by Jake Bible
Timson put a restraining hand on Jenny’s arm as she reached to draw a pistol. “Calm down. Jay, thanks for coming. Marin found some strange movement on the tracks several miles down. We’d like your opinion.”
Jay stepped past Jenny and sat next to an older woman in the pilot’s seat.
***
“What am I looking at?” Jay asked Marin. The older woman pointed at a screen and her finger traced the movement of a red dot.
“Watch that. It moves out and back, out and back,” Marin said.
Jay studied the movement for a moment. “Looks like it’s gathering.”
“Gathering? How?” Timson asked.
“Well, it’s almost like those old nature vids of birds building a nest. Watch. See how it always comes back to the exact same spot?”
Timson and Jenny moved in for a closer look. The Rookie held back, leaning against the wall.
“Huh, look at that,” Timson said.
***
“What’s the scale here?” Jay asked looking at the coordinates on the screen. “Is that right?”
“Yep, it’s fucking fast, whatever it is,” Marin responded. “Really fast.”
The red dot stopped and disappeared from the screen. “Whoa, where’d it go?” Jay asked.
“I don’t know. Once I have a bead on something it shouldn’t disappear off my scope.”
“It’s a deader,” the Rookie said. All eyes turned on him. “If it’s what I think it is. We called it Lights when I was a kid.”
“What, is it some Boiler pet?” Jenny snapped.
“Boilers don’t have pets. Waste of food.”
***
Jay studied the Rookie. “You acted like you’d never encountered a dead mech before.”
“I’ve been acting my whole life, so nothing personal,” the Rookie responded.
“Anything we should know about this thing?” Timson asked.
“It’s fucking crazy and it likes to set traps,” the Rookie answered, stepping forward and pointing at the screen. “Just like that.”
“He’s right. Whatever it’s doing it’s doing it on the tracks,” Marin agreed.
“How do we take it out?” Timson asked. “Can we take it out?”
“Maybe with a mech, but you don’t have one,” the Rookie said.
“Sure we do,” Marin responded.
***
“What?!?” Jay shouted. “You have a mech?”
Marin grinned from ear to ear. “Yep. Built it myself.”
Jay stood stunned, mouth agape for a moment.
“That’s not a good look for you, Jay,” Marin joked.
“Great, you have a mech, so what? Like I said, this thing is crazy and you can see how fast it is,” the Rookie said. “I’m sure Jay can handle a mech, but not against Lights.” He looked at each person seriously. “We need a combat pilot, not a mechanic.”
“We need a fighter. A killer,” Jay finally said, looking at the Rookie and grinning.
***
“What? You must be joking!” Jenny shouted. “He’s barely alive!”
“He’s been in worse shape, I’m sure,” Jay said looking at the Rookie.
The Rookie shrugged casually. “I’ve been in worse shape. But I don’t know the first thing about piloting a mech.”
“Sure you do,” Jay said. “It’s just moving and thinking about moving. I’ll show you the basics of the cockpit and…” He trailed off and turned to Marin. “Where is the mech?”
Marin laughed, a twinkle in her eye. “It’s the rear engine. It transforms.”
Jay’s shoulders slumped. “After all these years, you did it. Holy shit…”
***
The Rookie looked from Jay to Marin and back. “You two know each other?”
“Yeah, this asshole broke my heart when we were younger,” Marin smiled. “I got over it. Good thing too, it was my word that kept you from being shot and tossed.”
“Actually, it was my word,” Timson said. “Let’s not forget who is in charge, Marin.” Timson faced Jay and the Rookie. “I’m sorry, but I can’t trust either of you with our mech.” Marin started to speak, but Timson held up his hand. “We need to figure out another way to get past this deader.”
***
“We could detach a car and send it into the trap. When the deader shows up we detonate and send it to hell,” Jenny said.
“It could work,” Marin agreed looking to Timson.
Timson thought for a moment. “Do it. Slow the train and move the car.”
The Rookie laughed.
“You have something to add, Boiler?” Jenny asked harshly.
