Tesla: A Teen Steampunk/Cyberpunk Adventure (Tesla Evolution Book 1) (25 page)

Sebastian saw a rider, a cyborg unlike any he had seen before, on the beast’s back. The cyborg was staring straight at Sebastian as the beast flew away.

The dragons had been vanquished. A huge cheer erupted from the city as the citizens reclaimed their sanctity. The city was safe for now.
 

Sebastian staggered down the stairs into the cheering crowd.

Melanie came running up to him. “Ohmygod, did you see that? It was
amazing
.”

Sebastian allowed himself a smile. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“The way Gavin fought against the GSFB was so brave.”

“Gavin?”

“Yeah, he was standing out front on the platform with the cape flying behind him, with the sun reflecting off it. He was amazing.” She let out a long sigh. “He’s been through so much. He’s so brave. Where have you been? You don’t look well. Did you get scared?”

“No, I didn’t get scared. I was—”
 

There was a loud cheer as the reveling crowd buffeted them away. Sebastian was knocked to one side and Melanie found herself in the middle of the crowd. She turned and came face to face with Gavin. He smiled at her.
 

“You were amazing,” she said.
 

He took her hands and they stared into each other’s eyes. She rose up onto her toes and closed her eyes.

“Well done, lad,” said Oliver, as he slapped the youngster on the back.
 

Melanie looked away, hiding her face behind her fan. Her hand drifted away from Gavin’s body and she clutched it to her stomach.
 

The crowd moved on. Sebastian got up off the floor and dusted himself down. He was alone. He sighed and turned to go to his quarters. Standing behind him was Nikola.

“We need to talk,” Nikola said. He turned to leave when there was a loud wailing from the front gate. “But not now, it would appear.”

They both clambered up to the observation deck on the tower. Out over the plains they could see line upon line of cyborgs, marching in unison. Each was carrying a large weapon, angled to the left and up.

“It appears the GSFBs were only the first wave,” Nikola shouted above the timed stomping of the advancing army.

“But we’re safe in here, aren’t we?”

“Notice anything about their marching pattern?” Nikola pointed at the wide arc of cyborgs.

“They’re all in time.”

“Has Albert told you about the destructive power of cataclysm harmonics?”

Sebastian shook his head.

“Several thousand years ago two great but misguided scientists, Professors Jeter and Dower, after observing armies marching across bridges, found that if they all marched in step the bridge would shake itself to pieces. Foolishly, they thought they might be able to do that to the whole world, so they devised an army to do it. Luckily, at the last moment disaster was averted, but this is the exact theory in action before us. The cyborgs plan to set up a vibration wave that will shake our city to the ground.”

At that moment the great wall cracked, with the sound reverberating around the city like thunder.
 

Several of the older men ran over to the wall and tried to erect some sheeting over the gap. Moments later the temporary wall burst into flames, crumbling to the ground, and the cyborgs started to wedge their way through. The old men fell under the onslaught, having nothing powerful enough to repel the invading army. The cyborgs’ lightguns sizzled through the bodies of the aged men.
 

All the rest could do was run, but the cyborgs were merciless in their advance, taking down anyone they spotted, whether they were fighting, running or hiding, every man, woman and child. They had only one purpose: the extinction of the city.

*

The walls cracked and sheared. Large metal strips tore along the first weakened point. The cyborgs ripped at the metal, pulling it apart, forging a way through the great walls. Men struggled to find anything that could be used as a barrier. Wood and metal was placed across the breach, but the cyborgs marched through. Some of the smaller cyborgs were pushed aside as larger ones pushed their way from behind and hammered against the makeshift defenses. The metal buckled and the wood shattered. Strong arms reached through and wrenched the pieces apart.
 

Dark lines of the deadly cyborg forces marched through the wall. They flooded in and spilled out, searching. Men attacked them, but they were so exhausted they were easily cast aside.

And on marched the invading army.
 

Walking without hesitation. Checking their small black devices. Searching. The cyborgs burst through doorways into people’s homes, smashing through furniture, rendering anyone they found unconscious—if they were lucky.
 

