GZ Tales: The Bard's Apple Pie Part 2

 

“Before you ask, I'll tell you,” the guitar-man said, “Those are Rotanian soldiers. They're a cold relentless army of robots from another world.” 

            “Those are robots?” Rick gasped. Unable to stand it any further, the guitar-man reached out and brushed away the egg from Rick's mustache. 

            “Yes. Robots. They're why I'm here. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and save your town.”

            “Who are you?” Joe asked. 

            “I'm Rockaria,” he handed Joyce a hundred dollar bill, “Awesome pie!” Then he stepped out the door and into the street. As he did, he brought his guitar around in front of him and adjusted the strap. He stopped in the middle of the street facing the Rotanians. 

            “What's he doing?” Lee asked. 

            “He'll be killed,” Joyce said. 

            Without hesitation, they fired at him. He gripped the neck and threw his fingers across the strings. For an electric guitar, it needed no power source that anyone could see. It roared a chord that shook the ground and the energy bolts exploded several feet before they could reach him. It was like they hit an invisible wall. All the dust on him and his guitar burst away from them and his instrument shined magnificently in the sun. 

            The strange robots fired on him again to the same result. He turned slightly and pointed the neck end as he played a long series of notes that would make legendary rockers proud. A bolt of lightning flew from the neck to the lead Rotanian. It arced to the rest and blew all six of them apart. 

            “He is good,” Joe said. 

            “Shut up, I'm trying to pay attention to this,” Rick said. 

            “Rick, you're a jerk,” Joyce added. 

            Rockeria spun just in time to throw a chord that stopped another barrage of rifle fire. More soldiers came from the other direction. 

            “Aw, come on. They didn't just send foot soldiers! Where's the big stuff?” he chided them as he played a new arrangement. 

            The robots shook in the throw of the sonic assault and their heads exploded. Then two new robots appeared out of thin air from teleportation. These were different in that each had a four point silver star on the front of its helmet. 

            “Starhunters, it's about time,” Rockaria said. 

            They vanished as he played frantically and reappeared near him. They attacked like master martial artists punching and kicking his barrier from all directions. Suddenly, one seemed to connect and Rockaria was tossed through the window of a shop across the street. 

            “Oh no,” Joyce exclaimed. 

            “Is he dead?” Joe asked. 

            A Starhunter jumped through the window after him but a bright beam of light caught it in the chest. Its arms and legs landed in the street. Its  head landed on the sidewalk near the cafe. 

            “Nope, still kickin,” Rick reported. 

            Another beam went after the second Starhunter but it vanished again. This time a field of crackling energy formed and caught it as it reappeared. It stood stunned as he played the beam of light through its head. 

            “Now, I know better than to think we're done already,” Rockaria said.

            As if in answer, he heard the hum of extraterrestrial machinery as the bizarre looking tank rumbled into view. It rolled on studded treads and gleamed with black and silver metals. Its barrel was wide and kind of flattened and glowing with power. It leveled the barrel to aim and fired an intense beam of energy. The ground where Rockaria stood exploded in a cloud of debris and dirt. 

            “Oh, now he's dead,” Joyce shook her head. 

            “No, look over there!” Rick shouted. 

            “How'd he get over there?” Lee asked. 

            Rockaria stood on top of the tank. Its turret turned looking for him and he held his playing hand high. He brought it down hard on the strings and another explosion shook the whole street. Bits of metal rained down all around. Rockaria now stood on top of the building across from the cafe. 

            “Now what's he doing?” Rick asked. 

            “I don't know but this beats every rock concert I ever went to,” Joe said. 

            “Okay, come on,” Rockaria said, “I've shown plenty of resistance. Come out and let's finish this!” 

            A great shadow appeared over the street as the ship hovered over the town. It dwarfed the tank and probably carried everything he had fought so far. 

            “Now, we're talking,” Rockaria said. He started a new range of notes and his guitar took on a fierce glow. The more he played, the brighter it grew. From the craft, what could only be described as several red targeting beams converged on him. Brighter and brighter he glowed, until the people in the cafe had to shield their eyes. On board the ship, the main weapon charged, preparing to destroy him and the building he stood on. 

Now, the brightness engulfed all the area around him and even the ships systems had a hard time seeing him. The enemy pressed the button to fire their weapon. The explosion shattered every window in town on every car, truck and building. Joyce, Rick, Joe, and Lee were all thrown to the floor with an echoing ringing in their ears. As it faded, they slowly stood up. All they could see outside was a wall of smoke. For several minutes they stared and wondered if their town was still there. This time they thought Rockaria had to be gone with it all. 

Then they heard that guitar begin to play again. A wind rose and blew the smoke away. The ground trembled and cracks grew back together. The glass on the ground flew back into the frame like in a backwards movie. The same thing happened all across town as the damage reversed itself from the notes he played. The ship was gone and so were any signs of the Rotanians.

 The townsfolk went outside and met Rockaria as he wandered up in the street. 

            “They were going to raze your town and kill you all for mineral deposits here. Deposits they would use to make more robots.” 

            “How'd you know they were coming here?” Joyce asked. 

            “Well, it's a long story, but my guitar told me. Besides, isn't it obvious I'm not from around here?” 

            “Just a minute,” Lee ran back into the cafe and returned with a small white box. “Here. A pie to go.” 

            “Hey, thanks. This really is great pie.” 

            “What are you?” Joyce asked. 

            “I'm a bard. I use music to cast magic. Well, you'll be safe now, so you all take care,” he turned and vanished from sight. 

