by Bible, Jake
“He doesn’t know my Bronco,” Terrie says. “And I won’t be driving.”
“Who will?” Mikellson asks then pauses. “No...Kyle? You think he won’t recognize him?”
“It’s been years,” Terrie says. “Lu barely recognizes the boy each time she sees him and that’s every three months or so. It’ll be enough to get us through town and onto the highway.”
“I hope so,” Mikellson sighs. “For that boy’s sake, I really do.”
“JUST STAY RIGHT THERE,” Kyle growls at Biscuit as he drags the hybrid over by the Bronco. “Don’t move. No more chasing squirrels.”
The hybrid woofs, and then lies down in the ash by the rear wheel of the big SUV. A classic 1984 full size Bronco, the vehicle has been outfitted with heavy duty suspension, a turbo charged V-8 multi-fuel engine, oversized tires, and reinforced front and rear bumpers. Kyle calls it the Tank.
He lowers the back and tosses in two duffel bags, then turns to go back to the porch for the suitcases. Biscuit watches him go, then his hackles rise and he jumps up barking.
“Jesus, B!” Kyle yells, leaping a foot into the air. “You scared the shit out of me!”
Biscuit keeps barking and barking and Kyle is about to stomp over there and whack him on his massive snout, but he stops as he feels his legs start to tremor.
No, not his legs, but the ground. The entire ground tremors. Then it’s shaking and after two or three seconds, it’s full on quaking.
“Grandma!” Kyle yells. “Grandma!”
Terrie and Mikellson burst from the cabin and stare at the swaying trees around the cabin.
“This can’t be good!” Mikellson shouts over the sound of the earthquake.
Read on for a sample of DEAD MECH: A Post-Apocalyptic, Military SciFi, Mechs vs Zombies Adventure!
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DEAD MECH: Apex Trilogy, Book 1
Chapter One
Part One- Introduction & Tragedy
The traffic was awful. Jimmy hadn’t moved more than a mile in the past hour, surrounded by cars honking, their electric motors purring in the hot summer evening.
His com phone buzzed and he casually answered it.
“Hey, Sweetheart! What’s up?”
“Where are you?” Michelle’s voice was frantic.
“Stuck in traffic, baby. It’s Friday night rush hour. What’s wrong? Rachel okay?”
“Yes, but you need to get home.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I just talked to my dad. He said we need to get out of the city right away.”
Capreze woke with a start; thankful the nightmare didn’t proceed any further.
THE TWO MECHS STOOD on the ridge looming over the valley below.
“You sure you picked up something?” Bisby asked over his com.
“Positive,” Stanislaw responded, double checking his scanners. Nothing.
“Hmmm, guess we have to go down into that bake oven of a dust bowl and check it all out,” Bisby grumbled. “You sure?”
“Yes, Biz, I’m sure,” Stanislaw snapped back. “I don’t know why you’re bitching; this is why we’re here.”
“Yeah, but the Rookie comes in today. I don’t want to miss the fun.”
“You didn’t think being a Rookie was much fun.”
“Shit rolls down hill.”
CHIEF MECHANIC JAY Rind stood and stretched, his back cracking and popping into line.
“Ahhhhh, that’s the shit,” Jay yawned, turning to survey the mech hangar. He glanced at his watch. 0600. “Damn, did it again.”
Jethro laughed, walking into the hangar holding two cups of coffee. “You fall asleep in here last night?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Jay replied, cracking his neck and taking the offered coffee mug. He nodded his thanks to Jethro and turned back to his workbench and the schematics lain upon it. Jethro sidled up next to him.
“That’s some ballsy shit.”
“Don’t I know,” agreed Jay.
“WHERE YOU WANT ME, Stan?” Bisby asked, watching Stanislaw’s mech stomp down into the barren valley.
“Stay put. Keep scanners at full and watch for the ambush.”
“Listen, I know you’re the best and all, but I don’t think anything is in this valley. We’re wasting our time.”
