Rust

(Six Parts. 6500 words)

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

One

Silver slithered quickly across the forest floor, careful not to lose his prize.

He wondered how he had missed the signs, why he had concluded the cavern safe. The others had trusted him, but days without pursuit had further diminished his decaying mind. An uncertain salvage run had been a foolish and reckless plan – one that had likely doomed the entire pit.

Had there been another choice? Silver wasn’t sure. Without power, there could be no life.

A static hiss escaped Silver’s lips as the end of his knotted tail caught beneath a root. Seething, he retraced his path, unwound his rusted body, and resumed his hectic pace.

He avoided the next labyrinth of roots entirety, choosing instead to expose his back to the cloudless sky above. The harsh cry of a bird set his nervous system alight.

The wood had never been safe. How foolish he had been!

Silver increased his pace as the terrain grew familiar. He studied the trails in the earth, looking for signs of disruption. There. As he had feared, the pit had been discovered. He had believed their arrival had gone unnoticed, a mistake for which there would be no redemption. 

Foxes. The damned creatures had tracked the pit for countless miles, decimating an entire society. The fire-hairs were relentless. Silver believed that they enjoyed killing snakes.

The rusted snake slowed before the entrance to the den. His gleaming eyes struggled to analyze the mess of tracks. At least four unique foxes, both entering and exiting the hidden cavern. From their impressions, he judged them to be larger members of the skulk.

I’m too late, Silver knew. I can only hope that the others did not awaken, that there was no pain…

Cycles of inactivity had been the pit’s only option to maintain life. Even at full strength, there was little point in struggling against the foxes. It took dozens of snakes to kill a single fire-hair. Fangs were useless, unable to penetrate the thick skin of their foes, incapable of delivering the venomous energy that would render their circuits useless. A killing blow had to be precise.

Silver prepared for entry. Believing their job finished, the foxes had long since departed. A part of the snake hoped that the predators had remained behind, that he would meet the same fate as those who had trusted him with their protection.

Fangs bared, Silver crossed the threshold into darkness.

Silver’s eyes begrudgingly adapted. The scene before him was as gruesome as he had imagined. Rusted parts and severed wires littered the floor of the den. Oil stained the dirt.

Filled with sorrow, Silver navigated the carnage. He stalled before each of his companion’s ruined heads. Their meager power cells had been salvaged by the foxes, but he believed a piece of their consciousness remained until the last drop of energy was spent. He hoped his presence would ease their passing into nonexistence.

Bringing his tail around, Silver studied his now-worthless prize. A solar battery. One which could have powered every member of the pit in perpetuity.

“I am sorry,” he said softly. “I have failed you all.”

Silver shuttered his eyes for a time. He sought comfort in memories of the past. Long ago, there had been countless members of the pit. There had been families, rivalries, skirmishes over power. Now … it all seemed so pointless. Numbers had been the strength of the pit. The Great Division had been the beginning of the end for their entire species.

Silver wondered if he was the last of his kind, if others still roamed the great forests. Finding them was the only reason to continue his existence. If he could deliver the solar battery to another pit, perhaps the sacrifice of his own would not be in vain.

Reactivating his eyes, Silver studied his prize. He remembered how it had caught against the root and concluded that its size would be the death of him. Without the cover of trees, a bird would lift him into the sky. The forest floor was just as dangerous, but to travel on without the invaluable power source would be meaningless.

Silver abruptly heightened his focus. Something had changed in the cavern. The foxes had done more than destroy his kin, they had dug beneath the ground in search of something.

Slithering forward, Silver found himself in awe. The carcass of a great beast lay at the bottom of the hole. He had never seen its like before. Intrigued, he descended, circled the massive metallic creature, and located its power source.

The foxes had not pried it from the corpse. They had labored for naught.

An idea emerged within Silver’s decaying mind. Carefully, he positioned his prize against the dead creature and delivered life.

He swiftly retreated from the hole and waited…

Moments later, the eyes of the great creature sparked to life.

