ONE NATION: A Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian Saga

by Michael W. Huard

  Her face was mangled just a bit, her body showing heavy damage.

  Tyne did not answer him. She only staggered back some and ran around another ship.

  It was after that when she heard the Hand call his troops over and asked all to board his main ship.

  Tyne watched as they flew off, heading to the main community area on the island. She limped behind another vessel and still spotted several more robots walking off into the woods.

  She had failed in regard to stopping these ships. She had disabled every ship but that one and one other here. That’s when an idea came to her.

  The ship in the sky had trapped the villagers and Sinaye in the woods. They now guarded the only route to the dock area and the ships there. It hovered in the sky now, watching and waiting.

  The panic of the villagers had turned to horror now. Sin tried to steady them all.

  “Stay down, they appear to be holding off shooting now. No one make any sudden movements.”

  It was then, much to her chagrin, another robot ship appeared on the horizon from the east. Sin felt a little deflated inside, looking at the people she was trying to save. There was now no way with two ships guarding the dock area they could ever escape. This cursed island had her at a standstill.

  But suddenly, much to her surprise, the second ship zeroed in on the first and let loose a volley of fire on it. Not only did it blast multiple shots into the vessel, it then zoomed straight ahead and rammed into the side of it.

  It sent the larger ship spinning about trying to regain its balance. Then the second ship opened fire again, swirling around down lower to the ground and cutting across the shoreline, turning about so no return fire could hit it.

  There, lo and behold, in the driver's seat was the cyborg, Tyne Gem. She waved over to the woods and Sin came out, raising her fist up high. Her sister had done the unthinkable and saved them all.

  The big ship now caught on fire, and it tumbled into the nearby bay. Many of the on-board bots inside were trying to get out, but the vessel began sinking deep into the water.

  Other robots from the woods came at the people and Sin now, but Tyne had already zeroed in on all of them, blasting away with her ship’s heavy laser beam weapons. Sin spun about, blasting them as well, yelling for everyone to get back out to the shoreline.

  It was then Tyne landed her stolen ship for those out there to board.

  As the door opened and Sin finally got in, Tyne looked at her with a smile. “Let me guess. You had no doubt I was coming, right?”

  Sin raised her eyebrows, seeing her beaten and wounded sister. It did not stop her from saying, “I believed in you. Let’s just say that!” It was then the ship went up higher and darted of in the sky, leaving this forsaken island.

  Tyne took one last look at the larger sinking Martian robot ship. Her extended viewing range took her right into the vessel.

  It was then she saw, emerging from the top of the sinking ship, a large, brighter colored red robot. One with tall, horn-like metal ears. He came to the top now, where he stood.

  He looked up to the sky in her direction.

  Tyne then thought, Perhaps he was right. One day we will meet again.

  It was then a big commotion occurred on her taken ship. Those who finally had a chance to grab Barbara Deville did such, scolding her for what had happened to the youngsters they loved. Then the horde of them opened up an emergency door and flung the redheaded woman out.

  She tumbled into the sky and was forever lost in the clouds, thrown to her death.

  Justice was served.

  ROCKET’S

  RED GLARE

  THE METAL GIRL

  ~ A Mystical Slayers Bonus Short Story ~

  Some say one's destiny is already a given; others say it is forged through the trials of life. For this young girl, there really was no choice. She had to survive, to grow into something that she could not conceal.

  CHAPTER ONE

  She was a dark-haired beauty, maybe ten or so, with the biggest of brown eyes. The clan she ran with was a ragtag crew, and in a society ruled by force and sheer numbers, each and every one of them had to be in tune with one another. Life on the road in a fallen land was no picnic.

  The region was controlled by the Y-Wood Corporation, and any who tried to make the rules up as they went, well, those people were smashed to the ground by the robotic soldiers of said rulers.

  The changing wars, chemical, nuclear, and the like, were all driven by greed, and they made the country safe for very few indeed. All freedom was gone. If you wanted oil, gas, water, food, security, children, or anything in between, you asked the Corporation for it. For those living on the road avoiding such policy, danger was around every bend in the road.

  There were twelve of the members of the clan today. The girl, who went by the name Aliah, was dressed as most were: in the rags and clothing of mismatched colors that covered her from the hot sun and the cold, frigid temperatures.

  Aliah was a street girl, yet she was not evil, nor was she deranged, as many were nowadays. She lived a tough life and just kept going, much like all of the clan beside her. She actually liked life and kept hope for a better world someday.

  Bad shit seemed to always happen to her. When road bandits appeared riding bikes and dune buggies, her people tried to barter and found themselves with no choice but to fight the scoundrels. She did not have parents; most kids didn’t. They ran with those that took them in, and today those people were falling before her brown eyes. The bandits wanted only the strong or young.

  Being a scrapper in every sense of the word, she fought too. Yet the attackers were brutes, tough men who were made for combat and armed heavily, and for many of her motley crew, their time was ending.

  Aliah was sold off as part of the spoils, along with a blond-headed boy about her age named Bernardo. This would be the fourth time she had changed hands along the road of her life.

