Inhuman Bond

“Desire is irrelevant. I am a machine.”
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

~1~

“By the time Skynet became self-aware it had spread into millions of computer servers across the-.” In the middle of a sentence the movie we were watching shut off and a man came on to the screen that suddenly sported the presidential seal. I looked over at Cole who was sitting on the arm of the couch, and he shrugged. My other friend Victoria, who was sitting on my other side, shifted as the man on the T.V. spoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. At four-thirty this morning, The Pentagon was briefed on what has been an ongoing battle with the Omega virus that has been mysteriously plaguing our computers. At this time, we have new insight on the problem, but unfortunately, that has not helped make this situation any easier. And here to explain where we as Americans stand, The President of the United States. If you will, please hold your questions until after he is finished speaking. Thank you.”
Victoria looked over at me.
“Did I miss something? Since when did The Pentagon have a computer virus?”
I shrugged and smiled.

President Obama was speaking about the computer virus when I turned back to the screen. His face was unemotional, but his eyes shone with fear.
“Two years ago, a project was proposed for a super computer that would connect all computers on Earth. The idea was to practically eliminate viruses and make the internet a safer, more accurate connection to the world’s knowledge. Funding was granted, and on August 16, 2007, construction began for the world’s largest super computer, aptly named Nexus. This computer was meant to learn, but nobody imagined it would grow beyond our control. The Omega Virus that The Pentagon has been trying to understand is a result of putting too much power in the hands of a machine.”
The president stood there for a minute as he seemed to gather his thoughts. My hands shook as something inside of me told me the worst had just happened, and Cole tightened his grip on my shoulder.

“I no longer stand before you as the President of the United States, but as a human being; just like every other person on this earth. Now it is time to evaluate the meaning of life. Now it is time to ask, is it truly worth giving up your very humanity for an easier life? Nexus has taken over not just the computers we asked it to, but everything else as well. The stock markets, social security, even the military. This is our biggest problem. Any attempts to shut the computer down have proved futile; Nexus just seems to keep rebooting itself. We are now being held hostage by a computer.”

As if on cue, the screen went blank. Slowly, as if in exaggeration, words popped up on the screen.
“The future of electronics has begun.”

And that’s when the bombs fell.

~2~

I sat, staring at the television, as the world as we knew it came to an end. The bombs Nexus launched fell on major cities all over the world. Everyone was hit: Washington, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Huston, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Moscow; no one was spared the pain. From where I sat on my couch, about thirty-five miles from Atlanta, I felt the ground shake. Victoria cried out beside me and a single tear rolled down Cole’s cheek. As if in a trance, I walked to the front door and opened it. The sky was clear, but there were clouds on the horizon. Suddenly Victoria called out.

“Piper! Are you crazy? There could be toxic chemicals out there! You have to close the door!”
I shook my head but shut the door anyways. I didn’t want to look at the trees when I just knew they wouldn’t be there in a few hours.
“Vicky, if anything was out there, no door would stop it. It’s not like we’re in a fallout shelter here.”
As if a light bulb went off in my brain, I thought of something that made me want to kick myself. Quickly, I grabbed Vicky’s hand as I ran to the bathroom.
“Guys, in the bathroom, hurry.”
I closed the door behind Cole and flipped a switch to my right, one that I rarely used. Slowly, the walls around us started to move and eventually faded into rock. Cole gasped as the floor stopped and we were suddenly not in the bathroom, but in a lab under the earth.

“What is this place?” Vicky asked as she looked around.
“I’m not sure really. I used to come down here when it stormed.” I picked up an old Mad magazine and tossed it to the side.
“I think it used to be a bomb shelter back in the fifties. Bet back then nobody would have thought this would happen.”
My vision blurred and I stood there in my underground sanctuary, thinking about all the people outside; all the people who would never be the same again.

A soft touch on my cheek brought me back to reality just when I started thinking about my mother. I turned around and gave Cole a small smile.
“There’s nothing you can do about what has already happened Piper. Just remember that. The only thing left to do is keep the three of us safe. That’s all that’s in your power.”

