by Dena Nicotra
“It’s a normal thing to be afraid, and it’s okay to admit it to your friends. That’s the best part about having friends, in fact. You can count on the people that care about you to be there when you need them.”
“Yeah, well…I’m not so good at counting on people.”
“We all know that about you, Lee. But you’re not as tough as you’d like to think you are.”
“That’s obvious!” I said with a laugh.
“You’re not a simp, Lee. You have feelings! Embrace them, because those emotions are what separate us from the synthetic creations that were designed to make our lives so much better.” Did she really just say that?
“Better? Are you fucking kidding me? That’s a good one, Maude.”
“I said that is what they were designed for. I didn’t say that’s what actually happened.”
“Nope. That’s not what happened at all, Maude. There’s not a damn thing better about life due to the simps,” I said, as I stretched out sideways on the bed.
“You have to understand that none of this was deliberate. Mic had the best of intentions!”
“Of course. Of course he had the best of intentions. There wasn’t any profit in simps, Maude. It was all about his benevolence for humanity.”
The last thing I remember is Maude taking the bottle from my hand.
The baby is crying. Oh God, the baby is crying! Please, make her stop crying! The simps are going to hear her! I woke up in a disoriented panic. The room was dark and I could faintly hear Bady crying from the room across the hall. I pressed my hands against the sides of my head. The pounding going on inside my brain was enough to make me instantly regret my indulgence. I groaned and threw back the covers. I had to pee, and my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. I desperately needed some water. The light in the bathroom hurt my eyes, and a glance at the mirror made me feel even worse. My clothes were a rumpled mess, my hair was sticking up in spots, and my eyes were extremely bloodshot. I used the toilet and then slurped water directly from the faucet. The digital clock on the wall told me it was a little after nine o’clock. There was no way I was going right back to sleep. I pulled myself together and wandered down the hall to the lab. Just as I suspected, Mic and Giz were still hunched over their monitors.
“Hey, there,” Mic said when he noticed me.
“Hey,” I replied, taking a seat on a stool next to him. My voice sounded gruff. Giz glanced up at me. The tight smirk on his face told me that he wasn’t thrilled with my presence. I ignored this and focused on plucking lint from my sweatshirt. Still staring down, I said, “I’m sorry I lost it earlier today.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” said Mic, squeezing my hand. “I should have prepared you better for that. Cryocyber Suspension can be disturbing to witness. I should know that better than anyone.”
“That wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t snuck into the Cryo Bay alone,” said Giz, slamming down his orange soda can on his desk. “Jesus, can you imagine what could have happened if she’d gone in there with a lit cigarette?”
“Back off, Giz,” Mic warned. I raised my hand.
“No, Mic. Giz is right. I should have asked.” Giz nodded emphatically.
“That’s right, you should have! Typical Lee, just doing whatever she wants, without thinking about the costs!” he said, his voice squeaking.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Giz?” I snapped.
“How about you go back to bed, and let us work? You’re a distraction and we don’t need a distraction right now! In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got a family now, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let any harm come to them!” I jumped off the stool and rushed at him, despite the pounding in my temples. “Do you think for one fucking second that I’d do anything to harm your family, Giz?”
“Not intentionally, but you’re a selfish, self-serving person, and you act irrationally!”
“My actions have saved your lily-white ass more than once, Giz, so don’t you dare sit there with your pious attitude and talk shit about me!” I yelled. If he said one more word, I planned to knock the crap out of him. Mic was gently tugging my arm so that I would step back from Giz. “Hey, hey, hey! Take it down a notch, both of you. This isn’t solving anything!” I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly there was an ear-piercing sound that filled the room, and the lights started flashing off and on. Perfect conditions for my whiskey-soaked brain.
“Giz, get the girls!” Mic shouted over the incessant alarm.
“What is that? What’s going on?” I shouted.
“The building has been breached!” he yelled. Giz was already bolting for the door. “Grab that bag, Lee!” Mic was pointing to a large leather bag that was hanging over the back of Giz’ chair. Adrenaline killing my former state, I yanked it and threw it to him. Mic shoved two laptops in it and then grabbed me by the elbow to direct me to follow him.
“Where to? I shouted.”
“The roof. We need to get to the hovcars and get out of here!”
“What about Two and Deraline?”
“There’s no time!” Mic shouted. I ran behind him, the lights flashing off and on made me feel like I was in some sort of demented dream, and despite my adrenaline rush, my body wouldn’t go as fast as I wanted it to. We met Giz, Alice, and Maude in the hallway and followed Mic to the stairwell.
Since we were on the top floor, there was only a short flight of stairs to the roof. Mic had Maude’s hand and I could see that she was having some difficulty maneuvering the stairs at the pace we were going. As I glanced over my shoulder, I could see that the door to the staircase was bulging. Something was trying very hard to get it open, and I didn’t want to know what that “something” was.
I reached instinctively for my gun, but realized it wasn’t there. I must have left it in the room. My slingshot was still in my back pocket, but I had nothing for ammunition, and even if I had something, I doubted it would do me any good. I had my knife in my boot, but I wasn’t about to stop running to grab it.