“I told you the thing likes to set traps. You’re all assuming the trap is that spot.” The Rookie pointed at the screen. “I think we’re already in the trap.” He shrugged. “But, what do I know? I’m just a Boiler.”
***
Marin slowed the train to a crawl. “Okay, we’re at detaching speed.”
“You aren’t going to stop the train?” Jay asked.
All eyes, even the Rookie’s turned on Jay. “Jay Rind, I’m surprised at your ignorance,” Marin said. “Railers never stop the train.” She raised a hand and Jenny slapped it. “Never.”
“Then how the Hell are you going to get a car in front of the engine?”
“Jenny? Can you take over?” Marin asked as she stood up from the pilot’s chair.
“Gladly,” Jenny answered.
Marin stepped to the door and glanced back at Jay and The Rookie. “Coming?”
***
Marin spoke into a handheld. “27 is empty. Go ahead and prep it to move.”
“Gotcha,” Jenny’s voice responded.
Marin started to jog and Jay and the Rookie struggled to keep their balance and to keep up as they moved from car to car. Several Railers stepped aside to give them passage. None would meet the Rookie’s eyes.
“You okay kid?” Jay asked looking back at the Rookie.
“Fine,” the Rookie said between gritted teeth.
When Jay counted 29 cars, Marin stopped and pushed open the outside door. “Follow me,” she said grabbing an outer ladder and swinging onto it.
***
“How many cars are there?” the Rookie yelled as he struggled up the ladder.
“48,” Marin shouted from the top of the car.
Jay reached the top and extended a hand to the Rookie who gladly took it.
“Watch!” Marin said, the handheld to her mouth. “Okay, Jenny. It’s clear.”
The sound of cars de-coupling echoed across the wasteland. Within seconds, the 27th car was lifted above the others and Jay heard the distinct hiss of hydraulics as huge metal arms detached from each car and reached up to pass 27 over them and up the line to the front.
***
“You’re a fucking genius,” Jay said.
“Yeah, I am. Guess you shouldn’t have dumped me, huh?” Marin smiled. “You also shouldn’t have stolen my dad’s vids.”
“Are you still mad about that?” Jay asked, amused.
“Some of those were irreplaceable. Like The Transformers. Luckily, I made a real one. Too bad your Rookie won’t get to pilot it.”
“That is too bad,” Jay said turning to the Rookie and freezing. “What is it? What do you see?”
The Rookie stared into the twilight of the wasteland. “Something’s wrong.”
They all became instantly blind as twenty halogen lights rushed at them.
***
The wind whooshed form the Rookie’s lungs as he struck the ground. He struggled for breath, the agony from his wound making the effort twice as hard. In a rush, air filled his lungs and he gasped painfully.
He could hear people screaming and the sounds of wrenching metal and plastic. His vision doubled and black spots swam before his eyes as he weakly got to his feet. Through his haze he watched the deader reach down and snap up Railers by the handful, crushing them in its grip and tossing the pulp into its cockpit.
“Jay!”
the Rookie yelled.
***
“Jay! Jay!”
The mechanic could hear his name being called, but the ringing in his ears made it hard to focus.
“Jay!”
“Yeah, over here,” he called out weakly, hoping he could be heard over the chaos.
In seconds he felt hands grab him and lift him from the ground.
“Come on! Stand up goddamn it!” the Rookie yelled.
Jay shook his head and concentrated on the wavering image of the Rookie in front of him. “What the fuck happened?”
“What I said would happen!”
Jay looked about him at the mangled, derailed train and the blood. So much blood.
***
Gunfire erupted as some of the Railers got their wits about them and began to attack the deader.
“Fucking idiots!” Jay shouted. “Rifles aren’t going to bring that thing down!”
But, the Railers ignored his protestations and kept firing.
“Waste of ammo,” he muttered before his eyes went wide with panic. “Marin! Where is she?” Jay gripped the Rookie’s shoulders and shook him.
Lightning fast, the Rookie slapped Jay. “I don’t know where she is, but you need to focus dammit!”
