A mild breeze stroked Genesis’ cheek. Lines of code popped up at a nanosecond scale. The android groaned gently as her vision rebooted. Her neuralface appeared, filling the corners of her sight. Genesis slowly opened her eyes. Her optics adjusted to its optimal resolution and gradually resolved the grain noises. An ashen sky greeted her.
Whenever winter was close, the sky of Dusty Peak, home, would exhibit the same color. Genesis knew it well because it was the time of the year that she had always looked forward to. She would run to a nearby ridge, in defiance of her father’s prohibitions, to feel the soothing rain on her synthetic skin. Whoever came up with the grain-moisture management and disposal installation as well as particle-repellent components was a genius.
Dots fell toward her as she remained still in lethargy. She heard no rattling gunshots nor the thundering kinetic energy release of artillery shells. Perhaps she was dead, again. This was likely one of those tranquil moments between the time of her demise and the moment she came back to life. How fortunate she was today to be presented with the sight of her lost home in this brief respite that was granted to her? Usually, she would be adrift in a void with pulsating tentacles of otherworldly azure energy that caressed her body. Genesis closed her eyes again, anticipating the cold wet rain of Dusty Peak once more.
But what fell on her wasn’t water moisture. They were coarse particles that upset her facial skin. She reopened her eyes, bugged by burnt smells caught by her tactile and olfactory components. Her sense-based multiclass classification neuromodule identified that they were 83.221% volcanic ashes.
The neuromodule activity implied that she was alive. Genesis reached for her helmet and her uniform. They were still worn by her. Genesis rose while giving her hand a perplexed look. She slapped herself once and felt that.
The android maid raised her gaze and looked around. The grass was purple. The trees had twisting trunks and pink leaves. Intermixed among them were light-brown fungi with a beige trunk. The giant mushrooms were as bulky as the trees but not as tall.
“Charlotte!” Genesis said, with maximum volume output. Her voice reverberated through the vacant alien forest. “Captain Edelweiss! Captain Fort! Caitlyn!”
There was no response.
Genesis noticed her power carbine lying amidst the grasses. She picked it up and checked the mag. She was perplexed, but thankful regardless, that it was full. Genesis reached for her ammo pouches on her composite armor which had recently been standardized. She counted ten magazines in total.
On normal occasions, the Maid Section was only armed with four. Genesis was given ten because she was stronger than an average human. Genesis could feel her sidearm in her holster, along with its five magazines. Her waist pack — designed to be the largest compared to all other Proxies to accommodate more supplies — was strangely empty. Her tactical shovel was strapped to it while her thermal bayonet was sheathed on the left side of her waist, across from her sidearm.
Genesis took one gentle step forward. She activated a supporting overlay to help her spot anti-personnel mines on the ground.
“Scientia!”
If there were any Proxies nearby, they would return with ‘Victrix!’ once.
“Alright guys, you win,” Genesis said. “Guys? Charlotte!? Caitlyn!? Anybody!?”
Silence was her answer. Genesis sighed and steadied her power carbine. She was no stranger to wooded areas. Hiking through the Cone Cove mountains was one of her favorite activities. She even completed a solo expedition to find an alternative path through the forests of Cone Cove. However, in those cases, she knew where she was and how she got to that point — none of those applied here.
“Where is everyone?” Genesis said, watching her anxiety level spiked due to the absence of her comrades.
Genesis trained her carbine to wherever she was looking. Anything could easily jump at her when she was not looking and that could spell her end. Though she could return to life, Genesis was unwilling to take a front seat and experience whatever murder methods the alien place had. There was no guarantee that they all would cause a quick death.
“Hello?”
Genesis rubbed the grip of her power carbine with her thumb. Her index finger tapped on the trigger repeatedly. How did she even get to this place? Was it the fault of her ferry between death and life? It had never failed before so why fail now? She emitted a distress signal, though she had no idea who would answer.
The leaves above rustled. Genesis immediately turned in shock at the sudden break of silence. Her core raced as she turned her power carbine to the flying objects streaking past. She increased her magnification. They were a flock of reptiles. A circular reticle popped up and locked on one of the creatures. Their scales were a mix of blue and chocolate brown. Their majestic crest exhibited a reddish color that glowed under sunlight. Their wings were translucent with a peanut hue. Each of them was half the size of Genesis’ foot.
Genesis lowered her power carbine as her neuromodule labeled it ‘unknown specimen’. They seemed ambivalent about her presence. Perhaps they were scared, as were the instincts of every creature upon encountering animate things larger than them.
