"I didn't mean to be so harsh. You belong to me first, Clara second. That's just the way it has to be. You understand, right, Clara?"
She looks up and wipes whipped cream from her lips. "Huh? I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. I get distracted by sweet things."
"Who does Isidore belong to?"
"You. I won't argue that. He's your computer."
"Thank you. See, Isidore?"
"I'm sorry that you think I was trying to dispute that. I know you're my owner and I'm extremely grateful for all you do for me. I'm only asking to not have to be away from my wife."
"I'm okay with you two living here with me, but I don't know how you feel about that, Clara."
Her smile is gone and she pulls on her robe. "I don't know. If that's the only solution, then we'll have to take it. Let me go back home and I'll think about it. I'll go pack today and call you later, Isidore."
"I'll come help."
Blice shakes his head. "No you won't. I need you here. We have things to discuss. Just because you're married doesn't mean that you get to shirk your responsibilities. I have a brand new mission for you."
* * *
Saying goodbye to Clara, even temporarily, is torture for Isidore. He knows that she will be back, but that doesn't ease his worrying. Even though he knows he shouldn't feel this way, he is secretly furious with Blice. A human should be with his wife, not stuck here discussing politics and new program updates. But there's the issue at the core of this little conflict. Isidore isn't a human so he doesn't get the same rights that they would. He has to take what Blice will give him and make the best of it.
This isn't his life, after all. He was bought and paid for by the government so he has to do what those in authority over him demand, no matter how painful it is for him. Things will work out. Surely Blice will ease up on his demands. What he said earlier scared Isidore, though. Would he really take some silly dispute to the courts? The courts in Paradise have never been about justice. Instead, they are in place to humiliate and deal out torturous punishments to anyone who dares to go against the standards of the government. It would be so much worse for Isidore because according to the laws of the Unified State, he's not human. No torture would be out of question and most of the judges enjoy to watch people suffer in all manner of public punishments. Either way, he's not going to chance it. Isidore resigns to the fact that he must obey, submit, and serve. That is what he was made to do.
Isidore goes into the Oval Office and hands Blice a cup of coffee.
"Thanks, Niko."
"No problem." Not like he did it to be nice. He was following orders. And he will obey orders until the day he completely shuts down.
"Something wrong?" Blice asks.
"No." That's a lie.
"I got you something. Call it a wedding present. You need a friend to keep you company when Clara isn't here." Blice hands him a tiny blue box. "Be very careful with it. As soon as you open the lid, you need to hold out your hand. Okay?"
Um . . . what? "What is it?"
"Just open it. You'll see."
Isidore cautiously opens the lid and a creature the size of his palm flies out and lands on the tip of his finger. Shiny blue spots glisten on the black velvety wings as the eyes look directly at him. A butterfly.
"It's a robot. It will live forever if you keep it taken care of. It has an artificial intelligence program so it can learn from you and attempt to communicate in whatever ways a butterfly can communicate. He has been programmed to monitor your vital signs wirelessly and he records your thoughts so you'll always have a backup. Don't worry. I can't access it. He has been customized for you and locked with your DNA."
He watches the wings moving just like the butterfly he saw in Clara's greenhouse. A quiet chiming sound emanates from him when he moves. It's calming and makes Isidore smile. Isidore immediately feels a connection with him, almost as if they have been best friends for years. He can connect with the butterfly as he would any electronic and as they stare at each other, an unbreakable bond forms. A name enters his mind, almost as if the tiny robot was telling him what he wants to be called. "I'm going to name him Yuri."
"So you like him?"
Isidore giggles as Yuri crawls along his arms, tickling him with his little legs. "I love him. Thank you so much."
Blice leans back in his chair and places his feet on the desk. "So, I have a couple of very important missions for you to start on immediately. You leave out in two days."
So he doesn't get time with his wife that he wants so much. "If that's what you want, Blice."
"First order of business, I need my brother's blood."
