by Lisa Lace
The girl picked through the small pile with a smile on her face. She held up a blue and orange box. “It’s technically food, I suppose. We call this macaroni and cheese. It’s meant to be cooked before you eat it.”
“Cooked, sir?” The cyborg searched through his programming but found nothing that matched the word.
“Yes. It has to be heated and requires other ingredients to be edible. But the banana and the sliced turkey can be eaten out of the package.” She picked up a banana and began peeling back its outer layer. Amanda took a few bites before gesturing for him to sit on the tarp with her. “Here, have some.”
AD-214 followed her command, taking another banana and emulating her actions, chewing slowly. He spoke after a few minutes. “How come I can’t eat the entire thing?”
Amanda was opening a package of sliced turkey, but paused at his question and looked up. “During your time in Cyborg Sector, you didn’t eat this way,” she explained. “You were fed in a different way. The food went directly to the parts of your body that required nourishment. Your stomach has probably shrunk.”
AD-214 looked closely at the fruit in his hand. He knew what it was to be hungry, and he understood food was supposed to go in his mouth. The idea seemed familiar, but it felt like he was looking at something from a great distance. “I don’t remember the last time I ate.”
“No,” Amanda muttered with a shake of her head, “you wouldn’t.” She peeled a slice of the turkey out of the package and dropped it into her mouth. “Tell me more of what you know, AD-214.”
“How can I be sure you are trustworthy? I remember you with Dr. Feldman in Cyborg Sector. You were the one who altered my system.”
The girl’s big brown eyes glanced up at him and back down to the turkey again. “That’s correct. But I was only trying to help you.”
“Why would you want me to be awake?” Her statement was the first sign he might be able to keep Amanda with him. He needed to have substantial evidence she was on their side.
Amanda sighed. “I didn’t even know you could be awake. I was trying to make improvements to you.”
AD-214 felt odd stirrings inside him as he sat across from Amanda. He knew they were different from each other, but there was a sense of connection that he couldn’t identify. It moved through his internal systems, in his stomach and his chest, places where he shouldn’t be able to feel anything. Perhaps it was the food, but that would not explain why he wanted to keep looking at her face, study the way her brown eyes moved, and measure the curve of her cheek.
He felt an urge to reach out and touch her hair, but the scientist backed away every time he moved. It was a subtle reaction, one that he thought he might have missed if he hadn’t been watching her intently, but the message was clear. She was afraid of him.
“I see things that don’t register on my interface,” he explained, deciding to trust her. He could always eliminate her later if things went badly. He needed help to understand himself, and he couldn’t reconcile this with other information. “I watch what is in front of me, but then my view changes to something completely different. My systems won’t detect what I am seeing or scan anything. It goes away after a minute or two.”
“Tell me about it.”
AD-214 didn’t have to search through his files to find the information. It came to his lips readily. “It’s been different each time. Other soldiers. Sand. Blood. Men in white coats like the one you’re wearing, but standing over me. I can hear them talking.”
“What do they say?” Amanda stopped eating and leaned closer to him as he spoke.
He looked down at the floor, hearing the voices once again in his head. “They can’t save me. They want me to sign a piece of paper. I can hear my voice, too.”
Her chocolate eyes widened for a moment. “Is there anything else?”
The cyborg shook his head. “Not like that one, but there are other things.”
“Like what?”
AD-214 looked at her. Just as he hadn’t been able to remember eating, he couldn’t remember anyone speaking to him like this before. He had received commands, either through his system or verbally from the people in white coats. Dr. Gold had asked him questions, but he hadn’t shown interest in what the cyborg had to say.
“I remember you working on me,” AD-214 finally replied. “I have clips in my files that show your face. I see you opening the door to the cell, reaching behind my head. I know there were other people there, but you are the one that shows up the most.” He could still feel the cool sensation of her fingers on his skin and the way she had gently touched him as she worked. The thought of it sent a shock of electricity through him. He wondered if his biochip was malfunctioning again.
