The Rise of the Cyborgs

Chapter 49/Long live the wheel

The last image of Reconfigured I saw was her on  on the screen  headed off in a police SWAT truck. She was driving down a busy street. As her SWAT truck approached traffic lights, all of the lights changed Green in her favour. Behind her was a flock of police cars. Above her were even more drones. Most of the drones were the police or military. A few belonged to the press and reporters.

I followed Miguel through the swing doors into the kitchen. Miguel and the barman had moved One of the cookers aside. Beneath it was a manhole cover.

"Th,is way" Said Miguel noticing I was looking at the whole

"You go first. It's not on any of the city maps. Its an old storm surge It comes out in the sewer under the road on the other side of the block. It's a tight fit but Reconfigured used it once during a raid they had here. Saved her life, saves yours."

I got down into the manhole. It was a long tunnel made from iron the pipe. It was about a metre in diameter and you could crawl down it.

"Get started" Miguel said coming in after me. I took my phone and turned the light on. I crawled on my hands and knees down the tunnel. Then I paused waiting for Miguel. He helped the barman pull the heavy iron cover over the access hatch. Once done I heard the large cooker being dragged above us. You could feel the barman straining every sinew of his flesh to move the heavy cooker a little closer to the wall.

In the dark we waited for a second. Above us I could feel some military units come in.

'Unit 4: One hostile' I could hear reported over a military digital channel.

"Thank god you got here" I heard the muffled Apotheosis/barman say.

"Where are the others?" Another new voice said.

"What others?" Apotheosis/barman said.

"I said where are the others?" The new voice said with every tone of threat known in the English language.

"I don't know what you mean" shouted Apotheosis.

There was a loud shot. It rang like a bell on the bear stainless steel kitchen. There was a cry of pain.

"Last chance." The voice said. More cries.

"Long live the wheel" shouted Apotheosis.

There was the sound of muted machine gun fire. After it went I could smell the acrid smell of cordite.

There was a pause then the shout of "clear".

In the torch light I could see Miguel pointing urgently down the tube. The pipe was too low to walk so I set off crawling. After a minute I could feel the tube go up a step. The ceiling came down as well. Then I realised the diameter of the pipe was getting smaller. This underground space felt cold like I was crawling down a fridge. When I breathed out I could almost see wispy clouds of my winter breath. I kept crawling, and the tube narrowed again. We had both gone a long way and all I could hear was the panting of our lungs.

I felt another lip "crap," I said quietly.

"What is it?" Miguel said his voice close to a whisper.

"The pipes getting narrower." I said, "I think there is a rat ahead."

The pipe was now too low to crawl even on my bent arms. My phone battery was getting low so I switched it off and began crawling in the dark. I started to drag myself along on my stomach. I could feel the pipe wrap itself around me. It was rubbing on my hips, my stomach and my back. Just me and rusted metal. I couldn't believe I could fit in the space so small. Up ahead was a dark space. I stopped.