Chapter Five
I returned from the meadow an hour later. The Hunters hadn't missed me too
terribly; I had no welcome wagon of the usual mission planners asking me for their
advice. I returned to my quarters in silence, logging on to the personal computer
terminal that was customary to each Hunter's quarters.
As I brought up a game program and played a simple round of an old video
game called Pong, I began thinking about things, and various notions began passing
in and out of my conscious mind.
Finally, I had hit something on which I stumbled: Did I love Iris for her, or
did it have anything to do with the Iris that had come before her, Colonel's sister
Iris?
I'm still not quite sure what made me think of this, but once my mind had
settled on it, I felt somewhat obligated to answer the question as best I could. Did I
really love Iris? Was it a love for her, or for her deceased namesake?
I shook my head, losing a point to the computer. "Do I love her?" I asked
silently. "Everything's been so fast with me lately...maybe I've forgotten what love
is. I need her back, so I can answer the question truthfully."
I sighed, lending my concentration to the game again. I beat the computer
player easily enough, then shut the program out. On a second thought, I went into
the Hunter archives and brought up new recruit records.
"Drex..." I muttered, "why are you so afraid to be a Reploid?" I went into his
personal records, finding them easily enough and typing in my authority password.
Scanning down the page, I found a paragraph or two that caught my eye. I read it
aloud, more muttering than anything: "...In another incident that edifies the anti-
Reploid protests of yesteryear, a young male Reploid named Drex attacked his
superior in the Continental Special Forces. Claiming it was an accident, Drex
insists that the superior officer both verbally and physically abused the Reploid's
human female partner. Her name has not been released to the press as of yet. One
of Drex's fellow soldiers gives his take on the event: 'They were both sitting on
opposite sides of the commissary, and Drex was eating some of whatever was for
lunch that day. He spotted Commander Wyllis across the room and walked over to
talk. Next thing anyone knew, they were yelling at each other and trying to pound
each other to death.'
"It seems Drex came close to doing just that, in fact," it went on. "He
verbally assaulted the commander, both with personal insults, and some based
heavily on his authority...more specifically, his abuse of it.
"After a few heated offenses with each other, it began to turn ugly. Another
soldier recalls: 'The commander and Drex began shoving each other rather roughly.
By this time quite a crowd had begun gathering around them, and a few of Drex's
friends were trying to coax him out of the fight...but I sensed at this point that he'd
just been pushed too far past his limit.'
"And so, a fight began, but ended rather quickly. Drex took a good punch at
Wyllis, and drew his hand back quickly. Another soldier who witnessed the event
said, 'We thought Wyllis had had it after one punch, but...he showed us he wasn't
quite ready to give up just yet. People were making bets on the side... I thought he
was an absolute idiot to keep fighting against a Reploid, but...' and then his voice
trails off as we recount more of the incident.
"Wyllis showed that he was not a force to be reckoned with, even to a
Reploid, who, on average, are roughly fifty times stronger than a human in Wyllis's
good physical shape. Drawing his right hand away from his now-bleeding nose,
Wyllis took a shot at Drex himself. After failing a good punch, he reached the hand
down to Drex's belt, where he kept his energy saber weapon. Igniting the calm blue
blade of the sword, he raised it to the Reploid's throat and whispered some threats
menacingly. Those outside the fight were unable to hear the dialogue that passed,
and both of the two fighters have declined to comment on what exactly was said.
"Drex tried to move himself out of the way of the blade, but Wyllis caught
him with it, raking it through his forearm. Drex became outraged, yelled angrily,
and shoulder-rammed the commander in the stomach before falling to a knee and
holding his sliced arm in pain.
"Drex's arm has been repaired, and accusations are being weighed equally by
the government's highest courts. Cmdr. Byron Wyllis is recovering in the hospital,
suffering from cracked cartilage in the nose, two broken ribs, and three additional
bruised ribs. It is evident that the young female soldier that Drex accused the
commander of abusing has experienced some kind of physical trauma, but its
source has not been officially determined. She lies in a bed in the same hospital as
the commander. Drex is being withheld from the army's force until his non-
Maverick status has been proven by tests, expected to run sometime later this week.
We will continue to update our reports as we receive more information."
Diving further into the files, I looked up the Maverick test that had reportedly
been performed on Drex's system. It was the usual kind of test that any one of us
Reploids had to take before going into any type of armed forces. The results
showed a wireframe drawing of Drex's body from the front, with text messages on
the side about their findings.
"Our results in these tests are inconclusive," I read. "Additional tests will be
needed to attain proper results."
Looking around the folder of Drex's files further, I tried to find results of
another test, but I was unsuccessful. That doesn't make sense... I thought. To have
to run more tests to confirm the results, and then not do it? That's weird... I knew
there had to be an explanation, but I wasn't sure exactly what. I'd approach the
subject with Drex later on.
So he DID have a girl interest... I thought with a smile. That proves
something, at least.
