Escape from Metal
Chapter 4: Machine Hell

Flickers of light then nothing but Darkness... Darkness was all there was. That’s all Ben could see, nothing. He thought that he must have died. He had hoped that wherever he was going would have more of a welcoming committee. He hoped that Jake survived the encounter with the four-armed monstrosity even if he had to be the sacrifice to make it a reality.

Ben thought that he would at least have no pain in the land of the dead, but man was his back killing him. He couldn’t even check what was wrong with it. Each time he tried to turn to check he would get a small amount of pain shooting up his back.

The passage of time became his torture, he knew time was moving but couldn’t tell how fast it was moving. It was pure agony minutes could be hours and hours could be minutes. Seconds could turn into days. As he waited unsure as to what to do.

“At least I get wherever this is all to myself” Ben said to himself.

“And no scary four-armed killing machines with a beady eye...” He said as he cut himself off as he sighed. “Well, this suck.” Ben said loudly.

Even talking to himself had its limits and thinking wasn’t much use, how many times could he replay the same memories before he went insane. All he had for company was himself and a low hum resonating throughout wherever he was.

He tried to replace something around him to entertain himself, but he couldn’t get up. There was barrier above him, and the floor was hard and lumped. There was nothing around him.

Had he done something so grievous in his life that this was his punishment absolute nothingness. A whole infinite of nothing to himself.

After what felt like forever Ben could hear the shifting of pieces of metal. He thought that hell would not have any metal and more fire and screaming. None of that was present only the low hum and the clicking and clacking of metal. Which was growing louder ever so slowly.

After some time, Ben could hear footsteps and they were big. Big enough to make the hair on his arms stand up. They were dragging slowly moving whatever metal was in its way. When he thought that whatever it was, was going to crush him it stopped.

Nothing but silence for a few seconds. His heart was racing in his ear. The sweat was drifting down his forehead. His breathing got slightly faster. The pain in his back seemed to run away at the sound, at least for the moment.

Then he heard mechanical movement, he braced himself for whatever was about to come ready to jump up and fight as he clenched his fists.

Metal above him screamed as the roof above him was ripped away and in its place two red eyes stared into his soul.

Ben’s thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of what was happening, had he survived and now two of those mechanical beasts pursed him?

A giant robotic foot appeared as it ripped away more of the shell encompassing Ben and then... the eyes just stared at him.

“D-d-designation, organic human.” A robotic voice said as it glitched. “D-directive unknown.”

“What do you want with me?”He asked nervously trying to make out more of the creature.

“Processing, result inconclusive.”

The creature moved, facing Ben from a more centred point. He could hear some kind of locking sound coming from the creature. He guessed it was something to help it stand easier for longer.

It stood motionless its red eyes stared at Ben like an inquisitive child looking at a stranger. Not entirely sure what they were looking at but kept looking anyway.

Ben tried to sit upright to look at the creature, but he felt as if someone had hit his lower back a thousand times over whilst they were stabbing him as well. He had hoped the pain would stay away for longer.

He groaned in agony as the pain continued to shoot through his back.

“Well, I’m definitely not doing that again.” He said as he resigned himself to not trying to sit upright.

The angle that he was lying at allowed him to see most of the robot.

It was still standing in exactly the same position. Nothing but darkness surrounded him and the robot. There was no wind and no sunlight just the consistent low humming and his red eyes.

As he lay there, he noticed sparking coming from both sides of the robot.

The occasional sparking gave Ben a rough idea of the shape of the machine. It was a giant hulk that stood at least 4 meters tall. It had two legs that had plating on them and he could make out a circular shape on its back.

“You’re a guy, aren’t you?” The robot remained motionless, as it kept its red eyes focused on him.

“There’s nothing around me which I can use to create a structure to support me so that I can walk I some way, perhaps you can use your prehensile feet to gather some components I can use?”

Ben surprised himself with the terminology he was using. He must have breathed in more smoke in the spire than he thought.

The robot unlocked its knees and started walking closer to Ben. It didn’t look around or to the sides but simple walk slowly towards him. Its sole focus being Ben, he wasn’t sure if its intent was malicious or curiosity. He hoped it was like a child coming to take a look at something new, rather than a 2-ton robot coming to squish an annoying bug.

Its feet kept thudding until it was only a few meters from him. The machine stopped. A deep voice boomed in the empty dark silence as it leaned slightly towards Ben.

“Query not recognised please specify or expand parameters set.”

Suddenly a great flash of blinding light appeared above Ben and the robot.

Ben groaned in anguish as it felt as a thousand tiny needles where being jammed into his eyes as he tried in vain to block out the light with his hand.

“Damn what is that... where is that light coming from.” He said as he groaned.

“Query recognised, files corrupted, external source needed to validate files.” The machine said as it turned around and started walking away.

A constant thudding sound as the lumbering mass walked away as it faded into the blinding light.

“Bipedal hulk machine come back. Giant, blue-eyed robot … thing come back.” Ben said as he desperately tried to crawl-follow the robot.

With each leopard crawl motion Ben will himself through the blinding light. He could barely make out where he was going all he could do was feel. Feel the harsh metal around him. He could only try not to get cut or stabbed by the jarring pieces scattered about.

Ben could only drag his numb legs forwards as the sweat accumulated on his brow and as the skin got slowly dragged off of his elbows as he slogged forwards.

Then he came to the precipice of it. He came to a cliff of the towering mountain of metal he was on. He accidentally knocked some scrap down the cliff. It slowly turned in the rusty laden air as it fell down with a clicking and clatter.

The scrap awoken an illuminated ocean of colours below him. It seemed like a rainbow of colours. Probably the nicest thing he had seen in a while.

