Winter Harvest

by Dawn Chapman

  I knew it was coming, and it would just bowl him over. If it really was a mech.

  I rushed forwards and risked shoving him into the bushes just as the machine broke through the tree line.

  Jai was about to yell at me, but he saw the mech. “Fuck.” We both watched as it stomped past. I looked to him.

  “There’s no nest here,” I said. “Least not to the level they’re telling you. The deal was this? They wanted you to sneak in and blow this when no one was around for you to see, right?”

  He didn’t need to tell me anything else; he just nodded.

  “There’s other reasons I’m here,” he said. “This was one of the first respawn units built. They believed it was a decent plant to do so, and they’d no idea they would be so overrun later on.”

  Xirob? The mechs?

  They were Arndale’s core defendants. Just programmed drones.

  Nothing else.

  “There’s information we need from in there,” I said.

  “You can’t know that.”

  “I do, trust me. The hidden files, the other things you saw in me? They’re tech that no one here has. We need to get that info. Then we do what they wanted of you, we blow it. But not before. What’s in there could really help me.”

  “When did you spawn?” Jai asked, still listening to the stomps of the mech.

  “I have no idea. Why?”

  “The order for us to gather and come here came in a year ago.”

  They know then. I mean really know we’re here? Hiroto said.

  I guessed so.

  “You really want to take them down. Like all of it.”

  “Yes.” I followed the mech’s foot stomps till it was out of range for us, then I helped Jai up. “I wasn’t lying.”

  “We all thought you were. Seemed so ridiculous.”

  “And now?”

  “I have no idea how you’re going to do it, but if we can, we’ll help.”

  I smiled at him, pointed back to where the mech had come from. “Let’s go. I’ve no idea how long we may need inside. If we actually get in, that is.”

  “I’ll get us in,” Jai said. Tapping his chest, he added, “They gave me the key, after all.”

  For that, I couldn’t help but be thankful. Jai put his gun away, and together we crouched low and started to make our way towards the compound. It was growing dark out, but it was the rain rather than the end of the day. I pulled my hood around me tighter, not wanting to get any wetter.

  You aren’t getting wet, dipshit. Hiroto laughed on the inside. Xe and I recalibrated your suit to stop the rain damaging you as much, and the shield strength is stronger now hooked up to your core nites. Just don’t stay outside too long!

  I hadn’t planned on it. Approaching the outer building with Jai up front, I watched everywhere. Noted all the cameras, the guns. This was very well protected, so why now were we in under the wire?

  Jai walked up to the doors and flashed something in front of them, and they opened. “I believe you when you say there’s information here that we might be able to use. It’s not right. They’re lying to us. And you.” He stared right at me. “How the hell was it you that ended up here, from Tolsa?”

  “They lied. That’s all I can say.”

  Any way we can get access to the tech inside to watch for the mech’s return?

  I wasn’t sure who I was asking, but Hiroto replied. I can, if Xe will assist. But she’s got to go inside again.

  Xe?

  Ready and waiting for your orders as always.

  I loved how she jumped to any task. Get me access to their security? Get me inside, and we’re on it.

  Jai slipped inside the building, and I followed, giving one last check on the outside, making sure nothing out there was moving. Then I checked on the inside to be sure I was safe here too, and so was Jai.

  Hiroto?

  All clear here. Hand panel is to the left. Xe can get in there, but be quick.

  I moved to it and put my arm near it, letting the tiny panel on it open up. Focussing in, I could see the details once again on that microscopic level. Xe’s new team hopped from me to the panel, and then they were inside.

  Jai tracked back to me. “What are you—” Then he saw it. “How the fuck do you even know how to do that?”

  “I’ll tell you more later. I promise. I know a few things. Let’s hope this actually helps.”

  Xe and team heading in. Will report.

  There is movement, lots of it inside here, Hiroto said.

  Animal?

