City of Slow Dreams: Prelude 1 (by Elliot Bowers)

This massive, truck-like vehicle plodded along an immense wounded plain beneath a slow blue sky. These plains were so wounded, so full of blast-holes from battle, that they were an uneven checkerboard brown-and-green; there was a battle here some weeks ago.Cannons, mines, rockets, burst guns, all of that blasted the land.The grass did not grow back over the many thousands of blasted holes.And maybe, the grass won't grow in places for another ten years or so.The tactical shells and land mines of this War did that.

The armored transport that romped over the pitted places of dirt and grass was itself a vehicle of war—or of the War.The transport resembled an Army truck of centuries past: a very high carriage, big payload up back, and a rugged cab at the front.All over, the plodding green vehicle was camouflage-painted metal.The wheels were of a flexible and spiked metal—the flexible wheels and excellent suspension prevented the vehicle from jouncing about too much.

Somehow, despite partial damage to the underside of the vehicle's transmission, this vehicle drove almost as well as new. Almost like new:It took some strength to turn the now-stiffened steering.But the driver drove the vehicle without complaints.Inside the vehicle, the driver's solid face remained with eyes forward.There was no expression save for the two eyes that looked steadily forward.Despite the steering wheel being massively stiff and brutal to the hands, the driver drove on with unlimited endurance.That was because the driver was a non-sentient robot—a dumb machine that merely did what it was told.

In the back of the vehicle, five quiet soldiers sat on wall-mounted padded benches that were some relief from the jouncing.Their uniforms were almost total matches for the American military uniforms of the Old Days—the days before the War.Short and tall, male and female, these soldiers wore the same dappled green: trousers that were just slightly floppy below the knee, tops consisting of long-sleeved heavy shirts over lighter brown undershirts, black gloves and black boots.All over-clothing was the camouflage colors of splotched green and brown, of course.But these soldiers wore no helmets, revealing varied hairstyles.Because these soldiers did not want helmets.

The hairstyles were not the only difference between those in this brightly lit transport vehicle.Three of these soldiers looked excessively male, regarding their physiques: broad shoulders, powerful legs.Two of the males had reddish skin tones.Yet all three males had the very same physiques:same height, same builds.That was by regulation.

As for the two females, their physiques were idealized as well—slender and long-legged.But the two differed in height and hair types.One female soldier was as tall as the males:six feet in height.And she had shoulder-length dark hair.The other female soldier was a waif of a girl in appearance: barely four feet in height and thin.Her "cute" and round pale face, topped with ash-blonde hair, made her seem yet more frail.Seem more frail…

Though all sporting the same uniforms, these were yet individuals.Perhaps the most individualistic of them was the male with the insane mane of dark wooly hair: Elio. And now, Elio decided to break the silence today."Captain, I have to say something," he began, looking at the fellow soldier at the front of the compartment.They were listening."This has to be the first time I've been in a unit without ammo or guns.And, well…I'm…"He went quiet, failing to explain.

Captain Jimbo, the one at the front of the compartment, regarded Elio.The captain'spale-faced and dark-haired head had dark eyes to go with them—eyes that pierced at Elio's less serious brown ones."You're frightened, is what you're trying to say."

"Well…I hate to use that word, captain," said Elio, holding out his hands."I mean, 'frightened' is a sissy word.I'm trying to be tough.Being tough, it's part of this job, right?Blasting the enemy and being mighty despite injury and death.But that's easy when we have guns.Guns.Heck, we can't even steal the enemies' guns because only the enemy can use them.How can I fight well?I'm not really good at fighting hand-to-hand."

Captain Jimbo then looked to the soldier seated directly opposite Elio: the elfen-esque soldier.Her pert and youngish face looked downward—almost girlish in contemplation.In fact, Alia was even swinging her thin legs in rhythm with the movement of the vehicle.Such a girl!

The captain gestured in Alia's direction."Elio, look at Alia.Elfin.Per regulations, she has her female-type body."That made Alia pay attention; with a gasp, she snapped her head up from her floor-staring reverie."And because she's a techie, she's short and very thin—because of regulations.We cannot have large techies, can we?We need them to squeeze into small engine compartments and such to do repairs.So being female and a techie, regulations for body type make Alia the smallest and weakest of us.

"Though made to be physically weak, she's a real ace with guns—because her specialty is tools.Very high dexterity, you know.But her body doesn't have the ruggedness the rest of ours have.If anyone is the worst off due to a lack of weapons, it's Alia.But she's taking this all.So if you ever feel your morale slipping, just think of tough little Alia.

"In fact, let's hear Alia speak now…"

By now, everyone's eyes were on the smallest soldier, and she felt smaller than her forty-eight inches.There was Captain Jimbo up front, staring.Samuk was at her right side—staring.Elio and Lisa were seated opposite her, and both were staring. All their eyes were locked on her, staring and expectant…Elf-girl!

