Dead Mech (7 page)

“I’m fine,” Rachel said quickly.

“For now, but I’d hate to have you
relapse.”

Rachel crossed her arms, setting her feet
firmly. Capreze noted his daughter’s stance.

“Understood, Doctor. But,
I
think a
walk is just what she needs.”

***

The Rookie stood and stretched as the train
came to a halt. He looked at his bloodied hands and broken
fingernails, barely believing what he’d just been through. His body
was exhausted, but his mind raced, going over and over the mock
attack.

The pilot and co-pilot had called back on
the com when the test was over to congratulate him on a job well
done. They both said they hadn’t seen anyone figure out how to get
out of the train car that fast before. Ever.

The car door opened and the Rookie
confidently stepped out onto the platform.

***

Stanislaw’s voice echoed through Bisby’s
fatigued brain. He shook his head violently, trying to dislodge the
ghostly murmurs.

“You okay, Biz?” June asked, placing a hand
on his elbow as they walked back to base.

Bisby didn’t answer as he glanced sideways
at her, his haunted eyes rimmed with dark circles. She squeezed his
arm.

“Of course you’re not. Sorry. Everyone’s
right, I do say stupid stuff all the time,” June said. “I’m here,
though, if you need to talk.”

Bisby smiled wanly and patted June’s hand.
She smiled back and let Bisby move on ahead, giving him his
space.

***

“Looks like a funeral,” the train’s pilot
said, stepping past the Rookie.

“I wonder what happened,” the Rookie mused
aloud, shielding his eyes from the sun, trying to see into the
distance.

“Someone died, genius,” the co-pilot
quipped. “Happens a lot out here in the waste.”

The Rookie turned to the co-pilot. “Mostly
mech drivers?”

“Pilots, boy. They are pilots. You get
caught calling them drivers and it’ll be your corpse getting
grilled out there.”

“Right, pilots. But, is it? Mostly mech
pilots that die?”

“Listen kid, you need to learn that Death is
everyone’s bunkmate out in the waste.”

***

“Probably not the best day for a Rookie to
arrive,” Capreze said walking arm in arm with Rachel.

“I disagree. It’s probably the best day for
him to arrive. No illusions as to what it’s like out here,” Rachel
responded. They walked along in silence for a moment, Rachel
kicking stones with her boots, the Commander staring at the base,
his base, lost in thought.

“Have any idea who you want to mentor the
Rookie?” Rachel asked, knowing it wasn’t the most appropriate thing
to say, but she couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“Yep.”

“And...?”

“You, Baby Girl.”

Rachel nodded.

***

“Good luck, kid,” the pilot said, shaking
the Rookie’s hand.

“You’re not staying?”

“Nope,” the co-pilot answered, shaking the
Rookie’s hand as well. “We’re all fueled up. As soon as they all
clear off, we’ll be gone.” The co-pilot motioned towards the group
coming up the tracks. “We’ve got two days of wasteland to cover.
The sooner, the better.”

“Two?” the Rookie asked. “It took four.”

The pilot laughed. “The test was four. The
trip was two. Better get used to things not being what they seem
out here.”

“Thanks, I will,” the Rookie muttered as the
train’s door shut.

***

The Rookie watched from the train platform
as the base crew slowly walked back up the tracks, smoke from the
pyre reaching towards the sky behind them.

The first pilot to reach him was Bisby and
the Rookie stepped off the platform, hand outstretched.

“Hey, there I’m-,” but his greeting was cut
short by Bisby’s right fist connecting with his jaw. The world spun
and the Rookie took a header to the ground.

“I don’t give a FUCK what your name is
Rookie!” was the last thing the Rookie heard before his world went
black and the pain became darkness.

“Well, you check out fine, but take it easy
for the day,” Doctor Themopolous said, setting her tablet
aside.

“Wow…Did he hit me that hard?” the Rookie
asked, still groggy.

“Bisby? No, it was the concrete steps that
really did the job.” Doctor Themopolous handed the Rookie a packet
of pills. “Take one twice a day if you start getting headaches. If
the medication doesn’t help, come see me right away.”

The Rookie pushed himself from the exam
table and took two tentative steps. “Um, Doc?”

“Mmmm…?”

“How’d I get into an exam gown?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve seen it all.”

