TROA) Human Base Part 1

After sending the girl through the portal, I couldn’t help but think about the things people had to do in order to survive. This girl survived all alone all this time. She was one of the lucky ones. But others would sell themselves or even turn to cannibalism in order to stay alive. 

I can not fault those who turn to such paths, but I, for one, could and can still never condone such actions. I was one of the luckier ones. I escaped all the bad stuff for the most part. Although I was forced to fight on the battlefield, it was much better than the latter. 

“Where to next?” I looked at the arid landscape, unsure of where my next destination was. This heat had pretty much killed most of the population before even the second wave. But humans are resilient. We might not be able to live long in harsh conditions, but if we take precautions, then we can live a long time. 

“If the hot weather subsides soon, then would winter kick in right away?” I wondered about this. Would there be a seasonal change? Would plants be able to bounce back? It made me wonder just what kind of world will be left when these replicators finally leave. If that left, that is.

I walked down the dusty path ahead, hoping to save whoever I could. “There should be another city this way….”  I pursed my lips as I continued forward. If I see any spiders, I will kill them. That is free experience, after all.

- - -

“Oh?” I looked at the huge metal wall in front of me in surprise. It reminded me of the human bases of my previous life. “Did they construct this before or after the heat set in?” 

“Don’t move!” I heard a voice coming from somewhere but did not see anyone. I looked around and noticed an automated turret pointing right at me. “Who are you? And how are you able to stand outside in this heat.”

“My name is Ai, and as for how I am out here in this heat, well… That part is complicated since my mother is the only one who knows how these clothes are made. But I can promise that I mean you no harm.” I smiled at the turret in hopes that they would not see me as an enemy.

“Leave. We can not trust people who are as suspicious as you.” The voice replied, causing me to sigh. I could just break in, but I figured it would not be a good idea at this time. And with how well armed they are, they should be fine for the time being.

“Then I will take my leave. I will be back another day.” I replied before turning around and slowly walking away. I did not want to cause too much of a fight. But I do wonder if they have some smart people inside. “Should I just break in?”

I was starting to change my mind about breaking in. If they have scientists and others who are specialized in different fields, my base could really use them at this time. My only issue is that if I break something that was meant to defend these people, they might see me as enemy number one. I do not wish to anger others at this time, well as long as they do not shoot at me or cause harm to others in front of me. 

But when I think about how they could have already started up their breeding farms where girls would be forced to do it with men until they were pregnant, I felt kind of disgusted. To those people who ran those kinds of places, they did not care about age. As long as they already had their period, they would either be taught how to fight and die on the battlefield, or they would be given a good life but forced to do many men until they gave birth.

What made things worse was that if the younger girls had parents, many of those parents would force their kids into the good life since they would benefit from it as well. The laws of the time before had all but disappeared. It still makes me sick just thinking about it. “I guess I will go….”

With a sigh, I began walking around the metal wall. Far enough away not stay out of range of any sensors. As I figured, though, this place was not fully set up since there were only five sentry guns near the main gate. “Now that I think about it, are those things even real?” 

I was starting to think I was duped. “Aw, well… let’s go see if I can bring people back with me.”  

I went to a clear spot on the wall and hopped over to the other side. There, I was met with houses that seemed abandoned, but if my thoughts were correct, there should be more to this place. I had no proof, but just something about this place seemed eerie since it looked old fashioned.