Rogue Star_Frozen Earth_Post-Apocalyptic Technothriller

by Jasper T. Scott

  “A little help here,” Harry said through gritted teeth.

  I strode over and bent down to pull the stakes out of his chest, but the robot pushed me aside.

  I gave it a dark look. “You have to let him go.”

  The machine studied me for a moment before nodding its head and plucking the stakes out. Electricity leapt over its chassis as it did so. It tossed the stakes aside and they went skittering and crackling along the wet floor.

  This robot had just saved me from a nasty shock. I smiled and yanked Harry to his feet. He eyed the robot warily, one hand resting on the action of his shotgun, and his other drifting toward the trigger.

  “It’s friendly,” I explained, and pulled his trigger hand away.

  “How do you know that?” he snapped. “Did it say that?”

  “It tried. Look—” I pointed to the picture on the ground.

  Harry snorted. “That could also mean it wants to escort us peacefully off his land.”

  I regarded the robot, and it cocked its head at me.

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “It’s not trying to get us to leave. It’s waiting to see what we do next. I think... I think it might be hiding here.”

  “Hiding? From what?”

  “From the other Screechers.”

  “You’re telling me this robot is a conscientious objector?”

  “Why not? Just because they’re robots doesn’t mean they can’t have personalities and individual traits. Any real AI would have that potential.”

  Harry snorted again.

  The robot in question looked from Harry to me and back again, as if trying to figure out what we were saying. It said something in a strangled burst of static, and I wondered what it would sound like if Harry hadn’t damaged its speakers.

  An idea came to me. “Do you have something to write with?”

  Harry was watching the robot with a wary frown. “Maybe.” He backed away slowly, heading for his car. “Keep an eye on that thing, would you?” He said as he reached the side door of his car and turned his back.

  “Sure.”

  He opened the car and rifled around inside for a moment before retrieving a pad of paper and a pen. He came over and handed it to me. There was a shopping list on the first sheet of paper. I tore it off and then held the items out to the robot.

  “Go on,” I said. “Write something.” The Screecher hesitated, cocking its head curiously as if it had never seen paper before. Maybe it hadn’t. I demonstrated the purpose of it by scribbling on the pad with the pen. “Look,” I said. “Just like your lasers.”

  The robot reached out with one over-sized hand and dexterously grabbed both the pen and the pad of paper. Using its other hand, the robot grasped the pen as I had done and furiously wrote something on the pad. Turning it around for us to see, I saw a string of simple symbols, just two different kinds. One was a horizontal line, the other a vertical line. They weren’t ones and zeros, but they may as well have been.

  “It’s a binary code!” I said, a thrill of excitement coursing through me.

  “Yeah, but what does it say?”

  I frowned. This was a breakthrough, and it was a good starting point, but we wouldn’t be able to translate anything until we could sit down and create a dictionary. Morse Code is also binary, but if you don’t know how to translate it to letters, it’s equally incomprehensible.

  The Screecher pointed to himself, and then to the string of symbols on the pad, and I got it.

  “I think that’s his name,” I said.

  “Great,” Harry scoffed. “We can call him OneZero for short.”

  “OneZero. That’s not bad.” I pointed to the robot. “OneZero.”

  He pointed at himself, and another strangled sound escaped his speaker grille.

  I introduced myself and Harry next. The robot made another strangled sound in response to each of our names. This time, through the static I could have sworn I heard a garbled version of our names.

  “We need to go,” I said, turning back to Harry. “Let’s load up the rest of the supplies and get back to the shelter.”

  “And I suppose we’re going to take this thing with us?”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it could be a trick to find out where we’re hiding!”

  I considered that. “OneZero could have killed you instead of shooting you with those stun bolts. Or he could have stunned us both and dragged us out of here. I think he’s earned some measure of trust. Besides, we’re going to be leaving the shelter soon anyway.”

  Harry pressed his lips into a fine line and shook his head, watching OneZero with a knitted brow. “I don’t like this.”

