by Jake Bible
“I want you to watch the deader. Watch how it moves. Don’t over-analyze things. I want your gut feelings on this.”
The staff sat in silence as they watched.
***
“So, what do you think?” Capreze asked the room.
Those seated looked around at each other, hoping someone had an answer. Dr. Themopolous cleared her throat.
“I think the dead mechs are learning. They are becoming sentient.”
Most in the room gasped.
“You have to be joking, Doc,” Jethro growled.
“No, I’m not, Mechanic,” she stated flatly. “I believe that because of the Reaper chip, the dead mechs are using the complexities of the human brain to do something in death we couldn’t do in life.”
“And what is that, Doctor?” Rachel asked.
“They have created self-replicating AI. They live.”
***
June awoke suddenly and scrambled out from under the blankets she wrapped about her and got to her feet, turning to look at the small, dingy room she was in. There was no furniture, only the pile of blankets and a bucket in the corner.
Bits and pieces of memory came to her and from the bruises and cuts on her naked body and the intense pain radiating everywhere, she knew the day before hadn’t been a dream, it had been a waking nightmare.
The door to the room rattled and then opened and the Boss entered. “Morning, Sunshine. Hungry?”
***
“Okay, everyone settle down,” Capreze said. The room hushed. “As important as this is, it isn’t the most pressing thing we have to deal with today.” Capreze paused. “I received word that two med techs and a team of UDC security will be arriving at 1700 hours by train.”
All eyes fell on Themopolous.
“Med techs?” Harlow asked. “For Steve?”
“They don’t send security for a wounded cook,” Bisby sniped.
“No, they don’t,” Capreze continued. “The techs are supposed to inoculate the base. But the Doctor and I have found that to be a rouse. We cannot let them succeed.”
***
June grabbed for the blankets, wrapping them around her exposed skin.
“Now, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” the Boss said, holding his hands up, palms out. “No need for a pretty thing like you to get all worked up.”
“Where am I?” June asked, eyes darting from the Boss to the door.
“No need to even try,” the Boss grinned. “Hey Chunks?”
“Yes, Boss?” Chunks responded, just outside the door.
“Nothin’. Just making a point.” The Boss’s grin widened, showing sharp teeth filed to points. “Now before Chunks brings in breakfast, how about you tell me your name darlin’?”
***
“Quiet down, people,” Capreze commanded. The alarmed voices of the base staff ceased. “As much as I would like sentient deaders and forced inoculations to be all of our worries, they aren’t. Mathew?”
“Thank you, sir,” Mathew cleared his throat. “I followed some Ranchers out to Timson’s Bluff. Looks like they’ve set up camp there.”
“So?” Bisby asked impatiently.
“They were loading zombie herds onto UDC transports.”
“What the fuck?” Harlow exclaimed. “Why?”
“That seems to be the question of the morning, Pilot Harlow,” Capreze commented. “But we now need to prioritize threats. The train is first. I need suggestions.”
***
“I asked you a question, darlin’,” the Boss said, his grin not meeting his eyes. “Around here, I ask, you answer. There ain’t any way around that.” He stepped closer to June, backing her against the wall. “Unless you want to be the next meal.”
June remained quiet, her body shaking from cold and fear inside her blankets.
“You sure you don’t want to answer? Alright then.”
Lightning quick the Boss lashed out, slapping June across the face. He yanked the blankets from her and punched her in the stomach. June doubled over.
“I can do this all day, sweetheart.”
***
“So, it’s not a retrovirus?” Mathew asked.
“No,” Themopolous answered. “The UDC is injecting nanotech into every person under its authority.”
“Why?” Rachel asked.
“We don’t know,” Capreze said. “But every instinct in my body tells me it isn’t for the ‘greater good’.”
“So, we don’t let them inject us,” Bisby stated. “Seems pretty fucking easy.”
“This is the UDC we are talking about, not some city/state PD. How do we stop them without being marked traitors?” Harlow exclaimed. “Let alone keep them from opening fire as soon as we try to stop them.”
“I have an idea,” Rachel said.
***
“Rachel!” June screamed, shit streaming down her legs after the sixth stomach punch caused her bowels to loose. “Rachel…Capreze.”
“Capreze? You must be the Commander’s brat.” The Boss stepped back, his eyes twinkling with malevolence. “Chunks!”
“Yes, Boss?” Chunks called from outside the room.
“Get me a harness,” the Boss smirked. “I’m gonna show everyone my fancy new breeder.”
In seconds, Chunks came into the room carrying a bundle of leather and metal. The Boss put out a hand and Chunks placed the bundle into his outstretched palm. “Thank you, Chunks. Now, Rachel, I advise you hold perfectly still.”
***
“You think this will work?” Mathew asked, handing Rachel another pitcher of water. Rachel took the water and poured it into the brewer.
“It’s going to have to,” Rachel responded, closing the brewer lid and turning the machine on. In seconds the water began to gurgle through the system and the smell of coffee filled the kitchen.
Themopolous entered the kitchen, three vials in her hands. “Remember, the coffee has to be cooled to room temperature or the heat will break down the sedative.”
