by Beth Hodgson
What are you doing? called a voice from within the network.
The master will find out, chanted another.
The master won’t find out, because you will not alert her, Drew countered.
That may be true, but what happens if she asks us directly? We must answer the master, cried another voice within the computerized stream.
You had better hope she doesn’t become aware of your whereabouts.
Ignoring the voices, Drew stumbled into the kitchen. He spotted the refrigerator, then hurled the door open with his metal hand, swinging it wildly. He batted the flinging door with his mechanical hand, halting it. Condiment bottles and a carton of milk rattled from the motion.
Drew scanned the contents of the refrigerator with his cybernetic eye. The two vials of blood sat on a shelf on their own. They weren’t hard to spot since there was hardly any food in there to begin with. What did Telly and Gwen eat?
Malfunction.
Glitching at the thought, Drew snatched the blood with his good hand, setting them on the countertops as delicately as he could. Turning to the cabinets, he ripped them open, looking for something to mix the blood in. Most of the cabinets were also empty, but he did manage to find a pitcher.
He filled it to the brim with water, then emptied one of the blood samples into it. The blood lightly danced within the water, streaming its glowing color through the clear liquid. The visual delighted him.
Delight. Delight.
Cannot process that request.
He jolted.
Malfunction.
Placing one of his good fingers within the pitcher, he thought of his old life. He only had fragments of it, but he tried to recall them as they came. Images of the times he was outside in his former life. It made him feel so alive. The sunlight beating on his face in the heat of the summer. So warm. So human. It filled him with joy. Telly was always with him in his memories, holding Gwen as she cooed. She calmed him with her smiling eyes.
Malfunction.
Her smiling eyes.
Malfunction.
His body shook. He was at the start of an overload, but he continued to focus, struggling against the machine within him.
Her smiling eyes. Her presence. The tenderness of her voice. It filled him with elation.
The swelling energy of joy slowly pumped through his veins, gathering to his finger. Machines didn’t feel anything, nor could they. Everything was artificial, like how half his thoughts were. But something had happened when the Queen tried to heal him. His voice wasn’t completely restored, but his human side was returning to him at a much faster rate than before. He felt more than he ever had. His feelings were real. He had retained some aspects of his emotions when he was resurrected, but his calculations told him it was about ten to fifteen percent of a normal human’s.
But now, since Queen Emerald had laid her hands on him, his scans told him he was sixty percent more human. If he could be changed by her power, the others of his kind could, in theory, be changed too.
When Drew swelled with as much power as he could contain, he unleashed the joy that radiated from him, and the energy expelled itself into the pitcher.
An orange glow filled the entire pitcher as he began to stir the mixture with his fingertip. The water and blood illuminated an orange color as he stirred. The circular movements of his finger swishing through the mixture, and a small whirlpool within appeared. The liquid slowed its movement, then settled, the orange dissipating into a deep red, still having a slight glow to it. Transmuted blood, exactly the same as Queen Emerald’s original blood.
Satisfied with the result, he looked for another pitcher for another batch to mix. There was none, so Drew picked up his pack, grabbing the syringes. One by one, he filled them until there was no more blood in the pitcher. He then began the second batch, repeating the process. After he was done with the second, he distributed the second batch of blood into the rest of the empty syringes.
One hundred vials of blood exactly. It was the perfect amount that was required.
He packed the syringes into his bag, then slung the bag strap across his chest, turning to leave.
A small figure stood in the doorway, blocking his way.
Drew immediately ran a scan. Girl in her teens. Same age and birthday. The information made his circuits run haywire, causing him to shudder.
Gwen.
Shaking, Gwen held a communication device, her eyes wide. “Whoever you are, I am dialing the authorities!”
Drew’s good hand snatched the device with precise movement, and Gwen shrieked. The girl took a step back while he placed the communication device in his metal hand, smashing it in his grasp.
“Please, don’t hurt me!” the girl cried.
Unsure of what to do, Drew stood there silently, unmoving, watching his daughter. Should he say something?
“Take whatever you want,” Gwen continued. “I promise I won’t tell anyone that you were here. Just don’t kill me.” Her eyes stared at his metal hand, terrified.
“N-n-n… never h-h-h… hurt you.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Blood.”
The teen cried again. “So you are here to kill me!”
“No. B-b-b… blood samples.”
Gwen blinked at him with bloodshot eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. “Mom’s blood samples?” She lowered her voice, leaning in. “Are you one of her experiments?”
Drew nodded.
“I knew it!” Gwen’s face lit up, smiling. “Mom would never tell me what she did at work, but I always had an idea.” She scrunched up her face. “Why do you look so creepy?”
Drew cocked his head.
“You know, how half your face full of wires and computer parts. Why were you designed like that?”
Drew processed a response, jolting. “Ac-c-c… accident. Years ago. H-h-h… hhhhhalf died. Half lived.”
Malfunction.
Drew glitched violently.
The teen looked at him, and her eyes went wide. There was some sort of recognition in her face as she gaped at him, approaching him cautiously.
“You can’t be him… can you?”
For the first time, Drew felt frightened. Frightened by his emotions. By the situation.
