Paradise of Lead Trilogy

by Mackenzie Morris

  "What about him? Don't you think that Isidore has to deal with stuff too? How would you like to find out that your parents are dead, you are a computer made to belong to someone, and then that nearly everyone on Earth wants to either use you as a slave or kill you off? And to make it so much worse on him, he is sick and trying to do anything he can to get better. Then his friend starts treating him like garbage and hurting him."

  Damien sits on the bed and screams into a pillow.

  Byron picks up the insignia and slips it in his pocket. He will get to the bottom of this. He is sure that everything will work out. It has to work out.

  29

  Damien looks up when the door opens and he tries to not scream and throw things. He has to remain calm or this will never get better. Byron's not here and this could get interesting. He glares at Isidore, but he is looking down at the floor. His eyes are pink and puffy from crying. The gash in his lip is sewn up with stitches and his face is still smeared with blood. When he turns to leave, Damien calls to him. "Come inside and close the door, computer."

  Isidore doesn't move for a minute then obeys and goes over to the corner of the room.

  "Nope, you come here and stand in front of me."

  He does and avoids looking at Damien.

  "Did you go to a medic?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "How do you feel?" Damien asks.

  "Not very good."

  "Take your clothes off."

  Isidore looks at him with terror and apprehension in his eyes.

  "I said take your clothes off, computer. You don't want to disobey again, do you?" Damien asks.

  "No, sir." Slowly and with shaking hands, Isidore pulls his shirt off over his head and it falls to the floor. He looks away from Damien and closes his eyes.

  "Did I tell you to stop? Remove your clothes."

  He unbuttons his pants and pulls them off.

  Once he's in his boxers, Damien stands and walks around him, examining the damage he did. The deep red welts and bruises cover most of his back, chest, and legs. "Does it hurt?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Do you want me to beat you again?"

  "No, sir." Isidore's voice is small and weak. "What did I do? Please don't hurt me."

  "Did I give you permission to ask questions?"

  "No, sir."

  "Get on the bed."

  Isidore doesn't move. "But . . ."

  "What is it?" Damien asks.

  "Only humans get on the beds."

  "I told you to get on the bed, computer."

  Isidore sits on the edge of the bed and keeps his head low.

  "Lie down." Damien says as he pulls back the blankets.

  He obeys and quietly begins to cry. Damien can't tell if it is from pain or fear. Maybe it's both.

  "Get some sleep, Isidore. We will talk more later."

  Minutes go by as Damien paces around the room. When he is sure that Isidore is sound asleep, he goes to the bed and gently removes the watch from Isidore's wrist. What is this? He examines it. Some kind of communication device? He presses the blue button and a voice comes over the speaker.

  "This is Blice McSage. Isidore? Is that you?"

  Damien quickly ends the call and slips the watch back around Isidore's wrist. Traitor. He has to sit down and try to calm himself before he does something terrible again. More violence is not the answer. When Isidore wakes up, he will make him tell the truth and they will figure it all out. Byron was right. Innocent until proven guilty. However, Isidore doesn't seem very innocent right now.

  Byron returns and immediately grabs Damien and pulls him to his feet. "Oh my God. What did you do?"

  "Be quiet, will you?" Damien whispers.

  "Did you hurt him again? Why are his clothes on the floor?"

  "I told him to take them off."

  "What did you do?" Byron asks again.

  "I wanted to see how bad I hurt him. Then I put him in bed. He's asleep."

  "Asleep?" He lets go of Damien. "Thank God. He needs rest. I have some of his pills from Alexi. I hope these help him. Did he go to a medic?"

  "Yes. They put stitches in his lip."

  "You and me are gonna have a talk. Guess who is completely pissed off about all of this after seeing Isidore's injuries?"

  "Alexi?" Damien asks.

  "Yes. He knows you did it to him. He wants to meet with you."

  "There's no way. I'm not discussing this with anyone. It's none of their business what I do with a computer."

  "What's wrong?" Byron asks. "I thought you told Isidore that no one could ever care about him, that he's unlovable? Apparently Alexi cares about him."

