After they entered the crumbling lobby, they realised that Isobel was far too heavy for the elevator, so they began to climb the stairs instead. Isobel had offered to carry Aurelia up, but was denied every time she asked. Isobel couldn’t help but smile when she thought about how headstrong Aurelia was.
I think I’m finally starting to see what sort of person she is.
Once they reached the fifth floor, Aurelia slumped against the cracked and flaky wall, heaving for breath. Isobel tried to offer help, but Aurelia would have none of it, brushing the android off at every attempt to carry her bag, or offer her shoulder to lean on.
“I can do this, just give me a moment. I’m a little more nervous than I have been letting on.”
Many of the apartments were missing doors, or had been boarded up like the windows outside, all except one. There was one door that looked out of place amongst the others. The blue door was covered in a variety of locks and devices, including a biometric scanner, and several surveillance cameras on the ceiling pointing in different directions.
Aurelia finally caught her breath, and stood tall. Isobel gave her a sympathetic look and nodded, stepping away from her. They slowly walked down the creaky, rundown hall, until they reached the apartment they had come across the galaxy to get to. Aurelia took a deep breath, held her hand to the door and knocked firmly.
There was no reaction, tension building in Aurelia’s chest, her heart pounding with anxiety. She knocked again, soon hearing footsteps from inside. A shutter on the door could be heard, followed by an annoyed grunt.
“Oh fuck off. I am not in the mood to see you today. Or ever. Leave and please never come back.” Said a man from behind the door.
“Come on Derek, I came across the galaxy just to see you! You gotta let me in.” Aurelia said a little too jovially.
“I said fuck off.” Derek growled. He paused for a moment then spoke up. “Wait, who’s that with you? Another chew toy? Seriously? Sixty years and you still bring whoever is your new plaything to see me? She doesn’t even look a day over forty.”
Aurelia’s smile faded, her eyes welling up with tears.
“I need your help, the Nekt sent a creature I’ve never seen to kidnap me and it nearly killed her. We are in danger.” Aurelia broke down into full sobbing. She had been doing her best to be strong in the face of what they had been through over the past two weeks, but she now fell to her knees, breaking down in front of her ex-husband and her own creation.
Derek sighed, closing the shutter. The door clicked several times, and then swung open to reveal an absolute bear of a man. He was so tall he would have to duck under the door frame sideways just to get through it. His size dwarfed that of both Aurelia and Isobel, each arm almost as wide as their waists. Despite his intimidating stature, his face was one of empathy and regret.
“Aurelia…Crying doesn't suit you.” He murmured. He shook his head and turned back into his apartment. “Well, are you coming in or not?”
“Yeah, sounds like you are in deep shit.” Derek said plainly.
“No kidding. After my… final contribution to the last war, I’m fairly certain they want me for something like that. I think the Nekt want me to build one for them, and the Guul want another, since the last one could only be used once. Only difference between the two is that the Guul were nicer about it.” Aurelia said, her face buried in her palms.
“What’s stopping the Guul from making another after you made it for them?” Said Derek, eying Aurelia cautiously. She shook her head.
“I made sure to destroy all plans of it. The plans themselves had a worm that prevented it being replicated, to the point where it would destroy the device it was replicated to.” She said, completely self assured. The bear of a man sat back and nodded, a pensive look on his face.
“What is worrying me is that creature that tried to take you. I’ve never heard of a living Ooze before. I don’t think that species is even in the Galactic Registry.”
“It was terrifying. It could use optical camouflage, had several times your strength, and could move frighteningly fast. Most terrifyingly of all though, was its cunning. It knew far more than it should have. It knocked me out and nearly killed Isobel. She still hasn’t regained full feeling in her legs yet after fighting it.”
“I’ve heard rumours that the Nekt were experimenting with nanobot organisms. Unfortunately, as far as mad scientists go, you aren’t the only one.” Said Derek, giving Aurelia a deadpan glare. He exhaled in resignation and shook his head, then turned to Isobel.