And I still questioned his test results. Browsing further around the folder, I
found a video interview he had recorded and had placed in the records. I opened it
and sat back, waiting for it to load.
A dark-skinned woman, most likely 35 or slightly older, appeared on the
screen. She held a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other. "Hello," she
said, "and welcome back to NewsWire. Today, we have with us a very special
guest, a Reploid who was done a major injustice by the Continental Army. His
name is Drex. You may have heard of him a few months ago, when he was court-
martialed for attacking a superior officer. Drex, welcome to you."
"And a good evening to you," said Drex, as the camera cut to him. His face
didn't hold quite the same apathetic expression it normally did now, but it was
showing signs of developing into it.
"First of all, I know the news reports all covered this incident," she said, "but
just give me, in your own words, exactly what happened between you and the
commander, Mr. Byron Wyllis."
"Of course, Connie," he said politely. "I'm sure you've heard the accusations
I made toward the commander regarding a female member of my platoon."
"Yes, of course," she said, glancing at her notepad. "Ms. Kristina
Oleriae...you claimed that the commander verbally and physically abused her."
"Exactly," he said, adjusting his position in the straight-backed chair. "I
knew he had been up to something for quite some time, but I wasn't sure exactly
what until the day before the incident occurred. I made up my mind at that point to
do something about it. She tried to stop me from doing it...by this time she'd been
in the hospital awhile, of course. She always insisted she had done something to
herself for her to end up with those cracked ribs..."
"You say she didn't want you to do anything about it," Connie said. "Do you
have any idea why she wouldn't want you to?"
He lowered his head and chuckled almost inaudibly. "I think, whether the
humans like to admit it or not, that there is a cold war going on right now between
them and us," he said, indicating himself with a hand. "Perhaps she didn't this to
jeopardize my career in the armed forces any more than it had to."
"You believe the punishment for this was stricter for you than it would have
been for a human who did the same thing?" she asked.
"Let me put it this way:" he said, "the results of my Maverick tests have still
not officially been completed, and this thing happened three, four months ago,
correct?"
She nodded. "Yes. So you feel you've been done an injustice by not getting
your test results confirmed yet?"
"Worse than an injustice, Connie," he said. "A Reploid cannot be employed
anywhere in the world without a negative Maverick test result that's less than six
months old, as you well know. When I was denied justice in this case, it made me
infamous as well as unemployed."
"So you've not been able to work anywhere for the past three months?"
"Absolutely not. Law and fear forbids it."
"Why do you think your test results have not been carried through?" she
asked, leaning in toward him slightly.
"Honestly...I think someone is purposefully keeping them from me, perhaps
by bribing the officials at the testing facility."
"Any suspects?"
"One."
She nodded, leaned back into her seat. "And also, Drex...I must ask you this,
while we still have time...were you and Ms. Oleriae romantically linked?"
He smiled slyly. "I'll not deny the rumors, Mrs. Langham. Kristina and I
were making plans for our future together when this entire fiasco started. Perhaps
when she is released from the hospital, we'll follow through on those plans."
"And your thoughts on Commander Wyllis?" she asked. "While I have you
in a good mood."
He laughed. "Byron is a good officer...but everyone has their faults. I do
sincerely believe Kristina about what he did to her, but I wouldn't put it past him to
be commanding another platoon of troops within the year."
"Thank you, Drex. As you know, Commander Wyllis is recovering in a bed
tonight in the very same hospital that your Kristina is in. Any last comments before
we break?"
He smiled. "Wyllis, if you're watching...you hit hard, and you've got guts."
The host smiled. "Very good, Drex. Thank you for coming. It's always
interesting to have a Reploid's point of view on our show. We hope you come back
sometime soon."
"Well, thank you very much, Connie," he said, smiling back. "Call me again
if you'd like to talk."
"Indeed I will," she said, smiling and looking directly into the camera. "And
this is Connie Langham for NewsWire. Back to Jon in the home studio. Jon?"
The scene faded to black as the cameras backed off and Connie and Drex
chatted inaudibly. So he thinks someone was messing with his tests at the center...
I thought. So did I.
I scanned down the list further and came upon another entry that caught my
eye: a second written article that contained more information for me. I opened it
and began to read.
In bold lettering, the title read: "Reploid Fires On Patient In Hospital". I
continued: "A Reploid named Drex who has been in the news quite a bit lately burst
into Charlist Memorial Hospital last night, demanding to know the room where his
former commander in the Continental Army, Commander Byron Wyllis, was
staying. After finding his room number at the reception desk, he calmly used the
elevator to reach his floor, entered Wyllis's room, and shot him directly in the head
with a laser pistol before he had a chance to react.
"Wyllis, an upstanding officer in the Army, had bad blood with Drex before
over a female co-worker named Kristina Oleriae. Drex claimed Wyllis physically
and verbally abused her..." Blah, blah, blah, I thought. I've heard all this already.
Get to the rest of the article.
