What was happening? Lure didn't understand, it had to be a mistake. It could only be a mistake. His mind couldn't admit it. He'd come all this way for her. They'd sent him here, after all this time. This was supposed to be the right time. He was supposed to get her out.
Right?
Lure had to force himself to take several deep breaths. Nothing was right, but he had to do something. There had to be something he could do. But first, he had to get a grip on his thoughts again.
He opened his mouth to speak, to say anything. He absolutely had to snap out of his state of shock, find the trigger that would get him going again.
But someone else spoke first.
"Sam?"
The Mudokon Queen turned her attention to the distorted, robotic female voice, and Lure watched in horror as one of the many resting Shrinks began to move. The mechanical monstrosity was detaching itself from the wall where it had been wisely tucked away until now, and floating dangerously towards Sam... and towards him.
In a flash, Lure retreated towards the door and plunged headfirst into a fortunately empty garbage container. Heart pounding, he strained his ears, praying that the Shrink hadn't spotted him in time.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
It was almost dark in there, and Lure could only rely on his keen hearing. With his hand over his stump, ready to activate the last ring of invisibility just in case, he forced himself to stop breathing.
"Oh, hello" Sam's soft, almost faded voice said. "Did I wake you? I'm so sorry."
"No need to apologize, I'm here now, everything's fine Sam. Everything's fine, everything's fine."
"Yes, yes. Everything's fine."
Sam had just repeated the Shrink's words in exactly the same way, with the same intonations and the same rhythm, as if tuning into a frequency, the one and only one that had to be followed.
"Everything's fine" the Queen repeated again. "I just saw him again. One more time."
"Who, Sam?"
"My long lost friend."
Lure's heart sank. Was she really going to turn him in? No. Sam would never do such a thing. The Sam he knew wouldn't do that.
There was a condescending robotic sigh with a hint of annoyance.
"Sam, darling, we've talked about it lots and lots of times."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"You have to stop living in a dream. Illusions are not good for your health, and by extention for your eggs'."
"My eggs. Yes. Yes."
"You've got to accept reality, sweetheart."
"You... you're right."
"What's the reality, Sam?"
Sam murmured his answer in a broken voice, but Lure heard it. And he felt as if something inside him was breaking into a thousand pieces.
"Lure... oh, Lure..."
"Sam."
The Shrink's voice had become much firmer, full of admonishment. The ravaged Slig thought he heard his friend groan and sniffle.
"Lure... is dead. Years ago."
He wanted to scream.
"That's good, Sam. That's very good. And it doesn't matter. You know why, of course."
"Yes."
"Why, Sam?"
"Because... today you're here. You'll always be with me. You'll watch over me. You'll never leave me."
Lure wanted to burst out of his hiding place, to show her that he was really there, alive and for her. He wanted to empty his entire magazine on that damn machine that was messing with Sam and playing with her with its fake programmed sympathy.
He wanted to hold her as tightly as he could. So he wrapped his arms around himself, helpless and all alone in this stinking box, to stop himself and drown his sorrow and rage.
"Yes, exactly Sam. I'll be watching over you forever. Because I'm real. I'm your friend. I'll protect you from your illusions. You'll never want for anything. You'll always be safe with me. Here. Everything's fine."
Shut up.
"Everything's fine" the Mudokon Queen repeated.
No!
"Excellent. Now, since it's still early, I'll go and plug myself back in. But don't worry, you've got everything you need. Which program would you like today?"
"No matter. Number 5."
"Excellent choice!" the programmed voice cheered, clapping its six mechanical arms. "It'll relax and re-energize you. You need it. Might as well skip the painkillers this time, right? Good. Have fun, sweetheart! See you later!"
Barely had it finished talking, the parasitized Mudokon face disappeared hastily from the Shrink's screen, replaced by a particularly loud and lively program jingle. Still connected to the wall cavities, all the other Guardian Angels suddenly seemed to wake up, and the room glowed with light and color in a matter of seconds as the screens lit up simultaneously. Lure, who had just gently lifted the lid of his hiding place, swallowed loudly.
The vision of Sam's almost dead eyes captivated by the content of the program that surrounded her on all sides, drowned in this stream of sounds as exaggerated as they were moronic, frightened him almost as much as the possibility of being dismembered. Although brainwashed like so many others under the domination of the Magog Cartel, the Slig had never grasped the direct consequences. It was an abstract notion for him, even after becoming aware of it. But right now, he understood all too well.
