"Ahhh! I've HAD it!" Von Richter
angrily shut the monitor off, "Cybersix has been sighted in Meridiana AGAIN!"
A techno stood by respectfully, hoping
not to be the subject of Von Richter's anger.
"I had hoped that Grizelda and she had
somehow perished together, but now it seems that another one of my creations
has failed me!" Von Richter ranted, before falling into a thoughtful silence,
brows knitted together in a deep frown. Suddenly, he came to life,
"Bah! I'm through hiding!" he turned the monitor back on, closed
the offending message window, then started up several programs, "YOU!"
he whirled on the Techno, "Monitor the progress of the creation on THAT
monitor!"
The Techno, Number 477, ran to comply,
activating the terminal and accessing the basic statistics of the new creation,
"Oh wow! This thing is-HUGE!"
he thought when he saw the number of zeros representing its mass, "Where
is it? Why, from the looks of this-"
"Initiating surfacing sequence!" Von Richter
stated, typing in the commands.
"IT, master, is starting to rise!
half meter per second!" The techno called out, "But where-"
"At the bottom of the Atlantic, where nothing
that size would be noticed!" Von Richter cackled, typing away, "A huge
bomb growing right under the unsuspecting noses of tourists packed on cruise
ships making their way to Meridiana!"
"One meter per second!" The techno called.
The creation was 2000 meters down, and would take a long time to come to
the surface.
After about 15 minutes, the techno became
a bit worried, "One and a half meters per second, master! It's accellerating!"
"Hmmm!" Von Richter replied absently.
The Techno was too intimidated to mention his worries.
Five minutes later, the Techno called out,
"Two meters per second! Master, I'm worried! It's coming up
too fast!"
"Nothing to worry about." Von Richter said,
looking at his monitor intently.
"But master-"
"SILENCE!" Von Richter shouted "Let me
think! I can't think with you yapping at me!"
"Yes, master!" The techo watched
as the creation's speed of ascension increased the closer it got to the
surface.
Suddenly, a red light began to blink and
a buzzer began to sound, "EH? WHAT?" Von Richer glanced up at the
light, alarmed, "But that-"
The techno watched as certain bio-circuits
in the creation began to fire wildly, "It's in pain, master!" he reported
after isolating the specific ones. "This is bad!" the techno
thought, "Pain in a creation, as in nature, means that something is
seriously wrong! But what?"
The techno racked his brains, then suddenly
remebered reading something on the web. He quickly called up a browser
and began to type in a search command.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING??" Von Richter demanded,
sweating bullets as he watched the pain circuits fire continuously, typing
in commands and trying to figure out what was wrong.
"OH NO!"
"WHAT IS IT?" Von Richter ran over to the
Techno and shoved him aside to read the article on the display, "NOOOO!
NOT THAT!" He screamed when he got to the same paragraph the Techno had.
He threw himself back at his console, wildly
typing in commands to his largest and most obedient creation.
Alas, it was too late: The Isle of Doom
could flail its huge tentacles as much as it wanted, but it could not force
itself back into the safe depths. It was mostly hollow, and that
hollow had to be filled with air in order to make it rise. However,
as it got closer to the surface, the water pressure on it went down.
Boyle's Law dictated that the volume of the gas inside increase, reducing
its density and increasing its buoyancy.
Von Richter had forgotten to design air
vents into the Isle of Doom, to let out gas if the internal pressure was
too great. Deep sea creatures shared the same design flaw, and the
web article had described what happened to such creatures when researchers
netted them and brought them to the surface.
Having no mouth, the Isle of Doom could
not scream, like its creator did, when it popped, like an overinflated
balloon, 100 meters below the surface of the Atlantic.
--------------
"I have no idea what to do!" Lucas
Amato thought to himself as he walked home from the cafe.
He had not seen Cybersix for a few weeks,
and he missed that. But what was worse was what was happening to
Adrian.
"IS something happening to Adrian?
