Hanford Site, Washington - 6:00 AM


    Rolling out of the motor pool, I turned to run over a squad of Obstructors. Groups of them had lined up to fire at me when I was in between the tanks and that made them easy pickings once I was in one. My hijacked vehicle went over them smoothly, the weight and treads making short work of anything that got in my way.


    Which was everything. Because I was driving a tank.


    My disturbed cackling settled into a manic grin as I fired the main gun again, destroying two of the close-parked tanks and rendering them useless. Their inhabitants survived, but they weren’t going anywhere in those. There was only one more that was operational out of the five total, and I moved so that I had cover from them.


    All the while, the laser gun in front of me and the two on the side were being fired almost constantly. There was a slight chance of overheating, but I was alternating between aiming and firing thanks to the constraints of Split only allowing me to affect three things at once. I might not have been completely accurate, but I was hitting enough of the Nuclear Army that I was feeling good about myself.


    The other tank started moving as the Hunters inside finally got their bearings. By then, I had put the destroyed vehicles in our way as I loaded up the next round and waited for my cooldowns to end. My ammunition wasn’t infinite, but it was plentiful.


    Lasers were leaving marks in the hull of my vehicle, but nothing was truly damaging it. As thrilling as it was, nothing was going to really threaten it until—


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    The robots from the factory have started to come out. It looks like a few of them are armed with the kind of stuff you used back when you were a Field Artilleryman.


    <<<>>>


    “The big guns,” I muttered as I drove the tank into the other’s line of sight.


    My main gun was already adjusted, but theirs was still turning. I fired as soon as I had clearance, the shell getting perilously close to hitting cover but striking true thanks to my excellent vision.


    The tank rocked, nearly throwing me out of the driver’s seat. My back end had been hit by a rocket propelled grenade, and I started the slow turn to change my heading as I reloaded the main gun again.


    The armored personnel carriers and motorcycles were out in full force. There were more of these than there were tanks by a large margin, but none of them were equipped with any substantial weaponry. The Hunters riding them were firing their ray guns, which were dealing damage from sheer volume. Not enough to make me feel unsafe just yet, but it was something to keep track of.


    One of the APCs came a little too close, and I turned, slamming on the accelerator. The driver must not have expected the sudden burst of speed because I hit its nose. The treads caught on to the side of the vehicle and began climbing, crushing it like a tin can. I swerved so that I would completely demolish it before getting back on solid ground.


    Another attack rocked my tank, but I could tell the explosion was a glancing blow. It had impacted the crushed vehicle just as I drove off, shoving it into me but not doing much else. I turned again, driving towards the factory.


    Firing the main gun at the largest concentration of robots, I took immense satisfaction in watching them and the dirt under their feet go flying. My three machine guns were firing into the crowd. While it may have seemed random to the robots, it wasn’t; I was aiming for the ones that could take out my tank. Those with RPGs had to go first, but there were also some setting up mortars that would be just as dangerous soon.


    I ducked my head. A few lasers made their way through the slit I was supposed to use to drive, damaging components in the back, but most of their attacks were hitting the hull. Some places were starting to melt. I still wasn’t worried, but I was going to start soon.


    As I drove towards the factory, two APCs flanked me. Their sides opened up, revealing a squad of Hunters in each. They started firing, concentrating specifically on my sprocket wheels. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to kill their engines before they destroyed my treads, so I switched my focus to their vehicles.


    I slowed down as I Spun both of their steering wheels simultaneously. The APCs veered towards me, their drivers reacting sluggishly to my efforts, and I sped the tank back up again. They collided and I forced them to drive side by side just long enough that I could run into their rear ends.


    A jolt nearly threw me from my seat again, but that was nothing compared to what they were going through. I slowed down as I fought against their efforts to take control back from me. They sped up, and just when they were about to leave my area of influence I fired my main gun, taking them both out before veering around. No Hunters survived.


    While the Hunters were fast enough to throw themselves out of my way, the Obstructors weren’t. I ran over another grouping of them as I entered the factory. The lights were flashing with the ever-present alarm, and I punched through conveyor belts, machining stations, and welders.


    The robots that had come out to defend against my intrusion had just been activated for the first time, and the workers inside weren’t prepared for war. It left me free rein of the place. I slowed down enough that I could weave through the parts I felt comfortable driving through as I fired indiscriminately at the parts I couldn’t.


