-CHAPTER 2-
Dust billows behind the big eight-wheeled transport as Edgar stares in awe at the falling mangled taskmasters. The ruins behind them still bursting and thundering from the explosion. The cruel autonomous custodians, who're supposed to keep the workers in line, were raining down in pieces. Camille is in the driver's seat with her hand pushing against an already maxed out throttle. The skies are darkening as the merciless sun relinquishes its time above to the wild denizens of the night.
"We have to get there, we have to get there," Camille repeats in a hushed mantra. Sweat dripping from her eyelashes and stinging her vision. Her dirty red hair matted and sticking to her brown face like it was painted on.
"Ohhh man, Camille did you see how frickin high that rust bucket went? Too bad they cant feel pain, eh." Edgar cheered. Miming a big explosion with his arms. His blue eyes brilliant in the setting suns rays, filling with tears from the adrenalin rush and shave with death.
"Don't get too excited Edgar. Once night comes, your pasty skin won't do you any favors, you're gonna stand out like a phosphor in the ruins. So you better get up here and start praying to Gara we get to the gate in time."
"Oh come on Mille, how often do we get to stick it to the bots. Never, that's how often," Edgar exclaimed. "Besides, if Antwon said the door at the gate will be open, its gonna be open. He was right about the ruins wasn't he?"
The transport cut across the last stretch of desert separating the Wildlands and Polis Titanis. Its wheels rumbling and its hull whining under the stresses of speed mixed with it integrity being compromised in the shock wave. With the gigantic wall of the outer ring beginning to tower over them, its shadow moved in to cover their approach.
Edgar crawled up to the passenger seat and flopped down with exuberance. Drumming on the dash with his hands and creating a crescendo as the gate came into view.
"There it is Mille, almost home. Look at the lights, that must be Antwon welcoming us back." Edgar said pointing, practically jumping out of his seat.
Camille squinted to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. "Dammit Edgar, that's not him welcoming us, that's him warning us!"
As soon as the words leave her lips, a screech that pierces the hull of the transport sounds through the empty desert. Or, it was empty a second ago. Camille and Edgar both wince in pain at the sound, and Edgar covers his ears.
"Okay Mille, I'll start praying to Gara now."
The gigantic winged monstrosity swooped down toward the transport. Screaming its vaguely metallic song of violence. Proclaiming its dominance of the night and all that dared to occupy it. They called it a Helltrix. The creature was a result of failed experiments. Its primary function to patrol the skies as sentinel and keep excursions like the one Camille and Edgar were on from happening. But they were too unmanageable, their fail safes corrupted by the organic and machine combinations. Some kind of reaction to the sunlight and its optical circuits causing the creature to panic and wail. Causing no end of grief for the overseers of the Outer Ring. They were banished from patrolling the walls in the day. But at night, beyond the walls of the Rings was its jail-house, and it, the warden.
Camille turned the transport a second before the Helltrix would have sent them rolling. Their pursuer missed the mark, its taloned metal feet tearing long gashes in the earth where the transport once was. The gate still in sight, Camille is now driving parallel to the wall and not directly toward it. She needs to get rid of this thing before they can make it back. Another shriek comes from the frustrated beast, as it flaps its massive wings to gain altitude for a second attack.
Edgar looks out of the transport at the Helltrix making its approach, "Mille it's coming back, what are we going to do? I don't want to be eaten!"
"Eddy if we get any closer, the Wall Guard will see us and trigger the defense lights, and you know we cant do that."
"I'd rather take my chances with the guard then be eaten by this thing, plus they already know something is up, the transport didn't make it back before sundown."
Camille pounded on the steering wheel, frustrated because it was her responsibility to get them back on time, and she failed. Dammit not like this, she won't let this aborted experiment kill her and Eddy.
Camille turns the transport back toward the gate in the outer wall, and the Helltrix is right on their tail.
A look of relief appears on Edgar's face, "Okay good, I'm glad you see it my way. Like I said, it's better we deal with the Guard then stay out here."
"If this works, we won't have to deal with either Eddy."
"Wait, what? What are you doing?"
"Get to the back and open the boxes of Phosphors. When the Helltrix makes its move, I'm going to open the back loading doors. You activate one per box and kick them out the back. They have a 3-second delay when you activate, so you've gotta time this perfectly Eddy, we got one chance at this."
"Oh man oh man oh man."
Edgar hustles to the back of the transport and searches for the phosphor boxes. He finds the containers and pops open the hinged lids. Another screech. The sounds make Edgar think his ears are bleeding. He grabs one each out of both boxes and with one arm holds the containers and the other the phosphor sticks.
"Okay Eddy, here she comes!" Camille yells back as she hits the hatch button.
Edgar sits staring at the cargo doors as they begin to open, revealing the angry creature. Its wingspan is huge and only getting greater as it closes the distance to the transport. Dust is trailing back toward it like a welcoming mat, and Edgar feels like he's the main course being served up on a platter. The creature sees him in the cargo bay and lets loose a scream that makes Edgar's insides feel like they will burst.
"NOW!"
Edgar activates the two sticks, shoves them back in their boxes and kicks the containers out of the hold. He sees them hit the dirt and begin to bounce as Camille closes the doors and slams on the brakes. Edgar is thrust forward, the momentum carrying his small body through the transport and into a wall separating the cabin and the cargo bay.
