Iron Core Monks
Part 3
When I walked into the temple holding a turbo blaster and a big magnet shaped like a square cricket bat, the monks stopped packing and looked at me. The Abbot gave me a smile of hope.
“Our warrior has returned. We are saved.” She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to the catacombs. They can survive bombardment. If you’re going with us, would you mind carrying my trunk?”
At the feet of the Abbot sat a large steamer trunk. On top of it was a long scroll wrapped in an ornate red leather case. She pulled the scrolls out and dropped them to the floor.
“For your weapon.” She handed me the sheath.
I slid the electro-bat in and slung it across my shoulders, then picked up her trunk. An emergency exit behind the mountains led to a small secret hanger carved out of the core of the asteroid. Below it was a labyrinth of rooms chiseled out of pure iron. It was here I would stay with the monks for the next year.
The wondrous tubular world was blasted by Ibi-Ero bombers two weeks later. It lost power, burned, and finally collapsed. That pristine environment was lost forever.
During the following months, I spent most days reading. I broke my time up into three, ten-hour segments. Reading and eating and reading and eating, then I would exercise and sleep…
