CHAPTER 17: As Time Goes By
What a wonderful day out!
The great time of the year known for warm afternoons and cool evenings. Trees had changed color as the leaves littered the garden floor. Lilia hummed towards the rabbit trap, happiness and content in each note. The distinctive cry pierced the air as she drew near the patch of thick brush. The hole concealed by the low foliage of the delicate blooms of white fall flowers.
She placed her iPad on the v-shaped branch of a tree ten feet away to look out at the surrounding landscape. Once satisfied with the placement, she hit the record button.
"Everything is lookin' good, all right!" she cleared her throat. "Now, hello future me and Adam. I am here to show the beginnings of the surprise I have for my wonderful boyfriend tonight. I am goin' to kill that rabbit behind me in the hole and try to season it with some apples. Then, I'm gonna stew some squash with onions. Some stewed tomatoes. Lastly, and this is the most important bit, cook up some sticky sweet apples for dessert!" Lilia clapped her hands, excited for future plans. "I've already picked all the produce and put it all in my purse here." She then lifted said purse into view of the camera before setting it back down at the base of the tree.
"Now, that's just part one. Part two is we're gonna watch another movie together, do our own little Netflix n' Chill. And maybe, just maybe," she winked at the camera, "a silver-haired machine is gonna get lucky tonight."
Lilia rubbed her hands in anticipation. "All right! Let's get started! Got my dagger in my belt and my trusty mini-club." She showed said items to the camera. "Time to bag a rabbit for dinner!"
Time distorted as she walked away from the camera to the rabbit trap.
No longer was the device recording, it was playing.
A pair of stunned, red eyes watched helpless as the scene panned out. The unblinking eye of the camera as the only witness. The intense glow from his eyes reflected off the screen.
He sat within the confines of the tent they had built, shared, and made love in. The patter of rain poured outside and the fire she had lit earlier depleted into an icy chill. Adam's back pressing on the low bed he made for Lilia. Her dedicate scent surrounded the small space along with the pleasured musk of when they made love earlier that day.
Adam was alone...
... no, that's not entirely true.
As she bent to open the lid to the trap, there was a faint swishing noise off-camera that made her jump.
"Hello?" she called. "Hello?" Lilia looked around, holding the truncheon in hand.
Then came the pattern of walking of the dense foliage and grass.
At hearing the sound, she didn't let up from being tense, but enough to where a hand came on her hip. "Adam? Is that you? I told you to wait for your surprise!"
You did... and I shouldn't have.
She then cocked her head at whoever it was off screen. "Who... who're you? What are you doin' here?"
"Hey Lilia. It's nice to meet you." A calm and friendly voice soothed the tension.
Eve... no... please...
His twin came into view of the camera. Adam knew something was wrong despite his laid-back, friendly manner. The tattoo covered half his face and body.
Keeping her semi-tense posture while asking, "Um, how do you know my name?"
His twin scratched the back of his head in an imitation of embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. That's my fault. The reason I know your name is cos you know my brother. I'm Eve."
The tension in her face and posture eased and turned warm and inviting. "Oh! You're Eve? I should've guessed. You two do look a lot alike. Nice to finally meet you!" She approached and embraced him in a hug.
Eve detested her touch by the clenched fists, he made that only the camera caught.
With a clearin of his throat, he said, "Um, yes. The same."
"Adam has talked about you a lot."
"Oh? Has he?"
Lilia gave an awkward smile and shift of her feet. "All good I promise. Say, since you're here, would you like to stay for dinner? I'm makin' a surprise."
"I don't need to eat." The tone hard and forced.
"Oh, um, OK. But you should stay regardless, I'm sure it'll be nice."
His twin shook his head. "Sorry, can't do that. I came to talk to you."
"Oh, um, what about?"
"Adam... have you noticed anything strange with him?"
Lilia gave a confused look before she replied, "Um, no. Not that I can tell."
"Well, I have." A simper brewed underneath his snap. "Comes from being his twin. I can tell when something is... off with him."
"Nothin' bad I hope."
