Springer Warbots. One of them was all messed up, like it had been run over
by a bulldozer.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“I just figured you should know about it.”
“All right, I know. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to send some more patrols down that way. And mount more sensors
on the stuff I’m testing.” He paused. “Oh yeah, I’m going to send drones
out to map and scout this whole fucking island. Maybe there’s something
out there we ought to know about.”
He looked at Mikey. “I thought maybe you had some magic or technology or
something that could help,” he said hesitantly.
“Shit,” Mikey said informatively.
“Huh.”
“I said shit. S-h-i-t. Shit. That’s what all this robot stuff is. It’s
shit.”
“How are we going to fight without weapons?” Craig demanded.
“And you call those weapons?” Mikey sneered. “Things that can be wiped out
by arrows.”
He came around the table and moved close to Craig. “Listen to me, little
man. The ones who brought us here have got power you can’t imagine. They
gave us the ability to create fucking anything and what do you do? You
waste your time with comic book toys.”
“They’re not toys!” Craig yelled. “They’re the most powerful weapons man
has yet devised!”
“Man has yet devised,” Mikey mimicked. “That’s how limited your thinking
is. This hasn’t got anything to do with man. We’re beyond man.” He stepped
back and grew calmer. “You were a mistake, do you know that? Instead of
spending your time really learning about how to dominate worlds, you hide
down here with your toys. Why don’t you come up to the real world and let
the Ur-elves show you what power is?”
“I don’t like them,” Craig mumbled. “They make me uncomfortable.”
“And because you’re uncomfortable you won’t take advantage of what we’re
offered. Christ Jesus! Play with your toys. You’re too fucking pathetic to
do anything else!” With that he turned and stomped off.
He stopped at the door. “Oh yeah. From now on, if you’ve got anything to
say to me, you come see me.”
“Goddamn motherfucker sonofabitch!” Craig screamed at the door. That
arrogant bag of shit! Just tossing it off like all the work he’d done was
nothing. Just didn’t count next to his high and mighty projects.
He grabbed the iron arrow off the table and threw it against the wall. It
clanged off and the wastebasket scuttled under it to catch it as it fell.
Goddamn that sonofabitch! Why, he could take on NATO and the Warsaw Pact
and stomp them both with what he had here. There wasn’t an army on earth
that could stand against what was here in the castle and out in the
wargame area.
With an angry gesture he turned on the scanner. The central display showed
the arrays of forces in neat green and gold symbols. Around the edges were
six smaller screens, each showing a view of part of the battlefield in
full color. The units were poised and ready. Except for scouts nothing had
moved since he found the destroyed patrol.
Looking at the main map he saw that a platoon of green tanks was just over
a small rise from a battalion of yellow armor. Perfect situation for the
kind of fast-moving ambush he loved. With the mouse he turned both units
on and took control of the green force. Quickly he moved them into
position hull down behind the ridge and opened fire on the advancing
battalion at barely 200 yards.
Six yellow tanks died in the first salvo and four more before the yellows
could return fire. Their first shots were ineffective but they were
maneuvering for cover and the next green shots only destroyed two more
tanks.
Twelve to nothing. It was the time to scoot, but Craig held his ground,
firing salvo after salvo into the deploying yellow forces.
Now it wasn’t all one-sided. The yellow battalion had taken cover and was
returning accurate fire. The battalion’s SP battery opened up, walking
volleys of tank-killing shells toward his platoon’s position. First one
and then another of his green tanks blew up and turned dark.