Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (24 page)

He eyed Ann-Lyze still moving under the guidance of my right arm.

“In private,” the soldier said.

“It won’t take long.”

Ann-Lyze nodded, excused herself and joined the digger a few meters behind us. Naif made sure they were out of eavesdropping range and marched closer to me. He whispered under his face shield.

“You really have no clue where we’re going.”

“I can’t logically explain it.”

“But you have a feeling.”

I hesitated. Feelings and military went together like nitro and glycerin. Admit you were guided by emotions and you'd lose trust in an insta-second. Another piece of knowledge that came out of nowhere.

But Naif's voice wasn’t hostile.

Just curious.

So he followed up.

“Do you always listen to your ‘feelings’ when making major decisions?”

“They’re more like hunches, and yes, they do guide my choices. I close my eyes, focus on myself and feel a stimulation whenever I ponder options. The stronger the stimulation becomes, the more likely I’m going to follow that particular choice.”

I paused. It wasn’t in my interest to sound like a touchy-feely loon, but I was also tired of lying.   

“These hunches have never let me astray. I guess it’s just basic intuition.”

“Probably.”

He averted his glance and stared into the dark tunnels ahead of us. 

“I, too, have hunches. A feeling that guides me throughout my life. It's something greater than me, something which isn't tangible. I can’t explain it, but then again, I don’t want to. One doesn’t need to explain the mystery. One simply has to believe it.”

“That’s good.”

He paused for a while.

“It’s more than that.”

Before the silence became unbearable, I reignited the conversation from a different angle.

"When did you start serving the cluster?"

"Can't remember. Maybe two years ago? Time burns at the Bulwark."

"Sure does. The cell without windows is the definition of a time killer."

Naif laughed.

"The problem with the Bulwark is the committee's narrow view. They only see what they can touch, and what they touch must be analyzed, divided and redistributed. With that kind of thinking, you'll survive in the short-term. But you won't thrive in the future."

He paused.

"One must see the bigger picture to advance humanity."

“Okay.”

I watched Naif's armor plates moving with every step.

“Don’t you ever feel hot under there? The tunnel is pretty refreshing. You should let some air onto your skin.”

He shrugged.

“To be honest, I have terrible scars from my previous battles. The Bulwark meds have done their best, but the skin isn't looking pretty, not even in the dim lights of the tunnel."

"Is that why you're obsessed about having your armor on?"

"Unfortunately. I'm not half as visually appealing as your kind."

My kind?

The nameless sand model from the ruins?

Either way, he saluted me and turned away. In mid-walk, he said,

“Thanks for the conversation, leader.”

And with that, he swapped places with Ann-Lyze and rejoiced with the digger.

She tackled my arm and sounded almost upbeat.

“A manly discussion between two soldiers?”

“Ex-soldier,” I said, “and no, we mostly talked about feelings.”

“How lame.”

“Indeed.”

Except it wasn’t. The feeling inside my body grew more intense, my arm hairs stood up. Was danger abound? I couldn’t detect a hostile presence. No suspicious sounds echoed from behind or the front. Just the acoustic of our boots, going tap tap on the tunnel floor.

“Don’t you think we’re far enough away from the abandoned city now?”

“Maybe. But I want to make sure we shake them off in case they follow us.”

“By going deeper into the tunnel maze?”

“I know this is weird, but I think I know what I’m doing.”

She looked at me with widened eyes. With the darkness around, it was hard to gauge her expression. Ann-Lyze was probably confused about the kind of guy she entrusted her life with. 

“You’re a strange man.”

Indeed.

We dove deeper into the conversation when I heard a dull bang from behind. I readied my Dust Viper but realized it was digger Trinch who had collapsed. I holstered the firearm and knelt next to him.

The young man winced.

“I can’t walk anymore. I’m done.”

“We can take a rest.”

“No, no more rest. It’s pointless. Where the hell are we going anyways? Getting lost in the tunnels until we run out of rations?”