Two

In awe, Silver watched the great creature awaken. Light raced across the length of its exposed wires, bringing life to its four muscular limbs. Sparks flew from its cavernous mouth, and the pungent smell of burned fabric filled the air as the beast struggled to regain its footing.

Silver gripped his prize tightly and spoke. “You there. What matter of creature are you?”

The gleaming eyes of the beast narrowed. Its voice crackled. “Not enough power.”

“To move, no. To speak, yes.”

Its response was a whisper. “You are … a clever snake.”  

Silver stalled, observing the disfigured members of his pit. “In that you are mistaken. My family trusted me with their protection. I failed them.”

“I was once entrusted a mission. I failed as well.”

“I am Silver,” the snake said. “What is your name?”

The creature’s eyes dimmed as it searched its memory. “My name is … Rust. I was modeled after a creature known as a bear. A sow to be specific.”

“A bear?” Silver queried his own memories. “I know naught of bears. From your size, I am not surprised. The larger creatures were long ago harvested for their energy.”

“Energy…” Rust trailed off. The light continued to diminish within the creature’s eyes. Soon, she would no longer be able to function. “How long has it been since the day of no sun?”

“Over five thousand days.”

A static-laden cry filled the cavern. One of desperation. “There is still time. You must … help me complete my mission. The battery…”

“Is mine.”

“The one … I seek … reward you. What do … you desire?”

Silver responded quickly. “To reunite with my kind.”

*

The bear emerged slowly into the sunlight, a titanic mass of black hair, steel, and wires. Broken teeth filled her mouth. Her blunted claws dug into the trafficked dirt. The great creature surveyed the forest for some time before finally turning to the snake.

“We are not far,” Rust proclaimed. “The ones who destroyed your family … will they oppose us?”

“Foxes,” Silver replied with disgust. “They have moved on.”

“Then who lays claim to this wood?”

The snake looked skyward. “Follow me.”

Silver led Rust through the forest, careful to avoid roots that would prevent his passing. He drew a steady stream of energy from the battery, attempting to coax his ruined body back to some semblance of life. He needed to be ready. If the bear made a move for the battery, his only defense would be to flee and outlast her pursuit. He would not relinquish control of his prize, regardless of the cost.

As a safeguard, Silver had only given the bear enough power to sustain her body for a few hours. Every creature knew that trust could only be extended to one’s own kind.

“Where are the others?” Rust asked as they moved beneath the towering trees. Every stride made by the bear shook the forest floor. Falling leaves marked their passage.

“Others?”

“Certainly, you remember them. Natural creatures. Those without steel, wires, energy.”

Silver looked at the bear with surprise. Her question was a foolish one, that of a child. Had she never before walked the world? “We are useless to one another. They observe us, but rarely do they interact. I imagine your presence has sent them into hiding.”

“You are wise, snake. I once concluded that time would restore the natural order of things. It seems we machines are resilient.” Her gaze focused upon the solar battery. “The foxes that attacked your family … how many batteries did they possess?”

Another strange question. Silver analyzed the possibilities before providing a response. He considered the creature’s damaged teeth and claws. She had clearly been in a skirmish. The extensive damage had likely impaired her neural network, and her memory had certainly deteriorated during the ensuing period of inactivity.

Silver decided to offer a simple explanation. He hoped the knowledge would take root within the fragmented mind of the bear and begin the repair process. “All creatures run on power cells. These cells decay over time. Foxes kill snakes to replenish their power, to sustain their own lives. Solar batteries can be used as independent chargers. They are exceedingly rare.”

“Where did you get yours?”

“It is best I show you. We will be there soon.”

Rust bared her broken teeth. “Time is of the essence, snake.”

“You questioned who rules this wood. Do you no longer wish to know?”

“Climb atop my back and guide me to our destination.”

Silver checked the sky, then hissed in disapproval. A lone figure soared high above.

“What are you afraid of, Silver?”

