Stay tuned after the story for another message. It'll be worth it. Probably.
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She saw him as soon as she stepped around the far corner of the devastated strip mall. In all honesty, she'd have preferred to not see him....at least, not like this.
If she hadn't already known that Epsilon was dying, it would've been more than obvious to tell it just from the look of him now. His skin was a dull grayish-white, showing bruising in far too many spots; it looked close to tearing in a few places, and at least three spots V.I.C.I could see from where she stood were leaking a reddish-brown fluid that looked a bit too much like blood for her liking. Clumps of white, wiry hair were falling out of his scalp, and the metal that pushed through parts of his skin looked rusted. His breath was labored, his entire figure shuddering with every movement....
…with every step, as V.I.C.I watched, Epsilon was dying.
“......can you hear me?” The brunette gynoid tentatively approached the man/machine hybrid, not wanting to startle him and potentially get attacked. “Anthony....”
Bloodshot eyes stared back at her. Fragments of words issued from behind the grate over Epsilon's mouth.
“I'm here for you,” V.I.C.I continued, trying to keep herself from succumbing to her own emotions. “We need to get somewhere safer....you're in danger out here....”
Epsilon took a step forward....only to collapse to one knee. His chest heaved with each breath.
Messages within the gynoid Field Agent's internal H.U.D revealed that her colleagues had subdued the Walther turret, and were now in position to surround---and, if necessary, protect---Epsilon. “I can take you to a place where you can rest,” she continued. “I....brought a few people to help---”
“Vicki, we have a problem.”
The sounding of those five words---technically, four words and a name---in the brunette gynoid's ear crushed any hope that this would be a simple operation. “We're going to get you out of here,” she continued, never looking away from Epsilon as she took a step towards him. “We can help you----”
“Vicki, we've got a bogey moving towards your position.”
Blinking away the anger at being interrupted, even if it was a colleague trying to warn her about a potential aggressor, V.I.C.I continued trying to calm Epsilon. “We can make the pain....less, than it is. We can't get rid of it completely---”
“VICKI, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE NOW! THERE'S AN INCOMING HOSTILE----”
Whoever was shouting in her ear probably hadn't expected a reply---at least, not the kind of reply V.I.C.I gave in response to this final interruption. Turning on one heel, placing a finger to her ear (a gesture of habit; she'd already return-pinged the communicator of the agent who'd just yelled at her), she spoke without even moving her lips, the message circulating through her thought processes being sent as pure (and loud) audio: “I'M DOING MY JOB, YOU DO YOUR JOB! EPSILON NEEDS TO BE CALMED DOWN BEFORE WE TRY TO MOVE HIM OUT OF HERE! DON'T CALL ME AGAIN UNLESS[/i]----”
A loud, moaning cry from Epsilon cut off the Field Agent's rant. “.....Anthony?”
“Unknown ordnance has been deployed against Epsilon---possibly counter-electronic or EMP-derivative---”
It didn't take long for V.I.C.I to realize the “ordnance” wasn't EMP-derivative---she'd have felt the effects, if it had been. “Anthony.....what's----”
She stopped short of the intended question, noticing the metal showing through Epsilon's flesh turning red.
“Vicki, you need to get out of there.” Hearing Sophia Starlet's voice on her internal comm didn't surprise the brunette gynoid---the two had already dealt with the self-driving cars trying to attack Epsilon earlier. What was slightly alarming was the somewhat startled, possibly even frightened tone of her voice. “Someone's using the same program that took out Casey against Epsilon, except it's worse----it's frying him from the inside out, one implant at a time!”
A flashback to the driverless cars, circling around Epsilon with the intent to infect him, briefly entered V.I.C.I's thought processes. “.....you're sure?”
“Positive. Vicki, if the process isn't cancelled or countered.....Epsilon will be dead within a few minutes!”
The memory of the Walther turret once again resurfaced, accompanied by one ugly word: herding. Someone wanted Epsilon within range of this “ordnance”....the turrets were there to wound him, scare him off---
Any and all thoughts of herding were cut short by a pained shriek from the man/machine hybrid---and, oddly enough, a break in the comm-line with Sophia. An unfamiliar male voice was yammering away about “success rate” and “increasing output”; Epsilon was mentioned at least three times, proving that whoever this was, they were responsible for Epsilon's current pain. One phrase, uttered so fast that a human may have missed it, stood out: “Helios is working even more effectively than anticipated.”
So that's what killed Casey, and what's killing Epsilon now.... V.I.C.I closed her eyes, drowning out the unknown voice and re-establishing a link with Sophia. “Query HQ for any information about a program known as Helios. Set search parameters to include viruses and---”
Another voice cut in. “HQ just got word back: the code signature of this 'Helios' matches the code of the program that bricked Agent Casey earlier today.”
A third voice: “Get counter-ordnance in as soon as possible----”
“There's no time!” Sophia's frantic cry cut through the counter-ordnance suggestion. “Whatever Helios is, it's contagious---Vicki, get out of there before Epsilon---”
Sophia's advice was drowned out in another pained roar–-Epsilon was lunging at V.I.C.I., the pain coursing through every limb now causing the visible implants in his body to practically glow red. “Epsilon is entering into a critical state,” the Field Agent stated, even as tarnished talons sliced at the air, narrowly missing the still-retreating gynoid as she backpedaled. “Non-lethal isn't going to work anymore....”
Fourteen words---not quite as coldly efficient as Faceless' diction, but just as chilling in their effect.