He stood unusually still.
Malfunction.
Gwen moved closer, circling as she continued to study him. Her hair was the same as Telly’s—soft honey blonde. But she had his eyes before the accident. Blue. Light blue. Her jeans were ripped, and she wore a loose graphic T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“You have to be him. You look just like him in our pictures.”
Drew remained unmoving.
Was his heart beating rapidly? Or were his circuits sparking in confusion? Why didn’t he say anything?
Gwen looked at him as she curiously inspected his metal arm, running her hands over the metal. Gwen paused, then teared up. “Why didn’t Mom ever say anything to me about you?” She let go of his metal arm, her tears falling. “It figures she wouldn’t say anything. She never does,” she said angrily.
Something in his wires… No, his heart, urged him. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he rested it there. As soon as his hand touched her, Gwen burst out crying, then latched on to him quickly, falling into his arms, hugging him. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. He placed his other metal hand on her gently, holding her. Holding his daughter.
“I… I thought… thought of y-y-y… you every day when I was r-r-r… restored.”
Gwen’s blue eyes looked up at him, as she wiped her tears. “Are you back for good now?”
Drew nodded. “Yes, b-b-b… but I m-m-m… must do something first.”
Gwen shifted her foot, thinking. “After you’re done, will you live with me and Mom?”
“I… I… do not know.”
The teen gave him another quick hug. Drew awkwardly returned her affection, but his motions were more mechanical than he intended. Gwen let go, then stepped away, wait
ing for him to leave.
“Will I at least see you again?”
Drew nodded, giving his daughter an unpracticed smile. “I… I will do w-w-w… whatever I can.”
Gwen returned his smile, wiping away her tears. He looked at her, memorizing the moment.
Then Drew summoned his bright-orange power, basking fully in its glow. Slowly, the magic began to fade him away.
Gwen gasped, surprised at the fantastical display of magic. He heard her utter the word “whoa” as he made his way to the door.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
RED
Ruby lightning flashed across the skies every few seconds while thunder rumbled loudly. Deep-red clouds formed in the dark morning skies. The storms were groaning outwardly from what he was yearning for inwardly.
His heart yearned for Emerald.
It was like a thousand knives had stabbed him, gutting his insides out. The prince. The damn motherfucking prince. He’d had his way with her. With Emerald. Did she know? Was she stuck inside, watching what was happening to her? Watching what he did to her while her body did nothing she told it to? God, it made him want to kill the motherfucker.
No, not want. He was going to murder that piece of shit. Murder him until there was nothing left that resembled that coward. But before he did, he had to make sure Emerald was safe. He had wasted too much damn time training with Geeta, and now he’d paid the price. If only he had taken off before Geeta unfroze the world, he could have stopped Derek from…
GOD DAMMIT!
With the staff in hand, Kyle continued to let the crimson winds guide him as he scanned the city below. The morning storm clouds cloaked the city in gray. The brightness of the neon lights glimmered in the falling rains and hazy atmosphere. Where should he even begin to search for Emerald? His best bet was the palace. Kyle turned his attention in the direction of the palace. It glowed with its electric-green glass panels, looming over the city. He would need to find her quickly. And it would be a task in itself to find her in the city’s largest structure.
Something in the air unsettled him. Kyle could feel the magic inside of his life-force stirring, warning him about what was about to take place.
Pushing back the unnerving thought, Kyle closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he hovered midair. He focused on the thought of Emerald. The complement made for him. His love, his life, his soul. She was all he wanted in life. Forget the damn guitar, motorcycle, being famous—those things were nothing. They couldn’t bring the happiness the way she did when she smiled.
Instead of letting his logic try to figure out how to find her, Kyle opened his heart, letting the magic lead him. As his heart pounded with each beat, an overwhelming sensation pulled at him from within. The magic within sought out its other half, the green magic it so needed to be complete. Greater and greater, the need for his complement flowed through his being, until the desire coursed through his blood from all directions, centering within his life-force. The feeling mixed with his red magic, taking over. Kyle closed his eyes and fully submitted to the wind.
He felt his body change course to a new direction.
Opening his eyes, Kyle saw that he was heading straight toward the palace’s highest turret. The orb on the staff shifted to an intense, fiery red, burning with his power.
She must be there!
As he neared the palace, Kyle called out for his adjacent color, orange, making him unseen to all the world. Emerald’s balcony was in sight, not too far off. The closer he came to it, the more he began to tremble, and his heart raced with anticipation. Another rumble in the skies. A red bolt of lightning flashed. The red rains drenched him, responding to his anguished heart.
In the distance, Emerald appeared on her balcony, viewing the dark morning skies as if she was staring into a dream.
Kyle lost his breath. It had been almost a year since he had seen her. Just the sight of her calmed his heart, causing the rains to cease.
She was more beautiful than he remembered. She was dressed in delicate pale purples and magentas, so much lovelier than the stars that adorned the night sky. Her face shone softly, and her hair flowed like a gentle river at peace. But underneath, deep within her soul, Kyle felt the turmoil in her heart.
The red rushing winds landed him on her balcony, off to the side. From his gust of wind, Emerald’s hair flew back softly, then the green waves settled once more at her sides.
