By David C. Daoust
It was not that Olivia did not hear the young girl’s instruction; it was just that the much older woman saw a better way. Granted, it put Olivia in a position that overextended her into enemy lines; she was quick, she knew what she could do. Olivia saw the win and she took it. After all, she was not at one time known as ‘Wild Hawk’ to most of the Onion for nothing.
Grace could be heard griping in her ear.
Moments after Olivia’s reticle flashed red, locked on target, the missiles were away… a drone was blown out of the sky. Olivia’s Spider-mecha arched up into the air as two more attacking drones tried to take advantage of her position. Unfortunately for them, the little girl she had ignored, was there to implement her plan whether Olivia played along or not.
Olivia snickered a little, she knew she would’ve been blown out of the sky without the skills of those around her… Skills that were abundantly clear as the sister’s twin spider-mechas positioned themselves to cut off the pursuit as Olivia barely managed to extricate herself from the consequences of her bold attack.
Ultimately, Olivia had to admit that it was not so much that she knew what she could do, so much as what the girls could. Grace and Dicey had skills, and the two sisters could work together at a level that would put most others out of whatever game they were playing at. It all brought her back to her days as a professional athlete, trusting in her team to do their part…
Olivia had not had so much fun in years and years. While her body did not move as it once had, her mind was still sharp and she still had that wild streak mixed with just the right amount of fearlessness, all of which was clearly enough to make her a formidable mecha pilot whether she still had the body of a famous athlete or not.
“I heard that snickering,” Grace scolded through the coms. Olivia didn’t answer, the older woman was actually within her own quarters. She was pretty sure the girls were still in the family room. She felt a little bit of a flush as she was called-out on her recklessness, but really, she just relished in the feeling– made her feel young.
Olivia spun the Spider-mecha back around, trying to find a new target… before they could find her.
She spotted the fourth Spider-mecha as it joined them out in the dunes… Ratchet had stopped in a while ago to try and ‘borrow’ her visor. He explained what was going on, and that there were more mechas under their control… Yet, put simply, Olivia felt like maybe Ratchet was not the right man for the job. She sent him off to find her husband; maybe Wilford would give up his visor. Meanwhile, Ferguson was good enough to connect her to a machine of her own. So, when the fourth voice joined them on the coms, she was not surprised at all to find Wilford in the boy’s stead. Olivia laughed. She knew Wilford had thought the same thing she did. Ratchet just wasn’t the right man for the job.
Wilford’s machine launched straight into the fray; Olivia was hard pressed to follow. She knew her husband could fly like a machine for a reason. His precision was apparent as he dismantled the enemy lines. She soared through behind, blasting all those that turned to take on the speed demon that just plowed further into the fray than Olivia had yet dared. All of which was heralded by Grace complaining. Warning them to fall into formation, all so she could organize a real attack.
The old couple were simply having way too much fun.
It was clear Grace decided just to adapt as the plans she rattled off to Dicey involved taking advantage of the other two’s unpredictability.
It was few and far between that a drone was actually taken down. Ultimately, through this wave, only Olivia’s bold attack actually destroyed one. The damage to the enemy, however, was extensive, more and more enemy drones were either trailing blackened smoke, had sparks flying from under their carapace, or both.
The wave of Battle Drones retreated, as was their way.
The one smoldering in the dunes below was quickly collected by the victors…
“Maybe if Ratchet explains to Hugo what’s going on,” Olivia mused over the coms, “We can get this one repaired for when Hugo joins us for the next wave.”
Wilford was the only one to laugh; the girls just seemed to agree that it was a good idea.
Discussion ¬