Gyaros Book One: The Mice Eat Iron (YA 17+ Sci Fi Adventure)

by Rohan Healy

  “There you go. Thank you very much for your hospitality, I honestly don’t know what we would have done without you,” Miles smiled, his outrage fading in the face of gratitude for the lifesaving food and fuel.

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Guppy said, laughing. “I’d better go give granny her sponge bath, you two finish yer grub and I’ll catch y’all again if yer ever heading back to The Dustbowl.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be any time soon,” said Miles with a shudder, “thanks again though, we’ll finish up and be on our way.”

  Guppy left the room and Miles once again took his seat.

  “So what’s at New Fortune? Why do you want to get there so bad?” asked Lucy still munching away on her breakfast.

  “Well, you see I had a friend on Carthage, he told me a secret,” Miles lowered his voice and leaned over the table, “he told me that there is a way to get back to Carthage, and the way to get back is somewhere in New Fortune.”

  “Wow really?!” Lucy exclaimed before lowering her voice to a whisper, “so you can be with your family again huh. Umm, I’d like to go back too, I’d like to visit Chet and Hellen, they sound so nice, and well I don’t remember my family so…” Lucy stared at the ground looking utterly miserable. Miles had planned to give Lucy to the first decent people he could find. The journey to New Fortune would be filled with danger and it would be cruel to put a child though such an ordeal. He didn’t care if he died trying to get back to Carthage but he could not justify putting Lucy in any more danger than he already had. Miles hoped that he would find someone at Humber Dam that could take Lucy in and care for her in the manner than she deserved, with love and affection, not taking part in a suicide mission to New Fortune. But right now he couldn’t dash her hopes. Miles smiled and placed his hand on her head.

  “Of course Lucy, I’m sure Chet would have lots of fun playing with you.” Lucy smiled and began pouring herself a tall glass of orange juice from the jug in the middle of the table.

  “All my friend told me was that I need to get to New Fortune, when I get there I need to find a guy called Mesa and I need to show him this…” Miles reached into the top pocket of his shirt where he kept The Machine token and pulled out the silver metal cube. As he did so Lucy looked up at the token and the smile dropped from her face, her dark eyes widening. The large glass jug fell from Lucy’s hand and smashed on the ground sending glass and orange liquid across the tiled floor of the dining area. Miles stiffened in shock at Lucy’s reaction and sudden change. She looked up from the cube in Miles’ hand to his eyes at which point she growled, her face contorting into a terrifying grimace. Then without warning she shot across the table at speed and threw herself at Miles. He yelled and fell backwards off his chair, the token skittering across the floor. Lucy sat on his chest, grasped him around the throat and began choking the life out of him. Her face was full of anger and rage as she slammed Miles’ head against the hard floor with strength beyond her age. Miles grabbed her wrists and tried desperately to pry her clawing hands from his strangulated neck. But to no avail. She would not budge. Guppy rushed into the room, his sleeves rolled up, his arms dripping with water and soap suds. He was no doubt alerted by the crashing sound of the shattered jug.

  “Haha, see mister, sometimes they fight back,” he laughed, “well I’ll leave you two to settled yer differences, just leave another five Talons for the jug you busted.” Guppy left the room.

  “Ly…cy,” Miles managed to mutter between the gurgling and spluttering “Lucy…it’s…me…Mi…les…” The feeling of fleeting consciousness swept over him as the room became dark and blurry, he had only enough breath for one last attempt to reach the wild girl.

  “It’s…me…Lucy…your…papa…” as the word papa left his purple lips she stopped, her grip loosened and Miles coughed and gulped for air, the colour slowly returning to his face. The room was silent and the usual softness and kindness came back to Lucy’s eyes.

  “What happened? How did I get here?” she asked genuinely confused. Lucy looked down at Miles who was coughing violently, bright red finger marks were beginning to appear on his neck. Lucy looked down at her hands and began to understand what had occurred. Tears filled her eyes, and her lower lip shook.

  “I-I’m so sorry papa, I don’t know why I did this, please forgive me, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Lucy buried her head in Miles’ chest and wept wildly. Miles, who was still getting his breath back, placed his hands gingerly onto her back and head, stroking gently.

