Chapter Two

 

 

Sound buffeted her from every angle, but Corbyn’s view of Myx was unobstructed. His red exoskeleton and black highlights gleamed in the reddening light.

“So, Corbyn, how was work today?” Her sister Neeth came up and elbowed her in the ribs.

“It was fine. It isn’t a bad job, and it is a nice break every few weeks. It certainly gets me out into the desert more than most of the occupations.”

Neeth looked toward Myx. “You had the skills to be his primary, you know. He isn’t fond of Lebith.”

“I know, but while I love the work, I need more than just being a repairer and companion to a creature thirty times my size and has no function other than to remain on alert.”

“We were born to do it.”

“And our society has been structured to get around the ennui. We have our weeks away from the bots and then our weeks with the bots. It is a nice change, and I am genuinely looking forward to being off the protection detail and back with Myx as of today.”

Neeth sighed and her shoulder’s slumped. “Good. Lebith is getting put out by his lack of reciprocal emotional responses. I think she has a crush on him.”

“Oh, damn. That isn’t good.”

There were only two ways out of the clan structure, one was death and the other was to become obsessed with the bot that your clan maintained. It wasn’t an honourable way to go into Bot City service, but it was a direct one.

Corbyn looked around and smiled at the other clan members that she had grown up with. The sea of exclusively female faces was a familiar one. Everyone seemed eager and confident. This burn was going to make for an exciting evening.

Across the valley, she could see the clan platforms alive and waiting for the metre to indicate the correct level of dimness. Only when the sun was down could the city see their efforts. For now, it was time to join the party.

 

* * * *

 

The party was getting into full swing around her, but Xaia was nervous. There were too many unfiled repair reports. She had done her job in verifying functionality, but her attention to it shouldn’t have been necessary to begin with. Ai’s awareness of his surroundings had been compromised, and her frantic efforts to fix him had caused her to do what she dreaded. She had spilled her blood in the command deck of the bot, and he had started to wake. Keeping him calm and static had taken all her efforts to render him dormant again, but he wanted to rise, and he wanted to run. She hoped that he was calm enough now to burn without moving.

 

* *,*,*

 

Lido sipped at her fruit juice and watched the metre climb toward the burn. The Padu clan were partying, and some of the newer adults were seeing their first burn. It took a lot of effort to get nearly everyone above ground, but this was the one thing guaranteed to bring out every citizen.

She looked at the other structures across the valley, lit and teeming with the engineers of Bot City. There was excitement in her blood, and even seeing several burns in her lifetime did not deaden the joy. Her plants would wait until tomorrow. Tonight, her focus was on watching Cio fire his systems to prove he still lived.

She smiled as she drank the fruit juice and remembered her first time doing maintenance on him. She imagined that there were others around the valley doing the same. Working on the bots was a rite of passage for every citizen of the city. You were responsible for your bot and its survival.

A clan that couldn’t maintain a bot in strong enough form for Burning Day was broken up and dispersed by aptitude. The clan that had been assigned to the collapsed hulk of Dif had to live with that every day. It had only been twenty years since they couldn’t start their bot, but they still remembered the honour that followed the next Burning Day when their new clans cheered with them when the burn began.

Rissa came up and stood beside her, looking out over the valley. “Are you excited?”

“Of course. I have put a lot of work into him.”

Rissa grinned. “Me too. Cio is a sweetheart compared to Dif.”

“He really is. He’s charming and polite, even making an effort to remember your name, or at least your mother’s. It’s a pleasure to scrub the tiny corners of his systems during my maintenance week.”

Rissa laughed. “It really is. He’s a gentleman.”

“I hear most of them are, but Cio is definitely one of a kind.”

They each toasted that, Lido with her juice and Rissa with wine. The show was about to start.

 

* * * *

 

The huge projection formed above the bots, and all chatter slowed while the tale of the colonists of Hera was played out.

