My Novel

Appreciate it

Steel It is: A story

10^th October’ 1909

Piere an army official, looks up to his captain. The room is dark, smells and tastes like gunpowder, and is practically hollow, except for a table and two men. for they fear the zergots. Zergot is well... a robot, created by ‘Boss’ who is a robot himself. Captain with a stern look of disbelief and fear in his eyes “Those zergots... They have pounced and broken our water supplies! And that includes the pipes!” Piere looks and says “Captain, it’s a serious matter, but we can’t do much, for our men will be walking sticks by end of the day! Except, except for fighting back...” Captain thinks and denies “No Piere it’s not worth the price, they are huge steel shows you know, they aren’t made for a Victorian show.” Piere, “I know that well and clear captain, I respect your thinking for us, but we can’t just sit with our arms folded, For, FOR the MOTHERLAND DEPENDS ON US!”

After a while of silence, Captain speaks with anger, as if Piere’s words were like bullets in his chest, “No Piere! Stay against me and you, and I am clear, will be DETAINED…” Piere looks shocked, trembling hands, he felt as if his own family member had stabbed him, “Lord Bless you and motherland Sire! But I am sorry, my oath to my Motherland, will, did and does require my logical or illogical intervention!” PIERE!! A sharp shout echoes through the dusty, dark, hollow room. Piere looks at captain one last time and storms, calmly out of the room, as if, he was determined to do what he thought of doing. He marched towards the grand army room, his heart beating frantically, he felt a feeling of wrong in his own guts, something that never happened before…

Grand Army room-

Piere slowly approaches the door, of a hallway, once called “Veteran Gold”, except now it’s a dusty hallway… Piere thinks, first once, then twice, thinking if captain was right, “Can humans really defeat hardened steel” he thought. Then he slowly opened the door. The door creaked loudly, everyone, all veterans of war looked over who’s the man who’s entering. He glanced at them all, some in their 50s, some in 40s, and some in 60s, all with hopeful eyes looking over Piere. Piere announced, with great pride, yet with a little guilt, “Men, we will give those Zergots a fight for their life’s, for the future of our motherland, shall we rather fight and die rather than in deep pain and sorrow, for we failed as troops, as soldiers, who men and women and children depend upon.” His fiery speech, sparked a moment, one no one shall ever forget. Men Cheered, they opened their wallets and dusty black-n-white pictures of their women and daughter and sons. They knew deep inside heart that they had to make this sacrifice for the generations to come.

1901: ‘The Boss’ Backstory-

The ‘Boss’ was also referred as 1.0 by its now dead inventor, Nikola James. Its entire purpose was to service humanity, it used water as electricity and gates as transistors, ‘Boss’ towered 19 feet tall. However not everything in life go to our plans that’s what Nikola James had to learn the hard way. The Boss murdered its own inventor with a pistol the night after its own birth. Nikola before death mocked it, “Haha, you thing think your hard enough, to beat humans? No one ever can, could or EVER WILL.” Rest was gunshots……

All on Guncerzer land-

Ah yes, Guncerzer land it’s a place, that was once a beautiful city before war torn economy took over. Once a city of shows, rich lads and coal, now a deserted place, with rats, insects, and the gut feeling of something WORSE. He chose the clear, yet wasp infested lands of sir lord Colding, who had left it open for other people to come, his rush was clear with the gate not even locked property and most of his gold left inside. But Gold can’t replace food and water in such an economy, Can it? As soldiers stretched and yawned, it was still early in the morning, their equipment clanked against each other, Piere looked at the morning sun, it was bright, clear, joyful, yet something still felt naturally off… Piere couldn’t quite shake the feeling. Piere sat on ground, took a fistful and gave the speech, that would be remembered by historians as “THE FIRE BEFORE THE STORM”. He with pride said in highest voice he held,” Men, this is what we are fighting for, this is what we lived for and this is what we will die trying for.” Soldiers sit and talk, chit-n-chatter the normally disciplined Piere couldn’t complain. Zergots were still a few 10 kms away, Piere called the 10 most smart men inside, for discussion… they decided to dig trenches near this mansion and lure the zergots in. Piere’s brain stood well and convinced but his heart and guts didn’t. Piere tried his best, but at last his patriotic heart is what left him alone. Piere watched his hands shake slightly, he knew the men and their families well, he was in pain, not physical, but mental, thinking about their families. A round 13:45 at night, they played bells and tongs to attract, for some reason, zergots didn’t come, perhaps they are planning, perhaps they are dumb.

