The Legacy of the Void

Eye of the Storm

The barren railroad tracks opened up into a wide reaching field. All around, enormous sprinkler systems were set up to bring water to the parched Southern Zones. The tracks would become lost to the deserts if not for the industry that maintained the handful of humans who profited from the rare strip of barely cultivatable land.

It had been three straight days since Zeeal had seen another human. She and Marcio had been separated at the last checkpoint. She had no idea if the other Underground member had survived. If there was one thing Zeeal knew well in her short life, though, it was how to survive. The guards had barely had a chance to realize that her papers were forged before she had disappeared. But there was still the mission. She still had to find one of the heads of the Resistance - and she knew that at the end of the tracks she still followed would be the most elusive of them all.

The inhospitable dual suns burned down on the scorched earth. Knowing that the midday hours would become impossible to travel through, Zeeal started to look for a place to rest. She found it not far from where she stood, a shed meant to house the valuable equipment during the sand storms.

For several long moments, she just sat down and enjoyed the shade. It wasn't really much cooler, but her feet ached from their long journey, and her entire spine was one giant knot. Closing her eyes, she let the warm breeze cool the sweat that was never far from her forehead. The buzz of the machinery lulled her into a doze. She awoke with a start just as her head started to drop towards her chest. With one brutal slap across her face, she forced herself back into the moment. She could sleep when she was safe, and she was far from that.

Glancing back out at the wide reaching crops, she stared in awe at the sight not far from her. She was not alone in the field, there were at least half a dozen others, with one woman close enough to spot her. Despite the need for safety, Zeeal couldn't help but watch as the woman swung her scythe with the steady clockwork motion of a pendulum. Growing up in the more habitable central regions of the planet, Zeeal had little enough exposure to the farming community, and she marveled that anyone could be working, and working so smoothly, in such heat. Then the woman paused - at the same time that every other worker did. They all turned, as if controlled by one mind and started heading towards where Zeeal was hiding.

Terror gripped her, and she sprinted towards the far end of the shed, ducking behind crates. Watching the workers come in, she wondered if there had been any sort of warning. Wind storms were common in the Southern Zones, and no one wanted to be trapped out in one. Only when the first worker entered the shelter did Zeeal realize her mistake - they weren't humans working the fields, they were all androids. She couldn't quite repress the shudder of revulsion. Ever since the Overlord had overtaken the planet, helped by his right hand android - Michael - every person who fought against the tyranny had learned to fear and loathe androids in equal measure.

Zeeal weighed her chances - the androids were just as susceptible to the wind storms as a human, and she was certain they had all been told to seek shelter to protect their expensive circuitry. But to be caught by an android was even worse than a human - they never forgot a face. The longer she watched, though, the more she learned. Each android helped another to plug themselves into the back wall. Only when they were all safely accounted for did the android Zeeal had watched set herself up to recharge. Her glowing eyes moved around the shelter before falling on Zeeal's hiding spot.

"There are provisions in the container to your right."

Zeeal jumped as if she had been shocked. Realizing there was no point in maintaining the ruse, she stood to meet the android's gaze. "How did you know I was there?"

To Zeeal's surprise, the android smiled. "It is common enough for humans to seek shelter before a storm. It is why I keep that crate stocked."

Staring down at the crate in question, Zeeal couldn't quite wrap her mind around all that was happening. She had been out in the sun for too long, that had to be it. Androids were inhuman, incapable of emotion, incapable of...Zeeal glanced back at the android to notice that the android was still watching her with something suspiciously like kindness illuminated in her eye circuits.

The words were so foreign to her, that she had to try twice before they even came out. "Thank you."

The android nodded, plugging herself in. "You are welcome. If you don't mind, would you please wake me when you leave?"

"Ummmm, okay."

With a nod of satisfaction, the android closed her eyes, her programming slowly going into hibernation. "Sometimes the communication lines go down after a storm, but we must finish the harvest. Your assistance would be most welcome."

"Okay. I think I can manage."

The android's eyes opened just enough for the blue glow of her eyes to be visible. "Thank you."

Again, Zeeal struggled to find the words, but after several attempts, she found a smile creeping about the corners of her mouth. "You're welcome." She watched as the android finally went into full sleep mode. For the longest time, she just watched the others, but in an instant the sky went black, and she found herself tucked into the shelter of the crates as a wind storm descended, blanketing the earth in darkness. In her tiny sanctuary, she found the provisions the android had mentioned, eating them tentatively at first before finally giving in to her hunger.

Only when the storm was gone and she found herself called upon to honor her end of the agreement did she wonder - for the first time in her life - if perhaps all androids weren't so terrible. When she woke the first android, the android made little notice of her, getting to work on waking the others. Zeeal couldn't help but stare in disbelief as they all gathered their scythes, returning to work as if nothing had happened. Slowly, she realized she needed to start moving again, but she glanced back once more, watching the smooth, pendulum-like movements. The android who had spoken to her did the unthinkable, stopping her work to look up towards Zeeal. Even across the distance, Zeeal could tell the android was smiling. Cautiously, she raised her hand to wave goodbye, her last look at the android enough to see the gesture returned.