Year : 771

A little more than 3 years after the Cell Game

Title 1

Book 1

Chapter 16

Night had now fallen on the savannah. In the camp, calm had returned after the great agitation of the previous hours. After killing the big male, 17 and Ruri had returned, and both had spent part of the evening helping the rangers.

There had been a lot to do: changing the batteries in the collar of the female mongoose, releasing her to her family, and most importantly, dealing with the captured poachers. When he had seen them again, 17 had only one wish: to eliminate them. Definitely. Just seeing those humans was unbearable for him. If the rangers really wanted to make sure that the animals were protected once and for all, why spare people who had no other purpose than to kill them? They were bound to come back. It may be "expedient," but what was the point of leaving such fools alive?

The only thing that had prevented him to do that was Ruri. As soon as they had arrived at the camp, she had grabbed him by the arm and asked him to do nothing and let the rangers hand them over to the police. 17 had wanted to reply, but the young woman had immediately cut him off with a "please" to which he had not been able to reply. At that moment, she had seemed to feel better, but she was still very affected. 17 could see it in her eyes. And more than anything, more than his own desire to punish the poachers, he wanted Ruri to return to her normal state.

So he didn't insist, and let the rangers take care of the rest.

He had taken care of the mongoose, and had simply agreed to watch the poachers so that none of them would escape.

It was only when the last poacher had been evacuated and the camp was silent again that 17 noticed that Ruri had disappeared. She was no longer with him. Worried, he immediately went to look for her. One of the rangers, the one 17 had talked to briefly a few hours earlier, caught up with him at a run.

- Hey, buddy, wait up. Are you looking for the girl?

17 nodded.

- She's over there," the ranger replied, pointing to a fire that was burning a few meters from the camp. She's isolated herself for a while. We don't dare go and disturb her... but... bring her this, will you?

He then handed 17 a bowl, containing a hot noodle soup.

- She didn't eat anything... and... she loves noodles so... He couldn't finish his sentence, a hint of sobbing coming into his voice.

"He seems to really care about Ruri," 17 thought immediately.

- She's really a sensitive girl, you know," the ranger continued. Especially since... well... three years ago. She's always been sensitive but... Anyway. Try to make her eat, please. Maybe she'll listen to you, but she's already told us to go away...

Still without answering, 17 took the bowl of soup in his hand and walked towards the fire, where Ruri was sitting silently and pensively.

17 had many things he wanted to say, or questions he wanted to ask. But he didn't know where to start, so he just sat down on the floor next to her. Fortunately for him, it was the young woman who broke the silence first.

- Did they manage to get you to bring some soup?

She had said this without any malice, almost laughing, although her smile was still tinged with great sadness.

- Yes, I heard that you like it," 17 said, placing the bowl at Ruri's feet. And that you have to eat.

- Yes, a lot of people eat. Not very original for a human, is it?

This sentence seemed strange to 17. He turned to Ruri, puzzled.

- Let's just say that since you keep saying 'for a human', or something like that, I'm assuming you're something else. Too bad...

- ... why "too bad"?

- Because if you're not a human, then you can't help me understand.

- Understand what?

Ruri stared at the burning fire for a few seconds, then continued :

- Poachers are certainly criminals, but some of them have a reason to do what they do. They kill animals to sell them, to feed their families. It's ... understandable in a way. But the cruelty ... why hurt him and leave him suffer? Why? A simple bullet would have been enough... They probably didn't want to be notices but... how can you let a living being suffer so much? How can you ... put your personal interests before anything else? Before any consideration for another living being? Why are ... humans ... sometimes so cruel ...

17 hesitated before answering. He knew too well how selfish and evil humans could be. Gero, obsessed with his desire for revenge, had captured, tortured and cybernetized him against his will. All this to fulfill a personal wish, without taking into account for a second what he might want, he had deprived him of his life and his freedom. 17 had hated him from the bottom of his heart for that. And those poachers? Cowards. Cruel. Idiots, with their guns and cars. Deep down, 17 didn't think much of humans anymore. Over the years, he had come to see himself as no longer one of them.

Ruri, however, was different. She was the incarnation of kindness. So, in the end, were all humans really alike? He didn't know.

- I... don't know," he replied.

- Haha, thanks for your help. Honestly 17, you always manage to make me laugh, when I really don't have the heart for it. But you're right, I guess there's no answer to my question.

- Why did you stop me from killing them?

- ... and why kill them?

- They are idiots. And they are vile and cruel. They don't deserve to live. If there is a threat, I personally eliminate it.

Ruri then looked 17 straight in the eyes. He had that hard, unbelievably cold look again that she had seen earlier. But she knew that he was not a bad person. On the contrary, she sensed that he had been touched by the discovery of the wounded elephant. He was only reacting harshly to a situation that he found unacceptable, which was in itself a proof of real empathy, but she also felt a sort of ... fear in him.

