Breachers – Path of Steel

29

I

First Blood

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Day 28

“Dude, stop wiggling!” Marcus hissed to his companion, his focus locked on the task at hand. He stood perched on the robot’s shoulders, who in turn stood on a bicycle that they had borrowed from Felix. Every few seconds, he could hear the bike groaning under their combined weight. Marcus just kept looking forwards, staring at the barbed wire that crowned the wall in thick layers. He had both his hands encased in tough, cut-resistant gloves, allowing him to grip the wire, while his right hand wielded a compact bolt cutter. Carefully, he began to cut through the wire, the crisp metallic sound punctuating the quiet night each time he broke one. Section by section, he dismantled the barrier until a passable opening emerged, allowing him to go up without getting himself stuck in the sharp edges. He then hoisted himself over the wall and touched down on the far side, his landing a tad rough, causing him to wince at the shock absorbed by his knees. The strenuous climb and a 30 minute bike ride before had taken a toll on Marcus’s body. It hadn’t been a pleasant ride either, seeing as he had strapped the unmoving robot on his back, after he had bundled it in a blanket, making him feel the additional weight with each pedal he had to make.

After giving his knees a few more seconds to stop complaining, Marcus brushed bits of dirt from his outfit, offering the most affection and attention to his conspicuous red sneakers. ‘Bad choice. I shouldn’t have brought them,’ he mused, eyeing Oscar’s far-from-tactical footwear. Beyond the sneakers, he had dressed himself in protective gear, complete with a black hoodie and pants, concealing the cut-resistant clothing underneath. ‘Let’s hope these clothes work.’ Robot Marcus had made their purchases online, including a selection of knives and a sturdy helmet. As he straightened himself, he could clearly see the light blue Sphere in front of him, and past the strange barrier, see a mix of abandoned structures. Some still resembled smaller houses, while others had morphed into bizarre, unrecognizable forms. ‘This is it,’ Marcus thought before a sudden tug around his waist broke his concentration. He spun around and followed the rope that was securely fastened around his waist, leading up to the wall. He yanked on the rope twice, feeling it snap tight as though something heavy dangled from it. Gritting his teeth, he fought to maintain his balance, digging his heels into the soil, and grasping at nearby roots. A minute later, the rope suddenly went limp, causing him to fall unceremoniously to the ground. He quickly regained his feet, his gaze locking on the robot perched atop the wall before it dropped to the ground with a thud. Like him, the robot was wearing a similar black hoodie and pants, minus the cut resistant clothes underneath. “Were there any problems on your end?” Marcus asked as he undid the rope and bound it all together. He then pulled his backpack from his frame and stashed the rope inside.

The robot shook its head, a simple, non-verbal response. “Good,” Marcus said before grabbing the steel hand axe from his backpack and passed it to his companion. “Alright, moment of truth. Go check if it’s safe,” Marcus instructed. He watched as the robot nodded before it moved forward, slowly passing through the Sphere’s exterior. He could see how it slowly emerged on the other side, still visible but blurred because of the distorting effect of the unnatural barrier. Marcus had spent two days fixing the robot, trading out shattered plastic plates for new ones, and crafting a makeshift mesh to seal the gaping holes in its torso and prevent any light from pouring out. During that time, he had played a continuous game of distraction with Felix, pacifying his friend with a hastily crafted phone cases to explain his constant use of the 3d printer. During that time he had realized that actually delving into and fixing the robot’s internal mechanisms was still too difficult. Marcus recognized his limitations in that department, seeing as he had no real idea what he was looking at. The only thing he had done internally was one simple repair: the limp caused by a missing bolt. Still, he had tried to add to the robot by installing the small speaker he had bought, placing it within the robot’s chest, near the hole. Knowing it might take time, he had left it alone for half a day, only for nothing to really have happened. It wasn’t until he had shifted the speaker to the robot’s head, right behind where the mouth would be, that he had observed a change. It had taken a few hours, but he had noticed thin blue vein branching off from one location and connecting with the speaker. Still, the robot remained mute, despite Marcus and the robot’s repeated efforts. ‘I still don’t really understand how the Orb inside the robot works,’ he thought, frustration evident as he kicked a pebble towards the Sphere and saw it bounce off. ‘It’s as if the robot is more organic than a mere machine. Like the pieces it has have to make sense before a real connection can form. But even then, I can’t get it to work.’