           The next day they changed the menu and became known for “The Bard’s Apple Pie,” the best pie in the county.

 

Amazing People: The Blind Roboticist

They call him, Robo Doc. Dr. Marco Bitetto is an award winning roboticist. That means he develops robots and artificial intelligence programs for robots. But hold on. Those of you who follow me regularly, know that I'm all about people who don't give up based on various disabilities to do what they love. So how does Robo Doc fit the bill. Well...

He's blind.

Not only has he had to overcome blindness, but when he was a kid; the so called experts labelled him as retarded. He had to overcome blindness and dysgraphia to teach himself how to write. He also learned two languages on his own. Wait a second; what the heck is dysgraphia? For him, it was insult to injury.

Dysgraphia is a disorder in the ability to write. We aren't just talking about bad handwriting here. It's more like a short circuit in the neuro-process that allows you to write words. It also messes with other fine motor skills as you might imagine. But the Doc didn't let this stop him.

He developed programs that helped him move forward. He achieved a Bacheoler of Science Degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the State University of New York in 1991. He even worked as an engineer for a radio station.

During his education at the University, he was so distinguished in his skill set that he earned scholarships and grants the whole way through. Basically, he was paid to go to school. Try that on for size. He built two laboratories in his house to do his undergraduate work.

Really, you can see a great deal about him to the technical and historical at his Amazon page HERE. Read down the column on the left!

Now he's developed artificial intelligence programs that could seriously change the world for the disabled. And he's not looking to start a business, rather help the people of the disabled community overcome as he has. Some of the AI programs he's developed have worked for him as a voice interviewer, translations of color and patterns to sound, and the applications for these could be limitless.

You can see a video that demonstrates an artificial intelligence called Kate on his Amazon page. If you have a love or fascination with robotics programming, you should check out his books too.

You can also find Robo Doc at Goodreads HERE.

GZ Legends 73: Bits and Pieces

            

Electrode took two steps forward and fell on his face.

            “Did you think I never dealt with your kind before?” The Maker sneered. “What you just experienced is called a ‘slow field’. It cancels out speed powers very effectively. Try as you might, you won’t be dashing around in here.”

            Electrode stood up, electricity arched around his body. “I still have another weapon.”

            “Do you?”

            Electrode launched a series of powerful bolts at the Maker’s chair and his two robots. Nothing happened to any of them.

            “Very impressive. Unfortunately, you face me. I’m not such an easy target.”

            “Maybe we can try something else.” Electrode sent his next surge of attacks toward one of the giant turbine engines. To his shock, the lightning re-directed and hit the Maker’s chair instead. It still did no damage to the hovering chair.

            “Lightning can be turned too easily. I’m afraid I’m getting bored with you now.”

            “So what? Why haven’t you taken a shot at me yet?”

            “I promised you to someone else.” The Maker smiled cruelly.

            A black silk bag suddenly went over Electrode’s head, held by the Bagman. Bagman had quietly slipped up behind the hero.

            “Now I’ll drain your powers for my own, right into the bag!” Bagman said as Electrode struggled to get away. “Feel how you’re weakening? It means you won’t survive the experience.”

            Electrode clawed at the silk bag and struggled for some foothold to gain leverage. Bagman had him too far off balance. The Maker continued to smile as he watched the event unfold.

            A sudden blast from a nearby wall brought Blacktide and Anubis into the room.

            “This party needs to get crashed!” Anubis shouted as he shot Bagman in the back with cosmic rays.

           

The bag came off and Electrode collapsed to the floor.

            The Maker replaced his smile with a grimace. “Sendroid and Murderator, destroy.”

            The two giant robots moved into action. One of them emitted a black beam of disintegration energy that nearly hit Anubis.

            “Whoa!” Anubis shouted. “Blacktide, these things hit like you do! Watch out!”

            “I’m on ‘em!” Blacktide shouted as he returned fire in kind. He hit the closest one to him and merely singed its chest plates. “Oh great! So much for being pumped up.”

            The robot, called Murderator, lunged forward and brought a big fist down that Blacktide barely rolled away from. It crumpled the metal floor but didn’t break through.

            “I wonder what’s under here?” Blacktide thought.

            Nightfall ran through the fight to try and drag Electrode to a safer distance. At least he could be out from under the robot’s stomping feet. Nyhtwulf couldn’t help her as he flew for the Maker. The Dwarf of the Deep Stars, saw the Twilie Demon coming and smiled. Before Nyhtwulf could touch the Maker, he was caught in mid-air with a loud crackling sound.

            “It’s an ethereal barrier, Demon. Perfect for the likes of you!”

            Nyhtwulf’s limp body was thrown across the chamber and against a wall with an echoing thud.  At the same time, the robot called Sendroid caught Anubis by an ankle in the air. It swung his body right into Nightfall and Electrode, flinging all three of them another direction. Anubis’s body dented the metal wall and he staggered to his feet. Nightfall and Electrode didn’t move.

            “I’m really getting sick of this!” Anubis shouted as he built up a glowing charge of cosmic power around himself.

            “Do tell.” The Maker looked less than impressed.

            Blacktide turned his power against the floor under Murderator’s plodding feet to reveal another chamber underneath them. The big robot fell through and a loud crash was heard below.

            “Forgot to make them fly?” Blacktide chided at the Maker.

            “Hardly necessary.” The Maker spat.

            A large metal hand reached through the floor and metal fingers wrapped around Blacktide’s leg, pulling him down.

