Paradise of Lead Trilogy

  "I need to know if you've changed your mind about Operation Metamorphosis."

  Honestly, Blice hasn't decided one way or another. It's funny, though. It was originally created to be a future comfort for Blice after Isidore is gone. But now, it has come to symbolize and promise so much more. Blice has never been one to believe in an afterlife, rebirth, or reincarnation, but facing the death of his best friend and companion, he can only hope and trust in what he does know. "Kazimir, I'll have an answer for you when I get there."

  "Don't make this decision based on your emotions." Kazimir says. "That weakness can be your downfall. Keep in mind that whatever we do with this, you can't change it once we start. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you need to make sure you're not doing the unethical thing. If it is Isidore's time to die, then let him die. Don't you think he's been a slave for long enough? You've already dominated him in life. Don't do the same in death."

  "That was never the intention of any of this. You know that."

  "I'm just making sure that you know that, McSage. Do the right thing. This is your last chance for redemption. If you truly love Isidore like you claim, then you already know which path you should take."

  "Will it be painful?" Blice asks.

  "Dying always is, don't you agree?"

  What a horrible time for humor. "I can't say from person experience."

  "Just be ready to make your final decision. I believe that you can be a good man and make this right."

  "You actually believe that I'm capable of redemption?" Blice asks. "You know all that I've done."

  "If Isidore believes in you, then I will too."

  * * *

  Isidore follows them all into the reactor building. The radiation that would normally be undetectable to humans makes his skin tingle ever so slightly. He begins to feel panicked and his mind tells him to run as far away from this place as he can, but he knows he has to do this. It's his destiny. He doesn't have any other options. He props his rifle up against the wall and says one last prayer to whatever deity will hear his prayers. He watches as Blice places Byron down on the floor. He still isn't moving or waking up. Isidore decides that one more prayer might be necessary.

  Kazimir begins typing on the keyboard for the control panel. "Zach, I'll give you a key card to get down into the new Paradise if you use that drone of yours to scout out over the city and keep us alerted of any troop movements or incoming aircraft. My radar system will be down while I get this powering up."

  "Will do, boss. Oh, you should know that my father and Clark left in a space transport a few minutes ago. We were too late."

  "That doesn't matter much right now. Let them go. They can have their moon colony. We will focus on saving humanity." Kazimir says as a transport pulls up outside. "The transport is here. Byron, Zach, and I will be boarding as soon as this is done. Blice, it's time."

  Blice closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before handing Kazimir something and they whisper to each other.

  Kazimir nods his head and pats Blice on the shoulder. "It will be scary, but when you get your wings, you'll be back with him. I'm proud of you, Blice."

  Blice sighs as he opens the console and enters his passwords. "Take my place on the transport, Niko."

  What? "No."

  "Blice, Isidore was made for this mission." Zach says.

  "I don't give a fuck what he was made for." Blice turns to Isidore. "Niko, take my place on the transport. I will stay here and activate W.A.N.D. You get your baby to safety and start a new life away from all of this up here. I'm giving you my key card. Until you hear otherwise, Kazimir will take care of you. It shouldn't be for too long if everything goes well. I owe you so much more than this and if there was a way to give any more, I would do so in a heartbeat. You're my friend and I love you. Now go. I have to see you leave before I activate this. I have to know that you're safe. Maybe you'll be able to forget about me."

  "No!" Isidore pulls against the hands as they try to drag him to the transport. He can't leave Blice behind. "Blice! Don't do this. There has to be another way."

  Blice turns his back to him. "Take this as my last gift to you. This is your final order I demand of you as your owner. I order you to take your baby to safety. I will do what needs to be done. Be good and stay strong. I'll see you on the other side, Niko."

  * * *

  Isidore watches the sunlight fade to shadows around the windows as the transport drives farther down into the underground caverns. He turns around to take in the last scraps of light as the heavy lead and steel doors slam shut, encasing them in this new place. Even from down here, he can hear the screams as the alpha code is activated. Then comes the explosions and the ground shakes around them, causing rocks and sand to fall to the barren cave floors. What will be left when the clouds of dust settle? Paradise as they've known it will cease to exist.

