Caleb

A 3 part series starting here. This is my montage to a good ol' friend who no longer reviews my stuff.

Caleb

By Kornez

“Did you find him?”

“Yes sir,”

“And his robot?”

“Really beat up, but intact sir.”

“Bury it,”

“Sir?”

“You heard what I said son, bury it.”

“With all due respect sir, this is a war hero you want buried.”

“Corporal, I want that thing buried because the history it represents, a history of pain and war, you bury this, it will all be forgotten, all the pain,”

Silence.

“Corporal?”

Gun fire.

“Get out of there!”

Silence.

Then a different voice.

“You want this part of history forgotten Admiral?”

“Who are you?”

“Allow me to tell you a story, one that spans to almost the beginning of this war.”

From the time I was born I always had a fascination for one thing: robots.

I'd get the toy robots from the store or the remote control ones. Whatever I thought looked cooler. Then my dad took me to a robot battle ground. These robots were huge and were piloted by people. I sat there as the robots prepared for battle As soon as the horn sounded these giant metallic beasts slammed into each other. I felt like I was watching a robotic wrestling match with some boxing mixed in. The robots tore each other apart trying to gain an advantage. Then one of the robots made a wrong move and the other robot slammed its fist on the others backside making a loud boom!

It hit it again and again till the robot it was hitting buckled and hit the dirt. The crowd cheered for the winner. I stared at the looser feeling pity for it. All of the sudden it shot up and with a clean uppercut sent the other robot stumbling back. The once on the ground robot stood and swung its fist into the other robots head. There was the sound of metal breaking as the other robots head fell into pieces like glass. It fell over with a clang. The other robot stepped on the fallen one and crushed its chest. Then a hatch opened on the winner bots chest. A pilot stepped out his face was scarred and a bit bloody. His eyes had the look of a warrior. He took a few a breaths then straightened.

“Let this be a lesson to you all, that it doesn't take strength and mass and weaponry to win, even though those things are essential to survival. It takes the heart to win the battle in the end.” He said.

Then he looked at all the faces in the crowd. His eyes landed on me.

“The greatest pilots were the ones that fought selflessly and loved their God and country, maybe one day you'll be where I stand. But being a champion is just a title for me, the real champions are the ones out there on the battle field of war.”

Someone booed.

“There is no war here!” A person shouted.

More and more started shouting.

“Deny it all you wish, its already in your borders,” Said the pilot.

The crowd booed and started throwing things a t the pilot. He kept his gaze on me as if he knew something I didn't.

On the way home I decided to ask my dad about the war. He never answered, he just drove. I asked my mom the same thing but was ignored. I soon forgot the pilot, but not his words. My curiosity about the so called war grew. I started asking people about it. Some didn't want to speak of it. Others were scared or angered by my curiosity. What little information I gathered was, that this war started with a robot. My parents must have found out and now I can't go outside alone. Then one day everything changed. Someone came to the door looking for me, a soldier. When my parents denied me being there and going further in the lie by saying they never heard of my name. Then a scientist came. He brushed past my parents and and into my room.

“Caleb?” He asked.

“Yes?”

“Von Stelivotch,”

I shook his hand.

“Your or shall I say my pilot told of you,” Said Stelivotch.

“Really?” I had quite forgotten about him.

“Yes, tell me Caleb, do you like robots?” Asked Steliotch.

“I love them!” I almost shouted.

“Would you like to make one?” Stelivotch asked.

I nodded.

“Then come with me, we have work to do,”

He reached a hand to me.

I took it and he pulled me out into a world I would come to question the very moral of.

“Will I actually meet that pilot again?” I asked.

“He's dead,” Said Stelivotch.

I blinked.

“He was ambushed while spying for us in the war, but he put up a fight and I have proof here!”

He held up the disk.

“This is why your here Caleb, to take his place, he was a great fighter but you shall be better, you shall be spectacular!”

he turned to me.

“You shall build your robot, and I will judge when you've finished building it.”

He turned on a light and dozens of robots stood quietly.

“I smuggled these here, people like your parents will deny the war, but once these things come rumbling over the horizon, they're peaceful world will become a nightmare.”

“I was a scientist in these works, but then I was transferred when the war started, back when a robot appeared and blew up another, then this.”

He pointed to a room.

“That's where all the parts are, get started.”

I began.

I knew that I probably wouldn't make the perfect robot in first try, but I attempted to. My first robot looked scrawny but strong around the chest. I had a crane carry it and stood next to the scientist. HE snapped his fingers and a chain gun lowered and aimed. It fired. The bullets merely dented the armor. The chain gun reloaded with different rounds and fired again tearing my work to pieces. Stelivotch turned to me.

