Many Centuries Later

The sound of a small hammer impacting a bell at an obnoxious rate filled the dusty room with its droning ringing. A few seconds later a soft grunt mixed with an exhale was let out from under a patchwork scratchy linen blanket. A tanned feminine hand reached out and felt around the nightstand, tapping with mounting annoyance until she felt the alarm clock. With a click of a button on the back, it was finally silenced and peace was restored. With a low groan she sat up and stretched, throbbing pains ran throughout her side and jaw in protest. The remains of last night's excitement had caught up to her. Tenderly she felt each bruise and pushed lightly to make sure nothing was broken, the cover of last night's alcohol no longer hid the dull pain.

After she made sure nothing needed medical attention she slowly stood up as her sore muscles ached, the creaking of her metal bed frame added to the morning sounds that began to fade in. Wind softly sang across the sheet metal walls as they shook slightly to a comforting melody. Faint conversations made their way through the thin walls from outside, the voices were an unintelligible swirling mass. She sat there waking up for a solid minute or two feeling the unseen weight on her eyelids slowly dissipate. Once awake enough, she slipped her feet into some basic shoes to walk around the rough wooden floor.

Standing up, she made her way across her compact room to a tarnished and rusted wash basin which was bolted to the wall to hold it up even with one leg missing and another severely bent. The thin floorboards creaked ominously with each step sounding as if they were about to give way, yet year after year they held true. Sparingly she dampened a torn up rag with water from a jug and ran it across her face, gently around her tender jaw. She ran a brush made from a block of wood with nails sunk into it and the heads rounded off through her pearl white hair. It felt like it tore more hair out than straightened it, giving a frustrated grunt every time it got caught. She made it many years ago when she was only a little girl but she refused to get rid of it, even when her parents offered to buy a better one because it was the first thing she made on her own. An oil stained, dirty gray headband was thrown over it to keep her frizzy mass of hair back and cover her forehead from the sun. Even with a deep caramel like tan, the sun was merciless and scorched any unprotected skin. Hanging above the basin was a cracked and tarnished mirror that she examined herself in. She saw the pointed nose of her mother, the bright jade eyes with golden flecks of her father, and countless scars that ran across her body from her life as a scout and a troublemaker. Eying up the deep purple and blue bruise on her jaw she couldn’t help but smile. She wondered what her adversary from last night looked like now. Mostly she was thankful to be breathing, too many times did a fight like last night's end by the flick of a blade or the pull of a trigger. After she finished her morning routine she threw on her leather duster, swapped to heavier boots, and left her room.

Descending down a tight spiral steel grate staircase she made her way down to her family’s cramped main room as the hearty smell of a fresh cooked breakfast was filling the air. Stepping over boxes of assorted items and gear, she made her way over to the kitchenette so small that only a single person could be in it comfortably. Any attempts to keep the place clean have been futile as shown by the dust gathered in the corners. Inside was her father hunched over the crooked stove, held together by Diana's engineering. The stove was a mass of riveted together metal from construction equipment she found. Her father was cooking a mix of simple potatoes, eggs, and some thin strips of pork bacon, occasionally having to recover runaway eggs trying to drip off the deformed corner. Having heard her heavy boots clanging on the floor, he looked over with a warm smile that was mostly covered by a thick white beard.

“Good morning Diana, see you got into some fun last night?” He chuckled as he pointed the spatula at her bruised jaw. Diana nodded and smiled which caused the bruise to flare up slightly.

“Good morning Pa, yea I did. Sorry if I woke you and mom coming in last night.” She croaked back looking for water, now realizing how parched she was. Her father gave a dismissive wave to her apology and got back to cooking.

With a metallic squeak she sat down with her water-filled tin, slowly sipping on it as she rubbed her head, the aching of her hangover only growing with the passing hour. A few minutes later her father slid a plate of breakfast to her first, then placed another one at an empty chair, before he sat down himself with his food. After a minute or two, her mother came in wearing similar garb to Diana. In times like this it made sense when everyone said that she was the spitting image of her mother. Her mother quickly kissed her husband and Diana on the foreheads before she went to her seat, once she sat down the others began to eat their meals. Diana felt the glare of her mother aimed right at her jaw, wordlessly Diana gave a dismissive shrug. Her mother then shifted her glare to her father who in return gave a nonchalant shrug which seemed to frustrate her more, but she gave up on pursuing the subject.

