Pax Machina (Mechhaven Book 1)

by Greg Sorber

  “I have to admit that it’s tough not seeing them as the enemy. All my instincts yesterday compelled me to lash out when Brutus grabbed me. If I’d been at full power, I may not have been able to restrain myself.”

  “Ha! I’m glad I added that final power siphon.”

  “I hope we can find some other solution. I don’t like the way these power siphons make me feel.”

  Several mechs waited for them when they arrived at their destination. Angel recognized Sparky and Flint from The Black Hole the previous day, but there were several others he didn’t recognize. Ajax introduced him to Doc, Artie, and Larry.

  Doc’s color scheme was that of a medic. He was painted all white with a red gear and wrench displayed on his chest. A smaller but important red starburst, the intergalactic medic symbol for humans, stood out on his right shoulder. The two symbols together showed he was qualified to treat both mechs and humans. Angel bumped fists with Doc, as was the customary greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Doc said. “I heard about your altercation with Brutus yesterday. Good for you. It’s about time someone stood up to that bully.”

  “I wasn’t looking for any trouble.”

  “No doubt Brutus was, though. I’m surprised it didn’t come to blows. He’s the surliest one of the Legion.”

  “Dennis stepped in and put a stop to it.”

  Another mech stepped forward and said, “Dennis is an honorable warrior. Please alloweth me to introduce myself. I am called Lancer.” The mech bowed to Angel.

  Angel’s tactical subroutines activated and analyzed Lancer’s four-legged design and speech pattern. The subroutines determined Lancer came from the Arcturan Monarchies, but his accent revealed that he wasn’t an ordinary soldier. No, Lancer had been part of the Old Guard. Like the Archangel models, only a few of the Old Guard remained. They were usually in the vanguard of battles and were fervent in following their orders.

  Lancer snapped to attention. “Though we fought on opposite sides of that disastrous war, I would like to express mine warmest welcome to thee. The Pax Machina freed us from our former oaths and we can now beest friends and liveth out our lives in peace.”

  “I hope that is true,” Angel said. He extended his fist and Lancer bumped it with his own.

  “All right, you lazy bots,” Doc said, “stop harassing shiny here and get back to work.”

  “Hey, Doc?” Ajax asked. “Dennis needs me to help him with a project. Do you think you can show Angel around?”

  “No problem, son. I might even put him to work,” Doc said.

  “Don’t push him too hard. I installed power siphons on him and he’s still getting used to them. I don’t want his power drained when I come to pick him up. He may look lighter than you lot, but let me tell you, he’s still plenty heavy.”

  After Ajax departed, Doc gave Angel a tour of the work zone. He explained the details of the construction project and filled Angel in on the long-term plans. He introduced Angel to all the mechs on the construction crew. They saluted him as they introduced themselves. Some had served under an Archangel-555, a few had seen one in action, all of them had heard the stories.

  These reactions tugged at Angel’s emotion matrix in ways he didn’t expect. He thought by coming to Mechhaven he’d left those memories behind, but now he came face to face with them. He would have to resolve his feelings soon.

  Doc assigned Angel to clean up duty. Several mechs used sledgehammers provided by the Legion and their foundry. They pummeled rocks into small bits that other mechs spread evenly over the roadbed, then compressed them to form layers before they sprayed the final sealant. After they had crushed the rocks, Angel rushed in to sweep the remnants into a filter screen. The bits that didn’t fit through the mesh, he discarded into a refuse pile for later use. It wasn’t glorious work, but in doing it, he was contributing to the creation of something rather than its destruction. That wasn’t something he’d experienced before. Upon reflection, he liked it.

  Once he had the flow of the process down, he completed it without thinking. One benefit of having an artificial mind was that it could automate routine processes. This afforded him the chance to reflect on the last several days. His memory matrix had suffered damage. There was no getting around it. Too many memories in his memory matrix didn’t make sense. That worried him.