            “No way!” Anubis shouted as he unleashed as much power as he could muster at Sendroid. As a display of firepower, it would have dazzled military geniuses across the globe. But slowly, Sendroid stomped one step at a time, against the burning assault. Anubis never let up, straining himself as far as he could go. Finally, Sendroid stood over him and brought both metal hands down on him in a fierce clapping motion. Anubis slumped to the floor.

            “And yet, Stormy’s little crew had so much trouble.” The Maker said. “Ah, but then there’s one more in here now, isn’t there?”

            The room shook as Sandstorm materialized himself as a giant of jagged stone variations. Parts of him were granite. Some were iron ore. Gems of giant sized made up the rest of his hardened giant body. He loomed over the Maker and Sendroid with the mass of a living avalanche. Sandstorm only wished he had found his way sooner.

           

“Now it’s you and me!” Sandstorm said in a heavy gravel tone. With one great fist of granite, he pounded Sendroid into the floor like a nail from a sledgehammer.

            The Maker’s chair lifted him up to Sandstorm’s head level and shifted in form. Metal shields slid over the seating area of the chair and a series of cannons on rotation arms extended from the back. The cannons and arms rotated like a pinwheel and glowed brightly with power. Sandstorm brought both arms up with intentions of smashing the Maker’s chair into the turbine engine behind it. The Maker held his position, the energy from the rotating cannons strobed brightly. Sandstorm swung his arms of iron and rock inward at the same time the cannon array fired.

            The sound of the blast could be felt and heard by Redeagle and Atomizer who were nearing the chamber. They were both thrown to the floor with their ears ringing.

            As the light dissipated and the rotators slowed, baseball sized chunks of Sandstorm rained across the entire engine chamber. They clattered and bounced off metal at every point of the engine room. The chair drifted back down and the Maker revealed himself again.

            “How unimpressive. Now to dispose of them.” 

GZ Legends 72: Will to Live

            

Galose materialized in the pilot’s seat of his ship. He managed to divert power to his transport systems just in time to make it look like the Rotanians scored a direct hit. Safe aboard his cloaked craft, Galose put all power into repair systems. He would not leave these heroes of Earth to fend for themselves. He had given his word.

            Anubis gazed around the room at their fallen enemies. It was time to move on. As they headed for the next door, Anubis paused by the remains of Silvercrow.

            “Wow. Blacktide, there’s something different about you.”

            “My powers seem to be a bit jacked up.”

            “I’ll say, but look.” Anubis pointed to a piece of the haunted armor that was slowly growing back, repairing itself.

            “That’s insane.” Blacktide said. “And I’ve seen a lot of insane on this trip. Let’s just get going.”

            “Sounds like we have company on the other side of this door, guys.” Nightfall said as she approached the controls.

            “I will lead our attack!” Nyhtwulf said as he flew through the door.

            “Well. Don’t let him have all the fun! Open the door!” Anubis said and Nightfall hit the controls.

            They fell on their enemy without mercy or hesitation. Nyhtwulf redirected their rifle shots back at them as Anubis charged in with his lance. Nightfall made carefully aimed attacks with her metron rifle. Blacktide raised a hand in the moments that the fight lasted and paused. He turned his hand to gaze at his palm and then back at the scene before him. He folded his fingers into a fist as the battle ended. Robot parts scattered across the corridor and smoke wafted on the air.

            “Are you alright?” Nyhtwulf asked his partner.

            “Yeah. You know, you guys had this one. I just didn’t want to graze either of you by accident. I don’t know how strong I am right now.”

            “It’s okay. If you want, you can attack first next time.” Anubis offered.

           

“Yeah, maybe that would be good.” Blacktide half chuckled but he was deeply concerned. His powers had killed people he loved and now they were stronger than he ever knew. He followed his friends down the corridor, deciding it best to watch their backs. At least any attacks from the rear wouldn’t be complicated by friends in the way.

            In another part of the ship, a crew of Rotanians were charging along another corridor until all their heads exploded. As he stepped carefully through the burning parts, Atomizer had a scowl that could scare a U.S. Marine. Redeagle covered him from the back because nothing was standing in their way up ahead. After nearly being asphyxiated, Atomizer lost all restraint in dealing with stupid robots.

            A strange feeling made the hair on the backs of their necks stand up as a different kind of Rotanian materialized in front of Atomizer. It punched him in the face so fast there was no time to react. Atomizer’s feet flew out from under him and his hat sailed into the air. He landed on his back with a loud thud. Redeagle immediately fired his weapon, but the robot slid past each shot with moves like a martial arts Grandmaster. It kicked the weapon from his hands and then launched a spin kick to his chest. Redeagle flew backwards on top of the leftovers from the squad they had just defeated.

            As Atomizer stood up, a metal backhand tossed him against the wall. He landed on his face. As he struggled to stand, his vision blurred. He could see fuzzy red dots on the floor and realized he was bleeding. Then the atrocity spoke to him.

            “I am Starhunter 613. My instructions are to beat you to death for your offense to the Maker.”

            “You’re getting ahead of yourself!” Redeagle called as he threw a broken robot head at the Starhunter. It deflected with a forearm block.

            Redeagle didn’t have time to grab up his weapon before it was upon him. The 7 foot hero instinctively relied on his own martial training with attempts to block and attack. The Starhunter was fast. It punched him across the face four times before he could react and shoved him backward on top of smoking robot parts. Then it kicked him further down the corridor away from Atomizer.

            “Your flesh is no match for Rotanian metal.” The Starhunter loomed over Redeagle, lifting a foot to stomp downward at him.

