incapable of feeling emotion.
Maria backed away as the man, instinctively reach for his gun, but he never withdrew it, instead he simply held onto it to comfort himself. Maria dare not take her eyes off him even to pull down her hood or hide her face. She took another step back when the man stopped, obviously stunned.
“You are that girl, that they are looking for, Maria Rivera,” he stated as her heart quivered.
“Please just let me pass.” she begged as the man neared.
“You need to come with me,” the man stated calmly as Maria shook her head.
“Just let me pass,” she repeated when all the war machines turned towards the man with their guns trained on his chest. The man froze looking at the field of machines around him amazed. A sly smile played on his lips.
“You are a lot more interesting than the others led me to believe.” the man whispered as she turned away with one of the war machines trailing behind.
“Just don’t follow me.” Maria yelled as her war machine shielded her with its gun raised.
“I can’t promise you that, little girl” the man stated as Maria edged out of the room.
She hurried down a hall when she came across a group of soldiers, hackers and controllers responsible for directing large squads of war machines. Many did not seem proficient at fighting but she knew all of them were taught how to wield a gun and carried one at all times.
They stopped talking when they saw Maria with her war machine stomping behind her. The machine responded to her tension by stepping in front of her with its lasers aimed at the soldiers. The soldiers reached for their guns in turn when the war machine rushed toward them without Maria’s explicit instruction.
The soldiers backed away as the machine disarmed them all, its movements being too swift to follow and much too swift to block. Hard steel clamped flesh as limbs were pulled into awkward positions. Many of the soldiers laid bruised with shallow bloody cuts.
“Am I authorized to proceed?” the machine asked with its gun raised to one of the soldiers head.
“No! Don’t kill him!” Maria yelled as the machine released the man then hurried to her side. She shook her head disgusted then ran off with the machine following her.
The alarm sounded as she stopped turning toward the machine. She hacked into is database to find the exit then forced the machine to lead her to safety. An intercom announced her name and her location as she forced herself through sealed doors.
She slowed when she heard a group of people approaching. She pressed herself against the wall as her war machine stepped in front of her with its laser gun raised.
“You are to use rubber bullets for she is just a child and they want her alive and well.” someone briefed the group.
“Understood.” everyone agreed in unison.
“Also be careful they reported that she is highly dangerous.” the leader continued as her war machine edged around the corner ready to beat them into submission.
“She is just six years old how dangerous can she possibly be?” someone asked when the war machine came into full view.
“They sent a war machine to catch this girl?” someone asked nervously when Maria appeared behind it.
“Wait isn’t that her?” someone asked as they raised their guns, which were already loaded with rubber bullets. Maria backed away as the war machine followed her lead.
“Is she controlling that robot?” someone asked frighten.
“That is impossible without the proper controls.” someone stated when the leader of the group fired rubber bullets at her, though whether to test his subordination’s claim or to knock her out was unclear, but the war machine enveloped them both within a force field. The odd bullets bounced off the shimmering barrier.
When the hail of projectiles ceased the force field disintegrated as the machine stepped toward the group with its oversized cannons raised. The interior glowed as energy collected within the large metal cylinders.
“Combat mode engaged. Targeting aggressors.” the machine announced as Maria stopped its programs hastily.
“You are to use your shields only.” she said before hurrying down the hall as the robot trailed close behind.
When she arrived at the door she commanded the machine to blast through the thick metal. The doors swung outward as the force of the energy knocked them off their hinges. Shrapnel was cast far and wide, lodging itself into the hard soil.
Maria ran down the shallow stairs when the soldiers slowly caught up, firing another round of rubber bullets. The war machine shielded her on the barren lawn as the soldiers closed in. A small metal sphere was tossed over to them when the force field faded, leaving them completely exposed.
“The shield has been breached, awaiting further instruction,” the war machine declared before a laser shot through its chest, forming a large hole that exposed striped wires and jagged metal. The machine fell slowly as all its systems failed.
The man, Maria saw in the room filled with the war machines, slowly approached. With a lazily gesture the soldiers ceased fire as they watched him descend down the stairs, lacking any sense of urgency.
“So you are Maria Rivera,” the man stated as she backed away from the motionless machine.
“Isn’t that obvious by now?” Maria asked boldly when she spotted a tank parked a few yards away.
“I suppose so,” he agreed pleasantly like their chat was commonplace, as if he believed that he had already captured her.
“Well it was nice meeting you but I should be going.” she said when the tank raced over to her, guided by her thoughts. The soldiers, in the way, fled as the armored auto flyer glided over to her, cutting off the approaching man.
“Fire!” the man yelled as the soldiers gathered their wits. Maria wasted no time climbing onto the steel mound, gripping onto metal eaves with Snickers balanced precariously on her shoulder with its head slumped near her collarbone. The armor rang as it was hit by the endless rounds of projectiles that whizzed about. She fought with the lid then leapt inside before a bullet struck the rim and she sealed herself inside. She commanded the tank to rise then turned on its force field.
The craft shot up through the laser grid, completely protected by its shield. The powerful beams reflected in every direction, setting the grass on fire and craving deep gashes in the building. The soldiers hit the ground as the focused light passed over them, slashing through the gates and destroying watchtowers.
Maria clung onto Snickers as the craft raced off into the great unknown. It was rather unfortunate that she caused so much damaged but soon she would be safe and that is all that matters. She just wanted to go home, wherever that might be.
Conflicting Interests
A large husky man walked down a narrow hall, his polished shoes clicking on the hard floor. His dark blue uniform was pressed, the seams forming sharp imposing creases. Small golden metals were pinned in place by sturdy ribbon that swung about, in time with his confident strides. His shaven head was coated in a thin covering of silver fuzz. His stern gaze rarely missed anything of any importance.
His gestures, to those behind him, were precise and swift. His soldiers froze with a hastened step, awaiting his command. He glanced at the door when the nearest soldier opened it, revealing a large room dominated by a huge table.
The man entered silently as the others followed. He sat near the head of the table. He drew his chair then sat down with his hands folded neatly on the table. His cold eyes were focused on the door.
The door reopened when another group entered. They sat across from the man and his soldiers. They were high ranking members from Homeland Security still clad in their field uniforms as if they had only left work hours ago.
They openly stared at each other in silence when yet another group entered. Many sat at the far end but one sat at the very head of the long table, drawing everyone’s attention with his presence alone.
He was wearing a classy tailored suit and a silken tie of deep grey. Faint shadowy marks lurked
under his eyes, where the skin sagged slightly with lack of rest, adding to his apparent age. There was a morbid sadness about his overall expression. His stony gaze was unwavering, hardened by countless secrets.
“I have called you all here because something needs to be done about Maria Rivera. She is a threat to national security.” stated the man at the head of the table when the nearest member from Homeland Security spoke.
“I have a proposition.” he stated as the man, who called the meeting, nodded when he began to elaborate.
“Maria can be controlled. I believe that she is opposing us because she believes that we do not have her best interest in mind.” the Homeland Security agent explained but the one at the head of the table was becoming impatient.
“What are you suggesting?” he asked, cutting off the agent’s lengthy explanation.
“She wants a place to call home. She wants to replace the family that she lost. She has been hiding for years because she obeyed her father. When her foster guardian caught her attacking one of her peers, she showed remorse. She deferred to his authority. Even a random scientist at our outpost in Crater Canyon was able to detain her for a day. She can be captured, we just have to be cautious about how we approach her.” the agent finished as the main listener nodded.
“Then what should we do?” the man at the head of the table, asked the agent.
“She needs to be kept within an area with no technology that she can use against us and her ACPC must be