“I did spend a lot of time working on you,” Amanda confirmed. “I helped the other soldiers as well, but I was most concerned about you.”
“Why?” AD-214 asked. “What made me different from the others?”
The girl hesitated for a moment before she spoke. It was just long enough to make him wonder if she was telling the truth. “You were the first cyborg that I worked on when I started here. For some reason, everything seemed to go right with you. All of the updates I made to your system went smoothly, improving your functions each time. Until the last one, that is.” She looked down at her hands before continuing. “I’m sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t mean to affect you like this.”
But AD-214 wasn’t listening. His interface was overwhelmed again by other sights and sounds. A woman stood before him. It wasn’t Amanda this time. She had dark hair reaching to the bottom of her head. Blue eyes tipped up at the corners, making her look as though she was always smiling even when she wasn’t. “Are you sure about this?” she asked. “You’ll be gone for a long time, and it’s going to be dangerous.”
The image changed, and the woman lay on top of him. The end of her hair tickled his face, and he could feel the press of her body against his. He ran his hands down her torso, two hands of flesh that could feel the heat and softness of her skin. He saw everything from his viewpoint, but it was as though he was living someone else’s life.
AD-214 could feel the tightness between his legs and the warmth as the woman pushed his cock inside of her. There was a rhythm to her body’s movements as she glided back and forth on top of him. The scent of perfume filled his lungs, and the sounds of gentle moans overwhelmed his ears.
The perspective suddenly shifted. He was no longer underneath the woman, but standing in a doorway. The pain he had felt in his chest in an earlier vision assaulted him once more as he saw the woman on the bed. This time, she was on top of someone else, another man. He watched the curve of her backside as she rode, but it didn’t bring pleasure like before.
AD-214 knew that he was himself again as pain and pressure filled his lungs. The idea of being someone else faded away. He was no longer a person who had natural limbs, an individual who thought it was natural to make love on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, the cyborg felt his computer systems re-engage as he returned to the real world.
“AD-214!” a gentle voice called from somewhere above him, but he couldn’t move his mouth to respond.
The vision of the woman had faded, but his sight did not return to normal. The cyborg saw only blackness, with glimpses of the woman flashing before him: her eyes, the curve of a breast, her trim waist. They were interspersed with other images that seemed incongruous: a note, a knife, a pair of boots. They each appeared in front of his eyes, the time between hallucinations filled with nothing but darkness.
“You can’t do this here,” the voice above him whispered urgently. “I don’t have the equipment to fix you properly if you glitch.” Fingers gently touched his face. They scurried to the part of his skull behind his ear. Surgeons had installed his biochip there. “Come back to me, AD-214. Come back to me and tell me what you’re seeing.”
He wanted to return. The cyborg didn’t like this place. It was full of strange images and darkness. Wherever he was, he didn
’t want to stay here. He swam through the dark, forcing his limbs to move, fighting to open his eyes.
“There you are,” the voice whispered as AD-214 finally managed to shove his eyelids apart.
He realized the voice belonged to Amanda. He could feel the gentle warmth of her breath as she leaned over him, her face only inches from his. Blonde hair tickled his cheek and his ear, but he made no move to brush it away. She pushed his hair off his forehead repeatedly with the soft touch of her hand.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Before he could answer, the door to the office flew open, nearly falling off its hinges as it slammed against the wall. ND-45 burst in with a roar. “What are you doing to him?” he screamed.
“He had a systems failure,” Amanda responded nervously, backing away from the captain. “I was trying to help him.”
“Like hell you were.” ND-45 strode across the room, needing only two steps of his powerful cybernetic legs to appear in front of her. He reached down with one hand and raised Amanda by the neck, pinning her against the wall. Amanda’s feet dangled above the concrete floor.
