《Ether Veins》


 Tools of the Trade

    An oily yellow fog hung in the air like thick soup. Scraps of metal and broken machines caught the oil as the air circulated and bead dripped down into small pockets and pools of viscous liquid. Nooks and crannies hid the oil all over the Dregs like little pockets of gold. Old machines, crushed vehicles, and destroyed ships piled on top of each other like layers of a cake. Massive segments of metal and old filaments of colossal Paladins and Knights from the Great War were scattered around as well. An arm there, a leg there, part of a torso there. Everything broken was discarded and tossed into the ever growing pile on the outskirts of the city. A thick mist of fine oil droplets mixed with fumes to permeate the air with a viscous liquid.


    Oil was a highly sought resource in the Uppercity due to how it was used to make ether filaments. The demand lead to scores of Scrappers abandoning the trade of metal and instead opting to gather the syrupy liquid that fell from the sky in the Dregs. Bitlin, one such Scrapper, carefully eased himself through the field of discarded metal as not to accidentally overturn anything and spill the precious liquid.


    Beads of oil ran down the special glass of his goggles and into a tube connected to the holding tank on his back as he carefully made his way through the dense metal jungle. Jagged edges of ruined frames and bent plates could tear a hole in his suit, or worse, sever the tubes that ran from his sleeve and pant cuffs. An extendable gooseneck nozzle was held loosely in his gloved fingers as he hooked it dexterously where oil could gather. He gently squeezed the handle until he could hear air rushing through the safety valve.


    Each step placed deliberately for maximum balance while in precarious position with the sloshing weight growing on his back. His rubber suit tugging at him as he used it for flexibility far beyond its¡¯ recommended parameters. Gnex products were effective, but only if they were used exactly as designed. A hair past their intended threshold and they failed spectacularly.


    Massive metal plates and broken Knight appendages created a maze of metal to be navigated with the utmost caution. This particular section of the Dregs was especially tight and narrow making most scrappers steer clear no matter how much oil was hidden inside. Terven steel was very resilient when properly maintained, but bubbled up when exposed to the elements for a long period. Over time the bubbles ruptured and gathered oil in little pockets prime for gathering.


    The amount of oil that he could harvest was insignificant in comparison to the hazards of the area. It was a necessary risk however, Bitlin had already run his regular route and come up a short. He must have crossed paths with somebody and not realized it. He would need much more to hit his three tank quota. The sly tone of the Quartermasters¡¯ voice when he had cut the deal still rang in his head as if it was yesterday even though it was many years ago.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let ya stay nice and dry, IF ya do your grandpop¡¯s share as well. Tha¡¯s one for yeh kiddo, an two for ¡®im cause e¡¯s an adult. You miss and you¡¯ll be out.¡±


    Bitlin exhaled slowly as the hiss of the nozzle turned into a muted hum as the head dipped below the surface of an oil pocket. He pumped the lever with his fingers to keep the suction running as the oil was pulled from its¡¯ hiding place. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of raw filament and his gaze was pulled towards it.


    A knee joint from an old Knight, and a Xeder product as well! That could fetch for a lot of credits if he could grab it and get it back. Bitlin squinted a for a second. Xeder parts would be worth a lot, if they didn¡¯t have holes scorched through the side. He could strip it down for scrap later, Xeder used rare metals to make their machines. He scanned the space around for anything else, fibers, filaments, armor, circuits even. He saw a few different makes that had been picked clean, mostly rusted Tellio and Karnik, a few Terven, but no more Xeder.He kept looking until he noticed the sound of rushing air.


    The pocket of oil had run dry and he hadn¡¯t noticed, pumping away blindly. Bitlin shook himself slightly, he couldn¡¯t let himself get distracted. He was a salvager, but gathering oil made more money and time was of the essence right now. The soft yellow light had already faded with the setting of the first sun and all that was left was the harsh blue of the second. That light would fade soon as well and he would be left out in the dark if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    His grandfather had been adamant that he never use ether powered tools because they were useless when not supplied with power. Ether came from within and if he ran out of energy he would pass out in the middle of nowhere, alone. An electric light was out of the question as well. The oil didn¡¯t ignite easily, but when it burned, it burned. The last time the Dregs had caught fire left a perfect circle of dust where even the metal had disintegrated.


    As he looked around at the Dregs he noticed dark clouds gathering on the horizon just over where the sacred forest was supposed to be. Rain never made it this far. The oil haze knocked it out of the sky, but it was pretty to look at before it disappeared.


    The nozzle spluttered as it overflowed and Bitlin retracted it, tightening the spigot before precious drops of the oil were wasted. He pulled out a small personal container and reached up to dip into the puddle before leaving. He went up on one leg as he felt his suit protest as he stretched. Using his fingers to scoop out just a little more oil for himself before he left the Dregs for home.


    Loose blots and metal shavings danced on the ground as a low vibration hummed from beneath the earth. Bitlin froze with oil slowly dripping off his fingers. The ground bucked suddenly and he lost his balance as his feet skidded on the ground. He teetered dangerously and held his breath as he scraped his ribs against the jagged plate with exposed wiring behind him. He waited for the burning sensation that came with a torn suit as his flesh rusted at the oils¡¯ touch.


    After a few tense seconds of nothing but cold sweat, Bitlin exhaled slowly though his filter. His suit had held. The night chime rolled across the in a distorted echo as he straightened and screwed on the cap of the container and hooked it to his belt. He began the long trek back to the Station through the Dregs as the last sun began to tease the horizon.


    Broken clouds disappeared under the endless expanse of stars unfurling overhead. Bitlin was careful to keep his balance as he made his way through the silent metal jungle. Now that he was done looking for oil, parts and pieces of tech jumped out at him in the fading light. Joints, armor, thrusters, frames, chassis, clumps of wiring, and even broken filaments all appeared before his eyes as they darted around. His minds eye restored the machines to their former glory before becoming scrap. He traced and reproduced every inch into a mental library of diagrams and measurements.


    Nuts, bolts, fastenings, connectors, and even the odd filament would find their way into his hands without him noticing. The quality of the pieces varied, but that didn¡¯t matter. He would polish them later. Even these old bits could be of use to someone, especially if he sold them at a lower price. Every credit counted down here.


    As he was sliding down a particularly smooth section of metal he saw himself reflected in the mirror like surface. Dusty brown suit, gas mask, grey gloves. He certainly looked like a scrapper, covered in oil and powdered rust. If only he had the time and the means to hunt metal.


    Bitlin reached the bottom squeezing through an opening in the wall where he paused, half out in the open. This was a remarkable clean opening, no rough edges or jagged corners. The edges of the metal were like think mirrors. He followed the rim and slowly ran his gaze back up the way he had come. The panel was long and flat. The polish had also held up rather well considering were it was. His breath caught in his chest as excitement bubbled up from his toes. He was standing on a relic from the Great War, the sword of a paladin class mech.


    The massive blade was stuck into the ground, covered by generations of scrap, but seemingly unblemished by time. The oil must be keeping it from corroding he thought as he looked around excitedly for any trace of the massive machine that had wielded the awesome weapon. He wasn¡¯t expecting anything to remain of the Paladin, but there were sure to be something of value nearby. Places like this were rarely picked clean. He made sure to remember the surroundings so that he could find this place again before returning to the Station.


    The Station was nestled under the broken shield of a fallen battle mech on the outer edge of the Dregs. The Terven make had left the armor bubbled and pitted as it aged, but it kept the oil out and that was all it needed to do. Flickering red light emanated from bare filaments running across the floor stuck out in the darkness like a beacon. The eerie light gave the building a feeling of foreboding as it lit up the surroundings. Scrappers gathered like fleas underneath the canopy to trade machinery and deposit oil to be purified into filament.


    Long trails of neutral white ether light streamed from the common pathways of the Dregs. A few red dots bobbed in with the common color, but they were so few in comparison. Most that ventured out into the Dregs carried some for of illumination for the dark, but Bitlin only had a few glow sticks for emergencies. Anything else was too expensive. He hurried to join the trail before he was lost in the dark. His calves burned as he hauled the full tanks through the metal forest. The ground became slick under his feet and he slid down a slight decline into the traveled path. A group of scrappers were carrying piles of scrap with white ether lights pointed forward. Bitlin snuck in behind them, close enough to catch the ambient light, but far enough to not seem like a threat. The last thing he needed was to get blasted in the face for accidentally surprising someone.


    The scrappers joked around with each other until the reached the Station. Bitlin followed them until they took the left to the scrap yard and he went right to the refinery. Bitlin stepped onto the cleansing grate and pressed the switch for the fan to blow any loose oil up into a saucer on the ceiling. He held out his container and collected the dribbling liquid carefully as he glanced around. The sun had set before he had made it back and only a few scrappers were still trading, but there were plenty of people taking a dive in the bar.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The Quartermaster was busy filling drinks so Bitlin shrugged off the top of his suit and waited patiently next to the oil deposit. Conversations buzzed around him and he let himself drift off in them as he watched the moons rise.


    ¡°You see the size of that rainstorm?


    ¡°No, but I felt that tremor. Those old pipes are gonna burst one o¡¯ these days.¡±


    ¡°You hear about Teral?


    ¡°That old bag of bones? What¡¯d he do?¡±


    ¡°Hey teapot.¡±


    ¡°The Guardians have been sending more units as of late.¡±


    ¡°Aye, must be because of them rebels. Got stopped on my way home I did.¡±


    ¡°Those muggers, causin trouble for us workin folk.¡±


    ¡°Dere was ah scuffle earlier taday. Prolly gonne be a bunch stomping round.¡±


    ¡°Teapot!¡±


    Bitlin¡¯s eyes head snapped up as he jumped with surprise. The Quartermaster was leaning over the counter next to him. Red filaments wrapped around the Quartermaster pulsed as his ether powered the building¡¯s utilities. ¡°Wakey, wakey. You find enough today?¡±


    Bitlin hooked his tank up to the deposit and pulled the lever to apply suction to the tube. Both he and the Quartermaster watched the dial slowly climb as the depot recorded his addition. The needle stopped just shy of three bars even though there was still a little oil left. They watched the last drops of oil climb up the hose and into the depot without the needle moving.


    The Quartermaster clicked his tongue and pushed himself up on the counter. ¡°Well boy, you did yer best.¡± He said. ¡°But you¡¯re a little shy.¡±


    Bitlin felt his face get hot and his vision narrow. He very deliberately reached up and gently tapped the glass dial.


    ¡°Yeah. Must only need a little more.¡± He said as he pulled out his personal container. The depot sucked the small container dry in seconds but the needle twitched its¡¯ way above the bar.


