Automatic Heritage

Chapter 6: Up

Everything just hurt, and not just physically.

She dragged herself one foot at a time, the pain of the bite marks in Cyan's shell made it hard to move, but she knew she had to keep going. She kept her eyes down, watching her feet, and taking notice that she already had a hole in the leg of her new pants.

"Was this my fault?" she wondered. Surely she could have said no to her twin sister, but that look...

That look Beryl gave back in the greenhouse with all of the same sureness that there was going to be another day, all for a silly set of numbers, was tearing her apart. She couldn't blame her though, there was only one time in her life when Beryl had a strong feeling about something ridiculous and it turned out better than expected. That turned out to be Whitney, back during what he would call his "prodigal son" days.

Boy was that scary.

Shaking those thoughts she switched to warmer ones. If she was going to make it out alive she knew she had to focus on the positive. She thought back to the early days when she was freshly online, waking up next to her Beryl-faced twin. Cyan herself came up with the names, just simply colors.

She missed it. How innocent they were. Exploring the empty city with no fear. Playing and making up games. It wasn't long before Beryl was the one finding new friends, she would introduce Cyan to everyone she met.

Friends... Those were hard. Beryl was always the outgoing one despite how quiet she could be at times. Cyan never had the same talent that her twin did in that regard. Maybe that is why she kept finding herself returning to the dead part of the city even after the Zurks evolved.

She shuffled to a stop and slumped over some boxes. Sleep notifications beeped at her inside her head. Could she recharge? That could keep them away.

She looked up from her headrest to glance around. The soft amber glow of a neon lamp beckoned her in a small abandoned storefront. She rose and made her way inside, finding televisions lining the walls. They hummed softly, static crackling across the screens. Once inside she closed the door behind her and slumped to the floor.

Cyan was not dead, she knew that, but she felt like she wanted to be. She leaned her body slowly down and curled into a fetal position on the floor, the rug on the ground providing no comfort in her pain. Regardless, it was still something, and she lied there.

Was this it? She thought about her promise to Beryl, to be back for her. Surely the city wouldn't change if she left, so what would happen if she just turned off?

For good?

There were always others who ventured out for supplies and bots willing to protect.

Cyan became aware that she had been staring at her hand for a minute, maybe more. Her vision cleared and she looked up to see a remote on the ground across from her. After staring at it for a while she tentatively grabbed it and pressed its soft buttons. Maybe whatever was left of human television could distract her.

"You have GOT to be absolutely joking with me now!"

The televisions all lit up with a dark purple glow as a voice from the static scolded her. It was enough to shock Cyan onto her knees. Cowering she could see... a face? It was more like an eye really, and it was blinking right at her.

"Who the hell are you?" Cyan beeped, suddenly aware that someone was talking to her through the television screens."

"Who am I?" The purple period mark of an eye glared at her as a digital bar like something from a stereo bounced as the stranger talked. "Honey, I could be your new potential boss and you choose to talk to me like that? Kids these days I swear!"