Chapter 7
August 1st, 2015
Gabe worked towards a decision his sister would not like.
---
July 28th, 2015
Sara began to more actively pursue her feelings towards Gabe, her brother.
---
Dr. Hughes called his creation for a meeting. It was one of the few the two men had after repairs had been completed on the damaged suit. Hughes could see it clearly; the Type 06 was becoming unstable. His near death experience had rather than humbled him, given him the arrogant impression that he was immortal. It was likely he would continue this feeling so long as he remained the only active BioSuit in the Underground. He was truely without equal.
This fact did not discourage Dr. Hughes, but rather made him proud. It was true, he thought, the Type 06 was the king among men in the Underground. His strength, and force of will surpassed everyone there, except perhaps the Underground itself. He would support his creation, so long as he performed.
"Old man, what do you have for me?" Bill began speaking as soon as he entered the room, strutting in his cock sure way. Hughes hunched over his work as always, revealing nothing.
"Respect, William, respect!"
"I'll respect what forces me to respect it."
Hughes reserved an internal smirk for that remark. 'Good, good!'
"I've acquired for you what you asked of me."
"What?" Bill looked curiously over at the old man.
"You complained about the BLOCKSabres. And you were right to, they are a mass produced weapon with mass production values. They hold no special power but uniformity and the unique ability to be broken and replaced with no remorse. No, ahhh, this, this is quite another beast." Dr Hughes stepped aside, letting his ward see what lay on the table behind him.
Bill tightened his lips looking at it carefully. He hefted it in his arms, surprised at the weight.
'It's heavy, it has weight of purpose.' he thought.
"Tell me about it."
Dr. Hughes stuck out his chin in a proud gesture. He placed his hands on the blade.
"This weapon my boy, is a real sword. It is if made of heavy NeoTitanium, the same substance that makes up your artificial bones. It's stronger and heavier than steel. It is cut to a razors edge on both sides, but as you may have noticed there is a particularly deadly hook on the end. This is perfect for a great many maneuvers, not least of all decapitation. It is heavy, but as a BioSuit you with have no more trouble handling it than a boy with a twig might."
It was a thing of beauty. The handle was long and taped, enough for two hands. It was round and ended in a curve. The guard was ornate, curving up further on one side of the blade than the other, providing a blunt edge to hold to give strength to with the fighter's free hand. The blade itself was thick, about 4 inches wide and about 4 feet long, ending in a hook the pointed backward, sticking out like a single tooth.
"It's perfect Dr. Hughes."
The change in Bill's voice did not escape Hughes, and he knew for certain what Bill valued: Power, and the ability to create powerful things.
"You should not fear it to break, it's nearly impossible. Learn your ways with it, and you will be invincible, I think. Where swords to others are weapons this one will be your... Sanctuary."
---
"Jack, hey Jacko!"
Gabe turned his head, eyes droopy from sleepiness. He was behind the bar, drying a glass, doing dishes and cleaning up in preparation for the night ahead.
Hogarth walked sideways through the door, looking a bit disgruntled. He took his flap eared hat from his head, revealing curls of hair and a slightly receding hairline, and looked solemnly at Gabe.
"There ya are. Sober up and pay attention a minute. It looks like we might have a bit of trouble."
Gabe placed the glass on the counter, "What's up Hogarth?"
"Some strange lookin suits askin about you in town. Ma Perry called her sister and it looks like they were snoopin' about for you and yer sister along the coastal towns too. I think whatever you came to run from it's come runnin for you, boy-o."
Icy fear clamped around Gabe's heart.
'They know we're here. Did I lead them to Sara??'
The big man leaned in close, keeping his voice down, "We sent them on their way, told them no one like that's in our town. Said you'd stick out like a sore thumb, after all," he unconsciously glanced at Gabe's purple hair, "but you'd best be wary, who knows if there're more of them."
---
Sara watched Gabe outside through the living room window. He had a BLOCKSabre in his flesh right hand; she remembered them well. The thin razor like metal that flowed from it like water, replacing the blade were it to shatter. He swung it through the air, cutting that air as if it were an object. His eyes were elsewhere, that was easy to see. He saw something, focus on something. What, she could not tell, but it was apparent that he was terribly serious about it.
Sara sat back, a frown half on her face. Things had been so peaceful, and the few things that had gotten out of hand in the span of a half a year had been quickly solved with either words of fists. Why he should decide now to run around with a weapon of the Underground baffled her.
She of course caught herself in that thought. They were both themselves weapons of the Underground, but rather than work to clarify it she merely accepted to herself that she knew what she intended to think.
Something was troubling Gabe, that much was certain. She would have to work on him, see if she could get him to open up about it. He was normally so care free, so happy, that to see him like this made her feel... uneasy.
---
Gabe saw his sister come outside and a part of his stomach dropped. Things were becoming harder and harder. Since the conversation with him, he had a feeling in his gut that being here, hiding like this wasn't right. Now there was the possibility that they had been found out. He couldn't be sure what to do, but the feeling that he should do SOMETHING was creeping around in his inside, getting restless. He was taking precautions, trying his best to figure things out before making a snap judgement; He didn't want to hurt Sara if he could help it. Unfortunately, the close relationship they had developed in their time together wasn't making things easy.
Sara came up to him and she noted with a bit of distaste that in addition to practicing with the BLOCKSabre, Gabe had also decided to wear his old Underground uniform. The tattered green half jacket, with one arm longer than the other, seemed to make him look like a different man. The same fear in her belly that had bubbled up when she first met him was still strong and present, even though she had become familiar with his face, even though his hair had grown past his shoulders now. She wondered if it was the way he was acting that made her feel distant from him, or if it was her own emotional barriers returning, fearing the worst from him.