"It was noted that after the commander had been fired upon, a small leak of
some unknown blue liquid seeped out of his head, as well as the usual stream of
blood. Hospital technicians and others are already hard at work trying to determine
exactly what this substance is.
"When asked what his motive was for firing on Wyllis, Drex simply said, 'I
thought he was an enemy, and I have no regrets.' He discussed with us later that he
had been monitoring Wyllis's contacts with those outside the hospital, and found
that he had been communicating with the group that had been running Drex's
Maverick tests.
"'I believe he was bribing them somehow, getting them to hold back my test
results,' he said. 'Why he would, I can't guess, unless it was out of bitterness, but
my mind is made up that he had something to do with this all along.' Investigations
are still being done by the local police on Drex's inferences, and it has been decided
that he will not be punished in any way until something new is discovered about the
aforementioned blue substance. The authorities have decided that this liquid may
have something to do with Drex's motives. However, if this does not prove to be
the case, Drex could face total deactivation, under penalty of the breaking of the
Asimov's First Law bill.
"Commander Wyllis was the father of one child, a girl named Talia, now
fourteen. His funeral service will be held this Friday at noon at the Continental
Army's private memorial chapel. The presiding speaker will be Reverend William
Wahlberg. Talia Wyllis herself is expected to make some remarks as well. Platoon
members and friends of the family are encouraged to attend."
Absorbing the rest of that, and mulling the "blue liquid" over in my mind, I
said out loud, "I need a drink," then stood up and left the room for the commissary,
leaving my computer workspace open to Drex's records.
* * *
When I returned from my refresher, I sat back down at my workspace and
switched my computer's standard message output to broadband, hoping beyond
hope that the idea I had while chugging down a Frappucino would work.
In the New Message window that popped up, I typed in "Testing, one two
three...testing... Please respond if this message is received. - Zero".
I touched the screen's "Send" button, and the message was sped away. If my
plan had worked, I'd know within minutes. Until then...I'd continue perusing
Drex's files.
Scanning further past the window's border, I saw many useless things...and
then laid eyes on a third written article. Opening it, I read the headline: "Reploid
Finds Source of Strange 'Blue Goo'". I smiled and began to read the article. The
first paragraph was a review of who Drex was and what his significance in the
news was prior to this article, and then, this new information:
"Along with the help of a team of top-ranked Reploid scientists, Drex has
found what caused the unusual blue liquid to come seeping from Commander
Wyllis's head when he was killed. It seems another computer virus, in fact, invaded
the man's neural systems two or three moths prior to his death. An autopsy
performed shortly after the discovery was made only furthered this evidence.
"This new virus was proven to be a veritable replica of the Sigma virus,
except for its ability to enter human minds as well as Reploid minds. It is not
expected to be much of a problem, but scientists are still at a loss to reason why this
virus is able to tap humans' neural nets.
"Drex, as much criticism as he received from the press, and as infamous as
his reputation has become, should be considered a hero in this case. His destruction
of the original virus strain nearly assures that another wave of it will not spring up
again. Any judgments that were pending on his person pertaining to Commander
Wyllis's killing have been dropped by the courts in light of his discoveries and
efforts to stop the virus strain. Says Drex, 'I am glad this ordeal is over, and
especially that it didn't go any further than this. I give my sincere thanks to those
who didn't lose their faith in my innocence through the whole thing.'
"Getting right down to the meat of it, the blue liquid's flow came from the
piercing of a small chip in Cmdr. Wyllis's brain, apparently the headquarters (no
pun intended) of the virus. Perhaps this will give our researchers an inclination as
to why the virus can invade the human system as well as the Reploid. Dr. Zerchus
Driar has a theory: 'The virus invades the system as does any other virus; air
transmission, transportation through bodily fluids or through water...just like a flu
virus. The twist with this one is its unique makeup. Normally, a computer virus is
simply lines of computer code. In this case, whoever designed it had to implant the
source code into some kind of microscopic organism. The idea is genius...but
deadly. The microchip in Wyllis's head was a product of the virus itself; certainly,
you and I both know that oxygen contains a degree of metals. These metals, when
inhaled by the virus's host, were built up inside the head by the virus and formed
into a tiny facsimile of a microchip. Once the virus plugged itself into this chip, its
power over the body and its functions multiplied tenfold
"'The blue secretion, we have guessed, was a waste product made by the
virus and its activities. Even complex computer code, like the bit of it in this virus,
can prove to be too much for the systems of a microorganism to handle without
severe stress. With extra stress to its system once it was plugged into the microchip,
its waste increased almost as much as its power over the body. What it absorbed or
ate to cause this waste is still being speculated, however.'
"So, until we hear more from this team of scientists, we will leave you with
what information we have given you. Keep reading The Continental Herald for
more updates!"
"Hmm..." I said, thinking out loud more than anything. "A virus that could
take over a human's system...interesting." Ten to one this was Wraith they were
talking about, some older strain of it, a beta version...There had only been two
noteworthy computer viruses I could think of, and they were Sigma and
Wraith...and this certainly wasn't Sigma.
