Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 19 of 30 12/09/2020

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 19 of 30

12/09/2020

The alarm goes off, wander back up front with a spare ration sitting out. Do not see any of the Gunners about. Look into one of the side mounts and found a couple in there, reviewing firing sequences and emergency actions. So guess this is their time to be doing, what ever they do besides sleep and eat. Really have no idea what they do when they are not in the mounts firing when there is something that needs to be driver away. I wonder what else they do?

Stuff to wonder about, only until I am back in my area, then does not matter. Grab another water bottle, stop at the sinks to toss water on face. Forget the last time I scraped the hair off. Grab up a blade and take off the major portions, looks like stubble now is all. Will do, only like four days left to be back. The track is running smooth, no sharp bumps or jarring, so the route is good and the Kid must be ok up there. Take out a few more minutes to clean up a drop more, water to armpits and such.

I liked it a lot better when there were three drivers and I knew when I was supposed to be up there. Now of course in emergencies, all three of us were there just in case. If ever a breach happened, the Drivers are the most important element of the Track Crew. The rest are expendable if necessary. Not us Drivers.

Feel a little less wiped, up to the front. Some of the Gunners are in the main living space. Never bothered to meet any of them. They just all seem to glare at me. Maybe I will purge them all soon as I get up there. I spin my head fast but none of them seem to notice. Good. Will have to increase the gain on the internal cameras and recordings for the remainder of the trip.

So going to sleep as long as I can once we are back.

Buzz and the Kid lets me in. He does not know that we Drivers can override the hatch is necessary. A simple precaution in case someone goes wrong and enters the compartment. Review the record logs real fast, pace is excellent, route smoother than the mapping seemed to imply. Making great time, should be back about half a day before the deadline. All going well.

“Say Kid, you know where there is any skinny wire back there?”

“Yeah, some in the repair kits for the guns and mounts. How much do you need?”

“Only like a few inches worth, got something I need to do to get through the remaining days. Bring it up after you rest ok.”

“Sure, no problem. Looks like the left tracks are wearing a little based on the Track wants to pull that way a degree or so.”

Look over the track and the autopilot and he is right. Definitely Driver material.

“Great catch, Will update the auto to account for it. Nice work kid, you have potential for sure.”

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 18 of 30 12/08/2020

 Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 18 of 30

12/08/2020

About a day closer to The City. Been smoother than I expected. I had the Kid up here for a better part of a shift. Basically, just letting him do the major stuff, checking feeds and readings, ensuring the ones in back were not making problems, reviewing the upcoming route every few minutes and so on. All pretty routine, for a normal Driver. He being an almost trainee doing On The Drive work, makes it a bit more realistic. Of course, Driver Training is mostly out in the vehicles, as like a fourth or fifth Driver, sitting shifts with different ones. There is some classroom, mostly out here doing the work while learning as much as possible.

He knows as much or more as I do on Medical, definitely more on the Guns and a natural on the Aux Panel. He makes it, does not wash out or stay with Guns, would be willing to Drive with him in the future. No issue there. Most of us as shifted from Track to Track. No reason to get attached to any of the others, in case you need to dump them out without an ability to breath. I check the internal cameras, does not look like they are about to rush the door, so fine at this moment.

“Kid, gonna go sleep for an hour or two ok?”
He grunts, deep into looking at the specs of the vehicle. I take that as a yes and grab a spare breathing device, in case he get cute and tries to take over my spot while I am sleeping. I can hold my breath long enough to wake, use the relief station, and get back into a bunk before having to put it on. He does not know that, so I have that advantage for certain.

Grab a spare half eaten ration, gulp it down, two refilled waters to take back up front and then lay down. Set the personal alarm for a single hour and crash into sleep nearly instantly.

 

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 17 of 30

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 17 of 30

12/06/2020

Crank up the gain on all radars and contrast on the cameras. Setting the threat detector on high, will generate some false alerts, but that is better than not finding something. The damn thing goes off almost instantly, have to dial it back down a few notches. Still lighting up inanimates and rock formations as potential threats. Will deal with that for the time being.

The biggest risk is running into something too large to go over, or go around easily. At full speed the risk is being disabled in a collision. So have to focus most of my attention to what is in front of us. First review shows we might be able to shave some time off, slight detour, flatter and little wider in space.

We will route that way, no more dangerous creature wise than anywhere else on this planet. Still means we have to be at full speed pretty much the entire time heading back there. This is going to be rough on the track and its systems.

No matter, the orders stand, less than 5 days to return to The City. Would be better if I knew why we have to. The Track does not have the capacity to reach out that far, only narrow range and near direct line of sight is the sum of the communications capacity. Something about the planetary composition and the atmosphere composition, interferes with more long-range stuff. Radars are fine for horizon level work. Beyond that, useless.

Time to just drive as hard and fast as the machinery will allow for, perhaps more. The weak link are the Gunners in the back. One of them gets uppoitu, out of line going to take them all out. The Track is the only important thing. All that matters is my Track and her safety.

 

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 16 of 30

 Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 16 of 30

12/04/2020

9 days to get back. Means full speed the whole way. This is not going to be a good trip. Cannot recall this ever happening before, never heard of it ever. Can’t be good. Brain is spinning.

Get on the internal comm, “Main Guns to Driver Compartment.”

Only takes the four of them to get up here. Must have been right between changes or they woke easily.

I just hand them the message. While they are starting to read it back on the internals, “All gunners and others, speed is being increased due to mission from The City. It will be a rough ride for much of the next five days. Everyone to exercise complete caution when moving around the Track. For the next five days, exercise complete caution at all times.”