“HQ isn't responding,” another Field Agent's voice stated over the ALPA-issued comm-line. “Comms are going crazy....I'm picking up outside comms–-” A pause. “.....just got a comm-break from the person responsible for this Helios thing–-”
“So did I,” Sophia Starlet's voice replied. “Any chance we can get a lock on the position----”
Before she could even think to reply, V.I.C.I managed to sidestep a flailing punch from Epsilon. “Kind of busy at the moment...” Another sidestep put her just out of reach from a haymaker that would've caved in a human being's face---or possibly torn her own face off, again. “Are there any more turrets---” She didn't flinch as the report of another Walther PA-2000 sounded right in her ear---coincidentally, going off just as Epsilon's fist flew past her head, hitting the crumbling wall of the strip mall behind her.
One Field Agent's voice said something about “another turret down,” but V.I.C.I didn't register it---Epsilon was still raging, still suffering before her eyes, and non-lethal force wouldn't be enough to contain him.
Assuming containment is even an option anymore.....
The realization that she might have to kill Epsilon was a sobering one. Even if she wasn't responsible for striking the blow or firing the bullet that would do the deed, just knowing that her teammates would have no choice was horrific---and very nearly distracting, as the brunette gynoid realized while dodging a punch that would've shattered her jaw if it had landed on a human being. Actually, calling the attack a “punch” was a wild overstatement---Epsilon was flailing around, lashing out at anything and everything in range (hence the fact that most of his blows were now hitting walls instead of being aimed anywhere near V.I.C.I in particular).
There was also the small matter of steam rising off of every inch of Epsilon's uncovered flesh....
“Vicki, we're getting high temperature readings off of Epsilon,” Sophia's voice stated in the gynoid Field Agent's left ear. “That Helios program is practically cooking him from the inside---what's left of his organic body is barely holding on, and the implants....”
“How long does he have left?” The words sounded a shade too calm, even as V.I.C.I spoke them.
“The rest of the hour, maybe....or maybe just the next few minutes. We're looking at a catastrophic failure---”
“Is Helios affecting anything else within comm range?”
“If it was, you and I would both be in the same boat as Epsilon---it's only affecting him.”
“Then try to figure out a way to lessen its effect, or at least cut off the transmission.”
“We've got our best people on it as we speak---are you still fighting Epsilon right now?!”
The surprised question followed the sound of a car door smashing into the wall five feet from where V.I.C.I had been standing. “Still trying to figure out how to keep him from getting out of this area,” she replied, taking a few more steps away from Epsilon as she spoke. “And not having a whole lot of luck....there's too much open ground. If he decides to run, we could lose him.”
“If we try to keep him in one small area, he'll start going after you, Vicki!”
“He's not 'going after' anything,” V.I.C.I countered. “Whatever Helios is doing to him, it isn't making him target anything specifically....” Almost as if to prove her point, Epsilon had turned away from his “pursuit” of the brunette gynoid, focusing instead on smashing a perfectly normal wall to pieces with his fists. “He's lashing out. If this Helios thing is really cooking him from the inside, then he's in pain....he's not doing this because he wants to....” She knew what came next, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words; it's like that whole thing of “your mind makes it real”, she realized. And I don't want it to be real.....She turned away, not wanting to look at Epsilon's suffering any further.
“.....Vicki, we can't save him. I know you're stalling until we can get more of our people in there to move him out of the area, but---”
“Then maybe I'm not trying to save him.” The words sounded bitter even through the robotic monotone, but V.I.C.I wasn't done. “Maybe I just want him to be able to die in piece, without some program killing him a little bit at a time. Maybe I want Epsilon to get one last moment.....”
For a few seconds, the gynoid Field Agent felt tears welling up in her eyes.
“.....one last moment,” she whispered, slipping back into her human voice, “of peace. Of freedom....”
The sound of crying filled her ears---and for a second, she thought it was either Epsilon breaking free of his conditioning, or Sophia having been moved by her emotional speech.....but then, the fog returned.
Kneeling less than seven feet away from her---ignoring the sight of Epsilon punching a wall----was Oberon.
“You knew,” Vicki murmured. “When you told me I'd know what I had to do....this is what you meant---”
“They're both dying,” Oberon sobbed. “All I've done to prevent this, and they're both dying....”
Vicki approached the figure of Epsilon, knowing full well he wasn't really there. “I know Epsilon is dying,” she admitted, “and Anthony Sanderson with him---”
“Clive,” the former Chairman moaned. “Clive Tyresius DuBraul is dying, and I'm in a position to do sod-all to help him...” He glanced at Vicki, his eyes bloodshot. “He only went and told me, via couriers,” he breathed, “didn't want me to feel guilty about all of this....” He turned away again, shaking his head. “I did this. My damn stupid crusade....I chased Epsilon right into his own bloody grave, and now Clive is on his deathbed---the last thing I ever said to him......” He shook his head again, tears streaming down both cheeks.
“Oberon,” Vicki murmured, kneeling beside the image of the ex-Chairman. “...Clive isn't dying because of what you did. He's been sick---really sick....even I didn't know how bad it was....” She glanced back at Epsilon. “I need to know why you're here,” she continued, trying to force herself to not think of Clive DuBraul's impending death. “Why---”
“You were right.”
The image of Oberon stood, staring into Vicki's eyes. “You said this is what I meant, when I told you that you would know what you had to do....” From the look on his face, it was almost as if he was watching both Epsilon and Clive DuBraul die before his eyes, powerless to save either of them. “There is nothing you, or I, or anyone else in the ALPA or the Coalition or the House or any bloody where else can do to save Epsilon, formerly Anthony Sanderson...” He bowed his head. “I didn't tell you because I wanted you to feel powerless,” he quietly added, “or to mock you.....”
A deep, shuddering breath left his lips. “....I knew because it was inevitable. That neither of us could stop this from happening. And I didn't want that to be the end.”
“Then what did you want? You're on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean right now----”
“I wanted, upon realizing that killing Epsilon would fix absolutely nothing, to see him die in the company of his daughter. To die in peace.....not like this...” Oberon stared at the now-convulsing Epsilon, who reeled away from punching the wall as if the process was causing more pain than anything else. “All the time I wanted to end Project Epsilon,” he muttered, “I never thought of this. Never saw it as having a face...or a name.....”