  Damien watches Isidore breathing beneath the blankets. "Tell Alexi I am working on fixing this. Okay? I'm calmer now and looking at this more rationally. If Isidore will tell me the truth about the Inquisition insignia, then I will apologize and do whatever I have to do to make this right. I feel terrible. I do. I don't want to lose him as a friend."

  "I think you two left friendship behind a long time ago."

  "Seeing him be so submissive makes me want to hurt him more." Damien says.

  "Why?"

  "Because he doesn't care about himself. No matter how far I push him, he won't snap. He refuses to be angry at me and I hate that. I have an idea to get through to him."

  "Don't hurt him again." Byron warns.

  "You need to leave. I have a computer to train."

  "You have two hours. Tell me I can trust you here with him."

  "You can trust me." Damien says and goes to the bed.

  "Okay. Do the right thing, Damien." Byron leaves and closes the door.

  Damien shakes Isidore. "Get up and get on your knees. Don't say a word and don't respond to me in any way."

  Isidore slides out of bed and to his knees on the floor at Damien's feet.

  "Crawl over there and get my bag. Use your teeth."

  Without any resistance or complaint, Isidore obeys and drops the bag in front of him.

  Damien pulls out a small square golden sensor like the one he uses. "Do you know what this is?"

  Isidore doesn't respond, just as Damien had demanded.

  "You can say yes or no."

  "No."

  "This is my communication sensor. It can call people and store some data. It's pretty basic, but the truly ingenious aspect is how it connects to the nerves in the user's arm. Interesting, isn't it? Do you know what happens when I supercharge it with my electricity?"

  "No." Isidore says.

  "Did I tell you to speak again?"

  Isidore looks down at the floor again.

  "It can deliver an intense but concentrated electric shock when I dial the number on my other sensor." Damien watches for any sign of fear or anger, but there's nothing but silent resignation. And it breaks Damien's heart to see his friend like this, beaten down and unable to react. Is this his fault? Did he make Isidore this way? Even when Damien places the gold sensor on Isidore's arm, there is no reaction. "Are you scared?"

  No answer. Even the trembling has stopped and he doesn't cry.

  "I have something you need." Damien reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small plastic bag. "Hold out your hands." He pours the clear pills into Isidore's hands.

  Isidore's lips quiver as he looks at them.

  "Throw the pills out the window." Damien orders as he slides the window open.

  Isidore stares at the pills in his hand that he desperately needs.

  What is he going to do? Is he going to obey and risk getting sicker or is he going to stand up for himself and do what needs to be done? The longer Isidore stays on his knees and holds onto the clear circular pills, the more concerned Damien gets. Even if he's a computer, surely he knows that his life could depend on taking those pills. He wouldn't risk dying to follow orders. Would he?

  When Isidore puts his arm outside the window and drops the handful of pills to the street below, Damien's mouth falls open. Really? He honestly wasn't expecting that. He can't
do this anymore. This is way too far. "Go outside and pick up every pill you just dropped. Then come back inside and put them on the table. Don't disappoint me."

  He glances at his clothes and then back at Damien with questioning and begging eyes.

  "Get dressed then go. And you can walk."

  As soon as Isidore leaves the room, Damien sighs and pushes back the headache growing behind his eyes. This isn't working. How can he get through to him and find out the truth about his emotions? Can he truly not feel hatred? Any other person, computer or not, would have at least fought back a little or tried to defend themselves. Is Isidore beyond help? Is he completely an unfeeling computer with no inclination for self-preservation? Damien thought this would help, that humiliating him and threatening him with taking away the one thing to help him feel better could snap him out of this strange altered mindset, but it didn't.

  Isidore comes back inside and puts the pills on the table then kneels down at Damien's feet again.

  "What do you want, computer?" Damien asks.

  Isidore doesn't say a word.

  "You can speak. What do you want most?"

  "To make you not hate me." Isidore whispers.

  "Hit me."