I have no idea!" Lucas shook his head, not sure of how to interpret
the behavior of his friend this last week. It had begun innocently
enough, when Adrian clapped him on the shoulder.
Except that usually he, Lucas, was the
physical one. At first, Lucas had thought it was a lapse in the behavior
of his usually reserved friend, but Adrian began repeating it.
And yesterday morning, Adrian began letting
his hand slide down his back before lifting it away.
And spreading his fingers while doing so.
That wasn't the only thing. He was
catching Adrian looking at him while sitting across from him at the Cafe
while eating or sipping his coffee. Usually, Adrian concentrated
on what he was doing, but Lucas got the distinct impression that eating
and drinking was becoming a cover for something else. At first, when
he caught Adrian doing that, the young man's eyes would dart downwards
or away. Now, they would occasionally hold his gaze for a split second
before looking a bit alarmed and darting away.
And it wasn't just the behavior of the
eyes. There was the LOOK in them. Lucas couldn't put his finger
exactly on what was bugging him about the way Adrian was looking at him
while he talked at length on some subject or on some story: It was
familiar, yet out of his grasp.
"Damn! Even the way he says 'hello
Lucas!' and 'Goodbye Lucas!' is somehow different!" Lucas thought irritatedly,
"So
why can't I put my finger on it?"
He got to his apartment building and fished
out the key to the outside door. He had turned the key half-way when
suddently, it hit him, "DAMN!"
He ran upstairs to his apartment, sweating.
He pulled his coat and tie off, grabbed his phonebook, and looked up a
name of a high school friend.
"Hello?"
"Dan Riveras?"
"Yes, I'm Dan Riveras."
"Hi Dan! Maybe you don't remember
me, but this is Lucas Amato!"
"Ama-Lucas? Is that YOU?" Dan sounded
incredulous.
"Long time no see, or hear, eh buddy?"
Lucas plunged on.
"Well, um, yeah Lucas! Nice to hear
from you!" Dan sounded uncomfortable.
"Hey guy, I know. I heard."
"You-you did?"
"Yeah, last month. So how are things?"
"Well, kinda tough, if you know what I
mean. The prejudice-"
"How long was it ago that you-"
"Came out of the closet?" Dan laughed bitterly,
"Shoulda stayed in! People aren't ready for people like me and Juan
and Georges and the others to come out in the open. Meridiana isn't
San Francisco, you know."
"I coulda told you that." Lucas said lamely.
"Well, what's done is done. Why the
social call?" Dan asked.
"I've got a problem-"
"What kind of-Lucas? You? I
wouldn't believe it, with all the cheerleaders hanging all over you!"
"No! No! Not me! A friend."
"Hey Lucas! You can come clean with
me! We played on the same football team, you know!"
"I am! It IS a friend! A fellow
co-worker at school."
"And you suspect he's gay?"
"I didn't at first. I mean, he looked
and behaved completely normal for months-"
"We ARE normal, Lucas!"
"Well, you know what I mean!"
Dan sighed, "So what's the problem?"
Lucas told Dan what had been happening
between him and Adrian.
"Hmmm. Not quite the usual way we
communicate with each other when we want to stay low. There are signals
we use, and we usually don't go after straights. Not the way you
are describing. Your friend probably doesn't know or realize he's
gay, and is improvising."
"So you think he IS gay?"
"Very likely."
"Oh man."
"What are you going to do, Lucas?"
"I don't know. He's been, no is,
a really good friend. I hate to hurt-Awww CRAP!"
"What?"
"I just remembered being a dumbass!
I accused him of-of-Ah SHIT! I can't believe-"
"WHAT?"
"Well, I thought he and a girl I'm interested
in were seeing each other behind my back! But now-OWWWW!" Lucas moaned.
"Don't tell me, you confronted them?"
"Just him!"
"You WERE a dumbass!" Dan observed.
"Thanks! So what do I do?"
"You mean, you don't know what you're going
to do?" Dan asked, incredulous.
"No." Lucas answered.