As Genesis observed the flock flew away, a silhouette loomed over her. She turned around once she noticed the expanding shadow on the ground. Her reticle locked on the creature, another unknown specimen. The poultry was about two times her size. Its digits were opened wide as it descended upon her.
Genesis switched to full-auto and opened fire. The power carbine made a racket amidst the tranquil forest. The cartridges struck the poultry’s breast. Crimson liquid coursed down from where the bullet hit, defiling the creature’s majestic orange feathers. Yet they didn’t stop the fowl’s descent.
The bird landed on Genesis. Its momentum was sufficient to knock her down on her back. The orange bird shrieked while extending its wide wings as if asserting dominance over her. Genesis frantically kicked away from the grip of the bird’s digits. The bird bent over and turned one of its eyes toward Genesis. Seeing an opportunity, the android immediately trained her rifle on its head and slammed the trigger. The hail of cartridges splattered blood and brain matter all over. The bird’s head was practically gone when Genesis was done.
However, one more descended on Genesis. She aimed her power carbine and pulled the trigger. The carbine responded with a click. Genesis cast it aside and pulled her sidearm. She let the bird pin her with its foot while she aimed for its head. As soon as the bird shrieked in front of her, Genesis opened fire through its mouth. Blood gushes on the back side of the bird’s head. The bird withdrew, frantically flapping its wings before collapsing.
Genesis took a deep breath, letting her head fall to the ground. This time, she immediately rose and reloaded her power carbine. She aimed it at the corpses of the birds, anticipating something that might come out of them. She waited two minutes. Nothing. Genesis sighed and calmed herself down.
“By the Primus…” she said.
Genesis watched her stress level, which was indicated on her overlay, slowly decreasing. Her self-optimizer neuromodule was repeatedly executing processes to restore composure. She returned the empty mag into her pouch. She hadn’t even gotten anywhere and one mag was already down. Genesis brought herself up and marched on, trying not to think about it.
A purple plain stretched before her as she cleared out of the forest. Genesis sent gratitude to the Primus that she wasn’t attacked any further. A set of distant hills and mountains reminded her of Cone Cove. She always wanted to return, but she lost the claim to the place where her house once stood. A sorrow brewed within her, and she blocked her self-optimizer neuromodule from attenuating it.
The scenery provided her with thought clarity. If she was transported to another world due to her faulty ferry between life and death, then why didn’t she just kill herself? She could always return to life. She had no idea whether she would return to her world, but one missed all the shots they didn’t take.
Genesis slung her power carbine and pulled her sidearm. She took a second to look at it, wishing to the Primus that her solution would work. She then pressed its muzzle to her chin and put her finger on the trigger.
A loud bang. Genesis was surprised because she hadn’t pulled the trigger yet. The gunshot was heard again repeatedly. She recorded the noise and fed the wave profile into her neuromodules to decompose. After correcting for distance, the frequency spectrum came out to be 70.201% similar to shots coming from Romanov Mk. VI, the handgun she was holding.
Genesis immediately ran toward the source. She sped up her pace while the gunshots could still be heard. Unfortunately, it stopped as soon as Genesis sprinted at maximum speed.
She tracked the source of the noise from where it was last heard seconds ago. From the top of a mound, Genesis saw four fowls, the same ones that had attacked her. They were all pecking a Proxy soldier. The victim cowered on the ground as the birds’ beak hammered their body. Genesis decided to pick the birds from this distance. She hoped to scare them off.
“H-help!” The Proxy’s cry was followed by yelping as the birds kept on pecking her.
Genesis’ eyes widened.
“Caitlyn…”
Genesis ran toward the commotion. One of the birds noticed her and shrieked, informing its three friends. Genesis crouched and let loose at the head of the shrieking bird. It took her five shots to kill it. She turned to the next one and neutralized it in the same manner. The two other birds glided toward Genesis. The maid threw herself to the ground. The birds flew past, their feet barely got her. Genesis quickly flipped while they were just above her. She waited until their heads were visible and opened fire. One collapsed to the ground. The other flapped its wings and increased its altitude. There should be ten shots left in the magazine. Genesis loaded in a new one and returned the exhausted mag to her pouches.
Genesis rushed toward Caitlyn who lay sprawled on the ground.
“Caitlyn!” Genesis said, clapping her left cheek repeatedly.
