Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (7 page)

“I’m so exhausted from the training, I don’t think I’ll carry the energy to do a marathon around the cluster.”

“I’m glad we have an agreement.”

She disappeared from my vision. I walked out the training center and entered the lift by myself. Every other minute, I swung around and looked for armored guards. Surely no one would let someone like me off the leash, right? Well, with the cameras lurking everywhere, my abductors watched my every movement. 

A menu popped open and gave me two options: cell floor and the commons.

I was celled out for days to come, so I chose the other option and wondered what awaited me.

22

Next stop: commons.

The elevator opened up. The doors slid sideways and offered me a view into the hall. My eyes quickly scanned the perimeter—three exits, one to my far left, one in the center opposite of me, and the other one on the right. People in uniform strolled around or chatted each other up. Some joined cliques and ignored the passersby. Guards patrolled the hall near the exits and watched the citizens. 

Prison parade, here we come.

But hey, let’s not complain. 

I walked forward and tried my best to not look like a clueless fool. Citizens came my way and greeted me. I saluted them back and wanted to ignite a chitchat, but everyone was busy going someplace else. They probably wondered what kind of moron smiled back at them, waving his hands like a lunatic, but I just couldn’t suppress the joy. After an eternity in confined spaces, this was a new beginning. When I stopped wandering around, I approached the central gate guarded by two soldiers. 

“Is this the commons area?”

“No, it’s the women’s restroom.”

The soldier’s comrade chuckled under his face shield. My right hand wiped open the door. I traversed the frame and gazed at the hundreds of people rushing around the commons. The other half stood in line in front of the food showcase or sat down in the endless rows of metallic chairs and tables, designed in the blandest of all bunker-styles. At least the place was populated with people. Way better than talking to the wall.

“Don’t block the way, man,” one passerby said while maneuvering around me.

I wondered whether I should go for the line near the food showcase or just sit down when a familiar voice sounded.

“Look who’s made it after all.”

I couldn’t pinpoint it yet, but the intonation showed warmth and care. My glance rotated and spotted the caller. A woman with icy-blond hair, surrounded by males and females of different sizes and colors. 

“Ceedee?”

The name crawled back into my memory. She waved me over and I joined her clique. The blonde reached out her hand and I shook it like a berserk. Giggles around the group ensued.

“That’s our lone survivor,” Ceedee said, “we found him in an abandoned city sector. He was buried under a pile of rubble and covered in dust. I thought he was a corpse, but then he opened his mouth and said I was the hottest thing on the planet.”

“Something along these lines,” I said with a smile.

Two guys cracked up. I noticed the big leader and the thin geek who drove me 'home' with their camouflaged LRV. The old trio had returned. What were their names again? 

“Do you remember us?” the geek said.

“Of course. Ceedee, Hecto and Glitch.”

They almost looked impressed.

“I missed you guys.”

More giggling from the group. Looked like everyone roared on high spirits, which was awesome. I enjoyed seeing lively people around me.

“Good memory. Which can’t be said about your past experiences.”

Ceedee nudged Hecto with her elbow. 

“Stop being mean. He’s probably been through a lot.”

“Like the rest of us,” Hecto said.

A new girl I hadn’t seen before sat next to me. She looked like a teenager and wore headphones around her ashen-black hair.

“You have amnesia?”

“I don’t remember my past, or who I am.”

“Wow. Sucks to be you.”

“It could be worse. I could have ended up a corpse forgotten in the dust, dinner-ready for the rats.”

“You’re a canister half-full guy,” the girl said. 

Hecto shot me the next question.

“So, what happened to you in the last months?”

Months? It had been months already? No, I was celled up for two weeks, max. I’ve seen my training records on the menu. Even Konforma counted down the days, or did she lie? 

Still too many variables.

“Are you okay?” Ceedee said.

“I didn’t realize so much time had passed.”

The mood dampened. I added ‘cell life’ to my mental taboo list. I was pretty sure many more topics would join that bill.

“I was stuck in my cell until Konforma showed up on my wall-screen and introduced me to my training.”

