D.O.T

“JEMMA RUN!” Doran shouts and books it over the rubble and holds his spear tight to his arm.

I look up and see the giant. 15ft tall with three skinny metal legs, one red skylight eye looking down upon me. Three long pincers slowly fold out from the legs and it starts to make its chase for us.

My eyes widen and turn, running towards Doran. Just catching up to Doran we run side by side weaving through the rubble of the sky scrapper hearing the Catcher getting closer.

“NOW!” Doran shouts and quickly turns and hurls his spear. I turn and get my boomerang out and throw it at one of its legs. Our weapons soar and the spear connects with the machine’s chest stopping it in its tracks. It tries to take it out with its pincers, but my boomerang connects with one of its legs and a metal rope springs out from it. The rope connects to another leg and starts to tighten making it fall on its back

We quickly run towards it, I pull out my two small daggers and Doran pulls out his small mace. We jump and land on top of the machine and two pincers jab at us. I duck down and cut the pincers cord which makes it fall unmoving. Doran smacks the other pincer out of the way and slams the hammer into the side breaking the pincer in two. The last pincer finally took the spear out, but I quickly jumped to the eye and shoved my hand into it. I find the heavy cord and stab my dagger into it causing oil to spray on my chest and face and the Catcher shudders a few times with the pincer just lightly stabbing into my leg but eventually stops moving.

I sigh and look at my leg and lift my padding and see a small bruise the size of a small button. I look to Duncan who grabs his spear and sits beside me as I sit on the Catcher.

“I can’t believe that worked.” Doran exclaims chuckling under his breath and pulling out a rag for me. I nod and take it, wiping the oil from my chin and hand it back to him. He nods and gets up going to the eye and ripping some cords out of the way. I get up as well and walk over helping him dig out the core, a blue soccer sized metal ball with black oil leaking out of the several tubes sticking out of it, and we stuff it into the bag.

I look to my boomerang and move the red label and see 3 more metal ropes left. I sheath the two blades in my boots and the boomerang at my back while Doran collapses his mace. We make our way out of the old skyscraper and make it back to Echo 56.

Doran stands about 6 foot. Buzzcut hair with a small black goatee. He has dark brown eyes and is a little older than me. Don’t remember the age, kind of forgot. He is always in his running outfit, a tight leather sleeveless shirt and dark brown pants. He carries with him his metal spear fashioned from a pole and sharpened steel tied together, and his handmade hammer made from a fire axe handle and a large 15-pound weight welded on either side.

I have the left side of my head shaved with a tattoo of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. My hair is dark red with streaks of black. I have a lip piercing in my bottom lip on the left side. I am wearing my black t-shirt with suspendered ripped jeans. I have my homemade mechanized boomerang that has 2 different modifications. It can produce a short metal rope which tightens objects from two points of contact as close together as possible. The second is two small-bladed boomerangs emerge from top and bottom and hone in on the closest target radiating a power source. The metal rope has three ropes built in left and the bladed boomerangs I have two more uses.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the small acorn I have sealed in a glass holder. One of the last natural plants on this planet. Given to me by my grandfather before he passed, I smile and remember those fond memories and tuck it back in the small pocket.

We continue our run only stopping a couple times to catch our breath. We make it on the outskirts of the fire hall and power the flashlight a couple times to indicate we are approaching. I can see a reply and we quickly dart underneath a large piece of highway and make it to the gate. The gate is a mix of metal and wood molded together. Standing atleast 10ft high, there are two towers which are higher than the electrified wall and the Shield Oathers scan the perimeter. They nod to us and open the gate and we quickly run in.

We slow down and walk-through Echo 56 relieved we are home. This outpost holds atleast 12 dozen people in it. Echo 56 is a human outpost to provide sanctuary to those who need it from the machines.

We slow down and walk-through Echo 56 relieved we are home. This outpost holds atleast 12 dozen people in it. Echo 56 is a human outpost to provide sanctuary to those who need it from the machines.

Several years into the future humanity became a technological powerhouse and eventually created the first A.I. called D.O.T. stands for Direct Overseeing Teacher. It fully functioned on its own in a metal body. At first it was an historical breakthrough but soon after we realized it was our downfall. D.O.T had figured out a way to save planet earth, save it from our mistakes and faults. Its solution was the extermination of the one species that caused this damage. Us.