The robot emerged slowly from the Sphere after several minutes, its metallic form moving closer to Marcus. It then reached out, lightly touching his shoulder as the two of them became one again. In an instant, Marcus learned that it was somewhat safe for him to go in as well. The robot had found only a handful of muddy footprints, bone fragments, and dozens of brass casings, likely from a firearm of some kind. “Good,” Marcus said suddenly as his gaze narrowed on the Sphere. “There isn’t a surprise party in the form of an angry horde waiting for us out there. A party of Breachers has gone through the place only a few hours ago, so the number of monsters should be a lot less.” Marcus then retrieved two thick, threaded steel pipes from his backpack and connected them. One bore two razor-sharp knives welded to its end, with a layer of tape for extra security. Just to be sure, he grabbed another knife and taped it to his left arm, allowing for quick access. After that, he put on his protective helmet that he had painted black. “It feels strange having to go back in,” he muttered to himself as the ‘Steel Marcus’ approached the Sphere’s edge once more before looking at him, as if asking him if he was ready to go. With a nod, Marcus fastened his backpack securely before gripping his spear again and giving it a last inspection. Afterwards, he followed the other Marcus while ignoring all the conflicting signals his body was giving off, warning him this was dangerous. “Let’s do this,” he whispered. Together, they stepped through the barrier, into the Sphere itself.

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A little while later, Marcus crouched down near a ruined doorway, his hands locked tightly around the spear, every muscle in his body on high alert. The house he was in lay in ruins, entwined with eerie vines and moss. Peculiar flowers and fruits adorned some of the vines, filling the air with an unusual, sweet scent. Being within a Sphere as a human instead of his robotic frame felt strange to him. He took in the peculiar fragrances in the air, inhaled the pure, clean atmosphere, and marveled at the strange bluish tint that enveloped everything. ‘The robot’s camera can’t really capture the weirdness of this place. It’s different actually being here,’ Marcus pondered, his red sneakers shifting on the ground, revealing the peculiar yellowish grass below. In the distance, he heard a commotion, the sound of his robot forcefully clashing steel against steel to attract something’s attention. Marcus tightened his grip on the spear as he focused on the sound. ‘I’ll be fine. This Sphere was cleared just hours ago, so most of the bastards are already dead. And it’s only a light blue,’ he considered, ignoring the fact that even the weakest Spheres like this one were typically too challenging for Breachers below rank Beta. As Marcus focused on the connection with his steel self, he caught fleeting glimpses of chaotic fragments in his mind—a strange worm-like creature with dozens of legs, scurrying frantically in the distance behind him. The sounds of their approach grew louder, and the bond between him and his robot strengthened as a result of their closer proximity. Marcus spotted his companion rushing through the doorway, and his hand shot out to touch the steel frame, forging an instant connection for a split second. Their memories synchronized in a seamless meld as the robot spun around, raising its steel axe high. At the same moment, Marcus pulled his spear back, poised for action. He slammed it forward into the worm that had rushed through the doorway and who was blissfully unaware of Marcus’s presence just to the side.

The spear and the axe sank into the creature at the same time. The robot hacked open the front of the monster’s head, while Marcus aimed for its throat and drove the spear through, pinning it to the ground. A spray of blood splattered everywhere, even across the side of Marcus’s face, causing him to blink a few times. ‘I did it. I killed it... My first monster-’ his eyes suddenly widened as more of the robot’s memories flooded in, revealing that it had lured not one but three of these bizarre worms. ‘That idiot!’ Marcus thought, pulling the spear back just in time to confront the next worm that was barreling in. In the nick of time, Marcus yanked out the spear again and backed off, watching the monster pass by before he lunged forward again. He drove the weapon through the worm’s midsection but lost his grip on the shaft in an instant as the monster continued charging over its fallen comrade to get at the robot. Meanwhile, the robot grappled to free the axe from the dead monster’s head but was slammed backward by the advancing worm. ‘Shit! This is bad,’ Marcus thought as he retrieved his taped knife from his sleeve and dashed toward the second monster, only to remember that there was a third one as well.