    Explosions rocked the building as I got deeper inside. Fueling stations and canisters exploded, assembly lines fell from above as the pieces keeping them up were demolished, and the entire factory seemed to creak and groan as I carved my way through it.


    I stopped in the middle. Lasers were occasionally hitting my back end, but there was enough cover behind me that any accuracy could only be attributed to luck. I swiveled the tank’s turret upwards towards the back corner of the factory. A small enclosure had been constructed up there. I couldn’t see inside from this distance, but I knew what was in there.


    It exploded as I fired, taking a chunk of the building with it.


    <<<>>>


    [[Notice]]


    You have destroyed the P-12 Foreman.


    The G-3 Omega Colossus is beginning its activation phase.


    <<<>>>


    With that task completed, I started driving towards the closest wall. Slowly, at first, so I could reload the tank’s main gun in preparation for what came next. I wanted to limit my damage for the next part.


    Especially because I was on a timer. If the Omega Colossus finished powering up before I took out the Q-08 Headhunter, I was going to be in some trouble.


    I blasted my way out of the factory and back into the war zone, but the change was immediately apparent. Every single one of the Obstructors was now on the ground, unmoving. From what I knew from the two times I had been here, every member of the Nuclear Army was connected to the one boss that came from their batch. It was a balancing thing for having three active scenarios in the same place.


    Driving over the literal mounds of Obstructors littering the ground, I started looking for my next target. As if reading my mind, a motorcycle riding robot without an aura came close to me once I got to clear ground. It threw a grenade onto my tank, which I immediately returned to the sender. Revving its engine, the Headhunter drove out of the way before the explosion went off, joining the other vehicles.


    I slammed my foot on the accelerator, chasing after the aura-less robot. Its outer shell cloaked it from my senses, but that wouldn’t be enough to hide from me.


    Some of the APCs came to flank me just like they had before, but I started suppression fire much sooner now that I didn’t have the artillery robots to deal with. I aimed for their tires and engines when they got into position, making my turret swivel as I looked around for the Headhunter. The vehicles on either side of me began smoking and swerved off course.


    I was forced to defend my tank again as the pack of riders descended, swarming around me. Turning, I started heading to where a large group of fallen Obstructors were hiding in the snow, hoping they lived up to their name to take some of the Hunters out.


    More grenades were thrown on and around my tank, and I had to Push them all away. Some of them took out a rider or two, but most of them were thrown wildly off course. None of them, thankfully, blew up close enough to harm my vehicle.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Then, I saw it. The Headhunter was coming at me from the rear at a blistering speed. My main gun was pointed nowhere near there and my machine guns couldn’t swivel that far back. It had a great shot.


    But I was Anthony Franklin. I pulled out a tool in my arsenal they hadn’t seen yet: Construct.


    A razor thin wire held up by two applications of Orbit traveling in the opposite directions appeared in front of the Headhunter. The robot didn’t have time to react. My Construct shuddered as it sliced through its thick metal chest, cutting the core in two. The boss exploded, its shrapnel taking out a few more of its kind.


    <<<>>>


    [[Notice]]


    You have destroyed the Q-08 Headhunter.


    The G-3 Omega Colossus is accelerating its activation. Some programs may not be available on start-up.


    <<<>>>


    Some of the vehicles stopped around me while others kept going until they collided with each other or the compound’s walls. Sparks flew from those collisions, causing the lights to dim as the electricity was drained. One thing was for certain, though: none of the Hunters moved.


    A high pitched whine came from the Omega Colossus as its chest plate started glowing radioactive green. The red portions of it were starting to change to the same color as it booted up its systems. Even with a nuclear reactor at its core, it was an absolute monster to power.


    I fired as I drove my tank around it. The lasers were no use, bouncing off of its reflective armor without leaving so much as a smudge, which meant I only had the main gun. A shell exploded on its hip, causing it to shift, but it didn’t fall. I quickly reloaded the next shot.


    The moment I could see behind the Omega Colossus, I was far enough away to get a good angle at the booster jets on its back. Unlike the rest of the robot, they were unwieldy, jutting out from its sleek body. They made excellent targets, not just for damage but also as something necessary for removal.


    No matter what else happened, I had to keep this big ass robot on the ground. That was non-negotiable.


    The explosion from my first shot knocked off one of its booster jets, making it take a step forward. I reloaded as quickly as I could as I began circling it. Being too close was dangerous once it fully activated, but being too far away made my job harder in the next phase. I stayed just as far in as I could to keep this angle.


