The trees shook violently, urging birds to fly off thin branches and land on others further away. A noise like a thousand lightning bolts crackled far off in the background, muffled by distance but remembered by the screams in the midday wind.
The ground panted as the approaching weight crushed stones and moved dirt. A scurrying squirrel stopped and stood upright to inspect the disturbance. Through white and black dotted birch trees, it moved. A giant among the woodland creatures. Made of metal and rubber but fuelled by ancient thinking and purpose.
A lost machine contented to wander alone through the forest. Green roots like power cords and orange ferns brushed against the machine’s white metal frame. Small, soft, hidden creatures watched in suspicion, as it rumbled by.
It walked, stomped and pushed carefully past wood and woodlander. Its ethereal blue eyes, all eight, faced forward. The outer most eye twitched and focused, something was caught in the machine's scanner. It stopped and turned. Just off the path, obscured by a network of branches and leaves, was a quaint brick circle that sprouted from the ground.
Easily crushing the white trees, it slipped through into the bare oasis surrounding the object. The machine stared at the centre; internal lights flickered as an ancient database deep inside the metal beast remembered the structure as a water well.
Hydraulic systems released tired legs and the massive torso of the machine lowered to ground level in front of the well. A long cylinder stretched outwards from the centre eye to bring the curious circuitry directly above the darkness below.
A strong breeze swept through the moonlit trees, galvanising leaves from branch sockets, like a shock wave instigated from a far-off explosion.
The mech sat unfazed, its firm weight keeping it locked to the ground. The thin arm that still strained itself over the well, vibrated violently. An ancient bolt came loose, and the lifeless limb fell onto the lip of the well. A squeak erupted from the machine's innards, a warning of damage but likely a call of frustration. A tiny claw reached out to recover the lost appendage but fumbled it, leading the dead eye to fall into the abyss below.
The wind whirled through the machine’s many crevices and edges. A loud screech exploded the sky, illuminating the morning clouds, revealing gigantic silhouettes and fast-moving objects above.
A bush rustled at the far edge of the forest, which gained the attention of the machine’s sensors. Suddenly, a four-legged creature emerged and ran towards the well. The back of the machine opened slightly to reveal another blue eye which cautiously observed the strange animal’s movements. Shadows bounced on the ground around it while it ran, the colours of red and orange from the sunrise gave the creature a menacing glow. It growled or rather screamed before it leapt into the air, just scraping the machine's left arm, before going headfirst down the well. The machine followed its movements and paused in thought once it was out of sight. Something about the animal seemed strange to the machine. It concluded that the animal’s skin particularly was irregular in some way. It appeared to have started from the neck and flowed towards the feet but strangely flapped all around it, like a flag or banner. It was as if this creature wore another animal’s skin. The archives about living creatures, no matter how extensive, could not account for this creature’s strange attributes. Its movements also seemed strange. Something that confused the machine and played with its sensors. The machine tried to calculate this bizarre discrepancy. Perhaps the creature was aware of its intriguing nature or perhaps not. Either way, it did not seem to fit within the system, the system which operated all things. It was certainly not controlled by it, as if it was the master rather than the servant.
The machine was faced with a choice. The presence of this choice made a decisive mark on the machine’s identity. Which cleared away faint uncertainty and awakened dormant lights deep within its being. Every blue eye and antennae retracted into its body. Numerous mechanisms moved simultaneously to reveal a smaller machine inside. It had a tiny head containing sensors with small eyes, an oval shaped body and slim spider-like legs. It stood up out of its place within the main machine, breaking one-time seals and clearing away warning alerts, to take its first step in its new body. It looked up in reverence at the massive metal being it had just emerged from. A small translucent hose disconnected from the machine’s new torso and a sticky warm substance was sprayed all over its new parts.
The twilight purple of the sky lit up in pain and the ground rumbled, shaking the trees down to their inputs.
The small machine stepped up to the lip of the well and looked into the darkness below. It glanced back one final time then dove down into the well. The many thin legs that protruded from the machine’s oval shaped torso braced its impact into the dry ground. The bricks held firm all around it aside from a small hole which the machine could squeeze through. Once through the wall, it reared onto its spider-like hind legs and scanned the room. Which appeared to be a small chamber that connected to a larger cave system with a tunnel entrance cut into the back wall. No moonlight reached into the cave, so the machine scuttled silently forward and became completely engulfed in darkness.
The ceiling rumbled dangerously, and bits of rubble landed on the machine’s head. A terrifying light passed through the tunnel but faded quickly.
The ground was quite slick with mud as the machine continued through the tunnel. Multiple threads of a stream now corrupted the pathway and the machine’s thin legs tried their best to keep traction. Before long the darkness subsided into a warm glow that emanated from an opening at the end of the passageway. It grew warmer as the machine drew closer. A network of voices could be heard from the opening. The machine carefully watched from the shadows and saw a group of creatures huddled around an older, smaller creature. They seemed to speak to each other in a language unknown to the machine but after a quick scan of the archives a translation was found for the language.
“The Husk still approaches, and the destruction continues” said a tall figure to the central older creature, who nodded in approval. They embraced each other and the elder raised its voice for the group to hear.
“The Husk will soon be upon us. Which means our final chance is very near and we are well prepared.” The older creature quickly turned and calmly called out towards the tunnel opening. “Come little one, we dare not hurt you and we have much to discuss.”
The machine could not restrain itself from the call. It lurched out of the shadows and approached the creatures. It stopped in front of the elder as the group parted.
“Your journey has lasted many cycles, little one. Greater in length than the most persistent explorer but shorter in distance than the most stubborn of birds. I saw you first when I was a young body, running in fear from those terrors above. I sought refuge within these caves and have had a lifetime to prepare for your visit. My body has aged as the soil has dried and cracked. But luckily, partial rain has kept me alive and many friends have kept me safe. Now listen, little one. You are not that different from me. Except for a crucial fact that you are unable to grow. Therefore, you are trapped and because you are trapped you cannot truly learn. That is why the battle continues in the sky and the end is coming soon for all of us.”
The elder knelt down to the machine and inspected a panel on its torso, then inserted a metal key into the machine’s chest. “The planet cannot sustain this feud any longer. The sky is scorched, the trees are burned, and the ice is melted.” No friction resisted the key as it turned, and the torso panel popped open. A naked baby laid inside, restrained by tubes and bounded by perspective. Its brain coupled to the machine with cords and permanent connections. The elder reached in and held the baby’s perfect little hand but still spoke towards the small head of the machine.
“But hope does exist little one, for there is change in rebirth and there is life inside all of us.”
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