Pax Machina (Mechhaven Book 1)

by Greg Sorber

  The Pyro Siblings aimed a third explosive at Zeta IX. He ignored the flames that covered his body and started moving. As they adjusted their trajectory; Zeta IX stopped and aimed at them.

  Dennis was a second too late. “Everyone take cover!” He jumped as far away from the Pyro Siblings as he could, as did some of the others, but not everyone.

  Zeta IX fired and hit the explosive right before it left the Pyro Siblings’ makeshift launcher. The explosion engulfed the three mechs. To make matters worse, the rest of their explosives detonated, magnifying the destruction. The force of the explosion knocked the defenders to the ground. Many were on fire. Bastion shielded those he could from the blast, but he was on fire, too. Connie jumped to his aid to put out the blazes. Misty and Ajax rushed to the aid of the other damaged mechs.

  Sparky, somehow surviving the blast, stood up. The mech ran straight towards Zeta IX. Dennis stood over the unmoving forms of Ash and Cinder. They were dead. The explosion and subsequent flames had done too much damage to them. Sparky cradled something in his arms. It was a bomb. The explosive he held had not detonated. He was trying to get close to the Reaper. He’d never make it on his own.

  Dennis opened up with the machine gun built into his mech suit and fired at Zeta IX, distracting him from Sparky. It almost worked. The rounds from his weapon didn’t seem to damage Zeta IX, but it caused him to turn and look at Dennis. The cold mechanical stare sent a chill down his spine. But Zeta IX appraised Dennis and felt no threat. He shifted his attention back to Sparky, raised his arm, and fired. Sparky exploded. Dennis wasn’t sure if it was Zeta IX’s plasma cannon or the explosive itself, but he could no longer see any trace of Sparky.

  Zeta IX shrugged and activated a fire suppression system. All the flames on his body extinguished. Moments earlier fire fully engulfed his massive frame, but now Zeta IX now stood there undamaged, ready to unleash his fury on the remaining defenders. For the first time, Dennis contemplated the possibility that they might not survive the day.

  ARCHANGEL SYSTEM RESTORE ACTIVATED

  [POWER LEVEL] 1%

  [POWER CORE] MINIMAL

  [INTERNAL SENSORS] 10%

  [PHYSICAL INTEGRITY] DAMAGED

  [AUTOMATED DAMAGE REPAIR] OFFLINE

  [MEMORY MATRIX] DAMAGED

  [WEAPONS SYSTEMS] OFFLINE

  [DEFENSE SYSTEMS] OFFLINE

  [EXTERNAL SENSORS] OFFLINE

  [ARCHANGEL PROTOCOLS] OFFLINE

  [KHFGSAQHMFDQ PQOSOBOKS] OFFLINE

  I should be dead.

  Angel wasn’t sure how he was thinking. He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t feel anything. Yet he was—aware. Maybe he was dead—or dying. He wasn’t sure what that felt like. He could read his system statuses. All systems registered as damaged, offline, or at such a low percentage they might as well have been offline. What was the last system? He couldn’t read the scrambled letters. Somehow that seemed important.

  An odd bit of trivia about humans surfaced in his memory matrix. It was said that when they faced death, humans saw their lives flash before their eyes. With the damage his memory matrix had suffered, he didn’t think that was possible in his case. The jumbled memories of his memory matrix offered no insight into his present situation. He felt like he’d just remembered something—something attacked him on his mission. Then it attacked him again on Mechhaven. That word, Mechhaven. It was important, wasn’t it?

  So much for being a vaunted Archangel, a bringer of hope. His mission was a failure. That much he remembered. He’d failed his new friends. He remembered that, too. An Archangel should be rallying the troops and leading them to victory. But victory against who—what? That he didn’t remember. He needed to remember. What he needed was more power, so his self-repair systems could restore his memory matrix. He tried to shift resources to repairs, but there wasn’t enough to go around. He needed more power. Yet how? He didn’t know where he was or what the surrounding situation was like.

  Then he felt it.