But who could've created this kind of thing? Who would've been twisted
enough to think this up, and who'd've had the wherewithal to do it?
I knew someone...Sigma himself. But he was weakened by our last attack
beyond a new plan for awhile, wasn't he? His words earlier now began to make me
feel qualms about that. Was he or wasn't he out of this fight? I didn't know for
sure...and I wasn't entirely sure he himself knew for sure yet. It was certain he'd
look for a spot to interject himself in this conflict with Wraith, but just where, or
whether he'd even find the opportunity he was looking for was beyond me.
At this point, I doubted that Sigma had created the virus himself, but nothing
could be ascertained at this point. I needed evidence. Somewhere deep within my
heart I knew it was him, but I'd have to prove it to myself before I'd believe it.
My computer spoke: "You've received a message, Zero." I opened the
message-sending program again and looked at the in-box. The message inside it
read:
Dear Zero,
I'm glad you finally thought of something so obvious. Searching the
continent for my Hunter's Intranet account protocol address...very good. Bravo,
my friend. I haven't been in touch with the base for quite some time now, nearly
two months, I believe. So far, my search, which, as you probably guessed, was
for Roll and Iris, has been unsuccessful. They gave no real hint as to where
they were going, so I've had a lot of dead ends.
I've heard about the new Wraith virus through the news media and
such...best of luck to you, my friend. I don't think I'll be returning before your
conflict is over. You have your periods of requested loneliness...and now I have
mine. The war's been hard on me lately, Zero, and I need to get away from it
for awhile. Taking vacation off and then having to come back just wouldn't've
worked for me. I need more time to think about what my involvement in this war
has done for our side, Zero...what my fighting and my violence have done to
help us. Once I figure that out, I'll return. Until then...take care of Chakra and
Skyler and the others for me. I know you'll understand. Have fun fighting
Wraith, Zero, and please don't tell Cain I went awol. I'm pretty sure he'd
understand my position, too, but I don't want to jinx it.
My misgivings about fighting have finally gotten to me, I believe...and
that's why I can't come back to the Hunters right now. I'll see you soon, my
friend.
- X
That note left me with a gleam of hope. At least I knew X was still alive,
even if he wasn't planning on returning anytime soon. Oh, well...at least I'd made
contact. I'd let Dr. Cain know about that, but I wouldn't tell him about X's rather
long planned vacation.
"Zero," the intercom chimed. I jumped slightly, startled by the sudden break
in silence.
"Yes? What is it?" I asked. "I'm in the middle of something right now."
"This is Skyler, sir."
"And you contacted me...why?"
"You have some visitors, sir."
"Well, tell them to come back some other time," I said. "I'm in the middle of
something rather important right now."
"Um, sir..." came Chakra's voice, "if I may intrude upon whatever it is
you're doing...I think this is worth your while."
"Chakra, I'm really working on something that doesn't need to be interrupted
here."
"But, sir..."
"Just send them here, how 'bout it?" I asked. "Unless it's an angry mob or
something." I paused. "It's not, is it?"
"No, sir..." he said. "But they want you to come here."
I sighed. "Sure. I suppose work can wait for a few people who I've never
met. Tell you what--I'll even come there. Just tell me what comm room you're in,
and I'll be there in two shakes."
"Room number 12, sir," he said. "We'll see you in a minute."
"Less than that," I said. "Be right there."
I shut off the comm and bookmarked my place in Drex's files. This was
really interesting...but I'd save it for later. For now, I'd go to the comm room and
find out whoever it was Chakra and Skyler had insisted I meet, and whatever they
wanted from me.
* * *
I entered Comm Room 12, not expecting to find much more than a member
of the press, or possibly some Intranet reporter.
Boy, was I wrong.
When I pushed open the door, the first two faces I saw were those of Skyler
and Chakra, beaming brightly. I began to question their grins when the door shut
behind me. I turned around, and the charming female Reploid I had met just the
other night who called herself Ebony stood there, her hand on the broadside of the
door. Her friend Sable was close by her side. Both sets of eyes gave the impression
they were smiling; I couldn't make it out through the visors that covered their faces.
They looked at each other silently, then Ebony stepped forward to me. I
frowned at Chakra and Skyler, then looked back at her. "We meet again. Can I
help you?" I asked.
"If you can drag yourself away from work for one lousy minute for me," she
said.
I arched an eyebrow. "It would be nice to--"
"Oh, I suppose it would help if you knew what I looked like," she said,
reaching for the sides of her helmet.
Pulling it off towards me, I saw only a crown of gorgeous brown hair,
glimmering in the light of the room. When the helmet was finally drawn away from
her face, I felt as though I'd faint. She-- She was--
"Ta-dah!" she said, extending her arms playfully. "Hello again, Zero!"
I found my wits somehow and managed a madly cheerful smile. "Hello
again, Iris," I choked.
