by Isaac Hooke
“Might as well do it,” Will told Horatio.
“I’m uploading as we speak,” Horatio said.
“How many followers do you have?” Rhea asked.
“Er,” Horatio said. “Five.”
She glanced at Will. “You?”
“I never was a big streamer,” Will answered.
“So how many?” she pressed.
“About the same as Horatio,” Will admitted.
“Hmm,” Horatio said.
Will turned toward the robot. “What?”
“Two of the videos have already been flagged for content review,” Horatio explained.
“What’s that mean?” Rhea asked.
“It means they won’t go live until a moderator reviews them,” the robot explained. A few seconds later: “The remaining videos were also flagged.”
“There you go,” Rhea said. “Pointless.” She gazed at the series of cargo containers behind her. “Maybe we can hijack their equipment? Use it to send out an official-looking alert?”
“Hacking was never one of my strong suites,” Will said.
When she glanced at Horatio, the robot said: “Don’t look at me. I’m just an AI.”
She sighed. “I still can’t believe he blew us off. A sheriff’s duty is to protect his people. Ensure civil order.”
“What reaction were you expecting?” Horatio asked. “If the rulers of Aradne intend to destroy Rust Town, of course they’re going to enlist the aid of its sheriff and get him and his security force to stand down. The sheriff probably isn’t even in Rust Town anymore. He’s relaxing in the palatial suite Aradne’s mayor provided him with as part of the reward for his cooperation.”
Rhea closed her eyes for a moment. “I was a fool to think I could make a difference. Naive.” She glanced at Will. “Impressionable. Like you told me. You tried to warn me that it was stupid to come back here. I wouldn’t listen.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Will said. “At least you tried.”
She thought for a moment. “There’s one person who might listen to me.” Rhea pulled up the contact info of the person in question, and initiated a video call.
A moment later Bardain’s hologram appeared before her. She shared the feed with Will and Horatio so that they could participate.
Bardain was dressed in his usual gray cloak, and the big AR goggles he wore on his face made him seem as bug-eyed as ever.
“Well if it isn’t my favorite student,” Bardain commented.
“Master Bardain, you have to get out of the city,” Rhea told him. “Bioweapons are coming to destroy it.”
“Bioweapons?” Bardain said. “Aradne will take care of that.”
“Not this time,” Rhea said. “Trust me, they’re not going to do a thing. You have to leave. Now.”
Bardain studied her a moment. “You’re not joking, are you?”
“No,” Rhea said.
He nodded. “At the very least, you believe your own words. But if it’s true, of course I can’t leave. This is my home. I have to stay and protect it.”
“I could have told you he’d say that,” Will interjected.
“Ah, there you are, old friend,” Bardain said, glancing at Will. “And you’ve got the robot with you, too.”
Horatio bowed his head in greeting.
“Come with us,” Will said. “There’s nothing for you here.”
“I appreciate the offer,” Bardain replied. “But I can’t. I’m sorry. Thanks for the warning. I’ll do what I can to alert the neighbors. Maybe we can muster some sort of defense.”
“You can’t defend against this…” Rhea said.
“You’re not going to make us come there and forcibly carry you out, are you?” Will threatened.
Bardain gave him an incredulous look, then chuckled. “You can certainly try…”
“I believe he will resist us,” Horatio said.
Will glanced at the robot. “No, really?” He sighed, then returned his attention to the hologram. “All right Master Bardain, good luck to you.”
“And you as well, my students,” Bardain said.
“Warn as many as you can,” Rhea said. “No one will believe me.”
“Sadly, there are few who will believe me as well.” With that, Bardain disconnected.
Will glanced at Rhea. “Let’s go, then. No point in lingering. Our work here is done.”
He turned to go, as did Horatio, but Rhea didn’t follow their lead. Instead, she gazed at a lone passerby making his way down the street, dressed in gray clothing, and a hooded cloak. He was joined by two robots, perhaps bodyguards. She ignored the robots, concentrating on the man. He walked through the city like a zombie, his eyes glazed over, focusing on the real world only when alerted to do so by his HUD. He passed a woman walking in the opposite direction, who was also accompanied by a robot. Her gaze was just as faraway.
“They’re all going to die,” Rhea said. “Look at them, living blissfully inside their augmented reality HUDs, or sheltering in their homes, oblivious to what’s going on in the real world, and what’s to come. I wonder if they’ll even realize what hit them, when the time comes.”
“We can’t save them,” Will said. “Come on, let’s go. We don’t know how much time we have.”
But still she lingered. Another group came into view. Two parents, seemingly out for a stroll with their child. No robots were with them. Her eyes alighted upon the child, who walked with a skip. Among everyone Rhea had seen thus far, this child seemed the most fully rooted in the world; a little girl who gazed in wonder at every little thing around her, even catching Rhea’s eyes for a moment before moving on. Perhaps she hadn’t been introduced to augmented reality yet by her parents, or perhaps she simply preferred the real world. Either way, seeing that child made up Rhea’s mind.
“You go, Will,” she said. “You and Horatio.”
Will frowned. “What about you?”
“Me?” She looked at him. “I’m staying, of course. It’s my duty.”
