Larry is already waiting for her a few yards away. Gathering her things she puts them in the back of the vehicle and gets in. Larry is up for a grand talk about her adventure inside the walls of the camp and she does her best to sate his curiosity, but deep down all she can think about is the sadness she saw in Bol’s golden eyes as she told him goodbye.
*****
When they arrive back in town Larry insists on taking her to a local bar for a few drinks to celebrate her article to come. Not wanting to be rude she agrees, but there is nothing more she would rather be doing than sitting in her hotel room and waiting for sleep to take her. After a few drinks she begins to loosen up a little.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to write the article Larry.” She blurts the words out in a rush.
“What?” He sits his drink down on the table so hard that some of it spills over the edge. “Why in the hell not?”
“I’ve thought about giving my findings to an old college professor and maybe writing a few papers on the daily lives of the Astara and the good that they could bring to the world.”
Larry lets out a sigh. “Jamie that’s a...great idea. You could reach a lot more scientists that way and if the scientists find something beneficial among the Astara. Well...you know this already. You’ve obviously thought about it.”
“I have, but there is something else.”
“What’s that Jamie?”
“I think…” She pauses and shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I just hate to disappoint you like this Larry. You’re the best boss that I’ve ever had.”
“Hey.” He puts a hand on her shoulder. “You set out on this mission to help the Astara people by writing an article, but you and me both know that one measly article in the Gazette isn’t going to change many minds if it changes any at all. A scientific paper though. That has the potential of changing a lot of minds where it really counts. I’m all for it.”
“Thank you Larry.”
She drinks for a while longer with her boss before excusing herself for the night. In her room she strips down and takes a shower. The hot water feels good and so does the fact that she can stay in as long as she likes without having to worry about the water getting cold. Wrapping herself in a robe, she climbs into bed. She tries turning on the television, but none of the shows seem to be anything that she wants to watch. Digging a book out of her bag, she attempts to read, but after reading the same paragraph five times in a row and still not getting the gist of it she decides that reading isn’t going to cut it either.
She sits her laptop on her desk and turns it on. Moments later she is looking through the pictures that she took of the Astara camp. The first few are of the market square. They show different vendors and their wares. Next comes a photograph of a small Astara girl with orange hair holding up a doll of some kind that her mom had just bought for her. Jamie smiles at the memory. The little girl had been fascinated with her camera and wanted to know what it did. When Jamie showed her how it worked and that you could look at the pictures it took, the little girl had begged for her to take her picture. The little girl was so overjoyed with having her picture taken that Jamie had used her portable printer to print out the picture. When she gave it to the little girl she had been beside herself with joy.
Jamie scrolls down on the computer screen. The next picture makes her stop and stare for a full five minutes. It is a picture of Bol standing outside of his home. As she looks over his smiling face and his golden eyes a tear runs down her cheek. Reaching out a hand, she gently strokes his face on the computer screen.
“I shouldn’t have left you.” She whispers. “Why did I leave you?”
In her head she hears his voice telling her to not forget him, but even louder she hears a voice telling her to go back to him. The louder voice is her own, and for the first time in a long time she decides to take its advice. In a few moments she is dressed and ready to go. She gathers up what things are hers and scrawls a hasty note on a piece of paper. Laying the note, her findings, and the equipment that was Larry’s on the table, she takes a final look around the room.
The lobby of the hotel is quiet as she slips out the door and heads up the street. The camp is a couple miles outside of town, but in her mind she can already see the walls.
“I’m coming Bol,” she tells the night as she hitches her bag to a more comfortable position in her hand.
*****
Larry tries to call Jamie a few times the next morning, but he can’t wake her. He decides that she is probably sleeping in with the phone off the hook, so he goes up to her room and knocks on the door. The door swings open with his first knock. He steps inside and looks around the room, but Jamie is nowhere to be found.
“Jamie? Are you here?” He asks, but then he spots the equipment and stack of papers on the desk. Walking over to the desk he looks at the papers and notices the note on top. A smile breaks across his face as he reads it.
Dear Larry,
You’ve been a great boss and for that I want to thank you so much. I left your equipment on the table. The papers you will find under this note are all of my detailed findings. If you would give them to Professor Charles L. Langston of Boston, Mass. Tell him who they are from and he’ll understand. I hate to leave this way, but during my stay in the Astara camp I met a man. I believe I told you about him. Bol is his name. I fell in love with him Larry. I tried to deny it, but I know in my heart that there is no other for me and I can’t begin to think about living the rest of my life without him. I’m going to live with him, so please don’t try and stop me. Who knows, maybe if Charles writes a few good papers we might see each other again someday.
Jamie Gettner
“I’ll be damned.” Larry puts the note down and rifles through the papers. The words and notations mean little to him, but he is sure that the professor Jamie mentioned in her note will know what how to decipher them. Walking to the window that looks out toward the camp, he smiles. “I hope you’re happy Jamie. I really do.”
