The battle for the oil field reached a fever pitch as the Eradicator Mark 2 unleashed a relentless storm of lead. John grabbed Victoria, pulling her into a desperate leap behind a rusted shipping container just as the metal began to shred. A stray round tore through Victoria's shoulder, but she didn't even flinch; the adrenaline was a cold fire in her veins, masking the agony of the wound.
"Where are you, you little gremlins!" the Eradicator Mk 2 hissed, its voice a grating mechanical snarl. The machine leaned forward, its shoulder pods locking into position with a series of heavy clicks. With a mechanical roar, it launched twenty rockets in a chaotic, blossoming arc of white smoke and fire.
John looked up, the reflection of the incoming death dancing in his visor. He saw the trajectory and knew the container wouldn't hold. "Victoria, move!" He shoved her with everything he had, sending her tumbling down a sandy embankment.
"John!" she screamed, reaching back for him as her fingers clawed at the air.
BOOM.
A chain of explosions turned their cover into a mountain of twisted, molten scrap. The shockwave slammed Victoria into the dirt, the world turning into a deafening ring. She lay there, staring blankly at her palms as thick, black smoke rose into the air, obscuring the sky.
"Oh, what a shame," the Eradicator Mk 2 rumbled, standing tall among the flames as its mechanical jaw curled into a cruel mimicry of a grin. "One of your friends sacrifices his life just to save yours. Truly pathetic."
Victoria's eyes began to tear up, the salt stinging the grime on her face. "Come on!" the machine taunted, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground. "Use whatever you've got left."
Victoria slowly stood up. Her fingers brushed the handle of her hammer, and her gaze darkened until it was as cold as the steel she held. "I'm done being saved," she whispered to the ash.
The Eradicator Mark 2 raised both its arms, the twin quad-machine guns beginning to whine as they spun into a lethal blur. "Any last words?"
Victoria didn't answer. She charged.
As the quad-guns erupted in a deafening staccato, Victoria twirled her hammer in a blur of steel. The centrifugal force and the heavy plating deflected the hail of bullets in a shower of sparks. She triggered the hammer's thrusters, launching herself into the air like a rocket. With a primal scream, she slammed the weapon into the Eradicator's faceplate, the impact throwing the massive droid's head back with a sickening crunch.
She landed gracefully, but the machine was terrifyingly fast. The Eradicator delivered a brutal, hydraulic kick to her stomach, sending her skidding across the oil-slicked ground. Victoria forced herself up, ignoring the agonizing knot in her gut. She swung her hammer with a desperate strength, but the Mark 2 raised its massive foot, intending to stomp her into the earth.
Victoria didn't dodge. She reached up and caught the Eradicator's foot with her bare hands, her muscles straining and popping against the immense hydraulic pressure. With a roar of pure defiance, she swung her hammer upward, catching the droid's ankle and sending the multi-ton machine stumbling back.
"God dammit!" the Eradicator shrieked, a high-frequency sound that sent Victoria reeling. "Game over, bitch!"
The droid leveled both its quad-guns, locking onto her chest. But then, a shadow emerged from the black smoke rising from the wreckage behind it.
It was John. His helmet was shattered, revealing a face smeared with blood and grit. His left arm was gone, cauterized at the shoulder into a jagged stump, but he held his Energy Axe firmly in his remaining hand. He lunged, swinging the axe into the Eradicator's shoulder plate. The energy blade split the thick armor in half with a violent shower of sparks.
"What the—?! You're still alive?!" the Eradicator screamed, its head snapping around as it tried to bite at him with its serrated jaws.
John jumped back, then rammed the machine again, driving his axe deep into the leg armor until the plate shattered like glass. He didn't stay for the counter-attack; he rushed to Victoria, scooping her up with his one good arm.
Victoria clung to him tightly, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and relief. Together, they looked up as the Eradicator Mark 2 struggled to its feet, its damaged quad-guns slowly rising to find their mark once more.