Clio and Cy: The Apocalypse (23 page)

“We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these
technologies are locked up in black projects, and it would take an act of God
to ever get them out to benefit humanity. Anything you can imagine,
we already know how to do.”

-Ben Rich, Skunk Works

Charlotte North Carolina:

“That should stop the bleeding.”

“Thank you Dr. Marcus.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Well… I can feel it if that’s what you mean Dr. Marcus.”

Dr. Pressfield looked into Cy’s eyes, searching for signs of
pain. The cyborg didn’t show any, but Marcus sensed that Cy was uncomfortable.

Cy slipped his shoe back on. “Good as new Dr. Marcus.”

“You’re pretty tough Cy.”

“I’m a man,” Cy said in a fake, deep voice.

“That you are,” Marcus said looking around the laboratory
space, his mind racing at what he could do with the technology now at his
fingertips. “That you are.”

“I’ll work on repairing the door Dr. Marcus… if I can…”

With his eyes still scanning the lab, Dr. Pressfield acted
as if he was ignoring Cy. Marcus walked around and heard a crack. Illuminating,
the lights softly increased after Cy pulled the handle on the backup power
source. They spent the day familiarizing themselves with the laboratory before
going to bed early, exhausted. Stirring like a teenager on prom night, Dr.
Pressfield was filled with exciting dreams.

The next day:

“What are you thinking about Cy?”

“RMB Jackson Dr. Marcus.”

Dr. Pressfield wanted to ignore his cyborg’s words as he
continued typing on a computer screen.

“There could be survivors Dr. Marcus.”

Marcus looked at Cy and stopped typing. The space was
deafeningly quiet. “Doubtful.”

“Possible though Dr. Marcus… isn’t it?”

Dr. Pressfield paused before speaking, tapping his finger on
the keyboard. “I guess… Doubtful though Cy,” he said shaking his head, looking
down at the floor.

Dr. Pressfield didn’t want his cyborg going off on
,
well… another mission. Not wanting to
be left alone in a strange place, but Marcus knew it was the right thing to do.

“Something tells me that I’m not going to be able to talk
you out of this one,” Dr. Pressfield announced, ticking his head in disappointment,
tapping his pen against the desk.

“I think it’s the right thing to do Dr. Marcus.”

Changing from disappointment to acknowledgment, Dr.
Pressfield started bobbing his head while looking off with a new expression. “I
hate to admit it Cy… but… you’re right…”

“Have faith in me Dr. Marcus, remember?”

“I do Cy but…”

“I love you too Dr. Marcus. Nothing will happen to me.”

“Cy I…”

“I’m a man, remember,” Cy said poking out his chest with a
big grin stretching across his face.

“Yeah… I remember Cy,” Dr. Marcus said, loving his cyborg
creation as much as he’d loved anything else in memory. If any man knew what it
was like to give birth to a child, it was Dr. Marcus Pressfield. He’d created
life…

“Besides, RMB Jackson is only ninety miles from here Dr.
Marcus. I can be there and back in a day.”

“Ok Cy.”
Might as well
get this over with
Dr. Pressfield thought.
This will be worse than him nagging about driving…

“Excellent Dr. Marcus... Thank you for having faith in me.”

Dr. Pressfield stared at the open doorway of the lab. “Don’t
worry… I’ll barricade you in Dr. Marcus. You won’t be able to go outside till I
return though.”

“That’s fine,” Dr. Pressfield stated, looking around at the
lab space. “Want to get started on a few things in here anyway.”

“I’ll return before nightfall… If I find survivors... then
we can figure out what to do.”

“Yes. Get your butt back here Cy, even if you find
survivors. Don’t leave me here for days wondering… while you drag them back
here. Understood?”

“Very well Dr. Marcus.”

After walking up the staircase, Cy disappeared and it was
quiet for a moment, until he began sealing Dr. Pressfield inside DARPA Dark.
The lab shook as Cy rolled huge boulders of concrete into place. It fell silent
inside the lab after Cy dropped the last one over the buried steps. Marcus
waited for the next boulder but it didn’t come. Already running, Cy was
sprinting toward RMB Jackson.

Dr. Marcus focused on his work and temporarily forgot about
Cy, like he used to do with his wife, his nose to the grindstone.

Five hours later:

Marcus lost track of time when he heard the earth moving
above him.
Back already
, he thought,
looking at the time. Dr. Pressfield’s heart began to race.
Not possible…
Cy couldn’t make it to RMB Jackson and back in five
hours, it was impossible. Boulders smashed overhead as he leapt from his chair
and eyed the staircase. Light began to shine down in beams of early afternoon
sun.

Mechanical sounds entered as metal footsteps descended down
the landings, pounding. Marcus froze at the sight of two Sentinel bots leading
a Ker inside the lab. His life flashed in front of his eyes. Wishing Cy was
there to protect him, Dr. Pressfield marveled at the strength and power of the
bots moving closer. Bracing for death, he closed his eyes just as two Sentinels
arrived in front of him. He felt their powerful grip clenched around his arms
and opened his eyes while being dragged toward the staircase.

