by Jake Bible
Bisby raised his binocs and watched in horror as One Arm found Stanislaw’s severed right arm, cracked open his cockpit and tossed the morsel to the ravenous zombie pilot inside. Bisby wanted to put his binocs away, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
One Arm turned and roared at Bisby in triumph.
Part Two- Grief & Anger
Rachel sat up in her cockpit, instinct telling her to watch the horizon. Automatically she started to strap herself in and activate weapons systems.
She watched and waited.
Nothing.
Knowing better than to trust only her eyes, she dialed up the long-range sensors and pushed them to full spectrum.
Nothing. Wait… There, miles out, something moved. A mech. But whether it was living or dead, she couldn’t tell.
Not one for drama, she didn’t sound the claxons right away, waiting for a closer look and a little more info.
The thing wasn’t moving fast, so she figured she had time.
***
“Doctor?” Commander Capreze inquired, knocking lightly on Themopolous’ office door. He waited politely for an invitation.
Doctor Themopolous looked up from the medical charts she was reviewing on her tablet. “Yes? Oh, Commander, please come in. What can I do for you? Feeling alright?”
Capreze chuckled. “Yes, I’m fine. I am here to check on you, actually.” Capreze took a seat in one of the open chairs set before Themopolous’ desk.
Themopolous raised an eyebrow. “Me…?”
“Yes. Pilot Jespers mentioned you were asking about Foggy Bottom. Anything to do with the coded communique you received this morning?”
Themopolous looked away.
***
“Hey, what was the name of those vids we watched?” Jethro asked around the screwdriver clenched between his teeth. He pulled it from his mouth, stretching his arm past wires and pistons, trying to reach the right spot. “The Transmogrifiers?”
“Transformers,” Jay responded, reaching from the other side, helping guide Jethro’s screwdriver.
“Right. Transformers. Man, that was some cool shit.”
Jay stared at his assistant in disbelief. “You work on fucking mechs! I’m pretty sure these are way more cool than that made up shit.”
“Yeah, but they turned into stuff like boats and cars.”
“Yeah, you got a point.”
***
Harlow stood below Masters’ mech, manning the initiation console, going over the start-up procedure. She checked gauges, then looked up directly at Masters’ cockpit.
“You’re all set Pilot, go kick some deader ass,” Harlow yelled. Masters cupped a hand to his ear and shook his head. Harlow clicked her com.
“I said, you’re all set. It’s the same thing I say every morning.”
“I know, baby. I just like hearing your sweet voice in my ear,” Masters cracked. Harlow shook her head, smiling.
“Get out of here, will ya?”
“Eager for me to leave?”
“No. Eager for you to return.”
***
Mathew sat in the control tower, built decades before when the UDC expected the mech bases to be bustling hives of activity, mechs coming and going, troops being transported in and out.
Movement below caught his eye as Rachel locked her cockpit. The tower was insulated from sound, but he knew she was powering up full systems. Immediately he scanned the horizon, trying to see what had alarmed her.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said, calling Rachel’s com.
“Mech. Can’t tell if it’s a deader or not… You watching me again?”
“Busted. I’m off shift until after the Rookie gets here.”
***
June walked into the rec room, hoping Jay had downloaded the new batch of vids. She grabbed some couch and flicked on the wall-sized monitor. She scanned the menu, seeing the same shows she had seen a million times. She clicked off the monitor, depressed.
She wondered where Mathew was. Probably watching her again, she thought bitterly. Spoiled little mech brat…
June stood up, anger and jealousy suddenly motivating her. Fuck this, she thought.
She stomped out of the rec room, determined to find Mathew and tell him how she felt. Determined to make him feel the same about her.
***
The bay doors opened wide, allowing Masters’ mech to exit the hangar.
“Watch yourself out there,” Harlow buzzed over Masters’ com.
“Don’t worry, sugar. I’m good to go.”
“Not worried about you, I’m worried about your partner today.”
