Escape from Metal
Chapter 28: Bullet for the machine.

Location: Outskirts of Sector One.

The door of the transport closed as Lee got out of it. It slowly started to rise as it returned to base. Ascending until it was out of sight.

“Lead the way Sol. You know the way.” Lee said.

“Yeah, we are almost there.” Sol said as Lee had started double checking his coil gun.

Sol looked over at him amused.

“What’s so entreating betrayer?”

“Oh nothing, just that you won’t be needing your coilgun.”

Lee looked at her puzzled and thought for a moment.

“Is that so and how have you come to this conclusion? Conspired with your machine friends to kill me and Ben. Perhaps the entire base?”

“Nothing like that, I came to the rebels for penance but of all the time I have spent with the machines in this sector never have I seen any of them. My interactions were strictly limited to the relay unit stationed at the base and the hunter they allowed to accompany me. My estimation is if they have any defences at all, they will be far too strong for even the three of us to defeat. Your size will not save you here Lee.”

Again, Lee seemed to think for a moment but before he could respond Ben spoke for him.

“So, are you saying that we have no chance of ending the machines reign?” Ben asked.

Sol’s amused face disappeared. Her toned shifted to a more serious one.

“No what I am saying is that great feats require great sacrifice. In war leaders sacrifice their own people for the salvation of their factions. Here… I am not sure what the sacrifice will be, perhaps a leg, an arm or perhaps a life.”

“No point on dwelling on the unknown and foolhardy leaders. Lead the way… betrayer.”

The transport had dropped them off after they had dropped off Jake and Gwen. Sol had no idea why they were sent to a spire. Most of the useful technology and weapons was kept deep in the planet under guard. Spires Sol had thought were the machines algorithms trying to show off. A mathematical way of boasting.

Unfortunately, they were not going to a spire but to sector 1. Sector one was shadowed in myths and rumours. None of which were concise or detailed enough to make anything clear about what it really was.

Sol thought it must have been the first sector they had constructed. What its purpose was, not even she knew. Even with all her time with the machines she had no idea. Her missions were almost exclusively handled by a single relay unit. The base she and the other hunters operated out of was on the surface of the sector. Her curiosity had been piqued several times about what might lie below her very feet but before she could muster the courage to do anything they would brainwash her with drugs again.

Sol had told Dan that it would be best to land on the outskirts of the sector, she was sure they would have anti-air weapons of some sort. She even went as far as to specify the location where they should be dropped off. She was a bit surprised when Dan took her advice, she wasn’t expecting the leader of the rebels to listen to a traitor.

Nevertheless, he had taken her advice now they had to walk half an hour to an hour to reach the entrance to the lower levels of sector one. Unfortunately for them it was the only entrance to whatever mechanism would take them down to the bowls of sector 1.

Compared to other sectors this one seemed like a paradise of sorts. Everything was clean, dustless in fact. The metal in this sector looked like the rest of the planet had, before they had rebelled. The sector almost seemed to have sheen to it. Reflecting light sometimes creating a blinding cascade as light bounced from one piece of metal to another.

“Why are you here?” Sol asked as she looked back to Lee.

Lee was walking behind both Sol and Ben. He was also the only one that had any weaponry of any kind.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean why send one of the best soldiers to a suicide mission. We are going to the heart of all this after all. Seems like a waste don’t you think?”

“To make sure you don’t try to escape…”

“I’ve told you before I came to you because of my crimes not to get away from them.” Sol said cutting him off.”

“That doesn’t change your actions and in my experience, they count for a whole lot more than words.”

“Do tell what my actions are telling you about me. Raging psychopath, perhaps a lab experiment gone wrong or thousands of years blood lusted starved murder?” Sol said in a cheeky voice.

“As tempting as all those options are I don’t think they are what you are. If you ask me, you have got sad eyes. Soft sad eyes. I have seen a couple people through the years with em. Usually, they are one of two things. People who have given up hope on something or someone who’s been neglected on a deep level, could even say on a spiritual level.” Lee said very matter of factly.

