Posts Tagged “goliath-and-the-girl”
Parting
231 led his squad through the service area toward the telepad. Detonations rumbled the walls.
Motivation
Coordinator Marx knew he’d had a good reason for sending the Goliath and the girl in search of her blocked memories; but until he stepped into the craft room, he didn’t remember what that reason was.
Teamwork
231 heard Sophia’s shout an instant before the separatist sighted on him and opened fire. Blue flashes popped in the air two strides ahead of him, ricochets smacking into the walls and floor of the station. 231’s every instinct screamed at him to take cover, but he stood his ground. The terrorist in his grip shrieked and thrashed to no avail.
Ambush
The emergency transit capsule came to a stop quietly at the terminal. Davis took his hand from the foregrip of his rifle to tap his comm. “It’s here.” He glanced across the walkway at Schmidt, who stared at the closed door of the capsule down the sights of his own rifle.
Understanding
The emergency capsule doors closed behind them. The police officer — Nassar, his sleeve said — tapped the location of the telepad on the map on the wall. He then turned to 231. “Give me your Tower ID.”
Panic
Marx pounded his palmtop with his fist, sending it rattling across his desk. The device slid to a stop, and he stared at it hatefully. Completely unharmned. The palmtop was military-issue, designed to hold together in heavy combat. He couldn’t break it.
Reinforcements
“Milord, I am bound to protect milady. I must get her safely to the telepad and off of this colony.”
excerpt from recovered journal
They must have been smuggling in weapons for months. Weapons and people. I still don’t know how they did it.
Tactics
The sound of explosions reached them just as the separatist stirred.
Target
231 pretended to look down at Sophia, and sneaked a glance behind them. The man was gaining on them.
excerpt from recovered transmission
Male 1: All clear to the station.
The Question
“So, why don’t you think you’re human?”
Dinner
They had arrived in the middle of the Dubai night, but they saw three times as many people in the streets as they had on New Barcelona. Sophia remarked that it was way better lit than her old neighborhood. Indeed, Dubai Colony’s capitol may have been the most opulent place 231 had been on a mission.
Distance
231 stepped onto the telepad just behind Sophia, trying not to think about his orders. The more he tried to put them out of his mind, the more he found himself focusing on them.
excerpt from recovered journal
I’m really grateful Marx didn’t get a chance to contact us within the hour, like he wanted to. I might have said something.
excerpt from recorded conversation
{analysis confirmed. voice match: Coordinator Adam Marx and Goliath 321}
Concern
It was frustrating. In every mission so far, he’d had problems he could overcome with tactics, weapons and equipment. Enemies he could attack physically and destroy.
excerpt from recovered journal
Back in training, they said we could have Goliath friends, but not human friends. That made sense. We couldn’t talk to humans the same way, couldn’t really have a conversation. The rumor was they used to be able to, back in the double-digits. And we all still remembered the birthday party they made us stop. They got too friendly, I guess.
People
“That was incredible,” 231 said, following her back into the yard. He looked back at the windows of the second-floor hallway where they had stood, surrounded by the images of her past. A breeze pressed against them as they stepped outside, coming from the direction of the telepad.
Agenda
Passage to Dubai Colony on short notice was not cheap. If the Goliath and the girl kept planet-hopping, Marx would have to start paying out of his own funds to keep Accounting from asking questions.
Memories
“Milord, I have cleared the building. There are no further threats.” 231’s eyes scanned the empty hall, always keeping Sophia’s back in the corner of his eye.
excerpt from recovered journal
She didn’t cry or anything. Didn’t scream. Kind of scared me. I think I thought she must have seen someone get shot before. I mean, it’s New Barcelona. Still, though… she was so calm.
Protection
231 broke into a run, his long strides catching up to her in the space of a second. But in that same second, the two figures ran into the hall.
Permission
As 231 and Sophia wandered the empty halls of the orphanage, the clone soldier’s anger began to grow. Someone had attacked the girl’s mind. Someone had barricaded something inside, something Tower wanted. If he was disturbed by the thought of Sophia braving separatist territory, he fumed at the thought of a psion battering her thoughts.
Faces
231 was slowly adjusting to the new dynamic. Sophia had continued to ask him questions throughout their walk to the objective, and had eventually asked him to stop calling her “Milady.” When he called her “Miss Sophia,” she told him to drop the “Miss.” Then, she quickly recanted when she sensed his wave of nervousness.
excerpt from recovered journal
It really started the first time we went to New Barcelona. She kept saying things and asking questions that made me think about things I’d never thought before. I guess, questions I never thought of asking.
