Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

  *

  Eventually, they found themselves at the entrance to the city proper. The road had long since branched into several smaller tributaries, which crisscrossed throughout the city. From ground level, the arrangements of buildings and roads seemed random and chaotic, however, if one were to view the metropolis from above, they would see that the roads formed a lattice like pattern, designed for maximum efficiency as well as directing all traffic to the central business district. As Kingston pointed out, it was a city that had not been built for war, as it's layout would have restricted the flow of evacuations and maximized the area of effect for warheads.

  “WELCOME TO CARÇUS CITY: THE CITY OF A MILLION SMILES” Barsch read, looking at the old, faded signboard hanging over the road. Below it hung a slightly smaller sign, on which someone had kept a tally of the city’s population. It started at just over a million, and quickly fell into the hundreds as number after number was digitally crossed out. Directly below both signs was an information terminal, which looked like an oblong pillar made out of glass. Mercifully it was solar powered, and the information within would have been hidden deeply in an underground repository and would likely have survived the war.

  While Barsch and Alza rested on a nearby barricade, Kingston accessed the citywide database and downloaded a map of the city. A few moments later, he walked over to the resting duo, a pensive look on his face.

  “From the data I was able to access, I discovered that there are three major hospitals in the city that could possibly have stores of Methotrexate. They are: Carçus City Medical Centre, St. Iona’s, and the Emdell-Tyson General Hospital…”

  “So we just have to head to whichever one’s closest then?” asked Barsch, somehow knowing that it would not be that simple.

  “Not exactly. It seems that Carçus City Medical Centre collapsed about three years ago, and St. Iona’s was directly in the path of the hypercane. Only Emdell-Tyson is intact, but it’s on the other side of the city, so we’ll need to pick up the pace!”

  Kingston’s speech was interrupted by a thunderous crash in the distance, and for one heart-stopping moment, Barsch thought that the hypercane had returned. But no further sounds came, and a tall plume of black smoke soon arose to the east, a sure-sign that yet another building had fallen.

  Without needing to say another word, they simultaneously grabbed their things and made their way towards the city centre.

  However, they had barely gone more than three hundred feet before a strangely familiar voice called out to them from the shadows.

  “Halt!”

  Barsch skidded to a stop just in time to see a pair of glowing green eyes blink into existence in a nearby alleyway. The eyes’ owner, a re-mech, stepped out from the darkness, one giant hand raised in warning. It was a personal assistant model, outfitted for anything it’s master might need during their day to day activities. During the Great Sleep, they would be added to the global re-mech workforce responsible for destroying the poison-spewing factories and pollution-laden cities, after which they would build new homes and offices for the sleeping masses. And when their half-millennial task was complete, they would return to being personal errand boys and walking computers.

  “This area has been scheduled for imminent cleansing by the U.N.O.E rejuvenation project, and authorised by the global network consortium. Please remove yourselves to a minimum distance of thirty miles beyond the city limits. I repeat, this area-

  “Cleansing?” Barsch asked, as the re-mech repeated its message in the background.

  “Molecular disintegration. Controlled, precise, and one hundred percent lethal.”

  “Oh…” Barsch replied, suddenly having major doubts about the likelihood of their survival.

  “Carçus City has been designated a priority three blight-zone, however, with the recent widespread storm damage, the priority is now of the highest level. As such, quark deconstruction has been moved up five years, and the full geological and environmental survey has been halted. If you wish to see more information, or lodge a complaint, please visit your nearest U.N.O.E office or secure data uplink. For faster case recognition, please use the reference code 665-CC. Thank you for your time, and have a-

  “Wait! We can’t leave, we have to go to the Emdell-Tyson hospital!” Barsch called. The re-mech was only barely taller than him, and was not pointing a chainsword or sonic cannon at his face, so his confidence that understandably boosted.

  “Searching… searching… search complete. The facility known as the Emdell-Tyson has long since fallen into disrepair. The building has, as of this morning, reached critical instability and total collapse has been estimated to begin within just over 9000 seconds. It is now a level-1 danger zone and off limits to anyone without a Level-6 security clearance and a personal permission notice from U.N.O.E headquarters or network command. I have already scanned your persons, and can tell that you have neither. Please vacate the area swiftly.”

  “Or what?” Barsch asked, his newfound confidence still roaring through his veins.

  “Nothing. I am a non-combat re-mech, and therefore have no ability to enforce my warning, but there are several combat capable re-mech in the near area that I can summon if I deem it necessary. Please don’t make it necessary.”

  “If you are not going to try and stop us, then get out of our way,” said Alza, speaking up for the first time. She strode towards the re-mech with a casual gate, but Barsch could tell that she was ready to destroy it if it made the wrong move. For the re-mechs sake, he hoped that it did not.

  The re-mech, is a sign of true wisdom, did not attempt to stop them as they strode past. However, its core programming would not let them go without at least some form of warning.

  Just before the crumbling buildings hid the strange re-mech, it called out to them, saying, “This is knowledge of a level-5 security authorisation: the disintegration is scheduled to begin in 12 600 seconds. Please try and leave the city by this time, or else you will be reduced to your component sub-atomic particles… an act which the U.N.O.E will have no knowledge of, nor will they face any legal reprobation, as stated in the fifteenth official sub-charter. However, if you still refuse to leave… the fastest way to your destination would theoretically be through the relatively undamaged service tunnels that criss-cross the city. The nearest entrance to which may or may not be located four hundred feet due east. That is all, have a nice day… and good luck.”

  They left the unusually candid re-mech as they travelled east, searching for any sign of the tunnel entrance. Along the way they saw building after building collapse, which sent several small clouds of dust and debris into the immediate atmosphere, further reducing visibility. Occasionally, they would catch glances of figures moving through the rubble, but their stiff movements and purposeful gaits quickly revealed their mechanical origins. Nevertheless, Kingston made the group stop and wait for each re-mech to pass. He reasoned that not every re-mech would be so… helpful to their quest, and that most if not all of them were probably Erebus’ brethren in terms of weaponry.

  In this manner they proceeded, using up hundreds of their precious seconds. But the seconds were not wasted, for they eventually stumbled upon a road which had caved in, revealing the service tunnel they had been searching for. The bad part was the years of sludge and dirt which had built up into a thick coating which lined the entire tunnel. This combined with the tunnels low height -barely a foot above Barsch’s head- made the entire experience… unpleasant.

  The tunnel was wide enough for them to walk side by side -though Alza still preferred to walk several feet ahead- and was lit by dozens of small lights inset into the walls. However, many of the circular light-emitting disks were covered with grime, trapping the light and plunging the already dim tunnel into near darkness. Kingston solved the problem by taking out his solar staff and setting it to dissipate its stored light at a slow pace.

  Several minutes into the walk, Barsch was thankful that his twenty-odd years asleep had eff
ectively ridded him of any claustrophobia he might have had; as the tunnel suddenly narrowed. The silence they were travelling in was sadly becoming customary, although this did allow Barsch to gather his thoughts.

  “No matter what happens, I will not abandon him. He saved my life when I was nothing more than a stranger, and he’s taught me so much about things I never even knew existed. Maybe I can’t repay him in full, but if need be, I will bleed and burn in his place. I will become a living shield, for him, and for her.”