RISING (A Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic USA Fantasy) (Mystical Slayers Heritage Book 1)

by Michael W. Huard

  Their flight took about a half hour before landing in an unknown location. Taya guessed it might very well be a Correlation headquarter place. The cage was lowered into a large indoor area, and Taya realized the whole chamber was full of other people that had also been apprehended by the JC. The locks on their cage snapped open automatically, and they were approached by large robots that removed all their possessions, and then set them free to join the others. It was indeed a chamber full of those less fortunate.

  An assortment of people roamed around the big chamber, which was painted in white with a door at the far end of the room. Some of the captured hovered in corners, keeping to themselves, while others bickered about being caught and planned what they could do to escape. Taya warned the others to stay away from the squabbles and crazy talk.

  She kept her own eyes and ears open for any bits of useful information. She learned they were apparently now in Pennsylvania, and it was here that the Correlation occupied their home station. The voices in the room offered many new clues and interesting details. The whole place looked like some sort of big historical hall. Another prisoner disclosed that this was the very location where an infamous bronze bell was made, which apparently, eons ago, was a symbol of freedom in Philadelphia and for the once United States of America. Taya wondered what it was with all these symbols. They seemed to haunt her at every new place she traveled to.

  The others were very scared, as was Taya. They overheard a rumor that the door at the far end led to what the captured called the funnel. It was supposedly a place where the rich owners of the Correlation judged the value of their captives and whether or not they thought each was worthy of survival. As if on cue, silver and black robotic soldiers marched into the chamber and started to move everyone in that direction.

  As the foursome got closer and closer to the door, Moon tried to comfort her friends, "We’ll be okay, guys. All of us are young and strong. Someone will see that, and we’ll be okay." Garrison was crying, as was TB. Taya held hands with them all as they made their way forward.

  As they drew even closer, the door revealed the funnel beyond. It was a long corridor with shower heads protruding from the walls on either side. The people were stripped naked, and water began to spray down on them as robotic arms lathered up soap all over their bodies. Taya overheard that this was a cleaning of the filthy, and they were just about ready for their turn in such a cleansing ritual.

  It was traumatic to say the least. They were forced to strip as others watched and then directed to another room to be judged. Taya found herself crying too. Never had she imagined something so horrible. She could hear the screams of those less fortunate as she, Moon, Garrison, and TB exited the cleaning funnel and entered another big chamber.

  Here they saw a panel of men sitting in wait, who instantly roamed their beady eyes over all the naked and shivering captives set before them. An oval plaque on the wall above them had golden letters reading JC; the logo for this monstrosity of an association. The three male judges all sat in high-backed leather chairs, accompanied by an elevated hologram image that looked on as well. He was some sort of a moral judge, his robes hardly hiding the fact that he was vastly overweight, but then again, he was just an image, maybe even fabricated to look important.

  Taya had seen what the rich could do when no one stood up to them, and it ripped her heart out. Garrison was first to walk before the panel. He was deemed strong and fit enough to become a trainee. He would either be kept as a human, or perhaps made into a cyborg. The panel announced that these were the standards expected of new recruits.

  The boy cried out, "No, please, don’t take me away from my friends!" The robots seized the screaming child.

  Moon hollered out, "Don’t take him, he is our friend! Keep us all together . . . please, I beg you all!"

  The virtual judge, he who was introduced as Supreme Justice Tartilla, spoke from his place on the wall, "He will be taken to Fairmount Training Facility. He’s one of the lucky ones."

  Moon and Taya were not feeling lucky. Garrison struggled against their decision, but his attempt to break free from the powerful bots failed miserably. He was taken away, gone before their very eyes.

  The men on the panel were all wearing dark colored suits. Each was later on in their years, and they all looked very much the same. Taya felt they might be triplets, and her assumption was correct.

  The virtual judge started talking before TB was looked over. "So how are the Armas gentlemen these days?" he asked. The judge on the wall picked at his nose and added, "You three brothers are really making waves in Philly. I suspect the others in the region will fully back you in good time."

  One of the brothers spoke on behalf of all three. "Supreme Judge Tartilla, thank you for your compliment. We are striving to make the world safer, rid ourselves of the vermin, and build a nation with a foundation that will stand the test of time. President Sweet also seems to like what we have accomplished so far," he added.

  The bot now stood TB before the panel. One of the triplets said he would be willing to have her as a house slave, another felt she was too meek and should disposed of. The third Armas, whose first name was noted as Deekan, pondered such. "She isn’t bad looking now she's cleaned up." He stood and walked over to further investigate her body, pawing her all over from her face down to her legs. "No budding tits and her hair is thin . . . perhaps you’re correct, brother. She’s of no use." Moon and Taya attempted to run forward, but the strong bots had a firm grip on their arms and would not allow such a rescue.