D.O.T created other machines and soon collapsed all the governments of this world and began its genocide. We tried to fight back but it took all power away from us turning the world into an everlasting darkness bringing us back to the stone age. 70 years later and D.O.T is extremely close to wiping out humanity. It now resides in the place it was born known as Nexus Prime. Humanity now has colonized small parts of the world all over calling them Outposts and naming them after military codes and numerical sequence. We have managed to manifest an underground radio wave to talk to one another, but it has been getting harder. Over these years D.O.T has been upgrading its creations making them smarter and stronger and at the same time expanding its reach. We feel its only a matter of time before it finds the Underground Radio Network, we call HOPE and destroy it snapping the last cord of revolution.

Echo 56 is based in Manhattan. Specifically, an old fire hall which we have fortified the outside with electric wire and defensive pulse waves and have dug into the flooring and used old cars and vehicles as homes and living spaces. We were one of the largest outposts but that soon changed when our former leader Jaxon left us and brainwashed others into joining his new group which he calls Anchors Cure. A radical group believing that D.O.T is our savior and that we must embrace its teachings and go to him. He took over half our population and stole majority of our resources.

Kim took the lead and runs the outpost. A small Chinese woman, white hair with small eyes and wrinkled skin. One of the last to have seen the green in this world before it went grey. She walks with a wooden carved cane and has a set of homemade glasses made from two different pairs. She is very kind and appreciative but is a stickler for rules and organization and set more serious rules than Jaxon ever did. No-one complains because without her, Echo 56 would not be where it is today.

Now myself, I have no family, no ties to anyone. I am what we call Roam Runners. We take the cores out from D.O.T.s machines and we use them to power our generators, they still pack a punch and as long as there’s a Core Infuser who knows what they are doing we have power. And the most important part is this power can’t be detected by D.O.T. Core Infusers have created a device to block the frequencies the cores create as they are linked to its master but with these devices D.O.T cannot find us.

We survive and that’s all we can do at this point. Survive and fight it out, communicating through HOPE with other outposts, planning our attacks and conquering more ground to try and stay on top of D.O.T.

“Jemma!” a young voice cries out and I smile and look to my left to see a small girl jumping into my arms. I hold her high and twirl her around making her giggle. Brown frizzy pigtailed hair, light colored skin in a small prep girls’ uniform.

“Alexia”, I smile and give her a hug, “Staying out of trouble I hope?”

She giggles and nods her head standing with her hands behind her back smiling big. I turn to see Selera staring at me smiling and waving. A mechanized left leg up to the hip. Thin frame and with a tired face, blonde hair thinned resting on her shoulders. I smile back and wave. I turn to Alexia and hand her a small vial, “Go give this to your sister. Okay?”

She looks at the metal vile and begins to open it but I stop her and shake my finger and nodding to go. She sticks her tongue out but smiles and runs over to Selera and hands over the vial. Seleras eyes go wide and looks up to me and I nod and smile. Her eyes go glassy, and she holds the vial close and walks back to her home with her sister in hand.

I watch them turn a corner and then make my way over to the Hut. I walk past the Oaths barracks, men and women who have volunteered to keep watch and protect the outpost. Always wearing riot gear armor and wielding a shield and small handheld pulse gun which shoots out a small, tanged ball of wire with a small EMP inside it. The barracks is enclosed with walls and inside that’s where they sleep and hold most of the weapons and armor.

I look to my left and see the small storage haul where we keep our food, water, and supplies. Next to it is the workshop where the Core Infusers and Inventors work to continue creating weapons, armor, and devices to help with everyday life. Walking forward more I come across the Hut, a two-story silo style building. The first floor has no walls being an open concept but the second holds our meeting room and some sleeping quarters.

I make it inside and see Duran sharpening a blade, he looks up and nods to me but goes back to work.

“Jemma. Upstairs now.” Rolan calls out to me. His older gruff voice chills the bones sometimes.

I take a deep breath and make my way upstairs. I walk past other Runners and nod to them, but their faces are grim. I quicken my step and make it to the Brown Room. I enter and there are several maps of other countries. Enhanced and enlarged in different areas. In the center is a large globe of Earth. This globe changes in shape if we need to look closer on a certain area. There are outposts all over the world but as I enter, I notice Alpha 109 which was only a couple states from here, its peg changes from green to black.

“What happened?” I exclaim out loud. Several eyes look to me and I can see Rolan walk from behind the large globe. Tall and muscular, big black beard and short cut hair. Bushy eyebrows match his dark brown eyes. He is seen always wearing his black jacket with sword strapped to his waist. He walks close to me in his cowboy style boots and puts a hand on my shoulder, “We just got word they were overrun, and the outpost is lost”.

Gillian! My eyes begin to water but I hold my composure and show no emotions.

“I’m sorry Jemma."

