The Doomsday Protocol by E. E. Nalley

July 16th, 2065
Six Months Until Doomsday.

Frank Olmstead, hardworking family man, genius, and founder of American Scientific company. Ouch, refuses costly seats on the Odyssey to save himself and his family, all because he is a patriot who believes America can beat the monster machines threatening the planet. I would have discussed this with my wife and kids at the least.

Yikes, the Obyssey blew up, and Frank wonders if it would be kinder to die to that than what he reads on a piece of paper. A monstrous truth, confirmed by Travis Murray.

“When the news of the loss of control a Swarm of Faro War Machines went public I had Ian run his own estimates on how long it would take to crack the Chariot Line's security protocols and the number we get is at least eighty years.”

Humanity would be wiped out in that time by the monster machines. Zero Dawn can't save them, what is Zero Dawn?

“We can't stop the machines physically and we'll never have enough time to crack their anti-intrusion measures before all life on Earth is wiped out.”

More bad news from Ian Turner, why did they think making war machines that could potentially turn on humanity if something went wrong was a good idea in the first place? They did all that just to buy time for a super-weapon, 'Zero Dawn', and it was all a waste.

Ted Faro, the idiot whose creations got them into this mess, has a fortified bunker being made in San Francisco, probably just to save his own hide. Ectogenic chambers, are going to grow bio-engineered superhumans to deal with the monster machines? Is Travis right, is Dr. Sobeck building a modern-day Noah's Ark for the future? Centuries to recover, doomsday is an accurate description.

Frank, the Long Sleep Tanks could have side effects if you even can survive with them inside for centuries. The Faro Focus, it is only 41 years in the future and they have something like that, whoa. Travis has a point, you can't save everyone, Frank. ENID is impressive, 15, 204, I hope there is enough room for everyone. Oh, good, cramped, but can make it work is the best you can hope for in a doomsday scenario. The Almagre Mountain Facility, may their plan work for the sake of the future.

October 26th, 2065
Three Months Until Doomsday.

10 thousand faces, so less than he ENID calculated, good. Becky sure knows how to put on the right face despite the news of the Faro Swarm. Glad that Frank admits they should have never created these war machines in the first place. Now the bad news of the government using them to buy time for their real plan. Frank having to tell everyone this bad news, I'm so glad everyone is praising him for saving their lives.

February 2nd, 2066
Doomsday.

This makes a zombie apocalypse sound easy in comparison. The horrors that man can unleash when science and technology are not restrained by common sense or any kind of forethought. Chamber pods closest to the door, brave of them. Boy, Frank and his people are the most prepared for a Long Sleep I've ever seen anyone be in anything I've read. Falling asleep with the face of Tracy the last thing he sees, hhm.

Discontinuity

A dream and yet the Grim Reaper reacting that way, was it fully a dream? Travis Murray is being talked to by ENID who says it appears he survived the Long Sleep admirably. Almost a thousand years since they went to sleep!

“I'm sorry, there were many factors that conspired to alter the timeline of your awakening. The safety of Human life is paramount in my programming; it was of the utmost importance that I be certain the situation was acceptable for it.”

Yikes, that means it took this long to get to acceptable levels for ENID to wake them up.

“A Deactivate and Stand Down command was broadcast from Station Minerva on August 3rd, 2126. At which time, the Faro Swarm robots shut down where they stood. They have not moved since.”

60 years, better than projected, but who or what sent out the broadcast if humanity was all either dead or in fortified bunkers at the time? The fourth attempt is stable, 2326, and there are still large machines Terraforming the planet, no wonder she kept them asleep.

Robotic animals Terraforming the planet, who thought of that idea?

“Their form factors resemble animals; they are tilling and sowing the soil with nutrients, purifying the water, gathering resources and building facilities where more of these machines are built. I estimate the Terra forming of Earth at eighty six percent.”

Is it safe for humans to interact with the robot animals though? Dang, those are the biggest animals that have been brought back so far, who is behind the restoration, and why leave out the bigger animals and predators?

Ouch, Zero Dawn was destroyed in 3020 by a fusion explosion, hopefully no longer needed. Okay, that is a miracle alright, none of the pods failed, and everyone is alive and well. Tracy the next one awake, just sit there for now and adjust to being awake again. Jodri's reaction is understandable, a thousand years is a lot longer than they expected to sleep. Ouch, what Tracy said about them needing a lot of fiber, one of the huge downsides to Long Sleep. Travis, Tracy, Jordi, and Buck are the first to go and see how the world has changed, and how other humans have survived this transformed Earth.

March 10th, 3040

Nice camo outfits, let's hope the other humans in the area are friendly. I doubt the weather patterns and temperatures will be the same after so long. Don't let the Focus get broken or we are all in deep trouble. Better to have a durable, proven firearm than something new when facing Doomsday or an uncertain future. Ouch, ruins of my mom's hometown, Colorado Springs.

A thousand years and those High Tension Towers are rusted, but still standing. A robot that size, bipedal and the size of a wolf, good spotting that, Jordi. Watcher, guardians for other robots, keep clear of them is the message I'm getting. The deer-like robots, another one to keep clear of. Great, a woman trying to defend herself from 3 men with a stick or staff, another man on the ground with a puddle of blood expanding from him.

Pay for Jurral, the way they are talking about payments makes me sick. Dress like that and a spear made out of one of the legs of the robots, this girl was defending herself from these men. Fighting back despite her hands being bound, did these men bind her hands earlier and she escaped?

Thank you, Travis, for protecting that girl and taking out one of the scumbags. The other two men run off scared, and the girl says she will fight Travis if he is after what they wanted. Carja, Oseram, it seems new tribes have been made in the time our crew slept.

“What are you doing in the Embrace? The Sacred Lands are forbidden to Outsiders.”

Did they base their tribe and Sacred Lands around the area where the Almagre Mountain facility is?

Got the girl to see reason. The ruins are called the Devil's Thirst, I wonder how the new names for these places came about. They have to bring her back to the facility to get her to believe them, oh boy.

“I am Nakoa, Outcast Brave of the Nora.”

How many tribes are there in the future? Slay someone in fair combat, their possessions are yours, I should have guessed. Metal must be highly valuable in the future.

An hour and not back at the facility yet, just how far had they traveled when they encountered Nakoa and the creeps? Solar-powered hot plate, like a kid seeing fire for the first time with Nakoa here. Science from the past in a post-apocalypse world would seem like magic. 2 nights ago, good grief, it is a wonder we didn't hear her stomach growl before now. Buck's food is making me hungry.

Thunderjaw, oh crude, don't tell me some of the Faro Swarm robots have come back online.

“Brave is a rank,” she corrected softly. “I am Outcast from my tribe, the Nora, because I was denied the rank of Seeker and left the Embrace anyway.”

Why was she denied the rank of Seeker? Mad Sun King, oh boy, they have gone back to worshipping gods or some humans have propped themselves up as gods. Her father was tortured to death before her eyes and she was denied the rank of Seeker so she couldn't avenge his death, that tribe's rules are messed up.

American Scientific to Amsci, how did the tribes come up with their names? Nora is one short of Norad, but it can't be that simple, right? A good chicken soup, I like Buck more and more. They call humanity in the past the Ancients, almost a thousand years surely can change things. Oh boy, they told Nakoa the truth of who they are. Good, don't give her exact numbers, I have the feeling just over 10k people would dwarf any current tribe and might freak her out a bit.

Travis tells more of who they are, not connected to the idiots in charge who doomed the Earth in the past. Buck's Grammy was a good woman to teach him to cook like that.

“I know what a map is,” she snorted.

