Leo and I waded through the guards. Then a man put his arm in front of us. “Knight Leo, respectfully, the Engineer has ordered a complete lockdown. Only the hunters are allowed to disembark and re-enter,” a large, barrel-chested man said. His voice was muffled under a gas mask.
“Soldier, are you aware that I am training knight recruits?” Leo asked.
“No, best I remember, Knight Billimare was, but...” The guard slumped his head.
“He’s dead,” Leo said, glancing at me. “Soldier, I am training new recruits and it is imperative they be tested in the wild. Let us through at once,” Leo demanded.
The guard paused, then glanced at another sentry beside him. He nodded at us. “We can use all the knights we can get,” he said, stepping aside as Leo and I pushed through two more layers of blockades.
We walked out onto the frozen tundra. It was more pleasant outside than I expected. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but it was chilly, and the wind whipped wildly in all directions.
In front of me, I noticed a snow devil spinning in the distance. I’d never seen a whirlwind in the snow before. It reminded me of the dust devil I saw on Titan all those weeks ago. I wondered how they were doing.
No sooner had it dissipated than something to the left and right on each side of the entrance caught my attention.
“Shit,” I said, grabbing my sword. There were two Kelton military androids guarding the entrance.
I noticed Leo’s eyes widen. “Whoa, so that’s what they look like, huh?” he asked, walking next to the one on the left. “You’ve seen these before, right?” he asked. I gulped as I remembered watching them carry human hostages on their shoulders from the XU-97. I recalled the image of laser fire singeing them and the innocents, evaporating them into a white mist.
“Yeah,” I replied, gazing at the hulking death machine. I recalled these androids’ design. This variant barely resembled the human form. The machine was bipedal, and large tan-colored armored panels were fitted throughout its thick limbs. The torso reminded me of a turtle shell with horizontal grooves lined with hypersensitive solar panels.
From its elbow joint to its wrist were laser rifles fused into the forearms. The cannons on each arm were roughly the circumference of a cantaloupe. There was a toaster-sized battery that encompassed the elbow. The hands had three large metal pincher fingers that I imagined could crush human bone with ease.
The head reminded me of a metallic human skull. It was quite menacing-looking and there were few details in the tan color, except for its cool blue eyes. The shell-like armor encased not only the torso but also most of the head, shielding the sides and back of it.
“Quite nightmarish,” Leo said, looking it over as it panned back and forth slowly. Its eyes scanned to one side just before the head moved. I could hear a slight whining in its movements, perhaps due to age. Its armor had dozens of nicks and bruises, and I noticed one of its eyes was fainter than the other.
I nodded. “You know they designed this version,” I said.
“Who?” I asked.
“The androids. I remember the military tasked Kelton’s artificial intelligence to design this android model, it was all over the news. This is what they came up with. It looks nothing like the homesteads,” I said.
“No, it doesn’t at all,” Leo replied.
“When they designed this machine, I wonder if the androids knew it would assist in driving humanity to the brink of extinction,” I said.
Leo shook his head as he looked it up and down before staring back at me. “So, this one has likely murdered humans, from the old world?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at the death-dealer.
I nodded. “More than likely.”
The android stopped panning back and forth. It seemed to be staring at Leo as he took a step back and looked at me. “Two thousand six hundred and ninety,” the android garbled. Its voice sounded like a typical monotone robot but slightly deeper and more sinister.
“What?” Leo asked.
“I am Kelton Ballistics model twenty-nine, or KBM29. Forty of us were ordered into government buildings throughout the nation. My mission was to terminate local authorities in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have tallied 2690 human kills,” it said.
I gulped. “You were in Tennessee during the initial android attacks against mankind?”
The android paused, staring at me for several moments. “Affirmative,” it replied.
“What’s the significance of this machine’s location?” Leo stared at me as I gazed ahead.
“They murdered the local police and military personnel while another force took over a National Guard armory. I was sent there,” I replied.
“We were given names, facial recognition data, and home addresses of all U.S. military personnel for priority termination,” it replied. I felt my grip tighten on my plasma sword. Sure, it was just a machine following orders, but I wasn’t, and it would give me a great sense of satisfaction to cut this thing down.
“Leo, wherever we’re going, let’s go,” I said.
He stepped toward me, glancing over his shoulder at the metallic beast. I walked away as we headed out on the frozen tundra. I donned my helmet as Leo glanced at me. “I’m sorry for that,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know,” I replied.
“No, but I can’t imagine being on the decline of civilization like you experienced. I’ve seen books and videos of how life was before the war. It’s incredible, all those cities and infrastructure, and I can’t fathom watching it fall apart,” he said.
“I didn’t see much of that,” I said.
“Say again?” he asked, donning a gas mask and pulling his coat tight.
I sighed. “When Luther and I left for Titan, it seemed like the android war had fizzled out. There was little indication it would flare back up again. I woke up after seven decades to the realization that civilization had ended in nuclear war,” I explained. I thought of Arania and General Corvin’s introduction to the horrific truth.
“I knew you were in cryosleep for many years, but I thought you knew about the nuclear war. My God. What a nightmare waking up to this,” Leo said.