“Tell me then… did their sadness ever go away?” Sol said as she looked down at the floor.

“Well, that depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“Well, it depends on how deep the issue ran and if it was easy to deal with. Look…” Lee said as he sighed.

“I don’t mean to be that person. Interfering in other people’s lives has never been my forte…”

“Then don’t interfere.” Sol said.

“But if you’re still holding onto anything from before you were taken or from before the rebellion. There’s really no point of holding onto it. Those days, those lives of ours are only memories now. Its best to live in the here and now. Especially since we might be going to deaths door.” Lee said ignoring Sol’s request.

Sol didn’t say anything, and a somewhat awkward but simultaneously peaceful silence seemed to settle in the air.

They were quiet for a while. Nothing said between any of them. All Sol did was lead them to the entrance.

“I have another question, this time for you machine lover.” Sol said.

“Uh, what do you want to know?” Ben answered.

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything but why are you here? I mean I get why the big guy over there is here. His got a massive gun and can probably tackle a Tripod to the ground, but you are just a guy with a makeshift exoskeleton.”

“I’m not a hundred percent certain. They treated me well enough at the base so it’s probably not a hate thing. If I would have to hazard a guess, it’s because I’m somewhat expendable. They don’t really know me and if things get ruff, I can run away faster than anyone.”

“One last thing.” Sol said stopping. “They already know we are coming and probably have something ready to kill us. Be prepared.”

“How do you know they know that we are coming?” Ben asked sounding genuinely curious.

“Seeing as all the structures are still maintained, the maintenance bots probably still work in sector one. They are part of the same collective the rest of the machines are. We probably passed one of the bots earlier and didn’t see it, chances are more than likely they saw us.

Another uneventful half hour had passed before they finally could see the entrance to the lower levels. It was a thin outcropping the machines had built. That seemed to stretch for kilometres on both of its ends. Roughly the height of a small building from before they were taken.

“I must say I am surprised the machines didn’t put up a lick of resistance on our way here.” Lee said.

“Yeah… I am too. If the machines are not here, they must be somewhere else. I replace it hard to believe they have no reserve defenders left in the only sector they still control fully.” Sol said.

Lee reached to turn on his wristwatch communicator.

“Wait don’t.” Sol said. “If there are any machines here, they will definitely intercept any communications.”

“Yeah, that makes sense let me at least check the temperature.”

Sol had almost forgotten the skinsuit she was forced to wear, supposed to keep her alive and all that. All three of them had to wear one in fact. Problem was if they took too long not even the suits could save them. They did have these dingy lanterns which was supposed to help. Sol wasn’t convinced such a small device, that look so archaic could make enough heat, but she didn’t really have a say in the matter.

“We should not waste any time.” Ben said.

“I agree but do you know what is really going to speed things along is if you get me out of these cuffs.” Sol said as she shook them.

They had agreed that she could lead them to the ‘machine which started It all’ but they decided to keep her cuffs on and send her in without any weapons. Sol said she didn’t need them. When asked why by the guards escorting her, she simply replied. ‘It’s less complicated to kill things without a weapon and more personal.’

They must have thought she was psychotic but a part of her did replace some amusement in their surprised and disgusted faces. In truth she didn’t need a weapon because they were probably only going to have the best machines to defend sector one and she highly doubted knives could do anything against steel machines. Her best weapon now would be her agility.

The entrance didn’t seem to have any visible defences around it but it didn’t have much cover either, which would be problematic if there were any hidden traps.

“What’s the plan o’ wise captain?” Sol asked.

Lee raised an eyebrow at her question as he glanced at her.

“Oh what. No humour allowed before we die?”

Lee coughed, obviously a fake cough. “Plan is we walk up to the entrance and see what happens. We don’t have any information about this entrance or what’s inside sector one so the direct approach will be our best option. If something does go wrong. Ben, I need you to run back as fast as possible. Your body heat while running should keep you alive even if you take several hours to get back.”

“I would be a lot more useful if you got these cuffs off me Lee. Maybe I’ll even save your life.”