Hehehe, I like her. Good to have a local like her to point out what the places are named now in their new present. Good explanation by Tracy, terms Nakoa can understand.

Her people came from the Cheyenne Mountain in the NORAD facility, their tribe's names are that simple. Thinks that everything the Ancients made is evil, good grief. All the tribes speak the same language in this time, the past is definitely alien to them. Travis commanded thousands of men and that isn't their whole army, in the past at least.

Chief Frank, I wonder how he would react to being called a chief. Sending word to her aunt, how to do that without a long trek again? 3 kilometers away, 1 hour to wake everyone up and be ready for their first visitor.

Hostile machines is an understatement. It was nice meeting you is an odd expression now, oh boy. Introduced to Frank, and already picked up on the friendly expression herself. Travis has his work cut out for him on this report. *facepalms* Hygiene hasn't been rediscovered, at least as a word, and shower is thought of as referring to rain. Man-made rain storm, good rescription for a shower.

The shower finished, new clothes on, and she is worried about how many Ancients there are here. The Seeker has a Focus, no wonder they guard the role. Child of the Mountain, hhm. 12 thousand six hundred and forty-eight! Seed stock to farm, her people are hunter-gatherers who haven't discovered farming, I guess it makes sense having to account for the machines and threats of other tribes in the area.

Explains hunter/gatherer to Nakoa, and how his people will farm with the aid of machines. News of how the Ancients lived, how a large number became fat because of plentiful food, is news to Nakoa.

“The Carja do this, and I've heard of the Utaru from the Forbidden West, they are said to have huge fields of food, but no one, no where I've heard of can do anything like what you describe.”

So farming isn't new to the future, just on this scale.

You say you aren't looking for a fight? When the word gets out of what you can do, fights will come looking for you, War Chief.”

Great, it is early medieval times all over again.

Travis probably started a fight with the Oseram tribe by killing that guy. Frank, it is hard for mankind to learn from the past when all records of it got destroyed for the most part and humanity has started over from scratch. Attack the machines to harvest metal, yikes.

Best guess is the machines are drifting along trying to fulfill their base programming without any over arching direction.

Oh crud, that is bad, it could deteriorate with time. Good, no swarming, so there is a chance against them.

“My diplomacy is of the von Clausewitz variety,” he warned his employer.

Why did I just feel a cold shiver when Travis said this? Good plan, figure out what is controlling the machine animals and hack them if possible. I only hope that Nakoa being with Travis doesn't make the Nora hostile to Travis when they arrive there.

March 11th, 3040

Hehe, smart thinking with the hooks for a hammock, Travis. 2 days of traveling good, eep. A hologram showing the night sky outside projected on the ceiling, now there is a view you can only get out in the country away from big cities nowadays.

Oof, waking up to go to the bathroom early in the morning. Finishes up right as Nakoa comes into the bathroom.

“Just so you know, this half of the toilets are for men, the women's side is the other door.”

“Why?” she asked frankly. She held his gaze in the mirror as she relieved herself and it was obvious that 'modesty' wasn't a word in her vocabulary. “Do men piss or shit differently than women?”

I like her attitude. Travis, it may be a polite custom, but it has been weaponized.

“Does my primitive, tribal honesty insult your politeness?” He turned and looked down into her face, a surprised frown on his face.

Blunt and to the point is better than passive-aggressive or other stuff people do to be rude without outright saying what they feel.

Bwahaha, Nakoa asks Travis if he desires her for a wife, and he says she is old enough to be his daughter, good grief. Ooo, some rules of their tribe I like, the women pick the man who will be the father of their children. Dang, she is forward and knows what she wants. Gallant, Travis, sometimes a woman wants a guy who will admit how they feel about them. *eyes bug out* She takes him by the hand and intends to go back to his room to sleep with Travis.

“Forgive me, Travis, but this is one of your customs that I'm not interested in. Do you find me ugly?”

“No!”

“Do you prefer other men?”

“What? No!”

Travis, an attractive, young woman wants you, stop getting in your own way! Already back in the security room and she is stripping off. Whelp, seems that Nakoa is a take-charge kind of girl, pulling down Travis' pants and...I will read the next section, but you will have to read it yourself. I don't comment on sex between consenting adults.

Nakoa asks Travis to father her child, and Travis is awestruck. Ah, good idea, pregnant during the summer when it is hot would suck.

ENID with the wake-up call, and told Ms. Channel about Nakoa finding different lodging for the night so she wouldn't worry. Boy, Nakoa isn't a shy girl to say that about Travis. Oh, she is taking charge this time. No comments from me until the sex is over.

“Stop,” she commanded him. “You did nothing I didn't want done. I respect that you fear the passion I awoke in you but do not grieve. I wanted, needed it every bit as much. I am satisfied. So, stop apologizing for offense you haven't given.”

At least she assures him so he will stop worrying about that. A hot spring on the way to the Gate, oh boy, Travis is going to be exhausted at this rate.

Anyone who calls you a cradle robber needs to be reminded this is a new world, and some of the old hang-ups of the old world need to die. Travis, in tribal culture the older, more experienced men are considered the studs most of the time. Reconstituted soap is better than none, and at least you know how to make soap. I hope you have files on how to make such things in ENID's computer files.

Shoot, in that situation, I would be happy with any food I got...even mushrooms which I hate. Fresh bread, but no cows for butter, cheese, ice cream, or any dairy product! We have to get the machine animals to bring them back next. Powdered milk, oof, no wonder people are grumbling. Travis explains cows to Nakoa, they have cattle with them and are going to use them as a basis for a herd. I hope no stupid raiders kill the livestock.

The language of the Ancients, which could be American English here, can't be read by any of the tribes, dang.

“The Matriarchs tell us that the Machine King lured the Faithless into the metal cities and turned on them, but that we Nora stayed faithful, so we never learned the Ancient letters.”

Machine King, please say it isn't Ted Faro. That is a very unusual tale, what machine could be that powerful as to take control over all the others?

The All-Mother killed the Metal Devil and his lifebody is still where he was slain, interesting.

The Machines were driven mad by the death of their king, and their minds became wild as beasts.

Why does this sound like the AI that controlled the machines went mad, tried to force all humans to serve him, and got taken down which resulted in the other machines only having primitive back-up intelligence like animals to guide them now. So that is why they hunt the Machines.

All this is a tale of what happened due to the Faro Plague, boy, how things get twisted over time. Travis tells Nakoa all of what he knows, but he has no idea what the Metal Devil is. 100-kilometer range sensors and Cheyenne Mountain is only 10 away, I wonder what ENID will show Travis.

Coming up the side of the mountain, just becoming illuminated in the morning light and crashed down onto it was a gigantic machine three hundred meters long and perhaps half that wide. It's wreck resembled a lobster or a sea scorpion, standing on ten segmented tentacle legs that were reaching over the mountain as if to tear it open, though mostly covered in snow, it's black body shown through in spotty places. “That,” Nakoa declared. “That is the Metal Devil.”

That thing deserves the name of Metal Devil.

This is a Horus, it was the largest of the machines in the Faro Plague, a moving factory and siege engine that could make new machines to fight with, as well as crack fortresses.

Oh god, this was one of the first to attack America, they never stood a chance. They made them resistant to hacking without concern for what happens if they go rogue. *facepalms*

Ouch, the hard question from Nakoa, where did her people come from. Tales of the holonet from the sounds of it, rumors of Zero Dawn that got spread, that it was a lie, the artificial wombs being used.

The horrified look on her face made him wince. “A motherless...wait...Aloy!” she exclaimed.

