Father sent me straight back out to find out what Michael was saying about the machine. I wanted to stay and help Mother with Ivan, but Fathers voice told me there was no arguing with this.
I didn’t get to his hut. I didn’t need to know what was happening. Some men where already starting to take down the huts, while others went in to the fields to gather the flocks and herds.
The village was moving.
I could see Michael was also getting ready for the move. As I had expected he had several other men helping him move his stuff. They should be moving there own families!
I knew there was no point in trying to talk to him. He probably wouldn’t talk to me and I was sure I say something that I might regret later on. So instead I headed for one of the men watching the machine. I wanted to know how close was the machine going to pass and if it was processing?
The watcher told me that the machine was probably heading straight for us and it wasn’t, yet, processing.
This was both good and bad news. If it where processing it would be moving more slowly giving us time to get out of the way. If it was then that meant there would be no return for us to this green and lush bit of land. A processing machine would leave nothing but ash and dust.
The machine was therefore moving quickly and it was probably at best a day and half away.
I ran back to our hut.
“We must get ready to leave”. Father told us. “We need to be ready by first light”
I looked at Marta, Father, Mother and then Ivan. I couldn’t remember the last time the village moved. I would have been 2 at the time. This place was home to me. It was a good place to live, the soils where rich and fertile, the water’s where clean.
Ivan shook his head ever so slightly. “I’m sorry. I have brought this all down upon you. I need to do something to help”. He started to get up. This was clearly an effort, his face creased with a grimace.
“No you’re not” Mother said forcefully. “You are in no condition to be helping anyone right now”
“I can help”. He tried to get up again. “There is something I can try, I just need to get to the machine”.
“You are not going out of this hut”. Father told him. “It’s not safe out there. The other villagers are still angry, you are in no condition to fight and I can ill afford the time to dig you out from another fight”.
“So I can’t stay here and bring more trouble down on you”.
“The village is moving. No one will bother us now, but if you where outside…that might be to much of a temptation. No you stay here and help with what you can. I’ve got to gather the animals now”. Father and Mother exchanged a look and he left. Mother, me and Marta started to pack up our things from around the hut. It had been so long since we moved last that it seemed we had built up a lot of things. A lot them where no use at all, they would have to stay.
Ivan helped too, he could stand and move slowly and with difficulty. He packed our things in animal skin bags as we found them. Marta and Mother worked outside.
“So what where you going to try with the machine?” I asked him as passed him a cooking pot.
“Oh, I was going to see if I could undo what we did, get the machine going again”.
“Would that help?”
“It might. The machine might just move on and leave us alone”
“It might, but what if it where angry at being hurt”
Ivan looked at me and smiled. “You think these things are like people? Maybe they are who knows. It might help, it might not, but if you are abandoning the village anyway what would you have to lose?”
“The machine wasn’t processing when it was heading for us” I said, mostly to my self.
“No. We where stupid not insane. If the machine had been processing we would have not been able to get close enough to it” Ivan got up slowly. “So I’ve got to give it a go”
“But if it starts up now and starts processing, we lose everything. You can’t” I pleaded.
Ivan smiled. “Don’t worry I wasn’t going to pull the sword out till the village was on the move”.
“A sword! Thats what stopped the machine”.
“Yes. I didn’t think it would work either, but the Technomancer said that was all it needed. He didn’t have the nerve to do it, no he left that to me. I take that sword out, if the machine is still alive it might just leave you alone. If the machine is dead then there is nothing we can do anyway”.
Ivan slowly headed for the door. “Thank your Father for his help and thank you. You are good people, I only hope I can do something to help you”.
“You can’t…”
Mother opened the door. She stood there for a few moments. She knew what was going on, Mother always knew. “How are things going with the packing” She asked knowingly.
“Ah fine. Almost done…I think” Ivan answered for me.
“Good we will need to make an early start tomorrow morning. So we will need all of the rest we can get tonight”.
We ate our final meal in this place. It was a sad event, we didn’t talk much. After that there was nothing else to do but to get some sleep. I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t. Too much had happened today. I watched Ivan carefully. I knew he was going to leave some time before morning and I had decided I was going to go with him.
I did sleep a little, but it was a light, fitful sleep and when Ivan got up I awoke.
