Bionica: Origins

Chapter Fourteen

Tronyx couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean, offline?"

"I mean," Servo calmly replied, "that her systems are no longer responding."

"I know that, I meant how has she gone offline?" the President asked impatiently. "Did she take off her communications device?"

Servo pulled up a miniature hologram. "The device registers contact with the subject's body," she said.

The President was utterly and completely dumbfounded. "Do we still have cameras on the outside?" Servo nodded. "What about the recovery team? Still doing their work, I presume." Servo replied that they were. "Run a facial recognition program on all of the cameras that are still running. And have the scouts bring me the girl's body when they find it."

Servo bowed out of the room and went to deliver the orders. Meanwhile, Tronyx was in anguish. If for some reason he couldn't find Rove, how was he to win the civil war? Having to worry about one war was enough. Add the worldwide nuclear war on top of that, and Tronyx felt as though he was up to his ears in problems. When Servo finally returned about an hour later, Tronyx stood in excitement.

"What have you found?" he asked.

"The facial recognition scans were unsuccessful, but the recovery team has managed to bring the girl in one piece," Servo said, stepping out of the doorway. Three generic Motors replaced her, one walking in front while two carried a stretcher. On it lay the body of the rebel fighter. Tronyx examined it carefully, first looking at the wrists for any form of identification. Then he turned the head so that he could look at the side of it.

And wound around the back of her ear was a government-issue communications device.

Gayge

He really doesn't believe it's me, does he? He thinks I died in the battle... which I'm also embarrassed that I missed. But I get why he's going on like this. It makes no sense. Why would Tronyx's clone replace me in battle if she knew Sudo was going to kill her?

I hear the cell door open and Siren comes in holding a box. There's a hint of sympathy in her eyes. She looks over her shoulder, sees the security camera, and gives it the thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Glitch is on the other side of the camera," she says, opening the box. "She and I are gonna make sure Ratchet doesn't see you."

"Thanks," I say. "What's in the box?"

Siren pulls out a roll of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic. "I thought your shoulder might be killing you... figuratively speaking, of course."

I smile. "Yeah, it is." I hold it out to Siren and she goes to work, soaking a rag in the antiseptic and laying it on the wound. I wince. Holy crap, this hurts. "So why are you doing this?"

Siren shrugs. "You're Canada, aren't you?" she asks. I smile; my hint got through to her. "I don't know why Ratchet doesn't believe it's you already. And even if he didn't, I don't see why he wouldn't want you anyway. You were his whole world. During training? Non-stop Gayge this and Gayge that. Why he refuses to let you go is beyond me."

I look at her as she ties the bandage for me. Her face is so calm when she's treating a wound. "I don't know either," I reply. "I'm not Rove, but he's right. I should've died in that battle. It just doesn't make any sense. Why would Tronyx's right-hand fighter go into battle if she knew she was going to die?"

"Dunno. But if the Motors are pretty much just brainless flesh in a shell, maybe he and Steele are completely incapable of creating a human fighter that's completely devoted to their cause."

That makes sense. It's a comforting thought. Suddenly the cell door opens again and I can see Ratchet's silhouette in the doorway. Siren straightens and stops adjusting my dressings. As he walks towards me I cringe, waiting for the inevitable barrage. But it doesn't come. Instead I hear a thud in front of me. I open my eyes and see him kneeling in front of me, hope alight in his brown eyes.

"Siren," he asks, "do you really believe that this is Gayge?" Siren nods as he turns his head back to me. "Okay, so if you're really her, I want you to prove it."

"Anything you want," I reply.

"Tell me about something that only I would know. Something I've never told anyone else, something that can't possibly be on file anywhere."

Siren backs out of the room as I consider his demand. It's a tall order; I've only loved him for a couple days, tops. What has he shown me that no one else knows about?

Suddenly it comes to me.

"The room behind the closet," I say. "It was the night we got out of surgery, and you came and woke me up. We went running down the halls and I laughed because I hadn't been that free-spirited since my parents died. You pushed back a tool shelf and opened a secret door, which we went down. Then you were talking about radiation and I was scared. I was scared of what it might do to me. But you consoled me and helped me go down that staircase. When we got down there, there were things that... I just can't describe it. And there's a huge tree in the middle of the room, and its bark is brown and flaky, and its leaves are brown and glossy. When they shimmer, they almost look pink like the sap. And the sap can heal wounds and speed up regrowth. That's how your shoulder healed after Siren broke it. And we stayed there that night, me in the tree and you under me. And honestly... I had the best night of my life in that room, watching you in a whole new light."

There are tears in my eyes now. Ratchet looks at me, tears in his eyes. The hope that I saw in them before has blossomed into full-on joy. He cups my face in his hands and just laughs. I pull him closer and laugh with him.

"It's you!" he says through the sobbing. "It's really you!"

"Yeah, it is!" I reply. "It's me!"

He looks me straight in the eye. "I thought you were dead!"

I shake my head, laughing and crying all at once. "I'm still here. And I'm never going to say goodbye again."

He smiles and pulls me in to kiss me. It's forceful and smooth at the same time, and it's the best kiss I've ever shared with anyone.

Suddenly I see five more shadows in the doorway. The rest of my team watches us, some crying, some looking on in happiness. Glitch is the only one with a serious expression, though she's working hard to keep it together.

"Ratchet," she says urgently. "Motors were just spotted outside the compound. We're being sent after them."

Ratchet looks at me. "You ready to see what you missed in Rove's place?"

I grin. "When have I ever said no to that?"

And so the war continues.

THE END