“Rachel? Why?” Masters asked.
“She only sleeps in her mech! A, that’s just weird. B, no one can get a good night’s sleep in one of those cockpits. If she’s fatigued, then she may hesitate when she shouldn’t. Just watch yourself.”
“Not to worry, baby. I slept fine last night. Rested and ready to wipe the wasteland clean of the deader menace!”
***
“It was personal,” Doctor Themopolous said, still avoiding Capreze’s gaze.
It was Capreze’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Personal? You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”
The doctor considered what to tell Capreze; the Commander waited.
“I was looking to transfer. To get away from” -she gestured about the office, indicating the entire base- “all of this.”
“Any particular reason?” Capreze asked kindly.
“No single reason. It’s just, well…”
“The isolation, the fear, the violence, the desolation, the lack of any socialization beyond a bunch of mech pilots half out of their minds?”
Themopolous laughed, smiling weakly.
***
Mathew climbed the spiral stairs to the tower, having grabbed his binocs from his locker, preferring the exertion of the steps to the static hum of the lift. He clicked his com. “Anything?”
“Nope, still too far out for a decent scan,” Rachel’s voice buzzed in his ear. “Did you get your binocs?”
“Yah, I’m almost to the- Oh, um, hey June…”
“What’s she doing there?” Rachel asked, a hint of jealousy marking her words.
“Hello, Matty,” June said, her voice shaking.
“Hey Rache, I’ll get back to you, okay?”
“Make it quick…Mathew.”
“Ahh, come on, don’t be like that…”
***
“That still doesn’t explain why it was coded…,” Capreze led. Themopolous’ smile faded quickly, darkness clouding her eyes.
“It was from an old colleague of mine. He’s Chief Medical Officer for Foggy Bottom…,” she trailed off.
Capreze waited patiently. “And…?”
“And? Well, he has been seeing some issues with the Reaper chips. Some very alarming issues.”
“He’s reported these ‘issues’ to the UDC?”
“Well, that’s complicated…”
Claxons blared, the base sent into full alarm.
Capreze jumped from his seat. “We’ll continue this later, Doctor.”
“Of course, Commander.”
Capreze tapped his com. “Full alert folks, all staff to stations. Be ready.”
***
“Approaching mech, this is Pilot Capreze, please respond,” Rachel waited, but there was no answer. “Son of a bitch…”
Rachel fired up all systems and triple checked her weapons. She slammed her hand on the console, initiating the base’s alarm and defense systems then started towards the approaching mech. Her com crackled and Commander Capreze buzzed in her ear.
“Whatcha got Baby Girl?” her father’s voice asked.
“Not sure. Incoming mech, but can’t tell if it’s friend or not. It’s not responding to my hail. Scanners say it’s pretty banged up and power levels are low.”
“Be careful.”
“Will do.”
***
“Listen Matty, there is
something I want to say,” June said sheepishly. “Something I’ve been meaning to say for a while.”
“Um, can this wait, June? Rache has an incoming mech and I’m her eyes on this.”
“No! It can’t wait for Rachel!”
Mathew stepped back at the force of June’s words. “Whoa, whoa, take it easy. Fine, what is it you need to say?”
June took a deep breath, she couldn’t help glancing out the window, down at the mech, down at her. She let out the breath and turned back to Mathew.
Before she could speak, claxons blared.
***
“I wish it was more than meets the eye! Then this piece of shit could transform into a mech that worked!” Jay yelled at Jethro.
“How’d you get those vids anyway?” asked Jethro, handing Jay the span-driver he hadn’t asked for yet.
“Thanks… Some chick I was banging before the dead mechs. Her dad was new media and had a HUGE vid library.”
“Wow. Did he have that one with the talking dog and those kids? Shabby Sue, I think?”
“Huh… Don’t know that one.”
“Nevermi-“
Proximity klaxons shook the hangar bay.
“Shit, hope that’s one of ours,” Jay mumbled.
