"Don't do this, Captain." I don't know if she could hear the pleading in my voice, but if she didn't back off I may have to pass a line I didn't want to cross.

"Stand down, Eric." She wasn't going to back off. "Otherwise you're going to have to kill us, and I'm pretty sure that somewhere in your programming you don't want to do that."

She was right. Even though I knew I was fighting for my life there was still a part of me that had to measure whether my life was worth theirs. I was programmed to feel human, to feel alive; but as actual humans they were still more alive than I would ever be.

"I don't want to do this."

"Then don't."

"Don't make me do this." I had made my choice.

They aimed, I quickly identified their weapons as rail guns with armor piercing rounds; they wouldn't be able to destroy me but they would be able to do a lot of damage. Parker gave the order, "Aim for the eyes, blind him."

They fired and I jumped back over the railing, dropping down the 50 meters into the engineering section; between the cold fusion reactor and the mainframe computer that ran it. In front of me stood the robot that I had dropped down earlier, where it had been waiting this entire time. It quickly grabbed onto me and tried to hold me in place.

I could hear Parker and her team run down the catwalk, they were looking for a good spot to aim from where they could hit me and not damage any of the critical systems.

I used my height as an advantage and tore off the Unit's head, then reached down its throat and fired my 30 caliber rounds into its hard drive. Pushing the robot out of the way I headed for the one of the exits to the rest of the ship.

Someone had closed and locked the door but I was able to quickly bend it open enough that I was able to climb through.

I moved quickly through the halls of the ship and shouted at the sailors that stuck their heads out in order to get a peek of me. I didn't quite understand what they were thinking, why endanger your life when you didn't have to? "Boats at red alert, get to your battle stations; and get the hell out of my way!"

According to the blueprints that I had on file, there were only a few stairways that were large enough to allow my frame to get through; the nearest one was halfway across the ship. I felt like a hulk of the machine moving through the corridors as I used my hands against the walls for balance.

I thought that I would make it though.

That was until one of Parker's Men stepped out from behind the corner up ahead, aiming his rail gun and firing.

That was the moment when I had no choice but to decide who lived and who died, was my life worth more than his? Even if I could have turned around and gone the other way he would've injured me enough that my escape would've been impossible. I also couldn't have just aimed for a non-vital organ; my rounds were high velocity and designed to tear bodies apart.

It was death for one of us.

His name was Corporal Leonard Jackson.

I fired three rounds, they went through his Armor, his torso and then into the hull behind him; his body dropped lifeless to the floor. The least I could've done for him was make it quick.

I moved past him and focused on reaching the flight deck.

Topside I searched for the Drone signals, hoping that they had only shut down the ABD robot's communications. Maybe there was a chance they didn't think I would get this far...just a small chance.

Luck was on my side as I found them at their recharging stations at the back of the ship. I headed that way as I sent a signal telling them to detach and come for me.

Parker and the rest of her team came up through the deck crews' doorway, following their orders to kill on sight to the letter. I followed the trajectories of three hundred rounds as they came at me, and adjusted my movements so most of them would miss vital areas.

Some hit at the wrong angle and flew off, some lacked the propulsion to do damage; but some drilled into my armor, three rounds made it through.

Alarm systems kicked in, warning me that my core had been compromised, mostly secondary systems as the more vital parts were protected in secondary steel frames. Shrapnel from one of the bullets knocked a coolant cable, which if I didn't repair I would loose some major parts to overheating. Over all though; survivable.

Parker and them started to reload as the Drones came into sight; I had called all of them hoping to cover the one I was on so I would have the time to get away.

They opened fire again, obliterating the Drone I landed behind me as I climbed onto another one; and I felt the magnet lock me into place. I had the Drones take off as a group blocking me from their aim.

Once I reached the edge of the ship I dropped down to water level, and had the others shadow me as the Ship itself went on the attack. Several Vulcan Rail cannons spun up, sending out charged rounds; the Drones were torn apart.

I hit the water at an angle and then sank like a rock, a giant four-ton rock; and there was nothing I could do but let it happen. I didn't worry about the pressure, my armor was more than strong enough to withstand it; and the water leaking inside equalized me somewhat.

It was nearly a full minute before I hit the ground on my side, so I quickly stood up and adjusted for my bearings. This deep I didn't have access to the Satellites, and considering that this was never a possibility I had never bothered to download ocean floor maps.

I decided that I could walk for land and hope there weren't any deep trenches between here and there.

I estimated an angled approach, hoping to come up on shore somewhere they wouldn't be looking; and quickly went through my vision settings for what would work best under water. I settled on thermal, even low light/night vision couldn't make a dent in this darkness.

I had powerful auditory abilities, but nothing designed for down here.

I did hear the sonar though, somewhere out there they had dropped Robotic submersibles that were now looking for me. On land, my armor was designed to absorb radio and sound waves so I didn't show up on scanners; I hoped that applied here as well. Each one of those submersible was armed with high explosive torpedoes made to take out Battleships; I wouldn't stand a chance.

I kept moving at my top speed, adjusting my course to anticipate what their search patterns might be if they thought I would head directly for shore.

Half an hour and the Sonar pings became lighter, further apart and dissipated in the water. I was going to make it.

Which brought up the next question. So what? Where was I going to go?

I was a seven and a half foot tall heavily armored mammoth, there wasn't anywhere I could go where I wouldn't stand out. Even deep into the jungles I would have an impact on the world around me.

I was also that Military Robot that went haywire, which ran amok and killed its own troops; they weren't going to stop looking for me until they were sure I was destroyed. Why risk having me get away? I was either a threat to them or an embarrassment waiting to happen.

I need time to think, and slowed my walk to land. I waited another half a kilometer and altered my course again. I headed at an angle away from land, deciding that my best chance at survival was to stay deep. Why not? Power-wise, without sunlight or a charging station I was good for twelve days.

I could make it far in that time, and come up somewhere remote and safe; hopefully with a plan on how to proceed.

I could do this.

I could survive. And live.

I felt happy at this thought, as I headed deeper into the darkness of the cold waters.