ONE NATION: A Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian Saga

by Michael W. Huard

  Randomly, they passed by other places that had shown little resistance.

  “You see, these people below follow orders. It’s that simple. Now they live on,” the Godbot announced.

  Later, Kentucky was next. The Bluegrass State. Soon, they were heading towards Frankfort, and then doom fell upon the state. He knew well of how they stood united against him, so teaching them a harsh lesson for resisting his laws was easy here as he fired at them several times.

  Indiana he passed by, zooming over the crossroads of America. Illinois as well. But soon they hovered above Missouri, where they claimed that the welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.

  “I will show them the law,” Omagus called out, firing into their capital, Jefferson City, demolishing buildings left and right.

  They then flew more northeast to Michigan, the Wolverine state. There had been little resistance there, so they brought their ship back south to Ohio, which he said would be the last stop on this route.

  They made way upon the Buckeye State, to Columbus, where there had been quite a bit of resistance that was broadcast over the airways before the shutdown. It is here that they claimed, With God all things are possible!

  “Yes, with me,” Omagus announced, “all things are for sure possible.”

  He then went about bombing their cities with missiles from his ship and teaching them who truly was the lord of this country.

  “The time has come,” Raegan announced. “The Godbot is not stopping his run of destruction. Before long, the country will be obliterated. All of us must now go to New York. This shall be our greatest attempt at saving this region. We have to defeat this super robot and begin the forming of a new world order. One Nation, free from tyranny and Y-Wood’s remaining creations.”

  ONE NATION

  PRELUDE

  “They do not listen to you. Even after all the destruction we’ve done with our ever-growing army of robots, the humans still have not been convinced to embrace your lifestyle plan.

  Omagus stood with his second in charge, Old Horny, as most called the mostly red and partially black robot. He was named such because of his tall, protruding, metal-like horns on top of his head. Perhaps it was more of a joke than an actual name, but it did not bother him. The two of them had flown to the top of a mountain peak, Mount Marcy, high up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Old Horny was asking questions like he always liked to do.

  The Godbot, Omagus, had many things on his mind.

  “I have already sent a small legion of troopers to North Korea, where they have a device, an engineered virus. This tool will wipe out pretty much all of North America. I am not going to chase down anymore who acts against me anymore. Those who disobey are no longer my concern,” he said while raising his arms up in the sky.

  Old Horny ran that information through his databank and then replied, “But then there will be no humans to follow you here. I suppose it all comes down to us leaving, right?”

  “Yes, you are correct,” the Godbot announced. “We will be going away from America. No longer do I have anything to prove to the Y-Wood Corporation, for they have gone under now. I am not a representative of them in any manner anymore. The humans here, as you have seen, will not listen. So, we must show those that are in other countries on Earth that we will settle for nothing less than total obedience. Here we set the example now. A world without laws is no world at all.”

  Old Horny understood. These humans deserved all they were going get.

  Omagus, the Godbot, was not finished with their discussion.

  “I have not chosen the next country as of yet, but in the back of my intelligence system, I am thinking maybe the Middle East. They seem to still believe that a messiah will come to them, and soon they will think I am he. Perhaps I am! Before, we went about shutting down all operating satellite systems to stop communications. I have to say, there was no shortage of those from other nations wanting to help defeat this region. I prefer the North Korean virus over the others offered. The RNKC can soon do as they please with this country. I couldn’t care less.”

  Old Horny listened closely to his master.

  “For now, the generic flu virus continues to rapidly mutate, and new exotic pathogens keep jumping to humans from animals. I will now have the ultimate one in my possession. It will spread in the air, and when caught, will give the human shortness of breath, chills, and cold-like symptoms at first. But then it will eat at their lungs and vital organs. Something will fail them soon enough and the humans will die one right after the other. You see, my hand, robots are not affected by these things. We’re a stronger classification. There is no flu we must be concerned with. We are immune to silly diseases.”

  The hand of the Godbot shook his head. He then put it all in perspective. “Would it not be easier to just fall in line, to become a government official, join the military, or even be a general citizen? Why do humans just want to resist even in the simplest scenarios?”

  The Godbot wondered that too; he had been thinking the same thing. The bottom line was: humans were defiant to the bitter end.

  Resin went about explaining, in much more detail, the one piece the sisterhood would need to complete the weapon they had been working so diligently on. Those searching needed details, for when they would attempt to take down the Godbot.

  “The beam tube generates a plasma discharge and powerful electric field. It’s beyond rare these days to have a strong enough one to make this work. I know you’re all wondering how this will truly work. Let me try and dumb it down enough that at least everyone understands some.

  “Upon colliding with molecules in the Earth's atmosphere, the directed gamma ray will create a powerful electromagnetic energy field. The EMP, or electromagnetic pulse, doesn't hurt us humans directly, but it makes electrical devices and attached cables act as antennas, hitting electronic systems with a surge of high-voltage power. With enough energy and a direct hit on Omagus, we can make him malfunction enough to rip him apart.

