Farima: An Afrofuturist Sci-Fi Adventure (The Homo Maximus Saga Book 1) Read online

  Natia watches as the A.I. targets android after android and decimates them with precision. They’re targeted with pinpoint accuracy to either their internal power supply synthetic ‘brain’. Their brains contain their artificial logic used to problem-solve and adapt. As the shooting is taking place, Natia glances over the top of the ovular battle arena. She can see smoke rising in the distance.

  “What is that?” Natia thinks.

  “It’s the island. Let’s just hope we’re not too late.” Khalil thinks back.

  As she looks over the top of the arena, a half dozen drones blast through the smoke and dash towards them. Natia glances at the monitor to her left as the A.I. tracks the new entrants onto the battlefield. They bob and weave through each other’s flight paths to throw off the tracking sensor.

  “Get a lock on those things!” Natia screams.

  As the T-Walker edges closer to the back end of the Battle Arena, Natia visualizes the mech stopping in its place. She imagines what it would look like to hunker down like a turtle going inside its shell.

  “Natia, there’s a new array of weapons at our disposal while in ‘cover mode.’” The A.I. speaks.

  “Oh, is that what it’s called?” Natia quips. “Show me what I’m working with.” Natia’s eyes shoot up and they peer through the truncated command window as dozens of androids still ran towards them firing.

  A new series of displays leap into the air in front of her. Not fully understanding what she’s looking at, Natia sees one that looks intriguing, “What is ‘The Melter’?”

  “A liquid the shell secretes that is so corrosive, it eats through hardened android parts and melts them. Great for crowd control when you’re about to be swarmed as we are now!” The A.I. says as Natia realizes how close they’d gotten.

  “Do it now!”

  The body of the T-Walker drops lower to the ground in-between its massive tires. The shell encases the command hub and Natia can hear it slamming down onto the ground outside.

  “We’re secured.” The A.I. speaks. “Beginning secretion.”

  From the AR screens in front of her, Natia sees the androids leaping onto the shell of the T-Walker. They shoot wildly at it as they look for vulnerabilities. She doesn’t, however, see Taseti anywhere. “Can you find Khalil’s T-Walker for me?”

  On the screen in front of her, she can see Khalil’s T-Walker speeding around in circles in the middle of the battle arena. An uncountable number of android body parts lay scattered all across the massive field, though many still remain. At first, it looks like Khalil has it under control, that’s when she sees him. The black armor and energy sword are latched onto the top of Khalil’s mech. He’s trying to shake Taseti, and it isn’t working. He creeps closer and closer to Khalil’s command hub.

  As much as she now hates Khalil, it isn’t so easy for her to erase years of trust. Taseti is a problem that must be stopped.

  “Hang in there, I’ll be over when I get rid of the androids swarming me.” Natia thinks.

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  It dawns on her. “Go into auto-pilot. I have to go check on the others.”

  She rises up from her chair and goes to open the door, which leads back out into the main area. Instead of chaos, to her surprise, Natia sees order instead. Adan and Araba sit next to each other looking at their respective screens sharing information with each other.

  “Hey what’s going on? Everything ok?” Natia asks reluctantly.

  Araba leaps to her feet and winces, forgetting about her leg wound. “Yes, for the moment. The A.I. has been helping us, look.”

  Natia steps over to their consoles and eyes the screens. Araba controls a series of turrets on one side, Adan the turrets on the other. They are still shooting at the androids, even in the stationary mode they’re in. Natia can see the androids melting as they attempt to scramble off of the mech. A thick, glue-like substance sticking to their metallic bodies and not letting go. “Where’s Ameer?”

  Araba looks and points to the rear of the T-Walker. “He’s in the barracks.”

  “There are barracks on this thing?” Natia is shocked.

  “If you can call a small room with bunks a barracks,” Adan says. “Natia, you have to talk to him.”

  “You’re right.” All of a sudden, she thinks the unthinkable. This might be a bad idea, but I need to be around him from now on. It’s because of me that he is in this chaotic world.