Vicki wanted to say something, anything, to dispel the feeling of hopelessness that she felt....but no words came to her. All she could do was watch Epsilon stagger drunkenly, as if his own legs wouldn't hold him up.
“....there's only one thing you can do for him now,” Oberon intoned. “One final gesture----”
“I can't!” The words came out in a harsh croak. “Oberon, don't ask me----please don't ask me to do this–-”
“The longer Helios is in his system,” the ex-Chairman snapped, “the more pain he's going to be in...” His anger gave way to another shuddering sob. “....this way will be quicker. He won't feel it. It'll practically be---”
“DAD!”
At that one word, the image of Oberon turned away. “Not here,” he sobbed, just as Kirsten Sanderson ran towards Vicki and the still-staggering Epsilon. “Not now....” The fog was already beginning to dissapate, and Oberon himself was fading with it. “When I said you'd know, Vicki,” he whispered, “this is what I meant. This exact moment....”
Just as Kirsten was close enough to see the metal on Epsilon's arm glowing red, Oberon vanished.
“.....Dad....” Kirsten had been crying for a good long while---the ALPA-issue jacket draped around her gave a small hint as to how she'd managed to reach the site to begin with. “....is he still alive?” The question, directed towards Vicki, came out as a whimper. “Is he still.....”
“He's suffering,” Vicki replied, her voice just a shade away from her robotic monotone. “I can't save him---”
“Don't say that! There has to be....” The realization had already struck her even as she spoke. “....you...you won't....you can't---”
“Compared to what he's going through now,” Vicki stated, “it'll be quick, and he won't even feel it.” She stared at her hands. “The implants are the only things standing between him and dying painlessly---and they're being wiped out by a program called Helios. It's...it's burning him, from the inside---it's only meant to work against androids and gynoids---”
“Why?!”
The thought of asking “Why, what?” barely occurred to the brunette gynoid before Kirsten grabbed her by the shoulders; “Why would someone do this to him?!” she sobbed. “Why would anyone.....”
“I don't know,” Vicki admitted, not flinching away as Kirsten clung to her. “I only know how to end it....”
She gently pulled away from Kirsten, staring at her hands. “I have to short out his implants, all at once.”
“.....but....he'll die....”
“He's dying right now, Kirsten. Slowly, and painfully. The implants---all those things meant to 'upgrade' him and make him 'better'....they're keeping him alive, but they're also hurting him. The longer they stay online, the worse he's going to get....” Vicki took a deep breath. “I have to amp up the output from my RadioThermionic Generator and channel it through my Detaining Grip at the maximum possible voltage, to get through Epsilon's skin and short out every single one of his implants at once....and there's only one part of him that's vulnerable enough for that attack.”
She steadied Kirsten, staring directly into her eyes. “I have to hit him at the base of the spine. It'll disable his motor functions and stun him while the RTG output shorts out his implants...but---”
“No. I...I can't, Vicki.....” Kirsten tried to look away. “You can't ask me to do this---”
“I need you to distract him, Kirsten. I don't know why you were able to get onto an ALPA convoy to get here, but we're both here. And we both need to do this.....”
“....Vicki.....he's my dad.....” Kirsten's eyes were closed, every word coming out as a sob. “....I can't....”
“You have to. He wouldn't have wanted this....but none of us have a choice.”
Kirsten opened her eyes, and found that V.I.C.I's own ocular sensors had taken on their familiar blue glow...but there was something...different, almost sad, to it. “It's the only option we have,” the brunette gynoid stated, her hands still holding Kirsten steady. “Believe me, I wanted to save him too....”
She sighed. “....this is all we can do for him,” she finished, slipping back into her human voice again.
Anger, sadness, fear, confusion---those emotions and too many more to count played out in Kirsten's eyes and expression over the span of a few seconds. For a moment, Vicki actually thought she was going to lash out, or try to hit her....
...and was surprised when the blonde gynoid pulled her in for a tearful embrace.
“He won't feel it, will he?” Kirsten whispered. “Promise me he won't feel it....”
“.....I'll make it quick,” V.I.C.I quietly replied. “It won't be easy to watch....”
“None of this has been easy,” Kirsten countered. “I just...:”
“We don't have a lot of time, Kirsten.” V.I.C.I pulled out of the embrace, her eyes still glowing. “There's no way to tell how affected his brain is by Helios....we need to pull this off while he still has the capacity to recognize you....and, for the record,” she added, once again reverting to her human voice, “I'm sorry–-”
Kirsten shook her head. “Don't.”
“.....don't what---”
“You didn't do this to him, Vicki....you didn't turn him into this. You're not the one who should answer for what happened to him....” After a few seconds, Kirsten nodded. “I'm ready. Where is---” She stopped, looking past Vicki and nearly screaming. “Dad?!”
Epsilon was doubled over, shuddering to even stay upright; the metal visible on his limbs had burned through from the inside, and various fluids were beginning to leak from within. His breath was now coming in ragged, liquidy coughs, each one sending a torrent of viscous, almost oily fluid pouring forth from whatever was left of his mouth. His left knee was close to buckling, and his right hip appeared to be dislocated; the talons on his fingertips were apparently emerging “growing” backwards, cutting up through the knuckles.
“.....I'll make it quick,” V.I.C.I promised, taking a step towards Epsilon. “Just–-KIRSTEN, WAIT!”
Kirsten shouldered past her, running up to the stricken Epsilon. “Dad.....”
Memories of Casey flashed through V.I.C.I's thoughts, only to be disspelled by another memory---a remark she'd heard from Sophia during their earlier conversation about Helios' range of effect: “it's only affecting him.”