Cole had always been the one to calm a person down. With eyes as blue as the sky and a voice as soft as summer rain, he was hard to ignore and even harder to disagree with. I had known him for a little over a year, and every time I got upset about something, he was there to make me feel better. Sometimes just the feel of his arms around me was enough, and I would drift off to sleep with him holding me.
The sound of Victoria turning on the radio drew my attention from Cole’s eyes, which were partly hidden by his dark brown hair that hung shaggily in front of him.
“Hey look, I found a station.” Victoria announced as the radio crackled out a message from an extremely hysterical man.

“This is unbelievable people! If there is anyone else out there who’s listening, it seems that Nexus has found a way to make machines! Yes, this super computer has made an assembly line of robots and the like! At this moment, it seems that the robots are stabilizing their position, but I don’t think it will stay like that for long. Already there have been countless fatalities recorded since Nexus broke away from the network. The areas surrounding the various bomb sites are destroyed; scarred with the destruction of machines. Humans have now become obsolete- the endangered species. I cannot believe this has happened! If anyone is alive and listening to this, seek shelter immediately. These machines do not need to rest, and they are after us!”
With that last statement ringing in the air, the radio died. I stood; staring at the far wall, thinking about how long it would take for the fallout caused by the blast to get here. But that question was second to the one that I was sure was on everybody’s mind. How long would it take for those machines Nexus created to get to where we were, thirty-five miles north of Atlanta? I shivered and looked over at Cole. He held out his arms and I ran into his embrace and closed my eyes. I had no idea what had happened to my mother or my best friend, who was in Texas with her uncle. I didn’t know if anyone in Atlanta had survived the bombing, or if anyone in my neighborhood was ok for that matter. I hated not knowing things, and this was the worst I’ve ever felt about that. Something inside of me wouldn’t allow me to feel pain for the people that I’ve lost without knowing that I’ve actually lost them. Somehow, I had to find out if what that man on the radio had said was really happening.

My eyes flew open as my mind reeled with a new thought. A wicked smile crawled on my face as I wriggled from Cole’s grasp. I ran to the old desk in the center of the room. Shuffling through piles and decades worth of papers, I finally found what I was looking for; a revolver that my father left me before he died. He told me that it belonged to his grandfather and that it would bring me luck if I ever needed to use it. I held it close to my heart as I looked up at Cole and Victoria, who had a bewildered look in her eyes.
“Guys, I know this will sound crazy, but I have an idea. There’s no telling when or even if those robot things are going to come here, but either way we can’t stay down here forever. This place was meant to be a lab of some sort, not a safe haven from electronic monsters. And I don’t know what’s going on out there and if my mother is alive or not, and it’s killing me! So I believe that the best thing for us to do is to go out and try to find out what has gone on here and how we are going to beat it. Granted, I don’t know what Nexus has made and if they are hostile, but I don’t really want to stay around here and find out.”
Victoria’s eyes grew wide and she threw her hands in the air.
“Well that’s just great! Some crazy ass machine has bombed the world and is now making possible killing robots and you want to go hunting for your mommy! And what will we do if one of those machines comes after us? You gonna shoot it with that ancient gun? You don’t even like violence! Cole are you even listening to this? This is insane. Piper, you go out there and you could get killed. Or worse, all the stuff in the air from those bombs could infect you and turn you into some kind of mutant!”
“Vicky, shut it will ya?” Cole stepped up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I saw Vicky’s eyes flare with jealousy before she stifled it. It was never a secret that Victoria liked Cole and that she tried at every opportunity to flirt with him. I knew that Cole didn’t share Vicky’s affection, but I didn’t know if he shared mine. I’ve liked him from the same time as her, I was just better at hiding it. I’m not even sure she knew, though if she did she would try to lower my self esteem by saying that he told her he hated me or something like that; I wouldn’t put it past her.
“First of all, the bombs didn’t infect the air with anything more than dirt; they weren’t chemical bombs or anything. Second, if Piper wants to go find her family then I’m with her on it. The chances of finding something hostile are remote at this time anyways.”
Cole turned towards me and smiled. I tossed the gun at him.
“If you’re with me you are carrying the guns.” I grinned and winked as he caught it. “I hate violence.”
Vicky groaned loudly.
“Fine! If you guys are going to go off and play hero, I’m not about to stay here and wait for you. I’m going to South Carolina; one of my many admirers lives there.” She added pointedly, glaring at me.
“Cole, I would feel much safer if you’d come with me. You’re strong and everything and I’m going to need protection.”
Vicky wrapped her arms around Cole’s waist and smiled up at him. My heart did a victory dance when he pulled away from her and walked behind me.
“Vicky, all the protection you need is right here if you are willing to stay with us. Piper needs me to keep her safe as much as you do, and I can’t leave her. Besides, someone needs to make sure she doesn’t lose her temper and start killing toasters.”
Cole and I laughed at his joke, but Vicky continued to glare. Then she just shrugged and turned toward the elevator that led back up to the surface.
“Well, if ya’ll guys are ever in South Carolina, look me up. I’ll be the one with all the hot guys who actually want to spend time with someone normal.”
Then she got in the lift and was gone. I just stood there, staring at Cole who shook his head and wrapped me in a warm hug.
“It’s her decision, and she’s a big girl. I’m sure she can take care of herself. And if any of those robots turn out to be hostile and try to hurt her, she’ll just flirt with them to death.”
I laughed into his shirt.
“Well, I guess we need to get going. I would really like to get some distance between us and a populated city before those machines show up, hostile or not.”