“Never assume, Biz. That’s how I stayed alive this long and following that advice will keep you alive just as long.” Stanislaw’s scanners beeped. He checked the readings. “I just shot you my scan. You seeing that, Biz?”
“Yeah...looks like some crevice off to your left. Hard to see from up here.”
MATHEW WALKED INTO the barracks, towel around his waist. The noises from Masters’ bunk made him stop.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake you two!” Mathew said, tired of walking in on Masters and Harlow going at it.
“Just...keep...walking...pilot,” Harlow muttered between grunts.
Mathew swore under his breath, walked quickly to his bunk and grabbed his uniform. He turned and huffed to the barracks door, trying to ignore the lump of sweaty flesh that made up Masters and Harlow.
“Briefing in fifty, kids,” he called back, walking into the hallway. “Don’t be too late.”
“OH GOD,” was all he heard in response.
“WHATCHA SEE, STAN?”
“Not sure. This is more than a crevice. It’s a fuckin’ rift in the Earth’s mantle. Jeezus.”
Stanislaw set scanners to full spectrum. What looked like a thin opening to a crack in the valley floor, quickly opened up below into a massive cavern. A cavern able to hold any number of dead mechs. Stanislaw backed away, powering up his weapons.
“Hey, Biz?”
“Yeah, Stan?”
“I’m not sure what I’m looking at here, but I think we may need back up.” Stanislaw shot the data over to Bisby.
“Shit! That cavern’s huge. Who knows what’s down there...”
CAPREZE STOOD IN THE middle of the tracks, cup of coffee in hand. He watched the dawn sun lift over the far off mountains.
“Mornin’, Papa Bear.”
Capreze looked up at the mech to his left. The cockpit was wide open, Rachel’s legs dangling over the edge. He lifted his cup in salute.
“Mornin’, Baby Girl. You make this joe?”
“Yep.”
Capreze took a sip of his coffee and sighed. “You have the gift.”
They stayed silent, each sipping from their mugs.
Rachel looked to the distance, down the tracks.
“Rookie’ll be here soon.”
“Yep. Hope he’s worth a shit.”
“COMING TO YOU, STAN.”
“Stay up there. No point in both of us getting ambushed.”
“Fuck that! How about you drop a couple plasma charges down there and just frag it all.”
“What if it isn’t hostile?”
“We’re in the fucking wasteland! Everything is hostile!”
Stanislaw pondered this for a moment, but just for a moment. Proximity alarms blared in his cockpit, interrupting his deliberations.
“Stan? What is it?”
Stanislaw checked his scanners. He pinged a shape, large and moving. Moving fast.
“Not sure, hard to get a reading through this rock.”
He aimed his plasma cannons at the opening.
DR. HECATE THEMOPOLOUS sat in her windowless office, head in her hands. She stared at the piece of paper laid out upon her desk. Tears welled in her eyes.
She sniffed and wiped at her nose, grabbing up the paper and ripping it to shreds. She tossed the bits and pieces into the trash, subconsciously wiping her hands on her uniform as if the message on the paper had somehow dirtied her physically.
Her door chime rang. She stared at the shreds lying at the bottom of her wire trashcan. The door chimed again. She quickly wiped her eyes.
“Enter.”
THE DEAD MECH BURST from the crevice, exploding chunks of r
ock in its wake. It quickly gained its footing on the valley floor, its one arm raised and glowing ready for battle.
“Jeezus...” Stanislaw whispered.
“Stan!” Bisby shouted into his com, powering up his own weapons, dropping his mech down into the valley. “I’m coming down! Push it to the left, I’ll flank it.”
Stanislaw stared at the dead mech, watching its zombie pilot thrash and howl in its cockpit.
“Biz, something’s not right...”
“No fucking shit, Stan! It’s a deader with one arm, that’s the definition of ‘not right’!”
MASTERS TRIED HANDING Harlow the soap. She fumbled around, blinded by suds. Masters laughed, gripped her hand with his and carefully placed the slippery bar into her open palm.