  “I claim this one,” a bandit leader called out. He was a tall, rugged dude with tattoos covering his neck and winding up the sides of his cheeks. “She will make a good, obedient wife,” he added, pulling her by the arm to his road rider’s black roofless Jeep.

  He was bald-headed and wore a long, braided beard split in two down his face. “Drucker” was his name, and he was a mean, tough guy in his thirties. He was a road warrior and the leader of about twenty rough travelers who raided as they went.

  Yet Aliah was not as easy as she appeared. As the man attempted to drag her away, she stomped on his foot with the sole of her heeled boot. He immediately yelped out and released her, shaking his now sore instep. The girl, now free of his grip, side kicked his knee. It gave her time to turn and run. “Get back here, you little shit,” Drucker screamed.

  But Aliah could run. She could run like the wind, and soon she was halfway across the other side of the road heading down into the woods.

  The other bandit members looked at their leader. He raised his arms up, questioning why the hell there was no one moving after her. “Go get the little brat, will ya?”

  Two men gave chase and eventually caught up close behind Aliah, yet both soon were out of breath and needed to rest for a moment. They could shoot her, but they knew better, so the taller one yelled out with a burst of energy, “I got this!” He kept after her and dove forward, driving his shoulder into her small frame before tackling the little one and crashing into the ground.

  Aliah rolled to the ground with a swift motion and tumbled straight back up while trying to fend them both off. The other man, a short, full-bearded guy named Outie, beckoned her to give in and just come with them. “It would be a whole lot easier if you’d just give up, girl. Out here is no place for a youngling anyhow.” The man motioned again for her to just come along. The other guy, a greasy, long-haired fellow the boys called Slappy, was not as nice and got up from tackling this defiant girl, looking none too pleased. He moved in to hoist her up and carry her little ass out of the brush.

  But, before he got cl
ose enough, she drove a straight kick into his stomach and forced him back. This made him even less happy. “You’re going to pay for that,” he announced, this time moving in with a demeanor that suggested he wanted to harm Aliah and grab her at all costs.

  “Don’t harm the merchandise,” he kept telling himself sarcastically. “Don’t mark her pretty face up.” He spat on the ground and yelled at her, “Get your ass going with us, or I’m gonna smash your stupid face in.”

  He attempted to grab her. As Aliah punched out, he caught her fist. “Will you just stop!” he yelled, now holding her closer and motioning to his buddy to help him calm her and get her back to the main road.

  She wanted to fight more but knew better. There would be a better time for resistance. “Just not now,” she told herself as both tightened their hold on her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The boys’ caravan sped on out down the dusty road. Drucker kept singing the same old song as they traveled, and Aliah and Bernardo, who were now in the back of the truck, were quite sick of it already. He sounded bad but kept at it over and over. “On a dark nasty highway, cool wind in my hair, up ahead in the distance I saw crazy light, my head grew dizzy because we gotta stop for the night.”

  Eventually, they reached a broken-down complex of buildings, which was where they stopped for the night.

  The men and a few tough women cleaned out some of the worn buildings and settled down inside, while Drucker and another woman took one of the other buildings and brought Aliah in with them.

  The woman was of average height, yet her dark hair was shaved on one side, and she had several facial piercings on her lips and nose. She was scary-looking to say the least.

  The couple threw down their gear and broke open a bottle of whiskey to share. Aliah sat in the corner, nervous and shivering. The tall Viking-like male offered her some. “Go ahead, it’s good for you.”

  Aliah just shook her head and curled up in a ball against the wall.

  The woman approached Aliah and knelt down before her. Drucker yelled out, “Slut, leave her alone.”

  She did not listen and spoke to Aliah in a hushed voice, “You should just do as you’re told. It’s going to be better in the long run. Drucker runs this outfit, and he’s the almighty man. I will look after you. I like little girls.” She grinned, displaying a full set of rotten teeth to Aliah.

  In the morning, the crew was back on the road. In a way, Aliah was lucky the leader claimed her. The others here were wild, so who knew what it would be like having to spend the night with them each time they stopped and left the road.

  When they spotted potential homes, gas, food, or other useful items, these scavengers raided as they went. At night, they partied like animals, and Aliah was subjected to Slut and Drucker’s habitual drinking and romping. However, it was insinuated that she would have to join them soon, once she’d settled down and stopped pouting in the corner.

  There was no way she could do it. She began planning her escape.

  The new kids were also taught to fight whenever travel permitted. Everyone needed skills and combat tactics, so Bernardo and Aliah were given rough and tough lessons while the others laughed at them and threw garbage their way if they failed in such training.

  Slappy, the guy with the long, dirty hair, went over knife use one day, and when Bernardo got cut on his cheek during sparring, the entire crew mocked him and applauded Aliah, who was his opponent. He took his own blood and ran it through his blond hair, screaming at them and launching himself back at the girl before him.

  Aliah, being a street kid, was no easy target. She sidestepped his lunging stab and cut around behind Bernardo, making him turnabout. He was so upset he threw his blade at Aliah’s face. As the knife zoomed at her, Drucker appeared and caught it in midair at the last moment. He scolded the boy and smacked him in the head multiple times stating, “Rule number one: we don’t kill each other.”

