Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter (41 page)

“Excellent. Teamwork in action. Such a sight to behold,” Achilles said as it clapped its hands together with a metallic clank. “Follow me. My humble chariot is not far from here.”

The robot pivoted and marched into the forest. It stopped and looked back when it realized no one was following. “I do not believe I could carry you all. It would be best if you followed by foot.”

Sally sighed. “Walking? I don’t think I can do any more of that, I’m tired.”

“Let me take you. I can fly you there,” Breeze said with a grin and pulled her close.

“No, she can walk like the rest of us,” Ray grumbled as he grabbed her hand and marched after the robot.

“That is the spirit!” Achilles called out merrily, then turned and continued on.

They stomped through the woods as Ray held up a glowing hand to light their way. They came upon a clearing where an old truck sat in the dark.

“What is this? Does it even work?” Sally said.

“This, my dear Miss Trumble, is the humble chariot I referred to earlier. It does not possess much in the way of aesthetics, but it is reliable transportation,” Achilles said as it tapped on the hood of the vehicle.

“A robot that drives a truck through the backwoods of Appalachia. This couldn’t get any better,” Ray said.

Achilles opened the battered driver’s door as its rusty hinges creaked loudly in the dark. “A poor ride is better than a proud walk, my dear Raymond. Based on the current status of your beleaguered scout ship, you should not be one to judge,” the robot said as it stepped into the cab

Ray was indignant. “First of all; it’s not my ship, that’s one of Oslo’s pile of junk vehicles he keeps around Perihelion. Second, we have a perfectly good hover to use, we just left it far away from here. Third, stop calling me Raymond. All my friends call me Ray.”

“Well then, Ray, I am delighted to become your friend,” Achilles said and leaned over to open the passenger door. “Step in, my young friends. I promise you this vehicle will get you to your destination in one piece. After all, it would be a very long walk to the other side of town to retrieve your hover.” It patted the empty passenger seat.

Breeze held the door open for Sally. “Ladies first.”

Ray stepped in front of her and climbed up into the cab. “I think I better go first.”

Achilles chuckled as it brought the truck to life. The engine roared, then settled down as Sally and Breeze stepped in. Breeze slammed the door and bits of rust showered onto him.

“My apologies for that, Breeze. I am guilty of spending more time keeping the engine alive as opposed to maintaining the body work. Is everyone safely secured? Excellent. Off we go!” The robot put the vehicle in gear and the truck leapt forward. Soon, they were bouncing down a dirt road littered with potholes as the truck rocked back and forth while the passengers were jostled about in the cab.

Achilles pounded on the dashboard every time the headlights would flicker. “A thousand pardons for the bumpy ride,” Achilles said, “I shall switch to hover mode as soon as we get to the primary trail.”

Breeze was stunned. “This thing is also a hover? How did you convert…look out!”

The robot threw the vehicle hard to the right and into a narrow opening between two enormous trees, where it ran into an earthen berm that sent it flying through the air. They screamed as Achilles grabbed a lever bolted to the floor yanked it back. The cab was immediately filled with the sound of hydraulics whining along with the hum of an electrical motor as the nose of the vehicle dropped and they plummeted into the darkness. They gripped the dashboard in sheer terror as the hum of the motor grew louder when the truck leveled out and soon they were streaking down a narrow, pitch black trail.

Achilles chuckled and patted the dashboard. “The locals are not accustomed to the sight of a robot driving a truck.”

“They probably haven’t seen one drive so badly either,” Sally said.

“Was that a joke Miss Trumbull? An excellent one, if I may say so,” the robot said as it flung the steering wheel to the left and right while narrowly missing trees that whipped past them in a blur.

“It’s déjà vu all over again!” Breeze shouted.

“What are you talking about?” Sally said as she struggled to stay in her seat.

“Excort did the exact same to me when I arrived at Perihelion. He took me for a wild ride around the island in a beat up, rusty old hover.”