I returned from the meadow an hour later. The Hunters hadn't missed me too
terribly; I had no welcome wagon of the usual mission planners asking me for their
advice. I returned to my quarters in silence, logging on to the personal computer
terminal that was customary to each Hunter's quarters.
As I brought up a game program and played a simple round of an old video
game called Pong, I began thinking about things, and various notions began passing
in and out of my conscious mind.
Finally, I had hit something on which I stumbled: Did I love Iris for her, or
did it have anything to do with the Iris that had come before her, Colonel's sister
Iris?
I'm still not quite sure what made me think of this, but once my mind had
settled on it, I felt somewhat obligated to answer the question as best I could. Did I
really love Iris? Was it a love for her, or for her deceased namesake?
I shook my head, losing a point to the computer. "Do I love her?" I asked
silently. "Everything's been so fast with me lately...maybe I've forgotten what love
is. I need her back, so I can answer the question truthfully."
I sighed, lending my concentration to the game again. I beat the computer
player easily enough, then shut the program out. On a second thought, I went into
the Hunter archives and brought up new recruit records.
"Drex..." I muttered, "why are you so afraid to be a Reploid?" I went into his
personal records, finding them easily enough and typing in my authority password.
Scanning down the page, I found a paragraph or two that caught my eye. I read it
aloud, more muttering than anything: "...In another incident that edifies the anti-
Reploid protests of yesteryear, a young male Reploid named Drex attacked his
superior in the Continental Special Forces. Claiming it was an accident, Drex
insists that the superior officer both verbally and physically abused the Reploid's
human female partner. Her name has not been released to the press as of yet. One
of Drex's fellow soldiers gives his take on the event: 'They were both sitting on
opposite sides of the commissary, and Drex was eating some of whatever was for
lunch that day. He spotted Commander Wyllis across the room and walked over to
talk. Next thing anyone knew, they were yelling at each other and trying to pound
each other to death.'
"It seems Drex came close to doing just that, in fact," it went on. "He
verbally assaulted the commander, both with personal insults, and some based
heavily on his authority...more specifically, his abuse of it.
"After a few heated offenses with each other, it began to turn ugly. Another
soldier recalls: 'The commander and Drex began shoving each other rather roughly.
By this time quite a crowd had begun gathering around them, and a few of Drex's
friends were trying to coax him out of the fight...but I sensed at this point that he'd
just been pushed too far past his limit.'
"And so, a fight began, but ended rather quickly. Drex took a good punch at
Wyllis, and drew his hand back quickly. Another soldier who witnessed the event
said, 'We thought Wyllis had had it after one punch, but...he showed us he wasn't
quite ready to give up just yet. People were making bets on the side... I thought he
was an absolute idiot to keep fighting against a Reploid, but...' and then his voice
trails off as we recount more of the incident.
"Wyllis showed that he was not a force to be reckoned with, even to a
Reploid, who, on average, are roughly fifty times stronger than a human in Wyllis's
good physical shape. Drawing his right hand away from his now-bleeding nose,
Wyllis took a shot at Drex himself. After failing a good punch, he reached the hand
down to Drex's belt, where he kept his energy saber weapon. Igniting the calm blue
blade of the sword, he raised it to the Reploid's throat and whispered some threats
menacingly. Those outside the fight were unable to hear the dialogue that passed,
and both of the two fighters have declined to comment on what exactly was said.
"Drex tried to move himself out of the way of the blade, but Wyllis caught
him with it, raking it through his forearm. Drex became outraged, yelled angrily,
and shoulder-rammed the commander in the stomach before falling to a knee and
holding his sliced arm in pain.
"Drex's arm has been repaired, and accusations are being weighed equally by
the government's highest courts. Cmdr. Byron Wyllis is recovering in the hospital,
suffering from cracked cartilage in the nose, two broken ribs, and three additional
bruised ribs. It is evident that the young female soldier that Drex accused the
commander of abusing has experienced some kind of physical trauma, but its
source has not been officially determined. She lies in a bed in the same hospital as
the commander. Drex is being withheld from the army's force until his non-
Maverick status has been proven by tests, expected to run sometime later this week.
We will continue to update our reports as we receive more information."
Diving further into the files, I looked up the Maverick test that had reportedly
been performed on Drex's system. It was the usual kind of test that any one of us
Reploids had to take before going into any type of armed forces. The results
showed a wireframe drawing of Drex's body from the front, with text messages on
the side about their findings.
"Our results in these tests are inconclusive," I read. "Additional tests will be
needed to attain proper results."
Looking around the folder of Drex's files further, I tried to find results of
another test, but I was unsuccessful. That doesn't make sense... I thought. To have
to run more tests to confirm the results, and then not do it? That's weird... I knew
there had to be an explanation, but I wasn't sure exactly what. I'd approach the
subject with Drex later on.
So he DID have a girl interest... I thought with a smile. That proves
something, at least.
