others might need her. Her fists clenched at her side as she slowed to a stop.

She turned her head, waiting for the squad of robots she just avoided. That’s it. No more running. Didn’t she want to help these people? Then what the heck was she doing? She was to busy being a coward that’s what. Her hands returned to her pockets, the soft rumble of her air gear being the only sound in the destroyed street.

[Hally]

"Zzzzt target acquired. Readying gun unit. Zzzzt," a mechanical voice said from behind the hedgehog.

The robot had a simple design - it was rather reminiscent of the E-series of back in the day - yet it overloaded with guns of all types. It was a few yards away, all firearms aimed a white mobian on a paused air gear.

"Zzzt preparing for assimilation."

[Kiwi]

Tara’s head turned quickly towards the overloaded robot. She only managed to raise a eyebrow. That thing was supposed to be scary? Okay, maybe the guns were, the robot? Not so much. She laughed under her breath. Oh wait. It was going to shoot her.

“Try to keep up with this tin can.” Some confidence returned to her, and the young hedgehog crouched down, her air gear charging up for something. Before the robot could even think about shooting a single weapon, the white hedgehog vanished in a gust of wind and a small white blur of movement. She skidded her air gear, sliding in a half circle around the robot. Being this low to the ground was never good for such wide turns, but Tara wasn’t the usual air gear rider.

The next thing that happened, she just sort of did by instinct. She swung her back leg over her front one, using the sharp side of her air gear like some sort of blade as she slammed her air gear right into one of the robot’s arms. She was thrown off balance, but managed to feel something being cut or broken or something of the sort, her board skidded backwards behind the robot, and Tara managed to regain her balance.

"How was that you hunk of metal?"

[Hally]

One of the thin metal poles it called arms was flung off by the blade-like air gear, as well with the guns attached to said arm. The robot's eyes blinked off as it leaned towards the side. The eyes then flashed right back on, red and mad. Or at least as mad as the robot could look with its set features.

"Processing damage... not critical. Zzzt."

The robot then lifted it's other hand, a gun at the wrist ready to shoot. It fired.

[Kiwi]

Tara was ready for the gun fire, and darted away quickly. The white hedgehog skidded on her board, grasping the dislocated arm of her enemy, and ripped off what seemed like a simple hand pistol. The other guns were far to over board for her to even hope of carrying. She tapped the gun, surprised to note that it was actually a laser gun or something of the sort. No bullets needed. She stuck out her tongue, and started flying her board in circles around the robot, careful to keep her speed as fast as possible, while she struggled to figure out how to work the gun. She couldn’t keep attacking it with her board all day.

The next second, there was a flash of red, and Tara grinned, she had gotten it to fire. So all she had to do was aim and fire. She pointed the gun, stopping her board right in front of the robot and fired a shot. Her board was pushed back, and she felt her wrist jerk, almost smacking her in the face. Dang. That thing had a kick.

[Hally]

The robot had tried to avoid the laser beam by dodging to the side - but alas, robots of its weight can't necessarily jump. The red beam of energy shot the its torso, tearing through to the other side. The robot fell to its right side, its formerly glowing red eyes of pure evil fading.

"Sending... zztt... data... to... zzzzzzzzzt. Zzzzzzt," the robotic voice started to fade at the end before something odd happened. The eyes flashed back bright red.

"Self-destruct mode activate, zzzzt."

[Kiwi]

“Oh crap.” Tara blurted out as it spoke again. Self Destruct? As in it blows up?! Oh no. The hedgehog twitched her ears back, and her eyes went wide, she didn’t have enough time to react before it exploded in a series of sparks. The small white hedgehog was thrown off her board, and crashed into the ground, her head smacking against the concrete. She hissed out in pain, clenching the back of her skull and rolled onto her side, muttering a series of swears that would put a sailor to shame.

The white hedgehog coughed out smoke and rose to her feet, slightly off balance. She brushed ash from her pant leg, and glared daggers at the pile of ruble were the robot had been. Limping slightly, Tara picked up her board, and swore as she saw the scratch in the paint job. Double Damn. She set the laser pistol into her coat pocket, and jumped back onto her board. Lets just say that beating that robot gave this young hedgehog a bit of a boost. Maybe she should stay here and help these people after all...

[Glyph]

BAM

Down went the sentry hovering at the entrance to the alleyway, blazing sparks and whirling erratically across the ground on its exhaust fans--now useless for flight thanks to the bullet lodged in their core, but still deadly sharp and unpredictable. They gouged the brick and whirred menacingly, a dying animal's last threat, but the fox paid them no mind; the flimsy husk of the busted 'bot warped beneath Banner's steel toed boot, and the fox was gone, sprinting down the alley like a Mobian possessed.

