Slowly opened Vareva her eyes as the blackness in which she was forcefully sent, began to fade and allowed her to regain conscious again. She felt better then ever and knew that it as just thanks to the revitalising liquid which she had been injected with.

“Ale’ir…” Shot it back into her mind on what she turned her head and saw her, still sitting on Dalsahim’s dead body.

She held a deva model in her hand and smirked before it turned and made a jump off of it.

“Look whose back under the living.” Began Ale’ir and then and smirked towards Vareva as she, slowly got back up into a sitting position.

“Still a bit stiff, hm? Oh don’t worry that will fade soon.” Added she and took a little device from behind her back.

“I see that you still use your old blade, hm?” Said Ale’ir with a grin as she examined Vareva’s old holoblade and activated it. She examined the orange glowing blade as it hummed with every move she did while the fresh falling snow was instantly vaporized as soon as it came into contact with it.

Vareva growled and closed her eyes as she tried to get back onto her feet. She had to get back up and end this once and for all and then go, and find Ver’et.

He muscles burned under her skin and she felt her heart pumping madly in her chest as she got up and glanced back towards Ale’ir.

“Oh the memories, hm?” Purred Ale’ir as she deactivated the blade and threw it back at her former commander before she herself, got up from Dalsahim’s body.

“I wonder,” Began Ale’ir as she started to walk around Vareva. “I still wonder why you betrayed us..me...back then. Was it all worth?” Began Ale’ir as she started to walk around Vareva’s body. Her long graceful strides and her hands held together behind her back and onto her own blade, looked she down onto her former battlesister.

“I always wondered what force, forced you to do that. To us. To me.” She continued and after she had once rounded Vaevas entire body, crouched down right next to her head and stroked her through her silvey hair.

“Don’t tell me that it was the love for those pathetic creatures.”

She stroked Varevas cheek and awatied her reply but even after several long moments came no word over Vareva’s lips.

“How pathetic.” Snarled Ale’ir and got up turning away from her as she made her way towards Dalsahims corpse and her rifle.

“It was something you will never understand.” Began Vareva silent her lips only so much apart that the words could leave her mouth as she finally managed to move her fingers and toes again.

“What was that?” Replied Ale’ir as she turend back towards her and saw the fire in her former battlesisters eyes as she darted up at her.

“I said, you will never understand what drove me to that. Nor will you ever experinece it.” Her last words came over her lips like venom that spread through a body as she grabbed her sword and despite all the pain in her body, pushed herself up in one quick move and made a dash straight towards a stunned Ale’ir.

Snow hulled both titanesses into an eerie fog as the buzzing sound of two holoswords remained the only sound for a short eternity until a powerful blast shook the wall of snow away and allowed a look onto both warriors.

Vareva held her sword with both hands firm and ready. Her eyes piecring through Ale’ir as she held her own ready with one arm countering her former commander’s attack easily.

“So perdictable.” Mocked she Vareva as she used her free hand and hit her stright into the face.

Vareva felt the pain on her cheek and the following kick into her stomach which sent her back onto her back.

Ale’ir smiled wickedly wielding her sword playfully as she looked down onto her. How weak she had become over all the years. Her life with these creatures had taken the beast from her. The monster she had been called during the war...nothing was left of the image she had buidl around her. Just a weak shadow and nothing more.

“You know, we could have been in the ranks of Primes by now! Primes!” Yelled Ale’ir out in a frustrated tone as she slowly cam e over to her beaten sister her sword idly swooshing around.

“We were meant to become leaders! To stand among the gods in their fortress! But you!” She said and began to speed up raising her sword and perparing herself for her next attack when Vareva rolled to the side just before Ale’ir’s sword could hit her and only left a deep bubbling slit in the ground.

“Leaders! As if they would allow us that!” Spat Vareva ack and got onto her feet in the nick of time before Ale’ir could land another attack in her direction.

Again and again collided their swords hissing and vaporising every material they came into contact with.

“Why wouldn’t they! We are their warriors! Their children!”

“Lies!” Protested Vareva out loud and made a roll backwards just in time before Ale’ir could manage to cut her in half.