"You mean, you're going to THINK about
it for a while?"
"Well, yeah!" Lucas thought for a
long moment, "Umm, Dan? Can I kinda ask you a personal question?"
"Well sure. Shoot." Dan sounded very
curious.
"How does a guy, well, do-"
"Lucas, you're not thinking of-"
"I just want to know! I mean-" Lucas' voice
petered out.
Dan was silent for a long moment, then
said, "Well, you know how you take your cues from a girl who really likes
you?"
"Of course! She does to you want
she wants you to do to her. That's just plain common sense.
Just listen and follow along."
"Same idea. Just listen and follow
along."
"That all?"
"Works for me."
"You sure?"
"We're all human Lucas!"
"Oh, yeah."
"You'll do fine, Lucas." Dan chuckled,
"Oh, and one last thing."
"What?"
"It doesn't REALLY matter what the hell
you do, whether you DO do it or not. You stopped. You thought
about it. You didn't react in a kneejerk reaction when you discovered
this. Do you know what that tells me?"
"No. What?"
"That it doesn't matter a damn if you two
do or don't become lovers. You're his friend. A REAL friend!
God, what I wouldn't give to have a friend like your pal does..."
"Dan-"
"What?"
"I'm sorry. About not calling."
"S'okay. I knew what I was doing."
"Hey, how about a drink at the old bar?
You, me, and Juan. Like old times?"
"Usual time? After the game?"
"Yeah. Usual time. After the
game. On me."
"I'm sure Juan would jump at that, Lucas.
This Friday?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks Lucas. Thanks for calling."
"Hey, thanks for the advice."
"Glad I could help."
Lucas hung the phone up.
He then sat in the dark for a long time.
Thinking.
-----------
"Hey Adrian. You coming tonight
for the game?" Lucas asked casually, as he sipped at his coffee, and willing
his heart to stop pounding.
Adrian looked at him, puzzled, "Well, yeah,
I guess. Nothing else to do." he admitted.
"That's great! And don't bother about
the munchies, okay?"
"Well, okay."
"He's looking at me as if I'm sick.
If he only knew..." Lucas thought.
-----------
"Come on in, Adrian!" Lucas flung the
door open at the knock.
Adrian smiled as he came in, bringing a
bag, "I still brought-" he stopped when he saw the stuff on the table that
Lucas already had. With a chagrined smile, he slowly pulled out of
the bag the exact identical brand of potato chips and dip that Lucas had
on the coffee table, "I-umm, guess you know what I like." he admitted sheepishly.
"Set yourself down, buddy. It's about
to start!"
Adrian sat down, grabbed a chip, dragged
it through the dip, and popped it into his mouth as Lucas picked up the
remote, sat down, and pointed it at the Television.
"What the-" Adrian blinked when, instead
of the usual talking heads before a soccer game, the screen went blank
and a modern City scape appeared. The camera zoomed in on a building
with a sign that read "CAPULET". It then jerked to a different building
and zoomed in on a sign that read "MONTAGUE".
"Instead of the game," Lucas said casually,
pausing the tape, "I thought you could kinda help me through this video
tape." He pulled the box out from behind the pillow he was resting on and
showed Adrian the title "William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet".
"Wait a minute! Is that the modernized
version with Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo??" Adrian gasped.
"Yeah. Can you tell me if it got
munged in the translation?"
"Lucas! I-I-"
"Hey, BUDDY." Lucas smiled gently, "We
can always look at the game, but I thought you, and I, could use a change."
"Uhhh," Adrian looked at the frozen image
on the screen, then at Lucas, obviously thinking hard and fast.
Then, very slowly, an appreciative smile
grew on his lips, "Lucas, thanks! I-I'm just not into-"
"Here," Lucas handed him the remote, "This
button plays and this does the freeze. Ready when you are."
He grabbed a few peanuts and popped them into his mouth.
Smiling, Adrian turned the tape back on
and eased back into the sofa, obviously looking as if he was going to actually
enjoy the evening for a change.