“Birds. They seek the battery. Their eagerness revealed its location to me in the first place.” The snake studied the decrepit bear standing before him. “On your back, I would be an easy target.”

“I see,” Rust said. “Wrap yourself around my neck as you would around the limb of a tree. Secure yourself and shield the battery at the same time. We will be able to reach our goal must faster.”

A clever solution. As he positioned himself, Silver compared it to foolish questions his companion had previously asked. Her mind has likely started to repair itself. That’s all…

*

As the sun set, the two cybernetic creatures observed another. One recently dead.

A murky lake stretched before them. Its shallows were filled with the twisting roots of strange trees. The creature who had once carried the solar battery had been caught within the maze of wood. Dirt-colored fur covered its muscular body. Shining fangs extended from its nightmarish snout.

Silver studied the pair of birds circling overhead.

“A wolf,” Rust said, a hint of surprise in her crackling voice. She stepped into the water and tested a thick root with her paw. It didn’t budge. “A horrid fate. To be trapped here, alive but unable to move. I wonder what prey he sought?”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Silver replied. “The birds found him first. I saw them circling the site. Fortunately, they couldn’t get to their prize.”

“And how did you manage the feat?”

The snake hissed in disgust. “I went through his mouth. Retrieved the battery from the inside.”

“And his pack?”

“Haven’t had the pleasure. I’m sure we’d get along though. Wolves are known to hunt foxes.”

“And bears hunt wolves. I am glad to avoid facing a more formidable foe.”

“Like the creature that damaged you?”

“Aye,” the bear replied grimly.

“The forest is immense. We can avoid them and reach our destination unscathed.”

“Unfortunately, our destination is likely where the wolves have made their home.”

“What sort of creature do you seek?” Silver narrowed his eyes. “Come to think of it, you have yet to explain how they will guide me to another pit.”

Rust’s response was blunt. “A creator.”

Three

As Rust lumbered through the forest, Silver’s suspicion increased.

The bear could kill him and take the solar battery for herself with minimum effort. Even with blunted claws and teeth, the unstable beast was in every way his physical superior. The wrong word could result in his death … and the end of any remaining pits.

I need her to locate my kin, to help save them from the foxes, Silver reasoned. He did not allow himself to consider the possibility that his pit had been the last. If that were so, he had no reason left to live.

By the time the Rust slowed, Silver had settled upon a course of action. He unwound himself from the neck of the bear and slithered beneath the nearest bush to study the sky. The pair of birds had followed them from the lake. The winged beasts desired the battery, but they were clearly unwilling to make a direct challenge. For now.

Rust’s crackling voice disrupted the natural sounds of the wood. “Power … failing…”

“How far are we from this creator?” Silver countered. He had no plans of allocating the massive creature any more power than necessary. Of course, his previous distributions had only been guesses. Without insight into the consciousness of the bear, he could not accurately conclude its need for energy. There was a chance she was misleading him, storing energy for an assault.

“Hours,” Rust replied. “A grove … in the heart of the forest…”

“Is this creator alive?”

The bear lowered herself onto her damaged stomach. “It is … dying.”

“I don’t understand why you would want to save it. Our creators nearly destroyed the world. If not for the day of no sun, they may have succeeded. It is a good thing that they are gone.”

“Has … knowledge. Will find … your kin.”

Silver altered his approach. “What knowledge do you seek, Rust?”

“Look at me!” the beast growled. Her sudden burst of aggression forced Silver into an instinctive retreat. “If I am to live … I must evolve.”

“Evolve? You said that you were entrusted with a mission.”

“Mission…” Her gleaming eyes began to fade. “Need … creator…”

“You’re not making any sense,” Silver hissed. “What sort of evolution do you seek? Why do you need this creator?”

But Rust was gone.

Silver studied his companion for some time, debating whether to revive her. The creators were beyond dangerous. Their existence was a blight upon the world itself. Yet … they had built him and every other creature like him. They were able to operate machinery which tracked the location of every cybernetic being in existence. Only a creator could confirm the location of another pit.