After walking for seven hours and finding nothing but an abandoned gun shop, in which Cole and I had a five finger discount, my feet where killing me and my stomach was rumbling. We hadn’t seen any sign of Nexus, but still the people where frightened and hid in their homes. Cole and I walked around Atlanta to avoid the big city, and were currently in a town that looked deserted. The only sign of life was the doors that slammed shut when we walked by.
“I think this is as far as we can go before it gets too dark.” Cole walked up beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. The horizon had started to shine with the sunset, and the shadows leapt forward to shroud the ground in darkness. I looked around and found a patch of grass off to the side, away from the road. I pointed and we made our way over there. As soon as my feet touched the grass I plopped myself down and groaned.
“My feet are killing me! What I wouldn’t give for a car. We’d be in Florida by now, soaking up the sun.” I reached for the backpack Cole had been carrying; he wouldn’t let me carry it all day; and grabbed a bottle of water and a candy bar. Cole laughed.
“Not a very nutritious meal there. I’m willing to bet you’ll be even more tired by tomorrow. Maybe we should swing by a grocery store or something.”
I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him, which was covered in chocolate and caramel from the candy bar. Cole had been harking on my food preference for months, saying that one day Mother Nature would catch up with me and my body will start to show all the chocolate I’d eaten. Not that I cared anyways; with him around I could always find a way to lose the weight.
Cole lay back on the grass and looked up at the sky, which was bright with the stars. I studied him as he studied the stars. About four hours into our walk he had taken off his shirt and now his tanned body shone with little droplets of sweat. I watched as he breathed and how his muscles would move in response. With his hair fallen back on the ground, I could see clearly his eyes, blue and unseeing as he drifted off into space. His eyes where the first things I noticed about him when I met him last May. They were so bright and honest, and he was as sweet as could be. I was at a party with Victoria and he was sitting outside, looking at the stars. We hit it off right away and talked the whole night about movie quotes. At around three in the morning I decided it was time to get Victoria and go back home. But when I went to get her, she was so drunk that she couldn’t stand up. I remember how Cole picked her up and carried her to the car. I also remember how she told him he was hot and asked if he would sleep with her. The next morning all she could talk about was how she knew without a doubt that Cole liked her. From then on it was a battle between us: Vicky trying to prove that she was more attractive and me just praying that Cole liked me.
Cole leaned up on his elbows as I was staring and I had to quickly avert my eyes. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle.
“I think we should turn in now. I want to get to Florida before Friday.”
I nodded and leaned against a tree. It wasn’t two minutes before I was asleep.