  “Shhhhh, it’s okay Lucy, everything is okay. I forgive you,” but inside Miles knew that everything was not okay. ‘What the fuck was that?!’ he wondered to himself, ‘she just lost it, she nearly killed me! It was when she saw the token, that’s what set her off. Speaking of which, where is that damn thing?’ Miles searched the floor as Lucy continued to bawl, soaking his cotton shirt, finally he spotted it sitting in a puddle of Orange juice. He reached out, grabbed it and secreted it back into his top pocket, making sure Lucy didn’t notice.

  “It’s okay Lucy, papa’s here, everything is going to be just fine, don’t you worry,” Miles continued to sooth her as they lay there on the cold tile floor.

  ‘What the hell is going on?!’

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Chapter 18

  Out on the open road again Miles and Lucy sped toward their destination: Humber Dam. Lucy was back to her normal self, cheery and upbeat, but although he didn’t show it, Miles was deeply concerned. ‘I need to get this girl to someone who can help her. She’s clearly traumatised, and quite dangerous. I certainly won’t be showing her the token ever again and I should be careful what subjects I bring up with her. Keep things fun and safe until I can leave her with the right people.’

  “It’s good to have a full belly right?” said Miles.

  “Mmm hmm,” Lucy nodded now nibbling on some chocolate that Miles purchased at Guppy’s before heading out. Miles was a father and he knew that a yummy snack would always help put a smile back on the face of a youngster.

  “We’re not going to make it to Humber Dam today so we’re going to have to bunk up again like we did last night. We have blankets now though so we should be much more comfortable tonight. Oh and we have food too, so no more rumbly tummies,” he smiled and looked over to Lucy, who had gone serious again.

  “The Machine,” she said in a serious voice, “I don’t like The Machine, I don’t know why but…” she winced as if her thoughts were causing her physical pain “…The Machine…they are bad…people.”

  “You mean the criminal syndicate?” Miles asked once again perplexed at her level of knowledge on the strangest of subjects.

  “The Machine develop and use robotics, they are fascinated by technology and much of their criminal activity is based around hacking, infiltration and cybercrime,” recited Lucy as if reading from a fact sheet, “developers, hackers, roboticists and robotically augmented humans are recruited by The Machine and put to work in The Machine controlled sectors of New Fortune.”

  “Lucy, how on Carthage do you know all this?”

  “I-I don’t know, I can’t remember. It scares me…” she said with worry plastered across her face.

  “Hey, everything’s going to be alright. We’re going to find some people who will help you. Whatever happened before doesn’t matter, you’re safe now and once we get to Humber Dam I’ll find someone who can help you, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said sounding tired, “b-but you won’t leave me right?” Miles looked down at her pleading eyes and felt a pain in his chest. He had to lie.

  “Of course not.”

  They drove along the featureless landscape for a number of hours. Two other vehicles passed them heading in the opposite direction that day, it seemed like the further north they headed the busier it got. Sometimes the two were silent, other times they would chat about funny and trivial things. The atmosphere had grown lighter and their spirits we’re high. They had food, water and
transport and for the first time since arriving on Gyaros, Miles was making real physical progress toward New Fortune. It was a victory, and one to be celebrated.

  As the sun began to set Miles parked the vehicle. This time there was no boulder, he simply drove off the main dirt road and brought the truck to a stop. They didn’t see many other cars since leaving The Dustbowl and so Miles decided it was worth the risk to simply park by the road. Besides it’s not like there were any other options. Choosing not to build a fire to heat their food, in fear of attracting the attention of people and animals, Miles and Lucy sat in the truck and pulled lid after lid off the selection of cans that they purchased from Guppy. Miles had spaghetti and sausages, Lucy ate beef tortellini in a tomato sauce. For desert they had peaches and custard. It was quite a decadent feast given the circumstances. After they had consumed their fill and taken turns of relieving themselves behind the truck, it was time to settle in to sleep.

  “We’ve got a big day tomorrow Lucy. Just think, this time tomorrow you’ll be laying down into a nice soft bed.” The very thought brought a big smile to Lucy’s face.

