Picked up guests

"Kate!" knocked my head on the ceiling of my box, waking up from memory lane. I notice there is full clothing and the improved version of the hazmat suit. I have my sight sent to the next available camera with my digital ghost to stand at his side. Some instincts still had reflected in how I showed my digital side, mostly with petting my head where I just bumped it. Currently Jackle was using hoverdrone1, having it seated on one the van limbs. He was talking to several other machine types, "I would not have shouted to you if it hadn't mattered."

He started flight with watching the side door open. I am thankfully by now fully dressed and very well covered with the combative armoured hazmat suit. I was simply wiping down the outer surface for any cross contamination. My helmet was engaged, and filtering all the air I was breathing in. I put the cleaner away and slip out. Closing the van door carefully behind me.

"Is there someone injured?" I softly ask, not use to speaking with my normal voice. Whatever tone I used made them back off, "Sorry, I haven't spoke in a while. So my voice isn't so clear." I gently hover my hand out with brother landing to it, "You asked me out here, so you need me for something. You know me, always happy to help." I try to be cheery as myself yet this comes off as sounding sarcastic. I pout with trying to hmm pitching better, trying to work out how to sound a little less threatening.

"You would know how to set up a fire pit, right?" I gave a soft slow nod, "We are going to need one."

"What sort of fire are we needing? If we are forging any metal, its got to be really white coals. If were cooking a meal, it doesn't have to be that big. Or you want a signal fire, real smokey like." My brother took a long time answering me, so I tilted at the end to wonder if he heard me.

"I forget how useful you can be." He continues softly as I had, "We need normal camp fire, like back at Polesworth."

I nod and have the hover drone 2 do some air direction checks and ground conditions. The ground is very dry, very hazardous for a normal fire. Not to big a deal when you spray the ground a little of water. A little damp will prevent it catching. It easy from there to use some the basics in the van to get it started, and with walking right to the nearest tree. Cutting a branch down, chopping that branch into finer amount. Returning to stock the flame with ease. I have mostly ignored the 19 other folks standing around watching me, as it was something my brother is up to. They seem to be all AI within military grade models, sever types. I did make eye contact if they stood in the way for any reason.

"So other than the 19 other random folks around us, is there a point of making a fire in a very dry area. Honestly, it is sort of dangerous with how dry things are around here." I sit at the side campfire set up at the stage of setting it alit with a flint and steel, "I wonder if there is anything alive around here that isn't us. I have seen things live and adapt to their environment like this."

I gently poke the small smoulder of the starting flame into the airy pile of logs. My words forgotten with the crackling intake of the building heat and raising flames. My digital ghost was overlay in sync with my physical self. It would be confusing if I didn't. Jackle hovers around talking with the squad of 19, mostly ignoring me again.

Hover drone 2, I sent around scanning the area. I find hardly anything around here. None of these trees were plague victims, but just normal trees. A small stand of 29 small young trees isn't exactly a forest. On top of this, I was trying to map where we are. Putting us sort of next door to the M42 barricade, were about 1 mile south from a junction entrance that we could attempt meeting nomad caravan trades from. I was focused with physically watching the fire or the views that hover drone 2 sent me.

It's late evening, sort of dusk time. There is light but its slowly getting dark. Setting a fire was a good idea for a sort of light but it will be dark later in the evening. It has always been long summer days and long winter nights here. Dusk is just about bright enough see and dark enough to trip over roots. This in mind, I stood up again and with checking the furtherest trees. I triple check that these are just trees, then collected more logs for the fire. Hoverdrone 2 lowers back down, tracking movement from somewhere. This movement was watching me with collecting fire wood, away from the machine gathering. I brace with being ready.

"Sorry if I scared you. Your brother said find the camp light." Purple... in another body of a military type model. I stare with wanting to be very sure this was the same Purple. I did froze staring waiting for a little while, "Something wrong, Mrs?"

"Not really. I just never seen that type model before. You were quiet hard to see from a distance." I directed them forwards, "Wouldn't mind helping me carry this back?" meaning the branches and logs. He nods and I pile them on. I have my own portion to carry back too, "Hey brother, you're best freind here." I shouted across back towards the van and then paused, "Maybe that sounded to threatening. I am not used to this voice. I don't really have a choose in the matter of how it sounds to others." I commented to Purple.