“They are monsters!” Came her reply followed by a block of her sword as Ale’ir’s came down towards her. “Have you never wondered why you cant remember further back?! Back until we walked into the transporter, to the time we awoke on that blasted ship? Have you never tried to remember up to your childhood?”

“Thats because of the accident! You know that!”

“Bullshit Ale’ir!” Yelled Vareva and made a step back before she changed her passiv style and for the first time, got into the offensive.

“Thats because we have none! Not of the form we are in now!”

“And what form then?!” Shot Ale’ir back at her her sword already held into a new stiking pose as both gladiators stood heavily breathing amongst the rubble of several destroyed buildings and crushed vehicles and a few hangars.

Their intense fight had left its marks but so far, none of them had recieved even a scratch.

“You know what form.” Said Vareva silent and prepared her attack in mind as Ale’ir’s facial features darkened by the second.

“You! Don’t you try those filthy tricks on me!” Yelled Ale’ir and stormed foward flattening a parked car under her combat boot as she ran towards Vareva.

The swords collided again and again but none managed to get into touch with the other as they held their stand.

Ale’ir glared at Vareva with her remaiend eye griting her teeth in pure hate as she increased her pressure bit by bit.

“I will kill you. I will bring our leaders your head and redeem our old unit. I will show everyone that we are the superior race and when I am up there, I will personally see the rest of these vermins die!”

Vareva felt the pressure agaisnt her arm rising as Ale’ir pushed more and more towards her. The swords hissed already throwing small electrical charges around the fighters as both held agaisnt the other.

“I have to admit that you got quite better in the sword fight...maybe even better then me.” Said Vareva and bit her lip as she looked at the fierce face of her opponent.

“But there is one thing you lack...one thing which makes me much stronger then you or any other urley...”

“And that would be?!” Spat Ale’ir back and pushed her sword even further inch by inch.

“...love.” She said and swoped around shutting off her blade in the process and leaving Ale’ir to lead forward into empty ground as Vareva activated her blade again and struck her straight through he chest from the back.

Ale’ir felt none of that as the holographic sword cut through her spine and destroyed her nerves. She didnt even feel it going through her heart or coming out of her skin at her chest as she looked straight forward into the wide land before her as her legs gave away and let her sinking down on the ground.

****

Sam sat on the ice covered ground of the supply hangar his back leaned against a larger storage box as the thick steel of the blast door was slowly eaten away in the shape of a door frame.

His lung and other parts of his body still arched from the recent fight and fall he took but knowing that at least Cathy had manged to get away, somehow eased his mind while more and more melted steel dropped onto the floor.

Sure it wouldn’t take long anymore for the deva’s to come in. But would he fight with the remaining bullet in his gun, or...would he take them the satisfaction and just end his life before they were done.

“I bet that would piss you off you cunt.” Said Samuel silent under his breath and coughed violently before he put his head back against the cool plastic surface of the container.

His breath was shorter his heart working harder and his chest hurting even more after that while he watched the melting steel at the door.

It was strange to see his time running lower by the second as he began to rise his pistol and pulled the hammer back with its well known clicking sounds.

It wouldn’t even hurt.

Thats at least what he hoped as he rose the pistol and held the muzzle pointed towards his head.

Images of his long lost friends popped up.

Rosa who always held that smirk when he came down for breakfast. Butch who taught him how to hold a rifle. His sister who held him in her arms in a basement shortly after they had lost their parents.

His mom and dad...and the last time he saw them before he went down that pipe under the factory hall.

Cathy...Catherine who he could never told just how much he...

“Live...”

Sam was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the noise a second time.

“Live...”

He rose his gun and looked around in everyway he could from his point. Had one of the blasted machines found a way in? Or were his nerves so wrecked that it played a last cruel joke on him?

“....Live....human.”

“Who’s there! Get out you bloody bastard and show yourself!” Sam held his pistol ready poiting the muzzle into the darkness around him.

“Come on! I am not afraid anymore! Whatever you have in mind you won’t get the satisfaction!” He said and held the muzzle back to his head.

“...trust...human...live....”

The voice seemd to come from every direction inside the dark hall as he spun around hoping to see and not see something. But still he was alone...for now.

“Trust me human. I want you to live.”