"I think it is. Looking back it started when he first met you and it's been getting worse and worse."
Lilia took a discreet step back. Instincts binging with danger, but she tried to retain calmness. "Do you need to talk to your brother? He's waitin' at the apple orchard close to here."
"I know where he is," he snapped, "but it's you who I need to talk to."
There was a nervous tremble that the camera caught in Lilia's hands. "Um, maybe all three of us should talk together?"
His brother shook his head. "No, I need to talk to you."
Another discreet step back. "Eve... I really think we need all three of us to talk together."
"I don't care what you think. You're the only one I wanna talk to right now."
Another step. "I'm sorry but... I'd rather if Adam was with us. Don't you wanna talk to him to?" The calmness faltered, and fear crept in her voice.
"Oh, I'll talk to him later. I want to have a nice chat with you. And what you've done to him." Hard insinuation oozed from his lips. His eyes didn't hide the glow in them.
"I... I haven't done anythin' to him!"
A snarl exploded from his mouth as the tattoo covered more of his body. "Wrong! I saw how you did it the other night! I saw the change in his code! You did that to him!"
Panic flooded her voice. "He—He did that himself! Go ask him!"
"Liar!" the inky black from his tattoo spread more and the pink glow in his eyes intensified.
"It's true!" She sputtered. "We were havin' sex! It's normal! And the code changed itself! Go ask him, please!"
In a blink of an eye, his brother's hand wrapped round her fragile throat, lifting her off the ground. In a panic, Lilia swung her club and kicking hard, but to no avail. She went to grab the dagger on the left side of her belt. Eve saw this and threw the blade away.
"I will stop you and bring my brother back!" he shouted before slamming her to the ground.
The force stunned her as he heard a crack.
She only had time to let out a strangled "No" before his vengeful, jealous, hateful brother was on top. A faint pop of a rib. Gurgling gasps for breath. Frantic, she struck with her hand and the truncheon on his head, fighting the inevitable as he choked her. The strangling cries, the whack of the truncheon, and kicking of her feet on the dedicate flowers the only sound.
Adam's name caught in her constricted throat.
You needed me... and I couldn't hear you...
With a grunt of annoyance as Eve ripped the truncheon from her and swung.
One.
Eyes and mouth gaped in horror.
Two.
The rabbit screamed.
Three.
The song birds flew away.
Four.
Red stained the white flowers.
Five.
The trees shuttered as the wind's cry blew.
Six.
A red splatter stained the camera lens.
Seven.
The earth drank sticky sweetness.
Eight.
Enough.
Nine.
Please.
Ten.
It's my fault.
Hands trembled as he held the unflinching device. Cold, sticky wetness streaked his cheeks. The same knotted wretched feeling at discovering her body. He waited a couple of hours at the orchard for the surprise she never made. It was dark and the aroma of rain heavy when he began his search. Panic setting when the fire was out at the house. How loud he called and yet no answer. The wind carrying the scent of blood. His auxiliary hearing couldn't detect her heart beat.
And the sickening horror that awaited him. The truncheon used for dispatching rabbits became caked in her blood. The earth drinking from her life. A weak numbness in his legs as he carried her body to the house.
He couldn't think...
He couldn't scream...
"Adam," she said, coy and warmth radiated from hazel-green eyes, "I wanna make a surprise for you." Oh, her sweet smile. "Go wait at the orchard and I'll holler for you when it's ready."
He should have said no, but he couldn't. How could he have known his own blood could do this?
No... I should have. Eve, you had such hatred towards her...This is what hatred means isn't it? Hatred extinguishes life, breeds ignorance, and snuffs out love.
Turning to look at her remains. She lay in repose on the bed. The blanket she used for warmth now covered her in a shroud. Now, in a different form of sleep. One she will never wake from its tight embrace.
I should have known what was brewing in your heart. My twin... my blood... You were right Eve... we were never one...
He took the sun-hat she wore and placed it where her head once was. With shaking fingers he flipped through her iPad and found one of her smiling. A "selfie" she called it. One that had her with the same hat in the garden she spent so much time roaming. The picture a poor substitute for the life she radiated.