A pained groan snapped the Field Agent out of her reverie---Epsilon had dropped to one knee, barely able to even turn and look at Kirsten as she approached. “Dad...it's me...” She slowed as she got closer, hoping to avoid provoking an attack from Epsilon. “.....please tell me you know me....”
Epsilon lifted his head, barely. “Kir.......sten?”
Even as she approached, Kirsten refrained from embracing what her father had become. “...I'm here, dad...”
“.....I.....hurt....”
The tears flowed from Kirsten's eyes again. “I know, Dad.....I'm sorry....”
“...why...”
“I couldn't help you. I didn't even know.....” Kirsten turned away, glancing at V.I.C.I with an unspoken plea.
“You're sure you want me to do this with you here?”
“You said he wouldn't feel it....and I can't stand seeing him like this. Vicki....” The blonde gynoid blinked away the tears. “....whatever you need to do, just.....”
The brunette gynoid gave a silent nod, moving to stand behind the man/machine hybrid.
Epsilon tried to move, tried to look at V.I.C.I....but nearly collapsed.
Deactivating Lawson Robotics safeguards.
Deactivating Detaining Grip safety lock-out.
RTG Output will now exceed recommended levels.
Are you sure you wish to continue? Y/N
[Y]
“Safeguards deactivated. Detaining Grip safety lock-out deactivated.” V.I.C.I's eyes glowed a brilliant, pure sapphire, signalling to Kirsten that she was ready.
Increasing output to Detaining Grip.
“Kirsten, you'll want to get back....this is going to be dangerous---”
“I can't leave! I don't want.....” Kirsten started sobbing again. “I don't want his last memory of me.....” She couldn't finish the sentence, choking up almost instantly. “.....I can't let my father die alone....”
“You don't have to leave. You only need to stand back....”
Kirsten nodded, backpedalling towards the still-crumbling strip mall.
“Anthony, if you can hear me....if you can understand me.....” V.I.C.I approached Epsilon, her hand moving towards the base of his spine. “.....I didn't want it to end this way....”
Between Epsilon's bloody coughs, she heard a reply: “....not.....your.....fault.....”
With almost herculean effort, the man/machine hybrid turned, staring right at the brunette gynoid. Instinctively, she started to say something....
….but Epsilon beat her to the punch with two simple words: “....thank you.”
Tears streamed from V.I.C.I's eyes, but she refused to let emotion overrule what had to be done. With a simple nod, she stepped forward, her hand hovering over the spot at the base of Epsilon's spine; notices and safety warnings flashed in her HUD, all of them being dismissed as she prepared to effectively mercy-kill the being that had once been Anthony Sanderson.
As Kirsten watched, hugging the wall of the strip mall, V.I.C.I's hand brushed against the pale skin at the base of Epsilon's spine. For a moment, it seemed as if nothing had happened.....
….but, before the gynoid daughter of Anthony Sanderson could blink, she saw.
Blue lightning shot through whatever was left of Epsilon's veins, dancing across every inch of bare skin as a series of small detonations beneath that flesh sent him to the ground, in a final, bloody cough. A sound like ten dozen miniature firecrackers going off under a slab of meat filled the air, as ragged holes began to appear all over the stricken hybrid's figure. Through all of it, V.I.C.I stood firm, her hand planted at the base of Epsilon's spine as the maximum output from her RTG shot from her fingers into him. Her expression never wavered, the glow in her eyes never dimmed....
….even as Epsilon reared back, his eyes bursting in their sockets as he stared to the heavens, screaming one last, primal howl...before his joints blew out in a shower of metal, bone, plastic, blood and other fluids. The stricken hybrid fell to the ground, never to move again.
A few more small explosions jolted his unmoving figure, but after a few short seconds, it was all to clear that the deed had been done. The lingering tendrils of electricity from V.I.C.I's fingers broke away and faded.
Project Epsilon had, finally, been terminated. Anthony Sanderson was dead.
Something wet hit V.I.C.I's cheek, and for a moment, she thought it was a drop of fluid from Epsilon's corpse; a quick look skyward revealed the sky to have darkened, with rain pouring down all around her. Had the shower begun during the execution of Epsilon, the rain might very well have sent the current back into her own body.
As it stood, there was only one confirmed casualty to report.
The brunette gynoid closed her eyes, putting two fingers to her right ear. “Agent Lawson to all active Field Agents....Epsilon has been terminated. Repeat: Epsilon has been terminated.” Out of habit---and out of respect for the man Epsilon had once been, and the grieving synthetic daughter he'd left behind---she bowed her head. “Fall back and return to base.” Her monotone was close to a whisper as she spoke...a far cry from the rain-sloshing footsteps of Kirsten as she ran to the downed figure of her father.
“Dad....” Without even acknowledging V.I.C.I's presence, Kirsten fell to her knees beside Epsilon's body, embracing the unmoving form. “You're free now, Dad,” she sobbed. “You're free....”
Reactivating Lawson Robotics safeguards.
Reactivating Detaining Grip safety lock-out.
RadioThermionic Generator output: nominal.
Even as she blinked away the notices from her operating system, V.I.C.I couldn't bring herself to look at the corpse of Epsilon, or Kirsten kissing the back of his hand, sobbing quietly all the while.
“Kirsten....we need to go.”
Even as her friend continued to mourn, V.I.C.I knew what had to be done next. “We'll have a team out here to....secure him. Right now, we need to get back....” She let herself trail off; this wasn't the time for cold, logical thinking.
“Kirsten,” she repeated, slipping back into her human voice. “I'm here. If you need to cry.....”
The blonde gynoid stood, turning to stare at Vicki....and nearly fell forward, wrapping her in a tearful embrace.
“I'm here, Kirsten,” the brunette gynoid whispered, no longer fighting back her own tears. “I'll be here as long as I need to be....”