The voice was louder clearer this time but still was he unable to see its owner as he looked back towards the door and the nearly finished work of the machines on the other side of it.

“Follow me...don’t be afraid.”

The voice was warm it sounded friendly and good but there was still no body to it as Sam’s legs started to move on its own.

He looked back over his shoulder as whatever it was pulled him closer towards a couple of boxes on the far right wall of the supply room.

“What do you want...” He wasnt even able to finish heis question as his arm put the gun away and then started to pull on the boxes untl they started to move. Why was he not able to stop why were his limbs moving on their own. Or werent they? He had feelings in his limbs and he felt clear in his head. So why couldnt he stop to pull and push on those boxes until he got a first glimpse of a door behind them.

“What is...” Was he asking himself on what he began to push as hard as he could. His body found new strength from asource he didnt knew. Maybe it was his pure will to survive to get out of this mess just one more time. Well, whatever it was. He was glad to have it as he gave the boxes a last push from his side and revealed the door completly before him.

Not sooner died the sound of the burner out and him, with his hadn on the doorknob which, as if it was completly common, gave him a free passage into whatever was there for him to go at behind the door.

****

Cathy had no idea how long she had been out as he eyes opened and the punding of metal agaisnt metal droned in her ears.

She looked around and after a few moemnts, grabbed the lock on her belt to get out.

The snapping of the lock was impossible to hear as was the sound of her falling down and landing in the wall left of her as gravity took her down and partly out of her seat.

Groaning again made it the beaten woman out of the seat and began to search for her bag when the hammering sounds died all of a sudden and a gentle knock replaced it instead.

“Hey!” Could she hear a feminine and familiar voice say as she saw her back laying along with the automatic mumpgun at the back of the tank.

“I hope I didn’t bruise you too much in there!” Added Ver’et and looked down into the crowd of her personal devas before she turned the head of her newest creation back onto the human vehicle before her.

The deva she controlled was easily taller then the human tank. She had build it over month and resembled nothing of the oridnary hunting units that they would use.

No.

This one had no skin but mostly rough plates she had brought into form. It had three roughly formed fingers on each hand just long enough to grab a humn around its waist and a feature less face with only two slits where red optics mimicked the eyes of the creature.

“Hey my little one. Come on say something.”

Ver’et turend the head of the machine and over her system, ordered two devas to go and get inside.

Not a second followed when the two selected machnes jumped onto the side and began to search for a way inside until one of them, a male version found the damged hatch and signalised the other to come and pull with him onto it.

Cathy was already halfway to her bag and the weapon when she heard the sounds of footseps on the roof just after that maniac had ended her question to her. She had to hurry and even more, when she heard the screeching metal coming from the entence hatch at the former upper part of the Barbossa tank.

“Just a bit more...” Where her thoughts when the steel hatch was thrown out of its place and now gave a free entrance at the tanks interior. Cathy heard the cold wind blowing outside as she finally grabbed the rifle with her fingers and turend onto her back loading and aiming it to whatever would want to get inside.

No sooner had she done so as the head of the male deva peaked inside and locked onto her with its red eyes before she blasted its entire face off into tiny pieces and left the rest of the destroyed and useless machine fall inside with an audible thump.

“Who’s next!”  Cathy waited and aimed again as she yelled that from her position as a second head this time a female versin with long black hair, peered insde.

Cathy fired but the female deva was a bit quicker and avoided the small rounds by taking her head back out in the last second.

Catherine gritted her teeth as she leaned herself a bit more to the back door adn at the same moment, hoped that they wouldn’t tear this one out just now. Sure the tank had at least three entrance possibilities and with the hatch now ripped out, were there only the slidedoor on the left side, and the large backdoor left.

“Two possible openings...and just eight rounds left plus a complete magazine and a knive.” Muttered Cathy as she still aimed the muzzle towards the opening and waited for the head to appear again.

“Come on...show yourself again.” She said quietly and heldherself ready when the shadow appeared over the opening and two legs went down first.

Catherine fired right away shredding its knees and tighs along with the lower part of its torso as the machine didnt even tried to protect its body. She fired one load after another into it destroying its right elbow before it landed with a crashing sound inside and quickly used its destroyed partner as a shield from the remaining rounds that Cathy had until they died down.

