We scattered, all of us hoping that the giant man-eating death machine didn't choose them to follow. I darted quickly between the vats, weaving to stay out of that things line of sight and line of fire, my heartbeat already pounding in fear and sweat pouring from my forehead. I dropped down and cowered behind a giant pipe, hands covering my mouth and nose, desperately trying to slow my breathing as that thing seemed to be getting a lot closer.

Then again, I wasn't exactly sure where the thing was, it could be right behind me or at the far end of the complex and I'd never know. Every footstep it made echoed, its voice reverberated around the walls, we were in a labyrinth of disorientation and the automaton knew the paths. Our chances were dropping into the thousand to one category now, but hey, there's no fun keeping to those odds.

With my breathing back to a semi-normal state, I slowly peered over the edge of my pipe and scanned the environment. The air was thick with soot, but my visibility was just fine to see the hulking, shiny, amalgamate of wires and metal hauling itself around the corner. I frowned slightly, it didn't look so good anymore. Its muzzle was bent and crooked, like a car had hit it, its jaw was hanging open as if it was dislocated, two of its long claws were gone and a large gash and dent were buried in its chest. Had one of the others managed to hurt it?

No time for theories now though as it limped towards me and my hiding place. I crawled quickly away from the pipe and made my way slowly through the twisting maze of wires and pipes underneath the pots and cauldrons, staying low to the ground and trying not to make any noise. I looked over my shoulder and froze, the automatons massive head was now inspecting my original pipe, its claws inches from where I was just sat.

What was it doing? It was just examining the spot like it was trying to smell me out, but it couldn't do that, it didn't have any nostrils, it couldn't smell. Was it tracing my heat source? No, it couldn't, I couldn't see when I used my thermal vision, so I could be damned sure that it couldn't either. So, what the hell was it doing? I realised I probably didn't want to stick around to find out, so I started crawling, flat on my belly in the other direction.

After a while and certain the automaton wasn't anywhere near me anymore, I hauled myself out of the crawlspace and back into the open room. I had somehow managed to do a full loop and was back out in front of the door, or what was left of it after the contraption had punched its way through. That could be our way out of here, I just had to find the others and tell them my plan. Eagerly I peered over the bent metal at the corridor outside and failed to suppress a horrified yell, as the army waiting for me hurled something towards my head.

The cannisters exploded upon impact with the floor and instantly started spilling out a pale coloured smoky gas. The automaton must have heard the commotion and was making its way towards me and fast, so without a moment of hesitation I threw myself under a vile smelling container and covered my mouth with the hem of my shirt in case whatever was in that stuff was dangerous, and at this rate everything was trying to kill us.

Clanking footsteps sent my body rigid in fear as the long claws of the robot fell into view. Its head soon followed, weaving round like a snake against the floor, its orange eyes blazing and trying to pick something up. Then, like I was in Jurassic freaking Park its eye fell onto me and froze in place as it stared. I didn't move, I held my breath and prayed for it just to go away, prayed for its vision to rely on movement.

A moan broke its attention and it instantly went over to investigate the sound it had heard. My relief was only momentary because I then remembered that there were four of us in this room, and one of them was lying unconscious on the floor and he had chosen this moment to come around from Shadow's cannonball. I watched in horror as the automaton peered closely at the man, tilting its head this way and that, watching for something. Movement? He was lying immobile except for his heavy, laboured breathing–

Something clicked in my head, an idea, a detail that I hadn't noticed until now, but meant that this might just get messy. The vats, the containers, even the storage carts were all covered, their released gasses were being funnelled out by massive tubes. The guards outside were all wearing gas masks and whatever they had thrown in hadn't been dangerous to me, because it was meant to get the automatons attention because if they killed me, it wouldn't be able to do its job, it wouldn't be able to see me anymore.

A long exhale as the man groggily opened his eyes was all the automaton needed. It roared, drowning out its preys scream, and then it clamped its jaws around the mans middle and hauled him into the air. Maybe it would just swallow him and act like a storage tank I thought desperately, but as blood began to rain from the sky, I knew I was wrong. His bloodcurdling screams were only just drowned out by the whir of the automaton's mechanical teeth, slicing and drilling into his body alongside the sounds of cracking bone and slicing flesh. His voice disintegrated into gurgles as the chunks of meat that used to make up a living breathing person began to fall from the sky into the never-ending pools of scarlet blood.