This is death. I thought death was the end of life when an organism ceases to function and to decompose. But that's far from the truth. Death is the cold dark of loneliness. No more opportunities to make you smile, no more learning, no more sighs of pleasure, no laughter. No more anything. The end.
Propping the device where the hat rested he whispered, "I should have said it... I... I should have told you how much I love you..." He gazed at at the unblinking picture. Her warm eyes watching him in wait. "I love you Lilia."
In response, the screen turned black.
Just like the darkness that crept into his heart and coiled.
Forceful hands gripped the sides of the bed. The wood creaked in protest. He could sense his sub-codes wanting a shut-down.
No, he wouldn't let it.
Without hesitation, he disconnected from the server and destroyed his plug-in chip.
I won't return. I have lived as a machine, but I... I will die a human.
A strange calm washed over him as he exited the tent and went outside facing the garden. The place that had sustained her so well with its bounty and beauty. He made a mental note to thank the humans who tilled the land in the afterlife.
But now, the same land became covered in a shroud of darkness. The stars dared not shine. The moon a thin sliver in a mocking grin. Not even the wind blew its icy chill in the offset of autumn. All was silent to where not a thing stirred. The rain clouds had fled in anticipation.
It wouldn't take Eve long to come here once he realized he had disconnected.
Wait...
...wait...
"...If you really wanna know the concept of death, just... imagine your brother you mentioned, he gets disconnected, and he dies, how would you feel?" Old questions; memories echoing in his head. All he had were memories now.
I feel nothing anymore.
"I think... you two need to forgive each other."
I can't... just as I can't forgive myself. You needed me... you tried to scream for me...
Was that the wind or did he hear humming?
The question vanished just as Eve appeared not ten feet from him. Whatever blood he had on him, he had washed away. Leaving him fresh and innocent.
No amount of water will cleanse her blood from your guilty hands.
An expression of extreme concern was on his face. Adam almost laughed at it.
"Brother! Why did you disconnect? What's wrong?"
That he chuckled at. "You know Eve. You know." A mad grin on his lips. "And I know." A slight tremble from anticipation vibrated his being.
His eyes, so much like his own, darted. "No! I... I don't. Please, tell me what's wrong?" Then, Eve gasped at him as Adam he felt cool energy spikes around his body and sticky, red wetness falling from his cheeks.
Adam reached behind him and revealed the bloody truncheon. "Lilia... you killed her."
Reddish eyes widened in horror as he saw the evidence of his hatred. For the woman who never meant him any harm. She who would have welcomed him with open arms.
And now, he dared shake his head in denial.
"YES, YOU DID!" He shouted, anger and vengeance boiling in his breast. "You started to choke her, but she fought you with this club. You took it from her and—and you—!" He couldn't say it as his body's shaking became too much. "And now..." he panted, "Lilia's dead because of you."
The surrounding energy swirled and brighten. A mad grin on his face. "With this... I... I will have you embrace death... just like you forced onto Lilia. I promise."
The golden energy surrounded him. Coating his skin and conjoining around the truncheon, hardening the wood. His hair floated on its own. Eyes bright and dangerous as he could no longer contain his rage; the whites giving way to ebony black. His body thrummed as he levitated a foot off the ground.
"Brother—" was all Eve could muster out before Adam shoved him. But, halfway into landing with the ground, he teleported them away. Daring not to disturb the place where he called home.
Pop!
THUD!
The impact knocked the wind out of Eve. Connecting with dirt and concrete debris. Raising the glowing truncheon and swung hard. Eve jerked at the last second, dodging the blow of the club. Summoning his own energy with his right hand. Flinging his furious twin toward the crumbling walls. Halting that vibrated the air.
Barely having time to get on his feet before Adam shot energy beams at him. Teleport—right, left, right, right, left.
"Brother! I'm sorry!" Eve pleaded, loud to create an echo. "I didn't know!"
It only infuriated Adam more. "You killed her!" His scream echoed through the crumbling city ruins. All his pain and fury releasing in an electrical firestorm. The surrounding machines driven mad.
