Connection [Final Part 9]

Part 1  ~  Part 2  ~  Part 3  ~  Part 4  ~  Part 5  ~  Part 6  ~  Part 7  ~  Part 8

Ryan was happy too and the news of camp rose excitement in him. He wanted to ask a thousand questions about the camp. How may have survived? And how? What was the camp about? How many people? Do we have an active lab? But despite all excitement, something nudged him, something was amiss here. He stared at Will. “I don’t understand”, he said. 

“I mean you will go to the camp and set up a laboratory and see how we can leverage the resources available and how we bring about the new”, Will shot rudely at him, irritated by Ryan’s defiance.

“You mean us, right?” Ryan said. 

“I have some other things to take care of. For now, you can be of great help. Wouldn't you like to help, Ryan?”, Ryan was surprised at Will's sudden change of demeanor.

“Aerial..”, Ryan was about to reply but was cut short by Will’s snort.

“Stop calling her that, you fool”, he bashed. Ryan looked at him and then at Aerial. Will was almost crimson whereas Aerial stood next to him unfazed. 

Will continued, “I knew you were a nuisance, I knew that as soon as I saw you”, he looked around, Lyna was gone. Good! Will thought.

“She is my Thunderlight Scarlet 2.0”, Will said while running his fingers through Aerial’s red hair.

Thunderlight... Ryan looked questionably at Will. He moved towards Will but was taken aback to see Will pointing a gun at him. A fighter robot's appendage.

Will gave a chortle. “See this..Would you leave us now, Mr. Stupid Scientist? I wanted to take you to the camp tomorrow, a camp I call, but a death zone it is.. you had one day to live but looks like even life is tired of you. And now I have to kill you”.

Ryan took a step back puzzled. Gun? “Why? I don't understand! What's going on? I understand that you have to work on Aerial, I would be happy to assist you...What are you afraid of, Will?” Ryan was too puzzled to make any sense of anything.

“Afraid? You are right. I am afraid of fools like you. I have a bigger operation to take care of", he clasped Aerial’s petite chin between his fingers, "I have to work on her. She is all I need. What's the use are you? you would only interfere…and the experiments that I have to perform on her..", he stroked her cheek and looked at Ryan there was a sly smile on his lips that frightened Ryan.

“I am afraid of fools, fools who fall in love..their love takes over their mind and then ..then they mess up and I have to take things in my hand...You are in love with her. It's plain on your face”, continued Will.

"What are you planning?", was all Ryan could think of.

"A robot, you take her for?", Will asked giving a vile smile.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Aerial. She was looking at him. Her face was expressionless yet somehow he could see her lips were slightly twisted downwards. 

Will continued, "You fell for the small installation I planted inside her... She is more than that, look at her.

"Look at her. She is a robot but only a part..and that's not all my lover fool, she is a clone... with human flesh, cut her and you will see the blood", Will smiled satisfied to see shock on Ryan's face. He is a mad scientist. He will create a being and will not think twice to draw blood from it..

"A combination of clone and robot, my Thunderlight Scarlight 2.0. Don’t ask what happened to 1.0..", he waved his hand, "I was on a mission for an organization. A secret project for which I sweated day and night... and one day ...boom..every thing turned to bloody ash... except for this one here...that's luck I am born with...She is incomplete..sad you would not be alive to see her completed ... she is a perfect tool… you can use her to kill and to...", he looked at Ryan.

He narrowed his eyes, "Now that I have told you she is a clone, do you want to fuck her Ryan?"

Anger took over Ryan and his fingers clutched into a fist and he dashed at Will. Will stumbled back and ran his fingers over his cut lips.

"You are big fool, Ryan, I do not want to rob you one day of life but here you are, provoking me, you can not blame me now for this", he placed the barrel between Ryan's eyes and laughed. Ryan cringed but was immovable with shock. 

The click sound brought both men to senses. They both looked sideways at once. Aerial had a nozzle open on her knuckles of right hand and was pointing it at Will’s temples.

"You are not to harm Ryan, Will", she said plainly.

"I won't", Will said still calm, holding his gun down. He has put his gun down, but still holding. Will continued, "You know how much I love you. I just wanted to protect you from this bastard".

"No you don't. I know what you are up to", she replied. Sixth Sense? 

Will shrugged. There was something wild in this man. Power, Ryan sensed. Power has turned him into this. "You are right", Will said, "I will kill him anyway. At least now, I will. I have grown a weird resentment towards this bastard. You know how I am, dear, and how I take what I want. Besides, what will you get from him?", he said moving closer to Aerial, "Be with me and I will make you perfect". That's more of threat than seduction, bad play, Ryan thought.

"And then?", she asked.

"Then?", he shrugged.

"Sell me. After turning me into an ultimate death machine. And create dozens..thousands..Will. I am sorry. You gave me life. But I have to give you death", she said as the wind carried the sound of metal. Ryan saw sudden movements and heard the bullets fire. Aerial, he shouted, he cannot loose her again. He saw Will pushed back and was collapsing. Ryan saw the white pale face and trembled at the look of shock and resentment in the dying man's eyes before they closed. What for? he thought. It's the end of world and people still can't stop killing, he felt exhausted.

Ryan went to Aerial. or the first time he saw tears in her eyes. She is sad. She loved Will. She killed him for me. "I am sorry", he said to her as he took her hand.

"Soulmate! I thought we were", he was surprised at the emotions in her words and voice. For a moment he was confused who she meant by we. But when she knelt besides Will, he understood. He felt sorry for Aerial and for himself.

"He was not fit for you Aerial. You deserve better", he tried to make her understand.

She stood, "Love, what does it mean Ryan?"

"That would be a mother asking what is parenthood. Love is You, an epitome of Love. I see it in your eyes, your sad smile, your gallant action", he wanted to console her out of the sadness. 

"Am I capable of love?", she asked.

Aerial…he wanted to cry with her.

"Can anyone love me? Or I can be just a tool as Will said..for blood and pleasure", she asked.

Aerial, he took her face in his hands, "Please! for my sake don't say those bitter words, only a fool can not love you.", he said almost crying.

I love you, the words played on his mind but his lips only trembled. He knew he need not speak those words, she knows. Her eyes were teary but he saw they were shining. He saw her lips turn to smile. Do you? he asked her holding by her shoulders. She passed her fingers over his cheek. They were smooth and soft. A while before they were firing bullets, now they looked petite and beautiful. He kissed them. When he saw up she was smiling. She looked beautiful. "I am a lost man without you Aerial" he said to her. She smiled again this time there were tears in her eyes. She reached up and brought her lips to him. She is mine, my girl he thought but the thoughts soon drifted away and they were one soul.

Castles to Ashes

Was the world doomed,

A human face I yearned

Searched the dead and burnt.

With you I searched

A human touch elsewhere

Doom I expected,

Feared how life would fare

Now I laugh at myself

For a fool I was

My eyes searched everywhere

But couldn't see the prize

But now the screen is drawn

I see your beautiful eyes

And sun kissed red hair

I know now, with you my life lies

I beg for your love

To be prince of your world

I pray us to be together

Will my prayers be heard

The world has collapsed

Its grey and black

Only you can add colors

And free it of the curse.

I pray you see my love

I pray I see your worth

Together we have to be

For thousand years

~