Sam wasn't just a prisoner of these walls. She had become a prisoner of her own mind. She, who had once been so free despite being a captive of Gottlieb Industriz, who made her own decisions with a clear gaze, who maintained a link with everything she had ever known through meditation, who never hesitated to stand up for what she held dear... this being was gone for good, replaced by an empty shell, like all the others. Just good for laying eggs.
Without even realizing it, Lure had emerged from his hiding place and advanced towards her. He paid no attention to the Shrinks who, in turn, failed to notice him, tuned in to their program.
"Sam."
There was no reaction.
"Sam!"
He saw a nervous twitch flit across her face before relaxing again. She could hear him, but was choosing to ignore him.
"Asameera!"
The Queen's tired eyes slowly closed and she let out a heavy sigh.
"Please stop" she said in a small hollow voice. "Stop haunting me. Leave me in peace."
Lure waved his arms in front of her, trying to redirect her attention away from the program that was sucking away and annihilating what little consciousness she had left.
"Sam, it's me! It's really me! I've come to save you! To set you free! I promised you, remember?"
Sam's face tensed, as if she was struggling to chase away a memory that was trying to return.
"No. I don't remember."
It was as if Lure had been shot in the stomach.
"Of course you remember!" he yelled. "You can't have forgotten! I'm Lure! You gave me my name!"
She shook her head.
"No."
He dropped the SnUzi at his feet and grabbed Sam's skinny arm.
"We were friends!"
"No!"
She jerked away and pushed him back, almost knocking him over. Tears streamed down her blue cheeks and her mouth twisted painfully.
"Leave me alone! Stop it! Stop it! Let me forget! Leave me in peace! Stop torturing me!"
Wheezing, Sam turned up the volume. The whole room was invaded by fake, pre-recorded laughter.
"You're not there! You're dead! And I'm sick! Sick of remembering!"
Lure didn't know what to do. She wouldn't listen to him, wouldn't look at him. She refused to believe it, even though she'd felt his touch on her wrist. Could she still feel anything?
"You... gave up" he bitterly observed in desperation.
For a moment, he thought she wouldn't answer him at all. But then she said, more to herself:
"What was I supposed to do?"
He wished he'd had an answer. He remained silent in his turn, unable to react. Why was he here? The wild Mudokons had told him it was the right time. They had made him sleep until now, until years later, to arrive at this moment. So surely there was something he could say or do to make things right. Yes, all he had to do was find that solution and they'd go away together, and everything would end well. And then he could finally tell her.
Tell her that...
Suddenly, Sam's face twitched again, this time in pain. She gasped, seeking comfort in the sterile air as her whole body trembled beneath the huge tarpaulin.
"Sam?"
She didn't answer, didn't pay him the slightest attention. Even if she'd wanted to, she couldn't have. She convulsed with a spasm and, for a fraction of a second, her head turned away from the screen and rested on him. Her expression pierced Lure's heart. He could clearly read her. She still thought he was a hallucination, but desperately needed his presence. He saw the conflict raging inside her, her mind wavering.
Another wave of pain swept through her, and suddenly the scales tipped to one side. She reached out for him as if he were a lifeline. He didn't keep her waiting and took her hand, squeezing hard. She squeezed back, lost and shaking with sobs.
"I-I wish you w-w-were here so much!"
"I'm here, Sam."
He gently stroked her hand with his thumb, as she had once done with him, knowing fully it wouldn't be enough to convince her. But what else could he do?
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Lure was startled by Sam's sudden cry as she threw her head back. She moaned and grunted for a moment more before panting hard several times and doing it again. All the while, under the mocking empty laughter of the show, she didn't let go of Lure, and he didn't let go of her.
Finally, after countless minutes, something rolled out from under the tarpaulin and landed softly on a nest-like cushion near Sam's side. The Mudokon Queen gasped loudly but, for the first time, the shadow of a smile brightened her features. Lure watched her for a long time, his heart pounding, before turning his attention to the thing that had just appeared, that had somehow restored a fragment of his dear friend's former self. He then realized it was an egg.
A blue egg.
Lure's gaze went from Sam to the egg, from the egg to Sam, again and again. At last, he could see a spark. There was something left of her after all.