- Do you think that killing them would have changed anything about the fate of this animal?

- No.

- Revenge doesn't help or fix anything," Ruri continued.

But 17 replied, in a drier tone than usual:

- You are naive if you think that this is just a revenge story. When someone wants to hurt you, you have to kill them so that they can't hurt you. If you leave an enemy alive, you're dead.

- Enemy, death, elimination... My God 17, we're only talking about poachers here. Why are you so... cold all of a sudden? Do you think I'm that stupid?

- I didn't say stupid, I said naive. You are... just … too nice.

- Do you think it's wrong to be nice?

17 realized that he was probably going a little too far. He had come to comfort Ruri, and now he was berating her. "Idiot," he said to himself, "say something else!"

- Look," he said, softening his voice as much as possible, "I don't necessarily agree with you. Not everything can be solved by the soft way as you say. You have to know how to act when you have to...

- And that means killing everyone?

- No, not necessarily.

- Not necessarily ?

- But sometimes ...

- Doesn't wanting to kill someone make me a naive person ?

- That's not what I... You are really sensitive, the ...

- Humans? Hahaha, you almost said it !

She laughed again. 17 was immediately reassured. Seeing her get better was more important than anything else. Yes, he thought she was too naive. But what does it matter after all. The most important thing for him was to see her smile. Seeing her like that, he didn't think it was necessary to insist further. Inwardly, a thought came to him while he was observing her: "It doesn't matter. I'll take care of this kind of problem for you...".

- I didn't want to... say anything... hurtful... 17 said after a few seconds.

- What was hurtful in your mind? Calling me naive, or calling me human?

- ... probably both," 17 said, returning the smile.

- Hahaha! You're really rude to me !

- ... you should eat a little. You need to get your strength back. We're leaving early tomorrow.

- ... I know. But I don't really feel like eating you know. I'm... not in the mood.

- Would asking me your two questions could help you ?

- ABSOLUTELY!

What was really characteristic of Ruri was her mood swings. From laughter to tears, in a few seconds. She was clearly still pretending to feel happy, 17 could see it in her eyes, but her natural curiosity seemed to be gradually overcoming her sadness.

- Well, I'm listening to you," he said in return. What are your questions?

Ruri then took a few seconds. With only two questions, she had to pay attention to the wording if she wanted to learn the maximum. She was also convinced that 17 would play the game and not lie to her, so there was no point in trying to trick him.

It was better to be concise.

- Do you have anything to do with Cell?

When he heard her question, 17 was startled. He had expected many things, but clearly not this. He was stunned. How could she have guessed? Why talk about Cell? The mere mention of his name made him feel a deep sense of disgust that he couldn't suppress.

But he had promised to answer, no matter what the question.

- You know," interrupted Ruri as if to reassure him, "I'm not asking you what kind of link you may have. Just if there is one.

- ... yes, I do.

- That's what I thought.

- But... how ... how do you...

- I actually wasn't planning on asking you that question to be honest. The fact that you fly, your strength, I didn't make the connection. I thought that it was in the secret of your nature that I would find an explanation. But this afternoon, the kind of fireball you shot at the poachers... it suddenly came back to me. That, and the abylity to fly, I've only seen once in my life. And that was at the tournament against Cell, three years ago. So I figured there had to be a connection.

- You... attended the tournament?

- Noooo, I didn't, but the whole world was watching the broadcast, I mean, our future was cleraly in danger. We were all in front of our screens... the whole world...

She wanted to ask him "not you? But Ruri refrained from asking this question, not wanting to waste his second joker.

- Yes, yes... he said evasively.

- Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

17 burst out laughing at her famous mumbling.

- Haha, and can I know what you're noting this time?

- Nothing, Ruri answered, just... memorizing your reaction. For later. Body language, sometimes it says a lot more than words, you know.

- I feel like an animal you're studying.

- It's not too far from it.

Both of them exchanged a knowing look, then 17 continued:

- Well, what's your second question then?

- Are you a robot?

For the second time, 17 could not answer immediately because he was so surprised. He remained silent for a few seconds before he finally managed to speak again, although very hesitantly:

- But... how do you ...

- Am I right?

- ...Not... really... but you are not... wrong either...

- Ah, damn...

- What, damn?

- Well, I don't have the right answer, and I've used all my questions! Well, too bad, I just have to keep looking!

17 turned to Ruri, and looked at her. She was sincere, she really intended to stop asking him questions since she had not found "the right answer". He saw her, disappointed, and obviously lost in her thoughts. She was already thinking. He could tell by the way she was scratching her temple, and by the way her eyes were fixed on the horizon. He found her terribly amusing.

