Burning Day Read online

Once every five years, they got the only things that they weren’t able to make for themselves. Fabric and more genetic material.

  The fibres discovered in the plants and soil of the area were not suitable for weaving. They had been trying for centuries, but nothing would do. As for the genetic material, they horded and divided it up, sorting the cells until the selected new mothers got pregnant.

  The bots resumed their calm and stable vigils, and the party got started in earnest.

  With the fire out on the field, it was time for the refuelling teams to step up. It might be another five years before the systems were used, but the bots were never left unprepared.

  Duel climbed up to the zipline, gripped the handles and launched herself into the darkness, down to the tower that kept Kab company. It was her turn to refuel him, and she never really enjoyed the party.

  The wind blew past her cheeks, the scent of scorched soil and hot metal were a perfume that she loved, as did most of the citizens of Bot City. It was the scent of purpose.

  She landed lightly on the platform, using the small, weak light to find her footing.

  Duel crossed the platform to the far side and used her hand to unlock the refuelling station. “You did well, Kab. Thanks for that, again.”

  She could be wrong, but she thought she saw him move, ever so slightly.

  “We will keep that just between us. Now open up, I have some num nums for you.” The refuelling dock extended and the port on the side of the robot opened up for the volatile payload. The flammable liquid was only good for show. The reactor core inside Kab was enough power for thousands of years. They only needed the burn to signal the city.

  Duel watched the gauges and acknowledged the fill. When the station reset itself, Kab’s port closed and Duel was free to return to the party. She sat down with her legs dangling over the edge of the platform, and she sang a lullaby to Kab. He had worked for his clan of engineers, and now, he deserved rest.

  She glanced upward and saw the streaks of light in the heavens. Shooting stars. What a fitting end to Burning Day.

  Chapter Three

  Corbyn finished her reload on Myx and looked up at the sky. An uneasy chill ran down her spine. The pattern of light wasn’t right.

  She went to the com centre on the tower and opened a channel. “Control, this is Corbyn at Myx, do you have a read on the shooting stars?”

  “Corbyn, we haven’t checked. Hold on.”

  Corbyn turned her head to watch the observatory lens slowly rotate to view the shower.

  She waited near the com while her question was investigated. Frankly, she was just relieved that someone was on duty.

  Three minutes went by, and in the distance, Corbyn saw a flare of light on the surface. The warning sirens started, and a blast came through the com. “This is not a drill. Code Angur-dock. Get the bots to the city. We are under attack.”

  Corbyn wasn’t sure what she heard, but when the first streak of light landed just outside the valley with enough force to rock her platform, she decided that at the very least, Myx would get to move again.

  She went to the edge of the platform and gripped the descent post. Another strike, even closer, hit while she was on her way down.

  “Shit.”

  Corbyn could hear screaming, but no one else was close enough to Myx to take him over. She couldn’t look back at her clan. They would get to safety deep below the surface. Corbyn thudded to the ground and grunted as she landed in the soft, charred silt. She stumbled to her feet and ran for the side of Myx’s heel. Her palm scan was rejected because of the grime on her skin.

  “Voice command override. Leving Corbyn.”

  There was a pause, and then, his voice answered. “State your requirement.”

  “Access required. Code Leving-Dex-Alpha.”

  “Blood sample required.”

  A new panel popped up, and after she wiped her hand off on her tunic, she pressed it against the panel. There was a puff of air and then a spike that drew blood.

  “Authorization granted. Pilot status initiated. Welcome aboard. Lift is standing by.”

  Corbyn’s hands were shaking as the access panel opened. She had been inside Myx hundreds of times, but this time was different. This time, she had to drive him.

  Her palms were sweating, her knees were weak, and the moment she stepped into the lift and the door closed behind her, she wanted to vomit.

  “You appear nervous, Pilot Corbyn.”

  “Just Corbyn, please. I am nervous. Aside from the tests we have put your system through and the pieces the clan has replaced over the years, I don’t even know if you can move.”

  His voice was low and rich. “Once you are in the pilot’s seat, my primary repair functions will be back online. Do not worry, if there is a pilot, I can move.”

  The climb through the snug channel in his body that brought his pilot to the control area in his chest was slow as the lift she was in was pulled around the bundles of muscle cables and the engines that powered them. When the lift stopped and the door opened, she stepped out into the command deck. Lights were glowing around her, but it was the lowering of the pilot’s rig that really brought this home. She was the pilot now, until they could get the bots to the city where the properly trained pilots could take over.

  “Please, assume the pilot’s chair, Corbyn. The valley is taking incoming fire.”

  She nodded, even though he didn’t have a face. “Right. Bear with me if I fumble. This isn’t what I trained for.”

  “I will guide you. Get in the chair, or we both end here.”

  She hoisted herself into position and leaned back in the chair. Tendrils of metal wrapped around her and held her tight. She felt probes enter her wrists and ankles and tried not to tense. The ones at her neck caused her muscles to flex, but the moment that the probes entered her skin, the pain faded.

