The Reaper stepped into the light.
Unlike the Hunter models, this thing was on four legs, silent, hydraulic ones. Its main body looked like a black, armored coffin. But the really scary thing was its tail: a long, segmented scorpion tail with a super sharp blade that buzzed with blue energy.
TARGET LOCKED: ASSET 815. ACCOMPLICE DETECTED.
DANGER LEVEL: HIGH.
The voice didn't come from a speaker; it was right in my head through my wrist-comp.
Elias, Sarah whispered, backing up to the door we'd just come through. That tail can slice through diamond. If it hits you, you're done.
It gotta have a soft spot, right? I asked, raising my gun.
It's got a shielded core. Bullets won't do shit. You gotta overheat it.
Overheat it? It looks like a fridge on legs!
The thing charged.
It was super fast. One second it was like 20 meters away, and then BAM, it was right on top of us.
Move it!
I shoved Sarah left and dove right.
SSSHHHINK.
The tail slammed into the floor exactly where we'd been standing. It went in like butter, deep into the stone.
I got to my knees and fired. BANG. BANG. BANG.
The bullets just sparked off the thing's armor. Nothing. It didn't even react. It pulled back its tail and turned its one red eye toward me.
THREAT LEVEL: ANNOYING.
It jumped at me.
No time to dodge. I put up the gun to block it.
The Reaper's leg came down and smashed the gun, sending bits of plastic everywhere and me flying across the tunnel. I hit a bunch of cables, the wind blew me away.
Elias! Sarah yelled. She tried to use her power to control the cables, but she started coughing up blood. Her power was gone. She was drained.
The Reaper didn't even look at her. It came towards me, tail up, ready to finish me.
I scrambled back, trying to breathe. My ribs were on fire. I looked at the machine.
Can't shoot it. Can't beat it in a race.
Think.
I looked around. We were in a power area, with high-voltage cables along the walls.
I looked back at the Reaper.
Scan, I told it.
My vision changed. Red text popped up over the machine.
UNIT: REAPER MARK IV.
ARMOR: TRITANIUM COMPOSITE.
WEAK SPOT: NONE.
NETWORK: LOCAL NETWORK (ENCRYPTED).
It was on the network, i figured. Every machine in this city was connected to the grid.
It's shielded, I said, wiping blood off my face. But it still needs orders.
I stood up, shaking. The Reaper stopped, like it was enjoying my struggle. Its tail twitched, ready to strike.
Hey, ugly! I yelled.
The red eye looked at me.
I didn't go for the robot. I went for the floor.
I focused on the huge power cable next to the Reaper. It said MAIN LINE FOR SECTOR 4.
Skill: Weapon Hack? Nope. That was for guns.
Skill: Overload?
I didn't know the skill. But Sarah said I was a Technomancer. I didn't need a button on the screen. I just needed to push.
I reached out with my mind, grabbing the digital body of the power cable. It felt like holding raw electricity.
Blow, I yelled in my head
I made a fist.
BOOM.
The cable exploded. Sparks and blue electricity went everywhere, right at the Reaper.
The machine screamed, like a modem dying. Electricity clovered over its armor, frying its systems. It stumbled, its legs went haywire.
SYSTEM ERROR. CAN'T SEE.
It's blind! Sarah shouted. Elias, finish it!
How? I had nothing to use for a weapon.
I looked at the Reaper. It was moving around randomly, slashing its tail.
I looked at my wrist-comp. It was flashing red.
POWER SURGE DETECTED. ABSORPTION POSSIBLE
Absorption?
So, I just ran.
I ran straight for that crazy robot.
Elias, no! Sarah yelled.
I didn't care. I ducked under the tail as it swung, feeling the heat from that blade pass right over my face. I slammed my left hand, the one with the wrist comp, right onto the Reaper's belly, where the armor moved.
Take this!
I hit the Interface button.
I wasn't trying to hack it. I wanted to suck it dry.
My wrist comp acted like a leech. I felt all this crazy power shoot out of the Reaper's battery, up to my arm, and into me. Felt like my veins were full of hot goo.
WARNING. BATTERY TOO FULL.
CONVERTING TO XP.
The Reaper went crazy. Its red eye flickered.
LOW POWER. SHUTTING DOWN
The light in its eye went out. The thing fell over, its legs gave out and it crashed, pinning my arm for a second before I pulled it out.
I fell back, catching my breath. My arm was smoking. My wrist comp was burning hot.
Then a blue box popped up in front of me.
DEFEATED: REAPER MARK IV (LEVEL 15).
XP GAINED: 500.
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 3.
GOT NEW SKILL: ENERGY SIPHON.
I just lay there, staring up. So i survived this.
Sarah came over. She checked out the dead robot, then me. She looked shocked and amazed.
You drained it, she whispered. You didn't just hack it. You ate its juice.
I... I just wanted it to stop, okay? I said.
She gave me a hand up, I grabbed it.
That's not how Technomancers work, Elias, she said quietly. They mess with code, not eat energy.
So what am I?
She pulled me up.
I have no idea, she said. But Malachi's gonna freak out when he hears about this.
We walked past the smoking robot. The Sub Station console was right there.
Do it, Sarah said. Shut it down.
I went to the console. Didn't need to type. I put my hand on the screen.
ACCESS GRANTED.
COMMAND: SYSTEM SHUTDOWN.
The tunnel lights flickered and went out. The fans slowed down.
Way above us, in Server 9 tower, the cooling system went down. The heat started rising.
And in the dark, a ton of sleeping people started waking up.