Gene. Sys. by Aaron Denius (best ereader for comics txt) 📕

80 fell into my arms. The burning odor of the guns fired by the other drones and the salty taste of 80’s blood hitting my lips. My stomach curls, and I can’t hold anything in. I vomit what feels like every protein pouch I’ve had in my brief life.

I crouch down and let the tears come. Everything from the last couple of days has caught up to me. What I thought my life was is nothing more than a veil to what it really is. Lies, fear, pain, and death have replaced the false sense of joy that I once felt. As I watch the water turn from red back to clear, I suddenly get it. I know why I’m here. I know what my purpose is. Survive.

I stand with a new sense of understanding and let the hot water hit my face, cleaning any tears that might have stuck to my cheeks. I shut the water off, dry myself, and change into my clean jumpsuit. I toss the old one into the trashcan and walk out to the training room.

What I enter looks nothing like the training room. It is a dense, dark forest with moss lining the ground. There is a slight, crisp breeze, and I can smell the pine trees. I look up and see a sky filled with stars. I jump when I feel something grab my hand, and I look down to see Ev attached to the other end. “I asked Grant if he could put on a simulation. I hope you don’t mind. I thought this would be more relaxing.”

“It’s perfect,” I say.

She leads me to the center of the room, where she has arranged our pillows and blankets. I spot Grant sitting in a chair against a far wall. He reads from a tablet in his hands and pays no attention to us. We lie on the ground, staring at the stars, and I tell her everything that happened. I don’t miss a single detail, including what 80 said to me about Rene’s rules for the drones. I tell her how the drones nearly killed one of their own because he was injured, and I tell her about the revelation I had in the shower. Aside from asking a few questions, she just listens. When I finish with everything I needed to say, we just lie in silence, holding hands, until we fall asleep.

CHAPTER IV

It’s still dark when I wake up. I look to my side, but Ev is no longer there. I sit up and check around the room but see no sign of her or Grant. Just as I get to my feet, Ev walks out from the bathroom, drying her hair.

“Good morning,” she says as she shoots me a smile.

“What time is it?” The simulation is confusing me.

“Eleven.” She tosses the towel over a rack and walks over to me.

“In the morning?” I ask.

Ev begins to fold her blanket. “Yeah. Grant said to let you sleep.”

“Apokalupto.” The simulation changes back to the training room, and I run to the elevator, leaving my pillow and blanket behind. “I need to see if 80 is okay.”

“Wait for me.” Ev drops her half-folded blanket and runs into the elevator with me.

We jog to the medical ward. The hallways are teeming with drones patrolling the compound. The medical ward has a small fraction of the people who were here yesterday. It’s mostly just doctors in here. Brianna walks over to us.

“Where is Grant?” Ev asks.

“He’s working,” Brianna answers.

“How is he?” I look toward the operating rooms.

“He’s stable. They put him in a medically induced coma, but Rene should fully recover.” She responds.

“I don’t care about him. How’s 80?” I don’t really mean that. I do care about him, but it’s too late. I already said it. I can feel Ev’s disapproving eyes on me.

“The drone is fine. He’s awake if you would like to see him.” She starts walking toward the operating room, anticipating my answer.

I follow and answer as a formality. “I would.”

Brianna holds the door open for Ev and me, but she doesn’t follow us in. 80 sees us walk in and sets down the tablet he was holding. A bandage covers half his face. He looks at us through his one uncovered eye.

“How are you feeling, 80?” I stand next to the bed and let Ev take the chair on the other side.

“Why did you do it? Why did you save my life?” His words have fear behind them.

I’m surprised by his question. “Why wouldn’t I? You saved mine.”

“That’s my job,” he says. “As long as I am capable of performing my duties, anyway. Which I am now no longer capable of doing. Without both eyes, I can’t shoot a gun. I am useless and should have been put down.”

Ev places her hand on 80’s arm. “But don’t you want to live?”

“I want to protect at any cost. That is my sole purpose.” 80 pulls his arm away, uncomfortable with Ev’s touch.

“Now you can do other things. You don’t have to be a soldier,” I say. To me, this sounds like great news, but I see tears running down the side of his face. I look at Ev, and she’s looking at 80. Her empathy must be better developed than mine because she also has tears rolling down her face.

“Can you guys just let me be?” 80 shuts his eye.

Ev grabs my arm and leads me out. Before we make it out the door, I turn back to 80. “Thanks again for saving my life.”

“It was my job.” 80 wipes his face, and we leave. Before I have time to register what’s happening, Ev drags me into Rene’s room. I don’t fight it. Instead, I just hold her hand as we stand next to his bed. His eyes are shut, and he appears to be sleeping. The glass cover over his body projects what I can only assume are his heartbeat, blood pressure, and other vitals.

Ev breaks