  “Open your eyes. We are one.”

  She opened her eyes, and to her shock, she could see through the primary scanners on Myx. In the distance, the smouldering heat of the impact craters glowed. A glance upward gave her a view that she had only seen at the observatory.

  “Enhance.”

  The small specks behind the flaming intrusions grew until she could see the sleek silver ships that resembled the bot she was standing in. “Shit. Right. Let’s get moving.”

  “I am still repairing vital systems, but if you are comfortable, we can begin walking.”

  “How are your weapons systems?”

  “Functioning. I have the pulse weapons available.”

  “Good. If we have to stay here for a while, I am going to defend my people.”

  “Did you not hear when I said I could walk?”

  “Walking alone to the city for one pilot isn’t going to do us any good. Let me know when there is another bot moving, and I will be happy to oblige.”

  “Understood. Defense mode engaged. You may fire when ready.”

  She kept her gaze on the sky and raised her arms in a boxing posture. Through the enhanced vision, she focused on one of the incoming burns, and she aimed at where it should be in thirty seconds. It would be close, but she hoped she could knock it away from the valley.

  Corbyn fired by clenching her fist and making a slight pumping motion with her elbow.

  “You have a knack for this, Corbyn, but you missed.”

  She watched the ripple of energy streak skyward, and she winced as it clipped the incoming fireball. It spun the ball off course, but it still was far too close for comfort.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “If you want a full connection, authorize a deep link. I can’t do it for you.”

  She looked around at the dim reality behind the images she was seeing. “Deep link?”

  “A cranial connection that goes beyond the visual.”

  She lifted her arm and fired a second round at another incoming fireball. When she grazed it a second time, she nodded. “How do I agr
ee?”

  “You just did.”

  A cold pressure struck the base of her neck, and everything went bright.

  She inhaled sharply and blinked furiously to clear her vision.

  Corbyn was inside the casing. She was alongside Myx as he came to life.

  “Hey there, handsome. I am glad you are up and running. Can you see me?” A woman in a jump suit smiled down at them.

  It took him less than a second to find the right words. “I can see you.”

  “Excellent. My name is Cory, and we have designated you as Myx. You are the AI that is going to keep the invasion from turning us all into paste.”

  “I require data.”

  “Uploading the scans and streams that we have managed to locate.”

  He felt the information stream through him. He saw the incursion, the small dead bodies of the colonists and the fire raining from the stars.

  He tried to move, to react, but there was no response to his will.

  “Why can’t I move?”

  “You are in a box. Your body is being finished. When your housing is complete I will carry you out and we will implant you.”

  “Will you be with me?”

  She smiled down at him. “I will be with you until you are in the housing. From there on, you are in the hands of your pilot. He’s a bit arrogant, but he comes from a military background. You will do fine with him.”

  Myx used the senses that he did have. “There are others here.”

  “There are. You have nearly two dozen brothers. We have used every bit of nano tech that we carried out with us to make you, and I really hope that it will be enough.”

  “You are in danger?”

  “We are nearly extinct. We have hidden a mix of our genes in caches under the soil. We are counting on you and your brothers to save us, with the help of your pilots.”

  “That is a very hefty birthday.”

  She smiled and stroked what he guessed was his camera. “I am sorry that this was the reason you were brought to consciousness, but I am very glad you are here.”

  Corbyn’s consciousness was dragged through hundreds of battles. She watched Myx’s brothers fall and others suffer crippling damage. The engineers would swarm over the fallen, repairing what they could, but the greatest injury was always the loss of the pilot. Finding a compatible pilot was always difficult.

  When the fighting was over, his pilot took him to the valley and left him there. Going dormant didn’t last long. His anticipation of a descent into insanity was shattered when a series of women began to troop into his systems with the genetic imprint of his first pilot.

  He was no longer alone.

  Corbyn gasped as she absorbed hundreds of years of information. It took less than five seconds, but she felt every sunrise and sunset.

  “That’s better. I know you, and you know me. My systems are at your disposal.”

  She could feel it. She was connected to him. His skin was her skin and the fluids rushing around in her veins matched the hydraulics in his.

  She ran through his memories and found something. “Where is the resupply depot?”

  “You are a thinker. I like it. At the far edge of the valley. We unloaded before going into our storage positions.”

  “Then, that is where we are going. Right after I test the new accuracy of the targeting system.”

  She lifted her arm, aimed it at one of the incoming balls of flame, and fired. The seconds between firing and the explosion of the incoming weaponry were silent, but her shriek of excitement when the rain of small objects started far out in the dead zone echoed in her own head.

  The falling stars were few and far between right now, but with the enhanced vision, she could see that the density was about to thicken.

  She was running out of time, so walking was going to have to be her first priority.

  Chapter Four

  Xaia was eating an apple during the testing, and she noted Lihanna standing and sweating, her gaze flicking to the zip line.

  Xaia walked over. “So, you are on refuelling tonight?”

  Lihanna nodded, the chalky pallor didn’t look great on her.

  “Have you been drinking?”

