Doom World: Ans, the Green Monarch

Chapter 3: The perfect hour

"How did they move that fast? Do they have any vehicles?" I ask.

"It might be the case," she answers.

We are in the middle of the green, in the middle of the huge forests, under the artificial light of the ceiling. I think we are lost, but she looks like she knows where we are going.

"Remember what I told you about the world outside?" I begin, she nods. "What do you think could cause such a thing?"

"During the months I've been awakened I've done my best to learn how their systems work so that I won't be used as they intended so that I won't be a puppet. Sincerely, I was expecting the same of you," she says, disappointed. I smile and this time the pain takes me down. When I realize I am in her arms, looking at the white, artificial, ceiling.

"I just… woke up and I found myself chained… I'm sorry," I tell her.

"Don't be," she says. "They were so busy with you that they didn't notice how I broke all the programs they used to try to control me."

"So I am a broken tool after all…" I tell her, smiling ironically.

"No, you are not. We will keep going when you will be better," she says, she is kind. My head is lying on her legs. The memory hits me…

"One day we'll be old," says the woman. We are lying on the green grass, looking at the blue sky, in a hidden spot between the mountains where people go to seek for peace and take a break from the city. We are on a big field of green, not too far from the forest, she is to my left, her head lying on my arm, and the road and our car are to the right.

"And we will be together," I tell her, "two old cats, purring in their nest."

But I lied…

My cheeks are burning. Her face, her expression, they show me something. She is worried because of me and I don't deserve her preoccupation. I've always carried my own weight, it was always that way.

"ANS! Answer me!" Danna shouts on my face and her hand moves slowly to hit my cheek.

I trap her like a feline, precise, and quick. "You were gone!"

She withdraws her hand.

"I'm sorry, I just fell asleep," I tell her.

"You are not supposed to sleep," she declares, she sounds scared.

I touch my cheeks, both of them. They hurt.

"You know? If you hit something that you want to fix, it won't get fixed but even more damaged," I joke.

"You…" her eyes narrow, she moves, standing up; my head nearly hits the ground. We've been in the middle of the ground, she in that uncomfortable position for…

"How long?" I ask, standing up too. When I'm on my feet my head makes a quick and nearly imperceptible movement, a movement I didn't intend and I understand she damaged more than what we thought when she broke my electronic half of brain.

"Half an hour," she says.

"You were hitting me for half an hour?" I ask, my cheeks are burning.

"No, I thought you were listening to me, the first five minutes." She is being serious.

"It hurts, you know?" I tell her.

"You deserve it!" she replies.

"I'm sorry..." I begin, and I remember that is not the time that I say so. I'm hit by the memories again…

We are in… Paris, yes, I can remember the place. It is Friday in the morning, we are in a cafe outside on the street, we are in love. I'm holding the phone to take a selfie, the Eiffel tower is in the background. The woman kisses my cheek on the moment of the picture and I never erase the picture. It is a beautiful selfie of both of us.

What happened to us?

"Ans! Ans!" Danna shouts again.

"I'm so sorry," I apologize, I've fallen on my knees. This can't be happening, I have to keep going on!

I stand up again, my resolution made. "I will help you until I will be a broken tool." My declaration changes her expression of pity and preoccupation. She seems… satisfied.

"We are heading to the cybernetic laboratory, Ans, we are going to fix you as soon as possible," she responds. It is not a request. I nod. We turn left, we enter the forest and keep walking.

"You know? They are going to be waiting for us and you don't have eyes on the cybernetic area… it would be better if I could help, but…" I start, I notice her expression. She's been helping me to walk and I haven't even noticed. I feel fear, I feel defenseless, again. She's carrying us both.

"Why are you helping me?" I think and my mouth pronounces the words.

"Because I can," she answers. I smile again. "Because I want… and don't worry about men, we will take care of them when the time comes."

We keep walking. An hour passes and I start feeling my head wet, I feel water easing my pain and my clarity slowly returning.

"I'm so sorry, Ans," she says, our eyes meeting. "I've damaged your motor system after all. You are dying."

"I see… You'll have to take all the weapons then, I'll distract them and you could enter the… wait… it is not necessary to go to the cybernetic area, you should go and kill-" her eyes are glowing, angered. "I'm trying to be realistic..."

