Page 40 of Stardusted
What had just happened?
I hit the floor on my side, bouncing on my hip. Somehow, I held onto the object, curling my body protectively around it.
And then I looked up…
And up.
All the blood drained from my head. My vision grayed at the edges.
I couldn’t move. I didn’t dare breathe.
I could onlystare, clutching the stone plate to my chest like it could somehow save me.
Which wasn’t happening, because I was completely, thoroughly, and cosmically effed.
There was a monster in the lab with me.
A towering mechanical monster, at least seven feet of mismatched metal, gleaming in shades of shiny blue and black. A jigsaw of junkyard pieces cobbled together, Frankenstein-style. I caught a glimpse of what looked like a car alternator jammed next to something that resembled a melted iPhone case before my gaze climbed higher still.
A jagged crown of spikes scraped the lab ceiling. Dust rained down as it straightened with a grinding whine of gears. The crests on its head glittered beneath the lab lights.
It was…a robot.
That was the only word I could find, but even that didn’t quite fit. It had a vaguely humanoid structure, two powerful mechanical legs ending in those deadly, talon-tipped feet, two arms made of segmented plating. Six-fingered hands. But its head…
Its head was wrong.
Triangular, mantis-like. Its mandible-like mouthparts clicked together and drew back, releasing another stream of inhuman language. Two eyes, glowing, bulbous orbs of electric green, locked on me.
That insectoid head tilted.
It studied me.Weighed me.As if assessing whether to crush the ant.
Oh, God.
Iwas the ant.
A high-pitched moan clawed its way from my throat as I clutched the tablet tighter. I kicked my heels against the floor, scuttling backward.
I didn’t get far.
Despite its size, the thing crouched in one smooth, terrifying motion, metal folding with unnatural ease. It waslookingat me. Sparks popped in the smoke-filled air.
It barked another unintelligible command and reached out. Reached for me.
Nope.Nope nope nope.
I rolled to the side and scrambled to my feet. I couldn’t feel my legs. Couldn’t feel anything besides horror and an overwhelming urge to escape before those talons ripped me apart.
The exit. The emergency exit at the room’s back.
I ran.
Metallic footsteps thundered behind me. The robot let out a roar, louder than anything I’d ever heard. It shook the room, shook mybrain.I couldn’t breathe. The emergency exit waited ahead, visible through smoke.
My shoes slipped on dust. I was too slow, and it was right behind me?—
I was still clinging to the tablet like it was life itself.