Oh dear God. This isn't going to be good. "His blood?"
"Yes. All of this time, his blood has been keeping my magic under control." Blice pulls back the curtains covering the windows to reveal a large glittering hole of dark matter. "I'm starting to have slip ups. I've never had an accident in my life. I'm supposed to be the one M.A.G.E. who isn't a failure. Now I see that's a lie. I can't chance hurting someone. The other powers can hurt people, but dark matter is a death sentence as we all saw with Leena. That was my dark matter magic on those bullets."
"Yours?"
"I'm the only dark matter M.A.G.E. still alive. It skips generations, sometimes multiples at a time until it shows up again. The scary part is that dark matter was never one they were actively developing. It just happened when they added the wrong element into the mixture. So yes, it was my magic that killed Leena. In an indirect way, I killed my wife. I had enchanted all of those weapons with my magic at my father's wishes. Before I do any more damage with this accursed power, I need Byron's blood. We're not killing him. I need you to find a way to drain some of it from him and collect it for me."
"And then what? Are you going to drink it or something?"
"Yes. I know it sounds creepy, but it's really not. I can use the blood of any M.A.G.E., but his is more concentrated and I know that he's safe. I tested his blood. I'm not going to take unnecessary risks."
"How do you expect me to take his blood? I doubt he's going to be open to the idea."
"You'll find a way. I'm sure of it. You're intelligent." Blice finishes his coffee and lights a cigarette. "The next one is more of a long term assignment. You are going to start an extremely important mission that will please both me and Kazimir."
"You've been talking with him?"
"Yes. We have many of the same ideals."
"What are my orders?" Isidore asks.
"You are going to use your radiation detection sensors to locate and arrest M.A.G.E.s."
"Like criminals . . . or-"
"Every single M.A.G.E. We need them to take the place of the T.I.M.E.s. Since their bodies have become more accustomed to radiation, they should be more easily implanted with the computer microchips."
"You'll be hurting them?"
"No. Not at all. Their bodies should take the transformation into a computer easily. We will be giving them a grander purpose for the good of Paradise, the Unified State, and the world. You will be taking them from their terrible lives in the wasteland and they will live in Paradise with food and everything they could need. Their children will be cared for as well. Be their savior, Isidore. They need you."
"Did you do that to Clara?"
"No. I swear. As for Kazimir, I can't guarantee his innocence in the matter. However, I know that Kazimir cares enough about you that he wouldn't try to kill Clara."
Isidore isn't so sure. After all, he doesn't know much at all about Kazimir Dark. Then there's Clark's involvement. "What about Master Director Clark?"
"I can't do anything yet. Give it time. No one will believe me if I accuse him without hard and definitive evidence. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important phone calls to make."
"Can I go help Clara now?"
"Give her some time alone to think over things. You need to go get acquainted with Yuri. I think you'll find him to be very valuable to you."
Isidore leave
s the office and goes back to their room. Yuri flitters in the air and follows him as loyal as any dog. Or robot. He's been programmed to be loyal and be with Isidore no matter what. Isidore finds it to be both comforting and disturbing at the same time.
He jumps on his bed and looks up at the ceiling. These new assignments are so overwhelming. Does Blice really expect him to do these things? Isidore's watch rings and he answers it. "Hello."
"Hi darling."
Clara. "Hello, love. How is the packing going?"
"Isidore, I'm not coming back to Paradise."
He sits up and holds his watch closer to him. "What do you mean?"
"I don't want to live with Blice. I'm staying here at my house."
"You can't keep living in the wasteland. You're my wife and you deserve so much better than that. I need you here with me."
Clara sounds upset. "You'll be fine without me. I can't live in the same room as my husband and my ex-lover."
Oh yah. There is that. "What do you want me to do? I have to serve Blice. You know that."
"I know. Believe me, I knew what I was getting into when I married you. You will always belong to him until he dies. Then after that, you will go to whoever he assigns you to. You're property."
