Dead Mech by Jake Bible Read Free Book Online

losing battle. She sobbed uncontrollably, wrapping her
arms about herself as she rocked in the cockpit.
    Her com buzzed and she struggled to pull
herself together.
    “Hey, you okay?” Mathew’s voice crackled.
She sucked back tears, choking a bit.
    “No, Matty, I’m not,” she whispered.
    “What happened? Where’s Stan?”
    “I don’t know what happened. Biz wouldn’t
say,” she responded between hiccups.
    “And Stan?”
    Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. “He’s on the
pyre.”
    ***
    Jethro pulled his head away from the
cockpit, face scrunched in disgust. “Jeezus Bisby! Did you shit
yourself?”
    Bisby climbed down the last few rungs on his
mech’s right leg, glaring up at Jethro. “Just fix the god damn
targeter. I was shooting by feel, which totally wasted ammo and cut
things way too fucking close.”
    Jethro heard the tone in Bisby’s voice,
knowing his guess was right; Bisby did shit himself. It must have
gotten pretty bad out there.
    “Everyone coming back today?” Jethro asked,
ignoring the stench and climbing fully into the mech’s cockpit.
    “No, Jethro. They aren’t.”
    ***
    “Can you give me a ride out there?” Doctor
Themopolous asked, approaching Mathew and Masters as they climbed
into the waiting ATV.
    “Sure thing, Doc. We’re just heading out to
keep watch on the body,” Mathew responded.
    The Doctor climbed into the back of the ATV
as Masters fired up the engines. Mathew double-checked the
auto-carbines’ clips, stowing his and Masters’ in the rack between
the front seats.
    Masters gunned the engine and the ATV burst
from the hangar. Themopolous hung on, white knuckled as they sped
over the earthen terrain, past Rachel’s mech, heading out to the
funeral pyre.
    ***
    Bisby let the water run over him, washing
the filth from his body.
    “Biz?” Harlow’s voice called from the shower
room door. “You in here?”
    Bisby didn’t respond.
    “Capreze’s looking for you,” Harlow
continued. “He’s pretty pissed you didn’t report to him before
cleaning up.”
    Bisby sighed. “Tell him I’ll be right
there.”
    Harlow stayed put. “Did he suffer?”
    Bisby tensed. “Yes, Harlow, he suffered. But
only until he blew his own brains out.”
    Bisby shut off the water, grabbed a towel
and pushed past Harlow.
    Harlow slumped against the wall, slowly
lowering to the floor, fighting back the tears.
    ***
    The ATV skidded to a halt, kicking up sand
and dirt, coating the pyre and Stanislaw’s body.
    “Jeezus, Masters! Show some fucking
respect!” Mathew yelled.
    “Don’t even start with me, Jespers,” Masters
barked, grabbing his carbine as he climbed from the ATV. He offered
Themopolous a hand.
    “Thanks,” she muttered, still shook up by
the wild ride from the base.
    Themopolous started towards the corpse.
Mathew grabbed his carbine and followed, Masters right behind
him.
    “You worried Bisby was wrong? That Stan
might come back?” Mathew asked Themopolous.
    When the three saw the body, they knew
Stanislaw wasn’t coming back.
    ***
    “I am positive that you know debriefing
protocol is to see me before you shower, pilot,” Capreze growled at
Bisby as the pilot stood at attention. “The sooner you report, the
less you forget.”
    “With all due respect sir, I’ll never forget
today,” Bisby responded through clenched teeth, his anger barely
contained.
    “I do not doubt that, pilot, but that is not
your call to make. Understand me?”
    Bisby ground his teeth together, trying to
hold his tongue.
    “I asked if you understand-”
    “I SHIT MY FUCKING SUIT SIR!” Bisby roared
at Capreze.
    Stunned, Capreze sat down in his chair.
    ***
    Doctor Themopolous didn’t bother opening her
medical kit, she knew the cause of death. Masters looked over her
shoulder, grimacing at the sight.
    “Did he do that?” Masters asked.
    “It appears so. I’d say cause of death was a
self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”
    “What the fuck happened out there?”
    “I’m sure