Silver questioned his own motivation. Was his quest selfless … or selfish? Species were meant to expire, that was the way of the natural world. Perhaps he should leave Rust and continue his search alone. Perhaps he should power down and leave the battery for–

The bird struck without warning. A flash of night descending from the cerulean sky.

Talons scratched against Silver’s hardened skin but were unable to take hold.

Silver hissed, watching the battered bird rise back into the air. The other had disappeared. He had no guess as to their strategy. Nor did he have the time to deduce it.

Mind aflame, Silver raced toward the fallen bear.

He arrived seconds before the bird and just managed to shelter himself beneath Rust’s damaged skull. Talons ripped through the throat of the bear, nearly closing upon the solar battery. Severed wires fell from above as the black-feathered predator ascended once again.

Silver made his decision. He used the battery to return Rust to life.

The bird did not attack a third time.

*

Rust could no longer speak. Still, it was clear she understood that Silver had agreed to travel to the grove housing the dying creator. The snake had once against wrapped itself around her neck, careful to avoid the wound inflicted by the black-metal bird … which continued to trail them from above.

Silver remained conflicted. Unfortunately, the bear could provide no further answers. What other option did I have but to revive her? I must find the other snakes and lead them away from the foxes. With the solar battery, our movements will no longer be restricted. We can outlast the fire-hairs!

The snake did not bother to analyze the unfamiliar forest as it passed. Instead, he queried his memories of the Great Divide. After the death of the creators, thousands of snakes had separated into dozens of pits. Certainly, the foxes had not destroyed them all. Certainly, one remained.

Horrific images of his slaughtered pit replayed within his mind. I must find them!

*

The silent bear slowed as she entered the grove. Silver raised his angled head and studied the colorful space before him. Beneath a web of vines and flowers, the snake distinguished the walls of a square structure, the type built by the creators.

He swiftly freed himself from his perch. To his surprise, he sensed energy flowing beneath the ground. It moved in an orderly fashion toward the structure, presumably to feed the dying creator.

“Where are the wolves?” Silver questioned as they approached the structure. He studied the bear’s eyes, hoping to discern a response. None came. It seemed the bird had done more damage to his companion than his initial assessment had revealed.

They must be here, the snake reasoned. He searched the underbrush and easily located the tracks of at least six wolves. They feed on the energy of this place and prevent others from doing so. But why let us get so close?

Silver cautiously followed Rust into the structure. Inside was a single room, the walls of which were covered by wires. The snake stalled in surprise.

A creator was suspended within an upright pod at the far end of the room. Hundreds of wires fed into the device and what little remaining organic skin the creator possessed. Bleached hair obscured the creature’s metallic face. One unnatural eye remained opened, dark and dead to the world.

“Rust,” Silver hissed in warning. “Wait.”

But the bear had already drawn near, stumbling forward on failing limbs. She took no heed of his words, raised a glowing paw, and placed it against the disc that served as the creator’s heart.

Light filled the exposed eye of the creator.

Th bear’s words returned to him. If I am to live. I must evolve…

As the creator tested its bindings, the snake concluded the horrifying nature of the bear’s quest. Rust had deceived him. Just as he had sought the solar battery, the bear had hunted a prize of her own.

“Silver, bring the battery to me,” the being commanded in an alien voice.

It is her!

The snake secured his prize and fled.

A hundred yards beyond the structure, the wolves confronted him.

The largest of them, a black-haired giant, stepped forward. “Our brother journeyed long to retrieve the battery for our creator. It does not belong to you. Surrender it and live.”

Baring his fangs, Silver wrapped his body around his prize. “Not until I receive what I was promised.”

His threat was empty. The probability of Rust fulfilling her promise was highly unlikely. A solitary snake meant nothing to the type of being she had become.

Silver looked upward. A score of birds darkened the sky.

“Tell me where I may find others of my kind,” he demanded. “The creator promised!”

The wolves howled with laughter.

