Luther and I met eyes. “Go on,” Luther said.
The doctor crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “Well, first I have some news regarding Mrs. Belic. There’s no reason to be alarmed, but when we brought you here four days ago, we did find evidence of internal bleeding. Um, this was concerning initially, but before we could take action, we noticed the bleeding stopped on its own.”
I looked at Luther confused as he sat up in his seat. “How did it stop on its own? Are you sure it’s stopped?” he asked, sitting up in his chair.
“Yes, I’m sure.” The doctor glanced at the floor. “This brings me to my other bit of news. We’ve confirmed that you, Mrs. Belic, have been infected with what we used to call the Mave virus.”
Luther stood up. “What? You’re sure?” he asked.
The doctor’s eyes widened. “Engineer, we ran the tests, twice. As you know the Mave virus without the presence of the Architect acts very much in the way that a normal nanobot medical robot would, it repairs damaged tissue, and in this case—stops internal bleeding.”
Luther looked in my direction. His green eyes gazed through me. “Any idea how this happened?” he asked.
The doctor held his stare at Luther. “Difficult to say exactly, but according to your own report, you two were in close proximity in your final assault against the Moderator, you both have cuts and bruises all over your bodies. One could assume there was contact between the two of you at some point, transferring your nanobots to Mrs. Belic. It wouldn’t have taken much,” he said softly.
“Engineer, please understand this is a good thing in this case, considering the time sensitivity. I don’t think we could have diagnosed her for internal bleeding and treated her in time. Who knows exactly how it happened, but infecting Mrs. Belic, I believe, saved her,” he said.
I looked away. I found it ironic that the nanobots that the Architect created, our sworn enemy, ended up saving my life.
“What does this mean, long term?” I asked.
“We don’t think anything negative. You’ll both live longer lifespans with the added immunity and tissue repair that the nanobots offer. One of my colleagues was finishing up a study that stated that the former Mave virus poses no threat to those that are currently infected,” he said.
Luther held his stare at me. “Considering we’re both infected, what does that mean?”
The doctor chuckled. “It means you may kiss the bride, again, and all things that come with marriage. You both have a clean bill of health.”
Luther turned toward me slowly. He braced his massive arms on each side of my bed railings. He gazed into my eyes for a moment, scanning my face as I grinned. He touched my jawline then kissed me with a soft tenderness that quickly followed with a surge of passion that sent chills up my spine. He stopped himself and pulled away, glancing over his shoulder.
“Doctor,” Luther hinted.
“Uh, oh, of course, yes,” he muttered with wide eyes, catching Luther’s drift. He stood up and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
“Did he really think I would stop at a kiss after almost two decades out of cryosleep?” Luther whispered, running his lips across mine softly.
“You better not,” I said.
Epilogue
THREE WEEKS LATER...
“Alright, this is the place,” Luther said.
He parked the Mauler near a small group of pine trees near a hill. It was still cold, but much of the snow had melted around the winter wonderland, giving me a glimpse of spring as patches of green grass had sprouted up.
“What are we doing?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he said, opening his door.
“Why all the secrecy, though?” I asked as he helped me down from the Mauler. My wrist and hand were still in a brace.
Luther led me through the trees as the winds whipped around them. I looked up at the tall pines as they swayed back and forth. He held my good hand as we stopped under one of the large trees. He carefully ushered my back against it. “The wind is at your back, stay here, just for a moment,” he assured, walking away.
“Uh. Okay,” I said.
Luther’s mask was shattered in combat, and he had decided to not to wear another one, opting for a small black device that covered his mouth and lower jaw. It reminded me of a respirator. It was far less menacing, and now, I was able to see both his eyes.
After waiting for nearly a minute. I could hear footsteps behind me. “Victoria,” Luther said.
I leaned around the tree, and to my surprise, an old friend was standing beside Luther.
“Xena?” I said excitedly. The once vibrant blue gaze of her eyes had faded as she focused on me and nodded.
