Brian spotted a cracked wall near the corner. "Over here!" He slammed the butt of his rifle against it, widening the gap. The hole was barely big enough to crawl through. He tossed his weapon out first, ready to squeeze through when—
"Brian, come on" Simon said hurriedly.
Boom! The wall exploded inward. A massive white mech burst through, seizing Simon by the throat and lifting him off the ground. Brian scrambled back inside, pulled a combat knife from his belt, and drove it into the mech's visor. Sparks flared—the machine jerked, systems glitching—but then its other hand punched clean through Simon's hip.
Electric light crackled. The mech seized, trembling violently, then froze mid-motion before collapsing. Simon dropped to the floor like a ragdoll.
"Simon!" Brian's voice broke as he rushed to his side. He dropped to his knees, sweat and dust streaking his face, hands trembling as he tore off the helmet. Simon's breaths came shallow and ragged. He looked up at Brian and weakly brushed a blood-soaked hand against his friend's cheek.
"Guess… You're the last one I.... can count on now," he whispered.
"No. You're coming with me. We're getting out together!" Brian said, gripping his shoulders.
Simon coughed out a broken laugh. "Nahaha… this is what I came here for. We might've lost this battle, but the next one—make it count. Bring the heavier guns…" His words faded. He managed one last nod.
Brian clenched his jaw, tears blurring his eyes. "You may find peace," he whispered before crawling through the hole and out into the desert sun. Behind him, Simon dragged himself against the bloodstained wall.
The white mech stirred again. Circuits hissed back to life. It stood up, slow and deliberate, its metallic face twitching as it yanked the broken knife from its visor. Holding it in both hands, it snapped the blade clean in half like a twig.
Its head tilted—those dead eyes locking on Simon.
"You eagles sure know how to f-f-fight," it said, voice deep and distorted. "Even when you're d-d-d-drowning, you still claw your way back to shore… knowing full well there's a crocodile waiting to eat you alive." The mech lifted its leg, aiming the boot squarely at Simon's face. "S-s-such a pity," the white steel said coldly, its voice echoing with mechanical distortion.
It pressed his metal heel against Simon's face, eyes glowing like blue flame. The soldier didn't move. His eyes shut, his breath slow, as if he had already made up his mind about what was coming.
"Any last words, soldier?" the white killing machine said,
Simon smirked, blood trailing from his lips.
"Yeah…" He raised a trembling middle finger. "Go to hell, fucking tin can."
SPLAT!