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"Flesh"
Only Cedres, Vicks, Jeras, Nathan and Keys remained. Vicks and Cedres decided between themselves that it was best not to inform the others of their discovery. Both of them knew that they were human, as neither was capable of killing Kerra – they had both known where the other was, at the time. This left Jeras, Nathan and Keys as the only suspects. Work on the project quickly collapsed. Nathan spent most of his time either crying or singing old religious hymns to himself. Jeras seemed to be the only one doing much of any work, while Keys spent nearly all of his time patrolling the area in an ever-present paranoia. The two eventually formed a plan to return the weapon used on Kerra to the science lab, so that they could examine any fingerprints or evidence left on the gun. Once they had found the culprit, they could safely inform the others. However, the science lab was within the sealed area of the base. Breaching the guarded door would mean leaving evidence for the Cybrid, living a human’s body, to find. It would realize its secret was now common knowledge. In one of the rooms adjacent to the main base, Vicks and Cedres secretly breached the wall, allowing a small enough opening to crawl through. A simple create was enough to disguise the area, although the act of creating the hole was hard to disguise. A series of lies was good enough to qualm any fears the others may have had. It was another two days before the hole was completed. The thick, five-foot armored walls were difficult to saw through with only the most basic of tools, but the task was nearing completion. Vicks and Cedres began hoarding small amounts of food. The food had until this point remained unspoiled for one reason: it lay in the open, for anyone to see, but this warranted little comfort. Vicks carried a packet of small steel rods past the usual work area. Jeras waved to him as he passed by. Vicks waved back. The nonchalant attitude he forced his self to take towards a potential enemy disturbed him. Jeras was the only one of his original squadmates left; he did not want to suspect him, but his body told him otherwise. He laid the rods down at his feet and closed the door to the storage bay Cedres was working in – there was no need for them. “These fake errands are getting on my nerves, in more ways than one.” “I know, but we have to keep up the pretense that we’re unaware,” Cedres responded, half of his body within the wall’s body. “It doesn’t really make sense that the toaster would kill Kerra and leave the door shut like that though... it’s too obvious.” “I’ve been thinking about that too... Anyone with half a mind would have seen that right away, unless he’d gone mad or too grief-stricken to notice.” Cedres remained silent as he worked. “Maybe... maybe it’s just trying to get under our skin.” “Is that a pun?” Cedres asked. “God, no. Never. ...I’m saying it may have intentionally led us to believe that it has access to this area, by killing our guard, right in front of the door.” Vicks continued to think for a moment. “Hey, you think maybe that is the case? Maybe it really did gain entry somehow, and then escape?” “No way,” Cedres replied, affirmatively. “There’s too much evidence otherwise to make that sort of assumption. If it can get in, there’s no point in sealing ourselves in here. And we can’t open the door because that would be too obvious. It would realize we know it’s always in here with us, and that we’ve given up hope of protecting ourselves. I don’t want to take that chance.” “I guess...” Vicks said, facing away, towards the door. “Look,” Cedres said, pulling his self out of the wall, “I know you don’t want to believe that one of us is killing everyone, but that’s the truth of the matter. Or, at least, that’s our best guess. We have to follow through. I’m sure it killed Kerra to fool us into thinking it gained entry only for a moment.” “It still doesn’t seem right... it was too flawed. It was... inefficient.” “As long as we agree that we’re doing the right thing, Vicks.” “Yeah, we are... Sorry.” The sound of weeping permeated the room, although faintly. Nathan had gotten off his shift of watch, and had returned to bed. The two men said nothing more. ----- Later that night, or what Cedres assumed was night, the two ventured through their finished entrance into an abandoned hall, still lit by the dim red lights there. Vicks carefully toted a bag in his right hand; in it lay the killing weapon used to murder Kerra. They had been careful not to over-handle it. Everything was as they had left it, further evidence that there was no infantry unit stalking the corridors of the abandoned base. The body of Daniels, now partially decayed, still lay in the position the doctor had left it. Cedres felt almost as though the corpse was trying to warn them about something. “...Have any idea of who it is?” Vicks asked, suddenly. Cedres jumped; the two had not spoken since they had entered the area. “All of your men are gone with enough time for them to be taken by the enemy. ...And all of my men disappeared for months before coming back together in time to lift off of Mars. There’s no lack of time involved.” Cedres sighed and looked at Daniels’ pleading