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

Waker

My eyelids opened up and recognized the ugly lamps of the medstation. Glitch, Ann-Lyze, and Ceedee stood around. They looked at me with worried faces that soon switched to smiles.

"Look who's come back to the living," Ann-Lyze said with a smile that outshone the lamps.

"I'm still alive?" I said and looked at my bandaged hands.

"Unfortunately," Ceedee said and everyone giggled.

My hands touched my body. I wore some kind of patient uniform and lay on a stretcher with iron railings.

The antiseptic smell of mint and metal penetrated my nostrils.

Yep, I was back at the medical station, surrounded by friends.

Bandaged like a mummy.

And felt like a living corpse.

"How bad do I look?"

"Not as bad as a Technoid," Ceedee said.

Wasn't really a compliment.

"Glitch?"

"You look like a ration I had for breakfast. After the diarrhea shot it out."

"I think I get it."

More chuckling from the round.

I tried to remember why I had ended up in the medstation again.

"What happened to me?"

Ann-Lyze answered first.

"I helped you get up on the Sky Garden's rooftops when you blacked out. I called for help and we carried you to the medstation. Then you slept for three days straight."

"Three days?"

Ceedee pushed me gently down.

"Relax. Your body is exhausted from the constant pressure. All is okay."

The nurse moved in.

"Ah, I see our hero has finally awoken."

She did a quick scan and checked her datapad. Wiped some stats and medical jargon pages that sounded beep beep to me.

"You can be lucky you're still alive. Your body took quite the beating."

"How bad is it?"

"You'll make it, I can almost guarantee it. But you need to rest, and your friends need to leave. I'm sure the Bulwark requires everyone's service now."

"Okay, hang tight," Glitch said and wanted to high-five me.

I was too weak to raise my arm.

Oh well.

Ceedee saluted me goodbye but halted in the doorframe.

"There's going to be a big celebration in the Sky Gardens in two days. Citizens of every rank can attend. You should come, too. After all, we're all alive because of you."

"If my legs don't dangle around like wobbly noodles, I'll come for sure."

She gave me a wink.

"Swell."

Glitch waved me goodbye with a peace sign and traversed the door next.

Apart from the nurse, Ann-Lyze was the last one in the room.

"Don't feel bad about the Technoid. He had it coming."

"I won't."

She looked as if she wanted to say more.

Her eyes glistened. There was something she needed off her chest, but with the cams and the nurse around, that was impossible.

Didn't matter.

We'd find private time, one way or another.

The nurse pulled up the sleeves of my shirt and tapped for the right vein.

"You sure have incredible friends. They waited for hours and wasted work opportunities of course, but this time we make an exception."

"Yeah."

Pause.

"Nurse, will I be alright?"

She flashed me a professional smile.

"Oh yes, my dear. You broke down because of exhaustion and dehydration. Not to mention the back injury that your plates couldn't fully absorb. But don't worry, your body is already repairing itself."

She looked for the right set of words.

"I have to say, you have incredible overall health. If every soldier in the Bulwark had the same fitness as you, we would have won the fight against the Technoids a long time ago."

"Maybe you should clone myself."

She chuckled.

"I wish we had access to that kind of technology. Would make a lot of things easier."

I waited till she took a blood sample and glued a powerplaster to my skin.

"Will I be able to leave the medstation today?"

The nurse cracked up.

"It's good to see you carry an appropriate sense of humor."

Pause.

"No darling, you need more rest, a minimum of two days. Excellent fitness or not, you're still human."