ONE NATION: A Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian Saga

by Michael W. Huard

  Tyne turned looked to her sister. “It is you that must go,” she pointed out.

  Karma wiped the sweat from her brow and was not really sure what to do. There were too many of them, it was obvious. Tyne had begun shooting the big red bot, but Karma was surrounded by others.

  She shot out with her pistol at those near her.

  More, however, showed up, and she had to run down an ally as they shot out at her with too many beams all at once.

  It was there she entered the building and climbed up a flight of stairs, and then went out a window onto a ladder to get to the top of a still-standing building. She looked down to see how her sister was doing.

  The bot she fought was tough. He appeared to be general of some sort.

  Several robots now formed a circle around the cyborg. Each fired out, damaging her synthetic skin and burning into her metal frame.

  But Tyne was no slouch. She turned about, blasting at least a dozen of them, dropping them with great vigor and determination.

  Karma wanted to help so badly. Yet now even drones were in the sky seeking her out. She had to stay low and hide on the roof.

  Tyne was badly damaged now. Her operating system was down to close to only 10% and still the general was hardly hurt.

  Karma peeked over the lip on the roof, watching this all happening. She wanted to throw up!

  She had to draw his attention away from her sister. Screw it. She started yelling at the top of her lungs to get the horned robot to look up at her and take his mind off Tyne. But he did not care about the one on the roof. In his mind was revenge on the one before him.

  Tyne had used every ounce of weapon firepower on him and he knew it now.

  He tossed his long rifle aside to the ground.

  “What’s fair is fair,” he stated, reaching out and grabbing Tyne by the throat. It was then he began punching her over and over in the face.

  She knocked away his grip and drove an elbow into his face, then kicked out into his hip joint, but it wasn't enough. She was too weak now. He just stood there, taking her hits and giving them back.

  He drove a left hook into the side of her head and followed with a stomp kick, using the sole of his foot. It hit the cyborg in her chest, sending her to the ground.

  Her operating system was now down to 7%.

  “I suppose when I'm finished with you,” he then stated, “they will attempt to rebuild you. I will not make it easy for them. You will be fully disassembled.”

  Tyne stood up, miraculously. She was ready to fight more, yet now down to 5% operating energy level. She tried to kick out his leg as he again approached her, but he moved to the side and then he grabbed her once more. Starting at her shoulder, he began tearing it from her body. Then another stop kick from him tore out her other shoulder.

  Karma stopped yelling and zoomed in, shooting him in the head. It got him good but it did not stop him.

  Old Horny was on a mission.

  Tyne tried to get back up but as she did, he slammed a knee of his own into her left hip joint, dislodging one of her legs. He then grabbed her opposite one and picked what was left of her up, swinging it all about.

  It was then that threw her head-first, back down into the hard road surface.

  The sisterhood's proud cyborg had given so many years to her beloved friends of the sisterhood, yet now she was down to 1% operating level.

  The general looked up to the roof and yelled, “I suppose you have something to say?”

  Karma was a bit in shock but was not answering. She began climbing down the roof, on its opposite side.

  It was that several of his robots were entering the building, going after the young teen.

  Old Horny simply said, “Goodbye” as he began tearing Tyne’s head from her body.

  Even still, she got one last sentence in. “You will never win.”

  After she was no more, he took all the pieces and wrapped them together to wear on his back as trophies. A coveted souvenir for defeating this synthetic.

  He now had to get back to his master. There was no doubt that the meddling sisterhood was out and about in the streets of New York.

  It had taken a little time for the sisterhood to get adjusted in New York. They had to get the word out to the God robot that they wanted to meet, but first, they needed to feel out the area and see how the people were doing since the explosions and nuclear blast occurred. Of course, there were concerns about the health and well-being of everyone. During this time, Raegan, Jansa, Chaya, Sinaye, and Resin stayed together for the most part.

  Raegan soon told those with her as they were on route to where the super God-like bot dwelled in the city that those before them that had died would never be forgotten.

  “You know, guys, let us not forget those before us, our friends we no longer have here. For all those who fought so hard and gave their lives to the cause, we now do this one last, brave thing. To everyone in the sisterhood now gone, who worked endlessly, like Zaey, Blu, D-Marge, Wynne, Brin, Paka, Victory Jerry, Kanya, my Lomax, Della, and so many more, to see the vision of Metaya, our founding member, come to life. You all are the reason why will keep going. You believed in offering hope in a world broken down for centuries. This salute goes out to you.”

  Those with her lowered their heads for a moment of memory and love.

  While many of the other sisters were out and about, searching in the destruction for the robotic component they needed for the weapon Resin now carried on his back hidden under wrappings, Reagan led her team to prepare to meet the Godbot.

  The areas about were desolate. Humans here, some at least, would offer their services to him. Most people were not out and about. Many kept to their underground hovels and basements and cellars, hiding even still.

  The women found an area inside that was still roof-topped and worthy of standing up, still supported by several pillars and with an open, hallway-like area. The people they had come across were not overly talkative and it was here, where the main group settled down and listened to Raegan’s tribute to the fallen, that mutant-like people came from the alcoves and open doorways.