When breakfast was done and Diana was cleaning the dishes, her father appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat to call attention to himself. Diana wiped her hands and looked over. In her father’s hand was a letter with a wax stamp showing interlocking gears. A mix of excitement and some fear welled up in her as she knew she was being called on for an endeavor by the governor. She took the letter and popped off the seal. Inside was a set of photographs and a fine piece of parchment. The smooth texture of the expensive paper along with the clean edges always felt foreign in her hands. As she began to read through it she felt the usual feeling of excitement build in her, but in the back of her mind an unfamiliar sense of unease took root and began growing.

“Diana,

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. As per the usual subject of my letters I am once again calling upon you to head an expeditionary force. I understand it has only been two days since you have returned from your last expedition but last night I received a particularly promising piece of information that could alleviate issues for the city. A Fen’Vari merchant caravan came in hailing deep from the central wastes saying there was a location that seems to be untouched since the war. They claim that they have not salvaged it themselves due to local superstition that the place is haunted. I have dispatched three others to ride with you as reinforcements, they shall meet you at your uncle's shop at noon. You shall also find pictures taken by the nomads in the envelope.

Best of luck,

Governor Elijah McCarthy”

When Diana was finished reading the letter she handed it off to her father as she opened the gently wrapped photographs. The images were blurry and it was hard to discern a great amount of detail from them. Four towering black metal spires pierced the sands and reached towards the skies in a square shape. A walkway down towards an immense door that was half buried in sand and still sealed shut. Another photo showed a winding canyon with walkways and rail systems shooting between the sides. Just looking at the photos made her stomach flip with an uneasy feeling. Fear clawed at the edges of her mind, unable to shake it or even determine a reasonable source.

“I should go pack, it's an urgent request and he wants me to leave in a few hours.” Diana slightly muttered as she stepped around her father, handing him the letter and the pictures. Her father gave a mixed look of confusion and worry as she walked by, he looked through them to see what caused the rapid change in emotion.

She went back upstairs and stuffed a few changes of clothes into her travel backpack and attached her tool bag on the side. Taking a few seconds to gather herself and calm down, her eyes fell above her bed. On its rack was an impressive sniper rifle, a family heirloom rifle that had been passed down from generation to generation. She was told it was a gift from one of the first governors to her family for being scouts. With a small heave she grabbed it off the wall. The thing is nearly the size of her. After a routine function check, she nodded in satisfaction and loaded a magazine. She grabbed an ammo can, each bullet bigger than her hand, and attached it to her backpack. She stood in the room for a few moments just taking it in before descending back down.

Downstairs her parents were both waiting for her with a box of handmade rations already on the table, along with more of her gear. She grabbed a small hand cart by the door and loaded all of her gear and food onto it. The letter slightly peaked out of the box and caught Diana's eye, the feelings came once more before she tucked it deeper in the box and pushed the emotions away. She turned to her parents who had the look of worry and pride on their faces. Diana went and hugged them as goodbyes were said along with promises of safe return. But she couldn't help but feel guilty as if she was lying to her parents. For the first time in countless expeditions, she felt a clawing at her throat as if she wanted to cry. She pushed the feeling down as her parents released their hug. Not wanting them to worry she quickly turned away to pick up her other items. Her legs felt heavy, not wanting to move as she walked out the door, wishing her parents one final farewell with a wave over the shoulder.

Out she went onto scrap metal scaffolding that creaked under the weight of her and her gear. Warm wind rushed by her, howling through the metal and stone walkways. Diana set her cart aside and leaned on a rail as she took in the city she called home before she left for who knows how long. Around and under her were more pieced-together houses clinging onto the sides of the mesa that they called home. Diana and her family were lucky enough to be given a spot in a recess of the cliff which sheltered them from the scorching sun most of the day. They were near the top of the mesa in what could be considered a neighborhood called The Canopy. This place was home to the more successful business owners and important farmhands. Homes inside the mesa were extremely limited to retain structural integrity, so only the top earners of the town had that privilege. The top of the mesa was a beautiful verdant green paradise surrounded by an endless sea of sand and stone. Fields of sun-hardened crops and condensed pastures provided most of the food for the mesa. Mighty pumps that extracted water from deep underground worked with massive windmills that doubled as moisture collectors. Winding walkways scattered throughout the city formed a stone and metal labyrinth that even confused the folk who lived there. She was grateful for all she had but still longed to see the world that was. Especially after she found books and pictures of it on one of her adventures which was tucked away in her cart. That world full of endless green fields of crops, crystal blue water on the surface, trees, was nothing but stories now. Diana watched the occasional shepherd dotting the land as they walked their livestock across the arid landscape finding food for them and decided she would give the book another read.