  Yeah. This I think is the Vrolsh. Maybe to make Jai think they were blowing this for the right reasons.

  Jai pulled his bag off his back and pulled a device out of it. I could only think it was one of the explosives he was talking about. “We need to set these in three key locations, then get out, and wait for the boom.”

  “Seems simple.”

  Three locations flagged up before me. The farthest one away was where we were going now.

  “Yeah, might not be with all these Vrolsh running about.”

  Hiroto? How’s Xe getting on?

  They’re moving in on the computer’s main location. Should be there any minute. Head to the first location with Jai.

  “Vrolsh can’t be anything worse than that critter I fought with Naylar.”

  He frowned. “Well, you keep thinking that.”

  And packing the device, off he went, head low, scanning from left to right, making sure he saw everything he needed to.

  On reaching the first location a few minutes later and having seen nothing, heard nothing, Xe’s voice came in. Reporting control of all external and internal cameras.

  “Nice.” I looked at Jai as he started to set the device up. It seemed to be a glowing gem inside a metal cover. Runes were etched into it all over, and he did something odd. He pulled his dagger, grabbed my hand, and cut deep. I winced. “What the fuck, Jai?”

  “Needs a blood sacrifice to strike up. And not mine.”

  “Could have warned me!”

  I watched him drip my blood over the gem. It glowed and started to pulse. I could only presume it was like a timer.

  “Err, how much have we got?”

  “My clock says sixty minutes.”

  Oh, that wasn’t too bad. Checking the map, it seemed that would be enough time.

  I watched Jai as he placed the device and nodded to the door.

  Kyle, you have incoming! Xe shouted.

  I glanced to my map and saw it. One giant blip. No, three, and they were coming in from different locations.

  “Jai, we’ve got three mechs incoming.”

  “What? Shit! You can see them?”

  “I’ve infiltrated their system with my lead nite. I can see everything.”

  “Then get us to that next waypoint. ASAP.”

  Jai trusting me here meant a ton, and I watched carefully from all angles as we made our way through the next several corridors and then some, avoiding where the mechs were heading.

  We were running out of time.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Xe, I said. I need you to start working on the computer storage facility. There’s information here that we could use. Can you download it?

  I’m not sure. I don’t have much capacity to store, but I’ll do my best, and I’ll keep you informed.

  Thank you.

  Kyle, they’re trying to box you in, Xirob said. Using old-school tactics. The more you try and avoid one, the closer they’re all getting.

  “Shit,” I said.

  Jai stopped, turning to me. “What I need is an invite to what’s going on in your head.”

  I laughed at that. “No, you really don’t. But they’re cornering us.”

  “No way out?”

  I shook my head, “No. We have to take one out now.”

  Jai looked around. “In here? Shit, that’s not going to be easy.”

  I thought back to where Denn was, what I’d done with that critter. “We can trap it,” I s
aid, quickly studying the map.

  Rei – Got what we need, Jai. Heading back to Denn. Wasn’t too hard. How you guys doing?

  Jai – Need a little longer out here. Hold the fort. Will message when we’re on our way back.

  I looked to him. Selecting his name from the party chat, I sent him a PM, giving him the view of where we were in the base. There it was. A hangar bay. A hangar bay with shields. A way to stop the mechs.

  Jai’s face changed, and he nodded. “You’re a brave kid, I’ll give you that. We’re going to get split up, though. That I’m not happy about.”

  My thoughts immediately flittered back to all my gaming days, the times we’d unintentionally got split up and the many more times things had gone wrong. Never split a party.

  “You need to let me arm the other devices you have in case.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We need a way around it.” The ground shook.

  “No time! Get them out,” I said.

  Kyle, I’m in the computer system. Working a way around downloading now.

  Great!

  My eyes watched Jai. “You may have stood a better chance with your whole team, but not with just me. I’m not fast enough or powerful enough to do as you want. This is the only way.”

