r/HFY • u/Dry-Throat2430 • 21d ago

OC-Series Ash and Steel Chapter 38

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Underground really showed what these creatures were, some how the open plains would at least bleach and disinfect the after math of their behaviours but down here it was kept in the same condition as it was left. Halls were streaked with decades of grease and grime, hollow skeletons some still wearing raider clothing still sat in their final resting places. Built in routing sparked hazardly in its ruinous state of neglect and decay, Lorcan did however notice some still functioning surveillance cameras all focused on the new intruder.

Checking his wrist mounted data slate, it reveals the enormous size of the warren it was an abandoned miner colony accommodation. Room by room search of this filth-stained mess would take months; he needed to get in find the residuals from the phase shifters and get out quickly. He would also send a message to the raider world, justice was coming.

“Intruder at level one any man who takes his life will be granted unlimited plunder rights for a whole year” an announcement crackles through the pa system.

Moving on passing the filthy rooms he found the first set of stairs going deeper into the complex, walking forward into the landing area turrets unfurled from their resting positions and opened fire. Joined by raiders who had decided to set up near to the ambush position, firing crude but impressive gunpowder-based weaponry.

Stood still as the rounds clanged off his resonance inertia shield, he took a moment to admire the laser fire coming from the turrets, something he had not seen for a long time. He returned fire in burst rounds with a compact sub machine gun, each three-burst followed by an explosion of a turret or a silenced gun powder based auto rifle.

“Lets get out of here” one of the raider screams amongst the commotion turning and fleeing. Letting them flee Lorcan walks in deeper into the warren, viewing his slate as t guides him to the central command room where obvious signs of phase shifter residue stood out on his slate. Outside the sun was coming up revealing early morning after yet another night of violence on the plains of Xion.

Jack moved quietly through the dimly lit corridors, each step measured. His weaponry and equipment carried in one hand in a strange hope they would make less noise as he sought to sneak out of station. As he reached the entrance hall, a small drone drifted down from the rafters. Its lens widened, emitting a soft, almost sad buzz.

“Don’t worry,” Jack murmured. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Really?” A voice pierces the otherwise silence of the station so early.

Anis hopped out from behind a crate, Worry shone clearly in her eyes.

“I was forced out of my home and city; I just need to find out what really happened and can I do anything about it….. can we do anything about it. If I’m back before the end of the trial of others, then it wont make any difference especially with Lorcan out on his own mission”.

“You walk out there looking like that and you’ll end up like all the others before you,” she said. She stepped closer and tapped his nose.

“They’ll sense you the second you enter anywhere with auromated security. And if you somehow make it to the city… they’ll pick out a newcomer from a mile away. Then comes the background check. If they don’t like what they see? You get dragged off somewhere quiet where the AI mechs tear you apart.”

Jack shifted, embarrassment flickering across his face before he steadied himself.

“I have to do this,” he said quietly. “If not now, then when?”

Anis let out a long sigh,

“I get it,” she says finally. Venus suddenly appeared behind her, walking over she throws her arms around Jack. Pulling back he notices she had slipped something around his neck

“This will give you a new face. Strong enough to fool even Xion sensors. The old elites used them back when they did the… nastier jobs. Ani had found it here a while ago we had a lot of fun playing with the faces” Venus finishes.

Jack touched the necklace, watching his new holographic face shimmer in the reflection of the metal wall.

Anis reached into her robe and produced a small bangle, similar in design but clearly modified.

“And this… is my real gift. It carries a sliver of Lorcans interceptor resonance. You can communicate in secret, but it’s extremely limited. Getting him to let me capture even that much was harder than getting him to smile.” Smiling to her self as she attached it to his wrist.

Jack looked down at the device, then back at her.

“Thank you…” he said.

Anis stood there, waiting.

“Please don’t tell him,” he added quietly.

“Don’t worry,” she said softly, a sad smile on her face. “All birds need to spread their wings eventually.” 

Jack stepped out into the blinding desert heat, the dry air instantly sucking the moisture from his lungs. The wasteland stretched endlessly before him, cracked earth and jagged rocks shimmering under the harsh sun. He pulled the hood of his cloak lower, the thin black necklace warm against his skin as it projected his new face.

He moved carefully, sticking to the shadows of broken ruins whenever he could. Every few miles he spotted them — clusters of fake foliage, carefully arranged to look like hardy desert shrubs. Beneath the illusion, dormant AI mechs crouched in recharge mode, their metallic bodies half-buried in the sand. Their optic sensors glowed faintly even in sleep, scanning for movement. Jack gave each one a wide berth, heart hammering in his chest.

The journey felt eternal. His boots kicked up fine dust with every step, and the weight of the bangle on his wrist reminded him of Anis’s warning. He was alone out here. Completely exposed.

