Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Final Draft)

Fireturtle II

After everyone picked their weapon layout, we assembled in the hangar. One of the gates opened, and a heavily-armored troop transporter rolled out.

I had to admit, the vehicle was impressive. It looked more like a tank than a transporter. Hecto grinned as he pointed toward the mobile fortress like a proud father.

"This is the Fireturtle II, one of Bulwark's finest APCs. Its armor can withstand RPG fire and even IEDs."

The surface spotted an angular design, probably to deflect radar waves. It did resemble the shelled back of a tortoise.

"Hooray for turtle power," I said.

Nobody smiled.

One of the full-armored soldiers climbed inside the driver's seat. The rest of us traversed the opened hatch on the rear and strapped ourselves to the seats inside. The transporter easily carried enough space for twenty folks.

My glance fell to the faces in my team—there was Hecto of course, Ceedee, Glitch, some older guy and two armored guards. I wondered whether they'd aid us during the mission, or simply watched us.

Making sure we didn't make a run for it.

Speaking of which, with all the armor and weapons we now possessed, couldn't we simply use it against the Bulwark guards? My glance sank to the Dust Viper 15mm pistol stuck to my inner armordillo. With my reflexes, I could have easily snapped it off to dispose of two guards. Wasn't anyone else ever thinking about this? I watched the faces in my team. They all seemed in a higher state of awareness, probably preparing their minds for the mission. I brushed the rebellious thought aside but kept it in the hinterland of my consciousness. With the obsessive surveillance of Bulwark, they must have implemented some kind of security feature to prevent us from running amok. My instinct told me I was soon going to find out.

Hecto hit the inner hull, the hatch closed and an artificial yellow light filled our space. The machine roared alive and rolled on. I could feel the vehicle's power vibrating through the hull. My head rotated around and tried to spot a window, but apart from the tiny slots above our seats, it was a closed, armored space.

"Nervous, rookie?" Ceedee said with a smug smile.

"Excitement is a better word. I want to see how much my training has prepared me."

Hecto chimed in.

"Training teaches you to be fit and aim right, that's about it. No training in the world can prepare you for the nightmare in the Lost Lands."

Talking about being gloomy.

Wasn't the captain supposed to fire up his team for the operation?

The two guards far to my left sat still like statues frozen to their seats. Either they were dozing off behind their face shields, or they closely listened to our conversations. Making sure no improper words leaped out. Either way, I chose my words carefully.

"So, our mission is what exactly?"

Ceedee spoke again. She seemed to be the only Bulwark citizen who wanted to talk to me.

"We're supposed to make contact with the survivors, escort them safely to the APC and bring them back home."

"Do you know them?"

"What, me? Of course not."

"So we're supposed to return a bunch of strangers to our HQ. What if they refuse to come with us?"

"They won't," Hecto said a bit too quickly.

"Survivors in small numbers rarely make it in the Lost Lands, at least not in the long-term. They lack medical aids, proper shelter and food. Not to mention the hope for a better tomorrow. Only a society with a working infrastructure can provide that."

Good luck, I thought. Telling survivors to join a society where they get treated like criminals, put in cells and forced to reclaim basic rights. It wasn't an enticing sales pitch, unless they dug steel-styled slavery.

But seeing Hecto's impressive weapon layout, I figured his idea of persuasion probably differed from mine.

"So, we're going to roll out in the Abandoned City, right? What was it named before?"

One of the guards roared his throat. I'm sure it was no coincidence. Reason enough to approach the topic from a different angle.

"So, what are your SOPs then?"

"The same you learned in Basic. We recon the area on our route and avoid the streets in favor for the alleys, ruins and rooms. It's going to take up more time, but it's safer than facing sniper fire and IEDs."

Sniper fire and IEDs. The terms repeated in my mind. So the enemy was human, but who? Surely not someone from our cluster.

"Anything I need to know about the enemy?"

Ceedee helped me out again.

"There's a low chance we encounter scavengers. Renegade little groups that roam the ruins for buried treasures."

She added a smile.

"Like the one we found in the ruin a few months ago."

Her smile warmed my heart, or maybe it was the flaming personality of hers.

"No scavenger ever took me home. Looks like I'm no treasure after all."

Even Hecto smiled.

"It sounds easy, but do not underestimate the enemy. They will be wild and less educated than our kind, but they still pose a threat. A mad person with a gun is a dangerous man."

"That's the worst we have to face?"

Glitch said,

"Well, there's another cluster with—"

"It's unlikely we'll encounter them," Hecto said without letting Glitch finish the sentence.

"What kind of other cluster?"

"It doesn't matter for this mission. Focus on the mall and rescuing its survivors."

I checked my gear again. The armordillo made me look like a bulky man-tank. It would slow me down a bit, but at least its color matched the environment.

Let's hope it provided proper protection.

The Dust Viper granted me solid defense in the short-to-midrange. But what the heck was the EMP for?

I swallowed my bewilderment and attached the explosive to my armor.

Hecto gave me a satisfying nod. I closed my eyes and focused on my breath.

It was time for battle engagement.