Feed the Machine

by Mathew Ferguson

  “We’re fucked.”

  Ash didn’t answer. He moved his legs, wincing as blood flowed through his somewhat still numb body and brought pain with it.

  “At least we have food,” Raj said and lifted up the sealed can he’d found yesterday. It was worth as much as a gold watch to the right collector—provided it stayed sealed. Raj reduced its value to zero by peeling off the lid and setting the can on the floor.

  “Looks like beef stew,” Ash said.

  After a moment, a thin curl of steam spiraled up from the can and both of them breathed in. Meat, herbs, onion.

  They had nothing to eat it off so they took turns slurping at the hot stew, digging their dirty fingers into it. There were chunks of beef, tender meat that broke apart in their mouths. Bits of carrot still firm after a hundred years buried in the pile.

  Ash broke a cube of meat in half and gave it to Kin. He gulped it down and then rubbed against Ash, purring, asking for more.

  It was over all too soon. Kin licked the top half of the can clean. He reached in with his paw to scavenge the last remaining drops of brown stew.

  “Can you imagine a hasdee cube that made those? We’d be richer than Fat Man. We could open our own scavenger store. Or food store,” Raj said, licking his fingers clean.

  “Yeah, it’d be amazing.”

  It was Raj’s favorite game. Can you imagine finding a cube that did x, y, z? When you were lying there with a growling stomach waiting for pap, it was easy to dream of ice cream and steak.

  “How much charge do you have?”

  “Six percent.”

  Ash moved to the front of the cocoon and felt along the bottom edge of the weld. Six percent would be enough to open it maybe. He checked his cutter but the small screen was blank. Not even enough power to show it was flat.

  “Is it asleep?”

  Kin pressed his paws against the cocoon as he turned his head to listen.

  “Yes,” he said. He walked back to the empty can to investigate it further.

  Raj shuffled up to join Ash, his cutter in hand.

  “We can’t cut up. Not enough power.”

  Ash ran his fingers along the weld again, feeling for weak spots. A tiny hole between two welds, no more than a pinprick.

  “Maybe we can make a hole then go high-power thin beam through it. Could get lucky.”

  “What about the rest of the weld? Bugs will take time.”

  “We have to risk it. We can’t cut the welds with a hazel sleeping on the other side. If we sting it hard enough maybe it’ll bolt.”

  “Fuuuuuuck. Alright.”

  Raj had seven bugs and Ash had eight but it was Raj’s bugs that did the job. They were faster. Ash sent his bugs to clean out the inside of the can, picking up microscopic bits of organic matter Kin missed.

  About half an hour passed before the hole between the welds was big enough. Raj lit up one of his bugs to show them what they already knew—the hazel was asleep with its body resting against the cocoon. So close they could touch its black fur.

  Raj adjusted his cutter to the thinnest beam setting and set it at maximum power. Hazels shook off shallow wounds. They had to cut in deep, hoping to hurt it enough that it ran. He laid down and put the cutter up against the hazel’s fur.

  “Point zero three of a second power remaining,” he said, settling into position and bracing himself.

  “Keep your hand still,” Ash whispered.

  Raj pressed the button and the cutter flared to life.

  The hazel screamed and the cutter died.

  The front of the cocoon dented inwards as the hazel hit it from the other side. There was a crash of metal, a scrabbling of claws and then a fading howl as the hazel ran out into the sunlight.

  “Stupid hazel,” Kin said.

  “Break the welds,” Ash instructed his bugs.

  Raj told his bugs to do the same.

  For the next two hours the bugs chewed away at the welds and they took turns at kicking at the front of the cocoon. The smell of burned fur lingered in the air and the temperature rose as it grew warmer outside. The overnight rain had turned the air humid and soon both of them were sweating.

  “C’mon together,” Ash said.

  They lay on their backs side by side and kicked in unison.

  “Why the fuck can bugs chew down shit for a hasdee in no time but can’t do this fast?” Raj asked, his kicks punctuated by swearing.

  “Again,” Ash said and they kicked together. The cocoon squealed but the welds held.

