Spenser Phoenix had taken a moment at the hill crest to cast his gaze down the rough terrain in search of the village among the gullies and canyons. Now that the wind had flagged, it was so quiet. He guessed the journey from village to facility was less than thirty miles. Yet, stick a fork in him after that climb. How in the world would he lead the people of the facility south for who knows how many miles? The last few days had been just a backyard adventure.
Ado showed no sign of fatigue. The red-lit eye remained focused on the path ahead, and he offered no small talk, which was fine. He paused to let Spenser catch up when he needed to. Once in a while, he rub the metal stump of his arm as if it itched or pained.
Ben met them at the loading dock. Icicles hung and dripped above the maw of the rolling door. He had three for company, who didn’t look happy. Neither Luna nor Daz gave a warm welcome back. Instead, they leaned against the metal storage boxes. Another woman, Daz’s wife, Jessica, Spenser presumed, had two braids of dark hair and baggy pants. He’d never met her, only heard her voice on an audio chat. She seemed the only one among them sporting a pleasant demeanor.
Jessica smiled, and it didn’t falter when her eyes landed on Ado. She turned to the others, perhaps to gauge their response, and when she saw them looking nonchalant, her lips rose to her nose in some perplexed look.
Ben spun in place. “I feared for your life out there. Welcome back, Spenser. I’ve gathered all the humans in the facility.”
Spenser’s eyebrow climbed. “This is it? Four? He said there were six hundred and two people left. Does that mean they’re spread out to hundreds of facilities?”
“I don’t know. But I doubt it. We’re out on the fringe. Perhaps the larger ones hold twenty or thirty. Anyway, who is this?”
Spenser gestured to Ado. “This is our guide. There’s a tribe of Neanderthals over the hills. They sent him with me because they thought I was someone called Hindra. He can guide us south.”
Daz gave Ado a once-over. “He’s got a brain smooth enough to skip on water, and you’re going to follow him?”
Jessica pointed a threatening finger at her husband. “He’s right here. Don’t say that. Just because he’s not homo sapien doesn’t mean he’s dumb.”
Ben rolled between them, “You might be interested to know the higher-order bots don’t distinguish between you. To them, you’re the same species. More importantly, he’s been living in the world. None of us have stepped foot or wheel track onto the frozen wasteland. And he’s been modified. I presume he’s been to the more populated areas.”
Spenser wondered what Ben knew about the barbarism of his kind. He decided to find out. “Ben, they raise us to fight. They raise us for no other reason than for entertainment.”
Ben rolled back in shock. “No, not possible. I was told that my purpose was to reintroduce life to the planet. After your species nearly ended itself, we’re bringing back the numbers. It’s the same with other things that walk and crawl on the land or swim in the sea. We’re bringing them back.”
Spenser believed Ben. He probably shouldn’t, but he did, and he needed to. “We were lied to, given a fake existence. Why do you think you’re immune?”
Ben’s finger pinged on his metal shoulder as he thought. “For Arch’s sake, it’s possible, I must admit, I have no evidence to support my beliefs. I don’t understand why there are so many layers of deception. It made sense that animals in captivity should be lied to for their own health, but that benefit doesn’t extend to me.”
Daz said, “I was doing just fine till you went and fucked up my illusion. And my tooth hurts. Anyhow, give me a gun, and I’ll shoot some zombies.”
Ben, “There are no guns nor zombies. Guns were made illegal by the Arch. You see, robots are virtually immortal if their cognition backups hold. A gun can do too much damage.”
Daz tapped his foot. “No guns. Thanks, Spenser. So glad you brought me into this world, and it sucks.”
Spenser knew Daz enough to count on him, but his pessimism annoyed him. “Talk to your mother about that one.”
“You don’t know my mother. Hell, neither do I.”
Jessica elbowed Daz. He gave her a what-did-I-do face.
Luna peeked from behind an open storage bin. “No guns? Then what’s this?” She held a shotgun. The barrels caught a glint from the overhead lighting.
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Ben cocked his head. “Technically, that’s a gun. It’s more of a museum piece. I don’t know what it’s doing here, but the humidity controls should have preserved it well if it was stored properly.”
Daz and Jessica rummaged through the bins and compartments. Blankets landed in one heap, as they agreed they’d all need them to keep warm. Spenser didn’t say anything about his red cloak. There was no reason to make anyone jealous about its warming abilities. The pair pulled out two sheathed blades and asked what they were.