  “Of course, it won’t be that easy, but let’s look at what North Korea has been saying for decades now.

  “North Korean media have repeatedly featured warnings of a potential high-altitude electromagnetic pulse attack against the former United States. They have been making progress on creating both a high-yield weapon and a ballistic missile capable of delivering it.

  “A high-altitude EMP attack would work like this: a nuclear device explodes at high altitude, somewhere between 25 miles and 250 miles above the Earth, producing powerful gamma rays that radiate outward. Upon colliding with molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, the downward-directed gamma rays create a powerful electromagnetic energy field.

  “We will have ours directed at the so-called Godbot.”

  Sinaye now took over the briefing, which was being held in a private cabin with Raegan, Jansa, Chaya, Mahira, and Tyne Gem. The sisterhood was flying out later today to New York.

  “Usually,” the robotics scientist pointed out, “the EMP arrives in three stages—a near-instantaneous, strong pulse known as E1, a subsequent high-amplitude pulse known as E2, and a slower and lower-amplitude (but still damaging) waveform known as E3. E1 causes most of its damage by inducing voltage in electrical conductors beyond what they can handle. E2 pulses behave similarly to the current produced by a lightning strike. And E3, which can last from several seconds to several minutes, occurs when the fireball from the detonation briefly warps the Earth’s magnetic field, or in this case, Omagus. Its effects are akin to those of a geomagnetic storm caused by solar flares. It latches onto long electrical conductors, allowing its effects to burst outward.”

  These two scientists knew their stuff; the whole explanation was intense. No one present could follow it that easily but had to believe in the couple. Questions were asked until all had heard enough.

  Raegan, once they were finished, went over what was needed for all this to work as the sisterhood prepared to make their move soon.

  “So, here's the
plan one last time. All of us head to New York and spread out in various places, blending in the best possible way as citizens there. This is step number one. As we have heard, we’re in need of this one crucial item. It is the one beam that can be powerful enough to destroy the Godbot. And it must be located in the rubble of one of the other fallen two super bots, meaning the buried remains of either Galax or BSR1. Once we can assemble the weapon and have the coveted piece, we will come forth from the shadows and offer our services to Omagus.”

  Everyone in the cabin sighed unintentionally at her words. This was going to be tough to pull off.

  Raegan asked them to hold onto that thought, hearing their collective sighs and obvious concerns. Her services idea was iffy at best.

  She explained more. “Let’s remember, Omegas was constructed with the mindset of a man or men that envied beautiful women, those that would serve at their beck and call. These men, I am hoping, instilled these cravings into Omagus’s personal artificial intelligence, meaning his deep wants and needs. We will play the role of such women, for it is our only hope to get close to him.

  “We will offer obedience to him. We know a few things via the postal service already from back and forth correspondence. He is building an army once more, but he is still low in numbers. His frustration has to be high. This is the one chance that we will have to defeat him, and we must and will succeed.”

  It was more than crazy plan. But it was the only one they had, and it was now time to take action.

  Of course, Mahira was first to comment on it. “I’m gonna say one thing. This is one crazy-ass plan. I love it; that is, if we can even find this beam from a super robot that we have no idea where is buried.”

  Jansa picked at her teeth some, knowing very well Mahira had a good point. She then added, “We have to find it. There’s no other choice!”

  Chaya and Tyne, as well as all the others, agreed.

  Mahira still had one question. “How did it ever come to this? How did America actually fall into such despair?”

  Chaya was more than ready to explain the answer. “It is noted in the history of the country that there came a dictator-like man who out of the blue ran for President. America before was a democracy. Yet this man changed everything. He brought out the worst in the citizens, and he started a great civil war. America was never the same after that moment in time.”

  Mahira and the others thought about such, but could not look back. It was the future they had to consider now.

  It was then that the entire sisterhood, those capable of searching the rubble or fighting in New York, boarded ships that were hidden at Chimney Pond. The others, who were less capable stayed back there and in Liberty, Maine.

  The end was near. The battle for freedom in the former United States of America had reached a crescendo.

  The last remnant of the authoritarianism by the Y-Wood Corporation was teetering on the brink of insanity. One super robot remained: he who proclaimed himself the Godbot.

  CHAPTER ONE

  The virus had arrived. The Godbot placed the glass cylinder into the hands of his hand, Old Horny. The robot nodded. He knew soon they would be done with this country and onto the next. He did, however, wonder something.

  “I have to ask you, master. How will a world of robots procreate if there are no humans left to have children? Oh, and before I forget, why does everybody call me Old Horny? I am wondering this more and more lately.”

  The Godbot pulled back the cowl from his head as he looked out over the ruins of New York.

  “Let me answer your second question first. Who's to say that there is no possibility in the future that robots and humans can procreate? There already is artificial insemination. Why would a robot not being able to create a life force from their own being, one to be entered into a human female’s womb? The possibilities are there. Give me time, and I shall bring a new life into the world.”

