Vance bit his lip to press back the onslaught of tears that burned in his eyes. He didn't want to cry, not here. Not now.
"It's okay, Van-Van. I also know you're a father."
"Not really . . . and not anymore." He took a deep breath to steady himself enough to speak without his voice shaking. "Nemo was grown in a dish and a tube in a laboratory. He just so happened to have my DNA. I hardly think that means I was his father."
"Was?"
"He's dead. Rav killed him in some accident. You know who Rav is, don't you, Mum?"
His mother winked at him. "Of course I do. He's the man you've loved your entire life."
Vance took a step back and vigorously shook his head. "No, no. It's not like that. He's my best mate and nothing more. I swear it."
"If you say so, Vance."
He gritted his teeth in anger. "Listen to me. I don't know who or what you really are, but you need to get one thing straight right here and now. I do not love Rav or have any feelings for him other than friendship. It sickens me to even think about him in that way. Now, I suggest you leave my personal life out of this conversation or I'll leave."
"I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's fine." Vance turned his attention back to the woman on the other side of the glass. "What are you, anyway? I know you're not truly my mum. You're a robot, right? I feel so dumb getting angry at a robot for saying stupid crap."
"I'm no robot, no more than Nemo is."
"So you're an android with computer parts. Were you formed with the Genesis Sequence?"
"Yes, I was."
"Who made you?" Vance asked, his quest for information overriding his emotions.
"Tirlmayn."
"Tirlmayn has the Genesis Sequence?"
"One of two known copies. The other was stolen by a girl named Sandra Noriega."
"And Tirlmayn knows how to use it?"
"He created me, didn't he?" She asked. "Let's not speak about this, Van-Van. I want to talk about you, about your life, and about all the wonderful things you've done."
Tirlmayn's booming footsteps shattered their moment. He stepped up to Vance and closed the curtains once more, cutting off their communication. "I made a spitting image of your mother, if I do say so myself. What a beautiful human she once was. Her looks were one of the primary reasons I chose her out of every human I could reach in the Under City once I broke through Odyssia's security mainframe. I wanted my son, our future warlord, to be aesthetically pleasing. I was right in my decision."
"Can we move on?"
"Very well. Now to the primary reason I brought you here. I call this one . . . incentive." Tirlmayn led him to the glass cell at the opposite end before pulling the curtains apart like he was unveiling a masterpiece or a priceless work of art.
Vance's heart stopped beating.
Inside the cell was a young man with curly brown hair, grey eyes, and pink-rimmed glasses who was lying on his cot, reading a fashion magazine. A thick pink scar covered the front of his neck as if his throat had been slit.
"Ben."
Tirlmayn placed his heavy hand on his son's shoulder. "What do you think about this one? This experiment is one of a kind. Unlike your mother, your husband is one hundred percent real. The Genesis Sequence is capable of many great things other than creating life. I can also save lives if it is administered to the injured or dying subject within a certain time limit. That man in there is Benjamin Trainor in the flesh. We found him in time on Star-World Omega after you foolishly slit his throat. We brought him back to life. My scientists also cured the nanobot disease in his blood. Well, I say we cured it, but we put the nanobots into sleep mode, just like the ones still inside of you. Because they have integrated themselves into your very cell structure and nerve endings, it is impossible to remove them. But we have discovered ways to slow the progression and keep them dormant, so don't worry on that front. Now, as you can see, this cell does not have a microphone or speakers. This is because you must earn the privilege of speaking with your husband. He hasn't even noticed us watching him yet. So close, yet still so far way. Once you have proven your undying loyalty to Azimandia, I will release Benjamin from this cell. Until that day, you can look but not touch or speak to him.
Vance stared in shock at the love of his life, taking in his form and committing it memory for safekeeping in case it was the last time he would see him. "This isn't right. He's not real. He's another artificial. He has to be. I slit his throat with a scalpel and held him as he bled out. There's no way you brought him back."