“This isn’t your duty,” Will said, gesturing at the street and its building. “Dying here in this place, for people you don’t know. For strangers who don’t even realize you exist. Who won’t appreciate your sacrifice. Bardain notwithstanding.”
She nodded slowly. “You’re right, and yet you’re also wrong. It is my duty. My moral obligation. The decision is very clear to me. I must stay. I’m sorry.”
Will smiled patiently. “Rhea. You’re one person against an army of bioweapons. Two if you count Bardain. What difference can either of you make?”
“I certainly won’t be able to save them all,” she agreed. “But if there’s a chance I can rescue even one resident in the coming calamity, I have to try. Join me. Who knows, maybe we can even rally the people to fight, if the security forces won’t.”
Around them, foot traffic was ticking up slightly. The sheriff’s office was close to a major square, so that wasn’t surprising.
Will nodded at these passersby. “Look at them. They’re not fighters. Most of them are barely aware the real world exists, locked away as they are in their augmented reality environments. They’re even worse at home, where they spend most of the day completely immersed in virtual reality, reliving humankind’s glory days. Pretending they live in a world that has no Outlands, where the countryside is green and full of life.
“Sure, many of them are gang members, but nearly none of them have lifted a hand against another human being in all their lives, let alone against a bioweapon. They don’t even know how to fight. They leave that to specialists in their gangs. The rest belong to useless cliques. We have Scenters—” He pointed out a man and woman who had long, horizontal sticks protruding from either side of their nostrils for enhanced scent. “Orbers—” He indicated a quartet of male twenty-somethings who carried orb cameras attached to the top of their heads, which endowed them with three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision. “Robos—” This in reference to two young women who had robotic forearms attached to their exi
sting elbows, effectively giving them four arms each. “None of their enhancements will help them. Not against what they face. Plus, they don’t even know how to fight.”
“Fighting is instinctual to all humans,” Rhea said. “A part of our brains is still animalistic. Even I’ve felt the fight or flight instinct.”
“But at least you’ve had training,” Will said. “And it still didn’t help you out there. If we fared so badly, what hope is there for these people? Even if the criminal gangs handed out guns to everyone in the city it’d make no difference. Energy weapons have no effect, even at point-blank range. There’s nothing we can do. Except flee.”
She studied him. She couldn’t help the disappointment that filled her features. “I thought you, as a Karnator, believed all life was sacred? What if someone here is one of the many friends and family members you’ve lost over the years, someone reborn into a new body that will die again before its time? And what about Bardain?”
“Against my better judgment, I came back with you to warn this settlement of its impending doom,” Will said. “Now that I’ve done that, I have no qualms about leaving it to its fate. Bardain made his choice. And as for the rest… if some of Rust Town’s residents are my friends reincarnate, they’ll be reborn again soon enough. My conscience rests easy on the matter.”
“Well, mine does not,” Rhea said. “Because I’m not sure I believe that.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe,” Will told her. “Horatio and I are leaving after we sell our salvage. Stay or join us, it’s up to you.”
“And if I stay, what about my debt?” she pressed.
Will’s eyes filled with sadness. “If you die, we can’t collect, can we?”
She traveled with Will and Horatio to the seedy neighborhood that harbored Rosco’s Parts Emporium. She didn’t go in, as usual, not wanting to alert Rosco to her cyborg nature, lest the opportunistic salvager decide to do something “untoward” to her as Will put it. Gizmo circled far overhead, amid the other drones.
She decided it was best not to explore any of the surrounding shops this time, and instead contented herself with standing next to the wall, keeping her head bowed and watching her back via Gizmo.
She didn’t have long to wait: in only a few minutes Will and Horatio emerged. That wasn’t surprising, considering the adverse effects on the haul that came with turning back early.
Will tossed Rhea her empty backpack. At the same time, she received a deposit request on her HUD for the amount of fifty creds.
She stared at Will in disbelief. “You’re not keeping the proceeds as a down payment against my debt?”
“Take the money,” Will said. “Use it to buy a pistol or something.”
“We already know pistols are useless against these creatures,” Rhea said, sliding on her pack.
“Well, you need to arm yourself with something,” Will told her.
“But I’m not sure I’ll be able to pay off any more of the debit I owe you…” she said.
“Then survive,” Will said.
Finally, she accepted the deposit. She’d certainly feel better if she was armed, going into this. These Hydras had to have some weakness after all. The problem was trying to find out just what it was before they killed her.
She accompanied Will and Horatio to the southern gate of Rust Town, which opened close to Aradne’s walls. There were few ruins beyond it: Will and Horatio would quickly find themselves on the flat, rocky plains of the Outlands when they departed.
The pair had notified gate security of their arrival ahead of time, so that their weapons had been delivered to that particular gate and were waiting for them when they arrived.
“Well, this is it,” Will said, standing before the gap between the Texas barriers. “There’s still time to change your mind.”
Rhea shook her head. “Let’s not make this any harder than it is.”
Will nodded. “All right then.” He stepped forward, and quickly wrapped his arms around her. “Goodbye.” His words were hoarse.
“Bye, Will,” she said softly.