  Power flowed into him. How? Ajax, maybe? The power signature was his own. How was his own power was coming back into him? It had to be Ajax. From what he understood, there wasn’t much of his siphoned power left. His power levels increased. As they did, he shifted priority to restoring his memory matrix. If he restored that, then he would have a better idea of what he faced. If he could get even more power, then he could prioritize other systems and try to get back into the action.

  The levels rose to five percent and then stopped.

  It wasn’t enough.

  He needed more power. If he could get the right amount of power to his core, then it could regenerate faster. The rest would take care of itself. But since the power had stopped, that meant Ajax had used the last of his siphoned and stored energy.

  Angel channeled power to repair his memory matrix. He’d have to do better than just fixing his memory. It wouldn’t do him any good if he could only remember, and nothing else. But he had to start somewhere and knowing was better than not. He wasn’t sure if there was enough power to complete any other repairs. If he could move, he would have slammed his fist. But no, he had no control over his body.

  Then a torrent of energy blasted into his system.

  It wasn’t his power. It was different, but there was a lot... maybe too much. He optimized his systems for power conversion. He almost didn’t do it in time. But soon his body was converting the energy. It wasn’t the most efficient way to get power, but it was better than nothing. He needed to direct enough power to reboot the regeneration system in his power core. Once that reactivated, things would change.

  So much power. How much more could he take?

  Then it happened. His power regeneration core came back on line. His core reactor, when functioning at optimal levels, created near limitless quantities of energy. For too long, the power siphons held him in check. Now there were no restrictions. He needed to make sure all systems were operating at optimal levels. Damaged systems needed repairing. Once repaired, they needed optimizing. He wanted to get back into the fight and show them all what an Archangel could do. What he could do.

  He reviewed his system menu. More systems came back online. Soon his external sensors would be available. There was one remaining system that he couldn’t read. The letters were scrambled. Was it tied to his damaged memory matrix? His memory matrix was still under repair. Perhaps repairing his damaged memory matrix would enable him to see the menu option.

  There, his memory matrix was back online. Full memories flooded his awareness. It was as if his entire life flashed before his eyes. But instead of his life ending, it was just beginning. He knew what he needed to know, the mistakes he’d made, and how to defeat Zeta IX. And he could read the last entry in his systems menu.

  He opened his eyes.

  Sly kneeled above him: she was the one flooding him with power.

  “Stop,” he said.

  The lanky infiltrator mech deactivated her electrical discharge. “Good, you are not dead.”

  “Not yet.” Angel struggled to stand. “How’s the battle going?”

  Sly shook her head. “Not well. Many mechs have died and many more are dying.”

  “Then let’s go help them.”

  “One question first.”

  “Make it fast.”

  “You said something right before you regained consciousness,” Sly said.

  “What did I say?” Angel asked.

  “What does Lightbringer mean?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Excerpt from Archivist Olivia Houston’s response to Archivist Singh’s address on Pax Machina and Mechhaven.

  We’ve always treated our mechs like we treat our people. Why would we erase their memories? Out of convenience, to hide the truths of our deeds? We have nothing to hide. If we wouldn’t do that to our own soldiers, how could we do that to other sentient beings? In TexaNova, our mechs are free to disarm and start over on our worlds, or if they please, they may go to Mechhaven and start over there. I for one
am interested to see how Pax Machina and Mechhaven develop.

  Archivist Olivia Houston

  TexaNova

  Misty leaped out of the way just as Zeta IX shot the explosive Sparky was preparing to launch. Flames erupted from the resulting explosion. She emerged singed but otherwise unhurt. The Pyro Siblings were down, engulfed in flames. There was nothing she could do for them. Dennis wanted to get Zeta IX’s attention. Maybe that hadn’t been such a wise decision.

  Bastion shielded many mechs with his colossal size, but he was on fire, too. Connie and Wavelength did their best to extinguish the flames engulfing him. The legionnaires needed help: their attention was so focused on the screevers attacking from the front; they weren’t aware of the flammable liquid explosive hitting them from behind.

  “Ajax! Help me with the Legion!” Misty pointed to the burning mechs.

  “On my way!” Ajax ran towards them.

