I blushed in the empty room, the tips of my ears heating. He had been the only one to ever call me beautiful. Not once, but twice. I was happy he couldn’t see me. I hadn’t wanted to encourage him, but I was finding it hard to resist his charm.
“I have everything. How are you guys coming along?” Lennox had set a time limit for today’s excursion-two hours max. I had set a timer on my comm to beep every half hour. So far it had beeped three times, which meant we were down to only a half an hour left.
“We’re almost done. Dax has everything he needed from the lab, and Reaper and I grabbed some things we think might be useful.”
“Let me guess, more weapons?”
“No.” He huffed over the comm. “Yes. We only have one last thing to do.” His tone turned serious, a deep breath echoing on the line. “We are on our way to Torque now.”
The urge to hug him struck. Retrieving their fallen cyborg would be the hardest part of this journey. My gut clenched, the hold on the box tightening as my eyes grew damp. “You are bringing him home. Back to his family.” I choked back a sob. I hadn’t known the Technology Model. I had seen him, of course, but my time at the rebellion had been so short that I hadn’t gotten the chance to really talk to him. Still, I knew how much they loved him. Others might have believed that cyborgs were cold and machine, like but that was so far from the truth.
Their emotions ran deep. The love between them was so clear that it hadn’t taken me long to see it. The same love was reflected in my eyes when I looked at my three cyborgs, and I would like to think I saw it reflected in return when they looked at me.
The rebellion loved Torque.
And Torque had loved the rebellion. And he had given everything to protect those he had loved.
“You are honoring him by making sure he can rest forever where he belongs; the rebellion.”
A faint sniffle sounded on the comm. “Stay on the line with me? I may not…I may not say anything, but it would help me.”
I didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Brone. I’m here if you need me, okay?”
“Thank you.” The soft-spoken words added another crack to the wall around my heart.
And I couldn’t bring myself to care.Not now. Not with this.
And even if I don’t get to stay, I was here now.
And here is where I would stay as long as I was allowed.
Brone
The ride back to Lennox’s lodge was somber. Reaper and I had carefully wrapped Torque’s body in a sheet and carried him to the transport to place him gently inside, securing his frame so he wouldn’t be jostled during the trip.
As we had carried him out, Lennox’s team had taken their helmets off and bowed their heads as they honored his sacrifice. The lodge came into view and what met my eyes had me brushing a dark spot of fluid from my cheek.
Lining the walkway to the lodge were all the members of the rebellion. They stood shoulder to shoulder and as Dax, me, and Reaper carried Torque, they reached out and clasped his arm briefly as we passed by.
In death, they were honoring him as their brother.I hope you can see this, my friend.Somewhere, somehow, I hoped it was possible. That he found his way to whatever awaited after this life, and he was smiling down at us.
The sun broke through the clouds, shining down on us, bathing him in light, and I took it as a sign.Rest easy, Torque. Welcome home.
The rest of the day passed quickly as Lennox helped Reaper find a place to bury our friend along with setting up a simple service. With the Global Allegiance, anytime a cyborg fell they were scrapped for parts, or if deemed too broken to be of any further use were simply tossed in the recycler.
They weren’t honored. No one from their batch was allowed to say good-bye. Torque wouldn’t suffer that fate. All of us would come together, including Lennox’s people, to make sure he got the sendoff he deserved.
I felt a tug on my arm. Looking down, I saw Theo. His blue eyes were wet, his arms wrapped around his frame. I waited, putting an arm around his shoulders, letting him know I was there and when he was ready, he could talk to me.
He sniffled. “Mom and Dad are busy getting things ready, and I wondered,” he sucked in a breath, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Tipping his head back he met my eyes. “Would you take me to see him?”
“Are you sure?” I had to ask. Theo had seen a lot in his time on this earth. Far more than a child should, but thank goodness far less than most cyborgs.
He nodded.
“Okay.” I led him down the hall towards Medical, pushing the door open to reveal Torque’s frame laying on the table, a sheet covering him from head to toe. The white fabric concealed the damage Torque had sustained. But it didn’t matter. My processors would never forget the sight of what had been done to him.
Theo walked slowly over, his hands curled into fists by his sides. Following behind him, I saw his frame tremble. I placed a hand on his shoulder, offering him my strength.