Ch. 9 Three weeks vacation ( Part 2)
The pair spent their last 7 days in the training facility trying to expand how to tackle any possible scenario in the Playground, but the brain wrack brought little to nothing, and Vivar decided that if a fight was inevitable, he would either ask Siete to run and hide, leaving him to deal with the threat or the second option:
D5 -“ Carry them in your left hand, using the shield as cover, Number 8?”, asked the director while reading the machine’s report. “It’s a risky maneuver, C.T.D., which would hamper your mobility and fighting capabilities. And, by the way, only worked for a few special occasions in the past…If I may add”, the old man mentioned as if trying to poke the machine.
-” Yes director, I am aware, but since patient 8 has a thin physique, it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, after they receive their first enhancements, their usefulness will increase by a considerable margin.”
The tired man just scrubbed his chin, thinking of another retort, but he was too fatigued to engage in “shenanigans with a puppet”, he thought to himself. “Fine Vivar, I don’t care, just try not to get eliminated in the second round. I’m betting on you making it to round 6, at minimum. Give me that at least, sheesh.”
…
-” Hey, buddy, are you ok?”, Siete asked while carried by the machine in his left hand. Vivar nodded and just mentioned that he was in a short call with the director. “Ah, ok. It’s just that you suddenly became more silent than usual, you know? So, what did the good ol’ doctor tell you?”
Vivar -” Confidential and battle tactics. Please do not inquire more about the first, you won’t receive an answer”.
Siete -” Yes, I learned that by now. You and your restrictions of what and you can not tell me. They do know I’m probably going to die anyway, so I could just take any secret the Brand is hiding to the grave, anyway”.
Vivar stopped dead in his tracks, staring with his lifeless gaze directly at his partner.
Vivar -“ Listen to me, clopy. The feeds never show what happens inside the clinics, especially on round one right? Nobody knows what happens there”, he said, concluding that this was the best way to encourage Siete.” That is because everyone is supposed to pass the first round- The first clinic is a checkpoint, meant to install a harmonizer device for the rest of the parts, seeing as all of them are made by different laboratories, and owned by different Brands. So for them to work together, with any type of person, those devices are mandatory. So you will survive…for at least a round.”
-” Huh…Thanks buddy”, mentioned Siete with a shy cadence. “You are correct. Let’s finish this test then and prepare for the last day in the facility.”
-” Agreed. By the way, since my map function is still disabled, in which direction should we go?”, asked the robot.
The clopy tried to take a look around, but brown, thin objects around them blocked the view in any direction. Above, the pillars clogged the sky with their branching parts, stuffed with small, green rectangle bits. At first, the clopy didn’t understand the design of the course and after questioning countless lab assistants, an answer was provided.
Siete -“ Trees, huh”, they exclaimed, never realizing how much of the R.O.C streams live-edit out. Trees and a lot of the surroundings were always a bit blurred out, left as parts of the background but never focused on.. “I guess they look weird but somewhat interesting. I always wondered why the holograms are always using the same stage each year, but I always guessed it was for cost-saving measures from the models.”
The clopy quickly found that a small and medium tree was too tough for them to scratch or break, but not enough to stop Vivar in its tracks, which gave Siete an idea. They pointed towards the top of the objects and asked their partner to lift them as high as he could. Before that, though, the robot knew that traps and dangers lurked where you least expected them, so he double-checked the area just in case.
Vivar -“ Let me do an analysis first, just in case of any traces of radiation, toxic clouds, or other dangerous compounds.”
-” With your different visions, right?”, pried Siete, a fixation that Vivar started to notice. “Hey, could you, uhm, describe to me what you see when you look at a radiated area?”
Vivar -” Please elaborate and explain why you need those details”, he asked with a noticeable irk from his usual monotone demeanor.
Siete -” Just curious, you know. I mean, I know that there are things that biological eyes can’t see, and mechanical ones can. What shape does radiation take, and in what colors does it change? Does it make a sound only you can hear? I don’t know how to explain it besides curiosity.”