***
Masters settled his mech next to Rachel’s. “What ya got?”
“Mech. Heading straight for us. Looks damaged,” Rachel replied, engaging the drive gear. “I’m gonna head out there and intercept. If my dad sends more pilots out, then you come join me. Otherwise, stay back and cover the base.”
“Will do,” Masters responded, checking his weapons systems and firing up long-range sensors.
Rachel started to walk her mech away from the base. Her com crackled loudly.
“Hey! Where you going all by yourself?” Mathew asked, not bothering to hide his concern.
“I’m on intercept.”
Mathew grumbled, Rachel smiled at this.
***
“Fucking piece of shit!” Bisby swore, smashing his fist against the com controls. Far off he could see the mech base, two mechs standing out front, just dots in the distance.
Having a landmark in sight, he adjusted his course, heading for the funeral pyre where he would deposit Stanislaw’s body. Regardless of the state of the body, all corpses were deposited at the pyre to be dealt with immediately.
It had taken him a couple hours to walk several miles, but the last mile to the pyre was the hardest.
Bisby could feel the fatigue creep into his soul.
***
With the motor drive in gear, Rachel took the opportunity to stretch her legs as much as she could in the tight space of the cockpit. She wanted to be plenty limber if she had to be.
The terrain in the general area of the mech base was smoothed and maintained, allowing the mechs to move fast when they needed to. Rachel kept an eye on her scanners as she approached the mystery mech.
Within seconds here computer chimed, letting her know it was Bisby’s mech she was seeing.
“Biz? Come in Biz!” she hailed, hoping he could still hear.
***
Bisby struggled to keep his mech going towards the funeral pyre. The hydraulics were quickly breaking down; he wasn’t sure if he would make it to the pyre and back into base.
Bisby saw a mech approaching fast, but couldn’t tell whose it was. He could give a shit who came to greet him, as long as they stayed out of his way.
In seconds the mech was close enough for Bisby to see it was Rachel coming to intercept him. He immediately launched three flairs. Red, blue, red. The signal that he was alive, but his com was down.
***
Rachel walked her mech right up to Bisby’s so they could hear each other. She opened her cockpit and motioned for Bisby to do the same. He was slow in responding, but eventually he did.
“Where’s Stan?” Rachel called out.
It was all Bisby could do to keep his tears in check. He wasn’t going to cry in front of another pilot, especially one that he taught himself.
“Biz! Where is Stan?” Rachel called again.
Bisby pointed down towards the auxiliary cargo pocket holding his dead mentor’s body.
Rachel’s eyes swept down and then she squeezed them closed, quickly understanding.
***
Rachel hailed Capreze, trying desperately to hold back the sobs, but the second her father’s voice came on the com, she lost all control.
“Rachel?!? What’s going on out there? Whose mech is that?” Capreze asked, struggling to keep his voice professional.
Rachel couldn’t answer. Blinded by tears and racked with despair, she stopped her mech, letting Bisby hobble on without her. Her chest felt empty yet unbelievably heavy at the same time.
“It’s okay, Baby Girl,” Capreze soothed, all thoughts of protocol lost. “Let it out, let it all out.”
“St-st-stan…”
“You’re with Stan?”
“St-st-stan’s gone, Daddy!” Rachel wailed.
***
Despite the massive damage his mech had sustained, Bisby was able to retrieve Stanislaw’s body from the auxiliary cargo and place it gently upon the concrete pyre.
He stood there, man and machine, man as machine, staring at a corpse that was no longer his friend, but just so much flesh to be burned, to be turned to ash.
Bisby let a tear fall from his right eye, but wiped it away quickly. He switched his gaze to the direction he had come from, making himself a promise he would find One Arm.
And destroy the deader or die trying.
***
Watching Bisby approach, Rachel gave him a thumbs up and motioned towards the base. She hoped she was far enough away that he couldn’t see her grief ravaged face. Bisby’s mech returned the thumbs up, the metal protesting.