"Your accuracy is great, your combat skills are great, the information you possess is priceless. You are a powerful companion, wounded, you will be even more powerful repaired," she says. "But if you have given up…"

"I have not," I answer. It is true. "I just hate to bother others… I hate to be a dead weight on the shoulders of others… everybody has their own problems to carry mine too…"

"Well, Mr. Pride, you're sounding like a human. Stop it," she says, I smile.

"I am ridiculous, am I not?" I add. She laughs.

"Have you estimated how long I would last?" I ask her.

"We have six hours left. It will take two more to reach the gates to the area of cybernetics and three to reach the laboratory. Then, it will take me two hours more to make the repairs in your brain." she says.

"Then we have a problem unless we split one hour into two… you know? I guess you understood time traveling after all, but that doesn't mean you have control over time," I joke, I joke when I'm nervous when I have no ideas and I've been thinking about it, about how to reach the laboratory on time.

"I can carry the weight of both of us and I can run," she starts. Then the idea comes to my mind.

"Is my body stronger than yours? Or is yours stronger than mine?" I ask.

"Mine is," she says. "I'm stronger, faster, even more intelligent than you."

"But you eat a lot of energy, isn't it?" I add, she nods affirmatively "I suppose you would run out of power and you'll fall asleep if you run carrying with me and the weapons."

"What is your idea?" she asks.

"You see, my problem isn't energy, right? I'm just switching off," she smiles. She is sharp.

"You will fall asleep," she says.

"I won't. If you make the calculations well I won't. Get how long would it take us to reach the gates at the most efficient speed, fight a strong resistance and get to the laboratory," I tell her. "Also, get how much energy I could give you and how long would it last. And leave me at least two hours of energy so that I could fight by your side."

"It will work, it will work if we start right now." she declares. We begin.

She helps me to lay on the ground, under the shadow of a tree. Her hand is wet, a substance like water is covering her hand. "Water?"

"My nanobots, they've been repairing the damage, giving us more time," she says. The water reunites on her palm, creating a structure, a visible thing that reminds me of an octopus. A mechanical octopus.

I haven't watched myself in the mirror but I'm probably looking horrible, scary, and gross. I imagine the mechanical little tentacles getting connected to my electronic half which is probably exposed. I feel her touch.

Warning! Energy is being stolen. I see the warning in the darkness, for an instant. The process takes half an hour and when it ends I feel defenseless and tired, too tired that I barely can with the weight of my eyelids.

Then we start moving, then the trees are like an abstract picture, green and dark mixed with the red of their fruits, every time I blink, like an abstract painting of movement. The memories hit me again…

"I was just distracted," I tell her, it is an excuse. It is a lie.

"Before, you were never distracted," she adds, she is angry, she is right. I can see the trees behind her, beyond the window. They look like a painting. We're moving fast. She is driving.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again, please repeat it," I tell her.

"I won't," she says, she's offended.

"I'm so sorry! Repeat it! Can't you see that I love you?" I say, I'm angry now. We are fighting, arguing all the time nowadays.

"It doesn't seem like that," she replies and I feel as though she stabs my heart.

It hurts because she is right.

"Are you still awake?" Danna asks.

"I am," I answer. The trees remain behind in seconds, these aren't the trees of my memories, this isn't the world of my memories, and this being that holds my consciousness isn't me. I'm back to reality.

Danna was right. She is faster than me, she is stronger, she is more intelligent and the truth that my memories have gifted me with is that she doesn't need me at all, and yet she is carrying my dead weight with herself.

"Thank you," I tell her, my voice is just a whisper.

"Thank you?" she replies, confused. The leaves and sticks crush under her feet, the air is opposing our advance, but her rhythm remains constant.

"You've never watched them saying thanks to anyone?" I ask.

"No. They just work, as machines, they don't talk too much. The day you awakened was extraordinary," she says. "What is thank you?"

"It means that I appreciate what you are doing, that I genuinely appreciate it and I'll help you with whatever I could," I tell her, she chuckles. "What?"

"Of course I've seen them doing those things, I'm just playing," she says and I smile, I laugh, but I'm too tired that my laugh is pitiful. "Save your energy, Ans, we will need it later."