Vivar -” Hmmm…The nuances are limited, based on the type of ocular implant you have and what type of vision you use. And type of radiation- you can have a gentle mist, a crack of a mirror, a tumor etc. Just like the one above us.”, responded Vivar.
His partner seemed content for now with the answer they received, but the robot still marked down the interaction in a personal log. Unbeknownst to the patients, C.T.Ds are also assigned to keep secret surveys on the participants for the Brand’s personal reports.
What Vivar sent, though, was a generic reply, and kept a more detailed file in secure space, with only him and another user having access to it.
—–
On their last day, Siete and Vivar were guided towards a platform which could withhold machines like the C.T.Ds. In front of it were four other figures waiting for them: Angie and Marc, each with their robotic partners behind them.
The girl’s partner was half her size, but otherwise bulky and sturdy-looking, having no head to speak of. It communicated in short, technical, and impersonal text messages. Marc’s companion was the largest in the group, at 2.8 meters, looking like a darkened, lanky human, with golden highlights and four long arms. At first sight you could think it’s less durable than the other two bulky C.T.D, but the materials used for it were more resilient, less energy consuming and flexible.
The two participants greeted Siete, who waved enthusiastically back at them. Presentations were followed soon after, with the smaller bot being called Agiluf, and the taller D’zin. Before the clopy could ask them a ton of questions, the director hovered behind them, lazily laying in the flying bed.
He drenched his throat a little, skimming through the speech he was supposed to give, but then considered it a “waste of time. Besides, all three of the C.T.D heard it before, so they can recite it for you. If you’re weird”, he then took a quick glance at Siete-”… Anyway, good luck and have fun, or whatever. Now, shoo, get the hell out of my lab and win me some bets.”
…
On the way down, the group noticed an empty line stretching from the elevator, with tons of people around it.
-“ Did you know about this”, Siete asked the other two, right before a message blinked on their wrists.
Announcement -“ Smile, wave, do not say anything, and just slowly walk forward. Signed, R.O.C Management.”
They didn’t notice from up high, but a reinforced glass stood between the road and the crowd, who congratulated and cheered them on. Siete couldn’t fight how easy the cheers fired them up, and wanted to jump through to glass to thank. But a wave would have to do, and they encouraged the rest to do the same:
Siete -“ It’s the least we could do to thank them, they are probably losing points by wasting working time to be here”. Angie and Marc quickly got the clopy’s point and followed their lead, with the C.T.Ds also waving at the people.
“It’s Vivar!” someone screamed randomly in the crowd. “You can do it this year D’zin, show them girl”, another one yelled encouragingly. It then became clear to the patients that the crowd wasn’t actually there for them.
“Oh well, at least I know that Vivar still has fans”, thought Siete. The parade stretched on for hundreds of meters, and the slow pace made it seem even longer, at least for Angie. Marc and Siete acclimated rapidly to the environment and even did some silly poses to entertain the people and themselves.
At some point, the clopy’s attention was fixated on a knock on the glass. It came from a young boy in a dirty tracksuit, with holes with burning marks. He tried to scream, but his voice wasn’t loud enough, and he seemed out of breath as if he had run a marathon beforehand.
He motioned for Siete to come closer, to which the clopy did as requested, especially after they took a better look at him. With every step, any form of joy or enthusiasm gradually left them. The boy had massive burns on the left side of his face and his left arm was replaced by a flimsy, stick-like prosthetic. He, on the other hand, seemed happy at the sight of their former guide, and wrote a message on his newly acquired Relate – “Can you take a picture with me?”
The oldest of the two siblings Siete helped on their first day at work, changed so quickly by the County. Enough time had passed for him to get what the company had promised to his face, while behind his back gambling with his life.
And he was alone. At least that’s the first thought Siete had. They swallowed a knot and kneeled near the glass and positioned themselves to appear in the frame right next to the boy. They had time for only one photo. Siete stared at him for a few more seconds, forced themselves to smile as bright as a sun, while silently mimicking “No problem” and moved on.
