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

Bad Arrival

"It's looking bad," Hecto said.

Ceedee cringed in a hidden spot in the opposite building, next to a wall. When she saw me, Ceedee offered her warmest smile while covering the top of her left arm.

"The Technoid with the pulsar rifle got me."

A flesh wound with the diameter of a can pierced her shoulder. Burned right through the armordillo and the flesh, but hopefully not through the bones.

What a terrible weapon.

What powerful impact.

My mouth formed, but I couldn't find the right words. Ceedee's eyes became teary, I could only guess the pain she was going through.

"I'll manage, but I'm not gonna lie, it hurts like hell."

"Looks like it. Let me carry you."

"No," Hecto said.

"You're wounded as well. I'll carry her, you'll guard the group's rear, Darwin takes charge."

He was right, I totally forgot about my wound. The testosterone and adrenaline in my body had lowered the ache.

"Okay."

We followed Hecto's orders and jetted all the way back to the hideout in the mall. The survivors rejoined and drowned the air with laughter and tears. The brunette hugged white-bearded Nathan and shed tears. She was his daughter after all. Glitch stood up from his seat and looked at us with an O-shaped mouth.

"What the hex happened to you guys?"

"Technoids," I said.

He needed no further explanation. Hecto carried our wounded Ceedee and sank his glance.

"I should stayed with the team. You needed an extra marksman."

"It's too late for that," Hecto said, "let's get rolling. We'll return to the APC and head back to the cluster before the Technoid's backup arrives. I already called HQ and ordered a new transporter for the survivors. In less than an hour, we'll have left this dust hole."

The survivors chatted each other up and enjoyed being united again. It was a heartwarming moment that made me teary. Even in the Lost Lands, the longing for a better world existed.

"Have they decided to join the Bulwark?"

"Nathan promised it us."

"You promise a lot when your daughter's life is on the line. Let me talk to them. You worry about Ceedee and let me handle it."

Hecto grumbled. His favorite expression when around me.

"You keep forgetting that I'm the captain. I was appointed by the Bulwark."

"I get it, but I think I know how to talk to these people. They seem to trust me, I feel it with every fiber of my body."

"You seem to make a lot of decisions based on feelings."

"So far, they turned out to be right."

Hecto didn't want me to take charge of this conversation, but with Ceedee moaning from her wounds, his priorities shifted as he provided first-aid with his medpack.

"Just this once."

"Right."

I thanked him in silence, wiped my hands and faced the survivors that stood around like statues waiting to get picked up. Each one looked at me with eyes that wanted answers.

"I know you are suspicious of us, and you have every right to be. But you have also witnessed how horrible these Technoids are. They've taken your loved ones and slaughtered those they didn't need."

Nothing new on that front. The brunette stepped up.

"And what makes you different from them? Aren't soldiers from the Bulwark Cluster browsing through the abandoned cities for survivors as well?"

Relevant question. The survivors around here perked their ears and waited for my justification. I tried my best.

"Listen. Bulwark is far from perfect. It's a rigid society with many rules, stiff authority and an architecture that makes ruins look like sommersville. But they provide shelter, food and safety—if you contribute to the community."

I could hear Darwin and Glitch coughing behind my back. Surely I was going against protocol here, but the Bulwark's propaganda wasn't going to sway anyone in this room. My eyes connected with Nathan and his daughter who seemed to enjoy the most trust in the group.

"I don't want to push you into a decision, but our group has to return to our transporter before the Technoid backup shows up. They'll freak out when they find out what we did to their recon squad. And this time, they won't be taking any more prisoners."

The survivors glanced at me with blank faces. I could tell they were still on the cusp.

Those fighters had been through a lot.

Seen hell and back.

Nathan swallowed hard.

"We're coming with you."

In the left corner of my eyes, I noticed Hecto's eyes bulging out. He surely didn't expect this response, to be frank, neither did I.

"I think you've made the right choice for your people."

"I hope so," Nathan said and followed us outside with his survivors.

We all pushed the last ounce of strength into our legs and sprinted back to the APC. It was still parked in the ruin behind the wall of our RV point. The two soldiers who stood guard mustered our group.

"What happened to you?"

"No time to talk, we head back to HQ," I said, feeling like a squad leader of a sudden. The soldiers turned to Hecto, probably looking for authorization.

"The rookie's right. We'll motor."

Shortly afterwards, our extra APC showed up and opened its hatch. Enough space for twenty survivors.

All was working according to plan, finally.

One soldier nodded and assumed control of the driver's seat. Opened the hatch and started the engines. Hecto carried Ceedee inside. I ushered the survivors into the new APC. Darwin and Glitch caught up last. The tech fan grinned from ear to ear as he watched me strapping myself to the seats.

"Someone's acting all alpha."

"I'm just doing what's required of me."

"I think you're doing wayyy more."

I ignored his playful tone and closed the hatch from the inside.

Hit the hull and said,

"Let's roll."

The vibration shook up the ground. I sat down inside the packed interior and finally noticed the wound in my ribcage. Glitch passed a medpack around till it landed on my lap.

"A pill to avoid an infection."

I popped open the package, downed the pill and said thanks.

Despite the exhaustion and the pain of the wound, elation spread through my limbs. I had finished my first operation and took down a skyscraper infested with Technoids.

Almost single-handedly.

Even better, I saved dozens of lives and persuaded them to join our cluster.

Not bad for a rookie, eh?

Unfortunately, no one seemed to share my good deed.

When the two APCs returned to the hangar after the hour-long ride, the one and only Chief Orden marched out the entrance gate, followed by her usual entourage of armored soldiers. She observed the survivors stepping out the second APC's rear, glanced at her datapad and pierced my eyes.

"You're under arrest."