And I still questioned his test results. Browsing further around the folder, I
found a video interview he had recorded and had placed in the records. I opened it
and sat back, waiting for it to load.
A dark-skinned woman, most likely 35 or slightly older, appeared on the
screen. She held a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other. "Hello," she
said, "and welcome back to NewsWire. Today, we have with us a very special
guest, a Reploid who was done a major injustice by the Continental Army. His
name is Drex. You may have heard of him a few months ago, when he was court-
martialed for attacking a superior officer. Drex, welcome to you."
"And a good evening to you," said Drex, as the camera cut to him. His face
didn't hold quite the same apathetic expression it normally did now, but it was
showing signs of developing into it.
"First of all, I know the news reports all covered this incident," she said, "but
just give me, in your own words, exactly what happened between you and the
commander, Mr. Byron Wyllis."
"Of course, Connie," he said politely. "I'm sure you've heard the accusations
I made toward the commander regarding a female member of my platoon."
"Yes, of course," she said, glancing at her notepad. "Ms. Kristina
Oleriae...you claimed that the commander verbally and physically abused her."
"Exactly," he said, adjusting his position in the straight-backed chair. "I
knew he had been up to something for quite some time, but I wasn't sure exactly
what until the day before the incident occurred. I made up my mind at that point to
do something about it. She tried to stop me from doing it...by this time she'd been
in the hospital awhile, of course. She always insisted she had done something to
herself for her to end up with those cracked ribs..."
"You say she didn't want you to do anything about it," Connie said. "Do you
have any idea why she wouldn't want you to?"
He lowered his head and chuckled almost inaudibly. "I think, whether the
humans like to admit it or not, that there is a cold war going on right now between
them and us," he said, indicating himself with a hand. "Perhaps she didn't this to
jeopardize my career in the armed forces any more than it had to."
"You believe the punishment for this was stricter for you than it would have
been for a human who did the same thing?" she asked.
"Let me put it this way:" he said, "the results of my Maverick tests have still
not officially been completed, and this thing happened three, four months ago,
correct?"
She nodded. "Yes. So you feel you've been done an injustice by not getting
your test results confirmed yet?"
"Worse than an injustice, Connie," he said. "A Reploid cannot be employed
anywhere in the world without a negative Maverick test result that's less than six
months old, as you well know. When I was denied justice in this case, it made me
infamous as well as unemployed."
"So you've not been able to work anywhere for the past three months?"
"Absolutely not. Law and fear forbids it."
"Why do you think your test results have not been carried through?" she
asked, leaning in toward him slightly.
"Honestly...I think someone is purposefully keeping them from me, perhaps
by bribing the officials at the testing facility."
"Any suspects?"
"One."
She nodded, leaned back into her seat. "And also, Drex...I must ask you this,
while we still have time...were you and Ms. Oleriae romantically linked?"
He smiled slyly. "I'll not deny the rumors, Mrs. Langham. Kristina and I
were making plans for our future together when this entire fiasco started. Perhaps
when she is released from the hospital, we'll follow through on those plans."
"And your thoughts on Commander Wyllis?" she asked. "While I have you
in a good mood."
He laughed. "Byron is a good officer...but everyone has their faults. I do
sincerely believe Kristina about what he did to her, but I wouldn't put it past him to
be commanding another platoon of troops within the year."
"Thank you, Drex. As you know, Commander Wyllis is recovering in a bed
tonight in the very same hospital that your Kristina is in. Any last comments before
we break?"
He smiled. "Wyllis, if you're watching...you hit hard, and you've got guts."
The host smiled. "Very good, Drex. Thank you for coming. It's always
interesting to have a Reploid's point of view on our show. We hope you come back
sometime soon."
"Well, thank you very much, Connie," he said, smiling back. "Call me again
if you'd like to talk."
"Indeed I will," she said, smiling and looking directly into the camera. "And
this is Connie Langham for NewsWire. Back to Jon in the home studio. Jon?"
The scene faded to black as the cameras backed off and Connie and Drex
chatted inaudibly. So he thinks someone was messing with his tests at the center...
I thought. So did I.
I scanned down the list further and came upon another entry that caught my
eye: a second written article that contained more information for me. I opened it
and began to read.
In bold lettering, the title read: "Reploid Fires On Patient In Hospital". I
continued: "A Reploid named Drex who has been in the news quite a bit lately burst
into Charlist Memorial Hospital last night, demanding to know the room where his
former commander in the Continental Army, Commander Byron Wyllis, was
staying. After finding his room number at the reception desk, he calmly used the
elevator to reach his floor, entered Wyllis's room, and shot him directly in the head
with a laser pistol before he had a chance to react.
"Wyllis, an upstanding officer in the Army, had bad blood with Drex before
over a female co-worker named Kristina Oleriae. Drex claimed Wyllis physically
and verbally abused her..." Blah, blah, blah, I thought. I've heard all this already.
Get to the rest of the article.