    ¡°Made it.¡± Bitlin said as he gathered his things, only then realizing that his fists were clenched.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± The Quartermaster grunted and waved him off. Bitlin hurried off, anxious to get away from the Station. When Bitlin was gone the Quartermaster stepped back on the filament that powered the depot and the dial jumped way up past the fourth bar.


    ¡°Tha¡¯s sly.¡± The nearby drinker said with slurred speech. ¡°¡®E always bring back ah ful pot, dun¡¯ needa trea¡¯ ¡®im li¡¯e dat.¡±


    ¡°The rest of you can barely get two bars. Someone has to pick up the slack.¡± The Quartermaster said glaring at the man and snatched the bottle away from him. ¡°You¡¯ve had enough. Get out.¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye.¡± The drunk mumbled as he stumbled out of the bar. The quartermaster took one more glance back at the dial before getting back to work. No way he would let a piggybank like that go.


    Bitlin hurried through the Undercity avoiding the glowing red lights in an effort to avoid attracting attention with his garb. Scrappers were widely regarded as people too weak to work and easy pickings for thugs. His ears were still roaring as he ran through the night market. He was making his way by the machine shop when Nuli poked her head out.


    ¡°Hey Bit! You got any extra oil? I¡¯m just about out.¡± She called after him. Bitlin paused and backpedaled. Nuli worked maintenance and custom parts for fascinating filament machines. Bitlin envied her for being able to work with machines all day and this late at night. this particular piece was a Terven ball joint, highly sophisticated with a wide range of motion.


    ¡°Sorry Nuli, Shinar¡¯s sticky dial took my whole container today.¡± Bitlin said. He wiped the sides of his container with his finger and held it out to her. ¡°All I got.¡±


    ¡°Tha sneaky bastard.¡± Nuli said following with a curse as she scraped the drops of oil onto the rim of a cup. Bitlin¡¯s ears burned slightly as she uttered it and he averted his eyes inside the shop. ¡°Sorry, bud, slipped out.¡± She apologized as she handed him a small sack.


    ¡°Fresh buns.¡± She said as she tapped her chin. ¡°Tell you what¡­¡±


    She produced a small vial with a slide pump. ¡°If you could take this with you tomorrow? I¡¯ll give you credits by volume¡­¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Bitlin said taking the vial. ¡°Why do you need this stuff so bad anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oil is the best medium for Ether.¡± Nuli said putting a cap on the cup. ¡°I need it to make my own filaments. The stuff sold around here is no good for my machines, wastes too much energy in heat just moving the power. These hyenas charge top dollar for the crap too.¡±


    ¡°Does it really make that much of difference? I see all kinds of scrap out there and I can¡¯t tell the good from the bad.¡± Bitlin said. That was a lie. He knew exactly what the difference was, but Nuli had first hand experience in crafting and might tell him something new if she explained it again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you this several times already!¡± Nuli said exasperated. ¡°Besides being more flexible, higher quality filaments lose less energy as heat. The hotter the filaments get, the faster they degrade and fray. Now get out of here before the Guardians finish their shift change.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Bitlin said as he walked his feet away a little disappointed with the diet version. ¡°That rotor joint is bent three degrees on the fastening disc, it¡¯ll rub against itself too much like that. Probably makes a grating noise¡­¡± He added as he stretched past the window. Nuli looked back and forth between the rotor joint and Bitlin¡¯s shrinking back.


    ¡°Where were you four hours ago?¡± She grumbled to herself as she grabbed a level and went back over to her workbench with a grinder. She pushed aside the lubricant bottles she had emptied and drew up the angle with a laser. ¡°Ha! It¡¯s two degrees. Some genius you are, off by a whole degree.¡± She muttered as she went over two her tools and selected a large hammer. ¡°Time for some persuasion.¡±


    Bitlin and his grandfather lived just on the outskirts of the ventilation channels in a hollowed out orb of thick unoxidized metal. For the life of him, Bitlin had no idea what make the orb was made from, only that he didn¡¯t recognize it. He liked to think it was the eye of a fallen colossus from the Great War, but his grandfather didn¡¯t like that idea. It made sense why, Grandpa Wakal spent all day and night in there. Bitlin climbed the ladder and poked his head over the rim of the hole.


    ¡°Hey laddie.¡± A raspy voice echoed slightly in the spherical space. ¡°Busy day?¡±


    Grandpa Wakal was lying on the bed where Bitlin had left him early that morning. Lying frozen in place by the rust slowly taking over his skin with growing scales of powdery red metal. The final fate of the Ferroblood. Rust had claimed his whole right side and part of his left leg, leaving only half his face and torso exposed as the rust slowly bled from his pores in a fine powder. Bitlin hoisted himself up into the socket to slid down the side.


    ¡°Hey Gramps. How ya feelin.¡± Bitlin asked as he wound the light up to power it.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored stiff!¡± Wakal said as the lamplight wavered slightly. ¡° Slap my knee for me boy!¡±


    Bitlin smiled and rapped his knuckle against the old man¡¯s leg with a clang as they shared a laugh. The old man¡¯s sense of humor was still fine tuned even in his sorry state.


    ¡°Nuli gave us some buns.¡± Bitlin said holding up the small bag with a smile.


    ¡°Ah she¡¯s a good lass.¡± Wakal said. ¡°If only she wasn¡¯t a Mechie.¡±


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s alright.¡± Bitlin said as he counted out four small buns. How thoughtful.


    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling very hungry today, you can have my second one. You¡¯re a growing boy. You find anything today?¡± Wakal asked as Bitlin handed him his two. Bitlin paused and swallowed the stone in his throat as he nodded. He turned away to hide trembling lips.


    ¡°I found these.¡± He said dumping out his pockets of all the little things he had grabbed on his way back to the Station.


    ¡°Ah, and you call yourself a scrapper.¡± Wakal sighed. ¡°These are barely worth their weight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to sell them for metal, they can still be used.¡± Bitlin said around a mouthful of bread. ¡°The price beyond the sum of parts.¡±


    ¡°And deal with an Armorer? Nonsense. Stay away from them, you hear? They only care about money, that¡¯s why they all make weapons. Aren¡¯t any good souls anymore, buildin¡¯ or fixin¡¯. No one fixes anything anymore, they cast it away and replace it as soon as there¡¯s something wrong with it.¡± Wakal said.


    ¡°Some still do. I don¡¯t see other people with new gear all that often. Most everything is jerry-rigged now anyway. Nuli had a nice terven joint in for tuning, hardly throwing it away.¡± Bitlin said as he gave his equipment a through check.


    His pump was all dinged up and scratched, even the nozzle arm was a little bent. Wakal had gotten Tellio models and they were probably the most valuable thing they owned. One had been sold long ago when Bitlin got sick to cover the medical fee. Wakal had saved the extra tanks from one to attach to the other. That way he could still meet their quota with just one pump. Then he became afflicted with rust and was rendered unable to move.


    Bitlin rubbed his hand over the welds attaching the three tanks. The craftsmanship was seamless. Wakal had been quite skilled before he lost his fine motor functions. If Bitlin hadn¡¯t known that the tanks didn¡¯t come like that he never would have known. Granted, the appliances themselves weren¡¯t rather remarkable to start with. Tellio appliances weren¡¯t fancy, but they were tough. He was on his fourth Gnex suit and he still had the same pump. With that in mind he checked where he had scraped the suit earlier for any tearing. His suit was old and worn, but it hadn¡¯t degraded enough to be compromised.


    ¡°New to us is new, doesn¡¯t matter who had it before us. Those fools would strip each other naked if they thought they could get away with it.¡± Wakal rambled. ¡°If they spent more time caring about their neighbors than their own pockets people wouldn¡¯t have to live in holes.¡± Wakal said gesturing around wildly. ¡°Mechie¡¯s built this whole city for crying out loud, from the ground up! It reaches out to touch the sky! And what do we get? Rust and dirt. If they were truly good people they¡¯d still be working to help everyone, not just working for the highest bidder.¡±


    ¡°People gotta eat grandpa.¡± Bitlin said as he shoved another bun in his mouth.


    ¡°People gotta live too. Wakal said. ¡°Just survivin¡¯ aint livin¡¯. Spend too much time grinding away at your life for profit and you¡¯ll end up like me, at the end with nothing to show for it.¡±


    He grabbed Bitlins¡¯ arm with strength that Bitlin didn¡¯t know he still had and pulled him close. His back creaked as he strained against the rust covering his body


    ¡°Promise me boy, don¡¯t waste your life here. Not like me. Here at the end with nothing to show for it.¡± Wakal coughed as he clanked back down still clutching Bitlin¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I won¡¯t grandpa.¡± Bitlin said softly as Wakal wheezed on the floor.


    ¡°Good.¡± Wakal said and weakly reached for the drawing board laying next to him on the floor. He shakily tried to brace it against himself, but it kept falling from his grip. Bitlin sat next to Wakal and handed him the stylus. Wakals¡¯ hand shook from even the slight weight of the stylus. He could hold it, but just barely.


    ¡°Now, yesterday was converting complex cross threading into simple single threading, do you remember?¡± Wakal wheezed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bitlin brushed the board clean and scratched a few things on the surface. Wakal watched for a few minutes and listened to Bitlin explain the process.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ve had all day to think of this one, so we¡¯ll move on.¡± Wakal said. ¡°Today will be energy reduction across large surfaces, coupled with heat diffusion and reduction in joints.¡±


    Wakal taught Bitlin until he passed out from exhaustion about an hour or two later. Bitlin closed the entry hole most of the way, leaving it slightly open for air flow and slid quietly back down to the floor. A few half started pieces of junk stared at him from where they lay in a pile in the corner. A quick mental check and he realized he hadn¡¯t found any missing pieces. He carefully placed each of the knick-knacks he had scavenged in a bucket teeming with them. He took one last deep breath before slumping over to finally rest. One day he wouldn¡¯t have to get up early and work all day to get by. One day he would make what he wanted, when he wanted, for who he wanted. One day.

 The Night Begins

    A sea of fluffy clouds wafted lazily across the sky as the last beams of blue sunlight faded from below. Dark clouds boiled up like a distant mountain range on the horizon as rain prepared to fall. Dark spires poked up from the city below riddled with small twinkling lights like stars. Atuli sat on the edge of her enclosed balcony and watched the clouds roll across the sky below her.


