by E. R. Torre
“So an electromagnetic pulse starts the truck,” the man at the back of the cabin said. “How did it drive off? Was that another electromagnetic pulse?”
“Obviously not.”
“Whoever got the truck moving led us on quite a chase. A diversion?”
“Either that or they were testing our strength.”
“If that’s the case, your soldiers didn’t do so well.”
The man seated in the chair frowned.
“Are you trying to provoke me, Inquisitor Damien?”
Inquisitor Damien said nothing while Commander Meyers rubbed his chin. The ARWs at either side of him stepped forward and, in response, Inquisitor Damien stepped back.
“Despite our losses, it occurs to me we’ve discovered something interesting,” Commander Meyers said.
“Which is?’
“Let me answer your question with another: Why were we attacked in this particular fashion? This attack, though it was barely that, appeared rather frantic. Perhaps it was more of an escape.”
“Frantic or not, they –whoever they are– were successful. We lost two of your soldiers and aren’t any nearer to figuring out who brought us here. Or why.”
“I disagree,” Commander Meyers said. He hit a button on the computer before him. “Our sensors spotted a cloud of sand moving along the streets. We could not find a draft to account for it therefore it must have come from something else. A small vehicle perhaps. Their vehicle.”
On the monitor, one of the creatures examining the ancient truck emerged from the rubble. It drew up to the side of military transport and sent more information into the transport’s computers.
“No sign of a driver,” Commander Meyers said. “We may not have them but we know what to look for. It won’t be long before we corner them.”
Inquisitor Damien leaned against the wall at the rear of the cabin. There was little more he could add.
“If all works out, we’ll be back in Davilia before supper,” Commander Meyers said.
“What about my ship and crew?”
“One step at a time,” Commander Meyers said.
The two creatures guarding Meyers remained completely still. At least for the moment.
And then Unit 1 turned its head ever so slowly to face the Inquisitor.
Inquisitor Damien couldn’t help but wonder if it was capable of worrying about their predicament.
41
While the mechanical creatures and the passengers in the military transport investigated the destroyed truck, Laverna and her stowaway gained distance.
A pinkish tinge, the first hint of the rising sun, appeared in the far horizon. Laverna felt a moment of relief –that the sun would rise after all– followed by fear. When the darkness gave way to light, the Camouflage Unit would greatly lose its effectiveness. Assuming, of course, she still had any energy left in her power cell to charge it.
Laverna drove on and, as she did, a frown appeared on her forehead. She was lost in this valley of structures, an ant in an oversized maze, and was confused and disoriented by it.
As hard as it was to understand how she hacked into and turned that old cargo truck on –I did that, right?–, the Bordertown she knew so intimately looked different. Changed.
…replaced.
Laverna spotted the ghostly shapes of buildings she didn’t recall ever seeing before. It didn’t seem possible but some of them looked larger than the Starport.
It can’t be, she thought even as what occurred to her to this point suggested anything was possible.
She shook her head.
Forget it. Focus on getting out.
Soon, she and her stowaway were but a few blocks from another of the town’s exits.
With escape near, Laverna took a look in her rearview mirror and at the man seated behind her. Despite the growing light, he was still mostly hidden in darkness. Yet she saw enough to recognize him.
He was indeed the same strange man who came to Max’s Bar the previous night just as surely as his was the voice inside her head. He was the one who gave her that drink.
The drink.
Every strange thing she experienced since awakening came back to that damned drink.
If he’s responsible for all this, what else is he up to?
Laverna slowed while turning into another alley. The man’s face, as reflected in the rearview mirror, disappeared into darkness before emerging in the dim light of the rising sun.
Laverna blinked.
At times he looked like Harrison. Or Osborne.
Or Carson.
When they emerged from the alley, strong moonlight fell on him and his features were fully revealed. He was what she remembered from the bar, a very thin man in his mid-forties. His grey, shoulder length hair was still tied back. His eyes were the brightest blue and glowed in the dim light.
The stowaway returned Laverna’s gaze and their eyes locked. There was nothing threatening in his stare yet to Laverna it felt as if his gaze could uncover all her deepest secrets.
They entered another, shorter alley and as they neared its end, Laverna slammed on the hovercycle’s brakes. Her vehicle came to a stop a few feet from its end.
“This is where you get off,” she said.
In the alley’s darkness her companion was invisible yet Laverna felt his stare. He didn’t move.
“Get off,” Laverna demanded.
“We stand a better chance staying together,” the stranger said.
“Better chance of what?”
“Is this a question that actually requires an answer?”
Laverna was silent for several seconds.
“They mean us harm,” the stowaway said. “That should be obvious.”
“Us? It’s been a very long time since I angered anyone enough for them to want a piece of my flesh,” Laverna said. “In fact, I was perfectly fine until you arrived.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I’m not going to argue the point. Whatever those things are, they’re obviously after you and not me. You know what? Take the cycle. I’ll make it on foot.”
Laverna got off her hovercycle and walked closer to the edge of the alley. She peered past its corner and at the street beyond. A batch of clouds hid the moon’s light and it was difficult for her to see very far into the distance.