"Sara, what can I do you for?" The words that came out of his mouth were nonchalant but the way he said it was dry and made Sara's stomach twist more.
"Just curious what you are doing out here, hon."
Gabe continued his practice, swinging his blade through the air, using the small, precise movements necessary to fighting with the BLOCKSabre. The fragility of the blade, which was still extremely durable for the breadth of the metal, made for a different style than a heavy blade would merit.
"Don't you worry about what they're doing?" He said it without preamble, eyes only glancing briefly at Sara to look at her face, see her split second reaction.
Sara had to think. No, really, she had to admit she was more concerned with what had been done to her, not what they planned on doing. It hit her in the gut, that Gabe had pulled this out. She hoped that he had made a realization about himself, not that he had simply come to find that out about her, and found it repellent.
"No... I can't say I have. Honestly, that's been far away from my mind. The whole didn't bother me, just the parts. I told you, at one point, I bought into their plans. Now... I suppose I'm just ambivalent.." Admitting it aloud made a thrill of terror run through her, first for the implications of what it meant hitting her, and then the worry of what Gabe might think of her for it.
Gabe wasn't terribly happy, but he kept a level tongue.
"I don't know much about people. To be fair, I haven't known them long. Between the atrocities they've committed in the name of progress, and the simple bigotry that the people we've met have at times shown, I'm not sure which is worse. I don't think I can justify a war. I realized, we are on the cusp of something awful. Danger is looming and we aren't out of it. When it comes, we wont be spared. It'll take a while for us to feel the affects, but that's what running does."
The blade drained into the hilt.
"Sara, we ran away, and I don't think we'll be able to run for much longer."
Sara bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Worse than war, worse than the threat of the Underground coming and finding her, she sensed the danger of Gabe leaving her.
She grabbed his hand, trying to throw some levity into her voice. "Come on, I have a surprise for you inside. I think you'll enjoy it."
---
Sara had pulled out all the stops and made a wonderful dinner. As sour as his mood had become, Gabe was not so blind as to realize this had meant a lot to his sister. He decided to swallow for the time being the fears he had, and his final decision, until at least the next day. It took some time until the calm he normally felt pervaded him, but as it came to him he found it easier to get his smile to return to his face.
"I know it's a bit sudden, but I managed to finally get all the parts together and I couldn't wait to finally make this a reality."
Sara managed to gather a number of spices, fruits and vegetables together over the last month, and had just the other day got a very prime cut of steak from the butcher and bottle of fine red wine from the liquor store. Gabe had not realized he had been outside preoccupied so long, it must have taken Sara hours to put everything together. Seeing him standing outside must have made her concerned. He felt very under-dressed, noticing that at some point when he wasn't paying attention, Sara had managed to procure a lovely evening gown. She looked amazing in the black dress, and Gabe couldn't help but feel self-conscious, his hair slick with sweat, his uniform half button and tattered from the battle to escape from the Underground.
"Wow, Sara, this is wild. You've..." He was honestly at a loss for words, "You've really outdone yourself."
He was nervous now, he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at his room, "You think I could run and change. I feel a bit scummy to be sitting down for such a nice meal."
Sara smiled and inclined her head for him to go, "It's just about ready, don't dawdle too long."
Gabe nodded and was pulling the uniform jacket off before he even got to his room.
Sara sat waiting; there was a little time to spare. She was pouring the wine for them when Gabe returned a few moments later. He had found a button up shirt and changed into some slacks. He'd also taken the time to wrap a cloth around his prosthetic, a gesture she thought was cute. He'd combed his hair too, which looked silky and lovely as always, the unnatural purple color catching the light of the candles burning on the table.
Gabe came up to the table, glancing around, looking a bit out of sorts, "Anything I can help you with?"
She smiled and giggled a bit, "Yes, please, grab that basket over there and put it on the table."
Gabe did as told and sat when she indicated he should.
"So," she said, smiling like a good hostess, "We have steak as the main course, with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and a salad," She picked up the bottle of wine, "To drink we have a lovely Red Wine that should compliment the main course nicely, and," she indicated the ice box, "For dessert we have ice cream."
Gabe now found it hard to keep a silly smile from his face as Sara dashed outside to pull the steak from the small charcoal grill she'd hidden on the other side of the house. She returned with the plate already making apologies for the food, "It should be fine but it's my first time so don't get too angry if it tastes funny."
He laughed, "It'll be fine, I trust you. I'm sure it's better than anything I could have done."
Sara cut the steak and placed the plate in the middle of the table, tucking her dress under her and finally taking a seat. Gabe reached over and put his hand out for her to take a hold of, which she did, and Gabe gave it a bit of a squeeze.
"This is really great Sara. Thank you."
A genuine smile lit up Sara's face and she had trouble not laughing. She grabbed her glass of wine and raised it, Gabe following suit, ready to hear what she said.
"To the Masons. We're here together, and together we are strong. I love you Gabe."
Gabe felt a slight tremor in his chest but toasted his glass against hers all the same, "I love you too, Sara.
---
The meal had been delicious. Gabe was incredibly impressed by the skill that Sara had used to put together the secretive dinner. Gabe only wished he had been able to know a little ahead, so he might wow her with a more than a button up and a pair of slacks. It was obvious, however, that this had been Sara's event, and he was happy to take a back seat to her dazzling him.
