Sarah7

Ch24

Atop a rocky hill a burly man lowered a set of crude binoculars as the sun’s orange rays cast long shadows beside him. The wind was cold, signaling the end of fall and the approach of winter.

The object of his observation was a large city that lay mostly in ruins. Old Chicago, with its tall buildings and metallic rust seemed to mock the man, as it represented a serious complication of his search.

“Creed! Come back from the ledge, lest the sentries spot you.” Old Captain Danner admonished.

“I don’t know why I brought you along. You’ve done nothing but yell at me this whole trip.” Creed growled in reply.

“Of course you know why you brought me along. I’m the only one who knows how to run this scanner ” the old man held up a rusty old device that beeped faintly. The readout pointed directly at Old Chicago, and the distance had not increased in the past day they had been waiting there in the nearby forest.

“She hasn’t left the city. We are going to have to go in there.” Captain Danner murmured.

“Why on earth would she follow those thieves into their den? Doesn’t she have a lick of sense?” Creed complained. He pulled out his sword and began cleaning it vigorously. His anger and worry transformed into nervous energy as the sword nearly gleamed under his attention.

“In a very real sense, she is only a few weeks old. You know this. She hasn’t had time to develop distrust of her fellow man.” Captain Danner explained.

Creed snorted. “Well, that lack of distrust is going to get her hurt, or worse.”

“Don’t you think with that mech of hers, and whatever skills they stuck in her head she can fend for herself? ”

“Don’t start on that Prophecy nonsense again. She’s lucky to be alive. Whatever skills she has she’s going to need them. Especially if we have any hope of rescuing the others.” Creed snapped.

“Looks like they won’t be the only one that’ll need rescuing.” Captain Danner said as he peered through the binoculars.

“What? Let me see.” Creed stood up and looked through the makeshift spy glasses .

His keen eyes quickly spotted a small caravan of horses and a large uncovered wagon. They were traveling along a ruined highway leading out of the city. The last rays of the sun caught the unmistakable gleam of metal protruding from the wagon.

It was Max’s claw-like arm.

“Damn! This is worse than we thought.” Creed swore.

“Looks like we have a choice. Rescue the mech and risk Sarah getting hurt, or try to get her out on our own and risk losing the help of the machine. You know we are going to need them both if we are going to have any hope of success.”

Creed swore to himself for a full minute before angrily breaking down the rudimentary camp they had set up. Captain Danner was silent. They both knew the course they would have to take, and neither one liked it one bit.

“Come help me with this. If we have any hope of intercepting that caravan we have to leave now!” Creed barked.

“So we leave Sarah to the hands of fate for now?” Captain Danner asked, even though he knew the answer.

“What choice do we have? Let’s put your Prophecy to the test...” Creed replied.

“Stay safe, Sarah. So much depends on you.” Creed whispered as he followed Captain Danner down the barely marked path. It signaled the beginning of a forced march that would in all likelihood last all night.

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Sarah bit back tears as she lie in the over soft bed her captors had provided her. She was covered in bumps and bruises. After the revelation of Max’s capture and ultimate fate with the Vixen, Sarah had gone berserk. She had sought to attack first Sarah 5, and then the legion of armed defenders that had rushed into the room as if by some silent signal by The Leader.

“You have committed an act of treason, DEAR granddaughter.” Sarah 5 had worded with a dead calmness that only infuriated Sarah 7 more. It had taken five strong men to hold her down, and that only barely.

“It is only because of our kinship that I don’t kill you where you stand. No one. NO ONE! Attacks ME in my own stronghold! That is the way of War. And, dear granddaughter , I am a woman of peace.”

Sarah 7 spat out a response, “You’re mad! The Vixen killed our people! They are going to destroy this planet when they have gutted it of any resources left! How can you possibly believe they care at all about you or this city?”

“I brought peace. I brought them the remnants of the resistance. They rewarded me handsomely.” The Leader had said quietly. Sarah stared into her eyes with horror at the revelation that this woman who had been created to give hope had instead become a traitor.

“Take her away. Lock her in the Guest room.” The Leader had commanded and stormed out of the room.

‘How could I have been such an idiot?’ Sarah though to herself. Max had known. He had been so reluctant to trust them. If only she had listened. But she had hoped that she could find a place. A place to fit in. A place to run away from this Prophecy, and away from the Vixen. Instead she had only made things worse for herself, and she hoped against hope that Max was not permanently damaged. How had they stopped him?

Her body shook with the sobs that came in waves. She was a failure. A freak. And she had just betrayed her only friend. Not to mention the people of the village, were they even still alive? She wished Amil was here. He would have found a way to cheer her up. Or helped her escape.

Her hands were bloody from pounding on the door and walls. The iron in the door held fast even though it was now heavily dented. And the concrete walls merely absorbed her heavy blows with only a crack or two showing.

Tears ran down her bruised cheeks as blood oozed from her hands. Dispair swept over her and paralyzed her. The seed of a terrible idea formed in the back of her mind. Perhaps, just perhaps she should end her own life. She couldn’t imagine becoming a monster like Sarah 5.

Suddenly there was a buzzing in her ear. The earpiece that she had carefully concealed began to vibrate in her ear. She quickly touched the receiver.

“Max! Max is that you?” She cried out.

“Sarah. Can it really be you? It has been so long Sarah.”

Sarah stared into space. That voice was not Max. But it was also not a new voice to her. It was the deep female voice she had been hearing in her dreams.

“Who is this? How can you be sending to this channel?” She spoke in a quavering voice.

“I have been sending for a long time, Sarah, you must have moved close enough to finally receive my signal. Are you teasing me Sarah? How can you not know who I am? It is I, Orna.” The voice was plaintive and questioning at the same time.

“O-orna? Who are you?” Sarah asked.

“You are teasing me. You are very silly Sarah. I am not a who, but a what. I am Orna, your sword. I have missed you so. Why have you left me for so long, Sarah?”

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