by Regine Abel
“Good job,” I said nonchalantly while gazing at the corpses on the ground to lessen the odd tension that had suddenly settled between us.
“Sharp rocks can be quite effective,” he retorted smugly.
I snorted. “So I see,” I replied, genuinely impressed.
I stood for a second, eyeballing the two remaining speeders before settling for the bigger one next to the remains of a brawny man. Although it would require a bit more effort to navigate than the other one, it looked in much better condition and to be of superior quality.
The sun had almost reached its zenith, and the heat was becoming quite brutal. Not dallying any longer, I placed my backpack in the small carriage under the seat, sat down, then started the engine.
“Off to Satos we go then,” I told my companion, confirming I wanted to travel with him.
“Follow me,” Jarog said with a nod.
It took us a little over two hours at high speed to finally exit the inferno of the desert. While the temperature on Xyva was always hot, the first patches of greenery came with less scorching heat. It became more and more bearable the further we traveled and the bushier our surroundings became. It wasn’t until we reached a woodsy area that we found true relief in the shade of the trees. And then, it started feeling cool with the wind rushing past us as the sun began to lower on the horizon.
However, by then, I couldn’t decide which indisposed me the most: my back and legs cramping, my bladder complaining, or my stomach growling. I’d hoped Jarog would have called a break first so that he didn’t think me weak or feel I was slowing him down. But I wasn’t that much of a masochist to continue enduring this level of discomfort.
I pulled up closer to him, drawing his attention. Right this instant, I would have given anything to know what thoughts were crossing his mind.
“Can we call a break?” I shouted to him.
“Can you hang on ten more minutes?” he replied. “The snitch has found a small cave up ahead. We can set camp there for the night.”
“All right,” I said, feeling a strange mix of relief, surprise, and worry that my bladder wouldn’t last that long.
It wouldn’t be full night for at least two to three more hours. Breaking for the night this early struck me as odd. Then again, I suspected the Cyborg had other logical reasons for this decision. I’d ask him later. For now, I focused on silencing my countless discomforts and reaching our destination.
After an eternity and a half, the tree line suddenly opened up on a small clearing with a rock formation that marked the beginnings of a mountain range. I could have wept with relief when Jarog pulled up next to a wall of rocks. I stopped next to him, slightly confused as to the location of that cave he’d mentioned. Every muscle from my neck down to my calves complained when I straightened and tried to dismount the speeder with a modicum of grace. And let’s not mention my bladder... Jarog hopped off, looking fresh as a rose. However, seeing him stretch his neck, roll his shoulders, and kick his feet made me feel much better.
While retrieving the backpack from under my seat, I watched Jarog head straight for the stone wall and suddenly disappear behind it. My jaw dropped, and I walked up to where he had vanished to realize the cave opening was set at an angle, creating the most amazing optical illusion.
“Brilliant! How the fuck did you find this?” I asked, following him inside while pulling out a light stone from my backpack.
“The snitch did,” Jarog explained casually. “It’s not just a camera, but also has a short-range scanner.”
“Perfect for scavengers,” I mumbled. Still stretching to release the knots torturing me, I held up my hand, the light stone flooding the dark space with light.
Jarog grunted his assent while taking a look at the small space that would shelter us for the night. The Cyborg hadn’t been kidding when he called it small. More or less leaf-shaped, the cave ran about four meters deep and no more than two meters wide in the largest section in the middle. The uneven ground made of a mix of packed dirt and stone would be painful to sleep on. The uneven edges of the walls, with stone jutting in all kinds of weird angles, wouldn’t allow for a comfortable way of leaning against it.
“I’m going to hunt for food,” Jarog said. “I spotted a couple of creatures on our way here. I shouldn’t be long. See if you can start a fire.”
“There’s some food in the backpack I took from the buggy,” I argued.
Jarog smiled as if I’d said something cute.
“I’m a Cyborg,” he said as if that explained everything. “It takes a lot of energy to fuel all of this. Save that food for breakfast. Or do you think it will spoil?”
“No, it will last,” I replied with confidence. “It was properly packed to withstand Xyva’s heat.”
“Perfect. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, he walked out. I made a beeline for some of the bushes, relieved myself, and kicked some dirt over it. With the crazy temperatures during daytime, finding dry wood to start a fire took no time at all. I rummaged through the backpack and retrieved a flint lighter. For a split second, I considered starting the campfire inside the cave but then decided against it. Although the opening allowed for oxygen to come inside, it was too narrow a space and too low a ceiling. The heat could cause the rock to expand. The last thing I needed was to have sections cracking, breaking, and crushing me in my sleep. I didn’t survive that transport ship just to die like this.
I built the fire right outside the cave on the packed dirt. That task completed, I went back inside to try and clean some of the sharp little rocks that would have a field day stabbing the fuck out of us tonight when we tried to sleep. Once done, I considered bringing the speeders inside the cave to avoid drawing attention to them should anyone come sniffing in this area, but the odd angle of the entrance would make it too difficult. Plus, if we needed to haul ass away from here between now and morning, we didn’t want to have to navigate that extra challenge of getting them out.