  “That sounds soooo good, oh and a shower! I haven’t had one of those since…well I can’t remember.” They both laughed. Miles hadn’t enjoyed a proper wash since arriving on Gyaros. He had attempted to clean himself using the scullery sink and washing up liquid, as he simply did not feel comfortable using Jasper’s tub in his shack, but the last time he felt truly clean was back in Elissa in his Yellow Districts hotel bathroom.

  Miles tucked Lucy in, making the best use of their newly acquired blankets to create makeshift pillows and duvets. She looked extremely cosy and she smiled involuntarily as one does when tired and comfortable, ready for a good night’s sleep.

  “I’ll be right here, just like last night. Don’t be afraid to wake me up if you have a bad dream okay?” said Miles comforting Lucy.

  “Okay, I will, good night papa.”

  “Good night Lucy.”

  Miles switched off the light inside the cab and laid down to sleep. Within moments he was snoring, Lucy giggled to herself and swiftly drifted off as well.

  Miles Stanton was now a killer. He had extinguished the life force of two human beings. But despite the fact that not even two days had passed since he shot Jasper and Gideon, Miles had barely thought about it. His and Lucy’s safety was his immediate concern, and although he felt guilty for feeling this way he was glad he had Lucy beside him to keep his mind from wandering to darker places. Gideon’s teary cheeks, the utter heartbreak in his eyes haunted Miles’ dreams that night. Although he had a clear justification in killing Jasper; saving Lucy’s life, he felt terribly guilty about what became of Gideon. As horrific as his little diner was, Gideon was a simple man doing his best to protect and care for his family in an extremely hostile environment. Miles felt an affinity with Gideon as a father, and a great sense of gratitude for his help and protection during his early days and weeks on Gyaros. Of course the plan was simply to rob the register and make a run for it, to disappear. But Miles knew that when Gideon caught him, it wasn’t just he who would be dying that day if he didn’t act, Lucy’s life was on the line as well. Miles made a choice, he chose young Lucy over old Gideon. Miles’ innocence died that day on Gyaros, but it was replaced by the innocence of a child and he would not let that too be quashed so easily. During his moments of doubt since leaving The Dustbowl Miles thought of Lucy. If only he could keep her safe, to leave her with people who could care for her, feed her, teach her, then his sins would be absolved, his conscience clear, his killings justified. This was what kept Miles from breaking down under the stress and horror of the past few days. He knew a time would come when he must face his deeds, face what he’d seen and taken part in since the beginning of his exile, and so he was desperate for anything that would take his mind away from those morbid thoughts. He would use anything to avoid delving into that dark place. In moments of silence he could feel his consciousness being sucked into the void, and he would bring Chet, Hellen, Lucy, Clark, Ryker and Candice into his mind’s eye and focus on them until the waves of fear would recede. The faces not tarnished by murder or cruelty or cannibalism. These were his pillars of strength.

  A couple of hours passed as Miles and Lucy slumbered in the pickup truck when the sound of a motor could suddenly be heard in the distance. An old station wagon bounced along the dirt road as three men yipped and yelped. The car, which had seen much better days, sped along the desert while its inhabitants took large gulps of some unknown alcohol from clear plastic bottles. There were no doors on the vehicle and the drunken savages hung out the sides dangerously, laughing and hooting like the hooligans they were. The driver was thin and gangly with a long orange beard, he had a straight nose and tiny, beady eyes. Next to him in the passenger seat sat a rather fat fellow, he was balding and shirtless, his hairy belly bulging over his belt buckle. Finally in the back seat there was a very short man, not much taller than Landi, he giggled drunkenly and wore a western hat over his bulbous head.

  “Hey Carl, what’s that?” said the short man from the back seat pointing to the lone pickup truck parked a few metres off to the side of the road. The thin man squinted hard, through the dark night and slowed the station wagon down to a crawl.

  “Huh, it’s a truck,” said the skinny man.

  “Hey Carl, you think there’s someone in there?” asked the fat man turning to the driver.