She then pressed her left ear toward Caitlyn’s chest. Her auditory input components received a humming noise from Caitlyn's core. She was still alive. Genesis immediately scoured her for any tear and punctures.
Genesis clapped her cheek again. “Wake up, Caitlyn!”
Caitlyn frowned, looking like she enjoyed lying on the shrubs. Genesis shook her shoulder. That was when her pale blue eyes opened and met Genesis’ eyes.
“Genesis?” Caitlyn said, slowly raising her head. “Is that you?”
“Yes…yes, it’s me,” Genesis said, sounding elated.
Caitlyn brought herself up and reached for Genesis’ face. The tank commander rubbed the maid’s cheek with her thumb.
“Oh, thank the Primus…” Caitlyn lunged forward and hugged Genesis. “Thank the Primus it’s you!”
Genesis chuckled. “I’m so glad I found you here.”
“Well, I’m so glad you saved me,” Caitlyn said, putting Genesis at half an arm’s length. “Again.”
“Friends help each other,” Genesis said excitedly.
Caitlyn chuckled.
Genesis remembered when Caitlyn — then first sergeant, now second lieutenant — incorporated her into the tank commander’s unit at the battle of Patih Tread. She even allowed the maid to co-crew her Chord main battle tank — Protivotankoviyy. Sadly, the tank didn’t make it. They were separated in the aftermath of that battle. Genesis was delighted upon discovering that they would be working together again.
Caitlyn looked around.
“Whatever question you have, I’m sure I don’t know the answer,” Genesis said when Caitlyn looked at her again.
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. “What is your name?”
“That’s not funny, Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn tilted her head. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Genesis said, groping Caitlyn’s body. “Are you still in pain?”
“Seeing you has healed me,” Caitlyn said, smiling.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Genesis gave an indifferent look. “Caitlyn, I appreciate the sweet compliment. But aren’t you more concerned about what those birds might have done to you that you are probably not aware of?”
“They just pecked me,” Caitlyn said. “I think I was pretty fortunate that they don’t have sharp beaks.”
Genesis heard a shriek. She looked above and behind her, where the orange bird flew in a circle. Genesis magnified her view. Its majestic orange crown waggled, coping with the air that streaked through it. Its neck and legs were long, and its body resembled a liver. The bird’s beak was indeed blunt while their digits lacked any sort of talons. Genesis felt uneasy seeing how it lacked the means to harm but somehow was incredibly aggressive.
Caitlyn crouched beside her, seemingly ready to jump into action when needed.
“How many mags do you have left?” Genesis said to Caitlyn.
“Two,” Caitlyn said. “I didn’t get to fire much. I got knocked down from behind when I was reloading.”
“With that situational awareness, I’m surprised that you haven’t ended up as a pile of ash after eight years in the war.”
“Some of my team did.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“The war has ended for them so…” Caitlyn shrugged.
Genesis flattened her lips. She had a tinge of gratitude for those who fell. They were freed of the suffering brought by war. Their souls would board the train to the Steppes at the Edge of the World, where eternal peace awaited. She dreamed of boarding that train, but the world still needed her. The fact that she kept on coming back to life after every death suggested that.
The duty was her choice. She wished to purge the plight of war off the face of the earth. The war wouldn’t be over for her until it was over. Genesis liked to think that it was her purpose. The thought wooed her spirit to face her tribulations with heads held high.
“Let’s get out of here,” Genesis said.
“Lead the way.” Caitlyn gave her hand.
Genesis pulled the tank commander up as she stood. She then tracked the movement of the sun, allowing her to determine directions. It would be a long walk wherever they decided to go. Nonetheless, it was still a better option than staying still.
***
Two hours had elapsed since the two met. Caitlyn gripped Genesis’ collar from behind like there was no tomorrow. They were almost nut to butt if it wasn’t for Genesis’ waist pack. Genesis noticed how vigilant Caitlyn was, especially toward the skies.
They found themselves among a series of half-buried ellipsoid stones that were widely spaced. Their hues were ghastly. Some were wider than the other, while some were taller. It reminded her of the time when she visited the Maids Memorial with Charlotte during a rotation.
“Don’t you feel like humming a marching song or something?” Caitlyn said, breaking the silence.
“With creatures like those birds that could catch us off guard, I don’t feel so,” Genesis said, astonished hearing Caitlyn, now a commissioned officer, stating a request that could dangerously give away their position.
“Sorry, I had to…take my mind off the fact that we’re in another world.”
Genesis shrugged. “To be honest, this feels like the northern wastes of the state.”
