Paradise of Lead Trilogy

  "Of course we will help you. That's our job, silly. Welcome back home. We have been waiting for you to return, Inquisitor Williams."

  Um . . . he must have missed something. "Inquisitor? I'm no inquisitor."

  "Your memory must have been corrupted. What do you remember?" The woman asks as she sits down beside him.

  Isidore can't help but notice that he is feeling something for her like he did for Clara and he doesn't like it. Since when does he feel anything for humans? He must be starting to malfunction. Then he notices her cell phone she has on her hip. Oh. That explains it. It's a nice looking cell phone with a smooth black shiny case. Snap out of it. Focus, Isidore. "I guess you're right. I remember only bits and pieces of my past. I remember Inquisitor Allen trying to kill me when I was twelve, leaving Paradise, I remember Vanessa, some of my being a priest, then it's all empty until I was in the prison."

  "We'll have to reboot you."

  "Reboot me?" Isidore asks.

  "It shouldn't hurt." The woman stands and goes over to the elevator. "And if you are still salvageable, then it shouldn't kill you. Follow me, please."

  He steps into the elevator and watches the numbers climb to ten. "Is it dangerous?"

  "Rebooting you?" The receptionist asks. "Everything with you is dangerous. Anytime you stop a person's heart, there is a chance it won't start again. But that's the only way we can install your customized operating system and try to find those misplaced files."

  Isidore watches the floors pass by in the dark elevator then he remembers. "Can I talk to Blice first? He is here, isn't he?"

  She smiles at him. "Do you remember who he is to you?"

  "My dedicated user."

  "Your administrator. You're his personal computer. He knows all there is to know about you. President Evans had you built just for Blice. We were afraid you wouldn't have recognized him."

  "I knew from the moment he entered the prison that he was the one." Isidore says.

  The elevator stops. "Good." She takes Isidore's hand and leads him down a long hallway to an office with a large window overlooking the sprawling city of Paradise. Even with the destruction they caused, it is still a beautiful city. "Have a seat and wait here. I'll go get the Master Director."

  Isidore walks around the spacious office and examines the various computer monitors and strange unknown machines. He stops when he looks at the desk. There are some photographs in frames there and he picks one up. It's him and Blice. They are much younger, but it's them. He has no recollection of this. He puts it down when someone opens the door.

  Blice smiles and hands him a bottle of water. "Hey, buddy. How are you doing?"

  Isidore can't believe this is the same Blice McSage he saw a few days ago. His greasy black hair has been cut and is spiked with hair gel, he has shaved, and is wearing a nicely pressed suit and tie. This is surreal. So this is how Blice is when he's not pretending to be a character on one of his assignments.

  "What's wrong? Oh. This is how I usually look. It was so nice to get all cleaned up again after that crazy mission. Well, have a seat and we'll get to the important stuff. You don't know how happy I am to see you here again. It has been far too long since you've been home, Niko."

  That's where it's from. It was Blice all along. He's the man who always called him Niko. Isidore sits next to Blice on a bench in the corner of the room. "Owner, can I speak?"

  "Of course. You don't have to call me Owner."

  "I need some help, please. I'm confused and I feel like a traitor."

  "To who? Byron?" Blice asks. "Don't feel that way. He'll come around eventually. You know he's not the most intelligent man. He only thinks in black and white. But you? You think in the most beautiful way possible. With numbers and figures and my own code that I wrote specifically for you."

  "They said you're going to reboot me. I'm scared."

  "Don't be scared." Blice says as he takes off his tie and jacket. "We'll run a diagnostic scan and make sure that everything is working just fine before we do anything. If you need some work before that, then we'll do it. And we might have to restart the network, but it will be worth it. I just hope that your hardware is still working and compatible with the new programs we run here. Okay?"

  And what if he's not compatible? "You wouldn't scrap me, would you, Blice?"

  "Now why on Earth would I scrap my favorite project? You are one of a kind, Isidore. Even with your little stunt when you took Byron with you, I can't be angry at you. This is the happiest day of my life. I finally have you back. Can we talk for a bit before we get down to business? When we were together around the others, we had to be careful what we said to each other in case they found out, but here we can speak freely."

  "You are my administrator, right?"

  Blice's face lights up with a big smile. "The one and only."

  "Why didn't you kill Damien?"

  "I needed to incapacitate him so I could get Byron and question him without Damien trying to fight me as well. I also needed to teach him a lesson. I have future plans that he is an integral part of and he has to be alive for that."

  "What about Byron? What do you need him for?" Isidore asks.

  "I have the suspicion that he has some much needed information about Leena. He also still has Leena's ring because the inquisitors who took him in didn't take it from him like I ordered. That seems to be a common theme these days. At least Inquisitor Allen isn't able to still insight his little rebellions he likes so much. Then there's W.A.N.D., but we won't talk about that right now."

  "Byron will be looking to say goodbye to me." Isidore says. "I should get back to Rubble City and after he leaves, I'll come back and we can reboot me."

  "Okay. I made you an operating system. Sounds nice, doesn't it? To finally have control over everything? You'll love it. I'm sure."

  Isidore slips off the insignia and holds it out to Blice. "Here's your insignia back."