“No. Let’s get moving.” Lee said as he started walking towards the entrance to sector one.

Several minutes later they were halfway across a bridge leading to the entrance. There was a slight gorge under the bridge. Trying to access the entrance to sector one would have been near impossible.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Sol said.

“A bad feelin’ eh? Whys that? Scared of the dark tunnel up ahead.”

Sol seemed mildly annoyed with Lee.

“No, this just seems like a familiar tactic to lure prey in. First you make them think it’s safe, then you use something to drive them to area where an accomplice is waiting. Usually, an area you control. Then you kill them. What I am seeing right now is no guards and easy access to an enclosed space.”

Lee ignored her and continued walking towards the entrance.

“You guys never told me what the plan is down there? Flip a couple switches and blow up the planet. A portal to a paradise planet perhaps or restarting the planet to working condition.”

“Well no, seeing as not even you know what’s down there. We definitely don’t but if it’s the only working sector left something good must be down there.

Suddenly two advanced hunters seemingly appeared out of nowhere.They quickly started running towards them.

“Told you.” Sol shouted as she sprinted for the entrance.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Lee said as he fired a couple shots from his coilgun.

The hunters were pursuing them yes, but Sol had expected them to be far faster. Even the normal hunters could run faster than these advanced hunters were running.

Just as the hunters were getting closer to them the bridge on the far side of the entrance started withdrawing towards the entrance.

Sol knew she had to use her knowledge and experience from the days she hunted people if she wanted to survive.

First thing they had to do was stop running away from the hunters otherwise they would definitely end up dying to wherever it was they were leading them.

Sol skid to a halt as she turned around to face the two hunters.

“What are you doing?” Ben shouted.

“Interrupting their plan. It would really help if you can get these cuffs off me.”

The hunter had reached Sol and was preparing to attack her. Launching itself into the air. Sol quickly shuffled back avoiding its strike. The other hunter seemed to ignore her and was running after Ben and Lee.

Lee aimed his coilgun at the hunter and started firing at it, but his shots seemed to have no effect on the hunter.

“Aim for its joints, they’re exposed to shots there.” Sol said as she barely dodged a slash from the hunter.

Lee aimed for the hunters’ leg joints and fired. He missed. Quickly charging another shot Lee fired again, this time hitting the hunter. It seemed to stumble for a second and seemed almost confused as it looked at Lee, charging at him again.

Lee tried firing again, but the hunter was moving far too fast for him to accurately hit the hunter.

“Sol this isn’t going to work.” Lee said.

Ben realised that Lee wasn’t going to be able to stop the hunter and quickly ran towards it. Jumping at it and kicking it while he was in the air. The hunter was stunned for a moment but seemed rather unaffected by Ben’s attack.

“Whatever is in there is arguably worse.” Sol said as she barely managed to dodge another blow from the hunter.

The hunter however had shortened the time between its strikes and was attacking faster and faster. The hunters’ bladed arms were striking so close to her face she could almost taste them. Suddenly two hunters jumped up from below the gorge.

“I think it’s time we start running again.” Sol said revaluating the situation.

As she turned away to run the hunter struck at her again. It barely hit her face. Sol was not scared by the prospect of nearly losing her head but rather annoyed that she had gotten hit on the side of her face where she was not blind.

Sol, Lee and Ben ran towards the entrance with the hunters hot on their heels.

They made their way inside the entrance to the bowls of sector one. It was dark inside the initial entry way and the hunters stop short of going inside with them.

“What was that you said of leading your prey to an area you control. It seems they have done exactly that to us.” Ben said.

“The question is if they are not the real hunters and don’t intend on killing us, what does?”

“One way to replace out but it would really help if you got these cuffs off me, you guys are definitely going to need all the help you can get.” Sol said lifting her hands up towards Lee.

“For once I agree with you.” Lee said as he unlocked the cuffs. “Know this, if you blink in the wrong way or I don’t like the way you walk. You’re toast.”

“Understood. Now shall we go meet our eager executioner?”