Just as that happened began it to move with its last remainng good arm and its partly useless limbs began it to crouch over the ground and towards Cathy who alreadyheld her pistol read and fired one bullet after another into its moving body.

“Fuck!!” Screamed Cathy out of her lungs as one of her bullets finally hit its head and slowed it down enough for two more to enter its metallic skull and bring it down just a couple of feet before it would reach her.

“HA!” Scremed Cathy up. “Is that the best you have?! I can do that all day, Ver’et!” Added Cathy with a smile and shoved a freesh clip into the rifle and her pistol. Sure her ammunition wouldn’t last forever and they could probably tear the back door away at any moment...but damn. She would give that urley a very hard time.

Outside was Ver’et smiling even if it was not visible on the smooth faceplate. She loved the resistence that they both had put up agaisnt her so far. It made it all the more exciting as she established a link with another of her devas who stood on Ale’irs palm.

“I found her pet. Her first one. Can I have some more fun with her, please? I promise I wont break her....that much.” The mouth and skin around its eyes folded slightly as the machine got out Ver’ets question in a mere begging tone towards her commander.

“Do what you like but leave at least some for later. I have a few ideas myself...oh.” Ale’ir stopped in her sentence when the first signs of life began to appear in Vareva’s body again.

“I think my fun is about to begin as well.” Were her last words before Ver’et gave her a nod and then cut the link to the deva.

Her mind went back to the tank and her little plaything inside of it and despite most of the time, was she focussing only on this scene and this deva body. Yes she wanted to enjoy this rare moment. A moment where the prey thought it still had a chance. Oh how she loved those moments.

Catherine sat still inside the tank waiting for whatever woudl be thrown at her next. Sure she woudlnt let her wait. Ver’et was much to eager to get her out of here and that thought was prooven when she heard more footsteps on the roof making their way down until they stopped at the hatch.

“Four...” Cathy had counted them on their way down and made herself ready for the next wave.

“...okay come on...give me all you got. I can do this.” Muttered Cathy to herself as she prepared herself and place d her pistol onto her lap. Speed was everything this time if hse was fast enough woudlnt they be able to move in the tight space. And the more that woudl come in, the tighter it would become...even for them. Thats at least what she thought, and hoped.

And then was the moemnt there and the the first legs came through again.

Cathy fired and hit its torso with a full salvo until she gave it a few milliseconds and fired again this time, having its head in her line of fire as she pulled the trigger and saw a rain of metal after its metallic skull got blown to shreds. The second followed close by using its destroyed brother as a diversion as it jumped in and was also greeted by a rain of metal. Athree more times fired Cathy until she got its back and damaged its spine and so the connections to its legs. 

Number three followed shortly after but Cathy was already using her pistol and hit its right eye before it even landed on one of its destroyed counterparts.

Cathy switched with her other hand back to the crawling deva and waited until it was just an arms length away before she fired two more times and blew its arms into scrap metal.

“Come on!” Yelled she out loud and fired a third round through its wide opened mouth before she looked back to the one eyed deva and used her last shutgunshell to shred half of its face into oblivion on what it fell back without any more movements.

“She starts to annoy me.” Mumbled Ver’et as the fourth deva looked up at her on what she gave it the command to get in and get her.

The machine didnt replied as it got the order but began its mission and first crouched down and take a look to spot the human inside.

Catherine knew she ran out of options seeing the closest deva nearly reaching her boots as she opened her bag and took a grenade out of it along with soem ductape and her knife. Her idea was risky to say the least and could end in the worst possibility end with her death. But what was the other option. Staying here, until she ran out of ammunition?

She prepared her little gift not a moment too soon as the shadow loomed over the open hatch while she was already on her feet and began running the short distance with her pacage in hand.

The fist outlines of the machine came in view as it looked down to get an image of the situation and to possible plan a new strategy. Well, it wasnt going to get its chance as Cathy held her hand with hte knive ready and ran further towards it.

Its head was just low enough to look inside but as soon as its sensors adjusted to the dim light insde, was its entire vision filled with that of an enraged human amazone and not evena millisecond later, remaiend only the loud crunshing sound of a blade which hda made contact with metal and plastic as Catherine rammed her knive into the devas forehead and pulled the pin before she pulled the trigger of her shutgun and sent a blast of shells into its upperbody.