A group of Field Agents approached, led by the unmistakable purple-and-pink clad figure of Galatea. “Let me do the talking here,” she advised. “They need the silk approach, not the sandpaper.” A few of the Agents frowned at that, but nodded and backed off; Galatea, meanwhile, made her way towards Vicki and Kirsten, the latter of whom was practically limp in the brunette gynoid's arms. “Retrieval team's inbound,” she stated. “I've got a transport waiting to take you both to ALPA HQ....” She paused. “Kirsten, if you want a ride home---”
“She goes with me.” Vicki stared past Kirsten, locking eyes with Galatea. “She can have my room at Ted's.”
The silver-skinned gynoid nodded. “I have absolutely no problem with that. I may have to lose some papers for Kirsten to not fill out.....” The joke went unfinished; Vicki was still staring into Galatea's eyes. “..I'll make some calls, Vicki. Whatever you need, and whatever Kirsten needs...”
“Do it.”
With another nod, Galatea turned to leave. “...you two are probably going to want to not be here whenever the Retrieval guys show up,” she added. “It'll be....well, I should say it won't be quick....” She decided not to push the statement any further. “I'll just...ah, go....” Vicki was still standing by Epsilon, with Kirsten sobbing into her shoulder as Galatea walked away.
“Is it just me,” she whispered, glancing back over her shoulder, “or is it always raining in times like this?”
-------------------------------------
Long before Max Mills' rented Cabrio pulled up at the assigned rendezvous point, Octavia Martinet knew he'd done something to botch the Epsilon job. Over the past hour or so, she'd felt....annoyed---at what, she couldn't really say. She knew, somehow, that the job had gone wrong.
The look on Mills' face as he put the Cabrio over the curb and nearly fell getting out of it confirmed her fears.
“....unbelievable, absolutely un-freaking believable....” Mills glared at Octavia, scowling. “You never said there would be others!” he shouted. “Especially not that Lawson girl---”
“The Lawson girl was there?” Octavia countered, genuinely surprised.
“She was there, and SHE killed Epsilon! Or her stupid teammates did, I couldn't tell which....some dingus went and jammed my comm before I could boost the signal on Helios to initiate the kill.” Mills pulled his coat over his head to ward off the rain. “AND it's freaking raining! Nobody said anything about a storm....”
Octavia waved away Mills' complaints about the weather. “You said the Lawson girl killed Epsilon---”
“Either she did,” Max replied, “or her teammates did. I didn't see which---”
“But Epsilon was killed?” Octavia prompted. “You saw---”
“I heard it scream. And if what I heard wasn't Epsilon....” Mills shook his head. “Whatever happened out there, something died. I'm pretty sure it was Epsilon, and I'm pretty sure we didn't take it down.”
After a few seconds' pause, Octavia shook her head. “This isn't possible. It's just.....we were supposed to---”
“Supposed to kill Epsilon?” Mills finished. “Hate to break it to you, but---HEY!” He tensed; Octavia's hands had closed around his shirt collar, pulling him in until he was practically nose-to-nose with her. “Are you sure that Epsilon is terminated?” she hissed.
Max only nodded towards Octavia's phone---where an unread message was waiting.
“.....sent at the moment Epsilon's life signals ceased,” the gynoid muttered. “DAMN it!” She nearly threw Mills away from her, turning away and muttering under her breath. “How could this have gone so wrong.....” Her rant ended with a glance at Mills. “.....you said you hadn't boosted the signal on Helios,” she mused.
“I wasn't able to,” Mills shot back. “Someone jammed my comms–-”
“You transmitted Helios through a United Robotronics frequency,” Octavia cut in. “A secure frequency.”
Mills frowned. “You're saying someone hacked us?”
“I'm saying that you need to get back to whatever you were doing before you decided to hold a demonstration of Helios,” Octavia finished, turning to walk away from Mills. “And I need to file a report about this....incident, before the wrong people hear about Epsilon's termination.” The thought of the Baron finding out that Epsilon had been killed by someone else---especially someone from the ALPA---wasn't exactly a pleasant one.
“So what about our agreement?” Mills shouted. “Me helping you, all that crap?!”
Octavia didn't bother looking back, or even acknowledging that Mills had spoken.
It took less than a minute for Max to realize that the “agreement” was null and void by now. Even if Octavia didn't want his head on a pike, she probably thought he was at least partially responsible for this debacle.
After a few seconds' hesitation, Max fished his phone out of his pocket. It was going to be a long week....
-------------------------------------
“So it's done, then? Epsilon is dead?”
“Afraid so. And Vicki did the job herself....I saw the whole thing. Before you even ask....I'm pretty sure she wasn't enjoying it at all. It wasn't like what happened with Hannsen....”
“A small comfort, I'm afraid. And what of Clive's condition?”
“.....he might not reach the end of this hour...and that's if he's lucky. The attacks are getting worse....either the medicine doesn't work anymore, or the sickness was more advanced than we thought. Even the doctor----”
“Doctor who, exactly?”
“...he doesn't want to go on record. Anyway, he said that it's a miracle Clive can even stay coherent, what with all the drugs they've had to put in him just to keep him from coughing up every last drop of blood in his body; if we can get in contact with any remaining relatives---”
“Our primary concern is that our current guest be informed when it happens.”
“....I know you're trying to be nice, by not calling him 'prisoner' and all, but I know that Oberon knows Clive isn't going to make it. Breaking the news to him when it happens isn't going to magically make everything better between everyone involved.”
“It's less about patching things up between everyone and more about common courtesey. Clive and Oberon were brothers in arms. Neither of them would want to leave the other in the dark---”
“So you're going to tell Oberon that his closest friend in the ALPA is dead right before he goes to trial?”
“....this isn't about the trial. You know that.”
“I know that Oberon is already in a state of considerable mental anguish. You let him call Vicki right before she killed Epsilon, and now you're debating whether or not to tell him about Clive right before you haul him off to be sentenced for what he did to try and kill Epsilon....I think Clive himself would probably agree with me when I say it's remarkably tactless of you---”
“Would you prefer we tell Oberon right after his sentencing, then? Assuming the Council shows him leniency?”