The stowaway was at Laverna’s side.
“That’s your plan? Walk home?”
“If that’s what I have to do, I’ll do it.”
“You always have.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Laverna said. “Do you know me?”
Before the stowaway could answer, they heard a high pitched whine. It was the sound of blades cutting through air.
“A drone,” the stowaway said.
In the dimly lit sky it was impossible to tell from where it came.
“They’re securing the exits,” he said. “They’ll have drones on all of them.”
The stowaway stepped past Laverna and approached the end of the alley to get a better look. He was far enough away from the hovercycle that Laverna felt she could run back to it, mount up, start it, and flee before he could stop her.
For a second she considered doing just that but realized the absurdity of the action. Despite everything, it was wise to stick with her stowaway. At least until she figured out what exactly was going on.
She followed his gaze.
“There,” Laverna said and pointed. The drone was silhouetted against the moon. “It’s an Apperex model.”
“It’s theirs’,” the man said. “If we stay between buildings and continue to use the Camouflage Unit, it won’t see us.”
“About that,” Laverna said. “The hovercycle’s power cell…”
“I knew,” the stowaway said. “We have no choice but to hope it lasts long enough.”
“Long enough for what?” Laverna said. “Between the drones and those creatures, I don’t see how… What in Hades are those creatures anyway?”
“
Automated Robotic Warriors,” the stranger said. “ARWs for short.”
“So far I’ve seen at least ten of them,” Laverna said. “Are they Phaecian?”
“Yes.”
“A standard Phaecian squad has sixteen soldiers.”
The stowaway nodded.
“You’re correct. So minus the two that were taken out, in theory we have thirteen to worry about.”
“Hope your survival skills are better than your math,” Laverna said. “That makes fourteen.”
The stowaway smiled.
“Either way, you think you can get past them?”
“If we make it to the desert—”
“We’ll be caught even quicker,” the man said. “The hovercycle’s power cell can’t recharge and once it runs low enough, the Camouflage Unit shuts off. We’ll be visible to all eyes in the sky.”
“How in Hades did you know about the power cell?”
“Electronics are among my specialties.”
“I guess so. You determined this just by looking?”
“More like by keeping my eyes open.”
“Open or not, you’re right,” Laverna said. “Even in the midday sun the battery barely recharges. What do you suggest we do?”
“Move on and use the structures to hide.”
“Bordertown isn’t big enough to hide—”
“Bordertown is far larger than you think. But you already suspected this, didn’t you?”
The stowaway motioned behind her.
Laverna turned. She stared down the alley they just drove in and toward the faint rays of the rising sun. She felt another chill. The town was so strange after she awoke and, though she saw the shadows of larger structures in the distance, only now did she realize they were real. The dying stars and moon were framed with a maze of enormous buildings which spread out for many, many miles.
Laverna’s mouth involuntarily opened.
“What is this?” she whispered.
At the base of these buildings were the shells of trains and what looked like enormous warehouses. The high rises rose dizzying heights. Scaffolding and chimneys cut into the sky. Despite her shock and confusion, Laverna recognized the configurations of this city.
“Those are foundries,” she whispered. “They melt ore and produce panels. Over there are grav train lines. They move the panels to the assembly plants. To dry dock.”
Laverna shook her head.
“It’s a ship yard,” she whispered. “My father used to work in them. I… I saw how they took heavy metal steel and put those ships together. I saw how they created destroyers and battleships designed to ravage worlds. I was there when their engines screamed for the first time and they lifted off. Those shipyards were larger… larger than most megacities. The skies were dark with ash and smelled of acid. The cities were so large…”
Laverna paused.
“They were nothing like this.”
Her eyes roamed the horizon and in the farthest distance were ferry lines and mortar and the massive walls which enclosed it all. The walls were large enough to hold a planet’s worth of sand from coming inside.
Bordertown, small, insignificant Bordertown, a place which housed so few and could be driven through in a matter of seconds, stretched out and faded into the distance.
“What is going on?” Laverna said. “What is all this?”
The stowaway didn’t reply and Laverna felt it, somewhere deep within her, that as large as this city was, there was more to it. She sensed something hidden beneath the shifting sands. Something so large it defied imagination.
Laverna felt dizzy and found it hard to remain standing.
“Easy,” the stowaway said.
Just like that, Laverna’s strength was back. She grabbed the man by his throat and slammed him against the alley wall.
“How did it change?” she yelled. “What have you done to me?”
The stowaway gently but firmly pulled Laverna’s hands from his neck. It was as if Laverna had the strength of a child and nothing more.
“I know this is very confusing and I promise you will get your answers,” he said. “But this isn’t the place nor time.”
As he spoke, a loud rumble came from somewhere very far away. The ground beneath them soon shook as if from a mild earthquake. Yet Laverna was certain this world could not experience such a thing.
They both looked off to the west. Beyond the cityscape and the massive walls surrounding the city rose a plume of sand. It swirled. It grew. In a matter of seconds, it filled the western sky.
“By the Gods, it’s a sand storm. Look at the size of it!”
“Let’s find a safe place,” the stowaway said. “A place we can talk.”