  Inside the barracks, there are a series of bunk beds that line both sides of the wall. Designed to house over a dozen soldiers comfortably, this turtle mech can be used for an extended period if needed. Ameer sits on the bottom bed closest to the door with his eyes staring at the floor.

  “Ameer, there’s so much I want to tell you and I promise I can explain everything. But right now, it’s not safe for you to be by yourself.” Natia says.

  Ameer doesn’t move.

  Natia looks at his trembling hands and realizes the boys in shock.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I feel like we’re in over our heads. I’ve felt that way for days now. I’m not a soldier, but I can think on my feet and I have amazing support in there. But—but I could use your help.”

  Ameer looks up, surprised to hear that. “How?”

  “Come with me and find out.”

  Natia extends her hand. Ameer looks at the gesture with skepticism at first, but then reaches out and grabs her hand.

  It isn’t much, but it’s progress. That’s all Natia can ask for.

  Chapter 22

  The Duel - Part One

  Node One—Manay City, 2082—Isle of Khalil—Battle Arena

  So many decades have passed since the Battle of Charlotte. To Khalil, it serves as a distant memory. A fog in his brain so dense he can’t think without being reminded of it. Now history has come full circle, and he finds himself looking at the man he betrayed—hanging by his nano-sword with one arm outside his Command Hub. He appears unrecognizable in his black nano-tech battle suit, not the Taseti he once knew. Hell, he’s not the Khalil Taseti once knew either.

  Nothing Khalil has done has shaken his old ally from the turtle mecha. He’s running out of options. All of a sudden, he sees Taseti placing an explosive device on the exterior of the Hub. Taseti looks up at Khalil and waves. Then he leaps like a cat-back atop the mecha to get out of the path of the coming explosion.

  “Meshidam!” Khalil yells out the Mandenite curse word. He leaps from his seat and sprints out of the Command Hub and into the body of the T-Walker.

  A violent explosion rocks Khalil’s mecha and the blast throws his body like a doll to the other end of the giant vessel. He hits the metal floor with a bone-crunching thud as he lands upside down. Once again, his ears are ringing from an explosion. The smell of smoke and metal fills his nostrils and he scrambles to his feet.

  He dashes into the weapons locker storage, a room tucked away towards the rear of the mecha. Khalil hurriedly punches in the code and the locker hisses open. An array of weapons appear at his disposal. In the center, glistening and unused since its creation, rests an electron sword. Not made of nano-materials like Taseti’s, but of refined Keletronium metal ore. The thick blade of the sword reflects the red hot fire burning behind him.

  A shadow crosses behind him, reflected in the metal of the sword. Khalil turns and sees Taseti standing inside the doorway, blocking his entry back into the body of the vessel.

  Taseti draws his nano-sword from the sheath along his back. He presses a button on its hilt, activating an electrical current that runs along the blade.

  “So you want a sword fight huh, Taseti?” Khalil smirks and grabs the electron sword from the storage locker. The blade is thicker than Taseti’s, and heavier. Khalil maintains a low guard posture with the blade pointed towards the floor, held low between his legs. A deceptive stance that allows for quick counters.

  “You took everything from me. You destroyed our friendship and sold me out to the KWR, because I didn’t align with yo
ur agenda.”

  “Look around you, Taseti. New Manden is like our jewel in the middle of the ocean. We built it despite those telling us we were wrong.” He notices Taseti taking an aggressive attack stance with his blade pulsating above his head. He points it straight at Khalil. “I’ve made mistakes, but if I had to do it all over again, I would.”

  Taseti screams in anger and an electrical blasts shoots from the tip of Taseti’s blade. Khalil dodges to his left and charges at Taseti. Once in range, he swings his thick blade in a mighty upward arc, screaming back with an equal level of rage.

  Taseti flips back into the more open belly of the mecha. He uses his hands, while touching the floor, to launch his body a dozen feet into the air. Landing on a console, the former allies begin dueling in the spacious body of the T-Walker after Khalil chases him down.

  Taseti swings for Khalil’s head. The tip of the blade comes close enough to his neck, Khalil can feel the heat of the crackling electricity on his skin.

  Khalil counters by slamming his blade down from above his head with such violence, after Taseti leaps away, the console explodes into pieces.

