Ironheart

by Allan Boroughs

  After Gorki Station, The Beautiful Game turned off the forest trails and through the high mountain passes where, Bulldog figured, the rig would be harder to follow. On the Captain’s orders, and much to Pieter’s consternation, the rig drove day and night with Bulldog and Tashar taking turns to man the cockpit.

  Outside, the scenery changed to an unending cruel landscape of rock, ice and flint-edged mountains that towered above them. The wind blasted the rig continuously and the sky was layered with dark grey clouds that matched India’s mood. She watched nervously from the mess windows as the rig navigated impossibly narrow tracks through the high passes, dislodging giant rocks that went plunging into the ravines below.

  At the daily crew meeting tensions were still running high.

  ‘Everybody’s tired,’ said Tashar, ‘and if we make a single mistake we’ll end up at the bottom of a ravine. What’s more, we’re burning too much fuel in these damned mountains.’

  ‘It’s the quickest route,’ said Bulldog. ‘It’ll take three days off the journey and no Company rig will ever dare follow us up here.’

  ‘For good reason,’ said Tashar. ‘No one’s ever attempted to cross this mountain range in a rig before.’

  ‘Ah! That’s where you’re wrong,’ said Bulldog triumphantly. ‘The last time I was here was fifteen years ago when I was part of Mad Don McNulty’s crew. He swore blind there was a safe route over these mountains.’

  ‘Didn’t Mad Don McNulty take shelter in a cave and get eaten by bears?’ said Rat.

  ‘Well, yes,’ Bulldog conceded. ‘He was trying to prove that mountain bears are less ferocious than forest bears but it didn’t quite work out. The crew lost interest after that and we all went back to Angel Town. But my point is, Mad Don’s theory was sound, this is the best route across the mountains, you mark my words.’

  ‘Well, I’m not liking this place one bit, Bulldog,’ said Tashar. ‘There had better be a lot of money at the end of this joyride or you will be needing a new pilot.’

  Later that evening India went in search of Calculus. She found him alone in Engineering reading a heavy, leather-bound book and making neat pencil notes in the margins.

  ‘What are you reading?’ she said.

  ‘Just a book I found in Captain Bulldog’s library,’ he said without looking up.

  ‘Is it exciting?’

  ‘It is very . . . absorbing.’

  She leaned in closer and squinted at the dense text.

  ‘My dad always used to read to me and Bella before we went to bed,’ she said, giving Calc a meaningful look, ‘even after we were both old enough to read for ourselves.’

  Calculus put the book down with a sigh. ‘I suppose I could read to you if you like,’ he said.

  She grinned. ‘Would you, Calc? That would be great.’

  He looked down at the page again. ‘Where would you like me to start?’

  ‘Well, most stories begin with “Once upon a time”,’ she said.

  ‘Very well.’ He straightened in his seat and held out the book in front of him. ‘Once upon a time,’ he began grandly, ‘laminar flows could be adequately defined through the application of the Navier-Stokes equations which allowed for the simulation of turbulent flows at moderate Reynolds numbers:

  ‘Whoa, wait a minute! What on earth are you reading?’

  He looked at the cover and then at India.

  ‘Basic Fluid Dynamics for Sub-Arctic Operations,’ he said. ‘Captain Bulldog has quite an extensive collection of engineering manuals. If you prefer I could try a different one?’

  ‘No thanks,’ she said laughing. ‘Perhaps we’d better skip the story tonight.’

  He closed the book with a snap. ‘You’re up very late,’ he said.

  ‘I couldn’t get to sleep,’ she lied. ‘Knee’s playing up.’

  ‘Let me bandage it for you,’ he said. ‘I have full training in field hospital techniques.’

  She sat patiently while he fetched the bandages and then began to strap her knee with expert hands.

  ‘I wish Verity was here,’ she said as he worked. ‘She wouldn’t be afraid of Sid or Tashar or of ghosts in the forest. Do you ever think about her?’

  He didn’t look up from what he was doing. ‘While I am capable of fully independent function,’ he said, ‘my anticipatory sub-routines do register Mrs Brown’s absence from my immediate environment.’