I could see the robot inch closer in the fog, sneering as it walked. My gaze darted around in search for my gun. Instead it landed on Cole, hiding behind an upturned van. The robot saw where I was looking and turned. Screaming I ran out, but just as I entered the clearing the robot reached the van where Cole was hiding. I stood there, stunned, unable to move my legs as the robot grabbed the van and with incredible strength it threw it in the air. Cole screamed as the robot grabbed a rock and started hitting him with it. Blood ran down his face as Cole gasped for breath and I just stood there yelling for help. But no one came. The robot then looked at me and smiled. As he walked away I tried to run to Cole, but I couldn’t move. My legs wouldn’t cooperate and all I could do was watch as Cole stretched out his hand to me and pleaded for me to help him.

I gasped as my eyes flew open. Tears were streaming down my face and my hands were shaking. Quickly, I looked up and turned to where Cole was sleeping, only to find him next to me instead. His arm was around my waist and his face next to mine. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked at me.
“What’s wrong?” He said as he reached up to wipe away my tears. I said nothing but simply buried my face in his chest. As if he could read my mind, he started stroking my hair and whispered in my ear that it was just a dream and everything would be alright. Then he gently pulled me back down to the ground and I rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and softly kissed me on my forehead. I closed my eyes and tried not to rerun the dream I had just had.

The sun woke me up the next morning from an uneasy sleep. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around for Cole. I saw him at the gas station across the street, buying candy. I smiled when he walked out. So much for his view on too much candy.

“How did you sleep sweetheart?” He asked when he got closer to me. I looked up at him and smiled. He leaned down and handed me a Milky Way.
“They were out of Paydays. What was it in your dream that scared you so? I have never seen you so shaken by a dream before. You were tense in my arms all night? What was the dream about?”
“I don’t remember,” I lied, “It just creeped me out is all and I couldn’t go back to sleep.” I couldn’t tell him I dreamed about him; not when it was something that horrible. I have had many dreams of Cole; sweet dreams where he is riding a horse in a pasture and I am watching him, or courageous moments of heroism where he saves the world and then takes me out to lunch. Those dreams make my nights. I can sleep knowing that he’s safe in my mind. But the dream I had where he wasn’t safe? That wasn’t something I wanted to remember, nor tell him.

We were on our way down the southern road by eight, heading toward an unknown town in Florida. My mother had gone on a road trip with a friend of hers and I had no idea where she would be, but Florida seemed like a good place to start; it was her favorite state after all. We had about two days to go, and I was not looking forward to another day of the hot sun. But I figured that as long as I had Cole to keep me company, it wouldn’t be all that bad. At least I could work on my tan.

Three hours later I was willing to cut my legs off to avoid the pain radiating from them. We had been walking nonstop without finding so much as a bike. All of my muscles hurt and my skin felt like a rotisserie chicken left in too long. I looked over at Cole. His shirt was drenched in sweat and he looked like he had gotten into a fight. I was so tired and sore that I couldn’t even laugh at his hair sticking out in all directions. Instead I looked out toward the horizon. Even though they were tired, my eyes focused on something in the distance. As it moved, the mysterious object seemed to gleam in the sun. While I strained to figure out what it was that was walking toward us I heard Cole gasp behind me. Suddenly I knew what was coming.

The machine looked to be about six and a half feet tall; and completely made out of metal. I groaned as it inched closer. It seemed to be taking slow steps, as if taunting us with our knowledge of doom. I heard a soft click behind me and realized Cole must have grabbed the gun from the bag. Not that it would do much good. The machine man didn’t seem to have any breaks in his metal suit. Cole came up behind me and put his free hand on my shoulder. Despite the dangerous predicament we were in, my stomach fluttered at his touch. I quickly stifled the feeling, reminding myself that there was a robot coming toward us with a bad reputation. When he was close enough that I could see the hate in his eyes, if that was even possible, Cole pushed me down and shot. I hit the ground as the bullet zoomed through the air and hit the machine in the stomach. It made a loud clang and ricocheted off, hitting a nearby tree.