I the dying light of the embers he turned to face me and started to say something. I silently put my finger to my lips. He nodded and headed for the door. I followed him out.
The morning air was clear and cold. There was the first hints of dawn starting to show on the horizon. It was just enough to see by. And on the opposite horizon, the mountain of metal which was the approaching machine was lit by some blue flickering light coming from within.
“Come to say good bye then?” He whispered.
I shook my head. “I’m coming with you”.
“Oh no your not! My life is my own to do stupid things with. I’m not going to play with yours as well”.
“It’s only just light enough to see, you can’t make your way across unfamiliar land in this. Not in your state. And anyway you do have a choice I could call out and wake everyone up”.
Ivan smiled. “You are a canny one, for sure, but you won’t call out, not if I’m any judge”.
He was right, of course, I wouldn’t. But I was still coming with him, no matter what he did. For a few moments we just stood, still and silent. “I’m still coming with you”.
Ivan sighed. “Very well, but this is not some game this is very dangerous”.
I nodded. “Right. We will be off then” Ivan headed down the track. “It’s this way” I called after him.
“Oh yes…right”.
As the sky lightened we could see the massive shape of the machine rising up before us like a mountain. The base of the machine was like a wall of metal, yards tall. In the dim light Ivan felt his way along it.
I touched the surface too. I was still warm and it was textured. Intricate patterns had been carved in to it’s surface.
“Ah here we are” Ivan said from the darkness ahead of me.
I could see he was standing slightly off the ground. His feet where in some holes in the wall of metal. “This is how we got on before”. He stepped back to the ground. I looked closely and saw that the there was a series of triangular holes running up the metal wall. Almost like hand and foot holes. A ladder! A person sized ladder. Why would a machine have these?
“They lead straight up. It’s not a long or hard climb. You should be able to make it”. In the darkness Ivan couldn’t see my frown. “You go first then you can only fall on to me”.
I was going to say that I could probably climb better than him at the moment, but actually I was happy that he would be right behind me.
I started to climb up this strange ladder. Ivan was right behind me, I could fell the warmth of his breath on my ankles. I could hear him grunting with each step, he was still hurt. It was a hard climb for me and by the time I reached the top my limbs where shaking from effort and my breath was quick and shallow.
I sat down on the metal ‘ground’. The pyramid of the machine rose above me. Unlike the base of the machine, this part was not smooth or regular. The shape was basically a pyramid, but where large sections of pipes a tubes which stuck out from the metal walls. The area of wall by the ladder we had just climbed was a smooth metal wall. There was no carving on this metal, it was completely smooth and flat. The little walkway on which I sat seemed to go all of the way around the base of the machine.
Ivan stood on the walkway. “Tired already?” He asked.
I shook my head “No!…well actually yes, but I’m ready to go again”.
“Your sure about that then?” Ivan asked with a grin. I nodded “Where now?”
“There is a small gap we can get in through somewhere around here…lets see” Ivan looked in both directions down the walk way. “This way”. He didn’t sound at all sure.
He took the lead this time. I followed him closely. What I was doing was starting to sink in. I’d actually touched a machine and lived to tell the tail. More than that I was walking on it. With this thought fear stirred in me. What happens if we remove this sword and the machine comes to life. We will still be on it and if it starts to fly again then what. How would we get off?
“Ah here it is” Ivan stopped by a narrow split which seemed to run right the way to the the top of pyramid. It looked like we where standing in the dead centre of this face of the machine.
The sun was now rising and it cast it’s gentle yellow glow on the face of the machine. I looked out over the land call home. Down in Grendor my family would be getting ready to leave now. With me and Ivan gone, they would know where I had gone, I was sure. They would be worrying about me I knew. It wasn’t fair of me to do this, I knew now.
Suddenly I wanted to turn back. This was silly, there was no guarantee it would revive the machine, even if it did the machine could then take revenge and destroy the village anyway and what if the other machine didn’t stop? Then how where we going to get off a working machine?
I wanted to get off this thing and go home.
“Ready then?” Ivan asked. I looked at him and then back at the village. I couldn’t let this happen to my home, I had to try something. It may be silly, but I’d started this now, I wasn’t going to turn back and leave Ivan here.”Yes”
“Your sure. Things get dangerous from here on in”.