Following dinner, they had ended up on the couch, talking happily, sipping on their wine in front of the fire. The flickering of the candles made for a very cozy atmosphere.
The bottle slowly emptied, and both of them felt comfortably light headed after a while. Gabe found himself resisting the temptation to stare at Sara's body. Her dress was gorgeous; it was black and form fitting, which was in itself an incredible sight, but it was strapless, showing her bare shoulders. Gabe wondered how such a simple thing was so lovely, and found himself wondering if the alternative, that is having straps but a lower cut, showing cleavage, would be nearly as enchanting.
"Gabe, I wish we could spend more time just like this."
Gabe let his finger run along her shoulder, following the path of one of her scars, her stigmata. It curved up her neck, disappearing right below her jaw line. Sara turned her head, saw Gabe's attention was on the finger under her chin.
"Gabe?"
"Hmm?"
"I mean it, I love you."
"Aww Sara..." he smiled slowly, "I love--"
"No," She said seriously, her eyes pleading, "I think you know what I really mean."
She turned to him, eyes looking into his. Gabe straightened up, sobering quickly. Sara leaned in slowly, her lips full. She kissed him, pulling back and watching for his reaction. Gabe was at a loss for words. She climbed on top of him, hiking up her dress so as not to rip it. She kissed him again.
"Gabe..." She breathed.
They kissed again, this time deepening it. Sara stroked his face, holding him close to her.
Sara straddled him, looking intently at him. The silence was not an absence of sound but a roaring in their ears, filling the room with meaning and implications. She reached down and pulled her dress over her head. Her breasts were large and held tightly by the lace of her black bra, the semi transparent material not hiding its payload. The criss-crossing system of veins that fed her life blood and served as living proof of the accident that changed her forever stood out boldly on her body, disappearing under the scant last materials that she still wore.
Gabe made a decision that he hoped he wouldn't regret. He placed his hands on his shoulders, and gently but firmly held her back.
"Sara, we need to talk."
---
She had managed to stop crying some time ago. It wasn't a conscious effort that made it so, rather a fatigue. It still hurt, it hurt so much. She could only hope it would stop hurting with time.
Her pillow was damp with tears. At first the pip pip of them hitting the fabric made for little beads that looked up at her, questioning their release. Now they had soaked in, becoming one, no longer dark and distinguished from the rest but a sticky oneness that clung to skin but did not moisten it.
She was dressed now. Gabe had taken his shirt off for her and draped it over her shaking shoulders.
That was nice of him. She couldn't say much at the time, but it would have been too terrible, just too terrible to have to slide into her dress again.
She had been gut shot at first. She thought, initially, that he might have been disgusted by her body. She knew, however, that couldn't be true, not the way he looked at her, not with the indecision and pain in his eyes when he'd told her to stop, but still, her mind went there first. Her passion dried up, she sat there, shivering in the warm room, as Gabe held her close not as a lover, but as a brother.
It happened quickly. She knew now that he must have been waiting for the right time to do it, to make his decision. He did not want to leave that night, but he knew he could not do what Sara wanted that without choosing not to leave. He could either make love to her and stay, or reject her and go. The time of choice came quickly and he had to make it then and there.
Her guts still churned with unhappiness but her mind, still racing, realized what he had done was right. If he had made another choice, knowing what he knew, would he still be the man she loved? If he had made love to her, stayed with her, and let things take their natural course, he would have been a different person. The same as if he had made love to her and then left. Instead, he chose the route that was painful for both of them. She was not used, and he had refused to run away from the truth of their world.
She was just a little proud of the way she had responded. She didn't cry or beg him to stay. She almost, almost tried to seduce him. She could tell how difficult a decision it was, and knew by mere observation that it would not take much to make him stay, if just for a night.
One night, with him. One night as lovers, forever bonded by irretractable physical contact.
The price was too high. He would leave all the same. She knew this, no matter what her body wanted. Her heart would pay and in doing such a thing she would have inflicted Gabe with a greater burden than he already had. Still, a part of her wished she could have been that selfish.
Gabe had gone to his room, after explaining, and left with only what he needed. He wore a black tank top and blue jeans. He had big boots, and from his belt swung his BLOCKSabre. He buttoned his tattered green half jacket, the Underground's color. And then he left.
Sara for a brief moment had felt the allure of her Destrudo Self Destruct System, nestled in her belly. The bitter part of her mind laugh derisively at the idea of the town below seeing her brother and her disappear in a small nuclear blast.
The thought faded, however, and she was left feeling empty and confused.
Gabe was gone.
"Sara, something is wrong here, and I've felt it growing every moment since I left. This happiness, this impossible happiness, is beyond what I ever hoped. Not the pregnant calm before the storm I endured in the Underground, but actual genuine happiness. Actual friends. Actual love. But what we have here is a joke. It's not real, just as a day dream isn't real. It's something to strive for, but what we have we haven't worked to obtain.
Sara, if we were just people then this would all be fine. We would be lovers, or siblings, it's hard to say now, and we could have simply escaped the normal boundaries of society. Eking out a peaceful existence; in that case we would have done no wrong.
But there's more to it than that. We're people with power, and worse than that we have knowledge. We know what's coming-- what's being planned while we play house. For all we know it could have already started. For all I know I could have stopped it.
