Zion

Chapter 3

A block in the pipes; a computer malfunction; an insufficient amount in the stores – oos tries to guess, but an hour after all other day shift Perfects are fast asleep, oos is wide awake and highly perplexed. A team of Deltas will likely be dispatched momentarily to attend the problem. Oos decides to lie down and tries to fall asleep. It is a difficult task for one who has never done so without the help of sleeping gas. Oos tosses and turns and soon senses sleep creeping in. It engulfs oos in an entirely different manner than oos is used to. It is like descending a poorly-lit staircase and suddenly you trip and fall into a pit of dark fluid. Not drowning in it though. Floating. Breathing. Aware.

A7173 stands on a dune, the sun glaring down. Oos feels warm and uncomfortable. There are blistering granules below oos' feet, yet oos feels no pain, not even warmth between oos' toes. There are objects encasing oos' feet and they are comfortable – boots. Oos, draped in a large white cloth – a cloak or hooded robe of sorts, holds a Neuro-Stunner in oos' hands and scours the land. This is a place unfamiliar to A7173; it seems far from the reaches of Zion and epitomizes the word 'barren'. There is not a single life form to be seen for miles and no structure stands out in the vast ocean of tanned dunes. A haze ripples on the horizon in every direction and oos squints to find some sort of bearing, but there is none – not even the sun, which hangs complacently directly above, cares to offer more than harsh rays.

Apart from a light breeze, that collects a few sand particles and sprinkles them about nonchalantly, there is complete silence; A7173 has lost connection to the Web. All around oos is deadly quiet; the wind, which had howled through the streets of Zion, has even subsided into less than a whisper. Now they begin flooding in – the thoughts. Like a tidal wave smashing through a city and destroying any pre-reining structures.

Where am I?

How did I get here?

What am I doing?

A7173 drops to oos' knees and a terrible convulsion erupts through oos' body. Pain compresses oos' chest and breathing becomes sporadic and laborious. Liquid streams from oos' eyes. It blurs oos' vision. Oos' chest convulses horribly and the previously regulated heartbeat becomes brash and quickened. Weakness and loss of control overwhelm oos. A pang, initiating from inside A7173's body, builds from the core and culminates into a crescendo of violent waling that penetrates the air and chokes oos. It slows and peters out after a span, but leaves A7173 gasping for breath. Emotion.

Oos clambers haphazardly to oos' feet and wipes away the water that continues to hinder oos' sight. Pausing for self-collection, A7173 finds that besides the weapon, oos also has a pocket full of Nutri-vials, enough for one week's travel. In a small pouch, concealed on oos' upper forearm, is a weapon oos has not seen before. It is sharp and silver, with a dark, T-shaped handle – a push blade. The final item, the sight of which has not been seen by any Perfect before, is a small black journal, with the words Take Note engraved in gold on the cover.

Pages fashioned from paper fill the journal; they are thick and yellow and resemble papyrus more than anything else, but they fragile. A7173 flips through them, but the words are indiscernible. Oos' eyes are unable to decipher the writing, which appears as ink mixed into already murky water. Rain plummets from above and soon the pages wash away like softly glowing ash being carelessly extinguished. The sky cracks with thunder and a voice booms forth, "Find it. Find the journal."

A7173 breaks from sleep and sits up like an animal roused by a terrible noise. Frozen in place, oos waits and listens for the voice to utter something more. Nobody speaks, but an invisible force tugs at oos, almost like a compass wishing to guide oos forward. Oos inches toward the front of the sleeping. There is something faint and echoing in the distance, but it is coming ever closer. A distinct Whooom! swells and comes to a halt. What follows is a Pshh! and then a low humming. A7173's breathe catches in oos' throat and sweat glistens on oos' forehead.

Down below, a group of Charlies, all armed with Neuro-Stunners have pulled up in a Gamma 5, military vehicle. The eight of them clamber out and stand ready to apprehend A7173 for immediate decommissioning.