All this time I had been frozen in horror, staring helplessly as he was devoured by the horrific beast, the same thought looping over and over like a broken record, I have to find the others. I only moved after it realised it couldn't find anyone else, and so shambled off to the rest of the room to stalk out more prey. I twisted round and crawled out from under the vat, checking every direction as I went, before speeding through the tightest of the passageways and diving under frothing pots whenever I heard the faintest sounds of mechanical footsteps.

This could not be good for my heart.

I felt like I was in a video game, sneakily stealthing my way through a labyrinth of enemies, but on this occasion if I lost my one life there was no restarting. After crawling around for a while, I eventually resurface and peered around carefully. The vats of something lime green were bubbling away angrily, a network of pipes pumping away the excess to some far-off room. The smell was also bizarre, it smelt like rotting eggs but with a lingering perfume of citrus that when mixed together were far from pleasant. But aside from that I was safe, there was no way it could get down here.

I palmed the communication stone and tightened my fist around it, desperately sending a message to the other two, let me know you're okay, just show me a sign... but there was nothing. The line was silent. I paced round the horseshoe shaped ring and tried to calm myself down. I would have heard them scream if the automaton had got hold of them, they were probably just hiding like me, trying to wait this out, trying to make sure that our robotic friend didn't catch them by surprise–

Something hit the containers just behind me, a tiny piece of metal tapping gently on the surface, an accidental movement but I still instinctively froze. Its right behind me isn't it? I stood as still as I could manage and held my breath as I felt the head of the automaton moving closer to the back of my neck. The soft sound of something popping was all I could hear as the hairs stood to attention and that thing exhaled a long, hot, stinking breath like a cloud of noxious gasses. It was a good thing I was holding my breath for that.

But I was probably about five seconds from blacking out at this point and it wasn't going away! Bugger off! I thought to myself. Go away and go pick on someone your own size! Clearly telepathy doesn't work on that thing as it didn't show any sign of budging and in fact seemed to get so close I could feel its teeth on the back of my coat, but that could have been down to lack of oxygen, as black spots were now dancing merrily on the edge of my vision. Oh great, I've got this far and I'm going to die by becoming mulch. Yay.

Then a miracle happened. It moved away, it left me alone, my plan had worked, and I hadn't been eaten yet! Well...it did seem to be going that way before I decided to screw myself. Several things then proceeded to happen in quick succession. Simply due to the fact that I was about to literally pass out I gasped for breath, trying to take on as much of that sweet oxygen as I could, not realising that the automaton was still a lot closer than I would have liked. It heard and saw me desperately inhaling and snapped its head round to look at me just as I looked around to see where it was. An awkward staring contest followed, a standoff of will and determination that was only going to end one way.

The automatons mighty roar was my signal to run like merry hell. I turned and dove underneath one of the vats, the tangle of tubes gave me a minute head start over the mad robot, which was frantically trying to fish me out like it was playing hook-a-duck. I scrambled as fast as I could in any direction that had cover, dodging the long claws that fired towards me like a bayonet. By the time I pulled myself up and out and ran for the next line of vats I had cuts all along my arms, but nothing more serious so that a bottle of disinfectant and a good night's sleep couldn't fix it.

My next crawlspace was only about ten meters from me but as I ran full force I heard the automatons feet hitting the metallic floor and then I felt what seemed to be a door slam into my side. The next thing that followed that was an almighty crash and hell of a lot of pain as my back slammed into a wall from the robots slap. I sat up gasping and screamed as the monsters mouth was a lot closer than I would have liked. I ducked, wormed my way under the robot and ran out the back, the automaton in hot pursuit.

I was faster on my feet, so I ran through the tiny gaps and twisting passageways while the automaton was either up above me trying to pick me out, or at the side and trying to swipe at my legs. The gap I was in suddenly opened up, and I could fell my heart turn to lead. It was like a maintenance space behind a ring of vats and containers with wires, service hatches and pipes all in plain view for the engineers, but there was only one teeny, tiny problem. It was a dead end, there was no way out. And I could hear it running towards me.