Through the flashing lights and the blaring sirens, I found myself slowing down mentally. Everything was moving in a dream pace…and I doubted it would end well for any of us.
Giz swung the heavy door open and was doing his best to help Alice and hold it open at the same time. Holding Bady, Alice lost her footing and fell forward. Giz caught her just in time, but seeing this made my heart race all the faster. Bady’s face was a deep shade of red and her little mouth was wide open. Her shrill cries mixed with the sound of the alarm and the banging door below us was enough to flip a switch inside of me. Giz was leading the women to the hovcar and Mic was standing at the door, urging me to hurry. Simultaneously, the door below us flew open, and one very large, purplish leg stepped through. Everything slowed down even more in that moment. Mic’s voice was a million miles away.
As I turned my head, I noticed a mop in a bucket leaning against the wall in the corner. Everything inside my brain went on autopilot in the next few moments. I snatched it from the bucket and cracked it against the wall, sending the mop head flying and splintering the wooden end. Mic was shouting at me to join him, but I knew there was no way we were all going to make it if I didn’t do something to slow the beast that had already broken through the door. I’d seen how fast it could move…they didn’t stand a chance.
“Go on, Mic! Get them the hell out of here!” The expression on his face was clear. He knew I was right. There was no time to challenge me, and there was no time for goodbyes. He let go of the door leading to the roof as Towering Aaron ducked in to the stairwell through the other. It lunged toward me and I swung that fucking stick with everything I had.
I hit it mid-torso like a limp noodle hitting a wall. With no reaction, I knew I was in trouble. Towering Aaron drew back his long, violaceous arm, and backhanded me into the wall. Warm blood filled my mouth as the alarms continued to ring. That was the last thing I remembered.
Chapter 4
I came to gagging and choking because
something was being rammed down my throat. Instinctively, I tried to raise my hands up to stop it and then realized my arms were strapped down. My vision was blurred, but I could see that Two, Deraline, and Eli were in the room. All three were standing motionless, behind Towering Aaron. He grunted noisily as his meaty hand forced the tube further down my throat, sending me back to the land of nothingness.
The next time I opened my eyes, I felt the scraping sensation of the tube, only this time it was coming out instead of going in. I gagged reflexively and fought against the straps that held me down. When it was entirely out, I tried to scream, but my throat was too raw. I had no voice. I was in a different room this time. From what I could see, it appeared to be an operating room. Eli was looking down at me. “Do not try to speak, as that would be a waste of energy,” he said. His glassy eyes observed me with utilitarian objectivity. I made a gurgling sound, which was nothing near the words that I was trying to spit out.
“You don’t listen very well,” he said dryly. My mind was racing, putting things together. How long had I been out? What had they done to me? Had Mic and the others made it to safety? Eli strode around to adjust an IV bag, and then addressed me again. His lips curving up in a tight smile as he stared down at me. “I’m quite pleased with my new position. I think I make a good nurse, don’t you?” I shook my head violently and managed an odd grunting sound that reflected my outrage.
“There now. Don’t fight it. You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, consider this: Aaron is in all of us.” With that, he ambled out of the room. I fought against the restraints again, but I knew it was hopeless. Whatever layer of candy-coated hell I’d landed in wasn’t good, and I had no idea how I was going to get out of it. I licked my lips and felt the dry, ragged cracks. My throat was on fire and there was a terrible burning sensation in my lower back.
It seemed like hours before someone returned and, as much as I had silently begged with God to send someone, I was praying for the exact opposite as Towering Aaron entered the room. I started to hyperventilate as he came closer and the full horror of his existence assaulted my senses. His face was a myriad of purplish lumps as he leaned over me. “How do you feeeeeeel?” he asked, his lips peeling back into a sneer. Every nightmare was made of the thing that hovered over me. He was terrifying in every sense of the word. I tried to speak, but I still had no voice.
“What’s the matter? Can’t speeeeeak?”
I made another attempt, but all that came out was a gurgling, raspy gasp.
“Tsk, it’s a pity how fraaaaaagile the human body is.” He pushed a button that made the metal table I was lying on raise up.
“Forgiiiiiive me, I am a terrible host. Would you like a glass of water, perhaps?” I nodded. “Like, all you waaaaaaant,” he said, laughing at his own synthetic humor. I clenched my jaw and made up my mind in that moment that I’d kill this synthetic son of a bitch as soon as I had the chance. After making some adjustments to the equipment that I was connected to, and rolling me on my side so that he could check something on my back, he re-strapped me to the table and then slithered out of the room.
I shuddered and squeezed my eyes closed for a moment to send up a quick prayer of thanks that I’d survived the encounter. With nothing but time and the idle thrum of equipment, I turned to random thoughts. Some of them were nostalgic enough to make me tear up. Others made me wish for death. Ultimately, I returned to ponder my miserable predicament and a myriad of potential outcomes. All of them ended badly.
For whatever reason, he hadn’t killed me, and I tried to tell myself that this meant there was a reason to hope. My thoughts flip-flopped between optimism and despair as my bladder finally gave up. There wasn’t much I could do but lay there and stare at the ceiling envisioning how he’d end my life.