    She felt so serene in her room as she looked out into the open sky. The gentle tick of the mechanical clock on her bedside table was the only sound, the rushing wind blocked out by thick glass. The last blue rays of light from the second sun faded away and night began in earnest. She slid off the balcony and flicked the winch to close the shutter. The shutter wheel squeaked as it spun closed and darkness slowly enshrouded Atuli as she walked barefoot across the cold floor.


    Just before the darkness became pitch her foot hit the filament network ebbed into the floor. Blue light blossomed like flowers under her feet as she walked across the room. Light spread like vines over the floor, running up the walls and across the ceiling filling the room with bright light.


    She made her bed as the blue light filled the room like water. Time to start the day, or night, as it were. The white light plate in the center of the ceiling blinked on and she made her way over to the closet to start putting on her suit. A white shirt, black jacket and pants, black tie, and finished off with duel brown holsters. The fabric stiffened slightly as if freshly dry cleaned as she touched it. Ether ran into the hair-thin filament fibers woven into the cloth almost without a trace. These fibers were too small to be powered directly, but instead passively absorbed excess ether to create a small energy field. The field increased durability of the cloth and increased heatsink for ether equipment by spreading out the area of effect.


    Atuli pressed her hand against the pressure plate on the wall while she slipped on her shoes. The spool charged almost immediately and clicked when it was full. A slat in the wall clicked and slid away to reveal her pride. Two sleek Krait pistols, one black the other white with a gold ring triggers and heatsink vanes. All officers were issued one standard filament weapon for use during service hours, usually an Adder or a Sting pistol. Atuli was a weapons specialist, meriting her the more specialized set up. She disassembled her pistols in the bright light to carefully inspect the filaments and coolant for any hint of wear or corrosion, then reassembling and holstering them.


    With the important part done, she gathered the rest of her equipment and stocked her belt with her badge and utilities. After fitting in her earpieces, she smacked the light off when she was done and walked across the room. The light slowly faded from the filament as she stood in front of the mirror on the back of her door. Her blue eyes sparkled with yellow bursts around the iris as she held her own gaze in the darkening room.


    The clock slowly clicked the seconds away to a final snap for the hour. Time to go to work. She opened the door to the expectant face of Alek, her partner. White filaments in the ceiling illuminated Alek in the hallway as he had his hand raised to knock on her door. The standard Adder service pistol gleamed at his hip, narrow barrel for a focused blast, and his uniform still held its¡¯ creases. The sleeves of his uniform were shortened slightly so he had better access to his hidden brawling knuckles, small metal plates pulled over his hands. His face was impassive as he returned to the ready position. Green thread pulsed along the edges of his suit as he calmly stood in the soft white light. Thin black Naturas armor covered parts of his face and neck to cover heat erosion cracks in his skin.


    ¡°Captain.¡± Alek said with a salute.


    ¡°Alek, you thought I¡¯d be late?¡± Atuli asked returning the salute.


    ¡°I was beginning to wonder when the first second passed.¡± Alek said stepping to the side.


    ¡°Sarcasm doesn¡¯t suit you, Alek.¡± Atuli said as she stepped out into the hall.


    ¡°True.¡± Alek said as he fell in beside her. They entered the elevator at the end of the long hall and stood at attention as the door closed.


    ¡°Think we¡¯ll make it all the way down?¡± Atuli asked.


    ¡°Statistically¡­¡± Alek began, but the elevator dinged before he could say any more.


    ¡°Typical.¡± Atuli sighed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t tempt fate like that.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Alek said. Atuli scowled at him as he ignored her and backed against the wall.


    Atuli fixed her face as the doors began to open and more people entered. She clenched her jaw when a tall white haired man with large Terven arm augments ducked under the doorframe. Pistons hissed as the man spread his chest and scanned the elevators occupants and locked on Atuli as a crooked smile spread across his mangled jaw.


    ¡°Bright-Eyes.¡± The man said as red ether leaked into cracks on his face.


    ¡°Kyser.¡± Atuli said without returning his gaze. Kyser shouldered his way through the other officers to stand in front of her.


    ¡°Ready for another night in the belly of the beast?¡± Kyser asked puffing out his chest in front of Atuli¡¯s face. Filaments glowed through his uniform as they shifted under the stress.


    ¡°It¡¯s just another shift.¡± Atuli said as she stared through him. He wanted her to look at him. She wouldn¡¯t. The elevator doors opened and more people packed into the already cramped space.


    ¡°Of course m¡¯lady, just a shift.¡± Kyser said stepping closer as the filaments in his arms glowed with a menacing red as he flexed the fibers in his arms. ¡°Watching us maggots flounder in the muck. Wouldn¡¯t feel right without a blue blood to look down on us.¡±


    Atuli said nothing as she waited for the elevator to finally hit the last level. She did however, keep her arms slack and ready to draw. Just in case. Red ether was known for its¡¯ strength, not speed. She could put a hole in his face faster than he could move.


    Kyser¡¯s suit flexed dangerously and red light bled through the fabric as the filaments in his arms swelled with ether. The elevator doors opened suddenly and Atuli¡¯s fingers twitched. The other officers all hurried out of the elevator, away from them. Alex brushed past her and out the door. Atuli saw that he had his knuckles out. Vigilant as always. Atuli remained stationary with Kyser blocking her until the doors began to close.


    ¡°Just you and me little girl.¡± Kyser growled and slammed a fist over Atuli¡¯s head as he towered over her.


    ¡°Anytime, little boy.¡± Atuli said calmly looking up as the doors almost shut. The veins in the whites of Kysers¡¯ eyes bulged slightly and the gaps in his teeth seemed to widen as he clenched his jaw.


    There was a flash of yellow light and a hand shot between the doors just before they closed. Gears whined as the heavy doors were forced open and a tall dark haired woman appeared in the opening. Yellow trails faded away from her collar as ether trailed out of her suit.


    ¡°Atuli! What are you doing? Move it!¡± Colonel Adeyln said jabbing a thumb behind her and almost poking Alek in the eye as he looked over her shoulder.


    ¡°Yes, Colonel!¡± Atuli said with a salute as Kyser leapt to the side.


    Atuli skipped thought the janky door after the colonel as she felt Kyser glaring daggers at her back. She ran her fingers through her bright red hair making sure that her middle finger was quite visible. She heard a snarl just before it was cut off by the closing doors followed closely by a loud bang. Only when Atuli passed Alek did he push the knuckles back under his sleeves.


    Atuli and Alek followed Adelyn through the throng of officers as they switched shifts. They tagged out and tagged in with the usual manner. Tired. The staffing was getting thinner and thinner these days. More and more dissent and destruction was really hitting them where it hurt. Too many problems and not enough people to fix them.


    Adelyn had a brisk pace with her braid swishing back and forth. Her dark blue coat had short tails and extra fastenings with a plume around the collar to show her rank. She had on a loose tie that flapped under her arm as she walked. The coil that tied off her hair left yellow streaks in the air as her hair swished around. Most notable to Atuli was the dual-filament Xeder gun-blade bouncing on her hip.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Depending on where she put her hands, Adelyn¡¯s gun-blade could operate with a single filament in the gun, the blade, or both. She could flip switch to double up on one for extra power. The design was seamless and neither weapon suffered from the hybrid frame. No matter how many times she saw the weapon it drew her eye as she fawned over it. She wanted one so badly! The elegant design of Orichalcum melding with the filament fibers directly for maximum power efficiency. The mystical metal was more effective than a heat sink five times its¡¯ weight. The barrel craftsmanship was masterful and the polish of the blade! It was like looking in a mirror!


    ¡°You¡¯re drooling.¡± Alek nudged her.


    ¡°Mmph.¡± Atuli mumbled as she wiped her mouth. Her sleeve came up dry and she glared at Alekt who avoided her gaze as they entered the briefing room.


    ¡°Everyone present?¡± Adelyn called as took her place at the and slapped down her board. ¡°Good.¡± She said as she cast a glance behind her. Everyone else had somehow beaten them here. Adelyn flicked her fingers and brought up a news feed on the visual panel. Great big headlines and alerts filled the holographic screen along with multiple pictures of an explosion from different angles.


    ¡°The resistance launched an attack on an oil distillery earlier today and made off with filament fibers due for the Ashanti Corporation. The corps and brass would really like to get those back. They are highly efficient filaments that we believe they will move and weaponize elsewhere at a later date to cause more headaches. We¡¯ll have our hands full with any giants that pop up, but keep your ears open tonight for anything you may overhear. Relay anything suspicious up the line, but don¡¯t act without cause. We are heavy support, not detectives, and mark my words there will be something for us to do today! Regular teams, regular deployment. Protect the citizens, make it home. Dismissed!¡± Adelyn said to the squads. The officers shouted their assent and rose from their seats, filing out of the room with a little banter. ¡°Half a mo¡¯.¡± Adelyn added grabbing Atuli as she walked by.


    Adelyn moved took them into the corner and pulled Atuli close and spoke in a hushed voice. ¡°Keep your helmet on, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Atuli asked confused.


    ¡°Lady Laskaris called me again¡­¡± Adelyn began.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Atuli said with a grimace.


    ¡°She said something about attending a social function.¡± Adelyn said waving her hand in the air. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand her half the time.¡±


    ¡°Is there any overtime available?¡± Atuli asked hopefully.


    ¡°This may come as a surprise to you, but your mother can do math.¡± Adelyn said unimpressed. ¡°She knows you¡¯re almost out of hours. She made it quite clear what she thinks of me for ¡®getting between you two¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Atuli said again as she clutched her arm.


    ¡°Hey, she can call me everyday if it means I get to have a splash of blue in my squads, and a supercharged one at that.¡± Adelyn said putting a hand on Atuli¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Now suit up. I only told you so you wouldn¡¯t be surprised when you get back. Be careful out there. I¡¯ll call you for any giants that rear their heads, but in the mean time, you and Alek don¡¯t exactly blend in.¡±


    Atuli nodded and headed for the armory with her shoulders a little slumped. Adelyn watched her go and pointed at her, looking meaningfully at Alek who was waiting close by. He nodded and followed Atuli.


    Adelyn sighed. Those two balanced each other out nicely. The fiery Atuli and the stoic Alek, offense and defense in spades. They were the best team she had, even if they were the most complicated. Her earpiece buzzed and she wrinkled her nose, eerily accurate. ¡°Colonel Adelyn Micarel.¡±It. Never. Ends.


    By the time Alek and Atuli reached the armory, a crowd had already gathered in front of the deployment board. Atuli briefly skimmed the board from the back of the crowd.


    ¡°One thirty-six and one thirty-seven.¡± She said to Alek who nodded. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to look, Atuli always found them first. Atuli slapped her face a few times before stepping towards the blast doors of the armory.


