Chapter 6
I sinch the straps on my pack tighter. The rest of my troop makes similar preparations. In the distance the sound of laser shells impacting the earth can be heard. Their eerie drone provides a constant music that is hard to ignore. Ethan looks up from where he is loading his gun. “Where are we headed today, Enora?” Irritation flutters through me. My hand skims the barcode on my neck.
"Graham,” I mock. “Has yet to give us a location.” Ethan’s nose wrinkles as he hears the name. Graham is so green he’ll probably send us to Three Corners.
I spot said officer walking our way, HoloPad in hand. He strolls straight to me where we stare at each other in mutual dislike. The worst thing about the man is that he believes he is doing what is right. It’s disappointing that Erudite would give us someone with such inexperience. Unfortunately, we are expendable. It just makes the job of keeping my crew alive that much harder. None of us want to die, even if we could be considered never having been alive in the first place. I take a deep breath as Graham opens his mouth to give us our orders. “You’ll be supporting the Mountain today, Commander. Report to Lieutenant Gemmer at the forward base.”
Dread fills me. Reports say 92.5% of ranked patrols who are sent to the Mountain are killed within their first ten hours there. Not even counting the thousands of non-ranked patrols who die there each day. The Valeyard are holding fiercely to that defensible position. I turn and stare at the distant landmark. Even from this position the bloodbath is visible through the intense flashes of different colored light. My gaze returns to my charges preparing their gear, and my heart lurches. A quick calculation later that dread turns to anger. There is no way I’m leading my team, who trust me with more than their lives, on a suicide mission.
How can this imbecile expect me to give orders that will march all of us to our deaths? Graham is just as informed as I am about the statistics. Hot disbelief causes me to speak out of turn. “I would not be a Commander if I intentionally led my crew into dangerous, suicidal, situations. What in the hell made you think this was a good idea?”
Graham’s face goes first to confusion. Of course, the officer can’t even understand what he did wrong. The human’s face twists into a condescending sneer. “Obviously they could use the help. Erudite is dying in droves every day! Every soldier is needed to make a difference-“ He stops abruptly, and his face turns red. “Why am I explaining myself to you?” His finger flies in my face. I’m tempted to break it. “You follow my orders, android! Captain Everheart will hear of this.” Graham stomps off in the direction of the command tent. I’m left standing with no way to vent my rage. I stand there for a moment, my hand held to my face, and gather myself.
I look up at the group. My face must still show my distress. I’ve never been very good at hiding my emotions. The rest of the patrol has stopped what they are doing, and are furtively glancing at me. I stalk up to them. “He wanted to send us to the Mountain.” That’s all I needed to say for the murmuring to start. Ethan looks shocked. “Does he want us to die a horrible death? Only cannon fodder goes there, not rankers like us.” The voices grow louder. The crew of some odd twenty soldiers know better than to make much of a fuss. Still, they do their best to cause havoc.
I hold up a hand and the chatter ceases. “I’ll talk to Everheart. He’ll sort this out.”
“I don’t have time for this, Commander.” Everheart leans further over the map table. It doesn’t take much looking to see the weariness behind his eyes. He glances at my face. I’m sure I must look like I’ve swallowed a lemon. “Enora.” Captain Everheart’s voice grows gentler. “You know you must follow orders. This is all above my head. If you refuse to obey your commanding officer there is nothing I can do to help you.” Coldness runs through me.
“If you make me lead my family into a death trap then there is nothing I can do but refuse.” Everheart’s face turns to stone. Even mutual respect cannot hold against duty. We both know this and hold it to high regard. I tense for a reprimand and I am not disappointed. “Then you leave me know choice, Commander Enora. You will follow the orders of Officer Graham. You will report to the Mountain forthwith. Commander, no one is un-expendable. You would do best to remember that.” A pause. “Leave me.” He throws his hand out. My heart feels like it’s being squeezed. “Yes, Sir.”
I walk swiftly to the tent door. As I pass through, Everheart calls after me, “Commander?” I stare back. The man’s face holds an undecipherable emotion. “Good luck. You’ll learn your lesson soon enough.”
I’m still trying to figure out what that exchange meant as the forested hills pass us by. The transport carries us ever onward. The range of endless mountains rise in the distance. I’m calm as I can be and I check my WristPad for orders. Skimming a short history of the area soothes my nerves. I’ve always been interested in the past. It never quite goes away even when you try to force it. Apparently, this used to be the state of Colorado. Now it’s mostly Erudite territory. The Valeyard have gained an early foothold and it’s best that we push them back. I’d just rather not loose all of our pressure while doing it. War is a delicate balance. I don’t envy those who command it.
The transport truck drops us off at a prominent hill overlooking the extended battlefield. This close, the whine of laser shells drowns out many of the screams of those fighting. The cannon fodder of both sides writhes between the two sets of forces. The Valeyard have dug into the Mountain, and Erudite has dug into the hills. The struggle is titanic. Each side throwing its expendable lower-class androids and slave clones at each other. “We make for the command post.” I point. The domed shield protects the well-ordered set of tents from the constant bombardment of shells. The Valeyard are steadily pushing toward it. The cannon fodder, stupid as they are, are scattered and without direction. Already, a few other patrols are being sent out to get the battle under control.
