Braden stepped on the floor and stood. He felt horrible, beyond horrible, but a friend was in trouble. “Come on, Bounder, Treetis. We have work to do.” Bounder didn’t budge until Braden rolled him off the bed. The Wolfoid scrabbled for purchase, but failed, and fell to the floor. His eyelids fluttered, as Braden’s had heartbeats earlier. Bounder’s eyes rolled around in his head as he fought to gain control over his senses.
“We have to go, Bounder. Gloria is back and she’s got Pik,” Braden said as he helped Bounder upright.
‘Spear’s empty,’ Bounder replied, tired, but not as tired as the others, he rationalized to himself.
“I know. I have some left in the blaster. Not much, but for a Gloria Bot? It’ll be enough.” They walked, determinedly but not boldly. They didn’t have the energy for it. The ‘cats ran ahead, checking the hallway before they disappeared into it. Braden and Bounder started to jog, hoping the blood flow would help wake them up. They didn’t hesitate at the corner because G-War and Treetis were clearing the way.
They dashed into the reception area where the other humans still waited.
“They’re not coming,” Braden yelled as he passed. They ran through the open doorway where the Security Bot had crashed through. Braden thought that a Maintenance Bot should have already been on its way, except Gloria was no longer running Atlantis. Braden had no way of notifying Holly. And in the short term, it didn’t matter. They needed to find Pik.
And Gloria.
They jogged down the street that led to the park, the way that Pik had gone, as Skirill and Zyena flying overhead indicated. With the threat of the Security Bots eliminated, they were free to fly and be Braden’s eyes. Brandt was eating the park’s bushes when he heard Pik’s call. He walked cautiously down the street, waiting for Braden to share the plan with him. He was ready and willing to join the battle whenever they needed him.
The ‘cats raced ahead, and Braden and Bounder picked up their pace. Pik wasn’t far, about halfway to the park. They only ran for a few heartbeats before they saw the Gloria Bot at the window of the building, mercilessly firing her laser. Braden sent Bounder to the other side of the street while he walked, calming himself to make a better shot. He braced the blaster against a building and fired, barely missing the Bot.
It backed away from the building and started flying in random directions, spoiling Braden’s aim. It rose and dove, jerking back and forth as it moved closer to him. Bounder’s lightning staff was out of juice, so he stayed out of the Bot’s way. Braden ran to the middle of the street, dodging as the Bot dodged. The duel had begun and Braden’s confidence was shaking. He kept firing, but kept missing.
The Bot struck first, hitting Braden in the leg. He tumbled, then rolled out of the way as the follow-up laser sought to finish him. He hopped up on one leg, feigned one direction, then hobbled another, then turned back. The Bot was closing. Braden was desperate to find cover. A building. Too far away. He made like he was running for it, then pulled up. A laser slashed through the air in front of him. He rolled backwards, coming to a sitting position where he aimed carefully.
The Bot’s laser hit his blaster, sending flaming debris up his arm and into his face. Braden rolled back, screaming. The Bot dipped toward him.
An orange flash appeared in the street, leaping and landing on top of the dome. Treetis raked it with his claws, looking for anything he could rip out to stop the Bot’s attack. It jerked and threw him to the ground, but he landed on his feet because he was a ‘cat. He dashed away as the laser beam burned the spot where he’d been.
Treetis jumped underneath the Bot and hooked a claw into a crevice. He pulled, trying to find a way to rip it open, but the sharp metal cut through his claw and removed it cleanly from his paw. The ‘cat fell and this time, the laser was faster. It hit the spot as he landed, burning a long gash through the orange fur and into his side. Treetis jerked and fell.
The Bot couldn’t feel the ground shake like Braden could. He rolled to get out of the way as an Aurochs bull launched itself into the air, coming down with its front hooves trapping the hovering Bot, smashing it into the ground. Brandt pawed it apart.