    An alarm sounded and Atuli slid back a little as air blasted through the automatic doors. The imbalance of pressure that could knock one over if the were unprepared. Alek, unaffected by the sudden rush of air, walked right through. Atuli held in her earpieces and drafted behind him as he broke the wind.


    The clamor of metal and the blast of thrusters superseded the rush of damp wind almost immediately as they entered the armory. Atuli walked carefully as Squires landed and took off with carefully calculated thruster blasts. There was enough barely enough space to land even smaller Squires let alone the large ones. If they weren¡¯t staggered correctly they would get real cramped real fast.


    A jumbled mess of cables and filaments covered the floor outside the pedestrian walkway between the bays and the back wall. Ether canisters rattled in cages secured against the back wall to keep from rolling around as the floor shook. Racks upon racks of varying armors hung from the ceiling to be lowered when in use. Different arrays of weapons and equipment hung from the ceiling, deactivated, but ready for use. Sparks flew in little clouds as engineers worked on the frames of Squires, the personal armored suits of Preservers. Every frame was uniquely outfitted with a patchwork of armors from a variety of different models to better suit the pilot.


    After ducking and weaving around overhead arms and hoses, Atuli made it to her bay where her engineer was still working. Even without the bay numbers all she would have to do was look for the rare pink ether signature reflecting off the west cement. Hovering hunks of metal and tools were also a dead giveaway.


    ¡°Heffia!¡± Atuli shouted over the roar of a nearby Squire taking off.


    ¡°Captain Laskaris!¡± Heffia cried and threw up her hands in surprise. A large wrench flew through the air and all the tools clattered to the ground and Heffia jumped in surprise as the wrench sparked across the ground.


    ¡°See you outside.¡± Atuli yelled to Alek who nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find the team, frequency 0032.¡± Alek said tapping his earpiece.


    Atuli nodded as Heffia chased the dancing tool across the floor. Atuli grabbed her helmet and tweaked the fastener as she started her physical inspection of the Squire. There wasn¡¯t much chance something had gotten by Heffia, but it was still a good habit to have. Plus, Heffia would get upset if no one was able to witness her work and one must never anger their mechanic.


    Atuli¡¯s Squire was on the small side, fitted with lighter armor and less power cells than the rest. Heavens knew she didn''t need extra power, her single cell would scarcely drain at all. Sleek and slender armor plates fitted with formed fibers woven with filaments for freedom of movement and efficiency. The armor was lighter because Atuli¡¯s shields would be more than enough protection and any more metal would simply be extra weight. One heavy duty filament was all Atuli needed to power her squire. The single power cell of the highest grade was part of the flight reactor only to create stability and reduce variability in thrust. The hunch back housed the main dual thrusters for fast stable flight necessary to traverse the levels of the city quickly. Small adjustable fins adorned the space around the thrusters for precise adjustments. A bump between the thrusters protected a deflector shield generator. Digitigrade legs with extra thrusters on her lower back aided maneuverability on the ground and in the air. A heavy piercing rifle was housed on the shoulder and a large ether cannon on the other. Twin heavy pistols were fashioned into the thighs for close quarters. The whole ensemble was a custom job, a marvel of engineering. She broke it regularly.


    Heffia held up the wrench triumphantly as Atuli finished her check and slipped the helmet over her head and twisted the knob. There was a slight hiss followed by silence as the visor went airtight. The clear visor lit up with a light blue overlay to run diagnostics and sound slowly came back as soon as the filament in the rim touched her cheek. Flashes of light from the outside were instantly reduced as the visor recognized her and sank into her presets. A voice crackled over the short range communicator.


    ¡°Everything is ready Ma¡¯am!¡± Heffia went smacking the side of her own helmet with a confident thumbs up. ¡°Squire is primed for suit up. Let me know how it handles, I changed the output of the shielding on the outer plates. That¡¯s the lightest Tsulink shield I could find, if it still overheats I may go for medium Terven or Xeder heavies instead. Less durable, but less excess heat. You might end up with more armor than shield soon.¡±


    ¡°I see, thank you Heffia.¡± Atuli said as she stepped into the Squire. Her helmet slid into the socket with a click and her hud flickered as it connected to the outside of the armor. A model of the Squire spun slowly in the corner as the suit synced with her helmet. The metal couplings slid together down her spine as she twisted her limbs back and forth to get them to sit right in the clamps. The hand extensions in the forearms of the squire wrapped her fingers with metal rings and bands to mimic the most delicate of movements. Small bumps connected to each of her fingertips for input commands. The cool metal was almost instantly warm as the web of filaments in the Squire connected to the ether in her uniform. Two heavy filaments pressed against her triceps and ether flowed freely from Atuli¡¯s skin. The generator hummed with her ether supply as heavy energy shielding shimmered across the outside of her Squire.


    ¡°Be careful ma¡¯am.¡± Heffia said as she smashed the button to raise the launch shielding.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to go easy on it.¡± Atuli said as she blasted off the bay and into the open air.


    ¡°You always say that.¡± Heffia muttered as she watched the blue trail of ether fade as Atuli flew away. ¡°But blue ether is too powerful, let alone with a super charge. That circuit is more resistor than filament¡­¡±


    ¡°Master! Replacement coils!¡± An engineer ran up with spare filaments.


    ¡°Master! I have some extra plates!¡± Another called behind a cart piled high with metal.


    ¡°Heffia! I have spare couplings!¡± The engineer from the next bay over poked his head around the wall.


    ¡°¡®Tanks¡¯, add em to da pile. Ah¡¯ll tear it apart ina bit.¡± Heffia said pointing to a heap of busted coils and torn fibers. ¡°See if we got any spare frames, scraps¡¯ll do. Go help da boys in squad 4, dere¡¯ frames wen¡¯ tru a grindeh. Ah¡¯ need ta rustle up sumtin before dey get back.¡± She added and pulled out a small snack bag and put a breadstick between her teeth. She flared her nostrils in Atuli¡¯s general direction. ¡°Bleedin me dry that one.¡±


    A clatter from multiple heavy metal plates hitting the ground cut through the cacophony of sound. ¡°An¡¯ somebody help out Dorri, ¡®e¡¯s in over ¡®is ¡®ead.¡± Heffia yelled over her shoulderbefore pulling up her gloves and swan diving into the pile of scrap.

 Hidden Talents

    Bitlin felt himself wake up. He didn¡¯t move at first, trying to grasp on that last bit of rest before he opened his eyes. The metal floor reverberated as a freighter hovered past, its¡¯ lift plates humming a deep tune. Wakal grit his teeth with a groan as his metal limbs resonated with the floor.


    Bitlin quickly adjusted the cloth mats in the floor to dampen the vibrations. Wakal was fighting his usual fever, a side effect of his body being cooled by metal. Bitlin draped his blanket over whatever flesh was left on the old man and planted a kiss on his forehead.


    ¡°See you when I get back gramps.¡± Bitlin said as he climbed up he wall and out through the hatch. He would have to leave a little earlier than normal to have the time to explore that wreckage he had found yesterday. A Paladin wreckage was a literal treasure trove for a scrapper, especially if he was the first to find it. The credits he could get from this find could mean the end of his reliance on oil harvesting.


    Right as his feet hit the ground he was greeted by a blast of steam from the last barge in the freighter train. Bitlin¡¯s teeth rattled as the air shook and the cloud rose high into the air. He watched the cloud dissipate revealing blinking rows of lights and filaments resembled a starry night sky.


    The Undercity was never truly dark. Uncovered filaments ran across walls shedding the soft red glow into small pockets of steam. Beams of the sharp white shine from lights of the Uppercity pierced deep as well like pinpricks of cold sunlight. Bitlin¡¯s eyes throbbed from the sharp contrast and he put on the goggles from his suit. Polarized lenses were worth their weight in gold. When his eyes finally adjusted to the dark he set out in the alleys.


    Bitlin was careful as he traversed the wet streets slick with waste water and god knew what else. The light from the Uppercity penetrated far, but that didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t places to avoid. The last thing he needed was to be shaken up before he even got in to work. He had no money to take, but working all day after being beaten was difficult.


    A whiff of a sickly sweet aroma tugged at Bitlins¡¯ nostrils and he made a sharp left andpressed himself against the wall. He squinted into the darkness and picked out a small orange light. A vaporizer. Gut Rats were squatting in a dark pocket waiting to nab someone who came a little too close. Bitlin chewed on his lip. That was the alley by Nuli¡¯s shop he used to get to the Station. Bitlin took a few moments to reroute himself and took off in the opposite direction. If he couldn¡¯t pass by Nuli¡¯s with them there, he¡¯d have to go through the main road.


    The main road was better lit, but with more light came more people and with more people came Enforcers. Wakal had warned Bitlin to stay away from Enforcers. To them, he was no different than the Gut Rats. No papers, no credits, no freedom. The last thing he needed right now was to get shaken down, legally or illegally.


    Bitlin had hoped that the early hour would thin the crowd, but he wasn¡¯t so lucky. The street was packed with empty eyed people shuffling from place to place. Enforcers perched on high ground, armed and ready for trouble. Ether rifles and prods powered by large batteries on their backs made them easy to pick out, being that they glowed and all. The people mulled around them, careful not to get too close as not to get whacked. Not a word was spoken, but there was so much ambient noise it was almost deafening.


    Soulless shuffling of people who labor for a living was a familiar gait because he did it too. They were why he didn¡¯t need a mirror. He knew that his eyes looked just like theirs. Empty and dead. The thick air down at the bottom sucked the life out all that breathed it in. Thus, he was caught off guard when people began rushing past him.


    Bitlin was quite scrawny for a teenager, so he was battered around like a rag doll and fell. He curled into a ball on the ground as people trampled over him in droves. His suit wasn¡¯t meant to dampen blows, just prevent punctures. The only things that went through his mind were, ¡®cover your head¡¯, and ¡®I hope my suit doesn¡¯t get a hole in it.¡¯


    Finally the silent stampede stopped and Bitlin lifted his head to see a now deserted main street. He was all ruffled up, but he had avoided taking too bad of a beating. The air seemed to clear as a slightly warm breeze washed over him. Bitlin narrowed his eyes. He immediately heard a gruff roaring in the distance followed by a thud that reverberated along the walls.


    Nope.


    Bitlin beat feet into a narrow alley. The breath of fresh air was nice, but today was not the day for that level of excitement. The contrast between the light from the main road to the darkness of the alley was sharp, blinding him temporarily. He stuck out his hand for the wall and used it to guide him through the dark with his eyes closed.


