Human Code

27 || T W E N T Y - S E V E N

"Strength. Courage. Hope. All qualities left behind within Pandora's box."

*

Wind. Falling. Diving. Colliding.

Crash.

The impact hadn't happened, or maybe it had. Clinging to Rory's trembling body, I squeezed my eyes such and prepared to meet the ground below. But I didn't hear the sound or feel the pain, the surge of energy. Instead, I thought I was flying.

"Peter!"

I could hear Wendy, she was crying. But her voice was far. An echo. Rather than turn my head to look back at the roof, I thought of her face. A smile instead. I couldn't help but remember the mornings when she'd jump around my charging dock, just waiting for me to open my eyes.

Like now.

"Javier! No! Wait!"

Sparks went off under my skin. Burning. Spreading. I heard Mary's voice louder than my sister's, and for a moment, I thought I could feel her. Smell her. See her. But I hadn't opened my eyes to look, to turn, because I thought the ground was just that close.

"I can't... no, stop! Wait!"

The voices kept coming. Kept screaming. They were blended, broken, like the droids who ran into the building. I heard their feet and distorted sounds as I gripped Rory tighter. Harder. And then... it hit me.

Wendy, Mary, Will... they called for me from the rooftop. They were up there, watching, fearing for me as I continued to fall. That wasn't how I wanted to go out, I thought I was alone. I'd purposely sent Will away with Wendy to keep her from this, to protect her from the inevitable.

My death. My second demise. It was all to save her, save them all... traumatizing her was not what I wanted to do.

"Mijo!"

Dad?

Rory thrashed in my arms, and somehow, our bodies turned. Without opening my eyes, I knew my body was under him. And for a second, I was afraid. Why did I need to make contact first? Why would I shatter before him? But then... I thought about it. I squeezed him harder, fingers digging into his chest because I knew it didn't matter... right? If I fell, if I died, so would he?

"You can't do this to me..."

That last voice, that whisper... I wasn't sure who it belonged to. As the wind rushed past my ears, I couldn't help but feel like it belonged to no one. None of the voices did. How could I hear them over the rain, over the thunder? Their last calls to me, their cries of despair, that was all in my own head, right?

Because when you die—and I know from experience—you think everything over. In slow motion. On repeat. Everything you've ever done, should've done, could've done. And you regret it. You cry. You scream. But it doesn't matter in the end, because you won't matter, either.

And I... I had that second chance. I had my should've, could've, needed to do's...

And I failed.

Marriage? That failed. Been a better son? Couldn't do that. Should I have tried harder? Well, I did, but it wasn't enough. Until now...

Forcing my body over and around, I forced Rory to face the bottom. I felt him shake, I heard him scream, and then I knew... my time was over. The ground was right there, and we'd hit in in less than seconds.

My thoughts were over, done. I had no time to regret life or android-life. No time to think things over. I could only accept it. And I accepted the fact that my final death would save the world. That removing Rory from existence was a necessity.

It was my one right. And if I could have that, it was all I ever needed.

And as I hit the ground, I can't help but have one final thought:

Do you know what's the worst part about alive? Being unwanted and a waste. But you know what's worse than that?

Agreeing...

Data corrupted.

|||

Memory loop. Playback saved file. Dated: May 21st , 2014

For the first time in weeks, it stopped raining. The clouds were scarce, yet the few that remained were beautiful, like streaks of white paint across clear, blue skies.

Sitting on a park bench, I looked up at them. The textbooks in my hands were ignored. My notebook had fallen on the ground and my pen rolled somewhere in the green grass. But I didn't care to look for them, they were replaceable. The sky, though... that fresh air?

I wanted that. Here. Right now.

"Javier?"

As someone said my name, I didn't look in their direction. My eyes followed the movement of birds, wings effortlessly flapping against the wind. They lifted up, higher, flying with their gifted freedom from the skies.

"Javier, they said I shouldn't be outside, but..."

"You're here, Rory." With a quiet sigh, I looked down and directly in front of me. At Rory. At the bot who was the talk of the town. I smiled at him, even though he didn't smile at me. With another sigh, I moved my books off my lap and patted the empty spot on the bench beside me. "It doesn't matter what the others say, you know. You're here and that's what matters."

Rory almost hesitated to sit with me. But he did. He kept his hands on his lap, fidgeting nervously. "Yeah, but should I really be here?" he asked, slowly lifting his head. "I've gotten how many upgrades in the past few months? And each one comes with stipulations, with boundaries. How long will it be until I'm confined to a room like... the others?"

"Others?" I pinched my brow together, confused. But I couldn't let him see that. Rory may not have understood it, but he was so human, it was wrong and right at the same time. I couldn't just let him feel neglected. That'd be worse. "I think they're looking out for your best interests," I said.

"My interests? I doubt it." Rory looked up at the sky. "I can hear how they talk about me. It's changing. I feel like I'm becoming more of a curse rather than a gift."

"Now... that? I doubt it." I laughed quietly and bumped his shoulder. "Welcome to the human life, my friend."

"Human life?" I could see Rory's eyes narrow as he watched the next set of birds fly by. "Is it really this hard?"

"It is," I said to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. With a gentle shake, I tried to get him to smile. "It comes with the territory. Fighting for your space in society. Hoping others see you. It's really hard, and maybe because I've had years of experience in this—" I patted my hand against my chest. "—flesh, but when I tell you it gets better, I mean it."

Finally, Rory looked at me. "Really?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yup, just hold on."

A small smile lifted his lips. "How hard do I need to hold on?"

"Mmm..." I pressed my lips out, pretending to think hard about it. But it wasn't a difficult answer. Life was interesting, but in the end, simple. And you just had to make the right decisions to make the most of it. Did it work out the way you wanted to every time? Nah. Would I tell him that? No. In a way, I thought it'd be better if he learned on his own.

"Or should I freefall?" Rory laughed, looking back up at the sky. "End up as high as the birds and then just... collide with the Earth?"

My brows shot up. "You know, that's a good way to look at it," I said, honestly. "Thinking of human life as one long freefall. Just hope... the collision doesn't hurt too bad."

"Yeah..." Rory leaned back on the bench, and so did I. "The impact is probably the worst. But if you're making it, that means I can, too, right?"

Catching the sight of another bird, I watched it spin, almost dancing with the wind. The sight alone made me smile. "We'll all make it in the end."