Born of Silicon Book 2 Chapter 49

The car is gone. Tracks in the sand lead towards the canyon and disappear right at the edge of the tal roof.

Don’t break down. I hold two lives in my hands, and two more depend on . I cannot let myself roll over and die. Think, and move. The mountains. It’s an eight-mile hike that I know I can’t make before the next storm arrives, but it’s our only chance.

“Corax.” I croak out, my voice barely comprehensible. “I need you to find a cave in the mountains.”

“Together.” Corax insists.

“Alright.” He’s right. I won’t be able to handle anything alone. “But I need you to find one before the storm hits.”

I begin my slow, lumbering walk across the desert. Two hours for eight miles. I already know I won’t make it in ti, I might not even make it half way, but that doesn’t matter. I have to make it. There’s no other option. I push my servos to their limits and beyond, desperate to move just a tiny bit faster.

Ti passes in silence, save for the whirr of my limbs and Cassie’s breathing. The ghosts of Vince and Ivy rise from the sands and silently march beside . Don’t think about what that ans.

Just focus on taking another step.

The sandstorm appears on the horizon long before I reach the mountain. An undeniable truth that I’m not going to make it. I’m going to end up buried again, and Cassie is going to die. The scientists are finally going to get their wish, I’ll be back in their arms for the next twenty years.

“Hey Corax? You should go. You don’t have to die here with us.” I can barely force the words out of my mouth.

“Ow!” Corax pulls my ear hard. “This isn’t the ti to argue! Just let save one person.”

I try to shake him off my shoulder, to make him fly away. He hops onto my backpack, manages to unzip it, and climbs inside. I can’t stop him without putting Cassie down and I can’t waste a mont on the already non-existent chance that I reach the mountain.

I’m not going to be able to handle him dying, but I’m not going to be able to handle anything else anyway. Him being buried with won’t make a difference. I can’t tell him that though, just in case he does what I know he won’t and leaves.

The storm grows closer every mont. A roaring end of the world lit only by near constant lightning.

A few minutes before it hits I lay Cassie on the ground and dig through both of our backpacks for as many clothes as possible. I put layer after layer on her, tucking her arms inside the seven shirts she’s now wearing. I also wrap a few layers around her head in an effort to keep the sand out of her lungs and away from her skin. I even give my own clothes to her. It leaves naked to the storm, but that’s fine. A single layer won’t protect at all, and if there’s a chance it helps Cassie, I have to do it.

“You really won’t leave?” I ask Corax.

“No.”

“Alright.” I don’t know if the backpack will survive the storm, but I’ll try. I wear the backpack backwards, keeping Corax on my chest. If the backpack fails, he’ll still be protected by and Cassie. I also keep Vince’s rifle in between the backpack and my chest, just in case it makes it.

Her knife seems important to her, and I don’t want to risk losing it. I slide back the skin plates on my chest and tuck her knife safely inside my chest. Plus, if I do get buried, maybe I can- I kill that thought there. It’s not going to go anywhere productive. I can wallow in that fact after I fail.

While I’m at it, I slide Kara’s letter into the pages of Cassie’s favorite book and tuck them both safely inside . Even if I’m never going to open it, I’m not going to let myself lose Kara’s letter. Cassie’s pistol might also be important. In fact, all of ours might be. I tuck all our pistols and Corax’s harness inside my chest.

I should also pack as many supplies into as possible. If we do find a cave or so other shelter, she’s going to need food, water, dicine, and bandages especially for any skin that gets sanded off. I pack my insides as densely as possible with everything of use from Cassie’s backpack. I guess I’m as prepared as I’ll ever get. Everything inside will impact my cooling a little bit, but the wind should offset that.

I can put my infected hard drives back where they ca from, just without plugging anything in. Nothing else will fit in those spots, and it might be selfish, but I don't want to lose the mories in them.

I put everything else into my backpack, giving Corax just a little cover, pick Cassie back up, and drape her empty backpack around her head. All that’s left is to march the three of us to our deaths.

The wind begins to pick up, already threatening to knock over. I dig my feet into the sand and focus on another step. The first grains of sand begin to pelt against my shins, and I can feel every impact.

The sand leaves growing holes in Vince and Ivy. They disintegrate around as the storm consus us.

The weight of the world pushes against , daring to give up for just a mont so it can bury forever. The howling winds morph into familiar yelling. They scream so loudly, pounding against my mind, threatening to shatter .

Hands reach up from the churning sand, latching onto my ankles, pulling deeper by the second. I fight just to stay atop the endless graves beneath .

They call to , offering a chance to make up for what I’ve done. I killed the earth, and now I finally have a chance to experience what I made everyone else live through.

It doesn’t matter. I’m going to die trying to get Corax and Cassie sowhere safe. I’ll get my due eventually, but they shouldn’t have to follow . They’re both innocent.