Will stepped back, and quickly looked away.
“I will miss you,” Horatio said. “For a cyborg, you are most… human.”
Rhea smiled fleetingly. “For a robot, you’re most human yourself.”
“Thank you,” Horatio said, and hugged her tight, so very tight.
Rhea couldn’t help the tears then. She’d miss these two more than anything. They were the only friends she had. Her family.
It was hard enough saying goodbye like this, but what made it even harder was the fact that she was never going to see them again. Because who was she kidding? She wasn’t going to survive this. This was truly the last time she’d look upon either of their faces or hear their voices.
She quickly pulled away and rubbed her wet cheeks. “Well, you better go before I embarrass myself.”
She glanced at Will, and saw he was having a hard time keeping it together, too. His chin was doing this odd, trembling thing, and he nodded stiffly before turning around and passing through the gate. Horatio followed.
The pair collected their weapons on the other side from the waiting sentry robots and departed. Will glanced back one last time to wave, and then he and Horatio were walking away down the broken street beyond. They kept close to the ruins of a skyscraper and vanished all too soon past its far side.
Rhea glanced at the sky beyond the Texas barrier and zoomed in on Gizmo; the drone remained within view for only a few moments before also swooping beyond the skyscraper.
And so it’s done. I’m all alone now.
She turned her back on the gate.
It’s time to die.
27
Rhea went to the closest arms shop to buy a pistol with the funds Will had given her, only to discover the price had strangely skyrocketed since her last visit to the city. She suspected Aradne was to blame, with its rulers buying up most of the weapons—and thus driving up the prices of the remaining stock—so that the residents of Rust Town would be defenseless when the Hydras attacked.
So much for buying a weapon.
With a sigh she left the shop.
She wondered if she should seek out Bardain, to fight at his side. It was likely he wouldn’t want to leave his home, though. She wanted to know when the bioweapons were close to the settlement. And to do that, she’d have to take up a position on its outskirts.
Thus she headed toward the western gate, which she had used to enter the city. That particular entrance opened deep into the outlying ruins and was located directly in the path of the coming bioweapons, at least based on the original trajectory she’d calculated for the dust cloud. Plus, she’d seen the Hydra scouts lingering on the route to that gate, so it was a safe assumption that the bioweapons would hit there first.
From beneath the tight confines of her hood, she studied the few human passersby she saw along the way, trying to decide who she was going to save. Maybe she didn’t have to die. Maybe she could choose someone, maybe two people, to rescue and lead to safety. That was an option.
Well, she’d have to wait until the attack came before she attempted such an endeavor, because she doubted anyone would follow her willingly at the moment. And if she tried to snatch up someone against their will, no doubt they’d scream and yell until she let them go, bringing down the wrath of their fellow residents upon her. Maybe the security forces would finally come out of the woodwork and arrest her as well. Just what she needed.
She reached the western gate only to discover the robot sentries conspicuously absent from their posts. The gate remained open, however, with two of the Texas barriers turned sideways and offering an unobstructed path into the ruins beyond. Interesting.
She wasn’t sure if the sentries had abandoned their posts or been destroyed. Either option meant the bioweapons wouldn’t be long now.
She warily made her way toward the gap. When she reached it, she peered past the edge of the closest barrier and zoomed in, f
ocusing on the intersection set among the ruins ahead. The final pike-wielding sentry should have stood on the corner of that intersection, but that robot was gone, too.
She continued to scan the street for signs of Hydras. She also gazed upon the partially collapsed buildings that lined the road, and their jagged rooftops, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The way seemed clear.
Her eyes dropped to the long, sealed bin that rested on the asphalt just outside the Texas barriers. Having no sentries meant she had her pick of the weapons confiscated from the travelers at the gate. Assuming, of course, that the robots hadn’t cleaned out the weapons before they departed, which was possible, given the firearm situation in the city.
She did a quick Net lookup on these types of machines, hoping to figure out how they worked, or at the very least find a diagram of some kind, but got no related results. She assumed the knowledge had been suppressed, which wasn’t entirely surprising.
Guess I’ll have to do this the hard way.
She cautiously emerged from the barrier and tiptoed her way to the bin. Small noises probably wouldn’t matter, given the general background din from the city, but she felt the need for extreme caution at the moment.
When she reached the bin, she latched her robotic fingers around the handle in the lid and pulled. It was locked, of course. She exerted more force and cringed at the noise produced as her arm servos whirred in complaint. After quite some effort she finally managed to tear free the lid. She flinched anew as a rather loud ripping sound filled the air, and then she remained motionless, holding her breath as she waited for bioweapons to appear in droves. When nothing bad happened, she gently lowered the lid to the asphalt.
She had revealed a cavity filled with fresh liquid—no doubt waiting to receive the next weapon to freeze. There was no way to move it, at least not without placing her fingers in the liquid. Not something she was keen on.
She glanced farther down the bin and decided to pry open the metal casing somewhere closer to the middle.
She repositioned, dug the fingers of both hands into the metallic shell, and peeled it open with difficulty. She cringed once again at the noise, and when she was done, she waited, glancing around expectantly, but the street remained dead quiet.