Teh program worked better then she coudl have foreseen it as the machine retracted its body and tried to search for cover which was outside and with that, left her save as the integrated timer of the grenade reached zero and exploded just over the opening sending tiny metal shrapnels ina 360 degree radius which damaged several other devas but not bad enough to take them out.

Ver’et shielded herself with just an arm as the explosion happend not even a foot in front of her. The tiny metal splinters were no harm to her model but something else left her damaged. Her ego.

She was done playing after this last action as she looked to the last pieces of her toy and then back towards the vehicle and its right side which was facing up at her.

“I’m getting tired of your games, human!” Snarled she a little louder then she had wanted as she prepared her own deva and brought its titanic arms into position.

“Get out of there! Or I take you out!”

Cathy couldn’t hide her smile when she heard that. Had she really managed it to make her angry? Ver’et, who was so confident about her little game that she wasnt taking them for full all the time? Well, it was a slight win so far.

“Force me!” Came her only dry reply of course as she was kneeling in the back of the Barbossa this time. She had slung her bag over her shoulder and the shutgun and pistol ready waiting for whatever woudl come next. Convidence was spreading through her mind along withthe adrinaline that flooded her body and kept her ready and on her feet. Maybe she coudl hold out long enough in here. Long enough for Vee to come and help her.

“Mom...”It was a sudden thought as her mother came up in her head. Was she well? Or was she...

Her train of thought was broken when the situation around her changed completly for her. The roof, or better the right side of the barbossa began to bulge slowly at first as somethign heavy hammered againt the reinforced steel plates from the outside again and again.

The metal began to deform and break and Catherine was out of ideas on what to do when the first rays of light got inside throught the first holes which soon grew more and more.

Catheirnes eyes widened as the first metallic claw appeared inside and took a hold of the steelbeofre it began to tear the side appart like a tinfoil.

She really had just played with her all the time.

“Oh my god.” Came it into Cathy’s mind as her only answer as the hands made view upon the huge machine and its head with the two red eyes aas they peered directly down upon her.

The shock still held her gripped in its tight fist while another part of her, literally scremed to move. She had never seen something like that not even in Atlantis where she had been trained to fight off the devas.

“I see you like my little creation hm?” Said Ver’et with a giggle as she tore the hole a bit bigger and focused onto her lovely prey.

“Why don’t you come a bit closer and take a better look. Here I will even help you out!”

Cathy saw the stell slaw coming down towards her but she was still to shocked to move. How could something like that exsist. Sure Atlantis had mechs who were even taller but not in her wildest dreams could they have been looking as gruesoem and grotesque as this thing.

The metallic fingers were about to touch her when the voice in her headn finally managed it to get her out of her trance but it was already too late for her to escape as the giant metallic pillars wrapped ina crushing grip around her body and lifted her without a care out of the tank. Cathy raised her shutgun but was stopped quickly when her shoulder was thrashed into a sharp edge of steel. The metal dug in deep into her flesh and let her yell up in pain as her grip loosened aroun her rifle and hse dropped it back inside.

“Ah, ah, ah. Naughty, naughty, little girl. Didn’t your mom teach you that weapons are not for children?” Mocked Var’et her little huamn prisoner as she took her out and held her up to eyelevel with the machine.

Catherine gritted her teeth and tried her best to get her left arm out but the grip held it trapped between the steel and her torso.

“Don’t you dare!” Spat she out in anger as the pain in her shoulder left her unable to do a thing at the moment.

“Oh and what should stop me? You?” Ver’et held her little toy closer to the blank face of her creation on what the red glowing eyes shined upon Cathy’s sweating face.

“You can bearly breath.” Added Ver’et and increaed her grip just a bit on what Cathy began to wince in pain. She desperatly tried to pull a finger of the hand away with her right hand but the pain in her shoulder and the slippery blood that already covered her hand, left her attempt’s without any success. She could have even tried to push an entire truck up a hill with her arm. The result would have been the same.

“Ohh I love those sounds.” Ver’et began and loosened her grip a bit. It was just enough so that Catheirne was without a relative ammount of pain as she rose her free hand and grabbed the humans, blood covered right hand.

