Elles mounted up, took out her helmet, and found Bryan without his mask on.

Chris commanded his soldiers to fire at will; every vehicle blasted canons. They shot at the standing Navy for 30 minutes, and by the end of all the ‘fireworks’, not a scratch was made to the Navy robots. Blackjack was protected by a flat screen wall in front of him. Behind the wall, he hung his sniper shot that he used to pull his triggers, and shot everyone all by himself. He enjoyed himself, saving his last shot for best.

Inside the DTi-48 Bryan asked, “What happened out there?”

“He knows…he knows your back here, sitting right next to me!” Elles punched the wall, frustrated.

“The reason that we didn’t bust you out of prison is because of him. He told us that, after the outbreak, Blackjack blasted your walls and killed you to get to us.” She stroked his hair, still in disbelief.

“After all I had given up for you all, this is how you decided to thank me!” Bryan said, clenching his fist, irate.

“He was always there when I needed someone to talk to.” she pointed at the pictures pasted on her walls. “We have two kids, that’s Kelly – the tall one, and Jesse on the right.” She looked at Bryan, who was clearly fighting tears within the enclosed space.

“I had to let you go, Bryan!” she said.

From his truck, Chris saw Bryan climbing out of his wife’s DTi-48 and walk away. The fight with the Navy was already over, their guns couldn’t break those machines. Shortly thereafter, the Navy walked towards the man. Chris felt his defeat. Elles stuck her head out of the top of the DTi-48.

“Bryan, come back!” she moaned for lost lover to return.

From his seat, Blackjack positioned his sniper shot and hit Elles in the back. Bryan spun round in shock!

“No!” Chris, heavy-hearted, quickly ate all of his fast food, in an attempt to calm himself.

Blackjack then tried to hit Bryan, who took cover under the DTi-48. The navy reached the enemy’s turf and fists were flying, but soon the Navy robots brought every fragile human on the battle field to his last breath.

Chris turned his wheels and raced against the Navy robots, in pursuit of their master. Blackjack tried to shoot at the R-11 but, like its driver, the truck was too stubborn to take the hit. Chris drove past the wall just as Blackjack rolled away. He tried to turn the R-11 around, but he lost control of the steering wheel, the brakes stopped working, the truck stopped pumping gas and the engine stopped running.

Chris looked out of his side mirror and saw Navy robots pushing his truck towards the hills. From the front, a navy destroyed his engine. Chris tried to push the door open so that he could jump out, just as Parker jumped onto the outside of the door. He hung there with his unnerving face at the window. He grabbed Chris by the throat. Terrified by the silver man, Chris braced himself for a fall as the Navy pushed his R-11 over the cliff.

Chris and his pride were done and dusted in the field, with damaged armored vehicles. Navy robots punched helmets before ripping masked heads apart in the windy desert. Parker transformed back into a Navy and shared a walk with Blackjack.

They were taken by surprise as, above their heads, Nick took-off in an army aircraft, trying to escape. Parker put up his hand and pulled the helicopter back with his magnetic hands. Nick tried to move in every direction but the Navy force proved to be more effective. From his palm, Parker ripped the metallic body from its propeller. Nick had nothing to keep him airborne; landing from a hundred-foot free fall, he hit hard, breaking his bones. Blackjack’s alarm rang from his wrist.

“Time is up, bring his head along.” Blackjack said.

Parker transformed his hand into an axe and walked towards Nick who was trying desperately to drag his body away from the execution.
The silver man grabbed Nick by his throat, and then killed his man. Blackjack held Nick’s head up and tossed it to one of his Navy, carrying an empty bag, and then revved his black Xs750 chopper. The navy finished gathering heads from other infected bodies.

Bryan kept his cover under the DTi-48 long enough see Blackjack leave. He jumped up to find Elles gasping with her last breath.

“I’m sorry, Bryan, I found you in my dying moments.” she gasped, as he stroked her cheek.

“Do you love who I am, or what I am?” they shared a soft laughed about that.

“I love you who you are.” Elles said.

“I love you too.” Bryan kissed her forehead in despair.

Chris found his strength and managed to break free from the R-11. Swigging from a bottle of whisky, he limped ahead with a dislocated shoulder. He was stunned to witness the DTi-48 rolling her tires away, with Elles still inside.

“What the?…Elles!” she had left him high and dry. Chris smashed the bottle against a dead hammer, climbed up to get a better view and then mounted up the machine gun.

“Elles!!!” he shot at the tank until it eventually disappeared from the desert. Chris soon became feverish and emotional. He stripped a mask off of one of his dead soldiers who was lying over steering wheel. Then he injected himself with his neutralizer and sat down on the broken hammer, reaching for his lighter. He exhaled smoke and suddenly burst into repulsive laughter. Max drove a gun truck to escort The Pride from the lost battle. Chris saw the advancing truck and went to meet it at the side of the road. Max welcomed his injured friend from the door. Soldiers across the road ran to the back in order to grab hold and catch a ride home.

***

Tell us: Do you think Elles is really going to die?