But even an elf needed courage.Looking at the captain, her large eyes as dark as his own, she said, "I have fear, too, captain.But it is something that I try to keep controlled."She clasped her hands together, gloved palm across gloved palm."Yet fear is something so difficult a force to keep tight—because it is wriggly by nature."

Wriggly?Was that even a real word?Or was that a cute word cute little people use?Alia looked around, hoping that saying that was enough.She took in a wavering breath, worried and nervous.

But it was enough.No one spoke for some seconds as they contemplated.The slight rumbling of the vehicle's efficient-working engine filled this space, and the soldiers swayed with the slight jostling."That could be true, Alia," finally said the captain. "Yet, you manage to keep fear under control.If we were like the enemy, though, we wouldn't…"Pl-pl-plink!

Everyone hit the floor and lied flat. Pl-pl-plink!Pl-pl-plink!It was experience and training that made them dive for the hard floor: Those were bullets smacking the vehicle from the outside. Despite the thick alloy armor, there was the chance that the bullets could get through, then go through the bodies of the soldiers.The enemy had ceramic bullets—many types able to pierce thick armor even when fired from hand-held burst-guns…Pl-pl-plink!

"Lisa!Samuk!You two are the best in hand-to-hand.Get up front and confront the threat!The rest help me cover the back," ordered Captain Jimbo.He then dashed to the back of the compartment and kicked at the large single door—which flew up when it sensed the hit.As this vehicle was with a high carriage, the soldiers had to leap the three meters to the ground from the back.

Leaping out and down from the high rear of the armored vehicle, Lisa and Samukwere the first out onto this pockmarked brown-and-green plain—outside after so many hours inside the windowless space of the transport.Lisa went around the right side of the vehicle, and Samuk went around the left.They then dashed to the front—running so fast that their legs were nearly machine-fast blurs.

When they came to near the front of the vehicle, they skidded to a stop—their boots scraping up brown soil.That double-spray of dirt then cascaded and surprised the two armored figures standing before the vehicle."Shit!Cheap tactics!" shouted one of the two heavily armored figures standing up front.He and his battle partner were twenty yards before the vehicle, and they were now wiping sprayed dirt from their narrow visors.

These two armed looked like short trolls in full body armor.Both were also roughly six feet in height.Their bodies were wide in the thick armor—alloy-encased arms, round legs, wide chests and round-top helmets with rectangular visors.This contrasted with their burst guns:dark gray and simple-looking long rifles that could fire three ceramic rounds in quick succession.

As their right gauntleted hands still held rifles, they kept to wiping at their visors with their left hands.Lisa and Samuk took that chance to rush at the two figures.And that was a mistake; the two armored figures were only feigning dirty visors.

The one on the right brought up his long gray rifle and aimed at one running figure.Cr-cr-crack!Those three rounds bit into Lisa's torso.She tumbled over and over, then lie still.

Samuk managed to get straight at the one on the right—Lisa's original target.Samuk then leapt and kicked out: a leaping side-kick.With that thunk of boot-on-armor, the armored troll of a man flopped backward…Down and disoriented, Samuk's target was made an easier mark.

As such, Samuk had no trouble kneeling atop the fallen man and punching the armored abdomen…Th-thunk!Two quick punches from that soldier, and the enemy's armored torso took big dents.A third punch from Samuk, and the enemy's gut caved in—blood coming up through cracks in the armor.The armor was strong, but Samuk was stronger.

Too bad Samuk was distracted from the other enemy.Cr-cr-crack!That burst of gunfire sounded out, and Samuk took all of those rounds high up in his back.Samuk spasmed, and then he fell atop the armored man he just killed."Take that, metal-fetish freak!" said the still-standing enemy.Apparently, Samuk's body was not stronger than bullets.

By now, Lisa was up again.Ignoring the slight feeling of cold and burning in her midsection, she managed to take long running strides at the still-standing enemy.She him turn and look at her.He began to aim.She then leapt and rolled along the ground to evade…

Cr-cr-crack!The enemy burst-gun fired thrice, and all three ceramic rounds went deep into the grass.Missing was the worst sort of thing he could have done when dealing with the type of enemies he faced now.

Thunk-thunk… Chunk!Lisa struck the man's big solid back twice with fierce jabs—denting the armor.With a third blow, she managed to split the man's armor.Thick red liquid welled from that split.And he went down—armor, burst gun and all.

It was victory.Both of the enemies were down now.Despite having burst guns and surprisingly decent armor, they lost.It was at cost, though.Samuk had taken rounds in the back and was down.