"I'm sor—"
Pop-pop-pop, he was on him. Adam swung. A sharp smack to Eve's left shoulder. The force made a satisfying crack to his ears.
Turning deaf to his twin's yelp of pain. Eve's counter was an energy wave at him. Only knocking Adam just a few feet. Just enough for the panicked twin to teleport to the other side of the crater.
You can't run Eve...
The malevolent twin will experiance the same fear as she did. He walked towards him. The earth vibrating each step. Eve erected a barrier. The same Adam used to protect her.
"Please Adam! I didn't know!" He tried to explain, desperation in each syllable.
It doesn't matter.
Adam rasped, "I will kill you..."
In a torrent of energy, the enraged machine swung. Eve's barrier cracked. His body boomed as it impacted the crater walls.
Pop! Adam was on top of him. Hand gripping his throat.
The club hitting the debris as Eve teleported away. With a scream he turned and was back at Eve.
Whump! Of a kick. Grabbing the ankle as he flung him hard. A ping! of a barrier from Eve. With a grunt Adam swung. The shield cracked and shot beams at him. He laughed as it only tickled.
Fmph! Eve shot a beam at his face. Giving Adam temporary blindness. He roared and swung wild with burning intent. "Please stop Adam!" It was a mistake as he found the source with his enhanced ears.
"Give me your hatred!" He yelled.
A foom! of his swing and a smack-crunch on Eve's back. He screamed as the club tore skin and dented his exoskeleton. Stumbling forward, stunned. Another blow as his body slammed into the dirt. Adam's hand on his throat.
He tried to do the same action. An energy shot came out of Adam's skin. It pierced Eve's arm. Pining that appendage. The rest of the limbs met the same fate. Eve wasn't going anywhere. Not even his scream of pain deterred his vengeance.
Adam knew even if he killed Eve's current body, he'll just regenerate.
Only one option presented itself to disconnect Eve and end him.
After all... they were twins created from the same body. His body.
Racing through the corridors of his twin's mind. Boom! There goes a defense pod. Boom! A barrier. Closer and closer to his goal. All the while, his twin begged and pleaded with him.
"I... I needed nothing else brother..."
"She was taking you from me..."
"My life was contained in our moments..."
Then, he found it. The single plug that needed to be pulled.
An image of his brother materialized before him.
"Listen to me Adam... I didn't want her to hurt you. And I especially didn't want to lose you. So, let's go somewhere quiet. Together."
He looked at his brother's image that protected the plug.
A chilled smile formed on Adam's lips. He raised his hand, "No." he answered before he fired.
Screams filled his head. Eve desperate to get away. Unable to fight against the prongs that kept him pinned. His own eyes glowed out of fear. The inky black tattoo traveling up his body.
No... he won't let him escape.
Surging more of his energies into the truncheon he swung.
One.
"I loved her."
Two.
"I loved her."
Three.
"I LOVED HER!"
Four.
"I LOVED HER!"
The sound of his swings and resounding impacts echoed the crater within the city. Unable to stop. Not even when he was hitting the wet dirt beneath him. It wasn't until the energy within the club he had imbued expired and the wood broke. Creating a loud, crackling snap that echoed.
So engrossed with his rage he didn't notice that two sets of eyes observed him in shocked horror. His head turned when he registered the crunches of their footsteps. Their swords raised at him. Letting go of the broken handle of the truncheon as it thudded on the wet dirt.
"Well... look who showed? Sorry you missed the fight." Adam said as he rose. The energy that had coated him expired a while ago. His demeanor calm despite what he had just done.
2B lowered her sword. "Where's Lilia?" The android not bothering to ask what had happened. It was obvious when they came and saw him bashing his brother's head. Or, they cared more for the safety of their friend than sibling disputes. If fratricide is considered a "sibling dispute."
A chuckle without mirth forced its way out of his mouth. "You don't have to worry about her anymore."
"What do you mean?" shouted 9S. "Where is she?!" Angry feet stomped at the machine as he grabbed him. Sword raised. "Where! Is! She!"