    I only barely managed to get one more shot off, blowing off the second booster jet, before the Omega Colossus turned to face me.


    There was no warning. No notice. Not even a message from Sara for what came next. I only knew about its next attack because I had seen it take out a group of thirty fighters with my own eyes.


    The Omega Colossus turned to face me, its green eyes easy to see in the darkness, and its entire chest lit up for a millisecond before a powerful white and blue laser erupted from it. The attack was easily big enough to consume my tank, melting it from the top down as quickly as if it were butter in a microwave. A huge hole was being blasted in the ground where the laser touched.


    By then, I was already gone. I used Fae Step to get out of there. The heat of the laser over my head was overwhelming even for me, and I started sweating as the snow around me melted. I ran towards the Colossus using its own attack as cover.


    Running up to its legs, I jumped and started climbing. My Strength was high enough that I could leap upwards a fairly good distance. The robot might have looked sleek, but there were enough handholds that I made good time.


    And if I happened to Construct a screwdriver and Spin a few hidden screws loose along the way, then that was good, too.


    The Omega Colossus stopped firing its laser, but its chest was white hot in the aftermath. As I made it to its knee, it started looking around for me. Its sensors were a mess after that attack, so the only way it could find me was visually.


    Underneath me, the plate I managed to completely unscrew fell to the ground, allowing my aura sight to see inside. The Omega Colossus balanced itself, lifted its leg, and locked eyes with me.


    The guns on its shoulders opened fire. Every laser it shot was as big around as my head, and I threw up Shield to block the two of them that hit me as I scrambled to the back of its leg. I clung to the joint, paying attention to its innards.


    The main thing that made me confident in this fight was my ability to get out of danger quickly and attack places that most other people couldn’t see in the first place. Against an army, the Omega Colossus would have shined. Its abilities were geared for that kind of fight. The administrator, the actual architect of the Nuclear Army, never dreamed it was going to be in a situation where it only had one opponent, the Dread Pirate Anthony.


    Inside the knee I was hiding behind were joints, servos, hydraulic pumps, and a lot of stuff that I couldn’t say I fully understood. The Omega Colossus was a masterpiece of engineering. But, just like any other machine, it could get scrapped.


    So I used Construct to make more screwdrivers to Spin screws that looked important. The robot planted its foot on the ground and brought its hand down to pick me up. Jumping off of the knee, I took a step on a well-placed Force Field and pulled my Vague Stick from my inventory. I sharpened it as much as I could and swung, attacking with Distant Slice.


    I hit two of its fingers dead on, cutting through the armor plating but not much farther. Thanks to the laser shots I had taken earlier, Distant Slice was on cooldown for a while. That was fine. I lunged forward, swinging again with the help of Orbit. The Omega Colossus’ hand tried to clamp down around me, but my sword was faster. I matched the earlier slice exactly, cutting through three tension wires before I was stopped.


    They hung uselessly while I grabbed the last working finger and pulled myself up to sit on it. When it tried to crush my legs between my seat and my palm, I simply turned and looked up.


    “Fighting a single strong guy is pretty hard for something your size, isn’t it?” I asked, grinning upwards at its face.


    The Omega Colossus paused before quickly raising its arm. I held on tight with my legs and sent my Vague Sword back to my inventory. Once I was high enough, the guns on its shoulders started firing at me. I twisted over the top of its hand to the other side, but not before taking a shot that shattered my Shield and burnt my hip.


    I stopped high in the sky at the apex of the robot’s reach, and I was about to slide down the arm when the finger I had been sitting on snapped backwards. It cracked like it was breaking, and I was pinned to the back of its hand. The pressure on my chest was incredible, and I wheezed. I hadn’t known its fingers could go both ways, but it was something I now knew to be cautious of once I got free.


    All at once, the Omega Colossus shifted. Its hand came down like it was going to throw me, and it stomped its leg forward to transfer its weight.


    That was a bad idea.


    The increased strain on the robot’s leg, now without some crucial screws, proved to be too much for its knee. Its purposeful motion turned violent as the Omega Colossus lurched and fell over. When the hand I was in opened as it attempted to catch itself, I Pushed myself out of the way by my Heelies.


    Lasers continued shooting at me as I flew over the Omega Colossus’ still hot chest piece. I began charging my Dragon’s Breath as I altered course, aiming for the shoulder mounted machine guns.