Nyvett had punched up the resolution, so it was being broadcast with vivid colour and clear audio. The tale of their people wasn’t particularly heroic. After their colony was established, an alien incursion arrived and tried to expunge the new infection. A war began that took ninety percent of the population and used all of the landing craft. The ship’s engineers crafted an army of robots, and they defended the city until their numbers dwindled from fifty to twelve.

When the invaders were driven off, the city administrators applauded the creative efforts of the engineers and asked that they would always keep the bots battle ready.

The engineers agreed, provided that the city would always keep the pilots ready as well. To prevent corruption from taking hold, the pilot DNA was to be integrated into the engineer bloodlines to ensure that only authorized engineers could work on a specific bot.

Nyvett looked down at her hands as that particular absolute was read out. Most of the citizens believed it, and those who knew differently kept their mouths shut.

After so many generations, the bloodlines of the pilots were blurred, and any engineer could work on any bot. It had happened so many times already, that the basic ritual of blood transfusion from existing clan to new members was considered the ritual that gave access to the bot. It was as close to religion as Bot City got, but it was effective. Burning Day was the perfect example. It wasn’t the bots that they were worshipping, it was five years of hard work that went untested until the critical moment. They worshipped their own labour, which suited the origins of their society. Results were the only thing that mattered.

Her elders nodded toward her and jerked their heads. It was time.

Nyvett rose to her feet and joined the others in watching the last of the light fade, the projection ceased, and the breaths of the engineers of Bot City were held as one.

 

* * * *

 

Hima wanted to bite her nails, but it was a habit she couldn’t indulge. Since she had gone into the medical field, nibbling at her nails was a psychological exercise and no longer a physical one.

Far out on the valley floor, next to their bot in a shielded chamber, was their elder. As the clock flicked down to zero, the gathered citizens were watching closely, holding their breaths as the time clicked to zero.

 

* * * *

 

Duel was leaning over the edge, her gaze fixed on Kab’s burners. When the signal was given, even at her current distance, she could see the flick of white flame that burned brighter and brighter. The moment that the cascade of fire came to life, she breathed easier.

Around the valley, five other bots flared up. Duel smiled at the bright and glowing life that filled the valley. If the City could see it, there would soon be a signal.

The monorail began to hum, and all of the towers could feel it. A second screaming cheer went up as the delivery of rations and textiles made its way to them.

Once every five years, they got the only things that they weren’t able to make for themselves. Fabric and more genetic material.

The fibres discovered in the plants and soil of the area were not suitable for weaving. They had been trying for centuries, but nothing would do. As for the genetic material, they horded and divided it up, sorting the cells until the selected new mothers got pregnant.

The bots resumed their calm and stable vigils, and the party got started in earnest.

With the fire out on the field, it was time for the refuelling teams to step up. It might be another five years before the systems were used, but the bots were never left unprepared.

Duel climbed up to the zipline, gripped the handles and launched herself into the darkness, down to the tower that kept Kab company. It was her turn to refuel him, and she never really enjoyed the party.

The wind blew past her cheeks, the scent of scorched soil and hot metal were a perfume that she loved, as did most of the citizens of Bot City. It was the scent of purpose.

She landed lightly on the platform, using the small, weak light to find her footing.

Duel crossed the platform to the far side and used her hand to unlock the refuelling station. “You did well, Kab. Thanks for that, again.”

She could be wrong, but she thought she saw him move, ever so slightly.

“We will keep that just between us. Now open up, I have some num nums for you.” The refuelling dock extended and the port on the side of the robot opened up for the volatile payload. The flammable liquid was only good for show. The reactor core inside Kab was enough power for thousands of years. They only needed the burn to signal the city.

Duel watched the gauges and acknowledged the fill. When the station reset itself, Kab’s port closed and Duel was free to return to the party. She sat down with her legs dangling over the edge of the platform, and she sang a lullaby to Kab. He had worked for his clan of engineers, and now, he deserved rest.

She glanced upward and saw the streaks of light in the heavens. Shooting stars. What a fitting end to Burning Day.