But suddenly there was the sound of a shell breaking. Lure quickly turned his attention to the noise, while Sam let out a frightened cry. They didn't know how, but the egg had slipped out of its nest and cracked on the ground.
"No!" Sam screamed. "Noooooo!"
She stretched out her hands towards the container of her very own flesh, panicked and unable even to turn around. Lure rushed to the scene of the accident and placed his hand carefully on the shell. He didn't know if it was his fault, but the egg cracked and fell to pieces before his very eyes. And suddenly, right in front of him, there he was.
A Mudokon baby. A tiny being, curled up, fragile and all blue too. Just like his mother. Sam's baby.
Alive.
"Abraham!" the Queen shouted behind him. "Oh sweet Odds! Abe!"
The Slig, driven by the distress in her voice, took the little Mudokon in his arms, suppressing a grimace, and headed back towards Sam.
"He's okay" he stated to reassure her.
He handed her the newborn, almost in a hurry to get rid of it.
"So, Abraham then?" he asked the baby, trying to recover from those emotions. "You're lucky kid, at least you already have a name at birth! Ahahah!"
He couldn't help but draw a parallel with Skillya as he watched Sam devour her baby with her eyes with such poignant love. It was true, her eggs weren't supposed to hatch immediately after the laying, and they were being taken from her as he'd seen. Was this the first time she could actually admire the face of one of her children? A multitude of emotions overwhelmed him then. Envy. Relief. Anger. Tenderness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness.
The sadness he suddenly also saw in the newly-opened eyes of little Abe. In his glistening yellow globes, yes, it was as if all the sadness in the world resided there. As if the baby Mudokon felt it.
And, as if to confirm it, Abe suddenly opened his mouth and began to cry at the top of his lungs. His wails pierced the space. Sam tried in vain to calm him down, and Lure regretted not having his other hand to cover his ears effectively.
"Sam?"
To Lure's utter horror, the Shrink's program had just finished, and the Mudokon's semi-conscious parasitized head was back on the screen. The Slig wanted to run without knowing where, but strangely enough the Shrink didn't consider him. The bulbs at the top of the screen had just lit up in a dangerous red and the program seemed to be focused on Abe, in absolute priority mode, neglecting everything else.
"This is no good at all, Sam" the machine declared coldly, showering Abe with its menacing light. "Give it to me."
The mobile metal arm brought the Shrink closer to Sam, who was still trying to calm her child. To no avail.
"Come on Sam, give it to me."
The Shrink stretched out all its mechanical limbs towards the two Mudokons, but the Queen closed her protective grip around Abe, who continued to scream.
"What are you going to do to him?" Sam asked apprehensively.
"You don't need to know."
The words 'Non Conforme' were displayed transparently on the screen. Sam gasped in horror and Lure's eyes widened.
"N-no!" the Queen begged. "Please! Don't take him away from me!"
"I have to, Sam. It's for the common good, the smooth running, you know that. Nothing must disrupt it."
"No! I'll shut him up! You don't need to do that!"
"Come on Sam, it's no use."
The mother waited no longer and pulled a needle from her hair, undoing one of the leather straps that held some of her feathers in a bun. She quickly tied them together and plunged the tip over her son's lip.
"Forgive me..."
She sewed and sewed as thin streams of bright red blood ran down Abe's lips and chin, contrasting cruelly with his blue skin. Soon the screams turned to moans, then to long, muffled sounds.
"Hush, little one... it's all right... it's all right now."
Lure didn't know if everything would be all right, or if Abe understood what she was saying. One thing was certain: the Shrink didn't get it.
"Give. It. To. Me."
The words 'Non Compliant' remained printed on his screen, which grew redder and redder.
"Now."
One of the Shrink's arms had just equipped itself with a full syringe.
"Don't make me put you to sleep, Sam."
The Shrink's arms grabbed the baby Mudokon and began to pull. Sam, terrified, pulled back with the force of desperation.
"No! Stop! He's not crying anymore! Stop it! Stop it!"
The Guardian Angel's halo also turned bright red.
"I warned you, Sam."
It plunged the needle into the Queen's neck, but before it could press the plunger, the Shrink was forced to step back. Lure had moved to his SnUzi and had just emptied a load of ammunition straight at the machine. Unfortunately, the syringes shattered harmlessly on the robot's black carapace. With its program suddenly changing priority, the Shrink turned its attention to the Slig and lunged at him at full speed, its arms turning into saws and blades. Lure barely dodged, his hand clutching his weapon, while Sam watched the unequal battle in dismay.