“I want to increase the distance between us and the Technoids.”

“And then what?”

“We’ll see.”

The young man gnarled. Frustration and exhaustion were a toxic mix. I still couldn’t blame him—he risked his life carrying old Nathan through the city ruins. Plus, he just lost his father. 

“How are we going to survive?”

“It’s tough, but we’ve got to keep on moving.”

“Why? We’re lost. We’re out of rations.”

He pointed his shivering finger at me.

“And we’re following you because of what? A feeling? Gimme a break. Your stupid feels have killed my father.”

Naif chimed in. His voice reeked of authority.

“What’s your plan, child? Complaining won’t keep anyone alive.”

“To hell with you. I’ve risked my life multiple times. Carried that old geezer when I should have saved my father from you guys.”

The anger poisoned his mind. I tried to appease him but the challenge increased with every new breath.

“Let me help you up. I can carry you, if you want.”

“Don’t touch me.”

I tried to grip his shoulder but he pushed me away. Spat before me. And barked.

“Don’t touch me, I said. I’m done with you. I'll find my own way out of here."

He produced a grapple gun from his digger suit’s side-pocket and aimed it us. Although the device wasn’t intended for anti-personnel use, the dart would be able to penetrate any skin and armor from the point-blank range. 

My attention rose to 100%.

“We let you go, but please don’t hurt anyone. We have lost enough good men at this stage.”

Trinch pressed his lips, stepped back with the gun still pointed at us and disappeared into the darkness.

Ann-Lyze reached out her hand.

“Don’t be foolish. You have no chance making it on your own.”

“Forget about him,” Naif said.

“He’s young and stupid. One less survivor to worry about.”

Ann-Lyze looked at me, waiting for my intervention.

“Aren't you going to do anything?"

“Trinch was ready to shoot us with the grapple gun. He made up his mind.”

It hurt to let him go. What chances would he have passing through the tunnels alone?

But with his loose finger on the trigger, he could have endangered us all.

I turned back to the tunnel where my feelings resonated the strongest. 

That invisible, inaudible voice calling me.

Come closer.

Was I hallucinating?

All my senses remained active.

“Let’s keep moving.”

Three of us were left.

73

We passed another intersection and chose the tunnel I had picked. 

No one intervened, but no one seemed optimistic about my choice, either.

We were walking into the nothingness. 

Who built these tunnels anyway? And were did they all lead? To different sections under the vast desert of the Lost Lands? 

I was so clueless, I had no clue how clueless I was.

Pathetic isn’t the right word, but it was the first that came to mind. Still, the lives of my remaining team members depended on me. My instinct turned out to be right until now. Let's hope it stayed that way. After another twenty minutes of walking into the void, I checked the water container and let Ann-Lyze sip. 

“Thanks,” she said and passed it to me. 

I took three.

Cherished the heated liquid with closed eyes.

These were the last drips on my lips.

Better make 'em count.

“Last sip’s for you,” I said and handed the bottle over to Naif.

“I’m not thirsty.”

“You really have to. Otherwise dehydration kicks in and knocks you out.”

“Then maybe you should drink more.”

“Your loss.”

We continued our walk.

The stimulation inside me grew more intense. 

An electrifying sensation roared through my veins.

Even Ann-Lyze felt it.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not sure. Do you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

“The drag. As if a magnet pulls you in.” 

She shook her head and probably wondered whether I had lost my mind.

I wasn’t so sure myself.

If my brain had gone gonzo, I was responsible for the lives of four people. Leading them deep into an obscure tunnel maze with no chance of return.

Maybe Trinch did the right thing by leaving us. 

Going alone or following a confused leader, what was the difference?

“Look,” Ann-Lyze said and pointed toward the distance. One of the tunnels led to a gated wall that opened up when we neared it. 

Talking about technical magic.

“What was that?” Naif said.

Ann-Lyze’s interest awoke.

“Let’s check it out.”

"Ever the curious scientist, eh?"

