Frozen in Concrete

[Mencken]

The robot was immortal and feared nothing.   400 HP and a stack of gears, take that world!     It was a bitterly cold winter night when said robot and companion went out on a short mission, a routine affair, nothing to write home about to the base dwellers.    En route the thermal stones began to cool and a small fire was built as we entered a cool concrete like rock biome.    

While we passed the time our boredom was suddenly interrupted by a little black visitor clacking tiny feet across the hard unforgiving stone surface.   A pest, an annoying little creature demanding attention from us as it hissed and ran around the fire harassing us.    With a quick few blows my fellow travel dispatched the over sized arachnid and hey presto!    Suddenly a swarm of a size I had never witnessed before approached from 3 different directions.    No problem thought the robot.. "turn on headlamp and run" but what about my friend who seemed to be in trouble?   

On the spur of the moment WX-78 changed his mind and threw on a marble suit, heck he was invincible anyways (with 3 marble suits as backup)!    Well..when you have a huge mob of creatures biting at all the same time, it is pretty hard to strike out and return the blows isn't it?    HP started draining like a sped up video as the poor metallic contraption seemed to be in a state of seizure.   400...325...250...150..., time to get the hell out of here!!  Not so fast WX, you've got a millstone around your neck with that marble suit.    Staggering like a drunk a few steps were taken before the machinery broke into pieces on to the ground accompanied by the horrible sound of a bag expelling gas that foreshadows death in DST.   

The companion?    Escaped with nary a scratch, profusely apologizing but also trying to hold back laughter.    WX, humiliated and impotent said those words he vowed never to speak again, "can you rez me?".   

Never get too comfortable.