Desperately I started weaving my way underneath a tangle of pipes and wires, to hide, to find a way out, anything! There was a small gap behind it all that I might just be able to wiggle through but that wasn't going to happen quite just yet as I was dragged out by my jeans. Somehow I kicked the long claw away and was left to stare down the snapping jaws of the robot. The pipes did prevent its head from coming too close, but it didn't stop it from changing its technique from bitey-bitey to stabby-stabby.

Those claws were almost slashing me to ribbons, blood dribbled from numerous slashed on my arms and legs but thank god for adrenaline or this would be a very one-sided battle. Well, come to think of it, it already was unless I thought of a spectacularly cunning plan in the next minute then I was utterly and completely–

Bored of trying to fish its prey out the automaton ripped my cover clear from over my head with a bone chilling screech.

Dead. I'm dead.

With what could be described as an evil grin, the automaton opened its mouth and lunged. I shrieked and shot backwards, scrambling desperately to that crawlspace as my only way to make it out of this alive. It was barely missing me, nipping at the corners of my clothes, coming within a hairs length of my bare skin and at one point it was so close to my face I was able to get a whiff of its breath. It smelled like barbecue down there.

I couldn't get any further now, my back was against the wall and my only hope was a desperate dash through that tiny gap. I quickly twisted and tried to pull myself through. Tried. I felt the automatons heavy claws pin my clothes to the ground, but that still didn't prepare me for the horrifying sensation of being dragged into the open. My fight instinct was now roaring into overdrive, so I grabbed hold of a giant pipe and held on for dear life as the monster peered down on its prey. That smile, that evil grin spread across its lips once again as its jaw unhinged and rows upon rows of shiny teeth were all that filled my sight as it forced its head downwards and I closed my eyes, begging for it to be over quickly.

I stayed in the blackness for what felt like forever, the sound of drills was the only thing I could hear, but I hadn't felt anything. Was that what it was supposed to feel like? Painless? Surely not, because I'm sorry but being put through the robotic equivalent of a wood chipper would hurt. A lot. I slowly opened my eyes, screamed, and then fell backwards to hug the wall as a quivering wreck. What did I see? Well I'll tell you, I got a front row seat to a viewing of thousands upon thousands of teeth. I was inside its freaking mouth!

I sat there, trembling in fear, as I watched those lines of mechanical teeth whir like drills. The automaton didn't have a throat, it was just teeth the whole way back, so it didn't swallow its prey it just turned them into goo and spat out the remains. For the first time I felt sorry for the master that had been eaten, it must have been a horrible way to die. But speaking of death, why the hell was I still alive?

The automaton seemed to be stuck in place for some reason, so I inched forwards, very, very carefully, until I saw what should be likened to a miracle. The large pipe that I had been clinging to had got stuck in the dip at the back of the automatons jaw, like a jigsaw piece, so it couldn't close its mouth and more importantly it couldn't move its head. Its claws were still flailing wildly, so I still had to worry about that, but otherwise I was home free.

With the automatons eyes burning down at me, I lunged for the crawlspace, but my divine intervention seemed to have run out or got bored. I felt the sharp claws once again dig into my back and drag me free, this time forming a fist around me. The hand started forcing me towards its mouth and the lines of still whirring teeth. I panicked and pushed back against the jaws with all the strength that my trembling legs could muster, but the automaton kept pushing and it was stronger than I was, by a long shot.

I forced myself to calm down, to take deep breaths and wiggle my arm free. I had a very stupid plan that could either lead to my certain, painful and very bloody death or I could get free and book it down the crawlspace, there was no in between. Steeling my nerves, throwing up a prayer and an apology, I pushed myself down, so I was resting on its lower jaw and held out my hand.

Sweat dripping from my forehead and my teeth gritted I somehow managed to spit out, "I am not leaving this world as a pile of fertiliser!" I then let the flames that had been burning beneath my skin rip. Golden fire shot to the back of the robots mouth, engulfing everything in flames. The automaton shrieked (More in surprise than in pain), dropped me and stumbled backwards wrenching itself free, its face lit up like a torch at a Hawaiian restaurant.