"W-what the..." she stammered.
The Shrink leapt at Lure again, who narrowly dodged the blades once more, but the angle of the screen collided with his ribs. The Slig yelped and rolled to the ground, his pale skin turning black from the impact. Furious, the Shrink let out a distorted cry of frustration and was streaked with saturated static.
"You can see him?!" Sam exclaimed, her eyes widening.
The Shrink didn't answer, but rose high into the air, coming closer to the Queen. She paid no attention to it and stared in amazement at the Slig in front of her. At last.
"L-Lure?"
Just then, the Shrink's syringe stung Sam again, and this time the arm pressed down on the plunger. The sleeping drug entered her system. The female hiccupped and pulled the needle out, but it was too late.
"Everything's fine Sam" the Shrink's cold voice rang out. "You're just having a bad dream."
Then the machine raced ahead towards the Slig, all saws out. Lure, enraged by what he'd just seen, came to meet it, uttering a huge curse in his own language. He leapt forward, straight at the screen, barely grazing the blades that lacerated his back, thrown too far. Summoning all the strength in his one arm, Lure thrust the enormous SnUzi needle into the center of the screen, which shattered and cracked on all sides. Distorted mechanical screams rang out as the Slig emptied the rest of the bullets into the machine's circuitry. The corrosive, poisonous liquid fried cables and chips, and a foul-smelling smoke began to gush from the cracks. An ominous electrical noise ran through the entire robot, amplifying rapidly, and Lure threw himself to the side just in time. With a final distorted scream, the Shrink exploded, throwing debris everywhere. The other screens on the wall went dark, as if they all depended on the one now spread across the room.
"Lure!" Sam shouted as she saw the Slig on the ground.
The said Slig got to his feet, shaken, but quickly rushed towards his friend, forgetting his victory over his opponent.
"Sam! You okay?"
He stared at the spot where the needle had done its work. It wouldn't be long before the product took effect and put her to sleep.
"Oh by the Moon!" Sam whispered. "Lure!"
She was seeing him. She was finally seeing him. And he, too, was finally seeing her again. There was still a chance then!
"Hurry, Sam! We gotta get outta here! Your power! Use your power with the chicks and let's get out of here!"
Eyes glistening, Sam reached out a hand and placed it on his masked face.
"It's really you... oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Lure..."
She closed her eyes and two tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It's okay, we'll talk about it later Sam! Come on, let's go!"
"I can't."
Lure's excitement died down.
"Whaddya mean?"
"I cannot you my powers anymore, Lure. I've passed everything on to my children. To those who are born and to those who will be. But I... I have nothing left."
The Slig stepped back.
"But, no, it can't be!"
Sam was about to answer the the alarm suddenly rang. Behind Lure, the armored doors closed automatically. Soon the Intern security would arrived here.
Sam's hand grasped her friend's shoulder.
"Lure, there's nothing we can do, I'm sorry. I just can't leave. But you still have a chance. You must go! Save yourself!"
Lure shook his head.
"No! I came here to save you! I was sent right here right now! I must save you!"
While he was trying to convince himself, the Queen shook her head as if to stay awake.
"We have no time, I'm sorry... Lure..."
Before he could say anything, Sam suddenly handed him her son.
"Lure... they wil kill him. The non compliance is punished by death, you know it..."
Yes, he was well placed to know. But why was she telling her that?
"Lure... take him with you. Please..."
The Slig didn't immediately understand what she was saying. He kept his eyes on the little blue Mudokon. The alarm continued to roar and suddenly, it hit him. Another signal only Lure could hear struck him, like an evidence. A terrible evidence.
"No. No!"
He dropped the SnUzi again and grabbed and grabbed the Queen's wrist.
"I came for you! For you! You must come with me! Sam!"
Sam's eyelids grew visibly heavier.
"I beg you... take him... with you. Please..."
Lure wished he could refuse and find another way. Now, just right now. He gritted his teeth as Sam's eyes kept begging him again and again to allow Abe to live.
He couldn't refuse.
The Slig then took out the strand of feathers still resting at the bottom of his metal pocket. He looked at it intently for a few seconds before tying it around Sam's wrist.