I take a deep breath. “Check your shields.” I command into the mic. All twenty of the group glances at their wrists. Many of them are shaking out their arms or otherwise preparing for the coming encounter. My own shield reads 100%. No malfunctions. Good. We’ll need it. “Get ready to jump. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride. May we all see each other on the other side!” I take a breath. “Who do we fight for?!”
“Erudite!” We all shout.
“And why do we fight?!”
“For a better tomorrow!”
“Follow me! And spread out!” I set off at a jog making a beeline for the dome two-hundred yards away. The edge of the battle grows near. I take us on a path to avoid most of the masses, but we can’t help that the cannon fodder groups around us. Even a man who knows he is doomed will grasp at an unfeeling authority. It’s sickening that they think we could save them even if we wanted to. A laser shell pounds close by and parts from the fodder pound my suit. Ugh, I glance at my wrist to see if anyone got left behind. Everyone is still grouped together. The throng boils around us and I break away heading for the sanctuary of the dome. We are almost halfway there. It feels like I’m running through mud.
A patrol darts past us right into the fray. Moments later the sounds of several distinct types of guns can be heard. I glance over long enough to see a man writhing on the ground. His limbs twitch as if they have a mind of their own. A medic runs right in front of us. It’s too bad. The android probably won’t receive the aid he needs. From the look I got, the costs probably outweigh the benefits for the Corp. I cringe at the thought. Halfway there. The glimmer of the dome can be seen now. The shockwave glittering outward from each hit of a laser shell. The fight thins around us and I breathe easier. A transport truck clamors by in the direction of the command post. I start to run faster now.
Another whistle roars above our patrol. This one will hit much closer. My shield is still at full. “Brace!” I yell into the comms. I throw my arms over my head.
Laser shells are meant to obliterate vehicles and rip through defenses. I knew to expect to fly through the air. What I did not expect was the sound of ripping paper. The wind is knocked out of me, my body is violently tossed like rag doll through the air, and when I hit the ground I know instantly that something is wrong.
It is two whole agonizing moments before I can draw in a huge gasp of air. My back arches and my hand turn to claws as a pain I’ve never felt before streaks across my body. Insidious, and thick as sludge the feeling crawls through me. A scream rips out of me, and my back arches again, my hands digging like claws into the earth. It feels like I’m being turned inside out. Vaguely sounds reach my ears. I can’t quite filter what they are saying. Everything is jumbled. Jumbled.
“Get that truck!” “Medic!” “Secure the area!” “Go! Now!” “Medic!”
My eyes shoot open. The left one is gone. Breath, heavy, drags out of me. I hear the liquid in it. My head. It hurts. Hands latch onto the front of my suit. “Enora! Enora! Can you hear me?!” I stare into Ethans frantic face and a different kind of pain visits me. With it comes anger.
A growl, darker than I’ve ever given, hisses from my mouth. “Was full- My shield, Ethan. Fucking do this- Why would they?!” I new look of horror swallows Ethan’s, suddenly bloodless, face. A medic sprints up plugging his DiagnosticPad directly inside my wrist. “Name and rank?” I have the morbid thought that he didn’t even have to cut me open. The hole was already there. “Commander Enora. That’s not important! Fix her already!” Ethan grasps my hand. “Nor.” He whispers softly. A sense of vertigo fills me, and I turn my head, upchucking clear fluid. “My- Head. H-h-h-h-head. E-e-ethan.” I let out a long, low, groan.
The medic speaks. “Really? How did such a high rank manage to get shelled?”
“We don’t have time for this!” The sound of tires crunching dirt fills the air. A spasm grips me and a new layer of pain coats the old. The world seems to spin around me and I obsessively watch the gaping wounds in my abdomen leak fluid. Wires, gears and other things can be glimpsed through the holes. The pain increases tenfold until I can almost feel myself melting. Or is that just my mind melting?
“Cost of repair determined to be $1,453,021. Cost of replacement determined to be $1,561,000. Repair is not cost effective.” The medic starts to get up. “Good luck and have a nice day!”
“No! Gadget hack him!” Ethan shouts. One of my crew leaps forward without hesitation. The young boy always was eager. I can’t concentrate. Everything suddenly feels very far away. My eye drifts close. Hands shake me, but I can’t remember why it’s so important to get up. “Two of you, start jury rigging!” A voice yells. Who’s is it, again?
I feel hands rip into my body. What are they doing? Please stop. Stop. My voice echoes around me. I can’t think. Think. I don’t understand. Understand. Please. Please. “She’s crashing!” A kid’s voice shouts. Shout’s. Crashing. Crashing. Crashing.
I scream. And scream. And scream. Helplessness controls my every move. The void finds me there. I run both into it and away from it. I run over and under it. It swallows me and I swallow it. I am both alive and dead. Like that cat. Cat. I laugh.
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A fatal error has occurred. Please see your designated maintenance professional.
Timestamp: 4.11.2279 *Exact time unknown* Geography: 38.8339° N, 104.8214° W *Exact location unknown*
Property of Erudite. Science for a better tomorrow!
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