face, its eyes sunken back into its skull. “Honestly... I don’t know what to think. Every one of them has gone off of the deep end. Keys has gone mad, obviously. Nathan’s been behaving erratically ever since Kerra died, and your friend Jeras apparently is still coping in his own ‘unique’ way.” Vicks stared at Daniels’ body as well. “I’m sorry if saying that about him is disrespectful.” “...No, no it’s not. I’ve known for a long time that’s he’s both a hazard to himself and the people around him. From what I’ve seen, he’s behaving the same as he always has. From what I know of your two friends, they’re both doing the same.” Cedres nodded. “It’s true... each of them has experienced a trauma that’s pushed them over the edge. They’re all acting so inhuman, that’s it’s almost... too human. I can’t make a decision without proof.” “Let’s not waste anymore time then.” The two entered the science lab through the medical bay, once again maintaining silence as they worked. Neither bore any resentment towards the other, but the possibility that one had brought this travesty of nature upon the other clashed within both of their minds. Cedres had worked simply at his post, ever vigilant and seldom having free time available to him. However, he had remained content. He performed his duty to the Empire, with little to no cost to his own personal life. It was not until Vicks had brought his crew here that trouble had arisen. It is very possible that he had brought this virus, in the guise of human flesh. In the same fashion, the Enemy had torn Vicks out of Mars, his mother, out of her womb; taken in by Imperials, they treated him as a slave. They had forced him into this frightening wasteland to work like a dog. He was not used to living in seclusion, without reinforcements, and without knowledge of his surroundings. The situation often drove him mad with fear, even before the Cybrid had begun its campaign. He was no longer the man he once was, all as a result of this man, and his crew. The two both had too much at stake, however, to harbor hatred for one another. The final phase of the tests began to run. Fingerprinting , the quickest method, had failed. Only Kerra’s showed up on the weapon. Whoever had used it had worn gloves. From the sheer distance from her body, it was obvious that someone else had hurriedly thrown it from the scene. The buzzing sound of the computers irritated Vicks. He had grown to hate machines. “Almost done...” Cedres said. Vicks did not respond. Rather, he fell limply across the console, a hole burrowed into the back of his head. Cedres’ eyes flew open; he ducked without hesitation. He had been too focused on the machine to hear the first shot, but had heard the second, its soft, almost gentle ringing flying above his head. He rolled, removing the killing weapon from its examination plate. Whoever was the killer had obviously discovered them – the tests were now useless. Cedres did not see the face of his target as he fired. The framed silhouette of his enemy, created by the flashing red lights of the base’s emergency power, was his only clue. The shot tore through the left side of the man, sending him careening backwards into the medical center, on the floor next to Daniels’ body. Cedres sighed. It was over. He has at least saved the lives of himself and two others. Leaning over the bleeding body, Cedres made out the attacker’s face: it was Keys. The body bled profusely from its wound. Keys’ body was dying. He reached out his right hand towards the doctor, his face tightened in an expression of hate. “Cy... brid! Burn... in hell...” Keys threw up a heavy pool of blood and died. “It’s over,” Cedres thought for a moment. Keys’ final words resonated through his mind, however. “Cy... brid! Burn in... hell...” “Keys... he thought we were the enemy. But he saw us running to the body when Kerra died. ...Damn. He was too crazy to think straight anymore.” An explosion rocked the entire building. He eyed the weapon in his hand. It was useless now. His DNA, Vicks’ and Keys’ now smeared its shell. Blood had flown everywhere in the short firefight. Something horrible was happening elsewhere. “The plan’s failed.” However, only two suspects remained. ----- Cedres emerged from his hole in the wall, still partly covered in blood. He had managed to get most of it off with the emergency water flasks from the doctor’s office. The smell of the disinfectant within the water made him feel sick. As he exited the room, he found that one of the external doors had been destroyed. Over its fiery remains lay the broken frame of the Talon. Whoever had done this had taken advantage of being alone a solitary human. The doctor climbed over the cold, yet still flaming heap of twisted metal. He fell from the partially decimated doorway onto the unwelcoming snow below. There was no escape for any of them now. He felt like a fool for not foreseeing this. With his only means of escape destroyed, he was as good as dead if he could not hold out until the supply train arrived. He would have to find the killer and end this now. He stumbled through the snow, the dim light of the spare generator his only guide. He had forgotten to bring a light once again; there was no time to go back. It was not long before he