She must have been exhausted by this long and emotional day. She hadn't taken the time to shower or change her clothes. She was covered in dust, and her long hair, which she had untied, was all disheveled. But despite all this, the more he looked at her, the more 17 found her beautiful, this little human. It wasn't just a question of looks. Of course, with her big green eyes, her delicate face, her long hair, her slim waist, her long legs…he was really a very beautiful woman. However, she was not "only" beautiful. Everything about her attitude gave her so much charm. She seemed to him both weak and emotional, yet able to show unfailing determination. Her eyes were so expressive, so tender, that having her near him gave him a sense of completeness and calm that he had never felt before. And on top of that, she was really smart. 17 could only admit that her deductive ability was quite extraordinary.

He grabbed the bowl of soup that Ruri had left on the floor and handed it to her.

- Eat," he said, "and come on.

- What?

- I will explain you. Come on. But eat the damn soup.

- ...but I've finished my questions...

- Will you come here yes or no ?

Without another word, Ruri moved slightly, so that she was sitting right in front of 17. Then she took the bowl of soup and started to eat. A long discussion began between them, punctuated by the sounds of Ruri swallowing large mouthfuls of soup.

- Well, you can obey after all!" said 17, amused to see her so obedient.

- ... my curiosity overcomes my natural tendency to refuse to obey an order.

"You and I are really alike in this," 17 thought immediately.

- What makes you think I'm a robot," he asked.

- Your speed and strength are clearly superhuman, but not only that. You don't eat and you don't sleep. And all living things eat and sleep. Well, almost all of them, there are exceptions, but overall it's true. That makes me say that you are not ... biological.

- Mmmm

- On the other hand, your external temperature seems normal, and ... I felt ... your heartbeat. That's what's weird.

- True.

- Anyway, I tried robot, but I wasn't sure.

- You were not totally wrong. I'm a cyborg.

- ... and ... isn't that a robot?

- It depends on what you think a robot is.

- Oh, because there are several kinds?

- Yes.

- Ooooh ? For real ?

- Yes.

- GREAT!

- If you say so.

- What's a cyborg then?

- It's a human that has been... that has been mechanically modified.

- ... wait ... you mean you're a human with ... robotic ... additions?

- Yeah, that's pretty much it.

- What kind of additions?

- I don't know the exact list.

- You don't?

- No, I don't.

- But... this is GREAT!

Ruri never ceased to surprise 17. She didn't seem to be disturbed at all by what he had just told her. On the contrary, he could clearly see the excitement in her eyes, which was a real characteristic of her. Her curiosity was stronger than any other feeling. In fact, she just looked like she was excited to learn something.

This conversation seemed unreal to him. 17 had always avoided talking to humans as much as possible. But with Ruri, it was just... natural. He spoke to her with ease, as if he had known her for a long time.

However, talking about him, his cyberization, what he had suffered, was not pleasant at all. Too many bad memories, too much suffering that he tried to bury so that he wouldn't have to think about it anymore. 17 did not sleep, because he did not need to. And yet, regularly, if he was not busy, dark thoughts could still come to his mind. Fragments of his broken memory, screams, anger, even rage... and a lot of pain. That's why he had taken on odd jobs over the years, so he would never be idle and could keep his memories away.

However, at that very moment, he really liked to see Ruri's face. She literally seemed to light up with joy.

- Is your curiosity satisfied? he finally said.

- Why did you become a cyborg? Is it complicated? Who made you this operation? Is it expensive? I can do it too ?

- ... I guess not...

- Haha sorry. I'm sorry. You don't have to answer me anyway...

- But you would like if I do ? 17 replied ironically.

- ... yes ...

- Look, I don't really know how to tell you this. But it's not really a subject I like to talk about.

- Oh, yeah, sure, I didn't mean to pry.

- That's fine.

- But... do you regret choosing to become a cyborg?

17 was getting used to it: nothing could contain Ruri's curiosity. Even though she had just said that she would stop asking questions, she still continued. Yet, he knew that she didn't have bad intentions. She was just so curious that she simply couldn't help herself, and for that 17 found her really adorable.

He wanted to please her, he couldn't help it. She was back to her old self, happy and enthusiastic. He didn't want this to end.

"Anyway," he thought, "I agreed to follow her for at least a year. Might as well settle it once and for all..."

He then spoke again, and looked into Ruri's eyes.

- I didn't choose to become one.

- What do you mean?

- It wasn't my decision. The person who made me a cyborg didn't ask me.

- ...are you kidding?

- No, I'm not kidding.

Ruri remained silent. She could not believe what 17 had just confessed to her. She had a lot of other questions, but the thought of what this confession meant for 17 was overwhelming. He hadn't chosen... Ruri couldn't even really imagine what that meant. She suddenly felt terribly foolish for having continued to ask questions. She also didn't quite realize what it might have meant for his body to have been "modified". However, the look on 17's face betrayed an uneasiness that she had only just noticed.