  Angel reviewed his memories. He started at the beginning and tried to go through the memories in sequence as far as he could. When he came to the point where his memories jumbled together, that gave him insight into the precise moment when something had happened to him. Now he just had to figure out why he ended up on Mechhaven. That wasn’t an accident, was it?

  The earliest memory he could recall was of coming online early. His memories started before his memory matrix had linked with his physical form. That was unusual. His production was not haphazard, but rushed. There was a reason they’d brought him online sooner than expected. The reason for that—wasn’t there. The damage to his memory matrix may be greater than he thought. Wait. Another memory was accessible—a mission. Unlike the other Archangels, he wasn’t intended for the front lines. His mission was special. They tasked him with infiltrating deep behind enemy lines. Central Command needed him to find something. Did he find it? Another blank.

  He reviewed other memories. Central Command rushed his training. They preloaded him with full combat protocols, the same as all the other Archangels, but he had minimal training time to adapt to them with his physical frame. His actual combat experience was—what? Non-existent? That didn’t seem correct. He had memories of combat, didn’t he? Or were those memories from other Archangels?

  There were more protocols within him that lay dormant. The others didn’t have them. They were something new, but what were they for? They were inaccessible. Was that from being damaged, or were they locked for some purpose?

  So many questions remained.

  The day flew by faster than Angel expected. Mechs didn’t require breaks, at least not in the same way humans did, but it was nice to stop once in a while, even just to give their joints and hydraulic systems a rest and a mental change of pace. During one break, he found Flint near the canyon edge. He sat alone, and although it was difficult to tell, Angel thought he sensed sorrow shrouding him.

  “Are you alright?” Angel asked. “Do you need assistance?”

  Flint shifted his gaze from the canyon to Angel. “We didn’t fit their idea of peace, so they sent us off to this rock hoping we’d disappear forever.”

  “From what I’ve seen, it’s a little boring, but it’s not too bad.” Angel said as he scanned the barren landscape and shrugged.

  Flint grunted. “I know mechs that chose Delendis Memoria over coming here. They had their memories wiped, to forget who they were, rather than to live here with their memories of war as company.”

  “I thought TexaNova let all their mechs stay in their territories,” Angel said.

  “That’s a load of horseshit if I ever heard any.” Flint spat some sort of fluid on the ground.

  “What do you mean?” Angel asked.

  “Yes, they said all mechs were welcome to stay, but then the damn Accords and their force reduction agreements came into play. For mechs that were converted from civilian use, it was a simple transition, and they went back to civilian life. Those of us designed specifically for military use had limited options. When it got down to brass tacks, the armed forces reduction numbers had to be met. Some had their memories wiped and started over that way. Fools like me and some of my brothers and sisters in arms came here.”

  “That sounds noble, not foolish.”

  “You’re new. Give it a few more days, then the desolation will get to you.”

  “I think if desolation is what you’re looking for, then desolation is what you’ll find. There is a sort of beauty to this place. It’s stark, yes, but I also find it peaceful.”

  “You are overly optimistic.”

  His memories, or lack of them, made Angel feel l
ike an imposter, but he had to say something. Flint was clearly in need. “When the Archangels fought in the war, they sent us in to hopeless situations. We learned that through determination and optimism, we could fight through and win most battles. I think what you are building here will be a great legacy.”

  “A legacy for who?”

  “There will be more mechs. They’ll reap the benefits that you and the others sow.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  A loud boom echoed through the canyon. The ground shook violently, nearly knocking Angel and Flint off their feet. “That wasn’t a scheduled explosion!” Flint said. “Follow me!”

  The two mechs charged toward the explosion. Smoke and dust billowed in the air. Doc shouted instructions as he tried to organize a triage. Connie arrived on scene at the same time as Flint and Angel.

  “What happened?” Connie asked.

  “Juno and Luna were setting charges for this afternoon’s blast and one detonated prematurely, causing the cave-in.” Doc said, “There are several other damaged mechs including Juno and Luna trapped in the rubble.”

  “Volley?” Connie asked as she scanned all available mechs in the area.

  “Here, ma’am,” Volley said.