If robots could smile, then this one most certainly would be. But instead the lack of a sense of humor led to the robot charging at us with extreme speed. I screamed and jumped up. Cole stayed put while I ran passed him, protecting my escape. The machine hit Cole with enough force to send him flying to the air. He landed with a loud thud on the grass as his breath flew out of him.
“Cole!” I screamed and ran to where he fell. He was already sitting up and grabbing the gun, which had been flung from his hand with the force of the impact.
“Cole, that won’t do any good. The machine is full metal. There’s nothing we have that cam stop him.”

I looked up at the machine that was coming toward us; taking his own sweet time again. It was then that I noticed something on his chest, just over where the heart would be if he had one. It was a small square about the size of an index card if you cut it in half. In the very center was a blinking red light. Suddenly I had an idea. Granted it was farfetched, but at least it was an idea. I looked around us for a rock but there was none around. My gaze fell on the revolver and I groaned. My father had tried to teach me how to use it but I could never get used to the power behind the shot.

I jumped up and grabbed the gun from Cole’s hand in one swift movement. Cole looked on in surprise as I walked toward the machine and lifted the gun. The robot looked at me and for a moment I could have sworn he had laughter in his eyes. I ignored the look and aimed for the square on his chest. I winced at the pain in my hand as I pulled the trigger and the bullet raced from the gun. It hit the blinking chip dead on and I heard a shattering sound. The machine stood there for a moment before it hit the ground. Cole, who had gotten up and was standing behind me, walked to the machine and kneeled down. The robot was lying there, twitching as sparks came from the chip I had just shot. Then he stopped. The machine was dead. I looked at Cole and he shrugged, confused. While he examined the chip I had destroyed, I looked at the body of the robot. It was completely metal and cold to the touch despite the heat outside. I traced my hand along the metal and felt something on the underside of its arm, just below its elbow. I turned the arm over and saw the most horrific thing I had ever encountered.

Perfectly written into the metal were two words that chilled me. HUMANS KILLED. Below it, etched neatly, were marks. Lines made by what looked like a laser covered the arm. Grouped by fives, it looked to be a hundred lines on the machine’s arm. My stomach churned as I realized what this was. This machine, like every machine I thought, kept a tally of the humans it killed. It was kind of like a sick souvenir to a murderer. I had to look away before I became sick thinking of all the people those lines represented.

“Piper, I think you need to look at this.” Cole looked at me and I saw something in his eyes I had never seen before. It was a mixture of fear and hate; passionate hate. I looked where he pointed and saw something familiar on the other arm of the robot. Like it’s right arm, the left had lines etched into the metal by laser. But instead of a record of the humans killed, this tally, which had to have maybe fifty more lines than the other, was titled with a most unusual name. HUMANS INFECTED. My mind reeled at what this could mean. Was it possible for a robot to infect a human? But what would they infect them with? I could not understand what that meant, and something inside told me I did not want to know.

“Cole, these machines are taking pleasure in killing us. The man on the radio was right; we’re being hunted. Nexus has sent out assassins to destroy us.”

Suddenly I couldn’t hold in the pain and I turned away from Cole and vomited until there was nothing left. Cole came up behind me and held my hair away from my face. He rubbed my back as he told me it was all going to be ok.

"I think we should head north.” I said when I could gather enough breath. “I know that’s where the machines are coming from, but that’s also where Nexus is. Granted, we might die before we even get into the city, but I can’t just sit here and let that computer destroy innocent lives. Besides,” I looked toward the south where the Florida line was. “That machine came from there, and either my mom got out of there before anything happened, or one of those notches on that arm is her. But either way my mother is going to have to wait. I want to, no, I need to go north; to find Nexus and destroy her. For my mother, whether she’s alive or not. For all the people those lines represent.”

Cole nodded and wrapped his arms around me. For several seconds he didn’t say anything, just held me close. I could feel all the pain and hurt over what I just found out melt away in his embrace. Then he kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear.

"If you want to go then we will go. As it is, there is no one I am more willing to go to war against super computers with. We will find Nexus, and I will protect you. With God as my witness, I will die before I let anything happen to you.”

He placed his hand under my chin and lifted my face so my gaze met his, then he smiled at me; his sweet smile that always made me giddy. “I promise Piper.”

Deep down in my heart, I knew everything he had just said was true, and it made me all the more warm inside.