United Nexus by J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon

Author:J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon [Chaney, J.N. & Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2023-10-21T16:00:00+00:00

22

Doctor Osher diverted repeatedly from our objectives—once for food and water, and once to show me a spectacular view of the city-sized storage chamber. We climbed to a balcony that had been one of his primary camps and smelled like it. Greasy blankets, stale air, and gloom clung to the place despite the view. The little depression must have sustained him for a long time because it practically had his name on it.

If body odor was the new moniker of the Seer subjects, he would be wearing a big, stinky name tag.

He pointed out which rack of bots were the newest and should therefore be avoided. These could come to life for a final death spasm—dangerous stuff.

“How long have the most recent editions been on the racks?” I asked as I gnawed on a charred bit of meat. Whatever animal this had come from was mostly gristle. He’d told me the Fyr slugs were his primary game in this place, but I didn’t believe him, because I didn’t want to. Almost anything would be better than consuming those foul creatures.

He shrugged. “Before my time here. My best estimates suggest a bot-battle-slave, or BBS, can survive months to years if plugged into nutrient lines and power. That group over there”—he wagged a greasy finger toward storage towers far off to our left—“must have been here for decades. The nutrient vats and hydration towers are large and nearly empty. More like their consumers quit than they ran out. Dead cyborgs don’t get thirsty, you know.”

I watched a security drone buzz over the grim scene. It shone lights downward in a tight circle like it was looking for something, or someone.

“Don’t worry about that,” Osher said. “Preprogrammed route. Right on time.”

“I wish the Seer would make up their mind.”

Osher chuckled and wiped his fingers on his tattered pants. “The Seer are diversified. Never seen one face-to-face, though. Could have. Maybe. The creature I saw had no mouth. Pretty sure I was having a nightmare then.”

The drone flew into a slot on the wall, and the large room went dark again. I could see by some indistinct light source, and with my Kayan upgrades. “You said you could take me to my armor.”

“Only if you promise to get me off this world ship,” he said.

“I’m not leaving you here.” How could I assure him there was no way I’d abandon a fellow human in a place like this? And how could I explain that the faceless Seer had been real, not a nightmare. Doctor Daniel Osher had answers to some questions and seemed to have been active in learning everything he could about this place. He’d been alone, however, and that had been to his detriment.

Kayan and her crew could help him. The man was damaged goods. He twitched and mumbled and forgot I was there.

“Take me to my armor.”

He nodded vigorously, popped to his feet, and hustled to the back of his hiding place, where he pulled up a ladder constructed of wires and cables.

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