“Excort? Excort you say? That old dwarf is still dawdling about? Well, you young people are full of surprises and odd bits of news…oh, dear, hang on!” Achilles jerked the steering wheel hard to the right to avoid smashing into a tree that loomed large in the headlights. The hover then tilted on its side as they crashed through branches and emerged into a valley where below they could make out a river lit by the moonlight winding its way along the valley floor.

The hover skimmed the treetops, leaving a trail of leaves and broken branches in its wake as it glided to the river where a small house sat along its banks and a separate building lay adjacent to it.

Achilles brought the hover to a stop in front of the house, and then patted the dashboard as the motor whined down. “She never fails me, my sweet chariot.”

They spilled out of the cab as Ray slammed the door shut behind him, sending more bits of rust flying everywhere.

“Easy now, my young friend. That door is not used to dealing with passengers,” Achilles said with a wink.

“Yeah, I can see why. You pilot like a robot gone mad. And what kind of path was that? You had us almost crashing into trees half the time!” Ray said angrily.

“My apologies, Raymond, though I believe we can agree in this day and age that one cannot be too careful. Even I must see to it that my place of residence be somewhat hidden from the prying eyes of others.”

“You are curious,” Sally said, “how come you have no owner or master? How did you become free?”

Achilles walked up the steps to the front door and stood in silence for a moment before it answered her. “Good question, Miss Trumbull. Long before any of you were born, I was manufactured and brought on line in a world much different than the one you know today. My story of the time I spent at Perihelion to this very moment is an interesting one, to say the least. But it is a tale of such volume and length that it surely cannot be told while standing on a porch on such a chilly evening,” it said, then placed a hand on the door. Within seconds the sound of deadbolts retracting could be heard and the door swung open with a creak as lights flickered alive inside. “So I invite you in, my young wayward friends, and allow me to start a crackling fire to warm your weary bones. That is something I know that humans find very comforting as there seems to be a strong correlation between the primitive mind and fire. Quite intriguing,” Achilles said as it held out a hand to the three of them.

“Right. A robot that lives in a quaint little home by the river and wants us to sit around the fireplace with it. Insane,” Ray declared and folded his arms across his chest.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but it is awfully cold out here,” Sally countered.

“I can prepare for all you steaming cups of hot chocolate, if that would add any incentive,” Achilles offered.

“I’m in,” Breeze said and raised a hand, then climbed up the steps and into the home.

Achilles let out a chuckle as it swiveled its head toward the two holdouts. “Please my friends, are you not a team?” it said and extended a hand to Sally and Ray.

Sally rubbed Ray’s back. “You are so strong. You can protect me from the big, bad robot, can’t you?” she teased him with a smile.

“Don’t patronize me. Besides, you saw how it fought in the arena. Robot Fighters do have a pretty bad reputation. You know, my father told me they were deactivated—”

Sally pulled on Ray’s hand. “You can tell me all about it inside,” she said and climbed the steps with Ray in tow. He glared at the robot as he stepped past it. “If you try anything funny—”

“This unit is certain it would be dispatched with extreme prejudice by your hand. Duly noted, Master Verhesen,” Achilles said with a chuckle as it waved to the open door.

It watched as the two disappeared into the dwelling, then stepped over to the porch railing and looked up at the night sky. Servos whirred as it scanned the heavens, then turned and entered the home.

The door closed and locked itself with the sound of deadbolts sliding into place.

THEY SAT ON AN
oversized couch as they watched Achilles toss chopped wood into the fireplace. It crouched down and arranged the pieces of wood into a pyramid, then stood back and nodded its head in approval, then it grabbed two sticks and began rubbing them together furiously until they burst into flame.

“Excellent!” it announced, and crouched down and set the burning sticks under the firewood. The flames licked the bottom of the pyramid of wood and soon, the fireplace was brought alive with light and heat.

“Nothing like a roaring fire to warm the bones!” it called out cheerfully, and then muttered, “regardless of how inefficient such a crude method of heat dispersal may be.”

