Dead & Godless by Donald J. Amodeo

Author:Donald J. Amodeo [Amodeo, Donald J.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2013-11-06T18:30:00+00:00

15

Love Machines

The glowing trail was darkening just ahead of their feet now. Ransom halted and lifted a hand towards the unseen wall. A pattern emerged, spiraling out from his palm. The intricate lines connected to form a circular doorway. Dull light seeped through the cracks as it slid open, its facets twisting and unfolding like the petals of a mechanical flower.

Shading his eyes, Corwin stepped forth from the passage, but not too far. Where the door stood, the walls were recessed, and beyond was a slim metallic ledge, a platform that wrapped around the exterior of some massive structure. It was a long way down, though how long, he couldn’t say. By the looks of it, this world existed in the gap between two endless cloud oceans, one above and one below, a ribbon of lavender sky ringing the horizon.

Colossal pillars of steel speared down, suspended from who-knows-what above the upper clouds. They ended before touching the billows below, electricity coursing skyward through the thousand conduits that ran along their length. Each was linked to the next by a series of long catwalks. Stretching like sword blades, the daunting bridges looked far too thin to support their own weight, let alone any travelers, yet they did.

Robotic pedestrians journeyed between the pillars and satellite stations that hung where the walkways intersected. Despite being wrought of cold steel, the world hinted curiously at nature’s organic design. Electrical cables crept like vines, and antenna arrays rose like skeletal trees from the stations, beads of light waxing on the tips of their fiber-optic branches. The robots, too, were distinctively male and female, with even scampering children and hunched seniors present among their ranks. They hustled about in an orderly fashion, everyone with someplace to be, but no one pushing or shoving to get there.

Setting his sights on the nearest bridge, Ransom ventured out upon the ledge. Corwin plastered his back to the wall and inched after him.

This isn’t so bad. At least I can’t see the ground.

Like clockwork, every ten seconds the wall vibrated, a metal heart thrumming within. Pistons pumped, fans whirred and water rushed with controlled fury, funneled through high-pressure pipes.

“Don’t move!” warned Ransom as an orange light strobed overhead.

Just past Corwin’s shoulder, the slats of a vent angled open, spewing steam and coolant from the guts of the pillar. Hot waste rained down on the hidden world. When the last of the fluid had splashed off the ledge, the slats flattened again, the light going dim.

Corwin quickened his pace and caught up with his attorney at the underside of the bridge, where rungs in the wall offered access. As they mounted it, one of the male automatons passed near. Toting a titanium briefcase, he looked as though he was on his way to work. Ransom stuck out his leg.

The poor robot never saw it coming. He pitched forward, clanging to the ground as circuit boards spilled out of his briefcase.

“Pardon me, sir,” he apologized, regaining his feet. “I hope our collision did not impair your functioning.

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