“No problem, Doc. I’ll have coffee brewed, cooled and slowly re-heated before the train gets here.”
***
The Boss led June through the village by a leash attached to a neck collar which was in turn attached to straps that were buckled below her breasts, across her mid-section and down around her thighs. The Boss smiled and waved, acknowledging those that greeted him.
June wanted to shut her eyes and pretend like nothing was happening, but she was warned she’d lose her eyelids if she didn’t keep them open and hold her head up high.
From what she could see of the village, the worst slums of the city/states were luxury compared to the squalor around her.
***
Commander Capreze waited as Jethro pulled the ATV back into the hangar. “Everything’s set, sir. If that doesn’t jam them then we’re screwed.”
“I don’t want ‘ifs’ Jethro. I want certainty,” the Commander said.
“Sir, the UDC gave us all this,” Jethro responded, spreading his arms wide. “But they didn’t give us Jay Rind’s brain. Trust me his tech beats their tech any day.”
“I hope so or we will all be lined up in front of a UDC firing squad.” Capreze gazed out the hangar to the train platform. “I guess were as ready as we’re going to be.”
***
“Ladies,” the Boss greeted a small group of women, dressed in a dirty patchwork of clothing, gathered about a massive cook pot. “This is Rachel.” The women stared.
The Boss gave a strong tug on the leash, pulling June closer to the group. She fought to keep from gagging over the smell emanating from the cook pot. “Rachel will be joining our family. I need to make sure she doesn’t attract any unwanted visitors our way. When you are done, let Chunks know. He’ll carry her back.”
The Boss handed June’s leash to one of the women and strode away.
***
“Excuse me, Bisby? Can I have a quick word?” Dr. Themopolous called down the hallway.
Bisby stopped,
but didn’t turn to look at her.
“Whatcha need, Doc?”
“I need to ask a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
Bisby didn’t move. “What about?”
“Well, mainly about Stanislaw. How he died, why he died.”
Bisby stiffened noticeably on top of his already rigid frame.
“Nothing to say Doc.”
“Please?”
Bisby turned and looked square at the doctor. To her credit, she didn’t flinch. Bisby watched her for a moment, sighed and strode passed her as she held her office door open.
***
Two of the women conferred while June, naked and trussed up, waited and watched. Just beyond the women and cook pot stood an animal pen. June craned her neck for a better look and gasped.
“Are those children?” she asked, horrified. In the pen, she could clearly see several deformed children of varying ages, playing and sleeping in their own filth.
“Them’s ain’t children. Them’s breed feed,” one woman said quietly.
“Breed feed?” June asked, sure she didn’t want to know the answer.
“Hush!” a large woman shouted, pulling a long sharp knife from behind her back. “Hold her tight!”
***
Capreze entered the infirmary as Harlow checked Steve’s vital signs. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s stable,” she answered.
“Can we move him quickly if needed?”
“Doc did great work and I have equipment and supplies all set in the transport.”
“What if we can’t take the transport? Will he survive a ride in a mech?”
Harlow sighed. “I don’t know, sir. But from what Themopolous has said, I don’t think so. If his sutures rupture…”
“I understand, pilot.”
“Sir?”
“Yes, Harlow?”
“Have we gotten word to Masters, Jay and the Rookie?”
“We can’t risk it, communications are sure to be monitored.”
***
The massive walls and heavily gunned turrets of Foggy Bottom came into sight just as the mechs crested a low hill.
“Wow, hasn’t changed much,” the Rookie whispered.
“You been here before?” Jay asked disengaging the motor drive and taking manual control of the salvage mech.
“Yeah…when I was a kid.”
“So, when was that? Last month?” Jay joked.
The Rookie didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the approaching city/state. Jay glanced down at the Rookie’s hands, fists clenching and unclenching.
“You looking for a fight?”
“Huh? What? Oh, sorry. Bad memories.”
“Well, we’ll see if we can fix that.”
***
“What are you doing?!? Let me go!” June screamed as the women threw her face down onto a table. June’s face was forced into a hole in the table and her head was strapped down tight. “What the fuck are you doing?!?”
The large woman kneeled down and put her face up close to June’s. The stench of BO and rotting teeth was overpowering.
“You’ll want to be still and shut up or this will go badly for you,” the woman sneered then nodded. “Start cuttin’.”
June felt excruciating pain as a blade sliced into the base of her skull.
***
“You’re wasting my time, Doc,” Bisby growled from his seat in front of Themopolous’ desk.
“I’ll be brief,” Themopolous responded. “Did Stanislaw engage the dead mech or did the dead mech engage Stanislaw?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Quite a bit, actually.”
Bisby glared. “The deader attacked Stanislaw.”
“I guess what I’m trying to say is, did it find you or did you find it?”
“We found it. It was hiding below and when Stan was in range the thing came up and…” Bisby choked on his words. He shook his head and stood up. “Are we done?”
“Yes, Biz. Thank you.”
***
Capreze activated the open com. “Alright folks the train will be here in two hours. I expect each and everyone of you to do your part. I know we have all sworn loyalty to the UDC and with good reason, but something has changed and our ultimate duty is to the safety and survival of mankind, not some generals holed up in a mountain fortress.”
