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

Up Your Arsenal

Some folks behind me whistled. Didn't sound like a high number of survivors, but in this barren land, any sign of life was a shout for joy.

"Your goal is to find the group of survivors and persuade them to join our glorious cluster. I want a fireteam with one veteran in charge of the operation. I reckon no one will be surprised that I declare Hecto as the captain."

The people clapped. Hecto brushed his smile aside and acted all humble. Looked like he was a well-respected member within the Bulwark. He certainly carried the alpha leader personality.

Orden continued.

"The allocated time limit is 180 minutes once you touch ground in the target zone. All SOPs will apply, but exemptions can be made if Hecto sees fit. May your mission prove useful to the greater good of the Bulwark."

"For the greater good," the crowd said.

I repeated the phrase a second later.

"As always, you will gain limited access to the armory. The choice of your weapons will be limited to your permission rank and Hecto's recommendations. Succeed sustainably or grave measures will be taken against you."

She opened the steel gate, stepped sideways and ordered two soldiers to follow her inside the armory to survey our weapon selection process. We went straight to the armored showcase. Orden talked to Hecto in whispering mode, Ceedee watched me in bewilderment and helped me get the armor on.

"Need a little quickie?"

"That would be lovely."

"The Bulwark has created the ultimate armor protection suit, modeled after the panzer of the armadillo."

The armor hull did look like the plates of the shelled animal. Ceedee helped me attach the armor to my body and explained its usage.

"It's flavored with the three-color desert pattern, providing the most effective camouflage in the Lost Lands. But don't get too comfortable—it may protect against rifle rounds but it's next to useless against directed-energy weapons."

Directed-energy weapons?

What the hell was I dealing with?

Ceedee looked like she was about to tell me but Orden sniffed dangerously close, so she continued with the setup.

"The armor, dubbed the armordillo, provides maximum camouflage and protection on the rear when you have to reload. Which means you don't have to take cover, unless you're facing energy weaponry."

"Like a rolled-up armadillo. A war-lusty armadillo."

"Hence the word-play."

"Another speciality of the armored suit is the built-in weapon rucksack. Inside the shell plating, you find various magnetic niches onto which you can attach your weaponry and water reserves."

Ceedee pulled out a grenade and made it snap to the inner coating of the armordillo suit.

"No fumbling with strings, opening pockets or cording. Even you can handle it."

Some folks in the team giggled. Looked like the rookie jokes were imminent.

"Thank you for telling me."

Hecto remembered his role as the fireteam captain and told us what to pick. A showcase of weapon lockers opened up and made me gasp. With all the talk about limited resources, the Bulwark surely offered an impressive arsenal of firearms. I recognized anything from assault weapons, portable artillery and even sentries.

"Portable artillery is off-limits, so focus on the assault weapons. Ceedee, grab your preferred SR. Glitch, modular UMP or the AK-BL8. Darwin, I'm sure you want to make love to your scattergun of choice."

"I do."

"Go ahead," Hecto said with a smirk.

"And don't forget about the grapple guns. We're going to zipline a bit."

While he mentioned the other names, my eyes darted toward the modular AK-BL8. It was the same baby I've trained with, and it was certainly my preferred firearm, but the second I grabbed the mechanized beauty, a red sign flashed from my commcuff.

"Warning: weapon is off-limits."

I stepped back and sighed. Hecto approached me.

"You only have a tier one weapon permission, and the AK-BL8 is a tier two firearm. The tier one section is to your left."

I shrugged.

"Isn't it smart to have the best weapon equipped?"

"As a rookie, you still have the lowest ranking. In this cluster, you have to prove your worth. Perform well today and in the upcoming missions, and you will receive the perm for higher level arms."

He patted my shoulder, but it felt patronizing. Nevertheless, I abided.

The tier one showcase disappointed, to say the least. A wide array of pistols lay in front of me, followed by mechanized batons and two types of MPs. Still, I didn't complain. My choice fell to the 15mm Viper with the armor-piercing bolts. I had used its replica in the training sessions and fell in love with it. High accuracy and decent firepower with minimum weight. My current permission allowed me to take three ten round magazines. I attached the firearm and the mags to the magnetic niches of the insides of my armor when Hecto's voice rang again.

"And rookie?"

"Yeah?"

"Pick up an EMP grenade. Just in case."

An electro-magnetic pulse grenade against humans? Didn't make sense, but I trusted his choice.

Although the question arose: who was the real enemy?