Sebastian saw them stream past the end of the alleyway. He turned to run to the tower. He ducked down a deserted street, but found a guard posted at the end. He hid under a low seat as the guard turned to investigate the sound of running footsteps behind him.

And on marched the invading army.
 

The guard attached himself to the end of a passing regiment, and Sebastian took the opportunity to scramble up and on toward the tower. He rounded the street corner and charged toward the stairwell.

The largest cyborg Sebastian had ever seen stepped out from the entrance to the tower. He brought down a sword bigger than Sebastian, in a wide arc, narrowly missing him. Sebastian slid, turned, but half-tripped, half-fell in his haste to escape. The cyborg fired the laser attached to his arm, but it bounced harmlessly off Sebastian’s gleaming chestplate.
 

Sebastian leapt to his feet and tried to duck around the huge black cyborg, but was met by the cyborg’s arm swinging around, knocking him on his back and the air out of his lungs.
 

The cyborg was huge. He reached down and grabbed Sebastian by his leg. He dragged him back and wrapped his hand around the young boy’s throat. Sebastian tried to clear his mind, to focus on the cyborg, but the intensity of the encounter muddied his mind. He lashed out with his foot and twisted away as fast as he could.
 

The cyborg’s armored fingers couldn’t hold him and Sebastian tumbled to the ground, knocking his head against the wall. His head swam as he fought to stay conscious.

The cyborg placed his great foot on the young boy’s chest, raised his sword above his head, ready to bring it down and finish Sebastian. The cyborg swung. There was a loud clang, and he found another sword blocking the path. Dark, solemn eyes stared up at the defender.

“Not on my watch,” shouted Melanie.
 

To the surprise of both the cyborg and Melanie, a spear erupted out of his chest. His eyes closed and he toppled forward. Behind him stood a thin powerful woman wearing nothing but rabbit skins. She had murder in her eyes.

“Mom?” cried Sebastian.

32

THE BATTLE WAS brief. Waves of desert walkers swarmed in, using a combination of highly polished steel shields, spears and boomerangs. They ran, jumped and faded through the cyborg army like ghosts. Fast as lizards. Deadly as snakes. It was all over by the end of the day.

A medic was wrapping Nikola’s arm in a heavy bandage. Nikola had absorbed several blows while defending particular parts of the city, and had several buildings fall down on top of him. But still, the library and several important people were safe.

“Commander, it’s good to see you,” Isabelle said.

“Captain, likewise.” He gave her a nod. His eyes were tired, and his face was drawn. But he had the posture of a victor.

“There’s no need to get emotional about it.”

“We missed you.”

“We?” She raised an eyebrow.

“I,” he corrected. He gave her a quick smile. “There’s much to discuss. Please join me in what’s left of my office for a debriefing.”

“Can I get changed first? Rabbit skins are hardly appropriate clothing.”

“If you must, although I can see nothing wrong with it from here.”

She smiled at him. “I see some things haven’t changed with you, Commander. Is Sebastian safe?”

“He has a guard.” He indicated the two youngsters sitting against the stone bench, leaning against the wall.
 

Isabelle twisted her torso to look, and her stomach muscles flexed. She turned back and caught her commander looking at her waist. He quickly snapped his eyes back to her face.

“The girl?” she said, noting Nikola’s slight blush.

“She’s good. Fierce, unrelenting and unsuspecting. She reminds me of someone I once knew.” He struggled to his feet.

“I trust your judgment.”

“Thank you, Captain. Your confidence and commendation is appreciated.”

“Commander, I have another role to perform now. I shall see you later.” She turned and walked over toward Sebastian.
 

“You could salute your superior officer,” he called out after her.

“Who says? And in what way are you superior?” She smiled at him back over her shoulder as she walked away. As she approached her son, Sebastian got up and ran toward her.
 

“Mom!”

“Sebby.”
 

She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a huge hug. He burst into tears, feeling like he would never be able to stop. She lifted him up and twirled him around until they were both dizzy. She gave him a big kiss on his forehead.
 