"Excellent work, you both," said Captain Jimbo coming alone from behind the vehicle, his slight English accent coming through that time.And that came about when he worried.He now worried about fallen Samuk."Alia!Bring tools!"he shouted.In six seconds, Alia was at his side—with a foot-long rectangular case in her left hand."Samuk's body is damaged," he stated.

The elfen techie nodded and she quickly knelt by the side of the soldier atop the fallen figure in armor, her pale hair coming over her face."This looks significant," she said."I need him off the enemy for more accurate diagnosis."

Captain Jimbo quickly moved Samuk off of the fallen figure—onto the grassy ground.He then stood back as Alia knelt close to Samuk, her gloved fingers going close to the bullet damage in his back."His brain support's going down…" On impulse, she then tore away a back swath of Samuk's uniform—to expose the smooth gray metal surface beneath.A smooth metal back, save for three slightly smoking holes.

"I want to move him inside," said Captain Jimbo as he looked around."They could still be around—maybe hiding in foxholes.I don't want any more of us injured."Alia nodded and Captain Jimbo slung Samuk over a shoulder.

He strode to the waiting vehicle, lifted and put Samuk in.Everyone went to the high back of the door and went inside, even Lisa—who limp-jogged.Then the armored door swung down and shut, leaving the armored enemy corpses behind.As for the burst guns, they had to leave them: The burst guns stopped functioning as soon as their owners died.That prevented enemies such as these soldiers from taking their weapons.

Inside the vehicle, Captain Jimbo laid a limp Samuk on the floor."Remove his clothing, please," said Alia.And, working together, Elio and Lisa removed Samuk's clothing.That exposed his gray metal body—a body that seemed to be of form-fitting gray metal armor from his red-complexioned neck down.But the armor was his body.Samuk was a cyborg.

And everyone in this vehicle was a metal-type cyborgs.The only things "real" about these soldiers were their still-living brains.As for their bodies, they were all synthetics.Inside their torsos were rugged electromechanics and life-support for their brains—machines that helped control movement and kept their living flesh-brains alive by supplying synthesized nutrients and oxygen.

Their exteriors were designed to retain a semblance of humanity—as with the "masculine" and "feminine" forms of body-type and faces.Their faces, at least, looked human.But, beneath the faces were skulls of carbon-plated titanium.The "flesh" of their heads was just realistic masks over metal skulls, and their hair was fiberglass.

At any other time, they could have had realistic bodies.They could have had bodies that looked absolutely real, bodies of synthetic flesh over metal skeletons.This, and synth flesh-type bodies were still stronger than real ones.

But as "beautiful" as they were, synth flesh-type bodies were weaker than metal-type bodies.No, these people had to be strong.These were soldiers.The people here were fighting men and women—even if they no longer called themselves "human."They were cyborgs.Humans were the enemy.This was the War.

Alia, kneeling and close to Samuk, prodded about inside the top-most bullet-hole in Samuk's back—thin and long tools in her gloved hands. She leaned closer, and her pale short-cut hair cascaded over the sides of her face.Though this seemed like simple staring, Alia's eyes and fingers were instruments of diagnosis.Her plastic eyes switched to infrared, and that allowed her to see where cyborg components malfunctioned beneath the surface.Also, signals from the diagnostics tools were radioed from the tools to her hands—and transmitted to her visual systems.

She saw the diagnosis readout through the left side of her electronic eyesight.And she saw the status of Samuk's electromechanical innards."He is fortunate, I believe.The ceramic rounds were not of the fragmenting type…But, I cannot fully…" She poked something in Samuk's back, her long and thin tools still probing."Damn this…" she said, taking off her gloves.Her small gray hands bare, they looked quite skeletal.She then picked up the instruments again.This time, free of constraints, her fingers moved with an iota more ease."I believe…I believe some sub-capacitors have been damaged, scraped by bullets.That could lead to burnout of some life-support.His brain could die momentarily without the relief of stasis mode."

The captain knew what that meant.Essentially, the metal "organs" that kept Samuk's brain alive were in tricky condition.If Samuk were allowed to "rest," or be temporarily shut off, then he would recover."Stasis, then," said Captain Jimbo.

Samuk was a good soldier, and he did not want to lose him to death.But Samuk being a good soldier was the reason why the captain regretted switching Samuk to stasis.In that state, Samuk's brain would be put in a long sleep while auto-repair systems "healed" him.Once in stasis, a synthetic-bodied person could not be made active again until auto-repairs were completed.That could be days or months…

Alia then put away the thin probing-diagnostics instruments.She then reached for a pen-like device in the kit:a Quick-Stasis Inducer, or QSI.It actually had the length and width of a pen, but there was a very small video display built into its middle and with no inked point.Held to a bare metal or synth-flesh chest, a QSI induced stasis.Now Alia held the QSI to Samuk's chest.Then she herself let out a long and stressed breath.