The fox's white muzzle curled into a snarl when another group of robotic sentries rose up at the alley's end, but if being so clearly outnumbered bother him, it didn't show--he didn't even flinch. Instead, quick as a flash, bullets sprayed through the air, exploding from the muzzle of the Glock .26 that had somehow materialized in the detective's gloved hands.

BAMBAMBAM--"

Not a single shot went to waste, and soon the path was clearing. Still Banner didn't falter, firing off round after round as more and more machines appeared to stand in his way. Furiously, the pale fox carved a path through their ranks and left an ocean of smoking carnage in his wake. Luckily for him, the robots in this sector of the city appeared to be little more than grunts--the infantry and pack mules of the invasion. They posed little threat alone, but in groups like this...

Snarling aloud, the fox raised his gun again when suddenly the ground bucked and nearly took him off his feet.

THWOOOOOM

A blast of superheated air smashed him to the side when he rounded the corner, the force and the light momentarily blinding him.

"The Hell?!"

[Kiwi]

She had originally been driving her air board.

Now she wasn’t.

Tara let out a loud yelp as she was litterly thrown off from her board. She had come riding over here on her Air gear because she had heard gunshots. She hadn’t been expecting to crash into someone. Okay. Not so much as crash but more as she lost her balance when the other Mobian yelled. For the second time that day, the small white hedgehog crashed into the hard concrete and rolled back several feet, her air gear smashed into the side of the alley.

“Oh god my head.” She groaned out, clenching the back of her skull, her hand brushing through her quills. The teenager struggled to stand to her feet. Her eyes looked up at the Fox that had startled her right off her board and gulped. Okay. He was intimidating. She glanced around at the wreckage of dead robots. Oh yeah. That totally helped. Now she was intimidated and scared.

“Uhh…I am so sorry.” Tara blurted out.

[Glyph]

Sheer instinct kept Banner from losing his nose as something moving very fast plowed past the corner. The fox hit the deck and bounced, all in the same movement, it appeared, back on his feet, pulling up his gun and training it on the deadly, growling... hedgehog?

... The Hell...?

Banner let the tip of the gun drop, and instead trained the girl with narrowed, wary eyes. He'd once been told--by one of his targets, no less--that the gun was the less frightening of the two. The fox raised an bushy brow in the direction of her dented airboard, pursing his lips. What happened to good, old-fashioned wheels and axles?

"Kid, this ain't no skatepark." He finally muttered, in a deep, rumbling voice, pinning her again with his lavender eyes. His hard expression seemed to give just a bit then, but his ears pricked forward, straining even as he offered her his free hand. Banner jerked his head to the side, resisting the urge to whirl around the corner to face the clanking he could hear growing in the distance.

[Kiwi]

Tara took the outstretched hand slowly, relieved to no longer have the gun pointed in her direction. She muttered a thanks under her breath, and her eyes switched towards her air gear. She grimaced. She could already tell that it was busted. Her air gears were always extremely light and thin, meaning that they had little protection. They were made to be light, sharp, and fast. A crash like the one she just had would defiantly break her board. Of course, normally she’d run over and inspect the damage and start repairs immediately, but a sound caught her off guard.

Her ears flicked back, and she narrowed her eyes. Another robot? Her hand went into her coat pocket and removed the small laser pistol. It wasn’t as intimidating as the fox’s gun, but at least it gave her some confidence. She pointed the gun at the end of the alleyway. Her grip was sloppy, and her hands seemed far to tense as she held the weapon. She had no experience shooting guns of any kind. She eyed the scattered destroyed sentries and returned her gaze towards the gray fox. He could shoot a gun, that much was obvious, but now wasn’t the time to be asking for tips or pointers on how to shoot.

At least she hadn’t run into any of the larger robots like that squad she ran away from only minutes ago, the robot might be another scout or sentry unit. Hopefully they couldn’t do that much damage, if her victory over the E-series robot was based on skill rather then any luck. Of course, without her air gear, the hedgehog felt rather off balance. Her eyes flicked back to her air gear, which was now letting off a sparks. Yep. Defiantly busted. It was nothing more then scrap now.

[Glyph]

Banner saw her glance at the airboard and took a closer look as well. What he saw didn't impress him; if anything, it only made his expression seem grimmer. It really was a pity--she might have been able to use it to get out of this hell hole unscathed...