Something inside me is pulling me back to the Underground, back to Neo Seattle. I don't feel responsible because they are my people, or because they made me. I feel responsible, because I don't want what they want. I want to stop what they are doing. If the armies of the Underground run wild, we wont be able to live this life, and neither will anyone else. It would be easy to sit back and use the time we have, spend it together, face things as they come. I can't do that. I have to do something more than that to live with myself. I took the first step and left, with little knowledge of what that entailed. It wasn't a mistake to come here, Sara. I promise you, I loved every moment of it. I love you, though in what way it's hard to tell. You are my sister first though.
If being here made me take the first step into becoming responsible, then it was an excellent choice. If it lulled me into a false sense of entitlement, then it would have been a mistake. I have to do this. If nothing else, to see if I can do it. Can I make a difference in this? I think I have a better chance than most.
I've got to do the right thing, for the both of us. I can't tell you what to do. I can hardly imagine what it is I'm going to do. All I know is I have to go."
"Goodbye, Sara."
---
Gabe stepped through the door, out into the cold night air of the new home he had found. His coat did little to warm him. He wondered if it had anything to do with the weather. Something inside of hm, he realized, he had to shut down, to close off. For his own good, he would have to deny it. The feelings he had for Sara... for his sister. It was better not to have them at all. Not anymore. He clenched his eyes shut and thought of a world where this wasn't necessary. No, don't waste the effort. There was much to do.
He would have to find his way back, back to the place of his birth.
---
Kathryn fell back in her chair. Her room was dark and the only light came from a small desk lamp before her. Engelmacht was becoming accustomed to this darkness. Her face had been gaunt and undone for some time, but the blood rushing from her face as she read the news put it into sharp focus.
"Dr. Engelmacht, it is the finding of the Underground council that you are to be pulled from the BioSuit program and effective immediately take a leave of absence from work for psychiatric evaluation and recuperation. Upon such recuperation, you are to be reinstated in the BioSuit program in a position where you will be useful to the overall cause of the Underground."
The short letter was then followed by a stamp of approval from the Underground, which was obstinately controlled by the man with the number 1 on his face, Stephan Apex.
"I wonder how many people know that the Underground is led by him." she murmured.
It didn't matter. She had her work stolen away from her. She realized distantly that she had not actually left her room in several days. That potential revelation had not softened the blow, however.
"When all is said and done it will be fine. I'm here, and Gabe is off, safe in the world. That's enough for me."
Her eyes were glazed and staring off into the darkness. She curled up into a ball in her chair.
"Yes, that's all I really need."
---
Bodies surrounded Bill. He was covered in their blood. Some of it had arced up to the ceiling, leaving splatters of red like paint. The fan spun slowly, dully.
Sanctuary dripped with that blood. The base of the hook on the end of the blade had a chunk of hair and bone fragments the had stuck in it. Bill caught his breath. He fought to make the grin on his face disappear, to make his muscles relax. His eyes were well hidden behind his visor.
He came for one man but others had been there too. Bill had no qualms dealing with them as well. Just that many less to eliminate later. They were all very dead. Bill had not even bothered wearing a suit this time. He was in his uniform. Slacks tucked into boots, a half jacket with a metal rack for whatever weapons he might need. He felt and looked the part of a killing machine made by a corporation that needed killing machines to accomplish their goals.
Bill tore the suit jacket from one of them, the corpse falling back to the floor limply, arm at uncomfortable angles. He cleaned the edge of his blade, shining it, making it look perfect. The weapon was returned to the sheath at his hip, the hook jutting up into the air.
'This is where I belong,' Bill thought, 'Taking the lives of others, surrounded by death. I will become death and bring it to the people.'
---
Stephan Apex looked over the plans to the the Type 07A. His eyes traced over the flesh rendered over artificial bone and blood. She would be a beautiful young woman, deadly, sharp. She would be the tool they needed. Those that came before were too brutal, too blunt. This one, this is what they required to make the future a reality.
Her time would come soon. She was already growing in the Womb, construction of her artificial body having been completed just recently. Her body would be painted onto those metal innards, and then the new artificial intelligence that Mother was writing would be inserted.
Apex took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. There was a reason he had insisted so long that he did not want to be the designer of BioSuits. It was a task that overwhelmed his already overwhelmed body. He could not imagine doing this again.
He took a breath, preparing to return to his office so he could at least sleep. It was all necessary, he told himself. Without a successful BioSuit to use as a base for the army that would come, all the time, all the planning, all the resources that had gone into the Underground would be wasted.
That simply was not acceptable. Apex was confident though. This would be the one to turn the tide against them.
---
Mother sensed the connection at 1844 pacific time, October 4th 2015.
Gabriel, her angel in waiting had made contact.
He did not know he had made contact, in fact if he had known he probably would have avoided the whole thing. The fact that he did meant he had left the place where he had hidden himself and was near, so near. If not in Neo Seattle, the fact that he was reached out meant he was closer ideologically than she could have imagined at this point.
She knew, as soon as he discovered what she was doing, she would not be able to track him. There were many ways he could mask his presence. However, so long as he didn't know he was being traced.
'Ah, there is the thing. He has no idea. I doubt he even recalls that I exist.'
He seemed, to her, to be falling directly into her plans.
Mother would destroy the Underground as it existed. She would raise a species and make it dominate. Artificial, created by choice, those would be the ones who ruled. The mistakes, the biological experiments, they would be brushed under the rug, pushed aside for the next wave of things.
She wondered, in her computational way, what had triggered his response. The vindicator would come and destroy Apath, destroy Apex, and bring the Underground, and the BioSuits, up and out into the world, with Mother as their benevolent, eternal, ruler.