"No need…" she said as she slowly put away the QSI.Others seated along the sides of the transport had stopped looks on their faces.She looked up, everyone looking at her."No, no.I mean to imply something else…Not death.His stasis was automatic—an indication of possible worsening.No need for the QSI."

While the rest let out slow breaths of relief, tall Lisa gasped—her pale synth-flesh face wearing a grimace.Her gloved hands went to her abdomen, where there were little jagged holes in her uniform.Then, Lisa righted herself."I'm okay…" she voiced.

I refuse to lose another to auto-stasis, thought Captain Jimbo."Alia,move Samuk aside and do diagnostics on Lisa."Alia moved Samuk to the side, managing to slide him to the side of this compartment.

Alia said, "Remove your upper clothing and lie on your back, please.Frontal damage, you see…"She sounded calm and professionally—like a work-a-day physician instead of an military techie.

The taller soldier complied, removing the upper parts of her clothing, even her gloves.Her sooth feminine torso had a young and vaguely athletic—but done in metal.Marring the statuesque smoothness of her smooth body were two bullet holes, both bullets in the lower-left side of her slim gray abdomen.

The small techie again took the probing diagnostics tools from the toolkit—a doll of a person perusing a taller one.Her eyesight changed over to infra-red and diagnostics readouts as the thin tools went into a bullet-hole in Lisa's torso."I will have to give probability readings on this…."

Some moments passed, Alia almost unmoving as she hunched over Lisa's body."Lisa, some capacitors and a processor in your mobility systems took hits.Your systems may overheat if you become too active.But you barely missed the worse; a ceramic round nearly broke casing around your microfusion pack."Alia referred to the long-lived baseball-sized sphere that supplied energy to a synthetic body."This has irony, but I have more worry for your mobility than your life-support.Another slight to those systems, and there is near-guarantee of paralysis.That guarantee holds unless you pass ten hours of stasis.Not much, but an amelioration over the auto-stasis mode Samuk just passed into."

Lisa took in a sharp breath of air, and she tilted back her head—neck machinery exposed.She was able to look upside-down into the eyes of the captain.At another time, this could be slightly comic.

"Is stasis necessary?" asked Captain Jimbo, looking from Lisa to Alia."Is it all possible that there is no danger to her life support?"He saw Alia give a shake of her ash-haired head."Then let us keep Lisa out of stasis."

"Sir, brief words of counter-argument?" asked Alia.Her dollish stare was a pleading one.The silence from the captain meant consent."Perhaps even a moderate blow to any of her mobility components could induce just enough overload to the remaining capacitors.She would then fall into stasis.Auto-stasis, specifically."

The captain answered sternly, "Alia, you're thinking as a techie.I have to think as a captain.As captain, we will need all the hands we can get.As it is, we are all that is left of a platoon.A platoon.If there are not enough of us to fight, then perhaps none of us live."

Alia looked down, contrite."Yes sir…" she whispered.She looked on as Lisa then sat up and re-clothed herself.She saw Lisa quickly put back on her brown undershirt and camouflage top.Her patient also put back on black gloves.Fully clothed again, all but her head was covered; Lisa looked as human as the enemy.

They moved on.Eventually, there was a point when the going went from plodding to simply riding; the ground in this area was smoother and easier on the suspension.There was now much less jouncing about while riding.Battle had not happened in this region of the Midwestern plains for some weeks; wind, gravity and three rainstorms resettled the blasted parts.

Inside the transport, though, that was little relief.What still hurt was how they had casualties from that last skirmish.It was one thing to be out in the field and having planned attacks against the enemy.But this was supposed to be retreat.An unofficial retreat and withdrawal by these soldiers, this was, but these soldiers still expected peace and relaxation after prolonged fighting.

No, not the enemy.The enemy never let up, as proven with that last little ambush.The three in the transport had their eyes on their fallen team-member, who lie in the middle of the transport.Crippled Samuk was now secured to the center of this rectangular compartment with metal bands that connected to the floor of the transport.He was something to look at for pondering.

Captain Jimbo was still seated at the front of this compartment.He retained a sober demeanor on his synthetic face.One more soldier fallen to mere stasis should not have mattered.

Then, Alia gasped, her dark eyes widening.The little waif of a cyborg tore off her black gloves and moved quickly to kneel by Samuk's side.Everyone looked on as she moved her solid fingers along Samuk's torso, stopping in certain places.After that quick diagnosis, she then scrambled to the side of the compartment for the toolkit, which was stored in a side compartment.