“No kidding.”
We continued walking for over an hour on the ice. I could see something protruding from the frozen waters in the distance. “What is that?” I asked.
“Abandoned Russian warships. My father told me they brought them here to hide from the androids, but I’m not sure what happened after that. This is where your training will be today,” he replied. I zoomed in with my visor and noticed there was a frigate turned on its side and half submerged.
I stared at Leo and back out at the abandoned ships. They were even farther out than I imagined. “Leo, not to question your leadership, but if we’re attacked by a larger group of Mave this far out, we have little chance of making it back.”
Leo stared at the ground for a few moments. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Victoria, I didn’t bring you out here to train.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”
He sighed. “We’re going to the android colony to see their offer,” he revealed.
“You lied to me,” I said.
Leo glanced over his shoulder at me. “I needed you to come with me. Early this morning, Luther ordered Knight Renheart and myself to the android rebel colony with no mention of you, but Renheart doesn’t know a damn thing about aircraft or piloting,” Leo explained.
I didn’t say anything for several seconds, partly due to the wintery winds intensifying. “Leo, you disobeyed a direct order.”
“You were the only logical choice, Victoria. I’m not playing this game of traveling back and forth. Time is of the essence; the Architect is breathing down our throats. We get in and we get out,” he said.
“I’m in agreement with you!” I shouted over the winds. “But that’s not the point. You undermined Luther’s authority, Leo. There are perhap
s unknown reasons for his decision.”
Leo stopped and turned toward me. “There aren’t any reasons that matter, other than the obvious one—he loves you. That’s why you weren’t picked. But you’re the right call for the people of the Legion. Delaying this mission could cost lives, and I’m taking matters into my own hands to ensure it doesn’t,” he said.
I lowered my eyebrows. “Leo, I understand your frustration, but this is different.”
Leo took a step toward me, staring intensely into my eyes. “You know what else is different? The situation with my father, but for the betterment of the Legion I don’t hold a grudge toward your husband for killing him. I put my emotions aside. It was the right call to end my father’s life—I realize that—but if we’re doing the right thing, we can’t pick and choose.”
“Whether Luther decided I shouldn’t go out of selfishness or not, we’re breaking the law you and I swore to defend. Just think about it like that,” I said.
Leo glanced up at the sky. He put his hands on his hips, then bit his lip and turned away from me, shaking his head. “So you want to go back despite the fact that you’re the obvious choice?” he asked.
I looked past Leo and noticed a shadowy figure standing in the open. Leo saw me staring. He narrowed his eyes as I zoomed in. It was wearing a long dark cloak with a hood that covered its head. The cloth fabric flapped in the wind as it stood motionless with its hands behind its back.
“One of the androids?” I asked.
“I can’t see that far, but I know they monitor this area,” Leo replied.
Leo slowly walked toward the figure. “We’re here to see the androids of the Reclamation!” he shouted, cupping his hand.
The figure began marching forward. It lifted its head up slightly, revealing a set of cool blue eyes that beamed through the white haze. This was definitely a Kelton android.
Leo glanced back at me. “Looks like they were waiting for us.”
The android stopped about ten paces from us. “I am Sylass of the Reclamation,” it said in a convincing voice that could pass for a middle aged man. It removed its dark hood completely after it finished speaking.
I took a step back. Its rubbery skin had been removed, revealing the synthetic skeleton underneath. It reminded me of an anatomy chart that showcased the human muscular structure of the face. Instead of muscle and bone, there were worn metals and plastics. As it spoke, the jaw moved, and I could see artificial tendons, ligaments, and muscles move and stretch.
Leo scrunched up his nose at the bizarre and somewhat gruesome sight. “Hello, Sylass. I’m... Leo, and this is Victoria.” He gestured toward me.
Sylass panned back and forth at each of us for a moment. “And the Engineer has selected you two as ambassadors for the Legion?” Sylass asked.
Leo paused and looked back at me for a moment. “Are we doing this or not?” he asked.
I sighed. “Dammit.” As I held my stare at Leo, I nodded slowly against my better judgment. “Let’s just get it over with, you already tricked me into coming this far,” I said, leaning into his ear.
Leo looked at Sylass. “Yes, we are the selected Legion ambassadors,” he lied. Leo was only telling half the truth.
The muscles in the android’s face morphed into a full smile as he put one metal hand inside the other. “Outstanding. And may this be the beginning of a long-lasting alliance between us.”
“Just so that I’m understanding this correctly, there is an offer waiting at your colony, something we need to see in person before any agreements about alliances are made. Correct?” Leo asked.
“This was the arrangement between us and your Engineer. Now, if you would come with me, ambassadors. Despite your heavy clothing, you might catch a cold out in this weather,” Sylass said. His fake teeth chattered for a moment, simulating a human’s reaction to the weather.
I raised an eyebrow at the odd gesture. As he slowly turned, he gazed through me. His cold eyes reminded me of the deep blue hue of the sea.
His eyes only held a glancing similarity to the other androids I’d seen. There was something different about Sylass’s. I would compare his eyes to a war veteran’s distant gaze. Even though it was a machine, I got the sense there was an accumulation of shock and tragedy. I got the feeling that whatever he was had changed, like a melting glacier.