“But the grass isn't purple.”
Genesis looked down briefly to inspect the grass. “How about you daydream about something to distract yourself? Didn’t your sister tell you a lot of stories?”
Caitlyn turned to Genesis. “Birds.”
“Okay…”
“But the landscape here sure feels like I’m living one of Sister Gvozdika’s stories,” Caitlyn said, looking around with fascination on her face.
Genesis smiled. It was always a great day for her to see her friend enjoying herself.
“Do you like it?”
“Kinda.”
“Maybe we should hike sometimes,” Genesis said, looking at Caitlyn.
“Sure, I’ll tell Captain Fort about it,” Caitlyn said. “Once we get out of here though…”
“No…not the whole task force, please. I just want it to be between us…and Charlotte.”
“I thought you like hanging around a lot of people. Imagine seven or ten of us around a campfire singing Narodnaya Sila all night. That would be lovely.”
Genesis rubbed her chin. “Maybe you’re right.”
A loud and proud sleigh drew their attention. Genesis trained her power carbine while Caitlyn aimed her pistol toward the source. A pack of stallions hovered through the air. Their bodies looked like peanuts, while their heads were oval and stretched. Their brown mane complemented their golden fur. Those stallions had flippers instead of legs. It appeared like they were swimming through the air.
A herd of cotton balls rolled down the hill to their left. Legs and heads popped out of them as soon as they stopped. The creatures bleated as they stuffed their mouth with the purple grass. Their cloud-like fur slowly turned purple. Genesis pointed her weapon when she noticed that some were looking at them. Yet they all remained still. At most, they only gave them a weird look before munching their next strands of grasses.
Genesis lowered her power carbine. The spherical sheep reminded her of home during spring before the war. Shepherds would herd their cattle out of the pen and let them taste the gifts of nature.
“I wish we could keep one,” Caitlyn said.
“You want me to tell Sir Edward about it?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“He can propose a research project to the Chief Research General to modify a sheep in such a way to resemble the creatures we are seeing.”
“Can they do that?”
“They’ll find a way,” Genesis said confidently. “Don’t worry.”
Caitlyn rubbed her chin. “No, thank you.”
“Why not?”
“I shouldn’t be asking Sir Edward for anything.”
“No, you’re not, I’ll be the one doing it. You don’t know how benevolent Sir Edward was when it comes to me.”
“Genesis…” Caitlyn said. “He’s kind enough to delay legal repercussions against me for burying Alezia until I can find a Commissar to defend me. I’m not going to test the limits of his hospitality.”
“Oh, you haven’t settled it?”
Caitlyn gestured. “I was in the officer school. I was too occupied to find any Commissar.”
“Well…okay, I guess,” Genesis said.
“You don’t owe me anything, Genesis,” Caitlyn said. “I think it’s the other way instead.”
Genesis turned to Caitlyn and smiled. She then slapped Caitlyn’s thigh before chuckling.
“Paid,” Genesis said.
“Are you sure about that? I mean, out of anything you could ask from me…”
Genesis raised her fingers, pretending to calculate something. “I could use thirty Primes for the act of saving you, but since you’re my friend, I can do half of that.”
Caitlyn reached for her pockets and returned with her hands empty. “Okay, I get it now,” she said.
Both of them laughed. Genesis then gave a hearty look to her friend. Four months ago when they first met, the girl would often appear downcast with thoughts ever so detached from reality. Caitlyn bridged herself from the others because she saw herself to be unworthy. Genesis saw how she gradually crossed that bridge since they became friends. Fast forward to the present time, the maid couldn’t be happier seeing that Caitlyn had finally forsaken her seclusion.
The two rested when the sun set because Genesis had to. Her functionalities grew tired every two days. Battery-tins, no matter how much, only extended that by a day. She needed to calibrate after that. It was better than an average human but still way worse for android standards. Even Caitlyn, the cheapest android from present-day manufacture, could last a week on normal occasions before finally requiring calibration to recharge her power core.
They both set up a camp using whatever wooden sticks they could find. Fortunately, they stumbled upon trees with leaves about half of their size. Their temporary shelter was a slanted rectangular frame of wooden sticks covered with those leaves. Strands of vines here and there kept the frame together. A couple of wooden pegs fixed it in place.
Genesis failed to see herself dozing soon despite needing it. She was crumpled under an oblong leaf that became her blanket. Caitlyn sat just in front of the shelter, keeping watch with her built-in night vision filter. Her legs were curled close with her arms embracing them. Caitlyn’s pale blue eyes glowed as she diligently scoured the environment.