Everyone sat still and staring as she nearly tore open the toolkit with her own hands. Then, with deliberate care, she took out a thick-bodied syringe out of the toolkit—one full of a red liquid.With that syringe in her left hand, she leaned closer to Samuk's chest and looked for a certain small place to put the tip of the needle…

Everyone else sat in silence as the petite and pale-haired techie went about her worried actions.They heard her whispering as well: Though she may not have noticed it herself, Alia was gibbering under her breath.

Silencing herself, she found a certain tiny hole in Samuk's alloy-solid chest, and she put in the needle.It easily slid in.Then her hand went to the top of the syringe's plunger—and pressed down.The red liquid went into the pin-thin small hole in Samuk's chest…Moments passed,too many moments.And nothing happened with Samuk.Alia's face twisted into the pain of sudden and deep sadness.

Slowly and quietly, Alia withdrew the emptied syringe and put it back in the toolkit.She closed the toolkit.Then, at a misery saddened pace, she put it back into the storage place in the side of this compartment.Alia sat down at Elio's side again—and she let out a long breath.

Captain Jimbo looked at Alia."Then, Samuk's life support shut down before auto-repairs could help him," he said with absolute normality.He saw Alia give two nods of affirmation.

She said, "I let my eyes switch over to infrared and diagnostics again.That allowed monitoring of Samuk' condition.But then his life support shut down—due to overload from damage.I saw the heat signatures of that full breakdown…That was the point that at which not even an emergency infusion of nanobot solution could…" Then Alia gave a quick shriek when something happened.

What happened was that there was a massive booming from the front of the transport, and everything shuddered.The lighting flickered to red.Severe trouble.

"Everyone out! Elio and Lisa move to engage; Alia and I will affect repairs.Move!"Captain Jimbo was first to the door, everything still illuminated in rouge.He kicked, and the door flew open up to the outside—wispy smoke hanging about.They leapt out…

Elio went to the front of the transport, being close-followed by Captain Jimbo and Alia—their green uniforms dark in the gray smoke out here.Still-damaged Lisa limp-jogged through smoke to the back; she would attack any enemies to the rear.

Elio went out away from the gray smoke.Alia and Captain Jimbo remained in these noxious fumes to get to the front of the vehicle.Closer, Alia could see the damage to the front.

They stood before the tall front-end of the transport."A damned EMP-plus mine," he whispered loudly.Indeed, the front of the truck-like vehicle was shattered by such a mine:a mine that combined a small electromagnetic pulse burst with a conventional flechette explosive.Not good for non-sentient robots.As he watched, Alia dashed to the right to get into the damaged vehicle.The small elfin cyborg moved so quickly that the taller Captain Jimbo could not stop her.

She went to the front, to the cab part of the transport.Inside, she saw the problem: The robot driver was inoperative; its hands locked on the steering wheel.And the optical cable connecting its forehead to the dashboard was fused.This was not a casualty, though:just the destruction of a machine.It was just a non-sentient robot with computers for brains.And all of the damaged robot's naked exterior was functional gray.As it was unmarked by the explosion, the robot just seemed well.Inside, thoug, it was broken.

Even through the smoke and gloom, Alia's enhanced eyesight told different. The robot's innards were roasted from overload;the EMP-plus mine did that.Now she would have to carefully remove the optical cable from the driver robot without causing a short circuit in the drive systems.Her bare fingers went to the fused cable at the robot's head as the sounds of fighting started up outside…

Cr-cr-crack!The captain was hit!Captain Jimbo collapsed to his knees, clutching his upper chest.He had been hit right in the life support systems.And he found that he did not want to stand up again.

Elio and Lisa moved to the sides of their kneeling leader, and they went into basic hand-to-hand fighting stances:fists up, body turned as so the right side faced the enemy.And there they stayed, waiting for the next move from the new enemies.

"Yeah, you like that, metal-bodied monsters!And I took down your captain!" shouted one of two armor-wearing humans, his voice coming muffled from his round helmet. Like the last encounter, this was another ambush by a team of two.Likely, the thinned ranks of humans from the last battle must have made for such atrociously small teams.

"Take them," growled Captain Jimbo.His chest sprayed sparks, and he finally collapsed to lie full-length on the ground.He no longer moved.

As the two humans looked on at the fallen captain, Lisa and Elio moved with machine speed to the sides of the enemy.Flanking the enemies, the two soldiers struck.

Thunk-thunk!Fierce jabs from Elio's solid fists crumpled the back armor of the enemy.The bulky figure then slowly fell in a twisting manner.But before his back hit the ground, hebrought up his burst gun.There were three crack-crack-cracking shots at Elio's head…

Lisa managed to down her own target.She struck with her own alloy-hard hands, then managed to kick out with her undamaged leg.That kick broke the hard-plated back of her opponent, and there was a loud scream.From the voice, that enemy was female.Now that enemy was also dead.

