- The Driven Machine -
Denouement
I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I was going to do it anyway.
I'm still not sure where I got this courage from. Maybe it's
my host's - I wonder what kind of shape he's in, though. Not that I can change
any of that. Doc says that it's something that can't really be helped. I
talked to him the other day, about what his host said. I wondered if my
host was going to end up a prisoner like the Doctor's had. The doctor had
said that there was a possibility. It had happened before, on many worlds.
It could happen in this case, too.
At least he was being honest with me.
We were outside the Doctor's office - Doctor Ow himself, Lenn, and
a few other workers that I didn't know. Lenn had the guard's weapon that he
had won, and was eagerly looking for something to shoot it at. Given the
Doctor's plans for the evening, that seemed increasingly likely.
"Lenn, are you prepared?" The doctor seemed agitated. Lenn just
nodded and looked over the rest of the group.
"All right, fellow workers, let's listen up!" Lenn moved to the
front of the group as he spoke. "The good doctor has assigned me to the
position of leader on this expedition, and I do not intend to disappoint him!
This means that I do not want any of you disappointing me! What we are doing
is for not only our own good, but the good of all our people. So if we are
killed tonight, or captured and tortured, or fed to the Machine itself, we
have not died in vain so long as we accomplish our mission. The Doctor will
now brief you on the details.
Doctor Ow stepped forward to address the group. "Thank you all,
once more, for going on this mission. All of you will be heroes to our
people, and generations of workers to come shall remember you. From here,
we will march directly toward the Machine. I have timed our march so that
we will intersect a group of guards once we are two thirds of the way there.
At that point, we must break for the Machine. The guards will not shoot us -
they can't take the chance on killing Suil - but they will attempt to engage
us in hand-to-hand combat. I trust you are all armed. Keep in mind that
while Lenn has a long-range weapon manufactured for the guards, he has only
limited ammunition for it, and we must arrive at our desination with at least
one round in it. The gun will be used sparingly, but effectively. I ask
that you now allow Lenn to be your leader. As you can see, I am showing color,
and will soon change places with my host. I should be back to myself by the
time we arrive where we are going, but I cannot guarantee this. At no point
are you to listen to anything I say - until Lenn relieves his command, I am
not to be trusted. Lenn, these workers are yours."
"Thank you Doctor. A short word before we go. Many of you fear
the guards - the mere thought of contradicting them brings a surge of panic
to your minds. More so the Driver himself. Perhaps even most, the thought
that we will soon be nearing the Machine's grasp. You must not give in to
fear. If this mission fails, fear shall be its undoing - you must remember,
that if we fear now, then generation upon generation of our people shall fear
under the rule of the Driver, and the shadow of the Machine. Channel your
fear - for as much as you fear the guards, I know you hate them as well. Use
this in your battles. Now, take a moment to prepare yourselves, and when I
move - follow me.
I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself. Lenn was right - I
feared everything that was happening. I had a long rusty knife in one hand, but
I knew that I would be unable to use it. Despise our leader's advice, I didn't
think that I'd be able to channel my fear into anger. Most likely I'd simply
scream and give up. I didn't know how I would face the Machine, or the Driver.
Lenn made a motion with his arm, and the group sprang into motion.
They moved quickly, it was hard for me to keep up. Drawing on my reserves
of will (already? I wasn't going to last long at this rate) I followed them.
I didn't like this at all....
The Doctor moved to my side, an odd look on his face. I found out
why when he spoke.
"Hello again young Suil. It's a shame we have to meet again under
such circumstances, I was hoping the doctor would have perfected his swap-
inhibition drugs by this point. It's rather annoying being dragged out of
my peaceful cell and into this warzone."
Geoffrey!
"Yes, it's me. Suil, I don't think you know what's going to happen
here." Geoffrey nearly tripped over a rock on the ground - I helped him up and
ran to catch up with Lenn, who was leading the group by a fair margin.
"Thank you Suil." Geoffrey looked tired. "I'm not in shape for
this - rather, the Doctor isn't. At any rate, you may have wondered why
it is that the Doctor purposefully had us encounter a guard patrol when we
are going to be so close to our goal?"
Of course I had wondered - it had seemed rather foolish of the
Doctor to let the Driver know that the revolution was underway when we were
so close to our goal.
"He's doing it to get the attention of the Driver - he's doing
to you the same thing that was done to him as a child, except this time he
intends to do it right. He's going to use you as bait, my young friend, bait
to lure the Driver within reach of the Machine."
I nearly stopped running at that, but I quickly got back to my feet.