Genesis felt bad about how Caitlyn had to watch over her. She didn’t want to leave her all alone watching the premises. She feared that the tank commander might feed her old misery hole again when she wasn’t around.
“Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn looked at Genesis. “Yes?”
Genesis shifted backward slightly and patted the patch of leaves just before her. She wanted Caitlyn to lie there too so she could watch over her.
“Uh…okay,” Caitlyn said, maintaining her position.
Genesis frowned. She cast the leaf blanket gently to her back and slowly crept toward the tank commander. When she was at half an arm’s length, she sprung and locked Caitlyn’s neck with her arms.
“Ack!” Caitlyn didn’t resist when Genesis pulled her to the ground. “W-what are you doing!?” The tank commander glanced at her.
“Hush…” Genesis dragged Caitlyn into the shack alongside her.
“G-Genesis!”
Genesis picked the leaf behind her and put it on top of them. She made sure that its moist mosaic texture covered a portion of their bodies. Genesis settled down after stacking her right leg on top of Caitlyn’s.
“There we go,” Genesis said, taking a deep breath. The warm wisp of air reflected on Caitlyn’s nape.
“Genesis, please explain this.”
Genesis chuckled. “You’re my bolster.”
“Okay, but…w-why?”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? Friends have to stick together. Besides, you’re still able to stay on the watch right?”
“First problem, this posture raised the chance of me calibrating, which would then leave no one to guard us,” Caitlyn said. “Second, don’t you think this position is a bit…inappropriate?”
“Caitlyn?”
“What?”
“Are you…into women?”
“Are you serious!? No.”
Genesis stroked Caitlyn’s arm. “Then you should have no problem with this position. Also, don’t worry about calibrating. With this position, nothing would get us without alarming me.”
Caitlyn was silent for a while. “I think you’re right.”
Genesis wished to pick up a boy before the war ended. She was aware that she met the appearance prerequisite of many. A fair-skinned blonde maid with a pair of aquatic eyes who loved to sing for the army was a wet dream. Not to mention that her hourglass body was more generous than average.
She hadn’t found a proper match so far, despite the one hundred lascivious messages she received through her inbox every month, but she was in no rush. She wanted to give as much love as possible to her friends while she still could before she had to give it to her male partner. Genesis imagined Caitlyn to be her dream boyfriend.
“Genesis,” Caitlyn said.
“Hm?”
“Could you…loosen your arms’ grip on my neck, please? Just for a moment.”
“You’ll sit back up again.”
“I promise I won’t.”
Genesis said nothing when she let Caitlyn’s neck go. The tank commander indeed went nowhere. She just flipped her body so that she was facing Genesis. Her pale blue eyes had never been this close. Caitlyn laid her left arm over Genesis’ waist and tucked her left leg in between the maid’s legs.
“There,” Caitlyn said. “You may lock me again now.”
Genesis did what she said. “What are you doing though?”
“So that I don’t lose sight of you.”
Genesis yawned. She withdrew one of her arms to cover her mouth. “You’re so kind, Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn smiled. “Isn’t it merely a reflection of yours?”
“I don’t know…you tell me.”
Genesis found solace in the look that Caitlyn gave. They had been apart for four months since Patih Tread. During that period, Genesis had been relocated two times, healed plenty of peers, distributed hundreds of supplies, wounded tens of times, and died once, before finally being promoted to Maid Sergeant. She had always been wondering what Caitlyn was doing during those times. It turned out she was in Praefectus Incus — the officer school.
Genesis’ hope of seeing Caitlyn again had never wavered. Having her best friend in her arms for the second time was perhaps the best thing the Primus had granted her. She only wished that Charlotte was there too so they could huddle together.
“Have you ever done this with Charlotte before?”
“Done what?”
“This position.”
“Once.”
“She must have liked it.”
“Unlike you, I didn’t have to do anything.”
Caitlyn chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”
Genesis’ neuralface flashed with a notification of low core energy as Caitlyn patted her waist. She began closing her eyes. Her processor initiated the self-calibration executable. A log panel on her neuralface popped up, tracking every process run by her system. Her core activity level fell to ‘calibrate’. All active neuromodules and moodnodes processes were terminated. Her neuralface withdrew. The program only left her auditory and tactile components active. In the pitch black, the maid heard a couple of words.
“Sweet dreams, Genesis…”