Lisa then turned to Elio and his battle.But that battle was over as both soldier and enemy were down.Elio was sprawled on his back.His forehead had a crease in it from where the ceramic round hit.He had been shot in the head, and he was unmoving.At least his opponent was down as well and unmoving.

Lisa shouted for assistance."Alia!Come help!The battle is done!Captain Jimbo and Elio are down!"She turned and saw Alia scramble out of the front to get to the back—likely to get the toolkit.Lisa herself went to Captain Jimbo.As commanding officer, he was the primary priority.

Kneeling close to the fallen captain, Lisa used her fingers to put her dark hair behind her left ear as she leaned to listened close to Captain Jimbo's face.Though synthetic-bodied, a cyborg still had to breathe to keep oxygen going to the brain.

She heard nothing.Captain Jimbo's life support systems must have been critically damaged.And she saw the jagged bullet holes in Captain Jimbo's alloy chest—holes visible through tears in the uniform.Jagged bullet holes, meaning that the ceramic rounds were of the fragmentation type.Upon piercing his chest, the bullets must have fragmented—tearing up his electromechanical insides:almost a guaranteed death.With Captain Jimbo, that guarantee was met.

Just as Alia earlier guaranteed paralysis for Lisa if she had taken any more damage.Lisa looked up from Captain Jimbo's corpse and saw the small uniformed techie peering into Elio's head.Alia was perusing Elio's head wound.

"Aa-a-augh!"Elio shouted into Alia's face.A second's delay, and the petite soldierjerked her head back in surprise.She then scrambled to her feet and was away Elio.He shouted and growled, "A-a-rgh!Damn, what a headache!Damn-damn-damn it!"

In a quick jiffy, he was also on booted his feet—his black-gloved hands on his head."Damn!That hurt like a shot to the head!"He turned to look at the techie, who stood there."Do you have even a hint of an idea as to how much a shot across the head hurts?Ever have hot coffee poured in your ear, then green electrodes applied?Eh?Eh?"

He was gibbering.His body's systems may have been fine; he was physically fine and undamaged.But Elio had taken a shot to the head, which grazed off his alloy skull at an angle.Like the skulls of humans, cyborg skulls were stronger—but with better alloy.That was why these soldiers did not have to wear helmets.But, a direct hit would have pierced Elio's alloy skull to destroy the living brain.

The glancing shot instead smacked him a concussion, a blow to the frontal lobe…"And you know, Alia," said the gibbering man, "I see two of you!Cool…!"And he promptly flopped onto his back, unconscious.

But only for seconds.He stood up, this time with anew look in his eyes.Again standing close to and over Alia, he said, "Enough of that coffee!I want to darken someone!Let's take the living soldier prisoner!"

Lisa managed to approach Elio from the back.He was gibbering. And he was standing in a threatening manner over little Alia.If he made any threatening move to her, Lisa would stop him.

"Excuse me?" asked Lisa, exasperation and anger on her pale face.Elio turned."Elio, we just lost Captain Jimbo.And, the transport is damaged.We just defeated both of the humans, so let's just…"

"But we didn't kill both of them," said Elio, with his hands again moving to his forehead."I get the idea that one of them still has to be alive.Has to be.Otherwise, there won't be any prisoners to interrogate, get me?Yeah, you get me—because I've got plenty of meaning to get."

He talks with a wounded brain, thought Alia.His thoughts cannot wholly be his own."Elio," she said in a soothing and calm tone."Are you quite feeling well?Would you like to lie down?In the transport?You can rest for a time as…"

"Let's get an asshole prisoner, first.I want to know some things from him," said Elio, his forehead-high hands casting shadow over his features.He turned to walk away from them both, his boots clumping along the battle-dusted grass as he approached the armor-wearing human that he downed.Elio then kicked away the soldier's burst gun."I think this crap-spouting asshole's still alive.What say you, Alia?"

Alia stepped over to where Elio was.Again using her enhanced vision, she saw varying signals rippling throughout the man's armor.His armor was still active, as was his weapon.And she saw that his blood still flowed."He lives on," she said.They had a prisoner.

The three then went to doing their own activities.Alia began busying herself with the front of the transport; she went into the cab to remove the robot driver and set the vehicle to manual navigation—or driving.She would then drive.

Lisa would stay outside and pull guard duty.She would remain outside and walk the perimeter.With her artificial senses, she would be able to detect enemies as she circled.But after the fifth walk around the transport, she stopped to look on fallen Captain Jimbo.She admired him.

Elio himself put the prisoner up into the rear of the transport.The human weighed over 350 pounds in his armor, but that was easily handled by Elio's still well-functioning body.As for the status of Elio's mind, that was also something that needed handling.But not now.