“Yes, I know. So the less time we stay here the better”.
Ivan nodded with a smile and we walked in to the machine it’s self.
The split was only just wide enough for Ivan to fit though. Oddly it seemed to widen some feet above our heads. Also, despite the fact that the split was a straight line on the outside, inside it followed a jagged path upwards, lots of sharp turns and angles stopped us from seeing to the top. The path in to the machine was however completely straight. At the end of this path I could see a dull red glow. The walls either side of us where made of an intricate tangle of pipes, strange glass shapes, gears and leavers. Michael would love to be here, but I was sure he would be to afraid to come this far.
We headed towards the glow.
“Should that be glowing if this is dead?” I asked.
Ivan shrugged. “How should I know. It was a bright blue light before we…I stuck the sword in the thing. I hope it still means that it’s alive. If not all of this is a waste of time”.
“Sorry, silly question”.
Ivan stopped and turned, with difficulty in the small space. “Remember never be afraid to ask questions, even the silly one’s. Which of course don’t seem silly till you ask them. If you didn’t ask that question it wouldn’t seem silly to you now, would it”.
I nodded and Ivan grinned again. We carried on towards the glow.
“The machine let you get in this far when it was running?”
“Yes, I was surprised too, but one of the Technomancers said that the machines never expected to find people inside them, so didn’t bother stopping people when they where inside.
“Almost like they expect to find us there” I said to my self.
“Mmm yes, one the other Technomancers was saying things like that. He even said that our forefathers could have built these things”.
Why would we do that? How could we do that? More questions that I should ask. But what was the point? Was there any one alive that could answer them? Asking questions that no one can answer. Maybe no one can answer them, because the question hasn’t been asked before?
Ivan stopped. “This is it” His voice echoed in the huge space that the narrow gap had opened in to.
The space was not wide, but it was high. It must have reached right up to the top of the machine. Floating above us in the middle of the space was a dully glowing red sphere. “That machines heart” Ivan said “Maybe, who knows”.
Directly below this glowing sphere some large glass pipes, they ran from the edge of the space to right underneath the sphere. When under the sphere the pipes turned upward to face it and then ended. The glass walls showed the pipes held some sort of glowing mist. It had the same red colour as the sphere.
Ivan walked over to where the pipes turned upwards. “Here we are”. He said, standing by a sword. The sword floated in mid air with nothing to support it. I walked over and took a closer look. There where four of these glass pipes and where the pipes ended, the red glowing mist they carried did not. It was much fainter than it had been when in the pipes, but I could see a column of the stuff coming from the end of the pipe right up to sphere. It was almost as if the sphere where being supported by this glowing mist. The same mist came from all of the pipes, bar the one that sword floated over. There was only the faintest of traces of mist from this pipe, even though the was easily wider than Ivan’s armoured body and the sword was, well just a normal short sword. It seemed to be blocking the flow of what ever it was.
“So you just put that sword there and the whole thing stopped?”
“Yes. I mean it didn’t just stop straight away, but you could tell it wasn’t doing it any good with the sword there. Lots of sparks, bangs and groans and then the thing started to drop to the ground. That was when the real nose started”.
“So when you take it out we will have some time to get off?”
Ivan nodded. “Well at least I hope we do. You’d better get ready to run and it’s probably a good idea to get a head start on me. I don’t want to slow you down”.
“I’m not going to leave you on this thing”. I told him.
Ivan looked surprised at the forcefulness of my voice. I was surprised at it too. “Oh don’t worry I have very definite plans about what to do with the rest of the day and none of them involve dying” Ivan put is hand on the swords handle. “In fact most of them involve lots malt bear followed by sleeping”. He added with his characteristic toothy grin. “Go on get started then. I won’t pull this thing until your by that gap”.
I stood by the entry to the gap we had come in through. Ivan pulled at the sword.
It looked very strange, this huge and powerful man pulling with all of his strength at a small sword floating with nothing holding it. It looked like the sword was stuck fast. He wasn’t moving it. Maybe the little extra weight I could add would help.
I put my arms around Ivan’s armour and pulled as hard as I could.
