Chapter 35: Liz Reforged

Liz dropped down to the ground next to Rachel as she now had her own makeshift armor strapped to various parts of her body.

Rachel, relieved, spoke, “I’m glad you’re safe. I thought Jax got you.”

Liz, analyzing the approaching mechas, said, “No, I took off after building my gun. It hit me after I finished—I never gathered parts from the Phoenix. So I headed back, but it was too destroyed. Still, I was able to make these awesome hovering boots out of the parts, and then I got lucky as another Phoenix was in the area, so I took that one’s wings and other parts.”

Then the Mecha Anubis started charging at them, and as it passed the destroyed skeletons and zombies it reformed them into four other mechas—Horus, Baset, Sobek, and Thoth—that started sprinting at its side. The Mecha Cerberus was not far behind.

Liz spoke, “I will take these ones, you get the slower ones in the back.” Then she took off with her hover boots to engage them.

Liz then looked ahead as she quickly hovered backwards, trying to gain space from the Mecha Anubis as its forces grew. Seeing the monstrous-looking mechas, she thought to herself, Well this is a little more than I bargained for. Well, let’s get this started then.

She clicked a button on her new sci‑fi looking rifle as the big revolver-like cylinder spun then stopped, and it announced in a robotic voice through her newly constructed visor:

“Web Shot activated.”

Liz aimed her rifle as a scope raised up from the gun’s casing, giving her good aim. She focused on the Mecha Anubis as she rapid-fired countless web shots that homed in on its legs, sealing its movement and causing it to collapse to the ground while the others rushed past.

Mecha Horus started to fly, aiming its bow at Liz. The arrow was of pure energy, charging up to fire a powerful blast. Liz then changed her revolving cylinder as it spoke in her ear:

“Scatter Shot activated.”

Liz took aim and fired at Horus as countless small energy beams shot out and homed in on him. But then a clawed hand from her right and a scepter with a sharp moon from her left came at her.

Liz activated the device on her right pauldron, generating a shimmering energy field. It created a barrier blocking both attacks. She hovered away just as mecha Horus came crashing down to the ground, wings busted.

Liz then had to hover quickly to her left as a flame burst from Cerberus came blasting at her. She looked back, seeing Mecha Anubis getting back up as the slow Sobek was still approaching.

Liz thought to herself, This isn’t looking too good, I need to start reducing their numbers fast.

She hit another button on her rifle and the cylinder spun. A notification rang in her ear:

“Charge Shot activated. Weapon is now in charge mode.”

Liz then let go of the rifle as it fell—but it didn’t. Instead, it turned and magnetically attached to Liz’s waist like a sheathed blade.

Then she reached behind and pulled out two sci‑fi futuristic-looking flintlock pistols that also had revolving cylinders. The cylinders spun and then stopped as Liz heard the notifications:

“Rapid Shot activated. Beam Blade activated.”

She pulled the trigger and a long beam of energy burst from the right gun, crackling with energy.

Then she pushed her hover boots to full power as she headed toward them, but then it instantly changing direction. The hover boots pushed her straight at the Mecha Horus that was still getting to its feet due to the damage of the fall.

Liz spun with the beam blade, removing Horus’s head. She then charged towards Mecha Baset, readying another swing, but Baset was quick and leapt back. That was a mistake—Liz pointed the other pistol at Baset and pulled the trigger. Rapid-fire energy bullets shredded Baset mid-air as Liz’s momentum circled her around the mid-leap Baset, arriving at mecha Baset back and she sliced with the beam blade, bisecting Mecha Baset.

But then Liz was struck by the slow Sobek as it finally caught up, sending her flying. Liz activated her fiery wings, keeping her from falling to the ground, but then had to move as more flames from Cerberus fired at her.

She then deactivated her wings—they just drained too much energy.

She switched back to hovering and looked back to Mecha Anubis, who should already have been on top of her by now. Anubis was just standing there with its hand out forming another mecha Horus and Baset.

“Damn,” Liz mumbled, “I guess Mecha Cerberus and Anubis have to go first.” She quickly dodged Thoth’s scepter and unloaded the Rapid Shot into its face, then turned to Mecha Cerberus who was charging up another fire blast as Sobek continued to chase her down.

