Winter Harvest

by Dawn Chapman

  She then placed her finger into the bowl, and the ingredients burst into a golden hue. She quickly gathered it up and poured it from there into a vial, added in a good amount of metallic liquid, and handed it to me.

  KEEDO’S HEALTH RESTORATION AND REJUVENATION POTION

  + 64% BOOST FOR TWO HOURS

  + 2 to INT (permanent boost)

  Wow, that sounded really great. I couldn’t fault that for helping me get better. So I didn’t hesitate—I drank it quick.

  “That’s a hell of a boost,” I said grinning as I suddenly felt my face and features start to warm up.

  “Thank you. I have spent years perfecting the technique.

  Unfortunately, due to the number of injuries that do come in, it’s been a necessary task.”

  I felt for her then. She looked young in the body that she had, but she wasn’t. I looked around the room, seeing much more of it now as my nanites inside worked more efficiently.

  That was more than a hell of a boost. You should be back to normal in a few hours, not days. I would have a hundred questions for her, but I think we’ll discover these things together. Yes?

  I didn’t need to reply.

  SYSTEM RECOVERY

  SCANNING ITEMS NEEDED

  TALAI FEATHERS, FROLUX FUR, IONS FROM FEKIR WATER.

  Oh, my nites were telling me I needed more stuff?

  Several things started to flash up as I looked over the different vials in her place. Arror root, mustard seed, fekir water, triez skin.

  I shivered at the skin, but turned to her. “What else was in that potion?”

  She giggled and looked around the room. “A little intelligence booster. It will help you see more around here—with the AI and programming, of course. They just needed a little more help within the system.”

  “I can see that. Makes a lot of sense.”

  “What are you seeing?” she asked.

  “That I need more stuff.” I tried to laugh, but she touched my hand.

  “No, listen to the nites. They know and speak only truths. If you tell me, I may have it, and if I don’t, then maybe I know where we can get it.”

  “Okay, I need possibly something from talai feathers, frolux fur, and ions from fekir water.”

  “Ah, yes they are very specific. I can see that’s probably why they’re the next generation in nites, yes?”

  I think asking questions was a trait of hers. I didn’t need to answer them. “I don’t have them, but I will be able to find them. You may rejoin Alek and the others. You should feel better within a few hours, and visually you won’t need to worry.”

  I pushed the thought aside, but then I had to ask. “What do I look like?”

  She pulled out a mirror. “Be aware the denti are more than we are.

  That this tech and the skin had to come from somewhere.”

  I wasn’t following her meaning until I took the mirror and looked into it.

  What stared back at me was something from a horror show.

  I had thought underneath the skin, the metal parts, the wires and everything that was the shell would be something that was at least human. What I saw was neither.

  “What the hell did they do out here?” I asked her, the mirror shaking in my hand.

  “The people on earth do not know anything of this. I know that.” Her voice was low, sad. “For that alone, I am sorry.”

  I reached out to the creature in the mirror. Touched its face, my face.

  Felt my fingers against skin, tissue, as it twinged, burned as it was physically being healed. I traced the sharp contours of its expression as I took in the blue pieces of metal, the muscular tone of its sculpted forehead. But it was the eyes that truly caught me now, stunning blue and oranges.

  What are they? Who are they?

  I voiced Hiroto’s questions, and she moved out of her chair. “I am sorry, it is not my story to tell.”

  Hiroto? How can we not know this? I…he stayed quiet.

  “Are they alive in here?” I tapped the side of my head, felt awful.

  I was inside the body of something else, something that had been alive, at some point. I shuddered.

  “I have to stop them,” I said simply.

  “There aren’t many people who see what we are on the inside. Those that see it and understand it started many years ago to find each other, to gather more and more information. All that we are is here in this underground base.”

  “Years?”

  “Forty-four altogether.”

  “You’ve been here for forty-four years?”

  “Yes, I have been here for sixty-two in total.” She stood now, lowering her head. “The fight is real, Kyle. We’ve been mounting this offensive for many years, hoping.”

  I reached out and touched her chin, the side of her face, gently so she would look up at me. Her eyes were amazing, sapphire-blue diamonds sparkled inside darkened globes of orange flickering light. Identical to mine. “Fight on. Always.”

  I looked to the door, and went to it.

  “I will have your other ingredients in a few hours. It will finish the rebuild of your face then, without the need for respawn. Go. Learn as much as you can. You will need it.”

  “Yes,” I said. “I understand that now more than ever. Thank you for healing me, for being so kind.”

  “The world has many warriors. We need more than that.”

  The light outside—even though it was artificial—didn’t sting my eyes this time. I could also see more of the cavern and what was in here. It was a stunningly beautiful yellow stone cave, glittering minerals and other things adorned it and throughout veins drifted in beautiful sweeping waves. I admired the beauty. Loved the colours— then I remembered the eyes that I was looking through, the almost lizard-like quality. I wondered where they really came from, what their home was.

  We will find out. Hiroto’s voice came through to me. We will stop this, this atrocity.

  I reached up and touched the skin that was almost fully grown back now over my face. I cringed.

  Rytin walked over with Alek. “Feeling better?”