    Before I had a chance to make my attack, I heard the unmistakable sound of an energy sword activating. I dove, flying closer to the smoldering chest piece just as the Omega Colossus’ good hand swiped where I had been. A twenty-foot beam of green energy emerged from the robot’s palm, and the tail end of my cloak was cleanly cut. The wind from the two sources of heat nearly sent me careening off, but I managed to keep myself safe.


    I retrieved one of my newer items from my inventory as the robot sat up: a Snowberry Winter Blast. The fist-sized berry was exactly what I needed here. Raising my hand, I tossed it at the Omega Colossus’ chest as hard as I could.


    It broke apart on impact, as one would expect. A raging chill erupted from its remains, and ice crystals started to appear in the air despite the robot’s heat. I was very quickly overtaken by a localized blizzard, and I paid close attention to the energy sword and lasers, which were firing blindly.


    Now that it couldn’t see me, the Omega Colossus flailed its arm after it sat up. Its energy sword passed through the blizzard, leaving behind a haze of heat that the storm quickly disrupted. The robot continued this motion, trying to smack me inside, but its movements were wide and easy to read.


    Underneath me, the chest plate cracked loudly and, taking that as my cue, I opened my mouth. My Dragon’s Breath went straight downwards. It impacted the damaged plate and started heating it up again. The beam I had chosen was a wide one so that I could hit a big area. What I made hot, the blizzard cooled down, and what the blizzard cooled down, I made hot again.


    The crack became a fissure as I dodged the sword for the last time. Closing my mouth, I ended my skill and dove into the Omega Colossus’ chest cavity, ending up in a surprisingly spacious hollow. The heat ventilation systems were offline from my attack on the boosters, and I could feel my hit points dropping fast.


    That wouldn’t matter. My prize and the key to killing this thing quickly was dead center: the nuclear core.


    It was inside a red hot casing covered in wires that went out in all directions. The whole thing was small, only the size of my head, but it powered the entire Omega Colossus.


    I Constructed two blades around it since I didn’t want to get any closer, and started cutting. The wires were inside heat-resistant electrical tubing, but they weren’t durable enough to handle me. I Pushed, Pulled, Dropped, and Lifted all around the nuclear core, destroying the wires.


    Outside, the Omega Colossus broke down, falling onto its back as it no longer had the power to support itself. The core remained red hot.


    <<<>>>


    [[Victory!]]


    You have defeated x128 P-11 Obstructors; +640 points.


    You have defeated x64 Q-07 Hunters; +768 points.


    You have defeated the Scenario Boss [P-12 Foreman]; +450 points.


    You have defeated the Scenario Boss [Q-08 Headhunter]; +800 points.


    You have defeated the Scenario Boss [G-3 Omega Colossus]; +2,000 points.


    [[Joint Scenario Quest Complete: The Nuclear Army]]


    The Nuclear Army has been laid to waste. With the destruction of the factory that produced soldiers and constructors, its once inevitable conquest of the Pacific Northwest has been put on hold indefinitely.


    But there is more. Hanford is not the only site where radiation runs rampant. Other armies may spring up around the world, reviving this place and more.


    But that is a worry for another day. Your real prize awaits below, in the vaults.


    Reward: 4,500 points, access to the Nuclear Army’s vault.


    [[Patron Message]]


    That was a very dynamic fight! I wish you could take a tank around like that to other places, but it’s too slow compared to the methods you have now.


    You know, I think I really like tanks. I discovered that I love trains, but I think I like tanks now, too.


    Anyway, excellent work. Don’t forget to grab the core and whatever spoils you need from the vault. I know you’re going to end up leaving most of it for the people who will discover this place later, but I’m excited to see what you do need.


    Reward: 6,000 points.


    <<<>>>


    “As always, thank you, Sara,” I said with a flourish as I Lifted the nuclear core.


    I climbed out of the Omega Colossus’ chest and levitated my prize in front of me. Taking off my glove, I looked at the red hot sphere in front of me and let out a breath. The wait for my hand to heal was going to be a much easier one than the wait for it to cool. It was best to get this over with.


    As a hidden hole in the ground opened nearby to show me the way to the vault, I slapped the nuclear core with my hand as fast as I could, sending it into my inventory while my flesh burned.


    “Could be worse,” I said with a grimace, shaking my hand as I headed towards the scenario’s grand prize.