"Aveni, has anyone explained to you what the Genesis Sequence is? It is a two component system. One component is a liquid mixture of concentrated gravity flower extract, enriched Vitalanum, amino acids, carbon, iron, various other elements, and specialized builder nanobots that are controlled by the second component."
That was it. It all began to make perfect sense. "The computer code. That's the connection between the liquid and the program I put on that computer. It controls the nanobots that construct cells out of the elements in the serum. The genetics of the created android body are determined by the DNA mixed with the liquid."
"And you claimed this technology was over your head."
"Amazing. This is how Nemo's physical body was formed."
The warlord beamed with pride. "Precisely. Then Rav built a computerized system that interfaced with the organic body to create a pseudo brain. The instructions came with the code once he loaded it into the computer, so he merely followed it word for word. But that was the old Genesis Sequence. Genesis Sequence 1.0, if you will. The new Genesis Sequence is capable of creating all those functions, brain included, organically. There's no need for robotics or computerized parts in the newest prototypes. It is all done through the nanobots."
"I have so many questions . . ."
"Those will have to wait. You are free to consult with my scientists at a later date, but you are scheduled to deliver a speech to the graduating warbringers in thirty minutes."
Movement in the corner of his vision caught Vance's attention. He turned back to the glass cage where Ben slowly shuffled up to Vance, his youthful eyes alight with surprise, and placed his hand against the glass. He mouthed Vance's name in silence, reaching out for him.
Vance placed his hand on the glass as well, their touch blocked only by a layer of soundproof glass. He quickly thought of a way to communicate something simple yet profound to his husband. Leaning in close, he breathed on the glass until a layer of fog appeared. With his fingertip, he drew a heart to convey his undying love and to let Ben know that he had not give up on them, even after all that time and through Ben's apparent death. Vance had remained faithful . . . and he always would.
Ben looked past Vance's shoulder to Tirlmayn, his eyes large and begging for his release.
Tirlmayn only shook his head. "You two will be back together in time, Aveni. Do as I command, and Ben will be released. Disappoint me, and I flip the switch to fill his cell with poison gas to kill him slowly and painfully."
Vance took his father's arm and begged. "No! I'll obey. I'll do whatever you want. I swear it. Father, anything you want. Just tell me and I'll do it. Don't hurt him."
"Very well. As I said, he is incentive. Incentive to ensure that you will not run off again." The warlord drew the curtains once more. "Your first step towards earning Ben's freedom is the speech for the warbringers. Let us head out to the training yard, shall we? Make me proud, Aveni."
Chapter 10
Eyes red and burning, muscles clenching and cramping uncontrollably, and mind woozy from whatever mix of drugs the soldiers had injected into his neck, Rav was ushered into the secured reception office in the middle of the Elysian Flight Force Headquarters. Drool slid from the corners of his mouth and his pants were still damp from where he had lost control of his bladder. It was all he could do to keep himself standing in front of the metal and glass desk with the Elysian flag hanging behind it.
A female officer looked up from h
er stack of paperwork where she was seated behind the desk and remove her tiny glasses to get a better look at him. "What is all this about? Do I smell . . . peppers?"
Masamba entered a code into the panel on the handcuffs binding Rav's wrists together and freed him. "Yes, Miss Trisha. We had to use pepper spray, an electric shock stick, and tranquilizers to keep him under control. He had an outburst during the flight here. Once I told him that his training would take a year at minimum, he became angry and belligerent. He attacked my copilot and tried to kill himself by activating a fire extinguisher into his mouth."
"That is certainly an interesting way to go, Mr. Tillman. It appears that you have decided to make quite the first impression, judging by the cacophony of hysterical laughter from the pilots who saw you being marched in here from Masamba's ship. Listen to them laughing and mocking you outside. Is this the way you want them to first view you? You're a slobbering mess. Are you certain he's military material, Masamba? He looks more like a liability or the result of a bad college prank."
"You have read his file. Rav has the potential to be the next greatest fighter pilot. Trust me. He has the skills."