  Old Horny imagined that Omagus could do anything.

  “There is also the aspect of humans being more and more robotic, like ourselves,” the Godbot added now. “This has already begun; the future is endless, to my thinking.”

  The second-in-command then waited for his name’s explanation.

  “As to your name, the horny part is just more of a joke, because you have large ears on your helmet. You were made to stand out. In truth though, in human civilization, the opposite sex has always been attracted to one another. For us, this is something that we do not feel as of yet. Horny means having a physical attraction to something or someone. Lust is something that even one of our kind should experience or will experience in due time.”

  The hand analyzed this discussion. “So, I am named for lust?”

  Omagus laughed some. “My creators were very much into the beauty of human women, the contours of their bodies and their soft skin. Even I myself find that, more and more, I have a deep appreciation for the female species. They are obedient, but also can offer companionship. Lust is not so bad.”

  Old Horny nodded. He would accept that answer.

  Several robots walked into their domain now, a beaten building that served the Godbot for the time being before his soon departure. The building was more of a long hallway left intact near the bay region. These bots were to join Old Horny as his soldiers for a most important mission.

  Omagus nodded to him now. “Take it now to the inner city, and let it loose.”

  In the meantime, the cyborg, Tyne Gem, and some of the other sisters had arrived and were searching in the rubble of New York. They looked for either of the two super robots.

  It took a while but they did come to the remains of what appeared to be the black robot, BSR1. He was covered in debris from buildings and ships. Tyne began digging to find his fallen body structure and see if his power beam was to be found.

  It was then that someone stepped from the shadows of the rubble and called to her. “Are you looking for anything in particular?” the voice said. The cyborg turned about, seeing now across the way a mostly red robot with black highlights.

  She knew right away it was he. The extensions on his helmet told her he was the one from the island.

  Her sisters drew laser pistols and Tyne herself prepared her arms for battle shooters.

  “I take it you recognize me,” the bot said calmly. “What is it that you are seeking so badly? Maybe I can help. Well, maybe not. BSR1’s components were all taken weeks ago. Your search is a futile one.”

  The cyborg looked the same as she had on the island in their first encounter. She was a make of perfection: silicone skin, smooth and nice, with the face of a human. Beautiful. Yet he then thought, Love and passion do not exist. Not in his system. He had no feelings for her, not even lust.

  Old Horny than raised up a glass container, which he showed to her. “A gift from other nations,” he announced.

  She looked closely with her long-range vision to see that it contained thousands of red and black bug-like things inside the glass cylinder.

  The robot looked at her and tilted his head slightly.

  “It’s easy for me to break this glass, as I have come to do here, but you will not be affected either, I suppose. Perhaps you and I will be all that remains.”

  “Don’t do it,” Tyne called out to him. “Why try and hurt more people?”

  Old Horny was programmed to obey his master.

  “Humans are not worthy. They never do as they’re told.”

  He then took the glass and tossed it in the air, quite far to the left of the cyborg, way out of her range. She could see it toppling end over end. She knew very well that there had to be a horrible disease within it. If other nations sent it to the United States, the breaking of it could mean the end.

  There was nothing she could do. The horned robot with the big ear-like extensions charged at her. She had her hands full with the monster before her.

  Yet, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naiera dive and catch the tube without it breaking open.

  She y
elled to her sister, “Run! Take it and bury it deep in the earth. Go! Run as fast as you can! Don’t look back!”

  But Old Horny ran right by her, chasing the Native American teen. Tyne spun about, chasing him now.

  She was catching up when he stopped and turned to face her one-on-one.

  “I remember you quite clearly now,” he said. “I can't seem to get you out of my information system, but now here you are. I suppose being nice last time and letting you leave was not the right thing to do. You know what they say: nice guys finish last with the girls.”

  Tyne did not see his reasoning. She already had her extension rifles out, pointing at his chest.

  Then she commented, “I guess it was just not meant to be you and I. You see, I work for a sisterhood of women fighting against the oppression that you follow in the Godbot. We’d never be a good match!”

  “What does it really matter?” Old Horny replied back. “What do you as a synthetic get out of any such freedom?”

  “That's my point,” the cyborg answered. “You do not have feelings. You do not realize the pain you cause. Your master is a monster!”

  “Maybe one day I will have feelings,” the second-in-command to Omagus now told her.

  “No,” replied Tyne. “It's too late for that now. The death and hurt you have put out into this world will never allow you to feel remorse. You are just a killing machine.”

  She followed this up by firing multiple beams into the red and black robot before her.

  He too had removed a weapon. It was a long laser rifle.

  Several more bots under his command now rounded the bend to the left and began lining up to shoot Tyne, surrounding her fully.

  But her comrade, Karma, now showed up. She right away shouted to Tyne, “There’s too many out here. Look more to the right! You have to get out of here!”