The Ambuloks

The Carrier

Ren coughed from the onslaught of smoke that hit her when she stepped through the door and into the cavern. Clearing her throat, she swiped at the air in front of her and squinted, trying to see beyond the smog.  As she realized where they were her jaw fell open, gasping for a moment, before coughing out the tainted air and spitting the foul taste of fumes out of her mouth.

"It's huge." She muttered, watching her blackened spit sail downwards, still falling when it went out of sight.

Ren stood with Benny's hand on her shoulder in a vast cavern where the largest machines she'd ever seen hung to the walls pumping away at their various activities.

"This is the core." She whispered as if not believing the sight her own eyes were telling her, but it was the only explanation.

The space seemed to extend forever. She'd never seen anywhere so big. In it there were machines that must have been a kilometer high, and almost as wide. They were all varieties of shapes and sizes, and Ren couldn't help but try to guess what they all did. There was too much to take in. She couldn't even see the other side of the circular cavern.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Ren couldn't tear her eyes away from what had to be the most incredible sight. Greasy, and ugly, and loud, and absolutely astounding. This was the heart of the Spiral. Everything that sustained life for all the inhabitants living inside of it's walls, including Ren, was right there, clanging away in the endless cavern that filled the core.

As she recovered from her shock, Ren realized just how much her head was throbbing from the mechanical chorus. Continuing to look around, she covered her ears to try and block some of the noise out.

Ren felt Benny's hand move from her shoulder and grab her elbow, leading her away from the edge of the platform they'd stepped out on and down a narrow ladder Ren assumed was used for maintenance.

After Benny began his climb, Ren toughened her nerves before she descended. The bottom of the core, lost in distance and smoke, was at least several hundred meters down, probably more. If she fell gravity would build her momentum until she hit one of the machines protruding from the wall, her body, broken and limp, falling and falling. Shaking that disturbing image from her mind, Ren focused on keeping her weight dispersed over several rungs at all times, they seemed like solid rust and looked as if they could give out at the slightest weight. Ren actively hoped there wasn't an unseen nail, there was no doubt infection would follow if she cut herself on anything on there. This ladder really wasn't an ideal setting, she realized.

Ren didn't try to ask Benny any of the questions whizzing around her head as they climbed down. There was no use trying to battle the noise of the machines echoing in the cavern, not to mention the small matter of climbing on a rusty ladder thousands of feet in the air.

Benny got off and led Ren onto the nearest landing that separated the long ladder into segments as it went down and down, going into a dark hallway more terribly lit than the cavern itself. She went after him, blinking rappidly in the dark to discern Benny's hobbling shape. Now that they were removed from some of the clamor and her nerves were settled in the dark, Ren's excitement picked up at her new discovery and she pounced at the opportunity to interrogate him.

"That's what's been at the core this entire time! All those big, beautiful, giant machines!" She exclaimed, her eyes alight in the dark. Ren wasn't sure what she expected. It seemed obvious when she thought about it. She wondered who worked on the machines and if any of her peers knew about it. It was amazing the amount of secrets they lived among in the spiral. Ren should know.

Benny just chuckled at her enthusiasm, waiting for the rapid fire questions to find their way out of her mouth.

"Why did you show me this?" She asked, breathless, "What's powering all of it? Who takes care of it? Why doesn't everybody know?"