Chapter 34 Towing the Broken Future

David’s voice grew faint, almost a whisper.

“It knew I was there. I could feel it. It was just standing there, waiting. Waiting for me to make a sound, or try to run. I don’t know how long it was there; it could’ve been minutes or hours. I just sat there, too scared to even breathe, every rumble of thunder making me jump, thinking it would come for me. I thought I’d die right there, without even having the chance to scream.”

He closed his eyes, trying to shake the memory, but it clung to him, heavy and terrifying.

“Then… there was this lightning flash, and I blinked. Just for a split second. But when I opened my eyes, it was gone. Just like that. No sound, no footsteps… like it vanished into the rain.”

"They’re everywhere. I swear, even this morning - just before you showed up - I heard them. I tried to stay quiet, tried to block it out, but they were out there. Lurking. Waiting for dark to fall again, because that’s when they come when you can’t see them. They move through the shadows, and you don’t even know they’re there until it’s too late.”

His voice grew more desperate.

“You don’t know… you can’t see them… until they’re already on you.”

“Hey, hey, calm down, buddy. I see active nanites kicked in, good, they’re doing their job. Look, I’ve been stomping around all morning, driving that busted tank mech back and forth, and not a single mutant came sniffing around.”

“I know you’re freaked out. I get it. But just try to relax. You’re not alone here; I’m right here, so there’s nothing to worry about, okay? I’ll finish the work I need to do, get a few more things in order, and we can get out of here in maybe an hour or so. How does that sound? You’ve been waiting three weeks. What’s one more hour?”

David’s voice shook, his eyes wide with a deep-seated fear.

“Please... please don’t leave me here alone. Not again… I can’t… I can’t be alone again, not out here. You don’t understand - the sounds, the shadows… it’s like they’re waiting just for me. Please, just… just stay nearby, even if you have to work. Just don’t leave me alone. I don’t know if I could survive one more night alone.”

Aria helped him up.

"Hey now, I’ll do you one better, how about I get you into the tank mech? Much safer than this crumbling building, and when I’m finished, we’ll roll out of here back to HQ. Sound good?"

"Yes... that's... great. Thank you."

 He stumbled, exhausted, but kept moving, his grip tight on her shoulder. She helped him climb inside Combelt IV, adjusting his seat and getting him settled.

"Alright," she said, pulling herself halfway up into the cockpit.

 "While you’re here, I could actually use a hand. How about you help steer this thing? I could use someone to keep this beast in line while I’m towing it. It would be a much faster trip back to HQ this way. Just give the AI a few voice inputs here and there - a piece of cake, right?"

David nodded quickly, at this point, he’d agree to anything just to feel the solid ground of Beehive.

“Yeah, yeah, I can do that. I’ll do whatever you need, just… thank you.”

David slumped back into the seat, visibly shaken but grateful to be out of the crumbling building. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself for a moment to appreciate the solid walls of the tank mech surrounding him.

Meanwhile, Aria maneuvered Combelt III in front of Combelt IV. She assessed the tow cables, ensuring that the hook points were secure and ready to bear the weight of the damaged mech behind her. 

“Bastion, run systems check on Combelt III’s load capacity. We’re towing heavy.”

As Bastion’s interface blinked to life, confirming Combelt III’s readiness to haul the massive weight of the damaged tank mech behind it, Aria glanced up at David. He was slumped in the cockpit, watching her nervously, his hands gripping the controls. He was on edge, his eyes darting between her and the crumbling city stretching out around them.

Normally, such a task would take a team of mechanics and heavy machinery, but with her enhanced strength, Aria could do it with ease.

“Okay, David, just hang tight,” she called back to him in comm.

 “We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

David called back, "The sooner the better. I don't like it, too quiet. We must hurry."

Just as Aria was about to hook the last cable, a sound caught her attention. It was faint at first, barely noticeable over the mechanical hum of the tank mechs, but it grew louder, echoing in the eerie stillness of the ruined city.

A weak gurgling noise.

The sound was unmistakable. Aegis mutants.

“David, I think we have company.”

David's eyes widened in fear as he leaned forward, his fatigue forgotten.

 “What? Here? Now?”

Aria focused and glanced around, scanning the streets between the crumbling buildings. The gurgling grew louder, more distinct, accompanied by the unsettling sound of scraping claws against concrete. The mutants were closing in.

“I need to finish this hook-up quickly. If we get swarmed, they might snap the cables. I can't just gun it. I will need to tow slowly. Damn it, I will need to deal with them now and here,” she muttered under her breath. 

“Hey! Are they... are they coming?!” David’s voice trembled through the comm.

“Stay calm. Almost done. Just keep quiet. These cables aren't exactly easy to hook up on my own. I need to get this done so we can move. And I am not ditching the tank mech I came to get just because some lightweight mutants showed up. If it comes to fighting I have my particle rifle and left particle sniper rifle in your cockpit. Just don't panic and don't do something stupid, if you trust me and do as I say, you will survive this.”

"Bastion, connect with scan drone and launch. Scan the area."

"Acknowledged, operator. Attempting to connect with scan drone... done. Powering the scan drone... done. Launching the scan drone... done."

With a final adjustment, Aria secured the last cable, ensuring it was locked in place.

 “Got it! We’re ready to go. Bastion, what's the situation?”

"Area scan at 72%. Five Aegis mutants were detected. Closing in from all directions. Calculating a route to avoid conflict... not possible. Updating information... 85% of the area scanned, eight Aegis mutants detected..."

"Enough, Bastion. Go stand-by mode."

Aria crouched low behind the crumbled wall as she peered over. The faint gurgling had morphed into a racket of grunts and low growls, echoing through the ruins as the Aegis mutants began to emerge. Their grotesque forms slithered from behind the corners, creeping into view like a nightmare brought to life.

“Well damn,” she said under her breath.

 “Looks like we’ll need to fight some mutants. Luckily, it’s just Aegis units and nothing bigger.”

 She activated the rifle’s targeting system, the HUD displaying the thermal signatures of the approaching mutants. They were closer now, grotesque and writhing, their spiny limbs moving in a disjointed rhythm. 

Aria took a deep breath, focusing on the first Aegis unit as it crawled around the corner of a building. It had no idea what was waiting for it.

 “Bastion, target the nearest one. Overcharge the shot, we are not messing around. We need to finish them as quickly as possible. Ignore safety protocols, maximum output.” 

“Target locked,” the AI responded in her ear.

She tightened her finger on the trigger and when the first mutant came into full view, she didn’t hesitate. She squeezed the trigger, releasing three precise bursts of energy. The rifle hummed with power as the shots ripped through the air, hitting the mutant squarely in its chest, where the armor plating was weakest. Each burst created a bright flash, illuminating the wreckage for a brief moment before the creature collapsed into a heap, lifeless and with a gaping hole in his chest.