TimeFracture - WIP

TimeFracture: Beginning - WIP

Drip.. Drip.. Drip.. Jake awoke to the sound of dripping. It wasn't unusual for it to happen. Almost every morning, the previous night's sandstorms usually bashed and battered on the walls of Jake's tiny homemade Irinium hut. "Really? Right next to the spot I sleep again?" Jake thought to himself as he investigated the damage. "Hmm, not too bad, I should be able to patch it with the Irinium I salvaged."

Jake walked toward his closet, examining it as he made his way. He took note of the brilliant red tinged wood. "Sure not going to find a tree around here anymore..." He thought disappointingly. As he opened the closet door, he slowly stroked his hand across the inside, hoping to find his lever a little faster this time. The puddle behind him was getting larger. "Where the he-"'Clink' "Ah, there it is." As the bottom board gave way to reveal a secret compartment, he contemplated how stupid it was that he had to hide such a common metal. But with the Waster raids getting close to his location, he decided that it was the best to keep it hidden.

"It may be common," Jake said inquisically "but it sure isn't easy to come by." As if almost hoping for someone to hear him. Suddenly, a steely, mechanical voice came from behind him. "You are quite right Sir, with the constant raids and sandstorm covering local digging sites, the metal is rather difficult to procure." Jake almost jumped out of his skin as he spun around. "Buzzsaw," cried Jake "you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I sense fear in your voice Sir, may I remind you that I am simply a mechanical being, and cannot grasp that concept." The robot responded. Jake looked his robot up and down. "Look at me, Buzzsaw. I have two legs, two arms, and a torso, don't I?" Jake asked. "Correct sir, you also have one brain, one heart-" "Yes, I know my own anatomy Buzzsaw, but that wasn't the question." Jake picked up the nearby remnants of an old mirror that had broken a few years before during a storm, showing Buzzsaw its reflection. "You also have two legs, two arms and a torso." The robot looked at itself almost curiously. "Yes sir, but I lack internal organs, and a brain. That's what sets you and me apart from one another." Buzzsaw replied in a factual tone.

Jake looked taken aback, he'd never thought of it like that before. "Listen, Buzzsaw, we both have sentience don't we?" Jake argued back. He felt his face getting warm. "Yes, Sir, but I am incapable of making my own decisions, for I am simply made for one purpose, hence why I am called an NRE, otherwise known as a-" Jake finished his sentence for him mockingly. "A Nuclear Radiation Extractor, yes, I know. As you've told me a thousand times before." Jake stared at his companion blankly, examining it.

The robot had once been a brilliant candy apple green, but the war had not been kind. He had long since lost the 'brilliant' aspect, and was now a dark murky swamp green. Jake pushed the argument to the back of his head. "How much radiation did you extract yesterday?" He asked, pointing to the large round cylinder on Buzzsaw's chest area. "Approximately 120 Rads, enough to power the generator for a while." Buzzsaw retorted. "Perfect. We're going to need it, but first, I need to make a trip." Jake strolled toward his closet, pulling the latch the opposite way this time. Almost instantaneously, the back of the closet fell off to show a large weapon on a mantle. "I never thought I'd need to use this again." thought Jake as he picked up the blaster. "Sir," Buzzsaw voice come from across the room. "That is the blaster that you acquired on the day of the Waster raid on your home village, is it not?"

Jake quickly shot him a dirty look. He was merely twelve years old when the raid had happened, a lengthy seven years ago. But for Jake's mind, it was fresh in his memories, as if it had happened hours before. He remembered the massive explosion as the front gate was breached, the smell of smoke and fire and death. He recalled the screams of his family as they fell victim to the Wasters rad bullets that consumed the village. He still reminisced watching on in horror as the radiation did its work as it expelled itself from the bullet, rapidly decaying and mutating the bodies into grotesque piles of flesh. Had he not been found by the Wasteland Radiation Prevention group, he surely would have died. A part of him wished he had died, and a part of him did.

It was the day he lost compassion and sympathy for other humans and decided that no other life was as precious as his own. The memory of how he got the blaster quickly came back into his mind. One of the older wasters had found him huddled under rubble. He could still smell the scent of alcohol that the man had given off. It was also the moment Jake first found how dangerous he was. As the man attempted to attack him, Jake gouged out the man's eyes. He picked up the blaster and he would have seen the man's light leaving his eyes as he pulled the trigger, if he still had them. The next five days were hell for Jake. He decided that the best place to hide himself was where no one would look; under the piles of dead bodies that the Wasters left behind. For five days and five nights, the Wasters pillaged, looted and partied, quite literally, on the graves of their 'enemies'. After the fifth day, the WRPG arrived, missing the Wasters by mere hours.

"Sir, are you okay?" The sound brought Jake back to Earth. He regretted ever telling the robot the story, and quickly forced the violent memories to the back of his mind. "Yes it is, and yes I am. Thank you Buzzsaw." Jake shot back. "I've made a few modifications since the day I found the blaster; it should deliver Rad-shots a lot more concentrated now. And we won't have a problem with jamming it either."

He looked down at the blaster, inspecting it. He had changed the entire weapon, not just modified it. The old steel body was now reinforced Irinium. He had also extended the barrel on the left of the gun in order to hold 6 Rad-bullets, as opposed to the usual three. He had smelted the entire body himself, combining both Irinium and Lead to prevent more radiation escaping the weapon, which the Rad-bullets emitted. The sleek barrel of the gun gave off a beautiful oceanic blue glow when loaded and charged, and the glow slowly got fainter the more rad-bullets were used. "Buzzsaw, I need you to charge the weapon for me. How long will it take?" Jake asked. "Approximately six seconds, Sir." Replied the robot. "But why do you need it charged? You are not going anywhere dangerous are you?"

Jake gave Buzzsaw a grin "I thought robots are 'incapable' of emotion?" He said. "Well sir, you are my master. If anything were to happen to you, I would have no purpose. May I request to join you on your trip?" The small robot asked. Jake gave it a thought. He would hate if anything happened to Buzzsaw, and an NRE isn't exactly an everyday item you can find. Buzzsaw was a rare thing. He gave it a thought before reluctantly responding. "I guess so," Jake answered as he inserted the butt of the gun into Buzzsaw's chest. There was a loud ZZZZZZZZZZZIP as the gun charged. The sound slowly faded as Jake removed the weapon. "Sir, where are we going?" Jake gave his robot a determined look. "The Wasteland Markets.