“Thanks, baby,” she smiled, still blind.
“No problem, your Hotness.” He turned back to the water, letting the warm spray beat down on his chest. “You think Mathew was pissed?”
“Who fucking cares,” said Harlow, washing the soap from her face. “They’re all just jealous cause they ain’t got their own fuck buddy.”
“That all we are?”
Harlow stepped from her stream into Masters’. “No, baby, that’s not all we are.”
STANISLAW PILOTED HIS mech into a crouch, setting up the leap and slash move. He waited for his opponent to take the bait.
It didn’t.
One Arm waited, watching Stanislaw, calculating the possible attacks. Coming to a conclusion, One Arm aimed its plasma cannon.
Stanislaw’s eyes went wide; he’d never seen a dead mech react this way. His com crackled.
“Get the fuck out of there Stan! He’s too close for you to dodge those blasts!” Bisby screamed into his ear. “I’m too far away to take him out!”
Stanislaw knew all of this. And what his fate would be.
CAPREZE STEPPED NEXT to Jay and appraised the schematics.
“You think this will work?” the Commander asked his Chief Mechanic.
“No, but I plan on putting hundreds of man-hours into it anyway,” Jay sniped, never making eye contact with the Commander.
Capreze grinned and slapped Jay on the back. “That’s the spirit! You need anything?”
Still not looking away from the schematics, Jay handed Capreze an empty coffee mug. “She makes it every morning, and yet, I’m always surprised what your girl can do with some ground beans and water.”
Capreze laughed, took the mug and headed to the mess.
THE BLASTS CAME HARD and fast. Stanislaw dodged the first wave, but couldn’t side step his mech fast enough to miss the second wave. The concussion knocked his mech back 300 yards.
Stanislaw struggled to right his mech.
“Hydraulics on my left leg are out!”
“I’m coming Stan. Hold the fuck on!”
One Arm moved in, firing twice at Stanislaw, then whirled around, sending several blasts towards Bisby.
Bisby was far enough away to evade the shots, but it slowed him down, wasting precious time needed to get to Stanislaw.
“Stan! Stan? Jeezus fuck, can you hear me?” Bisby screamed.
“GODDAMIT, JETHRO! WHAT did I say about coffee mugs ON the schematics?” Jay barked at his assistant mechanic. “What did I fucking say?”
“Don’t do it?” Jethro responded sheepishly, grabbing up his mug, leaving a coffee ring behind on the plans.
Jay smacked him upside the head. “Go double check Harlow’s left hydraulics system, I think I heard a hiss when she docked last night.”
“I already checked it,” Jethro answered.
“Then go wash the fucking thing!” Jay roared.
“Wash a mech? Really?” Jethro asked. Jay’s face turned beet red. “Okay, okay. Jeezus, calm down.” Jethro stomped away, muttering epithets.
ONE ARM BLASTED STANISLAW’S mech twice more, sending mechanized limbs flying in all directions. The live mech’s torso lay smoldering on the baked earth. One Arm turned its attention on Bisby.
Seeing the state of Stanislaw’s mech and the dead mech’s new tactics, Bisby stopped his mech and set blast anchors into the ground. He prepped the machine for full rocket launch, intending on sending the one armed abomination to hell in a million tiny pieces.
One Arm roared and charged. Bisby’s blood ran cold at the inhuman sound coming from the dead mech’s loudspeakers.
“What the fuck...?” Bisby croaked.
“HEY, MATTY! COME SIT here!” June called as Mathew finished loading his plate from the mess line.
Mathew glanced around, but the mess hall was empty and he was trapped. He slowly made his way to June’s table.
“Mornin’,” he nodded, fake smile in place.
“Wow, did you hear Harlow last night?” June asked conspiratorially. “She and Masters were non-stop.”
Mathew laughed. “This morning too.”
June’s eyes widened. “Wow. Must be nice having someone all to yourself like that...”
Mathew kept his eyes down, preferring to look at the pile of yellowish synth-eggs, than to look into June’s inquiring eyes.