*****
The guard doesn’t protest when Jamie tells him that she is back for more research. The hundred and eighty dollars, all the money that she has in her wallet, doesn’t hurt in his decision. As the gate closes behind her she breathes a sigh of relief. She looks around the square for anyone, but this late at night everyone is either at home or at one of the few drinking establishments.
As she starts across the square in the direction a Bol’s home a deep voice speaks to her from the shadows. She stops in her tracks and a smile spreads across her face. She would know the sound of that voice anywhere.
“Is it really you?”
“It’s really me.”
Bol steps out of the darkness and wraps her in a hug with his powerful arms. Tears stream from her eyes as she hugs him back as tightly as she can.
“I’m not leaving again.” She whispers into his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have ever left.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” he says. “All that matters is that you are here in my arms. Where you belong.”
THE END
Bonus Story 3 of 20
Capturing the Cyborg’s Heart
As she sprinted across the sidewalk, dodging people expertly along the way, her feet pounded on the pavement soundlessly, thanks to the "silent boots" her long-time friend Stan had invented. He was in his forties now, ten years older than her and a loyal member of the Last American Renegades. He was in hiding. She didn't know where he was, nor had any idea how he was sending her all the stuff.
Her long black hair flew around her shoulders as she ran as fast as she could, zipping into alleys that she had long memorized and leaping from roof to roof with the use of her makeshift electronic wings. She had picked up the wings a few months ago from the government warehouse she'd broken into, which had wreaked havoc and stirred ire among the officials of the New Government.
Her name, Micah Morgan, had immediately been splashed across physical and virtual bulletins alike. The media had feasted on her p
hotos and background before she and her family had joined the remaining group of renegades that still fought against the new rule.
She hadn't cowered in fright like her mom had when the group had been exposed. She hadn't gone into hiding like her dad and their friend Stan. She hadn't burst into uncontrollable fury and lashed out at the government and their cyborg police force as her younger brother had done before.
Micah had been the most intelligent, patient, and calm among her family members. As she had been growing up, she'd developed a strong body, impressive stamina, fighting skills, and a sharp mind. She had quiet strength and a sort of eerie stillness that made people admire and follow her. Her amazing abilities and unique ideas had also made her popular within the group. It hadn’t been a surprise when she had eventually been elected Renegade Leader.
The Metropolis was currently teeming with locals, young and old, all smiling and getting along nicely. Some were traveling in electric cars on winding roads that all intertwined into a well-organized traffic system. There were streets crisscrossing in between buildings and also pathways that seemed to float in the sky. Meanwhile, other folks were heading to their destinations on hover boards, moving swiftly in mid-air. It was a picture-perfect urban community situated within an ultra-modern city with stylish glass and steel skyscrapers. It all seemed so beautiful on the surface. But she knew better.
Dashing in and out of buildings, jumping over fences and climbing walls like Spiderman's futuristic female counterpart, which she was actually known for, she was finally able to lose the cyborg soldiers who had been hot on her trail. They were probably already calculating her moves and analyzing the city map, utilizing the computer chips that had been installed into their brains. Apart from the unusual strength they possessed because of their metal body parts, some of them also had built-in heat trackers to detect human and animal life moving within their 3-meter radius.
But she was well-prepared for all of their tactics. Clothed in completely black technologically advanced gear that let her move about with great ease and flexibility, the material had also been designed to cover up her natural body heat and deflect her movements to cause confusion. It was something she and Stan had come up with long ago.
Micah stood still on the third floor of a mid-sized tower, her feet planted on the thin ledge outside a huge window, her arms outstretched for added balance and also to allow her to grip the edges of the window frame. Her bright green eyes were wide and alert. She was trying to catch her breath after the chase, already planning her next move. She couldn't let these cyborgs find her and stop her from fulfilling her mission- expose the evil plans of the New Government and bring down the manipulative and abusive officials. She wanted to destroy the entire system, but she would only be able to accomplish it if she could gather enough evidence against them.
She didn’t feel any fear at all- no fear of the government and the cyborgs, not even fear for her own life. But if there's one thing that truly terrified her, it was to completely lose the people she loved. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing them lose their humanity and become robots of the vicious rulers. She just couldn't let it happen without putting up a fight, even if she was all on her own. She couldn't let them win that easily, and if it meant risking her own life, so be it.
A few minutes passed. Her arms and legs felt as heavy as lead. Her muscles were tense from being stuck in the same position for a long time. But she was used to the pain, so it didn't bother her much.
After a while, she slowly edged toward one side of the ledge, very well aware that one wrong move could send her toppling down the side of the building and breaking all her bones upon hitting the busy street below. Then she activated her electronic wings with one click, making the improvised metal pieces spread out and start whirring with life. She took a deep breath and jumped forward into the air.