"But do we trust someone like this in the cockpit of a fighter plane?" Trisha asked, her nose crinkling as she sniffed the air. She opened a pad of red ink and picked up a stamp. "He is obviously volatile and unpredictable. What happens if he loses his temper mid-flight? Is he going to send his ship straight into an allied military base or a civilian skyscraper? I'm stamping his folder as requiring an intensive psychological examination before he is even allowed to set foot on the tarmac. No flight simulators, nothing. I don't want him to have his sidearm, either. Not until he has been cleared by medical. The last thing we need is a rampaging maniac shooting up our base. We have enough of that to deal with from Azimandia."
"Rav was overwhelmed with the stress of having to leave his young son on Darkshot. His anger, although a bit extreme, was certainly warranted to a degree. Humans develop intense attachments to their offspring."
Trisha sighed and set the stamp back down before applying it to the file. "That is true, Masamba. You have been watching your humanization tapes, haven't you?"
"Those were my orders."
"Very well. You outrank me, so if you believe Mr. Tillman does not pose an ongoing threat to security, then I will go ahead with his clearance and assign him his official rank. It's not like we have all the time in the world to run around with this. But if anything happens, the responsibility for his actions will fall solely on your shoulders as his commanding officer."
Masamba patted Rav's back. "I am aware. I am fully prepared to take on that responsibility. Perhaps knowing how important he is to this war will calm him down and give him a sense of purpose. Humans like having pride. He could find pride in this. Go ahead and make it official, Trisha."
She stood and flipped a switch on the video camera on the wall behind her before turning to face Rav. "Rav Avery Tillman, you are hereby assigned the rank of flight master. I confer up on you this white flightsuit, gold beret, and Elysian pendant with a digital screen inside that shows your name, rank, and blood type. Your rank is signified by a star with wings. The seven-pointed star represents the seven original human colonies of Elysia, Earth, Odyssia, AX-97, Dualictum, Darkshot, and Coal. The wings are only given to pilots who have reached the top four commissioned and enlisted ranks. Congratulations on your rank, Flight Master. Your assessment for entry has been taken from your scores on the Odyssian virtual pilot training program, disguised as and known to you as the video game Starship Cruiser Force Delta. Your code name will be the name you used in the game. Quasar Luminous. Do not forget this. It is your call sign while out on missions. Again, congratulations on joining the Elysian Flight Force, Flight Master Tillman. Fly fast, fly far, fly forever." Trisha saluted him then walked to the gun cabinet and pulled out a laser pistol. "Masamba, I am giving his sidearm to you for safe keeping until you deem him worthy of it. He many outrank me, but I cannot morally give a weapon to someone who tried to commit suicide not two hours ago."
"I will keep this safe." Masamba scooped up the rest of Rav's assigned gear from the desk.
"I'm sure you will." She removed a keycard from her file cabinet then handed it to Masamba as well. "This is Flight Master Tillman's cabin key to his private quarters. That's right. You get your own personal house while you are in the serve because of your rank. Masamba, please escort him there and make him take a shower."
"I have been given orders to be not only Rav's commanding officer, but his personal mentor as well. Until he is settled in and finished with his training, I will be by his side every hour of the day. He is my only flight master to command at this point."
"Good luck with this one, Masamba. Flight Master Tillman, your training begins at dawn. For your own sake, do not be late. Further details will be given to you by your commanding officer when and if they are needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to Masamba."
* * *
"Is this the crippled in here? Visht, get in here before Krisharn realizes you're not at your post."
Lucas listened to the female voice in the darkness of his glass-walled cell in the laboratory. The stranger had entered through the hidden hatch in the floor where only the doctors entered to give him medication or run brain scans. He squinted in the darkness and flipped his blue bangs out of his normal left eye and cybernetic right eye while feeling around the bare cot for anything he could use as a weapon, knowing that there was no such thing in his empty room. His anxiety quickly passed, assuaged away into a veiling fog of peaceful delirium.