The heat in the containers is finally too much, and the phosphor sticks ignite, causing the boxes to burst. The resulting explosion lights up the night behind the transport. A white mini-sun blinds the Helltrix, causing it to lose track of its place in the world. Camille's sudden braking lets the bird overtake transport. It flys overhead and forward as Camille stares out of the windshield, watching it careen towards the gate, screeching its maddening song. The Wall Guards see whats happening and scramble to activate their defense spotlights, meaning to deter the creature should it get too close to the outer ring. But it was too late, blinded and afraid, its momentum carries it into the gate. Antwon saw what was happening and got out of the way just in time as the creature approached.
Chaos reigns when the Helltrix smashes the gate, tearing and thrashing against the reinforced structure. The spotlights lighting up the scene in artificial sunlight.
Meanwhile back in the transport, the two rebels recover from their brush with science gone awry.
"Ow," Edgar says as he lifts himself from the floor of the transport, making his way to the cabin.
"You didn't mention that part of the plan."
"I didn't tell you the next part either, buckle up."
Camille slams the throttle to max causing the transport to propel full speed toward the gate where the Helltrix is reeling and thrashing from its impact. They close the distance quickly at this speed, giving the vehicle the extra force it needs.
Edgar is strapping himself in when he notices that Camille isn't planning on slowing down. His eyes go wide at the realization of her plan and braces himself.
"Here we go!" Camille yells with a massive smile on her face.
Edgar closes his eyes and says through his teeth, "I hate you!"
The transport smashes into the Helltrix with a crash and sends it once again into the gate. The force and weight of the collision pulverize the gates heavy frame and the Helltrix bursts through into the streets of the Outer Ring. Alarms sound and teams of bots respond to the mayhem. The intruder twists and wails, sending teams of bots and guards flying in all directions. But its fury and stamina are diminished due to the impact. The guards use electrified nets and stake guns with a composite rope attached to bring the creature into submission. Crowds gather around the scene and begin to cheer and laugh loudly. It's not at the capture of the Helltrix however. They cheer at the chaos and trouble the creature creates for the bots and guards.
While this is happening, Camille and Edgar are recovering from the wreck. They mostly get their wits about them and see the bots attempting to stop the raging beast. Edgar is still in a bit of shock, and the look on his face says he's surprised to be alive. Camille is already gathering their haul from the ruins when Antwon arrives and wrenches the broken door off its hinges, revealing the dazed but otherwise okay occupants.
"Wow, you guys are really something. Let's go, while the bots are busy, we can take the maintenance tunnels."
The three of them take advantage of the chaos and sneak from the wreckage. Crouch walking, they make their way into and through the winding maintenance access leading to a door that opens onto the streets of Polis Titanis. With the towering Outer Ring wall finally at their backs, they can relax a little. The city is as massive as the wall surrounding it. Filled with aging apartment buildings and factories. The people of the Outer Ring live and sleep next door to where they work. A never-ending loop of production and survival since the Cycle began. They work to build the very bots that police them and their families.
For generations, most families have no other history than working the Ring. A dwindling few others have old stories they pass down, of a world before the Cycle, when no Central Tower and walls separating the people from each other and the land. Families lived free to pursue dreams of art or love. They traveled around the world to see its wonders, and create some of their own. But most believe that's all they are, stories and delusions of the old timers caused by a poisoned mind. The world has been like this as long as they remembered, and if it were any different, they can't imagine how it could have turned into this.
The people of the Outer Ring are told they work to create the armies of bots for their own security. Some of the bots remain to patrol the wall and support the Guard, and the rest are sent to Mid Ring. Mid Ring is where they are supposedly fitted with technology the workers of the outer ring aren't equipped to manufacture. No one from Outer gets into Mid unless they are chosen from Central. The process isn't well known, but if you are selected, your entire family gets to go with you.
Camille once got a look at Mid when a shipment of materials stalled at the gates between the Rings. The little she saw before a small army of bots dispersed the gathering crowd, was so different than her home. The streets were clean, and kids were playing on grass with their friends. The citizens there wore clothes she could never hope to own. Flowing and colorful, the people looked happy and not worked to the bone. That is until they saw the crowds of the Outer Ring gathering to peer in. Then their faces turned to horror and disgust that their world had been opened to the people of Outer.
Antwon looks around and sees the gathering crowds, making their way to see all the commotion down the road. He motions to Camille and Edgar to follow him, and they blend into the crowd. They push and snake their way to the other side of the street to an alley.
"That's the most excitement Grant street has seen all year. Next time you plan on something like this, let me know, I would have gotten a better view." Antwon said smiling, and they began to walk side by side down the alley. He wore brown factory coveralls, and his face was streaked with grease. He stood a foot taller than Camille, and a foot and a half over Edgar.
"Hey man, I had nothing to do with her "plan," if you can even call it that," Edgar said rubbing his head.
A little way down the alley they find a cut out in a wall and gather inside.
"Okay, lets see what you got. I hope it's worth the hell you've inevitably brought down in our section."
"Lana is the one that wanted this crap Antwon, you got a problem with my methods, you talk to her." Camille snapped back.
"Hey hey, its cool, I'm just having a little fun with ya. You're the last person I want to piss off. You have your skills, and I have mine. Yours just have a little more, punch to them."
Camille crouches down and unzips the duffel bag containing the loot from the ruins. Inside is a pile of broken down old world tech. All of it has been damaged by time and the elements. But there's a piece that grabs Antwon's attention, and he plucks it out. Lifting the tech up to his face, he turns it in his hand investigating it. Frowning, and now with a confused look on his face, he reads the faded markings on its side. Suddenly the three of them snap their heads up when they hear guards squawking into their com equipment. Camille grabs the device and gathers up the bag, and they start off down the alley at a sprint.
Antwon looks at Camille and asks, "What the hell is a GPS?"