Ephemeral-D - Human Diaspora

Sewage

Jacob lost a lot of blood and Pemakan vassals took him to the Pleasure Tower's veterinary for treatment.

"Don't say we have another crippled animal. Oh man, this one will need a new pair of walkers. Bring me the older model. Hope his body can hold to it well." The veterinary said.

"We're loosing him, doctor." The assistant said.

"Put him under, I'll operate at once."

Pemakan physicians installed the new Jacob's mechanical legs in less than an hour. At first Jacob's body and brain had difficulties dealing with the added limbs, but in a matter of days he started to liked it, he could now jump four times his own height, run fast as a car and kick brick walls down with ease. With complete training, in how to control his new prosthetic legs, they sent him to the sewage level alongside with Trevor. There they heard the word Naturals all the time and wondered who they were.

"Don't you know who they are and what they stand for? Were where you after the invasion?" One of their coworkers said.

"The aliens are playing God with us, they take our genes and produces human slaves in tubes. There are thousands of factories all over the planet."

"But what is the purpose? They could use their own robots to do the work." Trevor said.

"Who knows? Some say most of them serves as meat for the low level rank Pemakan soldiers and settlers. Some of them you already saw down here. Shut up and work now, here comes the sentinel."

"Sentinel? What the..." Jacob said.

"Are you stupid? The sentinels are intelligent machines that supervise humans whereabouts, and expendables like ourselves, for our Pemakan overlords. When it passes stop what you're doing and stare to its flying orb. The purple blinking one. Now!"

The sentinel didn't bother and passed by. It creaked and rotated its multipurpose limbs to move with efficiency.

"What happens if we ignore it?" Trevor said.

"Wait and look."

The sentinel passed by an ill slave that were sleeping to recover his energies on the sewage drainers. It stopped near the feverish man, poked him hard with one of its limbs and said with a prerecorded human voice.

"Why are you not working? Are you in your rest hour?"

"I'm sick, in fever, and can't work any longer. The doctor couldn't attend me till now." The ill man said.

"Wait, reviewing work force spreadsheets."

The machine blinked its orange orb for two seconds.

"Sorry, but we can't afford idled slaves like yourself. Come with me. I'll retire and move you to the dumpsters." The machine said.

"No! There's something wrong. The good doctor said I could return to his office later today."

"Sorry again, slave dash.005, our workforce must be a hundred percent operational. Already sent for your substitute. Come with me on your own or by force. You decide."

Without waiting the poor man's answer, the machine limbs grabbed the leg and dragged him out of the tunnels.

"I can't put up with this, we must do something." Jacob said.

His legs became agitated. He could use them right now and put the sentinel to dust, but Trevor and the coworker pushed him against the wall.

"There will be another time, calm down! Don't repeat the same mistake. Let's be better prepared next time." Trevor said.

"Yes, yes! There will be another time." The coworker said.

"I know someone that can help us. He's part of a group of people known as Naturals."

"I heard about them. But in which way they can help us all in here?" Jacob said.

"The naturals are increasing their numbers each day, even with the rescued clones themselves, and they have connections with the military, and the military have the proper tech as powerful as your legs. Our guy will contact us in three days." The coworker said.

...