Micah began flying upward with the help of the wings. But then, she was halted by an invisible force. She could not move further. She was stuck in mid-air.
"What's happening?" she wondered aloud. And upon turning around, she noticed the almost invisible string that had wrapped around the huge metal wings. She was being pulled down quickly.
"Damn," she muttered, as she spotted the tall, bulky cyborg in navy blue uniform waiting for her below. She didn't panic, but calmly let herself get pulled down. When she was safely near the ground she detached herself from the wings and dropped down on her feet, running at once after landing.
She flung the wings over her shoulders at the cyborg as she took off. He was fast though, ducking and evading the wings that could have knocked him down.
She was back on the run, just as she'd become accustomed to over the past years. But for the very first time, she was not able to get away. His strong arms grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back before she could get away. His hands slid down to her wrists, violently rammed them together and snapped a pair of handcuffs on her. "Micah Morgan, you are under arrest."
*****
Micah's emerald green eyes fluttered open. In an instant, she remembered everything that had happened. She'd blocked out after getting caught and hit by a member of the cyborg police.
Her eyes roamed around the tiny room filled with thick, white padding. There were no windows and no furniture. She found herself lying on the similarly padded floor with nothing but a white blanket covering her body.
Micah quickly sat up, realizing with shock that she was completely naked. All her weapons had been stripped away. "Damn that cyborg," she muttered. "And he had the nerve to undress me!" The thought made her blood boil and she couldn't wait to face him and give him a piece of her mind.
Despite her situation, she was able to calm herself. She looked around without any desperation, forcing her negative emotions away in order to clear her mind and think of ways on how she would escape.
A thorough scan of the room told her the room was secure. But she had never been one to give up easily. She walked around the space slowly, running her hands across the walls and the floor. She touched and groped everything she could reach, looking for some way out. There wasn't even a door, except a locked opening on the high ceiling which would be impossible to reach without any of her or Stan's gadgets.
She was pacing back and forth, the white blanket wrapped and tied around her body, when a creaking noise made her stop and look up. The locked opening began sliding open. The gap soon revealed the face of the cyborg who had captured her. She was not surprised to find that he was very good-looking, with strong features, light brown hair in a military haircut, full red lips, and intense dark brown eyes.
Many of the cyborgs she'd encountered before were handsome, muscular, and alluring just like this one. She was only interested in one thing, and that was to destroy the New Government and help give back the freedom and natural humanity of people.
"I see you're awake," the cyborg called down to her, his face expressionless. "Want something to eat?"
Micah did not want to eat. She only wanted to punch him in the face and get out of there. But of course, she knew that if he brought her food, she just might have a better chance to escape. She silently nodded her head then sat down and waited patiently.
He was back in five minutes. But to her dismay, he used a special device to send down a bowl of porridge. The device looked like a metal tray attached to a long pole.
As he was sending the food down, she reacted quickly and jumped up and jerked on the pole violently. Swinging her body up sideways, she kicked against the wall to hoist her body up higher. At the same time, the sudden strong jerk had surprised the cyborg and caused him to lose his balance.
He plummeted down through the opening, missing her by an inch. But he was quick too, throwing his arms upward and grabbing the pole to keep from falling to the ground. He reached up and tugged at Micah's foot hard. She tried to kick him free but his grip was too firm.
"Let. Me. Go!" Micah shouted resolutely, kicking hard with both feet as she struggled to keep holding on to the
shaky pole.
After a minute of struggling, she was able to boot him against his forehead. He yelled, but did not let go. Instead, it motivated him to pull himself up after her, putting all of his strength in his grip of her foot. The weight of his body forced her down hard, causing her to tumble down. She grabbed his neck and brought him down with her.
They landed with a thump on the padded floor, with the cyborg landing on top of Micah's slightly naked body. The blanket wrapped around her had loosened and was barely covering the top part of her body.
She didn't care. She was very much alert, and the slight flicker of his eyes onto her almost exposed breasts, did not escape her attention. Now she knew one of his weaknesses, and was going to do her best to use it against him.
For the moment, she simply wanted to tease him. Quickly she arched her back, crying out in pain pretentiously. Her breasts rose up and pressed against his chest. His eyes shot wide open, making him push himself away from her awkwardly and get onto his feet hurriedly.
He quickly regained his composure, standing tall and glaring at her. "I see you are what they say you are," he said with bitterness.
"And what is that?" she wanted to know, one side of her lips turning up in a semi-smirk. She was still in a lying position, the luscious flesh of the top of her breasts very well exposed. Her long, firmly shaped legs were also out in the open.
He turned away, ignoring her question. She could take him down then, but both of them knew that they still needed each other to be able to leave that room. "Get dressed," he barked with his back to her.
"With this blanket?" she asked in an unbelieving tone. "Go get me my clothes."
"No."
"Well, why don't you turn around?" she demanded. "Don't even pretend to be a gentleman now because you’ve already seen my body."
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