"I was here."
The Slig tightened his fingers around her wrist.
"I was there. It wasn't a dream Sam!"
The Mudokon Queen smiled. It was a true smile this time, a tearful, painful but alive smile. Lure counted three seconds in his head as he always did and savored this sweet, cruel moment, his hand still resting on his friend's slender wrist. Then his fingers reluctantly slipped away to finally grasp the newborn. If he waited any longer, he'd never leave and he'd never be able to honor his vow.
"I'll be back to save you, Big Girl. I promise!"
The effects of the serum injected into her bloodstream were taking their toll. Asameera's eyes clouded over as her heavy eyelids struggled to stay open.
"You... already... did, Lure. Thank you..."
He could see that staying awake was almost impossible for her now.
"Quick... run away!"
He couldn't tell whether it was her intonation or the door suddenly swinging open behind them, but Lure reacted instantly. Quickly positioning the baby Mudokon in the crook of his arm, he activated his latest invisibility ring and draped himself in his makeshift cloak to cover Abe for the Technicians. He took advantage of the noisy rush of the army of Interns into the huge room to run for the exit. The rough hum of his legs alerted several guards, who opened fire where they saw fit to shoot blindly, but only succeeded in wounding each other. The Slig tightened his grip on the baby and rushed down the corridor without looking back.
Left behind, the Mudokon Queen slumped forward with all her weight, her last words coming in one breath as she sank into total unconsciousness.
"I ...ve you."
ooOoo
"Fuck! Fuck!"
No words could describe the overwhelming anger that seized Lure as he raced through the Vykkers' headquarters. They had dared. All this time, they'd known he wouldn't succeed. That he wouldn't save Sam. They'd only sent him here to retrieve an insignificant newborn blue baby he had nothing to do with. Without telling him.
Until the end, they had manipulated him. All of them. Vykkers, Glukkons, even those filthy, hypocritical Mudokons.
"FUCK!"
For the first time since he didn't even know when, the Slig felt this terrible urge to kill. Anything, anyone. For a split second, he even considered strangling Abe, snapping his neck, just out of spite, to show those bastards that they'd been wrong to mess with his head, that things wouldn't turn out the way they wanted. To destroy everything they had planned. Out of pure, simple revenge for having been used once again. Oh yes, he was dying for it!
All he needed was one hand.
But it was impossible. It was impossible for him to betray Sam's last wish.
"Why me, dammit? Why me?!"
He had returned to the freight elevators and slid onto the platform between two containers as the Interns pulled the levers to raise them to the surface. When he was sure he was high enough not to be heard, he lifted the baby just in front of his masked face to look him straight in the eye, although Abe for his part couldn't see him.
"Tell me why!" cria Lure. "Why is this happening! Why you and not her?! What's so special about you, you little shit?!"
He couldn't help shaking him, though of course he got no answer. Abe couldn't speak, couldn't even make a sound. But Lure didn't care. He just had enough.
"I don't give a fuck about you!"
Tears of fright and incomprehension flowed profusely down the baby Mudokon's bluish cheeks, his big yellow eyes gleaming with innocence, searching in the void for whatever was tossing him about. Terribly familiar eyes. Lure felt his strength leave him and fell to his knees, as his own tears stung his tiny retinas.
"I... I know, okay? I know, it's not yer fault!"
He tightened his grip around him and pressed him against his ribs.
"This is unfair!" he bawled. "I didn't sign up for... for this! For you!"
Now even his voice was losing its energy. Anger was disappearing as quickly as it had exploded inside him, leaving only a vast dejection.
"I just wanted to be with her. End my fucking life with her. What little was left of it. But even that was too much to ask?"
Of course, the only answer was silence. Lure remained motionless and silent throughout the ascent, drained of all substance, not knowing what to do or think. Only the small jolt that shook the elevator and the metallic sound of the doors opening jolted him out of his daze. He straightened up, readjusted his cape and moved cautiously towards the exit.
What now?
The Slig took a quick look at his invisibility ring and cursed vehemently. The ring had almost finished burning out. He had only two minutes left at the most, and still had a huge portion of the complex to cross to the surface before he could hope to get out of here. The area was swarming with guards authorized to shoot on sight, and Lure was unarmed. And his pants were still too noisy to hope to go unnoticed for long once he was visible again.
