By David C. Daoust
Colin sucked in a deep breath just as his eyes snapped open. He was back on his ship. Back on that sandy moon, Twin Crown. He regained consciousness, seemingly in his bed. It was actually a façade living quarter, considering his body had never actually rested in this bed. A facade for possible inspectors; As phony as the breath, he just sucked in. His physical body had not left Halfhul since his implants made him into what he was. Implants that allowed him to reroute his mind, anywhere in the solar system, to what was known as a ‘Holomech’.
A Holomech was a specially designed solid-light construct, made to be an exact duplicate of himself. He used this duplicate to move merchandise, or rather smuggle merchandise, at barrier breaking speeds, throughout the Onion.
The human mind simply could not withstand high speeds beyond what was known as the ‘Brannigan Barrier.’ To cross the barrier would scramble a human’s synapses, leaving him insane—or just a babbling moron. Colin wasn’t sure which, but he did not want to find out, either. It was common knowledge in the Onion– no human being could move at high speeds, past the barrier, without being nutty thereafter.
If Colin’s actual physical brain was not in the ship moving at such speeds, then he could function at such speeds without threat to his sanity.
The Organization had found this as a work around to move merchandise without dealing with the standing governments that used the Arks in an official capacity. Most shipments that needed to be moved through the solar system, at such speeds, were loaded into automated ships. Smuggling some items in such a way, was simply too risky. For the most part, smuggling large ticket items was done the old-fashioned way, with a cargo ship, with human occupants, getting it where they wanted it to be, outside of official channels. This was slow going, so, to get what needed to be, where it needed to be, at speeds that would blow away all their competition, Colin was the guy. Colin was the one and only holomech smuggler in the Onion.
The Holomech was pretty much a walking, talking forcefield– shaped like him. Every detail was exactly duplicated. That included the series of scars that marred his flesh. Bullet holes that had led to his upgrades—and his implants.
So long ago now, he had bucked up against those that truly had no care for how he saw himself. The tough guy son of the Head of the Organization. The Big Boss himself. Where he came from, no one would so much as scowl in Colin’s direction– entirely because of who his father was. Colin got used to it that way; got full of himself. Undeservedly so. It was only a matter of time until reality came calling. It called with series of bullets plunged into his chest. Bullets that would have killed him, most assuredly, had medical technology not been where it was to save him. His body had suffered so much trauma that his heart had to be replaced with a cybernetic implant—an implant that could not be implanted without a general genetic upgrade. Upgrades used to make him stronger and faster than most other organisms in the Onion, entirely to help his body accept said implants.
Such upgrades were not commonly used, largely because they tend to make the recipient sterile. But when someone is brought in, on the very brink, it was a procedure used to save that life. Allowing that being to live on, at such a cost, was commonly considered an acceptable trade.
Once the upgrades had taken hold, however, it also made him capable of taking on other implants as well. Namely the ones that allowed him to reroute his mind…
Colin was heartless, literally.
Childless, forever.
But he lived on, albeit changed forever.
Colin climbed up out of the bed, the air had kind of a stale smell to it. Considering it had been lying dormant in the desert, he was not surprised. He crossed the room to his wardrobe, the solid-light form still needed clothing. Luckily, he still had some tucked away just for such an occasion. While his closet at home was overstuffed with clothes, this façade of a home simply was not. All things considered it added up, but he had never actually gone through multiple holomechs in the past. At least, not so many in the same place.
Twin Crown was like a sand trap, he struggled to free himself, again and again, just to find himself unmoved. Even when he made it some distance away, he found himself knocked back– resetting his trek to the beginning. He was not looking forward to the long ass walk through the desert.
Colin had just pulled his last coat on, when he heard the movement behind him—when he heard the unmistakable sound of a revolver being readied to fire– directly behind him. He did not make any quick moves, he raised his hands, however—while he could not be harmed in this form, he did not like to broadcast his invulnerability to those around him.
If he was presented to a danger to an actual human, he reacted as though he was in real danger…
All part of the façade, all part of the act.
As Colin slowly turned around, three bullets struck him, in quick succession, directly between the eyes.
Thrown back, he was momentarily confused.
