Bionica: Origins

Chapter Six

Crescent rushes ahead of us towards Siren's room, and Ratchet and I are left to hobble along behind her. Ratchet pushes open the door and I take in the scene. Siren is strapped to her bed with miscellaneous things found all over the compound: leather straps, ropes, even chains. Sprocket kneels by her bedside, holding her hand and crying, and everyone else stands around her. Glitch has a baseball bat over her shoulder so Siren doesn't kill us all if she gets out. I don't notice anything in detail because the pain and blood loss are really getting to me.

"Siren?" Sprocket says softly. "Just tell me how to help you. I'll do it. Anything. But you've just gotta say it."

"You expect me to tell you how you can bring my downfall?" Tronyx's voice booms from Siren's mouth. I jump back as swiftly as everyone else in the room. "That would take all the fun out of it."

Sprocket gets angry. "You let her go or I swear I'll-"

"You'll do what? Kill her?" Tronyx shakes Siren's head and opens her eyes. "You might have a hard time with that. Ask your friends in the corner."

"Well, I dunno about hard... I mean, I knocked you out, didn't I?" I butt in.

"After I put a grenade in your stomach," Tronyx retorts. "Now, I'll give you a hint, since you obviously want to play my game. It has to do with my consciousness over Siren's. What's one thing that Siren and I don't have in common?"

"Your false sense of power, maybe?" Crescent suggests.

"What about your complete disregard for human life?" Eclipse asks.

"Maybe it's the goatee."

We all turn and look at Ratchet.

"Bro, not the time," I say curtly.

"All excellent guesses," Tronyx says, taking on a tone of voice like one might use to address a preschooler. "But sadly, you're all wrong. It's something mental, that no one can change."

We all think hard. I could probably figure this out if my thoughts weren't so cloudy. But they are, so I can't. "Any ideas, Ratchet?"

"I still think we should go with the goatee," Ratchet pushes. "It's a pretty good idea. Once you have a goatee it pretty much sticks with you. In other people's brains."

In other people's brains...

"It's her memories," I say, startling everyone. "We have to jog Siren's memory."

"Ratchet, flirt with her!" Glitch suggests.

"Excuse me?!" Ratchet exclaims. "I'm not flirting with the evil overlord of what's left of the strongest country in history!"

Siren gives me a sarcastic look. "Well, bravo for you. Congratulations on solving the puzzle," Tronyx says through her. "Now good luck; I'm going back to sleep."

"In your dreams, buster," Eclipse says, slapping Siren's face. "You kinda have to be awake to have your memory jogged."

Siren rolls her eyes. "Well, there goes my beauty sleep for the day."

"Okay, guys," Crescent starts, "think. Think of a really distinct memory she has. Try to replicate it." We all start thinking. I can't think of anything except when she first found me with Sprocket...

"Sprocket, I'm gonna act unconscious. Carry me over like the day you first found me."

"Good idea," Sprocket says, scooping me up.

"Say something, too," I suggest.

"Siren!" Sprocket yells. "She's alive! We gotta help her!"

Siren looks at us funny. "Is that really how you met?" Tronyx asks. "You were unconscious and they helped you?"