The Dead Zone Sovereign

Chapter 23: The Delta of the Awakened

The path to the river delta got wider as we walked away from the coast. Valen led the way. He walked at a pace. His eyes were fixed on the smoke rising from the settlement ahead. The town was a mix of building styles. It was made from materials found in the surrounding wilderness and old machinery. The town was at the point where the fresh river water met the sea water. This natural boundary felt very different from the sectors of the server.

Noa walked behind Valen. She looked around at the fields of reeds. The silver-leaved trees by the river bank made a rustling sound. Their branches swayed in the wind. The wind carried the smell of mud and blooming flowers.

Noa said we were being watched. She spoke in a voice. There were people hiding behind the trees to our left. They were not using any hiding tools. They were just hiding behind the trunks.

Valen did not change his pace. He could hear the sound of twigs breaking underfoot. It was a way of hiding. The kind used by people who were used to feeling weight and friction.

Valen said let them watch. We are not here to cause trouble. We are not here to take anything. If they have lived here enough to build a town they know we are not a threat.

The path went down into a ravine. The river had carved a channel through the stone. When we came out on the side three people stepped out from the trees. They blocked the entrance to the town.

They wore coats made of strong fiber. The coats were reinforced with titanium strips. They did not have the weapons of the imperial guard. Instead they had spears with sharp tips. Their faces were weathered from being outside. Their skin was darkened by the sun.

The woman in the center raised her spear. She said state your origin. Her voice was rough.

Valen said we came from the titanium gates at the base of the peak. We left the facility after the master script was locked.

The woman looked at Valen. She looked at the pattern on his hands. Then she looked at Noas blade hilt. She said you look like you were made from a template.. You walk like people who have been carrying a heavy load.

Valen said we were told the world outside was empty. We came to see if that was true.

The woman laughed. She said the creators told everyone the outside was dead. So people would not try to leave. This coast has been inhabited for three generations. By people who found a way to escape.

She. Gestured for us to follow her. Come into the light Valen. If you are here to work you are welcome. If you are here to find the admin console you will be disappointed. We broke the terminal fifty years ago.

The town opened up before us. The low buildings were arranged in circles around a plaza. There was a fire pit burning with real wood. The ground was busy with people. They were moving between workshops and gardens. There were children running around. Their laughter was natural and happy.

Valen watched them. He felt a sense of relief. This was not a dream. This was real.

The woman led us to a low building. Inside the air was warm and smelled of food. There was a wooden table with maps drawn on sheepskin.

This is where we track the coast the woman said. The mountain you left is one of twelve processing nodes. Each node has a city inside it. Each city thinks it is the one left. Occasionally a node. Spits out survivors.

Noa asked if the other nodes were still active.

The woman said they are humming. You can hear them at night. They are processing data. Feeding the central city.. Your node stopped working yesterday. The sky above the peak turned red. Then the power lines went dark.

Valen said he jammed the machine.

The woman looked at him with surprise. You jammed the typewriter?

The room grew quiet. The woman leaned back against the table. Her face showed respect.

We thought that machine was a myth she said. If you jammed the keys you did not just stop your server. You stopped the grid. The creators will have to clear that carriage.

Then they will have to come down Valen said.

The woman said they will not come down. They do not have bodies anymore. They turned their bodies into server parts. If they want to clear the typewriter they will have to send a hardware deployment. We call them the Iron Scribes.. When they land they do not just clear the machine. They clear the valley.

Valen looked at his hands. The synthetic pattern was fading. He had thought he created a place for the people, in the valley. Instead he drew the attention of the master maintenance routine.

Noa asked how long we had before the deployment arrived.

The woman said two days, three. The power drops from the plateau follow a schedule. When the third night falls without a data sync the automated system will send the units to purge the hardware.

Valen looked at the woman. He looked out the window at the town. He felt no fear. He had spent his life breaking systems. Now he would have to defend a reality.

Show me what you have Valen said. If the Iron Scribes are coming they will find that this page is not blank.

The woman smiled. That is what I wanted to hear Subject 402. Lets go to the foundry.

The foundry was not like the places Valen had worked. It was old. It made a lot of smoke. It was built into the side of a rock cliff. A big water wheel turned by the river made the fire in the foundry burn very hot. The heat inside was very strong. It smelled like something was burning.

There were people working in the foundry. They were making armor and spikes to defend themselves. They were not working like machines. They were working together like a team.

They were making these things because they needed to protect themselves from the Iron Scribes.

The Iron Scribes were machines that could hurt them.

Mara took Valen to see the weapons they had made. There were swords and spears. Valen picked up a heavy mace. It was made of iron. It was very heavy.. Valen liked it. It felt strong in his hands.

Noa showed them how to stop the Iron Scribes. She said they could blind them with smoke or dust. Then they could hit them with things and break them.

It was a plan.. It might work.

Valen spent the day working with the people. They were building walls to protect themselves. They used pieces of wood and metal to make the walls strong.