  His eyes grow wide and he shakes his head.

  "I told you to hit me." Damien repeats. "Are you disobeying orders now?"

  "No, sir."

  "Then hit me." He hands Isidore a knife. "Either hit me or cut your arm open. It's your choice. No. You don't get a choice. Cut your arm open. You won't go that far."

  Isidore looks up into Damien's eyes and doesn't flinch as he drags the blade over the back of his forearm. The tears fill his eyes, but he remains silent and holds up the bloody knife.

  Damien grabs Isidore's shoulders. "What did you do? Why would you do that to yourself? Speak, damn it."

  "You told me to."

  "If I ordered you to kill yourself, would you to do that as well?"

  Isidore presses the edge of the blade against this neck. "Is that an order?"

  No way. There is no way in hell this is happening. "Put the knife down, Isidore." Damien quickly wraps Isidore's arm with a bandage and pulls him to his feet. He embraces him. "What happened to my friend? I'm sorry. I can't see you like this. At first I was so angry about finding that insignia and I wanted to see you suffer. But then I got so mad at myself for doing this to you and I wanted to push you to the point where you would stand up and defend yourself. Why won't you value your life? At this point, I could care less about that stupid insignia. I just want you back."

  "I'm not an inquisitor. I don't work for or with the Inquisition. Forgive me for talking without permission, but you need to know that." Isidore breaks down crying into Damien's chest.

  "Okay. I believe you. Here. Take your pill and get better." He hands Isidore a pill and a cup of water. "I'm done playing around. This is very serious, Isidore."

  "I thought my name was computer."

  "No. I lost my temper and I'm sorry." Damien says and he means it.

  "Is this thing on my arm going to hurt me?"

  "I was making that up." Damien pulls it off and stuffs it in his pocket.

  "Why are you so mean to me? All I want to do is make you happy."

  "What about you? Don't you want to be happy?"

  "I can't feel happiness." Isidore says through his sobbing.

  "That's a lie. Damn it all. Everything I told you was a lie. I told you that stuff to make you angry and to hurt you. But all it did was make me hate myself. I know you can feel emotions. You're crying. What do you feel right now?"

  "I'm confused and tired."

  Nothing else? "That's it? I make your life a living hell and you're tired? What about me? Don't you want to hurt me or get back at me?"

  "No. I want to go to sleep, if that's okay with you." Isidore says as he dries his eyes. "Please tell me it's okay."

  "It's okay. Go to sleep."

  "On the bed?" Isidore asks.

  "Yes. You have your own bed, Isidore."

  "Thank you, Damien."

  "You have no reason to thank me. Get some rest."

  "Yes, sir." Isidore covers his head and curls up under the blankets.

  30

  Isidore feels someone sitting on the bed next to him and their hand is smoothing his hair. He pretends to still be asleep so he won't have to deal with a new embarrassing and painful onslaught of abuse from Damien.

  "Get up, Isidore. I know you're awake."

  Damien. Isidore bites his lip. He can't take this anymore. He tried. He tried so hard to do what he wanted, but nothing is good enough. No explanation he gives for the necklace will be good enough. And now he knows that someone messed with his watch and put it back on him upside down. If they called Blice, it's over. Isidore will be delivered to Alexi and they will torture him like they did the inquisitors. Then they'll kill him. Well, he can't disobey again and face another beating so he pushes back the blankets and gets on the floor at Damien's feet. Please don't let him be angry today.

  "What are you doing?"

  Should he offer an answer or stay silent? Even after Damien's apology yesterday, Isidore knows it's not over. He is still going to want answers that he will never give them. When he doesn't give the correct answers, Damien loses any self-control and Isidore doesn't want more stitches. He stares at Damien's boots.

  "Answer me."

  "What do you want me to say?" Isidore asks.

  "What happened to the rule about you not asking questions?"

  Damn. So Damien is still out for his blood. "Forgive me, Damien."

  "You don't get the point of this, do you?"

  Apparently not. "No, sir."

  "Stand up and look at me when you talk to me."