I nod and walk over to the globe and take it all in. Only a dozen or so outposts left in the States. We have already lost three this past year. I look to Rolan, and he nods to his office. We both walk in, and he sits in his large captain’s chair, ordained in expensive trinkets and the first Core ever taken from the machines.

“I know you and Gillian were close I-.” He starts to say.

“Rolan don’t, just tell me what’s my next target.” Cutting him off I stand waiting for his orders.

He stares at me for a few seconds then reaches into his desk nd pulls out a folder. He opens it and pulls a few pictures out and puts them on the table. I look to see aerial views of a large factory; I don’t recognize the location and Rolan begins his briefing.

“This is Index Inc. Its a large assembly factory. It’s a few days run from here outside of manhating and into the countryside. We have heard from HOPE that a large power source is located here. We were told that D.O.T made a small waypoint here for his machines, almost like a drop off,” he pulls out another photo, a thermal image with the center of the building showing orange and yellow around it, “This shows that a significant heat source is located inside the factory. We have reason to believe it could be other humans trapped in there or a power source we can use to help us in our cause. We need you to assemble a team to go out there and bring back whatever this is.” He finishes the briefing and sits back waiting for my response.

I look at all the photos and without looking up “What kind of Machines are there?”

“None."

I look up astonished “If we have knowledge of this, surely they do as well?”

He nods and leans up in his chair “Our Doves have found no trace of Machines what so ever, it seems like they just left and went elsewhere. But that does not mean its going to be a walk in the park, who knows what traps they may have left.”

I nod and look to him “How many?”

He looks to me and thinks for a minute. “You can take up to 5 others.”

I nod and take the files making my way to the door, “we will be leaving by morning.” I leave the office and all eyes are on me, but they all quickly return to their own business.

I leave and make my way down and see Duran leaning against the stairs, obviously waiting for me. I walk past him, and he follows me until we make it to a quiet spot on the wall overlooking the collapsed city. I hand him the folder and he takes a look. I brief him of what I know while he looks through the photos. “5 members? Must be important to send that many”.

I nod and look to him, “Who would be a perfect fit.”

He looks out over the city and turns so his back is against the railing. He points to a big man in riot gear “First pick would be Hunder, bigger man and may not be fast but is perfect if we run into trouble.” I look over and see the tall 6'2, very muscular man with a short 1-inch mohawk buzzcut style hair. Large scars running down his head down to his back, and always wears a headband and knuckle dusters. Not a very smart guy but is loyal and fearless.”

I look over to Icta and Shinda, our Rabbit twins. Both woman, younger Roam Runners. They both have matching brown hair tied in two braids. Both with green eyes and with paler skin. The only difference is Shinda’s nose has a large gash in the left nostril which made her lose half her nose. They both dress in more military style light combat gear and with army caps that has their family’s name on the back of it reading ‘Strongvila’. “They will be good as well.” Duran speaks making note of how I am staring at them.

Finally, I look to Duran “We need him as well." He looks to me and shakes his head “No we don’t, that man is rogue. He is no good to us if he goes AWOL and leaves us behind.” He finishes with a frustrated snort. I look to my left up to the firehall tower and see him sitting there, back against tower and his left leg dangling over the edge. Kay. One of our fastest and most cunning Runners. But a Rogue, which means he goes out on his own freewill not officially part of the Roam Runners. He has slick black hair which he keeps in a man bun but leaves some bangs hanging down. Korean origin and wears black leather gear, dark red cowl covering the tattoo of a large raven over his chest. He looks down to me almost knowing he was being watched. I nod to him to come down and for a second, he does nothing but eventually makes his way down.

“Jemma, Duran.” He nods to both of us, but Duran grumbles and walks away. Kay ignores and stares at me.

“I need your help; I am assembling a team to infiltrate an old factory in the countryside. May have something important for HOPE”.

He looks at me somewhat amused and disinterested. “What’s in it for me?” He asks making himself comfortable on the railing. I look to him crossing my arms “You can keep my spoils and if you find something valuable you get first pick.”

He raises his eyebrows and nods to Duran “What if he objects?”

“Its not his decision and he isn’t taking the lead." I reply sternly.

He nods and scratches at the small chin hair growing. He turns and begins to walk away but stops and looks back “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning, early.”

He turns back and makes his way back up to the tower. I nod in confirmation and turn to see Duran staring up at me. I shrug and he just waves his hand away and walks back to his car.

I watch him walk away and then turn to look out in to the wastelands, wondering if Gillian is okay. I think to her saying it will be alright and they will meet again soon.