           

The wall near the robot’s head exploded and jarred it slightly to one side. Redeagle saw this as his one chance to get a hit in. With a savage battle cry, the big man lunged forward and drove his fist clear through the Starhunter’s midsection. The machine stood stunned momentarily as Redeagle pulled his arm out. He jumped up and grabbed the robot by the head and whipped its body into and opposite wall. When it hit the ground, Redeagle jumped and brought down both feet on the Starhunter’s head.

            “You want a head stomped? You like that?” He shouted as he stomped on it over and over again, smashing the metal flat against the floor. The rest of the robot body convulsed uselessly.

            “Partner.” Atomizer croaked the word and interrupted the stomp-fest. He leaned against the wall, bleeding and in severe pain. “I think it broke a couple ribs.”

            Redeagle grabbed up the metron rifle from the floor and ran to his partner.

            “I got ya. Come on, we’ll make it. Just lean on me.” Redeagle kept watch as he helped his injured friend walk.

           

Now that he could breathe, the fastest member of the team, made short work of reaching the engine rooms. Electrode marveled at the sight of the giant turbines that powered the huge Rotanian flagship. Strangely, there were no Rotanian soldiers in the massive chamber. That immediately put him on edge. He was fifty yards away from the first two turbines. Fifty yards wasn’t even a sneeze’s distance for him, but something instinctive made him pause. Three figures materialized between him and the machinery.

            The great mechanical chair of the Maker hovered a few feet from the floor. A 10 foot tall red robot stood on either side of the chair, twins. Their single optics were oozing with black energy a lot like Blacktide’s.

            “You made it. Too bad for you.” The Maker snarled. “Now you die.”

GZ Legends 71: Every Last Breath

           

 It happened so fast, Sandstorm didn’t even realize what had happened. One second, he was floating near his partner in the form of air; the next he was speeding through life support conduits. He heard the voice of the Maker and quickly found the whole issue to be quite absurd.

            “If you don’t need a life support system, why do you even have one?” Sandstorm thought.

            The realization of the very real threat to his friends lives, struck him like a flying rock. It didn’t matter why the Maker had the system. He couldn’t allow it to be turned off. Sandstorm turned his attention to the chambers he was pulled through. At some point there would be a heart to the system. There, he hoped he could jam something and return life giving oxygen to his friends. As fast as the air withdrew, he knew he had seconds to figure something out.

            The heart of the life support system housed dozens of switches and chambers he didn’t have time to explore. Only one thing held the slightest possibility and that was electricity. The power systems to the life support carried an electrical charge. Sandstorm followed it, hoping he could find the activation system. The charge led him to a metal switch between two connectors, powered by a console just above him.

            “With all this advanced technology, I’m dealing with a stupid toggle switch?” Sandstorm thought in disbelief.

           

He surged on the system with a charge of his own and forced the switch into the “on” position. Then, before anyone could react, he fused the metal together by arc-welding it. They would have to destroy the entire console to turn off the life support system again.

            “I wonder what Mr. Genius is going to think of this?” Sandstorm thought. “Now how do I get back to Electrode?”

            In another corridor, Hypnotist breathed through the special apparatus the Maker had given him. He watched Redeagle and Atomizer sink to the floor, gasping for breath. The shock of the loss of oxygen momentarily broke Hypnotist’s hold. As Redeagle slumped to the floor, he fired the metron rifle, blasting through Hypnotist’s chest. Redeagle scrambled to the dead body of the mind controlling villain and grabbed the breather. He took a deep breath and then took it to his partner.

            Anubis’s mind reeled with inner turmoil. Maybe it would be worth it? He could summon the true spirit of Anubis, rip the whole ship in half and kill them all. In their sacrifice, the Earth would be bathed in warm sunlight once again. But then, who would stop Stormy Knight? Someone still needed to deliver that fiend a well-earned lesson. The Serpent sported a cruel grin and showed his viper-like eyes over the top of his dark glasses. One of his Death Snakes hovered just over Nightfall’s face as she lay asphyxiating. Monolith and Silvercrow moved in on Anubis.

            “You’re out of time, Dog-breath.” Monolith chuckled.

            As Nyhtwulf and Blacktide appeared in the room, the life support came back on. Blacktide put both fists forward and hit Silvercrow with a surging disintegration beam. The haunted armor tumbled backward. Monolith’s stone body was no protection against the intangible Nyhtwulf. The Twilie Demon thrust both arms into the chest of the Stone Demon with screaming results. The whole thing gave Anubis just the moment he needed.

           

The Egyptian hero smashed head on into Serpent and threw him against a far wall. As they landed, Anubis delivered a punch that shattered the dwarf’s shades.

            “Guess I will hit a guy with glasses!” Anubis said as he landed another punch with equal ferocity. One strike after another, Anubis pounded away in near mindless rage. Too many times since Ella’s death, had he seen those he cared about nearly lost. He wouldn’t tolerate it anymore.

            “Stop!”

            The voice was distant and sounded familiar.

            “Stop!” A pair of slender arms wrapped around one of his. A set of arms also grabbed around his shoulders.

            “Geez, man, you got him already!” Blacktide shouted in his ear.

            Nightfall had Anubis’s arm and finally managed to pull him away.

            “You can stop now.”

            Anubis breathed hard and leaned back against the wall. He looked at his own bloody hands in disbelief.

            “It’s okay. It’s done. I’m okay. You can calm down now.” Nightfall said as she touched his shoulder.

            Across the room, Monolith lay on the floor unconscious. Silvercrow’s armor body lay in smoldering pieces.