“It’s good to see you. Have you been keeping out of trouble?”

He smiled. It was something she had always said. “You look all muscly and tanned,” he said. “There’s not much of you to hug.” He poked her muscled stomach with his finger. It hurt his finger.

“How have you been holding up?”

“It’s been terrible. Death. Running. Hiding. Explosions. Aunt Ratty’s dead. She tried to steal your earrings.”

“That’s a harsh punishment for a fairly minor misdemeanor.”

“She spent lots of money, and bought a boat for Lincoln Oakley. The cyborgs came and destroyed the town. And I found a lizard in a bottle. I set it free but it bit me.”

“What about the other Oakleys?”

He nodded. “All dead.”

“Wasn’t totally bad then.”
 

She smiled at him, but he didn’t have the energy to laugh. He watched the desert walkers fade into the distance. The setting sun reflected off their shields, which glittered on the horizon like a band of diamonds.
 

“How come they have the shiny shields?” he asked.

“They’ve seen the cyborgs for a long time. They’ve watched and learned.”

“And they made you better?”

“Yes.”

“We should do something nice for them.”

“Hopefully we can one day. But how do you repay someone for nursing you back from the edge of death?”

“We could give them the boat Aunt Ratty bought for Lincoln.”

“That would be pretty useful in the desert.” She ruffled his hair. “I’ll think of something.”

They turned around and the spectacle of the burning city loomed large.

“I wondered if I left the stove on when I left,” Isabelle said. “I suppose we should find somewhere to sleep.”

“At least we won’t be cold.” Sebastian wrapped his arm around his mother and they both walked through the city gates.

“But you do need a bath.”

“Mom!”

“And you have to wash your hair.”

“Mom!”

*

The doors had been locked. Most of the city’s survivors had banded together and were alternating between having rowdy celebratory parties, made even better by all the free beer lying around in puddles, and rebuilding their homes. The shouts and cheers could be heard through the doors and filled the congressional meeting with a vague optimism.

The huge oval desk, used only in times of desperation, or for the inter-office table-tennis competition, was surrounded by the city’s dignitaries. There had been moments of shouting. There had been moments of quiet and reflection over those they had lost. There had been passionate debate about the future. There had been reminiscing about the past. But, ultimately, it all came down to one thing.

“We are going to strike back. We have the cyborgs on the back foot. This is what your precious war tomes say. We need to press the advantage.” Thrown was standing up, stabbing his finger toward the assembled group.

“But don’t you think they’ll be ready and waiting like last time?” Nikola said.

“I have my concerns and suspicions over how they knew we were coming. And it was only by Grabthar’s hammer that we’ve survived. If we’ve underestimated them, and they have further forces on the way, then we’re done for. That’s why we should strike now.”
 

Nikola sighed. He turned to Isabelle. “Captain, what do you think?”

She thought for a few moments then replied. “Thrown is ri—”

“You see?” Thrown raised his hand in her direction.
 

Everyone muttered. Most nodded.

“But only
if
we had the people, which clearly we don’t,” Thrown cautioned. “We’re too weak to do anything at the moment other than rebuild. My recommendation would be to scour the surrounding lands and see who we can band together. The farmers are the strongest and most resilient men you’ll find in or out of the force. We should send out scouts to round up a sizeable force, which will strike back in a month or two. In the meantime we fortify the city and rebuild some kind of semblance of city life.”

Nikola nodded. “Reason has spoken. I’m glad you haven’t lost your tactical skill, Captain. Thrown, you have your instructions. Please organize the recruitment party. We’ll need some place for all these farmers to stay, so arrange additional temporary accommodation. You may go.”

Thrown turned and left. Sensing the meeting was over, the various dignitaries followed. Nikola watched them all shuffle out the door, but signaled for Isabelle to stay behind.

“What does Number Two think?” Isabelle asked him.

“I’ll catch up with Number Two later and get a briefing. We take everything one step at a time.”

“Do you think Thrown was happy with the outcome?” Isabelle asked.