21 A trip to the surface

Cassandra watched quietly as Kevin ascended the last rung and entered the code on the keypad. The hatch opened on the outside with a swishing noise.

As Kevin climbed through the opening and pulled himself back up, the hatch closed automatically behind him and engaged its code lock once again. His AI flashed a new set of notifications, welcoming him to the surface.

// Environmental assessment enabled.

Scanning environment....

Location:

Technoria.

Solis City.

Sorus District.

Recreational Zone.

Height: 1 mile above sea-level.

Predominant structural composition: Concrete, wood, and glass.

Predominant population: robots.

Ambient temperature: 330K

Hazards detected: Unstable concrete buildings.

Structural collapse imminent.

Weather patterns detected:

Current weather: Dry with extensive smog cover. //

A dull brown sky, enveloped in a thick blanket of smog greeted Kevin as he looked up. Neither the moon nor the stars were out tonight and the darkness was only lit up by the floating red glass spheres which lined the pavement on either side.

These lamps were supposed to emit a bright white glow, but had now dimmed to a drowsy red due to the lack of power. Since they operated entirely on solar power, the smog covering the sky had sounded the death knell for them.

Kevin looked around and bore witness to the tremendous destruction wrought by the machines.

Billboards riddled with holes, hovered unsteadily over the dilapidated buildings, threatening to come crashing down at any moment.

All the buildings in his immediate vicinity lay in ruins, their glass windows shattered to pieces and their wooden doors blown off their hinges. What remained of these toothless old structures were just the shaky foundations and the roofs. Most of the walls had collapsed and the upper floors were slowly crumbling down.

The city that Kevin had once called home now lay on its deathbed, begging to be put out of its misery. This part of the city was a recreational zone. In its former days of glory, it used to be a popular haunt for young men and women who wanted to while away their time, sipping icy cold cocktails and gorging on exotic culinary delicacies. There was a casino in its heart and several nightclubs and bars scattered haphazardly all around.

Kevin had only visited Sorus District once with his cousin after turning 18. It was here that he'd tried his first Starglaze shots and danced to the tune of 'Techno Madness.'

All his memories resurfaced in his mind as he looked at this desolate landscape, which seemed completely unrecognizable now. He slowly walked across the main street and made his way to the floating bar on his left. Its holo display was still active, and it boldly displayed the name, 'Cloud 9.'

This was the city's only floating bar and was shaped like a Martini Glass. A long narrow stem made of chromium ran all the way up to the top. It housed an express elevator that took the patrons to the top, an open glass roof shaped like a cone.

Kevin stood under the bar, hoping to see its neon lights flickering, but it was all dark on the roof, and the familiar Digi Beats were no longer playing.

After staring at the bar and reminiscing about the past, it was time for him to explore the places farther down the road. All the buildings looked like they'd been abandoned long ago, and there was not a single soul in sight.

Scattered on either side of the road were black electric sedans with flattened tires and solar-powered Sky Rovers which had their propulsion thrusters blown to pieces. People had probably tried to flee the city in their cars, but the robots had shot down the vehicles with extreme prejudice.

Strangely enough, there were no bodies lying around. Kevin did spot a few blood stains on the cars and gates of the surrounding buildings, but there weren't too many smears on the road.

"What happened to all these people?" Kevin muttered under his breath.

Walking down the road, Kevin made his way to the casino, all the while keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of movement. The call from the surface had probably come from another district in Solis City. There were neither robots nor humans in this part of the city, and everything was eerily quiet.

When Kevin finally reached the casino, he was shocked to see the three-story building sliced in half. It seemed like the front portion of its exterior had been ripped out by some freakish giant. All the Digi-slot machines and clear glass tables were lying on the ground, their screens shattered to pieces.

As he neared the entrance, he saw the decaying corpses littering the bloodstained carpet. There were bodies everywhere, some riddled with bullet holes, some torn to pieces, and others shot dead by laser weaponry. These people had probably sought refuge inside this building when the machines attacked, but it provided little in terms of protection.

The reality was morbid, but Kevin tried to keep his hopes alive. Walking up to the building's crumbling exterior, he breathed a heavy sigh.

"Activate Bionic Scanning Laser."

// Activating Bionic Scanning Laser...

Checking for signs of organic life... //

Kevin's left eye emitted a stream of green laser rays which scanned the entire building for signs of organic life. The bionic scanner was designed to detect heartbeats and muscular movements. If there was any living being inside that building it was sure to identify it. The scanner had a range of 100 meters and was accurate up to the size of rodents and small birds. Even if there were any stray cats or dogs hiding inside, the scanner would be able to pick up their heartbeats.

The laser light entered every nook, cranny, and crevice, searching for that elusive heartbeat. Kevin hoped to find at least one breathing soul amidst the sea of corpses. After a minute, the AI beeped again.

// Bionic scan complete.

No organic life detected. //

Kevin let out a heavy sigh and slowly backed away from the casino. He wondered what could have caused such devastation. No robot that he'd ever seen was capable of tearing a whole building in half. Using explosives would have left burn marks on the carpet and the corpses would've been blown to bits. It didn't look like the work of the XL11 robots.

Just as Kevin was about to pick up the pace and check out the nearby club, his assistant AI flashed a timer alert.

// Timer alert!

1 hour has elapsed

45 minutes left. //

Cassandra had warned Kevin about extending his stay outside. Things could go horribly wrong if he didn't return within the stipulated time, but he didn't want to go back without finding more about what had happened on the surface.

There could still be survivors hiding in the numerous clubs and motels in the area. And he wasn't willing to abandon them. So far, he hadn't encountered any machines, which was definitely a good sign.

What really bothered him was the environmental assessment from the AI. It had clearly mentioned that the predominant population here consisted of robots. He thought perhaps the AI had presented an incorrect report due to some internal error.

Kevin crossed the street again and turned right at the intersection. He was about to check out the nightclub on his right when he heard a mechanical chittering coming from behind. He quickly turned around, expecting to find some malfunctioning Tracker Drone, but what he saw before him made him freeze in place.