  Those that were affected by the nuclear radiation at first looked as though they wanted help, but their frustrations had grown so much that they now wanted no such thing. Instead, they came right out and attacked.

  It wasn't as if these people were stronger. They were basically sick. They had lost their hair and many of their veins and blood vessels had popped out on their bodies. They had blueish skin and their eyes were milky. All had come down with various forms of illnesses, mostly cancer, and along with their DNA being so weakened, their minds were scrambled and wicked.

  The lingering thoughts of death and pain made them reach out for some sort of retribution to any here now that were unaffected.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The people had lost all sense of self-worth. They didn't have firearms; they had knives and just long fingernails as attack weapons. They would bite, claw, stab, or slice for the sake of releasing their anxiety from all they had suffered. Some of the anxiety was physical, while plenty was mental, from the nuclear explosion.

  Each member of the sisterhood tried to reason with them. It did no good.

  Resin himself found that he would be putting to use some of the sisterhood’s hand-to-hand combat for the first time. As soon as one of the pale blue men reached out to grab him, he took the person's hand and turned it upside down, bringing his armpit above the guy’s elbow. He then put heavy pressure down, throwing the man to the ground with an armbar. He went down with him and just held the angry man there.

  That was a mistake as a woman from his side leaped on his back and started trying to gouge out his eyes. She was also pulling on his hair and screaming like a mad animal.

  In the meantime, Raegan and Jansa had their hands full as well. Several of the zombie-like mutant humans came at them.

  Sinaye immediately helped Resin by roundhouse kicking the woman on his back in the head, thus sending her spraw
ling to the floor, but the scientist too had her hands full as two men suddenly reached out and grabbed her by each arm. One on each side now held her, preventing her from moving much anymore.

  But to their surprise, she swung one leg over their grasp, breaking the grip on her right arm, and then turned and drove an inverted kick into the knee of the other mutant. She tore his leg as he fell down to the ground in pain. The other man tried to choke her, wrapping his hands around her throat, but she easily ducked under it and came around behind him and put him in a rear naked choke, sending him to the floor and quickly putting him to sleep.

  Raegan and Jansa had no choice but to defend themselves. One man grabbed Jansa in a headlock, bending her over. She immediately raised her neck up, clasping his grabbing hand, and ducked down around behind him, twisting him in an armbar and pushing him forward. As he turned about, she jumped up in the air and kicked him directly in the face with the ball of her foot.

  Raegan now dealt with a burned and charred woman who was trying to reach out and strangle her. Reagan deflected her reaching arms and elbowed the woman in the face. She then spun about, attacking a guy who tried to kick her in the stomach. She stepped left and scooped up his leg with her right arm and lifted it at his highest possible, tossing him onto his back.

  Jansa had one from the side grab her from behind now. She lowered her body weight, dropping her center of gravity. Adjusting to his bear-like hug, she slipped her leg behind his legs and swept his feet out from under him. Another came and tried to a punch her. She raised her left hand up by her ear and, turning to her side, she blocked it and then came back with a bunch of punches of her own. The man's jaw cracked out loud as he tumbled to the floor.

  It was crazy, fighting these people in the crevices.

  Raegan was tackled from the side, and she dropped down onto the floor. A woman with a savage expression and horrible scar on her forehead climbed up on top of her, trying to drive her thumbs in the eyes of the sisterhood’s leader. Reagan shrimped her body backwards, enabling her feet to get in the way of the attack, thus pushing the woman away slightly. But the woman would not give up. She stood up and attacked, trying to reach over Reagan's legs to hit her. That’s when the blond woman opened her legs and let her attacker fall between them, trapping her in a scissors-like guard position.

  There she maneuvered her legs into a triangle around the woman's neck, putting her to sleep within seconds. It was a perfect figure four, squeezing the life out of her assailant.

  “We have to get out of here,” Sin called out as she and Resin warded off more attackers.

  That's when everyone paused fighting, and they realized that Chaya was missing.

  Three of the mutants whose bodies were bloated in a greenish color had dragged off the Mystical Slayer spokeswoman to a side chamber, and all of them were wrestling about, trying to get her pinned down through an open door.

  She scooted her butt backwards on the floor and kicked up at those on her, keeping them at bay. One she then hit with a good up kick. It landed in a woman’s mouth and was solid enough to knock her out. However, two were still on her.

  The other two were still trying to climb up on her as Sinaye arrived in the nick of time, grabbing one of them by the head and twisting it so hard that she broke the woman's neck.

  The lone attacker that was left backed away from Chaya. She turned to see the others come in the room behind Sin. He growled and spouted out words that all of them took to heart.

  “Well, here we are, killing one another. What has the world become?”

  “Back off!” Raegan called to him. “We can try and help you.”

  He shook his head. “There’s no help for those of us that have suffered in this technology war.”

  “No!” Raegan said. “That’s not true. Technology will never defeat the human spirit. Back away! I will get you the help you need.’