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Aloy, the Seeker, the rumor I heard growing up was the she was motherless! That the Matriarchs found her in All Mother Mountain and gave her to Rost, the Outcast to raise! She was who saved me from the Carja!”

So those things still function after all this time, impressive. Oh boy, to find out she is a descendant of people born of those artificial wombs. And Aloy is only a little older than Nakoa, curious.

The great-grandchildren of the Children of Zero Dawn. Why didn't the idiots behind the program provide them or any of the other tribes with the kind of knowledge the Ancients had, or at least the knowledge of where they came from? Hold for Identiscan, it is an AI, their Goddess in the mountain is an AI. Travis reveals he has the clearance and should be able to enter, so Nakoa rushes him to eat so they can head out already.

Yeah, working out regularly and walking long distances every day of your life is another thing entirely. Armed and ready just in case of trouble, watch out for potential ambush locations. No one moving in the village, and several of the huts burned to the ground. This is retaliation by the Oseram for the deaths of their tribe members. Nope, it is much worse.

“Shadow Carja,” she hissed, “followers of the Mad Sun King.”

“I thought you said you'd stayed with the Carja?”

She shook her head. “These are rebels, hold outs after Avad killed his father and became the new Sun King. What are they doing here?”

No fallen Nora, not even children or elderly, they have been taken to be sacrifices for the Mad Sun King! Grenades and Nakoa take Travis to a particular hut. More dead, but no Nora.

“I agree,” she replied from her rummaging. “The Shadow Carja took Mother's Rise, then a single Brave came through and killed them.”

Nora is good to notice that about the arrows.

Blaze bombs, sound like Greek fire or a form of Molotov cocktail.

Aloy the Seeker made the arrows, that is some badass woman to do all this. Darn it, Nakoa, you are an outcast but still consider them your people. They need help, sometimes traditions and rules need to be ignored to help those you care about.

“They're not my people any more,” she declared softly. “You are.”

Aww. Breaking the rules to go and help the Nora, I hope they are all All Mother.

Crap, dead Nora. And from what Nakoa says it seems like the machines might be working with the Shadow Carja to get at All Mother, this is worse than I expected. A downed Watcher and Travis asks Ian what to bring back that can help him. Guided by Ian, Travis opens it up and it is exactly like a Faro Automation bot brain housing, why am I even more worried than before? A processor recovered and plans to try and make peace with the machines, or take control of them.

Varl, one of 5 Nora warriors, and he is surprised to find Nakoa alive since he thought she died. The Carja had machines that obeyed them, this is very bad. at least they are all eliminated now, though the individual with knowledge of how to control the machines might still be alive. The Carja had a Thunderjaw, no wonder some of the Nora died.

“The Matriarchs have opened the Embrace, so you have not sinned. In fact, once the Carja are dealt with, I am to assemble a war party to go to Meridian.”

Well, there is some good news.

“We go in aid of the Sun King, not War. The Seeker Aloy returned and warned us a Metal Devil from the Ancients is loose and will try to attack Meridian. If it succeeds, we will all be in danger.”

Please let it not be anything like Horus, or I don't think even with all the weapons the American Scientific people have could take it down.

Thunderjaws are robot T.Rexes, yeah, that fits with their description, nightmare fuel unless you are superhuman. Sona, the War chief, doesn't like anyone, aww. Teersa and Sona, Sona needs to ease up a little for an invited guest. Address her by her name, most tribes don't care about fancy titles, at least the elderly don't.

Travis' eyes shifted to the younger woman and he stood up straight. “My people fight in self defense, or the defense of others. We are ready to be friends with everyone, but we won't be abused. Nor are we defenseless.”

Okay, Travis is the perfect person for diplomacy here. Travis explains who he and his people are, but he needs extraordinary proof to back it up.

“To be a Seeker is not a license for personal vendetta,” Sona snapped back, but stopped at a soft gesture from Teersa.

“It was hoped, child, that denying you Seeker would cause you to turn from the self destructive vengeance you sought. Your father's murder was lamentable, but has the blood you spilt brought him back to life?”

*sigh* Avenging someone is for the peace of mind of the living, not the dead. At least Teersa is open to the idea he is an Ancient now if not fully convinced yet.

Nakoa is part of the tribe again, but she will want to stay with Travis. The friendship of the Nora, just don't hunt on their lands and they won't hunt on yours. Oh, like a Metal Devil, but not one. So they have a chance of beating it. Aly can enter and leave the temple freely, now Travis wishes to see it. I like Teersa, she is more trusting than Sona.

No wonder this is their fallback point, a mountain fortress is a lot easier to defend. Dang, that vault door is the kind of thing I wish they would store the most deadly diseases in the world behind. Travis passes the bioscan and invites the others to come in, but Teersa thinks the Goddess only invited him in.

“I will see this,” she declared. “Even if it strikes me dead!”

Nakoa is very brave and very loyal to Travis.

“Welcome to Eleuthia Cradle-9, Brood 1.”

Does that mean all the other tribes are from other Eleuthia Cradles across the former United States? Oof, the stone wore away by centuries of rain, I'm surprised the bioscanner still works to let anyone in or out. The drawings, a child made these. A robot caretaker and it was all the people of the 'Cradle' knew before they left, all Aloy knew before she was left outside as a baby.

Along the way, happy looking drawings and paintings began to become sullen, angry and withdrawn as they began to match the painting on the first wall at the entrance.

How many generations were raised inside there before being freed into the world? Lyceum, is a place of learning, learning cubicles! All the Focuses unused, the Database inaccessible, no wonder her people knew nothing of their history, of the past, or where they came from. They should have been taught English, how did the school burn down and the database get ruined?

A holographic computer interface and Nakoa calls her The Goddess.

“Elisabet, this message serves to inform you of an unforeseen and catastrophic anomaly. Three microseconds ago, the GAIA Prime facility received a data transmission of unknown origin. It's immediate effect was to transform my Subordinate Functions into unregulated, self-aware entities of a highly chaotic nature.” A bolt of lightening struck the red icon, but all of them began to bubble and emit odd representations of data to visually show their corruption. They all began to rise up as if to attack the AI.

“Thus awakened, the HADES Function will now seize control of the terraforming system and reverse operations,” she said calmly, as if discussing how bad weather would affect her plans for a picnic. “Rendering life on Earth extinct in fifty-three-point-eight days.”

Okay, what madness is this now? Who created the HADES Function and why?

“For obvious reasons, I cannot allow this to occur. And so, before HADES can take control, I am ordering GAIA Prime's reactor to overload. The resulting explosion will destroy HADES. Unfortunately, it will destroy me, as well. While this admittedly desperate course of action will avert the immediate crisis, the fate of life on Earth will remain in peril. With no central governing intelligence to regulate the terraforming system, it will continue operations for some time, but in an increasingly chaotic manner, and eventually, it will break down.”

I knew it! I knew those machines were a threat beyond just attacking anyone who got near them.

“You are my solution. I have ordered this cradle facility to use genetic material in cryo-storage to gestate a re-instantiation of Elisabet Sobeck, my creator.” Beside the hologram, an image of Dr Sobeck appeared, likely from an ID picture the computer had access to, but Nakoa started in recognition.

“Aloy!” she exclaimed.

“While high-level directives forbid me from communicating directly to the tribal inhabitants out side the facility,” the recording continued. “All available data indicates that they will nurture you to physical maturity, whereupon your gene print will allow you to re-enter this facility, obtain one of the Focus devices stored below and view this message. Likewise, your gene print will allow you to enter other facilities, and over time, harness their technologies to rebuild the system core and reboot GAIA.”

Okay, I never played the games and was not expecting that twist of who Aloy is basically a clone of.

