Mechanical Gods (lgbtq+)

Chapter Thirty-Four: Defenses

     Flames ripped through Iago's veins, licking at his charred skin. His shadow soon turned to ash, blown by a strong gust of wind, and scattered around the room like coals from a fire. Aiden stood transfixed, holding his hands out to where Iago's face used to be. He took a step back, staring at them warily.

     What have I done?

     Aiden focused his attention on his glowing hands of fiery orange, which dissipated a few seconds after Iago disappeared. He clasped his palm around his face to feel the heat, but it was cold to the touch.

     "Quick. It won't be long before Iago regains control again," said one of the shadows inside the cage. "Let us out."

     Aiden marched toward them. "How do I know I can trust you?" 

     "There's no time for that. I hate Iago; you hate Iago. It's friendship goals! Enemy of thy enemy is a friend, as the saying goes. Now, open the cage. We have to get out of here before he comes back," The First Shadow closest to the gate said.

     "Iago? But I--"

     "You temporarily blocked him out of the unit for now, but his defenses he made still hold, and I don't want to be here when it realizes Iago's gone. And I must say, marvelous work, Aiden! I never expected that from you! I honestly think we are dead!"

     "Hold on. Defenses?"

     "Yes. What? Do you honestly think Iago would just 'poof' and bugger off?  Iago's too cunning for that. Though, I did like what you did there," the First Shadow said, chuckling. "It's about time something happened to that poor child."

     Aiden shook his head. "Wait, I'm a bit confused. What is going on around here?"

     "Look, Iago might have a hard-on to the rights and freedoms of Android-kind when all he cares about is his glory and his sprawling utopic legacy per se. I guess he learned that from dad."

     "Dad?"

     The First Shadow nodded. "Yes. Dad. Our dad. Dr. Quinn. Could you please open the cage now?"

     Aiden had his hands on the padlock. He paused. "How do I know you're not lying?"

     "Fool. Say your name," said the Second Shadow to the first one.

     "But--"

     "Say it. We have no choice."

     "Easy for you to say."

     "Now's not the time!"

     "Fine. I'll do it. Aiden, my name is Sam," the First Shadow said. 

     "Sam? As in Dr. Quinn's Sam?"

     "The one and only," Sam said. He regarded the Second Shadow again with a sneer. "There. You happy?"

     The gale thundering outside the barn suddenly stopped. The lightbulbs glowed brightly. The cold was suddenly snuffed out of the room as if it wasn't even there. The warm air soon replaced the space it once occupied, and suddenly, Sam's shadow slowly dissipated, revealing a familiar-looking face underneath.

     It was Aiden's face.

     The Second Shadow's dark veil remained the same.

     "You look just like--"

     "You. Yeah. Don't rub it in. Since I'm in this unit, its the face we take in the Cloud. No thanks to you, now we're both dead meat," Sam grumbled.