"It was noted that after the commander had been fired upon, a small leak of
some unknown blue liquid seeped out of his head, as well as the usual stream of
blood. Hospital technicians and others are already hard at work trying to determine
exactly what this substance is.
"When asked what his motive was for firing on Wyllis, Drex simply said, 'I
thought he was an enemy, and I have no regrets.' He discussed with us later that he
had been monitoring Wyllis's contacts with those outside the hospital, and found
that he had been communicating with the group that had been running Drex's
Maverick tests.
"'I believe he was bribing them somehow, getting them to hold back my test
results,' he said. 'Why he would, I can't guess, unless it was out of bitterness, but
my mind is made up that he had something to do with this all along.' Investigations
are still being done by the local police on Drex's inferences, and it has been decided
that he will not be punished in any way until something new is discovered about the
aforementioned blue substance. The authorities have decided that this liquid may
have something to do with Drex's motives. However, if this does not prove to be
the case, Drex could face total deactivation, under penalty of the breaking of the
Asimov's First Law bill.
"Commander Wyllis was the father of one child, a girl named Talia, now
fourteen. His funeral service will be held this Friday at noon at the Continental
Army's private memorial chapel. The presiding speaker will be Reverend William
Wahlberg. Talia Wyllis herself is expected to make some remarks as well. Platoon
members and friends of the family are encouraged to attend."
Absorbing the rest of that, and mulling the "blue liquid" over in my mind, I
said out loud, "I need a drink," then stood up and left the room for the commissary,
leaving my computer workspace open to Drex's records.
* * *
When I returned from my refresher, I sat back down at my workspace and
switched my computer's standard message output to broadband, hoping beyond
hope that the idea I had while chugging down a Frappucino would work.
In the New Message window that popped up, I typed in "Testing, one two
three...testing... Please respond if this message is received. - Zero".
I touched the screen's "Send" button, and the message was sped away. If my
plan had worked, I'd know within minutes. Until then...I'd continue perusing
Drex's files.
Scanning further past the window's border, I saw many useless things...and
then laid eyes on a third written article. Opening it, I read the headline: "Reploid
Finds Source of Strange 'Blue Goo'". I smiled and began to read the article. The
first paragraph was a review of who Drex was and what his significance in the
news was prior to this article, and then, this new information:
"Along with the help of a team of top-ranked Reploid scientists, Drex has
found what caused the unusual blue liquid to come seeping from Commander
Wyllis's head when he was killed. It seems another computer virus, in fact, invaded
the man's neural systems two or three moths prior to his death. An autopsy
performed shortly after the discovery was made only furthered this evidence.
"This new virus was proven to be a veritable replica of the Sigma virus,
except for its ability to enter human minds as well as Reploid minds. It is not
expected to be much of a problem, but scientists are still at a loss to reason why this
virus is able to tap humans' neural nets.
"Drex, as much criticism as he received from the press, and as infamous as
his reputation has become, should be considered a hero in this case. His destruction
of the original virus strain nearly assures that another wave of it will not spring up
again. Any judgments that were pending on his person pertaining to Commander
Wyllis's killing have been dropped by the courts in light of his discoveries and
efforts to stop the virus strain. Says Drex, 'I am glad this ordeal is over, and
especially that it didn't go any further than this. I give my sincere thanks to those
who didn't lose their faith in my innocence through the whole thing.'
"Getting right down to the meat of it, the blue liquid's flow came from the
piercing of a small chip in Cmdr. Wyllis's brain, apparently the headquarters (no
pun intended) of the virus. Perhaps this will give our researchers an inclination as
to why the virus can invade the human system as well as the Reploid. Dr. Zerchus
Driar has a theory: 'The virus invades the system as does any other virus; air
transmission, transportation through bodily fluids or through water...just like a flu
virus. The twist with this one is its unique makeup. Normally, a computer virus is
simply lines of computer code. In this case, whoever designed it had to implant the
source code into some kind of microscopic organism. The idea is genius...but
deadly. The microchip in Wyllis's head was a product of the virus itself; certainly,
you and I both know that oxygen contains a degree of metals. These metals, when
inhaled by the virus's host, were built up inside the head by the virus and formed
into a tiny facsimile of a microchip. Once the virus plugged itself into this chip, its
power over the body and its functions multiplied tenfold
"'The blue secretion, we have guessed, was a waste product made by the
virus and its activities. Even complex computer code, like the bit of it in this virus,
can prove to be too much for the systems of a microorganism to handle without
severe stress. With extra stress to its system once it was plugged into the microchip,
its waste increased almost as much as its power over the body. What it absorbed or
ate to cause this waste is still being speculated, however.'
"So, until we hear more from this team of scientists, we will leave you with
what information we have given you. Keep reading The Continental Herald for
more updates!"
"Hmm..." I said, thinking out loud more than anything. "A virus that could
take over a human's system...interesting." Ten to one this was Wraith they were
talking about, some older strain of it, a beta version...There had only been two
noteworthy computer viruses I could think of, and they were Sigma and
Wraith...and this certainly wasn't Sigma.