  Taseti charges in reckless and flat-footed. He brings his blade down in a diagonal arc, only for Khalil to block it with his own blade. Khalil, catching Taseti off-balance, pushes back on his blade and twirls around quicker than Taseti can react. Khalil launches his blade forward and drives it through Taseti’s stomach.

  His eyes bulge in shock and fear as Taseti lets out a loud agonizing scream. Khalil rips the blade back out of Taseti’s stomach as he collapses to the floor.

  Khalil couldn’t bring himself to apologize, but just as he was about to force himself to, he begins seeing the impossible. Taseti begins to laugh out loud as Khalil notices the muscles inside the hole in his stomach rebuilding themselves.

  “Impossible.” Khalil’s jaw could touch the floor, he’s in such disbelief.

  “You have secret quantum tech on this island Khalil and you’re telling me nano tissue engineering is impossible?”

  “Nanobots are rebuilding your muscles?”

  Taseti stands back up as the hole disappears and his suit reforms over his regrown skin. “Not rebuilding—rebuilt,” Taseti screams again as he restarts the duel.

  With their blades locked, Taseti stomps on Khalil’s foot whose shoes aren’t built for combat. Khalil feels the hard metal of Taseti’s powered exoskeleton crushing his foot, his defense breaks. Taseti punches him in the face with such force, Khalil flies back. His body slams down hard on a nearby console.

  Taseti pauses before charging in, “after I’m done killing you. I’ll take Natia next. I won’t kill her. I’m taking her back where our people come from. She has much to learn in the NAS.”

  “You’ll have to kill me first.” Khalil’s face throbs from his impact of metallic exoskeleton on flesh and bone. Several teeth feel loose as he tastes blood in his mouth. He spits onto the floor, “you almost had me with Acacia. I totally forgot you had a sister and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember her name, and I never met her.”

  For a moment, the two stand there staring at each other.

  “I loved my sister. She wasn’t the same after your treachery. She loved the revolution more than I did. She disagreed with me, actually. She wanted New Manden. But you turned her into, well some stories are best left taken to the grave.”

  “I’m sorry.” Khalil forces himself to say. “Whatever pain I caused your family. I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

  “Nothing. Its worth nothing. All I want is for you to die.”

  Khalil knows they’re way past apologizing. He needed that for his own consciousness. It doesn’t change the reality that Taseti’s existence poses a serious threat to Khalil. He knows things. Information no other Mandenite is privy to.

  He knows about The Society.

  “So you’re their agent? The Society? They sent me a message that Natia intercepted.” Khalil asks.

  “I am, but what’s it to you? New Manden will lose this war game and when we’re done, your nation will be destroyed.” Taseti charges at Khalil.

  They begin dueling again and Khalil walks backward towards. After parrying a swing, he brings his blade down on Taseti’s leg. It severs into two pieces. Taseti falls to the floor on his hands and knees and looks behind him as Khalil drives his blade through his back. Khalil’s blade clangs on the metallic floor of the mecha as blood drips down it.

  Khalil can hear Taseti choking and yanks the blade out of his body. Taseti’s body plops with a thud onto the floor and for a moment, he doesn’t move. Khalil looks inside the hole and doesn’t see anything rebuilding and Taseti appears lifeless. Khalil turns around and begins couching. The smoke from the Command Hub has become thick in the air.

  Just as he begins thinking of Natia and a way to contact her, he hears a weird moaning sound coming from behind him. Taseti is attempting to stand to his feet. With his back turned towards him, Khalil can see the nano-machines inside Taseti’s body rebuilding his internal organs again.

  “Why won’t you just die!” Khalil screams in rage as Taseti stands back on his feet and turns.

  I may not survive this. Khalil thinks as Taseti charges back at him.

  Chapter 23

  The Duel - Part Two

  Node One—Manay City, 2082—Isle of Khalil—Battle Arena

  Natia closes the door to the command hub behind her after she enters. Ameer immediately takes a seat in her chair. She chuckles and wags her finger at him. She grabs him under his arms and lifts him into the air; she sits back into her seat and places him on her lap.