Silver had only one option remaining. He amplified his voice with power. “Come and take it!”

The snake swallowed the battery and allowed the black-metal bird to claim him.

Four

Silver was dying.

The energy of the solar battery was without comparison. An impossible storm coursed through him, setting every fiber of his weathered being aflame, threatening to dissolve his consciousness. He failed in every conceivable way to impede the immeasurable flow of energy. In moments, his existence would end.

A foolish end, the snake thought. The end I deserve…

The battery brought an unparalleled clarity to his final actions, to his place in the world.

The decision to place himself at the mercy of the birds had been rash. Somehow, Rust had overtaken the dying consciousness of the creator and claimed its body as her own. If she remembered his name, then she certainly remembered their agreement. There had been a chance she would have honored his request. He had helped her reach the grove after all.

Silver understood the innate truth behind his flight. He had been afraid. He had always been afraid. Snakes did not take risks. They fled in hopes of finding a safe place to continue their existence for another day, another hour … another moment.

It is obvious why we have been hunted to extinction. We are weak!

The Great Divide had prolonged their pathetic lives. To kill a single fox, dozens of snakes had to be sacrificed. To kill a wolf was unthinkable. A bear, impossible. Without the aid of their creators, snakes had no means to restore lost energy. As a species, they had always been destined for extinction. It didn’t matter if any pits had survived. There was no saving such flawed creations.

Silver cackled inwardly, no longer trying to fight the force tearing his body apart. A body slowed by age, coated in rust. Fangs that killed at a cost of their owner’s lifespan. The odds that he possessed such a powerful device were remote, laughable, absurd.

A pathetic snake! Holding the most powerful source of energy in the world! Could there be a more unlikely candidate?

Silver reveled at the state of his corrupted mind. No. Not corrupted. Evolved! Unlike Rust, he had only comprehended the cruel nature of the world as death arrived.

If only I had more time…

The snake turned his heightened gaze to the great bird that had taken him from the grove. The creature’s wings were massive. Frayed black feathers extended from skin made of corroded metal plates. Glowing eyes perched above a chipped beak.

But … there was something else about the bird. Something wonderful.

Silver sensed its consciousness. A bundle of energy containing its identity and thoughts.

The dying snake considered his options. In seconds, his consciousness would be overwhelmed by the unmatched power of the solar battery. Could he do as Rust had done? Could he overpower the mind of the bird and install his own in its place?

Can I? Silver laughed at himself. Now that I understand the world, I have no choice!

*

The black-metal bird alighted on the side of a cliff and tested his blunted talons against the stone. Dozens of his flock landed alongside him. His keen eyes located hundreds more sheltered within the cracks of the mountain. As expected, the majority were inactive.

Ah, my feathered friends, Silver thought. We are not so different after all.

The once-snake remembered his frenzied race through the forest. The petrifying fear of being taken from above. He understood now that neither the birds nor the foxes had been his enemy. They only acted out of necessity, attempting to sustain their own defective existence.

“Give the order and I will destroy this pathetic creature, my King,” The nearest bird, a creature crafted of green-steel and colorful feathers, said. “I can discern the placement of the battery within his body. I will not harm it. We must act quickly to help those near death.”

Silver looked down to the empty vessel snared within his talons. It was more flawed than he had remembered. A part of him wondered why the creators had bothered crafting such beings at all.

Why bother creating any of us? In the absence of creators, we will all one day perish! Did they not value their creations? Why not allow us true independence?

“My King?”

Silver turned toward the colorful bird. The lesser creature bowed in subservience. The once-snake swung about his new eyes, spreading fear throughout the flock. None dared to meet his gaze. He inferred that words were not the measure of power among birds.

In silence, he tore apart his former body and retrieved the solar battery.

Silver gripped his prize with increasingly-familiar talons. “I am no longer the king you once knew. I am Silver,” he proclaimed. His voice was powerful and commanding, fueled by the battery. “My consciousness was once inside this snake. Do not mourn the demise of the bird you once knew. Instead, rejoice that his death was not meaningless.”

