Kaizen Sanctuary (The Exoskeleton Codex Book 2)

by Sean Kennedy

  “Thanks for cleaning, you do a great job,” Jacob said as he stepped through the stillness, waiting in the silence for a reply before slipping out the front doors.

  The sun was nearing its apex as Jacob looked across the stunted forest of cargo.

  Two steps down the stairs, a noise made him turn to see the Kaizen Marine Loader roll forwards. The two strobes above the yellow seated cockpit were like eyes watching him.

  Jacob sat down when he reached the bottom step. “Boy, a lot is happening.”

  The loader rolled up and lowered itself to rest as Jacob told about Galafynn, and the 0perators, and how the Plague was the scariest thing he’d ever seen.

  “It’s funny though, when I'm inside as the Hummingbird, it's like nothing can hurt me, it’s like I’m free. I hope you feel like that.”

  He saw its tiny LED lights flash.

  “I guess we're going to head into Zone Town, and…”

  The Kaizen suddenly raised itself from the ground, and rolled with surprising silence and speed between the stacks to disappear.

  “We’re Jacob’s bros Kaizen dudes, don’t be all killing us! We're just here to pick him up...” Jacob heard Teeva's voice echo. He was jumped off the step and made his way through the stacks to find them.

  “Hey, guys!” Jacob called as he rounded the piles to see Teeva pushing his bike beside Joni as they walked near the edge of the cul-de-sac clearing.

  Their heads snapped to face him, and look of relief passed over them both.

  “Oh good, you're here,” Joni said.

  “Sure, I said I would be, what are you guys worried about?”

  “This is the closest I've ever been,” Joni said, “there are stories of people coming here and never being seen again.”

  “Really?’ Jacob asked, “Like who?”

  “No one I know, but you hear things,” Joni said, “you know… just stories.”

  “It's like, I know a bro, who knows a bro, who had a bro disappear out here,” Teeva said bobbing his head, “I don’t buy it, but you gotta admit you live in a weird spot bro.”

  Jacob laughed, “I used to think so, but you guys live in that awesome old ship, and that could look kinda scary if you took all the lights down.”

  “I guess,” Joni said, and turned pointing between the stacks, “I saw something!”

  “It might be the loader,” Jacob said, “he’s the one that I think helped Teeva and I.”

  “What? Like, on the road?” Teeva asked, and Jacob nodded. “Yeah my uncle Mac said he asked him to keep an eye on me.”

  Jacobs walked past them, “Hey! It's okay! You can come out. These are my friends!” Jacob’s voice bounced between the short spires, fading into silence. He stood still for a moment and felt Joni put her hand on his envirosuit sleeve. Jacob turned and saw the nervous look on her face.

  “You’ve got nothing to worry about,” he said.

  “There are lots of Kaizen stories,” Joni said, “I don’t believe them, but there are stories of Kaizen... well...” she looked around, “stories that they hate humans.”

  “Oh no!" Jacob said, shaking his head, “Not at all, I think they're way more scared of us than we are of them.”

  Joni looked down, “I wanted to come out here to see,” she looked up with her eyes sparkling, “they're super neat from what I’ve read, but I’ve never seen one operational.”

  “Oh, they’re totally operational but really shy,” Jacob said, and called out, “C’mon out... I want to introduce you.”

  His voice carried through the stacks. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine, but Joni really wanted to meet you,” Jacob added.

  He was about to turn away when he saw something shift, and the Kaizen Marine Loader partially rolled around a deeper column, peering out from manufactured cover. Joni gasped, bringing her hands to cover her mouth as an awestruck smile spread.

  “Whoa!” Teeva said, stepping beside Joni, “It’s super quiet for something so …big,” he said.

  “They have electric engines built into their foot rollers,” Joni said and hearing that, the loader slid out from behind the stack, coming closer through the staggered gap. Jacob was sure there were more than just this Kaizen watching, but he thought better of saying something since she already looked nervous. The loader rolled forwards, and Joni took a step towards it as the last strands of caution fell away.

  “I think it’s a Mark 9,” she whispered and reached out with her tiny hand. The huge loader twitched, it’s body shuddering as it rolled backward.

