by Jake Bible
“Fuck me!”
The Rookie piloted under the flying train car, but didn’t get a chance to exclaim further as the second car Lights threw smashed into his mech’s crouched form.
He heard struts snap, metal tear and hydraulics rupture.
“Kid?!? Can you hear me?!?” Jay called.
***
The Rookie tried to clear his head, but he couldn’t focus. The fogginess was almost suffocating and when he started to choke and cough he realized he really was suffocating as smoke filled the cockpit.
Lights sprang, landing atop the Rookie’s mech and began pummeling the helpless machine. Three punches, seven, twelve and the cockpit started to collapse in around the Rookie.
“Jay?” he coughed. “Where’s the… self-destruct?”
“Fuck that shit, kid!” Jay yelled back. “We’ll get you out of there!”
“Don’t… bother…,” the Rookie said, his lungs burning. “You can’t… kill… this thing. Let me… blow it… to Hell.”
***
Jenny quickly grabbed the tablet from Jay’s hands. “The Boiler’s right. We need to blow his mech and destroy that dead piece of shit now!”
Jay reached for the tablet, but Jenny slapped his hand away. He lunged for her, but she side-stepped him and extended her leg. Jay stumbled over Jenny’s outstretched leg, hitting the dirt hard, his face meeting the ground with a sickening crunch.
Jenny almost had the destruct sequence programmed when people began shouting and pointing. Terrified screams were added to the wails of the hurt and trapped. Jenny looked up from her tablet and gasped.
***
Jay rolled to his side and saw the most glorious sight he’d ever seen.
A Hill Stomper, carrying his salvage mech, crested a ridge, stopped briefly to waver then broke into a full out run towards the carnage.
“Oh, thank God,” he said through broken teeth and tried to push himself off the ground, but slumped back down in pain. “Help me up,” But, Jenny just stood there, petrified before the largest mech she’d ever seen. “Shit, girl! If you aren’t going to help me then toss me your handheld, damnit!”
Jenny snapped to and gave Jay the handheld com.
***
Masters heard static hiss and nearly yanked his com from his ear when a high pitched whine squealed for a second before Jay made contact.
“Masters! The Rookie’s in the mech under the deader! Fucking move your gargantuan ass!” Jay hollered.
“Is he happy to see us?’ Stomper asked.
“Oh, yeah, he’s cumming in his pants he’s so happy. Now wait ‘til he sees what we can do!” Masters responded. “No worries, Jay my man, Mitch Mother Fucking Masters is on the job!”
“And Stomper,” the AI joined in.
Masters/Stomper pumped their legs and doubled their speed, heading for Lights.
***
Lights felt the ground vibrate and ceased his attack on the Rookie. The dead mech stood and turned to find the source and became enraged when it saw a new mech coming for it. Lights powered up his plasma cannon, took aim and fired.
Masters/Stomper danced around the blasts, like they were nothing more than annoyances. The ground continued to shudder with every new footfall as the new mech gained speed.
Lights leapt off of the Rookie and charged.
In one graceful movement, Masters/Stomper lowered Jay’s salvage mech close to the ground and let it tumble carefully from their fist.
***
Masters laughed. “Ahhh, it wants to play.” He quickly stopped laughing as Lights launched itself from the ground and onto Masters/Stomper. “SHITPISSFUCK!”
Masters swatted at the deader, but Lights was too fast, quickly climbing the Hill Stomper’s frame towards the cockpit.
“The little fucker’s like a goddamn spider monkey!”
“Spider monkeys have been extinct for three hundred years,” Stomper interjected.
“Not the fucking time!”
Lights scaled his way until he was cockpit to cockpit with Masters. The living pilot faced the dead pilot and time seemed to stop.
Until Stomper took charge and brought both palms together, instantly crushing Lights.
***
The wasteland went silent except for the sound of bits and pieces of dead mech crashing to the ground as Masters/Stomper pulled their hands apart.