Gabe worked towards a decision his sister would not like.
---
July 28th, 2015
Sara began to more actively pursue her feelings towards Gabe, her brother.
---
Dr. Hughes called his creation for a meeting. It was one of the few the two men had after repairs had been completed on the damaged suit. Hughes could see it clearly; the Type 06 was becoming unstable. His near death experience had rather than humbled him, given him the arrogant impression that he was immortal. It was likely he would continue this feeling so long as he remained the only active BioSuit in the Underground. He was truely without equal.
This fact did not discourage Dr. Hughes, but rather made him proud. It was true, he thought, the Type 06 was the king among men in the Underground. His strength, and force of will surpassed everyone there, except perhaps the Underground itself. He would support his creation, so long as he performed.
"Old man, what do you have for me?" Bill began speaking as soon as he entered the room, strutting in his cock sure way. Hughes hunched over his work as always, revealing nothing.
"Respect, William, respect!"
"I'll respect what forces me to respect it."
Hughes reserved an internal smirk for that remark. 'Good, good!'
"I've acquired for you what you asked of me."
"What?" Bill looked curiously over at the old man.
"You complained about the BLOCKSabres. And you were right to, they are a mass produced weapon with mass production values. They hold no special power but uniformity and the unique ability to be broken and replaced with no remorse. No, ahhh, this, this is quite another beast." Dr Hughes stepped aside, letting his ward see what lay on the table behind him.
Bill tightened his lips looking at it carefully. He hefted it in his arms, surprised at the weight.
'It's heavy, it has weight of purpose.' he thought.
"Tell me about it."
Dr. Hughes stuck out his chin in a proud gesture. He placed his hands on the blade.
"This weapon my boy, is a real sword. It is if made of heavy NeoTitanium, the same substance that makes up your artificial bones. It's stronger and heavier than steel. It is cut to a razors edge on both sides, but as you may have noticed there is a particularly deadly hook on the end. This is perfect for a great many maneuvers, not least of all decapitation. It is heavy, but as a BioSuit you with have no more trouble handling it than a boy with a twig might."
It was a thing of beauty. The handle was long and taped, enough for two hands. It was round and ended in a curve. The guard was ornate, curving up further on one side of the blade than the other, providing a blunt edge to hold to give strength to with the fighter's free hand. The blade itself was thick, about 4 inches wide and about 4 feet long, ending in a hook the pointed backward, sticking out like a single tooth.
"It's perfect Dr. Hughes."
The change in Bill's voice did not escape Hughes, and he knew for certain what Bill valued: Power, and the ability to create powerful things.
"You should not fear it to break, it's nearly impossible. Learn your ways with it, and you will be invincible, I think. Where swords to others are weapons this one will be your... Sanctuary."
---
"Jack, hey Jacko!"
Gabe turned his head, eyes droopy from sleepiness. He was behind the bar, drying a glass, doing dishes and cleaning up in preparation for the night ahead.
Hogarth walked sideways through the door, looking a bit disgruntled. He took his flap eared hat from his head, revealing curls of hair and a slightly receding hairline, and looked solemnly at Gabe.
"There ya are. Sober up and pay attention a minute. It looks like we might have a bit of trouble."
Gabe placed the glass on the counter, "What's up Hogarth?"
"Some strange lookin suits askin about you in town. Ma Perry called her sister and it looks like they were snoopin' about for you and yer sister along the coastal towns too. I think whatever you came to run from it's come runnin for you, boy-o."
Icy fear clamped around Gabe's heart.
'They know we're here. Did I lead them to Sara??'
The big man leaned in close, keeping his voice down, "We sent them on their way, told them no one like that's in our town. Said you'd stick out like a sore thumb, after all," he unconsciously glanced at Gabe's purple hair, "but you'd best be wary, who knows if there're more of them."
---
Sara watched Gabe outside through the living room window. He had a BLOCKSabre in his flesh right hand; she remembered them well. The thin razor like metal that flowed from it like water, replacing the blade were it to shatter. He swung it through the air, cutting that air as if it were an object. His eyes were elsewhere, that was easy to see. He saw something, focus on something. What, she could not tell, but it was apparent that he was terribly serious about it.
Sara sat back, a frown half on her face. Things had been so peaceful, and the few things that had gotten out of hand in the span of a half a year had been quickly solved with either words of fists. Why he should decide now to run around with a weapon of the Underground baffled her.
She of course caught herself in that thought. They were both themselves weapons of the Underground, but rather than work to clarify it she merely accepted to herself that she knew what she intended to think.
Something was troubling Gabe, that much was certain. She would have to work on him, see if she could get him to open up about it. He was normally so care free, so happy, that to see him like this made her feel... uneasy.
---
Gabe saw his sister come outside and a part of his stomach dropped. Things were becoming harder and harder. Since the conversation with him, he had a feeling in his gut that being here, hiding like this wasn't right. Now there was the possibility that they had been found out. He couldn't be sure what to do, but the feeling that he should do SOMETHING was creeping around in his inside, getting restless. He was taking precautions, trying his best to figure things out before making a snap judgement; He didn't want to hurt Sara if he could help it. Unfortunately, the close relationship they had developed in their time together wasn't making things easy.
Sara came up to him and she noted with a bit of distaste that in addition to practicing with the BLOCKSabre, Gabe had also decided to wear his old Underground uniform. The tattered green half jacket, with one arm longer than the other, seemed to make him look like a different man. The same fear in her belly that had bubbled up when she first met him was still strong and present, even though she had become familiar with his face, even though his hair had grown past his shoulders now. She wondered if it was the way he was acting that made her feel distant from him, or if it was her own emotional barriers returning, fearing the worst from him.