Taking a deep breath she walked down, passing two men dressed in heavy leathers with their faces wrapped up in cloths where only thick goggles poked out. Each had large revolvers holstered on their side and ammo bandoliers across their chest. Diana recognized them as her neighbors, they were enforcers of the governor which is the closest to an organized police force they could get. Many of them would take up this job as a second source of income or a way to serve the city such as her neighbor, he was a pump mechanic for the topside. Diana remembered being told stories of the great sprawling cities and their towers that pierced the skies, police in shining actual uniforms, and not the salvaged remains of whatever they found or stole. Snapping back out of the space in her mind she gave them both a small nod and a wave as she passed by and they responded in kind before they went back to their conversation.

Dragging her cart along, Diana eventually made her way to the entrance of the city center. A large arch led into the interior of the mesa that had been carved out as the original town. Buildings were carved out of its stone and then either covered by an attempt at a decorative facade or left bare. Dim yellow lights hung from the ceiling deeper in to illuminate what natural light could not. In the center, there was a heavily fortified building that was teeming with enforcers. That is the heart of the city, where people would trade tokens they earned for jugs of water.

The streets were already bustling with life and commerce as many tried to get as much done in the morning before the heat ramped up. The city's population was bursting at the seams, the mesa was never meant to sustain this many people and every resource had been dwindling. There were no new jobs available, no new houses could be built, and any attempt to build outside of the city was a death sentence. Be it nocturnal predators or roaming marauders, those who stayed out there never lasted long. Homeless people gathered in alleys, some began begging while others turned to crime. Diana knew to stay away from certain areas after a few close encounters. Suspicions grew in her mind if this place she was being sent to was going to be a new settlement. The pictures suggested it could be easily defended and was large enough to house trains. The thought of getting to work on a train, let alone seeing one actually function, filled her with a deep excitement. It was a chance to work on something not only so rare, but complex and magnificent too. The happiness washed away as quickly as it came, the memory of the pictures sent a chill down her spine causing her to grip her cart harder. She began thinking to herself that maybe the Fen’Vari were right for never touching it.

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Every now and then, people walked around from place to place closely followed by mindless scrap automatons of all different shapes and sizes. Some were bipedal while others had four or even up to six legs, no two pieces of them matched. Appendages were from completely different machines and what remained of the paint jobs were different colors. Her uncle has one but Diana never felt much ease around them, she saw the uses and advantages, but she only used them out of necessity.

She walked through the dim streets and tunnels, avoiding the jagged edges of sheet metal or low-hanging wires on buildings. Street vendors and peddlers called out trying to sell their wares was the common noise here. Dodging around dangerous alleys filled with malicious eyes, Diana traversed several cluttered pathways eventually winding down to the ground level of the mesa.

She eventually found herself in front of a shop named “Auto Adam''. The sign was made out of cut pieces of metal in a poor attempt at a fancier font with fire-red backlighting. The outside had mechanical bits and pieces hanging on display along with automaton parts. Diana stepped in as the smell of stale oil and pungent industrial cleaners assaulted her nose which caused her to recoil ever so slightly. Even though she smelt it almost every day, today seemed a bit stronger with her head still throbbing from a hangover. She walked past the basket-lined shelves, each full with random metal pieces of almost every variety. Setting her cart to the side, Diana vaulted over the counter and entered the back room where she heard the hissing sound of a hextorch. For protection, she grabbed and donned her welders mask as she rounded the corner. Diana was able to see the outline of her uncle Adam welding a joint together as a deep purple flame focused to an almost laser thin point was shooting out of the torch. After a minute or two, Adam finished up and lifted his visor to inspect the piece.

“Early morning today uncle?” Diana called out, now sitting on a nearby desk. Adam jumped a bit and shot a look over his shoulder. His face was already covered in some level of grime that dirtied his gray beard. When Adam realized who it was he gave a huff and turned back to inspect the weld.

“Yeah, I couldn't sleep. And the Smith brothers dropped a big order on us yesterday right after you left, I wanted to get a head start. Also heard you are heading out, the governor's men dropped off the supply crates in the motorpool.” Adam responded in his usual low gruff tone paired with a nod towards the back door.