“Now, you. We haven’t been properly introduced, because Aurelia is an incredulously rude bitch.” He held his hand out to the android. Isobel looked up at him shyly and gasped his hand firmly.
“Good grip!” He beamed. “Now what are you doing with a good-for-nothing, sneaky, conniving back-stabbing jackass like her?” He said as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and his gaze entirely on the short woman.
“Oh, well I don’t know what happened between you two, but she has been nothing but kind to me.” Isobel said timidly. She twiddled her thumbs as she fidgeted in her seat, unsure of what else to say. Aurelia pinched her brow.
“She’s not my chew-toy, so stop giving her a hard time. She’s ‘the’’ project.”
“Wait, she’s inorganic? You finished her?” Derek said, failing to hide his astonishment.
Aurelia sat back with a smug grin on her face and nodded. “Yeah I did. She is stronger, faster and far smarter than any other android on or off the market. That being said, I wouldn’t sell her. She’s fully sapient, and she’s not a slave.”
Derek gave Isobel a serious look. “Well if you ever need to escape her, let me know and I’ll help you.”
“I-I think I’ll be okay. Thank you for the offer though.” Isobel stammered. She shrunk herself down, unsure of what she was caught between. She felt a mounting tension in the air, her own feelings starting to rise up. She had grown incredibly fond of her creator. Aurelia had already taught her so much, and showed incredible passion in everything she did.
“Why do you hate her?” Isobel asked. She noticed both of the humans tense up when she asked her question, both seeming reluctant to answer. Derek exhaled and relented.
“I don’t think either of us hate each other, but she hurt me very badly. Many, many times. She also did some pretty abhorrent shit.” He said reluctantly. Isobel looked over to Aurelia who didn’t do a thing to deny what he said. Isobel looked over at Aurelia for confirmation, who nodded at her.
“Yeah he’s right. I wasn’t the same person as I am now. He deserved far better. I cheated on him more times than I could count. I hadn’t really figured out my sexuality then, but that doesn’t excuse anything.”
Derek ran his fingers through his short brown hair. “No, it doesn’t, but we aren’t here to talk history, are we?”
Silence hung in the air, Isobel shrank further in her seat. She regret digging this information up.. To her, it looked like both of them were hurting, but all she wanted to understand these two better. Aurelia was the first one to break the silence.
“So, do you have any idea on how we can get out of this mess?”
“Well, it’s your mess, not mine. I think you should send Isobel on her way so she’s out of your inevitable blast radius. Then I think you should go as far as you possibly can away from civilisation. Unless you intend on ‘helping’ a party like you did the Guul like you did last time?” Said Derek, his words dripping with venom at the last part.
Aurelia flinched looking visibly hurt. “I know. I know I don’t deserve to live after the last war.” She said as she choked back tears.
Derek flinched, his features softening. “That’s… not what… fuck. I’m sorry that was too harsh.”
“It’s fine. I deserve it. The trillions I’ve given away won’t make up for that, but the best I can do is try make the galaxy a more tolerable place to be, and try to help Isobel in any way I can.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Derek said flatly. He stared at Isobel, his gaze was suffocating as he stared her down intensely. His face then lit up in a revelation.
“What if someone caught wind of Isobel?”
Aurelia froze in place, then slowly nodded her head. “Yeah… yeah that could be it. Her joint’s alone took me twenty years to work on. That way they are be strong enough to move her skeleton, let alone the micro nanoblood factory or her power supply. Every bit of her is technology that the Guul or Nekt would love to get their dirty claws on.”
“So is that an option?”
“Possibly, but no one knew about her, except a few selected people I know I can trust. That being said, the Guul and the Nekt are always wanting ‘help’ from me. I still don’t know what I should do next. I have a feeling the monster we left in RIth will catch wind of us eventually.”
“Yeah I’m going to have to move now, because of you.”
“Sorry.”
“Sure.” Derek sighed and shook his head. “Can’t be helped.”
Aurelia looked like she was going to respond, but before she could, Derek’s wrist implant lit up. His eyes snapped down to his wrist with a concerned look.
Comments (0)
See all