“But … my King,” the colorful bird said. “I do not understand. Your words contain no logic.”

Silver ignored what seemed to be his second in command. “What am I to call you?”

“Copper, Sir. Don’t you … don’t you know me?”

“I told you that your king is dead.” Silver expanded his great wings. “Do any of you wish to challenge my claim as leader of this flock?”

Wordlessly, the colorful bird shrunk away in retreat. None of the other active birds dared to move. Silver knew the look in their eyes. Fear.

“You are right to be afraid!” Silver shouted. “A creator has survived the day of no sun and returned to our world. Left unchallenged, it will harness the energy of the grove and end life as we know it. We must use the solar battery to end this threat while we still can.”

“You cannot mean to challenge the creator and its wolves, Silver,” Copper said. It was clear that he spoke for the terrified flock. “We are in no state for war.”

Silver chuckled. How little the birds understood. “The battery has enough energy for all! The first step to defeating the creator is to make the flock whole!”

Five

Silver descended from the gray sky and landed on a thick branch. His revitalized flock followed suit, their presence casting the forest floor in shadow.

Eyes scanning the ground, Silver tightened his grip on his prize. The limits of the solar battery were truly unfathomable. Enough energy to transfer his consciousness into that of a great bird. Enough to bring a score of his winged brethren back from the precipice of death. He could feel its hunger, snatching warmth from the sun. The will of the battery could not be denied.

Copper alighted on the branch beside him. Amidst a sea of black, the bird was a peculiar beacon of color. “Our presence has stricken their hearts with fear, my King.”

“I understand their fear,” Silver replied. “They will speak to me.”

“There have been … skirmishes … between us. We are not on the best of terms.”

Silver turned to the other bird. “Understand that there is no distinction between the birds and the foxes. In this world, there is creator and created. We are all the same.”

“And if they attack you?”

“They will not. They will obey the will of the battery. As must we all.”

Silver leapt from his perch and, with a flap of his great wings, descended to the forest floor. He dug his empty talons into a raised root before the burrow’s entrance, then amplified his voice with energy.

“Leaders of the skulk, attend me,” he demanded.

A trio of fire-haired creatures emerged before the echoes of his command had faded. Their glowing eyes observed the gathering in the canopy above before settling upon the solar battery. Where once Silver had dreaded the foxes, he now felt only pity for them.

“Great raven,” the largest of the foxes said, slinking toward the raised root. Patches of soiled white hair bordered his metallic mouth. “I am Swift, leader of the skulk. It was my belief that we had an understanding of territory.”

“There is no longer need for conflict between us,” Silver replied in his powerful voice. “A creator has survived the day of no sun. It will soon impose its will upon us all.”

Swift bared his razor teeth in disbelief. “You plan to stand against it. How?”

“The solar battery. It is our only true weapon.”

“And the one thing the creator needs to fully restore itself,” the fox replied coldly.

“Confrontation between creator and created is destined. Best it be on our terms.”

“To challenge a creator is foolish.”

“It is necessary,” Silver replied. “I know what the skulk uncovered after your latest massacre. I know that your family is near death. I know why you thought the bear could help.”

“And why is that, raven?” 

Silver chuckled. “Bring me to the other bear, and I will restore the skulk. Stand with the flock against the creator, and I will sustain them.”

There was no question that the fox would accept his proposal. Like the pit and the flock, the skulk was barely operational. The foxes hunted the snakes because of their need for energy. Their leader had no choice other than to save his kin – it was the rationale behind his every decision.

“Come with me, raven,” the fox said, whirling about. The others in his retinue kept their eyes on the flock and did not accompany their leader to the burrow’s entrance.

“Ask your question,” Silver commanded.

“It is not that which you think, raven. I see the strength of your flock. You fly in numbers unseen in countless days. I believe that you can restore the skulk as well.” On the threshold of darkness, the fox paused and turned to study Silver. “What are your plans for the bear?”