  Taya screamed at the top of her lungs, "You can’t do this! She’s just a child. Stop this madness, you have to stop this!" She again tried to break free, and this time she was successful. She twisted free from the bot's tough grip and spun low, knocking the thing off its feet. Another robot tried to grab her by the throat, but she ducked low to escape his hold as well. She jumped up and side kicked the second, sending him back a few steps. This opened up her path to TB and the panel of judges.

  Deekan Armas stood and demanded she stop. "Young lady, that’s quite enough!" he growled, withdrawing a laser pistol and directing it at her. "You get back to where you were . . . or else," he warned. Taya did not listen. She managed to grab TB, but then her world went all dizzy. The first robot had come from behind and bashed her on the top of her head. She fell to the floor in a semi-conscious state.

  She could vaguely hear them taking TB away, mixed with the agonizing shouts and pleas from Moon as she begged them not to take their friend. Moon was next, and she too was taken away. Eventually, Taya's head started to clear, and she too was taken up to be judged.

  The magistrate on the wall spoke first. "Well, this one has some spunk. To be honest, I see her as nothing but trouble. I also heard she was found with a weapon. Some sort of a thin, curved blade." He cleared his throat, "I would suggest she either goes through a serious taming protocol, or she will have to be disposed of."

  The lead triplet stood and offered his opinion on the subject. "The thing is, sir, I like a feisty girl, especially one with these raven dark-haired looks." He tossed her hair to the side to get a better look at her face. "Oh and these lovely green eyes have a nice sparkle too," he added.

  Armas was actually not bad looking. The same could be said for his two brothers, given they were all identical. Each had dark brown hair, slicked back and waxed, and each had a well-maintained beard. Deekan had a star tattoo on either side of his neck, and these were the only distinguishing marks that set him aside from his look-alike brothers.

  "President Sweet asked me to bring him a treat from today’s judgments, and I think she will do just fine," he smirked. The robots then dragged the young teenager to what would be another giant step towards her calling.

  Chapter Five

  She found herself sitting in a steel cage in the middle of some sort of large office. She saw that it was decorated with the trophies of centuries gone by. Replicas of war, helmets, weapons, armor, stuffed a
nimal kills, and an assortment of other items were all being used to impress those who entered this office.

  President Sweet was a tall, lanky man with black rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose. His receding blond hair had patches of gray at the temples. He liked to wear navy blue, and tailored suits were his preference in style. Today was no different. The young woman watched him going about his business before sitting down in his leather desk chair.

  He looked up at the cage while tapping away on his computer. "Well, hello there!"

  The girl wasted no time in asking for her release. "Let me out of this cage," she shouted. "Where are my friends?" Taya then barged at the cell door, trying to break it open, but it would not give. "Release me! Let me out of this thing!"

  The president of the Joint Correlation ignored her.

  He stared at two large computer screens. The world was before him, the northeast being his domain. He had become the puppet master of the region with a majority control of the entire area.

  The robotics team, assembled by Sweet himself, had built an army that no one could defeat. It was simply a marvel of this generation’s technological advancements.

  He spoke into his hi-tech screens and continued to ignore Taya’s pleas for release.

  "We’re testing the AI right now. Very soon, our machines will not only guard, they will also have more purpose and be smarter than ever before," said a voice from one of the screens on his desk. "This is an exciting moment for the company and for all those with big investments in such."

  The president said, "The formula is in its advanced stages. As we have discussed before, the extension of human life is a prerogative here at JC." The president then glanced at Taya, who was still shaking her cage and looking for a way out. He kept his conversation going despite her rants and noise. "We are not seeking just extended life, we also want better quality of life. A human can live longer now, yet still the body weakens. This is our goal; more years and more good years. I feel one hundred and fifty is a good number of years to expect once the formula is ready." The voice seemed excited and offered good wishes to all.

  As Taya continued with her demands to be set free, he finally stood up and perched himself on the edge of his desk to face the cage. "Listen, you little retard, I'll do whatever the hell I want to do with you. First off, you got a damn big nose, and I don't really like it, and secondly, you're a whiny little bitch," he laughed and shook his head.

  Taya was taken aback by his vulgarity, but the so-called president continued to stare at her.

  "Just let me go," Taya insisted.

  "Shut up!" he yelled at her. "Furthermore, you still need to be tested before I let you out of that cage."

  Taya stopped and took a breath as he went on with his explanation, "You are probably full of disease, although I'm happy to see you don't look that infested. Either way, once we cure you and clean your nasty ass up, I can fuck the shit out of you and make something good of you," he smirked, enjoying his mockery. He loved to make fun of people and be sarcastic with them and torment them. He abruptly left the room before any more words were exchanged.

  As the days and nights went by, Taya was fed sporadically, and cleaning robots would also come in to help her go to the bathroom by placing buckets inside her cage. Her body was meticulously cleaned every day. The problem was, they never opened the cage, and therefore, she could not get free.

  The president ridiculed her at every given opportunity. He made a point of telling her that she wouldn't get much food because he didn't want her to get fat. The last thing he wanted was a fat-ass woman to look at. Today was no different. He walked in, looked at Taya and started right in, "Did you sleep well, dear? No bedtime snacks for you. All I see is fat-ass chicks on the outside. They eat crappy fast-food and just keep getting fatter and fatter. It grosses me out."