“What are you doing!?” He shouted. “I told you…”
“You need all of the help you can get” I told him.
Ivan pulled again. “It wasn’t…this hard to get…the dam thing in”. He forced the words out as he strained.
Suddenly the sword slipped a little and then it came free. We both fell backwards.
Ivan stood up quickly and pulled me up with him. We both looked around for a few moments.
Nothing had changed. The machine was still silent, the sphere still glowed a dull red, the red mist still seemed to support the sphere. But slowly more of the red mist seemed to be flowing from the pipe that was blocked by the sword. More was coming from all of the pipes. Suddenly one of the glass pipes lit with a much brighter orange light.
“Thats more like it”. Ivan said as he started to run. As I started to run the other pipes lit up with the same light and the machine started make noises. Huge, loud noises started coming from the depths of the machine. Nothing like the machines call, but they where machine noses. The machine was coming back to life!
I caught up with Ivan easily. He was still slowed by his armour and injuries. All around us now, there where new noises and lights coming from the machine. Behind us the dull red glow had become a fierce blue white light which, even from here was uncomfortably warm.
We reached the end of the split in the machine and where out on to the walkway again. As we got there, the machine called. This was the sound that I knew and had feared. But now I knew it was a good sound. The machine was alive again it was calling to it’s fellows to tell them. I had never been so close to the sound before.
The sound when beyond just a sound, it was force, it knocked the wind from me and I fell. Ivan picked me up and kept on running. After that call I could hear nothing.
We reached the ladder down and Ivan said something, I didn’t hear it, but I knew he wanted me to go first.
As I started to climb down the ladder. The machine shuddered.
Ivan was right behind me. I was a few steps from the bottom, when the machine shook again. It was starting to move, I was sure. Very slowly but it was moving again.
It was alive, the village was safe! But I was still on it.
I reached the end of the ladder and there was already a small drop the ground. I jumped off. Once on the ground I quickly moved away. When Ivan reached the bottom of the ladder, the machine was a few feet off the ground. He jumped and landed heavily.
With obvious pain he got up slowly. I tried to help, but he was to heavy. He said something to me, but I heard nothing. I tired again. The machine now was a the tops of the trees and was starting to move sideways. We where clear, just but if it started processing we where way too close.
Ivan started to take off his heavy armour. He got up with my help and we struggled away from the machines edge.
I kept on looking back, I couldn’t hear a thing, so I didn’t know if the machine was processing or not. If did we where probably dead already, no one had ever been this close to a processing machine and survived.
We where still alive and still moving, just. I felt the machine call again. The force of it was less now, but I still stumbled.
The machines back corner passed behind us.
The machine was continuing on in the same direction as before. It would pass close to the village, but not over it. The village was safe! Well from that machine but what about the other? I needed to get on to the hill so I could see.
We stumbled up the hill slowly. I could see the people for the village where running for the edge of the forest and that the machine was still not processing. The other machine was still there, looming large over the land. It was moving slowly. It wasn’t processing either and yes, it was turning, ever so slightly. It was turning away from us. Going back to where it had come from.
We stood there on the hill for a long time just to make sure the two machines where leaving us. As I watched I started to hear things again. First the machines, but then other more normal sounds, the wind, the birds, all started to fade back.
Looking down at the village some people where starting to head back from the forest. Mother and Father!
I wanted to run back to the village, but Ivan still needed my help, as so we slowly headed back.
I spotted Marta first. Forgetting my self for a moment I ran to and hugged her, leaving Ivan standing. We then made our way back to our hut. I told every one I saw that Ivan had saved us. There where no angry faces. Every one was just to relieved, out home was safe for now. The machines had gone.
Ivan didn’t want to take all of the credit, but I told him, that hero’s are not normally girls and that he needed this, I didn’t.
The whole village had a feast that night to toast the new hero. We where safe from the machines now, but I knew as I always had that the machines could return at any time. I’d seen inside one now, I knew how easy they where to stop, if you could get on to on. I’d asked those questions that maybe no one had asked before. Questions like who built the machines? How did they build them? Why did they build them?
Questions that needed to be answered, even if no one yet knew those answers. If some one did I would find them, if no one did then I would be the first person to discover the answers.
I’d deiced now, I was going to become a Technomancer.
