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

Under siege

"For you, I will."

The man had changed by 180 degrees during the last days. His initial hostility had swapped to admiration.

Not sure which version I preferred, but at least he didn't protest my orders.

"One more level to go. I'm detecting two Technoids guarding the entrance to the armory floor."

Crap.

We paused our run and tiptoed up the next steps. I readied my Dust Viper and looked around the mid-section. One guard patrolled the space before the entrance. I stepped back and pushed against the wall.

One shot on our side would scare up the freaks.

Couldn't risk that yet.

"I have an idea," Naif said. "I lure him around the corner, you take him out from behind. If you can rip out a Technoid arm, you surely can choke him with minimal noise. Am I right?"

He was.

And his little plan made sense.

"What if he shoots you first?"

"He won't, I'm pretty fast. Trust me on this one."

I doubted his confidence, but this wasn't the time for psycho-therapy.

"Let's do it."

"Take position."

He walked around the plateau in the mid-section of the staircase, stood still and held his hands up high, as if to give himself in. I expected the Technoid to hole him with bullets, but instead, he walked down and approached the soldier.

My luck.

With my back pushed against the wall, I peeked around the corner and approached the Technoid with his rear turned to me. I swung my arm around his protected neck and choked him. Pretended my limbs were reinforced steel pillars and pushed with all my might.

The Technoid resisted.

Staggered backwards and rammed me into the staircase wall.

Still, I held steady.

Any screwup on my end would seal the destiny of the Bulwark citizens.

Couldn't let that happen under any circumstances.

So I ignored the pain of the revolting Technoid and squeezed his armored neck till it cracked like a porous board. Slammed the sucker to the ground and twisted his head.

Snap.

Naif watched me with awe, judging from his pose.

"You're a machine."

"I think it's the other way around."

My gut reaction was to snatch the fallen Technoid's rifle, but then I remembered it was merged with his arm. I kept on forgetting that, because it seemed so surreal.

"Konforma, update me on the nearest Technoid."

"He has noticed something's wrong and marches down the stairs. Contact in T-minus five seconds."

Damn.

No time for tactics.

I burst around the corner, aimed in a nano-second and pulled the trigger.

The bolts penetrated the front of his helmet. The Technoid tumbled down the stairs.

"Move up."

We stormed toward the entrance and peeked through the doorframe. Four Technoids took position in front of the armory's reinforced gate and melded the first hull layer. Their cutting tools were so loud, they had overshadowed our gunshots. Which meant the surprise element was still on our side.

"Give me your splitter grenade."

Naif handed me the device over without objection.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"You look ready."

I pulled the pin with my left hand, threw the explosive with an overhand motion and ducked in the staircase wall.

Say boom, baby.

The splitter grenade detonated and blew shrapnels into all wind directions.

The ear-deafening sound echoed through the hall.

Two seconds later, I stormed into the hall and aimed at the survivors. Two were taken down by the blast, one crawled away, a dark crimson liquid leaking from his armor. The other staggered and regained his balance.

Ready to aim his rifle arm.

Fat chance.

I unleashed the rest of my mag into his helmet. The pieces shred apart, the hostile fell to his knees and collapsed. The last living Technoid crouched away but I wouldn't let him. My hands grabbed his helmet and smashed it into the steel ground until the strangely-colored blood seeped out. With Naif by my side, I approached the armory gate and shouted.

"Orden, I know you're in there. It's me, the stranger who once pointed a Dust Viper at you. Let us in."

The second I said it, I wanted to punch myself. Reminding Orden of the time where I threatened her was hardly a trust-enforcer.

As expected, there was no reaction.

"Jeezus, let us."

The battered gate opened sideways.

Chief Orden, Glitch, and a handful of guards pointed their AK-BL8s at me.

Konforma manifested herself next to Orden and waved at me with the charm of a lollipop girl.

"You've re-earned the right to enter our glorious armory."