“Why are you here, Hobie?”
“How do you know my name? Who is this? Are you the drone thing flying around me? I’m going to break you into pieces.”
“I’m not the bot. I’m the person you shot a missile at. Why did you land here?”
“Fuck you!”
“Oliver,” Roger said, whispering in my ear, “I must insist you go back. We do not want them identifying you.”
“I’m not going back until we have this figured out.” I took several more steps toward the thing. My boots sucked against mud with every step. I reached into the muck and picked up a rock, and I threw it at the robot. It clanged loudly against it, but the robot didn’t react.
“You’re one of them,” the kid said. It wasn’t a question. “How’d you know my name? The repair drone is coming. It’s gonna fix me and reload my ammo, and then I’m going to blow your ass up.”
This thing wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“Why are you here?” I asked again.
“Because I banged your mom, that’s why.”
“My mom is dead,” I said, taking another step.
“You’re dead.”
A moment later, a new, female voice came out through the robot. She also had an Earth accent.
“Young man, if you’re not an insurgent, you need to get to the capital city. You’re safe in the city. You shouldn’t be playing around in a war zone.”
“War zone?” I asked. “And what city are you talking about? Do you mean Burnt Ends?”
“Shut up, Mom,” Hobie said. “God, why are you so embarrassing?”
“What is it called again?” Hobie’s mom said. “Fat something? That’s the only safe zone. Everywhere else is overrun with terrorists. All the civilians have left.”
“Fat Landing?” I asked. “Do you know how far away that is? It’s literally impossible for me to get there. And there are no terrorists here. Or wars. We don’t have guns. I’ve never held a real gun before in my life. We’re farmers. I think you’re in the wrong place.”
“Oh, dear,” the woman said.
“He’s lying. If you don’t have guns, how did you break my mech, bitch? It wasn’t that little flying robot, that’s for sure.”
“Hobie, language.”
“Mom, will you get out of my room? You’re ruining it.”
“I didn’t break your mech,” I called. “You tripped and fell down the hill. Your leg was already broken when I saw you. You didn’t answer me. What insurg—”
“Get down!” Roger suddenly roared, taking out my lower leg for the second time, this time from the front. I belly flopped into the mud just as something roared over the swamp.
“Up, up, Oliver, up,” Roger said.
I pulled myself up. Whirls of steam filled the valley. I couldn’t see the mech anymore. From the low hum, it seemed we’d just gotten buzzed by another vehicle. This one was flying and kicking up mud and smoke.
“Run. Run home. Now, Oliver,” Roger said.
This time, I did as Roger said. I didn’t argue. I turned, and I ran.
—
Less than five minutes later,as I rushed back to the farm, a massive explosion echoed over the hills so loud that it shook the earth under my feet, causing me to stumble yet again.
