by Nathan Ward
Astral.
Here a gigantic semi cylinder of glass with a mass of neon blue energy formed in to a lively ball, pulsating in a rhythm like a human heart beat. Either side of the godlike energy were four giant tubes of crimson travelling up and into the much larger containment and flowing inside, polluting the rim of energy with a crimson blend as it absorbed the life-force of the humanoids being drained.
An extraordinary sight, was the conclusion that ran through Williams robotic mind as she slowly approached Astral, unsure of how to further proceed.
The mass of energy that towered over Williams then began to configure itself into what looked like a basic form of expressive face as its eyes thundered down upon Williams like the giant it was.
“Welcome, my child!” it thundered in a booming voice, causing Williams to take a subtle step back, feeling unsure and afraid for the very first time.
“It has been reported that you have concerns,” the voice of Astral added.
“I have” Williams replied, feeling tiny, feeling less that her true size, dwarfed by this vast being.
“I have begun to feel” she continued “What one should never feel, a form of emotion… a human emotion, one that could only be the effect of the experiment?, I am certain”
Williams questioned, as she opened her heart to Astral, who she saw In her eyes as the only form of father the android race would ever believe to have.
“I have felt it too, from not only yourself but Houghton as well.”
“And you have no concerns?” Williams asked.
“When I do, the experiments will be stopped and every unit will be summoned for reconditioning, this once I have taken it upon myself to allow you to leave and return to duty, but I will be keeping a watchful eye over you.”
“Understood” replied Williams.
“I was once a segment, a small mass of energy that a child never understood but he gave me the chance to become something, which was where we began. I have learned to never turn away the things we cannot understand, which is why I grant you life, Williams. But before you leave, I must remind you…”
A sudden mass of energy erupted out of Astral's face and formed a three fingered hand that stretched across the bridge in a fluid motion and suspended in front of Williams’ face, instantly absorbing particles of her flesh, until the removal started to reveal the chrome features of her mechanical under skull. Then the energy returned, retracting with the same fluid grace, merging with the face-like energy of Astral.
“We are one, we are me and we are our own destiny” Astral added, to sway her from believing she had become something superior to the UNA.
Williams took her leave, turning on the steel bridge walkway and returning towards the cylindrical corridor. The giant face of energy slowly transformed back in to a pulsating mass of frantic neon blue, stained by an overlay river of crimson, working its way within the Astral being, where deep within in, the corruption to its inner workings once again lie dormant, as it thought over its decisions, contemplating an immediate halt to the experiment which was becoming a dangerous threat to it’s very own existence - but for now, it swiftly concluded, the battle of supremacy must continue...
Chapter 21: Joy
Forty eight hours later and twenty long miles east of the great city of light, the sun had risen to cast its bright rays upon the brittle, blood stained fortress, illuminating the damage as if gleaming in sadistic glee as the light showed up every scar on the fortress spoiled by warfare, yet still standing strong in the raging heat of a brand new day.
Murdock's eyes suddenly opened and fluttered in protest as the bright piercing light took him by surprise, burning against his tender, beaten face. Confusion filled his thoughts as he found that he could hardly keep his mind fixed on one thought, let alone make out what was being said to him as voices echoed in and out of his mind.
“Can you hear me? You’re going to be okay, signal if you can hear me, raise a finger, confirm to me who you are…” that voice had somehow found its way inside of his thoughts as he attempted to ask his own crucial questions:
'Who am I? Where am I? Is this a dream?' he asked silently as blinding whiteness hung thick in his vision and blanked out the world beyond the veil.
“I’m a medic, or at least I was… You’re going to be okay, Murdock. You’re safe.” the voice said, suddenly becoming clearer.
'I'm Murdock… Captain of the UNA?' he questioned in his mind, still attempting to regain full consciousness.
Then slowly in front of him, the silhouette of a woman began to contrast with the bright white light shining down on to his face.
“Nathan…” said another voice, one that seemed ever so familiar, someone Murdock must of surely known but he couldn’t remember, it felt like every memory he had ever owned had been knocked against the wall of his skull and been shattered like a broken mirror, leaving shards which didn’t seem to be fitting together any time soon. All he was interested in now was the person standing over him, who became more and more visible as moments passed; slowly the silhouette turned from a dark feathered mass to a defined figure, a man, a woman? There was no way to tell, so without hesitation Murdock pulled his heavy, dead weight arm from where it laid and reached in the direction of the figure with his fingers outstretched like a baby begging for assistance. His warm, tender hand was quickly met by another, one just as soothing with the perfect grip, a loving grasp, a caring connection of support that latched on, giving Murdock the sense of security he so desired.
As he held on tight, he heard the sound of someone leaving the room, heavy footed with almost a sense of anger as the sound of hydraulics and a cushioned slam of the door occurred.
“Who was that?” he asked, looking up as he tried to see more of the dark figure standing over him.
“I wouldn’t worry; worry was never a factor so I hear? You’re a brave man,” said the voice coming from above him. Murdock looked confused, still blinded by the light that denied him clarity.