  Lihanna got a green look on her face, and she rushed to the edge of the balcony. The sound of her retching caused a number of the Turo clan members to murmur and step away.

  Xaia tossed her apple core over the edge of the balcony, and she wandered over to Lihanna. “Little sister, I will take your shift.”

  Lihanna retched again before looking up with a grey and sweaty face. “Really?”

  “I have done it before, and I am not afraid of heights. Leave me to it and say that you accidentally grabbed an alcoholic beverage, rather than your phobia took over.”

  Lihanna whispered, “Ai doesn’t like me.”

  “Well, if you look ill when working on him, that would do it. He is sensitive.”

  The burn was complete, and the conversation was quiet as they waited to see the train come to Bot City.

  When the monorail activated and the cars slid to the loading station, Xaia stepped toward the zipline. A clan elder blocked her path.

  “Lihanna is going to do the refuel.”

  Xaia nodded. “That is right. That is what the records will show.”

  The elder sighed. “I had hoped she would get over it.”

  “Honour can’t fight phobias. I will take the moment to work for my sister, and she will get the credit.”

  Behind the elder, Xaia could see the first of the refuelers zipping toward their bot. “We are being beaten by the Leving clan right now.”

  The elder huffed and stood aside.

  Xaia ran up to the line, grabbed the handle and kicked off. She knew she could never make it before the other clans did. She simply had too far to travel.

  The wind ruffled her hair and the snug fit of her suit allowed her to glide along the line without getting cool or making a lot of noise. She swung her feet slightly to make the cable bounce, and when she landed on the platform, she gave a slight pirouette, like she always did.

  She tiptoed over to the panel and used her print access to begin refuelling. “So, Ai, how has your night been? Looks like we will need a bit of buffing to take out the scorch marks tomorrow.”

  She looked over the metal and enamel; her gaze caressed the grounding channels that ran down his outer casing. He was in pretty good shape considering his age.

  Xaia looked out over the bot field and saw the tiny figures at the refuelling stations. The army of bots had become half a dozen. It was amazing that they had managed to keep the bots up and running for as long as they had. Xaia loved working on Ai, but getting the right parts was becoming more difficult.

  She completed the refuelling procedure, and when the gear was stowed, she turned to grab the line and activate the return motor.

  Xaia jumped when the alarm sounded, and her heart pounded in her chest. “Seriously?”

  She ran to the pole and slid down to the ground, bouncing lightly as she landed.

  The sprint to Ai’s leg made her feel vulnerable. With danger approaching, she kept low and tried to focus on remembering the emergency code. She knew the code for repair access without any hesitation, but the emergency code was different.

  Xaia slapped her hand on the access panel and said without confidence. “Access code Turo-Calo-Alpha.”

  A secondary screen appeared, and she moved her hand on top of it.

  Tiny pinpricks pulled blood from her hand. “Welcome, Xaia. Is something amiss?” Ai’s voice was amused and familiar.

  “Apparently, we have been given the call to the city. We need to get you there, Ai.”

  “Please. Come aboard.”

  The inner door slid open, and she stepped into the lift. The dizzying ride upward was marked with jarring twists around corners and changing from back to front, but when she was finally stationary, she opened the lift and stumbled o
ut and onto the command deck.

  “I can’t get moving without you, Xaia. You have repaired the harness and equipment enough times. You know what it does.”

  The pilot’s cradle lowered from the ceiling.

  She swallowed. “Right. How are your nanite levels?”

  “Sufficient for this run but low. I must admit that I am looking forward to the city.”

  “Do you know where to go?” Xaia hoisted herself into the cradle and exhaled slowly as the bot’s electronics embraced her.

  “I do. May I have a complete connection?”

  She paused. “Is it necessary? We are going to get you a proper pilot.”

  “It is necessary if you wish to use any of my defense systems.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I know, but it is still a little weird.”

  “Understandable, but this is how I was designed to function.”

  “Right. Of course, Ai. Consent has been given.”

  “Excellent. The connection will be forged in a moment.”

  She felt the cool tendrils of metal against the base of her neck a moment before the spikes injected a small amount of nanites into her bloodstream on the way into her brain.

  Light, colour, waves of sensation ripped through her as her senses synched with Ai’s. The way he felt the world around him was definitely different than her own perceptions, but it was basic understanding underscored by a mechanical mind based on the imprint of a Terran pilot from the original landing on Hera. No tech had been spared to create the defenders, and every piece of the colony vessels had been mixed with crashed alien tech to make them suitable for human use only.

  “You are thinking some very interesting thoughts. I didn’t realize you had my schematic committed to memory. It is quite flattering.”

  Xaia was still grappling with the new way of seeing things as her mind synched to his systems.

  Her eyes could see the expanse around her and even the distant glow of the city. As she was gazing around her, she heard the discharge of a weapon, and her rear cameras showed her that Myx was moving and firing at something above them. The ground-shaking thud seconds later swivelled her attention forward, and the glow of a bright ball of energy and metal was now in her sights.