  “Just think about how useful he could be if we run into trouble from Screechers or other people along the way. Not to mention he could probably tow us out of a ditch all by himself.”

  “He’s a robot, not superman,” Harry replied.

  “Maybe, but the point is, we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss his help. And while we’re at it, maybe we can learn more about the Screechers. If we can find out why they’re here and why they want all of the land around the equator, maybe we can come to some kind of understanding.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “He’ll ride with us,” I said. “In the back. If he’s planning a double-cross, you’ll see it coming and you can run away if you want.”

  “Unless he shoots me first,” Harry growled.

  I opened my mouth to offer further argument, but Harry stopped me with an upraised hand. “Let’s just get out of here before another one shows up and turns this trip into a circus.”

  * * *

  “Logan... why would you bring that thing here?” Kate asked. Her eyes never left OneZero’s gleaming, slug-scarred face. We were all standing in the living room while OneZero stood in front of us, his head grazing the ceiling, and body blocking the only exit. I frowned at that positioning, but tried not to let Harry’s paranoia get to me. I wanted OneZero to be on our side. I needed him to be.

  “Is he safe?” Rachel asked, peering up at him from around my legs. She held out a hand as if to poke him with a finger, and OneZero mimicked that gesture, reaching back for her.

  “Rachel!” Kate yanked her back before their hands could touch.

  “Ow! Mom!” Rachel complained, rubbing her shoulder.

  “No, he’s not safe,” Harry said. “He shot me.”

  “Where?” Deborah said.

  He patted his chest.

  “It stunned him,” I explained. “The wounds are only surface-deep.”

  “Still counts,” Harry complained, wincing and scratching his jaw through his black beard.

  I glared at him. “I’m the one who got shot, remember?”

  But Harry refused to meet my gaze.

  “Why does he look so much like us?” Celine asked. She brushed an overgrown lock of hair out of her face. “I thought they were alien robots.”

  “Yeah,” Alex agreed. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing,” I said. “As for whether or not he’s safe, OneZero has had a thousand chances to kill or capture us already.”

  “Actually, this is his first chance to catch all of us together,” Harry pointed out. Like Kate, his gaze never left the robot, and he held his shotgun in both hands, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

  OneZero didn’t seem concerned by that.

  “Well, he’s still not doing anything,” I pointed out. “If all he wanted was to catch us in one place, now’s the perfect time for him to act.”

  Harry glanced at me. “Maybe he’s waiting for backup.”

  “He’s right, Logan,” Kate said. “We can’t trust it. I can’t believe you brought it here. Why would you do that? Just last night one of them shot you! You almost died out there!”

  I turned to her, and related the part of the story that I’d withheld last night—the part about me getting shot because Harry had turned on that spider-dog robot after it had decided to lea
ve us alone.

  “Is that true?” Kate asked, her gaze straying to Harry.

  “I was just covering our tracks,” Harry said. “If I hadn’t, we’d have been ambushed in our sleep.”

  “The Screechers aren’t the aggressors here,” I argued. “Think about it. They didn’t come down shooting. We fired the first shot.”

  “Passive aggression is still aggression,” Harry replied. “They expected us to take the eviction notice lying down. When we didn’t, they blitzed us with war machines and weapons of mass destruction, and now that we’ve surrendered, they’re acting like the victims.” Harry snorted and shook his head. “I don’t buy it.”

  “This one is different,” I insisted. “That picture he drew clearly showed his intent to defend us from the other Screechers.”

  “What picture?” Kate asked.

  I explained, and she appeared to relax.

  “They’re individuals,” I added. “They’re capable of resisting their orders just like any human soldier.”

  OneZero regarded me steadily, his black eyes inscrutable.

  “I like him,” Rachel said, waving to the robot. OneZero’s gaze shifted to her, and he waved back. Rachel giggled, and I smiled. Turning to take in the group, I said, “We should finish packing and go. It’s still early. There’s no reason we have to wait until tomorrow.”

  Worry lines creased my wife’s face. “Are you sure?”

