The Legion

Nyx didn't know how far or long she ran. All she knew was that the tears kept coming. She couldn't remember the last time she cried. Suddenly she tripped, falling face first into the dusty earth. Could she hear laughing? No...it was in her head. She didn't look up, her body shaking from the sobs. Laughing, yes there was laughing. Someone grabbed her, flipping her around and dragging her. She tried fighting, frantically attempting to break free. There were about five of them, wearing old suits of American football gear and stylized Roman blades. She broke free, trying to run. Her backpack and rifle falling to the earth. One of them tackled her, she fell again with an oomph.

Rusty was beeping frantically, he had lost his master. He looked around, zooming in every direction. Turning his thermal vision on and off. Nothing. She must be miles and miles away. He beeped, hovering in circles, not sure what to do.

His breath was running short but somehow he couldnt stop his running, he continued on and on without stop, though his breath wasnt there his body continued to move till he caught up to rusty.
"Rusty where the hell is Nyx?" after seeing rusty alone his concern grew.

Rusty was beeping frantically, not sure which direction to do. He had lost sight of her around a more commonly accessed road. He didn't know which tracks to follow. "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" he cried, spinning around Metus. "BEEP! BEEEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

Nyx wouldn't stop fighting, but she grew weaker the longer she did. The miles she had ran had taken their toll on her energy. "Stop struggling girl!" commanded a legionnaire. He held her down, his knee planted firmly on her stomach, knocking the breath out of her. She panted, looking up at him, fear clearly seen in her eyes. "She's a strong one." he said to his Decanus, not taking his eyes off her. "Fine looking too." He yanked her up and blinded her hands. The rope dug into her flesh making her wince in pain. "You pathetic excuse for humans." she spatted. "Release me at once!" Her words made the legionnaires laugh, except the Decanus. "Hold your tongue, girl." said the leader. "Or I will not hesitate to cut it from your pretty mouth."

Metus grabbed the robot "STOP!" he starred into hits glowing red eye "Dont you have some sort of tracker with her? somthing so youu two know eachothers locations?" Metus was tryng to think of any way possible to track her down

The robot paused for a moment, then suddenly a little green light began blinking on and off. He took off without warning, following the direction of his core. The robot's weakness that his master carried with her.

"Move girl!" commanded the legionnaire that was tugging at her rope. She gritted her teeth, glaring at the man. They made her leave her things behind her, after robbing her backpack of her water and food. Everything technological was ditched where they found her. She obeyed, but only because every tug he made cut into her flesh making her wince. They began trekking east, most likely to Cottonwood Cove.

Metus chased after following the robot, I hope this tin can knows where its going. Metus continues running along side following Rusty.

Nyx was dragged along with the legionnaires, until she nearly passed out from exhaustion. In the distance, the river could be seen. "Cottonwood Cove is no more than a few miles away." the Decanus said to his men. Nyx's eyes widened when she saw the crucified slaves, barely clinging to life along the rocks. An instinct kicked in her to run for her life, but she couldn't.

Rusty stopped when he reached the backpack and gauss rifle. He beeped at Metus and looked around, zooming in all around. Nothing... His beeping grew frantic once again as the robot panicked.

Metus analyzed the dirt seeing there was a struggle and more then one set of foot prints. "She was taken" Metus kept looking at all her stuff to see if he culd find any more clues "The only people I know of being taken latley are by the legion for...." he stopped in his words and looked at the robot "Rusty do you have any idea where the nearest Legion encampment is?" he began to pick up her stuff and put her pack on his front and carried the rifle.

Rusty moved his arms to recreate a human shrug then beeped softly. He wasn't programed to take note of every Legion encampment since they changed so often.