  Katarina doesn't cry. Isidore doesn't either. Wherever they go from here will be a new world for them and those chosen to live down here in a desperate attempt to rebuild humanity. Then it hits him. With Blice gone, Isidore is the president of the Unified State. How is an android supposed to rebuild humanity? He clutches his daughter tighter to his chest and thinks of Blice. Zach doesn't seem to care about anything as he lies on his back listening to music and eating jelly beans. Isidore watches the medics operating on Byron on the floor of the transport.

  Kazimir hands them a silver ring. "Put this in his body somewhere. It will regulate the destructive nanobots and keep them from multiplying. Without it, he will die in about a year."

  "Is this the rejuvenation ring?" A medic ask as he holds it in his bloody hands.

  "Yes. I think we can use it in this case." Kazimir says. "We need Byron's omega code for the biogenesis spheres and he can't use it if he's dead."

  "Yes, sir."

  Kazimir sits down in the seat next to Isidore as something beeps inside his coat. "Well, well. That took longer than expected. I hope he didn't suffer too much."

  "What is it?" Isidore asks, not really wanting to know the answer.

  "Blice just died."

  He looks down at the floor of the transport that is smeared with Byron's blood. "Oh."

  As the transport goes deeper and empty minutes pass by, Isidore's adrenaline is replaced by regret, hollowness, and the growing pain of loss. The collar around his neck feels heavy now and the air around him is like ice on his skin. He pulls a blanket around his shoulders and cradles Katarina close to him as he shivers against the cold metal wall. He's never been without someone telling him what to do. Who will be his owner now? That is the truly terrifying aspect of this. Isidore knows he will never be able to form a bond as strong as the one he shared with Blice.

  "You shouldn't be sad, Isidore." Kazimir says.

  A tear streaks down Isidore's face. "Why not?"

  "I got you a present." Kazimir holds out a small wooden box and smiles.

  Isidore takes it and opens the lid. A purple butterfly flies out and lands on his hand.

  "Niko."

  Isidore jumps. Did the butterfly just talk to him? That voice . . . he knows it so well. He holds it up closer and looks it over. "Did you just say something?"

  "Oh, come on, Niko. It's me."

  What the hell? No. Isidore puts the butterfly back in the box and slams the lid shut. "Kazimir, what did you do?"

  "Don't keep him in there. He's going to get angry if you ignore him." Kazimir says.

  The butterfly starts bumping into the lid, trying to open it. "Let me out of here, Isidore. I'm not joking. It's dark."

  This is too weird. He reluctantly opens the lid again.

  The butterfly crawls out and onto Isidore's finger. "So that's how you greet your owner now? Nice."

  "Blice?"

  "What?" The butterfly asks.

  "You know you're a butterfly, right?"

  "Ugh, don't remind me. Check this out." Blice extends his proboscis. "Gross, isn't it?"

  Isidore smiles and touches the tips of B
lice's wings. "How is this even possible?"

  "Kazimir took my microchip and installed the information in this . . . body. So now I'm a pretty purple butterfly. I'm not thrilled, but I guess it's better than being dead."

  Isidore holds Blice up to his lips and gently kisses him then holds him close to his face. "I'm never letting you go. Do you hear me? I will never let you out of my sight even for one second."

  "Awe, I'm so glad you missed me. I was worried you let all that stuff that Byron said get to you. Hey, not everyone will die then be trapped for the rest of his life as a butterfly for his friend. I did this for you, buddy."

  The transport stops and the medics rush Byron out into the darkness then put him on a stretcher that they place in an ambulance. From through the open door, Isidore sees the faint glow of lights from deeper inside the cavern. He hears the lively talking and chatter of people getting familiarized with their new home, birds singing, children laughing, and a violin playing as its haunting tune echoes far into the passageways.