  “I am,” Harry said, surprising us all with his eagerness. “I’m not going to be able to sleep with that thing down here with us. Let’s hit the road.”

  I smiled and nodded. “OneZero.” The robot looked at me. “Could you help us load the rest of our supplies?”

  No reaction. The language barrier was still alive and well. I turned and waved for him to follow me to the storage rooms at the back of the shelter. Clomping footsteps trailed after me. At least he understood my gestures.

  Chapter 39

  We left the shelter at midday, rolling down Richard’s driveway to Stuart Road with OneZero in the back of the truck. We hid him and our supplies by tying a bright blue tarp onto the cargo rack. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to leave our supplies uncovered, and based on OneZero’s stated allegiance, it would probably also be best if other Screechers didn’t see him riding with us.

  When we reached the end of the dirt road leading from Richard’s decoy house to the street, I realized that I’d forgotten the key to the padlock on the barbed wire cattle gate. I could probably just drive through it, but that would scratch the truck to hell. Not that it mattered, but old habits die hard. I got out with my M16, flicked off the safety and set the gun to single-fire mode. Taking aim from a safe distance, I squeezed the trigger.

  Bang! The stock slammed into my good shoulder, and the lock flew apart. Not bad for such a small target. I flicked on the safety, opened the gate, and then climbed back in beside Kate. I handed her the rifle, and she took the weapon without so much as a frown. My wife was getting used to seeing weapons by now. The back of both Harry’s car and my truck were loaded with enough guns and ammo to start a war—besides food, water, clothes, and fuel.

  I turned right onto Stuart Road with Harry’s black SUV close behind us. We cruised past Harry’s neighborhood. Just as before, I could see that the houses were all still in good condition, but I could also still see the black cloud of smoke hovering over San Antonio. I suspected that we’d escaped the worst of the fighting by being so far out in the country.

  Right after Harry’s neighborhood, we reached an intersection, governed by a rusty stop sign. In the distance I could see one of the silvery landers jutting above the trees. I turned to Kate who was busy organizing a bundle of maps in her lap.

  “Well? Which way do we go?” I asked.

  “Give me a second.”

  “Kate...” I glanced out the window, checking the sky for Screechers. I remembered the car they’d blown up last night as it tried to leave Lakeview Ranch, and I wondered if our surrender would make that much of a difference to their levels of aggression.

  “Left,” Kate said.

  I turned left onto the cross street, and leaned over the steering wheel to study the sky. I wished I’d taken more time to study the maps for myself. “When is our next turn?”

  “Ummm...”

  “Just look at the path Harry and I highlighted. We need to get up to the I-30 and head East.” I remembered that much at least.

  “Right... it looks like you can just stay straight until you reach it. Or... hang on. Logan, there’s a faster route. You could just keep going until you hit the I-35.”

  I shook my head. “Stick to the highlighted route, Kate.”

  I could feel her eyes on me, silently asking why. I’d already seen that the I-35 was faster while looking over the maps with Harry, but that route would take us through San Antonio, Austin, and eventually Dallas, and we’d both agreed that it would be better to avoid major cities wherever possible.

  Kate gave up and went back to her maps. “Well, for the I-10, just keep straight and turn off when you see the signs.”

  I nodded. “Good. Start looking for the next turn.”

  “Uhh... 130 What’s that?”

  “A state highway,” I said. “Thanks Kate.”

  She flashed a tight smile and laid a hand on my thigh. We were in this together. It’s funny how our marriage had been about to fall apart until this crisis drove us together. Now we were closer than ever. I guess there’s always a silver lining.

  We drove on for the next twenty minutes in relative silence. We saw a few cars on the road with us, which I took to be a good sign, but there were also a few burned-out wrecks. I had to brake hard to avoid a collision with one on two separate occasions. Thankfully Harry wasn’t riding on my bumper so he didn’t pile into us from behind.

  “I need to use the bathroom...” Rachel said.

