2097: A Detective Story I : The Bird's Box

The Jade Stallion

      The blast from the explosion threw him back a few meters and into Michael, another soldier from his garrison, who was behind him. Thomas quickly got up and, after helping his comrade up as well, stabilized his shoulder rifle and set it to full blasting power. Then he charged into battle, shooting at everyone who didn't have attached weapons, while barely hearing Michael in the distance calling after him: 'That's the Jade Stallion I know!'. Hearing that nickname brought a smile to his face. He remembered all the moments leading to him receiving that code name and to him being on that exact battlefield, recovering from that exact explosion, and shooting those exact enemies.

      It all started when the Purists attempted to assassinate the president of the Grand European Nation. President Firenze Bane was pro-enhancements, so that made him not be on good terms with the minority who didn't agree with the evolution of technology. They were called the Purists and, even though they were a minority, they were very determined to get rid of everyone who would willingly attach something inorganic to their bodies. Thus, they soon earned the trust of many people who wouldn't necessarily think of themselves as Purists. Then, the war started.

      At first, the conflict was just within the G.E.N., but, as Purists everywhere started to take part in the war, the President required the rest of the nations of the world to provide help. That's how a nationwide conflicted became a full-fledged World War III. The war as a whole started in 2078, but it only became the World War III in 2080. 

      Thomas Jade had been in the G.E.N.'s army for only 4 years when the war started, thus, he was automatically assigned to a region in which the conflict was not as proeminent. There, he showed extreme levels of skill and dedication, and he quickly earned the title of 'Jade Stallion', for being fast and agile in the battlefield. His comrades soon discovered that the nickname suited him on more than the physical levels. He proved that he was a quick thinker, adapting in the battle within the norms of his orders.

      After his superiors saw all of his skills, he was moved in a battalion in the middle of the conflict, where he was introduced to a whole arsenal of new and improved weapons, in the form of temporary human enhancements. At first, Thomas was skeptical of being subdued to any sort of neuronal link, such as the ones needed for the weapons, because, even though he supported the use of robotic enhancements for anyone willing or in need of them, he wouldn't have wanted to give his humanity away. But in the end, seeing the necessity of such weapons, Thomas accepted a shoulder rifle as his primary weapon.

      The sound of another explosion pulled Thomas out of his memories. He avoided the explosion by a centimeter because, even though he was no longer 21, he still deserved the title of 'Jade Stallion' to the fullest. Unfortunately, the explosion hit most of his comrades, letting the Purists advance quite a lot. Thomas heard the commanding officer calling for a retreat, so he hurried to the base. It was surrounded by electrical wires, so a few Purists following them couldn't be that bad. Or so Thomas thought. But right when he was passing under the wires, a grenade went off right besides him. Thomas cried in pain as the wires trapped his legs right above the knee. Michael hurried to help him, while the remaining soldiers were trying to fend off the Purists. Unfortunately, there was no hope for Thomas's legs, as a whole electrical pole had fallen on them and they were electrocuted beyond repair and had to be severed from his body. 

      He was immediately transferred to a hospital in the big city of Sonet, where he was taken care of and respected like a true hero of war. Exactly one week later, Thomas received a letter from the government, informing him that he was granted permanent leave from the army. Soon after, Alice and Jessica started visiting him and even though seeing Jess was like a break from all the pain and suffering, Alice would just talk about the future and all the things he knew he needed to think about, but was just not capable of at that moment. 

      "There has been a long time since Alice and Jess visited", Thomas thought, and he was even beginning to miss Alice's constant nagging.

      There was a soft knock on the door and, after Thomas told them to come in, Alice and Jess entered the hospital room lit only by a half broken neon. Jess bolted over to Thomas's bed, almost knocking over the iv with the morphine and the nutrients necessary to Thomas's recovery.

      'I'm so glad to see you again dad! Mom has been so worried about you, but I knew you'd be just fine!' said Jess gleefully, while hugging her father almost to the point of strangling.

      'Has she now?' asked Thomas with a smirk on his face, looking Alice in the eye while hugging his daughter back. 'I wouldn't have thought you cared so much about me Alice. I wonder how you would've acted if we were married...'

      'I would've been calmer, because I would've at least known that I would inherit something if you die right now.' said Alice with her arms crossed at her chest. 'Well, now that you saw him and almost hugged him to death, could you please leave us for a moment and go stay with grandma Martha, Jessica?'

      'Sure...' said Jess in a grumpy tone, while slowly dragging her feet across the shiny tiled floor of the hospital room. She slowly closed the door behind her and fell into a chair next to her grandmother, who looked up from her knitting for just a second.

      'By the way grandma, when did you start knitting?'

      'Oh, it's just a little thing I picked up on the way. I can teach you if you'd like. I can teach you a lot of things, if only you would spend a little more time with me, darling.'

      Back in the hospital room, Alice had shifted to a more somber tone.

      'I know that we agreed that I would leave you one month to decide if you want to have robotic legs attached, but I just talked to your doctor. He said that you're leg nerves are slowly fading, and that if they don't do the surgery now, the legs may not connect with the brain. You have to choose now Thomas.'

      'With or without legs, this is the end to the Jade Stallion.' Thomas said in a raspy voice, taking a pause for a deep breath. ' But it doesn't have to be the end of long walks on the beach with you and Jess, or going to the park, or going on road-trips together. So yes, I will take the legs.'