“Sir?” Alex questioned, looking over at Jacob's father for direction.
“Will?” Dr. Neeson persisted, ignoring them both.
Jacob would've folded his arms if one of them weren’t in a sling. He knew from the beginning this plan would fail. Even if captured, even if given mercy far beyond what was fair, there was always the probability that the cyborg simply would not cooperate. The dead silence of the solider was unnerving but this was indeed the end. Jacob saw that limp cyborg strung up there and felt satisfaction that it must've been suffering inside of whatever was left of its mind. He briefly glanced at his sister, but the look on her face was one he did not recognize. Her eyes were locked on the cyborg without expression, just waiting for a sign. Well, she too will see.
“May I see the ring again?”
Even Alex looked up from his work. Jacob put one hand close to his small sidearm. It was an instantaneous reflex he’d acquired. What is it with the damned ring? His father pulled it out, shimmering before him. As much as they did know about this cyborg, there was still much his father kept to himself.
“Why is it that you never gave it to Valerie?” Will asked.
“Krenzler and a handful of others worked on building up the SSF. Your friend was not one of the operations I oversaw,” Neeson clarified.
“You failed to complete that promise because you were enraptured with your creation. You were so caught up completing the order of the Chancellor, that I was forgotten.”
Neeson did not shrink away as Will spoke those words.
“Yes, Will, you’re right. At the time, I was so tired of losing that I believed Venloran and his visionary SSF were the answer. In the space of two years, hundreds of cyborgs were completed, yet I was convinced we still needed more.”
“So what finally tore you away from it, Doctor?”
“My faith crumbled as I watched soldiers like you, with no memory of their former selves, being forced to fight in that heinous bloodshed we call The Expansion. I saw your swords come down on the remnants of the former government who refused to step down, and the people cheered. They cheered.”
“It’s not death that turns your stomach. It’s who dies. Your motivations, however, are not my concern. You know what I want to know.”
“And I will help you. But as you might have assumed, I need help from you in return.”
Will's eyes lowered to the floor again.
“You're going to ask me to betray the Chancellor.”
“Yes, Will. I'm afraid there’s no way around that.”
“Then I cannot help you. To dishonor the UNR is something I refuse to do. There is no point in prolonging this. Please, kill me.”
Jacob felt confused. To think a cyborg, a mere machine, could come to such a human conclusion. That it could resign itself to the same desperation as a human. A courageous and prideful man would've done the same, or an insane one. Jacob quickly placed the super soldier with the latter category. There's no way out, and it finally accepts death.
“Son, do not belittle the value of your own life. Especially since all you know, is what you’ve been programmed to believe. Venloran told you that your CPU holds every bit of data contained in the UNR's own computer systems, but I am telling you myself, that just isn't so. The UNR has files on every individual citizen of this country. That includes your family.”
“There is no one I know less about than my family. What point is there in pursuing that now?”
“Will,” Neeson said rather sternly, “you are both a husband, and a father. You have an obligation to them that should outweigh anything else.”
Will looked lost in thought. He'd pushed that one aside a few hours ago. He’d heard references to this so-called family, but could they really be confirmed? He was breathing heavily. His eyes studied the room for a minute, going over the angry expression of the lieutenant, then the partly concealed anxiousness of the Sergeant’s. The other one was doing what he always did, kept busy with his work. His eyes went back to the old man, and he saw the age in his face. He couldn’t understand, seeing as how close Venloran, Krenzler, and Kane were in age, and yet Neeson looked so much more worn down. His face was one of pain, a pain he could not hide.
“I concede. It will change nothing of the relationship between us. Depending on how much of what you've told me is true.”
“Well, going on that then you'll be here a while,” said Neeson confidently.
The cyborg's face remained unfazed.
“Alex, re-activate his systems, please. It's time to start things anew.”
“Father!” Jacob yelled, “So suddenly, you just let this thing go?! Why don’t you just kill us all yourself?!”
Alex seemed to be at a loss on who to obey.
“Uh...”
“You weren’t a part of that fight! I’ve seen what it’s capable of! Gabby did too! Did you already forget about Neal? He’s gone!”
His father didn’t even turn to look at him, frankly pissing him off. He turned to his sister.
“Gabby! Come on, you saw it too!”
To his extreme aggravation, she said nothing, not a single word. She only briefly looked at him, and then back at the cyborg before them.
“Be quiet, boy,” his father said, his back still to him, “I’ve seen things I can never describe to you in my work: men that didn’t even have names, only a number. Neal is gone, and I’m sorry. The only way I can make it up to him is to continue forward.”
Jacob bit his lip and returned to his place.
“Go ahead, Alex, I’m in charge here,” Neeson stated sternly.
“Engaging systems, it'll be online in twenty seconds and counting...”
Both Jacob and Gabby took a few steps back, pulling out their firearms. Loaded in both were EMP rounds instead of bullets. They were as ready as they could possibly be. The cyborg's eyes blinked a few times, right before shutting. When he opened them, his pupils seemed to dilate before shrinking again. He snapped the wires off from his shoulders, neck, and back. Jacob cringed in disgust. He saw no pain in its eyes, only a blank expression on its face.