Jay rubbed his cheek. “Sorry.” His eyes surveyed the carnage. “We need to get you meched up right now.”
***
Jay yanked the Rookie by the arm and pulled him towards the end of the train. “She said it was the last engine, right?”
“Yeah, but I…” the Rookie responded.
“No time for Rookie jitters now. That deader -what did you call it?”
“Lights.”
“Yeah, Lights won’t stop until every living thing is smashed into zombie feed, right?”
“Right. But…”
“Well, I don’t want to be zombie feed, do you?” Jay didn’t wait for an answer as he climbed aboard the engine and stepped inside. The Rookie followed, but not before seeing Timson and Jenny running at them, guns drawn.
***
Jay frantically scrambled about the cockpit. “This is all different! Why’d she go and reinvent the goddamn wheel?”
“Fucking move!” Jenny yelled, shoving Jay and the Rookie aside as she and Timson climbed aboard. “You’re gonna fuck it all up!”
She activated the control panel, grabbed a tablet and shoved the Rookie towards a manhole sized disc set into the floor. “Stand there and don’t move! I’ll start it up, you just do what I say, got it?”
“Why don’t you pilot it?” the Rookie asked.
“Because I don’t have a fucking Reaper chip in my head, now do I?”
***
Jenny pulled Jay from the cockpit as Timson put a hand on the Rookie’s shoulder. “I really hope you’re as good a fighter as they say you are…Razor.”
“What? How did…?” the Rookie stammered.
“When people’s loved ones are captured and end up with their faces sliced off in some fight cage, word gets back,” Timson said. “The wasteland isn’t as big as you think.”
The Railer slapped the Rookie on the back. “Oh, and try not to die, I think my daughter likes you. Unfortunately, she goes for the bad boy type.”
The Rookie, thoroughly confused, just stood there.
***
“Okay,” Jenny said into her handheld. “Do not move off the disc! Keep your hands and legs inside the disc! Understand?”
“Yeah,” the Rookie replied.
“You better, because when this thing changes it’s going to wrap around that disc like a condom on a stiffy!”
“Jenny!” Timson barked, but she ignored her father and continued, tapping at her tablet one handed.
“Ready?!?”
“Ready, but…” The Rookie’s words were cut off as Jenny initiated the transformation.
Jay was stunned as before his eyes what was a train engine became a long, lean mech.
“It’s beautiful,” he whispered.
“Ain’t it?” Jenny responded.
***
The Rookie was pretty sure he pissed himself as the world whipped about him and he was no longer standing in an engine, but strapped into a mech. “Holy shit,” he muttered.
“You alive in there?” Jenny asked over the com.
“I think so,” the Rookie answered.
“Good, now make a fist.”
The Rookie flexed his fingers and made a fist. Simultaneously, the mech made a massive metal fist.
“Great. Now, the other one.”
The Rookie made a second fist.
“Excellent. Kick out your legs.”
The Rookie did so, flexing his legs as he would do before a cage fight.
***
The ground shuddered and Jay, Jenny and Timson struggled to keep their footing.
“Shit, it’s seen the competition!” Jay shouted as they watched Lights toss a train car he was picking apart out into the wasteland night.
“Fuck!” Jenny yelled. She madly tapped at her console. “You have full power and all systems are in the green. There aren’t any armaments, so you’re going to have to be the Boiler animal you are and just kick the shit out of that thing!”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” the Rookie screamed. “I don’t know what I’m doing!”
“Then fucking learn fast!”
***
Lights charged at the Rookie and he instinctively put his arms up to protect himself. At the exact same time his mech did the same, blocking the deader’s charge and protecting the cockpit.
“HOLY SHITFUCKING CHRIST!” the Rookie screamed as his mech was knocked backwards and tumbled to the ground.
Lights was on him immediately, its massive fists pummeling the Rookie’s mech.
“Get up, you fucking retard!” Jenny yelled over the com. “Stop being such a fucking pussy ass and fight!”
The Rookie’s head snapped back and slammed against a support and he felt a tooth crack from the impact.
