Zion

Chapter 7

 A7173 wakes to the invasive sound of motorized clanging and thrusters burning nearby. Oos climbs from the bed and tentatively tests oos’ legs. They are somewhat shaky, but already feel stronger than they were yesterday. Oos heads outside, where the light is harsh and an immense amount of sand billows and spirals as a Grovler touches down a few clicks from the small dwelling.

A7173 limps over to the rear entry hatch and greets Lucile who carries a duffle bag over her shoulder.

“Morning, and how are we feeling?” she says and throws the bag at A7173.

“Better. What is this thing?” A7173 points to the ship.

“This thing,” she says and gives the old rust bucket a gentle pat, “is my baby and you’d best not insult her again.”

“Sorry. It just looks like a deathtrap, that’s all.”

“The Grovlers were military carrier style ships which were meant for both transport and combat. However, the manufacturers were selling them mainly to rebel troupes at the time of their rollout and it was decided to craft them on a sliver of a cost. They were utilized mainly during the third world war and were thereafter discontinued,” Lucile smiles and motions for oos to follow. “They were described by many soldiers as being matchboxes with wings. I find it gets the adrenaline pumping through these varicose veins.”

The two walk along the sandy ground of the giant cave structure which is carved into the side of a rocky mountain. The expanse continues for hundreds of meters and is home to everything Lucile could possibly require to survive. Along the perimeter are rows upon rows of varying crops and fruit trees. The earth surrounding these is moist and rich. Far above them, the sunlight pours in through a giant hole in the mountain. A7173 squints up and sees a giant array of solar panels sapping up the sun’s energy.

“Impressive,” A7173 says as they come to rest under the shade of a dead oak tree with its outstretched limbs extending in every direction.

“It sustains me. I have water which pumps up from an underground source not too far from here and I make enough produce to feed myself and to trade with, in the nearest sector,” Lucile says and removes a canteen of water strapped to her hip. She offers it to A7173, who declines. “You may presume yourself to be invincible, but you’ll need to come to terms with your new reality if you hope to have any chance of survival. The world you know is nothing like where we will be heading.”

“We?”

She takes a few gulps and closes the container, being sure not to spill any of the precious liquid.

“Well, I assume you’ll be in dire need of a guide, if you hope to transverse through the various sectors – you’re looking for someone and the only way to find him is to scout every one of the sectors until you find him.”

A7173 studies her worn face and hollow eyes, considering her before saying, “You seem to know a lot about what it is that I am looking for…” he allows these last words to linger.

“Perhaps. Or perhaps I just have enough wisdom to read others, or maybe I just read that letter before returning it to you,” she smirks and struggles to her feet. “Come along, it’s time to get picking.”

“Picking?”

“Fruit. Follow me and bring that,” she orders, pointing to the heavy duffle bag.

A7173 slings the sack over oos’ shoulder and follows her to a nearby orchard.

The branches are littered with gorgeously ripe, red apples which almost seem to drip with juiciness. Lucile retrieves a metal container from next to the trunk of one of the many trees. She places it on the ground at her feet and begins demonstrating how to go about picking the attractive fruit. A7173 is intrigued and soon follows suit.

Oos is able to reach much higher into the branches than Lucile is and offers to collect from the top whilst she covers the lower ones. She agrees and goes about selecting only the finest apples and deposits them in the crate. A7173 reaches out, engulfs the nearest one in oos’ hand and plucks it from its home. The texture is alien, but pleasant. The skin is smooth, firm and cool to touch. A7173 places it to oos’ nostrils and breathes in deeply. It smells sweet and robust with flavorsome goodness. A7173 looks to Lucile who stares back up at oos. She gives an encouraging look and her bead-like eyes entice oos to take a bite. A7173 turns it around attentively in oos’ hands, unsure of what to expect from sinking oos’ teeth into it. Oos eyes the crimson exterior and realizes how serene this place is and how at home oos feels. It is a strange and yet comforting sensation. A faint whirl of wind runs throughout the space, sounding like a kind whisper. A7173 grasps the apple, eases it towards oos’ mouth and takes in its freshness. The thick flesh tears easily and juicy droplets run down oos’ grey chin. The sugary juice fills oos’ mouth and A7173 smiles.

“You see, you’re not dead,” Lucile says and gathers up the crate, hands it to A7173 and heads on to the next chore of the day.

Later that evening over a dinner of broth, freshly baked bread and apple tart, A7173 sits reading Elah’s letter and now and then asks Lucile to explain certain aspects which oos is unable to comprehend.

If you are on my trail by now, I’m afraid that I am unable to offer up a fixed location to you as there are some who, if this book landed up in their possession, would use it to hunt me down and conspire to my murder.

There are hidden cities or ‘sectors’ where there is a resistance of what humanity used to be – this is where I am heading. For the time being, Zion has no fixed idea of the actual locations of these sectors and it is my dream that this will remain so, until I am able to rally the people to oppose the catastrophic future which will inevitably follow if nothing is done to prohibit it.

There are seven sectors all of which tend to attract different sorts of people. It is my hope that I shall be able to get them to stand together and hopefully put aside their differences in order to save the little humanity which remains in this unholy world.

Perfunctory is the first and undoubtedly the poorest and most dilapidated of all the sectors. The people here live hard lives and they have seemingly resorted to both primitive and barbaric means of making any sort of living. When entering this sector, be wary and try your best to hold your tongue and keep your weapons close at hand.