The folks around me sighed.

“Good old Konforma,” Glitch said, “one fine piece of technology, although I would have increased her humor by at least 30%. That AI is far too stiff."

“What class has the Bulwark chosen for you?” Ceedee said.

“Sand soldier.”

I swear, everyone’s eyes seemed to bulge out at the same time. As if someone around the table swallowed all the sound waves.

Was that another taboo topic?”

“Sand Soldier, you?” Hecto said.

“Yeah, why? What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal,” Glitch said, “is that normally only veteran soldiers get upgraded to that class. I have never seen a noob like you being promoted straightaway.”

Ceedee nodded.

“That’s great. You’ll get deployed in the Lost Lands. It’s dangerous and adventurous.”

“Yippie,” I said with fake enthusiasm.

Glitch patted the giant man’s shoulder.

“Our Hecto here is a sand soldier captain, but boy, did he have to slave hard for that privilege. Look at all the scarves he carries.”

That was true. I had never noticed it before, probably because they trio had tied my eyes, but Hecto’s skin was engraved with scratches, scars and marks sprinkled in-between his tattoos. He carried the body of a veteran warrior. My respect for him leveled up.

“Looks like you have been through a lot.”

Hecto shrugged.

“We all have our scars. It’s a given in this world.”

A general nod went through the group. Looked like every citizen could relate. Part of me wondered what atrocities they had to witness in their lives. Hopelessness hung in the air.

“Have you guys seen many gunfights?”

Most slumped their shoulders.

Ceedee spoke first.

“If that was the case, we wouldn’t be here. The goal is to avoid battles.”

She flicked a glance at Hecto.

“Only our big guy over here has seen the deep end.”

“I did, and it ain’t worth going there. We can be glad we have enough food and shelter in our cluster. The Lost Lands are hell on earth.”

The group nodded. 

My curiosity ignited.

“What exactly is going on outside?”

The question silenced the table. Glitch started to jumpstart his mouth, but Hecto intertwined.  

“This is hardly the place to talk about it."

Glitch nodded.

“The tables have ears, man.”

Not really, but I got the message. Meanwhile, my stomach yearned for food.

Ceedee heard my groaning and grinned.

“Looks like you need an ammo refill.”

“My stomach’s a sandpit.”

“Heh, then it’s about time we hit the spot. Have you heard of Molotov?”

Of course I hadn’t.

“Man, you missed out,” Glitch said.

“Molotov is the go-to place for the cool kids. He’s got food you can only dream of and drinks you shouldn’t be talking about. In short, it’s the place to be.”

“More or less,” Ceedee said, “let’s show the rookie the sweet side of the Bulwark.”

I checked my permission protocol. My current perm only granted me 60 minutes of outside time, twenty-five of which had already passed.

“I’ve got about forty minutes left.”

“That’s plenty of time to stuff yourself with awesomeness.”

We left the commons, entered the lift and walked out on a higher floor. Through the corridor, I felt fresh air coming my way. 

"Wait for it," Ceedee said.

I readied my self for a shock.

And it came, in the most pleasant form possible.

We stepped on a compound without a ceiling. A giant rooftop filled with guards and people. 

"Wow," I said.

"We call it the Sky Gardens. The hang-out spot in case you're tired of iron walls."

Ceedee pointed at the skyscraper we just walked out of.

"This structure is the tallest one in the cluster, which makes it the heart of the Bulwark. Most cells and facilities are located in there."

She led me to the rooftop's ledge with the railing. The view was fantastic. Hundreds of concrete structures dominated the skyline, connected to each other via makeshift sky bridges. Ceedee turned full location-guide and I loved every minute of it.

"That's where the higher-ranking citizens live. You'll also find many bars, interesting shops and special places in the Concrete Jungle."

"Special places?"

"Think black market," Glitch said.

Hecto quickly chimed in.

"There's no black market in the Bulwark."

Glitch corrected himself.

"Of course there isn't. Officially speaking."

Ceedee took back the conversation.