Father sent me straight back out to find out what Michael was saying about the machine. I wanted to stay and help Mother with Ivan, but Fathers voice told me there was no arguing with this.
I didn’t get to his hut. I didn’t need to know what was happening. Some men where already starting to take down the huts, while others went in to the fields to gather the flocks and herds.
The village was moving.
I could see Michael was also getting ready for the move. As I had expected he had several other men helping him move his stuff. They should be moving there own families!
I knew there was no point in trying to talk to him. He probably wouldn’t talk to me and I was sure I say something that I might regret later on. So instead I headed for one of the men watching the machine. I wanted to know how close was the machine going to pass and if it was processing?
The watcher told me that the machine was probably heading straight for us and it wasn’t, yet, processing.
This was both good and bad news. If it where processing it would be moving more slowly giving us time to get out of the way. If it was then that meant there would be no return for us to this green and lush bit of land. A processing machine would leave nothing but ash and dust.
The machine was therefore moving quickly and it was probably at best a day and half away.
I ran back to our hut.
“We must get ready to leave”. Father told us. “We need to be ready by first light”
I looked at Marta, Father, Mother and then Ivan. I couldn’t remember the last time the village moved. I would have been 2 at the time. This place was home to me. It was a good place to live, the soils where rich and fertile, the water’s where clean.
Ivan shook his head ever so slightly. “I’m sorry. I have brought this all down upon you. I need to do something to help”. He started to get up. This was clearly an effort, his face creased with a grimace.
“No you’re not” Mother said forcefully. “You are in no condition to be helping anyone right now”
“I can help”. He tried to get up again. “There is something I can try, I just need to get to the machine”.
“You are not going out of this hut”. Father told him. “It’s not safe out there. The other villagers are still angry, you are in no condition to fight and I can ill afford the time to dig you out from another fight”.
“So I can’t stay here and bring more trouble down on you”.
“The village is moving. No one will bother us now, but if you where outside…that might be to much of a temptation. No you stay here and help with what you can. I’ve got to gather the animals now”. Father and Mother exchanged a look and he left. Mother, me and Marta started to pack up our things from around the hut. It had been so long since we moved last that it seemed we had built up a lot of things. A lot them where no use at all, they would have to stay.
Ivan helped too, he could stand and move slowly and with difficulty. He packed our things in animal skin bags as we found them. Marta and Mother worked outside.
“So what where you going to try with the machine?” I asked him as passed him a cooking pot.
“Oh, I was going to see if I could undo what we did, get the machine going again”.
“Would that help?”
“It might. The machine might just move on and leave us alone”
“It might, but what if it where angry at being hurt”
Ivan looked at me and smiled. “You think these things are like people? Maybe they are who knows. It might help, it might not, but if you are abandoning the village anyway what would you have to lose?”
“The machine wasn’t processing when it was heading for us” I said, mostly to my self.
“No. We where stupid not insane. If the machine had been processing we would have not been able to get close enough to it” Ivan got up slowly. “So I’ve got to give it a go”
“But if it starts up now and starts processing, we lose everything. You can’t” I pleaded.
Ivan smiled. “Don’t worry I wasn’t going to pull the sword out till the village was on the move”.
“A sword! Thats what stopped the machine”.
“Yes. I didn’t think it would work either, but the Technomancer said that was all it needed. He didn’t have the nerve to do it, no he left that to me. I take that sword out, if the machine is still alive it might just leave you alone. If the machine is dead then there is nothing we can do anyway”.
Ivan slowly headed for the door. “Thank your Father for his help and thank you. You are good people, I only hope I can do something to help you”.
“You can’t…”
Mother opened the door. She stood there for a few moments. She knew what was going on, Mother always knew. “How are things going with the packing” She asked knowingly.
“Ah fine. Almost done…I think” Ivan answered for me.
“Good we will need to make an early start tomorrow morning. So we will need all of the rest we can get tonight”.
We ate our final meal in this place. It was a sad event, we didn’t talk much. After that there was nothing else to do but to get some sleep. I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t. Too much had happened today. I watched Ivan carefully. I knew he was going to leave some time before morning and I had decided I was going to go with him.
I did sleep a little, but it was a light, fitful sleep and when Ivan got up I awoke.
