En Memoria Cariñosa
In Loving Memory of Pippy.
I didn't know she was back in Seattle. My focus must be off with all the stuff that is happening. It was Alec that pointed her out to me. I found her on top of the Space Needle, just sitting there.
"Hey Syl," I said, sitting next to her.
"Maxie," she said in a quiet voice. "You should be at home with those beautiful children of yours."
She knows. I didn't realize.
"How long have you been in Seattle?" I asked, resting my hand on her shoulder.
"Um, since I heard," she said, twisting something around her fingers.
She's been here six months and I didn't know.
"It was horrible Maxie, telling Zane and Jondy," there are tears on her face. "I can't handle it anymore."
I hugged my sister. She was so pale and thin. Her hair was shorter than she'd ever worn it; cut to her shoulders, framing her face. "I can't handle it anymore, Maxie."
I nod. The deaths of the X5s. First there was Jack, then Eva. Then we lost Brin to the other side. Then Ben. After Ben, Tinga died. Brin died in 2024 – shot dead. Jace passed away two years ago, leaving her daughter, Maxine, in the care of Logan and I. Zack aka Adam died a year ago, what was described as a heart attack. And six months ago, Krit passed away.
There are only a handful of us left – me, Syl, Jondy, Zane and Alec. Plus our children – Jace's Maxine, my daughters Meg and Miriam (named after Logan's mother and cousin) and Jondy and Zane's son, Jesse. The next generation of X-soldiers.
"Zane called Alec, who told me," I said, stroking her hair. "I am so sorry, Syl."
"We all go one day," Syl said in this pathetic voice. "But he was only twenty eight years old, Maxie, he didn't deserve to die." The tears begin falling again.
I remember the last time I saw Krit – almost two years ago, after Zack died. We were talking about the 'Manticore Days'. I asked about him and Syl.
"You see Maxie, back at Manticore, I was the youngest boy," he said. "And the only people younger than me were you and Jondy. You decided Zack was your 'Big Brother', Tinga and Brin were Zane's 'baby sisters' and all. So, even though Syl was older than I was, she let me be her big brother. Her protector, her best friend."
Syl and Krit were romantically involved since she was fifteen and he was fourteen. Zack made them split up, but they always tracked one another down. They never had any children, only because two X5s can't. Zane and Jondy adopted Jesse.
"Syl," I asked her, stroking her hair. "How did Jace, Zack and Krit die?" Alec didn't know.
She sniffed. "The barcodes. They have an expirary date. Every one of them is random, as far as I can tell. Brin knew about it, so she killed herself – she couldn't ever accept the outside again. I was with Jace when it happened. She had fever and she was vomiting…then the next day she just didn't wake up. And the day after that, she had no pulse."
I nodded, feeling sick, "What about…?"
"Zack? He just collapsed dead one day, age thirty two. Of course, on the records, Adam was twenty seven."
"And Krit?" The death that hurt Syl the most.
"He stayed in bed one morning, saying he felt like he was going to have a seizure. I had to go to work, so I left him some trytrophan. When I got home that night, he was almost gone. I just sat with him until he died." She's crying again.
"I'm so sorry," I stand up. "Come back to the penthouse for a bit."
She nods and stands up, following me down. Neither of us have our bikes, so we walk.
Logan has made dinner, and both my girls – Meg, who is two years old, and Miriam, who is almost four, greet us. Nine year old Maxine is setting the table.
"Hey. Good to see you, Syl," he nods. "Staying in Seattle for very long?"
"Maybe a few more weeks," she shrugs. Logan gives me a funny look. He's probably forgotten Krit passed away – the reaction to his death was a lot different to the others; almost like we expected Krit to die.
Dinner was a calm affair, with the girls telling Syl all about school and stuff. Finally, Logan, Syl and I got time to talk.
"I know you're concerned about your expiry date, Maxi," she says in a dull voice. "But I can't tell you anything. Jace was…around twenty five, Zack was thirty two and Krit was twenty eight. There is no acceptable pattern."
I nod, gazing at my children.
"Is there any way to stop it?" Logan asked quietly.
"If you can track down Colonel Donald Lydecker, I bet he'd know. But there is no way to stop it," Syl shrugged.
I reach over and hug her. "I understand. Don't be a stranger, big sister."
"Of course not," she gives me a grin, reminiscent of the girl who found the Russian hand grenades. "I better go, okay? I'll see you again soon."
*~*~*~*~*
24th December 2044
I was thinking about that last time I saw Syl, in 2028. That was the last time I saw her. She spent a bit of time in New York City and around various parts of California. Just travelling. Alec said he saw her in 2030, and she was well. Still alone, but more at peace. I guess she must've know, because weeks after Alec saw her, she died. She rang Jondy, and Jondy found her. Syl was thirty years old.
There is only one other left now, other than me, and that is Alec. Jondy passed away in 2037 and Zane in 2040. Jondy and Zane's son went into Alec's care.
Now, Jesse is twenty three. Maxine is twenty five. My girls are in their late teens.
Logan and I tried our hardest to find Lydecker or Sandeman, but to no avail. We went to Sebastian to try and work out the expiry dates, but so far, have had no luck. Jondy mentioned that it begins like the flu, and I feel fine, so maybe I'll be lucky enough to see my babies married.
I pity Syl and Krit most of all of us – they weren't married and they had no children. When Krit passed away, Syl was left with nothing except memories.
I've lived almost forty five years on this planet. And I've got a sneaking suspision that Alec will out live me. And I have this feeling that no of us will live past our fiftieth birthdays.