“Next.”

I went back, carefully choosing the armor and this time my second robot looked less scrawny but a bit flimsy. Stelivotch did the same thing with this one as he did with the previous. The same thing happened when he loaded those armor piercing rounds.

“Next.” Is all he said.

Every robot I pulled out fell to those bullets. Each one lasting a few seconds longer then the other. Then one day I built a robot with very thick chest armor. Those bullets didn't even scratch it. Then the chain gun loaded itself with a new type of bullet. These little blue lazors shot out. I watched as my bot vaporized.

Stelivotch turned to me.

“Quit wasting my bullets with this junk, go and build something durable, this is your last go,”

I went back.

My last go, my last chance.

I was scared to lose.

I dug and dug, looking through various metals and reading up on them. I even tested the armor my self with the same bullets.

Then finally after two years of working on this robot, it was ready. This hulk of muscle and endurance. I stared at it proudly. The crane wheezed as it carried my creation to the testing area. The crane broke down as it dropped my robot on it's feet to the floor. Stelivotch did the same thing as last time. When he tried the little lazors they didn't even leave a mark.

“Now we're talking,” Said he.

He then fired bigger rounds. Then he fired a real lazor. When nothing happened he pulled down a sword. He sliced down on the robots chest. Nothing. He turned to me.

“It's good.”

The only thing I hadn't made yet was the cockpit. Stelivotch told me to save that for afterwords. As a reward for my labor, he helped me design the cockpit. He told me this robot would be special and I would feel anything it feels. I sat there in a pilots suit which I designed also. It was like a suit of armor, I had a feeling I'd need it. I practiced inside the robot. Running, walking, turning, shooting and wrestling. Then Stelivotch came out one day inside his own robot. This green muscular bug like bot. He told me we were going to spar, to see if my robots joints could take the weight and pressure of another. He shot at me with sword in hand. I dodged and unsheathed mine. I could feel my own limbs taking the weight of the sword and colliding with another. It was like swinging a tree onto an oncoming one. I felt my strength being sapped by the impact of each clang. I had him in a lock at one point and he pushed on my blade. I couldn't fight, my strength was gone. I used everything I had. But then something woke up inside me. A strength I never knew I had. I looked up at the bot I faced. With it's free extra hand it punched me. I felt the blow. My bot hit the dirt.

“Pathetic, I'm pathetic,” I thought.

But then I look up.

“No, I refuse to lose now, I just finished building you!”

I screamed shot forward and uppercutted the other bot. I flung everything I had at him. I took my sword and cut one of it's legs. I threw my sword away and pounded the bots had and arm till metal flew. I picked up the robot and threw it into the wall. I was rushing to finish it when the thing pulled out a gun and aimed it at me.

“Enough.” Stelivotch's voice rang into my speakers.

I had quite forgot I was fighting him.

He slowly stood.

“You fought well, you pass,”

“I almost killed you,” I gasped.

“Caleb, I've been almost killed for forty two years, it never get's old.” Laughed Stelivotch.

I repaired my robot while Stelivotch stood waiting. Then he led me to the dinning hall and picked up a glass of cider.

“To war.”

“To war.”

Clink.

To gruesome, horrifying, sleepless war.

I remember suiting up. I remember saying my last goodbye to Stelivotch. I remember stepping inside my robot and staring at the clear sky. Then I kept walking. Then am missle flew by and blew up Stelivotch's lab. I fired at the attacker then rushed to see if my tutor was alive. He was, but he was soaked in a bloody mess. I jumped out of my bot and landed at his side. The disk next to him was broken.

He gripped my arm.

“Never forget what you've learned, never forget who you are.”

Then he was gone.

I rushed out the door, back into my robot, intent on shutting each of those pieces of rust down. I saw them make it to their battalion. The war had not only broken through the border but was now in the city. People on the ground were shooting them also. I fired my own guns. Blowing each ones head off. Then a robot pushed me out of the way as a bomb blew up next to me. This robot was tall and had a long sword and was muscular like the others.

“Watch yourself!” I heard a voice say.

The enemy retreated and the men on the ground cheered. That night I sat in a restaurant eating a burger and staring at the ceiling fan, when I saw a robot pilot come in and sit across from me. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was hunched over a bit like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He had that air all around him that felt like he knew something I didn't.

“I was the one who saved you today,” He said quietly.

“Really, thanks!” I said.

“You must be that Caleb felah, I'm Phil.”

Phil stared at me and I stared at him.

“You have a nice robot by the way,” Said I.

“Not compared to yours, its a hulk,”

“Thanks, I wanted it to be as durable as possible.”