HADES vengeance and a last message they now have to deliver to Aloy. Cloning and there is still a lot humans couldn't do at that point, and some they probably shouldn't ever try. Find Aloy, and Travis knows where Gaia Prime is, that is good.

Teersa and Sona wait outside and the message from the Goddess is urgent to get to Aloy. Travis' vow is solemn, no more deaths to the machines while he can help him. Bwahaha, Sona knows the kind of relationship Travis and Nakoa have. Bread made with wheat taken from a defeated enemy, yum. Blueberries are almost the size of plums, well, the plants have done well for themselves since recovering.

A message to Frank and he agrees with Travis in rushing after Aloy and giving her whatever aid they can.

“No, Chief,” she declared. “They won't accept it from pride, and the offer will be insulting. The Nora have survived worse.” He shrugged expansively.

Well, he asked, that is all he can do. The Shadow Carja all had Focus on them, where did the son of the Carja get those and how did he hack the machines to control them? Explains what they are to Sona, how they can be used and plans to figure out how to control the machines with them. A very good point, the Focus from the Shadow Carja are too dangerous until they are wiped by Ian, intel in a war needs to be controlled. Sona, Travis always honors his word.

Simple mattress, but it gets the job done. Sona heard that from the other end of the hall, that is some sharp hearing. The mission was a success beyond Nakoa's wildest dreams.

“I see and hear more than you think,” she fired back, raising her chin. “I see how your tribesmen respect you, how your Chief leans on your council. And I see how the women of your tribe look at you, how the mothers stare with gratitude when you pass, knowing you keep their children safe. I see the young ones glare at me because I have beaten them to your bed. And I saw you rush to the aid of a stranger only because your conscience told you it was right. What more do I need to see?”

Nakoa is a good judge of character, now stop doubting yourself and enjoy what you have, Travis. Travis, she knows you better than you know yourself. You rescued her but started to fall for her right then and there.

She isn't afraid of Death, knows it will come someday, and is prepared for it. But she wants to live her life now and with the man she loves, what better way to live. Bwahaha, I can't believe Travis used that line about an old man in a young man's profession right now.

March 12th, 3040

Awake and Travis has already left, so Nakoa dresses herself and leaves to find Travis by the night watch fire.

His face looked down at her, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. “As a younger man of loose morals I watched and read things that a gentleman does not discuss in polite company.”

Travis, I'm not sure they have the concept of porn reinvented yet. The tease-flirting between these two is going to give me a cavity at this rate.

Oh no, you have introduced Nakoa to coffee, you fiend! Good description of what caffeine does, and why I avoid it now. Aww, let her sleep because she looked like an angel. Heh, if there are teenage boys amongst the American Scientific survivors there will be porn magazines, that is for sure. Even if they had to hide them amongst other stuff.

Whoever put that subprogram into GAIA has a lot to answer for. Oh boy, is HADES what wiped out the other 3 Terraforming attempts? Every problem has a solution, if they didn't then all hope would be lost, and you've got to have hope. Nakoa's brother, Yan, it is good to see she has family that survived. Yan, the overprotective big brother bit can go too far, and you definitely went too far. Okay, don't dishonor Varl by insulting the guest of the High Matriarch like that.

Nakoa punched her brother in the arm. “Don't be such a fool!” she ordered him. “You have no say in my choices!” Yan's eyes glared at Travis.

“We'll speak of this later,” he told his sister.

Yan, I would keep my mouth shut on this, or else a punch on the arm is the least that Nakoa will do to you.

Good tavern keeper to provide them food for the trip. This is how they recover after a loss, Travis, their way of rebuilding, and moving on instead of dwelling on it. Van, he has no need to boast over the lives he has taken for you. The tavern keeper warned you, and Varl already warned you, now stand down. Travis hits Yan low with that one, and Yan proves he wasn't willing to sacrifice to avenge their father like Nakoa was.

“Your sister was alive,” he shot back, “and you let her face a danger you wouldn't risk your self. There's a word from my time for a man like that; coward.”

Yan tries to go for his knife, but Travis has his gun right in Yan's face before he can draw. Travis is being gentle with you by giving this speech, Yan, be quiet and listen for your own sake. Travis won't take any more shit from Yan and is the commanding officer for this mission.

Finally, the tense silence was broken by a soft voice. “Yan,” Nakoa growled, “sit down.”

You have really screwed up here, Yan.

“I have the right to know what kind of leader I am submitting to,” he declared vehemently. “I follow Varl because I know Varl! Every brave here knows Varl's skill. “Who are you, Ancient? Why should I submit to you?”

Even after seeing the look on Nakoa's face he has the gall to say this. Better keep that murderous rage in check around Travis, Yan. Travis now tells everyone who he is, and his rank, and uses his Focus to tell what the United States was. Ack, explain a Constitutional Republic to people who have no idea what one is.

“The Die Off was a series of natural disasters, some we had no control over, some our actions made worse. At the time the world wide population of humanity was about nine billion. By the end of the twenty thirties, the population was about six billion.”

Please, oh please let this not be predictive fiction. Travis explains math and high numbers to get across the concept of billions of people and how many died. Oh, good lord. It is so much worse than I thought, all those disasters and Greenland's glaciers melting, no wonder the current world isn't recognizable as the one in the past. Just those alone and then a thousand years more. *shudders*

No wonder Travis is so good, living through those disasters, the kind of wars they would have sparked amongst people trying to survive in a rapidly changing world. Olara wishes to help assist Aloy, another person who owes Aloy. Jarm is a quiet sort. Teb is not a Brave but was saved by Aloy years ago and wants to help her now. Good advice on what to know when going to war with someone.

All three tribes are fighting because of the Red Raids. *reads the details of how this all started* Darn it, HADES!

“The Sun King declared that the machines were mad because humans had hunted them for parts and metal. That they sought blood in retribution. And so he began to offer blood sacrifice to appease them. First with Carja criminals and the condemned. Then prisoners taken in the boarder scuffles that always happen between people. Then he provoked war just to claim captives to sacrifice to the machines. The Red Raids.”

Darn it, Mad Sun King!

Jiran did that to his own firstborn son, he had to be taken out. That is what the Shadow Carja are, it sounds like Itamen is either a hostage, being manipulated, or his mother is a hostage to force him to do what the former nobles of the Carja want. What does HADES get out of all this, unless it is trying to use them to eliminate Aloy as the only true threat to its plans?

Taking out old buildings to set up new fortifications as per orders. A fortified watch tower, very nice. Stockade is half finished, they work fast. Fort Carson, is this a reference I'm not getting? Already planting and plowing the fields, this is just a couple days. Thunderstorm rolling in, I wonder how the other Nora will handle a night in the fortress. No worries about power, that is one of the first things you need besides food and shelter in a post-apocalypse world.

A Focus network to the north, now we know the source and why ENID couldn't access it. Ian sure loves his work. Time for Frank to get a rundown of everything Travis knows about the situation.

The machines listen to them, it is probably simple VI-level intelligence, enough to do the job and follow instructions, but far from AI. At least Jarm realizes they are powerful, if only they knew they were Ancients, but not like the ones that ruined the world. Jarm is wise, hopefully Yan listen to what he said. Jarm, you had the right idea, but then you just had to add that last part.

Yes, children are the same throughout the ages.

It was obvious the Nora would continue to exist only at the pleasure of the AmSci and that thought bothered Yan deeply.

Yan, this is how you think of a rival tribe, this isn't how they think. Assuming things about them based upon legends and not learning about them now that you are here. Yan, you go after Frank and they will kill you.