  “I dunno man, sure would be nice, we ain’t eaten since mornin’,” replied the driver, who the other’s referred to as Carl.

  Carl pulled off the road a few metres from the pickup truck, stopped the car and turned off the lights.

  “You boys get yer guns and be real quiet about it alright?” Carl whispered and he reached down pulling his pistol out of its holster. He popped the barrel out, checked the rounds, span the barrel and snapped it back into place. Meanwhile the fat man and the short man took their weapons from the trunk. The three men then regrouped at the front of the car.

  “Clem,” said Carl turning his attention to the larger of his two comrades, “I want you to check the bed of the truck, don’t need no more surprises like last time.”

  Clem nodded and cocked his shotgun with a satisfying cha-chunk.

  “Madison,” said Carl as he bent down on one knee to speak eye to eye with the shorter man, “you cover the driver’s side and if they try anything funny you know what to do.”

  Carl stood up and continued speaking, “I’ll take the passenger side, y’all holler if you need help alright?” Clem and Madison nodded. “Good, let’s see can we catch us some grub.”

  The three men smiled at each other sickeningly and began walking slowly toward the blue pickup truck, doing their best not to make a sound under the silent midnight sky. They positioned themselves according to the plan and Carl produced a flashlight from his back pocket. He clicked it on and pointed the beam into the passenger’s side. He saw two figures sharing a single blanket, one a small dark haired girl, and the other a man, in his late twenties with a short, unkempt beard. Carl looked to his left where Clem stood giving him a thumbs up that signified that there were no threats in the back of the truck. Carl then took a step backward, inhaled deeply and kicked hard into the passenger side door.

  “Wakey wakey boys and girls!”

  Miles eyes shot wide open as torch light flooded the cab and the sounds of laughter and jeering filled the night air. Lucy sat up quickly, her eyes filled with fear.

  “What’s going on?” she shouted over the hollering of the three deranged strangers. She threw herself into Miles’ arms and buried her face in his chest, Miles held her tight as he tried to catch a glimpse of their assailants but it was no use, the blinding light of the torch was too confusing and disorienting. He began to reach for the gun stuffed into his trousers when he heard a loud voice.

  “Touch that gun and we’ll open fire,” said Carl, “we prefer when ya’ll die in pain, it tastes better. So it’d be a real pity to ha
ve to shoot you dead here and miss out on that extra flavour.”

  Miles retracted his hand and raised them both over his head. He was outnumbered, out gunned and utterly beaten. He knew he might get a chance to turn the tables if he bided his time, but for now he had to play along.

  “O-okay, we’ll do whatever you want, just don’t shoot,” said Miles in as calm a voice as he could muster. Lucy shook, still clinging to Miles.

  “Both of ya, outta the truck now, make it slow, no tricky bullshit or we will kill you and the girl,” said Carl. Miles and Lucy slowly climbed out of the driver’s side door and stood in front of the pickup truck. The three men stood together and aimed their weapons at the two terrified figures shivering in the cold desert night.

  “Take me but leave the girl,” said Miles knowing his request would be most likely be in vain.

  “Hell no mister, do you know how hard it is to find food out here?!” Carl yelled, unaware of just how well Miles knew about the food shortages. Beyond the beam of the flashlight Miles could just about make out a large, round man, speaking softly to the leader in the middle.

  “…yeah okay,” said Carl quietly before once again addressing Miles “Listen, uhh…Clem here has taken a liking to you mister. You’re gonna spend some quality time here with him first then he’ll drive ya up to the shack a little later on,” Miles heart nearly jumped out of his chest, ‘quality time?’

  “But uhh…me and Madison, we’ll be takin’ the girl, should make for a nice appetiser,” the three men laughed. Miles felt both rage and fear boil up inside of him, a sudden movement toward his revolver would spell his end, and therefore Lucy’s. He had to remain calm and wait, wait for the perfect time to strike, he prayed that such a time would come.

  “Alright now mister you’re gonna throw that pistol over here, nice and slow.” Miles reached down and removed his pistol and, fighting the urge to use it, tossed it toward the feet of their captors. Carl kicked the gun a few feet away into the dark desert.