“Now that’s how you mother fucking do that!” Masters crowed triumphantly.
Those able enough cheered as the Hill Stomper crouched and Masters un-strapped and climbed down from the cockpit. Ignoring the whoops and hollers, Masters ran to the Rookie’s mech, beating Jay by a second.
“Kid!” Masters called, climbing onto the fallen mech, futilely trying to yank the cockpit open. “Stomper! Open this!”
The massive mech approached the mangled, smaller machine and carefully reached down.
***
With the precise movements of its construction programming, Stomper stripped the mech of its cockpit hatch, tossing the metal off into the wasteland.
“My sensors say his breathing has stopped,” Stomper announced.
“Shit! Kid, hold on!” Masters yelled, hopping into the cockpit as Jay walked about the smoldering mech with a fire extinguisher.
Masters tilted the Rookie’s head back and performed mouth to mouth, expertly timing the breaths. “Come on goddammit!”
The Rookie choked and coughed, blood and spittle flying from his lips and onto Masters’. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Masters yelled, wiping at his mouth.
“Thanks,” the Rookie wheezed.
***
“Get me outta here,” the Rookie said undoing his straps.
“Sure you’re alright?” Masters asked reaching under the Rookie’s shoulders and helping him pull himself from the cockpit.
“No, I feel like fucking shit, but I don’t plan on living in that thing,” the Rookie responded. “Thanks again.”
“Don’t mention it. Least I could do after Foggy Bottom.”
The Rookie nodded and started to ease down off the mech. Jay set the extinguisher aside and helped the Rookie to the ground. “Damn kid, I knew you could fight, but I guess you can take a beating too!”
“Fuck off, Rind.”
***
“Shit! Look what you did to the mech!” Jenny exclaimed, running up to the Rookie. “Marin is going to be pissed!”
The Rookie chuckled painfully. “Yes, I’m fine, thanks.” Jenny gave him a sour look, but a slight smile hid behind her eyes.
“Where is Marin?” Jay asked, surveying the destruction.
“Here,” Marin said weakly as she was helped by Lucy to the smashed mech, her right eye swollen shut and her hair caked with blood. “And from what little I can see with one eye, it appears you owe me a mech.”
“Oh, I have something better,” Jay grinned.
***
Jay unrolled the blueprints on the ground and Marin leaned in close.
“I can’t see shit, so you better spell it out for me,” Marin said.
“Okay, deader brains are tuned differently than ours,” he started. “I developed, on a very small scale, a way to hit the exact frequency of their brain composition so that if they pass between two points: pop!”
“Okay, so what is all the scribbling about?”
“I was trying to kick the scale up to mech size, but I kept running into limitations and problems. At least, until a random coffee stain changed all that.”
***
Marin turned her good eye on Jay. “Coffee stain? Are you shitting me, Rind?”
“No, look -oh, sorry- well, anyway, I couldn’t figure out how to project the frequency out in a strong enough burst. But, that’s because I had the shape all wrong. I was still working from point to point, pole to pole, with the frequency in between. This stain, this circular stain, showed me that by going with a disc…”
“You could fold the frequency back in on itself,” Marin interrupted.
“
Creating an infinite loop,” Jay continued.
“With all the force you could need!” they finished together.
***
“So, how does that help us?” Timson asked, approaching the small group. “With my train shattered and many of my people dead or dying, how could some disc help us?”
“Well,” Jay began. “The disc isn’t very practical on a mech.” He stood and took in the remains of the Railers’ train. “But, it would be very practical atop a moving train.”
“Didn’t you hear me? It’ll take days, maybe weeks, to get this train back on the tracks and ready.”
“No, it won’t,” Masters said hooking a thumb over his shoulder at Stomper. “The big guy likes to help.”
***
“Say we can get the salvageable cars on the tracks, why would I want to let you use my train for your contraption?” Timson asked angrily.
“Didn’t you hear the Commander? The wasteland’s about to go to war!” the Rookie said.