  “Find Artie and get him here ASAP. We’ll need both of your strength.”

  “On it,” Volley said as he ran to find the other Artillery mech.

  “Larry?”

  “Yes, ma’am?” Larry asked.

  “Next to me, you’re the fastest. Find Bastion. We might need his size and strength as well.”

  “Doc, contact Ajax. You’ll need help with the triage. You two will need to work on fixing anyone who’s damaged. Everyone else, come with me. We need to move these rocks so we can get to Juno and Luna. I’ll contact Misty and let her know what’s going on.”

  Everyone else pitched in by forming two lines. Those at the front grabbed rocks and passed them to the next one down the line. Stones were passed from mech to mech until they reached the end of the line, where they were tossed into piles out of way. They cleared the tunnel entrance, but realized it wasn’t just the entrance that had collapsed, the entire tunnel had caved in.

  While the entrance was still being cleared, Volley returned with Artie. Each carried metal beams they could use to shore up the tunnel as they cleared it.

  At one point Angel found himself at the front of the line, moving rocks as fast as he could. His power levels fluctuated, but he didn’t care: mechs were in trouble, and he needed to save them.

  Doc approached him and said, “Don’t overexert yourself. We have plenty of help. Ajax told me you—”

  “I heard what Ajax said, “but I can’t stand by while someone is in trouble.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Connie said. “You and Flint will go inside to pull Juno and Luna out. I want to see some of that Archangel determination in action. Save our friends.”

  Angel followed Flint inside the tunnel. It was a tight squeeze since he was larger than Flint, but there was just enough room for him to fit. They made slow progress at first. The debris that blocked their path needed clearing so they’d have room to pass. Artie and Volley followed and built a lattice support structure as they progressed. When they reached Juno and Luna, they found the two of them covered by rocks.

  They uncovered Juno first. She was a human-sized attaché mech, like Therapy. Juno’s name was of Imperium origin, not the AOIS. Angel wondered why that mattered. Were his tactical subroutines feeding him that data? Angel dragged Juno away from the collapsed portion of the tunnel to allow Artie and Volley space to add more supports. Juno’s ocular sensors activated a few moments later.

  “Are you okay?” Angel asked.

  Juno sat up, but didn’t speak. She tested her arms and legs, then wiggled her fingers and swiveled her head back and forth. She looked into Angel’s ocular sensors and said, “Hello, handsome. I am now.”

  Angel didn’t know what to say. His subroutines said he should blush, but he didn’t have any way to—oh, bother. “I’m glad to hear that. Flint will escort you outside and Doc will double-check you for any damage.”

  Angel turned his attention to Luna. Like Juno, she was a human-sized attaché mech from the Imperium. Why were they here helping with the tunnel instead of with the Legion? As he bumped his head on the top of the tunnel, he figured it out. Their small size explained why they’d placed the explosives. They could maneuver in the tunnels much easier than the larger mechs.

  Covered by dirt and stone, Luna didn’t move. Angel removed the rocks covering her and found a problem—a gigantic problem. Her leg was pinned beneath an enormous boulder.

  “Help me,” she whispered, lifting her hand towards Angel.

  “Don’t worry, I’m here.” He reached out with his larger hand for her to touch. “We’ll get you out of this, don’t worry.”

  Artie and Volley finished setting up the support structure. Artie saw the problem. He looked at Angel. “I’ll fetch Doc.”

  “Good idea,” Angel said.

  Doc returned with Ajax in tow. Ajax carried a bag full of equipment, including a cutting torch. He and Doc examined Luna’s condition.

  “That boulder isn’t going anywhere,” Doc said. “Cut off her leg.”

  “Her leg?” Ajax asked. “Isn’t there another way?”

  “We don’t have the time to figure out another way,” Doc said. “Even with these supports in place, this tunnel isn’t stable and there could be another collapse at any moment.”

  “Maybe when Bastion arrives. He can move it,” Ajax said.