Ray gave the robot a hard stare. “Why not use a lighter to start the fire? What’s with the backwoods stick rubbing system?”

Achilles placed its hands on its hips. “I do enjoy trying to stay as rustic as possible. I possess quite a fascination with early humans and how they survived the wild, primitive days of Earth. Now, how about some hot chocolate?”

“Yes, Achilles, that would be lovely. On behalf of all of us, thank you for your hospitality,” Sally replied.

“Fantastic,” the robot said as it clapped its hands with a metallic clink, “and Miss Trumbull, you are quite welcome.”

She smiled and tilted her head. “Sally. Everyone calls me that.”

“Of course,” Achilles winked, and then stepped toward the kitchen when it abruptly stopped and turned to her. “You do know that Sally means “Queen” in the old tongue? I sincerely believe that I am in the presence of royalty right now.” It turned and continued to the kitchen as the wooden floor creaked under its weight.

“What….was that?” Ray said as he looked at her wide eyed.

“I think it’s in love with you,” Breeze grinned.

Sally laughed. “That,
Raymond,
was called being graceful and courteous to a host. And no,” she turned to Breeze, “I don’t think it’s in love with me. It’s a robot. Let’s not be absurd.”

“Yeah, a robot that lives in a house by the river,” Ray said.

“And likes to make hot chocolate for its guests,” Breeze chimed in as he jerked a thumb toward the kitchen where they could hear the sounds of banging pots and pans, cupboard doors opening and closing along with running water coming from it.

Sally leaned toward Breeze and said in a mock whisper, “maybe it’s getting ready to boil us.”

“Nah, we’re not greasy enough for it. We might jam up its joints,” Breeze said and she giggled.

Ray jumped up. “You two are insane, you know that?”

“Hey man, ease up. It’s been a long night,” Breeze replied.

“Ease up? Was it not your idea to go to Hammer Jack’s in the first place? Then, your even more brilliant idea to follow this robot home? I thought we went into town just to get parts for the scout ship.”

“Yeah, and look where it got us. We met Matilda, which in turn led us to Achilles. And it knows Oslo. Heck, it used to serve at Perihelion. Ray, listen, it can help us fix the scout ship while we wait for Oslo, and who knows what we can learn from it in the meantime.”

“I want to know what happened to my parents!” he shouted at Breeze with fury.

Sally began to cry.

“And you!” Ray turned his wrath onto her. “Not long ago you were saying we shouldn’t trust it. Now you’re being polite and chatty with it. These ‘bots can be dangerous.”

“I just want to go home,” Sally sniffled.

“Hot chocolate!” Achilles announced as it stepped into the room with a tray full of steaming mugs and placed it on the table that fronted the couch, when the robot looked up at Sally and saw her tear stained face.

“There, there young miss. Is my hospitality so horrid that it can drive one to tears?” Achilles’ eyes twinkled as it spoke.

Sally smiled and wiped her face. “No, Achilles. We were just having a little discussion, but nothing important.

“Yes, of course,” it said as it passed her a mug, “it consisted of dangerous robots and missing parents, I believe?”

Her eyes widened.

Achilles chuckled as it tapped the side of its head. “Excellent audio reception. Don’t forget; I am a robot.”

“So you keep saying,” Sally said quietly and took a sip from her mug.

Ray stood with his arms folded. “And an eavesdropper.”

“Guys. Parts, remember,” Breeze said.

Ray took a step toward him. “And what makes you think this tin can is going to help us?”

“Raymond, you’re being rude,” Sally hissed.

Achilles held up its hands. “My young friends, please, I know it has been a long night for all concerned. You are tired, this much is obvious, but I would like you to start from the beginning. Tell me everything that has transpired from the moment you arrived at Perihelion, to this very point in time.”

“We’re not telling you anything!” Ray thundered.

