Gunpowder

Sandy hills and valleys undulated for miles beyond Axis Adlven as she her normal patrol of the city perimeter. She sat atop a large, mechanical, equine. Its body was built of large steel plates, and its joints were made of black, rubber, pumps, which filled with air to make the robot move.

Axis was stone-faced, though her helmet hid most of her countenance. The woman’s body was well armored with a grooved helmet covering her head, her torso covered in white metal, and her hands armored with thick leather gloves. A gun, a tazer, and other common law enforcement tools hung from a belt around her waist.

The sun was just rising in the sky. It illuminated the walls of the city Kawden, the city Axis guarded. The city looked ancient from the outside, protected by a stone brick wall, like some ancient city from a book. But, in reality, the city was truly very tech-oriented. The wall was equipped to electrocute anyone who touched it. It could also fire bullets, using an artificial intelligence.

Axis enjoyed the particular patrol that surrounded the city. The sand was smooth, unlike the rocky, unsteady paths of the city’s interior. Her mount moved beautifully, bouncing with every step. She felt every time a hoof hit the ground, but it didn’t hurt when it happened. It was just, smooth, smooth and serene.

But Axis knew she wasn’t meant to be relaxed at the time. The city walls were a dangerous place to patrol, but in the morning most dangers were smart enough to stay away. Except for a few confused dingos and the like, the patrol was easy.

And, just as Axis was lamenting over the lack of danger the route possessed, her robotic mount stopped. Full of life, it took a step forward and whinnied with its muzzle turned towards the sky.

Axis didn’t even have to think about it as her arm grabbed for her gun. The smooth, black metal felt solid in her hands. It made her feel safe, like a child with a teddy bear.

Her horse stepped back and held its head up proudly, nostrils flaring. In front of it stood a small dog, a terrier mix of some kind. It yapped at the horse, bouncing up and down, shaking its white, curly fur.

Axis rolled her eyes and put her gun away, taking the horse’s reins in her hands. She commanded the large robot to keep walking, chasing away the small yipping animal.

Her patrol was almost over. The three hours had flown by fast; They had practically lulled her into a nap. She put the reins down, leaving the robot on autopilot. It seemed to know what she wanted, and started into a trot towards the nearest gate into the city. It soon sped up to a quick canter, eyes locked on the sand ahead of it. It veered to the left sharply, nearly throwing Axis off its back. Axis made a mental note to ask the technicians to think about making a better path finding system for the horses.

The horse skidded to a stop, using its heels to dig into the sand. It slowed to a walk, finding a smooth pace once more. Axis felt its weight shift from one shoulder to the other as it walked at a steady gait.

Axis was always surprised by the large shadow that cast over her when she entered the gates. The dark would swallow her for a few moments, and then she would emerge into the light, with the buzz of the city all around her.

The gate was a large arch that went up to about the halfway point of the wall’s height. Normally, a large metal gate would be brought down, but in the morning the gate was always open.

Axis’s horse pushed past many other people as they entered the gate. Most of the crowd was made up of people in cars and vans and trucks and whatnot, hauling goods. The rest of the group were families, traveling in their own vehicles, or on foot. The morning was always a busy time at the gates. Merchants would come and go, and families would head out for whatever reason: Moving, vacation, visiting another city.

Starting at the gate was a long, smooth path made of quartz and decorated with colorful stones. Despite the seemingly rickety nature of the road, it was truly quite stable. It had to be to support the floods of people going in and out of the city.

Many people waved at Axis as she went bye. Some amazed children even ran up to her to stroke her mechanical horse’s shining surface. She thought it was cute; The kids were in awe of her mount. It wasn’t uncommon for them to do this, and it wasn’t uncommon for older folks to come up to her either. They would thank her for her work, and wish her a good day.

When Axis’s horse finally made it through the crowd, the woman was greeted with the sight of city of Kawden: an architectural masterpiece.

Buildings stretched high into the sky, antennas on their roofs reaching even further. The buildings were made entirely of metal and coated with softly glimmering gemstones, like cobalt. Many of them were lit up with stunning displays of lights running down their sides.

Several smaller buildings dotted the ground, like the forest below the canopy. They were shaped like squares, many of them looking like imitations of the larger structures above them. Some were quite industrial and cold, like most of the large buildings, but some of them were small, family businesses. Quaint little restaurants, hobby gardens, and more decorated the very lowest level of the city.

Axis smiled at the sight of the cute little things, but knew that they were not her destination. She instead turned along a more worn road which led into a district of large, square buildings. Some of them were dotted with spiraling patterns of windows, while some were simply solid colored. The shining jewel in the crown, however, was the building at the end of the road.

It was designed to look like a palace, complete with towers that reached into the sky. Flags danced from its highest points and green, holographic guards stood on either side of the entrance.

Axis’s mount detected this as it became in range of the building. Its gait changed to a snooty, high-stepping trot, raising its head to the sky.

Axis soon became aware of the others on street. Many were on their own horses, dressed in armor very similar to hers. Most were clustered together in groups; Some groups were laughing and chatting, but others were talking with worry, their voices low. Axis preferred to walk alone, as she did not speak much with the others.

As the cavalrymen approached the castle, they dismounted. And, like something out of a movie, the robots disappeared into the ground. This did not scare any of the soldiers however, as they saw such feats quite often. They all simply headed into the caste’s wide open doors, continuing their conversations.

Axis dismounted her horse, watching nonchalantly as it disappeared into the ground. She joined a large crowd as they flooded into the doors. Most of the group was made up of younger men, laughing and joking about whatever they saw.

From the door stretched out a long, metal hallway. Doors branched off every the walls every few steps. The group began to thin as people headed into the different rooms.

Axis kept walking, heading for her room. The very end of the hallway housed the barracks, the rooms where every soldier slept.

Her room was at the very end of the hall, behind a dark blue door. When she finally got there the crowd surrounding her had thinned to the point where it only consisted of a few people, much more heavily armored than the rest. They were the higher ups, the councils, all heading to the command and discussion rooms at the very end of the path. They were all fitted with heavy black armor that covered every inch of their bodies. Axis kept her distance from them, knowing they all had important work to do.

The soldier opened her door, unveiling her sparse quarters. The room had four deep blue, metal walls and no windows. A comfy looking bed with sheets to match the walls sat in the corner. All of Axis’s belongings were housed in a sky blue metal dresser. The whole room was very neat and tidy, just the way Axis liked it.

The door closed with a loud crash as Axis entered the room. She took off her helmet first, placing it on a small mannequin head atop her wardrobe. Underneath the smooth metal was a young face, 23 years old to be exact. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a clean hair bun, tied in place by a brightly colored red scrunchie. For being a soldier, her face was notably well kept, except for a single scar that ran just above her right eye.

Next, she strode over to one panel on the wall that was slightly brighter than the rest. A tiny window opened near the top of the panel, beneath it a camera lens. The lens blinked, then started to hum. A red light turned on in an instant, then lowered down onto a stationary Axis. And, strangely, as suddenly as the light appeared, it was gone.

Axis’s armor disappeared.

Just like that, gone. Underneath was a sleek black bodysuit with a silver zipper running along the front. Axis fixed the collar, tugging at it until it popped back into its normal position.

She realized how warm she had been in all the armor. With the combined heat of the armor and desert wasteland, she was sweating. She yawned, blinking her eyes a few times. She hobbled over to her nicely made bed and gently lowered herself onto its comfy surface.

Axis’s ears pricked. Her bed was stationed right beside a discussion room, so it wasn’t uncommon to hear speech before she slept. But this was strange; This speech she could make out.

“Four more,”