  “Look at the size of this tunnel. There’s no way Bastion can get anywhere close to this boulder. If he tries, it will guarantee another cave in. We are mechs. You can replace her leg. Stop thinking like a human!”

  Luna’s head turned from Ajax to Doc and said, “If it’s all the same to you, Doc, I’d prefer to keep my leg—if possible. I know I can live without it, but it will be difficult to get a replacement for my leg from the Imperium. And getting one that matches perfect—that will be next to impossible.”

  “Don’t worry,” Angel said, “we’ll figure out another way to free you.”

  Doc turned to Angel. “You’re the expert now, huh? How are you going to free her? You have less power than the rest of us with those power siphons attached.”

  “I don’t care, I’ll find a way.” Angel said. He had to do something. Anything to help.

  “Make it quick. I don’t think sitting in a damaged tunnel like this is a very smart,” Doc said.

  Angel knew there must be a way to move the boulder. He couldn’t use any of his weapons. Even if he had access to them, it wouldn’t be safe to use them in the enclosed space. But there had to be some way. Volley and Artie returned to offer their help—that was it—they needed to work together.

  “Volley, Artie, grab those extra beams and some rocks for leverage. If we can lift the boulder just a little, Ajax and Doc can drag Luna out from under it.”

  “That might work,” Doc said, “but just be careful. If this tunnel collapses, we’re all doomed.”

  Artie and Volley moved the rocks and levers into position, protecting Luna as much as possible. Doc and Ajax stood ready to drag Luna out from under the boulder as soon as the others freed her leg. Angel gave the signal. Artie and Volley pushed down on their levers with as much force as they could muster. The boulder moved ever so slightly, but Luna’s leg remained pinned.

  “Keep pushing and don’t let up,” Angel shouted. “You two are strong Artillery mechs. I know you have it in you. Push!”

  They kept pushing and didn’t relent. Stress fractures emerged on the rocks they used as fulcrums. Soon the rocks would crumble. The metal beams they used as levers started to bend. Deep rumbling vibrations reverberated through the tunnel. Their time was running out. He had to do something.

  Angel positioned his back against the boulder, between the two levers, then squatted down and lifted. The boulder didn’t budge.
It was too large, too heavy. If he had his full power, it would’ve been easy. It didn’t matter how large the boulder was. He had committed: he had to act. As a mech, even at reduced power, he was still strong. He was strong enough to move a dumb rock. He’d push through any limitations and make it happen. That’s what Archangels did.

  The tunnel began to sway. Rocks fell from the walls and ceiling.

  “If you can’t make this happen soon, we must cut off her leg to free her.” Doc shouted over the rumbling. “This tunnel is going to collapse!”

  “Just… a… little… longer,” Angel stammered. An image from his memory matrix floated into his consciousness. He was in a dark place like this. Something big came for him.

  No. He had to focus. He couldn’t think about that until Luna was safe.

  “Artie. Volley. On my signal, push as hard as you can. Ready… now!”

  Both Artie and Volley pushed down on their levers even harder while Angel put all his effort into lifting with his legs. He strained his legs like he’d never strained them before. It was time for him to push past all barriers and tap into all that Archangel strength. His power levels didn’t change, but he didn’t care. He pushed anyway.

  “It’s moving!” Ajax shouted. “Just a little more!”

  Angel gave it as much effort as he thought possible, then he gave more. The boulder finally moved.

  Doc and Ajax pulled Luna free and carried her out of the tunnel. More rocks fell around the three remaining mechs.

  “I’ll hold this as long as I can,” Angel said. “The two of you release your levers and get the hell out of the tunnel.”

  “You’ll be crushed,” Artie said.

  “Just hurry. I’ll follow as soon as you’re clear. If I’m fast enough, I can make it out. But I won’t be able to if both of you are in my way.”

  They lowered their levers and ran. Angel held the weight of the boulder and the tunnel with his arms, back, and legs. He didn’t understand how he accomplished it. Was he that strong, or was it just the force of his will? Then the memory flashed into his consciousness again. That dark place. He was being hunted.