Beyond The Circuit

Chapter IV ~ One Final Wish

Forren couldn't help but look at his sleeping love, as he lay there comatose in shut down mode. He ran his hand though Shirren's silky black hair, even though he knew it was synthetic, he didn't care. It was still beautiful, because of who it belonged to.

Forren looked down at the chip that would either make or break his world. He feared if somehow Dark Force's essence might still be within it, but put aside his fears for the potential gains. Finally, his love would be able to feel. And the first thing Forren wanted him to feel was love.

He took the plate off the back of Shirren's head, and wired in the chip carefully. One tiny chip could cause so much pain, and so much joy. He hoped this one would make up for all the pain it had caused in the past by bringing a little joy this time.

Forren finished, and sealed the head plate back into place on Shirren's head. Then, filled with fear, he reactivated Shirren.

Shirren powered up, and sat up, "It's done?" he asked.

"Yes… does it work okay?" Forren asked back.

"I think so… how can we test?" Shirren asked.

Forren could wait no longer. He brushed his hands through his love's hair, and let his metallic hands slide down to rest on his face.

"Forren? What is this… feeling?" Shirren asked.

"I wanted you to feel this for so long now, Shirren… ever since you told me that story about Rhys and Maia," Forren responded. "This is what… humans call love…"

They held each other close. Even though they could not kiss, they let their faces rub against each other, their senses picking up the joy of being close to one another. Both Wrens were filled with happiness.

"I love you, Shirren," Forren said, "I have for so long, now..."

Shirren smiled, feeling himself filled with happiness.

Deep within the emotion chip, it writhed. Searching for the memories hidden deep inside, longing to unleash them…

^*^*^

That night they shut down together. Demi looked in on her camera. She knew what Forren had done, and while she was angry, she was glad it hadn't had any bad side effects. She could chew him out at a later date.

It moved.

Shirren switched back on, to a semi-conscious state.

Do you remember…?

Shirren panicked at this invasion into his thoughts. Probably just side effects of the emotion chip, he thought. Nothing to worry about.

You do remember how many people died because of you, I hope…?

Shirren held his head in pain.

All those lives that you took away… All that writhing and screaming that you stared at coldly?

"Go away…" Shirren muttered. He tried to shut down, but something had a life of its own and was keeping his power afloat.

"This evil… I've felt this before… Dark Force?" Shirren realized.

"Yes, I am that which you call Dark Force. Now, you will remember!"

Shirren felt the pain as his memories surged back into him… He remembered the ship wandering endlessly through space, and him, growing tired of man's endless wars, turning off the life support. They were starving and dying anyway, but he had killed them all, taking away any chance they had at survival. He thought at the time he was ending their suffering, but he soon came to regret his actions. He had taken an escape ship and flew back to Algol to tell them that all the world ships were gone. Such painful memories of death and despair flooded his mind, the emotions burning within him.

He screamed into the night she he held his head. The chip, it had to be the chip! He quickly reached forward and woke Forren.

Forren powered up quickly… "What's wrong…?" and then he stopped.

Shirren was holding his head and screaming as tendrils snaked out from his body. Organic tentacles that certainly weren't his. He looked up and gave one last scream as his love looked at him to see the face of Dark Force over the pained expression he was wearing. His will, his sense of self, all that he had was being eaten away in a matter of seconds.

Forren looked at him helplessly, "I'm so sorry! I should have told you… That emotion chip… was Mother Brain's!" He looked around for his gun and grabbed it just as a tendril started to curl around him. He shot it off and watched his love squirm in pain.

"Damn you, Dark Force!! Damn!" he said, as he backed up. He couldn't bear to hurt Shirren. He punched the emergency button that put Zelan into full alert and that would awaken Demi from shutdown. Sirens rang and red lights flashed as Dark Force moved closer. Forren pointed the gun at the Dark Force/Shirren hybrid to try and make it back off but it only moved closer.

Then, Dark Force began to squirm as its hatred and evil were disrupted by the love that its host Shirren held.

"Forren!" Shirren shouted, "Forren… I can only hold this for so long… Dark Force is too strong for me. Do it, do it now! Shoot my core! If I die then Dark Force will not have the strength to reawaken! Please! You're the only one I can ask…"

Demi dived around the corner into the room, "You and I are going to have a serious chat, Forren, if we survive." She pointed her gun at the Shirren/Dark Force hybrid.

"No!" Forren shouted, "I will do it… I love him, it's my final duty to him… my final act of love…"

Dark Force regained control and headed towards Forren. Forren held up his gun and aimed for Shirren's core. He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger… sadness welling up in his metallic heart.

Screeching overtook the room as Dark Force lost its host. It withered and shrank away to nothingness once more. Silence filled the room. Forren stood against the wall with his eyes closed and gun by his side, unable to open his eyes and look.

He heard a metallic groan and opened his eyes to see Shirren sprawled out on the floor, his head barely attached to his body, his limbs blown off… his core devastated. He wondered how he was still alive at all.

Forren dropped his gun and dived to the destroyed Shirren's side.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he said.

"Don't be sorry," Shirren said, his voice sounding tinny and false, "You gave me the be-st mo-mome-nts I ever… ha-d in my l-life… I lo-ve you, Forren, and I al-ways wi-ll…" Shirren faded away, he was destroyed beyond repair. His eyes closed, and Forren knew he was gone forever. No more stories, no more smiles, no more precious moments.

Forren kneeled there with the remains of his love in his arms. His head bowed, he made sobbing motions even though he couldn't cry. His Shirren was gone.

^*^*^

They let him out into space, to float among the stars forever. Forren wanted to follow, but he knew he had a job to do; he had to keep the people of Algol safe from harm. Shirren had given his life so that Dark Force couldn't revive; now he needed to protect that investment in the Palman race.

He sealed Mother Brain's emotion chip away back in the depths of Zelan, far away from any being's eyes. Despite all that sadness it had caused, at least it had managed to sow a tiny seed of happiness…

~fin