“Where did the clothes come from?”
“You forget. This is a war-ridden time. Dead bodies aren’t that hard to find. I got the clothes from the first one I found.”
Eduardo made the symbol of the Cross out of respect for the dead, then kissed his small golden rosary. “So where are we going now?”
“I am going to Kalk Bay Harbor, nearby. You are going back to your friends.”
“Why can’t I come with you?”
“We have gone over this. You are going back now.”
Eduardo sighed. “Well if you wanted me to go back, then you shouldn’t have told me where you were going. Now I can follow you even if you leave me behind.”
“Incorrect. You could not follow me even if you wanted to.”
“Then just take me with you, Sommer. I promise I will let you leave once we get to the harbor. I just don’t want to go back now.”
An hour later, they had arrived at the harbor. They had completed half a day’s trip already. They were walking down a hill that overlooked the harbor when they noticed them, pscybotics: three of them, scouting the harbor. Neither Eduardo nor Sommer said a word. They knew better than to talk while in their presence.
Sommer took Eduardo behind a row of trees out of sight. “You now need to leave. We have gotten to the harbor; now you no longer have any need to be here.”
Eduardo didn’t need to be told twice. “Okay. I’ll go now. But I want to tell you something first. You’re not like them down there. You have a choice. I can only hope that you make the right one. There is still something human in you. I can only hope that you realize that in time for your moment.”
Sommer’s only response was a nod.
“Farewell, Sommer.”
“Farewell, Eduardo,’ she said completely in English. She watched as he disappeared into the forest. He knew that all he had to do was get to a road and then follow the road to the nearest town. Sommer’s task, on the other hand, was much harder. She sighed a deep breath then started down the hill.
It hadn’t been two minutes, walking through the harbor when one of the pscybotics stood a hundred feet in front of her. They stood there like it was a Mexican Stand Off, measuring each other. She was wearing all black and had blonde hair tied in a high ponytail.
“What are you doing here?”
“I am in the middle of an escape,” said Sommer.
“You are Delta-Seven?”
“That is correct, Alpha-Six.”
“The one who got captured forty-four months ago? We were given orders to use cautionary measures with you.”
“Orders by ARTIS?”
“Affirmative.”
“I do not remember receiving any such orders.”
“That is because we detected that you were offline. No orders could be relayed to you.”
“Why do I have the feeling that that is the way ARTIS—”
“Feeling? What do you mean by Feeling? Your answer does not compute.”
“No. It wouldn’t, would it? I shall need to speak to ARTIS. I wish to be brought back in and recommissioned onto my next assignment.”
“While I cannot answer for ARTIS, Delta-Seven, I can grant you access to her.”
“Thank you, Alpha-Six.”
“I do not understand the emotion which you are conveying. Are you in order, Delta-Seven?”
Before Sommer could answer, she heard rustling behind her. She turned around to find the other two pscybotics returning. One of them had Eduardo slung over his shoulder.
“I found this one trying to run away,” said a tall, even-muscled, dark-haired pscybotic.
“Well done, Bravo-Niner,” said Alpha-Six who then looked back to Sommer. “Why did you not execute him, Delta-Seven? It is our automated response.”
“I saw no logic in hunting him down and killing him.”
“Yet it is our primary mission,” said the other male pscybotic. He was average height with bushy hair.”
“Foxtrot-One is correct,” said Alpha-Six. “Bravo-Niner, kill him.”
Eduardo gulped.
“Wait!” said Sommer.
Alpha-Six turned to her. “Delta-Seven is correct. It should be her who should kill him.”
Without even waiting for another word to be spoken, Bravo-Niner started bringing Eduardo toward her. Everything now seemed to be occurring in slow-motion for Sommer now, and she knew why. This was it. This was the moment of truth. She was either going to kill Eduardo, attempt to become a full-fledged pscybotic again. Or she could go with her gut... do what feels right.
Bravo-Niner had just lifted Eduardo off his shoulder to hand to her, blinding his view of her. From this position, Alpha-Six was two feet behind her. Sommer was going to have to move really fast. Just as Bravo-Niner passed Eduardo, Sommer thrust her foot out, breaking his kneecap instantly. Alpha-Six took a step forward, but Sommer smashed her elbow into Alpha-Six’s face, breaking her nose.
Foxtrot-One charged forward just as Eduardo fell to the ground. Instead of hitting her, he tackled Eduardo, which gave Sommer the opportunity to step behind her and snap her neck. Bravo-Niner tried to make a grab for Sommer’s neck, but Sommer turned around and stomped her foot through his heart, killing him instantly. Sommer looked up to take care of Alpha-Six, but she was expecting her. After all, she could still walk.
“What are you doing?”
“I believe you would call it... defying protocol.”
“Why? Why would you help them?”
“Because I made a choice.”
“Well, now you have to live with that choice, Delta-Seven. Or rather, die with it.”
“I am no longer Delta-Seven...” She made a lunge for Eduardo, but Sommer side-stepped her, grabbed her from behind and started to twist her neck. She resisted more than Foxtrot-One, so Sommer squeezed with all her might. A tearing sound erupted before a final crack. Then she was dead. Alpha-Six was dead.
“I am no longer Delta-Seven...” she said to Alpha-Six’s newly, dead corpse. “My name is Sommer.”
Sommer quickly went to Eduardo and knelt down next to him. He was barely conscious.
“Eduardo!? Eduardo, can you hear me?” She then spoke in Spanish. “Eduardo, can you hear me?”
“Sommer?” he said faintly. “Sommer, you saved me. You, uh, saved my life.”
“You listen to me, just hang on. I will take care of you. I shall get you to help.” Sommer picked Eduardo up and scanned the area. There were no more pscybotics. She looked to the ocean – where she had earlier hoped would signal her freedom, then to land – where she knew she had to go if she was going to save Eduardo’s life.
She knew that there was no choice in the matter. She owed him one. He had saved her too. He’d showed her that there was a path that could be followed that didn’t deal with hurting innocent people. Because the fact and the matter was, she could feel now. She could feel everything the humans felt. There was no way she could go back to killing. That part of her life was over. And she was glad.
October 13th, 2040 – 10:15
Sam stood in front of his best friends, Doug and Selena. They looked at him with worried eyes.
“You want us to do WHAT?”
“Look, Sam,” said Selena, “Doug’s right. That sounds crazy. I know you feel bad and all with you being the one to awaken Sommer. But I just don’t think that risking your life is the best answer.”
“Guys, I have to do this,” said Sam. “With or without your help.”
“Have you not watched Saving Private Ryan? These kinds of things never work out well for the guys trying to help.”
“I know, Doug, but look...’ Sam sighed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see a choice from where I’m sitting... I have to try. I’m going to save Eduardo. Now are you with me or not?”
