David Golemon - Legacy

“Captain, look,” the man who had fallen said, his eyes fixed on the appendage.

Jarneux was speechless as he saw the very end of the arm open up and the three large fingers unfold, tick once, and come to a stop. They were looking at a hand large enough to cover their entire helmeted heads.

“My God, what the hell is this thing?” Jarneux asked aloud.

Suddenly, three feet away and without making a sound, two copper cylinders exploded outward from the dust. Their lids immediately flew open, and to the terror of the three men they weren’t damaged like the first. As they watched in fascination, first one and then the other device unfolded itself from its egglike cylinder. They rose into the air. The legs made fast their footing and then the torso started to expand. The arms unfolded from the main trunk, and the head slowly rose from a hiding place deep inside the shiny metal structure.

Jarneux watched as the two manlike robots rose into the air. They were at least twenty feet in height and looked as if they were made of chromed steel. He saw the inner workings through the riblike protection, with gears and cogs turning, and he suspected that if he could hear them they would have a mechanical or loud turbinelike whine as they activated and gained power. He saw a series of glasslike appendages pop free on their backs, briefly shining in the daylight. They reflected like glass and Jarneux realized that the plates were solar panels, rapidly collecting energy. The panels sank back into the bodies of the mechanical giants and were covered by what looked like shoulder blades. The two mammoth beasts stood stock-still as first one and then the other started turning their heads, examining their surroundings.

Jarneux eased his right hand over to his left wrist and decided he had to risk communication with the Shackleton team.

“To anyone listening, this is Jarneux. We have uncovered something mechanical at the first site. I believe they are hostile.”

The closest mechanism moved its head toward Jarneux, who took both of his companions by the arms and started pulling them backward.

They watched as the devices stood their ground. The heads swiveled and looked at the three men, then turned and continued to scan the area. The giants stood with massive legs spread and arms half turned up at the elbow. Their construction design was a steel rod system that looked as if it could take serious punishment. Their electrical systems were buried deep inside the cagelike rods, like the life-giving veins of a living creature. They could see no discernible weaponry on the structures, but the powerful claws and thick limbs suggested that they didn’t need any weapons other than their mechanized hands.

“My God!” a voice said through their COM system.

Jarneux slowly turned and saw the rest of his team as they stood on the superstructure of the downed spaceship. They were staring at the amazing sight in front of them and were frozen in awe at the two mechanical giants. The captain raised his right hand, intimating that the men should not move or make any threatening gestures. The two robots remained still. They were producing a small vibration that the men could feel through their thick boots. The robot on the left turned slightly and they saw a parabolic dish pop free from the shoulder area. It immediately started turning. The men felt a slight pressure in their ears as a sound wave passed through their helmets and into their heads. The dish stopped turning and folded back into the shoulder. The robot remained still after that.

“Attention, we will slowly start making our way to the crater,” said Jarneux. We will not fire unless attacked. I want everyone to be clear on that. Now slowly turn and start walking.”

As the six men on the superstructure and the three below on the lunar surface turned, they stopped dead in their tracks. They were face-to-face with a third mechanical giant. It stood just thirty feet south of the crash site and was silently watching the scene in front of it. Every man saw the beast stand like a predator eyeing its prey. Jarneux realized then that the first two mechanisms had been waiting for the third to block their retreat. They were surrounded. The three menacing mechanicians just stared at the nine survivors of the ESA LEM Astral. The machines were not moving, but looked aggressive nonetheless. The colonel once more made sure his frequency was correct.

“Shackleton team, this is Captain Jarneux. We are about to be attacked by a mechanical force of unknown origin. We will attempt to escape and join-”

At that moment the third giant sprang into motion. It took six long strides and slapped the first man it came to off the superstructure of the crashed ship. It hit the man so hard that his helmet was ripped from his head. His body flew off through the Moon’s light gravity. The men all broke as one, each one of them jumping and bounding away.

Jarneux, instead of running, pushed his two companions away and removed his weapon from his back. He sighted his rifle on the first robot on his left and fired his weapon on full automatic. The ESA weapon used a combustible mix of gas and gunpowder that sent an explosive. 50 caliber round out at supersonic speed. The round would explode on contact. Several of the explosive shells hit the first robot in the chest, making it take three large steps backward, but then it righted itself and followed its companion forward. Jarneux aimed at the head area of the same beast and fired another long stream of rounds into the airless void. They struck its thick neck and face, but it kept coming on, shrugging the powerful rounds off as if they were mere blows from the captain’s fists.

“All personnel fall back, fall back to the crater,” he yelled as he fired again at the oncoming menace.

The next set of rounds exploded at the giant’s feet, taking out large chunks of Moon dust. The void in the surface tripped up the mechanical giant and it staggered, falling face-first into the dust. The captain aimed at the second robot, which had veered to its left in an attempt to strike at the men above. As he aimed, he was grabbed from behind by the third giant. Jarneux was raised to a height at which he was face-to-face with the thing. The captain could see the inner workings of the beast. Its brain looked like a turning gyroscope deep inside its head. He tried his best to get the rifle aimed, but found that his arm had been broken when the robot had picked him up from the surface. Several of his men had stopped in midflight to turn and fire at the giant, but their rounds were just as useless as Jarneux’s had been.

Jarneux looked deep into the mechanical beast’s red, glowing eyes. He saw the thickness of the glass lens and the brightness of the programming behind it. The orb glowed from the deep interior, and he knew that this thing had been programmed many millions of years ago to kill anything it encountered. This unthinking giant was man’s worst nightmare come true-a beast that wouldn’t stop until its programmed goals had been fulfilled. The damnable things had lain in wait for millions upon millions of years for just this opportunity.

As it brought Jarneux forward, the giant seemed to be studying him. It appeared to realize something as it tilted its large steel-encased head. It was as if it were scanning him to confirm his face, body, or uniform.

The French captain became angry at his obvious fate and lashed out at the glowing right eye with his good arm. The gloved fist struck the beast and it didn’t even flinch. It remained still and staring. Jarneux struck it again. This time the giant started to squeeze the small human. The captain felt his ribs collapse first and then a scream that only he could hear burst out of his lungs as the giant brought him closer to its eyes.

The last thing Jarneux saw was what appeared to be a satisfied glint in the red eyes. Then he realized that it was his own reflection he was seeing, and that it was wide-eyed and screaming.