I the dying light of the embers he turned to face me and started to say something. I silently put my finger to my lips. He nodded and headed for the door. I followed him out.
The morning air was clear and cold. There was the first hints of dawn starting to show on the horizon. It was just enough to see by. And on the opposite horizon, the mountain of metal which was the approaching machine was lit by some blue flickering light coming from within.
“Come to say good bye then?” He whispered.
I shook my head. “I’m coming with you”.
“Oh no your not! My life is my own to do stupid things with. I’m not going to play with yours as well”.
“It’s only just light enough to see, you can’t make your way across unfamiliar land in this. Not in your state. And anyway you do have a choice I could call out and wake everyone up”.
Ivan smiled. “You are a canny one, for sure, but you won’t call out, not if I’m any judge”.
He was right, of course, I wouldn’t. But I was still coming with him, no matter what he did. For a few moments we just stood, still and silent. “I’m still coming with you”.
Ivan sighed. “Very well, but this is not some game this is very dangerous”.
I nodded. “Right. We will be off then” Ivan headed down the track. “It’s this way” I called after him.
“Oh yes…right”.
As the sky lightened we could see the massive shape of the machine rising up before us like a mountain. The base of the machine was like a wall of metal, yards tall. In the dim light Ivan felt his way along it.
I touched the surface too. I was still warm and it was textured. Intricate patterns had been carved in to it’s surface.
“Ah here we are” Ivan said from the darkness ahead of me.
I could see he was standing slightly off the ground. His feet where in some holes in the wall of metal. “This is how we got on before”. He stepped back to the ground. I looked closely and saw that the there was a series of triangular holes running up the metal wall. Almost like hand and foot holes. A ladder! A person sized ladder. Why would a machine have these?
“They lead straight up. It’s not a long or hard climb. You should be able to make it”. In the darkness Ivan couldn’t see my frown. “You go first then you can only fall on to me”.
I was going to say that I could probably climb better than him at the moment, but actually I was happy that he would be right behind me.
I started to climb up this strange ladder. Ivan was right behind me, I could fell the warmth of his breath on my ankles. I could hear him grunting with each step, he was still hurt. It was a hard climb for me and by the time I reached the top my limbs where shaking from effort and my breath was quick and shallow.
I sat down on the metal ‘ground’. The pyramid of the machine rose above me. Unlike the base of the machine, this part was not smooth or regular. The shape was basically a pyramid, but where large sections of pipes a tubes which stuck out from the metal walls. The area of wall by the ladder we had just climbed was a smooth metal wall. There was no carving on this metal, it was completely smooth and flat. The little walkway on which I sat seemed to go all of the way around the base of the machine.
Ivan stood on the walkway. “Tired already?” He asked.
I shook my head “No!…well actually yes, but I’m ready to go again”.
“Your sure about that then?” Ivan asked with a grin. I nodded “Where now?”
“There is a small gap we can get in through somewhere around here…lets see” Ivan looked in both directions down the walk way. “This way”. He didn’t sound at all sure.
He took the lead this time. I followed him closely. What I was doing was starting to sink in. I’d actually touched a machine and lived to tell the tail. More than that I was walking on it. With this thought fear stirred in me. What happens if we remove this sword and the machine comes to life. We will still be on it and if it starts to fly again then what. How would we get off?
“Ah here it is” Ivan stopped by a narrow split which seemed to run right the way to the the top of pyramid. It looked like we where standing in the dead centre of this face of the machine.
The sun was now rising and it cast it’s gentle yellow glow on the face of the machine. I looked out over the land call home. Down in Grendor my family would be getting ready to leave now. With me and Ivan gone, they would know where I had gone, I was sure. They would be worrying about me I knew. It wasn’t fair of me to do this, I knew now.
Suddenly I wanted to turn back. This was silly, there was no guarantee it would revive the machine, even if it did the machine could then take revenge and destroy the village anyway and what if the other machine didn’t stop? Then how where we going to get off a working machine?
I wanted to get off this thing and go home.
“Ready then?” Ivan asked. I looked at him and then back at the village. I couldn’t let this happen to my home, I had to try something. It may be silly, but I’d started this now, I wasn’t going to turn back and leave Ivan here.”Yes”
“Your sure. Things get dangerous from here on in”.
