Last of Duets Denis Vinnik

Many wars have been fought

with victors basking in their meaningless glory. Each war grew more vicious than the other, and soon enough it has reached its apogee. As bombs fell, so did the humankind. Still, something lived. A figure stood amidst the ruins. Shell of metal, mechanisms clenched beating heart.

He was of the 42’s mechanized artillery brigade which fought along the western front, his fighting spirit was strong, and so was his bio-enhancing suit. But patriotic views were crushed on the morning of July when they heard the news. The first rocket was fired by one side or the other, doesn’t really matter. Seconds after, barrage of intercontinental missiles of unprecedented power flew high into orbit. Absolute chaos broke loose, everyone knew there was no salvation, the judgement day had begun.

He woke up in the evening, all he could see was gray. He couldn’t move, the only thing keeping him company was pain, PAIN, OH SO MUCH PAIN! Still, he couldn’t utter a sound from his mouth, his ribs may have been broken. That’s when he noticed a medcap laying some two feet away from him. If only he could reach it and insert the capsule into his suit, he could die in peace. Slowly, he waddled towards the medicine, legs crumbled but mechanical still operational. Finally, he held the capsule in his hand, ready to slide it right into his slot and put it in overdrive to end his suffering.

That’s when he heard a scream, a scream of a child. How could it be, how did he survive? This barren world wasn’t made for him, nor was it made for anyone. Filled with emotions, he got up on his legs. He primed the capsule, putting it into life-supporting mode, and slowly made his way towards the source of noise. It came from a camp for civilians, right around the corner. After he slowly made his way through rubble and the remains of his friends, he found another bio-enhancing suit. You could tell that the sound came from it. Next to it lied a body with a note that read: “God save him”. When he got the crying boy out of his cage, he still couldn’t say anything, something was wrong with his voice, and so he used the robotic voice built-into his robotic outfit. To calm the kid, he introduced himself as a strong robot sent here to defend him at any cost, for he is of metal and is built to serve. After these words, the little boy brushed away his tears and asked: “where is he?”. After several questions , warriors in suits deduced that this mister was the man who wrote the note. After this sad realization, he told him that he was built by that man and that they now have to go and search for him because his radio broke. The child believed every last word of the golem, and so began their adventure. That is how they met, the last duet built on lies.