Diana hopped off the desk and walked past him, giving him a small pat on the shoulder. As she passed by his left arm was in open view, a well-polished and advanced prosthetic arm shone. A host of integrated tools could be seen tucked away within it. He took off his protective equipment as gray locks of curly hair tumbled down over his face. His leathery tan skin like hers was riddled with scars of different types, shapes, and sizes. He would still have been a scout if it wasn't for a mission gone wrong.

Grabbing her gear again, she went out through another door further back into the workshop. She entered a massive garage bay carved out of the stone with a row of vehicles, some half torn apart mid-repair. The far side opened up into a mighty cavern that's walls were lined with other vehicle bays. The exit of the cavern led to the outside and was covered by an imposing metal-dropping gate that was manned by enforcers.

She walked over to the Leviathan, its eight wheels all almost as tall as her. An impressive twin linked heavy machine gun turret was affixed on the top of a long heavily armored and angled frame. It was an intimidating sight for anyone to see, a true marvel of engineering. It looked more like a war machine rather than a cargo and exploration vehicle. By the back were a few crates of supplies neatly stacked up. Diana walked over and inspected them, on top was another letter with interlocking gears of the governor. She pocketed that and looked through the rest of the boxes, seeing jugs of water, and preserved meats. There were even some fresh vegetables, their bright colors contrasted the city and daily life. Happy with her supplies, she dropped her gear and went to the front. She quickly climbed up and opened the driver's hatch before she slunk into it. She took a look at the control panel and initiated the startup sequence. A few switches here, a button there, and a gentle push on the throttle and it roared to life with little issue.

With the engine warming up, Diana exited once more. She went over to the back wall of the garage and opened up a large metal container with thick electrical cables running into it. Before her, a large, slightly discolored, light blue metal ball lay on the ground with several cables feeding into it. Diana pulled the cables off and inserted a small key in a hole on the top. When she did so there was a low rumbling from the ball as six crab-like legs extended and raised itself from the ground. Two large industrial arms, one looking like a crusher and the other looking more like a hand with three fingers, extended from the sides and a disk-shaped head with a single glowing green eye raised up ever so slightly. The eye looked over to Diana, fixing its sights on her. She gave Shocker a once over, making sure there was no new rust nor loose bolts. After her examination she took a few steps back. “Shocker, perform self-diagnostics.” She commanded as she went to an engine hoist that held a mechanical exoskeleton aloft. Shocker began to go through a series of movements accompanied by a little happy-sounding chirp after each of them, signifying that no issues were detected. As Shocker did its own thing Diana looked over and checked her exoskeleton suit for any deficiencies. After a successful inspection, Diana activated the powerpack on the back. It came to life with a low hum as she turned around and placed each foot in an overboot. With a soft click, they tightened to her settings, she went through and strapped the rest of her body into it. When it was at a comfortable level she detached the hooks and went through her own functions check. After going through her check Shocker had just finished as well, it looked to her silently awaiting command.

“Shocker, go to the rear of the Leviathan. Load the five boxes into the cargo bay and standby for further orders.” She commanded as she began to walk over to it herself. Shocker made its way over to the rear of the Leviathan. A key-like attachment extended from it and inserted it into a small hole by the back hatch. It spun the key precise amounts before plunging it a section deeper and repeating the process until a hydraulic hiss sprung out and the rear hatch of the Leviathan descended to the floor. It retracted the key and began picking up the boxes one by one and going into the back.

Diana began to do a more thorough check of Levithan when she heard a group approaching by the clinking and creaking of their outfits and the sand their steps threw. She looked over to see three figures covered head to toe in leather and scrap armor, each wielding a basic battle rifle. The middle one, who was obviously the leader by the quality and decoration on his gear, stepped forward and removed his helmet that revealed olive skin. A shining jagged scar ran from under the center of his right eye down to a sharper jaw, his black hair was shaved on the sides but combed back and much longer on the top nearing his shoulders. His gray eyes locked on hers, “You must be Diana. The name is Vladimir. Heard you are going to be our transport.” He said in a strong authoritative voice as he extended his hand. She took his hand and shook it matching his aura. During the exchange Vladimir let his expression shift and soften to a slight smile.

“Yea, feel free to load up. I'm finishing up the checks then we can get on our merry little way.” Diana said while she was running through the rest of the diagnostic list in her head. Not quite caring for what he had to say, she quickly dismissed them and turned away to check fluid levels of the Leviathan.

