by Mark Lingane
“Have you been living in that cave all this time?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I go out to get food, which usually tires me out. Then I have to sleep for a day or two.”
“What did you do when you were at home?”
She laughed. “Got into trouble. Always fighting over something.”
He yawned, and closed his eyes.
“How’s your head?”
“Actually, it’s good. They’re not near anymore. We can rest easy.”
She watched him drift off to sleep and then clambered out of the hollow. A few minutes later she returned with her arms full of scavenged wood and dropped it by the fire. She turned and stared out into the infinite darkness of the surrounding scenery.
*
He woke in the morning, eyes bleary from the nightmares that had chased him through the night in his sleep. His head sagged forward, and he tried to focus on the remains of the coals.
“Are you all right? You look pale,” Melanie said. She was in the same position she had been in when Sebastian had fallen asleep, perched on her legs, bringing her line of sight up to the top of the hollow.
He closed his eyes and rested for a moment. Then he sat up abruptly. “My head’s beginning to hurt. We need to go.”
Melanie kicked out the fire and ran up out of the hollow.
Sebastian grabbed his pack and followed her. “Look,” he shouted, pointing off to the south.
Two dark objects were circling in the sky. There was a faint screeching, quiet but chilling.
Melanie gulped. They were a distance away, but the dark beasts were heading straight for them. And approaching on the ground was a dust cloud billowing out behind a black-clad cyborg on one of the powered bicycles. There was a high-pitched scream. The ground beside them exploded, showering them in dirt.
13
“GO!” MELANIE SHOUTED.
She heaved at the vehicle but was unable to lift it on her own. She shouted at Sebastian, who put his hands underneath and bent with his legs as Mr. Stephenson had always instructed, and the two levered the vehicle up. Melanie stabbed ineffectually at the controls.
“We need the thumb,” Sebastian urged.
Melanie fumbled in her pockets, looking for the severed appendage. There was another explosion, even closer. The near impact appeared to focus her thoughts. She whipped out the thumb, placed it on the device and hit the red button. In one swift movement she grabbed Sebastian and placed him on the back, jumped on the vehicle, stomped and twisted, and was gone just as the next explosion erupted where they had been standing.
She leaned forward over the handlebars, pushing the vehicle to its limit, but the pursuing vehicle was catching up quickly. She wrenched the steering to the left and veered through a deep gully, but as they sank into the shaded ravine the cyborg vaulted over them, landing on the far side. The cyborg took aim at them.
Melanie spotted a collapsed bank ahead and aimed for it. She hit it at full speed and they soared into the air. The vehicle landed heavily with a sickening sound of metal crunching. She stabilized the vehicle and took off across the great expanse.
“Get to the river, over there.” He pointed to a large creek to their left.
“Why?”
“Sometimes the water stops them.”
The water arced out widely as they sped through the creek. Sebastian glanced back over his shoulder and was dismayed to see the cyborg also charging through the creek.
Not this time, he thought.
There was another high-pitched scream, this time much louder. The great flapping beasts had caught up and were gliding on either side of them. One dived and roared down out of the sky, sending a sheet of flame directly in front of them. The shock made Melanie veer off to the side and forced the vehicle down into a deep, dry creek bed. The creek bed was mercilessly bumpy, with the two of them nearly being thrown off several times.
The beasts circled overhead, but were unable to find an attack angle. Melanie spotted a point where the side of the creek had collapsed and formed a gentle slope up to the surface. She steered the vehicle up and twisted the grip as hard as she could. They hit the ramp, sped up and launched into the air, jumping straight over the cyborg riding alongside the ravine.
Melanie laughed in glee as the vehicle crashed down onto the dry sand and shot off across the plain. There was explosion and sand rained down on them, forcing the vehicle sideways and directly into a small group of boulders. The vehicle crashed and the two were thrown forward over the rocks and, luckily, onto the soft sand.
Melanie was up on her feet straightaway as the black-clad cyborg roared up on his vehicle. He dismounted and marched toward the two. He withdrew a blade from a black container on his back. As he walked, the blade lengthened and fattened out until it resembled a two-handed sword.
Melanie unsheathed her blade. It seemed pitiful in comparison.
The cyborg brought the blade straight down in a high, wide arc. Melanie was prepared and easily deflected the blow. The power of it drove her back and made her wince. She spun around and slashed a lightning strike across the cyborg’s arm as he tried to regain his balance from his initial strike.
The cyborg raised the heavy sword above his head, but before he could bring it down Melanie stepped into close range and kicked as hard as she could behind the cyborg’s knee, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto one knee. The cyborg was able to keep one hand on the sword as he fell to the side, but raised his other and aimed at Sebastian.
Melanie brought her blade down on the cyborg’s arm, but it bounced ineffectually off the metal cylinder attached to it. The impact jarred the arm, causing the beam of light to go wide of the diving Sebastian, throwing a stream of sand into the air.
“What the hell is that?” Melanie said.
“A gun of some kind,” Sebastian shouted.
The cyborg reached out, grabbed Melanie by her coat and reeled her in. She twirled and twisted but could not escape his powerful clutches. He thrust his arm around her neck and brought up his sword. She shrieked, but just as he was about to drag the sharp blade of his sword across her throat, he paused.