BISBY CHECKED THE ANCHORS and set his mech into a squat, bringing its body to a lower center of gravity. He watched the dead mech rage towards him and braced for impact.
Twenty yards out, One Arm leapt, using its mini-rocket boosters on its legs for extra lift. It raised its arm high into the air.
Bisby, realizing what the dead mech was about to do, disengaged his ground anchors, hoping he could side step the falling mech in time.
Everything slowed. One Arm roaring, Bisby scrambling, Stanislaw dying. It all froze for a split second in the barren valley.
“MAN, I NEVER GET OVER how good this coffee is!” Masters crowed. “I mean, how do you grow something this tasty in the fucking wasteland?”
He plopped down next to Mathew and June, smelling of soap and smiling from ear to ear.
“Hey, Baby? Grab me a muffin, will ya?” he called over his shoulder to Harlow, still in the mess line.
“Will do, Sugar Dick!” she called back.
Mathew shook his head, but couldn’t help smiling. Masters raised his eyebrows in mock innocence.
“What?” Masters took a sip of coffee. “Can’t two bad ass mother fuckers be in love?”
BISBY DIDN’T MAKE IT out of the way. The impact of mech on mech was earth shattering. Literally.
One Arm came down just as Bisby had disengaged his last ground anchor and tried to execute a tight side roll. The dead mech smashed into Bisby’s cockpit; putting the two close enough that Bisby could smell the rotted zombie pilot.
A massive crack appeared in the baked earth, opening the world above to the world below. Both mechs tumbled into the fissure, smashing at each other with iron fists, knees and feet. The darkness swallowed them, their battle echoing, echoing, lost.
DR. THEMOPOLOUS WALKED into the mess hall. Finding Mathew, she quickly moved to his side and bent down close. “May I speak with you for a second?”
Mathew looked at the other pilots at the table and then at the doctor. “Um, sure. I’ll see you all in the briefing.” He stood and followed Doctor Themopolous outside the mess.
He raised an inquisitive eyebrow when they were alone. Doctor Themopolous cleared her throat, glancing around to make sure they were unobserved. “You came from Foggy Bottom, right?”
“Yeah...?”
“Have you heard from anyone there recently? Any news of any...problems?”
MATILDA PLACED A KISS on his cheek. “Bye, Daddy!” she said, skipping out the back door into the spring rain.
Stanislaw got up from his chair, grabbing an umbrella and followed his daughter. “Take this, baby.”
“Awww, Daddy, the rain isn’t going to hurt me,” Matilda complained. “It’s not like when you were a kid.”
Stanislaw smiled. “It’ll make your old man feel better.”
Matilda laughed and reached out. Before she could grasp the umbrella, her skin started to melt fr
om her arm. She screamed, so did Stanislaw.
He was still screaming when he came to in his burning cockpit.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Jay called up to Jethro.
“I finished washing Harlow’s mech and I’m working on the Rookie’s mech. That’s what you wanted, right?”
Jay closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, what I wanted was for me to work on the Rookie’s mech. I’m just going to have to go back over all of your work to make sure it’s right.”
“Fuck you, Rind,” Jethro barked, lowering the lift to the ground. He handed Jay his span-wrench. “You really need to start sleeping in a bunk. You’re a grouchy bitch in the morning.”
A MECH HAND CRESTED the newly formed crevice’s side, struggling for purchase. The giant alloy fingers dug into the edge, anchoring them fully. With a groan of damaged hydraulics, Bisby pulled himself from the fissure, rolling his mech yards from the opening before standing.
“Stan?...Stan?” he croaked into his com. “ Goddammit Stanislaw! Can you hear me?”
He was met with static as his damaged mech swayed its way over to the smoking debris that was Stanislaw’s machine. He tried to bring up life sensors, but only basic navigation scanners seemed to cooperate.
“Shit!” he yelled, pushing his mech on.
MATHEW WALKED BACK into the mess, nearly running into Commander Capreze.