  The training went on for days on end.

  When the group found a town or city, they always made time for a visit to any place that would let them in to party, or in some cases, let them be a part of entertainment at certain fighting locales.

  The new day took them to a town in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and it was here one such fighting event was taking place. It was an under-the-table show. The Corporation, who pretty much ruled fallen America, had no say in it, so their dirty hands were nowhere to be seen as the motley crew arrived to enter the show.

  As Drucker, Slut, Slappy, and Outie forced their way into a nearby apartment section, all were hungry and ready for a night of craziness. Betting was popular at these shows, and they wanted to win and put their earnings, be it liquor, food, or people, to good use.

  Slut approached Aliah. “You are either going to join us in our fun tonight, or you’re going to fight today. It’s your choice, girl. Make a good decision,” she said with a wicked smile.

  Aliah swallowed hard. She was never joining them for sex; she would rather kill herself first. If she had to fight, so be it. She stood up and proudly said, “I will fight for us!”

  Drucker was surprised. “Oh, really? What makes you think you’ll live through such death matches, kid?” he asked.

  Aliah spoke out without thinking, “Anything’s better than the alternative!”

  Drucker walked to her and whacked her on the head. “You think that’s funny, little girl?”

  Now crying, Aliah wanted to get as far into the back of the room as possible, but the big Viking-like Drucker grabbed her by the hair. “Look at me when I am speaking to you. For your big mouth, you’ll now do both. Win your fight, and tonight you join me and the slut.”

  He shoved her against the wall and left the room.

  Slut then added, “I told you! You should have shut your fat mouth! Now you will be ours for the evening, if you’re lucky enough to live through the pit. Once this starts, you will be in our bed every night. And soon you will be carrying his baby with a chubby belly.” With these words, she laughed all the way out of the room, leaving the young girl behind.

  Aliah could not breathe. She could not swallow. Her mouth was so dry that her spirit had all but evaporated.

  She picked herself up off the ground and ran her hand through her long, dark hair. She then wiped away her tears from her brown eyes. Today was not going to be easy. She could give up, or she could fight. She considered all her options and came to one conclusion: she would fight in the pit and win, and then later, she would conceal a weapon and kill both Drucker and Slut.

  CHAPTER THREE

  This was not what she expected. The entire show was a circus. A grand tent was set up for the upcoming fights, but the pre-show entertainment for the gathering crowds could only be classed as an oddity at best.

  From behind a wall close to her quarters, Aliah watched as the stands began to fill for the first act.

  It appeared to be two very small humans, midgets of some sort. The miniature man and woman were dressed in gothic-like black and white attire, with their faces painted as ghostly white skulls. They looked dark and sinister as they appeared on either end of a high trapeze wire.

  To open their act, they flipped and leaped onto the wire, dazzling the audience with their death-defying act.

  Then, a wild-looking, rather muscular barbaric woman came out and performed the same entrance onto the high wire. She was strong and tall and could shoot arrows even while cartwheeling along the wire. She never missed her target once.

  Suddenly, while watching, Aliah felt a person press up behind her and pin her to the fence. Drucker had snuck up on her; she could smell his foul whisky breath wafting over her shoulder. He whispered in her ear, “You ready?”

  Aliah could hardly breathe, and his pressure was too tight for her to escape. “Yes, I’m ready,” she replied.

  Drucker ground his pelvis into her. “You better win. If you do, I have something real special for you tonight.” He then eased up with the pressure.

  She turned to him, mad and
frustrated as she looked at him with anger in her eyes. Drucker tilted his head to the side. “Why so sad? You’ll win, and then you’ll feast and play tonight and become a woman.”

  He then turned and left the girl as the trumpets sounded to indicate a new act. This time, it was two dwarf-like men, one with a long black beard, the other with an even longer bright orange beard. Both had their hair styled high in Mohawks.

  The two short, rugged men lifted an enormous amount of weight and shocked the crowd with their powerful strength. As they were finishing up, a tall, ugly man strode out before them. He was long haired with a couple of seriously noticeable teeth sticking out, almost like fangs. He challenged the dwarves to a fight, and so they battled and wowed the crowd with deadly combat.

  Aliah had no time to stay and watch the outcome. As she headed back to gear up for her so-called event, she passed a strange man in long dark robes. He nodded to her as she passed by. Wondering who he was, Aliah thought he was perhaps a magician who was due to perform next.

  The entire show was owned and orchestrated by a male and female Russian partnership. These overly elaborate well-to-do folks, who were clearly dressed to impress, proudly walked about during all the proceedings.

  None of this mattered. For Aliah, her world was about to go crazy. An hour later, the young girl found herself dressed in leather armor while holding a staff in one hand and a knife in another.

  She was then ushered to the arena, where the crowd cheered and roared in response to the commencement of fighting. Kids fighting one another was the first match of the evening.

  As the gate slowly opened and she began to walk out, a tall boy of maybe about fourteen stood before her. He had shaggy brown hair and held a sword in one hand. He looked at Aliah and wouldn’t take his eyes off of her. The announcer spat out the fighters’ clan names before yelling out to the onlookers, “Let the fight begin!”