“You guys heard that, too?” Masters asked. “Was that not the most awesome fucking thing you’ve ever heard?!?” Timson glared at Masters. “Sorry.”
“The kid’s right,” Marin said. “We’ve seen the signs for weeks. All Hell’s about to break loose and we need to pick a side or get caught in the middle.”
Timson folded his arms and glowered.
***
“Crawford, everything is changing. Look around us,” Marin said indicating the chaos and destruction. “The Railers can’t keep moving forever. We have to choose sides and choose soon, or we’ll just be like the crazy Cults, rotting and stagnating in the wasteland.”
Timson shook his head. “I just don’t buy it, Marin.”
“She’s right, dad,” Jenny spoke up. “The Rookie put his life on the line for us, they all did, without hesitating about whether they should. Can you say the Ranchers, or Boilers or UDC would do the same?”
Timson looked at his daughter and his face softened slightly.
***
Timson appraised the faces of each person standing before him. He sighed and turned away, looking at the mess his people were in. “Okay, if we do agree to help, what guarantee do we have that we won’t be tossed aside once it’s all over?”
“You have my word,” Jay said.
“Not good enough,” Timson stated. “I don’t know you, Mr. Rind. And despite your history with Marin, which by the way doesn’t paint you in the best light, I can’t just take your word for it.”
Jay pushed the blueprints into Timson’s hands. “This is yours now. How’s that?”
***
The blueprints crinkled in Timson’s hands as an internal debate raged in his mind.
“Listen, I’m going to put that tech on your train,” Jay said. “Even if I don’t, even if I walk away, Marin has the skills to build it anytime you want.” Jay pointed to the paper. “That is my guarantee you won’t walk away empty handed.”
“And your Commander, will he agree to this?” Timson asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Jay responded. “You’re gonna have to let us contact him.”
“Won’t the transmission be overheard?” Jenny asked.
“Please, give me some credit,” Jay smirked.
***
“Okay. You get me in touch with your Commander and he agrees that this-” Timson shook the blueprints in his hands. “-is just the beginning, that more tech and resources, are coming in the future, then, and only then, will we have a deal.”
Jay extended his hand. “Deal.”
The two men shook and Timson smiled. “Now what?”
“Well,” Jay said. “Masters will start clearing debris. Marin can coordinate the team that we’ll need to get the disc assembled and mounted. The Rookie can sit his ass down. And you can come with me. You have a meeting to attend.”
***
Jethro wiped away more blood from his nose. Doctor Themopolous had been on him about a full scan, but he couldn’t spare the time. He was starting to wonder if he could spare any more blood.
“Jethro! Come in you lazy bastard!” Jay’s voice squawked over the com. Jethro tossed the bloody towel aside and tapped at his tablet.
“Jay? Jay! Holy shit, man! You’re fucking alive!” Jethro nearly bounced in his seat. “What’s wrong with your voice?”
“Nothin’, just a couple broken teeth and broken nose.”
“What about Masters and the Rookie?”
“They’re just fine. Is the Commander handy?”
***
“Jay? This is Capreze. It’s good to hear your voice. Jethro said Masters and the Rookie are with you, that right?”
“Yes, sir,” Jay said into the com. “The Rookie is banged up a bit, but Masters is of course unscathed.”
“Yeah, figures,” Capreze joked. “Listen Jay, I’m pretty sure we’re being monitored, so…”
“Please! Don’t insult me! I have enough encryption on this transmission to keep the most powerful AI busy for at least half a day.”
“Excellent. Now, where the fuck are you?”
“Well, sir,” Jay said. “Long story. But, the short story is we have some help.”
***
“Help?” the Commander asked over the com. “What kind of help?”
“The mobile kind,” Jay answered, glancing at Timson. “Listen, I need to be out helping get a few things ready, but there’s someone here that would like to speak with you.” Jay stood from the control chair and let Timson take his place.