At some point, I nodded off and the next time I woke up, I had a hand over my mouth. I flinched and jerked my head from side to side because I was certain that I was about to be suffocated. My eyes widened as I comprehended it was Two. She held one finger over her lips and I nodded.
“We don’t have much time. Be quiet, and listen to me.” As she said this, she placed one hand under my head to prop me up and then held a bottle of water to my lips. I gulped eagerly, letting some of it spill in the process.
“He’s pulled cerebral fluid from your spine.” The water caught in my throat and I coughed in a series of spasms. Two quickly put the bottle down and found the button to raise the table so that I could catch my breath. My voice was raspy, but I was thankful that I could speak.
“Why the hell would he do that?” I croaked.
“Did you notice the pustules on his face?” I nodded, not understanding.
“He’s deteriorating. He’s the last true connection to Aaron’s genetics, and without him, the real Aaron will ultimately die.”
“What does that have to do with my spinal fluid?” I whispered.
“He’s trying to use your genetics to enhance his own. He thinks that he can make an infusion that will secure his own biological strain.”
“Why mine?”
“He thinks that because Mic made me from you that there is something superior in your genetic make-up.” I rolled my eyes. My super power was being a bitch, but I couldn’t say that made me superior.
“Will it work?” I asked.
She smiled broadly. “Not if I can help it.” I couldn’t help but admire her determination, so much like my own.
“Did Mic and the others make it out safe?” I asked.
“Yes, they got away, but I don’t know if they’ll be safe for long.” She stopped short as if she were listening to something. I held my breath, waiting for what might be coming. When she returned her focus, I continued. “What about Deraline?” She shook her head. “He got to her using a shared syntax through the other one called Eli. Their child upgrades were overloaded and then suppressed with his direct override.” I let that soak in for a minute. Realizing what I was considering, she spoke before I could ask.
“He doesn’t know he didn’t get to me. He’s just arrogant enough to believe in his abilities, and for your sake, it needs to stay that way.” She didn’t need to explain the importance of this fact. I was just thankful that I had an ally.
“Why didn’t it work on you?” I asked.
“Because I am based on your genetic coding,” she said with a wink. If I were in a better place, that might have made me laugh. For the moment, it just made me feel a little less terrified.
“Where is he now?” I asked. Talking was difficult, but I forced myself so that I could get the answers I needed.
“He’s working with the last batch he pulled from you, but he won’t be distracted for long. It’s not enough time to get you out of here.”
I winced at this, because I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. Two made me promise I would do my best to be compliant. She said that I shouldn’t be obvious, but that it was important that I not do anything to make Towering Aaron too angry. She explained that despite his directives coming from the “real” Aaron, he was volatile and couldn’t be trusted.
She also shared that he was the one that had carved out her eye because he thought he could pull enough of my genetic coding from her to get what he wanted. She and Deraline had narrowly escaped his attack back in Mojave. I hated knowing that this monster had carved out Two’s eye. It was as if he had done the same to me. I equally hated the fact that he’d overtaken Deraline, because somewhere in the back of my mind it registered that I thought of her as… family.
“Did you hear me, Lee?” I shifted my attention back to Two, shaking my head. I hadn’t been listening. She rolled her good eye and huffed.
“I can’t get you out of here until tonight. He’s going to be linking in to Aaron to download, and that will give us enough time to escape. As soon as he syncs in, I’ll come back for you and then, we’re out of here.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said, coughing. What other choice did I have? I reassured her once more that I’d
be careful and then she lowered the table, disposed of the water bottle, and left the room. The droning buzz of equipment lulled me back to sleep at some point, and with sleep came the nightmares.
Mic is standing shirtless with his back to me. The room is aglow in candlelight. I move forward, reaching out to touch his smooth skin…he turns to face me and I realize that his left eye is gouged out….somewhere in the distance a baby is crying and then I am running down a long hallway that seems to have no end. I have to get to the baby!
I woke up with a start and was actually thankful to find myself alive, even if I was still in the same hell I’d been in. I forced myself to steady my breathing, and after a few moments, my heart rate came back down to a reasonable thrum. I moved my head from left to right and took in my surroundings. Nothing had changed, but the room was dark, so I knew it was evening time. It’s amazing how narrow a person’s focus can become in perilous situations. I counted the beeps of one of the machines. I tried to wiggle my ankles, then my wrists. I bit at the flakey skin on my lips. Finally, I settled for something that seemed to hold my concentration better than anything else. I contemplated the ways that I would kill that alien looking, bio-synthetic purple-ass, sack of fucking wires, freak.
I don’t know how much time passed before the sound of the door wrenched me back into fight or flight mode once again. Thankfully, it was Two. As promised, she wasted little time freeing me from my straps.
Before I could raise myself up, she reminded me of the tube in my back, and instructed me to turn on my side. “I’m sorry, Lee. This part is going to hurt. For your safety and mine, please, try not to scream.” I was about to boast about my threshold for pain, just as she pulled.
I felt like my spine was being ripped out of my back, one weak vertebrae at a time. Fighting back the sheer need to howl, I grit my teeth and buried my face in my hands.