"Thanks for reminding me."
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
Isidore sighs and watches Yuri flying around the room, landing on every surface. "Let me come out there and talk to you. We can have a bit of time away from Blice to talk this over and make a decision together."
"I really don't want to talk right now. Stay there and be his good little robot slave. I know my place. Now it's time for you to learn yours." She hangs up the call.
Robot? She's the last person on the planet Isidore would have expected to call him something so terrible and insensitive. Out of every insult that people call him, that one hurts the most. It's not that he doesn't value robots. They have their purpose and fulfill it well. The word, however, implies a cold and uncaring object without judgment or intelligence. That's what hurts. And to hear it from his new bride two days after their wedding? It's crushing.
He falls back on the bed and sighs. He can't let it get to him. They are both under a lot of stress right now. "What should I do, Yuri?"
The butterfly sits on Isidore's nose and creates his little song with his wings.
"I can't leave Clara out there. But that's where she wants to be. Does she love me?"
Yuri's wings flutter in response and he flies over to land in the palm of Isidore's hand.
"You're right. Her happiness is the most important thing. Still . . . I think I'm going to go out to her house now that I'm not busy. I can help her pack."
36
Byron stands on the crumbling edge of the canyon where the shards of glass glitter and shimmer in the morning sunlight and the memories of those who took their lives when they jumped from this very spot haunt this vividly barren landscape. He closes his eyes and breathes in the morning air that is already warm with the rising sun. What is he doing with his life? Ever since Leena's death, Byron hasn't accomplished much. Each day that goes by melds together with the next and the one before. He can't even keep track of weeks that go by. What happened to the Byron who was a leader, a Rubble Rebel, a fighter? He used to be so full of life and passion for justice.
Now he's a drunkard with a gambling problem. He hasn't even had the will to go with Commander Alexi and the Rubble Rebels anymore. What's the point? The wasteland will forever be just that: a wasteland. Nothing they can do will change that fact. Eventually some other country will get pissed off at the Unified State and they will end up in another war just like before. Then humanity will come crawling back from the dredges of the fallout and debris to build another Paradise, another Rebel City, and another wasteland. It's a cycle that will play out again and again until something drastic happens.
Byron is useless. He acknowledges this and it cuts him deeply. He never wanted to be a hero like Damien. He only wanted to find someone to share his life with and be happy. That's not too hefty of a goal, is it? What made Byron happy? Helping people. But now there's no one left to help who can be helped. Damien is a celebrity in Paradise now, Isidore has the best life any computer can ask for, Clara is married to the vice president, and Blice has all the money he could ever need. Rubble City is prospering for the first time since its founding. Surely there's someone left who needs his help. He doesn't want accolades or praise. All Byron needs is to be useful and have a cause to fight for.
He sits down on the edge of the canyon and dangles his legs off the cliff. Digging in his backpack, he pulls out Leena's tiny pink diary and a bottle of tequila. Byron flips through the book and picks an entry at random.
Dear Diary,
I think I'm in love. Remember when I wrote in here about never trusting or being romantic with a M.A.G.E.? Well, I might have lied. I found someone. Actually, he found me. I was working in that bar out in the middle of nowhere and in comes this big guy who was intimidating but had pretty brown eyes. He asked me if I took paying customers and when I said that I was supposed to, he actually got a bit angry and told me that I was better than a hooker. He told me to come with him. So I did. What did I have to lose? I knew I could trust him. Don't ask me how, but I knew. He's a good guy. His name is Byron Erikson and he's a M.A.G.E. He controls fire. Something happened last night and I am a bit embarrassed to write this. We made love. Of course it was my first time and I was terrified. However, as soon as he held me in his arms, I felt at peace and I knew I was safe. It was wonderful. For being such a big burly guy, he's sweet and gentle. I never want to leave him. The only thing is . . . he won't tell me that he loves me. It hurts, but I know that he has been hurt in the past. Something happened to him whether he remembers it or not that made him unable to fully trust people. I feel so bad for him and I wish there was something I could do. He deserves to know what true love is. I'm going to try again to get him to see how much he means to me. I know there is a gentle soul under that rough exterior. I just want him to learn to love. Well, Blice and Isidore are being silly. Gotta go. I'll write more later.