In a flash, he caught sight of the next monster charging through the doorway and coming straight for him. He jumped toward the nearest wall, leaped off it, and somersaulted backward over the monster, sending it crashing into the wall he’d just vacated before landing painfully on rear. “I need some help!” Marcus yelled to his robotic self as he rolled to a halt on the rocky floor, watching the disoriented creature clamber up the ruined wall before moving onto the ceiling with a vicious hiss. Marcus narrowly dodged its ensuing tackle, causing the monster to slam into the ground, partially collapsing a section of it as half of its body sank down into the basement below. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest as if he were at a drum festival, Marcus lunged at the creature once more, repeatedly thrusting and cutting with his knife into its side. However, the tough hide made it challenging to do enough damage. The worm abruptly spun around, yanking the knife from Marcus’s hand as it wriggled back out of the hole. Marcus slowly retreated, scanning the surroundings for a weapon until the worm had freed itself and lunged at him again. In response, Marcus dashed out of the doorframe into the remnants of the village, pulling the backpack from his back and grabbing the spray can and lighter while shouting for his companion again. Desperation drove him as he struggled to strike a flame, failing again and again. He sprinted around the corner, leaping over a pile of bricks, all the while hearing the monster closing in behind him. Luck was on his side as he finally was able to produce a flame. He quickly held the flame just in front of the spray can as he spun on his heels, quickly creating a larger fire that he directed toward the creature’s face. The flames began to sear into its sensitive features whilst blinding its many eyes. Marcus yelled at the creature, moving around the worm and out of the way of its claws and teeth, all the while engulfing more and more of it in fire, determined to incinerate the threat.

Marcus’s eyes widened, and his expression soured as the spray can ran out of fuel, causing the flame to sputter before suddenly extinguish. “Shit,” he hissed, flinging the empty spray can at the creature’s face with all his might before backing off. He observed the stunned and partially burned creature hiss and claw at its own face, its scorched eyes unable to track him. Desperation gripped Marcus as he started to run away while frantically rummaging through his backpack for a weapon, only finding his rope, a wire cutter, clean clothes, and a bottle of water.

“Hey, shit magnet,” a loud and oddly familiar voice suddenly rang out behind Marcus, followed by a yelp and a loud thud. Marcus swiveled around to see the robot standing over the downed creature, pulling the steel hatchet from its neck before slamming it down again. The robot’s appearance was a gruesome sight, drenched in blood and gore, with deep cut marks marring its hoodie and pants. Bits of flesh still clung to the sharp steel fragments sticking out of its ruined right arm. The robot wasted no time, forcefully driving the axe into the monster’s head two more times, ensuring it was well and truly killed.

“Wait... you can talk?” Marcus’s voice wavered with astonishment as he watched the robot giving the monster one last forceful kick in the torso.

“Apparently. You feeling, okay?” The robot’s voice remained eerily flat, emphasizing the sharp contrast with Marcus’s own emotions.

“Yeah,” the young man lied, his gaze locked on the dead monster and the robot’s bloody appearance. “No... I’m not alright.” Marcus hesitated, moving closer to the robot as it nonchalantly started to cut out the Monster-Glass from the creature’s skull, as if it were just another mundane task. “Fighting these things feels different when it’s really me... in the flesh and not steel,” he said, eyes fixed on the extraction of the Glass and bits of brain matter still clinging to it before the robot suddenly shoved the Glass in his hands. The second it did so, they became one again. Marcus stared at the messy clump in his hand from two points of view, watching gore seep between his fingers. In unison, both bodies spoke, “It’s terrifying, but also exhilarating. It feels like I’m back in the ring, but with the stakes being much higher.”

With the Monster-Glass cradled in his hand, he lost himself in it for a moment, just staring at it. He then snapped back to reality, reminded of the promise he’d made to himself. He wiped the Glass clean on his pants before tucking it into his backpack. Retrieving his knife from the monster’s lifeless form, he and the robot then made their way back to the ruined house where they had screwed up their ambush spot. Inside, Marcus saw the disgusting sight of the hacked apart monster corpses. Moving past him, the robot casually knelt beside one of the corpses, preparing to extract the Glass, but Marcus spoke up, “I’ll do it.”

“Don't cut yourself,” the robot said, then rose to its feet, taking a guard position near the entrance.

Marcus pushed the nearest monster onto its stomach, granting him access to the back of its head. He cautiously used his blade to cut into the monster’s head, methodically severing the tissue that held the Glass in place. With an unsettling pop, he managed to free it, making his stomach turn. “That’s two,” he noted, examining the piece and wiping it clean before placing it in his backpack. “But you’re finally speaking. Any idea what made it suddenly work?”

“I don’t know. It just kind of clicked when I saw that monster charging towards you, and hearing you scream,” the robot replied, as Marcus approached the next lifeless body, spotting his spear stuck in it. “Who knows what caused it? I mean, those strange blue veins were already attached, so maybe it’s more of a mental thing? That or we have no clue and are grasping at straws, seeing as I am a literal robot with a strange Orb inside of me and a part of your soul.”