"You probably don't have a permission to visit the Concrete Jungle yet, but if you increase your standing within the cluster, you can visit almost every part of the Bulwark."

"Looking forward to that. This cluster is an ugly, but interesting place."

The trio gave me a flabbergasted glance. 

"You have to be careful with the criticism, man."

A soldier stood nearby and craned his helmet at our position. 

Ears and eyes everywhere...

Ceedee broke the emerging tension.

"Anyways, let us show you our favorite place."

She walked across a steel bridge leading to another rooftop. A bulky shad with neon letters came into view. Stickers and wallpapers were slammed on every side—reminiscent of a bunker after the hip treatment.

The word Molotov glowed in flickering letters.

I followed the clique to the entrance and turned my head around one last time. I swore some of the patrolling soldiers stared at me.

23

Lanterns oozed rainbow-colored lights.

Oddities lurked inside transparent cylinders. 

Pierced couches and naked walls with steel-pillars dominated the scene. Add a round bar in the center of the floor and you had one heck of a post-industrial club atmosphere. So far, I couldn’t spot a single soldier, but I’m sure they lurked around, just like the omnipresent cams.

Ceedee waved me over to a spot in the corner where steel tables and torn-apart couches awaited me.

“It’s our group hangout. You’re lucky. You get a seat even though you’re not part of the posse.”

“What do I need to do to become a member?” I said with half a smile on my face.

“Prove yourself. Cover your comrade’s back in the Lost Lands and show that you can be trusted. Out there, it’s all about relying on each other.”

“You’re sounding all doomy and gloomy,” Glitch said and turned to me.

“Just hang with us, make yourself useful and you get a chance to join." 

“It’s not that easy,” Hecto said.

I tried to ease the creeping tension. Whenever I showed up, the mood tended to drop below zero, which was never my goal. Maybe it was my newcomer status that pissed people off. In this world, you had to prove your worth, every single day. And the Bulwark citizens doubted mine so far.

My glance fell to the barkeeper mixing wondrous liquids.

“You can get drunk around here?”

Ceedee licked her lips.

“Officially, no. But it’s amazing what can happen when you talk to the right people.”

“I’m going to order the drinks,” Hecto said, “what do you all want?”

“The Burgle Buster,” Glitch said.

“Leach Lemonade,” Ceedee said.

“Anything that’s blue,” the new girl said.

“Got it.”

He didn’t ask me but I didn’t mind. When Hecto approached the barkeeper, I rotated my head back to the rest of the round. Without the heavy-weight being present, the atmosphere relaxed. The perfect moment to set things straight.

“So, what exactly happened?"

Ceedee raised her eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“The world. Why are there abandoned cities? Why is everything leveled to the ground and drowned in sand?”

Conversation killer number one. 

The silence dropped to subzero and frosted everyone in their tracks. 

“We’re not supposed to talk about it,” the girl to my right said. 

It was a wonder she could still hear me with her headphones on.

Ceedee weighed in.

“The Bulwark committee says the past does not equal the future.”

“Agreed, but aren’t you curious? I mean, all those forsaken ruins and skyscrapers. Someone had to build and live in them, right?”

More silence from the group. 

Either no one but me cared, or they were too scared to talk about it. Maybe we were still being put under surveillance.

Glitch pretended to look at some tech gadget, the new girl dove into her headphone world. Only Ceedee held the eye contact with me.

“We’ve lost the war and have to deal with the consequences now. It isn’t pretty, but it’s the only reality we got. Many survivors have fled the Lost Lands and regrouped in clusters such as ours."

“Drinks are here,” a deep voice said behind me.

Hecto served the liquids that glowed in bombast colors.

A stark contrast to the rest of the cluster.

Especially the long glass with the gleaming blue looked unhealthy. Hecto sat on his ragged recliner and opened himself to the round.

“What were you guys jabbing about?”

Ms. Headphone shared her opinion.

“Your new friend is asking a lot of questions about the past.”

Hecto stared holes into my eyes.

“Uh-oh. Asking questions about the past and the future is a no-go around here, buddy. We live in the moment and serve the cluster.”