“Yes, I know. So the less time we stay here the better”.
Ivan nodded with a smile and we walked in to the machine it’s self.
The split was only just wide enough for Ivan to fit though. Oddly it seemed to widen some feet above our heads. Also, despite the fact that the split was a straight line on the outside, inside it followed a jagged path upwards, lots of sharp turns and angles stopped us from seeing to the top. The path in to the machine was however completely straight. At the end of this path I could see a dull red glow. The walls either side of us where made of an intricate tangle of pipes, strange glass shapes, gears and leavers. Michael would love to be here, but I was sure he would be to afraid to come this far.
We headed towards the glow.
“Should that be glowing if this is dead?” I asked.
Ivan shrugged. “How should I know. It was a bright blue light before we…I stuck the sword in the thing. I hope it still means that it’s alive. If not all of this is a waste of time”.
“Sorry, silly question”.
Ivan stopped and turned, with difficulty in the small space. “Remember never be afraid to ask questions, even the silly one’s. Which of course don’t seem silly till you ask them. If you didn’t ask that question it wouldn’t seem silly to you now, would it”.
I nodded and Ivan grinned again. We carried on towards the glow.
“The machine let you get in this far when it was running?”
“Yes, I was surprised too, but one of the Technomancers said that the machines never expected to find people inside them, so didn’t bother stopping people when they where inside.
“Almost like they expect to find us there” I said to my self.
“Mmm yes, one the other Technomancers was saying things like that. He even said that our forefathers could have built these things”.
Why would we do that? How could we do that? More questions that I should ask. But what was the point? Was there any one alive that could answer them? Asking questions that no one can answer. Maybe no one can answer them, because the question hasn’t been asked before?
Ivan stopped. “This is it” His voice echoed in the huge space that the narrow gap had opened in to.
The space was not wide, but it was high. It must have reached right up to the top of the machine. Floating above us in the middle of the space was a dully glowing red sphere. “That machines heart” Ivan said “Maybe, who knows”.
Directly below this glowing sphere some large glass pipes, they ran from the edge of the space to right underneath the sphere. When under the sphere the pipes turned upward to face it and then ended. The glass walls showed the pipes held some sort of glowing mist. It had the same red colour as the sphere.
Ivan walked over to where the pipes turned upwards. “Here we are”. He said, standing by a sword. The sword floated in mid air with nothing to support it. I walked over and took a closer look. There where four of these glass pipes and where the pipes ended, the red glowing mist they carried did not. It was much fainter than it had been when in the pipes, but I could see a column of the stuff coming from the end of the pipe right up to sphere. It was almost as if the sphere where being supported by this glowing mist. The same mist came from all of the pipes, bar the one that sword floated over. There was only the faintest of traces of mist from this pipe, even though the was easily wider than Ivan’s armoured body and the sword was, well just a normal short sword. It seemed to be blocking the flow of what ever it was.
“So you just put that sword there and the whole thing stopped?”
“Yes. I mean it didn’t just stop straight away, but you could tell it wasn’t doing it any good with the sword there. Lots of sparks, bangs and groans and then the thing started to drop to the ground. That was when the real nose started”.
“So when you take it out we will have some time to get off?”
Ivan nodded. “Well at least I hope we do. You’d better get ready to run and it’s probably a good idea to get a head start on me. I don’t want to slow you down”.
“I’m not going to leave you on this thing”. I told him.
Ivan looked surprised at the forcefulness of my voice. I was surprised at it too. “Oh don’t worry I have very definite plans about what to do with the rest of the day and none of them involve dying” Ivan put is hand on the swords handle. “In fact most of them involve lots malt bear followed by sleeping”. He added with his characteristic toothy grin. “Go on get started then. I won’t pull this thing until your by that gap”.
I stood by the entry to the gap we had come in through. Ivan pulled at the sword.
It looked very strange, this huge and powerful man pulling with all of his strength at a small sword floating with nothing holding it. It looked like the sword was stuck fast. He wasn’t moving it. Maybe the little extra weight I could add would help.
I put my arms around Ivan’s armour and pulled as hard as I could.