But who could've created this kind of thing? Who would've been twisted
enough to think this up, and who'd've had the wherewithal to do it?
I knew someone...Sigma himself. But he was weakened by our last attack
beyond a new plan for awhile, wasn't he? His words earlier now began to make me
feel qualms about that. Was he or wasn't he out of this fight? I didn't know for
sure...and I wasn't entirely sure he himself knew for sure yet. It was certain he'd
look for a spot to interject himself in this conflict with Wraith, but just where, or
whether he'd even find the opportunity he was looking for was beyond me.
At this point, I doubted that Sigma had created the virus himself, but nothing
could be ascertained at this point. I needed evidence. Somewhere deep within my
heart I knew it was him, but I'd have to prove it to myself before I'd believe it.
My computer spoke: "You've received a message, Zero." I opened the
message-sending program again and looked at the in-box. The message inside it
read:
Dear Zero,
I'm glad you finally thought of something so obvious. Searching the
continent for my Hunter's Intranet account protocol address...very good. Bravo,
my friend. I haven't been in touch with the base for quite some time now, nearly
two months, I believe. So far, my search, which, as you probably guessed, was
for Roll and Iris, has been unsuccessful. They gave no real hint as to where
they were going, so I've had a lot of dead ends.
I've heard about the new Wraith virus through the news media and
such...best of luck to you, my friend. I don't think I'll be returning before your
conflict is over. You have your periods of requested loneliness...and now I have
mine. The war's been hard on me lately, Zero, and I need to get away from it
for awhile. Taking vacation off and then having to come back just wouldn't've
worked for me. I need more time to think about what my involvement in this war
has done for our side, Zero...what my fighting and my violence have done to
help us. Once I figure that out, I'll return. Until then...take care of Chakra and
Skyler and the others for me. I know you'll understand. Have fun fighting
Wraith, Zero, and please don't tell Cain I went awol. I'm pretty sure he'd
understand my position, too, but I don't want to jinx it.
My misgivings about fighting have finally gotten to me, I believe...and
that's why I can't come back to the Hunters right now. I'll see you soon, my
friend.
- X
That note left me with a gleam of hope. At least I knew X was still alive,
even if he wasn't planning on returning anytime soon. Oh, well...at least I'd made
contact. I'd let Dr. Cain know about that, but I wouldn't tell him about X's rather
long planned vacation.
"Zero," the intercom chimed. I jumped slightly, startled by the sudden break
in silence.
"Yes? What is it?" I asked. "I'm in the middle of something right now."
"This is Skyler, sir."
"And you contacted me...why?"
"You have some visitors, sir."
"Well, tell them to come back some other time," I said. "I'm in the middle of
something rather important right now."
"Um, sir..." came Chakra's voice, "if I may intrude upon whatever it is
you're doing...I think this is worth your while."
"Chakra, I'm really working on something that doesn't need to be interrupted
here."
"But, sir..."
"Just send them here, how 'bout it?" I asked. "Unless it's an angry mob or
something." I paused. "It's not, is it?"
"No, sir..." he said. "But they want you to come here."
I sighed. "Sure. I suppose work can wait for a few people who I've never
met. Tell you what--I'll even come there. Just tell me what comm room you're in,
and I'll be there in two shakes."
"Room number 12, sir," he said. "We'll see you in a minute."
"Less than that," I said. "Be right there."
I shut off the comm and bookmarked my place in Drex's files. This was
really interesting...but I'd save it for later. For now, I'd go to the comm room and
find out whoever it was Chakra and Skyler had insisted I meet, and whatever they
wanted from me.
* * *
I entered Comm Room 12, not expecting to find much more than a member
of the press, or possibly some Intranet reporter.
Boy, was I wrong.
When I pushed open the door, the first two faces I saw were those of Skyler
and Chakra, beaming brightly. I began to question their grins when the door shut
behind me. I turned around, and the charming female Reploid I had met just the
other night who called herself Ebony stood there, her hand on the broadside of the
door. Her friend Sable was close by her side. Both sets of eyes gave the impression
they were smiling; I couldn't make it out through the visors that covered their faces.
They looked at each other silently, then Ebony stepped forward to me. I
frowned at Chakra and Skyler, then looked back at her. "We meet again. Can I
help you?" I asked.
"If you can drag yourself away from work for one lousy minute for me," she
said.
I arched an eyebrow. "It would be nice to--"
"Oh, I suppose it would help if you knew what I looked like," she said,
reaching for the sides of her helmet.
Pulling it off towards me, I saw only a crown of gorgeous brown hair,
glimmering in the light of the room. When the helmet was finally drawn away from
her face, I felt as though I'd faint. She-- She was--
"Ta-dah!" she said, extending her arms playfully. "Hello again, Zero!"
I found my wits somehow and managed a madly cheerful smile. "Hello
again, Iris," I choked.