    Cries of the giant faded away the deeper he got. Alleys were far too narrow for the large beings to enter, but the giant wasn¡¯t the main problem. The sound of ripping air echoed through the alleys. The Armored Preservation Corps were already here to deal with the giant. Heavy armor and weapons, along with a HUD capable of automatic facial recognition. Definitely not a place for him to be.


    When Bitlin felt that he had put enough distance between him and the excitement he paused to catch his breath. He wondered how people could travel like that everyday. Giants making it through the Dregs weren¡¯t common, but they certainly appeared in the streets often enough to give Bitlin second thoughts. Any Giant that was enraged enough to bring its¡¯ rampage through the hazards of the Dregs and into the city was not something Bitlin wanted to be near.


    Bitlin counted his blessings that he had left early when he finally made it to the Station when the second sun was beginning to peak out. The first wave of the scrappers had already left by the time he had prepared his gear. The best gathering spots for oil would have already been taken, but that wasn¡¯t the problem.


    With the largest groups already in the Dregs he would have trouble blending in. Most scrappers moved in teams for safety and he didn¡¯t want to draw attention to the fact that he was alone. He slid in the back of next group as they entered the Dregs to avoid suspicion. He gave them the slip as soon as they all had their backs to him and made a beeline for the section that he had been in the day before.


    While most Scrappers had locators to guide them back to the Station, Bitlin went unassisted most of the time. Even with no signs or accurate maps of the Dregs he rarely got lost in the massive expanse of scrapped machines. The landscape changed when something large fell, or a Giant crashed through, but that was rare. He could almost always figure out where he was at all times by looking up at the lights of the upper city.


    To make the most of his time, Bitlin collected oil on his way to the sword. He couldn¡¯t help himself getting sidetracked by large pools of the liquid, but otherwise stayed true to his path. It took a little longer than he had intended, but he arrived at the base of the sword with a fair amount of time and oil in his tank. Bitlin looked around quickly to make sure he was alone. Confident in his solitude he hunched over and entered the wreckage.


    Small rays of direct sunlight penetrated the thick layer of rusty material and reflected off of the sword, illuminating the small space. He paused briefly to soak in the sight. Few things could hold a candle to natural light.


    He shook himself and began searching around the blade for anything not rusty.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    A faint clank came from above, like a falling bolt. Bitlin flinched and froze, listening. Falling debris was usually preceded by smaller pieces. He didn¡¯t hear anything else and tentatively took a step so as not to cover up any noise.


    Something blasted through the ceiling with a crash followed by a keening sound. Bitlin peeled himself off the wall he had found himself pressed against and held his ringing head. Whatever fallen uppercity junk that had been had hit the sword and been smashed. The Blade resonated slightly from the impact, but gave no sign of damage. Bitlin shook his hands and squeaked with delight. He had been meaning to test the edge, but that had been a better test than anything he could have done. He was still marveling at the edge of the sword when he realized that the thing that had fallen had lights.


    Bitlin dragged his eyes away and looked down at the hunk of mystery material. A large panel of something glowed back at him with white lights like fleas. Whatever it had been was beyond him, something from the upper city he had never seen before. He peeked over the other side to see smashed heat vanes with the final drips of coolant falling to the ground.


    The novelty of the experience was lost in the whirling of his head when he realized his predicament. A damaged circuit with ether flowing from somewhere and nowhere to go. Bad. Very bad. Already, it was feeling a little hotter in the small space as the ether tried to escape the fibrous prison.


    The urge to run was intense, making Bitlin waver back and forth. If the ether heated up too much then the oil around it would ignite and set the Dregs ablaze. Bitlin knelt and dug away the rusty dirt that the filaments were embedded in. The point of burnout was beyond where his legs could carry him anyway.


    Ether was like water, flowing and gathering in the lowest points of circuits. However, when it accumulated with pressure, instead of gaining weight, ether gained heat. Ether would overheat infinitely until the filament combusted. Violently. Hence the need for a drain, or outlet, sometimes both. A small light to use any leftover power and thin plates of light metal like aluminum to shed heat.


    Among the many smaller filaments one large cord was ripped in half in a jagged fashion. Without the pathway out the ether was sitting in the filament itself. Building. Brewing.


    That was by far the biggest filament Bitlin had even seen, even heard of! Filaments were usually thin like wires, less area, less buildup, less boom. For some unconceivable reason, the main filament wasn¡¯t a bundle, but a solid filament several inches thick! The build up in that thing would be insane! This was the equivalent of- of¡­ ¡­ didn¡¯t matter! A lot! He quickly created a list of tasks as he examined the massive hunk of filament.


    1. Make extension


    a. Tools


    b. Filaments


    c. Splicing


    d. Oil


    2. Diffuse power


    a. Find heatsink


    b. Connect heatsink


    c. Find an apparatus


    d. Connect apparatus


    e. Pray


    3. Disconnect power


    a. Find power source


    b. Remove it


    4. Survive.


    a. Burns to a minimum


    Bitlin blinked and swept his surroundings with a glance. Things popped out to him as he scanned around, almost highlighted against their surroundings. His hands moving as if on their own accord gathering shards of metal. Junk of various sizes, long, narrow, wide, heavy, gathered themselves next to him. One hand grabbed the instruments to be and ran them down the exposed edge of sword to sharpen them as the other dug deeper into the dirt.


    The first tool dug itself into the side of the panel, prying the large filament away from the housing. The metal clicked as it snapped off in his hand, but a gap had been made. Another piece wedged itself in the gap, widening it.


    Already, the heat from the filament scalded his fingers through his gloves. He flicked his hand to cool it off and propped up the panel with a few large pieces it away from the ground. He felt his other hand pierce the crust and hit powdered dirt untouched by oil.


    He glanced over at the small hole. The absorbent qualities of dirt weren¡¯t that great, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. The less ignitable material in this process the better. He stabbed a sharp tool in the soft dirt to coat it and then used the tool to rip out one of the smaller filaments, and then another, and another.


    Tossing the now dull tool aside he twisted the three filaments together and grabbed another sharpened shard. Pinching the twist in his armpit he took a sharpened tool and cut and shred the ends of the bundle and twist them together. The three filaments roughly joined to make one larger unit. Less ether meant less heat, but the smaller filaments were still starting to get hot under his arm. He had to move faster.


    The twisted filament was small enough for him to carry around. He struggled to his feet carrying the bundle as it started to sting in his hands. He had yet to find something suitable for heat absorption. The surrounding metal was not conductive to ether and too dense to absorb heat fast enough. The broken heatsink was the right material, but the mechanism was ruin and ineffective. The shards were too small and wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb and expel heat properly. The only thing that was big enough was¡­


    Bitlin paused briefly looking at the massive sword before smacking the filaments in his hand against the pale metal. Immediately the white ether burst across the blade as if it was splashed with water. The ether in the filaments disappeared as if wrung out of a clothe.


    Bitlin paused and stepped back staring at the white light trickling up the blade in disbelief. He had just meant to test the heat absorption. Was it receiving the power? If so, how and for what? What was this thing even made of?


    The time for marveling was brief. Heatwaves were wiggling the air by the large filament now, far too hot to touch. He cut the loose ends of the bundle and readied them between his fingers. Being very conscious of the heat and his fingers, Bitlin slid the smaller ends of filament into the gap around the larger one.


    He pried out the metal wedge and waited with his eyes wide and his hands poised. The heat made the oil slick, but the bonding worked as white ether trickled down the smaller filaments and into the twisted cord. Bitlin angled the bundle down so the ether would flow better. Fluid dynamics and whatever. He watched the ether trickle into the filament, gathering at the bottom, then glanced up at the sword from where he kelt on the ground waiting for the filaments to fill.


    Ether flowed like water, which meant down. It would fill up whatever it was directed into until it found an outlet, be it copper, silver, steel, or another filament. Making the circuit flow up was not effective as the entire length of filament cable would have to be filled before power flowed and would bleed heat the entire time. However, in this particular instance, it could work.


    The original idea was to use the sword and its¡¯ massive size to diffuse the heat, but it was taking in ether as well somehow. Bitlin didn¡¯t have the time to question it as his suit began to sear his skin. The sword sucked ether like it was a siphon. If he could get the filament full and connect them, the sword should pull ether faster than the power source pushed it causing a short-circuit due to a lack of power. Exactly what he wanted


    As soon as the bundle of filaments filled to the last drop with ether, Bitlin held it up against the flat of the blade. Instantly white light burst overhead as the ether spread across the blade in a silent explosion. That was some high pressure. Bitlin watched through his dirty goggles as the ether washed over the flat plane of mystery metal and finally allowed himself to marvel as the ether spread across the sword.


    The sword sucked the filaments dry almost as quickly as before leaving only a small wisp of white ether drawn up from within the apparatus like a dying well. Bitlin relaxed, letting the filaments fall from his hands. He looked the panel up and down as the trickle slowly fed into the filaments again, albeit much slower. He would have a little while before the filament became dangerous again. Now the fun part.


    The panel was sleek and well put together, if the fastenings hadn¡¯t been damaged from falling so far he probably couldn¡¯t have wedged it open so easily. He grabbed a heavy piece of metal and bashed off the remaining clamps. He tossed the heavy piece aside and peeled off the bent cover panel. Like a surgeon.


    The inside gave him more questions than answers as he blinked at the simplicity of the circuits. There was no splicing, no connections, no safety, just a few bracket clamps and that massive filament connected to what looked like a small black device that looked like a hat. Bitlin could see that the ether was coming from the black device and ripped out the end of the filament.


    He could feel the filament cracking as it bent and he quickly twisted the device off the end. A small pop and the little thing sat in his hand innocently. It wasn¡¯t very heavy, but it felt like there was a liquid in it. He looked inside and saw nothing of note. Curious. This was definitely the power supply, but just what was it exactly? It didn¡¯t behave like a battery or anything else for that matter. How could something so small cause such a big problem?


    Bitlin glanced at the ether gathering in the filament on the ground. He placed the whole thing on top of the sword so that it drained and pocketed the black object. The filaments would be hard to sneak out and were already showing signs of degrading from heat anyway, but the power supply¡­ He¡¯d have to ask someone more knowledgable about it before deciding what to do with it.

 One Small Pebble

    Atuli stood on an outcropping between lanes of the Palm expressway with her arms crossed. She glared at the many lanes of heavy traffic screaming all around. The Palm was the closest thing to a bridge between the upper and lower regions of the city. Highway junctions separated, ascending into the air through large rings or descending down under the Palm level. Vehicles whizzed by all around, some lifting off the induction plate and going higher in flight, while others remaining tied to the ground and slunk beneath the surface.