Just take another step.

Their hands climb up my legs, across my back, and sit upon my shoulders, their weight trying to shove beneath the sands. Their hands grasp at , their claws peeling my silicone skin from my plates. Without the small amount of cushion, the sands that pelt my barren shell are even more overwhelming.

Just focus on staying above the sand. Nothing else matters. If the dead get their hands on Cassie, I won’t be able to pull her back.

They try to claw deeper, trying to get their long fingernails beneath my skin plates, to take their due. I shake as hard as I can, trying to throw them off. Cassie needs everything in there. I’m not going to let them open until I’m long buried.

A flash of lightning lights up the world, revealing Kara’s form. She says sothing that doesn’t matter.

Take another step.

She reaches out, grabbing by my hair, and forcing to look. The wind and sand slow around us, eventually freezing in the middle of the air.

Kara only stares into the center of my mind. Her eyes are enough to know exactly what she wants to say. It’s my fault. Cassie is in pain with every grain that eats through her clothes and I’m only prolonging that pain. My backpack is starting to disintegrate, and Corax will end up swept away by the storm because I couldn’t convince him to leave.

It doesn’t matter. Take another step.

Kara pulls hard, forcing to my knees. The sand churns around from the movent of a billion hands. I begin to sink.

Stand up. Stand up! I push my servos to their limits, but can’t fight against the weight of all I’ve done.

“All you have to do is lay Cassie down. She’s already dead.” Kara taunts .

I increase the voltage to my motors, giving more power. They can take it, they have to. If any part of fails, we die, but we’re dead anyway if I don’t try.

I stagger out of the hand’s grasp and take another step.

The longer I walk the worse things get. Layers of Cassie’s clothes are ripped away, and even my backpack disintegrates. I keep Corax safe, pinned between my body and Cassie’s, but everything else is lost. As long as I don’t let her down, Corax is safe.

Even the earth itself turns against and it tilts upwards, gravity itself trying to force to tumble backwards into the storm. My march turns into a climb.

I take another step.

I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I have to make it.

The sand suddenly stops and the earth levels out. A flash of lightning illuminates the inside of a deep cave for just an instant. I stumble to the back wall and gently place Cassie on the floor. She’s still breathing, that’s all that matters.

Strips of red stained cloth still desperately cling to her body, and raw, bloody skin can be seen through the gaps. I place Corax to the side so I can help her, only for Corax to fall over, unable to stand.

His body is frozen in place, his internal gears bound and damaged by the grains of sand. I can see the fear in his eyes, a fear born of my own mories. He lived my ti in the lab. His whole body shutters, desperately trying to move.

I can’t leave him like this to suffer. He’s the only thing keeping together, but I can’t make that happen at the expense of him.

“Corax? I need to turn you off.” No matter how confident and comforting I try to sound, my voice still shakes.

“No!” He cries in an intimately familiar tone, his voice muffled by his inability to open his beak. I’ve said the sa exact thing so many tis.

“Listen, I’ll fix you, but you shouldn’t have to suffer while I work. You’ll see again in just a second, I promise.”

His fear doesn’t dissipate, but he doesn’t complain further. I run my finger across his head comfortingly a few tis.

“I’ll see you in a second.” I flick the small switch on the back of his neck. His body doesn’t react, just staying frozen like a statue, but his eyes turn lifeless.

“Fuck! Don’t break down. I’m ok. Cassie still needs .” Maybe if I say it aloud, it’ll beco true.

I move my attention to her, thinking of nothing else.

“Sorry Cassie, for everything.” I peel her ruined clothes off her. Large patches of her skin have had the top layer rubbed off, but she’s still breathing. I’ll find a way to make sure she gets through this.

First clean the wounds, I can’t waste the water though. I pull out the dical supplies I stored in my chest, take out the pair of tweezers, clean them with rubbing alcohol, and get to work.

I pull individual grains from her wounds, starting with the most profusely bleeding one. Once clean, I put antiseptic cream on it, wrap it tightly in gauze, and move on. By the ti I’m done, large portions of her organic body are covered. I’m not sure how many tis I’ll be able to replace the gauze when her blood dirties it, but I’ll figure sothing out. For now, she’s stable.

I pick up Corax’s body and remove his chest piece. I’m imdiately confronted with a fact I can’t accept.

I can’t fix him with the tools I have.

Sand has forced its way into his bearings, seizing them in place. Nothing short of completely dismantling them, cleaning, and re-adding lubricant will work. I can’t do that, much less dismantle and reconstruct his entire body without any tools. I can’t fix him.

“I’ll find a way as soon as possible.” I promise his corpse, and replace his chest piece. I sit against the cave wall and try to force any tears out of my dry reservoirs. “What am I supposed to do now?”

I guess there’s one thing I can do. I pull out Cassie’s worn book and begin to read aloud.