After being gone barely thirty minutes, Jarog returned carrying a big creature that vaguely resembled a capybara, except for the longer ears and tail. In his other hand, he was holding a large, flat stone. He looked at the fire approvingly and settled the stone partially over a section of it. Next to him, at a safe distance from the flames and the heat, he placed down a square object that resembled a small tablet. It took me a second to recognize the display screen linked to the snitch that had been hooked to his speeder. Jarog then immediately went to work skinning and cleaning his catch.
My stomach knotted with hunger, but my stupid ego insisted I wait to eat at the same time he did rather than dig into the food inside the backpack. Instead, I went to grab the right type of wood to improvise a primitive spit. It took a while to set up, but by the time I got it sturdy enough, Jarog was ready to get the meat cooking.
The offal he had kept was sizzling on the now hot stone, the smell of meat making my mouth water.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said, rising to his feet.
In his hand, he held the non-edible parts of the creature wrapped inside the largest section of fur he’d managed to skin in one piece. He wasn’t gone very long, but enough that I had to turn the offal on the stone using a knife from the backpack.
When he returned, he turned the creature on the spit and started cutting some thin slices from the meat that had been cooking, putting them on the burning stone to finish cooking. I gave him a questioning look.
“I believe a storm is brewing,” he replied in response to my unspoken question. “There were dark clouds in the distance moving in our direction when I started looking for a place to camp. You can almost smell it in the air. If it rains, I would like to have cooked as much of this as possible before it does. By the way, how do you eat your meat?”
“Medium,” I promptly answered while my eyes scanned the darkening sky.
I had noticed the clouds earlier but had attributed their color to the setting sun. However, the air indeed had that humid scent that often
preceded showering rain.
“This should be good then,” he said, cutting part of the slice he had sizzling on the stone. “Eat,” he added, gesturing at it with his chin.
He didn’t have to say it twice. I stabbed the piece with the knife and bit a big chunk of meat. I nearly moaned with pleasure. Despite the obvious lack of spices—especially some salt—it was quite juicy. It tasted like pork and was just shy of the medium cook I liked. Jarog ate the other piece that was more on the medium-rare side
“Offal?” he offered, casting a meaningful glance at the ones ready to be consumed on the stone.
“I’ll have some liver. You’re welcome to the rest,” I said, slightly scrunching my face.
He laughed and nodded. He sliced some liver for me then went to town on the heart and kidneys. I was grateful he hadn’t kept the brain. He continued slicing meat off the spit, feeding us some directly, putting the rest to finish cooking on the stone. Although the silence in-between was surprisingly comfortable, I needed some answers and to get a better sense of where things were headed.
“So, who are you, Jarog, aside from a Cyborg branded as a rebel?” I asked nonchalantly after polishing off the last piece he’d given me.
He eyed me for a second before turning his silver gaze back to the meat he was carving. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer.
“Until recently, I was Major Jarog Kaijo, member of the Cyborg Military Elite of Kirs,” he said in a neutral tone, the way one answers a clerk asking identification questions. “I’m thirty-five years old but became a Cyborg six years ago. My mother was the Regional Judge of Volron, a once peaceful region northwest of the capital. My father was in the military before me. I merely followed in his footsteps.”
“Volron? Isn’t that where Bloody Wednesday took place?” I asked, memories of the insurrection that had taken place there flashing back in my mind.
“Yes,” he said, his face hardening ever so slightly. “The reports as to what triggered it are conflicting. Some claim the Emperor had been targeting deputies in the region that were resisting some of his recent—if somewhat questionable—new policies. Others implied that every official in the region, including my mother, the mayors, the deputy, and even law enforcement were involved in shady dealings to defraud the population. In the end, I believe the region’s financial difficulties and inability to import sufficient food to feed the population were the real cause.”
“There’s nothing more dangerous than a hungry mob,” I said in a commiserating tone.
“Indeed,” he replied, his jaw slightly clenched. “Things escalated quickly. The army was called in, and it turned into a blood bath. Both my parents died that day.”
My heart constricted for him. I had heard of the massacre that had left the city completely wrecked. That event had marked one of the first talks of rebellion against Emperor Shui.
Jarog ate some more meat, extending a piece to me. I accepted it, although I was getting close to being full.
“Is that what made you become a Cyborg?” I asked in a gentle voice.
He pursed his lips, reflecting on his answer while swallowing his mouthful. “In a way, yes. I had previously been approached by the Cyborg program to join them,” he explained, his face taking on a faraway expression as he reminisced. “Since they only recruited the highly trained and specialized elite soldiers, it flattered me to be invited. But my parents hadn’t been too keen on me joining them. They feared they would lose their son, that the machine would supersede the man. But after their passing, I had nothing and no one left that mattered enough to me to worry I might change once I became a Cyborg.”
“Were your parents right?” I asked, immediately kicking myself for the intrusive question.
To my surprise, he didn’t glare or snap at me. He genuinely pondered the question before answering.
“To a certain extent, yes,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I am still the man I was prior to the procedure, but a significantly more subdued version. I don’t party, chase women, drink, or pull pranks like I used to.”