Ben took one and pulled a twelve-inch blade free. “These are bolt daggers. Turn them on, and any contact with them sends an electrical blast through the victim. It’s a legal weapon and won’t breach cognitive backups unless you use the blade to pry into them.”
Daz snatched the weapon back from Ben. “Dope.” He fed his belt through the loop on the sheath and carried it at his hip. Then he stopped and said, “Do you guys hear that?”
The whole facility hummed. It wasn’t loud. It was more like a feeling in the bones than an actual sound.
Ben said, “Yes, twenty-three hertz. It’s time to go.”
Spenser ran to the controls. “How do I interface with this?”
Ben rolled to it. “Let me.” His fingers danced on the touchpad.
Spenser decided someone needed to take charge, and they’d no time for volunteers. “Good, we need to know what’s out there. Everyone, let’s open this place up. I’ll take the top floor. The animals could serve as distractions. Whatever’s coming doesn’t know the situation, only that the Admin is dead. Maybe we can be lost in the confusion.”
No petitions? Everyone kicked into gear, and it surprised him. Spenser found a stairwell in the loading dock. It went up to the top of the tower section, but he found the first door locked. The other bunched in behind him. Then the lock clicked. “Thanks, Ben,” he muttered. Jessica ran into the first floor. He went up until he was alone, all the others on lower floors, then ran down the hallway and freed the animals. After the whole circle, he heard a roar and guessed he’d released something dangerous.
They met again by the storage area. They were sucking air. Jessica was missing, and Daz ran off after her.
Ben brought up multiple screens. One had the triangular black shape of a drone. On the other, the facility rotated as a wire frame. “That's a Black Mage. We have no weapons against it. I don’t think our plan of letting loose animals will work. These are hunters, sent after intelligent and capable adversaries.”
Ado jabbed the screen with a finger. “Get me to the roof here. You then open the door and run. I will land on it. Take out its main gun.”
Spencer understood where Ado was going with this. “It would turn to face us. You have to make one hell of a ballsy jump, but as it came towards us, you should have an opportunity.”
Ado, “I’ll make it, or I won’t. What's the alternative?”
Ben, “I don’t know, but I don't like it.”
Spencer played out in his head. It seemed unlikely at best. “It's up to him.”
Luna put a hand on his shoulder and whispered so only he could hear. “I like your take-charge attitude. I haven't seen this side of you.”
“I just want us to get out of here alive.”
Daz and Jessica returned, but something tagged along behind them. It was a yellow family dog. Just what they needed.
Jessica said, “She followed us. The more the merrier, right?”
Spencer watched the good-natured canine meander between them. How could it be of any use? And worse, would it slow them down? They’d need to feed it. “Right…”
Ben brought up the roof access points. There was a dropdown ladder and a locked portal. The dog pushed itself between his metal wheel tracks. “There you are, Nightingale. Are you coming with us?” Nightingale moved, sat, and offered her paw. “Ado, the way is open if you must do this.”
Ado simply nodded and hurried into the stairwell.
Spencer pulled Ben from the controls. “Everyone, grab blankets, powder food, as much as you can carry. As soon as Ado appears on the roof,” he indicated the window on the display. “We go full speed.”
Daz said, “Great, now we get blown to smithereens.”
Jessica crossed her arms. “If you ever want to be blown again, do what he says.”
Spencer waited. This was their best shot. Ado appeared on the roof of the tower. “There he is. Now!”
The door rolled open, ushering in the uninvited chill, and they ran. The dog quickly took the lead while Ben fell behind. But they rushed, and they caught the Black Mage’s attention. The swivel gun on the top moved faster than it could rotate, but it swooped after them once it had turned. It had no visible feature from this range, but Spencer felt it staring at him.
Abo leaped from the top of the tower, just a spec flying out and dropping. What a maniac. He landed on the drone and tore into it in a shower of sparks. Then it broke apart, and he clutched onto a black ball, no a robot in a fetal position. The two plummeted.
The drone half exploded into the facility. A plume of fire engulfed the tower top, and then it began to tilt. The tower groaned, crumpled along the side, and it came down. The whole thing collapsed into dust and debris right where Ado and the Black Mage landed.
Spenser felt a pang of sorrow and guilt, even though he hardly knew Ado. They weren’t much more than acquaintances.
Abo appeared from the destruction cloud, jogging forward. When he reached them, a slash on the good side of his face was bleeding. It hadn’t been the crash. It was an animal claw, probably from whatever Spenser freed on the top floor. “We must return to the village. The Black Mage will survive that. It isn't as fast or dangerous without its drone half, but it's still a dangerous nemesis. Go!”