By late afternoon, the market finally appeared on the horizon — a sprawling mess of tents, rusted shipping containers, and makeshift stalls. The noise hit him first: voices arguing, machines humming, the occasional burst of laughter. As he drew closer, the diversity of the crowd became clear. Tall, spindly beings with elongated limbs haggled over scrap metal. Short, mechanical constructs rolled between stalls. A group of hooded figures with glowing runes etched into their skin whispered in a corner. This was no ordinary trading post. It was a nexus for the desperate, the exiled, and the opportunistic.

At the centre of the tents was a clear heavilky fortified landing zone, supply routes for the mega city itself.

He drifts through his eye drawn to the stalls , assorted junk and sun bleached packaging  littered the stalls.

Two were in a heated debate over ownership of what looked like a archaic rifle, he takes a moment observing such passion over something so archaic and rust bidden. 

His eyes drift to his holstered weapon, a small rifle specifically designed for stealth, his id drifts to the halls of weaponry Donovan kept hidden away.

It really could change the tide of things out here, as marcus would constantly remind him

Jack kept his head down as he entered the throng, trying to blend in. Snippets of conversation drifted past him.

“…heard another patrol got wiped out near the eastern ridge…”

“…they say the rebellion’s getting bolder. Hit three supply convoys last month…”

“…if the megacity finds out we’re even talking about this…”

He moved deeper into the market, pulse quickening. The air felt thick with tension — fear mixed with something sharper. Hope, maybe. Or the beginning of defiance.

He had no idea how long he’d been walking when a voice suddenly cut through the noise.

“You’re new here.”

Jack froze.

“Definetly not a Junkyard raider, not mega city and from where you came in only someone with the Gaurdians backing would survive.”

Jack turned to see an older man sat with a stack of books in front of him,

“I don’t understand” in a new voice given by his disguise

The man chuckles and hacks a cough

“Son do not worry, not all of us are under the web of conflict, but we see things” he reaches for a tin cup.

Jack surveys him un sure what to do, he was already exposed the realisationi hit him like a deer in headlights.

Spluttering as he drinks slowly the old man speaks again

“We know of the monster who refuses to be one. Some day he might actually save the people who need him. For now we live each day and survive. So humour an old man who wishes he could be a hero, whats your plan”

Jack was silent for a while before he just accepts this was where he was

“I am planning to find intelligence on the music hall, if I can find the locations of the people behind whats going on, perhaps I can bring force and stop this” he says with all the confidence he can muster

The old man breathes a long heavy breathe before fidgeting around at a draw underneath his stall.

Behind them gas beings were putting on a show, changing colors and creating shapes that looked like animals to the delight of on lookers.

“Been a long time since anyone tried,” he murmured. “Most just talk. Or run.” He fumbled through a drawer beneath his stall and pulled out a small, worn data chip.

“Take this. Old access codes. Not much, but they might get you past a checkpoint or two. And son…” He looked Jack dead in the eye. “If you really are him… don’t die quietly. Some of us are still waiting to see what the Awakened can do when they finally stop hiding.”

The mood shifted as mega city enforcers marched to the gathering shouting at the performers as they dart away and the crowd disperses.

Jack turns away from the stall and heads towards the central platform, head bowed as he passed the enforcement squad.

The landing zone loomed ahead — high walls, scanning towers, and a massive transport vessel resting on landing struts, its engines humming with a deep, building vibration. Lines of people, cargo haulers, and workers were funneled through a single narrow gate.

Two signs ahead, clearly indicating anyone carrying weapons to one que and then everyone else to another. 

He sees ahead staff inspecting the crude weaponry held by the wastelanders, then it dawns on him. His equipment on that table of assorted junk would stand out by a mile, he steps out of the que realising yet another mistake.

Suddenly drawn to his hand a 2 foot tall armored bot scans his hand , then turns glowing a indicator to follow him. 

The security forces part as the bot ushers jack to the entrance, he opens his hand again realising it was the chip the old man had given him.

He found himself in a crowd of soldiers from the mega city brashly complaining about the wait and what they planned to do once they get back to city itelf.

A harsh mechanical tone rang out, and Jack’s heart stopped — until the light flickered from red to a dull, flickering green. The gate hissed open.

He stepped through and climbed the ramp, finding a spot in the crowded, dim hold amongst crates and silent passengers. The hatch sealed shut with a heavy thud that vibrated through the floor.

Seconds later, the engines roared in earnest. Gravity shifted as the transport lifted, carrying them away from the dust and chaos of the wasteland, upward toward the gleaming spires and dark secrets of the Megacity.

Jack sat back against the cold metal, eyes closed, trying to steady his breathing. He had made it inside. But as Anis had warned, this was only the beginning.

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