“No!” Yelped Cathy up when two of the three steel fingers grabbed her hand and pulled her arm which sent another surge of pain through her body.

“You...you sick freak!”

Ver’et couldn’t help but grin in her hideout as she heard that comment. Oh how often had she heard that. Still, it never got old on her.

“Well, time to play.” Said she and grinned even more as she prepared herself for the actions to come.

With Catherines hand still in the thick clutches of the machine, was every try to escape already doomed to fail as it began to pull onto her arm.

“No! Stop!” Yelled Cathy out loud as the pain in her shoudler began to grow even more as the thick fingers of the Ver’et’s machine pulled even more onto her.

Her muscles protestet. Her nerves screamed and begged to stop but Ver’et didn’t listened as she pulled and pulled even more until her arm dislocated from her shoulder in one sudden move.

Cathy had no air lef in her lung to scream as her arm snapped out of her shoulder. Her tears ran down her cheeks but she coudln’t get a sound as her nerves overflodded her brain with stimulations which left her completly paralyzed.

“Oh, already broken?” Said Ver’et with a chuckle as she let Cathy’s arm go on what it fell limp down and hung there touching the metall of the hand that held her and smearing some blood onto it.

She lifted Cathy a bit higher but saw no reaction comming from her as she seemd to struggle with her body to get some air back into her lungs.

What followed then was somethign she had not heard in a long time as the little human before her, got out of her state of shock adn let out a soul crushing scream filled with all the pain she had felt over the past couple of minutes.

Catherine was at her limit’s as she screamed out on top of her lung. She looked along her blood drenched arm which hung limp down before her. She felt nothing in her fingers not the cold steel or the wound as she looked back up into the glowing eyes of her tormentor.

Just how much cruelty could one posses to do that and how much would she love it if she had the chance to show her the same ammount of pain...and even more.

“You....fucking...bitch!!” Yelled Cathy as she wound some breath again over her pain. Her eyes darted up towards the red spots and right into Ver’et as she followed her from her own position and couldn’t stiffle but moan as she smiled as well over the little pet’s facial expression.

“Ah they always tend to those words once the real fun begins.” She said and turned her toy towards a free place where her devas had already formed a small circle.

“But I think its time to start the main course.”

Cathy felt the movement through the steel that surrounded her as the giant machine began to move and turn away from the tank below her. She had no idea of what would come next but she knew it wouldn’t be good for her.

Not long after that thought saw she a group of devas who had made some kind of ring using their bodies as an improvised barrier as Ver’et began to walk towards it.

“I alwas loved your fighting styles you know? Especially when you tried to go hand to hand with our devas. Not that it worked very well. But from time to time, you really used some interresting techniques liek your knife in the forehead stunt. So...” She stopped and held Cathy back up at level with her face.

“I wonder how good you are when it comes to a one on one fight with one of my babies here.” She added and laughed before she lowered Catheirne and to the humans surprise, threw her the rest of the way until she landed hard in the ring rolling over the cold snow until she stopped on the other end and to the feet of several devas.

Her body was nothing more then a place of pain. Every part was screaming for rest but she wouldn’t get that luxury as she looked up and saw the faces of several machines lookeing down at her.

“Don’t worry dear. They won’t interfere in our game. I promise.” Said Ver’et out loud as she stopped just before the small ring.

“Think of them, as our private audience or your fanclub.” She added and spread her arms in a wide manner as if to underline her last sentence.

Cathy looked around as she slowly got back on her knees using her left arm as she looked back her limp right. She was surrounded by monsters with the biggest one towering over the others and cheering down at her like a little kid which woudl play with its newest toy until it broke.

A sadistic, psychotic, child with dozens of deadly machines at its disposal and she, well...

“Fine.” Grunted Catherine and put the bag off from her shoulders before she used her mouth to hold ont her pistol with her teeth gripping the slide of it.

She quickly removed the strap from her bag and upn stepping on one of its ends, adjusted its length until she was satisfied.

Ver’et had no idea what she was doing but gave her the time. Whatever she was planning would fail anyway but she had to admit that she was kind of curious what she would do.