  India smiled. ‘Yeah, I miss her too,’ she said.

  They were both silent for a moment while he carefully unrolled another bandage.

  ‘What is your father like?’ he said.

  The suddenness of his question threw her off guard. ‘Dad? He’s brave and clever and he’s always looking for ways to make life better for people. One year he built an irrigation system for our whole village. But then me and Bella tried to help and it went wrong and it flooded the house and all of Roshanne’s shoes got ruined.’ She smiled at the memory.

  ‘You must miss him a lot,’ said Calculus.

  Yes. But not the way everyone thinks. They keep telling me he can’t still be alive and that I should just “let him go”. But when I look up at the stars, Calc, it’s like I just know he’s looking up at the same sky somewhere. It’s like we’re connected somehow Nobody ever seems to believe me though.’

  ‘I believe you.’

  India looked at the android in surprise.

  ‘You once asked me if there were any others like me,’ he said. ‘And there were. Once I was part of a great army. There were many hundreds of us, we were strong and we fought many battles. Our minds were connected and we could hear each other’s thoughts; I always knew I was not alone.’

  India blinked at him. ‘That’s how it is for me,’ she said breathlessly. ‘Even though Dad’s not here, I can always feel him. That’s how I know he’s still alive. So what happened to your friends?’

  Calculus snipped the end of her bandage and tied it off. ‘We were together for a long time,’ he said. ‘If we were damaged or destroyed our minds could be downloaded into a new body and we would go on living.’ He fell silent.

  India was entranced. ‘So you can live forever?’

  He snapped out of his daydream and began to put away the bandages. ‘No,’ he said quickly. ‘After the Great Rains, the knowledge to transfer our minds was lost. One by one, over the years, the others all became damaged or they malfunctioned and fell silent. Now the only thoughts I hear are my own.’ He turned and placed the medical kit on a shelf behind him. ‘I was immortal once,’ he said, ‘but not any more.’

  India felt a huge sadness for the android. She wanted to say something further but, at that moment, The Beautiful Game shuddered to an abrupt halt. The sudden silence from the engines filled the whole rig.

  They found the others in the cockpit, looking out of the forward windows. The Beautiful Game had pulled to a stop on a steep slope at the head of a desolate, tree-lined valley. It was blanketed with a thick layer of unbroken snow and it looked as though no human had ever set foot in it.

  ‘This is the start of the Uliuiu Cherchekh,’ said Bulldog solemnly. ‘It runs east for over a hundred miles. More than a dozen rigs have gone missing here so let’s keep our eyes open, people!’

  A full moon came out from behind a cloud, sending deep blue shadows across the valley floor.

  ‘Is it me or did it just get colder in here?’ said Tashar, pulling her jacket tighter.

  ‘We need to conserve fuel,’ said Bulldog. ‘If we want to keep warm we’ll rely on the wood stove. In the meantime, I’m going to check the tracks and the driveshafts. We took a pounding in the mountains and I want to make sure everything’s in working order before we go any further.’

  India stayed looking out of the window, feeling all of her courage drain away. Back in Angel Town it had been easy to talk about following the trail eastwards across the mountains. But now that she looked out on the Valley of Death she was reminded of Pieter’s ghost stories. The valley looked like something from a bad f
airy tale and the words from her dream came back to haunt her.

  ‘Already the bringer-of-death rises in the East. If you stop now then it will be forever winter in this land.’

  CHAPTER 17

  THE ANDROID’S SCREAM

  India sat in the mess room and waited impatiently while the crew checked the rig’s systems. Bulldog and Tashar meticulously ran through every circuit in the cockpit, testing for any signs of damage.

  ‘As soon as we’ve finished checking the main drive we’ll get under way,’ said Bulldog. ‘Where’s Pieter?’

  ‘He went outside to fetch wood,’ said Rat.

  Bulldog’s forehead creased into a frown. ‘That was ages ago. I need him back here.’

  ‘I could go and get him,’ said India quickly, ‘and Calculus could come with me.’

  She was anxious to escape from the rig, if only for a short while. Bulldog looked dubious.

  ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘I’m the only one with nothing to do. Besides, nothing bad’s going to happen while Calc’s with me, is it?’

  ‘All right,’ said Bulldog. ‘Take one of the sledges with you and collect some firewood on the way. And take Mr Clench too,’ he added. ‘Make him do a bit of work around here for a change.’

  Her heart sank. ‘I don’t want to go anywhere with him. He’s a murderer, you said so yourself!’

  ‘Well, like you say, nothing bad’s going to happen while you’re with Calculus, is it? Besides, I’m sick to death of hearing him whine about being cooped up. Perhaps a taste of the cold will shut him up.’ He glanced out of the window ‘Just make sure you stay out of the forest, OK?’

  ‘Why? What’s in the forest?’

  ‘Don’t ask too many questions,’ he said darkly. ‘Now go, before I change my mind.’

  Bulldog would listen to no further arguments, and twenty minutes later she stepped grumpily from the hatch into the fresh night air, followed by Calculus and Thaddeus Clench.

  The sky was clear and the wind carried smells of fresh pine. The moon cast a light so silvery sharp that it almost tingled on the skin. They followed Pieter’s footprints up a low hill covered with birch and pine while India collected dead branches and stacked them in a wicker basket on the sledge. Clench did little to help and walked behind, hugging himself against the cold and complaining bitterly.

  ‘Outrageous,’ he said over and over. ‘Forcing a prisoner to risk his life like this in the middle of the night.’

  India stomped up to the top of the nearest hill to get away from him. She paused to catch her breath and took in the view. Something on the far side of the valley caught her eye. A solitary light blinked once, like a flash from a rotating beacon, and when the moon came out from behind a cloud she made out an unmistakable black shape nestling in the treeline. She dropped quickly to her knees and waved to Calculus and Clench.

  ‘It’s another rig!’ she breathed as they arrived beside her. She heard the faint whirring of sensors and magnifiers clicking into place behind the android’s visor.

  The Prince of Darkness,’ he said. ‘Stone’s personal rig.’

  ‘How did they find us in this wilderness?’ said India.

  ‘That’s how,’ said Clench, pointing down the hill.

  A short way down the slope a man lay in a hollow with his back to them. He was fiddling with a small wooden box.

  ‘It’s Pieter,’ said India. ‘But what is he doing?’

  They watched him twist the dial on the front of the box and direct a thin metal rod towards the other rig.

  ‘He’s using a Teslagraph,’ said Calculus.

  ‘What did I tell you!’ said Clench. ‘He’s your spy!’

  India’s hand went to her mouth. ‘We have to stop him!’

  She broke into a run down the slope towards Pieter with Calculus close behind while Clench hovered indecisively at the top of the hill. Pieter turned in surprise as they approached. He made a grab for the Teslagraph but Calculus knocked it from his hand and it smashed against a rock.

  ‘Pieter, what are you doing?’ panted India. ‘Those are our enemies.’

  Pieter scrambled backwards to get away from Calculus. ‘They might be your enemies but they’re not mine,’ he said. ‘You didn’t seriously think I would choose a pirate’s life, did you?’ There was a hardness in his eyes that had not been there before.

  India’s face flushed. ‘But how could you? The Company is run by thugs and murderers and if they catch us, they’ll kill us all.’

  ‘That’s Bulldog’s problem. I have four children and a wife to feed back in Omsk and the Company pays good money for information on pirates.’

  A shout from Clench at the top of the hill made them turn. He was jumping up and down and waving his arms.

  ‘What’s he doing?’ said India. ‘He’s going to get us seen.’

  ‘Too late,’ said Calculus. ‘Look!’

  On the far side of the valley, a swarm of two-seater ski vehicles had left the rig and started out across the valley floor, skimming across the snow like angry hornets. Each vehicle carried a driver and passenger dressed in broad hats and long flowing coats.

  They were so distracted that neither of them noticed Pieter reach into his jacket pocket to pull out a pistol.

  ‘Stay still and you won’t get hurt,’ warned Pieter, training the gun on them. ‘I’ll get an extra bonus for bringing in the girl and her pet robot.’