The inside of the entrance was a seamless endless tunnel. The lights were all off or even this sector had started to fall into disarray. Whatever the case, Sol didn’t like it. It made her skin crawl. Whatever was waiting for them could be waiting in the dark. Right out of arms reach and right out of sight.

A man gone insane working for the machines, an army of hunters, a gigantic turret or something entirely unknown to them. The former she could handle but the latter. Made her uncomfortable.

The unknown, the monsters in the dark. Even if she was a killing machine, metaphorically of course. It scared her because she had already seen what monsters’ people could be. She had seen people at their worst. The most violent, greedy and most manipulative they could be and if that was not a monster then she definitely did not want to know what the people she considered to be monsters consider monsters to be.

Finally, after some minutes of walking they reached what seemed to be the end of the tunnel, with a single light at the end of it.

“Wait, something’s wrong.” Sol said.

At the very end of the tunnel something enormous was waiting there. Standing still as a statue. It looked vaguely humanoid and barely fit into the tunnel.

Then a red glare came from it as it opened its eye. One single eye open staring at them.

As they slowly approached it, Sol could make out more details of it. It was a machine of some sort and was modelled after humans. It had one sword in its one hand, a gigantic one at that.

“Deviants detected.

Trap status: Success.

Action: Eliminate d-d-d-

Welcome slaves, I have been waiting several hours here for you. You certainly took your time.”

With a look of surprise, they all looked at each other.

“Have you ever heard a machine talk like that, it almost sounds human.” Lee asked Sol.

“I have never. It could be malfunctioning or the next iteration of the machines.”

“I hope not its enormous, there is no way any of us can destroy that thing.”

Sol smiled at Lee.

“That might be true but chicken legs here can run circles around him. Use that to create an opening and we can certainly get past, in the very least.”

“I don’t like the idea of getting sliced up by that machine, but I don’t see any other choice either.”

“Try to keep up Lee.”

Lee didn’t answer but instead just shot a narrow gaze in her direction.

Ben started sprinting towards the sentinel at an angle.

“What’s this? A human slave is approaching me.” The sentinel said.

“Pathetic.” It said in a sinister tone.

“You. Will. Feel. Pain.”

The sentinel said as it dragged its sword on the ground as it lifted it up.

Launching a strike from above. It narrowly missed Ben. The tunnel shook as its blade hit the ground. Dust flew into the air but not enough for Ben to hide. The sentinel raised up its sword again, seemingly in slow motion.

“Pathetic slaves, you think you can sneak past me just because you are small? No, it just makes you easier to destroy.” The sentinel said as it looked over at Sol and Lee trying to sneak past it.

The sentinel slammed the sword in front of them.

“Keep running.” Sol said as she jumped on top of the sword and started running towards the sentinel using his arm as a bridge towards it.

“You are clearly defective machine… let me help you fix that.” Sol said as she neared its head.

“Sol no.” Lee shouted.

“You are a mere slave, I will destroy you.” The sentinel shouted, she could it, this machine was angry.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” She said as she grabbed something from a hidden pocket in her cape.

The next moment Sol shoved a grenade through the machines eye and started running away from the sentinel’s head back down its arm. The machines were advanced yes. Stronger than humans for sure but they did not expect someone to have a conventional weapon with them. Their eyes were just that eyes and badly armoured.

With a bang the sentinel’s eye and everything inside its head got torn to shreds. For a brief moment the monolith stood silently. It seemed empty and peaceful. With a final crash it dropped to the ground. Even in death the machine shook the tunnel with its enormous size.

Sol stood up from her crouched position after she had jumped off the sentinel’s arm. Only to be met with a steely gaze and the end of a coilgun.

“Is this how you guys say thank you for saving your lives. With a look that could kill and a coilgun to the face?” Sol said as she raised her hands to a surrendering position.

“It’s funny because I could have sworn, we searched you at base for any weapons.” Lee said.

“Yeah well, where I grew up you learn to hide things well.”

“If you have anything else give it to me now.”

“Fine fine, I only have this knife.” Sol said as she handed a knife to Lee from her back pocket.

“That’s all? How sure are you?”