It was all she needed. She thrust her elbow into the cyborg’s chest, stamped down on his foot, and managed to gain enough room to twist her blade and sink it into his leg. He screamed, letting her go, and staggered away. He raised his arm again and fired, but Melanie had brought her blade around and up, causing the lightgun to fire harmlessly into the sky.
Sebastian got to his feet, rubbing his head, aware that Melanie hadn’t noticed his subtle interference with the cyborg.
The cyborg started to move erratically. His jerky movements were compounded by a sudden indecisiveness that seemed to beset him. He pushed Melanie away and took a moment to check his device.
Melanie maneuvered Sebastian behind her and wheeled around to face the cyborg, which lunged at her. She intercepted his arm with a high kick. She landed a solid blow from her boot into the cyborg’s chest. He staggered backward. She brought her knife down across his forearm and then stabbed it into his thigh. He collapsed onto one knee. There was a beep from his device.
Melanie came in for a finishing blow. She kicked straight up into his chest, but he blocked it with both arms crossed in front and caught her foot. She became oblivious to the shouts coming from Sebastian as she wrestled away from the cyborg. He pushed her back as Sebastian grabbed her and pulled her away. They both collapsed on the ground.
The cyborg, kneeling on the sand, threw his arms out wide. There was a burst of intense flame, as fierce as a furnace, from one of the great beasts engulfing the fallen cyborg. He sat there burning in the chill of the early morning until his charred remains fell to the earth. There was a clicking sound from the cyborg. From the black pack on his back, a nest of spider-like creatures erupted. They swarmed over the remains of the body and tore it to pieces, then burrowed into the sand until there was nothing left but a black smear on the ground.
“That’s new,” said Sebas
tian.
“What the hell just happened?” said Melanie.
“I’m guessing they’re leaving no evidence. I’ve seen them do something similar before. But unless you want to join him, I suggest we go, now.”
He pointed to the swirling beasts in the sky, pirouetting in the warm updrafts. As they watched, the creatures dived and started their attack run directly toward the two youngsters.
They ran around the rocks back to the vehicle. It was dented and battered, but the rear wheel still spluttered around, spinning erratically. Melanie dashed over and hefted it up. It was the first time she had done it on her own. It jerked forward until she kicked the foot lever into neutral. She yelled at him.
Sebastian leapt up onto the back and the two took off as fast as the machine would go. Its front wheel was badly damaged and the ride became nearly intolerable as it screeched and lurched. The metal quickly wore away and they were making good speed, but Melanie could see the front wheel was well out of alignment and she had to steer the vehicle to the left for it to continue straight.
“What’s that over there?” Sebastian shouted.
Melanie looked over to where he was indicating. “I don’t know, but it looks like shelter.”
She veered the vehicle toward the distant point. There seemed to be an old black track, full of holes and cracks, which led straight to their target. Apart from the occasional holes in the black track, it was exceptionally smooth; this made the jarring from the holes more extreme but allowed them to travel at a greater speed. As they approached, the target grew and gleamed in the sun like a brilliant diamond.
“What is it?” Sebastian shouted.
“It looks like some kind of city with a big wall around it. A very shiny city. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
She twisted the handle grip as far as it would go. The foot lever would click down no further. This was it, maximum speed, and it wasn’t enough to escape. The great flying beasts started crisscrossing over them as they traveled down the black track. One beast would expel a blast of fire, then the other. Melanie swerved desperately between the explosions as they struck the ground.
The city loomed closer, and it was presenting them with the next problem: how did they get in? They were within several hundred yards when they noticed two great gates beginning to open at the front of the city.
The great beasts came swooping in from both sides. Both released huge bursts of fire, which fused in front of Melanie and Sebastian in a giant incendiary ball of death.
The vehicle burst through the fireball, with various parts of it flaming. Melanie screamed as her own clothes caught on fire. Flames licked at her arms and crept up toward her top. Smoke billowed out behind her, flooding into Sebastian’s eyes and making them stream. He coughed just as the front wheel finally buckled from the heat and pressure, driving the vehicle into the sand and pitching the two forward.
Sand sprayed everywhere as they rolled end over end until they came to a stop. Melanie patted down the dying flames on her clothes until they were completely extinguished. Not stopping for a moment, she hauled up the dazed Sebastian, dragging him in the direction of the entrance to the forbidding walled city.
The city was dominated by two imposing, tall towers on either side of the great wall. On the tops of the towers were identical cylinders, each containing a wide dish cupped within a larger dish. A long spike containing a sphere on its end stood out from the center. They currently faced down, but as Melanie and Sebastian watched, the great cannons swung around slowly and upwards to face the beasts.
Lightning was gathering in the hollow of the dishes, swirling and collecting like water down a drain. It arced around the long spikes, gaining in intensity and frequency. The lightning suddenly disappeared and there was a silent boom, more felt than heard, except for Sebastian who could see it clearly.
A great circular ring like the ghost of smoke rolled out and wrapped itself around the closest beast, stunning it, injuring it. The second tower missed its target as the beast suddenly dived out of the way of the wave. It fell at such a rate that it didn’t have time to pull up and crashed into the ground. It thrashed around on its back, unable to right itself.
