Mechnozoid’s been sitting very still in Kaijuville Square for about three years.
“We still have to do this?” says Orville. Â “He’s gotta be asleep by now.”
“We can’t take that chance,” says Ping. Â “Any hint of a threat could reactivate him. Do you want your selfishness to kill everyone in this city?”
Orville does not, so they stride out naked into the brisk bustle of a downtown day. Â They’re not the only ones, but kids point and laugh anyway. Â Orville tries to cover himself; Ping slaps him.
Mechnozoid rusts, the “UBIQUE LIBERTAS” plaque in his cockpit slowly bleaching in the sun.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Mechnozoid’s copy of Apache is configured all weird and it would probably be hard to upgrade to 2.2.11 even if it weren’t actively battling Murdron at the moment. Edderly wishes like hell he could just figure out which kaiju kernel it’s running.
“Try apt-getting again,” he yells across the machine-crowded command deck to Felix.
“I don’t think that works if the hosts file is EAAAGH,” says Felix, as Murdron’s energy sword peels through titanium armor to obliterate his torso.
Hi, Edderly types into a new forum post, I don’t know if any of you have encountered this problem before.
The Ufonian craft hums right into the base, stops and hovers, and dumps its latest load of abductees down a beam of light into the hopper on Mechnozoid’s head. As it fills with hapless fleshlings, its eyes begin to glow; before long it’s grinding its way out of the cavern to shoot lasers at Garmegula. Again.
Delmar and Croesus are two of the first to finish tumbling through its works and wind up, greasy and shaken, on the ground behind it.
“Was that Mechnozoid?” says Delmar, ginger with bruises. “I hate being used to power Mechnozoid!”
“It’s a job,” shrugs Croesus.