He really didn't like to talk about all this. And she didn't really want to try to imagine why.

- I..." she began hesitantly, "I'm sorry. ... I'm sorry.

- Don't be. I choose to talk to you. I don't mind you knowing what I am.

And before Ruri could answer, 17 continued:

- I was born human. But one day, a person took me away. And he changed me. Don't ask me to explain the technical details, I don't know much. All I can tell you is that he made me stronger, faster, more powerful. I have several devices in my body. That's how it is, and I'm not a human anymore.

- But ...that's horrible," shouted Ruri, "why did he do such a... monstrous thing?

- He wanted me to kill someone, 17 answered. Someone very powerful. He built several weapons of different kinds for this purpose. For me, he used the human I was as a basis.

A shiver ran through Ruri's entire body. Suddenly, everything seemed much clearer to her. 17 was somehow half biological, half organic, which explained his strange abilities. She also remembered the cold look he had had when they had met the poachers. The man who had transformed him had wanted to make him an assassin... and if...

- And finally, you did it? she asked then.

- Did what?

- Kill whoever the man wanted you to kill?

- No," 17 answered. He took a few seconds before continuing his sentence. But the one who turned me, I killed him.

These last words echoed with force. Ruri felt her blood freeze in her veins. It was important for 17 to tell her, although the silence of the young woman did not reassure him.

- I just wanted to be free. I swore that one day I would be free.

Ruri raised his head and looked at 17. He was very serious, almost impassive, as usual. But there was a hint of concern in his eyes.

"My God, how you must have suffered... you who are... so nice..."

The young woman suddenly felt overwhelmed. The man she had seen taking care of the animals with her was a sensitive person. Underneath his somewhat distant look, he was so tender, so gentle, so human. Just imagining what he had gone through, the violence that had been inflicted on him, she felt as if she was running out of air, as if her chest was crushed under an immense weight. How not to understand that he wanted to free himself from such a hold?

She was still convinced that 17 was not a bad person.

- You know," he continued, as if seeking her approval, "he was a real scoundrel, that old fool. He did a lot of harm to the people of this planet.

- Really ?" answered Ruri. You mean he did the same thing to other people?

- I'm the 17th, hence my name.

- Wait... because 17 is your real name?

- Yes, why?

- I thought it was a nickname you gave yourself!

- Huh?

- Well yes, 17 is not a name, it's a number!

- Hahaha!

17 could not hold back a burst of laughter. Ruri was so fresh, so sincere that she always managed to surprise him.

- I know it's a number. But that's my name. I don't know what a "nickname" is.

- It's a different way of calling you than your name. Me for example... uh no, never mind, it's not important.

- Do you have a nickname?

- Did I say that?

- Yes, you did.

- Yeah well forget it, it's not important. But ... so ... what's your real name? The one you had before?

- I don't know.

- What do you mean you don't know?

- I don't remember. I have no memory of my life before.

- You don't?

- No. My first memory is... in his laboratory. Lying on a table.

17 did not say more. Because as soon as he had said that, everything had come back to him. Gero's laboratory. The pain. The hatred of being locked up, of being treated as a mere object. The long months of cybernetization, little by little, day after day, him and 18 fighting with all their strength to resist it, until this long sleep.

His eyes had immediately darkened and Ruri noticed it.

So she got up, and placed herself close to 17. She gently placed her right hand on 17's and whispered softly:

- No need to continue. I understood.

17 came back to his senses. She was there, so close, so beautiful. Her smile was so comforting that all the bad thoughts that had come up in him vanished in an instant.

He smiled back at her.

- This time, your curiosity is satisfied? he asked him, amused.

- For this evening, let's say yes, answered Ruri, on the same tone.

- Well, the interrogation is finished. Have you finished eating?

- Almost. This soup is really good. It's a shame you can't eat.

- Who says I can't?

- ...well... you never eat...

- I don't need it to live, 17 explained, but technically I can.

- But that's completely silly! Eating is too good ! No but it's not possible, I have to redo your whole human education !

- Hahaha…

Seeing 17 laugh was really rare, and Ruri was very proud to have succeeded in doing so.

- Listen," he said after a few seconds, "let's say we're done for tonight, okay? I think I've had my fill of lessons.

- True.

- So finish eating, and go to sleep. Tomorrow morning we leave. The next mission is far from here I think.

- Oh yes, it is. And above all, I have to fix my car!

- Oh yes. I had forgotten that detail. Can we keep flying if we don't?

- Let's fly until we find a garage. And we'll buy some tools. I hear you know something about mechanics...

- Yes.

"Strange for someone who doesn't have any memory from his past ...," Ruri couldn't help but think, "there are still a lot of mysteries about you 17...".

But for the young woman too, it was time to stop. She was exhausted, it was better to rest.

The next mission they were going to have to accomplish was going to be much more complicated than today's...