  “Shit.” He looked around and focussed inside himself while he made some decisions. “Okay, okay.”

  He pulled out another of the devices, and then the other. He set them side by side, and I dripped blood on them and watched as they started to pulse in time with each other.

  “Fifty-four minutes, then,” I said, eyeing him.

  He grabbed one device, and I took the other just as the mech came around the corner.

  I had no idea how it had even gotten inside the corridor, but it had, slightly bent over and tracking something. Us.

  It drew a weapon, looking at it. As it aimed at me, I gulped. It would cleave me into tiny pieces.

  I looked to the corridor I was going to be heading for and glanced to Jai. “Ready?”

  “Yeah, will meet you back outside. Keep in touch!”

  I nodded and watched as he grabbed the other devices.

  The mech pulled the trigger, and within those following split seconds of us splitting up, and just running, I knew my life flashed before me in more ways than one as the laser fire blasted over my head.

  The hangar bay I was heading for was just ahead.

  Fuck! One shot caught the side of my arm, burning through to skin. Health plummeted. Best news was that the mech was following me. I knew Jai would close the doors for it behind us. I just had to get further up in, avoid death, and block the bastard in by closing the main doors. This wasn’t just a room; this was a hangar bay. Secure as anything else we could get near, it might not hold the mech for long, but it was our best chance.

  Hiroto?

  Here. What do you need?

  The quickest way to that spot, the easiest way to their main computers, and a way out of here within forty-eight minutes.

  I ducked just as the mech fired again, and I pushed for the exit to the hangar bay. The blast hit the wall ahead of me. I could see a crack appear on it, but I didn’t have time to wait. I needed to get these doors here closed. Spinning around at the far end, with it thundering after me, I almost screamed. Now!

  The doors closed in on it, and I let out a sigh of relief as I saw the shielding activate. Well done!

  No time to rest! Xirob said. Start making your way to the flag. We’ll get the device loaded, and I’ll take you to the main computers after.

  I didn’t hesitate. I had more than I needed to do and just as far to go as Jai had.

  This wasn’t really very fun. This was going to be damned tight. The corridors were tight, blocked with debris, bones, rotting meat.

  There were obvious signs of mechs walking through them because of the squashed and crushed bones.

  It was tough going in here. I stumbled a few times, and the deeper I went inside the base, the darker it got. That made it harder. I flicked on my night vision, and it helped some.

  I suddenly fell over. Picking myself up as quickly as I could, I stopped. There was something ahead of me. No, not something. Several somethings.

  How can I get around them? Room on the right, Xirob said.

  Hiroto, where do we need to be going?

  Straight ahead!

  Fuck!

  Hiroto and Xirob were the best tag team I could ask for inside my head, making sure that I had the best possible chance to get out of here.

  Don’t fire. You’ll make them worse. Melee only, Xirob said.

  I put the gun away. I hoped I was the right levels to actually fight them in good stead.

  Pulling a dagger out from its sheath, I ran forwards, hoping to take the creatures by surprise. I guess it worked a little because they didn’t really move. Then when I put a decent spin on it and sliced through one, I cursed. It woke them all up.

  Are they like zombies?

  No, they are just sleeping. More like bats, Hiroto said.

  When one tried to move to bite me though, I thought more of vampires than zombies. They seemed pretty mindless. Just wanted me out of their territory, no doubt.

  I sliced through a few more and ran on. That was a phew, breathe moment.

  I turned a corner and was right where I needed to be. I quickly got out the charge, found the best place to put it, and turned to leave. My path was blocked with Vrolsh.

  VROLSH MINIONS

  THESE GUYS RANGE FROM LEVEL 10 – 20. YOU’RE CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH THEM. AS LONG AS YOU DON’T WAKE THEM ALL.

  Get me out of here, guys!

  Back up. There’s a side room and a way out. Then just run for it.

  They’re going to follow, and I think you need to back track a fair bit before we can get out. Hiroto guided.