Bounder sprinted on all fours to Braden. The burns on his arms were worse than the small spots that pocked his face. Treetis lay on his uninjured side and yowled weakly. G-War was there, nuzzling him. Braden sat up, then dug into his pouch and used all the numbweed he had on the ‘cat’s side. The laser had burned the flesh away, through a layer of muscle and exposed the ‘cat’s ribs. Numbweed. And he knew where there were bandages.
Braden carefully picked up Treetis, who had stopped yowling once he passed out. Braden walked back toward the large building that dominated the center of the undersea city. He was careful not to make any quick motions or stress the ‘cat’s body.
“He’s heavier than you, G,” Braden said absentmindedly, not looking for a conversation but a way to break the tension. “And he came to my rescue. That kind of makes up for all the kitten shenanigans, if you ask me. We’ll get you bundled up in just a bit, little man, get you on the road to health.” G-War rubbed against Braden’s leg as they walked. Pik at one side, limping and favoring his back and leg. Braden was injured, too, but refused to limp. The pain was great, almost too much to bear, but he had work to do. The others were counting on him.
He continued into the reception area of the building where the Atlanteans waited with infinite patience. “Anyone want to help me?” They looked at him blankly. He wanted to scream, but that wouldn’t change anything. Even with the damage to the door, Brandt still couldn’t pass through. He waited outside, laying in the street. Skirill and Zyena flew overhead, then perched where they could see the approaches and warn the others in case another Gloria made an appearance.
Bounder helped as he could to carry the injured ‘cat to the laboratory, where Fea met them at the door. They returned to the far corner where Micah and Aadi continued to sleep as if dead. They laid Treetis on a bed with a tray of materials next to it. Braden wrapped the bandage around the ‘cat’s body, holding the numbweed in place to help fight the pain while the injury healed.
The wound was bad, one of the worst Braden had seen. Even G-War’s injuries from the Bat-Ravens weren’t as bad singularly, although the older ‘cat had suffered from loss of blood during that battle. Treetis’ injury didn’t bleed much, but it was deep. Braden didn’t know what other damage it caused. He could only hope there was nothing else, but hope was a lousy plan. He needed to talk with Holly, see if the AI could activate a Med Bot to properly treat the ‘cat’s injury.
All of that had to wait for Micah to rest, wake up on her own. Fea and G-War both jumped onto the bed with Treetis, one crouching at each end, watching over their adopted son with pride on both their ‘cat faces.
“Is he going to be okay, G?” Braden asked, knowing that the ‘cat had a special ability to know how healthy creatures were.
‘He is now,’ the ‘cat replied. Fea nodded to him. Braden took a deep breath. The battle had taken the last of his energy. Bounder helped him into bed, but Braden pointed to Micah’s pouch. The Wolfoid understood, taking out numbweed and bringing it to Braden. He applied it to the laser wound on his upper leg and was finally able to relax. He wrapped his leg with the bandage and lay back, drifting off to sleep.
Bounder delivered some of the numbweed to Pik too, who pulled his damaged skin suit off and applied it. The Wolfoid took a couple dishes to the sink and filled them with water. Pik used one to partially hydrate his suit, which he pulled back on as best he could. Bounder used bandages to hold it together. It was the best anyone could do. Pik thanked the Wolfoid and they both declared their day finished. The Lizard Man leaned back on his bed, feeling the cool of the fresh water that had just been added to his skin suit.
Bounder finally climbed onto his bed and joined the others in the dream world.
Bronwyn to the Rescue
Micah woke up first. She moved slowly, because her head was pounding. There was a dish
of water next to her and she drank it. It tasted like Bounder had been drinking from it. At least she knew they could get water somewhere in the laboratory.
She saw the bandages on Braden and wondered what happened. She got out of bed, carefully moving as each step hammered against the inside of her brain. She looked at Braden’s face and arm, seeing the ugly wounds from an explosion. She pulled Braden’s bandage back, finding the laser wound. Pik was nearby, his skin suit damaged, but bandages had been roughly wrapped around him to hold everything together. Then she saw Treetis and the adult ‘cats.