  “Shhhhh, it’s okay big guy... it's okay…” Joni said softly as she took another step, holding her empty hands in front of her.

  “Oh wow,” she said under her breath. The loader shifted backward again, but not as far. “Easy now, easy now…” Joni whispered,

  The cargo lowered into its squat resting position, its slight electric hum fading as Joni took the last step toward it. They watched as Joni’s tiny hand touched the loaders grimy surface. She gently wiped away the filth, and after a few soft strokes, a strip of white enamel revealed itself.

  “He likes you!” A voice called, and all three turned to see Mac standing beside a stack with a huge smile from watching the events unfold.

  Joni looked back at the silent Kaizen, “Do you think so?”

  “Oh, I guarantee it! They let very few people see them, let alone touch them.” Mac said as he stepped around the stacks. “I imagine you must be Joni?”

  Joni blinked, “Yes.. how did you…”

  “Jacob said you were as pretty as you were skilled, and after seeing the jailbreak on his iGlasses, I knew it had to be you!” Mac said, winking at Jacob, and Joni’s face went a bright red before turning back to the Kaizen loader.

  “I'm Mac, by the way, Jacob's other uncle, and all teasing aside, you must have a steady hand.”

  Joni shrugged, “I got little hands, everything is bigger for me,” she said as some of the flush drained from her face.

  “You’re right by the way, it is a Mark 9, but I’d like to know how you knew that, considering these have been out of production for some time.” Mac said.

  “Oh, but they’re Kaizen! I’ve read everything I could find on them,” Joni said, still brushing the loader’s pincer arm. “I’ve never seen one before,” she stepped slowly around the cargo with wide eyes, “but now that I see one, it's not really what I expected.”

  “Things rarely are. The anti-zero crowd make the Kaizen sound like monsters,” Mac said. Joni’s eyes flashed, as if trying to memorize every detail in her slow walk around it.

  “What's the anti-zero crowd?” Jacob asked.

  “They believe any intelligence that humans don’t control will rebel and destroy humanity,” Mac said, “That’s where the corpoliticals got their ‘Killer Kaizen’ stories from.”

  Joni pulled off a string that had cemented itself in the grease.

  “This guy needs a bath pretty badly,” she said, smiling at the loader.

  “Maybe you're the girl for the job,” Mac said.

  “Really? Would that be okay?”

  “It’s got nothing to do with me,” Mack pulled a pipe from his pocket, pointing at the loader with its stem, “you'll have to ask that one.”

  “What’s its name?” Teeva asked, walking closer to the hulking mass.

  “Never told me” Mac said, and he struck a match before sucking the flame into to the pipe bowl, puffing clouds from his lips.

  “Sure he did,” Joni said, “his name is Mark Nine. Isn't that right Mark?” She cooed, and as soon as she asked, the Kaizen powered its electric muscles tilting towards Joni. She flinched, but stayed smiling.

  “I guess it is,” Mac chuckled little clouds. “So where are you thieves off to then?”

  “Joni and Teeva offered to take me into Zone Town. We got a bonus from last night,” Jacob said, “is there anything you need?”

  Mac pressed his lips against the pipe, “Anything I need ...anything I need ...” he said quietl
y. “No, I think I'm good,” he looked to Teeva as he pulled out his vaporizer.

  “You know your way around Zone Town, do you?”

  “Oh, for real Mister Mac, we totally got this, in and out, no stress bro.”

  Mac nodded, raising a brow as Teeva took a pull.

  “Hmmm, well get ‘in and out’ before dark.”

  “Does Uncle Vince need anything?” Jacob asked.

  “No lad, we’ve got most of what we need here; but thanks. How are you going to get into town then?”

  “I got my power-boks,” Jacob said as Teeva blew out white smoke, “An’ I'm doubling Joni, no sweat!” Teeva said through the cloud.

  The Kaizen loader rolled forwards and two collapsed booster seats folded down from their cab-side position, locking in place like tiny wing flaps as seat belts unraveled to rattle against its metal frame. It angled its powerful loading arms like steps towards where the three stood. Mac was so shocked he nearly dropped the pipe, but he caught it before it fell from his lips. Joni looked from Teeva to Jacob, and it took a moment for a smile to return to Mac’s face.