  “Yes, much. Thank you. You never flinched when you took my face off. This…” I waved my hand over my head.

  “No, we know what we are,” Rytin said. “It’s not a shock to some of us anymore.”

  I looked to Alek. “Fill me in. Show me this place. Tell me everything.”

  Alek turned around. “This was nicknamed Hope City, so we kept it.” I liked it. I knew it was living up to its name already.

  “Come,” Alek said. “I’ll show you what we’ve got.”

  He walked away from me and out to the far wall where a long, mechanical, dug-out corridor took us away and deeper into the system. We then walked through hydroponics, farms, everything that would sustain a small city.

  “How many people are here?” I asked.

  “There are a hundred and seventeen that stay regularly. Those that are the most damaged, as you saw out there.”

  I nodded. “And altogether?”

  “There are over four hundred of us in total,” Alek said. “We get between five and ten recruits a year, if we’re lucky. Nothing major. These are all of us who remember who we were, what we wanted in life. What we’re fighting for now.”

  “You can’t afford to stretch out too quick or reach for the wrong people,” I said so that he knew I’d understood his meaning.

  “No, Rytin is the only recruiter. We leave him all decision making there, and I trust him fully.”

  I could see their history in the way they bounced off each other already. I wondered what they’d been through in combat and out of it. I smiled at Rytin. “You seemed to know something about me from day one though, right?”

  “I trust my instincts. The fact you stood between that M-Wolf and my death was more than enough of a reason for me to trust my gut. You’ve only proved it ever since.”

  “Thanks.” The need inside me for these two men to trust me—to more importantly want me there—was v
ery strong. I needed it like I needed approval from my father.

  I tried to step away from that. To not need it, but I think all kids crave some kind of acceptance from peers. Nehi was a whole other story.

  Rytin stopped at a door. “This is my room. I’ll let you see some of the developments you can learn to use if you build yourself up to the right specs. If it’s what you want of course.”

  My interest was piqued. I nodded at him. “Shall we?”

  He stood before the door. A panel opened and scanned his eyes, and he placed his palm to it. A tiny wire came out, connecting for just a brief moment.

  “I’d say close your eyes, but I don’t think you can just yet.” He grinned.

  The door opened, and he stepped inside. I could see a lot of the stuff from out here and as the biggest kid I could be, I stepped in behind him and Alek and listened to the door thump behind me.

  Before me stood the largest mech I’d seen. It looked complicated. It looked like it would kick ass. “Oh, wow.”

  UNIQUE MODEL – HANDCRAFTED BY A MASTER ENGINEER

  Class - Unknown

  Overall Operational Level required = 200

  Overall Personal Level required = 500

  Internal AI Chip = ??? DETECTED

  Nanites x 1,178,171 DETECTED

  Structural Integrity = IRON, SILVER, TRION, TUNGSTEN

  Skin Strength = 418

  Mana Core = 0% UNDETECTED

  Strength = 480

  Speed = 220

  Weight = 180 Tonnes

  Cockpit Strength = Unknown

  Heat Tolerance = 750

  Weapons

  Energy Weapons - Flamethrower = Heat Gen cost 6 hps

  Cost – 360 hps per minute 750 / 360 = 2 mins + 5 min cool down

  Ballistic Weapons - Z4 - Auto Cannon - Range 200-400m - Heat Gen cost 3 hps

  Cost – 180 hps per minute - 4 mins – 20 sec bursts 10 second cool down or jams

  Ranged Weapons - Short and Long-Range Missiles - Heat Gen - Initial Launch Only

  Melee - Long Sword

  I moved to its rather large foot and placed a hand on it, feeling the cool of the metal. “How the hell have you been building this down here?”

  “With care,” Rytin said. “Tracking the parts I wanted, making sure they’re discovered by one of my team while we distract the others like Tyto.”

  I was starting to understand how it had all come about, but this…I looked up into the shiny helmet of the mech. “What is this for, though? I mean, what do you expect to be fighting with it?”

  “Learn to fight here on Tolsa,” Rytin said, “then move to fight with the big boys on Sakron, right?”

  I imagined the world above, the fighting that was going on outside, right now maybe with the bases at the helm.

  “Yeah, the system in place moves you up from planet to planet. Sakron, Voltol, KonoS, and then lastly, Flaoer the mech’s arena. That’s where this baby is needed.” He tapped the skin of the mech with a resounding chink of metal on metal.

  “Training in those would be awesome,” I replied running my hands over the slick skin, feeling a tiny dent and wondering how that could have happened. “What do I need to learn?”

  “Skills that get combined for it, Battle Mage, Nanite Engineer, Mech Pilot.”

  I wanted it. Like right now. The goal had been dangled in front of me. If I couldn’t get this baby, I would make my own, and maybe we could fight alongside each other.

  That was it—now I knew where I was going. Everything I was going to do now was to become the hottest Battle Mage and Mech Pilot I could be. I wanted to not only be the lead though, I wanted to craft and make the best weapons possible. If I needed a team behind me to do it, then so be it. I’d learn and do on my own till the time was right.

  “How high?” I needed to know what it would take for me to get there.