encountered a trail of blood. After this, there began a virtual river of organs, severed body parts and shredded clothing, all drenched in warm blood. It had not been long since the murder – the cold had not yet tainted the remains. Amidst the remains there lay an active light, itself barely recognizable, half-buried in the snow. Cedres picked it up, and moved forward desperately. He had to finish this quickly. He had not been so absent-minded as to forget the weapon he had used to kill Keys. This would end, one way or another, in mere minutes. “Damn you,” he mumbled, stumbling as he tried to run in the snow. “I can see your footprints. They’re covered in blood. I’m going to tear out that mechanical brain and put it on my desk, you bastard.” He heard a whining noise as he continued to follow his prey, gun held high, and the light held low. The beam landed on the back heel of someone’s boot. Cedres stopped and raised his weapon and light to meet the back of the Cybrid’s head. “So glad you could make it.” The whining noise had stopped. The final evidence of its origin, a Cybrid transmitter, descended under the snow. He turned. Until this time, Cedres had silently been sure of the Cybrid’s identity. He had been wrong. He had allowed his emotions, his brain, to deceive itself. “Nathan. ...How long?” The familiar face smiled back at its friend. “For as long as you’ve known me.” Cedres faltered for a moment. The voice and manner of speech was still that of his friend, but the soul was clearly mechanical. “...Impossible. Nathan was my friend. He was compassionate, and deserving. You aren’t Nathan, you bastard!” Nathan laughed. “You animals are so easily deceived. I assumed this form during one of this human’s training missions on Mercury. The NEXT studied his past... his brain functions. I learned who he was, and what chemical operations made him human. I can anticipate his thoughts, his errors in judgment. I am this human in every way.” The thought of caring for a Cybrid as a friend enraged Cedres. He felt like a fool. “I eliminated Daniels and Biggs first for obvious reasons,” he said with a smile. “I rather enjoyed playing the part of a mourning animal. It gives me a strange feeling you would call ‘ecstasy.’” He laughed once more. “And poor Kerra.” Cedres’ eyes widened as he remembered what Vicks had once told him: “I caught them a couple of days ago, involved in some ‘after-hours’ activities, if you know what I mean.” “Good god...” Nathan smiled. “Yes, your god. Where is he now, animal? Did he save all the ones I’ve slaughtered? Did he protect you from Keys?” “Keys...” Cedres shook his head. “What did you-“ “I told him about your plans. I told him that you and Vicks were the enemy, burrowing into the main base to find chemical agents to poison us all. He was too blind to see otherwise.” “How did you know!?” he shouted, raising his weapon. “All those nights I spent crying in the dark, singing hymns to a dead god. I was listening to you both the entire time. You were too busy feeling compassion to notice.” The two remained silent for a several moments. “I never actually killed Kerra.” “What?” Cedres asked, confused. “I found her dead, the same as you. I suspect that one of your hubmates lost his sanity and murdered her.” “So that’s why it never added up,” Cedres said to himself. “We thought it was too obvious, but-“ “But I could not vouch for my innocence? I forced myself to silently watch as you two... animals began to sniff around for my trail. ...But it does not matter now. Whoever committed the act I had saved for myself is dead now. I suppose you could say that not being able to kill her is my only regret.” Cedres turned his head and tried to grasp what had happened. All of this time, he had been searching not for the enemy, but one of his own. Their original assumption was correct; there was a murderer in their midst. Someone had indeed gone too far over the edge to remain human. War had taken its toll on all of them, and it was too late to return to reality. “...They will be here soon, you know. I’ve called them here. We decided that destroying this facility from within would be more efficient than murdering you all in combat. I’m sure they will be more than pleased to use your body as housing for one of my brothers. It would have been more functional to keep all of you alive for conversion, but I find there is a certain flavor in carnal brutality. Perhaps I am guilty of the sin of overindulgence.” It laughed once more. “Your meat will service us well... animal.” “It’s too bad you won’t live to see it, you bastard.” Cedres fired his weapon into the Cybrid’s smiling, fleshy head, the mechanical brain within shattering. He spat. “Don’t know what you were smiling about. Maybe that I never got to put your brain on my desk.” He threw the weapon into the snow and sat. He was a prisoner here now. He wished to commit suicide, but he could not bring himself to it. It was not long before Cybrid reinforcements found him there, sitting in the snow, awaiting death. Before the two months had passed, Cedres returned, ready to relate his story to his rescuers, and to join a new squad. A new generation now carried the Trojan virus. The Cybrid caressed its new flesh. It would service it well. |