He thinks they eat like kings, if he had the Ancients at their height he could be awestruck. Olara likes the food, but Jarm won't let go of the tales of the 'sins of the Ancients' and thinks the people here are just like them.

“Don't be so literal,” Nakoa snapped at him, causing Jarm to share a significant glance with Yan. “They're just people who know things we don't.”

“Evidently we know things they don't!” Jarm countered evenly, refusing to rise to her heated admonition. “And we are likely better for it.”

Jarm, if you join Yan in any plans to harm anyone here I hope you both don't live to regret it. Jarm is a bigot towards anything outside their culture but keeps silent about it here due to orders from his superior.

Olara contemplated the bread as she chewed it thoughtfully. “We don't know that one has anything to do with the other. If you prejudge unseen, you blind yourself to the Truth.”

“Aloy is the Anointed of the All Mother,” Teb added. “If the Goddess put our feet on this path, who are we to question it?”

Yes, listen to reason, Jarm. Yan is a self-righteous prick for saying that. Teb is right, no need to find enemies amongst your allies when you have plenty of enemies already. Yan finds the women pleasant to look at and says he is just observing. Finally, Yarl is here, get these idiots to stop trying to start a fight amongst themselves.

Tracy is here and just how big is Buck to outshow Jarm on sheer size?

“Travis isn't...?” Nakoa started, but that made Olara laugh.

“Let your man rest!” she chided the younger woman.

They all know what those two have been up to. Yan, for once you have chosen wisdom, Buck is tougher than Jarm. Blast doors shut for the night. Ah, keeping their numbers down for now while they are still getting on their feet. A rocket engine testing facility has to be built to account for the worst possible outcome of an engine exploding.

Nakoa was greeted back by Ms. Channel, she got Nakoa to blush, only twice this whole story. Janet Channel. Olara gets to see the bathroom and showers for the first time. It always takes a little fiddling with the knobs to get the temperature just right for a bath or shower. Uh oh, with how Nakoa talks about Travis's skills I think Olara might go looking for a man here herself.

March 13th, 3040

Ian! You need to sleep, when you aren't rested your mind starts to have issues, including piecing obvious things together. AI are that predictable once you know their logic, huh.

Just semi-autonomous drones that can modify their activities to react to stimulus.

I knew it! Okay, so not as simple, need a sample of each subset to figure out how to control those machines as well.

Ian took control of that many machine horses and has them in a corral!

“Oh, I had ENID find them, then point a broadcast of the over ride and a 'return home' command after she changed their 'home' coordinates to here. They all trotted up at four, ready to work.”

'Home' coordinates and you didn't think to record those first, we can trace them back to the source with that. Oh, ENID has the coordinates, a facility inside Black Mountain that creates these machines, why does that sound ominous? That far away and almost due west of the ruins of Denver, they need some transportation or that could take over a week to get there.

Nothing is needed to keep them overridden, Ian, you are a genius. At least it understands some voice commands. Eep, Nakoa, and Olara show up and almost attack the machine horses. So they have rides now, I hope the other Nora will agree to use them. And he did all the work on the Focus chips as well, Ian, you mad lad. Frank is woken up so he can come out to hear the good news.

Heh, with Ian helming future projects I could believe them getting back into space before Frank dies. [qute]“We'll need samples of code of each type to make a new over ride, but I'm working on scanner program I hope I'll be able to upload to your Focus, Colonel, so you'll be able to pull those at range.”

Okay, Ian is the key to restoring technology to pre-Doomsday levels. ENID in the network north of them, Lucent Bahavas, Helis, who the Nora know all too well.

“The former commander of the Sun King's Kestrels and a fanatic follower of Jiran. He led the attack on our Proving last year. You can bet he is the real leader of the Shadow Carja.”

And yet Ian says the information ENID got says someone call the Buried Shadow, oh crap, that sounds like a reference to HADES! Shadow of the underworld, Buried Shadow.

“But there were rumors of something by that name at Daytower. The Carja soldiers were whispering about it, some god that was giving power to the Shadow Carja.”

Travis's lips pulled into a thin line. “If I were a betting man I'd lay odds that is HADES.”

Yeah, I guessed it before reading Travis' guess and he knows more about this world than I do. ENID better not get compromised by HADES, or I'm revoking my calling you a genius, Ian. Eisenhower Tunnel is still mostly intact that far into the future, now that is construction that lasts. The Carja claim credit for the tunnel, hah.

170 at least partially intact, that makes travel easier. Meridian is that big, good grief, I wouldn't want to go there. Tracy and Buck are coming, none of them had better die. Ian, I swear if you were in the Whateley universe you would be a gadgeteer and love the Devisor Coffee, he sure seems like he would.

Travis tells the truth and Jarm is still stubborn, calling it Ancient evil.

“What evil has been done?” demanded Olara sharply. “People have mastered machines before! Our enemy has done it. Why should we not use a weapon against those who won't hesitate to use it against us?”

Varl faltered, then stood a bit taller. “I don't have the authority to do anything but take these back to War Chief Sona.”

Varl, a good leader can make decisions and take any consequences from the War Chief later. Right now you need speed on your side. Not prepared to actually see it, boy, if he knew the Ancients had machines that allowed them to fly around the world he would be in shock right now.

“Varl, part of being a leader is being able to adapt to changes on the battlefield. No plan survives contact with the enemy. It's how we deal with those changes that make all the difference.” He stood up and spread his hands. “You do what you think is right. I'm happy to share these Striders. If you'd rather, we can ride them back to the Embrace first and...”

Thank you, Travis, for telling Varl what he needed to hear. Aww, Varl is just overwhelmed by it all, culture and technology shock, now that is understandable. Teb is going with Varl, and Nakoa convinced her brother to at least come with them to Meridian. I don't like Jarm, saying Uncle as if it is an insult to Yan. Glad to see Olara is not afraid to try new things.

Electromagnets to hold onto the saddles, I wonder how many other machine animals have features that indicate they are intended for human use.

Rama5, the biofuel invented in 2025 that could be made of fermenting almost any kind of plant matter. It had quickly replaced gasoline and diesel even in engines made before the fuel had been invented and it burned orders of magnitude cleaner.

Okay, I hope this part of the story becomes true in our reality.

Good of Frank to keep quiet, some of the Nora may never get used to this level of technology, others may adapt in time, best not to force it. Mid-day and Daytower already in sight, just how fast do the Striders go even at a trotting pace? Daytower earns such an impressive name. Lunch break to talk about the Carja.

“They're arrogant, for a start,” Nakoa grumbled.

“Despite their personal failings,” Olara interrupted smoothly, “they are a fierce people and it is obvious that the acts of contrition Avad has forced on them rub the wrong way. Despite this, they can easily take offense and have the numbers to back up their imagined slights.”

Oh boy, this isn't going to be easy dealing with them. I hate their rule, it is basically Might makes right, but in different terms. Low opinion of women, okay, I thought the Shadow Carja were the only bad ones, it seems the whole culture is one I can't stand.

“It's the end of the world and there's still sexism, nice,” Doc muttered.

I agree with her, Doomsday happened and records of the past are lost, but this attitude towards women needs to be stamped down now before it spreads. *facepalms at their rules for slavery and prisoners don't count*

I hate having to play nice with creeps like this, but it is for the good of saving humanity by getting to Aloy. Travis has to explain who they are, and Nakoa has to stand up for them and explain, I don't like Captain Balahn already with his accusation. Aloy can ride one of the Striders as well, dang. Don't kill, steal, or rape, seems simple enough. Travis, did you have to phrase the rule like that, too much wiggle room.