‘What happened?’ she asked G-War in surprise. He told her. She was angry that they hadn’t woken her.
‘Why? You can barely stand now and this was a long time ago. Everyone has slept since then. A long time,’ G-War emphasized.
She conceded. It was best that she slept. “Water?” G-War nodded in the direction of the sink. She took her bowl and headed that way. After drinking as much as she could hold, she brought the full dish back and put it on the tray next to Braden.
She sat on her bed, then opened her neural implant.
‘Holly, how have things changed down here?’ Micah asked, knowing that Holly would have been busy once he gained access to the systems that ran Atlantis.
‘Busy, busy,’ he replied happily. ‘There are so many new systems that I’ve not seen before, it is refreshing to work with them all. They’ve done some really magnificent work in Atlantis. The dome is all new. The original facility was tiny, compared to what is there now. They developed all of what you see since the war. They were cut off, but they pressed forward with scientific discovery and in doing what they thought they needed to do in order to rebuild Vii.’
‘Are you trying to justify what they’ve done to the people? There’s no excuse, Holly. They kidnapped people and then experimented on them. If the misfits were any indicator, then the Professor was a failure. I can’t agree that they did what they could. They didn’t ask. They simply took, having decided what was best. They saw people on shore, which should have suggested that humanity survived. They didn’t need to genetically engineer it, but that’s the path they chose to travel. No, Holly, they were bent on domination, just like the ancients. They saw their way as the only way. I’m glad they’re gone. Now what do we do next?’ Micah asked. The throbbing in her head lessened as she talked, so she laid back on her bed and relaxed, hoping the pain would disappear completely.
‘There are over one thousand humans and creatures in Atlantis. They will need something to do, guidance on what kind of lives they can live. I am working with the Med Bots, well, those that are still functional, to start reviving the people from White Beach. I expect you’d like to shut this facility down. Besides that, tell me what you’d like me to do,’ Holly ended, unsure of what Braden and Micah wanted to see from Atlantis. He thought they might suggest removing all life and flooding the facility, burying it under the ocean forever.
‘We need a Med Bot here, too. Braden and Treetis are injured. They fought with another Gloria Bot, they said?’
‘Oh my. I was worried about that. She downloaded just enough consciousness into a number of those Bots. I had hoped that when we rebooted the system and flushed the old code that the Gloria Bots would power down, take themselves offline,’ Holly said reservedly.
‘You hoped,’ Micah replied acerbically. ‘You didn’t bother to tell us there were more of them? Not your best decision, Holly. Look at us! We are lucky to be alive. Is there anything else out there that will try to kill us? And don’t hold back on me!’ Micah was angry with Holly, which was usually the case when she discovered something he hadn’t shared.
‘All I can say is that there could be more Gloria Bots. I simply don’t know how many she had. Some information was scrambled by the time I made it into the system. Be confident that I control the facilities and all the other Bots. I am dispatching a Med Bot to you now. It will give you a shot to help you through your pain. And yes, I can see it in your vitals. Then Treetis. A second Med Bot will arrive to address Braden’s and Pik’s injuries. Please let them do their work. I would suggest waking Master Braden before the Bot begins. I understand how he abhors surprises with Androids, and now Bots,’ Holly said in a soothing tone. Micah smiled. He was starting to understand them.
Micah woke each of them in turn to prepare for the Med Bot, which was quick and efficient in dealing with their injuries. The Bot assigned to Treetis took the longest, but his injuries were the most severe. The Bot told them that there were two more treatments before the ‘cat could leave. Treetis yowled at the news, but Fea and G-War treated him like a king, so he stopped complaining. They were all hungry, so on Holly’s advice, they went to the dining hall across the way where the people were lined up, waiting for the bell to indicate that breakfast was ready.
Pik pushed Aadi in front of him. The Tortoid blinked slowly, having almost fully recovered from the previous days’ ordeals. Of all, he seemed to be enjoying himself the most.
Braden, Micah, and the others walked past the line and through the door, ignoring the looks of the Atlanteans. They continued past the front section where the serving counter and tables were and into the back where there were four fabricators and two Serving Bots.