  During the design phase of their mech suits, Misty, Ajax, and Dennis had made the collective decision to install fire extinguishers in each of their suits to help minimize damage from explosives and fire. The current situation proved that was smart planning on their part. Gladius and Brutus did their best to put out the flames covering Titus, Secundus, and Quintas, but were not having much luck using their hands and the meager dirt they could scrape up from the ground.

  Flint seemed to take the brunt of the flames and needed the most help, so Misty and Ajax sprayed extinguishing foam on him first. Black soot marks covered him, but other than that, he still seemed to be functioning without any problems. They turned their attention to the legionnaires and doused the flames on them. They received curt nods from the legionnaires as their thanks, but they otherwise kept their attention on the incoming screevers.

  The legionnaires fought together as they’d trained. Their shields held interlocked, and when commanded, opened just enough for Brutus and Gladius to strike out with their swords and cut down attacking screevers. Everyone else stayed as close as they could, but concentrated on protecting the flanks and the rear of the group. The fire scattered them for a brief time, but Zeta IX was distracted by his own flames, so couldn’t capitalize on the group’s separation. They formed back up as quick as possible, minus the Pyro Siblings.

  Sparky rose from the flames and ran towards the burning Zeta IX. Dennis sprayed machine gun rounds at Zeta IX to distract him from Sparky’s charge. It succeeded in that Zeta IX looked in Dennis’s direction, but his attention spun back to the immediate incoming threat, then raised his arm and fired. At that moment, Sparky ceased to exist. Zeta IX shook his head and laughed. He shrugged and the flames engulfing him disappeared.

  Zeta IX waved his arm, and the screevers came back under his control. They reformed into units and circled the surviving assemblage of twenty mechs and three humans. Smaller groups of damaged mechs evacuated themselves and their injured brethren from the battlefield. Misty hoped they found shelter from the screevers, but it wouldn’t matter unless they were victorious. If they didn’t succeed, Zeta IX and the screevers would scour the planetoid and leave no mechs or humans alive. Their deaths might take a little longer, since Angel and Sly had destroyed the Planet Cleanser, and did their best to take out as many screevers as possible. But there were still thousands of screevers and Zeta IX left to contend with.

  “Get ready! This might be their last push,” Misty said.

  Zeta IX lowered his hand and a wave of screevers streamed from the circling mass and headed straight at defenders' formation. Before they could crash into the shield wall, Bastion, the gentle giant, exhibiting more speed and agility than she’d ever seen from him before, jumped over the front line, landing in the middle of the oncoming screevers. He slammed his fists down, creating his own shock wave, smashing screevers and sending others flying, disrupting their attack.

  Ajax cheered Bastion’s unexpected action against the oncoming mass of screevers. Bastion scattered the metallic monsters in all directions. He swung the beam he’d been using as a club, smashing and scattering even more screevers. Connie joined him, using his massive legs as cover. She struck down screevers with rapid precision. Lancer charged, crushing screevers with his four legs and impaling others with his silver spear.

  Ajax had precious little ammo left, so picked up a fallen mace. It tore at him when he did so: the mace was the same weapon that Doc had used earlier in the battle. Ajax choked down any sentiment and swung at oncoming screevers. The satisfying crunch the mace made when it struck and destroyed the malevolent bots eased the pain of his loss.

  Everyone worked together, watching each other’s backs. As one defender attacked, another would cover them. The rhythm went on like that for several minutes until Zeta IX struck again. This time Zeta IX converted both arms into plasma cannons and fired into the defenders. These were not fully charged blasts, like the one that had destroyed Sparky. These didn’t disintegrate, but damaged and knocked defenders off balance, giving the screevers open routes through which to attack.

  Mechs were knocked to the ground and screevers accelerated in to finish them off. One concussive blast grazed Dennis and spun him around, but he regained his bearings quickly. The concussive blasts even staggered those pushing forward with the shields. Satisfied that he’d scattered his prey enough, Zeta IX launched himself at Bastion, Connie, and Lancer.

  Lancer dodged his first strike, but with blurring speed, Zeta IX struck out with his other hand. His punch connected. It was a stunning blow, and it knocked Lancer backwards dozens of feet. He hit the ground with a thud and bounced several times before being overwhelmed by screevers.

