By Patrick M. Fitzgerald
The sulfurous stench of rotting vegetation stung Zach’s sinuses as he ran through the marshland of the planet Hecate. With each stride, the mud slurped around his boots.
Gonna sink if I pause for even a second.
“The powersuits were a good call, Z.” Tetsuo’s voice was calm and steady, despite the exertion.
Zach glanced back. Glowing, amber eyes bobbed through the fog. “We’d never outrun the swamp hounds otherwise.”
Tetsuo laughed as he jumped over a tangle of tree roots. “I could.”
“Great, you can try it on our way back.” Zach glanced at his wrist. “Computer, distance to target?”
The device chirped. “200 meters.”
“Almost there. With any luck, Lykaina will be more agreeable than the terrain.”
“Don’t count on it,” Tetsuo said. “People are products of their environment.”
Zach grimaced. “That doesn’t bode well for trade negotiations.”
The snarling behind them grew louder by the second.
Zach clutched his laser pistol and blasted the base of a tree as they ran past. It fell across the path behind them with a massive splash of muck.
“That’ll slow them down.” I hope. Zach’s legs were starting to burn, even with the powered exoskeleton.
Tetsuo glanced over his shoulder. “They’re still coming.”
A round, wooden shack appeared above the swamp’s mists at the crest of a hemispherical hill. Bright wildflowers formed a grid across the grassy soil.
“That’s the place!” Zach bounded up the solid ground of the hillside. The subtle sweetness of the blooms did little to mask the ambient stench.
He took a moment to marvel at the symmetry of the hill. Must’ve been a challenge to make this swamp livable.
A tall woman with flowing, black hair stood in the open doorway, gesturing for them to enter. “Welcome to Lykaina’s Retreat.” Her voice was muffled by the respirator over her mouth and nose.
“That would’ve been handy,” Tetsuo said, pinching his nose.
“I’ll remember it next time.” Zach crouched to disengage his boots before rushing into the relative safety of the shack.
“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time,” Tetsuo muttered.
As the two massive swamp hounds ran towards them, the woman pounded a staff on the threshold. “That’s enough!”
The hounds bowed their heads before the woman. “Good boys.” She scratched the scruffs of their necks and sent them back to the swamp.
“Please make yourself comfortable and rest a bit.” She gestured at the plush armchairs that circled a stone-ringed fire pit. “There’s plenty of time to discuss the trade agreement.”
Zach looked sheepishly at his legs. “But the mud…”
“Look where I live.” She rolled her eyes toward the door. “I’m used to it.” She threw a handful of herbs onto the fire. “I have microbots for everything, including sanitation.”
Gentle incense filled the shack, banishing the stench of the swamp. Most of it, anyway. The mud on Zach’s powersuit was still pretty rancid. Despite the woman’s assurances, he felt a twinge of guilt as he watched the moisture seep into the cushions, but the stuffed velvet soothed his throbbing legs.
Zach closed his eyes and breathed in the gentle fragrance of the room. Lavender and mint, with an undercurrent of something cloyingly sweet he couldn’t quite identify.
Zach bolted upright. The scent of trespassers swirled on the wind, piercing through the familiarity of the swamp. The hair bristled on the back of his neck. He nudged the swamp hound beside him and growled.
Something else seemed wrong. His canine instincts refused to settle. And why do I smell lavender?
The tantalizing human scent stirred a more primal urge, overwhelming his reasoning. There were intruders to hunt.
Zach snarled and nodded his snout in the direction of the scent. His packbrother ran beside him as they gave chase.
Zach licked his fangs. Intelligent creatures always made interesting prey.
Leaping across the familiar terrain, he quickly caught sight of them. The humans glanced back to him—their scent spiked with the spicy undertone of fear.
The humans picked up speed. Zach sneered at a whiff of metal and oil. Enhancements! They’re cheating.
He howled in frustration and pushed himself to run faster. Humans aren’t made for this terrain—their powersuits were a good call. I’d use them if I were human.
The scent of the intruders drove him on, but lavender lingered all around him. Weirdly, it felt more real than anything else.
The shack had smelled of lavender, not the swamp… Am I dreaming?
Zach tried to stop running, but his muscles wouldn’t obey. He fought to control his paws, but the only response was a metallic grinding.
The powersuit’s servos whirred as Zach broke the cords binding his wrists.
He jumped to his feet, sending the chair slamming to the ground.
Lykaina turned from the wall terminal with a scowl. A twist of her staff revealed the barrel of a laser.
Zach’s eyes darted from her weapon to his wrist computer plugged into the terminal. “How dare you!”
He clenched his jaw. “Computer, defense protocol!”
The wrist computer buzzed, releasing an electric pulse. Sparks burst from her terminal as the woman collapsed.
His body still ached, but his neck wasn’t just stiff, it was burning. He scratched at it, and a mosquito-like robot fell into his hand.
Remembering the way Lykaina touched the hounds, Zach felt behind his friend’s neck and plucked off a microbot…
Tetsuo snapped his bonds and bounded into a fighting stance. “What just happened?”
“Were you chasing humans?” Zach squinted at the wire leads on the microbots.
“Yeah…” Tetsuo winced. “I think we were the humans, actually.”
“Those must be uploaded memories from the hounds.” Zach held up the metal insects. “Neural data transmission. She really does have microbots for everything.”
“Meaning they can download our knowledge.” Tetsuo scowled at their host. “A valuable commodity considering our security clearance”
“She can forget the trade agreement.” Zach grabbed his computer and clamped it back on his arm. “This planet has far too many predators.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Interesting stories within the story. I’d enjoy reading more…
Thanks!
I’m glad you appreciated all the story’s intricacy.
Don’t worry, Zach has plenty of adventures ahead of him!
I love your Greek myth-inspired twists! Your descriptions really made the swamp vibrant in my mind!
The Greek myths are some of my favorites, and I love weaving ancient threads into a futuristic story.
I’m really glad you enjoyed my work, Beka! Thank you!
Cool! I hadn’t realized that the name ‘Hecate’ had connections to Greek mythology.
Microbots are intriguing. Even though this story is science fiction, I think they are in our future.
There’s a lot of potential in micro-robotics.
It’ll be interesting to find out how much it becomes part of our lives.
It’s possible they could be as commonplace as the Roomba, and maybe not too far off.
Thanks for reading!