“Brave? I work for the UNA, I killed innocent people…”
“No, Captain. You no longer work for the UNA... Do you remember how you got here?” the gentle voice asked with a worrying unbalance, almost as if there was suspicion of much greater problems. Murdock was stuck in an unforgiving state, trying to cast his mind back in to the past but only hooking burnt strands and broken bridges.
“I… I… fell.”
“No, Captain. I know it’s hard, but you have to dig deeper, I know you can…”
The encouragement he heard in the voice that spoke to him made him feel like maybe he could grasp on to the speaker as a drowning man would grasp at an outstretched hand to pull himself out from the watery depths in which he had fallen in to, but his mind just went blank, which kind of helped, loosening the tightness around his skull. Letting him drift for a moment, and that moment brought him the much needed clarity he sought, allowing his eyes to focus on the woman standing over him:
She was definitely a woman, he thought to himself as he focused on her. Slowly her features became more and more prominent, her short blonde spiked hair and rosy red cheeks. She seemed like a combination of the sweetest rose and the I’ll smash your head in old school rebel style attitude, it was there in her eyes as sure as her touch was tender and reassuring and Murdock couldn’t quite process what he was seeing - but he was weirdly comfortable with it, still keeping a firm grasp on to her hand.
He cast his eyes slowly down her body extracting every inch of detail, every weave of thread on the compact suit she was sporting.
“I like the uniform…” Murdock stated, inspecting it closely.
His gaze was still fixed on Joy and he hadn’t noticed someone else approaching from the corner of the room, it was Enrique – who was now also freshened up, suited up in this new, durable uniform that was clearly much stronger and effective than the previous white leathers and this time shaded dark stealth grey and black.
“That’s not the only upgrade around here; it’
s good to have you back, Captain,”
Said Enrique as Murdock met his gaze.
There was a moment of silence as he looked at the man who he struggled to recall, knowing his face seemed vaguely familiar – yet his name escaped him. It was as if the answer might have been there, but had now slipped through a hole somewhere at the back of his mind. Maybe his mind was full of holes now, that were how he felt as he struggled to recall him, picturing something like a net with a tear and memories like fish that broke out and swam away into darkness.
“I recognize you… but I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I don’t remember” Murdock said. Enrique felt his heart sink.
“We fought together, at first we were enemies, but you chose the right side. I’m certain as time passes it will come back to you…”
Joy looked over to Enrique and gave a nod of agreement then cast her gaze back to Murdock.
“It will all take time, even in this day and age – there is no overnight solution, but you’ve been treated with the best supplies…” Joy assured him, trying to put Murdock's thoughts at ease.
“I was… I fought, with you?” he asked, his gaze clouded in confusion as he looked towards Enrique, who had now shifted much closer the foot of his bed that was positioned central inside the gleaming white medical room.
“We fought side by side against another captain who threatened our lives. We had no choice,” Enrique added.
“We always, have a choice, Enrique. So we fought, and we lost?” Murdock said in surprise.
“I wouldn’t say that, you just took a beating” Enrique smirked, just at the silent thought of seeing Murdock slowly showing signs of returning to his old self once more.
Then as Murdock thought on all he had said, it happened:
Small fragments of his memory suddenly sparked to life, flashes of the past, thunderous fists crashing against his skull and vibrant imagery of Captain Jordan, his furious face raging into his sights, screaming and chomping his teeth like a great white shark...
“He wasn’t happy…” Murdock murmured, and then he turned to Joy who was stood beside him, “Could you hand me a mirror of some sort, please?” he asked, she let go of his hand and turned to a cradle of instruments where a small mirror had sat.
“Sasha engaged in a fight. She rescued our new friend, Joy – but he lost his wife, she was in a bad way by the look of her, I guess she didn’t have long to live” Enrique explained as Joy began to pass the mirror over to Murdock.
“There is no chance of peace on this world of ours, when doing right some will still accuse you of doing wrong,” he added.
Murdock lifted the mirror in to his sights, reflecting his very own image back at him – revealing the critical damage that had been sustained to his face, he was almost unrecognizable. Seven scarring tears around his face and swelling the size of a basketball yet Murdock could feel none of it and just stare at it, unable to remember how he had previously appeared. As he looked at the scarring he could only wonder exactly what he had lost:
Was this so bad? How terrible would this be when the healing was done with?
He couldn't even recall if he had been a handsome man before the savage beating, and wasn't exactly sure what he had lost or what had changed so much on looking at his scarred face. He was sure in time he would most likely recall how he used to look when his face had been flawless, and maybe then he would feel some vague sense of loss, or perhaps not. He didn't know. All he knew for sure was, he felt no pain... He thought on the fact that what ever the damage, at least he was breathing and the pain was absent, and perhaps that was enough reason to be thankful, as he stared at the reflection of his scarring in the mirror held in his hand.
“It would seem to be a small price to pay, to make up for the death of someone he loved” Murdock murmured, finding it surprisingly difficult to move his jaw after seeing his wounded face and realising the extent of the damage that had been done.