            “I can’t believe I just did that.” Anubis said.

            “Use your powers to clean your hands.” Nightfall said gently. “We have to get moving.”

            At the door of the gutted factory area, Electrode pulled himself to his feet. He realized that Sandstorm found a way to save his life.

            “You here?” He called out but there was no answer. “Guess I move on and hope we find each other.” He charged himself up and reached for the door controls.

           

Galose tumbled through space and inside the armor, alarms blared. Weapon systems of the ship were locking onto him. At any moment they would fire and he would be reduced to atoms. With the neural control net he used to pilot his armor, Galose worked with haste. Feverishly, he commanded power to repair systems and over-rides to save his life. Ship’s cannons were locking on, one after another. He needed more power to activate cloaking and teleportation.

Cyborians have a natural ability to learn complicated and sophisticated sciences at an accelerated rate beyond most other alien life forms. Galose sped through coding of programs in his armor that no human could possibly comprehend. Slowly, the power built towards the teleportation system. If Cyborian’s had teeth, he would have gnashed his to powder as he watched the system bar slowly rise.

From the bridge of the ship, Mechanicore watched as 12 cannons fixed on the Cyborian’s position.

“Fire.” He commanded.

GZ Legends 70: Fight for Your Life!

           

 “Maybe I’ll have to settle for launching you into space!” Anubis retorted as he charged at Monolith.

            His attack was intercepted by the acrobatic Serpent. “Try me on for size!” The Dwarven villain hissed with his forked tongue flickering.

            Anubis blocked one of the attacker’s swords with his bladed lance and narrowly dodged the other across the top of his nose. As light flashed off the shining sword, Anubis saw one of Serpent’s death snakes emerging from a sleeve. As Serpent landed, his snakes suddenly completely withdrew into the clothing of their master.

            “Eh? What’s this? Come out and attack.” Serpent said.

            “I guess they don’t like me.” Anubis said as he moved to hit Serpent in the face.

            “Anubis, look out!” Nightfall called.

            Monolith backhanded Anubis and launched him back across the room. Silvercrow rushed in on the Egyptian hero, aiming to strike before he could get back on his feet.

            “No matter. I’m sure they’ll love a bite of your girlfriend!” Serpent called as he leapt into a deadly bladed cartwheel toward his new target.

            “I’m not such an easy target either!” Nightfall rushed to keep distance and fire her weapon. She already knew that the rifle would be useless against Monolith or Silvercrow. She prayed Anubis could handle them both. As it were, Serpent was moving in faster than she could evade.

            In another area, Redeagle and Atomizer engaged another Rotanian squad. Hot beams of energy showered sparks all over the two men as they did their best to fight back. Atomizer could still make short work of them, but numbers made progress slow. As they moved past the fallen robots, Atomizer kicked one of their heads down the hall. He then proceeded to comically dance holding his foot.

            “You really should have known.” Redeagle said with a chuckle.

            “I have boots on.”

            “Then you need to learn how to kick. I still can’t believe you did that.”

            “Oh let’s just find the next group.” Atomizer limped slightly down the hall.

            Up ahead of them a door slid open. Redeagle aimed his metron rifle as a man stepped into view. Before Redeagle could pull the trigger, he froze. So did Atomizer.

            “That will be quite enough out of the two of you.” Hypnotist said as he adjusted a cuff link. “Now what shall I have you do to each other? In a few moments it won’t matter anyway.”

            Hypnotist put a strange device in his mouth and stood staring at the two men, keeping their minds under his control.

            Galose hurried down his corridor, wishing he could track enough inside the ship to teleport. It would make everything so much easier. A door suddenly opened and Galose scanned it just as he was attacked from the side. Even with the most sophisticated technology in the universe, anyone can be distracted. Galose cursed himself for not paying attention as he barely dodged the long sharp drill aimed at his head. Mechanicore’s drill pierced the metal wall like butter. As he pulled back, the Rotanian General kicked Galose through the open door.

           

The control room he landed in had four Rotanian soldiers in it. After tumbling across the floor, Galose came up firing and made short work of all four of them. Mechanicore followed with both of his combat drills fully extended from the forearms. As the robot swung them, it evaded Galose’s shots. Mechanicore moved into close combat quickly, forcing Galose to take evasive measures. Near misses with the drills annihilated computer benches and equipment as easily as Galose’s weaponry.

            Two hits against Galose’s chest in an X pattern threw him against a wall. Mechanicore’s optic lights that move back and forth opposite of each other suddenly stopped in alignment. They glowed bright red before a wide beam of power smashed Galose through the wall. As Galose rushed to his feet, another hit from a drill split his optic visor, leaving him half blinded. From deep inside the dimensions of the armor, Galose’s view screens flickered and threatened to go black. A kick tossed the Cyborian across the next room. Sensor’s indicated other Rotanians around them, but none of them attacked. Apparently, Mechanicore wanted this target for itself.

            Galose fired but only grazed his target as a new attack came. Mechanicore gouged at him mercilessly and threw him onto a platform.

            “Goodbye, Cyborian.” With a flicker the platform activated and Galose vanished.

            The Cyborian found himself tumbling through space away from the Rotanian flagship.

            Mechanicore opened communications with the bridge. “As soon as you lock on target, open fire.

            Electrode paused by a far door and looked back at the destruction he and his partner caused. Sandstorm was still in air form, but ready for the next section they would ransack. As Electrode reached for the door controls, he suddenly tried to gasp. For every breath he tried to take, his lungs went into a panic. Nothing was there. He spun, looking for his partner or anything he could grab onto. Finding nothing, he fell to his knees. The voice of the Engineer crackled to live over a com system.

