Gravity

Chapter 6

I felt like I was going to throw up upon hearing Mark's words. I just stared at him dumbfounded for a second. Finally after a few minutes have passed, I let out a nervous laugh.

"Ah, good joke Mark," I wheeze out. "For a second there, I thought you were serious." Mark's eyes flashed.

"I am serious. Jack you were created, do you understand? You weren't really born, this isn't a joke." But my brain refused to believe it. I listen to Mark sigh again. "I can see from the small glimmer in your eyes that you still don't believe me."

"Why should I believe you?" He ignores my question.

"Is this a game to you?" He says. I shiver unpleasantly at how cold his voice suddenly sounds.

"No," I answered. "I feel like this is your sick way of a joke."

"What do you want me to say?" Mark suddenly snaps and the entire room starts to get cold real fast. "You honestly think I'm lying to you?!"

"M-mark," I said through my chattering teeth. "T-t-" but he just carries on like I hadn't said nothing at all.

"You want to know something Jack? Do you know what it's like waking up every day knowing that you have no heartbeat?" I shiver, able to see my breath because the room was so cold now.

"But I have a heartbeat!" I protest, wrapping my arms around my chest in hopes it would retain some warmth.

"Because you were a successful prototype," he suddenly whispers. The chill in the room slowly ebbs away and the anger in Mark's brown eyes fades away into sorrow. "You were successful while I was a failure of an experiment."

"Mark... You're not a failure!" I said softly stepping closer as he looks away from me.

"Yes I am!" He says, banging his fist down onto a table and breaking it in half. "Dont you see Jack. I'm part of a machine... I'm not a human being at all."

"You're not a failure, Mark." I said sternly this time. "just because you're a machine doesn't make you a failure."

He looks at me with sad eyes. I swallow a lump that was growing in my throat. To sit here and stare into the eyes of someone who was so strong through what had happened not to long ago and to see his walls start crumbling down is heartbreaking.

"Thats easy for you to say. You were created in a small tube, formed to perfection and modified to be this amazing weapon the government was supposed to get but..."

"But what?" I ask, sitting down on the dusty floor right across from him. Mark shrugs.

"Somebody took you out of there... I dont know actually but I do remember you were gone and they were very, very angry."

"But what's that gotta do with you?" I ask. I wasn't saying learning about where I came from. Sure I was curious and everything but it didnt matter right now. I wasn't the one who was upset.

"Because Jack, I'm a machine. I shouldn't be able to feel emotions. I can't even cry!"

"Oh stop being upsetti spaghetti!" I said rolling my eyes. Mark chuckles a little as I stood up and brushed myself off.

"Upsetti spaghetti?" He asks with a smirk. I shrug.

"Got you to smile, didnt it?" He nods. "Besides shouldn't we be leaving this town? Cause of-"

"No," he says, standing up. "We should be good for a few days. Two days at minimum. Then if they come back, we'll leave."

I sigh, scratching my head. I wasn't stupid. I knew he was trying to reassure me. But I knew those things were going to come back. And when they do, I hope we dont regret our decision to stay.