Dr. Pressfield was thrown into the back of a Hum-Z and
secured inside its metal canopy. As he rested on the cold deck, he heard the
door shut and then lock. He felt the engine start as he looked down at the
chipped paint, still down like a dog on his hands and knees. Two small window
slits were on both walls of the shell. Just as he thought of looking out of
them, the Hum-Z suddenly raced forward, sending him on a jarring trip. Dr.
Pressfield rolled out of control to the back, slamming into the tailgate. He
bounced mercilessly as the Sentinel bots headed for Atlanta.

A lone Ker was programmed to remain at DARPA.

“We bury love; Forgetfulness grows over it like grass: That
is a thing to weep for, not the dead.”

-Alexander Smith

If she was to get to the old man, Clio would have to walk on
top of the monster. She held the heavy rifle against her aching shoulder and
began forward. Lady waited on the other side, licking Russ and whining.

The stench of the beast filled the house as much as it
filled the girl’s fear. Clio was in a trance, eyeing the monster that bled out
on the floor, and then to Russ. She jumped over it as if she was playing a game
of tag, outrunning an outstretched hand. Clear. After looking back at the
creature’s motionless body, Clio then focused on Russ.

As he felt the child touching him as she kneeled at his
side, the old man opened his eyes trying to speak. “Russ,” was all she could
get out. She felt like she was being electrocuted, prickling all over. Clio’s
mind became frantic at the thought of losing him. What would she do in this world
if he was gone, how would she manage?

Knocking on the door, Rusty Tucker was slipping away.

“Take care of Lady,” Russ said. His final sight, the old man
looked out into nothingness, finally beating someone that was close to him into
the grave.

 
“Russ… please… please
don’t go,” Clio begged. His eyes remained opened after his life expired.
“Russ…” she shook the old man and his head fell to the side, limp. Clio sobbed
on the floor next to him. His blood stopped flowing and his skin began to cool.
Clio reached over and shut his open lids. Burning through her like a blue
flame, fear turned to rage as it ignited her small body. She’d had enough of
this shit. This wasn’t fair. She was alone again.

“Hello…” Clio whipped around, frightened by the voice.

Looming his shadow over her with gentle power, a cyborg
stood in the doorway. Clio remained on her knees, staring at the handsome young
man that was before her.

“Are you ok?” Cy asked.

Looking down at the old man’s body, Clio began to sob. She
placed her face in her hands and shook her head no.

“May I come in?” Cy asked.

“Ok,” Clio responded, wiping away the tears.

Cy noticed the dead creature in the hall and Russ’s body on
the floor. Not sure what to make of the cyborg, Lady ran up to Cy and sniffed
him. The dog didn’t detect danger from him, but still, for some reason Lady
wasn’t sure what was different about this human. Cy turned his palms up and
squatted low so Lady could inspect him.

“My first dog,” Cy stated. “Hello dog, I’m pleased to meet
you.”

Clio was taken off guard by Cy’s comments.
Maybe this guy is a nut?
Something was
different about him. Strange, but Clio felt at ease with his presence as she
watched him awkwardly pet the dog. Losing her only friend in the world moments
ago, she was confused and remained on high alert.

“You’re first?” Clio asked.

“I’ve never met a dog before,” Cy announced. Lady barked and
began to wag her tail as if she finally approved of the cyborg. “I’ve always
dreamed of meeting one.”

“You’ve never seen a dog before?” Clio asked with a puzzled
expression that matched her question.

Lady lunged toward Cy and licked his face. “No. This is my
first encounter. I now see why humans say dogs are their best friends.” Lady
barked and wagged her tail before she darted to Russ and sat next to him.

Clio looked at Cy, still trying to figure out if he was
crazy. “Humans?” she asked.

“Yes. Man’s best friend. I believe that’s the expression.”

“You’re not human?” Clio asked, afraid of the answer as much
as she was curious.

“Well… No. Not fully human,” Cy responded.

Uh oh
, Clio
thought.
What the hell is this guy
talking about?

Cy could sense the fear emanating from Clio after he
answered. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I’m not capable of doing such a
thing. My name is Cy, what’s yours?”

“Clio.”

“Pleased to meet you, Clio.”

Clio didn’t answer as she looked down at Russ’s body. “I’m
sorry,” Cy said as he acknowledged the old man’s body. “Was he your father?”

“No… Russ was my friend.”

“Did you do that?” Cy asked, nodding toward the monster, noticing
the birthday cake candle dwindling down.

“Yes. I killed him,” Clio answered.

“You’re a very brave girl,” Cy affirmed. “Will you allow me
to help you?”

Looking at Cy as her subconscious mind tried to figure out
the mystery in his eyes, the young girl nodded her head yes. She felt a warm
calming sensation flow over her body as she began to fully trust the cyborg. Cy
walked over to Russ and scooped him up. As the cyborg walked over to a
loveseat, the old man’s head draped down, and Cy gently placed his body on its
cushions.

