Echo In the Machine - Chapter 9
An expanded tale written from prompts while playing ECO MOFOS!!
Start from the beginning of my ECO MOFOS!! Solo Playthrough story HERE!
CHAPTER 9: SIREN’S PLACE
It didn’t look like much from the outside. A gutted tanker trailer stitched together with scrap metal and sheet panels, half-sunk into the earth. Bits of wire and plating patched the sides. A dim glow leaked out through slits in the seams. But it was standing. And more importantly, it was lived in.
“That’s home,” Siren said.
“Not bad,” I muttered.
I hauled the cart up alongside the structure and felt the weight of the day finally settle into my shoulders. Every step since the forest had been a grind.
Siren gave a quick wave to someone on patrol. “That’s Honey.”
They waved back, just as quick. Siren knocked twice on the metal frame and pushed the door open.
The warm air hit me first. Inside was bigger than it had any right to be. The trailer opened into a wide common space, cluttered but organized in that way only people who lived there could manage. Tables were built from anything flat. Shelves were lined with salvage. A few lamps and flashlights shined low.
Three people looked up when we stepped in. None of them smiled.
“Evenin’,” Siren said.
A lanky guy slouched near a workbench, eyes half-lidded, a slow blink like he’d just come back from somewhere far away. Another sat curled into herself on a chair, hands tucked in, watching me like I might break something just by standing there. And off to the side, a man in a long coat barely looked up at all, muttering to himself over a spread of tools and what looked like pinball machine parts.
“This is Brax,” Siren said. “He’s with me.”
That didn’t seem to settle much.
“He’s not one of us,” the man at the table muttered, not looking up.
Siren sighed. “He’s not NEWBAT, Doc,” she said. “I know.”
That word hung in the room for a second.
“NEWBAT?” I asked.
The lanky one gave a slow grin. “Next Earth Well-Being and Tech,” he said. “We dig. Crawl old bunkers and pull what still matters outta the dirt.”
“Adaptation specialists,” Doc added dryly. “That’s what we call ourselves.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a lotta work.”
“It is,” Siren said, as she pulled out the binoculars and stepped forward, handing them to the man she called “Doc.”
Guild types. That explained the looks.
The lanky one gave a lazy nod. “I’m Tarot.”
The quiet one didn’t speak. “That’s Queen,” Siren added for her.
The man at the table snorted. “Doctor Garcia.”
I gave a small nod. “Appreciate the roof tonight.” No one answered that either.
I rolled the droid inside and parked it along the wall. Tarot’s eyes followed it immediately, the fog in them clearing just a bit.
“Whoa, that’s a haul,” he said, pushing himself upright. “Where’d you dig that up?”
“In an old bunker,” I said. “A long ways from here.”
He wandered closer, circling it slow. “Yeah… yeah, that’s something.”
Siren dropped her pack and leaned against the wall. “He’s heading to the stronghold. I told him I could fix it.”
Tarot nodded, but his eyes stayed on the droid, tracking it up and down.
Doctor Garcia looked up this time. “With a find like that,” he said, “you could be NEWBAT in no time…”
Garcia smirked and shrugged, still examining the binoculars. “Initiation builds character.”
“Sleep. We need sleep, Doc,” she snapped back.
The door to one of the back rooms creaked open. A man stepped out, stretching his arms like he’d just woken up. He stopped when he saw me. Looked me over then looked at Siren. Something in his expression tightened.
“Who the fuck is this?” he asked.
“This is Brax,” she said. “He helped me out.”
“Mmm hmm,” he grunted.
He didn’t sound convinced. His eyes flicked to the droid, then back to me. Then to Siren again. He didn’t like something about the situation. Could’ve been me. Could’ve been the way she brought me in. It probably was me.
“That’s Jester,” Siren said with a certain tone, like that explained it.
He raised his hands in submission and forced a smile. “Welcome to our home,” he said as he walked toward the door shaking his head.
It definitely didn’t feel like a welcome. I let it slide. “Is the couch taken?” I asked.
Tarot shook his head. “All yours, man.”
I nodded and dropped my pack near it and sat down. Springs poked through the cushions in a few places, but it still beat sleeping in a brush patch or a puddle of mud.
Tarot hovered nearby, still eyeing the droid. Then he nodded, satisfied, and drifted back to his corner.
