Currents of the Future - part 2
by Torpor

"Microwave unit 4539 reporting to sector 7G command uplink. Ready for battle conclusion report."

The heat from energy bursts and primitive gunpowder weapons permeated the area around Microwave like a heavy fog. Below his black metallic "boots" rested the remains of a small apartment building.

A metallic voice identical to its own replied over the comm. channel, badly frayed with static. "Command base reply: Proceed with report, unit."

Dark smoke drifted in and out of the android's visual sensors as he made the report.

"Human infestation located at coordinates 7G-183A-477B. Human resistance minimal. Zero Microwave units destroyed. Two Microwave units badly damaged. Two Microwave units remain undamaged. Attack effectiveness: 10,432 humans destroyed. Zero humans damaged. Zero humans remain undamaged. Preparing to return to sector 7G command center for renewal and further instructions."

For some reason the howling sound of the wind echoing across the barren remains of the human town caught the android's attention for a moment. He dismissed the excess data a nanosecond later.

"Command base reply: Send two damaged units back for renewal. Two remaining units proceed to next target area to deal with dangerous infestation Priority code: 02."

Microwave 4539 buzzed slightly. "Query: request reason for upgraded priority?"

"Command base reply: All humans present danger to sentient robotic life. However, human at stated target contains advanced technical knowledge. That unit must be destroyed immediately. Microwave units are expendable for this purpose. Proceed with orders, unit."

The Microwave unit responded quickly. "Orders received. Self ready for duty. Proceeding to target."

A dank, pungent smell wafted into Atrid's nostrils as he slowly regained consciousness. His ears, though still throbbing, could distinctly make out the noise of water leaking from pipes nearby. His eyes, though open, could see only a blur.

"Hey, Trevor, he's waking up."

Atrid counted at least a half-dozen different sets of footsteps approaching him. As they shuffled around his eyes began to slowly focus.

Four men and two women, dressed in flannel shirts and heavy pants, formed a semicircle around the stranger. Atrid had been stripped of his heavy thermal jacket, revealing a faded gray jumpsuit with a patch on one arm.

All of the six had pallid complexions. Their clothes had been visibly torn, eaten by moths, and soaked with stains. Most of the men looked like they hadn't shaved in years. The one man in the center of the arc was visibly much older than the other three, who appeared scarcely older than teens. One of the women was middle-aged, while the other one appeared to be in her late 20s or early 30s.

Atrid, on the other hand, had a very dark complexion, much more from his genetics than any large amount of time in the sun. He had some heavy stubble on his face, and had his long black hair slicked back and into a short ponytail.

Clarity began to come back to his senses, and panic set into his heart. "Trina?" he asked.

"What's wrong, Trevor? Are the effects of the tri-alpha beam causing this?" one of the younger men said.

The older man replied, "It's possible."

Atrid shook his head in slow motion. "No, I left a little girl up in the mountains above. I need to make sure she's safe."

Trevor pointed to one of the younger man. "Jacob, take a few men and go out and find her."

Atrid suddenly sprung up, arms out. "No! I'll go and get her. Just give me my things back."

The old man stepped forward to face him. "YOUR things? We're a commune here, stranger. It's the only way we can survive. That water supply you were carrying will keep my people alive for another week."

Atrid backed up a bit, bringing his arms down. "Look, I came here to help you. But first I need to go up and bring that girl down."

Trevor stroked his long, gray beard and took another step forward. "If you were so concerned for her why did you leave her up in the wilderness so that she might freeze to death?"

The corner of Atrid's mouth upturned slightly. "She can take care of herself, if need be. But I wasn't about to bring her down into an android assault."

Trevor looked over at Jacob and the other man, who were watching the discussion carefully. Trevor nodded, and they began walking toward the door.

In a speed so quick the others could barely see it, Atrid swung his arm around and hurled something through the air.

Jacob stopped short as a vibroknife, buzzing with energy, imbedded itself into the metal wall just a few inches in front of his nose.

"Nobody but me touches her," Atrid said.

The young man remained still, breathing heavily. Perspiration visibly formed on his brow.

Trevor tried to cover his own surprise at the strike. "How dare you!"

Atrid snorted, and walked past the bristling man, then removed his knife from the metal door. "We can finish this argument later. In the mean time, since you guys are human, not androids, I'm going to go and bring that little girl back here."

He saw his gear, including his jacket and rifle, lying in a table in the next room. He put on the coat, goggles and scarf, then slung the rifle back over his back and started up the stairs back into the grocery store where he had been attacked earlier.

As he walked out into the cold, biting wind he could barely see the dim, flickering illumination from the neon rings around the nearby cylindrical apartment tower. It was nighttime.

"Damn it! How long did they keep me in there?" he asked before breaking into a sprint and heading towards the mountainside.

>Beginning long-range thermal scans of area............ Detecting approximately 5,342 humanoids.
>Power source minimal. No automated defenses detected.

Microwave unit 4539 looked at his counterpart, designated unit 4541. "Proceed with primary assault, unit," he commanded.

The other unit replied, "Acknowledged."

To be continued...