2096

He was covered in blood and green luminescent biofluid. They trickled down his face. Mixed with his sweat and dripped onto the floor. Each drop adding to the pool that had formed around him. Luckily, most of it wasn’t his.

He was surrounded by bodies that were maimed and cut to pieces. Human and augmented limbs were mixed in with entrails and other cybernetic parts. Heads were scattered around, no longer attached to their rightful owners. But he barely noticed.

He stared down at his hand. At the object that he held. It was all he wanted. All he existed for. What he had come here for. What he had massacred all these people for.

He had lost the one he loved. But he knew it wasn’t too late. It was the only thing he wanted — the only thing he continued to live for. To get her back.

He didn’t realize how short his life would be. That he was mortally wounded and it would only be a matter of time before he expired. His time on this barren scorched Earth would end. But that didn’t matter.

Even with the mega cities and the opportunities that were said to be out there, he didn’t want any part of it. He wasn’t a corporate pawn. Or one of the chipped who lived and breathed yet were not present in their bodies — controlled by an A.I. while their minds lived in an artificial construct. Or maybe he wasn’t any different at all. But maybe it didn’t matter.

Technology had changed us in every way and not for the better. We forgot where we came from and who we were. We blended ourselves with machines and lived in augmented realities. We lost our souls in the hunt for perfection. For satisfaction. For escape.

He snapped out of the trance he was in and turned towards the exit. He stepped over bodies and limped out of the building. It was midday and the sun was scorching everything it touched. You would have to be a fool to try and walk the wastes at that time of day. But he didn’t care. All he wanted was to get back to her. He followed the sand covered street and walked off into the wasteland.

He left the crumbling desert town behind him. He walked over dunes, fighting to keep his balance as the finest sand cascaded underfoot. The world that we knew was no more. Changed by mankind’s greed and lust for power. Changed by forces we couldn’t even imagine. But none of that mattered to him.

He walked as a desert worm playfully crested through the surface and crashed onto the desert with a giant thud. The desert rumbled with the shock and the worm let out a giant wail, then disappeared beneath the surface. It was a sight that would have gotten anyone’s attention — especially a worm hunter. But not him. He paid it no mind and continued on his course.

He walked as his throat started to dry out and the thirst became unbearable. He walked as the blood trickled down and soaked his pants. His augmentations trying their best to keep him going. He walked for what seemed like hours. But he didn’t keep track of the time. All he knew was to keep going.

Eventually the sun started to sink over the horizon. He passed a field of bloom that had sprung up out of nowhere. Tall stalks filled with large purple luminescent flowers. The flowers were prized for their regenerative properties. They would continue to glow for weeks if plucked from their stalks but would fade away and crumble to dust by dawn if not. They would also fetch a premium in one of the markets, but what good would credits do him? There was only one thing he wanted.

He walked past shadow hounds as they tore apart a meal. They watched cautiously as he continued, smelling the air but content with their meal.

He walked as the ground around him changed from fine sand to salt flats. Dry ground that was cracked. Chapped from the sun and radiation that permeated through it. Each line cast a green light upwards.

He walked as the sun started to rise again and he neared his destination. He entered a valley. The Valley of Death. A place where the ground was different. Blackened and charred. As if it was repeatedly burnt or constantly on fire

He walked through a bone yard filled with the skeletons of both man and machine. Combat armor and mechanical parts were strewn about. The shells of giant mechs and battle tanks were bent and twisted. Reminders of battles past.

He neared the center and stopped. A noise suddenly boomed across the desert. The grains of sand around him started to dance as the ground violently vibrated. The ground in front of him broke open and a shape rose from the ground.

He stood there as it towered thirty meters above him. It resembled a crab. It had four large legs and two great arms. Sand cascaded down its heavily armored exterior. Anyone else would have been frightened at the sight. They would have run. But not him. He would stand his ground no matter what. Even if it could easily crush him with one of its massive legs.

It was a guardian. An Advanced Weapons Platform used during the war. It was fitted with digital camouflage to confuse A.I. satellites and targeting systems. It was beaming with munitions both heavy and medium. Its back was fitted with an arsenal of missiles and rockets. Its two arms were in fact cannons. It was responsible for the death and destruction that surrounded him. But he didn’t care. He noticed only one thing.

It shifted its legs and kicked up dust that blew into him like a gale. It focused its aim on where he stood and a moment later a turquoise scan line coursed over him, passing vertically then horizontally. He held the object — the key — up towards the guardian. The scanlines zeroed in on it and crossed over it. A moment later the scan line disappeared, and the guardian let out another echoing roar. It leaned down towards him and a rush of air passed him as its heavily armored chest opened up. Thick armor plates moved away exposing its insides — and a cockpit.

Its cockpit was in fact soft looking. Not cold like its exterior. But inviting. With plush padding for the seat, back and rests. He smiled — the first time he showed even the slightest bit of emotion. He grabbed the hand bar and hoisted himself into it. Turning around, he sat down, and a moment later the armored chest closed around him. It enveloped him in darkness. There was barely any room to move, but he felt content.

It slowly started to fill the cockpit with fluid — it felt cool as it enveloped him and became illuminated by a teal light as a series of cords appeared around him. Like snakes smelling the air they searched for their connection points. Once found, they quickly attached. One of them slipped into his mouth and slithered down his throat. But he couldn’t feel it.

Its fluid filled the cockpit completely, submerging him entirely. It was suddenly lit even more as holo screens appeared in front of him. The light reflected off his face.

They were now complete. The guardian began to hum. Not a hum, but more of a purr. It let out a deafening roar as the ground shook and it buried itself. Resting back where it was.

They were together now and forever. His grip on the object loosened and he watched as the small heart-shaped locket slowly sunk down in the thick viscous fluid. The part of him that was still alive — the parts that were augmented — let him know it was all worth it. He was back with his love. He had made it. He would die but it would keep her going. Now they would continue to exist.

He was the guardian’s heart and it was his.