    It was a mess. Large hulks of metal moving at reckless speeds filled to the brim with Ether meant it was only a matter of time. This area was a hot spot for trouble, both civil, criminal, and primal. Most of the trouble was angry and entitled drivers with the occasional high speed chase. It had been many years since a giant had taken its¡¯ rampage this high, but different shades of concrete served as a constant reminder that it could happen.


    An engineering crew had blocked off a section of the highway to replace some of the filaments that had degraded. Data showed brief power loss in this section which could be a warning sign of a larger issue. The department of transportation took such signs seriously and set out to rectify the issues almost immediately.


    Atuli and her squad were here just in case anything went sideways. Response time was greatly reduced if you were already there. While there were also regular enforcement personnel on scene, Preservers in Squires added that extra weight that sometimes needed to be thrown around.


    Atuli shifted her weight carefully so as not to make any fast moves and distract them. She was getting a bit stiff from standing around for so long. The power grid workers were almost done and nothing had happened. They were diligently going about their business seemingly unbothered by the speed with which they were surrounded by. She glanced around at her squad to see what they were doing.


    Ervann was lying down behind the barrier, throwing a Heat dagger in the air and catching it lazily. Atuli glared at him but otherwise said nothing. The blade wasn¡¯t powered so it wasn¡¯t sharp, but that was still not a good look. His shield was active though, glowing a sharp yellow on the edges of the Squire. His frame was built to be light and fast, paper thin armor and a deflector shield that he never deactivated. That Tsulink dagger and its¡¯ twin housed in the small of his back were his primary tools.


    In front of the barrier was his partner, Shay. The larger woman was standing like a soldier with the stock of her Cobra heavy rifle in her hand, half off her shoulder holster. Her medium armor had the flight capacity of a heavy class due to the poor constancy of red ether making flight difficult. A Preserver with red ether was uncommon due to that fact, but Shay was an exception. Her long career and wealth of experience was enough for command to allow her a place in the force.


    Atuli¡¯s eyes gravitated again to the Cobra in Shay¡¯s hand again as she quietly fawned over the weapon. She was in the middle mentally of breaking down the rifle into parts when the pavement shook slightly and a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see the green Ether channels illuminating the dark metal of Alek¡¯s squire.


    Alek¡¯s Squire was huge, easily dwarfing Atulis¡¯. Standing next to Alek when he was in his Squire was one of the few times when people didn¡¯t look at her in lieu of the hulk towering over her. The frame itself was almost twice his size, just under the height requirement to be a Knight frame. Dense metal plates and shielding adorned the Squire making it look like a suit of armor wearing another bigger suit of armor. Most people wouldn¡¯t be able to get the thing moving, let alone off the ground. Alek was probably one of the few people strong enough to power the massive hunk of metal, let alone the extra large thrusters on its back to get off the ground.


    A large Tervan gunlance docked on his back was his main weapon designed exclusively to kill Titans. The thick metal shield housed a heavy canon combined with a stout chisel-like blade. Lodge the blade in the Titans¡¯ thick hide and blast away the core with one shot. Few weapons were designed with such brutal efficiency in mind.


    ¡°Any chatter?¡± Alek asked. He got a half hearted wave from Ervann, but that was all.


    ¡°No sir.¡± Shay said.


    ¡°Keep your eyes peeled.¡± Alek said and lifted a massive foot over Ervann. Ervann rolled under Aleks¡¯ leg and skipped himself off the ground.


    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± He sighed catching the dagger and slotting it behind his back with two fingers. He did it so deftly you would think those were his actual hands. ¡°I¡¯m lookin¡¯, see?¡±


    Just as the words cut out a loud scraping wail came from behind the traffic. Atuli instantly gave her thruster a spurt, lifting herself up onto Aleks¡¯ shoulder. Her HUD was unable to filter through the traffic quick enough, highlighting each vehicle one at a time. Atuli recognized the pattern and let her eyes find the problem. She saw the roof of a vehicle break the monotony to sharply to be a lane change. Other vehicles were swerving out of control after that one made a pass. Bingo.


    ¡°IP south patrol, lane 4, reckless 100 yards, .¡± Atuli said flaring her thruster up for flight. She jumped up to hover as Alek took a heavy step forward. She pinged the vehicle as it approached and increased speed.


    ¡°Patrol copy, reckless, Officer responding.¡± A voice crackled over the comms. Alek shook the ground as he landed in front of the unprotected workers. He crouched low to the ground with green ether flaring up in external filament channels. An immovable object. Atuli watched the vehicle swerve around him at a high speed, blowing by traffic at a dangerously close distance.


    Lucky break. A patrol officer was nearby and would lock the driver down. The ping would stay as long as she kept the vehicle in sight, making it easy. She floated higher and higher with her eyes locked on the vehicle until something blasted her from behind.


    Her arms pinwheeled as her balance was lost and she spun out of control. She cursed as she lost sight of the vehicle and tried to counteract her spin. She was loosely aware of someone shouting something over the comms, but she was busy. She tucked her legs and twisted her waist to get the thrusters under herself. Stabilizers behind her triceps clicked open and jolted her upright as her feet skidded across the ground. Shay grabbed one of Atuli¡¯sflailing arms and yanked her back upright before she ran into something headfirst. They slid over the ground and back of Atuli¡¯s helmet gently tapped against something as they slowly scrapped to a stop.


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Atuli yelled. People were screaming so loudly that her helmet was filtering them out.


    ¡°Barge tipped over! Started a pileup!¡± Ervann shouted over the comms. ¡°There¡¯s a fire!¡±


    Goosebumps rippled across Atuli¡¯s triceps as she and Shay stared up in shock. Thick dark smoke was billowed up over the barrier. A fire. In one of the most crowded and congested places in the city. Not to mention the sheer amount of filaments in the vicinity. Filaments were derived from oil and not easy to set off, but when they burned, they burned. Everyone and their mother knew it and there was a mad panic to get away that spread like wildfire.


    ¡°Was that a hazard transport?! It shouldn¡¯t have gone up so fast.¡± Shay said as she knelt and quickly powered down her ether rifle.


    ¡°It¡¯s a loose top! Whatever it was is going up all over the freeway. Looked like a car¡¯s wedged under it!¡± Ervann shouted. The roaring of the flames could be heard through his comms.


    ¡°Deploying.¡± Alek¡¯s level voice cut through the chaos. The ground shook as he landed out of sight.


    ¡°Clear footpaths! Get these people out of here! Move all unaffected vehicles out of the way.¡± Atuli shouted both in comms and speakers. Shay shot forward legs pumping leaving cracked pavement in her wake. She vaulted over the barrier as Ervann shoved engineers over it.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Atuli kicked off and rocketed upwards as she ran a line to dispatch. This small space would fill up quick and it was a death trap with nowhere to go. Her thrusters spluttered out and failed to lift off properly. She used the momentum andskipped to the highest point, a crashed and twisted bus. She began running a diagnostic program as she peering in the dark windows of the bus as it filled with smoke. There were people trapped inside that thing! She blinked to hide the feed as she ripped the door off the bus with a great burst of black smoke. She ran a line to dispatch as she began pulling people out in droves. There was a faint click as the line connected.


    <¡°Dispatch.¡±>


    ¡°I¡¯m on IP South by exit 4c with a large vehicle fire, send the fire brigade to my beacon.¡± Atuli said hurriedly over the line. She set a beacon to three and dropped at her feet as she searched seat after seat of the bus for anyone left behind. A yellow HUD warning her of air quality blinked in the corner of her visor and small fans hummed by her jaw as the filters kicked up a notch. She had to hurry. A normal person would be unconscious shortly and suffocate in minutes.


    <¡°That¡¯s quite a situation. Can I have some identification, please?¡±> A bored voice responded. Atuli smashed her foot through the jammed emergency exit. More smoke billowed out from the vented bus and rose above the wreckage. She pursed her lips as she flipped a switch to share voice and video. A great white fireball from a filament explosion burst into the sky with perfect timing as the feed went live.


    ¡°This is Captain Atuli Lascaris, Officer #2551, I¡¯m on IP south near exit 4b. We have a large fire from a vehicle collision, get fire brigade to my beacon ASAP!¡± Atuli shouted as she checked abandoned vehicles for anyone injured or unconscious. People bounced off her as they ran by in various degrees of shock. Eyes glassy and unfocused reflecting the growing flames and not where their feet were going. She heard what could only be described as the dispatcher falling out of his chair and scrambling back to his desk.


    <¡°Yes Ma¡¯am! Right away!¡±>


    Atuli cut the line and re-synced herself to the squad.


    ¡°Ervann! Status!¡± She asked as she shoved a car to the side to open up a path.


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked most of the vehicles behind the barge.¡± Ervann said a little out of breath. He must have been moving pretty fast. ¡°I got the transport driver here, had to pry off his door. He¡¯s pretty banged up but he said the stuff is corroded filament shards. They¡¯ll burn, but they won¡¯t explode.¡±


    ¡°Good, get him to a safe location.¡± Atuli said. She could hear the man mumbling about being cut off through Ervann¡¯s receiver. ¡°Shay?¡±


    ¡°I need assistance, I have injured on the service platform.¡± Shay said.


    ¡°Copy. Ervann, help Shay. Flag down the first responders when they get here. Clear a space if you need to.¡± Atuli said as she looked around for a moving mountain.


    ¡°Yes boss!¡± Ervann said. A yellow streak shot by as he raced around.


    ¡°A child has been left behind.¡± Alek said with a little strain.


    Atuli zeroed in on Alek¡¯s voice. She used her thrusters for short burst of speed as she dashed across the tops of abandoned vehicles. Alek had a proximity in the fiercest of flames near the crater edge of the explosion. Of course he did.


    ¡°Atuli, you there? I have to throw her.¡± Alek said.


    Atuli landed heavily on the roof a of a car, shattering the glass. She planted her feet and made sure her footing wouldn¡¯t buckle. Her main thruster was still unreliable. but it could still give her a quick boost. ¡°Ready!¡± Atuli said priming her stabilizers. She had a feeling she¡¯d need them.


    The smoke parted momentarily and a small child was thrust up into the air. Atuli blasted into a quick dash and leapt up off of a nearby wreckage. She spun around the child to reduced the impact and used her side thrusters to glide over the intense flames. One of the stabilizers on her legs shorted and burst from the rising heat causing her to lose some balance. She still managed to stick the landing with a little slide.