            “Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for your pitiful assault on my ship? Did you think I wouldn’t know you were coming? My intellect is beyond anything you could hope to understand but I think this should be a lesson learned easily enough. You have boarded a ship controlled entirely by robots. So why would robots need life support? Answer; they don’t and neither do I.”

            “Now put down your lance, Dog Boy.” Serpent said to Anubis.

            Nightfall was on the floor, clutching at her throat. Serpent stood over her with a sadistic grin. Two of his Deathsnakes were slowly moving toward her from Serpent’s sleeves.

           

Anubis’s mind spun too fast to realize the lack of oxygen wasn’t affecting him. He honestly had no idea what to do in the face of this issue. He thought of his special attack and wondered if it would tear the whole ship apart and kill all his friends anyway. He couldn’t take his eyes from Nightfall. After all they had been through, he feared this was it.

GZ Legends 69: Raiding the Flagship

           

 When Galose bypassed the systems on the sliding door, the friends sprang into action. As a stroke of luck, only one Rotanian was right outside and Galose blew its head apart. Electrode and Sandstorm went left while the rest went to the right. Galose and Anubis led the way, opening fire on the first squad of six that they found. Anubis fired blasts from his lance that tore through robot midsections. Galose used his shoulder cannons. Between the two of them, they made short work of that crew. At that point, they found the next corridor that Anubis and Nightfall split away from the group to follow.

            Nightfall gripped her rifle and grit her teeth as the two of them charged down the corridor. They would meet whatever was there head on. It was a good thing they weren’t concerned with stealth. Anubis’s armored boots made quite a clatter against the metal floor.

            Galose continued to take point, covering Atomizer and Redeagle towards their next split section. Rotanian rifle blasts cascaded at them and Galose took a hit to the midsection. The Cyborian Marshal didn’t falter as he returned fire and his onboard systems activated repairs. Atomizer used his explosive power on robot heads and body parts to help them gain ground. In split second, he had to turn and assist Redeagle as another squad came at them from behind.

            The blasting in the metal hall echoed and made Redeagle’s ears ring. He wondered if he would have time to grab the ear plugs he kept in his chest pocket. He had to be fast on the trigger as robots fired without hesitation in their aim. Galose turned and fired a bright ball of light at the ceiling near the Rotanians that came behind them. The explosion caved in the hall with a ton of metal debris.

            “That should keep any more from coming up that way for a while. Let’s go!” Galose said.

            The three of them came around a corner where another troop was waiting for them. While Redeagle and Atomizer used a wall for cover, Galose simply stepped right out in front of them. He extended both of his rifles to supplement fire with his cannons and lit up the corridor in bright strobes of firepower. Redeagle just fired blindly into the fray, knowing anything at the other end was fair game. Smoke stung the big man’s eyes and nose thanks to his heightened senses. For anyone other than Galose or the robots, it was hard to see.

            Once the firing mercifully stopped, they moved forward again. Atomizer took off his hat and waved it at the smoke in the air as they pressed on. A new corridor opened up and branched away. It was the direction they would take without Galose.

            “Keep yourselves covered and go with all speed.” Galose said to them.

            “Hope we see you again soon.” Atomizer said.

           

Sandstorm and Electrode moved the fastest and cleared a path better than anyone. Rotanians couldn’t withstand the shockwaves of nuclear electricity Electrode created as he dashed past them. At his speed, he moved between with them ridiculous ease. Sandstorm followed up in the form of air and created miniature twisters in his wake. Robot bodies were smashed against each other and all solid surfaces like being in a giant blender. Electrode couldn’t help but think their path was yielding too easily as they came to a large closed door. Sandstorm formed enough to be visible like a mist in human shape.

            “I guess we go through here.” Electrode said. “You ready?”

            “As I’ll ever be.”

            The door opened unexpectedly, but nothing stood on the other side. Instead they heard the loud whirring and clanking of machinery. Hundreds of robot arms and conveyers worked to bring together parts of Rotanian soldiers. The two friends had just walked into one of the ship’s on board factories.

            “No wonder there’s so many.” Electrode said in awe. The room of the factory was easily the size of a football field and with a high ceiling. Robots operated at nearly every possible angle and location. “He just builds them right here.”

            “There must be thousands of them.” Sandstorm said. Even in the form of mist, he felt like there was a lump in his throat. A combination of wonderment and horror gripped him to the heart.

            “You know what I’m thinking?” Electrode asked.

            “I’m thinking we’re supposed to cause as much destruction as possible.”

            “You got it. Let’s mess this place up.”

            “Just be careful.”

            Not another word was needed as the two friends raced into action. Electrode took off across a wall, allowing himself to run the perimeter of the huge room. Arcs of bright lightning exploded in his wake, jumping from machine to machine with explosive results. At this point, he couldn’t deny the thrill of giving this place what it deserved. Automated weapons fired at him, but he dodged between the slow motion blasts and debris as he went around and around the room. Sandstorm took to the center and formed himself into a typhoon gale. He ripped machinery from mounts and tore metal. Each piece of debris became a flying weapon to tear through even more. Parts of Rotanians spun, flew and exploded. The assault shook the ship to points that it was even felt on the bridge.

            The Maker spun in his floating chair to face an array of view screens. 

            “How dare they!” He shouted. “Insignificant pests! Mechanicore, once they reach the other side, activate the protocol. We’ll show them just how little their act of defiance means.”