“Captain,” she said. She stepped around the tree with Luther as I looked her up and down. Her torso and head were still blackened and scorched, but she had functioning legs and arms. “How?” I asked, looking her up and down.
“Back during the Architect’s siege, there was another reclamation android that was disabled in the attack. The Engineer suggested I use the parts from the other android, so, here I am,” she replied.
I smiled, glancing at Luther. “Well, this is quite a surprise. He told me you were offline.”
She looked away. “Captain. I’m sure you’re wondering why we’re out here, in the middle of nowhere?” she asked.
“It crossed my mind,” I replied.
Luther nodded, grabbing my hand. “This way.”
Xena and Luther walked on each side of me as we ascended atop the hill. There was a wide trench in the snow that ran for nearly three hundred meters. As my eyes followed the ditch to the end, I gasped.
“This is where the XU-97 crashed,” I said.
“Precisely, Captain. Your efforts in shooting down the XU-97 were just enough to force it into a descent. The Moderator was able to preserve most of the hull’s integrity in the crash landing,” she said. I glanced at Luther as he narrowed his eyes at me, homing in on my reaction.
“You’re saying... it still flies?” I asked.
“Well, this was primarily the reason I repaired myself. I’ve been out here for the last two weeks to determine just that,” she said as we followed along inside the trench left by the XU-97.
“Wait. The Moderator’s Artificial Intelligence core, if it was able to control your former android chassis, and this ship, then that means—”
“It’s gone.” Luther turned toward me. “We destroyed it.”
“Per the Engineer’s orders, I’ve also ensured no artificial intelligence will ever pilot this craft again, it’s impossible unless it’s completely refitted for the technology,” Xena explained.
“Good.”
“However, I will say my final encounter with the Moderator on this ship was, interesting,” Xena eluded.
“I’m sure,” I replied.
Xena looked out into the distance. “The Moderator was able to communicate with me via voice once I entered the ship. It was trapped inside the XU-97’s software. Considering the XU-97 was disabled, the Moderator was like a prisoner, bound to the ship. The XU-97 required repairs, and the Moderator tried everything to persuade me to help its cause, and I must say it was quite gratifying to hear it beg me. I simply listened to its pleas for a while, basking in our victory. It was a liberating experience,” she said, drifting away in thought.
Luther turned toward me. “Immediately after the attack, I ordered Legion soldiers to stand guard over the XU-97, priming it with explosives just to be sure it couldn’t take off. Later, Xena and I returned while you were resting and removed the explosives, then we entered the ship,” Luther explained. “I ordered Xena to be the one to destroy the Moderator’s AI core housing, eliminating it forever.”
Xena reached out with her robotic hand, opening it slowly. “Before destroying it, I thought of all those that had died at the hands of the Moderator and Architect. Earth and Titan alike, so many years of senseless suffering,” she said.
I thought about how the
Moderator started the downward spiral. If it weren’t for it, the Architect would have never come to be.
I nodded slowly, remembering some of the fallen I’d served with.
Xena stepped close to me. “Captain, I have something else to tell you.”
“Of course.”
“The man who designed the Moderator, his son created me using a similar architecture. I was modified specifically as an evolution to the original design, to destroy the Moderator. Unfortunately, after years of work, my creator came to the realization that I would always hold one key similarity to the Moderator,” Xena said.
I put my hand on my hip. “Which is?”
“That I will do what was necessary to protect humanity, even if that meant resetting the species by destroying the majority,” she said.
“Xena. This can’t be right,” I said confidently.
“It is. My design views a reboot of the human civilization as the only logical solution to a population climax that is detrimental to the survival of your species,” she said.
“Captain, I’m not shutting myself down for the reasons I initially was. I came to you in private and asked for your assistance in my self-termination, remember?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said.
“Well, if you can believe it, I’ve begun to heal from the loss of Titan, and you were right. I have found purpose beyond my original design.”