“Jacob, you must treat him as our equal, as you would treat a fellow soldier and friend. As much as you think of him as different, he's still no less human.”
Gabby lowered her weapon slightly.
“Now Gabriella, would you cut him down please?”
She nodded, pulling out her KA-BAR knife.
“Oh there's no need,” Will informed the group. The thickly knotted ropes were easily ripped apart like thin strings as Will ripped his arms free. Now he stood among them. He stared at Gabby and Jacob with their weapons drawn, the same weapons that had paralyzed him previously, and looked rather indifferent. He instead turned to the doctor.
“How do you feel?”
Will cracked his neck, stretched his arms out. His HUD was up and running as well, taking notes and giving him every detail in turn.
“Kind of stiff.”
Neeson laughed, “It’ll wear off.”
The cyborg smiled. According to the data, the last time he'd been fully activated was over a week ago. Now he had to converse with these...new allies of his. Temporary, he reminded himself, only temporary.
“So what is it you want? I will free no prisoners, nor bring down any UNR facility.”
“Weapons and ammunition preferably,” Jacob demanded, “we’re running low.”
Do-able enough, the cyborg figured. The doctor put his cane beside him as he sat down in a chair, clearly tired.
“And access to data archives as well. That is beneficial for you, too. That's where the answers are,” Dr. Neeson informed.
Will seemed to tense up, but he accepted it without argument. That sounded more tricky, but the weapons first. He would need time to study his options.
“Hold on,” said Gabby as she spoke up at last, “I believe those things can wait.”
Both Dr. Neeson and Will turned in her direction. Jacob never got a chance to settle his tension. What the h
ell is she saying now?
“We need medical supplies, more than anything right now. Can you help us with that?”
As much as Jacob wanted to disagree, he knew he rightfully could not. Those men and women did need more than they could currently provide.
“Yes, I believe so. I'll need a list of what you require though.”
“Marvelous, just marvelous,” Dr. Neeson lauded. “Well, things are settled for now. Let me show you to your quarters.”
Jacob and Gabby re-activated the key sequence to open the door, and in moved five troops. They carried similar weapons to Jacob and Gabby. The cyborg assumed this was a security escort for him.
“Do I put my hands on my head?”
No one really knew how to respond. Jacob's blood boiled. The cyborg could see it in his face.
His thrust was a blur, but in one swift movement, Will had Jacob by the throat and up against the dingy wall. Everyone raised their weapons, but they were far too late. 0.08 seconds, not too bad for having just been re-activated. Dr. Neeson stood up, grabbing his cane.
“Will...” he said slowly.
Jacob was helpless, knowing he was as good as dead. There would be no reasoning with this thing. He was not at its mercy for it had none.
“Fuckin' take him down!! Gabby do it!!” He ordered. Gabby stepped closer to them, still holding her fire. Will squeezed harder, to the point Jacob could no longer speak. He couldn’t inhale, his lungs burning as if coals were within them.
“If you don't stop–” she began.
“When I hit the floor, he does as well. You know that,” Will stated.
That was no bluff. Her brother was in agony as she stood there feebly. Seconds ticked away, but it felt like hours.
“We had a deal, Will,” the doctor coaxed.
“You could be lying to me. Despite your claims, the validity of it all is not guaranteed.” The cyborg didn’t look at Neeson as it spoke, only stared into its victim’s eyes. The one arm of Jacob’s that wasn’t wounded, gripped his assailant’s forearm, but he was like a rodent in the clutches of a serpent.
Dr. Neeson approached Will as if this situation wasn't dire. As if his son wasn’t on the verge of being killed right before his eyes.
“I have left behind my life with the UNR. I once had everything and more, but I’m done deceiving the innocent, and that's why I've gone through so much trouble to bring you here. I'm asking you to please trust me.”
The cyborg still wouldn’t face Neeson, and his prey was at the end of its rope.
“Know this,” Will threatened, “I am not your equal. Not even close.”
With that, he let Jacob drop to the floor, gasping for air. Gabby kept her gun on him till the other soldiers escorted the cyborg out of the room. Only then did she kneel down to check on her brother. Deep violet bruises developed on his neck, his eyes were puffy and red. She could tell he was having trouble catching his breath.
“Jesus, Jacob, let's get you to the medics,” she said, teary eyed. She had come so close to losing him. She hugged him closely wanting to feel his embrace, and know he was okay. He did not embrace her in return. His father lumbered over.
“Jacob, come here.”
“GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!”
The man threw Gabby off of him. He stormed past his father, shoving him aside. The force of the blow nearly knocked the doctor to the ground. Alex knew his place and said nothing. Jacob walked over to a corner of the room, gathering his pride off the floor and trying his best to hide the humiliation and anger. That cyborg had acted out of vanity, merely cementing the fact that he could and would do away with them without any difficulty. How long are they going to keep plowing forward? Till we are all dead?
Neeson watched his son go without another word. He wouldn’t, in all likelihood, ever forgive him. Hell, the doctor couldn’t forgive himself. He remembered his capacity to let people down, recounting that broken promise of his.
