As the transports floored their way down the small subterranean highway, the ominous sound of their pursuer slowly gained.

“Can this thing go any faster,” Alice asked as they sped down the highway.

Luke flashed the girl a look of annoyance.

“I’ve got the accelerator down to the floor. This thing isn’t supposed to out run shit,” Luke replied.

Eary turned around is his seat. He saw the other carts, each carrying a group of his friends. Calvin drove one cart while Hannah drove another. They weren’t his focus though. The tunnel had turned and weaved since the parties escape. But the mech could be heard in hot pursuit. He just couldn’t see it yet.

Mote joined Eary in gazing down the long dark tunnel. His usual levity superseded by the strange metallic clanging and crashing. But where was it coming from? A loud crash and large chunks of concrete revealed the source of the noise. The large orange mech burst through the ceiling of the tunnel, sending debris everywhere.

It's legs and arms had folded up, to reveal a secret. 16 large tires and extended out, allowing the mechanized monstrosity wheels it needed to keep pace. As it rolled back wards down the tunnel, two cannons activated on its shoulders. Two large beams of energy blasted from the mech and devastated the road.


Luke swerved the cart in time to miss a large chunk of concrete that had been kicked up.

Eary shot a glance around. To his relief his friends were still safe in their carts. For the moment.

Luke gestured for Alice take the wheel as he got out. In a blurry orange light, Luke took to the offensive. He whizzed up the mech, several small flashes of light erupted from the spots between Luke and the mech. He fell back, he yelled,

“I can’t touch it. Force fields.”

Eary felt a swell of determination fill him. Without a second thought, he leapt from the cart a took flight. His blue aura streaking across the dimly lit tunnel back drop. He summoned his scythe and approached quickly. Luke joined him for the second attack. Eary shot bolts of lightning and slashed it with his scythe. Nothing. Luke slashed and slashed with his daggers. No avail.

Soon a sparkle of green a the unmistakable aura of flames announced Calvin and Mei’s arrival to the fray. Calvin swiftly dove in with his spear, but was bounced off. Mei shot powerful flames from her hands as she used flames from her feet to fly. This, however, seemed to work. As the force field did little to protect from a high heat source.

The mech violently smashed back and forth into the walls of the tunnel. Trying to crush Mei with is metal body. She flipped and spun effortlessly as she evaded her attacker.

Alice used her mind, levitating up with the rest of her flying friends. Mote summoned Oran and took the wheel while Oran worked the gas. Hannah and Maggie crept up in their cart. They launched a powerful blast of electrified water at the shielded mech. A powerful ricochet from it protective barrier sent the blast in all directions. Denby and Decan’s cart was stuck and sent flipping through the air. Before impact, Alice snatched the two young men up with her mind, and safely placed them in Mote’s cart.

Eary glanced briefly at the demolished cart slowly fading down the road. An unease drifted through him.

“How can beat something we can’t hit,” he thought to himself.

Just then, the tunnel opened up. Exposing a massive underground complex. A series of buildings, dotted with lights, illuminated the end of the long road. A great chasm stretched from the road in all directions. It’s deep blackness seemed to try to draw you in. Eary had an idea.

He placed his hand on with wristlet. He spoke,

“Guys, we gotta knock it off!”

He flashed a look at his friends. They were too busy engaging the robot to hear him. Out of frustration, he contacted Alice with his mind. She and the group agreed with the plan.

Eary erected a force field, and slowly pressed the bot to the edge. The rest of his friends followed suit with their powers. The bot skidded on the edge, until finally, it’s weight and gravity, dragged it down to the depths below.

The team let out a cheer in celebration. That was until the bot revealed it rocket boosters. It soared effortlessly alongside the group and road. It launched a missile the erupted directly behind Hannah and Maggie’s cart. It crashed hard into Mote’s, fusing the two.

Eary swooped down and provided healing support. As the girls shuffled into Mote’s cart, another missile flew in their direction. A purple light stopped the projectile dead in its tracks, and tossed it easily aside.

The team regrouped at the fused carts. Deciding that since everyone can’t fly, they had to make their stand. The mech landed it’s large metal body directly behind them. It showed its metal once more. A large wheel, resembling a grain combine, formed from inside the bot. It tore mercilessly into the blacktop as the boy landed. Gaining tremendous ground quickly.

Eary erected a force field to halt its progress. However, the force of the bot proved to much for Eary alone. Alice backed him up, holding the bot back with her mind. Calvin tried to shoot it back with torrent of wind. It remained strongly on course.

Mei swiftly moved to the back of the carts.

“Alice, hold me,” she shouted as she sat on the back.

A purple light enveloped the girl as she raised her hands. An enormous blast of flame shot from her hands. The cart blasted forward, while Mote hastily controlled the now wildly swaying cart. The effort seemed to pay off, as the cart quickly created a large gap between them and the bot. The mech, however, answered this with it’s rocket boosters. It’s gaining traction and Mei’s location on the vehicle had the girl cry out in fear.

The team rallied around Mei. Each shooting an elemental power to stop the bots advance. Luke jumped off and tried to target anything he could, while Sakile threw clones of himself. It seemed hopeless. Until a voice flooded the team’s minds.

“Luke, back on the cart,” Alice commanded.

Luke jumped quickly back on, while a purple mist surrounded the vehicle. It lifted clear into the air, while Alice let out a large cry.  Mei let out a great blast of fire, obliterating the highway below. The mech crashed into the intact road, while a large pop echoed through the cavernous darkness.

A moment later, the mech sored up towards the carts. However, it had taken a great deal of damage in the explosion. It sparked and malfunctioned through the sky.

“I got this one,” Mei said, as she summersaulted from the vehicle.

In swirling flames she quickly out maneuvered the sparking bot. She soared above, and with a great scream of anger, let loose a powerful bolt of lightning. The mech slammed hard into the asphalt, exploding on contact.

The team descended from the air. They swiftly got out to explore the wreckage. Mote zipped up. He removed a lighter and a pack of smokes from his moteling pocket. As he packed them up, an orange burst of light revealed the summoned Lorcan. Mote lit his smoke and said,

“Hey, great popper scooper. Shift through that wreckage for any of them super gems were lookin’ for.”

Lorcan sighed and looked at the flaming wreckage.

“It’s on fire, your majesty! I cannot possibly,” Lorcan replied in a huff.

Mote gestured to Maggie to extinguish the flames as he let out a large drag. Eary quickly approached the blue moteling. He grumbled,

“You’re smoking again? I took forever to get you to quit.”

Mote’s ears shifted to the back of his head. He snapped,

“Kid, I don’t need this shit right now. I’m a fuckin’ king! Ya know how stressful that is? Now Mags, make with water.”

Maggie begrudgingly agreed. With a wave of her hand, a gentle cascade of water fell from above and extinguished the flames. Shortly after, Lorcan shuffled into the destruction. After a couple oo’s and ah’s, he emerged holding a large orange gem.

“Marvelous,” Mote said as he took a drag. “I knew I kept ya around for a reason.”

Lorcan set down the jewel. He left in a large burst of orange light. Mote then quickly shoved the jewel in his moteling pocket and addressed the group.

“Lets save the power ups for later,” he said. “Looks like we’re almost there. Ya bet someone noticed that explosion. We should move and be on guard.”

The team all agreed and bravely marched towards the complex.