  I glanced in the rear-view mirror to make eye contact. “How urgent is it?”

  “I need to go now!” Rachel said, bouncing her knees as she pinched them together.

  Beside her Alex sighed and yanked his headphones out of his ears. He had an old phone loaded with some of Richard’s favorite music. “This music sucks!”

  “We’re going to have to pull over,” Kate said, her hand moving to my biceps and giving them a squeeze. “Better now than later. It looks safe.”

  I nodded and flicked on my hazard lights to get Harry’s attention. He flashed his headlights at me, as if to ask what was wrong, and I turned off the hazards to indicate right just before pulling off onto the shoulder.

  “Pass me the rifle,” I said.

  Kate handed it to me, and I got out. Harry rolled to a stop behind us, and Rachel opened her door in a hurry.

  “Where’s the bathroom?” Rachel asked, while hopping up and down on one leg.

  “There isn’t a bathroom,” I said. “You’ll have to pee here.”

  “Where?”

  A car came whistling by and blasted us with a frigid gust of air. Startled that I hadn’t seen it coming, I looked around quickly. Not seeing anything else in the near vicinity, I wrapped my left arm around Rachel’s shoulders and guided her around the front of the truck. “Here,” I said. “I’ll stand next to you so no one can see.”

  Rachel made a pouty face. “I’ll hold it.”

  “You can’t hold it. I don’t know when we’ll be able to stop again.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. Hurry up. It’s dangerous out here.”

  Rachel heaved a sigh that was halfway to a sob. “Turn around.”

  I nodded and busied myself with scanning the horizon. In the distance I heard a rumbling sound. Glancing back the way we’d come, I saw the sun glinting off the windshield of another car. No, not a car—a semi-truck. Grabbing my rifle in both hands, I flicked off the safety, and held it at the ready and out of sight, hidden behind the hood of the truck.

  Harry honked his horn behind us.

  “Rachel...” I said.<
br />
  “Done!” I glanced over my shoulder to see her pull up her pants, then led her back around to her door. Being careful to keep the barrel of my rifle away from her, I opened the door, and Rachel hopped in. I slammed the door behind her, and the semi blasted its horn again as it drew near. I hurried to my door and climbed in just as the semi rolled to a stop beside us with a noisy tsss! from its air brakes.

  The driver lowered his window before I could shut my door. “You folks headed North?” he asked in a drawling southern accent. A thick blonde beard shadowed a craggy face, and a furry bomber hat with the dangling ears topped his head.

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  The driver appeared to notice my rifle. “Nice piece.” From there his gaze tracked over to his side mirror. “Looks like y’all are well-prepared.”

  I smiled tightly.

  “Where y’all headed? Maybe we can travel together.”

  There might be safety in numbers, but we couldn’t afford to share our supplies, and I didn’t particularly trust Harry, let alone a complete stranger.

  “Thanks for the offer, but we’re good.”

  “Oh, sure. No problem. Y’all take care then. Be careful of ‘em Screechers. I hear they’re crawling all over the interstates.”

  I did a double take. “What? How do you know?”

  The trucker patted his dash. “Heard it on my CB. The I-35 is packed with cars, people, and Screechers alike. The bastards are drivin’ us North like cattle.”

  “So how do we get around them?”

  “I don’t know if you can, but I’m sure as hell gonna try. Stick to the state highways. That’s my advice. Well, y’all take care now.”

  As the semi rumbled off, I found myself wondering if that trucker wouldn’t actually make a meaningful addition to our convoy.

  A sudden hiss of static followed by Harry’s voice drew my attention to the walkie-talkie sitting in the cup holder between me and Kate. “What’s up? Over.” Richard’s utility room had four of the handsets, plus chargers and adapters for the car. The walkie-talkie squawked at the end of Harry’s message as he released the transmit button, a feature which made saying ‘over’ superfluous.

  I flicked the safety on for my rifle and grabbed the handheld radio. Holding the button on the side of the device, I said, “Trucker says the interstates are packed with Screechers driving people North.”