"Whatcha got Baby Girl?" her father's voice asked.
"Not sure. Incoming mech, but can't tell if it'sfriend or not. It's not responding to my hail. Scanners say it'spretty banged up and power levels are low."
"Be careful."
"Will do."
***
"Listen Matty, there is something I want to say,"June said sheepishly. "Something I've been meaning to say for awhile."
"Um, can this wait, June? Rache has an incoming mechand I'm her eyes on this."
"No! It can't wait for Rachel!"
Mathew stepped back at the force of June's words."Whoa, whoa, take it easy. Fine, what is it you need to say?"
Junetook a deep breath, she couldn't help glancing out the window, downat the mech, down at her.She let out the breath and turned back to Mathew.
Before she could speak, claxons blared.
***
"I wish it was more than meets the eye! Then thispiece of shit could transform into a mech that worked!" Jay yelledat Jethro.
"How'd you get those vids anyway?" asked Jethro,handing Jay the span-driver he hadn't asked for yet.
"Thanks... Some chick I was banging before the deadmechs. Her dad was new media and had a HUGE vid library."
"Wow. Did he have that one with the talking dog andthose kids? Shabby Sue, I think?"
"Huh... Don't know that one."
"Nevermi-"
Proximity klaxons shook the hangar bay.
"Shit, hope that's one of ours," Jay mumbled.
***
Masters settled his mech next to Rachel's. "What yagot?"
"Mech. Heading straight for us. Looks damaged,"Rachel replied, engaging the drive gear. "I'm gonna head outthere and intercept. If my dad sends more pilots out, then you comejoin me. Otherwise, stay back and cover the base."
"Will do," Masters responded, checking his weaponssystems and firing up long-range sensors.
Rachel started to walk her mech away from the base. Hercom crackled loudly.
"Hey! Where you going all by yourself?" Mathewasked, not bothering to hide his concern.
"I'm on intercept."
Mathew grumbled, Rachel smiled at this.
***
"Fucking piece of shit!" Bisby swore, smashing hisfist against the com controls. Far off he could see the mech base,two mechs standing out front, just dots in the distance.
Having a landmark in sight, he adjusted his course,heading for the funeral pyre where he would deposit Stanislaw'sbody. Regardless of the state of the body, all corpses were depositedat the pyre to be dealt with immediately.
It had taken him a couple hours to walk several miles,but the last mile to the pyre was the hardest.
Bisby could feel the fatigue creep into his soul.
***
With the motor drive in gear, Rachel took theopportunity to stretch her legs as much as she could in the tightspace of the cockpit. She wanted to be plenty limber if she had tobe.
The terrain in the general area of the mech base wassmoothed and maintained, allowing the mechs to move fast when theyneeded to. Rachel kept an eye on her scanners as she approached themystery mech.
Within seconds here computer chimed, letting her know itwas Bisby's mech she was seeing.
"Biz? Come in Biz!" she hailed, hoping he couldstill hear.
***
Bisby struggled to keep his mech going towards thefuneral pyre. The hydraulics were quickly breaking down; he wasn'tsure if he would make it to the pyre and back into base.
Bisby saw a mech approaching fast, but couldn't tellwhose it was. He could give a shit who came to greet him, as long asthey stayed out of his way.
In seconds the mech was close enough for Bisby to see itwas Rachel coming to intercept him. He immediately launched threeflairs. Red, blue, red. The signal that he was alive, but his com wasdown.
***
Rachel walked her mech right up to Bisby's so theycould hear each other. She opened her cockpit and motioned for Bisbyto do the same. He was slow in responding, but eventually he did.
"Where's Stan?" Rachel called out.
It was all Bisby could do to keep his tears in check. Hewasn't going to cry in front of another pilot, especially one thathe taught himself.
"Biz! Where is Stan?" Rachel called again.
Bisby pointed down towards the auxiliary cargo pocketholding his dead mentor's body.
Rachel's eyes swept down and then she squeezed themclosed, quickly understanding.
***
Rachel hailed Capreze, trying desperately to hold backthe sobs, but the second her father's voice came on the com, shelost all control.
"Rachel?!? What's going on out there? Whose mech isthat?" Capreze asked, struggling to keep his voice professional.