Well, the animals are still the same. All the systems in the tunnel still work, how is that even possible after nearly a thousand years? No falls, no debris, it is the tunnel that time left untouched. Ouch, rough ride on the pavement. These tunnels are closing on 1100 years old and still going strong. Solar-powered LEDs and electronics, no wonder the place is still fully operational after so long.

“I think an ocean's worth of blood has been spilt over things one man shouldn't care about in another. It doesn't concern me if another man's faith brings him comfort. Who am I to tell him he's wrong? Or that I'm right? So long as he leaves me alone, what do I care who he prays to?”

Buck has the right idea of it.

“No point debating faith, but there were plenty of scholars who loved to debate each other on meanings of words in old languages, the finer points dogma and theology. Oh, they could go on and on. Not my cup of tea.”

Those debates have led to a lot of headaches and heartaches for others though.

I like Travis' reasons for not telling them the name of the God he worships, that is a lot of other stuff attached most people don't remember and need books, etc. to help.

“As an atheist, I'd tell you that's my line. The world is, where it came from, how it got here were questions science and theology both try to answer. You say your All Mother created the world, scientists say it lumped together from the junk floating around in space after our sun ignited. I wasn't there, were you? Who can really say what happened?”

“That sounds like a lonely way to look at the world,” Nakoa observed softly. “Considering how much my life has been turned upside down, how can anyone be certain of anything?”

“How indeed?” Travis echoed.

Sometimes being uncertain of some things is better than thinking you have all the answers because of a book written ages ago, and your own interpretations of it.

March 13th, 3040

At least this is one of the more pleasant post-apocalypse/doomsday worlds I've ever seen. The Faro Swarm remains, yikes. Describing cows it sounds like a mystical beast to the Nora. They are bringing horses back too, yay. Refrigeration was one of the biggest inventions of the past, without it the current marketplaces wouldn't exist, and people would have to shop every day for food that spoils. Oof, their current refrigeration units are going to wear out, it will take them a long while to be able to recreate that tech.

A natural hollow of rock, one of the best places besides a cave for shelter that you don't build yourself. Doc has to reduce bacteria and germ theory down to that, ow. Canyons and the city sit on top of them with bridges built between the canyons, a good place to live. A rotor drone, why did they send one after the group? Tallnecks are used as repeaters for the Focus network ENID detected, time to take down a massive weird giraffe robot.

I've attached a secure transmission node to the drone and if you can attach it to the repeater, it should give us a secure way to piggyback on their network and give us real time coms.

Ah, better idea than wrecking the thing, use it for our own advantage, smart.

Good reason to use an old signal frequency. Ouch, two-day detour to do what Ian asked. Gallop thirty or forty miles an hour, ouch, even on a regular horse that long of a ride at those speeds would be very painful. The Nora are going to be walking bowlegged for a while after this part of the trip if not everyone.

Dang, to see nebulas with the naked eye. Nakoa is right, why do we deprive ourselves of the night sky's beauty with so much light pollution? The Carja like watches, but do they know what they are used for. Nakoa is once again right, living our lives dictated by clocks and exact times has increased the average stress level of humanity over time.

“Lots of reasons,” he replied softly. “Our lives were very regulated, when to be at work, when to eat, when to sleep and for how long.”

She patted the watch on his wrist and looked up at him. “That didn't work out so well, did it?”

If only we go back to simpler times.

March 14th, 3040

Edible plants, thank you, Olara, those always make a meal better. Saddle sore, ouch, good thing they have a doctor with them. North of the ruins of Moab is a landslide dam in the river, now there is a pair of islands in a lake and that is where the Longneck is. Good lord, hearing its size and seeing it described in relation to the landscape in the area, that thing is a machine Kaiju! The access node is on the head...7 stories high, at least 3 stories above the islands' tallest points.

Travis and Tracy do not want Nakoa to climb it, but she makes a good point about her past climbing experience and not being as hard. Buck points out the 'feathers' can support Nakoa's weight, Travis doesn't like he is helping her. You have a brave, stubborn woman, Travis, get used to it. Buck piloting the drone, let's hold this works out with no hiccups. Yan isn't concerned, I wouldn't be either, he saw his sister do tougher climbs than this.

Dang, she is an incredible climber, fast too. Travis guiding her on how to put the node into the Tallneck is harder than that climb was. Dang, right as she gets the node inside the Tallneck freaks out and might have sent out a distress call. ENID uplinked to the network, so it was worth it, just how much data is there that it will take ENID a while to collate it? A line to get back down fast and safely, Nakoa thought ahead.

US Highway 191 is better than the other highway, clear of other machines, and able to keep a rapid pace. So Thundarr was right that some cars would be rusted-out hulks in the future and not just dust, heh. Green River and a town of Carja have sprung up there, Lone LIght.

“That is the road to Meridian. Lone Light is a trade hub between boats from the north and south of the Carja eastern boarder and the Carja road.”

Off the Carja road now, hopefully with a less rough ride. Nakoa has shards, Aloy sure is a generous hero.

Stopped and were told to state their business, good grief, after they made it past Daytower and more Carja were giving them attitude. Noonman Valorous Hadim, that is a mouthful. Travis proves his diplomatic skills by just stating the truth once again. Okay, I like Hadim, he knows how to stop trouble before it can start. Travis knows how to mix the truth and half-truths, not to mention that Texas hasn't existed for centuries.

Ulder and his tavern have some good food. Roast peccary, fresh bread, and honey, yum. Rose petal water to wash their hands, huh, guess some customs survive somehow. They've tortured to the point of death Shadow Carja for the secret of how to control the machines. And another person who offers wealth if they share the secret with him, good grief.

“I have always wanted to be wealthy, but alas, no one of our people who know the secret can leave our fortress. These we have obey us, and us alone, but if they are destroyed I have no way to replace them. Thus was the will of my Chief.”

Good save, Travis, outright denying him the secret, I could see this man trying to torture all of you for it.

So he hasn't seen Aloy himself but knows her description and knows the direction she is heading. Seems we are off to Free Heap. Oh boy, showing him the hologram map might not have been a good idea. He knows it is like something the Ancients could do, good dodge by Travis. Hard to judge distance on the image, yeah, that would be an issue. Aloy is heading to Zero Dawn directly, uh oh.

Olara makes a good point, we were trying to catch up to Aloy, and that is urgent. Everyone agrees they head to help Aloy and stop HADES' threat.

March 15th, 3040

Wondered how he got 'creamer' for his coffee. A dim, reddish yellow glow on the horizon, no smoke, it has to be Meridian. Good plan, always have the mountain fortress as a backup. Aww, no time for them to be alone on this trip. Decorate the Striders when they get back home, I wonder what Nakoa's will look like once she is finished. Renamed his Strider to Black Jack, a good name for a horse-type.

A day and a half's walk in four hours, pretty good. And that was the speed limit, there are still idiots who think it is a suggestion and go faster. After a half day of galloping, they are going to be saddle-sore for a while. A new dance to learn, oh boy, she is going wear out Travis when they get back.

The Faro Swarm wrecks are this far out, they left nowhere untouched. A fusion reactor explosion is no joke. The entire peak of the mountainside was just gone and it still had enough power left in the explosion to do that to the surrounding area, terrifying force. A Stormbird carcass and Aloy took it down with her bow and arrow.

Of course, Ian wants the Stormbird's brain. He can download them through a connection to the Focus network now through a connector on the drone, Ian isn't just smart, he thinks ahead. I'm surprised Aloy took this thing, just how strong is she? Residual readings from the King's Peak wreck, that's strange. Some emergency power systems are still active after the fusion reactor explosion, just how durable did they build these things? Uh oh, good eye, Nakoa, we aren't the only ones here and I don't mean Aloy.