Thereafter, you shall come upon Terminus Veneer. This is where you will find transport to head down to the coast through the other sectors. Regrettably, this has become the hive of any sort of pleasure a person could desire. Anything and everything is sold here to satisfy people’s sickest and darkest fetishes. Do not linger here longer than you need as it shall undoubtedly be your undoing. There is a man here whom I suggest you try to locate, he goes by the name of Carter. He knows his way through and around all the various sectors and you’ll find that he has many connections.

A7173 folds the letter and slides it into the journal which oos places on a small wooden table in front of the fire that crackles and burns in the hearth once more. The night air is cold and Lucile huddles in her rocking chair swaddled in a thick blanket. They sit side by side starring into the flames. The fiery fingers lap up against the wood and devour it in a peaceful glow.

“Would you be able to help me find this, Carter, character?” A7173 says and holds a hand to oos’ stomach which is still incredibly new to the consumption of food.

“I could help you get so far, the rest of the journey you’d need to take alone. But it all depends…”

“On?”

Lucile shifts in her seat, trying to get comfortable for the night. Her old bones are stiff and stubborn, but she soon manages to curl up into a snug position.

“On how much you’re willing to sacrifice to get to your destination,” she yawns and allows her eyes to flicker shut.

At daybreak, Lucile leads A7173 back up to the dead oak and has oos bring along the duffle bag. As strong as oos is and regardless of being nearly completely healed, the bag is still a heavy burden on oos’ shoulders.

“Would you mind telling me why I’ve had to carry this thing around for the past two days?” A7173 asks irritably.

The old woman smiles and stands steadfast in the center of a Zen garden in front of the tree. The garden is a square-stretch of raked sand, six meters by six meters, littered with dark boulders which have jagged surfaces and stand at least ten feet tall.

“Oftentimes we carry things around not knowing whether they are a burden or our salvation – most of the time the choice is ours to make,” she begins in a mysterious tone. “Where you are going, you’ll need to know how to fight. I offer to train you, in exchange for a small favor.”

“What sort of favor?” A7173 asks quizzically.

“That’s not how this will work. If I train you, you automatically agree to my conditions. Which you will be privy to once your training is complete,” Lucile says with finality.

A7173 shifts oos’ feet in the sand, contemplating this offer. Oos could use any help that oos can get and it is true, oos has never had to engage in combat before. For all A7173 knows, the people oos will encounter could be raging barbarians who will want to tear oos limb from limb once they see oos.

“So I am just supposed to agree and hope for the best?”

“Pretty much like any contract of today.”

“Alright, but what could an old bag, such as yourself, possibly teach me?”

“More than you could imagine. Shall we begin?”

A7173 nods and sighs oos’ agreement.

The old lady takes the duffle bag from A7173 and places it on the ground. She unzips it and unpacks the contents. She pulls out two long swords, sheathed in silver and black scabbards. Next comes a suit of the same colours. The suit is made from a synthetic material more resilient than iron plates or a ballistic vest. The vital areas offer extra protection with strategically placed armor, made from a metal known as, Shield of Achilles, which was mined on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars – incredibly rare and nearly impossible to find anymore. She places each item carefully in front of A7173 and finally says, “You’ll need a name, a proper name, and thus you will become Acera, as you are headed down a path of no return.”

Acera picks up the suit and eyes it inquisitively. All oos’ life oos has known nothing but nakedness. Being clothed is an odd phenomenon and seems to be wrong somehow. However, oos complies and dons the armor. Lastly, Lucile hands oos a helmet that clicks into the suit. It has a mouthpiece, that filters the surrounding air before its wearer inhales, and a thin, red visor covers the eyes with a holographic heads-up display. Lucile attaches the swords onto Acera’s back and steps away to get a good look at oos.

“Not a bad fit,” she says and pulls out a small device from her pocket. “On contact, the sword handles activate and will only release at your command; if anyone else picks them up, their hands will fry to nothing more than crispy stumps. Let us begin.”

Lucile takes a few paces backward and presses a button on the device which she retrieves from her pocket. Suddenly, the garden is transformed into a three-dimensional fighting arena. Digital walls spring up around its perimeter and luminous bodies materialize around Acera. Oos spins around in a circle. There are three bodies approaching oos at a rapid pace, all armed with melee weapons. Acera reaches back and unsheathes both swords. Oos feels a suction-like sensation as the handles seemingly morph into oos’ gloves and become extensions of oos.

The first attacker reaches Acera and swings its sword down in a high arch. There is a clang of metal and Acera recoils at the realization that these bodies are solid. Oos ducks under an attempt to sever oos’ head, but back peddles into the second glowing body which slices across oos’ lower back. Acera screams out in pain and the heads up display releases a damage report.

Minimal damage. Negative weapon entry.

“The helmet directs you to oncoming attacks and helps to predict their movements, use it!” Lucile orders from the sideline.

Acera swings oos’ swords around like rotor blades and the assailants back off before reconvening and coming at oos once more. Oos rolls out of the way as all three simulations jab out at once. Acera regains a foothold and slices through the nearest one. The body disintegrates into a thousand pixilated fragments and disappears. Acera smiles under the helmet and with a rush of enthusiasm charges the next enemy. Oos leaps into the air and brings both swords slicing down through the air –

Oos drops to the ground in agonizing pain and glances down at oos’ leg. Protruding from Acera’s upper thigh is a sizable shimmering knife, lodged firmly in place.

Warning: Weapon entry. Blood loss currently minimal.

The last hologram approaches Acera who tries to crawl backward out of harm’s way. Acera watches it pluck a spear from thin air. It takes aim and catapults the deadly weapon towards oos. Fear consumes oos and Acera freezes in place.

The spear is an inch away from reaching its mark when it, the attacker and the arena walls vanish.