“I'd prefer it if you waited until after this whole mess was sorted out. Morale is down across the board, and I don't think anyone else wants another tragedy, so soon after Epsilon's death.”
“...about Epsilon. Was.....”
“Yes, Kirsten was there. She didn't stay for the retrieval of the body....the whole ride home, she was muttering about why we couldn't fix Epsilon, how she didn't want her last memory to be seeing him broken.”
“Anthony Sanderson was dead the moment the Baron conscripted him into that infernal project...there was---”
“Nothing we could do, hands were tied, I got all the memos. Just....don't tell Oberon about Clive until I call you back, okay? We'll all have time for tears when this is sorted out........you did, didn't you?”
“.....”
“.....you already told.....I have to call you back. They just brought in Epsilon's remains for disposal, and I have to make sure they---”
“Gabriella, wait.”
“......you know better than to use my old name, even on a private line.”
“And you know better than anyone that the next steps we take, in any direction, must be made with the utmost care. I'll handle things on this side, the best I can...all I can ask is that you do the same on yours.”
“You don't have to ask. I learned a long time ago that doing anything halfway was a bad idea.”
“....I assume that's all you called to report, then? Epsilon's death, and Clive's condition?”
“That, and one more little wrinkle in the trial picture: Vicki's getting on a plane in five hours.”
“....Agent Lawson is coming here?”
“I'm staying here to help with cleanup, evidence processing and figuring out who the hell decided to re-activate the Helios program. You should be glad Oberon's in custody with you, and not out here....if he found out that someone used Helios against Epsion, he'd be going after them himself---sword in hand and all.”
“Something tells me Oberon won't be using a sword in the field any time soon....”
“And this is the part where I can tell that something's bothering you. What happened---”
“He's been crying, again. Except this time....he's been saying something different.”
“Different....how?”
“He keeps saying 'we failed her', and variations of it. Says something about not being worthy to carry her out of the fire....any idea about what he means?”
“......”
“Galatea, if you know---”
“How many other people heard him say this?”
“None.”
“Keep it that way. Do not---I repeat, DO NOT repeat what you just told me to anyone else....anyway, tell him that Vicki is on the way---”
“I think he already knows. After the 'out of the fire' remark, he mentioned Vicki by name, said something about how she was 'inbound'....he's been in containment since the last time we let him contact her. None of us have mentioned any possibility of her showing up---”
“Doesn't matter. Just make sure he knows she IS coming....he needs this. No matter what the verdict ends up being, Oberon and Vicki need one more heart-to-heart before this is all over. And like I said earlier, I'm helping with cleanup duty, so don't expect to see me over there.”
“Understood. I wish you the best of---”
“I found out a long time ago that wishing someone luck never works....but I appreciate the sentiment. Take care of yourself out there, okay?”
“I'll do my best, Galatea---if you promise to do yours.”
“Don't I always?”
-------------------------------------
“...and you're sure you want to do this?”
Rae---one leg up, draped over the back of the couch she was lounging on, lazily glancing at the addressee of her question---rolled her eyes at the frown she received in reply. “For the fifteenth time, yes. I'm sure.” Vicki checked the contents of her luggage; “I need more answers about all of this,” she continued. “Oberon called me twice, from an overseas ALPA holding facility....he knows more than he's told me so far.”
“And you think going there to yell at him in person is a good idea?” Rae mused.
“I'm not going to 'yell at him'. He was crying when he showed up while I was facing Epsilon....” A quick check of her backpack revealed that Vicki's MacBook was safely ensconced within. “I just want to talk to him.”
With a yawn, and a flex of her leg that was more than likely meant to be seductive, Rae dismounted the sofa and crossed the room. “As long as the 'talking' doesn't revolve around me borrowing a fedora, you two can flap your gums about whatever you want.” She leaned forward, using the nearest mirror to scrutinize various aspects of the makeup she had on at the moment. “I'm a bit surprised you didn't sign up for putting Casey back the way she's supposed to be...restoring her backups and all that---”
“I didn't know her all that well,” Vicki admitted, too quickly for even her own liking. “I think it'd be better---”
“If she were repaired by someone who hadn't gone through something similar?” Rae finished, glancing over her shoulder. “You don't need to sugarcoat it for me, Vicks...you're scared.”
A million scathing replies passed through the brunette gynoid's processors...but none were spoken.
“I was freaking out, too, when I saw what happened to her,” Rae admitted. “It's one of those things that make me ask why they ever let us feel anything...I mean, on the one hand, some feelings are brilliant---”
“It's not just about me being scared.”
That admission stopped Rae in her tracks. “....it's not?”
“The program that killed Casey is the same one that destroyed Epsilon. If Obreon knows anything about it, I want to hear it from him.” Vicki was going through another suitcase as she spoke, making sure everything she needed for the trip was on hand. “And I'd rather let Casey be rebuilt and brought back into the field by those who knew her. And yes.....I'm scared. I have no idea how that program got in her to begin with, or what might have triggered it....”
She closed her eyes. “....it could've been any of us.”
Rae glanced over her shoulder, her eyes wide. “....you....you don't really think.....”
“I think that whoever was responsible for what happened to Casey is still out there, planning....I don't even know what. And they need to be stopped.” Vicki closed the suitcase she'd been packing, zipping it up with a quiet sigh. “I just hope that Oberon knows something about this, even if he's somehow involved with the Helios program. I still need answers....we all do.”
“And you don't think anyone here would want to go with you?” Rae inquired.
“It's not that I don't think that. It's....Oberon called me, when Epsilon was dying...he's the one who told me I'd have to kill Epsilon.” Vicki checked the last of her bags, shaking her head as she zipped it up. “I need to get out of here for a while,” she murmured. “And if I get the answers I hope Oberon can give me....” She picked up three of her bags, sighing again. “I just hope we can make sense of all of this...”