“Endurance isn't the only thing needed out here, some command and intelligence would be quite nice.”

“I'm not that great of a leader,”

“Me neither,”

Phil stood.

“Better get back to your cockpit, we'll be heading out early.”

I stood.

“Good meeting you,”

“Yeah, don't kill yourself.”

Phil walked out the door.

That morning, we spent most of that time on the move. Since the threat was no longer in the city we moved on to the border where the real deal was taking place.

“When we get there, brace yourself, there's no telling what they'll have,” Said Phil on my speakers.

Phil was correct about one fact. Soldiers and bots were waiting for us at the border. Some were ally and some were enemy. Our orders were to take back the hill. Which was as said a hill with a fortified bunker. Having that would be a advantage. There were quite a few guns that Stelivotch hadn't tested on my armor. One of them was a cannon that fired electric balls. On in pact from the first one sent my arm recoiling back. Those cannons pounded my armor. But thankfully didn't dent it. I fired a grenade into the bunker and blew it open allowing our troops to scramble in. We took back the bunker, now to finish this war. I noticed a certain black bot behind the rest of the rogue bots. It was taller then the rest of them and had a cut lace like sword. I aimed my gun and hit him in the shoulder. The other bots realized I was firing at their leader and started pounding my robots armor with different guns. I fired back, giving them a taste of their own weaponry. Then something hit me and knocked me over. Phil's bot came into view.

“You alright?” He asked.

“Yeah, I just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all,” Said I.

Phil fired his gun at a robot then helped me up.

“The black robot that's with them, I am guessing he's important if their protecting him,” Said I.

“We'll get through Celeb, we always do,” Phil said confidently.

I stood and tried to move my arm. Pain shot through me like staples. Phil must have heard me scream for he turned.

“I think he broken my arm,” Said I.

“That's one strong gun, your robots arm looks punctured pretty quite nastily,” Said Phil

Some cranes carried me back. While they fixed my robots arm I was in the wing healing mine. Phil disappeared a few days later. No communication or anything. Most of the soldiers bet him dead. Not me. Phil was out there fighting somewhere. Then on the fifth day Phil's bot returned. It was battle worn and torn in many places. I'm not sure how Phil lived through all that then had the strength to move. Phil's bot collapsed.

“It was your black friend,” I heard Phil groan.

That was the last straw.

That robot can shoot soldiers, but my best friend?
No way.

I jumped into my robot and started moving.

Phil's robot grabbed my arm.

“Go get em,” Said he.

I ran quickly. My broken arm was aching. I'd have to work with it even though I knew this mission probably would be my last. They opened fire on me. I fired back, using my good arm. They seemed to have figured I was hurt and hammered me. Ugh this arm. I head shotted a robot then I saw the black bot. He just stood there. He raised his hand and the other robots stood down. He slowly walked towards me.

“Reconize me?” I heard an all too but a bit older familure voice ask.

It was the voice of the pilot that inspired me to fight.

“You!” I shouted.

“Did Stelivotch tell you my name?” The pilot asked.

I cringed.

“No.” I said slowly.

The robot stepped forward and slammed a fist into my face. I fell back trying to stay focused on him

“My name, is Zarnite!” The pilot shouted.

He pulled out a sword and so did I. I was using my good arm against him.

“Why aren't you using your other arm?” Zarnite asked slamming his sword into my bad arm.

I screamed.

I gasped and stared at this robot.

I can't beat him.

He knows my weakness.

But then something, a voice roared into my thoughts.

“CALEB!”

It was Phil's voice, I saw him, his robot leaning on a pole.

“DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP, YOU WERE MADE FOR THIS, FIGHT HIM CALEB, FIGHT HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!”

Tears streamed out of my eyes.

“And Caleb, I'm proud of you, get up,”

I slowly stood.

“Get up,”

I stood and broke the sling on my arm.

“Get up,”

Those words were ringing in my ears.

“Get up Caleb Curd and make me proud.”

I shot at Zarnite swinging madly. We fought near a cliff edge. My broken arm was killing me. I screamed as I raised it and cut his arm off. I clutched my fist and slammed him in the face the same way he did so long ago when he was a hero. I fell with him into the earth. I heard Phil finishing off the bots and his bot falling, then nothing.

Voices.

Soldier voices.

One wants to bury me, evidence of war!

No son, you can't bury me!

I shot one, then crawled out of my robot and saw Phil shoot the other. Here I am standing before this Admiral with Phil standing next to me, pointing a gun at him. Ready to pull the trigger because of his stupidity.

War...isn't something you can forget, less you forget the lesson it teaches in the end.

The end.