-------------
The movie was in Act II, Scene IV, when
Adrian's hand unconsciously slid onto Lucas's leg, just above the knee.
At least, Lucas thought it was done unconsciously.
"Well, here goes." He thought.
He'd run over his alternatives for hours,
weighing each one, considering good and bad consequences. In the
end, he had made his decision, and felt good about it.
He hoped he'd still feel that good after
tonight.
Casually, Lucas laid his hand on Adrian's.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, Adrian started, stared at Lucas' hand, and jerked his hand
out from under it, "I-I'm sorry, Lucas! I didn't-"
"I know, Adrian." Lucas said with a sigh.
"Pardon?"
"I know. Adrian. I've noticed."
"Noticed what?" This came out in a bare
whisper.
"The hand on the shoulder, and the way
you've been sliding it down my back, as if wanting to feel me. The
looks you've been giving me over the table. And now this. I
know."
"But Lucas, I'm not-"
"Hey, we're friends! Aren't we?
Well, I know I'm your friend. And I know you're mine. And this
time, it's just you and me, with Cybersix not involved. You can be
honest with me."
"I'm not gay, Lucas!"
He shook his head, "Uh uhhh, buddy.
NOT this time. Admit it. I'll understand." He inhaled, "And
I'll go along with it too."
"What-"
"Don't you understand? I've thought
about it for a long time. A real long time. We're friends.
Real good friends. I think we know each other pretty well, don't
you think?"
"But you're not gay! What about Cybersix?
You like her, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, but I've been thinking about
that."
"You have?"
"Yeah. And I asked myself, 'What
do I know about her that I don't about you?'" He waved his hand at
Adrian's sudden blank look, "Oh yeah, I know about her creator and Von
Richter and all the dangers she, and I, have been through. But what
do I know about HER? I mean, I know how you want your coffee and
eggs. I even know that you always dip your french fries up to, but
not past, the fourth joint. I don't know if she even LIKES french
fries!"
"Okay, so assuming, JUST assuming, that
I'm gay." Adrian said, "I know you're not. What are you going
to do?" The last sentence came out in a sad tone of voice that made Lucas
wince inside.
"Well, whatever you want to do." Lucas
replied, sitting up next to him, "Whatever you want to do, buddy."
"Lucas..."
"Hey," Lucas said sadly, "We're FRIENDS,
aren't we? I'm here for you. Whatever you want me for."
Adrian didn't say anything, but his lower
lip trembled. He bit it, then licked it quickly. He glanced
up and down Lucas, then hesitantly reached forward, stopping at his belt.
He glanced up at Lucas, who just grinned lopsidedly back at him.
Licking his lips again, Adrian carefully undid the bottom three buttons
of Lucas's shirt, pulled the undershirt out from the pants, and slowly
ran his fingers under the shirt and up his side, letting the ribs float
past his fingers, his thumbs going through Lucas' thick chest hair.
Adrian then let out a contented sigh.
"Here goes!" Lucas thought.
He reached down, took Adrian's sweater vest, and pulled it up and over
his head, Adrian pulling his hands away from Lucas reluctantly to let him
do this, "He's nervous too, poor guy." Lucas thought sympathetically
as he followed suit, unbuttoning the bottom three buttons of Adrian's shirt.
It was a bit tougher: Adrian was a lot
smaller than he was, and his hands almost wrapped around his friend's waist.
"No
hair either." Lucas thought sympathetically, guiltily remembering how
badly he razzed and tormeted such guys in the high school locker room.
He slowly slid his hands up Adrian's belly to his chest, trying to enjoy
it as much as Adrian obviously-
"WHAT THE-!!!" He shouted, falling backwards.
He pulled his hands away so quickly, it popped the remaining buttons of
Adrian's shirt. He stared at his friend, dumbfounded.
"Congratulations, Lucas," Adrian said.
In THAT voice.
Cybersix's voice.
