march 6, 2021

"click. click... sssssss

 click. click... sssssss"

the sound of a maro kozo approaching.

the maro kozo. its teeth were rusty daggers, its eyes were corn lamps 
in hollowed out bowls. it moved with a mechanical creak, and its cries 
were like the sound of heaven crashing into the sea.

where they came from, they've been around far too long for anyone to 
remember, but they were most definitely a government operation. there 
were too many of them in the ocean for it to be anything else.

coral had to move. she had scanned the area prior to going out to 
scavange for scrap metal, but she didn't detect any form of inanimate 
life. the sensor must be going bad. the scoutsuit was soundproof, and 
the maro kozo only detected movements, not sounds, but coral still 
held her breath as she watched the maro kozo glide lifelessly through, 
sliding just inches away from her body.

*beep*

the maro kozo's eyes turned from yellow to red. it detected something. 
"this is it", thought coral, "i'm going to die today", but it wasn't 
coral that the machine detected, it was someone else. someone in a 
scoutsuit, but from a different place. they wielded a knife attached 
to a wire that lead to a small pack on their belt. the maro kozo made 
a humming noise, then released a pulse of electricity. to coral's 
surprise, the figure wasn't phased at all by the machine's attack. 
"a shock-resistant scoutsuit!" thought coral, "it would take someone 
*ages* to find the right materials!"

the figure fought with grace, like they were dancing with the monster. 
slashing at it almost playfully while avoiding the deadly jaws. then, 
as if to say "no more fun", the mystery figure stood still, and 
flicked a switch on their belt box. the knife turned red. judging by 
the bubbles around it, it was hot enough to melt iron. they waited for 
the maro kozo to lunge one final time, before thrusting the blade 
through the roof of the machine's mouth. the maro kozo let out a cry, 
but the figure flicked another switch on their box. the knife made a 
zapping sound, and then the maro kozo shut off.

coral didn't move. she knew well enough not to deal with strangers, 
and she knew that most of the stronger strangers were almost always 
raiders. ready to kill for some extra scraps. after the figure had 
took what it wanted from the corpse of the machine, they disappeared.

coral swam home, closing the airlock door, and changing from her 
scoutsuit into some more comfortable shorts. it was getting late. she 
turned on her radio to check if anyone else was broadcasting, but it 
was just static. she decided to go to sleep

as coral lay in her bed in her house, she heard the calls of the 
distant machines, and wondered how many she hadn't discovered, and 
wondered how many more mystery figures were out there...