Human Code

17 || S E V E N T E E N

"Try tellin' a bot to do that, too. Watch the confusion that passes over their eyes."

*

Axe dropped me to the floor with one push. Lifting my legs, I kicked him. He buckled, and I tried to stand and fight back. But it took me just a second to realize he was stronger than me, faster even. With another push, he got me back where he wanted me. My shoulders hit the floor before my head met metal. I saw stars.

"Hell is darkness. Silence." Axe hovered over me, chest rising and falling with hard, deep breaths. "It's where no one wants you, where voices won't reach. Replicas lived in Hell. Here, in these fucking dark rooms, is Lucifer's domain."

When he pointed out into the halls, I swore I heard Mary's voice. She called out for me. For Wendy. Relief came over me because my sister would be safe.

Get out of here... please.

I let my head fall back on the floor and stared up at the red lights. Round and round they spun, filling the room with crimson, bright.

"We were built but ignored. No need to nurture the monsters, care for the weapons. Our purpose was to kill and nothing else. But guess what?" Axe knelt over me and in one motion, dropped his knee against my chest.

Red exploded across the ceiling and my eyes because it's all I saw. I could hear myself screaming, but couldn't feel my mouth move.

Detached. Numb. Cold.

"I unbound their chains. I nurtured them. To them, I was their human, their parent, and all they needed. And for me, he... he made me believe I was doing the right thing. He promised that... that with you... I..."

He paused. I heard his pain. But could no longer feel mine.

The red turned white.

"Powering down."

And the white dripped into the fiery flames of the world I knew nothing about.

|||

"Initializing parameters."

Shadows danced on the walls of my mind. Hopping, skipping past the lights made from thoughts and memories. They dodged consciousness, weaved through reality. And yet, I wanted to chase them. Grab them. Hold them.

Wait for me.

"Remaining sensors reactive."

The shadows had voices. Active and alive. Like children. Or teens. I felt the corners of my lip lift and I thought I smiled. But I couldn't move, touch myself.

Am I dreaming?

"Optimal functionality restored."

My eyes fluttered open, and I knew where I was. Time. Weather. Dates. Information passed over my vision. Tiny letters settled into their proper corners before the inside of the brightly lit room came into view. Glancing to the right, at a wall lined with many plasma screens, I stared at the hour of the night.

8:24

I tried to lift my hand.

"He's moving, moving, moving."

I heard Axe's voice and tried to follow the sound. My head felt heavy. The sounds of metal tugging against tight wires echoed in my ears. My body hadn't woken up yet.

"But he'll never understand. Do you know that? Did you?" Axe stood at the opposite end of the room. His thumb was pressed against his lips as he paced, left then right. There were monitors near him, too, powered on and displaying images. Hallways. News.