I'm not going to lie, it was quite impressive to look at what with this giant beast stumbling around trying to extinguish the flames. "Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" I grinned triumphantly and dashed down the hole before it could realise that I had slipped away.

My smile lasted for a while as I slowly manoeuvred my way around the tight and claustrophobic spaces but seeing the heavy claws a few minutes later sent a chill running down my spine and a feeling of dread pooling in my stomach. Oh god, I've pissed it off now haven't I? I crawled as silently as I could, easing myself across the ground with out making a sound, like a ninja snake.

I was crawling along when my second bad idea of the hour popped up. The tank I was underneath was leaking, something a vivid green that fizzed as it fell, I presumed it wad acid or something like that, but upon closer inspection it seemed that the thing was full of Xenomorph blood. It had eaten its way through layer upon layer of reinforced steel and showed no signs of stopping. That was my lightbulb moment that led to me standing out in the open waving my arms and shouting insults at the robot.

"Oi ugly! Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!"

There may have been a moment of hesitation from the monster, a moment wondering 'Why is my dinner delivering itself to me?' But that moment didn't last very long. With a thundering bellow it changed full force, its lower jaw hanging slightly from where I had damaged it, with the purest intention of having a nice, juicy human sized steak, rare if you don't mind. I expertly dove out of the way and slid behind one of the vats massive legs.

"Is that all you got!" I yelled and threw a fireball in its face.

That was just enough annoyance to take the bait as it swung wildly towards me, missing me by only a few inches but taking out the stand with perfect accuracy. The tank had six legs so at least three would have to be taken out, four at a push if the second central one didn't cooperate, so I had to work quickly. The second leg was taken out just as easily as the first, the claws being a bit further away from me this time, and the central stand, while proving a bit trickier to convince it to swipe at it, did eventually snap.

The whole tank was groaning under its own weight, but it wasn't falling, not yet and the automaton was getting bored. Without much thinking, I pressed a palm into the central stand and let the other cast a flamethrower, engulfing the beasts attention. Wincing at the amount of energy I was about to exert, I sent wave after wave of heat racing through my skin and onto the metal, making it bubble gold within moments. Sweat dripped down my forehead as the metal began to collapse around my fingers, but I had to keep going, keep pushing just a little bit more. When the stand collapsed and fell, that was my cue to run.

I slid out from underneath the tank and using the strength I had left, helped to push the tank right over onto the automatons head. One of its arms were trapped underneath the falling metal and with a final shriek the vat burst open, bathing the automaton in the putrid green liquid. The result was even more spectacular than I thought it would be. At first nothing happened (that wasn't a very nice feeling), but then the metal skin of the robot began to dissolve. It ate through what must have been a metre of metal, wires and pipes, the automaton screaming the entire time as it fought to get away. Eventually, with a colossal tug on its trapped arm, it sprinted into the distance, howling in rage and smoke and the smell of rotten eggs curling from its body.

Sensing that I had either sent it away permanently or I had just royally pissed him off (And I was willing to put a large amount of money on the latter) I carefully peered out from behind the wreckage and hopped over the acid lake that was now eating its way through the floor. The room seemed a lot quieter now the automaton was gone, unnervingly quiet in fact, so much that creeping around in the open was making me feel incredibly uneasy, like I was being watched. Shuddering off that worry I realised that I'd found the edge of the room and a new angle on all this madness. I hauled myself up the service ladder up to the maintenance walkways suspended above my head and took in my new surroundings and the path I had taken.

At that moment I had two sudden realisations 1.) I had made a complete mess of everything in this room and 2.) The layout of the room was like a maze. Paths led to nowhere, passageways twisted and turned back onto themselves, no wonder why no one got out of here alive, this place was the labyrinth and the automaton was the minotaur. It also probably had a map of this dump programmed into its head, that's why it could find us so easily. Footsteps behind me sent flames leaping from my palms as I rounded on my attacker, and then I froze.