Timson cleared his throat. “Commander Capreze? This is Crawford Timson.”
“Timson? Railers’ Timson?”
“Yes, Commander. My folks were able to help out your folks and vice versa and now it looks like we may be able to help each other further.”
“I’m listening, Timson,” Capreze said.
***
Jay had no stomach for negotiations or politics and decided to step outside and let the two leaders hash things out. When he emerged from the train’s engine his jaw dropped.
He watched Railers being directed by Marin, scrambling about for gear and supplies. He saw the Rookie protesting to Jenny that he didn’t need a Railer medic’s help.
But, the truly astounding sight was Stomper. The giant mech was methodically and carefully disassembling wrecked train cars. Placing pieces into organized piles.
“Isn’t that just the cutest fucking thing you’ve ever seen?” Masters beamed.
Jay laughed and shook his head.
***
“You know,” Masters said to Jay. “I was thinking that Stomper there could use some work.”
“How so?” Jay asked, eyeing the pilot curiously.
“Well, he’s huge, but those joints and that mid-section are just a little too exposed for my taste,” Masters grinned. “And seeing as there is now a ton of scrap metal…”
“You’d like me to design some plating to shield those exposed joints and that mid-section,” Jay finished.
“If it isn’t too much bother,” Master grinned wider. Jay slapped the pilot on the back and walked away towards Marin.
“Hey, Marin! I need six skilled welders!”
***
“That all sounds very reasonable to me, Mr. Timson,” Capreze said.
“Crawford, please,” Timson responded.
“Of course. Crawford. I’m James,” Capreze said. “I don’t think we have much of a choice but to band together. Otherwise what is left of humanity will be under Rancher control. And whatever this ‘Outsider’ is. How soon can you get here?”
“Jay has assured me that we’ll be ready first thing in the morning. At full throttle, it’ll be a day, depending on what we run into.”
“Okay, hopefully we won’t need you before then,” Capreze said.
“We’ll move as fast as we can.”
***
Jenny saw her father step from the train and rushed to meet him.
“Well? What’s going on?” she asked.
&
nbsp; “Looks like we’re going to war,” Timson answered, his face tired and worried. “I really hope these mechies know what they’re doing or I’ve just committed us all to our deaths.”
“Marin insists Jay is the best. And that Masters sure doesn’t lack in confidence,” Jenny responded. She watched the Rookie shove away another medic. “Idiot.”
Timson smiled, studying his daughter’s face. “You learn his name yet?”
Jenny frowned. “Huh? What? The Boiler? No. I mean, who cares?”
“Right,” Timson chuckled.
***
Crawford Timson stepped away from the chaos and walked around his train’s engine. He traced the lines of the sleek, powerful machine with his hand, almost caressing it. He was glad to get to the other side and out of the glare of the halogens.
Staring at the blackness of the wasteland, he took a couple deep breaths. He reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt, rubbing it between his fingers.
“Railers will have to learn to stop the train,” he said to himself, tossing the dirt aside and walking back around to watch his people prepare for war.
Chapter Nine
Part One- Betrayal For All
“Get in the car!” Jimmy shouted at Michelle.
“But, what about-?”
“Get in the goddamn car, Michelle!”
Michelle opened the back door and placed baby Rachel into her secure seat and then strapped herself into the passenger seat.
Jimmy hit the accelerator and tore out of their parking garage. Right into gridlock Hell as every other citizen was attempting to get out of the city.
Jimmy hit the horn over and over. “Move! Move!”
Rachel started to cry. “Jimmy, baby, stop yelling. Just stop!”
Jimmy turned on Michelle. “Don’t tell me what to do, goddamn it! We don’t have time!”
***
Rachel watched her father sleep, knowing he was dreaming from his twitching hands and facial features.
“Mastelo is here with his people,” Bisby said quietly. “Should we wake him?”
“No, let him sleep. He’s not as young as he used to be,” Rachel answered. “We can handle the training.”
