you.”
“The project will do fine without me.”
“You know that’s not true.” Mrs. Arlington took another sip. “Soon, everyone will have a cybernetic body and we can finally live forever, free of disease, free of allergies, free of physical pain. Even BioTech envies what we have accomplished. This is it, Alana. Project Eternity will be in every store in the system – the new flagship product of Royal Cybernetics.” Mrs. Arlington leaned toward Alana and spoke quietly. Lucas had to strain his ears to hear what she said. “You know, Mr. Kensington has already sent his lobbyists to persuade the senate to vote for a new law. He needs five more votes to make brain transfer obligatory for every citizen.”
Alana slowly shook her head.
Mrs. Arlington straightened in her chair. “I know what you think,” she said, “other corporations will never abide by such a law. Mr. Kensington has made sure that those corporations will be forced out of the planet.” She put her hand over Alana’s knee. “Your boy will live, and what is most important he will not be considered a freak by his friends as they too will be coerced into having cybernetic bodies.”
Alana turned to her friend, her expression somber. “You think that is important? Not to be considered a freak by his friends?”
“I am sorry, dear, I did not mean it like that.”
“Aren’t you considering the possibility that he will be turned into a mindless robot? A mechanical zombie? Are you willing to have Eleanor turned into something like that? Are you willing to have humanity turned into something like that?”
“That’s ridiculous, my dear.”
“Is it? I worked on the project since the very beginning. It is flawed…”
“…it is not flawed. It will open new possibilities.”
Alana stood up. “No, Lora, you are wrong. Project Eternity cannot revive my husband, and it certainly cannot help my son.”
Mrs. Arlington stood up as well. “Alana, the project works–”
“Don’t touch me.” Tears started to swell in Alana’s eyes.
“Alana, listen to me–”
Alana wiped her tears. “Leave me alone.”
Mrs. Arlington extended her hand. She gently touched Alana’s elbow. “Alana, please. Let me help–”
“Get away from me!” Alana flung her hand over the table and pushed her cup on the floor. It shattered, leaving mark of tea on the wooden floor. The beautiful tea cup she loved the most was gone with a swipe. “Just … leave … me…” Alana managed to mumble, and she collapsed.
Mrs. Arlington kneeled next to her. “Carl!” she shouted. “Carl, call the medics!”
And that happened every day, with slight variations. But Mrs. Arlington never gave up on Alana, for which Lucas was grateful.
The boy enjoyed her visits not only because she gave comfort to his mother, but because she brought Eleanor with her whenever she could. Both Lucas and Eleanor would be out in the field, running, playing. Well, as much as Lucas’s heart and lungs would allow. Strangely, though, they allowed much more than Lucas thought they would. Somehow he always felt better in her presence.
One day they sat on the swings and listened to the birds chirp. They enjoyed the sun on their skin. Lucas managed to hide his sorrow quite well when she was around. Or so he thought.
“My father died three years ago,” Eleanor said to him then.
“Oh.” Lucas didn’t know what else to say.
“It was terrible,” she went on. “When I look at Mrs. Carington now, I see my mother exactly the way she was. One day she sent me to my grandfather’s house for a while.” Eleanor’s blue eyes looked at him.
Lucas had no idea what to say. His little legs pushed himself off the grass but not too much, he might fall again. He kept his eyes down for most of the time when she talked, though he would secretly look at her when she wasn’t looking.
“Don’t worry, Lucas. My mother knows how Mrs. Carington feels. She will help her get through this.”
The metal chain creaked above him as he moved back and forth. “I hope she does.”
Eleanor jumped off her swing. She extended her hand toward him. “Come. I want to show you something.”
He stopped that little swinging he did. “What is it?” he asked and then felt his face crease in disgust. “Is it frogs again?”
She chuckled. “No frogs this time, I promise.”
Lucas jumped down reluctantly. He was certain she would do one of her japes on him, like the time when she hid a frog under the plate cloche. She knew how much he hated frogs. Even the snakes that seemed to be everywhere around his yard didn’t disgust him as much as the frogs did. He was disappointed then. He truly hoped she would give him something nice. Well, maybe not as nice as the birthday present, but not something as awful as a frog on a plate.