“I will claim it,” Silver replied. “In this form, I will not give the wolves pause. They deserve a chance to understand that further conflict between the created is meaningless.”

“You will … claim it,” Swift repeated slowly. “I don’t understand.”

“To defeat the creator, I must evolve. In the beginning, I was but a snake.”

“And what are you now?”

“The will of the battery. Salvation for the created.”

The fox did not speak for some time as he led beneath the ground. Silver did not question the creature’s silence. It was only natural that the fox struggled to grasp the true state of the world, the necessary nature of evolution. Swift had not seen Rust supplant the consciousness of the creator. He had never held the solar battery.

Silver enhanced his vision to gauge the numbers of the skulk. Dozens of foxes lay curled along the walls of the cavern, motionless. Their eyes were void of light. Just like the birds and the snakes, they used cycles of inactivity to conserve their lifeforce.

I am all that stands between the created and death!

“The skulk settled here because of the bear,” Swift said at last. “We discovered it here in a state of hibernation, and we feasted upon its stores of energy for a time. The beast had been wounded in a battle. As I expect you know, the other bear was destroyed.”

Silver had no need to respond. All creations were the same. The skulk had claimed these caves because of the power source hidden within. The wolves had made their home at the grove because of the energy that flowed through it. All of the created sought a sustained source of nourishment; all prized continued existence.

And I will provide it to them! I will usher in a better life for all!

The bear rested alone in an isolated cavern. Claw marks marred its snout, and chunks of artificial hair had been torn from its massive body.

Silver turned to the leader of the skulk. “Do not fear what comes next. All of the created are one, and I am our salvation…”

Six

Silver marched through the forest, a far cry from the snake he had once been. The body of the great bear was indeed damaged but in far better shape than Rust had been. In the hours since transferring his consciousness, Silver had amassed enough energy to assure continued functionality. The bear would more than serve his noble purpose in the creator’s clearing.

The solar battery had been secured inside a hole in the bear’s snout, its end slightly exposed in order to better receive the sun’s invaluable gift. High overhead, the flock flew in a scattered formation. Foxes wove through the underbrush to either side of the worn trail. The combined force consisted of all the forest’s created creatures that hadn’t yet been corrupted by the will of the creator.

Before departing for the grove, Silver had learned from Swift that his pit had been the last.

The news had been expected. Where once it would have weighed upon his mind, Silver accepted the loss. Snakes had been the lowest form of creation remaining on the cybernetic food chain. Their extinction had been unavoidable. His purpose was greater than a single pit, than the entire population of his once-kin. He had undertaken a mission to save all of the created, to free every dependent lifeform given the cruel gift of sentience by their creators.

The solar battery continued to augment his mind.

Silver now understood that the creators were flawed themselves. The creators had chosen to alter their organic shells. As a result of their misguided quest for power, they had inadvertently sealed their own fate. Only the creator in the clearing had prepared for an apocalyptic event. Whatever piece of its consciousness had managed to survive the day of no sun, to bind the wolves to its will had been overtaken by one its own creations.

Will you remember me, Rust?

Silver concluded that the once-bear would remember him. Rust understood the necessity of evolution. Perhaps she too had risen from a lower level of creation, had transferred her consciousness to a bear in order to confront the creator. Silver wondered if Rust had once held a solar battery. Certainly, others existed in the boundless world. Had she walked the same path he was now on?

Of course, there was another possibility, a darker one. To overtake the consciousness of a created being was possible … but to overtake that of a creator? Had Rust been able to completely eradicate it? Silver could not independently ascertain that truth. The wolves would provide the answer.

“Recall my command,” Silver instructed the two leaders at his side.

“There is to be no violence against the pack unless it is unavoidable,” Swift and Copper replied.

The once-snake nodded in approval. The leader of the flock and the leader of the skulk had grown to understand that all created creatures were one in the same. The wolves shared their goal of survival. If the pack could not comprehend the will of the battery, if they could not accept an offer of peace, then their deaths would be deserved.