“Let’s get this filthy thing out of here shall we?” Cy
suggested, staring at the dead creature in the hallway.

“Yes,” Clio firmly answered, holding her nose.

After walking to the beast, Cy squatted and grabbed it by both
ankles. Clio opened the door for Cy and watched him drag it out, its head
bouncing in a sickening thud as it went through the doorway. Cy dragged the
smelly creature off the front steps and continued across the yard with the dead
mutant. He towed the nasty ass thing until he disappeared inside the woods. As
the cyborg appeared from the tree line, Clio noticed the blood trail on the
wood below her feet. Cy had finished hauling and dumping the body and came out
empty handed.

Moving with a distinct grace, light yet powerful, the cyborg
returned and walked up the front porch. “I know this is hard but we’ll need to
bury him,” Cy stated as he looked at the old man on the loveseat.

“I know,” Clio responded.

“Where would you like to do it?” Cy asked.

Clio shrugged her shoulders. “In the back yard… I guess.”

“Very well.” Cy picked up Russ’s body and went out the
front, kicking the screen door open. As it swung back creaking, Clio caught it
and slipped by following behind.
He’s so
gentle… how can he be that strong?
She watched Cy carry Russ along the side
of the house, as if he was holding something precious, noticing that he was
doing it with care.

“I’ll look for a shovel,” Clio said as she walked ahead,
moving toward a shed in the backyard. Wondering what was off about him, the
girl entered the shed and rummaged through it, her mind racing; this handsome
young man was mesmerizing to her. Something was very curious indeed. She felt
her body tingle at the very thought of seeing him again. Walking through
trapped musty air, Clio came out of the wooden structure delighted. Then the
reality of the cyborg holding her dead friend ripped her heart out.

Cy was kneeling to rest the old man on the ground as Clio
walked closer holding a shovel by her side. “Found this.”

“Thank you,” Cy gently responded as she handed it to him. He
began to dig near the edge of the woods. Watching him dig, Clio had a thousand
questions racing through her mind. Lady sniffed Russ and barked. She whined
making his lifeless body move, nosing against him.

“Why did you say you’re not human?” Clio asked.

“Not fully human,” Cy answered as he used his uninjured foot
to strike the shovel.

“What does that mean?”

“I’m a cyborg.”

“A cyborg?” Clio asked, scrunching her face.

“Yes Clio. I’m part human and part machine.”

“Um… ok.”

“I’m a man though,” Cy said in a fake voice, smiling.

His joke was a bit off but Clio understood he was making
one. “I’m just a regular girl.”

“I guessed that,” Cy answered, looking at Clio who appeared
embarrassed from the comment. The obvious
girl
remark just came out of her mouth without thinking. But then again, if this
cyborg was telling the truth, maybe
regular
people
weren’t so obvious anymore.

“Are there more like you?” Clio asked, accepting the
conversation as well as whom… or what he said he was.

 
“No. Dr. Marcus has
only made me… so far anyway.”

“Who’s Dr. Marcus?”

“He’s the man that created me. I think you’ll get to meet
him soon.” Cy realized that he wasn’t going to make it home on time. He knew
that this lone little girl was too important to be left by herself, stranded.

“Where did you come from?” Clio asked.

“Charlotte North Carolina. DARPA office.”

“What’s that?”

“Dr. Marcus and I traveled there from our home in Alexandria
Virginia yesterday. The facility is most excellent. Dr. Marcus will be able to
build more like me there.”

“Oh…”

“Where are you from?” Cy asked.

“RMB Jackson.”

“How interesting. That’s where I was heading when I found
you here,” Cy announced.

“Why were you going there?”

“To check for survivors.”

“Don’t bother…” Clio said, kicking some of the dirt back in
the hole being dug.

Cy stopped digging and looked at Clio. “Please forgive me
for asking this Clio, but why?”

“Gone… there’s nothing there… Everyone’s gone or dead.”

“There are no survivors?” Cy gently asked.

“Just me… and maybe some others.”

“Others?” Cy asked as he began digging again.

“Russ and I went there and… this old woman told us they took
people.”

“The Ker took people?” Cy asked.

“Yes.”

“Dr. Pavlov,” Cy stated, digging harder.

“Who’s that?” Clio asked.

“The man who started all this,” Cy answered as he looked
around at the world.

“You know him?” Clio asked. “Where is he?”

“My master knew him. They worked together before the war
started.”

“Where does he… I mean… do you know where he took my mother?”

“Was your mother one of the one’s that were taken from the
RMB?”

“I don’t know,” Clio responded. “I think so… I know she’s
alive though… I can feel it.”

“He’s in the state of Georgia somewhere… I believe.”

“How do you know that?” Clio asked.

“It’s where he’s lived all his life. His factory in Savannah
was destroyed but he’s there in Atlanta somewhere. Dr. Marcus thinks the same
thing…”