Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (15 page)

Konforma waved her little fingers.

“So you can waste hours of time not contributing to the greater good? I think not.”

She loaded up a list with many points and warning signs attached. My back sank into the bed. 

“You’ve been a bad, bad citizen.”

“Please don’t tell my mother.”

The AI ignored my comment as usual. 

“You’ve just completed your first field operation and managed to break eleven violations of Bulwark conduct.”

“I can tell you the same story I told Orden—we were in a dangerous situation with many lives on the line. I had to act on intuition."

“Your primal instinct is not above the system. As a member of our harmonious society, you have to fulfill your role like every other citizen. Dissent leads to chaos, and chaos leads to anarchy. Do you understand?”

“As much as someone in my current state can.”

“Good. When out in the Lost Lands, your role as a soldier is to follow the commands of your team leader. You do not, under no circumstances, question his orders. Do you understand?”

“Even if he’s doing a bad job?”

She narrowed her little eyes, probably the closest reaction reminiscent of getting peeved.

“Dissent leads to chaos, and chaos leads to anarchy.”

“Yep, I remember that line. I think you used it a few seconds ago.”

“You’ve also swayed the survivors by using language that derides our glorious Bulwark."

“Well, I spoke the truth. And frankly, those survivors just had escaped a bunch of metal freaks and weren’t too eager to join another authoritarian cluster.”

“We are not authoritarian. We are a cluster of the people, by the people, for the people." 

“Got it.”

“I doubt it,” Konforma said, “but if you ever neglect our rules again, drastic measures will be taken against you.”

“Well, as long as you don’t put me in a cell with an electro-shock bed.”

Her frozen face stayed. 

“Have you understood the allegations that have been made against you?”

“Every single one of them.”

“Good. Please behave accordingly. Contributions and conduct are necessary to maintain the equilibrium of our society. If we all work together, every adversary can be overcome.”

“That makes sense.”

She saluted. 

"I can sense that you're exhausted. We'll continue the course once you recovered to an acceptable level."

"Do what you have to do."

The jingle of the Bulwark Cluster appeared over her head. A new motto joined the annoying sound.

“Bulwark—be part of something bigger.”

I counted down the seconds till the screen turned into the grisly steel wall I’ve come to love-hate. At least the plates weren’t lecturing me. With no more admonitions beeping, I closed my eyes, breathed in the sterile air of the medstation and drifted into sleep.

The last thought that crossed my mind concerned the brunette survivor. 

The second I saw her, I could feel a special connection.

Once I recovered, I had to find out what that was.

42

The nurse came back the next day and checked my vital stats. She read the information twice and wrinkled her mouth which I didn’t like. When medical personal contorted their faces reading your records, you knew something was askew. The curiosity opened my mouth.

“Is there something wrong?”

“The opposite…you’re healing rapidly.”

Finally some good news after the past events.

“Gotta love Bulwark medicine.”

“Indeed,” she said with her mind absent. 

If I hadn’t known better, I swore she watched the weather report for next week.

“Do you know citizen Ceedee? She’s a soldier, a sniper.”

“I don’t have the authority to answer your question.”

“Well, can you just tell me if she’s okay? She was badly wounded during our last operation.”

“You don’t have the permission to ask that question.”

Damn it. Every single one played by the rule book. 

“Isn’t it fostering the community spirit if I’m asking about the whereabouts of my comrades?”

She pressed her lips, her eyes turned to the upper-right. Looked like the nurse was actually pondering my statement. She bowed toward my head, prepared the pillow and whispered, “She’s in critical condition, but there’s a 68% chance she’s going to make it.”

68 percent only? That wasn’t good. But I was grateful the nurse behaved like a mensch for a change. Imagine if everyone opened up to their comrades and trusted each other. What a world it could have been.

Utopia cluster.

“Thanks,” I said to her before she left my station room.

“Don’t worry. But please rest now. The committee doesn’t like it when citizens slack off.”

The door shut behind her.