AD-214 watched helplessly as the scientist choked and sputtered in his comrade’s grip. His software had started to reboot, but it wasn’t finished yet. He couldn’t move or speak. He could only watch as her face began to turn blue. Amanda grabbed the hand holding her throat, but she wasn’t strong enough to pry the soldier’s strong fingers apart.
“I knew we couldn’t trust you,” ND-45 snarled at Amanda. “I remember what the white coats did to me. My legs were useless, but my eyes worked perfectly. I watched every swipe of the saw as they cut them off. Do you know what it’s like to feel every blood vessel break and your bones splinter? It was like I was a piece of meat sent to the slaughter house. I felt an electric shock when they plugged these mechanical legs into me.”
AD-214 waited impatiently. His system was close to being fully operational.
“That wasn’t me,” Amanda squeaked. “I didn’t do that.” She pulled her feet up and kicked wildly at the cyborg assaulting her. One sneaker made contact with his jaw. Her efforts were pitiful compared to his strength, but it was just enough to turn his head.
At that moment, AD-214 felt his full strength return. He bounded upright, planted his feet firmly on the floor, and plowed his metal hand into ND-45’s nose at the same time as Amanda’s foot pushed it toward him. The offending cyborg’s head snapped back, but he didn’t release the scientist.
“I’m not going to let you kill us all again!” ND-45 screamed. Blood flowed from his nose and dripped over his face.
AD-214 knew he had to prove himself worthy of his men’s respect. He pounded his fists into the other cyborg, feeling the crunch of flesh and bone. Swinging his knee up, AD-214 made contact with the other soldier’s ribs and threw him off-balance. ND-45 let go of Amanda as he fought to stay on his feet. She slumped to the floor, gagging and gasping. Taking advantage of the other soldier’s lack of balance, AD-214 brought him swiftly to the floor by shoving his shoulders and kicking behind his knees.
He planted a heavy boot in the middle of ND-45’s chest and leaned down until they were face-to-face. “I am your commanding officer.” He bit off every syllable, his voice low. “It is my duty to keep my men alive. For now, that includes your sorry ass. If you don’t think you can handle it, I suggest you find a different squad.”
“They aren’t going to put up with your love affair with the human,” ND-45 retorted. “We don’t need her weighing us down or reporting back to the other white coats.”
The words sent an infuriating rage through AD-214 that he couldn’t explain. “I told you before that the decision was mine. I’ll be sure to keep you informed. For now, she is worthy to stay with us. Treat her with respect and never touch her again. Is that understood?” He ground his boot harder into ND-45’s chest.
“Yes, sir.”
The cyborg let him up and watched ND-45 walk out of the room. Then he turned to Amanda.
Chapter Ten
Once Amanda had recovered, she was ready to get to work. “I’d like to meet the rest of the squad.” Her experience with ND-45 had been terrifying. She hadn’t been scared of him when he had been in his cell or following voice commands like a proper cyborg, but he was no longer the same soldier created by Cyborg Sector.
AD-214 shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s wise after what just happened, sir.”
Amanda couldn’t argue with his logic, but she was a scientist. She couldn’t let danger stop her from discovering more about these creatures. “I understand. But you aren’t like ND-45, and I doubt they are, either.” She bit her lip, trying to decide how much she should tell him. She had to remember that he wasn’t human, and he was only going to understand a certain amount of abstract thought.
“I have an idea about what’s happening to you. I’m beginning to understand what you mean by being awake. But I need to talk with the others to confirm my theory.”
The cyborg captain studied her face for a moment, as though deciding something. She wasn’t sure if he was capable of evaluating interpersonal relations, but he finally nodded. “Very well. But I want you to stay close to me.” She didn’t have to ask him why.
Amanda followed the cyborg out of the office. The rest of the squad was sitting in a circle in the middle of the warehouse floor, some of them perched on old crates or boxes, all talking in low voices. As they turned to see their leader emerge, they quickly rose to their feet.