***

“Welcome back to the conscious world,
Rookie,” Rachel said, extending her hand as the Rookie exited the
infirmary. “Quite a first impression. You always fall down like a
girl when someone hits you?”

The large knot at the back of the Rookie’s
head ached, but he pushed that aside and took Rachel’s hand.

“I usually try to scream a little before I
pass out, but I couldn’t manage it this time,” quipped the
Rookie.

“I’m Pilot Rachel Capreze, you’re new boss,”
she said, walking away. The Rookie hurried to follow.

“Oh, I’m--”

“You’re the Rookie. Leave it at that.”

***

“I got it,” Jay said, entering the
Commander’s office, not bothering to knock.

Capreze set aside his tablet. “All of
it?”

“Almost. About a third of the data was
corrupted, but I got most. Whatever happened out there we’ll be
able to see Bisby’s side.”

Capreze set his hand out. Reluctantly Jay
handed him the small, clear disc.

“Thank you, Chief Mechanic,” Capreze said
dismissively.

“Really?” Jay asked, offended. “I spend all
night fighting this data from an almost completely fried drive and
that’s all I get?”

Capreze raised his eyebrows and nodded
towards the door.

“Ah, man…” Jay complained.

***

Rachel and the Rookie stepped into the empty
barracks. Rachel motioned towards a bunk that held the Rookie’s
pack. “There’s your new home for the rest of your life.”

The Rookie took in the room: the grey metal
of the bunks, the foot lockers, larger upright lockers.

“Huh. Festive,” he said mockingly.

“Yeah, well, we don’t spend much time in
here,” Rachel said. “You’re gonna want to get cleaned up. Showers
are there, latrine is there.” She motioned to two doors at the end
of the barracks. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to take you to the
mess.”

***

Capreze switched back and forth on his
tablet between the multiple vid feeds recorded by Bisby’s mech.

The picture was rough, but clear enough to
make the Commander’s gut clench. He tossed the tablet onto his
desk, leaned back in his chair and sighed.

A knock at his door brought him upright.
“Enter.”

Doctor Themopolous came in.

“How’s the Rookie, Doc?”

“Mildly dehydrated with some minor cuts to
his hands from the trip,” she responded. “He slept nearly eighteen
hours and checked out fine this morning.”

“Good, good,” Capreze muttered.

The Doctor eyed him. “How are you doing this
morning?”

***

The Rookie wrapped a towel around his waist
and stepped back into the barracks. Rachel was seated on her bunk,
waiting.

“You know, water doesn’t grow on trees
around here,” she smiled. “Well, nothing grows on trees, not even
trees.”

“Sorry, I haven’t showered in a few
days.”

“No problem,” Rachel hopped off her bunk.
“Hurry up and lets get some chow.” Rachel waited, watching.

The Rookie crossed to his bunk. “Umm, is
this a hazing thing or do you watch all the guys get dressed?”

Rachel laughed. “Boy, we all eat, sleep,
shower and shit together. Get over it.”

***

Capreze squeezed his eyes shut, trying to
make sense of the recovered data.

“Commander…?” Doctor Themopolous asked,
worried by Capreze’s expression.

“Hmm..? Oh, sorry, Doc. What was the
question?”

“How are you feeling? Same nightmare last
night?”

Capreze chuckled. “No, new nightmare. But
this one’s real.”

Themopolous narrowed her eyes questioningly.
Capreze leaned forward and handed his tablet to her. “Take a look
at this for me. Tell me what you think.”

Themopolous activated the data, puzzled.
Within seconds she realized what she was watching. “Is this…?”

“Yes,” Capreze answered solemnly. “Watch the
deader. I want your opinion.”

Themopolous frowned.

***

Rachel and the Rookie stepped into the mess.
All heads turned. Mathew, Masters, Harlow, June, each quickly sized
up the Rookie.

“Rookie! Glad to see you awake!” Masters
boomed as he jumped from his seat, offering the Rookie his hand.
“Mitch Masters, best damn mech pilot in this base. Glad to meet
you.”

“Um, thanks,” the Rookie responded, taken
aback by Masters’ enthusiasm. “I’m--”

“The Rookie,” Harlow said, stepping past
Masters to shake hands. “That’s all we need to know.”

“Really? You don’t want to know my
name?”

“Why? You’ll probably die horribly tomorrow.
What’s the point?” Masters winked.