Nyx was thrown into a fenced area, a bomb collar around her neck. They had stripped her of her clothes and replaced them with slave rags that barely covered her properly. She sat in the corner and sighed, glaring at every legionary that passed. There were so many of them... She leaned back against the chain fence and sighed. "Hey...you there..." whispered a voice. Nyx looked over at the other side of the pen. There was a young boy, no older than ten looking over at her. His face was bruised, most likely from beatings. "W-What's your name?" the boy asked quietly, scooting over to her. Her heart hurt as she watch the boy cautiously move closer to her, his eyes wide and watery. "Nyx." she said softly. "And yours?" The boy glanced around nervously. "Adam..." he whispered. "Do...do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked nervously. She smiled and shook her head. "Not at all." she responded, patting the space beside her. He smiled, little white teeth showing for a brief second.

Metus gave out a regretful sigh "I shouldn't have said those things" he looked at the trail they where traveling on "I can still see footprints and struggle... I hope they dont fade too much ahead..." He looks at rusty "Your comming with me boy, where getting her back even if it costs me an arm, leg or life..." hers seems to be worth more then mine anyways, he thought as he took off running following the tracks as well as possible

Rusty beeped, hovering after him. Metus for the time being was his new master. Until he could find his true one.

Nyx didn't want to mess with her bomb collar. Explosives were not her expertise. And her head blowing up into smithereens wasn't exactly on her to-do list. Night was beginning to fall. One by one stars made their nightly appearance in the sky. Adam rested his head in her lap, his body was shaking. The boy is in shock. she thought to herself sadly. She wondered what happened to his parents. Perhaps already sold off, perhaps crucified. Whatever the terrible event was, he most likely saw it happen.

Metus wouldnt stop running he knew this was somthing far to important to take a break, I have to find her... I have to...
His mind was racing with thousands of different things that could be going on as he followed a fading trail that seemed to be getting less and less visable.
If i don't find her I will never forgive myself!

Footsteps, Nyx could hear footsteps. "M-Metus?" she whispered into the darkness. No...just a legionary getting up from his tent to take a leak. Nyx sighed... this couldn't be the end. To die a Legion slave? No...no... she had to escape. Somehow, she had to find a way. And she was taking Adam with her. "Adam." she whispered. "The boy's head perked up. "Go to the other side of the pen." He looked at her, his wide eyes curious. "Please just listen to me..." When he was safely away she felt her bomb collar. The collar's self-destruct mechanism was not well-shielded for it could be set off by mezzer rays and some radio frequencies. Wincing slightly she carefully...oh so carefully... click. The bomb collar was off. The red light dimmed until it was completely powered off. She then pulled it off and sighed with relief. The boy watched her with amazement. "Me." he said softly. "Please, do me now." She nodded. Carefully applying the right pressure to the right areas until she heard the click. She pulled his off making him sigh with relief as well. She then crawled over to the gate and of course it was locked. They could always just climb it...

Metus continued running, so slow so damn slow he couldn't go with all this weight, he was feeling heavy even with the Hydrolic weight system he still felt heavy. He was carrying alot of weight his armor, the pack, her stuff and rifle... yet he kept running even though t was slower then it was before.
After a long time of running he had finally reached the edge of a cliff with a small encampment down below, He set everything down and took her rifle looking through the scope.
"Legion? why here?" he continued looking through the scope untill he caught a glimpse of some slaves, "those poor bastards... wait... what the?!?" he zoomed in the scope to view two slaves without their collars on and realized one of them was Nyx, he quickly then looked around the camp realizing he would be out numbered and he wouldnt stand a chance in taking all of them against him.
He looked at Rusty "I want you to stay here as back up.... I might need it..."

Nyx silently and carefully jumped down. She had climbed the fence with ease. The Legion were too focused on the collars rather than cages. Adam then began to climb, even quicker than Nyx. He stayed at the top, uneasy at the tall height he had climbed. "Jump." she whispered up to him. "I'll catch you." He did, landing on her making her fall. Luckily no one heard them. "Come on." she whispered, grabbing his hand and running silently towards the mountains she had arrived from.