Rachel couldn't answer. Blinded by tears and rackedwith despair, she stopped her mech, letting Bisby hobble on withouther. Her chest felt empty yet unbelievably heavy at the same time.
"It's okay, Baby Girl," Capreze soothed, allthoughts of protocol lost. "Let it out, let it all out."
"St-st-stan..."
"You're with Stan?"
"St-st-stan's gone, Daddy!" Rachel wailed.
***
Despite the massive damage his mech had sustained, Bisbywas able to retrieve Stanislaw's body from the auxiliary cargo andplace it gently upon the concrete pyre.
He stood there, man and machine, man as machine, staringat a corpse that was no longer his friend, but just so much flesh tobe burned, to be turned to ash.
Bisby let a tear fall from his right eye, but wiped itaway quickly. He switched his gaze to the direction he had come from,making himself a promise he would find One Arm.
And destroy the deader or die trying.
***
Watching Bisby approach, Rachel gave him a thumbs up andmotioned towards the base. She hoped she was far enough away that hecouldn't see her grief ravaged face. Bisby's mech returned thethumbs up, the metal protesting.
"Pilot Capreze to base, we're heading in," Rachelcalled over her com, using every effort to keep her voice fromshaking. "Stanislaw's body has been placed on the pyre. We'llneed to get a watch on it right away incase there are any zombies inthe area."
"Will do," her father responded, back toprofessional. "Just get yourself and Biz back here."
***
"Masters?" Capreze called.
"Yeah Commander?" Masters responded over his com,still in his mech, watching his sensors as the two far off mechs madetheir way slowly to base.
"We're gonna need a detail out at the pyre,"Caprezez stated. "Bring your mech in and grab Mathew. I need youboth out there ASAP."
"Sure thing Commander," Masters responded,hesitating slightly.
"Yes, Masters?"
"Whose mech is that coming back with Rachel?"
"Bisby's."
Masters didn't need Capreze to elaborate, he knewwhose body he and Mathew would find out on the pyre.
"Mech returning to hangar," Masters called over hiscom.
***
The two mechs walked back to the base, Rachel hangingback in order to keep pace with Bisby's damaged machine. Groans ofprotest, smoke and sparks escaped the battle-ravaged mech.
Neither spoke, not that they could be heard over theclanging and grating the mechs made. But even if Bisby's com hadworked they would have remained silent. Stanislaw meant too much toboth of them for either to keep it together if they spoke of whathappened.
Rachel was patient enough to wait until they were backin the hangar and Bisby had made his report to the Commander.
***
Half the base staff stood at the hangar bay doors,watching as Bisby and Rachel drew closer.
"Is that Bisby or Stanislaw?" June whispered toMathew.
"I don't know. They're too far out," Mathewresponded.
Jay came up behind them, appraising the approachingmechs. "That's Biz." He turned and strode back to whatever hehad been working on.
"How do you know?" June called after him.
The mech pilots in attendance each gave her a look ofannoyance. June bristled at their stares. "What? It's a logicalquestion. They have to be at least 200 yards out."
All looked away.
***
Everyone cleared from the hangar doors as Mastersbrought his mech in for docking. He powered it down and popped openthe cockpit.
"Hey Matty?" he called down below, undoing thestraps holding him in place.
Mathew, about to leave the hangar and head back to thecontrol tower, stopped and turned. "Yeah?"
"Capreze wants us on pyre duty."
All heads in the hangar turned to look at Mathew, he meteveryone's gaze, taking in their ‘better you than me' looks.
"Gotcha. I'll round up the gear while you get yourmech settled," Mathew called up to Masters.
"Thanks, man."
***
Rachel maneuvered her mech into its previous post asBisby's lone mech lumbered into the hangar.
She fought hard to keep the tears back, but it was alosing battle. She sobbed uncontrollably, wrapping her arms aboutherself as she rocked in the cockpit.
Her com buzzed and she struggled to pull herselftogether.
"Hey, you okay?" Mathew's voice crackled. Shesucked back tears, choking a bit.
"No, Matty, I'm not," she whispered.
"What happened? Where's Stan?"
"I don't know what happened. Biz wouldn't say,"she responded between hiccups.
"And Stan?"
Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. "He's on the pyre."