Chester and the 24-hour Lottery
Chapter 21; The Machine

According to Lucy, all hell broke out in Neighborhood Crane once Ozark Officers tried to strong-arm the territory. Many farmers possess weapons to fend off predators and turned them on the bastards who wanted to take them out of their houses.

The people won in numbers only, losing homes and livestock until doing the obvious thing and pulling together forming a blockade and welcoming other refugees when word got out Wallace Crane would not bow down.

The neighborhood had lost much but gained a foothold in the rebellion and with the production of dairy and other goods halted, Spell painted them as villains to regain favor to those still believing the hogwash he spat out all the while murdering dozens daily.

Chester was elated hearing Crane came out swinging and wondered if Saldivar knew. So many unanswered questions floated through the group but all felt grateful knowing there was a small army waiting for their arrival.

It took less than forty-eight hours to reach the Locket farm. With citizens rounded up and homes ransacked or abandoned they found warmer clothing at the outskirts of Acheron and Deven and Lacy promised to be at the rendezvous place they’d agreed on.

The woods were not as watched as Saldivar made it seem and they traveled during the day after a few hours of rest, sticking to traveling mostly at night. It slowed them down but safety came first.

Chester smiled at Van in the closing gloom, feeling grimy, hungry and beyond tired but happy her friends were safe and near. After a miserable afternoon, they were all looking forward to showers and sleeping indoors.

His stomach rumbled loudly, causing Henry to laugh quietly.

“Another half-mile,” Van whispered, stepping over a root which Chester hadn’t noticed and already stumbled over, “I’m starving too.”

Racket always took the point ahead and out of earshot, but they all had their Vid Frames linked. He heard her mutter something but didn’t catch the meaning. They all needed a break from one another and the stress of their situation made matters worse. Chester refrained many times from going off on Henry but Racket never did. The woman was in a perpetual bad mood.

Knowing he shouldn’t but not caring, jogged up to Racket and asked, “Will you tell me what the Machine is?”

She looked surprised and then angry, “Why ask this now?”

“It’s been on my mind since you mentioned it and I saw the way Van reacted. I’ve never heard of the Machine before.”

“Only Construct Babes are aware it exists,” she scowled, “It’s a machine.”

“No shit,” he peered into shadows pleading, “Hey, you’ve been through a lot of horrors and I want to understand your desire to destroy The Institute and factories.”

She pulled her gun from the shoulder holster and for a moment thought Racket meant to shoot him until she grumbled, “You have serious bad timing but I’ll tell you. It’s basically an RNA dump.”

“Basically? What does it do?”

“Quiet,” she hissed stopping and seeming to notice something he didn’t to the left, “This close to Crane there have to be troops waiting for renegades.”

“Lacy said they moved focus to the main road since it’s blocked.”

“Go,” she spat, “You’re making too much noise.”

Instead of falling back with Van and Henry, he shut his mouth and kept walking beside the frustrated woman. He knew eventually Racket would answer his questions. The minutes ticked by and when nothing jumped out at them she sighed and holstered the weapon.

“The Machine is like an RNA vacuum that sucks the best parts of genetic code out and destroys the rest,” she shuddered, “Scientist then breed resilient Constructs or other optimal women, hoping for remarkable outcomes. Girls as young as fourteen are being impregnated then murdered after giving birth.”

“Fuck! Is that what’s in you?” he asked in awe, “Were they going to harvest Van?”

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “My coded sequence is for purposes I can only guess at. My training was harsh and unrelenting but thankfully Saldivar rescued us before deemed expendable. The Institute is an evil place, and it needs to be scorched from the earth.”

“What about the good things produced there? Such as Wallace’s work? There are many incredible scientific projects inside the biotech factories too. People need to have a reason to rebuild and if we take away what they’re used to or can forge better communities with, we should salvage it, not destroy.”

Racket grabbed the front of his coat, shoving him to his knees and he hit the hard cold ground with a jarring thud. He gawked dumbfounded into her wide, frenzied eyes and wondered what he had said to make her snap.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” she seethed, leaning down until their noses almost touched. Her hold on the jacket went to his neck, and he struggled in her grip when she cut his airway off. “Other states tore down their house of terrors and I intend to see mine burn too.”

“What the hell are you two doing?” Henry caught her by the shoulders, wrenching her off of Chester, “We’re nearly there. Chill out, Racket.”