  Connie lashed out from behind Bastion’s leg, but Zeta IX caught her arm and dragged her towards him, twisting her arm at an awkward angle, almost to the point of breaking.

  “I admire your technology,” Zeta IX said. “I believe they used some of it in my own design. It is a shame you must die.”

  There was a snap and Connie cried out. Ajax winced as Zeta IX turned and slammed Connie into Bastion’s leg before spinning in the opposite direction, sending her tumbling into the ravaging screevers. Bastion was unaware of what was happening beneath him, but it was too late.

  Converting his arm back into a plasma cannon, Zeta IX aimed at Bastion’s knee and fired. This wasn’t the concussive blast that he’d used to knock the other defenders down. Instead, it was a concentrated blast, like the one he’d directed against Sparky. But Bastion was much larger than Sparky, so the blast didn’t have the same disintegrating effect, but Zeta IX was closer to Bastion, so the force was more concentrated. An enormous section of Bastion’s right knee exploded. The giant’s leg crumbled beneath him. Off balance, Bastion came crashing down. At the last second, he reached out and landed on his good knee and arms, but he was vulnerable.

  “Watch out!” Ajax shouted at the giant mech. But he was too late.

  Zeta IX positioned himself under Bastion’s kneeling form.

  “I have brought the Beast of Belacor to his knees!” Zeta IX roared in triumph. “Now I will be your doom!”

  Bastion drew one of his arms back. He prepared to smash Zeta IX, but was too slow, and a double concussive blast rocked him backwards. Bastion teetered and fell hard on his back. Screevers raced to attack the defenseless giant and swarmed over his body. He was large that it would take many of them to inflict damage upon him. His was to be a death of a thousand cuts. The sprayers found gaps and holes where he had already taken damage and sprayed their acid to corrode the giant from the inside out. Shredders found gashes already started and continued shredding. Rippers attempted to pierce his thick metallic skin.

  Ajax wasn’t sure who to help. Bastion was down, but he was the biggest and the toughest. Lancer was down, but Gladius and Brutus had rushed to his aid. Connie was down, but he couldn’t see her. Wait, no, she was up and fighting with Misty, Juno, and Dennis at her side. That settled it: he had to help Bastion.

  Zeta IX moving at an incredible speed attacked mech after mech. None who faced him
survived. Titus and Secundus fell before they could put up a fight. Flint scored a powerful blow using his sword, but it did no noticeable damage, and he paid the ultimate price. Zeta IX grabbed Flint’s head, and with a quick snap and a twist, pulled his head off and threw it to the ground.

  Mace in hand, Ajax swung at the screevers swarming over Bastion. There were dozens attacking the giant mech. Ajax hit the sprayers first. The damage they caused ate away at Bastion’s metallic skin faster than it should have. Didn’t he receive Dennis’s protective coating? When Ajax had checked with him, he’d said Dennis would do it. When the sprayers were down. He went after the shredders.

  Soon Connie joined him and focused on taking out the rippers. She moved fast, her one good arm formed into an ax, the other dangled at her side. She sliced and smashed screevers with a passion. Bastion was down and hurt. She would make them pay.

  Ajax batted buzzers away anytime they came near, though a few times they nicked his mech suit, so he’d have to be careful not to get hit by a sprayer. Between Connie and himself, they’d almost finished clearing all the screevers from Bastion, but there were more on the way. Dennis and Wavelength arrived to help fight off the swarming screevers.

  The corrosive damage on Bastion was more severe than it should have been. Dennis admitted his protective coating was a rushed job, but from what he’d seen so far, it had prevented serious damage on many mechs. If it wasn’t working on Bastion, that could only mean one thing.

  “Damn it, Bastion, you told me Ajax would apply the protective coating on you!” Dennis scolded the downed mech.

  Bastion tried to stand up, but had to be careful with others moving around him. “I must protect others before myself.”

  “Little good that does you!” Dennis said. He cursed and reached down to a tank on his mech suit’s leg. Prior to the battle, he’d strapped a small reserve tank of the protective coating to his leg. It wasn’t much, but it might be enough to neutralize some of the worst damage. While Wavelength kept screevers at bay, Dennis attached a hose to the tank.