Now, Elio would go check on his fellow soldiers—the surviving ones.He first went to the front of the transport, over where Alia was working.He saw the door open and peered inside:Alia was jimmying about with the insides of the cab.She was using tools to carefully remove the damaged driving robot from its electronic connections to the vehicle's control systems.

Alia heard his footsteps.Not even bothering to look outside and away from her work, she said, "Moments more, yet.This should be done."Seconds went by, and Elio still stood there."Really.Care must be taken…and concentration."Then, Alia put more concentration into using her tools on the damaged robot driver's head-to-dashboard connection.

Elio shrugged a shrug and left the little pale blonde techie alone.But Lisa, she needed attention.She was on both knees, twelve yards away—by the corpse of Captain Jimbo.Elio saw her weeping—and would leave her alone.It seemed that of the three survivors, Alia and himself were handling things well.Alia had quite a bit of spunk for someone so small.At least, Elio thought so.

What to do…What to do…What to do now… thought Elio.The prisoner!I'll go do him!Time to get some 'intelligence' from one of the enemy.As Elio thought this, a very wrong grin game to his face.The grin was uneven in places, and his grin was slightly larger on the right side—the same side were the bullet scraped across his skull.

A quasi-mantra went through Elio's tickled mind as he went to the back of the transport.Going to have fun, oh yes-sir-ee.Going to have fun, oh yes-sir-ee.Going to have fun; we're going to have fun; we're going to have fun oh yes-sir-ee!Going to have fun, oh yes-sir-ee…We're going to have fun, oh yes-sir-ee…

Elio hopped up into the vehicle's red-illuminated rear compartment, then stopped with the artificial stiffness his synthetic body allowed.In the red emergency lighting, the prisoner still lie on his back.He heard the prisoner's breathing.He did live; Alia had good eyes.Well, she wasn't just the techie because of her cute elf-like looks…

Elio went deeper into the blood-colored interior of this vehicle.He knelt, put his hands at the sides of the prisoner's armored head, then jerked.It came off his hands.The helmet came off, that is.

The prisoner snapped awake—his eyes going wide.As the prisoner was bald, and as the enemy's medical technology was so advanced, it was hard to tell how old this human was by way of eyeing his chubby and portrait-oval face.Worsening the judgement was the dark red lighting.The man could be twenty-five or fifty-five.He looked up at the soldier standing over him, then his arms reached up…

Clunk-clunk!Elio punched each of the man's armored forearms—a contusion for one forearm, and a full break for the other forearm.The prisoner brought down his armored arms and screamed.Elio laughed.The human let out another sound of pain, and Elio laughed on.

Elio then knelt on the man's alloy-protected chest. He leaned forward, close to the prisoner's face."You know what?You're an asshole.I told my buddies that you were one that spouted shit—as an asshole normally does."Elio slapped the man's left forearm, and he screamed."Let's see if you can shit gold, too.What I mean is that I want some information."

"Give information?" loudly rasped the bald prisoner."Hah!I wouldn't!Why don't you go drink some petroleum!"That comment made the synth-flesh of Elio's face twitch."And when you do, maybe you'll piss lighter fluid and shit gasoline?Ha, ha, ha…Oops, you freaks don't piss or shit!And I'm not shitting you!No, you're not shitting…at all!Ugh…Ugh…Hah, hah, ha…Ugh.."The prisoner laughed and coughed in Elio's face.

The prisoner even laughed when Elio took off a glove.Yes, Elio's hands were articulate and strong metal hands that could do damage.His face sporting a leer, Elio he brought that hand close to the prisoner's face."With that chubby face of yours, you must have been a cute baby!" said Elio as he pinched the prisoner's cheek."How cute?Well,let's see, snookums!"Elio then jerked his gripping hand, and a pinch of the prisoner'speach-colored flesh came away with a wet bloody sh-sh-shrip.That shut the prisoner up…

Lisa screamed.She was standing outside the red-lit vehicle and watching what Elio was doing to the injured prisoner—the one in armor.Her eyes wide, she looked at Elio kneeling atop an already crippled man and him causing more damage."Elio…What are you doing?That's against Geneva!"

"Screw the Geneva Con crap!" screamed Elio from the red-lit interior of that vehicle, and he turned his head left to look out at Lisa."That stuff's centuries out of date.And that was written up by humans anyway.'Jus in bellum,' 'jus ad bellum,' sucks to all that ass-mar!All that's just ideology cooked up by meat people!People made of flesh!Damned meat-bodied people, can't be rid of them."Elio then turned his head back to the prisoner."Isn't that right, snookums?Cutey kid!"He then pinched off another bit of flesh from the man's face, more blood came.