           

The robot General of the Rotanians nodded. His criss-crossing optic lights glowed read and he reached for the console with one of his clamp arms.

            In another area, Anubis and Nightfall burst into a brightly lit, wide empty room. They had just finished destroying two squads to get access. Anubis thumped his lance against the floor.

            “Well, that’s a letdown.”

            As if in answer, a door on the far side opened. Monolith, Serpent, and Silvercrow entered the room. Monolith smiled and beat one stone fist into a palm.

            “You won’t be dumping me into the ocean this time, mutt.”

GZ Legends 67: All Aboard!

            

After Nyhtwulf vanished, Galose had everyone put a hand on his armor to transport them away from the White House disaster area. When they appeared at the new location, everyone except Galose looked around at the interior of his ship in surprise.

            “This is not the office.” Atomizer said.

            “No. It is my ship. It is the fastest way to get on board the Rotanian vessel in orbit.” Galose said.

            “A little warning would have been good.” Redeagle stated.

            “I apologize. I thought we were all in agreement of our next objective.”

            “No problem.” Sandstorm said. “Let’s get to it. Clearly the Rotanians are in control of the force that’s blocking out the sun. Every day that continues, the world weakens. Without sunlight, eventually, everything will die.”

            Galose sat down at the controls and put his hands on the armrests. “All of you should find a place to secure yourselves.”

            While there was no steering apparatus and Galose didn’t touch any switches, the ship powered on and lifted away from the New York rooftop.

           

“My armor interfaces with my ship.” Galose explained, anticipating a question.

            “Far out.” Electrode said.

            Sandstorm sat in the co-pilot’s seat while the others scrambled for a spot on two narrow benches. They couldn’t tell if the metal planks were for sitting on or not and there were no harnesses or seat belts. Fortunately, the ship flew smoothly enough, that they weren’t tossed around very much. Anubis held Nightfall in his arms and she stayed there.

            Nightfall and Galose were the only ones with any real experience dealing with Rotanians. They knew, sneaking aboard a command vessel was like following a dragon into its lair.

            Nightfall looked up at Anubis. “Hey.”

            “Hey what?”

            “This is the most dangerous thing we’ve done so far. I want you to be careful.”

           

“Aw, don’t worry.” Anubis gave a toothy grin like only the head of a jackal could. “We’ve got this. They’ll never know what hit them.”

            “I hope you’re right.” Nightfall put her head against his armored chest. “But chances are, they’ll know the moment we’re on board.”

            “Then we won’t have to waste time looking for them.” Anubis said.

            “I know what my targets will be.” Atomizer said. “I can knock out a whole mass of them.”

            “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Redeagle said. “Just make sure you don’t blast us all out into space.”

            “Thanks for the new worry.”

            “Hey, maybe could just have Atomizer blow their ship up?” Electrode suggested.

            “That would not be a good idea.” Galose said. “Starship technology is volatile. Destroy their ship in the wrong way and you risk a cataclysm across half your planet. Their vessel is too close. Here, see it for yourself.”

            “Wow.” Sandstorm said. “I’ve never seen anything that big.”

            The world’s largest aircraft carrier couldn’t hope to compare to the Rotanian flagship, floating in space before them. It’s length would be worth 30 of the great ships, end to end. Nightfall gasped at the sight of it.

            “Galose, is that what I think it is?”

            “Yes. That is the Maker’s own command ship. It’s the largest of the fleet.”

            “The Maker?” Sandstorm asked.

            “The Maker is the creator of the Rotanians. He’s a planetary conqueror and murderer.” Galose explained.

           

“Can they see us?” Electrode asked.

            “No. They cannot track Cyborian technology. However, once we are on board, we will all be in extreme danger. It is important that we have our mission parameters before I teleport us into the storage section I have located.”

            “Oh, so you found us a locker to hide in?” Atomizer said.

            “It is far larger than a locker by your definition. We will be safe for only a few seconds more than anywhere else.” Galose said. The Cyborian turned his head to view Sandstorm’s face. “What do you want to do?”

            Sandstorm looked out the window and nodded. “I want to shut that shield down and destroy that ship.”

            “Destroying it will difficult.” Galose activated a holographic display of the ship over the console. “If you can make your way to the highlighted section toward the back end or aft of the craft, you will find the engines and power units. Destroy the engines, but do not breach the power units’ enclosures. You, Sandstorm, and your partner, Electrode are best suited for this task. I will go to the bridge, destroy the controls for the shield and activate the Maker’s emergency protocols.”

            “What are those?” Sandstorm asked.

            “Teleportation systems for the ship. I will also reroute their systems to far away from here.”

            “And what do the rest of us do?” Redeagle asked.

            “As much damage as possible, while making your way to the engine room on separate paths.” Galose explained. “We will all meet there where I can remove us all from the ship before it departs.”

            Galose set some controls on his ship and stood up.

            “Two of you will need better weapons.” Galose walked over to a panel and it slid open for him. He pulled out two rifle type weapons similar to what he carried in his forearms. He handed one to Nightfall. “Do you know how to use this?”

           

Nightfall smiled as she took it. “A metron rifle. I sure do! I’ll show Redeagle how to use the other one.”

            “They do look impressive.” Redeagle said.

            “Oh, they are.” Nightfall said.

            “Since most of us already have partners, we’ll be in teams of two except for Galose.” Sandstorm said. “Don’t lose your partners. And, Galose, are you sure you’re okay with going to the bridge alone?”

            “I believe the Earth expression is, ‘all in a day’s work’.” Galose said flatly.