  He knew the answer but didn’t have the energy to vocalize it. Put a kilo of junk on the dirt with a gap around it and instruct your bugs to build you a hasdee and they’d chew it down to nothing in a few minutes. Sure, they’d take another two hours to build the hasdee for you but the first part was lightning fast. But put down a kilo of junk and lay a piece of metal across it so it was touching another pile and the bugs would chew slowly, taking their time. Lift up the bar and they’d speed up. There was no reason for it other than that was the way they were programmed. At least that’s what Silver had told him.

  “Fucking fuckers,” Raj grunted as they kicked again.

  One of the welds gave way with a squeal, tearing free from the base of the cocoon. They kicked again and the rest tore, the metal door bending upwards, making a hole big enough for Kin.

  He crawled out and then advised them there was nothing waiting for them.

  “We should leave most of the watches here,” Raj said.

  “Are you serious? This is both our families getting warm forever.”

  “Your pack is fucked and I’m carrying most of them. We move faster without so much weight. We’ll come back after Feed.”

  Ash stared at his friend, his mind whirling. Leave this fortune behind? Never!

  “Swap packs with me if you have to but we’re not leaving any of this here.”

  Raj bit his lip and looked at the floor.

  “Fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll carry my own pack.”

  They bent the door and crawled out into the sunlight, silently awkward.

  As usual, hazels had been fighting. One was halfway up the pile of junk, torn into pieces. Its head was missing and guts were ripped open. There was blood and bits of muscle and wire spread everywhere. The hazel that had been tormenting them all night was nowhere to be seen.

  Ash realized he hadn’t had any water today and reached for the bottle on his hip. It was too light—barely three mouthfuls left in it. Ash made himself sip it. Kin lapped at a small puddle collected on a bent piece of metal sitting in the shade of the pile.

  “Is that safe to drink?”

  “Not for you,” Kin replied.

  Ash felt his bag of bugs. At the bottom sat the tempcube Silver had programmed for him to enable a new hasdee to process shit and piss. If they didn’t get home today, they’d have to use it.

  How they’d survive the night without cutters to weld a hole was a different problem. There wasn’t even enough time to use the bugs to collect organic matter from the dead hazel.

  “Let’s go,” Raj said, hitching up his pack. Chirp fluttered down to sit atop it.

  The humid wet morning vanished as the sun rose and seared away all traces of moisture. They passed a few mud puddles and water pooled on bent pieces of metal but they didn’t have the time to stop to collect it. It would most likely be toxic, polluted with heavy metals and chemicals, some of which lingered in your body for a decade before killing you.

  Lunch came and went without stopping. They had nothing left to eat. Despite the half a can of stew for breakfast, Ash’s legs were weak and he found himself falling behind Raj. Kin followed behind him, pushing at his heels, keeping him moving. Soon it was midafternoon and they were trudging, each step getting them closer to Cago. Raj walked in front of Ash, his pack bulging with a fortune in gold watches.

  “What are you going to do with your half?” Ash asked through cracked lips.

  “Huh?”

  “Your ha
lf of the watches—what are you going to do with them?”

  “I dunno… food and water. Beer. Wire Pub.”

  Ash looked at Raj’s pack, his thoughts crawling sluggishly. The guy who played the “imagine if” game practically every ten minutes has no plan for his fortune? The fortune he’d wanted to risk leaving most of behind?

  He was going to ask another question when his cheek throbbed in pain. He brought his hand up to touch his face. The wound was infected and swollen, the skin hot and tight. His ear was throbbing with every heartbeat.

  He’d have to trade watches for medicine straight away. There was no way to know if the crossbow bolt was poisoned or if this was a random infection from climbing around the pile. It didn’t matter—it was red and painful and getting worse by the minute.

  Ash squeezed his eyes shut as the pain throbbed again, feeling like it was in the side of this throat now. He opened them again and looked past Raj at the winding path home.

  Something moved.

  “Stop,” he commanded. “Up there at the furthest bend.”