The response was within character, how Purple tends to find my family bond with Jackle as something good. Snickers as some of the sibilings acts. Purple is one the very few whom acts like a uncle or a close frejnd would. Not at all judging of Jackle or Me. Not questioning us of it.

Back around to see that a few of the machines have parked themselves near the fire. I pondered why they did, normally machines aren't interested in flames. Some others were walking about in a pattern of guarding. There was three directly talking to my brother at the bonnet of the van. It was these three and my brother that looked our way. I give a little wave. I guess my shouting didn't matter. Maybe I didn't even shout at all.

"Thank you for the wood carrying." I take them off Purple, stacking them to the side of the van for now, "I would have done it in several trips if you had turned me down."

"Don't you worry about it. I know you mean well." I can gather he was going to same more but the voice cuts off with purple snapping look to the folks around here, "These are vault gaurds. What are they doing out here?" I directed about the folks at the fire, "Remote access?"

"Maybe... maybe they are human brains inside. I can't really tell. It be rude of me to scan one them or break them." Purple straightens his pose and walks over to my brother. I go set a few more logs onto the fire. I open the back of the van to store spare logs in for emergency use. I took my time writing them into inventory documents. I closed the doors properly once again and sit at the fire. Mostly watching it in case of embers catching into new flames.

I make my quick glances to the folks whom sat in strange ways. Very human ways of sitting on a tree log they moved there. One sits with arms posed on the legs, leaning forwards as if lost in thoughts. Two sat together as a couple would, leaning to each other. One with a weapon has a leg draw up, is looking around the area then at the fire.

"It must be quiet strange to see the world like this. It seems like yesterday when things weren't confusing. All those films and tv shows about what the end of the world would seem like." I spoke gently, "When I was in university, I use to watch a lot of video about survival hacks. Most of them were utter rubbish but it is thanks to them that I knew fire. Survival videogames my kids used to talk to me about trying. Who knew my life would come to be like that." I catch their attention, "I go by Kate. I am a qualified doctor, scrap seeker and trader." I posed my hand at my chest, "I don't really mean to scare anyone. But I think its best that I tell you that I am no longer human. I am sure its obvious. It wasn't before."

"Sorry for your loss." I disagree, this was from the thinker looking up to me. Watching me take a seat near them. Watching me warm my hands with the heat of the fire.

"If I hadn't changed, I wouldn't be alive. It's more like a second chance or a continuation of my personal mission. I can't regret that. I was about to ask if you wanted something to eat, but you're machine bodies don't need substance like that." I sit more comfortable, looking at how they are reacting. Gauging interests or personalities, trying to work out how they wish to be addressed.

"You're not wrong. It feels almost wrong to not need to eat anymore." the couple whom were together, it was one them whom said this, "We no longer humans too, maybe not in the same ways as you. We died a long time ago, as humans."

"So you're consiousness was graphed to create an AI or are your brains still in there?"

"Digital copy of the data our living bodies left behind. But... everything seems so..."

"I understand what you mean. You're confused. You died as humans, but your reborn in machine bodies. Its a question of if you are the real you or if you are just made from stolen memories." I shurg, "That's a tough one. I can understand a lot. It's how many whom been altered by the plague feels. Horrific as it may, they are all aware of all the different beings they were. Stolen memories. All those feelings. Identity crisis even." the one whom had the weapon turned right at me, lifted to aim, "I am not infectious if that is your worry. You have a lot of catching up to do around here. So much was lost. So much is forgotten by the current generations of the dome cities. They say it's taboo to talk about history that the machines were told to forget."

"Stephine, lower the gun. Its pointless to shot our host."

"He can't anyways... not with the safety lock engaged." I sigh, "He doesn't have it in him to shoot me. His hesitated to long." the weapon is lowered, "It's so much worse out here. Lawless outside the city grounds. You get yourself a lot of trouble as you are. Machines aren't meant to harm fleshed folks, not unless your a military accepted type model. Even then, machine have bad reputation for being assumed as unnatural. We don't need you folks proving those fear mongers right."

I waved with hover drone 2 fetching the survival device from the van, setting it up to take a local radar scan of the weather.

They looked up to the holographic and watched the weather predications, including about the nearest radioactive storm cloud is. I waved the digital map with plotting some abnormal area readings. I scrolled around the argument reality map with checking our journey.

"We in a safe zone for another several miles." Jackle landing on my head, the others now sitting at the fire around, "So what about the plot points that has your interest?"