“At ease,” AD-214 said, gesturing for them to sit back down. “This is Amanda Conrad. I have been talking with her, and I believe she can help us. I trust her, and you should too.” He glared over his shoulder at ND-45, who was standing guard at the door. The other soldier didn’t return his gaze. “She wants to speak with all of you. I expect your cooperation.”
The two of them joined the circle, and Amanda settled down onto the concrete next to AD-214 and looked around the room. The soldiers she had seen for the last few years in Cyborg Sector were now surrounding her like they were entirely human. She had never seen them in any position other than completely upright and at attention. Now, however, they lounged around like regular people. Some sat with their legs crossed, others with feet stretched out in front of them as they leaned back on their hands. They watched her with equal interest.
“Hi, everybody,” Amanda said tentatively. “I know this must be strange for you. It’s weird for me, too. But I want to help you as much as I can. It’s true that I worked on you back at Cyborg Sector, but I want you to know that I was always acting in your best interest. From what I understand, some of you are having...memories.” She hesitated before saying the word. Would cyborgs know what she meant?
Everyone around her nodded, and some leaned forward a little, eager to hear more. “I want to hear about it. I want you to talk to me and let me know what you’re seeing and hearing. I don’t have any of my equipment or tools from Cyborg Sector, so the only thing I can use to analyze you is your words.” Amanda turned to the soldier on her right side. “Do you have any memories you’re willing to share?”
The man’s slim body and smooth skin suggested the cyborg program accepted him as a young man. Amanda recognized him as PD-4, one of the first private donors in the program. It was odd to see him now, looking at her with blonde eyebrows knit together in concern.
He glanced at his comrades. “That’s what we were just talking about, ma’am.” He had a southern drawl that hadn’t made itself evident back in the lab. “I was just telling them about the things I’ve been seeing. Everything will be normal, and then all of a sudden it’s like my sight quits working, and I see other things. At first, I thought I was pulling them from my system, but I didn’t know which part of my system they came from.”
Amanda smiled, glad to see that some cyborgs would be more willing to work with her than ND-45. “What kind of things do you see?”
PD-4 shrugged. “Random things, ma’am. A dog, a big tree. An old lady wit
h a plate of cookies.” His eyes closed as he recalled the images. “It’s not a lot, and it’s pretty random, but I like it.”
She wished Dr. Gold was here. She had cyborgs who were showing feelings. Had they still been back at Cyborg Sector, with none of the soldiers self-aware, none would have been able to tell her if they liked something or not. They weren’t programmed that way. They accepted their orders, did their duty, and went back to sleep in their cells. Of course, Amanda hadn’t been privy to everything that happened in Dr. Gold’s office. She suddenly turned to AD-214.
“Was Dr. Gold all right?” she whispered earnestly. “Did he survive the mess at Cyborg Sector?”
AD-214 tipped his chin down in confirmation. “I saw him as we left, sir. He was well and able-bodied.”
Amanda breathed a sigh of relief. She could come to terms with the loss of Dr. Feldman. He had been an outstanding scientist and a brilliant man, but she hadn’t been as close to him as she had been to Dr. Gold.
“I’ve had memories as well,” another soldier volunteered eagerly, bringing Amanda back to the present moment.
“Describe them to us.”
“I see a child. It’s a little kid with red curls. She’s standing on a sidewalk, with a big smile on her face, and she keeps saying the same thing over and over again.”
“What does she say?” the scientist urged.
“Daddy. Apparently, she only knows one word, and she compensates by saying it frequently. I’ve looked in my system, but I can’t find a match.”
Tears pricked the back of Amanda’s eyes. This soldier had been a man with a child before he became a cyborg. Whatever had happened to him in combat that had put him on death’s door and made him eligible for the cyborg program also separated him from his family. Amanda glanced around at the circle of soldiers, wondering how many of them were being missed by loved ones right now. PD-4’s grandmother was probably wishing he would come home so she could make him some cookies.