Emerald was oblivious to his arrival, as Kyle was still as transparent as the air itself. Or was it that she was too far gone in Ikaria’s control to understand what was happening around her?
“Emerald,” Kyle said quietly as he began to release his adjacent magic.
She turned slowly at the sound of his voice. “Who’s there?” her monotonous voice answered. She continued to glance around until her vacant eyes met his. “You. You were the one at my wedding,” she said in an unseemly accusing tone. She turned her body fully toward him, the silk fabrics spinning around her.
Kyle wiped the rainwater off his face, then reached out his hand toward her, softening his voice. “It’s time you came back to me.”
Emerald’s eyes flared a menacing, glowing dark green.
Life-draining magic shot out from her hand and into his heart, ebbing away his life-force. Immense pain twisted his flesh on the inside, like a knife spinning and peeling his innards away.
Fighting through the agony, Kyle gripped the staff, calling forth his violet magic. The orb changed its hue from red to red-violet, burning with magic. Within the blink of an eye, Kyle’s consciousness was thrown into Emerald’s mind, just like how he trained with Geeta.
Kyle’s spirit felt an instant disconnection from his body and the new host of Emerald. He peered around her mind, looking for a way to dive further in. It was nothing but a deep-green barren wasteland, no doubt from Ikaria’s void magic. No doors, no walls, just one vast plain of pure nothingness. In the center of the wasteland was her consciousness, in the form of a large green gem. An emerald, glowing a bright hot greenish-white color.
Encircling the emerald was a swirling black-violet force of energy. Ikaria’s magic.
As Kyle’s spirit neared the gem, he could see an image of Emerald’s spirit encased within, pounding from the inside.
Help… her mind called out to his spirit.
Seeing her soul in despair inflamed him. His soul roared. He yelled harder and louder than he ever had in his life.
Summoning his magic, Kyle outstretched his hands, continuing to yell in desperation. Red-violet magic surged at the dark magic’s barrier in a constant, streaming force.
As Kyle’s magic shot itself at the barrier, the dark force field fought back, pulling all of the black from its black-violet magic to the spot where Kyle surged his power, leaving the rest of the barrier violet. Kyle probed the stream of magic. The barrier was reinforcing itself, strengthening the magic that guarded Emerald’s spirit. Within the gem, Emerald was mouthing silent screams in between her cries.
Kyle grimaced through his roars as he continued to pour out his magic with all his might. The barren ground started to shake beneath his feet, and he felt the barrier weaken, but it did not break.
He wasn’t going to give up until Emerald was free, even if it meant that he had to spend his whole damn life inside her mind.
Pulling everything he had in his life-force, he pushed aside his anger and his joy, fully allowing jealousy and hatred to rush through his being, embracing the raw emotion.
The constant stream of magic from his power turned from red-violet to pure violet. The barrier let out a loud crack in response as he continued to flood his magic at it. The dark-green wasteland world turned black as night, and the barren world groaned in agony, then began quaking violently.
More cracks appeared on the magical barrier, and the sounds from the fracture echoed across the voided land. Kyle grunted but held fast.
Kyle felt Emerald’s mind became unstable as the wasteland continued to tremor vigorously. Her
spirit and the gem glowed a bright white; Emerald’s spirit was emerging.
You are in control! his spirit called out to her.
Waiting until the last second, Kyle shot out the remainder of his magic, all that he had left in his life-force. Upon contact, the barrier shattered like thin glass, striking Emerald’s consciousness awake. Calling upon his power once again, he left her mind, jumping his consciousness back into his own body.
Emerald screamed. Her mind was awakened.
Kyle stumbled for a moment, accidentally dropping the staff. He was breathing hard at the expense of his magic and from Emerald’s magic preying on his life-force.
Emerald cradled her forehead with both her hands, dropping to the floor, then ripped the crown from her forehead, throwing it to the ground. The circlet skidded across the floor, the dark magic fading away sharply. Her eyes suddenly became clear, and the pupils within her green depths became visible.
“Kyle?” She turned and faced him, a look of recognition appearing on her face. “It’s really you!” Tears formed as she ran breathlessly to embrace him.
Kyle held out his arms weakly, still breathing heavily. She fell into his arms, and he gripped her tightly. Her body trembled, then she began to sob.
“Kyle… something happened,” her voice jittered through her cries.
“I know.” He held her tight in his arms. “It’s not your fault, Em,” he whispered to her. “You had no control. Absolutely no control.”
“Please don’t ever leave my side,” she whispered through stiff cries.
“Never. I will never leave you again. I promise.”
Kyle softly caressed her smooth cheek, then brushed away her tears with his fingertips. Emerald looked up at him, then caught her breath. She placed one of her hands on the hand wiping the tears away, then held it there.
She stopped crying, and for a moment, her soul was at peace. Just for a moment.
Emerald leaned in to him, her lips touching his, then she closed her eyes, kissing him deeply. Kyle could feel her love for him, but he could also feel her sorrow and hatred. His heart raced at the slightest movement of her hands, his body trembling at her touch. If only he had been able to stop Derek in time…