“Pilot Capreze to base, we’re heading in,” Rachel called over her com, using every effort to keep her voice from shaking. “Stanislaw’s body has been placed on the pyre. We’ll need to get a watch on it right away incase there are any zombies in the area.”
“Will do,” her father responded, back to professional. “Just get yourself and Biz back here.”
***
“Masters?” Capreze called.
“Yeah Commander?” Masters responded over his com, still in his mech, watching his sensors as the two far off mechs made their way slowly to base.
“We’re gonna need a detail out at the pyre,” Caprezez stated. “Bring your mech in and grab Mathew. I need you both out there ASAP.”
“Sure thing Commander,” Masters responded, hesitating slightly.
“Yes, Masters?”
“Whose mech is that coming back with Rachel?”
“Bisby’s.”
Masters didn’t need Capreze to elaborate, he knew whose body he and Mathew would find out on the pyre.
“Mech returning to hangar,” Masters called over his com.
***
The two mechs walked back to the base, Rachel hanging back in order to keep pace with Bisby’s damaged machine. Groans of protest, smoke and sparks escaped the battle-ravaged mech.
Neither spoke, not that they could be heard over the clanging and grating the mechs made. But even if Bisby’s com had worked they would have remained silent. Stanislaw meant too much to both of them for either to keep it together if they spoke of what happened.
Rachel was patient enough to wait until they were back in the hangar and Bisby had made his report to the Commander.
***
Half the base staff stood at the hangar bay doors, watching as Bisby and Rachel drew closer.
“Is that Bisby or Stanislaw?” June whispered to Mathew.
“I don’t know. They’re too far out,” Mathew responded.
Jay came up behind them, appraising the approaching mechs. “That’s Biz.” He turned and strode back to whatever he had been working on.
“How do you know?” June called after him.
The mech pilots in attend
ance each gave her a look of annoyance. June bristled at their stares. “What? It’s a logical question. They have to be at least 200 yards out.”
All looked away.
***
Everyone cleared from the hangar doors as Masters brought his mech in for docking. He powered it down and popped open the cockpit.
“Hey Matty?” he called down below, undoing the straps holding him in place.
Mathew, about to leave the hangar and head back to the control tower, stopped and turned. “Yeah?”
“Capreze wants us on pyre duty.”
All heads in the hangar turned to look at Mathew, he met everyone’s gaze, taking in their ‘better you than me’ looks.
“Gotcha. I’ll round up the gear while you get your mech settled,” Mathew called up to Masters.
“Thanks, man.”
***
Rachel maneuvered her mech into its previous post as Bisby’s lone mech lumbered into the hangar.
She fought hard to keep the tears back, but it was a losing battle. She sobbed uncontrollably, wrapping her arms about herself as she rocked in the cockpit.
Her com buzzed and she struggled to pull herself together.
“Hey, you okay?” Mathew’s voice crackled. She sucked back tears, choking a bit.
“No, Matty, I’m not,” she whispered.
“What happened? Where’s Stan?”
“I don’t know what happened. Biz wouldn’t say,” she responded between hiccups.
“And Stan?”
Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. “He’s on the pyre.”
***
Jethro pulled his head away from the cockpit, face scrunched in disgust. “Jeezus Bisby! Did you shit yourself?”
Bisby climbed down the last few rungs on his mech’s right leg, glaring up at Jethro. “Just fix the god damn targeter. I was shooting by feel, which totally wasted ammo and cut things way too fucking close.”
Jethro heard the tone in Bisby’s voice, knowing his guess was right; Bisby did shit himself. It must have gotten pretty bad out there.
“Everyone coming back today?” Jethro asked, ignoring the stench and climbing fully into the mech’s cockpit.
“No, Jethro. They aren’t.”
***
“Can you give me a ride out there?” Doctor Themopolous asked, approaching Mathew and Masters as they climbed into the waiting ATV.
“Sure thing, Doc. We’re just heading out to keep watch on the body,” Mathew responded.