  The man just would not listen. He was now frothing at the mouth. He ran directly at Raegan.

  She simply side-stepped out of the way of his reaching hammer fist attack, but he came right before Resin, who, with his laser gun, blasted him in the head, dropping the wild man down to the floor.

  Resin looked to Raegan, shrugging his shoulders.

  No matter what Raegan tried, Sun and Johan ended up clinging together as they searched for either of the missing super robots. They desperately sought to find the beam component for the EMP weapon. They wanted to be together.

  It didn’t take long as they scanned the streets for piles of ship and building wreckage. Three robots stepped out before them in the streets of broken-down New York.

  “What are you doing here?” a dark silver bot squad leader called out at them. He asked this in a drone-like voice. “Civilians are not allowed in this vicinity without the express consent of the Godbot. Surrender your weapons and kneel down now!”

  The robots immediately began laying fire into the young teens when they did not kneel. Both Sun and Jo had to hide behind some metal barrels in order to not get shot down. Sun was ready to leap out and fire back at them, but Johann told her to hold off a second, whispering as he explained that they would continue to approach closer and once they were near, they could be hit easier and they could also engage them hand-to-hand if necessary.

  Sun nodded, trying to remain patient. She would rather try to kill them off right away.

  Johan was a good shot. He peered around a barrel and turned back, nodding that it was time. Both of them rose up and shot back at the robots. They dropped all three and didn’t need to fight them after all hand-to-hand.

  Sun gave Jo a thumbs up.

  “Thanks,” he replied. “I am sure we haven't seen the last of these bots. There's no doubt they're out and about.”

  Soon after, the two of them searched more and more in the rubble all about. It was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. Neither could find anything that led to either super robot and their remains.

  They could dig and move things for months and still not find anything. Both soon sat on the edge of a fallen sky ship’s backside, practically ready to give up.

  It was then that a squadron of robots came before them from around a semi-standing sky scrapper. This time, there were a dozen of the soldiers.

  “I'm not sure your wait tactic is going to work this time,” Sun announced as at least six more robots appeared, coming down the street.

  “I agree,” Johan said, waving her on, as if to have them run around an alleyway and get out of their immediate range. But it was then that another six robots marched from this direction to block the streetway.

  Johan knew they were in trouble. They were also very low on ammunition.

  “We need to find a way out of here,” he said as he pointed to an opening, a gap to their right between two buildings that had been leveled in the explosions.

  But before they could get going that direction, some of the robots ran that way, blocking them yet again. All bots held up guns, ready to take the teens down.

  One of them now called out in an automaton-like voice. “Stop where you are in the name of the Godbot. You are under arrest. Lower your weapons or you will be eliminated on the spot.”

  It was not looking good for the couple, but then, leaping from one of the roofs that still stood, le a silver and blue seven-foot robot very familiar to Johan appeared.

  Galax was alive.

  He blasted several of the robots to smithereens before running full speed to the others, grabbing them and bashing their heads together, dropping even more. The shots from the bots did not bother him at all.

  Several of them laid fire into the robot’s metal structure over and over but it was no use.

  Yet, right before the couple could celebrate, a robot to the far-right fired a rocket from a launcher directly into Galax. This time he was hurt. The blow exploded into his body, sending him back onto the ground, damaged quite heavily.

  Sun spun about and shot out at that robot, dropping him down before he could shoot hi
s rocket launcher anymore.

  Johan suddenly had a robot grab him from behind. He placed his arm around the young man's throat, trying to choke him. Johan grabbed the arm and turned about, sweeping the robot’s legs out from under him and pointing his gun at the robot. He then shot him directly in the chest multiple times.

  Jo then looked to Galax.

  The super robot was back up, shooting more bots down and clearing a path for Sun and Johan. He soon led the two of them down the street away from any remaining robots. Several still were in pursuit.

  Galax looked to Johan once they got some distance from the fighting.

  “We are friends, are we not?”

  Johan glanced over. He swallowed a bit before answering. “Yes, we are. I can't believe you are still alive. I was hoping deep inside you were.”

  Sun then commented, “I thought you would be buried with everything else here.”

  Galax looked to them both. “I have survived, but the president has not. This here is my dilemma.”

  Johan felt a sense of distress in Galax’s voice.

  “You can be okay without him, without Y-Wood,” Johan explained. “Now your life is your own.”

  Galax just stood there. He paused as if he was unsure.

  Sun felt a bit antsy around this thing. He could at any time turn on them.

  “We need to find the black robot,” She announced. “There is a component that we can use to defeat Omagus. The Godbot has to be stopped. He is ruining everything. He is out of control.”

  “He is out of control!” the blue and silver bot spoke while nodding his head to agree. “I can try to help you; it is what friends do. I only ask that when it is over, we can sit by the shoreline and look into the ocean. I would like to enjoy the view with a friend like you, Johan. It is very relaxing to me.”

  Johan was excited to hear Galax say this. “I promise you. We will go to the ocean. That's for sure. We’ll go when this is all over.”