  “Well, it looks like Mark has other ideas!” Mac said.

  Chapter 12

  Joni sat in the cab’s, while Jacob and Teeva clung to the booster seats intended to give others a lift to their maritime tasks. The shrouded wheels of the Kaizen Mark 9 loader were designed to navigate concrete wharfs and ship’s steel, but were equally at ease maneuvering across hard-packed earth.

  Teeva left his bike hidden amongst the stacks, and Mark’s rollers gathered more speed on the asphalt once they passed the big blue tank. The wind whistled through the cab, prying strands of Joni’s hair from her ponytail to dance in the breeze as her laughter rang out, and soon all three were whooping like ranch hands as their Kaizen galloped along.

  Jacob wanted the road to stretch on so they could laugh their way into oblivion. If he’d had afterlife software, he would want it to remember how it felt to let his power-boks dangle off the booster seat as the Zone went whipping by.

  The cargo droid slowed as it crested a small rise, and the Zone Town expanse came into view. It was a ramshackle collection of salvage, held together with pride and wire. Plastic pallets had been stripped to make siding and salvaged marine doors installed as secure shop entrance.

  The town reached across a depression, leaving the old highway’s pavement to run off toward the clutching spires of the Deep City’s horizon, where sparkling glass reflected against the black steel of a distant civilization.

  Old vehicles, converted into alcohol or electric business carts, were wedged among the concrete and container structures, as projected screens and colorful neon to light the overhanging shadows. Mark slowed to a halt, and Jacob unclipped the seatbelt buckle, jumping down as Teeva and Joni dismounted.

  “Why’d you stop bro?”

  “Mark’s right,” Joni said, “we can walk in from here. If he goes the rest of the way, someone might see he’s a Kaizen.”

  “He?” Jacob asked.

  ‘Well his name is Mark, and I'm pretty sure he’s a boy. You’ll wait for us won’t you Mark?” Joni asked, and the Kaizen flashed his shoulder strobes.

  “I guess that means yes,” Jacob said.

  “Hope so, it's a long walk bro,” Teeva said as the loader backed and turned, speeding away to hide between the rusted cars and broken sea containers, leaving only the flapping of wind-swept plastic in the afternoon sun.

  “K bro, town isn’t bad, but you wanna stick close to us because ...well” Teeva nodded as he pulled his goggles up over his eyes, “…just stick close bro.”

  Jacob nodded as Joni slid on her mirror shields and stepped out in front, leading them towards the carts and shops.

  Beneath a spider web of wires nesting on makeshift poles, telepresence droids followed closely behind humans, like mountain Sherpas carrying their human master’s wares. The smell of hundreds of pots cooking thousands of meals rode on the oily wind.

  “How do you know your way around out here?”

  Teeva rounded on him, “bro, you’re not running AR?”

  “Uh… no. Should I be?”

  “Definitely,” Joni said.

  With a thought, Jacobs visor dropped half way showing a prompt. He double authorized Immersion’s browser, and a new world emerged out of the dilapidated market. He watched power running like water along the wires into augmented refaced buildings. The run-down structures were now artistically stylized buildings, crowned with elaborate animations.

  ‘Han’s Wok’, one sign read, with an illuminated round pan flipping noodles over a rooftop fire that flared each time it reset the animation, while high above the street, a cow chased a pig in a circle, as letters spelling ‘Hi Meats’ streaked behind them each time they raced by. Avatars drifted between shops as projections of scantily clad advertising models tried to call attention to their allotted space. Jacob felt a tug on his arm and realized he had stopped moving.

  Joni laughed, “Pretty neat huh?”

  “Very neat,” Jacob said as his head pivoted, trying to take in each carefully constructed illusion.

  He noticed telepresence droids painted with their shop's logo, standing at the front of most store entrances, holding open metal doors.

  “Does everyone have t-droids?”

  “Security,” Joni said.

  “Because of the Dead Droid Posse?”

  “Ha!” Teeva laughed, “Devon’s crew ain't got the steel to boost one of these stores! If you smash an’ grab here bro, all the shops will send droids at you.”

  “Hey, Spaceman!”