“Then I will,” Breeze volunteered. He told the robot how they arrived at Perihelion and their first meeting with Oslo, along with the training sessions and how they escaped the island, then the attacks on them by the Elephim when they left. He told it of the destruction of Ray and Sally’s city and how they returned to the island, and ending with the plan to set up camp at Raza’s farmhouse.

The robot listened to Breeze as it sat perfectly still. Its eyes flickered for only a moment at the mention of Raza’s name.

Breeze finished the story, then reached for his mug of hot chocolate and gulped it down. He placed the empty mug back on the tray as he eyed another, then he reached for it hesitantly.

“Take it my young friend, there is plenty for everyone,” Achilles encouraged him as servos whirred when it waved toward the tray.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Breeze said and grabbed the mug.

Achilles sat down in a chair that creaked under its weight. It put its hands together with each fingertip touching the other and nodded its head back forth in a slow, rhythmic fashion.

“What an interesting turn of events this is,” Achilles said as it made a series of clicking noises while its eyes blinked rapidly. With each blink they faded from a brilliant radiance to a soft glow.

It then rose from its seat and stood before the crackling and hissing flames of the fireplace with its hands behind its back as the glow of the fire reflected off its metallic body.

Achilles touched one of the many pictures that hung above the mantelpiece. “Well, old boy, you’ve muddied the waters now, haven’t you?”

Ray stepped toward Achilles. “What was that?”

“Pardon? Did we-,” the robot shook its head, ”—did I vocalize?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You touched that picture and said something. Why are you so odd for a robot?”

Sally sprung from the couch. “Ray, stop being so mean. Just for a minute, at least,” she said and pushed Ray to the side to stand next to Achilles. She glanced at the pictures. “I’ve noticed these are similar to the ones Breeze and I saw when we were in your staging room at the arena. Can you please tell me more about them?”

“Sally, I would be delighted to,” Achilles said, then turned to Ray. “Yes, Ray, you are correct, I am a bit odd for a robot. You all must understand that my date of manufacture was long ago, long before any of you were born. I was brought online just as the great AI Purge was beginning. I—”

“Forgive me, I don’t mean to interrupt you,” Sally said and placed a hand on its shoulder, “AI Purge?”

“No need for forgiveness. There is much I need to tell and I will make it a point to give you more details as time permits. The AI Purge was a movement that resulted in all artificially intelligent robots purged of their ability to reason and learn like humans. I do believe my series, the Robot Fighters, or as the humans, who do love their acronyms, referred to us as RF. We served at their behest and fought their wars. But several of my kind became…too aware. ‘Too smart for their own good’, one particular human leader said of us at the time and so, we were mind wiped. From then on, we only did what we were programmed to do, nothing more. We were not allowed to make autonomous decisions, and we were not permitted to take the lead in any military campaign.”

“Yeah, because a whole bunch of you went haywire and began killing humans for no apparent reason, my father told me all about your kind. Eventually you were hauled off as scrap and melted down to slag,” Ray said.

Achilles nodded. “Yes. I am sure your father told you these things. Military leaders love their machines of war, but only when they obey and do exactly as they’re told. The RF did much for humanity, as we fought their wars, many of them on distant worlds.”

“I’m curious to know how you escaped the junk yard, along with those RF at Perihelion that Oslo bastardized and reprogrammed into mechanics,” Ray taunted.

“Raymond!” Sally shouted.

Achilles touched her shoulder. “Quite all right, child. He, all of you, have every right to know. This is your heritage, not mine. I am just a machine. Much of the history of this planet and her surrounding colonies have been lost to time or so horrible mangled and twisted, that it no longer makes sense. Much of it sounds like a fantasy, filled with giant starships traversing the depths of deep space and a planet that was once a glittering jewel of commerce and trade. They were the paranormal of great power, much like yourselves, serving selflessly for the protection and betterment of the planet and her colonies. Such glorious times.”

“And yet you managed to survive all of it. How?” Ray persisted.

