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Inspiration; A short story based upon an idea I had for a series, a re-telling of fairytales, and thought I would create an extract for an online writing competition, with the theme of 'Tomorrow'.
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Tomorrow was the day I was to lead my squadron into battle. An attack on the enemy city of London, England. My instructions couldn't have been simpler, yet nothing filled me more than dread. But what did I have to lose, I am nothing more than an empty shell of the woman I once was.
My name is Lucretia, at least that's one of the only things I can remember of my past life. My memory is still hazy, the doctors here in the military informed me I had been caught in an explosion. I'm told I was an amazing pilot, almost the best in fact, until my mech was gunned down by the enemy. I have been out of commission for several long gruelling months, not that I can recall any of it, I had spent half that time in a sleep-induced coma while surgeons attempted to restore my broken body.
But who was I now? Something the military called a clockwork soldier. A half-human, half android monstrosity. When I first caught sight of my reflection, I could barely tell the difference between my new form and my original body. It worked well; I was able to walk, run, jump and fight, just as well, if not better than my original body. During combat exercises I began to realise the true nature of the android dwelling inside my body. I was nothing more than an object built for war. Even my own thoughts weren't just mine anymore, anything I thought was automatically digitally uploaded to the government computers. And I wasn't the only one of my rank.
I was instructed into the Japanese military three years ago. A letter came to my family home in Utashinai, we thought we were safe in our small village, far away from the main city of Neo-Tokyo. My family and I were aware of the impending war and being the only male in the family, my father would be instructed into the military despite being the ripe age of fifty-eight. My poor father could barely walk, he certainly wouldn't have been able to fight. I took it upon myself to take the letter, emblazoned with the government seal, in my satchel and the family armour passed down from our ancestors. A uniform my father never once needed to dress in, thankfully. Without so much of a word to my parents, I left no trace of me behind except the remnants of hair I had cut from my scalp. What was once a river of raven-black tresses that cascaded down my back was now severed into a short-choppy bob, that I kept tied back into a tight bun on the top of my head.
The city took hours to reach by monorail, but it had been worth it to keep my family safe. Neo-Tokyo had been built in awe of the original except it was dominated by automatons and steam machinery. Walking around the crowded streets in traditional samurai attire some stopped to laugh, thinking it was an old custom of the cosplay culture returning, but I kept my head down and focused on my target. The Neo-Tokyo military base, the place I would spend eternity inside, a grand stature of a building, disguised as a mail service station. It wouldn't have seemed so out of place, that is if the heavily armed guards at the entrance hadn't given it away.
While the training programme they had all new recruits on tested every fibre of my being, they still never suspected I was a woman. That was until my graduation, but by that point that came to accept my gender knowing my abilities spoke volumes on their own. I quickly jumped up the ranks, earning my stripes as I went, destroying both foes and cities in my mech.
At that moment my clinician threw open the door, the heavy iron frame clashing with the solid wall beside me. If I hadn't been looking in her direction, I wouldn't have noticed, since becoming an android any fears I may have had as a human were completely wiped from my memory. She was a less than friendly face I dreaded to see every morning, noon and night, with her tightly pursed lips and disconcerting brilliant blue eyes that stared deep into my soul. You wouldn't have known she wasn't human just by looking at her, with perfect porcelain skin and piercing eyes, the only give away was her metallic skeleton-like fingers. As ever two guards walked in behind her, a protocol the military had put in place since my coma. I had heard whispers in the walls about other soldiers undergoing a similar operation to my own, with them taking it poorly. Some were even driven mad by the sight of their new forms; some had taken it upon themselves to rip the wire from their adamite skulls severing the neurolink to the General. But that was no easy feat and meant certain death if caught.
The nurse walked over to my beside and slammed her clipboard onto the counter. Once again I ignored her attempt at unnerving me. "How are we feeling today Major?" she said with a smug condensing grin plastered across her face. Her skinny mechanical hands began tapping on the metal table. She was what is known as an automaton, a mechanical being made to replicate human life. She was no different from myself. It was a ploy from the government, using machines to render human existence useless.
I moved my arms above my head to stretch out my tired limbs, "Same as always, Zero-seven." I replied, calling the nurse by code. No mechanical being was known by name, only their number burnt into their wrists. Us soldiers had something similar, a tattoo behind our ears after graduating from training, I had bothered to look to see if mine was still there. I tucked my knees up into my chest and draped my arms over the top, "Is my mech finished yet? When can I see him?"