This was no time for me to falter, no time for me to fall. But still.... I was
not only going to have to face one of my nightmares in the form of that horribe
mechanical Machine, I was also going to have to face the Driver's horrible,
twisted form. Something that was once a worker, like me - but now something
different, some perverted abomination whose form only mocks all that is normal
and good about the workers. I wanted to yell, or cry, or hit something.
Instead, I ran. I turned to face the Doctor, -- --
It's dark, and cold in my host's room. My heart is racing, but
I don't know what I can do. Slowly, I begin to wind down from my state.
I'm alone, and it's cold, and dark. There seems to be a storm outside, wind
is blowing the trees with vengeance, and rain hits the window hard - I wonder
if it's actually hail. What can I do? I paced back and forth in the room,
trying to think, trying to figure out what I could do. This had to be
frustrating for the Doctor, to not have control over what was happening. This
couldn't be good for my host, either, apprearing in the middle of a battlezone.
I needed to think up a plan.
Frantic pounding at the door siezed my attention. "Let me in!
Alex, let me in!" It was Dante, sounding panicked. "God, please! Let me
in!" I ran toward the door -- --
I nearly tripped as I came back into my world, the Doctor's arm
held me up. It was so noisy - I heard shots being fired from ahead and could
make out Lenn firing the weapon toward a group of Guards standing in front
of us.
"There's too many of them! I'm running out of rounds!" he shouted
frantically. The three or four workers behind me were locked in combat with
a group of guards, and giving ground fast. And in the distance, but still
visible, was the Machine.
A wave of horror and nausea overcame me and it was only through
the Doctor's strength that I got to keep going. The Machine was pumping fast,
its metallic parts screaming against each other - as though it was enjoying
watching the carnage.
And then I saw it - The Driver was running faster than any worker,
twisted to evil or not, had any right to. Guards that stood in its way were
torn apart, their bodies vaporized but not before their tortured screams could
reach my ears. I wanted to die, because the hideous eyes of that thing
were staring straight at me.
I ran. I ran as fast and furiously as I could. Toward the machine.
Two terrors besieged me - one a thing of flesh and darkness, another a tower
of metal and Power. The Machine seemed to be laughing, loving the struggle, but
its tone suddenly changed. The eldrich motors which drove it changed gear,
and its high-pitch squeal of metal upon metal grew low, like a dark growling of
some horrible creature. It had spotted the Driver -- --
Dante was adamant, standing at one end of the room. Framed in
the doorway, Sarah glared at him.
"You...." They both said simultaneously. -- --
Pain shot through my shoulder as I ran into the machine. Gears tore
my flesh, but I didn't care, I didn't care anymore. I had done it - I had
completed what I had to do. I could die now....
Lenn ran by me and thrust the gun into the metallic innards of
the Machine. The horrible grinding noise within increased to a fever pitch,
and black smoke began to ooze from every opening in the thing. I was suddenly
dropped by the Machine, and all noise from it ceased.
Anger. I ran to Lenn and started to choke him. What have you
done! You've destroyed our only weapon! You idiot! We're all dead, you've
killed us all!
Doctor and a few of the other workers pulled me off of him. I
turned and
"SUIL!!!"
I froze. The Driver. The Driver. The Driver. I couldn't - I
needed to, but I - I -- --
Dante stood in the corner, his hands on his head, moaning in pain
as he tried to say something. Sarah's eyes were wide as she approached me,
knife glittering in hand
"Suil, you've disappointed me - you would deny the Drivers their
birthright. Now, now you will pay for -- --
ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE" The Driver's twisted form
floated forward, the strands of darkness in which he - She - was always
enveloped in writhing in anticipation -- --
"No! You can't do this to me!" Dante screamed and launched
himself toward -- --
The Machine suddenly whirled into motion, its voice raising in
a howl of fury.
Steam poured from the openings of the machine, as its metallic
structure began to shift. The Driver moved toward its new nemesis, but too
late... Beams of metal snapped, gears and chains flew outward, and rust
sprayed the area. With a roar of a fury so pure as to cause everyone to
stop and stare, the Machine toppled forward, its gears grinding, its sharp
edges glittering as it fell upon the Driver. With a cry of agony, the
tormenter of all workers was torn to shreds in moments.
The Guards turned to it, firing their weapons into the toppled
mass of the Machine, which was slowly beginning to move from its resting space
of untold years. As the rounds struck, the Machine's innards wound into
fury again, and suddenly tens of thousands of projectiles, just the same as
those the Guards had been using, fired outward. Something hit me in the back
of the neck and I went down amid fires, noise, and pain.
But I had done it... I had saved... Us all.... .... ....
-- --
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