"Stay out of my way!"
Uriah roared, bringing his enormous scythe down on the dark figure's head.
But the expected shower of broken parts and scattered machinery never came. The dark figure raised its right arm, and with a blast of searing heat, three red-hot barbs sprang from its forearm.
Clang!
Fireworks seemed to blossom in the alley. Brilliant sparks drove back the surrounding darkness and etched the newcomer's silhouette deep into Dick's eyes.
It was an exquisitely crafted humanoid machine. A transparent shell resembling acrylic enclosed its head, packed with components, chips, and circuitry. Lightweight carbon fiber armor covered its body, while smooth, gleaming metal bones lay exposed at its articulated joints.
Unlike the clumsy or humanlike robots seen everywhere, its slender limbs gave its mechanical construction a simple, primal beauty.
Its legs in particular resembled a cheetah's hind legs. Exposed hydraulic systems serving as Achilles tendons ensured ample lower-body strength, even allowing it to unleash tremendous force without winding up or turning its hips like a human.
This was no guess on Dick's part. The instant it caught Uriah's scythe, its hydraulic systems suddenly vented gas. Then, without any warning, a tremendous force struck Uriah in the chest.
The robot kicked him square in the chest, sending Uriah crashing through a display window across the street.
Its moves had neither windup nor recovery lag, leaving the martial arts master Uriah unable to discern its true intentions through minute movements.
But the robot's pursuit would not end there.
"Scan complete. No signs of life on the ground floor except the target. Saturation fire mode authorized."
As its voice fell silent, its chest cavity and shoulder armor folded outward, and a dense barrage of miniature grenades and lasers blasted across the street.
Uriah tried to break out of the rubble,