Slacking off? I guess being injured was the new lazy. But she was right—if I played the patient for too long, the bed would probably electro-shock me back into compliance. 

I closed my eyes and called it a day. 

Tomorrow, I wanted to become an active member of the society again.

And find the brunette survivor that turned out to be a scientist. If she knew much about the past, maybe she could tell me what the heck was going on in this world.

Maybe even tell me who I was.

43

In-between the recovering, Konforma annoyed me with her correction course. Who knew a little girl in military uniform could become such a nuisance.

Her low-pitched voice didn’t make the content sound any better.

10 hours of righteous blahblah, boiled down to this:

bow and repeat.

In-between the lecturing, I felt sorry for the survivors I’ve persuaded into joining the Bulwark. I hope they weren’t slaving away in some obscure cell, cursing at me in silence. Maybe they would have been better under Technoid rule.

“Heya, are you listening to me?” Konforma said when my interest drifted away.

“I give you the minimum attention required to keep me out of trouble.”

That seemed to satisfy her.

“I’m going to start the course from the beginning until the lessons bubble out of your brain.”

Maybe not.

I switched off my brain and put the smile back on.

“Do what you have to do.”

I survived getting shot by a Technoid pulsar beam.

I was going to survive getting Konforma'd.

Or?

44

Third day in the medstation, and I was feeling like a soldier on steroids. All blahblah aside, the engineers of the Bulwark did create some fabulous tech. Whatever the nurse treated me with, it worked wonders. Speaking of which, she arrived in my chamber and caught me unstrapping myself.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to contribute to the greater good.”

“But your injury…you need to rest.”

I ripped the bandaid from my shoulder and showed her the injury. 

Hole no more. 

The muscle fiber had glued together, just a petty little bruise remained.

“See? You guys have done a good job.”

The nurse froze to the spot and didn’t quite understand which facial expression to show. I gave her a kiss on the forehead, walked down the corridor and entered the lift. Picked the Sky Garden level and checked the perimeter for familiar faces. If anyone knew where the brunette was, the folks in the Gardens could tell me. The doors slid sideways, I walked onto the rooftop and felt the nighttime air brushing my face. What a welcoming change after the metal-flavored oxygen inside the construct. My lungs filled up with the freshness, my eyes glanced around the rooftops. The usual guards patrolled the fences, dozens of citizens stood around and chatted each other up. When I entered their field of vision, the crowd craned their heads and pierced me. I swear, every single head on the roof turned to my direction. 

I walked passed a couple of folks. They whispered and pretended to look away.

I turned to the group that gossiped the loudest.

“Anything I can help you with?”

The young woman with the black hair shook her head.

“Nah, it's okay.”

Spoken like a true liar. Still, I ignored her and marched to the next group.

“Anyone know where I can find the brunette scientist from the desert operation?”

The young men and women stared at me and lost their ability to speak. I touched my face and wondered whether something was wrong with it. After an awkward pause that lasted too long, a middle-aged guy said,

“They’re at the Molotov.”

“Good. Thanks for that.”

I marched toward the steel bridge, entered the next rooftop level and entered the makeshift shed that happened to be the hottest bar around the cluster complex. Found the clique at the usual hangout. Hecto, Glitch, that girl Yuki, and Darwin. They licked some cold cream and enjoyed their rainbow colored drinks when I showed up.

“What’s up, comrades. Long time no hear and see.”

They looked up at me with the passion of sleep-induced desert rats. All I got was a meager ‘hello’.

“Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Go ahead,” Darwin said. 

The heads of the group followed me like sentry guns. I ordered a blue juice, leaned into the torn-apart but soft cushions of the couch, and stretched my legs.

“What a couple of wild days, eh? Anyone know how the new survivors do?”

Glitch was the first to broke the iron curtain.

“They’ve been treated in the medstations and get assigned to their roles as we speak.”

“Sounds good.”

Let’s hope they didn’t end up in slavery.

Hecto’s voice interrupted the rapport.

“Do you even have the permission to sit here with us?”