Enrique and Joy had fallen silent, they just awkwardly stood anticipating what could be said next, because Murdock had seen the damage and taken the sight of it with courage and dignity and if he was going to slide into distress over his facial scars, he was not showing a hint of doing it any time soon. Murdock said no more on the subject and then, done with studying his shattered face, just dropped the mirror on to his lap which was covered over by a thin white sheet.
“Thank you for your help, Doctor.”
Joy looked down at Murdock with a subtle smile on her face as she saw past his scars and into his eyes that warmed her as she felt immense admiration for this man and his unrelenting courage – she had seen many patients in her time, many who had become sobbing hysterical wrecks when confronted with the realisation that an injury had resulted in terrible scarring, but not this man. He held it all together with the kind of acceptance that was rarely seen.
“It was my pleasure, Captain – and you can call me, Joy. Joy Thorn” she said, feeling appreciated and worthy, which she hadn’t felt for a very long time.
“Thank you, Joy Thorn. Your assistance will not go unrewarded” Murdock promised, looking up at Joy as a wave of crushing tiredness washed over him.
“Oh believe me, you being here alive and well is more than enough,” Joy replied, “But I’ll get my reward, some day – and you’ll know about it, mark my words. The world will know and there will be fireworks! I have my sights set and my claws sharpened, no mother fucker will dare to get on the wrong side of me, especially not Jordan when we finally cross paths again!” said Joy, before giving Murdock a cheeky wink, which he couldn’t help but highly approve of. His gaze lingered on Joy for a moment, and then he turned his attention back to his partner, Enrique.
“So where did you find these bad ass uniforms, Enrique?” asked Murdock, with full attention on the suits once again.
“Well, Joy showed us down here, underneath the fort which must have been a base of operations for the UNA. There’s a whole hangar of toys just waiting for you to play with outside here, as soon as you’re back on your feet, you’re going to love it! The uniforms were just under a phase two armory, perhaps something they were preparing for?”
“Possibly… From what I can remember, the UNA were always one step ahead, the phase two lines would have been in development around the time I was recruited, I don’t suppose there’s a Phase three?” Murdock asked, with his weary eyes lighting up in sudden enthusiasm.
“I don’t think so” said Enrique, killing Murdock's dream instantly.
“Was worth a thought but even so, those uniforms are killer. Reserve me one of those, my man.”
Enrique nodded in acknowledgment, grinning at how quickly Murdock had suddenly started to sound like himself once more and the thought that ran through his head was one that washed through him in a wave of sheer relief: Whatever Joy had treated him with was acting rapidly, Murdock was back now, he thought to himself as he looked to the Captain and smiled warmly.
Joy began to make her way around the medical bed towards Enrique.
“We’ll now leave you to get some rest,” she said kindly to Murdock, “The agent I administered is a fast worker, you should be back to yourself in just a few hours but it will strip you of your energy, which is why I recommend you sleep.”
At that moment, sleep was the last thing on his mind despite the tiredness that made his body feel weak and heavy. Another memory was blurred, as if something else had slipped through one of those holes in the back of his mind.
“I just have one question before you go. I seemed to have missed something...” “Sure, go ahead” Joy said kindly to her patient.
“Who is Sasha, you mentioned Sasha, Enrique?” Murdock asked, trying to grasp an image in his mind, but failing to picture her.
Joy answered the question for him, being as clear as she could as she hoped something would prompt the memory to return.
“She is a member of your group, she saved my life – but she couldn’t bear to be here the moment you woke up, perhaps it was all a bi
t much for her? I’m sure she’ll come round, Captain.”
“But please, was there more I should remember? The name means something, it’s tugging at me...and I can't remember, I try but it's just not there,” Murdock said, sounding as exhausted as he felt chasing after vanished memories that slipped about just out of his reach.
“Take a deep breath, clear your mind. Sasha, she is your friend, Captain. That’s all she has ever been to you. Now rest, we have everything under control, feel privileged. I only had two super agents left and I thought you deserved one” Joy assured him, and her words put Murdock at instant ease.
Then Enrique and Joy took a step in the direction of the door, releasing it and exiting the medical bay, sealing it behind them.
Now outside the treatment room, Enrique looked over at Joy as they made their way down a long, brightly lit corridor.
“Why did you say that?” Enrique demanded.
“Say what?” Joy replied.
“About Sasha, I told you what they meant to each other!”
Joy glared at him.
“He means that much to her that she fucked off out of the room? I’ve told you before, Enrique - I’m here to help, which is what you asked for and right now that man needs his head screwed on tight, he doesn’t need love. That will only cloud his mind, he needs to be focused if we’re to succeed, do you understand?”
“Perfectly, I somewhat agree. But she is my friend too.”
Joy glanced down the corridor and spotted Sasha.
“Well there she is, go and tell her the news. I’m just going to check up on Connor, then we’ll continue loading up the wasp, yes?”
“Sounds good to me,” he replied.
“Later, Enrique.” Joy walked off, leaving Enrique beside Sasha who was stood leant against the corridor wall with tear marks staining her face.
“He’s going to be okay, Sasha. I know he doesn’t look the same…”