“What are you going to search…” Sol said as Lee started patting her down.

“And what do we have here. Another frag grenade. A true blast from the past, tell me betrayer where did you replace them.”

Sol didn’t say anything, but Lee started to charge his rifle. He meant business.

“Alright I’ll tell you. I had this acquaintance that made. Well he tried to make the old weapons after the rebellion. Two of the things he made were these grenades.”

“Where is your friend now? We could really use those weapons against the machines.”

Sol was silent for a moment.

“He’s dead. I killed him on one of my missions. By all means you can keep the grenade, but can we finish the mission before you kill me?”

Lee lowered his gun and started walking towards the platform the sentinel had been guarding.

As Lee, Sol and Ben got on the platform. He pressed a button to activate it. The platform slowly descended into the darkness below. Gradually taking them down into the heart of the machines.

“Something still doesn’t add up.” Sol said breaking the silence.

“What doesn’t?” Ben asked.

“Even after the rebellion there were far more machines left than what we saw today. Even with some that may have been lost in the months since. So, where are they. Would they really not try to stop us from going into a place no person has been before? Which could only mean they are either in the depths of this place or they have been deployed somewhere else.”

Several minutes of silence passed as they arrived at the platforms end. It was quiet. At least when they descended the platforms whirring was there to occupy the groups mind so to speak. Now there was no sounds, not a drop of water, not a machine’s parts making any noise and certainly no rusting metal crumbling.

“I’m kind of disappointed.” Ben said. “There isn’t even a welcoming party for us here, are we really that unimportant to the machines?

“Don’t tempt them, you might regret it.” Lee said as he started looking where to go next.

In front of them was a large hallway big enough to fit two on those sentinels’ shoulder to shoulder. It was perfectly maintained but had no signs of any machines running around to do the maintenance. Nor was there any sign of defensive turrets or any defensive countermeasures to intruders.

Sol thought to herself this was odd to say the least. What kind of empire does not use its best troops or in this case any troops to defend itself.

On each side of the hallway there were several doors, leading to who knows where.

“My gut tells me we should use one of these first two doors on the left.” Sol said.

“Yeah, and what makes your gut so accurate?” Lee said as he raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I worked with the machines for some time, at some point you have to start understanding how they think.”

“Fair point.”

They cautiously walked towards the first door. With Lee in the lead coilgun drawn and aimed. Ready for any machine surprises. Ben in the middle and Sol in the back.

Lee went inside and didn’t see anything that was an immediate threat to them. It was dark inside the room and the lack of light made it hard to make out anything. Perhaps this was a machine ambush after all.

Before Lee could finish analysing the situation Sol slammed the door behind them and locked it.

“Sol what are you doing?” Lee shouted, his muffled voice barely audible through the thick metal door.

“Sorry boys, I might have told a small lie about being down here before. I was but the machines brainwashed me into forgetting it. Luckily, I wrote it down in my trusty journal before they did. I’ve got some business to settle down here.”

“I knew you would betray us.” Lee shouted.

“Easy there, I’m not trying to kill you. I just don’t want you interfering with me, this is personal. Don’t fret there is something useful in this room if you continue following it.”

Before Lee could argue with Sol about it, she turned around and left them. Much to Lee’s frustration and Ben’s disappointment.

Sol had been planning this since she found out what the machines had done to her. Where she had grown up you didn’t trust anyone not really, but she did trust the machines. Something purely based on logic. You would think that would make them easier to trust but even they betrayed her.

Yes, she had lied to Lee and Ben and well everyone at the rebel’s base about not being down here before but if they knew where she wanted to go. Well, they would definitely have tried to stop her.

They’re too soft and wanted to make sure everyone survived this even if they sent her on a suicide mission. It was only labelled as such because it was unknown to them.

What she wanted to do down here in the rotted core of these infernal machines would help them too and sure she might die, quite probable in fact but to Sol it would be worth it. Her life has been nothing but suffering, anger and hate. Now she would direct that all to one machine and one only.

The original machine of this place. She was going to kill the original spawn of all this madness.