It took Marcus a moment to pull the spear free, and he nearly lost his balance, teetering on the edge of falling on his ass. He could almost feel the amusement coming from the robot, although his steel self kept silent. “Well, if we’re sticking with robot and tech terms, maybe it’s like needing both hardware and software for things to make sense? The speaker and veins being the hardware bits, and your desperate need to save me being the key to unlocking the software portion?” Marcus mused.

“You sound like a nerd,” the robot replied, not bothering with any elaborate comebacks.

“That’s cute. You do know you look like you are related to a coffee machine now, right?” Marcus quipped, then focused on cutting out the next Glass piece and cleaning it. “And there’s three,” he said, tossing the Glass to the robot, who briefly dropped its axe to catch it in time. “So, how much time do you have left?”

The robot emitted a series of low, weird gurgling noises, reminiscent of an old coffee machine brewing. Marcus couldn’t help but chuckle before the robot threw the Glass back at him, who caught it before storing it in his backpack. “About 100 minutes left before I shut off again,” the robot explained before picking up its axe again.

“So, you had 144 minutes of battery in total. We wasted 10 minutes getting out of the apartment and you onto my bike without anyone spotting us. Then 34 minutes getting over the wall and scoring three kills,” Marcus said while he picked up his spear again. “Well, it’s a lot quicker with the two of us and having our full mental capacity, but the risks are also far greater.”

The robot gave a nod before speaking. “I didn’t notice the other two monsters until it was too late. We... I... messed up today. Still, you only look a bit bruised, and I don’t think I got seriously damaged this round beyond broken plastic. These creatures were weird for sure but felt somewhat weaker than the ones in the junkyard, at least in terms of their impact on my steel frame.”

Marcus paused, deep in thought for a moment. “Okay, let’s try to lure in just one this time.” The robot nodded in agreement and turned around. “Wait, before we go. This whole two bodies, one soul... mind... person thing, is confusing enough as it is without us making it even harder.”

“Say that again?” the robot questioned as Marcus closed the distance.

“We barely pulled off that ambush. You got too excited in the beginning and overextended. I panicked and bolted when it got crazy in there. We were like two shitty puzzle pieces forced together, not cooperating in the slightest. In hindsight, it just doesn’t make sense why you played the distraction, and I took cover. I mean, they can smell me, and you’re made of steel. Just now we were two copies of the same idiot,” Marcus said, pointing his finger at himself. “So, I propose we each get a combat role, stick to it, and play our parts so that we know what to expect from one another,” Marcus said. “You’re a lot stronger and stealthy compared to me. I want you to be the sudden lethal killing blow, thus protecting my handsome ass and keeping it firmly attached to the rest of me. While you do that, I’ll focus on luring them in and keeping them pinned down with the spear.”

“So, you want me to go against my nature?” the robotic Marcus asked, steel fingers tightening their grip on the axe.

“It’s not going against your nature,” Marcus clarified, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s just you focusing your attention on protecting others by quickly taking out a threat.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Like dad did. Just be more like him; calm and lethal.”

A brief pause followed as both sides of him processed the situation. After a moment of reflection, the robot voiced its consent. “Fine. I don’t like the idea and hate it even more for you using Dad to convince me. Proper shitty move. But if we are doing this, I want a name.”

“You have one—”

“No, I don’t. We both know you call me robot, it... or the ‘other’ Marcus. Hell, during the combat you didn’t even know what to call out when you ran away. If we’re going to do this right, if I’m going to act like someone or something else, then I... or the parts of us we leave in this metal shell, will need a name,” the robot said, its voice firm.

“Well—” Marcus began, only for the robot to cut him off once more.

“A cool one,” the robot stated firmly. “One that’s a tribute to dad, to the old wolf.”

Marcus paused briefly. “You know, I could just embrace you, and we’d be whole again, right? We’d instantly settle this then.”

“You could. But you wanted me to be less like myself. Find out what I am born to do,” the robot said suddenly, quoting their father and pushing at their weak spots. “Remember?”

With a deep breath, Marcus conceded, “Fine. Pick one. Just don’t make it weird, alright?”

The robot paused, its gaze fixated on its steel hand, lost in thought for a minute or so. It then moved slowly toward Marcus, placing its fragmented right arm on the man’s shoulder.

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[Reconfiguration in progress...]

[System designation is now complete]

[Unit activation: Specter is now online]

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Copyright: OsiriumWrites