  Jacob turned to see a slender woman with blond hair flowing in luscious curls standing in a doorway next to an impossibly muscular man. Each wore paper-thin robes, tied at the waist and straining to cover their hyper sexualized bodies. Gold calligraphy shimmered spelling ‘Play Box’ above the doorway.

  Jacob's eyes were drawn to her flowing hair, and the male character stepped back, pointing to his blonde partner and nodding encouragingly. In the frosted windows above the logo, shadows of women writhed, thrashing their bodies in promised ecstasy.

  “I’ll take you out of this world,” the blond animation cooed, blinking long lashes over bedroom eyes.

  “How did she know that?” Jacob asked.

  “Know what bro?”

  “That woman called me a spaceman,” Jacob said tilting his head towards the glowing ghosts.

  “You're wearing an environmental suit bro, these systems got basic recognition and all that. If you're wearing a hat, they might call you cowboy, anything that will get your attention.”

  “You wanna go check it out?” Joni asked.

  “No,” Jacob felt his face flush, “I just wanted to know who how she knew that is all.”

  “Sure, you did,” Joni laughed, “c’mon you guys.”

  Jacob regretted bringing it up and desperately wanted to get Teeva’s attention onto something, anything other than the brothel.

  “It's a good go,” Teeva said, “it’s no temple, but I'm just sayin’ bro, the aug-droids look cherry!”

  Joni angled towards a building where dark wood framed patent leather doors. The spinning chrome letters, ‘Shiny Hardware’ pulsed above them. Two telepresence droids, wearing Desert War body armor opened the doors, bowing in mechanical synchronicity as they entered. When they crossed the threshold, the augmentations changed to Shiny’s private network.

  “He was good, but he’s lost the edge, it's a sucker’s bet,” a skinny man said; his green hair twitching with the tension of his voice.

  Two other men looked disinterested as they lounged on a low leather couch beside a long steel counter where a bald man leaned back on a stool, arms folded across his chest as he stared into space.

  The shop's walls were hidden by a patchwork of floating media feeds showing gambling statistics and arena sports. One view showed two teams playing sport-ball, another had gene-joked horses racing across the countryside. Along the top of each wal
l, augmented ticker tape streamed by, relaying real time global sports scores in a steady stream.

  The bald man behind the counter spoke first. “Hello!” His smile showing off silver teeth, each tooth carefully sculpted to produce a perfect mirrored smile.

  “Buy, sell or trade?” Silver asked as the larger of the two couch dwellers wearing cargo shorts took advantage of their interruption to have the final word. “It’s gonna be a wash, fool.”

  “Hi Silver, I need a pelvic crown, 4.0 or higher,” Joni said, and the bald man looked off into space, reading his implanted display.

  “Luckily for you, I just happen to have some options.”

  “I’m telling you, man, Sidewinder is going to win tomorrow for sure.” Skinny green hair wasn’t giving up as he gestured to open a new display feed on the wall, pressing the others to the side, “and you'll be a bigger fool!”

  “Good, better, or best?” Silver asked.

  “You don't know a goddamn thing, you know that?” Cargo shorts snickered, “Why you so up on Sidewinder?”

  “They're gonna get the role,” Skinny said, bouncing his emerald hair, “It’s all up and down, he’s gonna take it. Check the specs!”

  A small drone displayed on the screen, with four small multi rotors over a long body, and two pincers on articulated legs trailing like talons beneath it.

  “Betting on a new player, in open trials, is as stupid as you are. I'm sticking with Shamrock. You can keep Sidewinder.”

  “I can let you have the good one for eight fifty,” Silver said.

  Joni folded her arms and Jacob hoped she never looked at him that way.

  “Let’s have a look at it,” she said, shaking her head.

  Silver nodded but didn't move.

  Jacob poked Teeva’s arm, “What's that all about?" He nodded at the drone screen.

  “Drone races bro!” Teeva said.

  “Spaceman must have just landed,” Skinny said to his cargo short wearing friend, “Free tip spaceman; bet on Sidewinder to win!”

  Cargo shorts shook his head, “Don’t listen to this fool,” he stabbed a thumb at Skinny, “he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.”

  Jacob looked back to the screen, “How does it work?”