"Life signitures. Maybe mutated life or maybe untouched wildlife. Whom knows until we check. They need our help or could trade." I pass over the mapping data to someone trying to read over my shoulder, "Here." they take it just fine and looked around for themselves. I leaned with adjusting my bum on the log I am sitting on, not the most comfortable spot to sit on at long periods of time. Stephine took the map too, looking around. Zooming out more and more. Maybe trying to make sense of the geography.

"Do you recon we have trouble integrating with current society?" the couple again.

"Depends. Its how you want to live your life. The cities will treat you like machines. If you stay out of the city but around trade caravans, maybe you can be accepted... sort of a mix bag when it comes to travelling caravans. Some a purest and others don't care as long as you pull your weight. Living isolated out in no man's land is just asking to be scrapped. I don't recommend my way of life."

"We live quiet recklessly. Trouble stirs around me and Kate often." My brother pitching in, "We are too old minded for a normal society to accept us. Ignoring our other issues for why a city wouldn't accept us." The folks look to each other with maybe a lot of data messages passing around, "If you hadn't guess, I am AI." he continues, "It was why I asked you lot very confusion questions before. Most machines are assumed AI."

"It's not normal for Vault types to be wandering around the surface. Even if you had been converted into machine copies of your older selves." Purple piniched the map with looking at something the group had been nattering about most, "The welsh vaults... I take it that you lot were exprements then. A lot of top secerts have been come crawling out the shadows."

"It's almost like the fallout series became reality." I sigh, "Goverment expremental vaults, post-nuclear survival and even mutants." It would be my brother whom is laughing at me, "Stop laughing at me. I am being serious."

"Not that extreme though. The continuation of humans was always the main goal. As was projects to return the needed wildlife, like bees or bird. There was a bug scare around the time of vault closing." Purple taking me seriously, "Misconduct of any treatment to anyone or anything that when to the underground vaults is a serious offence. As was any whom went to space." I guess the level of extreme the videogame series had taught this generation what not to do. Whoever said videogames were not educational had to been an anti-technology protester or something.

"We lived full lives for as long as we could when we were human. So when you said it felt more like a second chance. I would agree that how I feel." the thinker speaking their turn, "When we became machine copies, we were released to explore what remains of the area. For a while, it seem like nothing changed at at all."

"But you can guess that we been having quiet the adventure. We been fighting what you called the mindless since. Drifted with following the Mindless packs." Stephine seems so proud of hunting the mutants, gun posing and stood all tall about it. A real fool. He was told something and sits back down.

"You're a long way from Wales now. It's not a surprise you managed to avoid normal people with radiation zones that way." I tossed a new log to the fire pit, crackle and snapping of the moisture in this log had animated the flame. I take in the warmth of the flame, watching the patterns of smoke rise. It brings about my mind to wonder, these folks were humans whom lived full lives. They seemed to know what I had meant by TV shows and films at least. Now this is all that remained of them, the digital copies of the consciousness that was human. They should know flavour better then a machine can, in the way a human does, "You folks would understand." I muttered thoughtless in watching the flame.

"What do you mean by that?" My brother catching me. So I had to send him a private whisper of my own, "I guess they would be suitable, but not in those bodies. We would have to ask premission anyways. Giving random reponisibilites wouldn't be kind." His also not wrong with that too. We don't really know what they are saying is the truth.

"I am going to have to digital jump for now. This unit will have to return back to its duty." Purple standing.

"Well, you have an idea of how far from the cities we are. We still working out where we wish to go from here, once we have helped escorted this lot to civilisation." I stand with giving a wave, "I am of no doubt be seeing you properly when we do." Purple gave that back hand wave as he fades the borrowed body back to its assignment. I sit back down again, as notice with this group being silent to watch Purple leave.

"May I have a few suggestions to put route, sister." My brother opened out the map route, "There is several folks we need to look for on our way. Which was why he was so urgent as he was to ask us. aware of your use in highly radioactive grounds." Heading past Tamworth area, the traders stadium current location being the Castle Vale stadium. It means we are staying on the m42 route and hitting big trades on the m6 and toll road of the m6. I guess we aren't returning to the previous trade post back near Steele, not as I thought.

"Alright brother. We will go as you suggested." I took out a few data scan entries that would to far long out a trip to do. Besides I can't be distracted if were going out of our way to help Purple for a reason. My brother has been very quiet about what the city officials are up to with letting machines like Purple have equalities. I ponder if he wanted a slice of that too. To be equal with upper government smarts.