Battle of Guncerzer land-

At the morning of 11^th October’ 1909. The zergots arrived finally, with their fashioned 2 cm thick steel armor. The Men had been waiting for it all night, they knew a day like this was going to come, so they didn’t keep any hopes of making out anyway. Men took their muskets aimed, shot slammed at their plating and rivets with intense accuracy. People 60 km away could feel the thumping of the ground. Storm rolled in around the same time; hence they were fighting in fog and rain. Just them a shot from a zergot hit Piere in his brain. Piere fell unconscious. A soldier nearby tried to wake him up. He yelled, “sire? Sire? Sire. SIRE! SIRE! WAKE UP SIRE!!” Piere was admitted into Guncerzer land hospital. A soldier wrote a letter to sir lord Colding who just for the record, is the richest man in the city, requesting to bring his private troops of 600 men, for the motherland requires him. He wrote back, “Expect me in 3 days.” Zergot reported the “casualty” of Piere to the boss. Men fought with the internal fire of rage for their Piere. Shouting-n-shooting, “Long live Piere!!” The shots were able to keep the zergots at the bay, for the time being… But this won’t work always. At least not for the remainder 3 days.

The Clock Ticks-

Soldiers were trying their best to keep the high morale alive. They couldn’t let soldiers stay without morale, as an army without morale is not better than any unarmed army. The nurse in hospital tried her best to make Piere remember, yet all attempts failed. The nurse understood well and clear, in order to save the country, she’ll have to save Piere’s brain. For now, his brain is NOT BETTER THAN THE SAME EMPTY ROOM PIERE DEFIED THE CAPTAIN. Piere looked at the locket that was hung in his neck, he couldn’t recognize his loved ones. Nurse knew that chances were slim, but for the sake of Motherland she will have to give all she can. Soldiers were awakened, again and again, hour after hour, the Boss knew that the human mind will be exhausted soon, and once it does, It’s Over, not only for the troops, but also for the civilians living behind the defensive line. Soldiers knew that the Zergots will try their best to exhaust them, it’s up to them on how to not be exhausted while holding up the trenches. Men, sang songs, poems, yet couldn’t shake off the feeling of being left alone, at a place, as if they had been never here before. In dark, it is impossible to inspect anywhere more than 1400 meters. At last, at 3 am at night, the zergots finally let the Soldiers in peace, not in mercy, but knowing the fact that their own brains will keep them awake. Boss in his chamber laughed merrily and mocked human intelligence saying, “All come from rats, Humans also, that why they are holding their ground, hahahaha!” At last, at 5 am came up the glorious sun, its rays blessing the grounds and grass, and marking day 1 off the original 3 days, still grueling 2 days left. Soldiers woke as soon as the sun shone, help was still, at least 2 days away. Soldiers checked rifles and muskets. Knowing that there’s still more to see, still more to suffer, suffering of feeling of a loss, feeling of the unknown… As the Soldiers had their breakfasts, of mint leaves from fields and packaged rations, they began the day quite well, with nothing really scary to fight. The men stood relaxed for most of the time, though the storm was still yet to come, yet to cause suffer. Soldiers sang and well they did, singing folk songs and emotional one by one. Each man in the troops enjoyed the early morning knowing that it might be their last. As, the afternoon sun rolled with triumph and everyone thought that they had been forgiven by the zergots for the day, except just an hour or two later, came back the distinctive thumping of ground, signaling the enemy march, toward them. All aim! An old soldier yelled, aiming toward the thumping. Men fired, rhythmically, one by one by one. The bullets slammed against the steel and rivets, hard, some steel plates even, ‘unzipped’ themselves open, causing a water leak, slowly killing the zergot… Zergots opened fire back, Men ducked and dogged the upcoming bullets, can’t lose to robots after all… Piere’s left-in-hand called in for an encirclement, slowly, quietly, in count of 3…2…1… GO! Zergots barely saw that coming they were broken to shreds as bullets, swords, and lances broke their rivets. Men chanted, “Hurrah! Hurrah!” Zergots were in shock, how could someone be so careless and charge into their own death! Either way they had survived, yet another battle. Men shivered as a snow storm rolled in, Chittering of teeth filled the trenches, men knew that all it took was few more hours before Sir Lord Colding arrived. As sun rolled in, again, and the snow storm settled eventually. Men grew sorrowful as they realized that many of their mates, had become like many soldiers who sacrificed themselves in the encirclement…

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