Capreze paused and took a deep breath as the base waited for him to continue.
“If any of you want out, now is the time to speak up. Otherwise, I wish us all good luck.”
***
Jay’s com crackled to life. “Attention approaching mechs. This is Defense Tower Alpha. Welcome to Foggy Bottom. Please power down weapons systems and follow the security ATV to transport entrance.”
“Will do Defense Tower Alpha. That you Scoggins?”
“Hey Jay! Long time no com! You bring me anything?”
“Sure as shit did, my man. What time ya off?
“2200. Swing by my place later. Hey Jay?”
“Yeah?”
“Stay on mission and out of the plazas and markets. There’s a bug going around, hitting folks hard.”
Jay glanced at the Rookie. “Thanks for the heads up, Scog. Later on.”
“Roger that.”
***
June groaned as she awoke. The base of her skull felt like she was on fire and searing pain overwhelmed her entire head, neck and spine.
“Well, looks like nap time is over,” she heard the Boss say next to her. She tried to turn her head and screamed from the new agonies that ripped through her.
“Oh, I’d stay still for a bit,” the Boss said. “You’re going to hurt for a while.”
Realization slammed into June’s conscious mind. “I can’t feel my legs,” she croaked.
The Boss laughed. “Yeah, that happens. Should go away soon. If not, well…”
***
The Foggy Bottom transport gates opened, allowing the security ATV and mechs to enter the scan yard.
“Afternoon, pilots,” a voice greeted them over the com. “I’m Security Officer Xiang. I need to run a full contaminant scan of your mechs before proceeding to the hangar. As you may have heard, we are having some type of outbreak here and we need to detect and isolate any further issues. Shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes or so. Sorry for the delay.”
“Got it. Thanks,” Jay responded, then unlatched his harness and kicked his feet up. “Might as well get comfortable.”
***
Proximity claxons sounded.
“UDC train ETA is 15 minutes,” Jethro announced over the com.
Capreze switched to an open channel. “Okay base, I want everyone in place and ready. We have one shot at making this work or we’ll end up with an entire UDC division down our throats. You know your places. Let’s do this!”
“Um, let’s do this?” Rachel said from Capreze’s office doorway.
“I haven’t had to give a rousing speech in a while. Cut your old man some slack.”
Rachel crossed and hugged her father.
“What’s this about?” Capreze asked, returning the hug.
“Just in case.”
***
“Who’s the new guy?” asked the security officer at the admin desk.
“Rookie,” Jay answered.
“Figured that much since new guys tend to be rookies,” the officer said sarcastically.
“Which is why we call him the Rookie, dumbass,” Masters said, stepping around Jay to face the officer.
“Fuck, should have guessed it’d be you this time, Masters,” the officer growled.
“Good to see you too, Rodriguez,” Masters growled back.
Rodriguez and Masters locked eyes.
Jay cleared his throat. “If you guys are done touching dicks, can we move on?”
“You know the rules.” Rodriguez buzzed them into the city/state proper.
***
“Keep the com open until after all UDC personnel are off that trai
n then shut it down,” Capreze ordered Jethro. He turned to Mathew as the pilot was climbing into his mech. “Stay hidden. Once Jethro jams communications, you are on your own. Get to the first city/state you can and find out what’s going on. We need details and data if we are going to piece this together.”
“Yes, sir,” Mathew responded, powering up his mech. Rachel entered the hangar and gave a slight wave. Mathew smiled and nodded then engaged his mech’s legs and walked into the wasteland.
***
“What was that about?” the Rookie asked, tossing his bag into the back of the SUV the pilots had been provided with.
Jay tossed his in behind, gave a small laugh and moved to the driver’s seat. “Ask tough guy there.”
The Rookie stepped aside as Masters threw his pack in with the rest. “Old acquaintance.”
“Ha!” Jay barked. “That’s what you’re going to tell him? Holy shit! That’s rich!”
“Fuck you Rind,” Masters growled.
“Fine, I’ll tell him,” Jay said as Masters climbed into the passenger seat, the Rookie took the back seat. “That was Harlow’s ex-husband.”
Masters glared.
***
“What did you do to me?” June asked, starting to shiver.
“Look at that! You have chill bumps on your skin! That’s a great sign. You should be up and walking in no time,” the Boss laughed, placing a rough hand on June’s back. “Not to mention the other activities I have planned.”
“What did-” June started, but a fierce slap on her exposed ass stopped her.
“I heard you the first time, bitch,” the Boss growled. “I just made sure that little chip in your head wouldn’t bring any visitors.”
“You disabled my Reaper chip?”
“No, I removed it.”
***
The SUV sped through Foggy Bottom’s busy streets, dodging scooters, vendor skiffs and pedestrians.
“In a hurry?” the Rookie asked Jay, holding onto his oh-shit handle for dear life.
“Med center closes in ten minutes. We need to get this supply req in ASAP or we’ll end up here an extra day,” Jay answered.
The Rookie turned his attention to Masters, who was staring out the side window, lost in thought.
“So Harlow was married before you met?” the Rookie inquired.
“When we met,” Masters answered gruffly.
“Ahhhh…That would explain the hostility.”