Alia came around to Lisa's side.She saw Lisa standing behind the vehicle, her gloved hands on her face.Now Elio began to slap and slap the now-bloody face of the prisoner.Both Alia and Lisa's eyes on the prisoner, Alia reached up and put a reassuring hand on Lisa's forearm.

Alia then spoke up."Elio, our brains are flesh, too, as were our bodies once."She saw Elio no longer moving and doing violence."As such, we are still living being who should do well by respect to other beings—human or synthetic-bodied."

Elio gave a final metal-handed slap to the groggy and punch-drunken prisoner—whose face was a wet and meaty red by this time.Elio then stepped away from the prisoner and leapt out of the vehicle.Now he was in bright daylight.Details were visible:His uniform had splatters of blood on them, and his right hand had bits of human skin in finger joints.

He walked over to Alia by Lisa's side.Six feet and with a male-type body, Elio towered over four-foot and petite-bodied Alia.He was a giant to the small techie."Respect, huh?" he asked with a crippled grin.

"Respect," answered Alia, meeting his gaze.She had to look up at him.But look up she did.Her small body was straight and her booted feet were planted.And her littlehands were clenched.

She remained stiff bodied, even when Elio lifted her by the neck—using his right machine-hand.The bloodied hand.Dark-haired and tall Lisa tensed, but did nothing.Pale-haired little Alia did nothing, either.If Alia did anything, maybe her life would be over in a seconds when Elio squeezed.A synthetic-bodied person's most vulnerable part was the neck, where life-support, mobility, and other vital connections were between head and body.The neck was where the metal-ringed throat was, too.

Holding her, Elio's thumb moved directly on the jointed tube that was Alia's windpipe."Yeah, I got some respect right here.Respect, that's power!If I squeezed, you little metal-bodied bitch, what then?Squeezed, right here…"His thumb rasped along the metal rings of her slender gray windpipe."Come on, you're a techie!You should know!"He just saw the small blonde cyborg glare at him with her large dark eyes."Aw, give an answer!"

In the meanwhile, in the transport, Colonel Brigs heard the argument despite his numb and heavy head. Everything seemed somewhat dim and sparkled because of the blows taken.He heard that crazy masochistic one yelling and arguing with one of his fellow machines.His jailers were arguing!

Someone with a young female voice had mentioned "Geneva," and that stopped the hitting earlier.Now Colonel Brigs had a chance to sit up and return the favor to his savior.Yes, the short and thin blonde one in uniform must have been his savior.Funny, they all wore clothes over their metal bodies like real people.

He was sure that one of them was an elfin female.Odd, when he was a boy, elves were traditionally a people of wonder and wisdom.Hidden and beautiful.Small and playful.Elves were the light and wonder in the world.Of course, they were accepted among humanity.

Now, elves were treated as people—called elfin.Oh, they were especially like people.So much like people, that the elves—excuse him—the elfin people, fully took part in the War.Both sides.And even the elfin people on the side of the enemies cooperated and let their small beautiful bodies be replaced with electromechanics.Denatured elves.Truly products of these darkened times.

Now the little one—that elfin female—was going to die unless he could do something about it.An elf, one of those wonderful petite people from his childhood stories, was as doomed he was.He chuckled, feeling pain prickle in his chest, feeling the blood pooling in his lungs.

What could Colonel Brigs do?He was a broken soldier.His unit was obliterated and scattered.No one to command.Himself, his armor was damaged so extensively that it no longer functioned.And he was crippled; his left arm was cracked, his lower back was snapped.The lack of feeling and movement below the waist told him that.

He then saw the one named Elio slightly raising the little one in his grip—probably preparing to squeeze.Would he, Colonel Brigs, let the pretty little elf—elfin female—die before that jerk Elio?Hell, no!

Let everyone go to Hell!Colonel Brigs then reached with his armored right arm, reached to a panel on his left wrist.At least this particular device still worked.Of course it would work.And when it worked, they would all go down into Hell.With the remains of his faces, Colonel Brigs smiled—at least happy to share death with one of those small wonderful people he always admired. Going to Hell.Sing-say, Oh well, as we sink darkened into Hell. A few button presses did it…

There was a world-sound that could have been out of Armageddon itself.The

self-destruction explosion from the prisoner's armor also brought about destruction to the entire scene.So bright, all became swallowed and blanketed in florescent white glare.

Then it faded.Instead of there being a transport and people—human and cyborg, full and elf—there was now a fresh darkened crater in the plains.Of Captain Brig's body, there was nothing of course.Some of the metal bodies were still whole, but the synthetic faces were ripped away in the explosion—revealing metal skeleton faces.Metal-skulled bodies in whole and in parts, all scattered.And there they all remained, unmoving under a slow blue sky.