    ¡°Ervann!¡± Atuli called as she checked the bawling child for injuries. Ervann appeared almost immediately with a flash of yellow and a metallic clank.


    ¡°I could have done that you know.¡± He grumbled as he pried the child from Atuli.


    ¡°Move it.¡± Atuli said pushing him away. ¡°Where is the Fire Brigade?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen em.¡± Ervann said with a shrug.


    ¡°Typical!¡± Atuli growled as she stomped her foot and faced the rising flames.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    The flames billowed mightily and a massive shadow stepped out of the raging fire like a demon from hell. Green lines of ether projected themselves outward as Aleks¡¯ shield was maxed out. He took a few thudding steps away from the blaze and knelt, powering down. Coolant flaps flipped open and hissed as they came in contact with the air, desperately trying to shed heat. The back hatch of Aleks¡¯ squire popped open and he rose out, careful not to touch the metal on the outside. He was breathing heavily and drenched with sweat.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Ervann asked. The child had stopped crying and looked up at Alek in awe.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine if she is.¡± Alek said as he blew drops of sweat off the tip of his nose.


    ¡°Seems alright,¡± Evan said.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be if she stays here.¡± Atuli said jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.


    ¡°Roger.¡± Ervan said and skipped away with the child still watching over his shoulder.


    ¡°Your engineer will have your head for this.¡± Atuli said kicking the shin of Aleks¡¯ Squire.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Alek said fanning out his shirt and smoothing back his sweaty hair. ¡°I will wear it.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Atuli said looking over her shoulder at the approaching sound of sirens. ¡°Finally! Took them long enough!¡±


    ¡°Two minutes, not bad.¡± Alek said shielding his eyes from the flames to look up at the approaching squadron of fire brigade hovercraft. Enforcer squads from other highways were flowing in from all directions as well. A loudspeaker a few decibels away from a sonic weapon blasted them with bulletins.


    <¡°PLEASE EVACUATE!¡±>


    <¡°THIS IS A DISASTER AREA!¡±>


    <¡°PLEASE EVACUATE!¡±>


    Atuli glared up at the fleet of hovercraft streaming down from above as Alek closed up his Squire. Green ether filled the damaged filaments slowly but surely. Green ether was so stable that even damaged filaments would still conduct the power without issue.


    ¡°Good work, as always.¡± Atuli said.


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Alek said as he closed the vents and shook out his arms. Heavy boots hit the highway as Brigadiers jumped from hovercraft to hook up water lines. Metal screamed as they further cleared the area around the blaze. The hover craft positioned themselves in a ring-like shell around the fire and began pumping heavy showers at the flames. Special chemicals mixed with the water to make a sort of foam that degraded filaments faster than they burned. If the filaments were destroyed the subsequent heat explosion didn''t occur. It was a race.


    An emergency medical shuttle thrummed by them towards the service platform. A burst of red and yellow came from behind a vehicle as it was shoved aside to make room. Shay and Ervann seemed to be doing alright. A commander unit from the fire brigade backed up to them, keeping his eyes on the fire. A hardlight image of the area projected between his forearms as he directed his teams.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± He shouted over the cacophony of sound. ¡°Were you first on scene?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡± Atuli said. ¡°We cased the scene and evacuated everyone we saw to the service landing behind us.¡±


    ¡°Have there been any explosions?¡±


    ¡°Just one.¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s keep it that way! Standby, we¡¯ll take it from here.¡± The commander said and flicked a finger to widen the projection to include the rear. Atuli stood with Alek at a safe distance waiting in case they were called upon.


    Atuli was filling out the beginnings of an after accident report when a ping came over the feed. Atuli narrowed her eyes when she read the ¡°Reckless driving¡± tag.


    ¡°Think that¡¯s the guy?¡± Alek asked.


    ¡°Could be.¡± Atuli said as she experimentally flared her thrusters.


    ¡°Cool it.¡± Alek said. ¡°Let them do their job so we can do ours.¡±


    ¡°Protecting people is my job.¡± Atuli said.


    ¡°More reason to leave it.¡± Alek said. ¡°You go over there and that driver is in danger.¡±


    Atuli flared her nostrils. ¡°I just wanna talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Can I watch?¡± Ervann asked skidding to a stop nearby.


    ¡°You done already?¡± Atuli asked looking back to see the shuttle flying by overhead.


    ¡°EMTs don¡¯t mess around.¡± Shay said as she walked over. ¡°Clearing the scene is protocol one for filament fires.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still here, tho?¡± Ervann whined.


    ¡°You¡¯re in weaponized armor powered and shielded by ether,¡± Shay said pointing in Ervanns¡¯ face. ¡°Unless you¡¯re in the blast, you can walk it off.¡±


    Atuli hid a smirk and Alek shook his head as the two began bickering. Atuli went back to filling out her report as the smoke from the fire turned white and ashy. A direct line alert popped up on the edge of her HUD.


    ¡°Captain Micarel!¡± Atuli said hurriedly turning away from the squabble.


    <¡°I see damage, are you alright?¡±> Adelyn asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re a little roughed up from a fire, but on standby with the Brigade near exit 4c in the palm.¡± Atuli said glancing around.


    <¡°Fire damage is no joke, can you make it back?> Adelyn asked. Atuli looked at her diagnostic report and sighed. Several of the thrusters were busted. Brand new ones too. Typical Tsulink. Good shields and heat venting, but below average support systems.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it back up to the armory,¡± Atuli said. ¡°But Alek and I may need medical attention after our mechanics see our Squires.¡±


    <¡°I will warn them¡­¡±> Adelyn said with a chuckle. <¡°Just try not to get into trouble on the way in.¡±>


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡± Atuli said and let her head loll to the side. If Tsulink wasn¡¯t a fit, Heffia had mentioned Tervan plates or even Xeder heavy plates. She hated being heavy, but if it meant she could fly without a problem she¡¯d deal with it.


    ¡°I liked being a Light class.¡± Atuli grumbled to herself before she turned to face the squad. "We''ll be lucky if they let either of us near a Squire again."

 Unwelcome Guests

    Bitlin watched as Nuli peered at the black device under a magnifying glass. He had brought the device straight to her shop right at close in hopes that she would know, or at least be able to find out, what the device was. She had run all sorts of tests and searched half a dozen schematics so far without any luck.


    ¡°Yeah Bit, I dunno either.¡± Nuli said sitting back with a defeated sigh. She spun her magnifying glass around and switched off the light in defeat. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. No make, model, or even an id number.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was a power source by how it was hooked up.¡± Bitlin said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that either.¡± Nuli said rubbing her chin as she squinted at the small black hunk of material. ¡°There¡¯s ether in there, sure, but if it was a power source there would be some sort of indicator before the flow valve.¡±


    ¡°Could it have broken off?¡± Bitlin asked. ¡°Things in the Dregs don¡¯t always survive the fall.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Nuli said picking up the device and peering inside. ¡°There¡¯s no porting though. No gauge marker either. All I see in there is what looks like a piece of glass.¡±


    ¡°Glass?¡± Bitlin asked holding out his hand. Nuli handed him the device and shone a light at it for him to see. There was indeed a clear substance across the inside of the socket from edge to edge. He would have never known it was there unless Nuli had shone light on it directly.


    ¡°It¡¯s in there.¡± Nuli said. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine what for.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what the ether is coming from.¡± Bitlin said.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear. No color, no ether.¡± Nuli said.


    ¡°A piece of junk then.¡± Bitlin said with a sigh. He had been so confident that this was something important.


    ¡°Maybe it was something important before it fell, but right now? Yes, everything from the Dregs is junk.¡± Nuli said putting away the various tools on the workbench. ¡°Still, make you wonder what exactly they do up there, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bitlin said stowing the device away. ¡°Thanks Nuli.¡±


    ¡°Course, be careful on your way back.¡± Nuli said ruffling Bitlins¡¯ hair.


    Bitlin bid Nuli goodbye and began his trek through the twisting alleys. He walked slowly and around puddles to avoid making excess noise. The under city never really slept and it wouldn¡¯t do to attract attention right now. Enforcers were not the only people awake at this time.


    Wakal was asleep when Bitlin returned and he was careful not to wake him. The old man still had a slight fever and would need time to fight it off. If he could. Bitlin took a deep breath and let it out quietly. The rust had claimed so much of Wake¡¯s body it was a miracle that he was still alive. There couldn¡¯t be much more time left until the metal strangled his heart. Bitlin looked at the arched ceiling as his ears roared with blood. He didn¡¯t even notice that his hands were moving.


    When Bitlin finally looked down he saw a small creation half put together on the floor. He blinked a few times and turned the dirty stack of parts around over his hands. What even was this?


    There was a coil attached to an old-fashioned metal circuit. A heatsink was mashed on the side for no reason and a broken bulb sticking off the top. A bar of metal was screwed in a joint with reversed threads. Whoops, forced that one in. He paused when he saw an empty space and immediately knew what it was for. He reached into his pack and pulled out the device. He stared at the mysterious black cap briefly, then slotted it in its¡¯ place as the core.


    Bitlin waited for something, anything, to happen. Unsurprisingly, the hunk of junk remained inactive. Bitlin pursed his lips and ¡®disassembled¡¯ the ¡®machine¡¯, gently placing the parts back in the spare bucket.


    He ran a checklist in his head and updated the mental schematics that he had of the projects he was working on. No new pieces. He paused and held up the black device. Well, no ¡®useful¡¯ new pieces. He spun the device in his fingers and examined it again in the low light. Whatever this was, he needed a name for it. A good one¡­


    Bitlin fell asleep looking at the device still in this hand. His dreams were filled with machines he had made himself from scratch sitting around him in a circle. He was fixing one small machine when it filled with ether before his eyes. Heat singed his hands as he dropped the filaments that appeared in his hands. He watched in horror as the other machines he had made grew filaments and began to overheat. Hot metal glowed as the heat baked him from all directions as he tried to run. He woke up with a pounding headache.


    He massaged his forehead and pouted as his head throbbed uncomfortably. Maybe Wakal was sick with something beyond his ailment and had given it to him. It had been a while since he¡¯d been sick, but he still had to work. He put the device away with the rest, but in a place that he could distinguish it from the rest. He checked that Wakal was properly swaddled and left for the Dregs.


    The alleyway near Nuli¡¯s shop was illuminated for the first time since he could remember. Harsh blue-white light beamed down from streetlights that had been unlit for years. It was weird actually seeing the street for once as he walked through, but nice to finally avoid the puddles before he stepped in them. He kept to the darkness out of habit. Out of light out of sight. He still skirted the edges of the streetlights while examining the finally visible hardware. Remarkably simple, didn¡¯t need to be complex, but he couldn¡¯t tell which company made them.