Who could have built these crude structures? Buck, this looks like a bad situation, saying you are the grunt and go first, I don't like it, feels like a flag popping up to warn a character is about to die. *eyes bug out* It seems Olara has chosen Buck, that kiss was steamy. Okay, so far so good, everyone safely up the ladder, an anteroom with more primitive tools, door forced open, and...a blast door that stood open, oh boy.

Someone tried to force the door open, but it didn't work, someone with permission came and it opened. Aloy opened it and whoever had been living here probably followed her inside. The large circular table and 8 chairs with seven bodies, I really don't like the looks of this. No way for the bodies to mummify up here, why am I getting horror movie chills now?

Locked out, Omega Clearance and a woman in a hijab went pale at that. An image of Ted Faro projected in the center of the table, calling them Alpha Personnel. What did he do, what doesn't he want them to try and access the system?

“We're going to give them knowledge? Like it's a gift?!”

That selfish, greedy rat, he is the reason none of the new humans known anything of the past, how to read the English language, it was all him.

“It's not a 'gift' it's a disease! They're the cure and we're going to give them the disease? Our disease?!” He shook his head. “No. We can't. And it's not too late! If...if we're willing to sacrifice...”

He's insane.

Samina tried to reason with him, but he already purged APOLLO 3 minutes ago, every copy. What he says next, he is truly insane to believe that. He vented the air to murder them all!

“All to hide his crimes! That He was the reason humanity almost went extinct!”

He didn't care about the innocents of the future, he just didn't want the truth of his crimes to remain known. Someone should have put a bullet in his head long before this.

Travis and Buck preparing lunch, Aloy has already been here, did what she came to do, and left it seems. Aloy is already out of sight, the Striders need to refuel, will they ever get to meet Aloy? All that rush and Aloy got the Master Override on her own, rats. So back to heading to Meridian and probably facing down a Horus, Buck is right, their luck lately hasn't been the greatest.

Buck is right, no signs of salvage, what were they doing there this whole time?

“This was Gaia Prime, the central core of the terraforming effort,” he thought aloud to himself. “Is it possible someone besides us knows that?”

Oh crap, could someone else have gone into a Long Sleep, but woken up years earlier? Or did someone come looking for why they don't live in the ruins anymore? A mad scholar, no body, and no signs of a struggle.

“Someone freed HADES,” Travis said darkly. “Someone put together that Focus network ENID found. And now the Shadow Carja are marching on Meridian.”

Oh crud, that is all the more reason for Aloy and the group to rush to Meridian. Could they be controlling the Metal Devil as well?

A settlement along the river, men on the walls ready to fire because they think the group is Shadow Craja. Petra Forgewoman is definitely of German DNA ancestry. Knowing Seeker Aloy's sex is a good sign to Petra, hopefully we can get help here and be on their way again. 2 days ago, arrgh, they are so far behind her now. A deal for them and ask Travis to come inside.

Ah, haggle, now that is an age-old practice. Just passing through, she says to stay a while and she will fill his purse with shards.

“Fire and forge, son, I wasn't made yesterday!” she declared with another of her frequent grins. “Ask a smith to give up the biggest secret ever? Fools forgings! I'm a tinker myself, so I know better! But what I need is help getting my cannons to Meridian.”

Now I like her, respect for people's work. Six cannons to pull to Meridian, 575 shards, Travis is good at haggling. Oh boy, ask if Travis is someone's husband Nakoa comes over to lay claim to her man.

Spit-shake to seal the deal, now that is really old. Kaeluf, they have some interesting names in the future. An Oseram Blast Sling as a wedding gift and promise if she ever tires of Travis to send him Petra's way, dang.

“Do I get a say in this, ladies?”

The two women turned to him and in chorus declared, “No.”

Saw that response coming, surprised they both didn't grin afterward.

Now those are true smithing clothes. Now those are cannons, fire Thunderjaw teeth and electrically detonated, now that is epic. Mandibular cannon, okay, the Thunderjaws are a lot scarier than I thought. She reverse-engineered a pair she bought from a Carja trader, now that is very impressive. Two rotating barrels in their mouth that can fire more than once without overheating, gah!

“Two,” she corrected him. “One on either side of the chin what that long chain that hangs below feeding them from hoppers on their back. Five thousand shells for each.”

Buck's grin was feral. “Maybe we do have a chance against HADES.”

I'm glad these weapons are on our side now. Now if Ian can figure out how to take control of the Thunderjaws...

March 15th, 3040

Fastest trail to Meridian, I hope they get there in time to make a difference. The blue glow of machines seen in the desert at night, at least the Oseram went to sleep. I trust them to help deliver the cannons, not sure I trust them with the Striders though. Time to finally reach Meridian, barring any unforeseen troubles. D.C. is small compared to New York, huh.

Images of New York and the towers that were hundreds of feet tall, the thing of legends to their people. Ted Faro caused the death of humanity as we know it, and destroyed all records of history, science, etc. to cover up his crimes, I hope there is a special place wherever he went to ensure he gets his just punishment. Wait, is the origin of the word pun from punishments like the ones Travis referred to from the Bible?

Hehehe, Nakoa is blushing again. Whoa, I wouldn't deny her what she wants tonight, Travis. A woman not weighed down by modern society and its expectations, I like this part of the future.

Good to see others farming and a river unrestrained by modern structures. Dang, this city is epic. So that is Station Minerva. Petra and her tribe made elevators, and she and her people just got more impressive. Always sending the youngest soldier off to deliver a message, Travis is right about some things never changing. Fancy clothes, but impractical anywhere else, I pity his poor feet. Under budget and thanks to the group ahead of schedule, Marad must have paid her a lot of shards for her to pay so much to rush the order here.

Okay, I don't like Marad, talks that way about Nora as if their tribe's name is an insult. Blameless Marad, the title doesn't fit him. Uh oh, a banquet and they want to keep the Striders in a pen, I have a bad feeling about this. Huh, a guard to keep everyone away except the rightful owners of the Striders, smart move, don't want to make enemies of such an obviously powerful tribe.

Glad that Petra and her tribe make such reliable elevators. The decorative touches, did another tribe once own this part of the city and got driven out, or do they just save such things for the fancier parts of the city? Yeah, a title like that and people are afraid of him, he will do whatever dirty work the king needs and more. A gatehouse to defend from those on the city side, I take it not everyone likes the king's rule.

A line to see the king and it is that long, I have a bad feeling about all of this. Overdone, too much, this place screams "I'm wealthy and you're not." to everyone who sees it. Wild guess, but they have more access to and use of technology than they let on even to the commoners of their tribe, don't they. He is polite and grateful for those who lend him aid even if it is for payment, I give him that.

The king has real cunning, to live like this he would have to be. He knows about Focus from seeing Aloy use hers, finding them fascinating. Good, keep up with the same thing you told others. Avad is shrewd but knows to accept help when offered in a time of crisis. Rooms, I hope he doesn't try anything with any of the women.

Women to take the women off to the women's bath, and men to guide the men, makes sense. Good options in the bath, and Travis prepared for everything, even using a straight razor. Yan likes the wine they were given, and Buck has a really good point, you guys have all earned some R&R. I'm with Travis, I'm concerned about the girls and what Avad might do if he desires one or more of them.

I hope there are no traitors in hiding near the king, though Blameless Marad seems most likely because of what he can get away with. Carja silks, now where are their regular clothes? Avad had Nakoa dressed up in that outfit and left in the room to wait for Travis, I may have misjudged him a little. Travis knows the right thing to say, and Nakoa rewards him with another passionate kiss. Fade to black.