***
The Rookie focused on the pain and spit the piece of broken tooth into the cockpit. He tucked his legs up under the mech and shoved.
Lights staggered back several yards before regaining its footing.
“Get up!” Jenny shouted again and this time the Rookie listened.
He sprang to his feet, his feet, no longer thinking of the mech as a separate entity.
“I can fucking do this,” he said to himself. “I’m the fucking Razor.”
He watched Lights charge again and slowly cracked his neck. If the mech had an actual head, it would have followed the motion precisely.
***
“Why the Hell is he just standing there?!?” Jenny yelled.
“Just wait,” Jay said calmly.
“But he’s going to get crushed! We didn’t give him that mech so he…” Jay held up a hand, cutting Jenny off.
“Just wait for it,” he said calmly. “Come on kid, do that shit you do. Break that mother fucker in half.”
Jenny grabbed her father’s arm and whirled on him. “Dammit, he’s going…”
Timson removed her hand and forced her to face the action. “We’re just gonna have to trust him, Jenny. There’s nothing else we can do.”
Jenny shook with frustrated rage.
***
Sidestep, swing about, roundhouse, connect and down.
The Rookie bounced from mechanized foot to mechanized foot as Lights was slammed to the ground and slid 100 yards across the wasteland dirt. The deader was fast though and back on its feet and charging again before it had stopped sliding.
The Rookie waited and as Lights was about to pounce, the Rookie kicked out, planting a foot directly into the deader’s mid-section. The world slowed as Lights crumpled upon the foot then was sent flying backwards, doubled up, arms and legs flailing.
Jay cheered, Timson smiled, Jenny just gawked in disbelief.
***
Lights got to its feet and roared with deader rage, but didn’t charg
e this time.
The Rookie kept bouncing, moving his feet back and forth, ready for the attack.
“What’s it waiting for?” Timson turned and asked Jay.
“I don’t know. Maybe trying to figure out a weak point to attack,” Jay answered.
“They do that?” Jenny asked, alarmed. “I thought they were just mindless zombie machines.”
“That’s what we all thought,” Jay responded. “But, things have changed.”
Lights took two steps forward then turned and sprinted away from the Rookie.
Right at the Railers trying to help their wounded.
***
“Oh fuck!” the Rookie shouted, watching as Lights bore down on a group of ten Railers. They never stood a chance as the deader scooped up half of them in its giant fist, turned and threw the helpless humans at the Rookie’s mech.
The Rookie rushed forward, catching one of the Railers, but the others impacted brutally against the mech’s exoskeleton. The Rookie could hear the choked-off screams of the victims and stared out his cockpit, stunned, as blood dripped onto the windshield followed by a mangled corpse rolling off the top of his mech and to the ground below.
***
“Run! Go! Get to cover!” Timson yelled, running towards his panicked people. “Save yourselves!”
It was too late for many as Lights focused his rage and stomped and tore apart dozens of the exposed Railers. Those trying to put out fires were snatched up and smashed into the middle of the conflagrations. Lights lifted a derailed car and brought it down atop a row of wounded, grinding them into the dirt.
The Rookie pushed aside his shock and crossed the ground between him and Lights in a split-second, but the deader rounded on the Rookie, its plasma cannon glowing red.
***
“Oh, fuck,” the Rookie whispered, knowing he was too close to dodge a plasma blast. The dead mech’s cannon turned bright red and the plasma cannon discharged directly into the Rookie, sending the mech somersaulting backwards.
The Rookie lay there gasping, feeling the blood trickle between the stitches of his freshly re-opened wound. He grunted and ignored the pain, righting his mech. The machine wobbled on unsteady hydraulics, but it stayed upright.
“Jay? How am I looking?” the Rookie called over the com.
“You’re still in fighting shape! How about you end this shit?!?” Jay responded checking his tablet’s readings.
***
Lights moved fast. Way faster than anything else in the wasteland. It was seeing that speed, that ferocity, as a child that had made the Rookie want to become a mech pilot. And as he watched the deader toss a train car at him, he wondered if he had maybe wanted the wrong thing.