“That sounds like a good thing,” I retorted, scrunching my face.
He chuckled, nodding his head in concession. “True, but none of those things are bad either, as long as they are done in moderation. Today, they hold little interest for me.”
My brows shot up. “You’re not attracted to women anymore?”
Once again, I barely repressed a flinch. Of all the things he’d listed, that was the thing that had held my attention?
He snorted. “I said no such thing. Merely that they hold little interest to the extent that I will not seek them. If alcohol or a hot female lands on my lap, I might indulge, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for either.”
“I see,” I said before chewing my bottom lip.
While figuring out how to word my next question, my mind kept trying to imagine what kind of responses a Cyborg with muted emotions would display in the ‘throes of passion’ if they could even achieve that.
“So, you joined the Cyborgs. Did you ever regret that decision?” I asked, still dancing around the real question I wanted to ask.
“No.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but he merely proceeded to carve off larger chunks of meat from the animal before breaking down the embers for the carcass to slowly finish cooking. He gestured for me to take more, but I was done. He began chowing down the much thicker slices he’d just cut, that were leaning a little closer to rare than medium rare. He hadn’t been kidding by saying his body needed lots of fuel. I had no doubt he would eat the meat left on the bones.
“Just no?” I insisted when he didn’t seem intent on elaborating.
“The social butterfly in me was a bit of a knucklehead, and the elite soldier in me always wanted to push my skills further. Becoming a Cyborg handled both. So, no, I have no regret about becoming a Cyborg,” he said matter-of-factly. “But that’s not your true question, is it? What you really want to know is whether I was among the Cyborgs that remained loyal to Emperor Shui, or if I truly was one of the rebels. Right?”
I swallowed hard, then nodded slowly.
“Under the current circumstances, does it matter?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said forcefully, making it clear I considered it self-evident.
“Why?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “If I say I was a true rebel, you have no way of verifying my statement. If I say I remained loyal, what are you going to do about it? Try to kill me? Get on your speeder and flee? Ask me to leave?”
I blinked and stared at him speechless. I’d always considered myself a rather smart woman, but I’d never felt more stupid than in this instance. Every one of his questions was spot on. What indeed would I—or could I—do if he confessed to remaining loyal to the Emperor?
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks heating.
“Then you better start thinking about it,” he deadpanned.
I froze, my eyes widening as I stared at him in disbelief. My eyes flicked between his, searching for the slightest sign that I had misinterpreted what his last words implied.
“Why? Because you indeed remained loyal to that monster?” I asked in a breathy tone.
“Yes, I did,” he replied, matter-of-factly.
My stomach dropped. I felt cold and hot all at once, anger, incredulity, and a sense of betrayal washing over me.
“And after all the atrocities he has committed and continues to commit, you sit here telling me you have no regrets about becoming a Cyborg?” I exclaimed, outrage and contempt oozing out of my voice.
To think I had felt safe around that bastard!
“I said I have no regrets about becoming a Cyborg. I never said I have no regrets about remaining loyal to Emperor Shui,” he countered, apparently unfazed by my anger.
“Why? Because he betrayed your ass in the end?” I snarled, immediately chastising myself for antagonizing him.
Whatever my feelings about what he did, he had saved m
y life and was speaking honestly. Like he’d so accurately said previously, he could have lied, and I would have been none the wiser. As I wanted to believe he’d been on the right side, I would have bought it, hook, line, and sinker just so that I could feel better about liking him, trusting him, and wanting to continue this journey alongside him.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Aside from the terrible deaths of the prisoners onboard the transport ship, the Emperor’s betrayal is a blessing for someone such as me,” Jarog explained. “He released me of my oath to serve him loyally until death instead of forcing me to break it.”
“Would you have broken it?” I challenged, more relieved than I dared to admit.
“The way things were going, yes I would have, but with great pain,” he confessed. “Protecting the Emperor doesn’t justify senseless genocides.”
“Great pain!” I exclaimed, recoiling in shock. “Why the fuck would it pain you to stand up to that psychopathic dictator?”
“That would not pain me,” Jarog retorted as if I’d said something dumb. “But breaking my oath would. You will find, Tamryn, that my word is my bond. I swore my life and allegiance to the Emperor of Kirs. When he began his reign, Emperor Shui was a good and benevolent ruler. That changed over the years, but it was subtle. In truth, I believed the rumors that the Prime Ministers of many countries were in fact the ones trying to topple him to usurp his power or break free of imperial rule. So, of course I stood by my Emperor. It was my sworn duty.”
My brows furrowed, and my hand ran through my hair as I examined his features. Emperor Shui had indeed been a benevolent ruler in the beginning. I understood and respected honoring one’s word, but so many atrocities had been committed in his name…
“Why did you tell me this?” I asked, genuinely confused. “Why didn’t you just lie?”
“I do not hide from the truth, and I do not lie,” he said with a shrug. “If I cannot be honest with you, whatever the reason, I simply won’t answer, dance around the topic, or flat out tell you as much. However unpleasant, you will always get the truth from me. But enough about me. I believe it is time you tell me about yourself... unless you would rather run.”