"9S!" 2B yanked his sword arm away. "Get a hold of yourself!"
A smile graced Adam's face. "I deserve to die with her."
The two androids looked at him in horror.
"W-what... what did you do machine?! Answer me!" 9S shouted.
Lethargically he replied, "I couldn't protect her... that's... what I did."
"From what?" 2B asked more calmly than her partner, but no less disturbed.
Adam crooked his head. "Isn't it obvious?"
She shook her head and 9S lowered his weapon. He could see a tremor go through their bodies.
"I have a request..." he said. "I want you two to bury us."
Both gasped.
He continued. "Four hundred and eighty-two kilometers northwest of here is an apple orchard. There will be a stone house with a garden out back. That's where me and her will be. In the stone house. She'll be wrapped up, so you won't see what he did. Pick a nice spot in the garden and bury us together along with all of her things. I'll make sure they're all packed."
9S couldn't contain his sob as he dropped to his knees.
—xxx—
Weary red eyes watched the sun rise. Watching the bright light of day conquer the night.
Life in the garden and the world resumed their daily chore. The birds continued to sing, the crickets still chirped. Nothing in the world was out of place.
In his hand held the first gift she gave him.
"Besides, you never know, you might need a light someday."
"I know, you spoke literally back then when you gave me this flashlight, but I never understood the reason why humans referred to someone as a 'light' and when they perish their 'light is snuffed out.' Thought came from the proclivity for metaphoric language, but it seems as though it's a literal meaning."
Adam turned around and had a harsh reminder of what he needed to do.
"You were my light, Lilia. The world I was created into didn't seem so... empty and dark."
He had spent the night he had left preparing Lilia for burial once 2B and 9S found the orchard. He had taken apart the tent and used the smaller one to wrap her and the thick, scrap twine to keep the shroud of faded blue polyethylene in place. Her body lay still on the bed he made for her. All of her belongings stored in her oversized purse and backpack are propped at the foot of the bed.
Laying in repose at the top of her shroud was the dagger she had used to butcher animals. He knew it was a YoRHa dagger and it will serve his purpose.
His footsteps echoed in the hollow, empty house devoid of life.
"Thought I had more time if I kept you safe from harm, disease, and made sure you were well fed. Maybe even prolong your short life span. A few months was all I had with you, and how long will I have? How many hundreds, maybe thousands of years until this shell of a body deactivates? Time used to mean nothing to me, but now, it is such a terrifying aspect of reality."
Dropping to his knees on the left side of her bed, exhausted and fatigued. He took the dagger within his hands. The sheath and handle cool to the touch. Pulling the two apart until the shine of the blade greeted him.
"Lilia, I cannot face the dark hate of the world by myself, of just existing in a metal shroud."
Adam had a mild surprise at how calm he was considering what he was going to do.
"I'll see you soon Lilia, my light. My greatest treasure."
His last thought before he stabbed the left side of his belly to the hilt. Pain raced through his body. Persevering to cut to the right. He couldn't bring himself to care to scream or moan in pain. If she wasn't allowed to beg for her life, neither will he. Not even when he stabbed himself again. This time in the center of his belly and he cut up to his sternum.
Pain... sweet pain. I deserve this pain.
Reddish eyes rolled as he collapsed on top of Lilia's shrouded body. His temple pressed against the gentle curve of her chest. Lifeblood poured onto the stone floor.
Adam couldn't feel his legs as they began to spasm.
Colors faded as heavy lids closed.
A faint hum echoed around him.
Who's that?!
His mouth opened, but he couldn't speak.
The humming became louder.
He knew the song...
The voice that hummed it.
It's still the same old story...
A twitch of a smile on cool lips
A fight for love and glory...
She hummed right in his ear.
A case of do or die...
He couldn't move, and he didn't want to.
Warm, welcoming hands touched his shoulders.
The world will always welcome lovers...
A long, pleasured sigh escaped his throat as he hummed with her.
As time goes by...
[A.N.] I blame Dooley Wilson for this chapter.
Don't forget to read the Epilogue!