  Raj squinted his eyes and looked ahead of them.

  “Is that a… fucking Scab tied down? Chirp, check it out.”

  Chirp flew up high and darted forward, circling around before returning.

  “Fuck yes!”

  “Is he alone?”

  “Fuck yes!”

  “Any traps?”

  “Fuck no!”

  He looked back at Ash.

  “You think we need weapons?”

  “Stop talking, both of you,” Kin interrupted. “You need to keep moving or you’ll miss the gates closing.”

  “How long do we have?” Ash asked him.

  “Didn’t you just hear me? Move, now!”

  Kin took off and they scrambled to follow him.

  The Scab had been tied and nailed to an enormous piece of metal. He had spikes driven through both hands and ankles, his arms outstretched. Blood streaked down his naked body. His face was a mess of claw marks.

  There was no doubt he was the one who shot Ash with the crossbow yesterday.

  He was alive, his scarred chest rising and falling with every slow breath.

  “Is that your rope?”

  “We’re wasting time!” Kin said from a few meters ahead of them.

  “It is.”

  “Fuck. They’re ahead of us.”

  “Need to move!”

  The Scab opened his eyes and looked down at them. He tried to lift his head but failed. It lolled to the side.

  “Help me,” he whispered, the metal tips of his teeth glinting.

  “You tried to kill me with a crossbow.”

  “Meat fair game in the Scour.”

  “We can’t wait here!” Kin, pacing.

  “Take me back to Cago.”

  Ash glanced at Raj and then back at the Scab. He was dehydrated and suffering blood loss. Even if they had a team of people he had no idea whether they’d be able to carry him back to Cago before nightfall. Without medicine he’d die on the way back anyway.

  But what could he do? Pick up a rock and bash his head in to save him from the hazels tonight? Untie him and pull the spikes out so he died in the dirt rather than stuck to a piece of metal?

  If the Scab’s aim had been a little higher, Ash would have taken a crossbow bolt through the heart. If he hadn’t died immediately he would have toppled down the hole and broken every bone in his body snapping at the end of his rope. Or maybe he’d have dropped to the ground, a meal for hungry Scabs who’d take his collar far away, keeping it, forcing his family to carry his quota for the next seven years.

  Despite all this, he couldn’t bring himself to pick up a rock to kill him.

  “Are your people nearby?”

  “Ahead of you.”

  “Where?”

  The Scab grinned, showing his sharpened teeth.

  “Not telling. Meat.”

  “You don’t want us to help you?”

  The Scab didn’t get a chance to answer. Kin leapt up his body and slashed his throat open. Blood shot out from the gaping wound in his neck, splattering the dirt. Kin deftly avoided the gush and landed on the ground before turning to them.

  “No more talking!”

  The Scab shuddered and died, the blood slowing to a trickle as his heart stopped.

  “We needed information from him Kin!”

  Kin growled and flattened his ears.

  “We need to get inside Cago before dark or both of you will die. At our best speed we’re inside the gate with four minutes to spare. Now move before I bite you!”

  Ash had seen Kin angry before but never like this. He was baring his teeth, his tail lashing back and forth.

  “Fuck, okay,” Ash said.

  They tried to jog to increase the time buffer but soon devolved back to a shuffle. Chirp flew high above them looking for Scabs. There was little point in stealth now—there were only limited direct paths back to Cago that didn’t involve climbing the pile and they didn’t have the time to waste on detours.

  The dead Scab was soon lost behind them. The world narrowed and Ash felt the same hysterical exhaustion rising. Just one more step. Just one more step.

  Time seemed to skip, the hot sun fading away as it raced for the horizon.

  “How far?” Ash gasped, his feet numb.

  “Under two kilometers. Keep moving,” Kin replied, leading the way.

  The distant glow across the Gap grew brighter as the sun descended. Soon the light sensors on the outer fence around Cago would fall into shadow. The gates would automatically close and couldn’t be opened until daylight.

  “Motherfuckers we’re nearly there!” Raj grunted from ahead of Ash.

