Escape from Metal
Chapter 13: Introduction to the flames

Location: Slave Camp.

Clanking of chains, clanking of the chains everyday a chorus of them clattered around Gwen at all hours. Push and pulling of them. Pushing and pulling of her.

Then there were the forges that always smelted, always burnt the night away. They burned and they burned. The overseers were very clear that the forges were to be maintained and kept active always and so it was. There was always someone to keep it burning.

Such would have to be her determination if she was to escape the grasp of the slavers. She would have to have an indomitable and unceasing determination as the forges around her. Unlike the forges however she would not show her strength.

But she would appear as those around her those men and women who became walking skeletons. They toiled long hours and suffered more than most of the slaves. They were the people the slavers used as examples.

No one knew exactly what they were smelting the torn down walls and salvaged machines for, but no one had dared yet to ask. Those that have didn’t last very long.

They were the ones who were starved for days, beaten and caged for all to see so that not a single hand nor a single eye would be raised in protest or far less imaginable in rebellion.

Gwen however knew what she needed, and she would carry out her plan without fail and she was all the more patient for it.

She knew high above them all a woman sat, above the forges above the pain and cruelty. She was the one in power and she watched over them all. For the slightest twitch out of place or the slightest hesitation to do her bidding.

None knew her name, but all knew her by reputation and by sight if they were so unfortunate to see her. She was without mercy but not without grace. Routinely executing who she pleased and doing it in such a way that she seemed both terrifying and as if she was having fun, as sick as her fun was.

From the few glances Gwen had taken in passing close by to her tower she could make out several details of her the tower. The tower was located in the center of the pit and seemed to have heavy armour plating except for the glass view port on the front side of it but if she were to hazard a guess the glass was reinforced too.

The only recess that the camp would have from her mad ways was when she would go out with hunting parties to replace more “participants” for her operation.

Gwen was awakened by the sun cutting through the broken and rusted metal that sheathed them, a circular floor encompassed them. Gwen guessed that they were actually in a blocked pit.

For the first time in a quite a few weeks she had not awakened to colder mornings. She thought it must’ve been the forges that were always burning metal. It helped a little to not wake up to cold corpses around or in the nearby cages.

Almost as soon as the sun had risen the workers of the day’s chains started singing the symphony of sorrows as she had come to call it. Hundreds upon thousands rose to slave away and for some to erode away.

After a few minutes the chain on her ankle started tugging her forwards. By now she knew the routine, it was time for food. Well, what passed for food here, she much preferred what the machines had made in the past over this gunk.

At least that had some nutritional value as bad as it may have tasted. This… this was just something to keep you thinking that you had eaten. In truth most knew that it wasn’t, but they would rather eat something than face the reality of starvation.

For now, she had to comply but she would observe everything around her she still could learn a lot.

“Hey, hurry up.” A deep voice demanded as she received the gray food as it splatted onto her metal sheet.

In return she narrowed her eyes as she passed him. She wanted to teach him a lesson, but she couldn’t afford to waste energy not on him or waste any time on him for that matter.

She wanted to teach him a lesson not because he angered her, no she knew that was impossible but because of the suffering he caused the others. Some of the slaves were weak of months of labour but she knew he shared the same fate as everyone else here.

She could only last so long on this goop. She estimated she could probably only last a week or two more. The goop was gray and clumped together on the piece of metal she was given to eat on. It didn’t help that her ramshackle plate had holes in it.

She guessed that was the only advantage of the food clumping together, for it not to fall onto the floor but for all she cared it could it wasn’t like she was going to eat much of it anyway.

So, she gave it to one of the emaciated slaves standing in the queue he was eager to get his extra fill of nothing, As his eyes went wide at the prospect of extra food and he leaned forwards as she handed him the plate. He almost instantaneously sucked it all up.

“What a waste.” She said softly to herself.

Gwen needed to establish the inner workings of the social structure of the slave camp once she did that she could start working on her actual plan of escape or at least replace someone that knew more about how it worked than she did.

But before she could do that a man whose shoulders were twice as wide as the width of her body, who stood at least a head and a half taller than her grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Hey, tiny we need you on light cables.” He said as he dragged her towards a hanging piece of metal of which she couldn’t make out what it was.

Most of the parts of whatever they were building were hang from the dome’s ceiling to have its final components installed. Giant ominous chunks that hung from the ceiling, they didn’t exactly inspire a feeling of safety. It was not unheard of for a chain to snap and crush everyone under or on it.

All she could see is men and women welding and cutting all over the chunks. Sparks flew everywhere to her it was blinding as the cacophony of noises were deafening. Smaller pieces were constantly being hoisted to be welded to the giant chunks.

After the man had dragged her for a few minutes and she observed people working on the scaffolding. Their faces were hard labourers faces. Smeared in oil and dust. None of them paid any attention to her. She guessed the skinny and average weight people didn’t last long.

Once they had climbed several flights of stairs and gotten to an opening of the side of the hulk the man threw some cables in front of her.

This was the first opportunity that she had to take a good look at him. He was a strong built man, obviously he had been here a while and had survived somehow. His eyes were covered in welding goggles, and he had shaven all his hair off but before she could look any further he pointed into the small gap. Now she saw why he needed her it was just big enough for her to fit in, perhaps not even she could.