***

“Sir, I’m really not---” Themoplous
started.

“Just watch the deader,” Capreze
interrupted. “Watch Closely.”

Themopolous continued to watch the vids.
Soon it was over and she handed the tablet back to Capreze.

“Well?”

“To be honest, I don’t know what you want me
to say…”

“What’s your take on the deader?”

“My take?”

“Its behavior, the way it acted…the way it
roared.”

Themopolous gathered her thoughts then
cautiously started in. “Knowing nothing of dead mech behavior…”

Capreze waved her off, motioning for her to
get on with it.

“Okay. Without anthropomorphizing too much,
I’d say the ‘deader’ was…mad.”

***

The Rookie grabbed a tray and followed
behind Rachel.

“Okay, so nothing here is real. Just a heads
up in case you’re used to something a little more…” Rachel trailed
off.

“Life-like?” Masters hollered.

“Exactly,” Rachel smiled. “It’s all good,
it’s just synth.”

The Rookie perused the selections. “Looks
real enough. I’m used to…different.” He slapped a spoonful of
synth-eggs onto his tray, added some synth-bacon and finished it
off with a blueberry muffin.

“Oooh, not those,” Rachel said, putting the
muffin back. “Steve hasn’t perfected the blueberries yet.”

“Gave me the shits for a week!” Masters
hollered again.

***

“Mad? Which definition?” Capreze asked.

“Insane. Whether it was driven to madness or
not, I can’t tell,” Themopolous responded cautiously.

“Driven? How do you mean?”

“You have heard the term ‘driven mad’
before, correct?”

“Yes, Doctor, I have heard the term. But,
what does that have to do with this deader?”

Themopolous took a deep breath then let it
out slowly and fixed her gaze on Capreze. “Any animal can go mad,
regardless of its intelligence. But, to be
driven
mad…”

The Commander motioned for Themopolous to
continue.

“It needs a certain level of intelligence. A
high
level of intelligence.”

***

“Okay, so when does the hazing start?” the
Rookie asked, looking around the table.

“Hazing?” Mathew asked.

“Yes, hazing. Y’all have been pretty nice so
far, except for yesterday’s run-in with…?”

“Bisby,” Harlow helped.

“Bisby, right. Should I be worried?”

“Only if you don’t want your ass handed to
you,” Bisby’s voice growled from the mess door.

The Rookie glanced at the other pilots.
Mathew shrugged.

“Let it go, Biz,” Masters said.

“Was I talking to you?”

“Seriously? Grab some coffee and sit the
fuck down, asshole,” responded Masters.

Bisby glared at the Rookie then turned to
the mess line.

***

The Commander paced back and forth behind
his desk. Themopolous waited patiently for Capreze to collect his
thoughts. Finally, he stopped, placed his hands firmly on his desk
and addressed the Doctor.

“So how do we know whether this thing is
just basic crazy or smart crazy?”

“Observation. Collect data about the thing’s
behavior, analyze the data and, well, make an educated guess,”
Themopolous answered.

“A guess? You want me to send my pilots out
there on a guess?”

Themopolous’ cheeks reddened. “Sir, I’m not
suggesting anything. You asked my professional opinion. The course
of action is up to you.”

***

“So are the other pilots patrolling?” The
Rookie asked.

Harlow chuckled. “Other pilots? Rookie,
you’re
looking
at the ‘other’ pilots.”

The Rookie was taken aback. He scanned the
faces around him, looking for the joke. He quickly realized there
wasn’t one.

“This is it? Just us?” the Rookie asked with
alarm.

Bisby slammed his tray down directly across
from the Rookie. “There is no ‘us’ for you Rookie.” He glared
across the table then smiled and tossed a muffin at the Rookie’s
face. The Rookie easily caught the muffin, crushing it slightly.
Bisby smiled wider.

“Have a muffin. It’s blueberry.”

***

“There is one other thing, sir,” the Doctor
said grudgingly.

“This should be good,” the Commander
quipped. “What else you got for me Doc?”

“A sample would be helpful.”

“Sample?”

Themopolous looked at the floor.

“Come on, Doc, you’re a professional here.
Out with it,” Capreze commanded.

“I need a zombie pilot’s brain,” she
whispered.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Capreze
laughed harshly. “That’s a little more than observation.”