  "That's yours. You left it here the second time you left Paradise and I was just now able to get it back to you. Every inquisitor has one."

  "Am I really an inquisitor?"

  "Yes. We will work on restoring all of your memories."

  Isidore winces as the flood of numbers fills his mind and his ears ring with the high pitched electronic sound.

  "You doing all right, Niko?" Blice asks.

  He waits for it to subside and his mind clears. He rubs his eyes. "Damien thought I might have a virus."

  "We'll run a full scan. Don't worry. If we find anything, we can take care of it. I've had you since I was seventeen years old. And you're how old?"

  "Twenty." Isidore says.

  "See? I turn twenty-eight this year and I still haven't grown tired of you. You know why? Because you are customized for me. I will never have another computer like you. And I never will have to get a new one unless there is a terrible accident. You won't die from old age because you will stop ageing at twenty-five. You already have some artificial organs so we can keep replacing them when we need to. You'd be surprised at the kinds of technology the Inquisition has available. Isn't that great? You don't have to die. I get to keep you as long as I want to. I care about you. You are just in need of some serious software upgrades. We might do a complete replacement on some of your parts just to make sure they won't quit on you when we need you functioning."

  Isidore doesn't know if all of this is good or bad. "If I was being customized for you when I was just a baby, why did Inquisitor Allen try to kill me?"

  "He has always hated me and he has a short temper. Thanks to Byron, we don't have to worry about that evil man any more. He can't hurt you again. No one touches my computer except me. Is that clear? I will create a password and only I will know it. How does that sound?"

  "If you think that's what needs to be done." Isidore says. "Can I ask something else?"

  "You can ask me anything, buddy."

  "Why were my parents not in space with the other T.I.M.E.s?"

  "They were criminals and used the
ir abilities to destroy some of Paradise's security cameras." Blice says. "We couldn't trust them and the Inquisition kept them locked away for years until they wanted to try to create a new prototype, a T.I.M.E. with a more processing power and the ability to be upgraded. That's you. While it's not genetic based for being a T.I.M.E, the physical properties that have to be present for someone's body to accept the transformation into a computer can be best found from the offspring of parents who share the same kind of qualities. They made them mate and as soon as your mother gave birth to you, Inquisition forces tried to kill them, but they escaped and went into the wasteland. We had been searching for them all this time. Oh, sorry about them having to kill your parents. That doesn't matter anyway, though. I am the only human connection you need to have. Is that clear?"

  Isidore feels the sudden need to do whatever Blice says and he wants to make him happy. "Yes. How do you want me to address you?"

  Blice waves his hand. "Just Blice is fine. I don't like all the formal stuff."

  "I understand, Blice."

  "Good. Well, you better do what you need to do and get Byron to leave so you can get back here and we can get you all fixed up. I have some files for you to store and some special upgrades to install. I think you'll enjoy them. Oh, and don't forget that I will always know where you are because of your new tracking device I will install when you get back here. That way I won't lose you again like I did the first time. That turned out to be a faulty piece of equipment which is why you haven't returned here until now. Do you remember being given to me for my birthday?"

  "I don't remember much after leaving Paradise the first time." Isidore says.

  "Well, you were in the wasteland for about six months, then brought back here, given to me, then I sent you off on some errand and you never came back. That was my fault. It's my fault you don't have an operating system right now. I was just learning about computers then. I'm sorry. You were my best and only friend. Come here." Blice puts his arms around Isidore. "I'm just glad I ran into you in that prison. You knew exactly where to go, didn't you? You always know where to find me. Why were you in prison anyway?"

  "I have absolutely no memory directly before that."

  Blice frowns. "I see. We have a lot of work to do. Are you ready?"

  "I'm ready."

  He pats Isidore's shoulder. "That's my good computer. I knew you would be able to do this. Oh, one more thing. You are not to under any circumstances whatsoever sleep with a human woman. Is that understood?"

  "Yes, Blice. I've never wanted to, anyway."

  "Good."

  "Can I ask why?" Isidore asks.

  "You are mine, Isidore. Only mine. No other human is to have contact with you like that. Okay? And I don't want to deal with the mountains of issues that will come about if you have children. I would just have you castrated now, but that's mean. So, you just stick to your machines and computers and we won't have any problems, all right?"

  What has he gotten himself into? This was bound to happen. Damien was right. He doesn't have a choice or the right to fight for himself. He has to be a submissive listener. Isidore looks down at the white polished floor and tries to not see his reflection. "Of course."

  "I'm sorry." Blice says. "I shouldn't have brought that up. Don't look so sad, please. I thought we were friends."

  "We are friends, Blice. This is just so new to me and I wasn't expecting you to be so . . ."

  "So in charge?" Blice sighs. "Sorry. Sometimes I have to remember that you are at least part human. I didn't mean to demean you or anything."

  "It's okay."

  "I have to get used to you belonging to me again. I have to keep your best interests in mind. As your owner . . . no. Not your owner. As your friend, I need to make sure we do the right things."

  Isidore looks into the deep violet eyes that have been engrained into his memory. "So is my life going to be me as a slave?"