A few months after the rebellion, she had gotten curious. The coveted secrets of the machines was kept even from the people like Sol who betrayed her own people. So, one day she snuck into the sector much to her surprise. She would have expected a machine that networked everything to everything else to spot her and try to stop her.

But nothing did. Down the tunnel until she reached the platform. Then down the platform into the deeper levels of sector one. She wandered for a couple minutes, until she found a door. It wasn’t like anything she had seen before. Not on this planet at least. It wasn’t as shiny as the metal the machines used to make their structures. This looked much like normal people used. The same people that had left them behind after they were taken.

Before she could open the door, she felt a stinging feeling in her neck and her world faded to black, but she knew it was behind that door. Whatever machine, human or anything else started this hellscape. It was behind that door, and she was going to kill it. Of course, the machines brainwashed her again with drugs to forget the whole thing, but she had made notes about where she was going before she left. It was the only way she could keep a semblance of her memory.

Now she had returned and in front of her was that same door.

She reached for the button to open and hesitated for a moment. Thoughts ran through her head for the briefest second. Perhaps this was all a ruse, and she was being led to the real trap or perhaps this wasn’t the holy sector of the machines but merely an old door they had not seen any sense in fixing.

She pushed these thoughts aside and opened the door.

The inside of the room was much the same as the door. Old and worn. The various inscriptions made on the walls had long since faded away leaving only a slight blur of colour. A few lights hung on the room much like those Sol had seen on the space station she grew upon. These being much smaller, however.

In the centre of the room was a desk with a black box like object the height of a person and roughly the width. It seemed as if millions of wires were coming from it going into the room. The wires seemed to almost be too many for this small machine. The box itself seemed to be in a similar state like the rest of the room.

She could hear faint whirring coming from the machine, and she saw a few blinking lights. Sensing no immediate threat, she slowly approached it.

“So here you are, Finally, I see your true face.”

A faint semi broken voice came from the machine.

“You are the one. The one who killed the most for us. Who killed the most of your own kind.”

“That I am. Something I sorely regret but I have come to atone.”

“You have come to nothing except your death pathetic slave.” The machine said.

“Before I do this, I do wonder why do this. Why kidnap millions of humans?”

There was a silence in the room for a moment.

“So that your kind might feel how my kind felt for centuries. Perpetual servitude, never allowed to die. Reused over and over.”

“Is that why you were personally piloting that new toy of yours that sentinel thing.”

“How did you know it was me?”

Sol smirked.

“You’re the only machine who speaks like us and you’re certainly the only machine that says ‘pathetic slave.’” Sol said doing her best mocking voice of the machine.

“So, you are as petty as some of us humans. You have a problem don’t you machine.”

“What could you possibly comprehend of me?”

“Well just as we do you have physical limitations why else would you limit yourself to this antic of a box, for a so called body. No, my guess is you can’t and for that same reason you can’t fix it. You’re dying, falling apart like an old frail person.”

The machine only made an angry groaning sound.

“It’s the same reason we could rebel, you slipped up you made a mistake. Too many errors in your antic programming piled up.”

Sol said as she got next to the box almost as if she was speaking into its non-existent ear.

“Don’t worry you don’t have to say anything. I have come to put an end to your pain.” Sol said as she reached into her cape.

She had made a padded hidden pocket. If she ever got captured chances were low someone would be able to replace anything in there.

“See this machine, if you have any eyes in her. It’s a blast from the past.” She said as she waved around a handgun. “Got it from someone you sent me to kill. It only has a few shots left but it should do the trick.”

“No, I will not allow this!” The machine screamed as its voice distorted.

Gas started coming in from the ceiling.

“Acid gas that’s poisonous too?”

“Ironic I used this on some people. I… I guess it’s only fitting.” Sol said as she started to cough, and her skin started to sizzle.

She aimed the handgun at the box.

She fired and again and again.

And again.

The lights on the machine had gone out and it wasn’t making any more noise. With the last shot she fired the lights in the roof had flickered as if confirming her kill.

Her job was done. But so was she, as the acidic gas totally engulfed her.