  Taya had never felt so miserable in her life. The only helpful thing to come out of this whole ordeal was that she got to listen to everything that was spoken about in this office.

  The president’s assistant, that being one of the Armas triplets, would come in, and his secretaries also spoke with him daily. He would also speak on many conference calls with various different bigwigs. Everything about the JC, and all the other information Taya heard she took in for future reference.

  The bottom line was the country was continuously being altered to please the wealthy.

  People, the one-time legitimate citizens of a once united nation, were now pawns in a game that only the rich and powerful were allowed to play.

  She understood even more of what had happened to this once great nation. Ego and greed had destroyed the United States of America. Most people could not survive the nuclear attacks, let alone the chemical and biological warfare that followed. All government was overthrown. And this was no science fiction or fantasy tale, it was real life, and it was happening right before her eyes.

  The people with money could still live, while the people without would die off or live on the streets in small clans, hoping for some sort of salvation that never came.

  There were no rules for the poor. People did what they had to do, and they made up the rules as they went along.

  President Sweet’s Joint Correlation, that being a group of very rich people, also controlled the entire northeast banking system. Everything was run by computer systems at this very location in Pennsylvania.

  The various experiments, the creations, and of course, all the military might had also been conceived, studied, and made here. The JC was bringing in people to test their discoveries and to create cyborgs to see if their drugs would work on live subjects. There was no one watching over anything they did. This was beyond disgusting, and Taya found herself wanting to throw up on a regular basis.

  The time had come for the young girl to have her testing done. The tall, lanky man, and yes, dressed in a navy-blue suit, made his way into the suite with his cocky attitude in full force. He sat at his desk while talking on a conference call and ignoring Taya. He spoke about having the elixir ready, the new tester for a longer life. Taya saw he was holding a small vial and watched as he placed it down on the desk after his call.

  The female serving bots rolled in and prepared to let her out of her cage. "As soon as you have my little pet all cleaned up and tested, we are going to have a whole lot of fun together," he smirked as he walked up real close to Taya. "I'd like nothing better than to break in a little virgin," he whispered to her. Taya spat at him. He laughed and spoke louder, "The thing is, I have no idea what I am going to do with you after I've used you for my pleasure. I guess it depends on how well you perform," he continued. "One thing's for sure, we got to get you some implants, those little titties are worthless."

  He turned to leave and looked back at the bots. They were his creation, and these particular robots were made up of three pieces in the colors of yellow, black, and silver. Each had a round head, a big rounded belly, and rolling wheels to move about on. They were programmed to do as he said and given enough AI to understand his commands. "Get her to the doctor, and please get this nasty girl looking good and disease free," he instructed as he walked out of the room.

  Taya knew today would be the most important day of her life.

  Chapter Six

  She'd had plenty of time to study the office over the past week, and she'd spotted Bright, her katana, on a far shelf. As the bots prepared to unlock her cage, she awaited stronger and bigger robot guards, or at least someone else to assist in taking her down the hall. She knew this was her chance, and if she died trying, so be it. But no one else came.

  As the door to her cage was unlocked, Taya had her long, gray suede jacket curled up and ready. The bot opening the door was her target. Just as the door started to creak open, she whipped her jacket around its head. She looped it over the first bot's round head and tied the rest of the coat to the bars on the inside of the cage. A quick knot followed, and the thing was caught in a trap. The second bot reacted
as if to free its companion. Taya stomp-kicked the thing in the face as she jumped free from the cage. It backed up some and began to sound an alarm that was built inside its mechanical system. Taya ran to her sword, grabbed it, and bolted to get out of the door; then she paused and spotted the vial on the desk. She grabbed that too and began to run, but the second bot rolled before her and blocked the exit.

  Both its arms extracted long blades and it crisscrossed the sharp steel knives in front of Taya. It spoke for the first time amidst its shrieking alarm going off. "You must stop, or I will eliminate you," the thing said in a deep female voice. Taya had no time for a fight, least of all with a serving bot. She ran full steam to the president’s desk and leaped on top of it, continuing her momentum to spring right over the bot and land on the other side of it with an acrobatic tumble. She rolled up to her feet and ran down the hall, only to find President Sweet stepping out from around the bend and standing before her.

  He clapped for her. "I should have known better," he announced. "Get your ass back in that cage." He then drew a laser pistol from his side holster. "I’m going to blast your useless existence right out of you if you don’t get back in there," he yelled. Taya, sweating, scared, and with the idea of that prison making her stomach churn, boldly marched forward. "Stop," the president yelled, "or I will shoot!" He then fired, but as luck would have it, Taya had dodged to her left to avoid his blast at the same time as the rolling bot sped around the corner and banged into her. The collision actually helped Taya to avoid being shot. She ended up behind the metal thing and began pushing it at the president. He shot several times, but the beams hit the bot and not his intended target.