Encounter III

The sun was low in the sky by the time we got to the other safe house. Strangely, this one’s mirage was still active.

When we drew closer, the exterior turrets activated and immediately began clicking rapidly in our general direction.

“This one’s guardians are still active, but… just what is going on here?” Marc seemed befuddled.

I walked closer to them. They were clearly aiming to kill, but without any ammunition they were little more than broken wind-up toys. “Beats me. It’s kinda funny, though.”

“We’ve got signs of battle here,” Fern observed as we walked in. “Hmm… fire damage? Everything’s scorched.”

“Fireman!” Blake snapped his fingers. “A fireman was here.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Bernicia nodded. “But here’s the question. Who was he fighting?”

“Ugh, the I-bots here are all wrecked,” Marc said. “Almost worse than being stolen…”

“And was he attacking,” Bernicia continued, “Or defending?”