Woke up by an explosion, everyone was dressed and ready that fast, Olara had been rooming with Buck.

“There are overridden terraforming machines being led by a dozen Khopesh and Scarab Chariot-Class FAS Battle Drones.”

They hacked some of Gaia's machines, I hope the cannons and all of them are enough to handle this threat.

Petra fires one of her cannons, but the guards at the gates are overwhelmed. AR-15 fire from Buck and Travis puts down some of the Shadow Carja, but others hunker up and fire back with bows and arrows, brave, arrogant, or stupid, you decide. Guards in shock at the carnage these two unleashed, Travis has to order them to secure the gate. Petra needs water, those cannons heat up fast.

Travis has to use his canteen to cool the cannon down, teasing Petra he warned her this would happen and why. Khopesh are called Deathbringers now, an apt name for such a tank machine. Bio-converter! The poor King's Guard, that is a brutal way to go for those not already dead by the machine gun fire. It's going after Station Minerva!

Aloy shows up, the Deathbringer was dragging a processing orb behind it, and HADES is in it. No wonder Aloy says to protect the king and let her deal with this, that is too much for them to handle. HADES is trying to restart the Faro Plague and needs Station Minerva to transmit the signal as far and wide as possible. This is a worst-case scenario if HADES isn't stopped.

Dam, blowing up the cannon with a grenade using the 'Blast Sling', getting everyone he could back inside, and closing the gates, Travis had a tough choice to make here. They have to hold the line here or it is all over, things are getting worse, and I hope they start getting better again.

30 minutes to breach the gate only to be met by a death funnel, an onslaught of arrows and bullets. Firing that long and Travis is down to his last mag, Buck is out. Thankful the rush seems to have stopped coming. Reloaded and ready, they move towards the gate and only one idiot tries to attack only to get shot. The wounded have given up the fight, the dead might outnumber the wounded.

Travis shows mercy to the one who signals his surrender.

“Take the survivors prisoner and get some medics here. And shore up this breech in case they aren't finished.”

Please, no more, even fanatics have to run out eventually. The Faro machines stop, and a ragtag group of Nora including Sona and Varl fought alongside Aloy to end HADES' threat once and for all.

March 16th, 3040

While the leadership of the Shadow Carja had all been slain, an amnesty was offered for the foot soldiers and the peasants they had press ganged into their counter rebellion. Many took the amnesty, but some refused and were hauled off in irons to be dealt with later.

Avad is a good man, knowing not everyone willingly joined the Shadow Carja. Travis finally gets to meet Aloy and asks what he should call her, revealing he knows her true identity. Surprised that Nakoa told the truth about him being an Old One.

She goes by Aloy now, told about King's Peak.

She shook her head. “It doesn't matter how hard it is,” she swore. “I have to. I'm the only one who can.”

Travis smiled at the grit he was coming to associate with the Nora. “Then we will help you,” he declared firmly. “I may not have approved, at the time, of Zero Dawn, but I can't argue with results. What's done is done, all that's left is picking up the pieces.”

Oh boy, told the truth about the lie that was told to others to buy time for Zero Dawn to be made. Ouch, at least Travis realizes he can't blame Aloy for what Doctor Sobeck did, they aren't the same person.

ENID is like Aloy's aunt, so sweet. And yes, ENID could help you reboot GAIA, if you can find a backup copy of her.

“Not 'we',” she corrected him, softly. “Me. This is my burden. I can't ask anyone else.”

“You didn't ask,” Travis told her. “I volunteered.”

Her eyes darted away and she shrugged. “We, we can talk about it in the morning before we leave. Where should we start?”

It is a burden left to you, you shouldn't have to do it alone and you won't have to anymore. A ranch in Carson City, Nevada, Elisabeth wanted to go home.

A lot of work left ahead, but a good start so far.

“Barbarity?” she answered bitterly. “The Red Raids? Human sacrifice?”]quote] That kind of stuff has existed throughout human history. The fact they got back to these levels of technology in centuries instead of thousands of years of a massive accomplishment.

“No, it's much older than that, but it's still true. Some men are little better than animals, but for all of that, there are many that aspire to higher callings. There is as much room for lenity in the human heart as there is for cruelty. Which we fill it with is a choice everyone must make.” She drained her own cup and returned it to the table, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“That's a very nice thought.”

Human choice to be cruel or be kind, will always exist. What recording from King's Peak facility could be that bad they need to keep it only to Travis?

“This is a recording that took place on January 3rd, 2066. Present are Charles Ronson, the Alpha of the GAIA sub-routine ARETMIS.

Hhm, he was in charge of animal life and the project to reintroduce it once the biosphere was stable, so why haven't more animals come back yet?

With him were Travis Tate, the Alpha of the HADES sub-routine which was meant as a check on GAIA to judge the efforts of the AI and reset the biosphere to initial state if the terraforming project was failing.

It is starting to sound like the HADES sub-routine was either badly designed, corrupted, or overzealous in its parameters.

Also present at the meeting were Patrick Brochard-Klein, the Alpha of the ELEUTHIA sub-routine which was similar to ARTEMIS, but specifically reserved for Homo-Sapiens. The two females are Samina Ebadgji the Alpha of the APOLLO Database and Margo Shĕn, the Alpha of HEPHAESTUS, which, based on the name and Dr Shĕn's expertise in robotics, I surmise governed GAIA's manufacturing and production tasks. There is a brief narration of this recording by Dr Ronson. I should warn you, the information contained in this recording can be upsetting to some humans. Shall I begin play back?”

What did they do now?

The environmental seals are compromised and need to be manually re-engaged, uh oh. Travis Tate and Blochard-Klein argue about who will go outside to fix it, but Dr. Sobeck already went outside and sealed it successfully. But now she is trapped outside as the Faro Swarm closes in on the location. Charles Ronson doesn't want to lose her, Elisabet isn't good at letting things end and just goes silent. Travis Tate at least tries to say goodbye in his own way, this is heartbreaking. Why did Elisabet say I wanted to go home when she knew she was going to die soon?

Crud, Travis rushes off as he realizes he left Aloy alone. Darn it, Aloy took off and is after GAIA to restore her. Right as they are about to leave Marad steps in the way.

“The Sun King sends his gratitude and awaits you all up stairs in his private apartments, and is pleased to discuss the settlement of our mutual border. This way.”

They have urgent business and he won't let them leave, arrgh.

Buck chuckled in Travi's ear as he leaned over to whisper as they followed Marad, “Come on, boss. It wouldn't be much of a chase if we didn't give her a head start, would it?”

Oh well, off on another chase after we deal with Avad. All those things to do, good thing Travis knows where she is going.

It starts off a story with people preparing for Doomsday, saving all his employees and their families, and waking up after almost a thousand years have passed. Hard to top that, but the story kept having twists and turns I didn't expect having never played the Horizon Zero Dawn games. The planning ahead for survival and rebuilding after they woke up was well done. I came to care for every one of the Amesci tribe and all the friends they made along the way, even Yan once he learned to lighten up.

Saving Nakoa, I never thought there saving a single person would lead to so many adventures in this change Earth. Her relationship with Travis was great to watch it build, she certainly isn't a woman who is shy by a long shot. Olara is similar in how she went after Buck so quickly, but I can see why she likes him. A man who knows how to cook is hard to find along with his other good qualities.

The threat of the machines, how the new tribes and their cultures grew, and seeing a world so changed and some things the same. It was great to see their trips, everyone they encountered along the way, and new allies they made. Will you be revisiting this world in a future story or are you done with Horizon Zero Dawn? I would love to read any future stories set here.