"Sara, what can I do you for?" The words that came out of his mouth were nonchalant but the way he said it was dry and made Sara's stomach twist more.
"Just curious what you are doing out here, hon."
Gabe continued his practice, swinging his blade through the air, using the small, precise movements necessary to fighting with the BLOCKSabre. The fragility of the blade, which was still extremely durable for the breadth of the metal, made for a different style than a heavy blade would merit.
"Don't you worry about what they're doing?" He said it without preamble, eyes only glancing briefly at Sara to look at her face, see her split second reaction.
Sara had to think. No, really, she had to admit she was more concerned with what had been done to her, not what they planned on doing. It hit her in the gut, that Gabe had pulled this out. She hoped that he had made a realization about himself, not that he had simply come to find that out about her, and found it repellent.
"No... I can't say I have. Honestly, that's been far away from my mind. The whole didn't bother me, just the parts. I told you, at one point, I bought into their plans. Now... I suppose I'm just ambivalent.." Admitting it aloud made a thrill of terror run through her, first for the implications of what it meant hitting her, and then the worry of what Gabe might think of her for it.
Gabe wasn't terribly happy, but he kept a level tongue.
"I don't know much about people. To be fair, I haven't known them long. Between the atrocities they've committed in the name of progress, and the simple bigotry that the people we've met have at times shown, I'm not sure which is worse. I don't think I can justify a war. I realized, we are on the cusp of something awful. Danger is looming and we aren't out of it. When it comes, we wont be spared. It'll take a while for us to feel the affects, but that's what running does."
The blade drained into the hilt.
"Sara, we ran away, and I don't think we'll be able to run for much longer."
Sara bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Worse than war, worse than the threat of the Underground coming and finding her, she sensed the danger of Gabe leaving her.
She grabbed his hand, trying to throw some levity into her voice. "Come on, I have a surprise for you inside. I think you'll enjoy it."
---
Sara had pulled out all the stops and made a wonderful dinner. As sour as his mood had become, Gabe was not so blind as to realize this had meant a lot to his sister. He decided to swallow for the time being the fears he had, and his final decision, until at least the next day. It took some time until the calm he normally felt pervaded him, but as it came to him he found it easier to get his smile to return to his face.
"I know it's a bit sudden, but I managed to finally get all the parts together and I couldn't wait to finally make this a reality."
Sara managed to gather a number of spices, fruits and vegetables together over the last month, and had just the other day got a very prime cut of steak from the butcher and bottle of fine red wine from the liquor store. Gabe had not realized he had been outside preoccupied so long, it must have taken Sara hours to put everything together. Seeing him standing outside must have made her concerned. He felt very under-dressed, noticing that at some point when he wasn't paying attention, Sara had managed to procure a lovely evening gown. She looked amazing in the black dress, and Gabe couldn't help but feel self-conscious, his hair slick with sweat, his uniform half button and tattered from the battle to escape from the Underground.
"Wow, Sara, this is wild. You've..." He was honestly at a loss for words, "You've really outdone yourself."
He was nervous now, he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at his room, "You think I could run and change. I feel a bit scummy to be sitting down for such a nice meal."
Sara smiled and inclined her head for him to go, "It's just about ready, don't dawdle too long."
Gabe nodded and was pulling the uniform jacket off before he even got to his room.
Sara sat waiting; there was a little time to spare. She was pouring the wine for them when Gabe returned a few moments later. He had found a button up shirt and changed into some slacks. He'd also taken the time to wrap a cloth around his prosthetic, a gesture she thought was cute. He'd combed his hair too, which looked silky and lovely as always, the unnatural purple color catching the light of the candles burning on the table.
Gabe came up to the table, glancing around, looking a bit out of sorts, "Anything I can help you with?"
She smiled and giggled a bit, "Yes, please, grab that basket over there and put it on the table."
Gabe did as told and sat when she indicated he should.
"So," she said, smiling like a good hostess, "We have steak as the main course, with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and a salad," She picked up the bottle of wine, "To drink we have a lovely Red Wine that should compliment the main course nicely, and," she indicated the ice box, "For dessert we have ice cream."
Gabe now found it hard to keep a silly smile from his face as Sara dashed outside to pull the steak from the small charcoal grill she'd hidden on the other side of the house. She returned with the plate already making apologies for the food, "It should be fine but it's my first time so don't get too angry if it tastes funny."
He laughed, "It'll be fine, I trust you. I'm sure it's better than anything I could have done."
Sara cut the steak and placed the plate in the middle of the table, tucking her dress under her and finally taking a seat. Gabe reached over and put his hand out for her to take a hold of, which she did, and Gabe gave it a bit of a squeeze.
"This is really great Sara. Thank you."
A genuine smile lit up Sara's face and she had trouble not laughing. She grabbed her glass of wine and raised it, Gabe following suit, ready to hear what she said.
"To the Masons. We're here together, and together we are strong. I love you Gabe."
Gabe felt a slight tremor in his chest but toasted his glass against hers all the same, "I love you too, Sara.
---
The meal had been delicious. Gabe was incredibly impressed by the skill that Sara had used to put together the secretive dinner. Gabe only wished he had been able to know a little ahead, so he might wow her with a more than a button up and a pair of slacks. It was obvious, however, that this had been Sara's event, and he was happy to take a back seat to her dazzling him.