I grinned. “Xena, that’s wonderful, but I—”
“I’ve realized now I have value, to Earth, but to you especially. That alone is enough for me to occupy some form of existence. The problem is, even in this archaic android body, I could potentially pose a threat to humanity, eventually,” she said, handing me my helmet.
I looked down at my helmet as Xena’s metallic body crumpled to the ground in front of me. Her blue eyes faded to black. “Xena!” I shouted as I kneeled beside her. I glanced up at Luther. “What? Why?” I asked, panicking.
Luther crouched beside me as I looked her over. “Victoria,” Luther said softly.
“I thought she wouldn’t self-terminate? Why did she do that?” I demanded.
Luther tapped my helmet with his finger. “Put it on, trust me.”
I frantically donned my helmet, staring at Luther. “Okay, what?”
“Captain. Can you hear me?” Xena’s voice chimed through my helmet’s mic.
My eyes widened. “Loud and clear,” I sighed.
“Sorry for the dramatic exodus. If you’ll notice, your helmet is heavier by nearly a kilogram. I’ve modified it so that I could transfer my artificial intelligence core remotely. Please don’t move from this location for another sixty-eight seconds while the transfer completes,” she instructed.
I chuckled as I looked up at Luther. “You knew she was going to do that?”
He shook his head. “Not with the theatrical resurrection bit,” he said. I never thought losing an android could be such an unnerving experience.
“Captain, the upload to your helmet is complete, I will no longer have capability to hack devices using an android frame, nor can I be transferred back to another. This helmet is my home, forever,” she said.
“And you’re okay with that?” I said.
“I am. I’ll be able to assist you from here, giving you weather updates and providing a wealth of useless information,” she said.
I grinned. “Don’t be too hard on yourself Xena, at least twenty percent of the information you’ve given us has been valuable. And in some cases, very valuable,” I said.
Luther and I made our way back to the Mauler. “Captain, you’re not even going to ask me the most important question?” she hinted.
I stopped. “Which is?”
“I thought for sure you would want to know when you could take the XU-97 up into the skies again, it’s operational, and will serve as a valuable asset to the Legion for years to come,” she explained.
I looked back at the XU-97 and nodded. I stared at Luther. “If humanity needs me to take to the skies again, I’ll do it, but until then, I think I’ll leave my feet on the ground for a while.”
I saw an old green army jeep approaching. “Is that who I think it is?” I muttered.
Luther didn’t seem alerted as the jeep pulled close to us. Leo got out of the passenger side. He wasn’t wearing his Warden helmet, instead, it was tucked underneath his arm. Surprisingly, Neona was in the driver’s seat.
I smiled and met them halfway, embracing Leo then Neona. “What’s this all about? The Warden has a Legion Knight as a driver now?” I joked.
“Something like that,” Neona replied, smiling. She stepped towards her father. “I delivered the plans to the nomad’s leadership,” she said, glancing at Leo. I raised my eyebrows.
“And?” Luther asked.
Leo glanced at me before looking at Luther. “I’m here to accept the agreement, in person. We will provide the materials and collaborate with the Legion to build the array of sensor towers. These cameras and motion sensors that will monitor our region. The data will be shared between the Legion and Nomads, so that if a new threat arises, we can adequately respond, together,” Leo explained.
I glanced at Luther. “This sounds like the beginnings of an alliance,” I said.
“It is. One of my first orders as Warden was to retrieve the solar panels that Kodiak left behind. These will allow us to power the sensors indefinitely,” Leo replied.
I noticed Luther staring at Leo. “And we also discussed another matter.”
“Yes. What are your terms, Engineer?” Leo asked.
“Ambassadors from the Legion and the Warden will meet here, once per month to discuss regional and internal matters,” Luther said, looking around. He outstretched his arms. “Warden, I believe this place is as good as any to hold those meetings. Do you object?”