The act would no longer hold up; his cover was blown. He popped back up to his feet and retreated to his living quarters. Ducked back just beyond the door—trying to get his bearings.
There was no warning, there was no conversation. Whoever it was, they tried to end him– then and there.
“I thought for sure that’d do it, no matter what,” Colin heard Dutch’s voice talking to him from the next room. “I mean the Holomech sits right there, behind the eyes. I figured that’d do it. I guess you are as invulnerable as that wacky engineer said!”
“Dutch?” Colin asked, he recognized the voice, but he could not believe the actions. His old partner had just shot him three times—between the eyes. It only stung enough for him to react, other than that, he was pretty sure he was okay. He may run a diagnostic on the actual tech later… but now he was more confused with the actions. “What the hell are you doing, man?”
“Taking care of you,” Dutch answered. “Like I always do…”
Colin’s father had always described Dutch as loyal as a hound, the trick was trying to get the right idea in his head. Put simply, if Dutch was left to his own devices, he would get the wrong idea in his head eighty percent of the time. It was pretty clear Colin landed on the wrong side of whatever wrong idea was currently in Dutch’s head.
“I’d always tak’n care of both of ya— you and your pa.” Colin could hear the man moving about the outer cabin, “More times than I can count. You don’t always know it… neither did your pa. Now you’re both gone, DEAD. I need to send you on your way. To join him.”
“What are you saying, Dutch?” Colin tried to decipher the words. “Did you kill my Father?”
“Not me, of course not,” Dutch protested. “Listen, I love you both. That is why I got to do this. Halfhul is gone. Wiped off the map. You got no brain to return to! I’m not going to let this joke of a life— the life of what? Being a robot? Be how you exist in this world.”
“Um… Dutch,” Colin was confused, worried his father was killed, “Halfhul was fine when I’d left– I’m not dead, Dutch.”
Dutch was too busy talking to let what Colin was saying sink in, “…who took care of that dame after you got all shot full of lead? I knew you couldn’t handle it– having a little bundle of joy. I paid her off, got rid of her. Just like I got rid of countless others for your pops.” Dutch was just ranting at his point; he must have lost his mind. “She’s off on New Runneymede playing the actress. The kid too, hell you probably saw her movies and shows. Grew up to be right popular… talented even.”
The information flooded Colin’s mind. There was more to the incident, that had altered him into his current state, than just being shot full of holes. Colin had fallen in love on that moon. Met the love of his life. The men that showed up to do her harm, were the same men that almost killed him. His attitude had made things worse, but they were there for the woman. He actually threw himself into harms way to save her… He never saw her again thereafter. But if what Dutch said was true… that was only true because of Dutch’s meddling. Dutch’s intervention.
Not only that, Colin was not childless.
The thought was trapped in a loop in his head as he tried to unravel all its implications.
When Colin said he lost his heart on New Runneymede, he only half meant the actual physical organ… His heart was hers, had been since the moment they met. There was not a day that he did not force her memory from his mind. Those deep brown eyes… her touch… He had spent enough time with that woman to plant his seed… he was not childless.
Maybe he was not heartless either. This last, was an idea he would toy with after he dealt with Dutch…
At the time, Dutch had told him she was long gone. She had no interest in him. Colin had believed him. It tore him apart inside, but he was too busy recovering. He had too much trust in Dutch’s word…
The rage built up in Colin…
Colin knew what he could do with the holomech now– from his experience against the Overseer.
Of course, Colin Vice had no way to know that such a movement, outside of the shielded environment of Halfhul, would alert Dakota Sun to Colin’s presence– at long last.
No sooner had he jetted out, at super speeds, to lash out against Dutch for his deeds, then the glowing female form suddenly appeared in a flash, at the heightened frequency, grabbed him by his arm and slapped him clean across the face.
Colin was shocked into listening to it…
“About time I found you— come on, I know where your father is,” Dakota’s eyes, like glowing pools, held his attention as she stated simply. “We need you elsewhere…”
She then added, with a gesture to the seemingly frozen-in-place Dutch, “Trust me, you don’t want to do this…”
Both, Colin Vice and Dakota Sun, vanished.
A fresh pile of clothes was all that was left for Dutch to contend with.
Discussion ¬