Chapter Nine

 

 

Duel took her first steps, and the rest of the bots all gathered near the main above-ground com tower.

She used Kab’s systems, and she was suddenly standing in a room with the other pilots. They were all in a circle and all looked very surprised to be there.

Nyvett looked at her. “Where are we?”

“Kab’s template. He’s the communicator, so we can be here together. I believe that introductions are in order. I am Duel Aka, and I am piloting Kab.”

A shy and pale-looking woman smiled slightly. “I am Hima Padu and I am piloting Len.”

Duel watched as the other ladies made their introductions. From Kab’s records, it was easier to work with people if you had a face to go with the name. They were all from different clans, different families. They were now a new family, forged by their link to the walking weapons.

If there was anything she could do, none of these women would end up in a sarcophagus at the end of their battle. She had buried enough friends and family to last a lifetime.

 

* * * *

 

Nyvett wasn’t sure about the meet and greet, but she understood the binding that it was providing them with. Once they had all been introduced, they looked at each other. She spoke, “Now that we know our faces and bots, I propose that we begin our journey. There is a supply station for us pilots at the halfway mark, so we should be fine until then.”

Corbyn nodded. “My clan did a ration resupply two years ago. Everything should be fine.”

Lido chuckled. “Ohh, two-year-old rations. Yum.”

Xaia grinned. “They can be good for a decade. We don’t all have unlimited access to fresh fruit on a daily basis.”

Lido shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Nyvett turned and looked around. “Does anyone else have anything to say?”

Hima spoke softly. “I am leaving my home, my people, and my job, and I hope it is for a greater purpose. I wish us all success, strength and focus. We are going to be facing an old enemy and our ancestors may have simply gotten lucky the first time.”

 

* * * *

 

Duel looked at Hima, and she spoke silently to Kab. “Something is wrong with her.”

Kab showed her what was behind the projection that Len was offering of his pilot.

“Holy... What happened?”

Hima was burned, bruised, her limbs were limp, and her left arm was wrapped in a cast that seemed to be holding the flesh together. She was a wreck.

“The explosion that hit us began on top of her.”

“Oh...” Duel looked at the projection compared with the reality. No wonder Hima was a little depressed and not her normally bubbly and cheerful self. She was in agony or heavily sedated. Either way, she didn’t want others to know, so Duel was going to keep her secret as long as she wanted to have it.

 

* * * *

 

Corbyn looked around at the other ladies. “Can all of your bots run?”

The ladies all took on vacant expressions while they spoke to their bots, but they all came back.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Affirmative.”

“Definitely.”

Hima nodded. “Ready when you are.”

“Well then, Duel, please tell the tower that we are leaving. I think we need to check on the city. Those ships are getting closer.”

All of the pilots looked skyward, and the statement was accurate. They were indeed getting closer.

 

* * * *

 

Duel contacted the com centre. “Bot City communication, this is Duel Aka piloting Kab. The bots are ready to depart. Bring Dif online and load him up. We don’t want you to be vulnerable. Keep an eye on the sky.”

“Pilot Duel, I don’t understand.”

“Tell the administration. They will know what I mean. We will be in contact with you when we reach the city.”

“I will tell them. Good luck.”

Duel smiled. “You too. Take care and stay safe. We built the city for this moment. Use it.”

“I will pass that along as well. Good luck.”

There was only so much luck that she could take. “Good bye.”

She disconnected the call and reported to the others. “Good byes are done, and they have been notified that this isn’t a localized event. We were the first target and that means that they either consider the bots or the valley an enemy.”

Nyvett nodded. “Are they activating Dif?”

“I told them to.”

Nyvett paused. “How did you know to mention him?”

“I am a miner by birth. I know that no one digs under Dif, and as that is reason enough to know that he is active, even if he doesn’t have legs.”

Corbyn cocked her head. “What are we missing?”

Duel shrugged. “There are just more than the secondary guns under the soil of the valley.”

The ladies looked at each other and slow grins began. It was one thing to run when the folks back home were defenseless, it was another to take the bots across the desert to the city, knowing that those left behind had means to survive. It was a critical detail.

Duel grinned and looked out in the direction of the city.

“I suppose it’s time.”

It didn’t need to be said, but it hung in the air. Their linked minds slowly separated, and the bots turned.

The first step that they took made the ground shake, but they walked in step out of the valley.

 

* * * *

 

Hima suspected the Duel knew what was going on. The look of concern in her eyes was unmistakable.

“Len, can Duel see what I actually look like?”

“Yes. Kab can, so can Ai if he wants to. Don’t worry. He rarely involves himself in other pilots. Kab is in communications, so he sees everything.”

She chuckled weakly. “Good to know. Can I have a direct link with Duel?”

“Link established.”

The sense of someone listening was there. “Hello, Duel.”

“Hima. How are you?”

Hima chuckled. “I suspect that you know I am not well. I wasn’t in great shape when I got into Len, but he is healing me and working on rebuilding me.”

“Can he do that?”

“He is the nanite factory. I am not going to leave him in the same shape I went it, but I should be able to walk on my own two feet.” Hima grimaced. “Or whatever ends up at the ends of my legs when he is done.”

“As long as you are good with that, I will do what I can to help if you need it.”

“Thanks. You won’t tell anyone?”

“No, but they might notice if you don’t come out at the rest stop.”

“Can you think of an excuse?”

“Only if you let me in so I can check on you.”

“Do you have a medical history?”

“Sort of. I work with the dead when occasion calls for it.”

“Well, I am not dead yet, but you would know. Sure. When we get to the rest stop, I will make an excuse and welcome you on board.”

“Say that you sprained your ankle during the blast. It is a good enough reason not to be running around. I will bring you all necessities.”

“Thanks, Duel. It is a relief to be able to tell someone, even if you already knew.” Hima smiled slightly.

“No worries. It is easier if someone else knows. I have met you before, and you didn’t seem like yourself. So, how many babies arrived this week?”

Hima began to talk about the little lives she had brought into the world, and then, she talked to Duel about the dead. When the bots started to run, they were side by side and keeping pace. They might be running into war, but life went on. Those babies deserved a chance to live and grow into citizens. Hima kept the thought of new life in her mind as she ran through the desert with Len guarding her and Duel as her companion. If she survived this, she might apply to become a mother after all.

There could be a future for her; she just had to defend her world against an alien incursion. How hard could it be?