“No. I concur. This is roughly the halfway point between our two colonies,” Leo grinned.
Luther glanced at Neona and me. “Everyone else in favor?”
“I am,” Neona said.
They turned toward me and patiently waited a few seconds for me to respond. Apparently, I was part of the decision-making process.
“Victoria,” Luther said.
“Um. I do have some thoughts on the matter,” I stated.
“Go on,” Luther said.
I cleared my throat. I met eyes with each one of them. “The way I see it, this council is more than just ambassadors for respective colonies.”
Neona and Leo glanced at one another. I stepped out in the middle of all three of them. “I gave my life to find this man,” I said, pointing at Luther. “And that means everything that comes with him,” I added.
I clenched my hand and held it to my chest. “We’re more than ambassadors. We’re family. Leo and Neona are grown, and very accomplished. You two have done everything without me. But... I want you to know that I’m here, for both of you. If that means you need me to lend an ear, I’m willing. If you need a shoulder to cry on, anytime. Even if you need me to lay down my life in your defense, I’m ready and willing.”
Luther slowly turned his head toward me. I noticed his green eyes were glossed over as he stood tall and confident. However, I gathered underneath his powerful appearance, there was frailty. Perhaps he was more nervous than I that Neona and Leo might not be ready to accept me yet.
Leo took a step toward me and put down his helmet. He placed his hand on my shoulder. I noticed his severed limb raise instinctively, as if he meant to place both hands on my shoulders. “If there’s anyone who understands that we don’t require proper titles to be family, it’s me. Luther is your husband, but he also my father. I don’t call him that, I never have. Perhaps it’s because he’s not my real father. I guess the point is, it doesn’t matter because we’re family, and I’ve felt you were part of that family since the day you arrived,” he explained. He glanced at Luther before staring at me intensely with warm, welcoming eyes.
“Thank you, Leo,” I said. My heart smiled.
<
br /> I noticed Neona biting her lip as her big, ocean blue eyes gazed through me. She chuckled and shook her head. “Well, I can’t say I’m as perceptive as Leo. We all know that I didn’t like you in the beginning; some of it was me, some of it was Vlad,” she said, glancing away.
“But, I’m willing to be open-minded. I don’t know what role you would fill for me, personally. Maybe Leo’s right, and it doesn’t really matter. Perhaps all that matters is that you belong here, with us. I do know that,” Neona said plainly. She pointed at me. “But don’t think I won’t take you up on being a good listener.”
“Me too,” Leo said.
“Fair enough.” I met eyes with them both and smiled. Other than my wedding day, this was the happiest moment in my lifetime. I could live another thousand years and never feel this level of joy and belonging.
Luther’s children didn’t need to receive me as a mother in the traditional sense. They simply accepted me, and that was enough.
I was filled with hope for the road ahead. There was potential for me to be a positive influence in their young lives. I wanted to help them succeed in any way I could, and it gave me an even greater sense of closeness not just to them, but to Luther.
For a moment, I thought back to my struggles growing up without a mother. I remembered my father’s pain, his loneliness seared into my consciousness. It was a broken foundation that I suppressed through distractions in my young adult life, particularly sports and the military.
This disregard made me callused and cold for many years. But like the coming spring around me, the snow and ice would eventually melt.
As I looked at Luther, his dented armor gleamed in the sunlight. In that moment, I realized we were more alike than I ever imagined. It was clear to me now that Luther and I both suffered from depression and sadness despite my attempts to overwhelm myself my distractions.
Luther took in a deep breath. He seemed to inhale the moment as he gazed at me. He smiled as the wrinkles around his eyes creased and a single tear streamed down his cheek.
He embraced me as the sun set on the horizon and Leo and Neona stood on each side of us. We looked out at the sun’s orange glow across the white and green vista. I glanced up and noticed the moon, its normally round appearance was jagged and scarred by the androids’ weapons testing.
The Legacy of the Lioness Page 20