  Isidore stands up and looks at Damien.

  "Are you feeling better after taking a pill?" Damien asks.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Stop calling me that. You don't have to address me so formally. Are you hungry?"

  "No. I still feel sick." Isidore says.

  "Why don't we get you some soup and you can stay in bed and I'll take care of you today? How does that sound?"

  Like the worst day ever. "Um . . . there's no need for that."

  "Nonsense. Byron will be back soon and we can all eat together and have a friendly conversation about the past couple of days."

  Do they have to? Isidore wants to forget about the past two days. "Do I have a say in this?"

  "No. You don't." Damien says. "I will not fully recognize your opinions until we sort everything out. For now, your rights have been denied and you have to do what Byron and I say. And by the way, that's not just me saying that to be mean this time. Commander Alexi ordered that I continue to control you until you either explain your involvement with the Inquisition or your owner comes and claims you. I don't want to have to do this, but it's out of my hands now. I met with Alexi last night while you were asleep and we agreed that I will take the responsibility of being your temporary administrator. So get used to following my orders. If you resist, we will turn you over to the other Rubble Rebels and they will execute you for being a spy." Damien leaves and the room is too silent and too empty.

  A spy? Now Commander Alexi thinks he's an Inquisition spy? And Damien is his temporary administrator? Oh God, no. He's going to kill him. Isidore knows he is going to die. Surely Byron didn't agree to this. Byron is his friend, right?

  Byron closes the door and looks at Isidore then shakes his head. "You're in trouble now."

  "I'm not a spy."

  "Don't talk to me. Just sit at the table and let me think for a little bit."

  "Is Damien really my administrator now?"

  "Please don't say anything. I'm not going to be mean like Damien, but please. Don't make me yell at you. We can't trust you. Alexi determined that everything Damien did to you was warranted." Byron says.

  "You saw what he did to me. You think that's okay?"

  "Don't say another word or I will have to do things I don't
want to do."

  Isidore sits at the table and holds his head in his hands. This isn't happening. Byron too? He thought for sure that Byron didn't feel this way. Isidore almost falls back asleep but is jarred awake when someone slams the door. It's Damien and there is no soup. Instead of soup, he's brought Commander Alexi.

  Alexi stands in the corner of the room and crosses his arms as he looks at the floor. Damien tosses the Inquisitor insignia on the table and grabs Isidore's hair. "Tell me where you got this."

  Would he know if he just lied? "I found it."

  "You found it? Well, Alexi thought you may say something like that so he had the technology center here in the city look at it and run some tests. Turns out that when they passed it through one of the Inquisition's holograms they recreated, it was able to bypass the security, gain access, and your name showed up as being cleared for level 10 security clearance. Now, you have one more chance to tell the truth."

  "Or what?" Isidore snaps back at him.

  Damien twists his hand in Isidore's hair. "Or you drink this." He places a clear vial with a purple oily liquid inside in front of Isidore.

  "What is that?"

  "Should we tell him, Byron? Or let it be a surprise?"

  "I don't like this either way." Byron says.

  "It's a special kind of poison for people like you. Oh, I almost forgot. I already have my suspicions about where you got your insignia. What happens when you press that blue button on your watch?"

  He knew it. Damn it, Blice. Why does he always have to make things so much more complicated?

  Commander Alexi comes up to him. "Listen, Isidore, I don't want to have to take action against you, but if you don't give us something to go on, I will be forced to do what needs to be done."

  What needs to be done? Surely if he tells the truth, Alexi will understand and help him. "Blice. I got it from Blice."

  "Is that a confession?" Alexi asks.

  "A confession of what?"

  "Being a spy for the Inquisition." Damien says.

  Is this a joke? Isidore turns to Alexi. "No. I'm not confessing to anything. Blice gave me the necklace and the watch when he helped me escape from the Inquisition. Then I saved Byron and we came back to you. That's the truth. I don't know anything else. I don't know why Blice saved me from the inquisitors who were trying to take my microchip out. I don't have anything else to tell you."