  India and Calculus stood rooted to the spot as the noise drew nearer. Pieter glanced briefly in the direction of the ski machines – it took him no more than a second – but it was enough for Calculus, who lunged towards him. Pieter’s gun fired once and the bullet glanced off the android’s visor. But Calculus recovered his balance quickly and India watched with an absolute knowledge of what was about to happen but with no ability to prevent it.

  ‘Calc, don’t!’ was all she had time to say.

  The android’s hand struck Pieter’s neck with a dull crunch and his body went sprawling in the snow, where it lay motionless. The shock hit India like a bucket of cold water.

  ‘You’ve killed him!’

  Calculus grasped her by the arm. ‘He was armed, India,’ he said calmly, ‘and he might have killed you.’

  She backed away angrily. ‘You didn’t have to kill him. You could have just taken his gun away. He had a family – what’s wrong with you?’

  ‘I am trained to protect and I was protecting you.’ The ski vehicles were advancing up the hill now. ‘We don’t have time for this, we need to go!’

  India was not about to stop. ‘You said you wanted to change, but you can’t, can you? You’re just a machine. A vicious, cold-blooded killing machine!’

  The sound of approaching engines increased and the first ski machine burst over a snow bank. The man on the back levelled his rifle at Calculus. With blinding speed the android darted forward and seized hold of the machine, sending the riders tumbling into the snow. ‘India, get away now!’ he shouted to her. ‘I’ll hold them off as long as I can. Get back to the rig!’

  India turned and ran back up the hill. It was heavy going and she sank up to her knees in the snow with every step. At the top of the hill Clench was hopping up and down.

  ‘Let’s go back while we can,’ pleaded Clench, ‘they’ve got guns.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ she panted. ‘I’m not going anywhere until I’m sure Calc’s OK.’

  They watched the battle unfold from the top of the hill. The ski machines began to circle Calculus. The android darted forward and overturned a second machine, hurling it on to the rocks, where it burst into flames. The air filled with the smell of burning spirit.

  ‘Come on, Calc,’ she cried. ‘Let’s get out of here while we have the chance.’

  Calculus turned to look up the hill and motioned at her to start running. That was when the terrible thing happened.

  One of the riders picked up a long metal lance and jabbed Calculus in the back. It made a sound like India’s shock stick but a thousand times
louder, a dry crackling noise that ripped the air. Calculus reared backwards as the charge coursed through his metal sinews. India started towards him but Clench held her back. ‘Come on, for pity’s sake, India or you’ll get us both killed.’

  A second man picked up his lance and jabbed Calculus in the chest, forcing him on to his back. His body spasmed violently in the snow. They pulled out a steel net and threw it over him, spearing him with the lances again and again until he thrashed around, losing all control of his limbs.

  ‘Leave him alone!’ sobbed India. ‘Please just leave him alone!’

  Just when she thought it could get no worse, came the terrible sound of the android’s scream.

  It started faintly over the noise of the wind, a high keening that sounded mechanical and human at the same time and grew louder and louder until the terrible screeching echoed around the valley.

  She pressed her hands to her ears to drown out the horror. ‘Stop it, stop it, you’re killing him!’

  Calculus finally stopped screaming and went limp. The riders stepped back and watched him twitching weakly on the ground. Clench tugged gently on India’s arm. Even he looked shocked by what he had seen.

  ‘Come on, India,’ he said quietly. ‘We have to get back to The Beautiful Game before they come after us.’

  CHAPTER 18

  THE REINDEER PEOPLE

  For a moment, the scene was eerily still. The riders stood around the helpless android, admiring their handiwork. Up on the hilltop, India looked away from the terrible scene, half blinded with tears.

  ‘The rig,’ said Clench quietly, tugging on her arm again. ‘We have to get back to the rig.’

  She allowed herself to be led away. But when they had gone a few paces one of the riders looked up and noticed them. He turned his ski machine and started lazily towards them.

  ‘Forget the rig,’ said Clench, with panic rising in his voice. ‘Head for the trees. They can’t follow us in there on those machines.’ He dragged her the short distance to the treeline and she followed, only dimly remembering Bulldog’s warning to avoid the forest.