She runs and it seems like she's flying, likes she's an angel and she's rescuing me from hell. I had a dream when I was on Earth. In that dream I was flying, that dream was like this moment. We are flying.

"They aren't ready. The doors are closed but they aren't ready," she says. We are reaching the end of the forest, we can see the wall which holds the immense ceiling and protects the vegetation.

"How long has it been?" I ask her.

"Fifteen minutes," she says, smiling.

"What?" I can't believe it.

"Your system is good at producing energy; you are designed to deal with hardship and necessity it seems," she says. A compliment.

"And yours is designed to become more powerful depending on the energy you have, isn't it?" I reply.

"Yes, you learn quickly," she tells me, removing the connection.

She leaves me to rest next to a tree.

"However, I don't have any method to deal with those cameras and open the gates," I tell her, I'm feeling better, I'm feeling stronger. "How long would this improvement in my condition last?"

"I will take care of the closed gates and the cameras," she says.

"I'll prepare a distraction then, be ready to do your thing," I tell her.

"You are being repaired by my nanobots, don't push yourself too hard, okay?" she says.

"Yes, Dr. Danna," I answer her, she rolls her eyes and I know that I love that expression of amusement in her.

I take three grenades and I start running into the deep of the forest, at the East of the gates, keeping a good distance so the cameras won't see me. After one minute I'm in the right place. I'm ready.

117,118,119, now.

I throw one grenade to the heights, up over the trees. It explodes as expected, it calls the attention of the cameras. I throw the other two, one after the other, in different places, and then I run back to the gates.

Danna is waiting there, smiling. The cameras are still working, pointing at their respective angles, but I'm sure she controls them and no one can see us.

"Great job," she says walking to me until she is at one foot of me, looking me in the eye.

"What?" I say, smiling. She is really beautiful.

"You look good, more than what I expected," she says. I take the compliment, but a dark idea comes to my mind.

"How are my brain and my electronic half connected?" I ask.

"They are connected as if it were your other regular half with a few thousands of improvements of course," she says.

"Do I have nanobots of mine inside? On the control chips, repairing them?" I ask. I don't want to be under their control. Never again.

"No, you don't," she says and I sigh feeling the knot in my gut unraveling.

"Are you sure?" I insist. I remember his words. He said I'm stronger than her. If he was right and she is wrong then I could hurt her… and I'd rather die than hurt her.

"I am sure, all that I tell you have a logical explanation based on facts," she declares.

"Just in case. Keep your nanobots ready to shut down my motor system. I don't mean killing me but you can immobilize me if you need it. This body should be like a map, like the net of cameras, one line controls a group of things, you can control it if you know how." I tell her.

"How?" she asks.

"Using the connections that transmit the energy from my brain to my limbs, interrupting them. That will freeze me, completely," I tell her. "Just be careful not to stop my heart or my lungs for if that happens I'll die."

I expect her to laugh, but she doesn't.

"Understood," she says. "Humans aren't that different from machines after all."

"You are mapping my body with your tiny little servants right now, am I right?" I ask her. Her cheeks turn red again. What a wonderful view.

"I'm sorry," she says, I just wanted to understand you. You are really annoying."

I don't blame or reclaim her anything.

"Did you manage to do it?" I ask her.

"No, I couldn't, it is more complicated than I expected," she says. "But, with better tools, I will be able to accomplish it and I will understand you."

I smile.

"I guess you have a goal now, huh? You will understand this broken tool which maybe is like this because it's broken," I add, I'm playing.

"Curious thing," she says.

"Huh?" I lift my eyebrow.

"I'm starting to think that you aren't that broken being broken," she says… rolling the light grenade between the two gates.

Seconds later, the guards cry in agony.

"Perhaps," I answer. The gates are opened.

We are in the cybernetic area.

"Danna, protect yourself very well here," I warn her.

"I know," she says.

"They could hack you too, please be careful, really careful," I add. The idea just comes to my mind, perhaps because I can only think of the worst-case scenario.

"I will," she says, smiling, between kindness and something more, something good, something that hurts me.

We don't kill guards this time, we just run in the corridor. There is nobody else. It is empty. This hour is the perfect hour and I understand she planned everything, including the perfect hour for us to enter, the hour when all the Hexagon is sleeping.