Inside the cathedral was a spectacle. The outside forces drove me in here and yet I didn’t feel anymore protected in the crumbling structure. The walls were decaying with imagery of men and creator, lovers and mistresses, Kings and servants. Norman knew what was in these cathedrals that drew so many people in, a concept known as “religion” that he explained was prohibited by our code to prevent conflictions between my process of reason and the concept of faith. Even with the mass amount of information granted to us, there were still limitations as to what the humans allowed us to know. Staying here for too long would leave me at a disadvantage, being that there was no secure way out aside from the main entrance and a few blocked off corridors on the outskirts of the cathedral. Nor did I want to experience another firefight in here where I had way to plan an escape.

Once I knew nothing was lurking in wait for my in the shadows of the cathedral, I took the opportunity to access my situation while squatting behind the altar near the center of the grand room. My biggest concern was the wounded shoulder that limited most of my arm’s movement and hopefully didn’t affect any of the circuitry.

After removing the ballistics vest and a layer of weather protective clothing I was able to analyze the damage visually that my programming was unable to pick up on. The round was 7.69mm in diameter and matched the standard round for an AK-80FN. Even though my synthetic shell was useful for withstanding falls, weather, radiation and superficial gashes; it barely held up against firearms. The ball joint within my shoulder cavity remained intact and so did the pressure tubing that made sure the arm didn’t extend its maximum flexibility. Some circuitry and muscle tissue was badly damaged and would need to be replaced. For the meantime I dropped the contents from the outer pocket of my backpack and organized the items into the order I needed them in.

The first item I used was a sealant foam for the inside of the cavity created by the bullet: this would prevent any unwanted particles to enter the core’s internals. The foam worked by ensuring everything stayed in place and that no exposed wiring was left to short circuit the other systems it connected to. The next tool was a heat gun powered by plasma energy, this was used to reattach the synthetic muscles of my arm and return them to their proper function. The muscles covering my shell were a similar composite as Kevlar, which made them easy to mold under high heats. Once the muscle tissue was reattached, I took out a medical stapler and began stitching the tissue over top of the muscles. The wound was finished being treated and I could put on my clothing and vest while I did a system analysis of the damage. My arm was at 80% working capacity; side effects included 25% loss of strength in left arm, 40% loss of coordination and a 65% loss of flexibility in the joint.

This was good news, all things considering.

The next thing to check was my ammunition. Today was the first time both the clink forces and I engaged each other to such an extent, before it was usually me being shot at or being able to pick one off while it was by itself. Today was different, they were growing in numbers.

The anti-material rifle I carried only had seven rounds left excluding the three still left in the magazine, leaving with me ten in total. The louvre was still five blocks away from the cathedral, which meant five blocks of potential clink activity. Even as I sit in the cathedral, I could hear the automated footsteps of them patrolling the area. Thankfully the rubble would make it difficult for them to track my steps. Not difficult enough.

Footsteps from outside were beginning to draw closer, close enough that they echoed inside the cathedral. They were about to be inside.

Peering over the altar I could see a group of five clinks scanning the entranceway of the cathedral, looking for signs of my whereabouts. I loaded in a fresh magazine with all ten rounds and hoped they would be enough. 

Next Chapter: Chapter Seven: Henry