Rae nodded silently. “That makes two of us, Vicks...”
Outside, Harris was waiting by the van Vicki had charged up a day or two prior. “I'd make a 'chariot awaits' joke,” he mused, “but I have a feeling you're not in the mood....” The stare he received in reply was all the response he needed. “You're not the only one going on this trip, Vicki,” he continued, loading a single suitcase into the back of the van. “The only going to see Oberon, maybe...I've got my own business I need to tend to when we---”
“You're not staying to help them rebuild Casey?”
“They have everyone and everything they need to handle it without me,” he replied. “And we both have a damn good reason to be over there, instead of here...”
“Does your 'business' involve getting answers, too?” Vicki quietly asked.
Harris gave her the slightest of glances. “....from a certain point of view.”
Guess that line of inquiry can wait until later....“Anyone else going with us?”
“Anton and Tell are staying to help with K.C.,” Harris stated. “Ted's got a meeting to tend to....and everyone else is either on field ops to find out who used Helios against Epsilon, or looking after Clive.”
The mention of the ALPA's President stirred a rush of guilt within the brunette gynoid. “...I...haven't checked on him since the Epsilon thing,” she admitted. “Is he---”
“He's not going to last too much longer,” Harris muttered. “An hour, half a day.....he's really, really sick....”
“And we can't do anything to help?” Vicki practically spat the words, her grip denting the grip of her suitcase as she stared at the ground. “We just have to....sit here, and wait for him to die?!”
“Clive has been very ill for a very long time,” Harris quietly explained. “It's a genetic condition...it killed his father, his grandfather and too many men in his bloodline to count. No doctor on this continent could've done anything for him. Staying here wouldn't do anything, either.”
Vicki wanted to say something to counter Harris' assertion, to claim that looking after DuBraul was worth it in some way....but nothing came to mind. “...nobody ever actually told me where Oberon is,” she mused, hoping that changing the subject would alleviate some of the tension of the moment. “I keep hearing 'overseas', but no specific place.....”
“They haven't told anyone,” Harris replied, giving the interior of the van a once-over before he closed the rear doors. “Security reasons. What he's done lately has pissed off a lot of people....”
“And how many of those people have a way to get to him?” the brunette gynoid countered.
“Not the point. The Coalition wants Oberon to stand trial on equal terms, meaning they want him on trial in neutral territory---where anyone could get to him. The House is staying quiet, and our contacts up on the Hill want answers.” Harris shook his head; “It's complicated,” he admitted. “A lot more complicated than anyone would ever care to admit---”
“Let me guess,” Vicki cut in. “It's all too political for me, too 'deep'.....” She practically threw her bags into the van, slamming the door after it and shaking the entire vehicle. “I get it.”
Harris was slightly taken aback. “I....Vicki, I didn't mean---”
“You didn't mean to make me feel like what I used to be,” the brunette gynoid replied, “like an appliance....”
Almost reflexively, she went to open the van's door again---only to rip out the door pull entirely.
“Vicki,” Harris began, “it wasn't your----” He stopped short of finishing his assurance, watching as the door pull fell from Vicki's grasp; the gynoid Field Agent herself was staring at the hole she'd made in the door, looking as if she wanted to be anywhere else at the moment. “Everyone thinks I like this,” she murmured, “that I'm with the ALPA to be.....some kind of superhero or something.....”
She glanced at Harris, who noticed her eyes had taken on a soft, almost sky-blue glow. “....but I'm not,” she whispered. “And I know I'm not.”
“....nobody ever said you were a superhero,” Harris assured her. “They just......their expectations are high.”
“You mean they're stupidly unrealistic,” Vicki corrected, turning away. “I joined the ALPA because I wanted to prove that androids and gynoids can coexist peacefully with people...and then I just barely avoid getting on the 10:00 PM news after Faceless cuts a swath through an ALPA barbecue, or that little stunt I had to pull over at the Chirkey Dam.....” She knelt to pick up the door pull. “They never even mentioned the ALPA on the news coverage of the barbecue massacre,” she quietly added. “And when Faceless.....killed me....”
“They covered the factory fire,” Harris admitted. “You were never mentioned....Vicki, if this is about---”
“I don't want them to know me. I don't want my face on TVs across the country just because I'm a robot that looks like a human.....” The brunette gynoid turned to glance at Harris again. “....I just want to know why I'm doing this....why we're doing this, if nobody even knows the ALPA exists.....”
Her admission once again perturbed Harris. “....you don't want to be in the ALPA anymore?” he inquired.
“I want to understand why I'm in the ALPA,” Vicki clarified. “Why I'm doing what I do....why I'm protecting an entire....race, I guess....of synthetic beings like me, who most people don't even know about, and most of the ones who do just see as 'property'.....I want to know if what I'm doing means anything to anyone.”
For a few minutes, neither Harris nor Vicki could find anything to say to dispel that.
After a silence that felt far longer than it was, Harris finally spoke up: “Vicki.....everything we do, everything any of us within the ALPA does....it means something to someone.”
“So why do I feel like nobody cares?” the brunette gynoid murmured. “Like it doesn't matter what I do---”
“It does,” Harris insisted, dropping his luggage to grip Vicki by the shoulders. “As long as people think that all robots are going to 'rise up' and kill humanity, as long as the people in charge of this country and every country around the world try to decide what constitutes free will, sentience and even life for synthetic beings....” He gently cupped Vicki's chin in one hand, redirecting her gaze to look her in the eye. “....we matter,” he quietly stated. “What we do matters. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Silently, Vicki nodded.
“.....you okay?”
