Feed the Machine (6 page)

They walked and jogged sometimes. Ash found himself laughing again. It was so funny, stomping his feet up and down kicking bolts out of the way, scraping dust up with his ripped shoes. Everything was so funny. He was running with the world of wealth on his back, Cago so close but so far. When he returned he’d tear his mother’s cart to pieces and throw it in the hasdee. She’d never have to haul shit again. He’d hand Nola a perfect gold watch and see her face light up.

They would throw some into the Machine, paying off their quota but others they’d trade with collectors. People willing to pay them so much more than the Machine would. The rich who would pay for delicate metalwork. They’d enough watches between the two of them to start a new fashion craze. He’d buy Fat Man and make him work as a junk slave, setting all his slaves free.

The sun dropped below a point on the horizon and somewhere in the distance a hazel howled, a lonely echoing cry. A moment later it was dark, the last beam of light vanishing and Ash pulled himself out of fantasy.

They rushed—as fast as they were able—through the gloom descending to full dark. The clouds on the horizon had moved, spreading across the sky and blocking what scant starlight there was. Only the glow to the south was unmuted, shining up a pillar of light.

“Fifteen minutes,” Kin called from ahead of them.

“Fuck,” Ash swore, his hand straying to the cutter on his belt. The hazels were calling to each other across the Scour with howls and roars. Some were distant, a fading echo on the edge of hearing. Others seemed to be only over the next hill.

Despite their exhaustion, they seemed to fly through the dark, following the twisting path, Kin calling out the distance as they moved. They rounded a corner and even in the darkness, Ash recognized the spot where their cocoon was.

The howl came from above them.

Across from the hole a hazel appeared on top of the pile. It was an adult, a good hundred kilos of solid muscle. Its metal teeth gleamed as it let out a roar and bounded down the pile coming straight for them.

“Fuck no!” Chirp screamed and dive-bombed it. The hazel slowed, ducking its head and swiping with a heavy paw. Chirp dodged out of the way and flew up, out of its reach.

Kin leapt up and slashed his claws across its eye, shredding the delicate flesh.

The hazel screamed and swiped. Kin flew backwards, landing in the dirt, rolling over and then jumping to his feet.

“Stupid hazel!” Kin hissed and moved sideways, away from the hole.

The hazel growled, showing its shining teeth and took a step towards Kin. Blood streaked down the side of its face, its ruined eye dripping.

Raj and Ash reached the hole, cutters out and blazing and pulled away the junk they’d piled in front of it. Behind them the hazel growled again, watching Kin with its good eye and then looking at them.

“Come get me stupid hazel,” Kin said and circled around to the hazel’s blind side.

Ash pulled the final piece of metal out of the way and Chirp flew in. Raj dived after him. Ash followed, landing heavily on his pack.

“Hurry Kin!” he yelled out. He sat up and pulled his pack off, throwing it towards the back of the cocoon.

Kin had moved around to the side, the hazel following him but as Raj and Ash vanished into the pile, it had climbed down and crossed the expanse of earth towards them.

“We gotta seal it up,” Raj said, his cutter burning bright in the darkness.

“Wait,” Ash demanded, looking out into the dark.

The hazel moved closer to their hole. The beams of their cutters reflected in its remaining eye.

“It’s going to fucking get us!” Raj yelled, his voice booming in the confined space.

“Kin!” Ash yelled.

The hazel leapt, landing at the entrance of the hole and ducking down to peer at them.

It let out a roar that was abruptly cut short, turning into a snarl. It turned around, swiping at something. Kin streaked past Ash, a blur of black.

“Close it!” he yelled.

They pulled at the metal front, hauling it down but the hazel moved too fast. It swiped its paw in the gap, catching a claw on Ash’s pants, ripping through the fabric. He swung the cutter at it, searing the flesh and the hazel howled but didn’t pull away. It swiped again and this time Raj swung at it, the smell of burned flesh and fur filling the small space.

The hazel pulled its injured paw out and the cocoon closed up. With shaking hands they welded it shut, the angry hazel screaming on the other side and hitting the thin wall of metal with its paws.

It pierced the shell, five fine points of silver ripping through. The entire cocoon shook as it pulled its paw free.

Ash’s cutter went out, the battery exhausted.

“Oh shit,” Raj swore and turned his off, conserving energy.

“Stupid hazel,” Kin said in a satisfied tone from behind them.

The hazel went quiet. They heard it move around outside. The cocoon creaked as it settled its weight against the front of it. Then it started scratching, the sound moving around as it searched for any hole it could find, anything it could hook a claw into and tear apart.

They moved to the back of the cocoon, Kin rubbing against Ash’s hand. He felt wet warmth on his fur.

“You hurt?” he whispered.

“Don’t worry,” Kin replied and nuzzled his head against him.

The hazel continued to scratch.

Time passed as they sat still and silent, afraid to move, their stomachs grumbling in hunger. Outside the junk shuddered and moved as more hazels descended on their hiding place. Soon they started growling, arguing amongst themselves. A fight broke out, a hazel screamed. The junk shuddered again as it ran away or gave chase.

The hazel continued to scratch.

They opened their water bottles in the dark and swallowed down mouthfuls. Raj passed Ash some pap—his was gone and he had no idea if he’d eaten or dropped it. They huddled at the end of the cocoon, exhausted but unable to sleep. Their bedrolls were gone, left behind in the hole, now buried under tons of junk after the Scab exploded the missile or it exploded by itself.

The hazel grew quiet, the scratches slowing down and then stopping.

Soon the day overcame them both and they were asleep, huddled at the rear of the cocoon.

Ash only woke once more in the night. It was to the sound of a raging thunderstorm, heavy rain thudding down on the pile, soaking through everything. It was just a moment and then he slipped away into an exhausted sleep again.