  Agent Monroe steps up to the door of the transport and bows then smiles at Isidore. "Mr. President, welcome to your new Paradise."

  Epilogue

  Isidore is just placing the pizza in the oven as Katarina enters the house and tosses her backpack on the floor. "How was school?"

  She throws her jacket on the floor as well. "Fine. I have to meet someone at the library later to work on a project."

  "What are you working on?" Isidore asks as he picks it up and hangs it on the hook where it's supposed to go.

  "We are studying the stages of a butterfly's life cycle. It's a focus on rebirth."

  "Who is your teacher?"

  "Mr. Dark." Katarina says. "He said if we aced the next exam, he would bring a special guest who knows all about being a butterfly. I have the sneaky suspicion it's our dear little friend."

  Isidore laughs. "I'm sure. Blice is Kazimir's favorite accomplishment."

  "What's for dinner?"

  "It's a little something called Wasteland Pizza. A good friend of mine used to make it for me."

  "The one whose microchip is in your butterfly?" Katarina asks.

  Isidore smiles warmly as he thinks of Blice. "Yeah. That one."

  "You are really close to him, aren't you?

  "We are like brothers and nothing can come between us. He gave up his physical body to save you and me."

  Katarina sits at the table and rests her boots on the table. "I've heard bad things about him. Didn't he force you to be his slave?"

  Isidore gives her a warning glare about her dirty shoes being on the kitchen table. "No. He is a good man. He is misunderstood, but he has always cared. I choose to belong to him. He's still my owner, even if he's now a butterfly. I still believe that all androids should have owners. That is one of the best relationships that exist."

  She grins mischievously as she notices the glare and removes her feet. "Well, I still think he's evil. That's why I won't be around him without you. How can someone treat another person like a slave? It's horrible. Byron never treats me like that, but I still don't like him either."

  Isidore sighs. She will never understand. Maybe someday she and Byron will grow closer like Isidore is with Blice. Speaking of Blice, where is he? Isidore goes into his bedroom and looks goes over to the large table in the corner where all types of flowers grow. It's Blice's favorite place and he can usually be found perched on one of the bright blossoms. "Blice? Where are you?"

  "Down here."

  Isidore kneels down and looks towards where the voice came from. Then he sees Blice on the underside of the sunflower in the middle of the plants. "What are you doing under there?"

  "Just hanging out and waiting for you to come to bed." Blice says. "I wanted to watch the news, but I can't turn on the television by myself."

  "All you had to do was ask."

  "When is Byron coming over?" Blice asks. "He told me we were going to go fishing which in retrospect makes me uneasy. You don't think he'd use me for bait, do you?"

  "No."

  "Are you sure? He's done crazier things."

  "That's true." Isidore turns the television on. "There. Need anything else?"

  "If you could bring me some sugar water, I would be forever indebted to you, buddy."

  Isidore turns to leave. "Sure. Let me talk to Kat first and get Dmitri into bed."

  "Niko?" Blice calls after him.

  "Yes?"

  "Do you ever wonder if I made the right choice?"

  "About what?" Isidore asks.

  "About what happened fifteen years ago."

  He's silent for a minute as the memories flood back into his mind. "You did the right thing and I thank you for that. You're a good friend, Blice."

  "You too, Niko."

  Isidore shuts his bedroom door and goes down the hall to the door with the rock music blaring on the other side. "Kat, I have the money you asked for."

  She turns down the music and opens the door. She takes the money. "Thank you."

  He steps into the messy room and pushes a pile of clothes out of the way so he can sit down on her bed. "Why did you change clothes?"

  "Because I can."

  "You're wearing that to the library?" Isidore ask as he looks her over. "Come on. I raised you better than that."

  "Dad, it's just a dress."

  "A dress that barely covers anything.

  "Dad, stop." Katarina says, getting annoyed.

  "You have to be a lady, Kat."

  "What does a computer know about women?"

  "More than you'd think." Isidore says. "Now, behave before I make you go clean your brother's room."