Following dinner, they had ended up on the couch, talking happily, sipping on their wine in front of the fire. The flickering of the candles made for a very cozy atmosphere.
The bottle slowly emptied, and both of them felt comfortably light headed after a while. Gabe found himself resisting the temptation to stare at Sara's body. Her dress was gorgeous; it was black and form fitting, which was in itself an incredible sight, but it was strapless, showing her bare shoulders. Gabe wondered how such a simple thing was so lovely, and found himself wondering if the alternative, that is having straps but a lower cut, showing cleavage, would be nearly as enchanting.
"Gabe, I wish we could spend more time just like this."
Gabe let his finger run along her shoulder, following the path of one of her scars, her stigmata. It curved up her neck, disappearing right below her jaw line. Sara turned her head, saw Gabe's attention was on the finger under her chin.
"Gabe?"
"Hmm?"
"I mean it, I love you."
"Aww Sara..." he smiled slowly, "I love--"
"No," She said seriously, her eyes pleading, "I think you know what I really mean."
She turned to him, eyes looking into his. Gabe straightened up, sobering quickly. Sara leaned in slowly, her lips full. She kissed him, pulling back and watching for his reaction. Gabe was at a loss for words. She climbed on top of him, hiking up her dress so as not to rip it. She kissed him again.
"Gabe..." She breathed.
They kissed again, this time deepening it. Sara stroked his face, holding him close to her.
Sara straddled him, looking intently at him. The silence was not an absence of sound but a roaring in their ears, filling the room with meaning and implications. She reached down and pulled her dress over her head. Her breasts were large and held tightly by the lace of her black bra, the semi transparent material not hiding its payload. The criss-crossing system of veins that fed her life blood and served as living proof of the accident that changed her forever stood out boldly on her body, disappearing under the scant last materials that she still wore.
Gabe made a decision that he hoped he wouldn't regret. He placed his hands on his shoulders, and gently but firmly held her back.
"Sara, we need to talk."
---
She had managed to stop crying some time ago. It wasn't a conscious effort that made it so, rather a fatigue. It still hurt, it hurt so much. She could only hope it would stop hurting with time.
Her pillow was damp with tears. At first the pip pip of them hitting the fabric made for little beads that looked up at her, questioning their release. Now they had soaked in, becoming one, no longer dark and distinguished from the rest but a sticky oneness that clung to skin but did not moisten it.
She was dressed now. Gabe had taken his shirt off for her and draped it over her shaking shoulders.
That was nice of him. She couldn't say much at the time, but it would have been too terrible, just too terrible to have to slide into her dress again.
She had been gut shot at first. She thought, initially, that he might have been disgusted by her body. She knew, however, that couldn't be true, not the way he looked at her, not with the indecision and pain in his eyes when he'd told her to stop, but still, her mind went there first. Her passion dried up, she sat there, shivering in the warm room, as Gabe held her close not as a lover, but as a brother.
It happened quickly. She knew now that he must have been waiting for the right time to do it, to make his decision. He did not want to leave that night, but he knew he could not do what Sara wanted that without choosing not to leave. He could either make love to her and stay, or reject her and go. The time of choice came quickly and he had to make it then and there.
Her guts still churned with unhappiness but her mind, still racing, realized what he had done was right. If he had made another choice, knowing what he knew, would he still be the man she loved? If he had made love to her, stayed with her, and let things take their natural course, he would have been a different person. The same as if he had made love to her and then left. Instead, he chose the route that was painful for both of them. She was not used, and he had refused to run away from the truth of their world.
She was just a little proud of the way she had responded. She didn't cry or beg him to stay. She almost, almost tried to seduce him. She could tell how difficult a decision it was, and knew by mere observation that it would not take much to make him stay, if just for a night.
One night, with him. One night as lovers, forever bonded by irretractable physical contact.
The price was too high. He would leave all the same. She knew this, no matter what her body wanted. Her heart would pay and in doing such a thing she would have inflicted Gabe with a greater burden than he already had. Still, a part of her wished she could have been that selfish.
Gabe had gone to his room, after explaining, and left with only what he needed. He wore a black tank top and blue jeans. He had big boots, and from his belt swung his BLOCKSabre. He buttoned his tattered green half jacket, the Underground's color. And then he left.
Sara for a brief moment had felt the allure of her Destrudo Self Destruct System, nestled in her belly. The bitter part of her mind laugh derisively at the idea of the town below seeing her brother and her disappear in a small nuclear blast.
The thought faded, however, and she was left feeling empty and confused.
Gabe was gone.
"Sara, something is wrong here, and I've felt it growing every moment since I left. This happiness, this impossible happiness, is beyond what I ever hoped. Not the pregnant calm before the storm I endured in the Underground, but actual genuine happiness. Actual friends. Actual love. But what we have here is a joke. It's not real, just as a day dream isn't real. It's something to strive for, but what we have we haven't worked to obtain.
Sara, if we were just people then this would all be fine. We would be lovers, or siblings, it's hard to say now, and we could have simply escaped the normal boundaries of society. Eking out a peaceful existence; in that case we would have done no wrong.
But there's more to it than that. We're people with power, and worse than that we have knowledge. We know what's coming-- what's being planned while we play house. For all we know it could have already started. For all I know I could have stopped it.
