The Immortal

Something New

Kyle did not sleep that night. He replayed the scene over and over again in his head. She was right; he had no right, but neither did Alex. By dawn he decided he had to put an end to the whole thing. Poca would hate him. For the rest of her life, she would tell the story of the older guy who had pimped her for a freak, then had the nerve to fall in love with her. How pathetic! But at least he would save her from Alex.

As soon as it got light, he dressed and headed over to HolbergTyne. He had no idea whether or not Alex would be there yet. He let himself in the building, headed to the executive suite and barged into Alex's office.

"What are doing up this early, Doctor?" Alex was at his desk, writing on his tablet.

"Was she with you last night?"

"You two have a lovers' spat?" He looked up and grinned at Kyle.

"I can't carry on this little ruse of yours..."

"Well you're going to have to."

"She doesn't believe it anymore."

"But she trusts you."

"And she's in love with you."

Alex continued scrawling away.

"Well? Isn't that what you wanted?" Kyle asked.

Alex looked up and pointed his stylus at Kyle. "Love, my friend, has a short shelf life."

"Oh, save it! Why don't you just get one of those sexbots. You can afford a harem of them."

"You're not getting me, Doctor! I need a pissing, shitting, real live girl. I'm more synthetic than a sex doll."

"What are you talking about? You're superhuman! You're invincible!"

Alex thrust his arm out. "Touch it."

"What? Why should I...?".

"Just do it. Your hand won't fall off."

Kyle tapped his fingers on Alex's forearm.

"Not like that. Give it a good feel!" Alex grabbed Kyle's hand and rubbed its fingers along the length of his bare arm. One stroke and Kyle snatched his hand away.

"Your skin..."

"It's not skin. It's a kind of collagen wrapper, like plastic wrap. Looks great; feels like crap. Biofrabricated in Paris at a million-five a square millimeter. Best suit I'll ever own. It even heals and tans like real skin, but without the cancer and the scars. Given all the surgery I had to go through to upgrade myself, I'd look like Frankenstein by now."

"Your whole body?"

"Except for my palms and a few sensitive areas. You don't think the original coat could last this long and look this good, do you?"

"No, of course not. Of course not..."

"Unfortunately, my new birthday suit has gotten bad reactions in the past. Hell hath no fury like a woman who discovers she got naked with Methuselah."

Kyle laughed. "You won the girl, but there's nothing you can do about it!"

"No, no. You forget I run a pharmaceutical company."

"You'll drug her?"

Alex sneered. "Drug her? She's been sneaking behind your back for weeks to get high with me. The stuff I get she can't get anywhere else. Of course, she knew Papa Birdin wouldn't approve, so we kept it on the sly. She stopped by last night to gird herself before coming clean to you. She felt terribly guilty about leading you on."

"So you'll turn her into a sexbot?"

"Ah, but there's a sweet spot where desire flickers bright just before the will blows out." Alex literally kissed his fingers. "Exquisite!"

"And then what?"

"Then rehab."

Kyle shook his head. "You've lived over a century and this is what you do with your time?"

"Oh, so perhaps I should use my superpowers to make the world safe for democracy?"

"At least do some good for your fellow human beings."

"I've lived long enough to see history repeat itself too many times. People bore me. I bore me. You bore me. History bores me..."

"You're ridiculous."

"Maybe, but a man's gotta have his fun." Alex's hair slipped across his eyes, which gleamed with mirth. "And young girls never get old."

"I'm going to tell her everything..." Kyle said, shaking his head. He felt so tired.

"You're in too deep, Doctor. Remember, you are her hero. You drew her into this game."

Kyle stood up suddenly, knocking the chair over.

"Sit down Kyle."

"No. Now I'm going to come clean. I don't care..."

"Kyle, you're being melodramatic." Alex stepped around his desk and put his arm around Kyle.

"Get your hands off!" Kyle slapped the arm away and turned to leave. But Alex grabbed him by the shoulder, wheeled him around and punched him in the stomach. Kyle never felt so much pain in his life.

"I'm sorry," Alex said. "Are you alright? Please try and sit down."

With Alex's help, Kyle eased into a guest chair.

"I can't unbend," he said, hunched over and hugging his stomach.

"Give it a minute. It'll ease up."

"I can taste blood in my mouth."

Arms folded across his chest, Alex leaned against his desk and looked down on Kyle. "You're soft, Doctor. You let yourself go and this is the price."

"You're so bored, why don't you just give it up?" Kyle said, still doubled over. "Why don't you just kill yourself? You're already more dead than alive..."

"Because I'm addicted to life," Alex said, "although I take it you're making a suggestion, not asking a question. I'm addicted and I can afford it."

Kyle felt light headed. He realized that he must be bleeding internally, the blood loss causing him to pass out. He heard voices around him. He hoped they were calling for help, but he couldn't tell. Yet he felt happy. Perhaps it was just the lack of oxygen. His draining consciousness eddied to a single thought: Alex, himself, even Poca, all of them were a passing thing. They would pass from the earth like the rest of the hominids and give way to something better.

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