  She looks mortified. "Oh dear God. You wouldn't. How does an eight year old make that much of a mess?"

  "You tell me. If he was my son, he would at least know how to build a robot to do it for him."

  "You never did tell me why you adopted him."

  It's complicated . . . but simple at the same time. "His father was executed for trying to assassinate me and his mother died during childbirth. What was I supposed to do? Let him die or grow up alone and fend for himself? This may be Paradise, but there's nothing holy about it."

  Katarina turns back to her vanity and brushes her dyed purple hair. "It's getting weird."

  "What?"

  "You're never going to get old, are you?"

  Isidore leans back and stares up at the ceiling where Katarina has painted a mural of the night sky, even though she's never seen it in person. "Nope. Is that a problem for you?"

  "I guess not. It's just . . . I'm fifteen and you look like you're twenty. We could be siblings."

  "You won't age much, either." Isidore says. "You have my genetic code and you've managed to survive this long."

  "Hey!"

  "Oh. No, it's not a shot at you and your crazy lifestyle with that rock band. It's actually a fact. You weren't supposed to live. Because you have both human and android DNA you shouldn't actually exist, but you do. So be happy about that."

  "What does that even mean?" Katarina asks. "What am I going to be like when I get older? Can I have children? Am I human?"

  "You're half human and half android. It's . . . complicated."

  "How can I be an android if I'm real?"

  Isidore takes her arm and turns her to look at him. "Am I not real, Kat? You just have some of my special genetics as well as human genes. You're special."

  "I don't want to be special, Dad. I want to be normal."

  Isidore notices a note on her bed and picks it up. "What's this?"

  She grabs it from him and tears it into tiny pieces. "Nothing."

  "Katarina?"

  "It's nothing, father."

  His eyes narrow. "Don't lie to me. Who is ZM?"

  "Those are his initials."

  "Is it a guy?" Isidore asks. "Are you dating?"

  She shrugs her shoulders and fixes the diamond butterfly that Byron gave her around her slave collar. "It's nothing serious. We're just talking and he took m
e out for dinner once."

  "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

  "He doesn't like you. He's scared you'll tell me to break up with him."

  Really? Since when does she hide things from him? "Okay. Here's how we're going to do this. You tell me about him and I promise not to get upset or make you break up with him. Is that fair?"

  "Fine."

  "Tell me a few things about this ZM." Isidore says.

  "Um, let's see. He's into music, he works as a computer programmer, he loves cotton candy, and he likes to take things apart and put them back together."

  A kid screams from the other room and something crashes. Isidore laughs and shakes his head. "You and I are going to have a conversation after I get your brother into bed. In the meantime, finish reading Leviticus."

  "You're going to make me read this entire book, aren't you?"

  "It's important, Kat. God helped me through a lot."

  "I'm not like you. I never want to be a priest." Katarina says as she tosses the Bible on her bed.

  "Doesn't matter. Read or you don't get to go to band practice tomorrow."

  "Fine, but I won't like it."

  Isidore sighs and goes into the living room where a young boy is running around drawing on the walls. "Dmitri Antonio Williams, what have you been doing in here?"

  The boy hides the markers behind his back and grins mischievously. "Nothing."

  "It's bedtime. You got into my coffee again, didn't you?"

  "Maybe."

  At least he's already in his pajamas. That's one less hassle Isidore has to deal with tonight. "Come on, you." He takes the boy's hand and leads him down to his bedroom and helps him into bed. "Want me to pray with you?"

  Dmitri holds onto Isidore's arm. "I already did, Daddy."

  "What did you pray for?"

  "You."

  That brings a tear to Isidore's eye. "Me? Why would you pray for me?"

  "You were crying." Dmitri says as he pats his father's shoulder.

  "Last night? You saw that?"

  He nods his head and clings tighter to Isidore's arm. "Why are you sad?"

  "Just missing someone who went to be with God. I'm missing a few people, actually. Don't worry about me. Daddy is strong."

  "Why do you wear that collar?" Dmitri asks.