"Kate, you should consider something to eat and drink. Unlike everyone else here, you need to be careful." Such dutiful brother. I hate that he can really be almost to smothering when checking my body's internal business. Maybe he doesn't notice how human acts with me, caring so much to treat me as a child.

"I will eat before heading to nap for a bit. But I will be awake to take the driving for a while." I finished my journey notes, standing, "It is quite late now... maybe I will eat as I drive."

"How do you put a fire out like this? We haven't any water to douse it." The vault folks looking perplex at a simple solution. It was something I had ready with sorting logs out. The near by container being watched over with spider on auto commands is currently full of sand. I gave the spider new orders and does the rest. Pouring all that sand over the flame, chocking the fire into hot ash. As a precaution to how dry it is, it comes back with some small amounts of water to pour over it. I watched the whole process with triple checking. Tapped my hand over it with extra sure. The gasps I have from the folks freaking out about me burning myself.

"She's not injured at all." My brother speaking to them, "She was putting the fire out like you suggested. The area is dry and can be a woodland fire if left unattended."

"She actually trusted us to do something with it while she fetched more wood earlier." It is true that I did leave a small amount of that fire for them to watch as I fetched more wood. I wave my hand to them going back to our van. Hopping onto the front. Hot meal with a quick power nap. As promised, I was driving for that evening. The group of vault gaurds and the ex-dwellers in machine bodies followed with thier own version right at my tail. We had some brave folks sitting on our roof.

The fields around here were empty, nothing more than just grass or the occasional tree crop ups. Twisted small roads that stretched endless. All the life around here was as it was before the nuclear waste. Green and strong. The off abondaned farmer housing and barns left to rot in a quilted landscape. For all my focus on driving, I enjoyed this time to watch it fly by.

Not many cars are going to be appearing around on this side of the barricades. Only main used roads were population. The one between city domes being the most bricked up.

There is clear marks of devastating affect to many plants. Yet there is clear adaptive methods in order for life on vast landscapes to return. Many farms have became giant herd packs that roam these acres of reclaim lands. Forests have started spreading. Over grown village gardens make peace for bird types not infected with the crow cough or transmute affect of parasites. Industrial warehouses have became colony lands for off city grid humans, the only folks we could met along these sort of long drives.

Our next stop was crossing the barricades into the trades cross roads. We will be staying here for a while according to my brother. He needed to do machine repairs to our guests ride and the trade post here has what we are looking for in order to repair. I have no issue with this, nice to walk about and off load some weigh we have. The folks this far on the roads would be mostly those whom live among industrial warehouses or test their luck with farming by the roads. Which is how we can cross back within the main motorways, paying a toll with farmers.

We left this area with a lorry and the van. So we had to return back at this point in order to calmany worries pur leave made. The folks we had traded with were machine farmers. There wasn't going to be big threat from machines seeing us return like this.

"Mrs Trades, it is good to see you in one piece." Drive window rolled down, I leaned right over giving this sever type model a hand shake.

"You know us, my brother and I are nuclear survivalist. No one else has the capacity for walking the storms. It did take us a long way back with making sure our radiation is low enough for mingling around city again." This rust man is a crop seeder and tiller. He is his own equipment. It doesn't have human features but he has quiet pride about growing, "I got a gift for you. You are going to be challenged with this."

"Oh? a challenge?" I twirl into the van and played about with picking seed packets. I have a sealed bucket of fertilizer to go with. Back to passing them over, he scans the seeds. The few lights lit as the farmer.

Such fella gives me the green to move on, watching us turn onto civilization. My window left down to talk to the next encounter which is often the night patrols of local colonies and caravans. Folks whom have trade with the warehouses industrial estates here. Open market away from city contorl and actually regulated by AI prices. Given our popular trade being in AI regulations already, we are highly talked about among most of the country.

"The hazmat. Converted white van. Machines." pair of normal humans stops us, talking to their buddy beside, "You be the old lady all the machines trust." I pose as if offend.

"How rude to assume my age. For all you know, I could be 24." flicked the gun this guy was holding to, the nussle aimed away. He backed off with maybe hearing my voice or maybe threatened by the pose of my hand.

"Sorry about that. Wouldn't mind hanging around the daylight hours? We got trade for you."

"We will be parked up anyway. You haven't any worries. I don't stir trouble as long as you don't mess with me." I wave and drove forwards, "This lot is with me." My hand out the window pointing at second car. The two nod, as viewed with my mirror.