“Before you ask, I have no idea why. Normally it would take about 9 days to return from our location. Will have to be at Full Speed pretty much the entire time, including on rough terrain. I will look for a smoother path that might work. The Tail Gunner that has been helping me, is a good Driver Candidate. He will have to help with this if we are to succeed. Any questions?”

They had none and then I sent them back to the main section. Just about then is when the Kid shows up so I share the message with him as well, as telling him I am going to recommend he transfer to Driver Training, if he wanted that. That got a big smile and so I send him back to rest more, since he will have to take over for extended stretches here very soon so I can rest.

With the track up to almost full speed, it is like tossing and turning in your bed time. I have the terrain adjustors in Full Mode, and the telescoping elements keep us moving over most of the obstacles. Time to pull up the maps and see if there is a better route at this speed.

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 15 of 30 :

 Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 15 of 30

12/04/2020

 

Dreams of The City falling, the dome above cracking, shredding under the claws of a monster unlike any other seen before. An ancient nightmare woken from insensate slumber, driven mad with our presence, wiping us out once and for all. A long time ago, the tracks were for science. Then the monsters came, got bigger, more aggressive, changed, and kept coming. Now the tracks are for keeping them at bay as long as possible.

Still the dream continues, giant unknown shapes ripping off the metal roof, watching the poison and toxins flood down into the open streets, people gasping and dying even as the pieces fall all around. The few survivors holed up in the underground spaces constantly in suits and with weapons to fight off what follows them down below.

Only darkness falling, as a shadow of monstrosity looms over all of us and each succumbs one by one until only the dead and decaying remain.

The alarm sounds, reminding me it was a two-hour sleep allowed. Nothing shows on the radar or any other detection gear. We are in a pretty low traffic location now, having cut the mission short due to personnel issues.

I think I will let the kid rest some more. I am good for a while now. The nap, while not restful, was sleep anyway. Nothing going on out there, nothing happening in here. All is nice and calm and peaceful.

A while goes by, maybe another hour, and the wireless lights up. Can count a dozen some times in all the runs that the thing has come on. Normally emergencies only, or a change in a route sent by the High Office.

It takes a while for the message to come in. No voice, only directions that are decoded by the machinery embedded in it. Finally, it prints out on the strip paper that is used. It is a long message, makes sense why it took a while to come in.

::MSG FOLLOWS:: All Tracks Return to City, shortest route, no delay. Maximum Spd possible. Conserve supplies. Return NLT 5 days from receipt. IMPERATIVE, NLT 5 days from receipt.::

 

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 14 of 30

 Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 14 of 30

12/02/2020

Still quiet up here, while nice to have a potential spare, dislike this much company around. Always looking over my shoulder, wondering what I am doing, why am I doing that, makes a brain wonder what is going on behind the other eyes. Are those actually eyes or are they recorders ready to transmit back to The City Receivers once within range. Have to check the outgoing communications, see if anything has tagged along with the automatic updates the systems send out. Would not do to have extra radio use if not necessary.

Review the internal cameras, none of them back there look like they are doing anything. Just sitting, cleaning weapons, sleeping, exercising alone or with others. Looks routine, but is it really? Check, the new potential is in a bunk, looks crashed. No signs of hand signals or talking, so no worries about that, this moment. Will check again later.

Review inventories, stocks, queue up status reports, after action details with footage to go out if the Track is destroyed, so it makes it back to the planners there. If something needs to be modified on the Tracks for other reconnaissance missions.

A while passes, no idea how long anymore. Without the routine of the next Driver coming up, time has little sense or meaning anymore. Proximity detectors, based on size and air pressure displacement, ping, making it seem like something is sneaking up on the back of The Track. Pull up the Tail Gun cameras, nothing to be seen. Will keep watch.

Radar sweeps show no large targets back there. Keep attention to the front and sides. If there is ever going to be a coordinated attack, not happened yet in all the lifetimes spent here, but always wonder when the locals will decide to work together. Scientists say they are all just brute monsters with no brains in them. I am sure they are right, but someday they will all rise up and wipe us out. Almost have before, why would anyone not think it will happen again.

Close eyes for a few moments, just past blink stage. Alerts are on audio for these few moments.

Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title) Day 13 of 30

 Dead Cities and Deader Men (Operative Title)

Day 13 of 30

12/01/2020

[Flashback 2]

 

Takes a few days to make it the rest of the way back to the outskirts. Head over to the main travel routes in case I could flag down a ride. None can back this way this time. Was little chance of that happening. Only good thing about being in a Suit is that it is small enough that the main threats ignore it due to size. Bad thing is that there are lots of smaller monsters than might go for a bite to test it out.

Had one, looks like a centipede but about 4 meters in length. Had a pair of spiral like horns as it ran straight at the Suit. Took a dozen rounds to get the skull to explode bringing the body to a standstill. Nothing of use on the thing. None of the monsters here are of any worth at all. No useful medicines, not edible, no parts that really could contribute. Not even decent skull structures to have as a trophy. Nothing.

Once close enough, turn on the homing signal and wait for a pickup to occur. After a few hours a small track, about 10 meters with an open back area, pulls up and I hop on and it roars back into The City. I had grabbed all the recordings I could to prove my point and case at whatever inquiry is made. Those are safe inside the Suit with me. Nothing to be stripped off when I enter, made sure.

Takes a few more hours, at least I feel safer with the chains on the open back holding the Suit in place at the tiedown locations. All familiar landscape here now. Same main road driven in and out since becoming a Driver. Really dislike the Suit, no idea why anyone would select that as sometime to use out away from The City.

 

Finally, the Track makes it back. Pass under the waiting Guns, into the tunnel, down into the airlocks and then the caverns where the Tracks are all kept at. Home for me.