“It’s the one that shot Stardust,” Mike answered while still making his way toward the A.I.
“Are you sure?”
A white shirt was sneakily rushing behind one of the Players. Mike picked up a damaged, off-line P-Bot and threw it at them, knocking the white shirt to the ground. “I’m sure. And I’m taking it down.”
“Be careful. That thing is lethal.”
“Will do.” Mike stopped talking to face off with Commander 5.
The A.I. turned from watching the battle when Mike approached it. It tilted its head to the side. After a pause, the A.I. raised its arm. But before it could do whatever it planned to do, Mike hit it with a blast. He hit it with another one as he ran forward, itching for a chance to go hand to hand. Thankfully, the P-Bot engaged, and Mike unleashed his fury at what this thing had nearly done to Aiden with unrelenting punch after furious punch.
As they fought, Mike observed that the way Commander 5 moved was different from the other bots. When it ducked to avoid his blasts, its movements were fluid and instinctual, rather than jerky and robotic. Was it a human inside that suit?
Mike cursed. He couldn’t gain the upper hand in their fight. If it actually was a robot he was facing, its martial programming was so advanced that it was as if he was up against an unbeatable Final Boss. But Commander 5 didn’t have the upper hand either. Until suddenly it spun, fast as lightning, gaining momentum for a brutal punch to the side of Mike’s head. It happened so fast that he barely saw the hit coming. But he definitely felt it.
The blow to his head had his ears ringing, stunning him to the point that he couldn’t think straight enough to activate his blast. With a pained grunt, Mike stumbled and collapsed to his knees. Commander 5 strolled forward to stand directly in front him. Down and defenseless, Mike braced himself for what he knew was coming. A laser shot—the same laser shot that almost killed Aiden. At such close range, he doubted he’d survive it. He didn’t want to die. There was too much he wanted to explore as a person, as a hero, as Aiden’s partner and lover.
A familiar voice shouted from nearby.
“No!”
A split second later, Aiden landed in front of him. The golden shield went up, protecting them both.
Commander 5 fired the laser anyway. But the shield held. Relentless, the A.I. took a step closer. Aiden yelled, his dirty, sweaty face fierce with concentration. He was straining to keep up the protective sphere under the powerful onslaught.
“Drop it,” Mike said.
“What?” Aiden shouted with his eyes wide.
“Do you trust me?”
“With my life. Which I’m guessing I’m about to prove.”
A smile quirked Mike’s lips. “You are. Drop the shield and hit the ground.”
“All right.”
“On three. One. Two. Three!”
The shield disappeared and Aiden dropped flat to the pavement.
Mike immediately lunged right, out of range of the laser. Before Commander 5 could adjust his aim, Mike let loose with his blast. For the first time, he didn’t simply use it, he put the full strength of his mental force behind it. The beam was wider, and a bright neon green instead of dark emerald. His power was so strong that the visor cracked over his left eye. Then the glass shattered over his right. Mike got back on his feet. Focused. Determined. He clenched his fists and suddenly, Commander 5 went hurtling back under the force of the blast, slamming into the windshield of one of the Pruitt Force trucks.
His ears still ringing, Mike pulled his power back and dropped to his knees again. “Thank fuck that worked.” His temples instantly throbbed with a headache so excruciatingly painful that he swayed, bracing himself with a hand on the ground to keep from crumpling to the pavement. The intensity of the power he’d used was so strong that the magnets in his visor hadn’t been able to counteract it. But he didn’t care. As long as he and Aiden were alive, he could deal with a headache.
Across the way, the commander must have called for a retreat. Because the rest of the force, robot and human alike, stopped fighting and began making their way to their vehicles. A few of the Players gave chase but Stardust stopped them with a yell.
“Let them go! We did what we came to do.”
They watched as the still functioning bots and the white shirts able to walk climbed into their self-driving trucks, abandoning the bridge in a disorderly retreat. The Players started cheering at their victory.
Stardust stood and helped Mike to his feet. He put a hand on Mike’s jaw, tilting his head down to look at him.
Mike returned his gaze, minus the green tint to his vision.
“Wow. You actually destroyed your fancy visor. Caleb is going to murder you.”
“It was worth it to protect you, these people, and this place that you love.”
Aiden smiled. “Awww, Beefcake. You say the sweetest things. I hope you always love me enough to fight artificial intelligence robots on my behalf.”
“You know I will.”
Flushed with victory and love, Mike leaned down to his lover, sealing his promise with a kiss.