            “I think I can get the hang of this now.” Redeagle said. “I’m ready if the rest of you are.”

            In a flickering of lights and without another word, all of them found themselves in a room full of metal crates. Galose pointed to a wide sliding door.

            “Through that door, we will be fighting for our lives.”

GZ Legends 64: Heads are gonna blow!

         

  For Atomizer, having that rifle in his face was one of those moments in time that seemed to never end. All at once the need for survival was met with the possibilities of using his power on alien technology. The memory of losing control days ago, when he made an alien weapon explode’ surfaced like a demon in his mind. He could see his reflection in the face plate of the Rotanian robot soldier. He knew one idea would have to trump the other for him to live.

            Close proximity was one thing that didn’t really matter for Atomizer’s combustive power. He could control the direction of any blast he created. When the Rotanian’s head exploded, it did so in a direction straight behind it, taking out another robot nearby. Seeing that he could hit the machines without destroying half a city block, Atomizer flew into action.

            “Get down and stay down!” He cried out to the nearby human soldiers.

            He lashed out, targeting Rotanian heads, chests, and arms while dodging stray rifle blasts. The chain of explosions was like rapid fire cannon shots. Even from a distance they made people’s ears ring. Fragments of robot fell on the immediate area like rain. As Atomizer went, he snatched up one of the Rotanian rifles. Finding it had no trigger mechanism or way he could operate it, he tossed it aside.

            Atomizer triggered his power on multiple targets, keeping any robot more than 10 feet away. He stayed on the move, avoiding every shot that came his way.

            Redeagle would have been impressed with his partner if he had time to look. The 7 foot tall agent made for quite a target. He had to keep forcing his way through the ranks of murderous robots with the broken tank barrel. Thanks to his strength, Redeagle was able to knock aside two or three robots with each swing. Unfortunately, they were made of tough materials, and Redeagle didn’t have powers that could finish them so easily. That didn’t stop him from pummeling them endlessly though.

As a robot moved in behind Redeagle, Nyhtwulf swooped in and grabbed the end of the Rotanian rifle as it went off. The energy blast channeled through Nyhtwulf’s body and came out his other hand that was against the Rotanian’s head.

“Thanks!” Redeagle said as he continued fighting.

Nyhtwulf nodded and flew back into action. Not far away, Anubis was trying new combat methods. After taking a couple of hits, the Egyptian hero realized these weapons were stronger than the ones used by Professor Zombie’s henchmen. He learned that he needed to dodge more. As Anubis ran into the midst of several robots, he swung his lance and created a wide pulse of cosmic energy that threw robots in every direction. He jabbed his bladed lance through a Rotanian’s head and ripped it off, throwing into the chest of another one. It felt good to really cut loose and use his powers on things that could feel no pain. Unlike Zombie’s henchmen, these were not missing people. These were not someone’s loved ones turned into killers. These were just stupid robots.

“When I find out who made you guys, I’m going to have to thank him for the practice!” Anubis taunted.

“Oh, he’s such a rookie!” Nightfall grumbled from her covered location where she continued to shoot at Rotanians. She couldn’t help but love Anubis’s innocence as a new hero, but she worried for his lack of experience. She resolved to keep an eye on him, but there was something troubling her. She liked Anubis very much, but she wasn’t sure about falling in love with him. It wasn't that long ago that he lost Ella in the desert.

None of the Rotanians could get close to Blacktide who was assisted by Galose. The two of them were shooting down Rotanians left and right.

“Don’t get too close to me.” Blacktide said.

“You need not worry. My sensors know how far your disintegration field is extended. I have set my own combat shields to help cover you. Now let’s see who can shut down the most Rotanians.” Galose said.

“You know these things?”

“Yes. They are what you might call, mortal enemies of my people.”

“You’re going to have to explain that to us when we’re done with this.” Blacktide said as he erased the torso of a robot that ran towards them.

“I will.” Galose’s systems multi-targeted and he continued to fire any and all of his weaponry at his targets.

Electrode caused chain linked explosions of robots with his nuclear electric assault. At high speeds, faster than their weapons could target, he raced through the battlefield. He ran the entire length of the White House property back and forth. On each pass, he would eliminate a dozen opponents. The mass numbers of their assailants worried him. How many could there be? From his view, he could almost take time to count them. What he saw, the others didn’t have time to notice. Rotanians were continuing to appear as they were defeated. Electrode managed to destroy several right after they arrived, but more soon replaced them. As he ran, he also intercepted any flying rifle shots that hovered almost motionless around him. Thanks to that, many a fired enemy shot, never found its mark. There was no time for him to report what he was seeing. Running and fighting were all Electrode could do.

Amidst it all, like a giant toddler throwing a tantrum with his toys, was Sandstorm in the form of a giant. Stone, wood and Earth made up the humongous form that grabbed up robots in heaping handfuls and smashed them together above the White House lawn. Then he brought down the debris in heavy fists that thundered against the ground and more mechanical bodies. The laser blasts tore away at the elemental form, but did nothing to slow Sandstorm down.

The entirety of the battle shook houses three blocks away. Light from explosions of fire lit up the darkened skies. The deafening sounds of the fight melded into an incoherent roar that threatened to never end. Yet, in all but an instant, end it did. Without warning, the heroes found themselves looking all directions for their next target. None were left standing. Finally, the Rotanians stopped appearing. The sudden silence was eerily as harsh as the earsplitting shouts of war. The friends stood, hearts pounding in their ears, wondering what was about to happen next.