"Sheira?" I said in complete surprise.

She didn't answer me, only tackled me into a bearhug that I was all too happy to return. "Oh my god, you're okay, you're alive! How are you still okay!?"

"I'll let you know when I work that out myself, how did you get up here?"

She let go and gestured to the ladder. "I found my way up here pretty soon after that thing attacked, I've been watching it the entire time. It went after Shadow first but there was that gas and it...I heard screaming, I thought it had got you," she sounded defeated, almost like she was on the verge of tears.

"Not quite, but it did get that guy we came in with, Shadow's prisoner." I paused and thought about my next sentence, "just a heads up don't let it catch you or you'll be turned to mulch."

"Oh god..."

"Blood and chunks everywhere, was not fun to watch."

"Ew."

"But it did give me a chance to work something out," I said as I pulled out one of my donated shirts and began to tear away at the hem. "I tried to get out through the main door, but there's and army waiting out there, but they didn't shoot at me, they didn't attack me, they just hurled a gas canister at my head. And you know, at first I thought it might be poisoned but now I will make a pretty good guess that it was good old carbon dioxide. That thing can see what we're breathing out, because it certainly doesn't have thermal vision, it can't smell anything, and I'll bet good money that it can't hear very well, can you wet this please? Thank you, so if you run into it don't move and hold your breath. And put this on."

I handed her a soggy strip of cloth before tying my own strip round my nose and mouth. It wasn't ideal, but it did the trick, the automaton was going to have a harder time seeing our breath now. "Okay, now what?" she asked.

"We need to find Shadow and get the hell out of here. When did you last see him?"

"I've only seen a few dark blasts since he and Crash finished attacking it, they were over here a few minutes ago."

That explained why the automaton looked so banged up by the time I saw it, it had gone head to head with Crash and lost. I freaking love that rhino. I was planning on researching rhino treats as I followed Sheira round the swaying pathways to Shadow's last known locations, all of which were in complete carnage with steam spitting from broken vents, metal vats torn clean open with their contents oozing out onto the floor and dozens of black marks from many long-gone projectiles. But Shadow was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" I heard Sheira mutter under her breath as she scanned the environment.

Neither of us dared to call out to him, just in case the automatons hearing was better than both of us thought, we just stood there, watching for movement amongst the wreckage. We did get movement in the end, but it wasn't from anyone friendly. The incredibly broken, damaged and disfigured robot limped past us, sparks flying from its exposed plating from where the acid had eaten the metal away. We could see all of the gears and cogs that let that thing function clear as day as well as the enormous tank of glowing...something (No idea what it was but I wasn't willing to find out) hanging from its belly. Combined with the crumpled snout and hanging jaw the death machine, while still completely horrifying, looked barely alive.

"What...What did you do to it?" Sheira gasped.

"I dropped a bucket of acid on its head."

Sheira looked impressed as I watched the automaton pick its way clumsily away from us, and then it stopped besides an exposed vent and seemed to start spasming. It screeched with fury, throwing its head so violently side to side I was almost concerned that its head was going to come flying off. Mercifully a one-ton hunk of metal didn't go sailing over the environment and instead its massive jaws locked around the end of the vent and tore it clean away. In that moment I saw something, an orange ball glowing underneath the corroded strips of metal, and whatever it was, it looked important. It dropped it when it realised it wasn't edible and stalked off in search of something else fleshier. It was this bizarre display that gave me an idea.

"What was that glowy thing on its head?" I asked, I had to be sure it was something important and not just, you know, a snot storage tank.

She pondered for a second, "its probably its brain, or the nearest equivalent, those big robots are usually built with two separate cores for different functions. Why – oh no. I don't like that look in your eye, don't say it..."

"I have a plan."

Sheira's face became buried in her hands, "I think I already know what you're going to say."

"It's a good plan," I said cheerfully.

"Were going to die," she said to seemingly no one.

"Do you have a better idea?"

She didn't respond for a while, then she sighed irritably. "If you get us killed, I will get someone to resurrect me, then resurrect you and then I'm going to kill you all over again."

"Good to know, and anyway it's a good plan it will definitely work."