Something inside me is pulling me back to the Underground, back to Neo Seattle. I don't feel responsible because they are my people, or because they made me. I feel responsible, because I don't want what they want. I want to stop what they are doing. If the armies of the Underground run wild, we wont be able to live this life, and neither will anyone else. It would be easy to sit back and use the time we have, spend it together, face things as they come. I can't do that. I have to do something more than that to live with myself. I took the first step and left, with little knowledge of what that entailed. It wasn't a mistake to come here, Sara. I promise you, I loved every moment of it. I love you, though in what way it's hard to tell. You are my sister first though.
If being here made me take the first step into becoming responsible, then it was an excellent choice. If it lulled me into a false sense of entitlement, then it would have been a mistake. I have to do this. If nothing else, to see if I can do it. Can I make a difference in this? I think I have a better chance than most.
I've got to do the right thing, for the both of us. I can't tell you what to do. I can hardly imagine what it is I'm going to do. All I know is I have to go."
"Goodbye, Sara."
---
Gabe stepped through the door, out into the cold night air of the new home he had found. His coat did little to warm him. He wondered if it had anything to do with the weather. Something inside of hm, he realized, he had to shut down, to close off. For his own good, he would have to deny it. The feelings he had for Sara... for his sister. It was better not to have them at all. Not anymore. He clenched his eyes shut and thought of a world where this wasn't necessary. No, don't waste the effort. There was much to do.
He would have to find his way back, back to the place of his birth.
---
Kathryn fell back in her chair. Her room was dark and the only light came from a small desk lamp before her. Engelmacht was becoming accustomed to this darkness. Her face had been gaunt and undone for some time, but the blood rushing from her face as she read the news put it into sharp focus.
"Dr. Engelmacht, it is the finding of the Underground council that you are to be pulled from the BioSuit program and effective immediately take a leave of absence from work for psychiatric evaluation and recuperation. Upon such recuperation, you are to be reinstated in the BioSuit program in a position where you will be useful to the overall cause of the Underground."
The short letter was then followed by a stamp of approval from the Underground, which was obstinately controlled by the man with the number 1 on his face, Stephan Apex.
"I wonder how many people know that the Underground is led by him." she murmured.
It didn't matter. She had her work stolen away from her. She realized distantly that she had not actually left her room in several days. That potential revelation had not softened the blow, however.
"When all is said and done it will be fine. I'm here, and Gabe is off, safe in the world. That's enough for me."
Her eyes were glazed and staring off into the darkness. She curled up into a ball in her chair.
"Yes, that's all I really need."
---
Bodies surrounded Bill. He was covered in their blood. Some of it had arced up to the ceiling, leaving splatters of red like paint. The fan spun slowly, dully.
Sanctuary dripped with that blood. The base of the hook on the end of the blade had a chunk of hair and bone fragments the had stuck in it. Bill caught his breath. He fought to make the grin on his face disappear, to make his muscles relax. His eyes were well hidden behind his visor.
He came for one man but others had been there too. Bill had no qualms dealing with them as well. Just that many less to eliminate later. They were all very dead. Bill had not even bothered wearing a suit this time. He was in his uniform. Slacks tucked into boots, a half jacket with a metal rack for whatever weapons he might need. He felt and looked the part of a killing machine made by a corporation that needed killing machines to accomplish their goals.
Bill tore the suit jacket from one of them, the corpse falling back to the floor limply, arm at uncomfortable angles. He cleaned the edge of his blade, shining it, making it look perfect. The weapon was returned to the sheath at his hip, the hook jutting up into the air.
'This is where I belong,' Bill thought, 'Taking the lives of others, surrounded by death. I will become death and bring it to the people.'
---
Stephan Apex looked over the plans to the the Type 07A. His eyes traced over the flesh rendered over artificial bone and blood. She would be a beautiful young woman, deadly, sharp. She would be the tool they needed. Those that came before were too brutal, too blunt. This one, this is what they required to make the future a reality.
Her time would come soon. She was already growing in the Womb, construction of her artificial body having been completed just recently. Her body would be painted onto those metal innards, and then the new artificial intelligence that Mother was writing would be inserted.
Apex took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. There was a reason he had insisted so long that he did not want to be the designer of BioSuits. It was a task that overwhelmed his already overwhelmed body. He could not imagine doing this again.
He took a breath, preparing to return to his office so he could at least sleep. It was all necessary, he told himself. Without a successful BioSuit to use as a base for the army that would come, all the time, all the planning, all the resources that had gone into the Underground would be wasted.
That simply was not acceptable. Apex was confident though. This would be the one to turn the tide against them.
---
Mother sensed the connection at 1844 pacific time, October 4th 2015.
Gabriel, her angel in waiting had made contact.
He did not know he had made contact, in fact if he had known he probably would have avoided the whole thing. The fact that he did meant he had left the place where he had hidden himself and was near, so near. If not in Neo Seattle, the fact that he was reached out meant he was closer ideologically than she could have imagined at this point.
She knew, as soon as he discovered what she was doing, she would not be able to track him. There were many ways he could mask his presence. However, so long as he didn't know he was being traced.
'Ah, there is the thing. He has no idea. I doubt he even recalls that I exist.'
He seemed, to her, to be falling directly into her plans.
Mother would destroy the Underground as it existed. She would raise a species and make it dominate. Artificial, created by choice, those would be the ones who ruled. The mistakes, the biological experiments, they would be brushed under the rug, pushed aside for the next wave of things.
She wondered, in her computational way, what had triggered his response. The vindicator would come and destroy Apath, destroy Apex, and bring the Underground, and the BioSuits, up and out into the world, with Mother as their benevolent, eternal, ruler.