"We've been wandering through the tunnels for hours. Maybe someone's expecting us."

She was right.

But what if the enemy expected us? We didn't fight for our lives to walk straight into a trap now.

So I readied my Dust Viper 15mm and took the lead.

Naif took the rear, Ann-Lyze squeezed in the middle. We approached the gate that had slipped back into the wall. Walked through the corridor and neared another gate that opened before our eyes.

Seriously, it was getting spooky in here.

Inside the complex, we found some kind of warehouse with many crates and containers. Metal-flavored air floated into our lungs, but it wasn't as distracting as the freight sight.

"Impressive," Naif said.

We approached some of the containers.

I noticed a circuit pattern running across their surfaces. They looked similar to the armor the Technoids wore. Man-made and yet organic, a strange mix I couldn't put into words. 

The feeling inside me turned ballistic as I approached one container. I pressed my two palms against the cold hull and felt an electric reaction permeating my skin.

Not strong enough to flinch, but it did leave its mark.

“It feels oddly familiar.”

Naif watched me go touchy-feely on the container. I slid my finger along the metallic engravings and felt its form to the end.

This was no usual container.

This was something else. 

“Oh my god.”

Ann-Lyze covered her mouth and stepped back.

“What is it?”

Her voice trembled, but it wasn’t because of fear.

Excitement.

Followed by an expression of awe that I had never encountered before.

“These are…tech artifacts from the Great Collision.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, no doubt. I’ve worked on similar items back at the R&D. Much smaller in size, but they displayed the same design."

She paused to grasp air.

Enough time to slip in a question.

“So they are weapons?”

“Probably. Or some kind of armored storage units. I’m amazed they’re in such good shape. They’re as good as new.”

“Yes. They look pretty fresh for tech artifacts. I can’t feel any dust on them.”

“Someone has kept them in mint-condition.”

“But who?”

Everyone shook their head. 

My palm was still pressed to the surface. Naif, the soldier, knelt next to me with his face shield pointed at my hands.

“Is that what called you?”

“What?”

I pretended to be astonished by his question but we both knew the answer. Yes, the strong feelings I had felt emanated from these objects.

But why would a couple of tech containers ‘call’ me? Didn’t make any sense. 

But I was glad I wasn’t totally cuckoo. 

I expected the soldier to mock my answer, but he remained interested and whispered  Ann-Lyze wouldn't hear him.

“Do you believe in being part of something greater?”

“What do you mean?”

He touched my right arm and squeezed tight.

“Maybe you’re not just this crude flesh. Maybe you belong to something bigger than yourself. Something you didn’t even know existed.”

Meanwhile, Ann-Lyze watched us with rising concern.

This situation turned from weird to absurd.

I said,

“Just what the hell are you talking about?”

“Destiny.”

“I don’t believe in it.”

“You should.”

I pushed his arm away and stood back up. Strange feelings from the tech artifacts aside, I was not nearly as infatuated with fate as the soldier. Thank tech I owned the firearm now. Naif stepped back and offered his palms.

“Sorry, I got a bit carried away. All this time in the underground, it’s getting to me.”

“We’re all exhausted.”

Some more than others.

We passed the containers and cleared the perimeter. Ann-Lyze said,

“This is some kind of storage facility.”

We found more objects in similar design, but different sizes. All perfectly lined up, like ancient discoveries from a historic museum. They looked foreign and familiar at the same time, but why did my body react so strongly to them?

Maybe it broke down.

Lack of energy and water fooled one’s mind.

But as long as I acted sane, I wanted to move on. 

Take care of my team.

Guided them to safety, wherever that was. 

“Look. There’s an elevator.”

I thought Ann-Lyze made a joke, but when she pointed toward the two shut gates to the far left of our position, I saw it too.

“What is this place?”

My hand touched the display of the lift, it didn't react. An 'offline' sign greeted me, which meant this facility still ran on electricity.

"Look."

Glowing arrow signs appeared on the ground. 

"Should we follow them?"