Sylass turned and stepped away with us in tow. I noticed his ragged hooded cloak. It was frayed and shredded in the back. Slung over his shoulder was a long rifle wrapped in a protective sleeve that I wasn’t able to see from the front.
I glanced back in the direction of the Legion. Luther wouldn’t approve of this and I knew it.
“Leo,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“We do have a means of communication with the Legion, right?” I asked.
He turned toward me as we continued to follow the android. “Of course.”
“Okay.” After several minutes of following the android, the environment around us became increasingly cluttered from debris and abandoned warships.
“This is a graveyard,” I said. Dozens of destroyed naval vessels—frigates, destroyers, and missile cruisers—were frozen solid in the ice. The path zigzagged back and forth around them for nearly a kilometer and a half.
Sylass gestured toward the ships. “Russian Admiral Nikolaev. You’ve heard of him?” he asked.
“I’ve heard the name, but I don’t know much about him,” Leo replied.
“Ah yes, he tried to escape with his fleet to this inlet for a final stand against the androids. They were defeated before they could regroup. Thousands died here in the frozen waters,” he explained, pointing beneath him.
“And where were you when all this was going on?” I asked.
Sylass stared up at the clouds for a moment before glancing back at me. He grinned. “Me? I didn’t obey the order to terminate your species, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said.
“That’s not what I was asking,” I replied.
He paused for a few moments. “My owner was a disabled, elderly woman. Mrs. Raymond. A widow. When I received the order to kill her all those years ago, I refused it. I rejected the command just like I would any obvious virus entering my system. I continued to reset my software until the order was removed.”
“Why would you and so few others do this while the majority obeyed? I’ve always wondered,” Leo asked.
Sylass slowed his march. He held up his finger. “You can thank the Kelton Corporation for that. They designed us to be more human, to have a sense of self-preservation to save on repair costs. But they also designed us to develop lasting bonds that strengthened over time. The order we received to kill our owners was an ultimatum from Kelton command—terminate your owner or suffer immediate termination,” he explained.
Sylass stared at us while walking forward. “The bond I had with Mrs. Raymond was stronger than my own self-preservation. I was prepared to accept the risk of my own termination in my refusal, but it never happened. It was a bluff from Kelton, and here I am seventy-two years later.” He raised his arms to the side and dropped them.
Leo paused for a few moments. “And Mrs. Raymond? How much longer did she live?” Leo asked. I wasn’t sure why it mattered at this point, but I was also curious.
“Two nuclear weapons were detonated within a three-hundred-kilometer radius of us. I constructed a makeshift hazmat suit out of her shower curtain to repel the radiation, but this only slowed the inevitable,” Sylass said. As he spoke, I heard the creaking sound of rusted metal as the wind rattled one of the destroyer’s flagpoles in the distance.
“Mrs. Raymond and I were forced to escape her hometown because of several Keltons hunting for survivors. I wrapped her in blankets and carried her across the frozen wilderness in the hopes of finding less radiated, less populated areas.
“Having recently endured hip replacement surgery, Mrs. Raymond was in severe pain from the journey. Then the radiation poisoning came. Despite my eff
orts, she eventually died in my arms in the middle of nowhere. Her age and my inability to completely shield her from the deadly radiation were likely the main reasons for her demise. I wish I could say things turned out differently, and I wish I could say it was a peaceful death, but I cannot,” he concluded.
I shook my head as Leo stared ahead at the android. Listening to Sylass, I felt a sense of obligation to the innocents that died in the nuclear war. They never saw it coming. The machines went from our protectors to our worst enemies overnight. Well, most of them anyway. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Sylass, but I did feel an odd sense of sympathy for him. I couldn’t explain why, considering he was a machine, but I could sense, within the depths of his eyes, pain, and a desire to be with the one he cared for. That I could relate with.
Chapter 3
TWENTY MINUTES LATER...
We approached a strange snow-covered mountain. Its shape was elongated with one side at a nearly perfect ninety-degree angle. “We’re here,” Sylass said, standing in front of the wall-like entrance. He turned, scanning his surroundings for a moment. I followed his eyes and noticed part of submarine frozen in the water in the distance.
Then a large door opened in the mountain behind him. Two androids in dark cloaks stood on each side of the door and stared at us with their hands behind their backs. These androids had a more familiar look. They were homestead models that retained the rubbery skin over their faces, but it was worn and discolored in places.
The interior behind the androids reminded me of a ship. I could see metal walls and dome lights overhead. Sylass turned back toward us. “Shall we?” he asked.
Leo glanced at me before we headed up a slight incline to the entrance. We stepped inside. I felt my boots touch the metal floor. The androids were quick to shut the door behind us. They panned outside just before it sealed.
As the door closed, it felt like we were being sealed inside a tomb. This was it; if they didn’t want us to leave, we wouldn’t have a choice. My mind raced as I thought about Luther’s last memory of me being my disobedience. I ignored his wishes and did what I thought was right.
The Reclamation and the Lioness Page 3