He couldn't come back the same way.
"Okay. Plan B."
Lure rushed forward, running as fast as he could. They still had a chance of getting out. All he had to do was reach the docks and jump on a train. The nearest ones were only a few hundred meters away, where they loaded the eggs to send them off to hatch at the conditioning center. He could do it! He could almost see the pistons of the first train clinging to the overhead tracks. All he had to do was turn a corner and...
THUMP!
Something slammed into him as he turned the corner. The impact propelled him to the ground, as it had done for the Intern he'd just collided with. The latter wriggled frantically on the ground for a moment, uttering long, high-pitched, gagged cries before standing up again on his twisted legs. Sweating, Lure didn't dare make the slightest movement, fighting against his instinct to get up. The slightest noise would betray him and be fatal. The Intern had a SnUzi and was ready to use it. The Slig could only hope that his foe would get away quickly, to look elsewhere or raise the alarm, whatever! But he had to go. How much time did he have? A minute? A few seconds? Lure felt as if time itself had frozen.
But then the Intern suddenly turned his attention to a small blue being gesticulating on the tile floor, and Lure felt his blood run cold. Abe. He'd dropped Abe when he'd fallen earlier!
The Technician was stunned for a few moments, and the baby Mudokon froze when he spotted him, as if he'd instinctively understood that this mute creature represented a serious danger. And he was right, for the tip of the SnUzi immediately held him in its sights.
"Oh no you don't!"
Lure's body reacted on its own. With his one arm, he leapt to his feet and swung his mechanical legs directly into the face of the Intern, who flew a little further into the air. Lure grabbed Abe in a hurry and set off again, while the enemy behind vociferated and emptied his ammo in all directions. Three syringes flew past Lure's back but he didn't stop, concentrating entirely on the trains. However, as he reached the first platforms, he realized to his horror that all eyes were on him, on his exact position.
He was visible again.
What followed was chaos. Gunfire erupted from all directions as all the Technicians rushed after him, covering the high-pitched, hysterical orders of the present Vykkers. Lure tried to outrun them, but the alarm sounded louder and indicated the directions he was taking, alerting the other guards posted further away. Lure tried his best and suddenly turned off towards the next dock, unaware of what lay ahead. He jumped between the shots into the first open carriage, unfortunately he'd been spotted once again. The Interns broke down the doors and rushed into the train, gunning down any potential hiding place before even checking. They searched for a long time for his body, to no avail.
"Where are they?!" a furious and overexcited Vykker bellowed. "Find them and bring me their corpses!"
The search went on for a very long time, and every inch of the train was examined with a fine-toothed comb. But they had to face the facts:
The Slig had vanished.
ooOoo
Already a few miles away, in another black train hurtling at full speed along the tracks to an unknown destination, Lure was trying to catch his breath. He had managed at the very last moment to dive into this second train, practically next door to the one those idiots were still probably searching on the platforms. The Slig would have gladly chuckled and celebrated his victory. He would have liked to afford this moment of mirth and then think about the next step, which involved coming back later and saving Sam for good this time, as he had promised.
Instead, he hurried over to an assortment of metal crates to place Abe inside, and bent double, hand over heart, assailed by excruciating pain. He didn't even have time to remove his mask before a violent flow of blood crossed his lips.
"Ah... ah... shit..."
He knew it, he'd felt it just as he was about to jump. A syringe had lodged itself in his right shoulder blade and had already done its work, mixing its fluorescent green poison with his blood.
Lure looked around in despair. If he could find a cure... after all, the Vykkers were engineers, scientists, doctors. Perhaps there was still a chance that the products aboard the train were for pharmaceutical use. Perhaps, perhaps...
But when he saw the emblems on the crates, the Slig immediately understood. His luck had run out. All he would find were pieces of engineering, of machinery. Meat saws. There could be no mistake.
"Rupturefarm..." he commented in a breath, running his trembling hand over the yellow and red symbol. "Great..."
He turned back to the baby Mudokon, who was watching him with his big, soft eyes. Slowly, he moved closer, fighting off dizziness and nausea.
"I... see... it's over."
He had failed. There was nothing left for him. But maybe he could still make sure he saved Sam's son.
Taking deep breaths, he grabbed a sign hanging from a crate by a thin rope and a pen from the same container. As neatly as he could, he wrote down the message he wanted to convey, made a colossal effort to read it over, then finally placed it around the baby Mudokon's neck.