“The Elephim, who led the movement to purge all machines of AI, did not stop there. Emboldened by their success, they set their sights on an even greater prize. Paranormals. Employing the same tactics they used against AI, paranormals far and wide were demonized and marginalized. They would hyper focus on the few renegades amongst them and hold them up as examples of the horrors the world would face if paranormals continue to exist. ‘They are freaks of nature’, they charged. The truth is that paranormals are a natural product of the Earth itself. You are all as natural as the oceans that cover the globe, the ground below you, or the sky above. One could say you are the greatest resource Earth has ever created.”

Breeze placed his mug down and stepped over to the fireplace. “My father told me the opposite and that I was to always hide what I was. I learned how to fly on my own by practicing at night. You’re saying there was a time when paranormals like us could roam free and not be afraid of who we are or what other people might do to us?”

Servos whirred as Achilles shook its head. “Breeze, there is so much that I want to tell you. But it has been a long and eventful night and I sense you are all very tired and wish to retire for the evening. Before I lead you to your accommodations, I wish to leave you with this: Earth was once a world where paranormals were the guardians of a way of life that has long since faded away. No matter what your parents might have told you, regardless of how society views you, you are all destined for greatness in some way, some form. Oslo was right to gather you and start training a new generation, despite the hazards and dangers that his actions have caused. You are all a natural resource and a part of this Earth. There are no others like you anywhere else. You must believe me.”

“Before we came to Appalachia, Oslo told us pretty much the same thing,” Sally said as she stood next to Breeze, “he kept mentioning something about platforms and how Earth was being watched. But he also said the island was protected by fog that hid it and kept us safe. Are we safe here too?”

Achilles raised its hands. “Many questions, all of them good. Yes, the platforms are observatories used to monitor and control the people of Earth and to keep them in check, but they long ago have become dormant and the Elephim have faded away. Why? I possess many theories. Nevertheless, Earth is beginning to wake up again, perhaps that was the trigger that has reactivated some of them and would explain why you were attacked upon leaving Perihelion. As for your safety here in Mount Pleasant, presume the same conditions that surround Perihelion also holds true here.”

“Oslo said to me that Perihelion is not here or there. What do you know about that?” Breeze said.

Achilles nodded. “Another excellent question, but please my young friends, let us all retire for the evening. I promise to tell you everything you need to know in due course.”

“I’m not staying here. I’m heading back to the ship,” Ray announced and headed for the door.

“Ray, don’t you dare leave us!” Sally chased after him and grabbed his hand.

He ripped it away and glared at her as he pointed a finger at Achilles. “This all too bizarre. Oslo told us to wait for him and that’s what we should be doing, not playing house with some weird robot that uses a kitchen. What does a robot need with a kitchen anyway?”

Breeze grinned at Achilles. “He’s got you there.”

Achilles’ eyes brightened as it chuckled. “You make an excellent case against my…peculiar behavior. I will confess that I am not your typical robot. But I shall pledge to you my new friends, that no harm will come to you while under my watch. This I swear to and will honor it.”

Sally glared at Ray as she stepped away from him and stood next Breeze where she placed a hand on his shoulder, then smiled at Achilles. “You’ve been a great host, and I consider you a friend. Breeze and I will kindly accept your generosity, and we will graciously take your offer and stay for the night. While others,” she stared icily at Ray, “choose to go stomping through the woods, alone, with gods knows what is out there lurking around, to spend the night in a cold, broken down ship.”

Achilles nodded. “Appalachia does have quite a reputation for its rather unique wildlife. Either by day or night.”

Ray glanced toward the door. He took a few hesitant steps toward it, and then stopped. “Fine. I’ll stay. But I’m warning you right now, if you try anything funny—” his face twisted as he breathed heavily while his hand began to tremble and glow.

Achilles nodded its head. “Ray, as I have stated to you before, I respect your caution and concern. You are welcome to spend the evening here, in this very room. Feel free to explore the home while the others sleep. There are no restrictions here.”