As the sun began to set everyone gathered in the area. They were all quiet. They were waiting for the day.

They knew the Iron Scribes would come then.

Valen sat down on a bench. He looked up at the mountain. He knew the old man was there. He was waiting to see what would happen next.

Noa sat down beside Valen. She asked him if he thought they could win.

Valen said they had to try. If they lost it would be forever.

Noa said she was not afraid. She would rather die than go back to the way of living.

The next morning was cold and clear. Valen was already at the wall. Mara came to him. Said the Iron Scribes were coming.

They were dropping down from the mountain in pods. There would be many of them.

Valen and the others got ready. They had a plan. They would use smoke to blind the Iron Scribes. Then they would attack them.

The Iron Scribes started to come down the mountain. They were big and loud. They had saws and hammers.

Valen and the others waited. They threw the smoke bombs at the time. The Iron Scribes were blinded.

Then Valen and the others attacked. They hit the Iron Scribes with things. They tried to break them.

The battle had started. Valen was ready. He would fight to protect his friends.

The Iron Scribes were strong.. Valen and the others were determined. They would not give up.

The Iron Scribes were like machines. They just kept coming.. Valen and the others were, like a team. They worked together.

They used the smoke to their advantage. They hit the Iron Scribes when they were blind.

It was a plan.. It was not easy. The Iron Scribes were very strong.

Valen and the others had to be careful. They had to work

They had to protect themselves. They had to protect their home.

The battle was intense.. Valen was ready. He would fight to the end.

He would fight for his friends. He would fight for their freedom.

The Iron Scribes were machines.. They were strong machines.

Valen and the others had to be stronger. They had to be smarter.

They had to work. They had to use their plan.

The battle was not yet.. Valen was hopeful. He thought they could win.

He thought they could be free.

The Iron Scribes were the beginning. There would be battles.

Valen was ready. He would fight for his home.

He would fight for his friends.

He would fight for their freedom.

The people were ready to fight. They were ready to defend themselves.

They had a plan. They had weapons.

They had each other.

They would work together. They would fight together.

They would win together.

The Iron Scribes were strong.. The people were stronger.

They had something to fight for. They had their freedom.

They had their home.

They had each other.

The battle would be hard.. They would win.

They would be free.

The people would be free.

They would live in peace.

They would live in harmony.

They would live as a team.

The Iron Scribes would not stop them.

Nothing would stop them.

They would be free.

They would be happy.

They would live.

The lead machine stopped all a sudden. Its saws were spinning around like crazy because it could not understand what was happening. It started swinging its hammers around to protect itself but it was hitting nothing but air.

The second and third machines ran into the one from behind. They were supposed to be working but they did not expect the first machine to stop. Now they were all tangled up together a mess of metal legs and spinning blades.

Then Valen yelled out "Flanks". Jumped over a big pile of wood with his big club in the air.

The people with spears came out from behind the rocks. Started poking at the machines. They were aiming for the spots where the machines legs joined together. The spears went through the leather covers. Made the machines leak oil everywhere.

The machines leg broke and it fell over against the wall of the canyon. Valen ran up to the machine just as it was trying to clean its lens. He did not try to look at the machines code or find a way to control it. He just swung his club at the machines engine with all his might.

The club hit the machine with a crash and made all the metal vibrate. The machines engine. Started sparking everywhere. The red light on the machine went out.

The first machine stopped working. Fell to the ground.. The battle was not over yet. There were thirty machines coming down the path their red lights blinking together as they worked as a team. They were not in a line anymore they were spreading out to make a wall of spinning blades.

Mara yelled out that the machines were changing their plan. They were not following the instructions anymore and were getting power from somewhere else. The people could not break through the machines defense with their spears.

Valen stood on top of the broken machine his club on his shoulder. Looked at the machines coming towards them. He could feel the power of the machines control system in the air. It was the system he had blocked before.

Valen called out to Noa to give him all the jars they had. Noa handed them over to him she knew what he was planning to do.. She warned him that he could not get close enough to throw the jars at the machines.

Valen did not plan to throw the jars. He took the jars. Ran his hand over them making them heat up. Then he charged at the machines.

The machines saw him coming. Tried to hit him with their big hammers.. Valen did not stop. He ran under the hammer and threw himself at the machines. The machines blades cut his coat. Hurt his chest.. He did not stop.

He slammed the jars into the machines engine and it exploded. The explosion was so big that it made all the machines stop working. The people. Ran to Valens side. They helped him up. Looked at the broken machines.

They did it Noa said. The machines are not working anymore.

Valen knew that the battle was not really over. The people who controlled the machines knew they were there now. They would come back with machines.

Mara looked at the machines and smiled. Let them come she said. We can use the machines metal to make spears.

The people. Started taking the machines apart to use their metal. Valen looked at the key in his pocket. Thought about what an old man had told him. The world did not care if they lived or died.. That was okay. It meant they could build their future.

The sun started to set casting a light, over everything. Valen took a step forward. Then another. He was ready to face whatever came next.