"Time to see what these things are really made of," she muttered as she aimed an arrow at Taylor's right eye. It hit solidly, creating a spray of sparks and stopping the construct dead in its tracks. Jackson did not look up, even when Taylor began emitting a high pitched whine. A thin stream of steam erupted from the hole created by her arrow.

At the exact instant that Taylor's head exploded, Jackson moved. He flowed effortlessly to Taylor's side and seized the now non-functional automaton's weapon. Stabilizing himself on one knee, he hefted a rifle in each hand, and Eleanor found herself staring at the business ends of two of the oversized rifles.

She froze for only half a second, then dropped into a low crouch. The muzzles of the weapons followed her movement. "Old Hickory&...

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