  “Fuck no!” Chirp screamed from above. Raj toppled, a crossbow bolt through his shoulder. He crashed to the ground.

  All around them screaming and cheering erupted from the hills.

  Ash didn’t have to look up to know they were surrounded. The path ahead split into three directions and Scabs appeared in two of them, carrying crossbows.

  Somehow, despite the heavy pack on Raj’s back, Ash managed to haul him up. They staggered towards the empty path.

  Blood was bubbling on Raj’s lips and he was gasping, sounding like he was drowning.

  “Come on,” Ash yelled, dragging Raj along with him.

  Behind the terror came cold calculation. Even if he had the strength to drag Raj back to Cago, there was no way they’d get there before the gates closed. So why not drop him, take the watches and run home? Perhaps if the Scabs had Raj they would let him go…

  They were so close to home. One more bend and they’d be within sight of Cago. It was late but perhaps there were scavengers out this far, digging as long as they could.

  “Help us!” Ash called out, feeling his grip on Raj slipping as his friend’s weight grew heavier.

  The Scabs responded by cheering as they jumped down the hills behind them.

  “Stop!” Kin yelled, somewhere near Ash’s feet but Ash couldn’t, didn’t understand why he would with death so close behind them.

  Then there was a mechanical clunk and the ground opened up.

  They fell into the darkness.

  Chapter 7

  Kin’s tongue rough and warm on his face. His low voice insistent in his ear.

  “Tell Raj’s bugs to light. Don’t move.”

  Ash opened his eyes but it made no difference. There was only blackness.

  “Kin…” he croaked.

  “Tell Raj’s bugs to light. It’s very important you don’t move.”

  Kin pricked his arm with his claws to emphasize his point.

  Ash took a breath, feeling some gaping space above him.

  “Raj’s bugs, light now.”

  Four bugs glowed to life, sliding from dim green to a brighter yellow.

  “That’s enough. One of you climb to the top,” Ash said, his eyes adjusting. He was on his back, lying on junk looking at a smooth tube of metal vanishing into
the dark.

  Raj appeared on his left as the bugs moved, lighting the area. He was crumpled against the wall, the crossbow bolt still sticking out of his shoulder. He was still wearing his pack full of watches.

  “He’s unconscious but he’s not going to die yet,” Kin said.

  Ash turned his head to the right and froze. He was on the edge of a platform of junk, the black depths dropping away beneath them.

  “What is this Kin?”

  “A trap. Something ate the wall away down here and the pile broke in, made a landing spot. Don’t move too much though—it’s barely holding on and there are spikes at the bottom.”

  “Who did this?”

  “It’s mechanical so I don’t think it was the Scabs. Roll over towards Raj. We need to check his cutter.”

  Ash took a breath, feeling it catch in his chest. The side of his face was throbbing furiously and he could taste blood in his mouth. The back of his left leg hurt. Something had cut into the flesh.

  “Okay, here I go,” he said and moved.

  The junk platform underneath him creaked and small pieces of metal clanged off into the darkness beneath them. He turned over onto his side, facing Raj and started feeling down his body. He found his belt and the cutter. It was dead flat.

  “If the bugs to chew a hole up there we might be able to get some sunlight on it tomorrow. Charge enough to cut out. Make it big enough and I can get to Cago to find help.”

  “It would take a day to get a few percent.” Ash put the cutter down and started checking Raj’s pockets for anything else useful.

  “Build a hasdee, put Silver’s cube in it for food and water. Use the cutter to make a hole that’s safe. Charge it again and dig out.”

  “Will Raj live that long?”

  Kin looked down and twitched his ears.

  “Don’t think so.”

  “What about me?”

  “You have an infection but I think you have a few days.”

  “I take it we’ve missed sunset.”

  “The gates are closed now.”

  “Where’s Chirp?”

  “Don’t know. Haven’t heard him. The Scabs either.”

  Ash found a small knife in Raj’s pocket. He flicked open the blade and tested it on his finger. It was dull, the blade pitted with age.

  “I think he still has some pap,” Kin said, sniffing at Raj.