Then another burst of light appeared above him. Ben couldn’t see much of it but he could hear things falling on the mountains of metal. Then the light was gone in an instant. After a few seconds Ben’s eyes re-adjusted enough so that he could make out what was going on.

In the distance directly below where the light had appeared two pairs of white lights were bobbing around and then the see of rainbow lights seemed to be drawn towards these lights. As the see of rainbow light rush towards it.

The two white lights seemed to move frantically from one side of the heap to the other but as the lights got closer and closer to them, they moved more to the middle until they were completely engulfed by the lights.

Ben could hear distorted robotic screaming right before whatever it was, was engulfed.

A thought occurred to Ben that made his heart jump slightly. Whatever this was didn’t seem too friendly and probably was the type of sea that he had known. He had to get out of here. He had to move. But he was in no condition to go anywhere.

He would just have to defend himself. So, he grabbed the nearest pole with a reasonable point at its end rolled onto his back and waited for the slow-moving wave to come. The seconds seemed to stretch and last forever.

Even if it was just fireflies or some other obscene creature, it was the thought. The thought of the unknown that was eating him up from the inside. His heart was pounding faster and still in his helplessness he felt ready. After all he couldn’t do much except poke whatever it was.

Then they came streaming towards him. Ben frantically jabbed in front of him then next to him and wherever else he saw the lights. He was surround but instead of something ripping him to shreds he was greeted with the sound of rusted metal being broken and the clatter of it falling apart. The grinding of old gears trying to turn and the occasional sparking of exposed wires.

After a dozen seconds of constant jabbing and grunting Ben realised something was off. These weren’t fireflies or an ocean of metal piranhas, but they were rusted, breaking and broken robots. Small and big. Bulky and slim.

They touched and grabbed at him but after a few seconds let go and moved back. They were the ocean, an ocean of colourful eyes all moving together.

“Help us.” One said in a distorted and decaying voice.

“Help us.” Another said as it stepped closer an arm falling off as it did so and another started asking for help but befoSre it could finish its sentence it fell apart completely.

Then another and another until thousands upon thousands of robots were desperately asking for help. All crowding closer around him and closer.

Ben thought he was done for. Until he felt a familiar thumping amongst the cries of desperation.

“Clear path, clear path.” The hulking mass said as it bore a hole through the waves of robots. Crushing any standing in its way.

“Grab my hand.” Someone on the back of the robot said.

He grabbed the robot’s hand and was hoist into some sort of metal basket attached to his back. With some soft padding in it.

“Back we go” someone said in an aged voice sitting atop the enormous robot’s head.

“Hi there!” A two eyed robot said as its face popped up mere centimetres from Ben’s face. “Welcome to the easiest way to travel in the underworld.”

“It’s safe for the most part and quicker than going through the scrap heap down there.” The robot said as he gestured wildly. His hands flying all over the place as if to swat a bug flying around him.

The excitement in his voice was palpable and for a second Ben almost got just as excited if it hadn’t been for his excruciating back pain.

“Or as I like to call it... The metal sea of light. Beautiful yet ever so slightly dangerous.”He said as he wrapped his arm around one of his shoulders, gesturing in front of them both with an outstretched hand. “Of course, not for you you’re an organic but if someone like me went down there let’s just say it wouldn’t go too well.” He said as he dragged out the ‘too’ a bit too long.

Ben lay in the basket whilst the robot looked at him expectantly. Ben’s eyes were wide with confusion. He wasn’t sure what was going on. He was in a big hole riding on a giant robot, in a basket none the less. With a wackadoodle-doo robot.

He thought if he kept still enough maybe he’d wake up somewhere else. This had to be a dream, he must’ve drunk something wild the previous day. But he didn’t wake up and he wasn’t dreaming. The robot just kept staring at him with his two hands clasped together.

“Baloo! Stop scaring the man and help tremendous navigate.” A hunched figure said as he slowly climbed down into the basket.

“I thought we were going to call him biggie? No wait, how about giganticus” Baloo asked.

“I will never call him that, now get your can up there.” The hunched robot said as he hit Baloo on the back with his metal cane.

“Ouch, ok ok.”

Baloo quickly and clumsily scurried up the basket and onto the giant’s head. Ben still in a sitting-lying down position looking confused and speechless at the hunched robot. With the gentle sounds of biggie’s footsteps rocking him gently.

“Do pardon my companion, he tends to be quite illustrious with his explanations and all though well intended is often mistimed and executed.” He said as he slowly moved closer to Ben.

“Well, it seems you have sustained severe damage, to your central distribution node. This will impede your ability to walk.” He said as he slowly encircled Ben examining him carefully. “Do not fear organic life form we may have a way to restore you, it will take time.”

Seeing as the robots were the first friendly ones he had met and weren’t trying to impale him or rip him to shreds. Ben could finally breath and take in his surroundings.

“Uhm so, what’s your name?” Ben asked.

“I am called Nio and I lead this group. What might your designation be organic?”

“My name is Benedict, but you can call me Ben.”

“Well Ben welcome to the pit, the most inhospitable and dangerous place on the planet, well for robots that is. Everyone down here usually calls it the underworld.”

Ben found a small opening in the basket and peered through it to see more of the metal sea. Hundreds of thousands of robots all standing and staring. Biggie moved through them with ease or rather over them.

He stepped on those unwilling or unable to move out of the way. Ben could hear the crunch and snap of metal each time. The darkness was still present he didn’t have any idea how they knew where they were going. They didn’t even have any lights on to see where to go except faint lamps hanging in the basket.

The low humming was still there taunting him. He knew it knew he couldn’t get out of wherever this was or even replace out what was making that sound.

One single thought occurred to him.

How did he get into this mess and how was he going to go up, back where he was?