“Last time I checked, yes. Officially speaking, I’m still in recovery mode. Guess I wasn’t hurt as bad as I thought.”

“What about the rules you violated?”

Hecto went full frontal.

Right into the ring of fire. 

Challenge accepted.

“Konforma reminded me of my duties, I accepted, and now I’m back in the game. Hopefully with you, guys.”

“Some of us,” Hecto said.

That’s when it began to dawn on me.

The little aggressions.

The electrified air.

It came down to one person 

missing from this conversation

“How’s Ceedee doing?”

Hecto’s claws almost smashed the glass in his hands. Glitch chimed in before the big guy exploded.

“She’s in critical condition, man. The docs aren’t sure she’s gonna make it.”

“That bad? It didn't look that grave."

Hecto’s glass shattered. The blue liquid sprinkled on the table and floor carpet. Yuki inched back on her part of the couch. 

Hecto boomed.

“You wanna know why she’s in critical condition? Because some degenerate idiot wanted to play hero and made us walk into a Technoid trap.”

The tension sickened the air, but at least I knew what was going on.

“I made you do it? You’re the team leader, it was your choice to listen to me.”

“And I regret that choice every single minute of my life. We should have waited for backup before even thinking about nearing their territory.”

“Maybe then it would have been too late. The Technoid squad was waiting for their forces after all, what if they had taken the survivors back to their cluster?”

“Then Ceedee would be among us.”

Hecto really worried about her. I had no idea the giant carried so much affection. 

Too bad he was blaming me for her wound.

Soldiers had to cut emotions from the missions.

Feels and frags, they just didn’t go together.

“She is still alive, isn’t she?”

Glitch played the mediator once again.

“We all hope she's making it through the day."

Damn. I still remember her smiling back at me, leaning against the wall, with all her unique attitude. I did miss her, too.

“Listen, I’m sorry.”

“Shove your sorry up your ass,” Hecto said and turned up the heat. 

The guests in the bar silenced in a radius of fifteen meters, even the barkeeper stopped wiping his glasses clean.

“I know you’re mad, but I can’t rewind time, I’m sorry, Hecto.”

“You don’t know shit. You know nothing about me and Ceedee. All the hardship we went through, the dreadful experiences we shared.”

He spat in front of my feet.

“We should have left you in that ruin.”

Sometimes, I think the same thing. 

“Maybe you should have, but as you say, it’s time leave the past behind and focus on the future.”

“Fuck you.”

So much for appeasement. Hecto launched his massive fist at my direction. I evaded and rolled from the couch. Glitch grabbed his drink before Hecto kicked it to the side. Yuki ducked and Darwin? Chilled on the chair, watching us with rising interest.

Hecto's voice hammered.

“I’ve had it with you. You and your damn jokes.”

He pulled up his sleeves and flexed his knuckles. I turned around and found the other guests barricading the exit. Guess no one was going to call the guards anytime soon. 

“Nowhere to run, rookie.”

He stomped toward me, itching to punch my face.  

“Don’t waste your energy, Hecto. Think about the greater good.”

I don’t know why I was taunting him, but the words kept flooding out of my mouth.

He said,

“Beating you up is for the greater good.” 

Hecto ran toward me like a tank on legs. I tried to sidestep his brute attack. He grabbed my arm and slammed me into the nearby nightstand. The pieces of wood shredded apart and pierced the furniture. A biting pain tore at my rear but I managed to stand up.

“Beating me up isn’t going to help her.”

“I know, but it makes me feel better.”

Couldn’t argue with that logic. The giant brimmed with energy, and I was the punching bag of the day. Still, I wasn’t going to cave in. 

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Hecto laughed, together with the guests of the bar. At least I entertained people.

“Come on and try.”

Hecto came at me again, roaring his fist at my face. I evaded his punch, caught his massive arm in midair and went Judo on it. Twisted it around and slammed him onto the ground. No idea where that move came from, but I’m glad my muscles remembered. A whistle went through the bystanders. Looked like no one expected me to counter like that. Couldn’t blame them, neither did I.