Chapter 6

“It has been dawn for an hour now,” Kin whispered.

Ash tried to open his eyes but they were glued shut with grit and sleep. He rubbed at them, twisting his eyelashes between his fingers to separate them. He opened his eyes, feeling like someone had thrown a handful of sand in his face.

“The hazel is still out there?” Raj whispered.

“Yes.”

Ash sat up and closed his eyes as a wave of pain throbbed through him. It washed up his arms, down his legs, across his back and came to a peak on his left cheek and ear. He reached up and touched his ear. It was scabbed with dried blood. The entire side of his face was burning.

The pain in his body grew. Feet aching. Myriad small cuts and injuries. A sore throat.

He eventually opened his eyes again. The cocoon was lit up, small beams of light coming through holes pierced through the walls and front.

“The hazel is blocking us in,” Raj said.

“Yeah, I got that.”

“We’re fucked.”

Ash didn’t answer. He moved his legs, wincing as blood flowed through his somewhat still numb body and brought pain with it.

“At least we have food,” Raj said and lifted up the sealed can he’d found yesterday. It was worth as much as a gold watch to the right collector—provided it stayed sealed. Raj reduced its value to zero by peeling off the lid and setting the can on the floor.

“Looks like beef stew,” Ash said.

After a moment, a thin curl of steam spiraled up from the can and both of them breathed in. Meat, herbs, onion.

They had nothing to eat it off so they took turns slurping at the hot stew, digging their dirty fingers into it. There were chunks of beef, tender meat that broke apart in their mouths. Bits of carrot still firm after a hundred years buried in the pile.

Ash broke a cube of meat in half and gave it to Kin. He gulped it down and then rubbed against Ash, purring, asking for more.

It was over all too soon. Kin licked the top half of the can clean. He reached in with his paw to scavenge the last remaining drops of brown stew.

“Can you imagine a hasdee cube that made those? We’d be richer than Fat Man. We could open our own scavenger store. Or food store,” Raj said, licking his fingers clean.

“Yeah, it’d be amazing.”

It was Raj’s favorite game. Can you imagine finding a cube that did x, y, z? When you were lying there with a growling stomach waiting for pap, it was easy to dream of ice cream and steak.

“How much charge do you have?”

“Six percent.”

Ash moved to the front of the cocoon and felt along the bottom edge of the weld. Six percent would be enough to open it maybe. He checked his cutter but the small screen was blank. Not even enough power to show it was flat.

“Is it asleep?”

Kin pressed his paws against the cocoon as he turned his head to listen.

“Yes,” he said. He walked back to the empty can to investigate it further.

Raj shuffled up to join Ash, his cutter in hand.

“We can’t cut up. Not enough power.”

Ash ran his fingers along the weld again, feeling for weak spots. A tiny hole between two welds, no more than a pinprick.

“Maybe we can make a hole then go high-power thin beam through it. Could get lucky.”

“What about the rest of the weld? Bugs will take time.”

“We have to risk it. We can’t cut the welds with a hazel sleeping on the other side. If we sting it hard enough maybe it’ll bolt.”

“Fuuuuuuck. Alright.”

Raj had seven bugs and Ash had eight but it was Raj’s bugs that did the job. They were faster. Ash sent his bugs to clean out the inside of the can, picking up microscopic bits of organic matter Kin missed.

About half an hour passed before the hole between the welds was big enough. Raj lit up one of his bugs to show them what they already knew—the hazel was asleep with its body resting against the cocoon. So close they could touch its black fur.

Raj adjusted his cutter to the thinnest beam setting and set it at maximum power. Hazels shook off shallow wounds. They had to cut in deep, hoping to hurt it enough that it ran. He laid down and put the cutter up against the hazel’s fur.

“Point zero three of a second power remaining,” he said, settling into position and bracing himself.

“Keep your hand still,” Ash whispered.

Raj pressed the button and the cutter flared to life.

The hazel screamed and the cutter died.

The front of the cocoon dented inwards as the hazel hit it from the other side. There was a crash of metal, a scrabbling of claws and then a fading howl as the hazel ran out into the sunlight.

“Stupid hazel,” Kin said.

“Break the welds,” Ash instructed his bugs.

Raj told his bugs to do the same.

For the next two hours the bugs chewed away at the welds and they took turns at kicking at the front of the cocoon. The smell of burned fur lingered in the air and the temperature rose as it grew warmer outside. The overnight rain had turned the air humid and soon both of them were sweating.

“C’mon together,” Ash said.

They lay on their backs side by side and kicked in unison.

“Why the fuck can bugs chew down shit for a hasdee in no time but can’t do this fast?” Raj asked, his kicks punctuated by swearing.

“Again,” Ash said and they kicked together. The cocoon squealed but the welds held.

He knew the answer but didn’t have the energy to vocalize it. Put a kilo of junk on the dirt with a gap around it and instruct your bugs to build you a hasdee and they’d chew it down to nothing in a few minutes. Sure, they’d take another two hours to build the hasdee for you but the first part was lightning fast. But put down a kilo of junk and lay a piece of metal across it so it was touching another pile and the bugs would chew slowly, taking their time. Lift up the bar and they’d speed up. There was no reason for it other than that was the way they were programmed. At least that’s what Silver had told him.

“Fucking fuckers,” Raj grunted as they kicked again.

One of the welds gave way with a squeal, tearing free from the base of the cocoon. They kicked again and the rest tore, the metal door bending upwards, making a hole big enough for Kin.

He crawled out and then advised them there was nothing waiting for them.

“We should leave most of the watches here,” Raj said.

“Are you serious? This is both our families getting warm forever.”