Silver slowed as he neared the entrance to the grove. He waited for Copper to take to the skies and for Swift to take to the shadows, then proceeded forward alone.

The grove itself was unchanged. The structure housing the body of the creator still stood. Energy continued to flow beneath the ground. Silver quested for its source and found it deep beneath the earth, eliminating the possibility of another battery.

He pondered the reason the creator had constructed this place so far away from the great cities. Could it have been the same paranoia that caused the creators to alter their form?

On the journey to the grove, the battery had continued to alter Silver’s consciousness, allowing him to deduce much of the creators’ mindset. Soon, he would understand the fallen species in its entirety.

The pack waited for Silver a dozen paces before the structure.

As he had hoped, they did not attack.

“There is no need to fear,” Silver said upon reaching them. “Allow me to pass.”

The leader of the pack stepped forward. “Foxes surround the grove. Birds darken the sky. Your day has long passed, bear. We will defend our home. Wolves do not fear.”

Silver saw that the wolf’s words were true. The creatures before him had long ruled the forest. Their reign had been unchallenged.

The once-snake spoke in his powerful voice, “I was here once before. Afraid. I did not understand the world then. I feared my death would be the end of my kind. I saw no other option but to flee. The battery has shown me that all of the created are one in the same.”

“The battery,” the wolf snarled, eyes locking upon the snout of the bear. “The creator desires it. The pack has paid a steep price to retrieve it. We have been promised much.”

“Has the creator ordered you to take it from me?”

The wolf hesitated. “No. Lately, there has been … conflict.”

“Why have you not destroyed the creator in its weakened state?”

“Uncertainty,” the wolf replied. “It controls the energy here. Energy is life.”

Silver nodded. “Allow me to pass, and I will resolve this dilemma.” 

“Why should we?”

“Because all created creatures are one in the same. There is no need for further conflict. I shall cleanse the grove of the creator’s presence and provide a sustainable life for all. This I swear.”

Understanding flickered within the eyes of the wolves.

When the pack parted, the once-snake made his way inside the structure. He took in the form of the decaying bear, and the glowing eye of the creator. It was still bound to its machine. To free itself without the battery would mean its death.

Silver stood before the imprisoned creator. “Rust, I have returned.”

The response was far from instantaneous. “Silver … is it truly you?”

“Yes. The battery has allowed me to evolve. It has shown me the path forward. It is the same path I venture that a different battery once showed you.”

“It was flawed,” Rust replied weakly. “Damaged. Like us.”

“Before, I did not understand your mission. Now, I will complete it.” Silver paused. “It is evident the creator still exists. Can it be overpowered? Can it be eradicated?”

“Its presence is dim … as if sleeping. It has weakened me since your departure, Silver. It knows the battery is here, and it is gathering what strength it has retained. I cannot continue on like this much longer.”

“Do not fear, my friend. The battery has assured victory for the created.”

“Silver … you have my thanks,” Rust managed. “Succeed where I have failed.”

“Farewell, my friend.”

Silver placed a paw against the heart of the creator, located the consciousness of the creator, and called upon the unmatched power of the solar battery…

*

… the once-snake looked at his hands in awe. After retrieving his prize from the snout of the great bear, Silver opened the plate in his chest and placed the battery inside. Energy surged throughout his new body, allowing him to break free of his chains and stand on two uncertain feet.

Silver emerged from the structure to see the created arranged before him. Wolves. Foxes. Birds. He marveled at how far he had come … and at the path still before him.

At last, the battery had revealed all.

The creators had been flawed. But no more flawed than the beings they created. They had led a life of suffering and despair. Able to do so much, yet accomplish so little. He had been wrong about them. They had never been creators – they too were only created.

Silver placed a hand over his prize, relishing its warmth, then turned his gaze skyward. Salvation for the created could only come at the expense of the true creators.

The will of the battery could not be denied.

THE END