  Okay. How’s Xe doing?

  She’s in, and we’re just about to start the download.

  That was what I wanted to hear. I didn’t want this place to blow without getting it. But getting out of here was tricky. These things were everywhere, like they smelled me, knew where I was going.

  I shot off as quick as I could. Moments later, Jai’s voice came through. “Charges set?”

  Kyle, Xe said, I’m not going to get out of here.

  I could see the download happening now. Yes!

  ARNDALE FILES DOWNLODING = 22%

  “Yes, making my way back, downloading their files now too.” My legs burned, and so did my lungs.

  Kyle, Hiroto said. Do you see what I am seeing?

  I let my eyes close and saw it. Saw everything they were trying to do, who they manipulated, why. All their files. Everything was here.

  I see it. I don’t think I can take it all. I’m not a computer, Xe said.

  No, but Kyle is, Hiroto said. We have the space. Remember, I built the pathways, and I hurt you, before it became us.

  I did. I remembered that pain. Now though I could see Jai’s dot almost on the outer corridors of the base. Then I twigged what Xe had said. She wasn’t getting out of this. What?

  My emotions tried to overwhelm me, but I didn’t have time, and I didn’t get a chance to question her. She spoke clearly as red flared all around me, warnings. We’ve got more movement on the mechs. They’re on their way back.

  “Fuck!”

  I reached past the hangar bay where I’d trapped the mech and skirted around. There was no way I was leaving Xe here, either. She’d proved somewhat she was working with me. I didn’t want to lose anyone without trying, and as I calculated the distance and my timings, I thought it was possible. She was too good to lose.

  Xirob internally poked me. Do it. There’s time. We’re with you.

  So I ran, ran faster than I ever had, in the opposite direction. To get his support instead of being chastised for the decision spurred me on all the more.

  Hiroto guided me to where she was, and only moments later I was inside and finding that the systems looked just like everythi
ng was human. Just old-school human.

  I went to the nearest keyboard and started to input codes, anything that felt right. I looked and watched the screen reading what it was telling me, listening to it at a deeper level than just words, code.

  Within a few minutes, I was totally inside their whole base, and there was a lot more information. It actually blew me away.

  “Kyle! You need to get the fuck out of there!” Jai screamed at me.

  I looked to the timer. I had ten minutes till the base blew, three minutes to run to actually get out of here and less than two minutes till I was overrun with Vrolsh.

  I need you to download what you can, Hiroto.

  I will. Defend what you can, then run.

  “Fuck, Kyle. I’m coming for you!”

  “No, you get out of here! Make sure the base is gonna blow, get Denn, get off this planet.”

  “I am not leaving you, I will defend you if you think you can get that info.”

  I saw his blip start to come for me. I breathed in, waiting for the Vrolsh to breach the room. I pulled my gun. This time, even if it were dire, I would use anything I could. Then I twirled the blade.

  Noises were outside the room. Then the door opened, and they were in. Jai was a couple of minutes away. I started shooting, and they lunged forwards as a mass group. For everyone I was hitting, another joined.

  Then when they went down, more and more just kept on coming in. I wasn’t powerful enough. I couldn’t ever be. I was too young, too new.

  I had to extract Xe now. I put my arm to the counter and watched as the nites returned.

  It will download till it blows, she said, and I almost saw her collapse. My view of her and her nites shocked me. They had been fighting. What, I didn’t know either. I focussed back to the room.

  I was gonna die and be torn apart by these animals if I didn’t move now.

  Fifty-five percent.

  Hiroto let out a wail. What is it?

  It hurts. There’s a lot of stuff!

  Will you be okay?

  Just keep fighting!

  Xirob took control of the gun from me, and I let him, concentrating on my blade and where that would do the most damage. I waited for them to get in range, then I started to slice and hack at their legs arms, and everything. Blood and gore spread all around me, covered my face. I tasted it. Then I gagged.