Gratitude
“Two-three-one, report,” demanded Coordinator Marx’s voice in 231’s ear.
Transport
231 found himself suddenly uncomfortable. He stood at parade rest beside the young girl, trying to make sense of the situation. You don’t need to know why you’re here, he reminded himself. You just need to protect her.
Outbound
Coordinator Marx was still smiling when 231 arrived at the transport bay 15 minutes later. It was just enough time for him to make a quick trip to the armory for a tactical holster for his sidearm. He had grabbed several clips for the handgun, as well as two knives — one strapped to his chest, the other to his left calf. Much lighter armament than he was used to.
excerpt from recovered journal
When I first met her, I really didn’t know what to think. At all. They told me to protect her, and that was it. And they were going to send her into hostile territory.
The Girl
231 reported back as ordered at 0900. He was met at the door by the same Officer, and escorted back to the same room. This time, the room was empty, except for a blue duffel bag on the table. “Change your clothes and await Coordinator Marx,” said the Officer. “He’ll introduce you to your charge.” And with that, the human turned and left.
Restless
By the time Officer Adams returned to escort the Goliath out of the facility, Marx was positive he had made the right choice. 231 saluted sharply and exited the room, leaving the Coordinator alone with the image of the sleeping girl.
Assignment
All 231 knew of his new assignment was that he hadn’t received it yet. His orders so far were to report to the Command facility early in the morning hours. When he arrived at the heavy security door, it immediately cycled open. Behind the door stood an Officer of the corporation. 231 snapped to attention. Without a word, the Officer turned and walked down the hall. Automatically, 231 followed.
excerpt from recovered journal
It’s strange how humans don’t have to do things they don’t want to do. Like at dinner earlier, when she didn’t like the food, so she didn’t eat it. She just made the restaurant people give her something else. I thought it tasted really good.
Brothers
There weren’t many mirrors between the telepad and the barracks. Just plain concrete hallways, cold as ever, and the occasional window to the training grounds outside. But in every reflective surface 231 encountered, he did not see his own face. He saw a Goliath’s face, set into a frown, chin tilted toward the floor, eyes downcast. Guilty and ashamed. It looked like 223’s.
Candidate
It was, as usual, snowing in Sierra Colony. The alpine terrain, with its red-orange rock and deep maroon scrub, was under more than a foot of white powder by midnight. It was two hours into the morning when Coordinator Marx got the update he was looking for.
Violation
Charlie Squad sloshed away from the canal, each soldier grinning widely. They had fought to stay afloat with all their gear, and had finally found a place to crawl out three-quarters of a mile downstream. They were soaked, the water more than likely full of hazardous industrial runoff. They had a long march ahead of them to get to their extraction point. Still, they grinned, looking over their shoulders every few steps to glance at the cloud of dust where once the Toriyama Bridge stood.
excerpt from recovered journal
I remember when we were 3, and the lab techs made us cake. Dr. Myers sang to us. Everyone else did too, but I remember his face because he was smiling. Never saw that smile again.
Splashdown
The Private marched, smiling easily, in front of the rumbling war machine, his grip loose on his rifle. He looked over his right shoulder at the steadily churning treads and breathed deep. Ionized exhaust rippled from the tank in waves, heating and sterilizing the air. He caught a glare from his Sergeant, and looked forward again, standing up straighter. Still, he smiled. The bridge and road ahead looked clear for miles.
The Weak Link
“Okay, they don’t have the construction drawings, but… yes. This will work. Three, take a look.”
New Intel
Officer Feinman wished he had gotten more rest before the operation had started. He was on his fifth cup of coffee when the Goliath squads reported in. His palmtop vibrated, and he flipped it open to read the reports. A few more separatist scouts picked off, a few inches of progress on the main front on the west edge of the city. Three more clones lost in combat.
The West Approach
The scout slid through a gap in the shattered wall and into the street. He ducked behind a charred truck, his gray cloak only barely fluttering. Concrete dust had settled over everything, and when the scout stood still, he was all but invisible. Nothing moved for miles in either direction. The only sound was distant gunfire, far to the west.
excerpt from recovered journal
I think I finally get why she wanted me to record these things. I didn’t get it until now.
Goliath Spot
[Text, bottom: “Actual Training Footage”. An open, rocky field, with a firefight in the background. The sound of an engine and faint explosions can be heard.]
Goliath Spot
[Text, bottom: “Actual Training Footage”. A small room with a single door, and no windows. Two combat androids on opposite ends of the room hold two other combat androids hostage, guns to their captives heads.]