"HALT!" shouted a voice.

"Don't stop! Keep running! Get in front of me!" she yelled to Adam, frantically trying to shield him. Gunfire, shouting, the camp was awoken. She felt a sting in her leg making her cry out and nearly fall, but she kept running with Adam. "Keep going! Go! Run!" she yelled.

Metus jumped down an angled portion of the cliff revolvers drawn shooting at the closest legion member "DIE MOTHER FUCKAH!!!!" making as much noise as he can to take the heat of Nyx One shot, two shot, three, he took out the closest legion and landed on the ground sprinting over to Nyx "Are you ok?" He spoke quickly and handed her a rifle and his duster which had some armor and gave better protection then what she was wearing, then scooped her up and took cover behind some rocks.
"Are you ok?" he asked again concerened and apeared to be scared as he reloaded his three shots.

Nyx pushed Metus away roughly. "GET OFF OF ME!" she practically screamed. "ADAM!" she yelled running to the boy. He was confused trying to find her, a bullet whizzing past his head. She tackled him behind a rock and used her body to cover him.

Metus then came out from behind cover and shot again but he missed and the bullet rickoched hitting an explosive barrel which set off in a weird yet lucky chain f events a tend where they stored all there rockets and explosives killing a chunk of the legionairs as metus starres dumb struck "What the hell...." his jaw dropped until he was snapped back to reality by a bullet bouncing off his right shoulder armor and he took cover again.

Nyx trembled as she held Adam. "Are you okay?" she said, looking down at him. He nodded, his eyes wide. She threw on the duster that Metus had given her then laid on her belly, looking through her rifle's scope. "Stay down!" she commanded. The boy nodded obediently. She began to fire the gauss rifle, sending giant balls of green plasma at the legionnaires. "METUS!" she yelled over the gunfire. "WHERE THE HELL IS MY ROBOT?!"

"RUSTY!!!!" he yelled to call him in as back up as he stood shooting at a few more legion and went back into cover after five shots.

"Oh come on." she muttered under her breath. "RUSTY! HELP!"

At the sound of his master's voice Rusty jolted to life and hovered quickly down to the battlefield. He didn't take cover behind anything as he began firing missile after missile at the camp. The legionaries took cover, once the smoke cleared they still didn't get up. A centurion shouted from the top of their control building. "MEN. TWO MEASLY SLAVES AREN'T WORTH YOUR LIVES. CEASE FIRE!" The legionnaires backed up to their camp as they were told. "YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELVES!" shouted the centurion at Metus and Nyx. "THE LEGION DOESN'T FORGET. CAESAR DOESN'T FORGIVE."

Yet before he finished the word forgive Metus came out of cover and had one more lucky shot with his last bullet rite through a support rope holding up one of the crosses that then smashed that legionair breaking his spine on the impact.
"Neither do I" He turned his back and began to run back up the hill to where the rest of the equipment was making sure to have Nyx in front of him in case one does decide to take a shot for that dickish stunt that Metus pulled.

Nyx took Metus' duster off and practically threw it at him. She then took Adam's hand and called Rusty over to her. She wouldn't even look at the man, obviously still hurt. "Do you have any family?" she asked the boy. He shook his head, his messy blonde hair rustling slightly. "No." he said softly. She didn't ask him about family or friends after that simple response, it was pretty clear he was her responsibility now. Adam looked over at Metus curiously. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes wide as he looked over his armor.

Metus caught his duster and then set it on the ground while lighting up a cigar "a very sorry jerk who can't keep his mouth shut." he takes a long drag then exhales as he looks over at the boy and Nyx fully revealing his odd eyes that practically glew in the dark.

Nyx didn't say anything to him. She wouldn't even look at him. Instead she continued to walk, well, limp along the road that traveled away from Cottonwood Cove. But the boy kept looking back at Metus. "Why are you sorry?" he asked, still holding Nyx's hand.