Byron smiles as he remembers these times when they were together and things were simpler. What would his life be like now if he still had her? Better. Wonderful. Heaven. But he can't think like that. If he continues to live in those memories, he will only suffer more. God knows he has been suffering lately. At least the tequila is there to rip away his consciousness. He has to get his mind off of this before he drinks this entire bottle. He finds another page.
Dear Diary,
Blice is taking his pills again. He gets so mean when he's on them. I realize that he's addicted, but he could at least try to stop. Those evil things take the man I love and morph him into a rage-fueled demon who calls me names and throws things at me. Yes. Last night he threw a butcher knife at me. I had to hide under the kitchen table to avoid it. Maybe I've been blinded to the situation because I wanted him to be my knight in shining armor. He's not. I can admit that now. However, I'm in too deep to back out now. We're already planning the wedding and if I try to leave, he might hurt me. I don't want to go back to the slavers. Surely Blice wouldn't sell me, right? His partner was here again last night. I can't watch those two together anymore. It makes me physically sick when Blice beats him. I want to take Inquisitor Williams in my arms and console him when I see him in the dark crying himself to sleep. It's heartbreaking to see someone being tortured like that. I thought it was bad before, but last night was awful. Despite Blice's constant yelling when he told Isidore to be silent and not make a sound, Isidore couldn't help but cry out as he was beaten until he was bleeding. He was tied down to the bed and stripped naked. Every inch of him was bruised or lacerated. Then what made it even worse was what I heard Blice tell him. He told Isidore the reason he was being beaten was because he spoke to someone in town without permission. He gets severely beaten like that because he wanted to talk to someone? Since when does Blice get to dictate who gets t
o talk to people? Why won't Inquisitor Williams stand up for himself? All he does is follow Blice's every demand and even gave Blice his own belt to hit him with. I'm done for now. I can't think about this anymore. I'm going to go hide some of Blice's pills. Hopefully I won't meet the same fate as his partner.
Byron feels sick. Not just because of what happened to Isidore, but because of how similar he is to Blice. He sees that now and it scares him how easy it would be to become just like him. He holds up his unopened bottle of tequila. Is it worth it? Every day he struggles to even get out of bed. The hangovers aren't the bad part anymore. He has to drink or he loses all hope and drive in his life. His body needs it and he doesn't know what to do. For the past few months, Byron has been drinking until he passes out in the hopes that he wouldn't wake up in the morning. That's no way to live. At least now he realizes that. Damien has been begging to do things with him. Their friendship is teetering on a razor's edge and it's all his fault. Instead of going off to do things with his dearest friend, Byron would drink. Then he'd gamble until he could buy some more booze. His life has become a constant hunt for the next bottle, the next shot, the next round. In just the past month, he woke up in a pool of his own vomit over ten times.
Damien is right. There are people relying on him to do his best as an Outlander Force agent and he can't do that if he is drunk. Yes, he's probably an alcoholic and yes, it will be difficult to overcome this addiction. However, now he feels as if he owes it to Leena to be a better man. He's doing this for her and their unborn child. Byron knows that he would have given up drinking in order to be the best father he could be for their baby. So why not give it up now to be the best he can be for the other people who need him? He's better than his brother. He will never let alcohol control him and turn him into a monster like that. Byron holds the bottle out over the edge of the canyon where it captures the golden sunlight inside the liquid he would usually value more than life itself. It's time to break away. "This is for you, Leena." He lets go of the bottle.
Paradise of Lead Trilogy Page 53