Zero-seven tutted at me, "Desperate to get back to that hunk of junk. I'm surprised the General hasn't bothered scrapping it yet." My blood boiled; I went to launch myself at the automaton but quickly retreated when I noticed a guard take a step forward. She wasn't worth losing my cool over, I convinced myself and walked over to the window. My room was situated on the top floor of the military's towering building, the people on the street looked no bigger than ants from this height, an ever-depressing reminder of my imprisonment.
I turned back to the automaton, forcing a polite smile, "Just want to get back to my job," I said. It wasn't a lie, strictly speaking, I desperately wanted to get back to my mechanical companion. He was all I had left in this god-forsaken prison. Inside the cockpit of the mech I felt safe and secure, it was my private safe haven, and no one was going to stand in my way getting back to him.
The clinician sighed heavily, "Any nausea?" I shook my head, "Loss of blood?" Again I shook my head, all the while wondering why I had to go through the same ordeal every day. Zero seven jotted down a few notes on the clipboard, "You'll be happy to know we are finished. Thank you for your corporation. See you again tomorrow." She picked up her boards and turned to leave my room.
"Wait," I called out after the automaton and her minions, "What about my mech?" I asked with brows knitted together. She threw her head back around to glare back at me, her brilliant blue eyes daggering into my soul. She huffed loudly and tapped one of the guards on the shoulder.
"Deal with this for me, I have other patients that require my attention," Zero-seven replied sternly before storming out of the room. Her companion gave a single nod to show he understood and remained in the room with me.
"Well?" I asked again, raising my voice an octave and folded my arms across my chest. The soldier had a finger to his ear, clearly waiting for approval from one of the higher ranks. I rolled my eyes, this could take all evening, I said to myself. But the guard surprised me a few moments later.
"We can go now," he replied coldly, "But I'm under order to escort you there and back. Do you agree with these terms?" he asked, removing his finger from his ear and moving it to his holstered gun.
I scoffed, "It's not like I have any choice, but if it means I get to see my partner," I said with a shrug before looking directly at him, "Take me to him," I said flatly. The guard gave a single nod to show he understood and turned to leave the room. I didn't bother taking any of my personal belongings with me and begrudgingly followed him down the corridor.
The walk was brisk, luckily, but long and tiring. The General had obviously considered soldiers like me wishing to get back to their mecha companions shortly after their transformations, it had to be the reason he had chosen to move each and every one of them down into the frozen basement of the building. Despite my android core, I still felt the effects of the weather and the drop or rise in the temperature.
I walked into the vast open space dimly lit and littered with a few mechas here and there, making them seem terribly out of place. It was clear to me that the higher-ranking officers than in fact scraped numerous mecha suits, just as Zero-seven had informed me. In the darkness I could barely make out the paintwork on the machines, unable to identify the suits. I choose to leave the guard behind and venture further into the cellar alone, despite his orders he stood at the entrance leaving me to my own devices. I mean, how much trouble could I cause with a few broken down mech suits? I doubt any of these machines even had any fuel in.
Continuing through the cellar with very little hope of finding my companion I noticed a small glint of colour catching my eye. Majority of the suits had minimal paint jobs, usually on the arm of the machine, much like a tattoo on a human body. But given both my rank and my disregard for the rules, I had given my mecha a beautiful full body paint job. Every instinct inside of me was screaming out to glint, it had to be my partner, I convinced myself. I picked up my pace, a fast-brisk walk turned into a jog, then into a full sprint towards the light.
Luckily my inkling had paid off, standing in beside the wall with cracks of light pouring down, stood my faithful companion. The M-U-five-H-zero-zero, or as I had nicknamed him Mushu for short. His crimson paintwork had faded since our last ride together, thankfully his wounded had been soldered back up but had left the paint scratched and battered in numerous places. He definitely had seen better days, but he was still my partner despite his exterior. I ran to his side, running my hands up his metallic leg, he was still perfect in my eyes. I climbed up his structure, feeling around for the release button. It opened instantly from my touch and I quickly hopped inside. The interior hadn't changed much since that day, even my old flying jacket and helmet sat in the leather chair. I took my place at his helm and ran my hand over the dashboard. Mushu turned on immediately and I smiled.
Tomorrow, I told myself getting comfortable in the cockpit, feeling at home and at peace in this moment, is the day I break out of this prison. "It's you and me against the world now Mushu," I said with a smile.
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