Free Gyaros Book One: The Mice Eat Iron (YA 17+ Sci Fi Adventure) by Rohan Healy, Alex Healy

shouted at the top of his voice!
    “NOW RYKER !”
    Ryker slammed his palm onto the controls, pressing all three buttons, the first airstrike rained down upon the boss leaving it at just below 25% health. Miles did the same, finishing off the mech with a second aerial attack before it had time to enter its second attack phase. The mighty mechanical enemy began to shake crudely, as older games tend to do, before bursting into flames and finally exploding.
    “Yes! Suck my dick you metal asshole!” Ryker yelled emphatically as the two grown men jumped up and down in a celebration that culminated in a loud and sweaty hi five. By now, they were the only ones left in the small arcade.
    “Shi t!” Miles said as he checked the time on the large clock on the wall, it was 01:34 on a work day, Miles couldn't afford to be late so he made his way to the exit in order to rush home.
    “I've gotta get some sle ep, I can't be late for work!” and with that, Miles sprinted out of the building and towards the tram station, leaving Ryker alone in the arcade.
    “But mission two's where th e aliens show up!” he said sounding disappointed, planting his hands on his hips.
     
     
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    Chapter 5
     
    It was 2:05 by the time Miles made it back to his room, he was lucky enough to catch a tram just seconds after reaching the station. Exhausted from a day of work and a night of gaming, Miles collapsed onto his bed without undressing or even turning out the light, he laid there for about a minute with aching hands and sore eyes before softly drifting off to sleep.
     
    *Buzz buzz* *Buzz buzz*
    After what felt like only seconds, Miles' bloodshot eyes abruptly opened in order to locate and silence his loud and annoying alarm. Miles rubbed his eyes roughly with both hands and began to stand up. As he struggled to his feet, he noticed a mild headache as well as a stiffness in his neck which he attributed to holding himself in the same position in front of an arcade machine for over two hours. Still partially dressed from the night before, Miles tidied himself up in the bathroom, examined his bloodshot eyes in the mirror, dressed himself, packed his briefcase with his usual lunch and took with him a small red umbrella that the elderly owner of the hotel had been kind enough to give him the previous day, “someone left it behind, no use lettin’ it go to waste,” were his exact words. Miles rushed out the door of his room which locked automatically behind him with a quiet *Beep* as he made his way down the stairs and through the hotel lobby. Miles greeted the owner with a nod on his way out into the never ending downpour of the Yellow District, popping up his umbrella.
    Miles was slowly adjusting to his new routine and he was actually beginning to enjoy the simple work of a cinema janitor. Now that a little more time had passed since the incident with Tyler he was able to appreciate the fact that the work was fairly easy, and he was free to think while he cleaned up, something he never had time for while dealing with the highly cerebral Energy Department duties. That being said, he still yearned painfully for his old life. 'As long as I just keep my head down and play it safe, I’ll be back up in the Green Districts again before I know it. I can do this,' he tried desperately to convince himself as he made his way to the nearby tram station in the heavy rain. The bottoms of his legs were soaking wet as they would briefly leave the shelter of the umbrella with each step he took. 'Just six months, that's all, then I'll be back at my old job again. And I know Hellen will come to her senses, we've had hard times in the past but we've always worked it out, why should this time be any different?'
    Miles arrived at work on time as always, he lowered his umbrella, shaking the excess water off it before again stepping through the large double doors of La Cinema Magnifique. He found Ryker already behind the counter preparing for his