Final Dawn: Season 3 (The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series) by Mike Kraus Page B
Book: Final Dawn: Season 3 (The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series) by Mike Kraus
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Authors: Mike Kraus
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close to reaching the end of their journey.
“C’mon, let’s not waste any time.” Rachel waved for David and Marcus to follow her. They all hurried back to the train, hopping inside and closing the door behind them. Sam whined softly from his spot at the back of the locomotive, tucked into a small nook between two control panels. Rachel patted his head as she got the train moving again, taking care to increase the throttle speed manually instead of triggering the automatic startup process they had used after repairing the track. As the train started moving forward, David and Marcus went around to each of the small windows and ensured that they were both closed and that their sheer blinds were pulled down and secured. The blinds weren’t good for much else than cutting down on the sunlight, but being as close as they were to the nexus, none of them wanted to take a chance and be spotted by the creatures.
As David started powering on his computer equipment and Rachel kept a close eye on their speed, Marcus kept watch out the front of the locomotive. The track they were on looked new, and as they continued forward, signs of construction became more and more common. The trees, fields and hills gave way to flat, burned land, with only the stumps of trees and ashes of vegetation remaining. The sunlight began to fade from the sky, and the group initially thought that a storm was rolling in, though the truth was somewhat more disturbing. As the single railroad track began to branch into two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, then a seemingly endless number, the shadow from the tower ahead of them stretched across the fields, blotting out the sun.
Rachel felt her stomach grow sick as she thought back to her first sight of the nanobot swarm just after waking in the basement where her home once stood. The circle was nearly complete as the end approached, reaching up to the sky like a spear that threatened to pierce the very heavens themselves. Though the nexus and the AI that was very nearly finished constructing it was formidable, Rachel’s hopes of success hadn’t wavered thanks to the unassuming object that sat quietly in the boxcar, awaiting its activation. This comforting thought vanished when David’s panicked whisper echoed through the locomotive, nearly causing time itself to stop as Marcus and Rachel looked at each other, an expression of horror on their faces.
“Bertha’s not responding!”
Leonard McComb | Nancy Sims
3:39 PM, April 27, 2038
Standing on the deck of the Arkhangelsk, Commander Krylov looked up to the tall fin, shielding his eyes from the sun with a thickly gloved hand. The sudden sound of metal scraping on metal caught his attention and he turned back just in time to jump out of the way of a ten-foot section of a bridge support slipping off the side of the Arkhangelsk and plunging into the water. The two men who had been pushing on the support looked at him awkwardly as he shook his head and began to help push the next piece off.
The work to clear the Arkhangelsk’s deck was slow, primarily due to the low number of crew available to work. Having to split them between clearing the hatch and deck and pump water out of the flooded compartments didn’t help matters, but both tasks were necessary if they wanted to continue forward. In addition to jamming open the starboard stairwell hatch, the pieces of the bridge that became lodged on the deck of the submarine were also jamming two of the missile hatches. The water, thankfully, didn’t seem to have affected any important systems, but it would be a few more hours before enough of it was drained for the crew to start investigating the damage caused by it. In the meantime, the crew below deck worked pumps to clear one compartment at a time while the crew on deck continued to cut and push sections of the bridge into the water.
Though Leonard had wanted to help in some capacity, Nancy refused to let him,
“C’mon, let’s not waste any time.” Rachel waved for David and Marcus to follow her. They all hurried back to the train, hopping inside and closing the door behind them. Sam whined softly from his spot at the back of the locomotive, tucked into a small nook between two control panels. Rachel patted his head as she got the train moving again, taking care to increase the throttle speed manually instead of triggering the automatic startup process they had used after repairing the track. As the train started moving forward, David and Marcus went around to each of the small windows and ensured that they were both closed and that their sheer blinds were pulled down and secured. The blinds weren’t good for much else than cutting down on the sunlight, but being as close as they were to the nexus, none of them wanted to take a chance and be spotted by the creatures.
As David started powering on his computer equipment and Rachel kept a close eye on their speed, Marcus kept watch out the front of the locomotive. The track they were on looked new, and as they continued forward, signs of construction became more and more common. The trees, fields and hills gave way to flat, burned land, with only the stumps of trees and ashes of vegetation remaining. The sunlight began to fade from the sky, and the group initially thought that a storm was rolling in, though the truth was somewhat more disturbing. As the single railroad track began to branch into two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, then a seemingly endless number, the shadow from the tower ahead of them stretched across the fields, blotting out the sun.
Rachel felt her stomach grow sick as she thought back to her first sight of the nanobot swarm just after waking in the basement where her home once stood. The circle was nearly complete as the end approached, reaching up to the sky like a spear that threatened to pierce the very heavens themselves. Though the nexus and the AI that was very nearly finished constructing it was formidable, Rachel’s hopes of success hadn’t wavered thanks to the unassuming object that sat quietly in the boxcar, awaiting its activation. This comforting thought vanished when David’s panicked whisper echoed through the locomotive, nearly causing time itself to stop as Marcus and Rachel looked at each other, an expression of horror on their faces.
“Bertha’s not responding!”
Leonard McComb | Nancy Sims
3:39 PM, April 27, 2038
Standing on the deck of the Arkhangelsk, Commander Krylov looked up to the tall fin, shielding his eyes from the sun with a thickly gloved hand. The sudden sound of metal scraping on metal caught his attention and he turned back just in time to jump out of the way of a ten-foot section of a bridge support slipping off the side of the Arkhangelsk and plunging into the water. The two men who had been pushing on the support looked at him awkwardly as he shook his head and began to help push the next piece off.
The work to clear the Arkhangelsk’s deck was slow, primarily due to the low number of crew available to work. Having to split them between clearing the hatch and deck and pump water out of the flooded compartments didn’t help matters, but both tasks were necessary if they wanted to continue forward. In addition to jamming open the starboard stairwell hatch, the pieces of the bridge that became lodged on the deck of the submarine were also jamming two of the missile hatches. The water, thankfully, didn’t seem to have affected any important systems, but it would be a few more hours before enough of it was drained for the crew to start investigating the damage caused by it. In the meantime, the crew below deck worked pumps to clear one compartment at a time while the crew on deck continued to cut and push sections of the bridge into the water.
Though Leonard had wanted to help in some capacity, Nancy refused to let him,
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