The overhead light switched on as a curvy pale Azimandian female in a black bodysuit with puffy pink hair and sparkling short red horns smiled at him. Her voice was soft and calming, not screechy or whistling like many of the women Lucas had been around. Motherly. It was motherly . . . no, not that. More like a lover's comforting whispers in the middle of a stormy night.
The woman crossed her arms and trailed her eyes over Lucas. "My name is Jezzien. You certainly aren't what I was expecting."
Lucas looked at his plain white padded pants and long-sleeved shirt with straps and buckles hanging undone from his elbows. "What were you expecting?"
"Someone strong and brave, not a boy in a straitjacket."
"It's not buckled." Lucas flapped his arms. "I can still move. They released me last night. Are you another doctor?"
"No, sweetie. I'm about as far from a doctor as someone can get."
A high-pitched male voice filled the cell as a young red-horned warbringer joined her side. "Sis, did you find him? Is this him? Wait . . . a straitjacket? This cell has been stripped down to prevent him from hurting himself. He's on some serious psych meds."
Jezzien's arched eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've been in a room like this before when you were fourteen and away with the other women after your first blood. I was nine or ten. It was nothing. I'm all better now. Don't get all sentimental on me now." Visht turned to Lucas. "So, you're the one with the military exosuit. Where is it?"
Lucas rubbed his bruised and bloodshot organic eye. "No clue. Krisharn and Tirlmayn stole it when they took all the Red Sand Rebels as prisoners. I haven't seen it since. Why do you two want it? It's tailored to me. You probably can't even get it to power up."
Visht sat on the creaking cot and put his muscular arm round Lucas's slender shoulders. "So, what do they have you locked away in isolation for? Krisharn is my commander. He told me that all you rebels were going to be put to work. This doesn't look like work. You look like shit. Bruises, swollen eyes, ribs showing through your shirt, skin flaking off?"
"I . . . I've had a rough time lately. The doctors are helping me, though. They said it's severe PTSD mixed with a bunch of other mental issues. It's all right, though. The pills help me feel stable with only the occasional nightmare."
"You were in the pit before this?" Jezzien asked.
"That's
right. I don't remember much at all, though. It's all a blur."
Visht scoffed. "You're awfully cooperative with us for being a soldier in the Elysian military. Aren't we aliens supposed to be your mortal enemies? Rank and name are the only things you need to tell us."
"Ex-military. They think I'm dead. They actually wanted me dead, but that's a long story. I don't have anything to hide, so there's no reason for me to not cooperate fully. Besides, the Azimandian people are not my enemies. I have nothing against your citizens. Can I ask you two something? Where are the other rebels who were in the pit with me?"
Visht shrugged. "Krisharn had them removed and taken somewhere, but no one knows where. Well, if you don't have your exosuit, then I guess we're done here."
"Okay. Nice meeting you two. Come back sometime."
The Azimandian siblings looked at each other with confusion plastered across their faces. Jezzien shot another smile at Lucas. "Get some more rest. I can see those meds are keeping you nice and calm and in a state of contentment. No one who was in their right mind would be acting like you are after what you've gone through. Farewell, Lucas Stephens. Get well soon."
* * *
"Clothes off."
Rav crossed his arms on his chest defensively as he stood barefoot on the black and red tile floor of the bathroom in his cabin on the outskirts of the military base. Truthfully, he need a shower badly to remove the remnants of the pepper spray and his urine, but he was certainly not going to shower with Masamba in the room. "Leave first."
Masamba pushed his way past Rav to the deep black bathtub that was carved out of a massive chunk of obsidian. With the press of one button on the control panel, steaming water began to fall from the mosaic ceiling like a rain shower. It slid down the rough rock walls covered in clear crystals and dispensers for shampoo, soap, and shaving cream. LED lights ran down the corners, emitting a soft blue glow into the shower. "Clothes off."
The Genesis Sequence Books 6-10 Page 9