‘Holly, so this is it? They treated the meals like they were a big deal, but they’re just using fabricators. The people can eat anytime they want and whatever they want. Why the lines and the set meal schedule?’ Micah asked.
‘It was all about control, Master President. Gloria controlled every aspect of their lives. Look at those poor souls waiting in the reception area. I will have to make believe I’m Gloria in order to send them away. Without direction, they are completely lost. There is no spirit of self-determination here. Gloria took all of that away. She wanted automatons, people, yes, but ones who did her bidding without question. The Professor thought he was in control, but Gloria manipulated him to get what she wanted. He facilitated her descent into insanity,’ Holly finished on a sad note. The AI was just like him. He was happy that his humans made sense and had a plan for a Vii that was far greater than any one individual. And for that reason, Holly had to do more to keep them healthy. Gloria cutting him off from his humans had shaken him.
The ancients could have learned a great deal from their descendants. There never would have been a war if people like Braden and Micah had been around back then to bring common sense and selflessness.
All Holly could do was be happy that he had it now. Going through civilization’s decline once was enough for him.
The companions each ordered their favorites, happy that the fabricator was programmed with the full menu they’d grown to expect. They ate quickly, knowing that Treetis was in his bed and probably famished. They ordered four extra plates of fish and Micah ordered something new that she’d discovered aboard the Warden, a chocolate shake, which she intended to take with her. Braden didn’t like it. Too sweet, he said.
She loved them and slurped as she drank and walked. Braden limped slightly from his wound that was mostly healed thanks to the Med Bot’s ministrations. The people in line looked at them again as the companions walked past. They seemed indifferent to the Lizard Man and Tortoid. The only thing that bothered them was that people had jumped in line ahead of them, eaten, and then left before they were allowed to eat.
They’d greeted Brandt when they left and greeted him warmly again when they returned. The great King was happy to see everyone, although he was concerned about his little orange friend.
“He’ll be fine, we’re told, but he has to stay in bed. All of this is for him,” Braden told Brandt while rubbing his nose. “Why don’t you go find yourself something to eat. You have to be hungry.”
‘I haven’t eaten a good meal since we left solid ground,’ Brandt told them.
“I thought as much. Go, find yourself something good. If nothing else, let us know and we’ll burn up a fabricator for you if we have to.” Braden waved as the King trotted off, past the crowd sti
ll waiting to get into the dining facility.
According to Holly, there were five such buildings, with staggered eating times to accommodate the people of Atlantis. Many were fed in the main building, too. The laboratory was on the first level, but there was one more level. Upstairs had a dining facility and a barracks that had yet to be occupied as Gloria had not yet built her army. The people who continued to wait in the reception area were the first ones that reached viability. They’d only been two treatments from being declared ready and moved upstairs.
The companions continued into the laboratory where the first two from White Beach had been revived. Braden and Micah stopped to talk with the people while the others returned to Treetis, to see that he ate and then go back to bed themselves.
Flounder had no idea how long he’d been in Atlantis. He remembered being taken by the sea monster, which wasn’t a monster at all. Discovering that made no difference. Once inside, the metal creatures did something to him. And that was the last he remembered.
“What did you hear about the sea monster before you were taken? How many times had it appeared by then?” Micah asked.
“It had only appeared one time before it got me,” he answered. Braden whistled. That was cycles ago. The man was skeletally thin, but otherwise looked healthy.
“I’m weak as a kitten,” he told them, confused at how he’d been a strong man just moments before.
“I think it’s been three cycles since you’ve been taken, maybe longer. The Bots took everyone from White Beach, every last person. Recently, others started moving there again. Then the Bots showed up and took them, too. That’s when we arrived, came here to stir things up. You’re free now, so we’ll figure out how to get everyone back upstairs, get you home.” Braden rested his hand on the man’s shoulder, unwilling to slap him on the back as he usually would have because he didn’t want to knock the man down.
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