Siren stretched and yawned. “I’m turning in,” she said. “You’ll be alright?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve had worse nights.”
She gave me that crooked smile again, then disappeared into one of the back rooms. The others settled back into their routines. Quiet and watchful. I leaned back on the couch and closed my eyes.
I didn’t sleep. Not really. The place seemed safe. Safer than most. But my head wouldn’t shut off. Too many new faces. Too many unknowns. My thoughts raced with no stopping them. After a while, I gave up. I got up, double-checked Ole’ Sixey, adjusted my coat, grabbed my flask, and stepped outside.
It was cool and quiet. Just the wind moving through the scrub. I took a swig of moonshine and leaned against the side of the trailer.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
I glanced over. Jester stood a few paces off, shifting his weight, shoulders squared, like he was bracing for whatever might come.
“Something like that,” I said.
He stepped closer to say something to me, like he’d been rehearsing it since he stormed out.
“You move fast,” he said in a low tone. “Show up outta nowhere. Got Siren talking like you’re something special.”
I frowned. “Didn’t realize I was doing anything of the sort.” He ignored me. I took another drink.
“Here’s what’s gonna happen,” he said. “You leave. Now. Take your broken tin can and get far from here.”
I straightened. “Look,” I said, “I’m just passin’ through. That’s it. I’ll be gone at sun-up.”
He pulled a knife from his belt and held it toward me.
“No. You’ll leave when I tell you to leave. Oh, and leave your pack,” he added. “I’m sure there’s something in there worth keeping more than your busted robot.”
I let out a breath. “Well, that’s not gonna happen,” I said, sliding my coat back and resting my hand on Ole’ Sixey.
He tilted his head and looked at the gun like it made no difference. “I’m not afraid of you and that old antique,” he chuckled.
“Don’t do this, brother,” I said. And, for a second, I thought he might actually listen.
Then he lunged.
I drew and fired.
The shot cracked loud in the night.
He dropped hard, clutching his shoulder, knife still in his grip.
“Ah, shit!” he hissed.
Commotion flared inside the trailer and the NEWBATs were outside fast, with weapons in hand.
Siren’s eyes snapped between us. “What happened?” she demanded.
Jester pointed at me. “He… He- shot me!”
“He came at me,” I said calmly. “I told him to stop.”
They looked at the knife, still in Jester’s hand. Then they looked at me with my gun low.
Siren’s jaw tightened. “Jester, is that true?” she asked him.
Jester didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.
Doctor Garcia stepped forward with an unreadable expression. “That’s enough.”
Tarot kicked the knife out of Jester’s hand.
Queen stayed back, but her eyes were locked on him. Not me. That told me everything.
They hauled him to his feet. “Get your gear and get out!,” Garcia said.
Jester stared at them. “You serious right now?”
No one answered. That was answer enough. They tossed his belongings at his feet.
“Go,” Siren said.
For a second, I thought he might argue. Then he looked at me and my gun again and laughed a bitter laugh.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “You’ll see.”
He staggered off into the dark with one hand pressed to his shoulder. We all watched until he disappeared. No one spoke for a while, then Siren finally exhaled.
“He’s changed,” she said quietly. “Been like that for a while now. Always looking for something to take. Not part of this anymore. It became more for himself and not for the cause.”
Garcia nodded once. “He was too far gone.”
Tarot rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah… we saw this coming.”
There was silence again, then Garcia clapped his hands once.
“There will be a new watch rotation,” he said. “We will need to adjust.”
There were nods in agreement.
“You two,” he added, glancing at me and Siren, “best get some sleep. You’ve got a long day.”
Tarot perked up. “I’m going with them. If… you don’t mind me tagging along?”
Siren smiled. “Figured you might.” THen she looked at me for approval.
I nodded. “I could use an extra hand pushing that ton of scrap.”
Things settled after that. Almost like the skirmish didn’t even happen. I made my way back to the couch and lied down.
I closed my eyes and this time, I actually slept.
CHAPTER 8 - THE TANGLE | CHAPTER 10 - COMING SOON!
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I have a feeling this isn't the last Brax has seen of Jester! 😄
I had a Doc Garcia in my last game of Eco Mofos too, she was out in the Wastelands looking for her missing brother. Unfortunately for him he had been captured by cannibals, fortunately for him the cannibals were set upon by giant spiders who webbed him up... actually maybe that's an unfortunately. 😆