Sebastian ran over to where Melanie was lying on the ground. She was moving, but she didn’t look well. He slipped his hand under her arm and urged her up. The fallen beast had managed to roll onto its side and was forcing itself over, accompanied by the sound of tearing and crunching metal. It exhaled a fireball but missed the two youngsters due to the awkward angle. It kept thrashing until the underside of its body was on the ground. Its head whipped around wildly, searching for them, spotted them, targeted, and exhaled a fireball directly at them.
Melanie had finally gotten to her feet, with Sebastian’s help. They both ran, often stumbling, toward the gates. The sound of metal being tortured behind them spurred them on, fear gripping every part of their bodies. A fireball exploded to their right, narrowly missing them.
Sebastian hazarded a glance over his shoulder. The beast had managed to get itself facing the right way and was about to target them directly. He urged himself on faster. The pain in his head was beating him down but he had to ignore it as best he could. He heard the clicks; he heard the ignition. He swore he could feel the heat.
In front of them the gates were beginning to close. A big, solid man stepped out and signaled for them to come. He ran out the few yards, grabbed them and pushed them through the narrowing opening as the fire rolled over them. The solid gates slammed shut with a resounding thud as the remnants of the fire evaporated into the air.
14
A CROWD GATHERED around the two youngsters. Melanie collapsed to the ground, exhausted. The man who had pulled them through the gates scooped her up and whisked her away down a side alleyway full of small buildings. Sebastian sagged but was held up by a tall man wearing leather armor. There was a booming voice from the back of the crowd, which parted as its owner pushed through. The last of the surrounding spectators moved aside to reveal a tall, broad-shouldered man with electric-white hair that stood up on end, giving him the appearance of a dandelion. He pointed at Sebastian.
“You, boy, what’s your name?”
Sebastian responded.
“Well, this is a surprise. We weren’t expecting you for a long time.”
Sebastian gave him a look of confusion.
“Greetings, I’m Nikola, commander-in-chief of the city. Welcome to the Steam Academy fortress.”
“You need to fire those big guns at the beasts again,” Sebastian shouted at the man, pointing out toward the vast plain. His hands were shaking and his legs were feeling weak. “They could be preparing to attack again.”
As the milling crowd started to disperse to their various responsibilities, Nikola turned to walk back into the depths of the fortified city.
Sebastian ran to keep up with him.
“I’m sorry,” Nikola said, “we only have limited power, and the storage battery units are now empty.”
“So that’s it, you let them attack us?”
“They’ve been weakened, they’ll retreat soon enough.”
“But I’ve seen what they can do. They’re extremely dangerous.”
“Look, you’re dealing with things you don’t understand yet. There’s no source of unlimited power. In this city the laws of thermodynamics are obeyed. We must choose our targets carefully. You’ve done well, and achieved much for one so young and inexperienced, but you’re at the Steam Academy now. It’s different here and you need to calm down. You’re safe. You’re in a fortress.”
“Is this an actual castle?”
“Fortress. Yes.”
“Why do you need a fortress? I thought it was all science-y stuff at the academy.”
“We’re attacked regularly.”
“Those things attack regularly? How regularly?”
“Only a couple of times a year, although it’s been getting more frequent of late. Usually it’s only the one beast that attack
s. This is the first time two have attacked.” He stopped. “But maybe they weren’t here to attack us.” He stared down into the boy’s eyes.
Sebastian briefly wondered about telling Nikola about the cyborgs in the desert, but decided it wasn’t something he wanted the others to know about. Yet.
“Are you saying I brought them here?”
“Or they followed you. Either way, you’ve had more impact than you know.”
“It’s not my fault if they followed me. And just in case you didn’t notice, we were under attack from them.”
“There’s much you don’t know. You’re too young to understand the complexities and machinations of the politics involved. But you needn’t worry; I’ve been given instructions. You’ll be safe here.”
“Both of us? What about Melanie?”
“Who?”
“The girl who came in with me.”
“Oh, her.” He waved a dismissive hand. “She’s being attended to. Her role isn’t that significant.”
“Hang on. Who has given you instructions? How were you expecting me? What’s going on?”
Nikola sighed and slowed his great pace through the streets. He spotted a couple of low stools in front of a small shop selling flowers and indicated Sebastian should sit.
Sebastian looked at the wall. The rocks had been crafted to sit perfectly side-by-side, yet each face had remained irregular. The pathways down the alleyways were the same. The stones had been expertly cobbled together into a seamless stretch of roadway, but were individually uneven.
Sebastian sat and leaned back against the rough-faced rocks. Now that he had time to catch his breath, he looked around. If his mother saw this place she’d have a word or two to say about the lack of uniformity. The whole place appeared to have been constructed ad-hoc, by a bunch of very skilled artisans with no plan whatsoever. The buildings were all varying heights and stories. Some roofs were steep, some not so, but all were wide enough to provide adequate shade for the inhabitants. The windows were small, to keep out the fierce heat of the midday sun, with wooden sills and edging dried brittle by years of unrelenting heat.