  “Strength over seventy, Intelligence and Wisdom at least ninety.

  Constitution over fifty, to give you the best opportunity for defence for any shielding or spells you can muster.”

  “Luck also helps,” Alek added.

  I laughed at Alek, but remembered how low I was and thought for a moment I’d never reach those. But then I thought about the hours I’d spent in games grinding, getting the things I needed to move up those few points, to have a goal. I loved that above everything.

  I looked at Rytin and then to Alek. “Whatever it takes, as long as it takes.”

  Alek held his hand out for me. “We can’t cheat their system; that’s the biggest thing. You have some advantages already. Your internal is one of a kind. Hopefully, that will help you miss the largest pitfalls.”

  “I built it, and I can’t pilot it.” Rytin sighed. “Yet.”

  “I want this,” I said, meeting his eyes with mine.

  “I knew you would.” Rytin smiled right back at me. “Don’t worry about the other stats. Concentrate on what you need for this, and you’ll nail the system to the wall.”

  Alek tapped the metal too.

  “Borix still the lead guard there?” he asked Rytin.

  “Yeah,” I replied.

  “Heh. One thing you don’t know about Borix,” Alek said. “He’s one of us.”

  I took a double take, tried to pick my jaw up off the floor. “You’re not kidding?”

  “No, he takes on that role so he plays up to those we’re sporting against most of the time. Without him to do it and be our eyes, we’d have lost many chances to build this.”

  “So do I need to speak with him?” I asked.

  “No, don’t put anything he’s doing at risk. Just make sure you’re where he’s doing the training. If someone challenges you, he’s to judge. No matter what he deals you, take it. He will have your best interest at heart and ours. And if you want to train for this, pilot, you’ll need him.”

  I had a feeling that Borix was gonna love riding my ass.

  However, I nodded. “Okay, I will take it. As much as I don’t look forward to it.”

  “He will build you up the best way, by making sure you’re in the right places to gain the most.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Good.”

  I looked back up to the mech. It was as strong as anything I wanted to be. If I needed it to get to Flaoer, then I would make sure I was ready to take it.

  “Can I help with any mods, et cetera?” I said, eyeing the prize some more.

  “Your internal can, I am sure.”

  Hiroto?

  I look forward to it. But I will need to study everything they have, what they’ve done right down to the nanite tech it uses. What year, what programming.

  Sounds good to me, I will make sure that I get out and away at certain intervals so that we can work on it.

  “There’s a few things that come by here regularly.” Rytin said. “I will make sure they’re tasks that you can do at your level. You can then put in for the missions by yourself. You don’t need a team if you get there quick. I have one guy, a follower. I’ll message him. He might put off a few people.”

  “I think I’m better at going it solo for now,” I said. “Once they realise you and your team have left and aren’t coming back. I can play up that fact, so I don’t need to work with others. I don’t want to trust others for a while. I need to trust myself.”

  Rytin nodded. “I miss you already.”

  I frowned. These were the first friends I had, and I had struck gold. I wanted to stay with them.

  “I will make sure you miss me.” I laughed. “You better keep tabs on how quick this noob climbs the ladder.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The return to the surface came much quicker than I wanted. I think the thought of actually heading back to base just took everything out of me. I knew I had a long-ass way to go. It was more than daunting.

  Rytin pulled me to off one side. “We have some gear secured in a ring back in our room. It is warded—you will only see it with this.”

  He hand
ed me a chain with a coin attached. “Oh, okay. I’ll retrieve it when I can.”

  Rytin smiled at me. “Good luck, and come back to us.”

  I couldn’t help but smile back, and he patted my shoulder. “Thanks,” I said. “And I am coming back. You’ve given me nothing but honesty and something to fight for.”

  I truly did hope my journey would bring me back here. I liked these people. This whole underground place.

  Rytin and Alek got me as close to the base as they could by the train, and then I met with Mora and Ven. I was surprised that they hadn’t gone, but seemingly Nehi had secured their service, and now they were sworn into the secret of Hope City. I sat in the back of the shuttle, making sure I wasn’t rattled too much by the journey back home.

  “What’s your story?” Mora asked.

  “Same as yours. We were met with extreme force before the mission had to take a detour. We took on more fire, we got split up. Don’t know what happened to them.”

  “I think that will fly. Just be strict with it. Same story every time.

  They usually haven’t had a chance to learn to lie and cheat the system.”

  “Good to know.” But on the inside, I was flipping out.

  The shuttle came back in to land, clearing all checks, and I pushed out with them when the time was ready. I saw Borix first, and then Tyto and Saskia, waiting. I had hoped that I might get a new face, but for all the healing I’d had, but no, my own grew back, scar and all. I laughed at that.

  I wanted to ignore them, but they came straight for me. As if I could get away. Borix made sure he was in the way of them before they could get near me, though.

  “Will need to have a word with you. Come with me.” Borix didn’t look to Tyto and his guards, just moved through them like they weren’t there. I liked that.

  But I was now going to do the one thing I didn’t want to. I had to talk to Borix, and that scared me.

  He walked through all the security checks, and they never stopped him. I was glad that they didn’t. But I also didn’t know where he was taking me.