Again, the gynoid Field Agent nodded. “.....I just...I needed to vent,” she admitted. “And....sorry about breaking the door pull---”
“Not a problem. The door can be replaced.” Harris offered a reassuring smile. “Everybody in this line of work has a dark night of the soul....some, more often than others....it's nothing to feel ashamed of.” He glanced at the door pull; “That's nothing to be ashamed of, either,” he added.
“So you like having a van with a busted door?” Vicki replied, not smiling.
“It's a company van,” Harris admitted. “Actually, I think it's a rental....”
With a sigh, Vicki picked up the door pull. “Mom always wondered why I had such...enhanced strength,” she mused. “She didn't think it made sense for someone like me to be able to lift heavy stuff, run alongside a car while it's moving.....” She managed a grin. “Ted tried explaining it to her once...he'd be the first to admit that he wasn't 'Father of the Year' back then---at least, not to me.”
“We were all different, back then,” Harris reminded her. “Times change.”
“I know. And....when Ted started treating me like a daughter, like a member of the Lawson family, and not a part of the United Robotronics product line....” Vicki smiled. “It felt good, to know I was his daughter....”
“You're worrying about Oberon,” Harris mused. “How he was your....mentor, at the very least---”
“He's the reason I'm in the ALPA to begin with,” Vicki admitted. “He pretty much told me that, after the Silicon Dynamics incident. And now.....”
Harris nearly said something, but his phone cut him off. “Hold that thought.” He winced as he touched the screen with the same finger he'd scorched trying to deactivate Casey manually. Vicki, for the most part, was still ruminating on the trip she was about to undertake---and, more importantly, why Oberon had gone so far off the deep end in trying to kill Epsilon in the first place.
You know why he went so far, don't you? He said Epsilon was “a beast”......
Vicki shook her head at her own doubts. The last assignment she'd been on before Epsilon's return had seen her meet R-528, now known as Mr. Roboto---an entity just as dangerous (and probably just as infamous) as Epsilon---but Oberon had effectively granted R-528 a new lease on life despite the long-held belief that the android was responsible for the Bloody Valentine incident. Why, then, had he gone so far the opposite way to condemn Epsilon? Why was this case so different from that of R-528?
That's what the trip is for, Vicki recalled. Confronting him face to face, getting the truth directly from him, is better than taking a shot in the dark...and Tell would probably throw in an Ozzy Osbourne joke...
“.....right. I'll let her know.” With a sigh, Harris turned off his phone; “In case you're wondering,” he informed Vicki, “there's been a slight change of plans. We'll be meeting Tell at the compound where---”
“He's not staying to help rebuild Casey?” Vicki inquired.
“It's....complicated.” Harris stowed the phone in a pants pocket as he strode to the driver's side door of the van. “We need to get a move on if we're going to get to the airport on time...”
The brunette gynoid nodded. “I'm guessing this is an 'explain on the way' type of thing?”
“If it'll make you feel better.”
“It will.”
“Figured you'd feel that way. Can't say much during the drive, since the car doesn't have SARIA, but we'll have plenty of time to talk on the flight.” Harris was already seated behind the wheel of the van as he spoke; “Oh, and Sophia's waiting for us at the compound, too,” he added. “Ted's staying to help rebuild Casey...unless---”
“I can handle this trip,” Vicki replied, opening the passenger's side door and sliding into the seat.
“.....well, that's the last question I needed to ask.” The van's keyless ignition started the engine, which turned over after a few loud rumbles. “Time to go.”
Vicki nodded silently. Hopefully, she'd get the answers she wanted---and needed---soon enough.
-------------------------------------
V.I.C.I./Vicki Lawson's Internal Diary
Monday, October 03, 2011
My Macbook is in the back of the van I'm currently riding in, so I'm using this internal diary feature for the first time. It's....weird---seeing words type themselves out in my field of vision without using a keyboard or anything like that....but anyway. I' m about to travel to the United Kingdom---that's the only thing I know about where Harris and I are going---to see Oberon.
…..apparently, he's about to go to trial for his attempt to murder Epsilon.
I have a lot of questions---about Epsilon, about what killed Casey, and about everything that's been happening lately. More importantly....I need to know if he really knew that I would have to kill Epsilon myself.
Ted's staying behind to help repair Casey. Apparently, Sophia and Tell have already left for the UK.
….hopefully, everything that's been going on will at least start to make sense.
Whatever happens next.....I just hope it doesn't end in tears.
Until next time,
V.I.C.I/Vicki Lawson.
====================================================================================
Epsilon is dead, but his legacy---and the pall he cast over the ALPA---lives on!
Vicki Lawson travels across the ocean, preparing to face the former ALPA Chairman in search of answers. Who created the Helios program? Why did Epsilon “deserve” to die? And who got their hands on Helios to use against both Epsilon and an innocent Field Agent? All of these questions and more will be asked....
….but Vicki may have to answer a few questions herself.
Oberon's impending trial is only one obstacle Vicki will have to face–back in Silicon Valley, Kristen Casey's friends and allies need to rebuild the ruined gynoid from backups and a new body, while trying to find out how she contracted Helios herself. Will Casey's return be as easy as the ALPA hopes, or did Helios scar her too deeply? And will Vicki get the answers she seeks?
Stay tuned for The V.I.C.I. Diaries: “King Nothing” to find out!
=============================================================================================================================
Aaaaaaaaaaand after-credits time! "King Nothing" is on Page 18 out of...probably 60 or so, but that's not the only development in the VICI-verse. I've considered starting a "side-series", "Tales From the V.I.C.I-Verse", that would show how others---humans, androids and the like---would handle sharing their world stage with Vicki, the ALPA and the ever-growing cast of characters (I WILL get on a compendium of all things V.I.C.I, it just takes time!). King Nothing will drop before Christmas, probably....as for the first Tale From the V.I.C.I-Verse.....who knows?
As always, comments, compliments and constructive criticisms are appreciated and anticipated.