“What are you doing!?” He shouted. “I told you…”
“You need all of the help you can get” I told him.
Ivan pulled again. “It wasn’t…this hard to get…the dam thing in”. He forced the words out as he strained.
Suddenly the sword slipped a little and then it came free. We both fell backwards.
Ivan stood up quickly and pulled me up with him. We both looked around for a few moments.
Nothing had changed. The machine was still silent, the sphere still glowed a dull red, the red mist still seemed to support the sphere. But slowly more of the red mist seemed to be flowing from the pipe that was blocked by the sword. More was coming from all of the pipes. Suddenly one of the glass pipes lit with a much brighter orange light.
“Thats more like it”. Ivan said as he started to run. As I started to run the other pipes lit up with the same light and the machine started make noises. Huge, loud noises started coming from the depths of the machine. Nothing like the machines call, but they where machine noses. The machine was coming back to life!
I caught up with Ivan easily. He was still slowed by his armour and injuries. All around us now, there where new noises and lights coming from the machine. Behind us the dull red glow had become a fierce blue white light which, even from here was uncomfortably warm.
We reached the end of the split in the machine and where out on to the walkway again. As we got there, the machine called. This was the sound that I knew and had feared. But now I knew it was a good sound. The machine was alive again it was calling to it’s fellows to tell them. I had never been so close to the sound before.
The sound when beyond just a sound, it was force, it knocked the wind from me and I fell. Ivan picked me up and kept on running. After that call I could hear nothing.
We reached the ladder down and Ivan said something, I didn’t hear it, but I knew he wanted me to go first.
As I started to climb down the ladder. The machine shuddered.
Ivan was right behind me. I was a few steps from the bottom, when the machine shook again. It was starting to move, I was sure. Very slowly but it was moving again.
It was alive, the village was safe! But I was still on it.
I reached the end of the ladder and there was already a small drop the ground. I jumped off. Once on the ground I quickly moved away. When Ivan reached the bottom of the ladder, the machine was a few feet off the ground. He jumped and landed heavily.
With obvious pain he got up slowly. I tried to help, but he was to heavy. He said something to me, but I heard nothing. I tired again. The machine now was a the tops of the trees and was starting to move sideways. We where clear, just but if it started processing we where way too close.
Ivan started to take off his heavy armour. He got up with my help and we struggled away from the machines edge.
I kept on looking back, I couldn’t hear a thing, so I didn’t know if the machine was processing or not. If did we where probably dead already, no one had ever been this close to a processing machine and survived.
We where still alive and still moving, just. I felt the machine call again. The force of it was less now, but I still stumbled.
The machines back corner passed behind us.
The machine was continuing on in the same direction as before. It would pass close to the village, but not over it. The village was safe! Well from that machine but what about the other? I needed to get on to the hill so I could see.
We stumbled up the hill slowly. I could see the people for the village where running for the edge of the forest and that the machine was still not processing. The other machine was still there, looming large over the land. It was moving slowly. It wasn’t processing either and yes, it was turning, ever so slightly. It was turning away from us. Going back to where it had come from.
We stood there on the hill for a long time just to make sure the two machines where leaving us. As I watched I started to hear things again. First the machines, but then other more normal sounds, the wind, the birds, all started to fade back.
Looking down at the village some people where starting to head back from the forest. Mother and Father!
I wanted to run back to the village, but Ivan still needed my help, as so we slowly headed back.
I spotted Marta first. Forgetting my self for a moment I ran to and hugged her, leaving Ivan standing. We then made our way back to our hut. I told every one I saw that Ivan had saved us. There where no angry faces. Every one was just to relieved, out home was safe for now. The machines had gone.
Ivan didn’t want to take all of the credit, but I told him, that hero’s are not normally girls and that he needed this, I didn’t.
The whole village had a feast that night to toast the new hero. We where safe from the machines now, but I knew as I always had that the machines could return at any time. I’d seen inside one now, I knew how easy they where to stop, if you could get on to on. I’d asked those questions that maybe no one had asked before. Questions like who built the machines? How did they build them? Why did they build them?
Questions that needed to be answered, even if no one yet knew those answers. If some one did I would find them, if no one did then I would be the first person to discover the answers.
I’d deiced now, I was going to become a Technomancer.