Liz hovered toward Mecha Cerberus and, right when it fired, she dodged as she hovered around it. She activated the plates attached to her thighs as they opened up, dropping little disks onto the ground. She backed away while using Rapid Shot on the Mecha Cerberus.

The Mecha Cerberus leapt forward right into the disks that Liz had dropped, causing them to explode. Its legs were blown off as it collapsed to the ground in a pile of scrap.

Then Liz quickly dodged as Mecha Baset’s claw came down on her again, but her shield was faster. A voice chimed in her ear: “Energy barrier at 1%. Powering down for recharge.” Then Baset’s claw passed through as Liz lifted her metal bracer to block the attack, but it cut through and sliced the back of her arm.

Liz hovered back as energy arrows from the Mecha Horus were fired at her. She continued to dodge them, but then she looked back and saw that Mecha Anubis still hadn’t moved yet. She grew angry as she saw Mecha Anubis now rebuilding Mecha Cerberus.

“Damn, it can rebuild anything near itself.”

But then the notification she had been waiting for came: “Charge complete.”

Liz smiled widely and burst forward, weaving past all of the mechas. She approached Mecha Anubis, who noticed her and stopped the reconstruction of Mecha Cerberus. It took its large executioner’s axe and slashed at Liz, but she hovered to the side, then activated her wings and burst up toward Anubis’s head. She pointed at its lower jaw and pulled the trigger. Its metal head exploded like a balloon, sending chunks of metal, circuits, and wires in all directions.

Then a notification was heard:

“Rifle out of energy. Powering down and entering recharge mode.”

The rifle left her hand and attached itself back to her waist.

Liz looked back at the remaining four and sighed in exhaustion. “Let’s finish this,” she spoke out as she aimed her pistols at the mechas.

She flew forward at Mecha Horus, who was charging his bow attack. Liz held the trigger as her pistols’ Rapid Shot continuously fired as she rapidly closed the distance. Even as Horus was hit, it didn’t break its bow charge. It released the charged shot as Liz closed in, but she rolled to the right as she flew past him, then spun in the air and swung down her razor-sharp Phoenix wing, sending Horus’s headless body falling to the ground.

Then an announcement hit Liz’s ear:

“Phoenix flight only has 15 seconds remaining. Quickly descend safely to the ground.”

Liz grumbled to herself, “Man, I really need to work on the energy efficiency of the wings—they drain too quickly.” She quickly descended to see Sobek waiting for her, ready to strike. Liz thought to herself, Man, that mecha is built like a tank. I think I’ll just destroy it from the inside out. I don’t want to waste too much energy. She rotated the cylinder in the gun as the notification mentioned the change:

“Tesla Shot activated.”

Liz pulled the trigger as lightning shot out of both guns. The lightning kept branching out until Liz’s hero ability kicked in, and all the branches of lightning homed in toward Sobek. The lightning struck, frying all of its circuits and components as its eyes powered off and it fell to the ground.

Liz landed right on the massive Sobek’s chest as smoke rose from all the gaps in its mecha body. Mecha Baset was right there to greet her with its claw. Liz’s shield was recharging, so she had to regretfully use her Phoenix wing to block it. Baset’s claw sliced into Liz’s Phoenix wing.

Liz switched to beam blades as both gun's’ beams activated. Liz slashed at Mecha Baset but was too quick, Liz continued to press Mecha Baset with relentless slashes moving Mecha Baset back right where Liz wanted it to go. It took another step back and started to lose balance, falling over Horus’s body.

Liz grinned, activated her hover boots, and flew forward, stabbing both beam blades into Baset’s chest. It twitched and sparked until it powered down. She turned to look for Thoth, which she hadn’t seen for a while, only to notice it was aimlessly running around. Her Rapid Shot to the face had destroyed its sensors, so it could no longer see. She walked up and bisected Thoth.

Liz looked around the battlefield, noticing that her targets were all down. She checked her guns—energy remaining: 3%.

Liz glanced at Rachel’s battle, then decided, I guess I’ll head back to my truck and pick up my backup energy batteries I left behind. Liz activated her hover boots, heading away from the battlefield.