“Vic, Ghoul, you heard her, load up!” He called looking to the other two as they followed his command and entered the rear of the vehicle, Vladimir followed shortly after.

As Diana finished up her checks, her Uncle Adam approached her with heavy footsteps. She turned to face him as he carried two large duffle bags over his shoulder. He dropped them on the final box Shocker was loading up as it took a small step forward, reacting to the extra weight, but carried on.

“So, let's see the route,” Adam asked as he pulled out another map from his back pocket. Diana opened the new letter and unfolded the thick map. In the center their town was marked, and up in the northern end was a red circle. Both of them stared at it for a few seconds realizing how close it was to the central wastes. The lack of details in the map truly showed how little people dared to go that close.

“By the Father's light Diana, he's really sending you there?”

Diana responded with a slow nod and pulled out the first letter from her pocket and handed it to him. He thumbed through it and then the photos, she could sense the unease from him as he looked through them.

“He gave me three enforcers and sixteen days of rations each. It's my furthest and most armed expedition.” Diana spoke softly, calculating things in her own head.

“This is further than any of mine or your parents. Let's try to find a safe enough route” Adam responded as he unfolded his map that detailed the territories of other cities and more importantly, gangs in the area.

The two spent some time charting potential paths, avoiding any narrow passages in case of an ambush, rough terrain, and any known ganger locations. After some time of cross-referencing, measuring distances, and checking topographical data they finally came to a decision of a route and stepped back from it.

“I didn’t think it would be this far out. It’s gonna be a week or two. And there is only one path between the Bone Reaver and Gear Head territory. Embers Canyon.” He said observing the map now from afar.

“I’m guessing Embers is still a damn blood bath?” Diana said as she tried to map out potential other routes in her head. Each one would end in a blazing inferno if she attempted it. Diana sat there for a few seconds taking it in. Adam nodded slowly in silence. She looked over to the Leviathan. It hasn't failed her yet, no matter the beating it carried her back home.

“Well, I have a lot of ground to cover uncle. I should get going.” She said as she folded the maps up and pocketed them.

“Be safe Diana.” He almost commanded as he reached out to hug her, “I don't have a good feeling about this one.”

She hugged him back while nodding.

“I don't either, uncle. I don't either.” She responded nearly buried in his shirt. After a few seconds he almost pushed her away with his hands on her shoulders.

“Go show them what you're made of. The city is counting on you.” He said as he gave his rare low chuckle.

“Don’t worry Uncle. If I find something pretty I'll bring it to you, maybe a personality crystal infusement apparatus?”

“If you get that, I’ll give you the shop. Now go on, it's only getting hotter.” He said as he released his grip.

Diana turned and walked over to the Leviathan, with ease from her exo-skeleton, she swung up and into the drivers hatch. She found her bags lying in the hallway between the cockpit and the cargo hold next to the boxes they were put on, giving a loud sigh she went and dragged them back to the cockpit. She wished Shocker could just understand that aspect as well but she was also grateful it didn't. That would be pushing the boundaries of sentience and the thought of sentient machines sent a deep fearful shiver down her spine. Just the mention of sentient automatons would raise suspicion and could be fined, evidence of even researching it was a one way ticket to the Mothers Garden. Once fully in the driver's seat she pulled the heavy steel latch down and locked it into place. She flipped another switch on the dash and the rear hatch whined as it folded up and sealed shut. There she was, completely encased by either her salvation or her coffin she thought to herself. She threw it into reverse and with a deep and powerful rumble the Leviathan lurched backwards. Her eyes were pressed into the optics until she backed out and turned so she was facing the exit. Another switch pulled thick metal shutters up in front of her as a dense window became uncovered and allowed her to freely see in front of her without optics. The roar of the immense beast of a vehicle echoed throughout the cave as she accelerated towards the exit. The gate slowly raised open just enough for her to make it out. And out past the gates she went as they dropped it right behind her. The open desert met her, rusted mechanical remains of previous assault attempts and rocks jutting out of the sand was all there was. Once she was far enough away she slammed her accelerator foot to the floor and the engine responded with a mighty roar. The sound of provisions toppling backwards and the curses of surprised passengers quickly reminded Diana she wasn't alone. Eventually it got up to a good cruising speed and she set a throttle lock. Out into the wastelands Diana went, unsure of what hid beyond the sands.