"Wha-" Lucas blinked, glancing up and down
Adrian wildly.
Adrian reached up, took off his glasses,
and laid them on the table. He then rubbed at his lips, hard.
When his hand came away, his lips had turned
coral red.
Then Adrian reached up, tugged at his hair,
and it flopped down over his face.
"Congratulations, Lucas. You've found
me." Cybersix said, "The REAL me."
"Cybersix?"
She smiled that gentle, enigmatic smile
of hers, and nodded, gazing at him with a look that he had seen only fleetingly
on them before, and had dreamed about for many nights afterwards.
"You-You're ADRIAN??"
"Yes, I am. Why shouldn't I be me,
if It wasn't important in my disguise?"
"I-I'm confused! You were Adrian
all this time??"
She nodded.
"So why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because-" she looked at him sadly, "I
needed to hide. I didn't want to put you in danger. And-" she
inhaled.
"And what?" Lucas asked, leaning forward.
"And I thought you preferred the mysterious
and adventurous woman in leather. Not a plain English Literature
teacher madly in love with Shakespeare and poetry."
"So which are you?"
She smiled again, glancing at the television,
"Well, the woman in leather does what she must, for the best defense is
a good offense. For you see-
No man is an Island,
entire of itself,
everyman is a piece of the Continent,
a part of the main;
If a Clod be washed away by the Sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a Promentory were,
as well as if a Manor of thy friends
or of thine own were;
ANY man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in Mankind;
And therefore never send to
know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee..."*
She cocked her head to the side, "So, can
you guess which I am?"
"THIS is going to be hard!" He laughed,
"I mean, I never dreamed-"
"I can imagine!" she laughed, "It IS a
good disguise, isn't it?"
"Did you think it up yourself?"
She shook her head, "No. I was fleeing
from Von Richter after he killed-" she paused, closed her eyes, then when
on, "-I came across a car wreck. The entire family had died in it.
The son, Adrian, looked so much like me, that I buried him, took his papers,
and became him. I sometimes wonder what he would have been like if
he had survived. I sometimes feel guilty, because it's a stolen name-"
she stopped.
"Well Cybersix-" Lucas started.
"And I don't like that name either." She
said quickly.
"Pardon?"
"Cybersix." she said, "I don't like it.
It's a model number, like an F-4 and B-1B. I, and my brothers
and sisters, were intended to be weapons, the means for a madman to gain
control of the world."
"And now," Lucas said, eyes twinkling,
"the worst you do is put kids to sleep during your lectures!"
"LUCAS!" She grabbed the pillow behind
her and swatted him with it. He grabbed his pillow and swatted her
back.
After a few blows, Cybersix stopped and
hugged the pillow to herself, grinning.
"Well, we've got a problem now." Lucas
remarked.
"We do?" Cybersix asked.
"Yeah. *I* don't feel comfortable
calling you Adrian, and you don't like the name Cybersix. So what
will I call you?"
She cocked her head in thought for a moment,
then smiled mysteriously, "So, what would YOU call me?"
"Ouch! NOW I'm in trouble!
What do I call her?"Lucas thought wildly, "I can't name her after
a relative or an old girlfriend! I mean..." He scanned the room,
looking for a clue. His eyes fell on the box cover, "Juliet?
No! too obvious! But she likes the play so much! Why
put me in this fix? I mean, does it really matter what her name is,
as long as..."
He grinned, "I know."
"What?" she asked eagerly, leaning toward
him.
"Rose."
"Rose??"
"A rose by any other name..." he remembered
THAT much from the play!
"Oh Lucas! That's wonderful!
Then Rose I'll be to you!"
Lucas smiled, then leaned forward.
Her face changed from joy to panic when
she realized what he was going to do "But-But Lucas! I'm not human!
I don't know-"
"Shhhh!"
Seeing he was determined, Rose smiled bravely,
then closed her eyes.
------------------------------
* "For whom the Bell tolls", John Donne.
**My apologies to Renee Rose.