"Here... with this you might have... a chance kid..."
It seemed to him that Abe was reacting directly to his intonations, as he gave him a look charged with sadness and innocence.
"Ah...you're her son alright... You're already so... lucky, kid."
He smiled bitterly under his mask.
"You got a mother who loves you... who gave you a name... while I..."
He clenched his fingers around the metal crate.
"I... I got nothing... just a code... then I met her. Ah, she... she... gave me a name. Lure. Yes, Lure. But now it doesn't... matter."
Name or code, in the end, it was all the same. He was going to be forgotten. The only person who knew his name, who had given it to him, would forget him again. And that was the worst part for him. It broke him even more than knowing that in a very short time he would no longer be part of this world.
Maybe it was better that way. A little sad, of course, but for her it would be better if she didn't remember anything, because otherwise her pain of having lost him would be endless, unbearable. She was like that after all. They had broken her and made her bend, but they couldn't touch her heart. It had remained the same. In a way, she was still there. Forever.
He thought he was going to burst into tears. He didn't want to be excluded from her heart, not like this.
So, while being aware of his selfishness, he took the sign around the neck of the little blue being back and, with a trembling hand, wrote one last word. Then, having put it back in place again, he cupped the newborn's head in his palm. The big shining eyes looked at him, sparkling with innocence, like those of his mother. Exactly.
"You have to remember"
He felt the head tilting slightly in his hand at the sound of his nasal voice, just as his mother used to do long ago. It almost made him give up, but Lure forced himself to resolve. His rough thumb slid over the baby's warm blue cheeks - like his mother, his mother - and flew over the strips that sealed his lips. The simple touch rekindled the fear and pain in those big, familiar eyes while a pathetic whimper remained trapped in his mouth.
"You have to remember her."
He increased the pressure sharply, pressed as hard as he could. Drops of blood beaded out of the holes left by the needle and began to trickle down his chin and down his throat. The little body shook in all directions, the innocent face flushed with fear, pain and incomprehension. The successive screams sounded less loud than a contrite whisper.
"You will remember!"
If he, Lure, previously code 583, previously too insignificant to be named, previously a small ball of food that had barely survived, if he had been able to remember his own mother and Queen, it was only because the pain he had felt that day, when Skillya had gobbled up his arm, had accompanied him all his life. Even without him realizing it. Then this little Abe too would remember this pain, remember her, Sam. And someday...
"You will remember... and someday, you will save her. You..."
He was starting to see blurred, he was running out of time.
"You... you will be able to... you will succeed! You will succeed where I have failed!"
Finally, he dropped his hand, stopping the torture. He had already run out of strength to hold him, and the baby gesticulated in all directions, trying to crawl away from him, his face devoured by tears and his eyes tightly shut.
"Ah... I... sorry, kid..."
Now Lure's voice terrified him. Good. It wouldn't encourage him to make friends with Sligs, so that was fine. Lure adjusted the sign around his neck one last time, ignoring the newborn's panic at his touch.
"But I don't want her to end up like that. And... I don't want her to forget me... so..."
He coughed violently and felt a huge viscous spit with a metallic taste pass his lips. He took a step back.
Then two.
Then three.
"Good luck, sucker."
Then he turned around and went to open the compartment door. In the crate, the cowering little Abe opened one fearful eye and, seeing nothing above him, cautiously straightened. He couldn't get out of the metal box, but he could see a little of what was beyond. He saw a large opening through which a bright and warm landscape streaked with dusty winds was passing. And in front of this landscape stood the creature that had hurt him so much, that had reminded him of someone else, someone much more gentle and kind, someone he would have preferred to see and hoped to see again. The creature mounted on shiny black legs seemed to be watching the landscape go by, motionless, one hand resting on the door. For a long moment, Abe thought he was going to stay like that forever.
Then he heard a whisper that sounded like 'Sam...', a whisper that almost made him cry. Then the creature slowly dropped its arm along his body, tilted forward and disappeared into the void.
Abe waited, not moving, for a long, very long time for him to return, fearing and hoping for that moment. But only the door, pushed by the force of air friction on the train, closed with a small slam, plunging him into the dark. Then he knew he had just witnessed the end of something, and that now he was all alone.
He began to weep with silent tears.