  "No. Of course not." Blice says. "I never meant to make you feel that way. You're not my slave. Think of us as friends and partners."

  "Friends don't usually control every aspect of a friend's life."

  "Don't make me feel worse about this than I already do. Give me some time and we will find the right balance. Yes, I am in charge and yes, you have to obey orders. But other than that, I want us to be friends."

  "I understand, Blice." Isidore says.

  "Don't look so sad."

  "Is that an order?"

  Blice takes Isidore's hand. "No. That's a request."

  40

  Damien and Byron's motel room hasn't been fully repaired, but the leaky roof doesn't matter in a desert. Besides that, they both plan on leaving this city soon enough. Damien places the gold square on his arm. There is one person he hasn't heard from since the attack on Paradise. He was waiting to see what Seth's reaction would be, but now a month later, he still hasn't called and Damien is worried. He dials the number and waits. "Seth, pick up. Please answer. Tell me you weren't in Paradise."

  "Damien? We're all fine." Seth says. "We were away on an assignment in the wasteland. You are public enemy number one right now according to the government. You, Byron, and Isidore are going to be hunted down if you don't leave Rubble City soon."

  "Even if the Inquisition goes back on their word, they won't find much here. There's not much left of Rubble City."

  "What? What happened?"

  "I thought you knew everything, Agent Seth." Damien says.

  "Call me . . . Seth."

  Damien smiles. Even with Seth marrying Maria, Damien is resigned to the fact that he's right. Damien may never be able to return to Paradise and Maria needs a man to be there for her. If there is anyone who he can trust with taking care of the woman he loves, it is Seth. Let her be happy and provided for. Then maybe in the future, Damien and Maria can be back together again.

  "I will be going to Styx in the next few weeks and I want to meet up with you there again." Seth says. "That's where you plan on going, right? You have to give your report on the current events and get your next briefing. Our work never ends. You know that."

  "What about Isidore?" Damien asks. "Do I just leave him here?"

  "That's not very wise. You know what the Inquisition can do to him."

  "Actually, Isidore wants to stay here. The remaining Rubble Rebels have sworn to protect him. He wants to work with them still. I'm not going to stand in his way. Until we can get an operating system for him, he won't be much use for us anyway."

  "That's true." Seth says. "I think you should know that I . . . I miss you, partner."

  "I miss you too. The wasteland just isn't as fun without you at my side."

  "Not as fun? So blowing up vans, cities, and Inquisition laboratories isn't fun? What has the wasteland done to you, Montgomery?"

  What has the wasteland done to him? "Seth, the wasteland has made me into who I am today. I wouldn't change a thing."

  "What a majestically callous thing to say."

  "Call it what you want. I call it the truth."

  "You're in one of your pissy moods, aren't you?" Seth asks.

  "No. I'm just myself after finding out a lot about my life, those around me, and the people I thought I knew. I've learned a lot in the past few months."

  "You're not mad at me about Maria?" Seth asks.

  "I was. I was furious, but then I thought about it all and . . . again, you're right. Please take care of her and one more thing."

  "What's that?"

  "Don't tell her I'm alive." Damien says. "I want her to be happy in her new life with you and not burdened by my memory. Go on with your plans as if I'm dead. Tell her I died when an inquisitor stabbed me in the back. Do that for me, will you?"

  "Are you sure?"

  "I'm sure. It's time for me to let her go and let her have a new future without a failure like me getting in the way."

  "I'll do that." Seth says. "And thank you. I didn't do this just to get back at you. I really do love her."

  "Good. Be nice to he
r, okay? Will you let her know that I loved her?"

  "I'll do that, partner."

  * * *

  Byron lays down his cards. All aces. The other men storm off and he collects his money. Too easy. He thought that they would eventually catch on. Well, buying his opponents drinks first has its advantages. He counts the bills. One thousand even. That should be enough to get him to wherever he's going. Where is he going? He hasn't planned that far ahead. He stuffs the cash in his pocket and gasps as the pain radiates up his side. Damned dark matter magic. It had been doing so much better. He rolls up his pants and ties the tourniquet tighter. There. That's better. Maybe when he gets to his next destination, he will find one of the scientists he hears so many rumors about and they can help him. Or they could just amputate. That would honestly be less painful at this point. If the Inquisition can make mechanical hearts, they should be able to make mechanical legs. Byron smiles at the thought. How cool would that be? Yeah. He could get into that.

  Byron sits at the bar and shakes his head as he watches Isidore making drinks. "A priest running a bar."

  "Ex-priest." Isidore says and puts the drinks on the counter. He hands Byron some Alezi Blue.

  "Thanks. Lose your religion completely in the wasteland?"

  "Nah, just reinvented it. I pray on my terms. And now, maybe to a more electronic god."

  "I see." Byron says.

  "You should try it sometime." Isidore says. "It's amazing what you can accomplish with a little help from above."

  Byron finishes his tequila and laughs. "Prayer is for people who can't handle themselves. I don't need anyone's help, earthly or otherwise."

  "One day you'll understand, Byron."

  "Gonna say my soul is destined for damnation? Cut the fire and brimstone crap, Isidore. I control fire. There's not much that hell can do to me anyway."