    A high pitch crash came from around the corner as he neared Nuli¡¯s shop and froze in his tracks. Something glass had just shattered on the ground. HIs fever disappeared in a flash as his heartbeat quickly. Fear told his feet to run, but concern moved his hands forward along the wall. He paused at the window and just couldn¡¯t help himself. He slid up the wall and peered through.


    The front door to the shop was bent and twisted on the floor surrounded by broken glass from a display case. Nuli was cornered behind her overturned work bench by a group of strangely dressed men wearing masks. The strange men barely registered in Bitlins¡¯ eyes for the large metal figure standing off to the side, glowing. A Preserver!


    Large green ether channels bulged from the arms and legs of the large suit and disappeared into the chest and back of the mech. Weapons were attached in various places, but Bitlin was more focused on the armor itself. The metal plates seemed to flex as if allowing for free breathing. The forearms were too long. Were the pilots hands contained in the forearm somewhere? Those double jointed legs made the head almost touch the ceiling! The pilots¡¯ feet must be in the second bend, extending the rest of the leg from the toes with stubby stilts. Springy. The body of the pilot became an outline in his mind as he worked out the internal mechanism. While Bitlins¡¯ eyes were occupied with his examination, his ears picked up the conversation as if it was far away.


    ¡°It produces a special frequency when powered. Special, and unique. It subsists for quite a long time.¡± One of the men said slowly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Nuli said.


    ¡°The most recent traces came from this location and they sustain for a while. Please try to remember something.¡± Another said.


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Bitlin had never heard the word ¡®please¡¯ said as a threat before. His eyes were still mystified by the Preservers¡¯ mech unit. His bones rattled as his heart picked up in pace, trying to run away without him. A thought struck him like a light switching on in his brain. Enforcers worked in pairs so¡­ wouldn¡¯t Preservers?


    His vision went blurry as he was suddenly wrenched off his feet and into the air. He gasped as his suit squeezed at him and he could feel it stretching, pulling him into a ball. He heard the seal of his suit hiss as it ripped and air rushed out. The outrage over his suit was dwarfed by the panic as small black spikes poked out from the yellow suit in front of his face.


    A dark red light burst across his face as he found himself looking straight into the brightl red eyes of a Preserver. The subtle whine of metal on metal accompanied by heavy clanks filled his ears as he struggled. Pain erupted from his shin as he cracked it against one of the many metal ridge ridges on the mechs¡¯ torso.


    ¡°Trespassing, eh?¡± The voice bellowed. Bitlin gasped as his ears rang like shrieking metal. He screwed his eyes closed and desperately covered his head. He felt himself jerked to the side and fly through the air. He landed heavily on his side and slid across the ground into the middle of the street.


    Bitlin coughed rolled on his back as his vision swam. He clutched his side as it was stiffening and preventing him from taking a full breath. Heavy footsteps slammed on either side as the Preserver landed right above him. Bitlin cowered and squinted up at the mech outlined by the harsh blue light of the streetlight.


    Crimson ether flowed like blood through filaments all over the Mech. The thick armor plates covering the chest and torso did little to obscure the massive amount of filaments stemming from the mechs¡¯ chest. The ether ran in great streams through filaments from the mechs¡¯ chest and into massive cylinders on the arms. The hands of the mech were large and covered with little barbs and spikes. Bitlin noticed a scrap of his suit was still stuck to some of the barbs on the knuckles as it reached down to lift him off the ground again.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you read the sign? Road closed, means road closed!¡± The speakers blared down at Bitlin.


    Bitlin¡¯s eyes followed the Mechs¡¯ arm as it pointed to large roadblocks that he had apparently walked past. Bitlin scowled at the signage flashing warnings in reverse. He must not have noticed the warnings while he was looking up at the streetlights.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening out there?¡± One of the men called from the broken doorway.


    ¡°Just a rat.¡± The Preserver said and dropped Bitlin to the pavement.


    ¡°Get rid of it,¡± The man said waving his hand. ¡°We¡¯re bringing this one in.¡±


    Bitlin coughed as his ribs finally allowed him to breathe. He stared at the stained pavement in front of his face. It? Rude. He heard a scream and crashing from inside the shop. His heart leapt to his throat and he found it hard to breathe again.


    ¡°Nuli!¡± Bitlin rasped from the ground. He floundered on the ground as he tried to crawl to the shop. His legs and arms just didn¡¯t want to work! A heavy metal foot smashed cracks in the pavement next to his face, stinging his cheek with shards of concrete. Bitlins¡¯ eyes watered as he looked up at the Preserver. Thrusters on the mechs¡¯ back flared with heat as the Preserver jabbed its¡¯ thumb at the barriers. Bitlin hurried to get up and smacked a hand on the wet ground. He froze. A tremors ran through his fingers.


    Bitlin looked up at the Preserver again to see him facing down the alley, still as a statue. A muffled roar echoed through the street. The red Preserver made a few motions with his hand and the green one burst from the doorway.


    The second preserver kicked up sparks as it slid across the pavement with an awful screech. Green ether flowed into the strange apparatuses on the Preservers shoulders and glowing crystal panels seemed to grow from nothing. Hardlight! So that¡¯s what those things were!


    He was jarred from his analysis as a building in their vicinity crumbled in a wash of dust and debris. The nearby street light flickered as it was knocked over and died when it shattered on the ground. Bitlins¡¯ throat swelled to keep his heart from leaping out his mouth.


    A large, lurching, thing, could be seen with the light from the lamp as it faded away. The sound of something snapping cut through the air. A horrible scraping sound crept across the walls as something was dragged across the ground. A large shape stumbled out of the dust cloud and Bitlin felt his heart jump off a cliff.


    Rough brown skin wrapped, almost strangled, by tight cords. Diamond shaped scales covered its¡¯ body shimmering and twisting as one. Thick arms and legs floundered about as if they were each moving independently. Small beady black eyes bored into a head that was too small for its¡¯ body. Large dull teeth jutted out from a too large mouth. Bitlin noticed sparks from something grasped in the Giants¡¯ talons as it was dragged across the ground. He couldn¡¯t make out what it was, but he had a good guess.


    Bitlin covered his ears to keep his head from splitting as the Giant bellowed a horrible cry at the empty walls. Bitlins¡¯ legs were glued to the ground as his lungs reverberated with the noise. It was like being under a barge! Fresh air punched him in the face a the pungent pollutants of the undercity were blasted away. Bitlin blinked at the sky as tears streamed sideways across his face from the blast of air. The lights were so clear¡­


    There was an impact in his stomach that knocked the wind out of him and the lights streaked in his eyes. The wind whipped past his ears and he felt himself flung around like a rag doll before hitting the ground. He doubled over as his stomach tightened and floated, making him vomit.


    ¡°Get out of here kid!¡±


    Bitlin looked up through teary eyes to see the red Preserver skip back around the corner. He caught a glimpse of huge filaments filling with dark red ether as something was powered up. Bitlin winced as he rolled to his feet. What kind of device needed two 4/0 gauge filaments? How much power did he need and for what? Whatever it was, he didn¡¯t want to see it go off.


    Flashes of green and red illuminated the dust and debris that flew out of the alley as Bitlin leaned against the wall. That was enough curiosity for the day. No matter how he felt he had to get to work. The Quartermaster wouldn¡¯t care if he was half dead, numbers were numbers.


    A horrible scraping sound came for behind him and Bitlin turned to see the green Preserver sliding backwards across the ground. Claws pierced the wall over head and the concrete crumbled. Bitlin stumbled as he tried to get away as the wall came down. He threw up his arms to protect himself and squeezed his eyes shut. He heard a heavy clank and green light penetrated his eyelids.


    Bitlin cracked open an eye to see the green Preserver holding up the rubble with their shields. Deep gouges ran up and down the Preservers armor as if torn apart. A large section of the helmet had been torn away revealing the pilots face. Her eye glistening green with ether. So thats what it looked like¡­


    ¡°Move.¡± The Preserver said through grit teeth. Bitlin crawled backwards across the concrete unable to look away as the Preserver slowly began to crumple under the weight of the rubble. A shadow fell across them.


    Another lamp was knocked over as the Giant loomed around the corner. Bitlin¡¯s blood ran cold as he looked up at the Giant towering over them. Bitlin heard a yell from next to himand the concrete cascaded to the ground. The green Preserver dove out of the rubble as it fell and skidded into the opposite wall.


    One hardlight shield was broken and twisted with the other receding. The Preserver held up the remaining shield as it shrank. Legs bent, arms twisted, torso crushed, helmet broken, but still standing. Bitlin couldn¡¯t even focus on the mech as the Giant towered over them.


    ¡°That all you got?¡± The Preserver said staggering in the crippled mech. Bitlin¡¯s knees were jelly as he scooted backwards on his rear. The Giant reached up, its¡¯ clawed hand blocking out what little light they had.


    A brilliant flash of red light came from the behind the Giant. A great plume of dust and debris rose into the air as the Giant fell through the building and onto the street. It lay motionless with smoke rising from its¡¯ back. Bitlin stared at its¡¯ wicked face staring into the distance. The green Preserver fell over with a shower of sparks as her legs finally gave out.


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡± The Preserver said. The Red Preserver appeared on top of the Giant with his right arm practically obscured from all the heat it was giving off. Small radiators on either side of the filaments glowed red hot as the heat dissipated.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave you out to dry.¡± Bitlin heard a faint voice come from inside the green Preservers helmet. ¡°I moved a lot of people just now.¡±


    ¡°My engineer¡¯s going to be furious.¡± The green Preserver said looking herself over. The Red preserver hopped down from the back of the Giant and walked over to them shaking out his arm.


    ¡°But did you die?¡± The voice went as the red Preserver picked up his partner and threw them over his shoulder. She said something back, but Bitlins¡¯ head was too foggy to register anything.


    Bitlin watched them as his ears barely registered what was being said. His head was still unbearably foggy. His hand twitched and he looked down. He stopped breathing when the loose dust around his fingers jumped. He made a noise of exasperation.


    The two Preservers looked down at him as one, then everyone was looking at the dust around his hand as it jumped again. Down the dark end of the street an unlit lamp fell and smashed on the ground. Ambient light from above showed multiple large shapes lumbering towards them. They seemed to be merging together, almost kinda¡­, like¡­ spinning¡­.


    Blackness fell across his eyes like a shutter. The last thing he remembered was a jolt in his neck and a hollow sound as his head hit the pavement.