}{💎}{ “Executing defensive protocols.”
She rolled as Ashe did, stinger coming up to defend. She had no idea what the archer was planning, though, and she refused to speculate where. That knowledge would be shared with her systems, due to their link. This, she concluded, was going to hurt.
The first arrow hit home, sparks erupting from the spot, generating another hiss of pain from the scorpion. Sensors and internal alarms began to ring, warning Skarner to take evasive action, she refused. If she took direct control of her reflexes to avoid, Ashe wouldn’t have a chance. Both of them were fighting the machine, Ashe physically, Skarner mentally.
As predicted, the tail rose up, swatting the second arrow away from Skarner’s face, but blinding her from the true target. Both chainsaws fell inoperable, leaving Skarner with only one form of defense. Her tail.
Fortunately, that was the target. It was flexible, but where Ashe needed to hit, it was quite vulnerable. Skarner felt a twinge of distress. She’d designed the body to be flexible. To have it so easily beaten, it was . . . humiliating?
In a flash, she realized her emotional blockers were being neglected to run other vital defensive systems. She pushed back, hard, gaining control of her body for a split second, forcing herself to remain still, to drop her stinger into a relaxed position.
Letting the arrow smash her in the small of the back.
“E-Error. Systems failing. T-T-Total shut d-d-downnnnnn . . .”
She fell to her knees, visor going dim, the red lights vanishing as she collapsed, unconscious . . . for the first time in years. The bliss of sleep she’d been denied since waking up in her suit.