Cathy looked back towards her right arm and bit even harder on the slide of her pistol as she grabbed the white, or better blood drenched sleeve of her  former white jacket and began to pull on the seams. Every move burned as she pulled some more until the seam gave away and she began to tear the entire sleeve off. Grunting deeply used Cathy the fabric and slung it around her shoudler and the open wound before he let go of her pistol and took one end into it while she made a knot with the other and then, pulled.

The pain left her nearly unconcious as she lost her balance and strength and dipped her forehead into the snow while tears ran over her cheeks in streams.

But for all she knew, wasn’t she done yet as she repositioned herself again and used the strap from her back and slung it square around her torso before she clipped both ends into each other and positioned her arm into the improvised sling before she adjusted its length again until her arm was tightly secured agaisnt her chest.

“Interresting...” Mumbled Ver’et as she saw her little toy getting up and holding her pistol in her left hand while her right one was secured to her body.

She was definitly an interresting and defiant member of her species. Oh what fun she would have.

“Come...and show me what you have.” Said Cathy as she looked into the crowd of Devas expecting to be attacked at any moment.

She didnt have to wait for long when a few of the machines gave way and allowed a slimmer version of themselves to enter.

She noticed some kind of gloves on its hands but she was far from believeng that those were filled with some soft material. It had a few smal marks pinted onto its cheecks and wore, for most of the other devas untypical, trousers and a shirt as well as some kind of trainings shoes who were already worn out and had holes here and thee. As well as the old trouseres.

“He is my favorite. I made him just for occasions like those but over the last few years became those pretty rare.” Said Ver’et as she looked down into the ring from her position.

“I programmed him myself with some of your cultures martial art to make it a bit more fun to watch.”

“Should have made him bulletproof.” Replied Cathy through gritted teeth as he aimed and fired two times as fast as she could. But she dint hit the deva but instead destroyed the head of one which were ordered as ring keepers.

“Too slooow.” Cheered Ver’et and laughed as the deva got back into its former position.

Cathy was doen for as she felt the gun lower as well as her entier arm.

The bloodloss was taking its toll on her as well as the constant adrinaline whihc was running low.

Her body was slowly shutting down on her as she fell back on her knees. Whatever Ver’et had planned for her, she woudln’t fight it. All she coudl hope for was that it would be over quickly as she lost the strength inher fingers and dropped her gun into the snow.

“Already done? I thought you humans were a bit more persistant.” Said Ver’et and gave the command to her deva to break her left arm.

She would get her fun no matter what.

The deva stopped before Catherine and roughly grabbed her left arm with both of its hands.

She looked up but saw the machine only in a mere foggy version as she was close to loose her conciousness.

“Do it. Come on.” Whispered she as the pressure begsn to build up at her arm when a crashing noise interrupted the situation.

Ver’et saw only one of her other devas getting literally thrown into the middle of the ring as a piece seemd to stuck inside its back. She zoomed onto the remains and recognized a piece of a deva being stuck into its back.

But where.

She coudlnt end her thoguth when something collided with the larger machines head  forcing its to step sideways befoere it regained its balance again.

“Who the hell...” Yelled Ver’et annoyed as she turend her head and zoomed into a slight cloud of snow as an incomming object was signalized to come straight towards her.

Out of instict covered Ver’et her head with the machines arms beofre the rocket came into contact with her but the explosion had enough force to let her stumble backwards.

“What is going on!” Ver’et wsa more then annoyed ass he lowered her arms and tried to focus again at the direction whenshe could finally get a first glimpse of the small figure that stood alone in the alley.

“What’s that.”

Catherine followed the scene as the grip around her arm loosened and she fell down in the snow. Her body felt numb but she managed to get a last glimpse of the figure as the fog which surrounded it, began to vanish and allowed her a short look upon it.

The figure wore a power suit. Black and grey a knight of the modern age. A tank on two feet. Two green eyes who only knew the next target. Hands able to crush the enemy with ease....and weapons powerful enough to destoy anything that would be stupid enough to go agaisnt it.

“Ver’et!!” Could the urley hear the familiar male voice calling out to her. “We’re not done!” He added and growled as he locked the giant machine in the targetting system again.

“Not yet...”