42
Inquisitor Damien, Commander Meyers, and his two personal ARWs stood outside the military transport and before the fallen building. The other ARWs milled about, searching for information regarding those who caused this destruction.
Inquisitor Damien could do little but watch as another pair of ARWs climbed the destroyed cargo truck and examined her sandy frame. From where he stood the Inquisitor had a clear view of the truck driver’s seat. Its velum and plastic were torn from age and wear and there was plenty of sand covering it. Yet the center of the seat was wiped almost clean, as if someone sat there shortly before it rammed into the building.
Commander Meyers and his mechanical soldiers no doubt noticed this as well but Commander Meyers didn’t share any findings with the Inquisitor.
Down the street, two other ARWs stood before their crushed companion. Arcs of electricity ran along the flattened unit’s body and suggested it somehow still lived. The damage it took, however, was extensive and there was no doubt the Unit was out of action. Perhaps permanently.
“Unit 3, take unit 8 to the transport,” Commander Meyers ordered.
The identified Unit pulled its companion off the street and took the remains back to the transport.
As it did, the ground shook.
“Unit 1?” Commander Meyers said.
“Earthquake detected, seventy-four miles west of megacity.”
“Any danger?”
Unit 1 was quiet for a few seconds and said:
“Seismic activity was extensive. A sand storm was created.”
“Size?”
“Twenty miles across and growing. It is projected to have sustained winds in excess of ninety miles per hour. It will descend upon us within the hour.”
“Keep me appraised,” Meyers said. He stepped away from the cargo truck. “Take me to Unit 14.”
Unit 1 proceeded forward, followed by Commander Meyers. They walked to the distant end of the street and the alley from which first contact with their unknown enemy occurred.
Inquisitor Damien followed.
Within the alley stood three ARWs. They surrounded the remains of another.
While the early morning light remained dim, Inquisitor Damien saw enough of the fallen ARW to know something very different happened to it compared to the Unit crushed by the military transport. This ARW’s body had somehow been turned into dust.
Upon seeing Unit 14’s remains, Commander Meyers’ body stiffened and the color drained from his face.
“What…?” he muttered. “Why… why wasn’t I told?”
Unit 1 offered no answer.
“What is it, Commander?” Inquisitor Damien asked. “You’ve seen this before?”
Commander Meyers’ eyes closed and he took a deep breath. He held back a blinding rage and struggled to contain it.
“Unit 1, if Inquisitor Damien says another word, rip his tongue out.”
Commander Meyers approached the ashen remains of the ARW.
He walked around Unit 14 but kept several feet from it. The other ARWs, similarly, kept their distance and Inquisitor Damien couldn’t help but wonder if the creature was taken out with some kind of transmittable computer virus.
Unit 1’s head swiveled away from Inquisitor Damien and faced Meyers and the fallen ARW. Its
red eyes shined from beneath its metal faceplate.
After a few minutes, Commander Meyers said:
“Bag it.”
One of the alley’s ARWs produced a small vacuum container. The creatures used it to remove and store their companion’s remains from the alley floor.
Commander Meyers approached Inquisitor Damien. Beads of sweat filled his forehead.
“Tell me why you’ve been following us, Inquisitor Damien.”
Unit 1 took a step closer to Inquisitor Damien.
“Go on, speak,” Commander Meyers said.
“What are you talking about?”
A flicker of a smile appeared on Meyer’s face. He motioned to Unit 1.
Unit 1 moved like lightning, grabbing Inquisitor Damien by the throat and pinning him to the alley wall. Inquisitor Damien gasped for air and fought against the creature. There was no way he could defend himself. The creature’s grip was solid steel.
Commander Meyers turned his back on the two. He worked on his computer and sorted through data while Damien’s lungs burned. After a few seconds, he said:
“Let him down.”
If Unit 1 heard the command, it ignored it. The ARW’s red eyes glowed brighter. They stared at Inquisitor Damien as if he were an insect in its grasp.
“Unit 1, let him down!” Commander Meyers barked.
The ARW’s grip relaxed.
“Down!” Commander Meyers repeated.
Unit 1 abruptly released Inquisitor Damien. He fell heavily to the ground and gasped for air.
“You didn’t hear me the first time?” Commander Meyers said. He faced the Inquisitor and added:
“How dumb do you think I am, Inquisitor?”
Inquisitor Damien rubbed his neck and grimaced.
“For the past five years you’ve been following us,” he said. “Wherever my task force goes, the Salvo is sure to be near. Do you wish to deny this?”
Inquisitor Damien said nothing. Commander Meyers wiped more sweat from his forehead.
“In case you didn’t know it, my missions are sanctioned by the Council of Twelve and therefore are legitimate. There is no reason anyone, much less a renegade Inquisitor like you, should be following and investigating me. Yet there you are, showing up in the planetary systems my forces were in time after time, your arrival sometimes so quick that it’s clear someone pointed you my way. Thing is, the only people capable of doing so are the same ones who order my actions: The Council. One or more of them clearly wish to impede the very missions they assign me. Tell me, Inquisitor, which one of them no longer trusts me?”