The noise her head had made when it cracked against the brick suddenly echoed in his ears. She'd be lucky if she didn't have a concussion.

Mostly unscathed.

Banner studied her silently; then, the older Mobian sighed. He worked for the law--or he had, before the law had been shattered and set on fire--and even if he hadn't, he couldn't just leave her here to fend for herself in good conscience... Damn, he was getting to old for this stuff. "... Guess you're with me, then."

It was obvious by her unease that she'd never held a gun in her life, and the fox frowned. They really didn't have time for a gun safety course, but he tapped her wrist none-the-less. Better to waste a few seconds now, while it was quiet, to get it right than having the gun fly out of her hands--or worse--while they were engaged.

"Lock your wrist, and brace with the other hand to aim," he muttered, warily eying the clumsy way she handled the pistol. He hoped she'd keep a good hold on it--he'd never seen it fired, so there was no telling what kind of recoil it had. "... And keep that thing aimed low until you need it. I'd like to keep all my limbs intact..."

The fox trailed off, raising his silvery head at the sounds of distant crashes. Eyes darkening, he peeked around the corner, tensing suddenly.

"They're coming. We're sitting ducks here--we gotta get out of the open." He looked over his shoulder at her, gun steady, "You ready to run?"

[Kiwi]

Tara listened to his directions closely, and attempted to hold the gun in a proper fashion. It felt rather awkward, but she would adapt soon enough, she pointed the gun at a angle towards the ground as he instructed. The white hedgehog attempted to ignore the soft throb of her head. She had crashed plenty of times in her career as a air gear rider, and so far, none of those crashes had put her life in jeopardy. The crash a few moments ago was nothing, her head had faired far worse, so she really didn‘t worry. She watched him peek around the corner, and felt her stomach do a loop at his next words.

She gulped, and kept her eyes focused on him. She could feel her arms shake ever so slightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her now racing heart. Come on Tara, you can do this. She thought silently, and opened her eyes again. She gave a weak nod, and joined his side, glancing around the corner quickly like he did, she only caught a brief glimpse of the robots, and hadn’t been able to determine how dangerous they were, but Tara decided that blind optimism was better then knowing just how much danger you might be in.

“Yeah. I’m ready.” She responded, keeping her voice low to make sure the robots couldn’t overhear. She was a hedgehog, she could run fast when she needed to, no were near as fast as she could move on a air gear though. She grimaced at that thought. Hopefully she might be able to get back to her apartment if it was still standing. That place was stuffed with air gear and other equipment. She tensed, waited for his signal to run.

[Glyph]

The fox nodded, ducking back around the corner to point across the street, toward a second side street that wound around past the cluster of 'bots headed in their direction. "Alright. Keep quiet and stick close. We're gonna get the Hell outta here--"

The robots clanked closer, and Banner followed his own instructions by clamping his mouth shut.

There was no countdown, no "on three"--that would give away their already precarious position. Instead, the fox raised his hand and began lowering fingers.

Five.

Four.

CLANKCLANK

The robots pushed past the remains of their fallen brethren, raising scanners from their metallic shells to sweep the carnage.

Three.

SCRRRRRCH

One of them, boasting a slightly superior paint job than the rest, paused as if considering the scrap heap laid out on the road before it.

Two...

It turned, whirring, at the crackle of dying mechanics, putting its back toward the alley.

ONE.

"Go!" The fox hissed, right before he darted out of the alley and sprinted down the open sidewalk. He seemed intent on his goal, but somewhere in the back of his mind he sent a silent prayer to a god he rarely believed in: Voya be with us.

[Kiwi]

Tara quickly bolted after the fox, her heart already beating a million miles an hour. She spared a brief glance over her shoulder, and quickly switched her gaze forward again. Her ears flattened against her head. They were being chased, that much was for sure. She didn’t count how many, all she was focused on was keeping up with the fox in front of her. She felt something rip through her trench coat, and the hedgehog grimaced, pumping her legs faster. How could the fox in front of her be so confident? Just how much experience did he have with situations like this? Tara wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t in the mood to strike up conversation.

Her eyes roomed the street, looking for anything useful, her eyes stopped on a hover car, the two front doors wide open, and if she was correct, the keys might be in the ignition. It looks like the car was abandoned the second the robots began to attack, it was still in good condition, which was a miracle in itself. She pointed her finger towards the car as she joined his side. “Think we could use it? I like running, but cars do tend to be faster!” A stray shot whizzed past her ear, making her jump slightly.