Some playing about with choosing prim spot. Parking right on the road side. Folks jumped down my roof. Brother going into flight with watching them. Spider pattering about the back with moving boxes into prim grapple. I got out with making my checks of the tires. Checks with the hood of our van.

"This engine isn't a petrol one." I tilted to who hovered over my shoulder like this. One the vault machines with a human thinker inside. I focus back to what I was checking, the coils for the recharge. Watching it at work, seeking the fault that was alerted. I closed the bonnet and lowered to lay, head resting to the floor. I see something and leaned with my arm through. The fault issue removed. I got upon my own, inspecting the mangled bit. It didn't belong to us. Looking like a mangled bit of a spy leach. You get these around the domes often. This is crude one. Maybe someone from the zoo or this vault team when we crossed over. Its very dead and broken. I have driven over a lot of cars. Might have been from around there. This should have broken down a petrol car. Cutting power steering and petrol feed. The vault guy whom came over to my shoulder might have something to do with this device. So I toss it casual to them, good reflex of them to catch. I hover my hand at the bonnet once more, no reported problems. I give it a properly look at the floor again. Back again, dusting off.

"Just be sure to not mistake my patience as ignorance." I gesture to lock the bonnet. The vault man stared at my back as I move back to the side. Opening the door at a tap, helping my brother moving boxes. He has watch of the guy at the bonnet. The awkward stance the vault folks were doing watching me. The immature to shove themselves in my way. They learned very quickly that I wasn't to be pushed around with, throwing them off balance or twirled out of my way.

"You vault folks can be total idiots." A local leader of a caravan trade colony was here with a peace offering, "You doing alright Madam Kate? I am surprised you have stripped them of their parts yet." I laugh lightly with the leader. A welcomed hand shake and light hug.

"You know, I already valued them for the metal and work out how to remove their heads. Sadly my brother's to interested in teaching the children a life lesson for that."

I have drinking glasses out and waved the van to accommodate seats and table. My human guest pours the drinks and sits. I lower my jaw of my helmet, closing side door for the time being. The spider drone hopped onto my back, crawling around to patter about the boxes taken out. My brother flying about eyeing the delinquents.

"Your in luck. I have new seeds, tin stock and must needs in defence." I take a seat across and take a glass. The leader already sipping at theirs. I dip a finger within the glass, checking the content before putting it into me. Alcohol. Nothing else, "And some flu meds in stock." I sip the drink. Let the taste roll a little before swallow, "Bison grass. Top shelf. You here to butter me up for anything? Someone loose a leg while I was gone?"

"No. The drink is a formality. I want to talk about any information about where you came from. Many gone there and returned torn. You are here in one piece. Folks regularly pass around here.. and we have no idea whom they are. None in the city records." I study the drink before sipping again. Rolling it to oxidize with the air a little more, "You also picked up some vault company. They been chased out of the trade circle up north."

"The warehouse there is anti-machine area anyway. As for the area I came from. You dont want to go there unless you on the verge of changing. Its a plague colony. They happy to trade with cleaned down goods. They fear the outside reaction towards them. Most of all, the watch of pure humans from city. Fear of being test rats for a cure that will cause more suffering then worth." Sipping drinks once again, "Its not worth it. The plague colony is surrounded by mindless wanderers too. Small trades like me can play the luck game. Folks like you with several cars... no chance. Terrain isn't for normal driving on either. Dirt roads and fields. You have to know this countryside to brave it."

My guest nods with understanding.

"A sanctuary for the plagued." They drink and pour more. Drinking that too. I see the shiver, "I appreciate your effort to help them. To risk the wasted fields for supply we can't reach. Its why caravan groups like me are common. Only way to survive is trade games." I finished my glass. I don't take anymore.

"There is a lot more to it then just that but its not my business. What matters is that my cleints trust me. You only have to fear the mindless gathered around the plague colony. The actual folks have their own rules. They will pretend to be mindless if it means keeping healthy folks like you away from them. They will harm if there's no choose." The leader takes the bottle and nods, "You will find that there mind be people whom are like me. Folks whom know how to trade with plague colonies. So out right preventing isn't wise." The pause the were in to leave turned back to me with this last note, "Humans aren't the only ones struggling with alterations of the plague."

That leader nods with final leave. I stare them until they were back to safety. Standing to return back to fixing things with my brother. A long few days ahead.