Max Guevara-Cale.
In Loving Memory of Pippy.
I didn't know she was back in Seattle. My focus must be off with all the stuff that is happening. It was Alec that pointed her out to me. I found her on top of the Space Needle, just sitting there.
"Hey Syl," I said, sitting next to her.
"Maxie," she said in a quiet voice. "You should be at home with those beautiful children of yours."
She knows. I didn't realize.
"How long have you been in Seattle?" I asked, resting my hand on her shoulder.
"Um, since I heard," she said, twisting something around her fingers.
She's been here six months and I didn't know.
"It was horrible Maxie, telling Zane and Jondy," there are tears on her face. "I can't handle it anymore."
I hugged my sister. She was so pale and thin. Her hair was shorter than she'd ever worn it; cut to her shoulders, framing her face. "I can't handle it anymore, Maxie."
I nod. The deaths of the X5s. First there was Jack, then Eva. Then we lost Brin to the other side. Then Ben. After Ben, Tinga died. Brin died in 2024 – shot dead. Jace passed away two years ago, leaving her daughter, Maxine, in the care of Logan and I. Zack aka Adam died a year ago, what was described as a heart attack. And six months ago, Krit passed away.
There are only a handful of us left – me, Syl, Jondy, Zane and Alec. Plus our children – Jace's Maxine, my daughters Meg and Miriam (named after Logan's mother and cousin) and Jondy and Zane's son, Jesse. The next generation of X-soldiers.
"Zane called Alec, who told me," I said, stroking her hair. "I am so sorry, Syl."
"We all go one day," Syl said in this pathetic voice. "But he was only twenty eight years old, Maxie, he didn't deserve to die." The tears begin falling again.
I remember the last time I saw Krit – almost two years ago, after Zack died. We were talking about the 'Manticore Days'. I asked about him and Syl.
"You see Maxie, back at Manticore, I was the youngest boy," he said. "And the only people younger than me were you and Jondy. You decided Zack was your 'Big Brother', Tinga and Brin were Zane's 'baby sisters' and all. So, even though Syl was older than I was, she let me be her big brother. Her protector, her best friend."
Syl and Krit were romantically involved since she was fifteen and he was fourteen. Zack made them split up, but they always tracked one another down. They never had any children, only because two X5s can't. Zane and Jondy adopted Jesse.
"Syl," I asked her, stroking her hair. "How did Jace, Zack and Krit die?" Alec didn't know.
She sniffed. "The barcodes. They have an expirary date. Every one of them is random, as far as I can tell. Brin knew about it, so she killed herself – she couldn't ever accept the outside again. I was with Jace when it happened. She had fever and she was vomiting…then the next day she just didn't wake up. And the day after that, she had no pulse."
I nodded, feeling sick, "What about…?"
"Zack? He just collapsed dead one day, age thirty two. Of course, on the records, Adam was twenty seven."
"And Krit?" The death that hurt Syl the most.
"He stayed in bed one morning, saying he felt like he was going to have a seizure. I had to go to work, so I left him some trytrophan. When I got home that night, he was almost gone. I just sat with him until he died." She's crying again.
"I'm so sorry," I stand up. "Come back to the penthouse for a bit."
She nods and stands up, following me down. Neither of us have our bikes, so we walk.
Logan has made dinner, and both my girls – Meg, who is two years old, and Miriam, who is almost four, greet us. Nine year old Maxine is setting the table.
"Hey. Good to see you, Syl," he nods. "Staying in Seattle for very long?"
"Maybe a few more weeks," she shrugs. Logan gives me a funny look. He's probably forgotten Krit passed away – the reaction to his death was a lot different to the others; almost like we expected Krit to die.
Dinner was a calm affair, with the girls telling Syl all about school and stuff. Finally, Logan, Syl and I got time to talk.
"I know you're concerned about your expiry date, Maxi," she says in a dull voice. "But I can't tell you anything. Jace was…around twenty five, Zack was thirty two and Krit was twenty eight. There is no acceptable pattern."
I nod, gazing at my children.
"Is there any way to stop it?" Logan asked quietly.
"If you can track down Colonel Donald Lydecker, I bet he'd know. But there is no way to stop it," Syl shrugged.
I reach over and hug her. "I understand. Don't be a stranger, big sister."
"Of course not," she gives me a grin, reminiscent of the girl who found the Russian hand grenades. "I better go, okay? I'll see you again soon."
*~*~*~*~*
24th December 2044
I was thinking about that last time I saw Syl, in 2028. That was the last time I saw her. She spent a bit of time in New York City and around various parts of California. Just travelling. Alec said he saw her in 2030, and she was well. Still alone, but more at peace. I guess she must've know, because weeks after Alec saw her, she died. She rang Jondy, and Jondy found her. Syl was thirty years old.
There is only one other left now, other than me, and that is Alec. Jondy passed away in 2037 and Zane in 2040. Jondy and Zane's son went into Alec's care.
Now, Jesse is twenty three. Maxine is twenty five. My girls are in their late teens.
Logan and I tried our hardest to find Lydecker or Sandeman, but to no avail. We went to Sebastian to try and work out the expiry dates, but so far, have had no luck. Jondy mentioned that it begins like the flu, and I feel fine, so maybe I'll be lucky enough to see my babies married.
I pity Syl and Krit most of all of us – they weren't married and they had no children. When Krit passed away, Syl was left with nothing except memories.
I've lived almost forty five years on this planet. And I've got a sneaking suspision that Alec will out live me. And I have this feeling that no of us will live past our fiftieth birthdays.
Max Guevara-Cale.