***
January 23, 2044 VBC Joint Operations Baghdad, Iraq
In the hallway outside the ER, the surgeon approached the patiently waiting man, a few men in suits accompanying the general. Among them was James Kearney. None of them spoke. They only watched silently.
“Dr. Neeson,” greeted the decorated general.
“General Venloran, my condolences,” Neeson said respectfully.
“Thank you for seeing me again, Dr. Neeson. I know a lot has happened. In this uncertain time I wish I could have stayed stateside with Janet, but I’ve been out of the fight too long as it is.”
“I admire that you came all this way. Still, I have to ask: were there no other options?”
“The people want victory, not surrender. I intend to give it to them. The program is back up and running and I need new recruits. I’ve been looking over your files and you have quite an impressive record in the medical field. You’ve saved soldiers that should in all respects, be dead.”
“Sorry, General Venloran, but I must decline. My job is to help these soldiers, no matter what. We’ve been running short on medical personnel over here, and we need all the help we can get, I’m afraid.”
The general frowned for a second or two but quickly regained the calm aura he was known for.
“Doctor, don’t you see what I’m trying to do? It sickens me to watch this war drag on. People like you save the lives of these brave soldiers, but for what? They go home to their families crippled and spend the rest of their lives reliving the same nightmare. My own son has died during this conflict,” Venloran said, his voice quivering in agony.
“I want everyone to know the reality of what goes on in war. Yes, Warren came back to us alive, yet he was already forever gone. He took his own life just a week after I gave that speech in Washington. The war not only took his strength but tortured him to his breaking point, even after his turn to fight had passed.”
Dr. Neeson felt battered, but he couldn’t let that affect his decision. The project had been shut down previously for a reason. To ask him to be a part of it now was inhuman in itself. At the same time, somehow Venloran got authorization from Congress to do so. Everyone is getting desperate now, aren’t they?
“You have real confidence in this project, but just how many failed to survive the procedure last time?”
Venloran didn’t look to happy to answer that, but he had no choice.
“Twenty-two.”
“You think this project is really worth so many human lives?”
“I know it seems cruel, but I’m here because I will not allow there to be any more victims. I refuse to let an entire generation lose everything. We can end this bloodbath, but I need your help.”
Dr. Neeson, at first disgusted, now felt only pity. He knew the general was right. Despite medical advances, despite how fast he and his team worked, soldiers still either died miserably, or were confined to a wheelchair after their plight. If there was a chance he could turn this around, then by all means, he would help.
“I get to select my team. Krenzler and a few others here have earned the right to be a part of this.”
“Anything, Neeson.”
Venloran shook his hand graciously.
Neeson observed Kearney and the other men in suits wandering around the ER, himself following closely behind Venloran. Without a word, Venloran approached a bed seemingly without any particular reason. Neeson recognized the soldier as William Marconi. Venloran held a clipboard, which he analyzed before staring down at Will.
“Hello, William Marconi. I’m General Carl Venloran. Good to see you made it.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ve seen you on the news when they bother turning the TV on around here,” Will said, as he saluted.
“I’m sure you have. You’re going home, soldier, for a special program to get you back on your feet.”
“Home? I’m not ready to leave, sir. I want to stay here and fight.”
“Son, you’re lucky to be alive. Besides, according to this report, by tomorrow you’ll be losing your lef
t leg, unfortunately.”
Neeson looked over at Venloran angrily, unsure of what to say. It was the truth after all.
“To add to this, you have a family of three waiting for you back in the States. I’m sure they’re worried sick.”
“Excuse me, sir, but don’t tell me about my family,” Will said, “they would understand.”
“Then understand this: this program is your only way back into the fight. As of right now, you are not fit for active duty in the field.”
“Then sign me up, sir.”
The general managed to smile.
“That’s the determination I love to see, Marconi. I’m sure you won’t disappoint,” he said before moving on to the next person on his list.
Will watched as he did so, feeling helpless. Something was out of place, but he knew he would see this mission through. Dr. Neeson approached him now.
“Rest up now, Will. You’re going to need it.”
Will didn’t know the right words at this point. He was afraid, and it showed. He pulled the ring out from under his pillow, holding it up to Neeson. It was stained by his own blood, which had since dried and darkened to a violet crimson color.
“Can you give this to a Valerie Iglesias, please?”
“The name doesn’t sound familiar. She was probably transferred to another hospital.”
“And I’m stuck here, which is why I’m asking you.”
“Are you sure you want to give it to me? I don’t know if I’ll be able to before I leave for stateside myself.”
“Doc, please. It’s my responsibility to see she gets this ring. Please.”
Will’s arm began to drop. He was still very weak despite his efforts not to show it. That or they’ve been doping him up too much again. Neeson didn’t keep him waiting any longer. The doctor grabbed the ring from his hand, putting it securely in his pocket.
“Yes, I will. I give you my word.”
Will smiled slightly as he lay back on his pillow. His eyes shut in exhaustion. Even with all his pain, he now felt more at ease. Softly, he said:
“Thank you.”
Chapter 18 - Here Come the Tears
Reverence Page 16