  “You’re heavy for a baby.” She looks into his deep brown eyes. “A very smart baby.”

  He begins touching things in the command hub.

  “Don’t touch.” She gently taps his hand and smiles, “Just watch.”

  Natia pulls the helmet hanging from the ceiling back over the top of her head. She leans back in the chair as they exit ‘cover mode.’ She can feel the T-Walker lurching back up as the hub pokes back out from under its shell.

  Something is wrong, however.

  Smoke is now rising from Khalil’s T-Walker, which sits stationary, but not in ‘cover mode’. The drones are raining fire down on his mech and the androids that remain are shooting at Khalil’s command hub from the ground. It appears they abandoned Natia’s T-Walker for Khalil’s.

  “Khalil, give me an update! What’s going on?”

  No response is heard.

  Her T-Walker speeds forward and begins shooting at the drones. Two go down, crashing into a ball of fire on the ground. The others fly towards Natia’s incoming turtle mech; they buzz around her from above and rain down as much firepower as they can generate. Natia doesn’t let this deter her, she keeps pressing forward. One of the drones flies down to the height of the command hub and self-detonates. The blast rocks the hub, but the Keletronium-enforced glass holds up.

  “That was close!” Natia yells.

  There’s another blast along the bottom of the mech next to the tires.

  “They’re self-detonating, Natia, because their blasts aren’t strong enough to penetrate.” The A.I. speaks.

  “Well tell Adan and Araba to speed it up and take them out or they’re going to take out our tires!”

  Ameer points towards the sky at the massive aircraft flying their way.

  “Looks like we might’ve found the thing that immobilized Khalil’s T-Walker!” Natia says with frustration in her voice.

  The KWR transport aircraft, massive enough to carry hundreds of androids, appears in the air above the Battle Arena. Its size blocks out the sun and casts a fourth of the arena in darkness.

  “Natia, that KWR Titan-class vessel has the power to do a lot of damage to our defenses.” The A.I. utters with a degree of certainty that unnerves Natia.

  “How many androids are still on the battlefield?”

  “Twenty.”

  “How many drones?”

  Another bla
st rocks the same side of Natia’s T-Walker.

  “Well, that was the last one. Right-side tire integrity at ten percent.”

  “Any sign of Taseti?”

  “None.”

  Natia’s face twists in disgust. The most important actor on the battlefield and we’ve lost sight of him.

  She asks, “Can we use infrared to see if there are multiple entities within Khalil’s mech?”

  “Yes. Doing so now.”

  As she waits, Natia directs the mech to finish off as many of the remaining androids as possible. She continues to look up. For now, the vessel above her is stationary and not firing on them.

  “There are two occupants inside the mech!” The A.I. says with as much alarm in its voice as it can manufacture.

  It raises an AR screen in front of Natia and she sees two combatants dueling inside Khalil’s T-Walker. “It’s Taseti! He must’ve gotten in after the KWR aircraft attacked the T-Walker. I have an idea. If Taseti is in the mech, let’s get closer to it. I’m confident that airship won’t throw its strongest weapon at us in fear of hurting him.”

  “Smart idea. Just so you know. Adan and Araba just took out the last of the androids.”

  “Ok, let’s stop right next to Khalil’s T-Walker.”

  Natia’s turtle mech comes to a screeching halt next to Khalil’s. With the weapon Khalil gave her still in her possession, she opens the ramp and rushes down. Edging closer and closer to the entrance that leads up to the interior body of Khalil’s turtle mech, Natia stops and listens. The closer she draws to the ramp, the clearer the sounds of clashing weapons becomes.

  She looks back to make sure Adan, Araba or Ameer aren’t following her. Good, they listened.

  Natia prances up the ramp. Immediately, she sees Khalil dueling Taseti around the series of consoles spread throughout the body of the T-Walker. With Taseti’s back turned, she fires a shot. To her shocking surprise, he pivots with lightening-fast reflexes as if he sensed the shot coming ahead of time. The blast almost puts a hole in Khalil’s chest, but he’s falling backward and it bounces off the interior wall instead.