He took her hand and she led the way running. They passed the veranda where their mothers sat, waved at them, and then turned behind the house where the swimming pool was.
“Are we going to swim?” Lucas asked her. “My mother says I shouldn’t swim. If I blackout again, I will drown.”
She smiled. “Maybe later we will.” She looked around as if careful not to be seen by anyone. “Come.” She hid behind one of the wooden pillars between the pool and the house. Lucas could only follow her. He stood right in front of her face, gazing at her blue eyes, at the cute freckles over her nose, and before he could ask what did you want to show me, their lips touched. He pulled back.
“Eww!” he said, wiping his mouth. “What was that?”
She chuckled. “It’s called a kiss, silly.”
“A kiss?” He saw it on holovision, but it seemed different, longer, and it didn’t make his own lips wet.
“It’s what old people do when they are in love,” she said.
“Love is for people who are weak,” Lucas said, not admitting that he was in love with her from the moment he saw her at the door.
“They say a kiss makes them feel better,” Eleanor said. “Do you feel better?”
He shrugged. “I suppose.”
“Let’s swim now,” she said and started taking her clothes off. Lucas pulled his tee up but stopped when he heard a shout coming from his house.
“Lucas! Lucas, where are you?”
Lucas looked at the door when their butler pushed it open in a hurry. “Ah, there you are. Come, your father is back.”
“My fa…” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His father was dead, it’s what his mother told him every night. But he wanted to see it for himself. He ran, leaving both Eleanor and Carl behind, and he reached the front door where his mother stood with her hands over her mouth.
Lucas stopped next to her and stared out where a black limo was parked. A door opened and the driver came out. He opened the back door and held it for a man in black suit. Lucas couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Jon wasn’t dead. He was alive and he looked better than he ever did. His skin was gleaming in the sun, his hair was darker and thicker, and he was … taller?
Jon smiled as he sauntered toward his wife and son. Lucas couldn’t help but to rush in his arms. His father pulled him up, his arms squeezing tight.
“They said you were dead,” Lucas whispered.
“Did they.” Jon pulled his head back to see his son’s face. Jon’s moustache stretched to the sides as he smiled. Lucas smiled back. “Well, they were wrong.” He put his son down and he crouched to meet his height. “Let me tell you something, Lucas. People say lot of things when they are afraid and angry. But no matter what they say, I will always be there for you. Remember that.”
Lucas looked down at his feet, then looked up into his father’s eyes. “You promise?”
Jon smiled again, under his moustache white teeth shone. “I promise.”
They hugged. When they separated, his father stood up and started toward Alana, though Lucius couldn’t understand why she didn’t move. She was still holding her hands over her mouth. Jon stopped in front of her. He
spread his arms. “I am back, my love,” he said.
Alana shook her head, her eyes wet.
“Alana, it works,” he said. He started laughing. “It works, Alana. You know what this means?”
She was still shaking her head. “No, no, no…”
He touched her hands. “Our boy will live.”
Alana pulled herself free from his touch. “Get your hands off me.” She retreated few steps back.
“Alana, what’s wrong?” He moved closer, but she retreated few more steps. Her fingers touched her temples, her eyes closed. One tear rolled down her cheek.
“Don’t touch me,” she whispered. “Please…”
“Alana–”
“Don’t…” Her head started to rock from side to side and then her legs gave out and she collapsed.
“Alana!” Jon kneeled and took her in his arms with such ease that surprised Lucas. He was never so strong, he thought, but then again – his father came back from the dead…
…And that strange dream slowly dissolved.
I am on Palatine, Emperor Lucius said to himself. I was dreaming. He let out a deep breath.
“He is awake,” Lucius heard someone say.
He didn’t open his eyes yet. His mind jumped back to his dream, realizing how much he started to hate his dreams. They were a story of another life, of something completely different, unknown to him. He wanted it to end.
“Lucius, can you hear my voice?” someone said. It was Arrius. I told him no names.
Lucius opened his eyes, waited for the brightness to recede. He was still strapped on the bed, just like he was before the doctor injected him with the drug.
“I can hear