“You’re fucking damaged!” Chester spat, standing and taking a knife out from a sheath on his hip, “If you try that again I will gut you bitch.”

“Keep it down,” Van warned, placing herself between the three, “Lacy should be by the tree line where the road meets. Come on assholes.”

He kept the blade handy, realizing talking Racket out of destruction was pointless. The woman wouldn’t sway from her vendetta. The fevered emotion she reacted with messed his head up and not able to concentrate, he fell back to collect himself.

Lacy and Deven smiled brightly when showing themselves to the group minutes later. Van hugged Lacy silently, then Deven led them on a five-minute walk until suddenly hundreds of citizens surrounded them, camped out in makeshift shelters in the woods, and all sides of the ranch house and outbuildings.

“Wow,” he breathed, taking it all in.

“I lost count at two hundred,” Deven said over his shoulder, “They’ve been arriving for weeks now. There was a huge loss before we cut off the main road and defended five nearby farms. There’s no telling how many are still coming. Groups of twenty stand watch. Soldiers haven’t tried to breach our defenses lately, so we’re hopeful citizens will be okay if anyone spots them.”

“This is the best neighborhood to defend,” Van grinned ear to ear, “There is well water and fresh food. Good job.”

“Crane is giving Spell hell, that’s for certain,” Lacy laughed, “I’m so happy to see you alive and kicking! There’s been no word from Saldivar and Crane spoke to me today knowing I was retrieving you four.”

“What does he think about the ambush outside of the bunker?” Chester eagerly asked.

“He holds firm with Saldivar,” Deven growled, “but the longer Saldivar is silent the more suspicious he seems. There was no reason to move any of you out into the open as he did. Crane wants to talk to Racket in the morning.”

Chester frowned thinking, She’s the last person Crane should turn to for help.

“In the meantime let’s get you settled in the house. I moved the kids into one room so you guys can have a good night’s rest,” Lacy smiled, linking her arm through Vans’, “There are clean clothes and food plus hot showers!”

Lacy seemed overly happy but Chester could barely manage a smile when she looked his way. She shrugged and prattled on about how everyone was doing so well maintaining livestock and carrying out duties assigned when many had never had done hard labor in their life.

Henry and Chester told the ladies to clean up first which meant they ate while their meal still warm. He tore into a steak like he'd never see food again and earned a laugh and another piece of meat from Deven. When it was his turn to shower the water ran cold, but he didn’t care. Catching his appearance in the mirror after dressing in plain clothes decided to let his beard grow.

“Where is Crane staying?” Racket asked before Lucy and Devin left the bedroom.

Lucy exchanged looks with Deven, “He moves around, keeping the peace and reassuring people if we work together we’re safe. Mothers with small children are the most terrified. Spell’s kidnapping kids to ensure obedience in Allard.”

Van covered her mouth in shock while Chester bitterly laughed, “Now he’s a fucking child-snatching boogeyman? Figures.”

Van slapped his chest, “It’s not funny!”

“We’ll see you in the morning,” Deven gave him a weird look before closing the door.

Henry claimed a cot saying as he laid down, “If you want to sleep with me, Van? I’ll protect you from the boogeyman.”

“Ugh,” Van screwed up her face in disgust, “You both need your head checked. It’s not amusing in the least. Those poor children.”

Chester pointedly gazed at Racket muttering, “Some around here definitely need their head checked.”

“Oh, screw you,” she flipped him off, “I have a feeling all you’re good for around here is shoveling shit.”

He clenched his hands and took a deep breath before laying down on the bed. Van looked impressed he’d not responded to Racket’s insult and joined him. He weakly smiled before Racket shut off the light. The half-moon gently glowed through the window, and he watched Van settle beside him, a contented sigh leaving her lips.

“There’s a free cot,” he whispered in her ear.

“I like how warm you are,” she replied, throwing an arm across his middle, “Sleep Chet.”

“Yeah, can it lover boy,” Henry grumbled, “and I’m going with you to talk to Crane, Racket.”

“We all are,” Van declared, “Remember the goal. We stick together in this fight. Nothing is for certain except for our resolve to put Spell into the ground, right?”

They adamantly voiced their agreement and succumbed to exhaustion, the commotion outside no match for the last few stressful days.