Devil

Heavy panting and sweat squeezed my body. The hall suddenly felt very narrow. Deathly gazes locked on to me. Their whole mood flipped. And it wasn’t because of their daughter. No, I got stern glares before from Adelphe, but nothing like this. They felt ready to attack.

“Who the hell are you?!”

I stepped back away from them. Dammit, what set them off? I didn’t do anything! “What’s going on? I know I got a little rough, but your daughter is safe now! Show some gratitude!”

The mother stepped forward pulling Louise away from me while her husband marched heavily towards me. She glared at me while fighting still with her flailing daughter. “Who would thank a damn Hacker?!”

“Hacker? Now wait a minute, I’m not—“

“We can see it clearly on you!” She pointed at me.

I looked down to see that my shirt had been completely torn. It must have happened when she clawed at me before I tied her up. Dammit! I didn’t need this right now.

In my distraction, I didn’t see him coming up to me. A sudden fist ran across my face. I didn’t even feel the ground before I was unconscious. Shit…

“…going to do…”

“…already…”

“I’m not allowing our daughter near them!”

“I wasn’t suggesting that! We just have to put them somewhere.”

Finally, I was alerted to my surroundings. How long had they been yelling at each other? I glanced around. I was still in their home. That’s a good sign, I think? “I have a name.” My head ached and I probably should have kept my mouth shut, but it was instinct.

“You!” Damn, she really knew how to pull out the venom. A single word and a glare was all she needed for me to hear everything.

“We already called the Clergy to come get you. So just stay silent, kid.”

That woke me up the rest of the way. I tried to push on my feet to stand, but noticed I was missing my boots. Further, they stripped me of my pants and jacket. I guess they figured all that out. He was a mechanic, so it probably didn’t take him much to answer. “Damn, no wonder my butt’s cold.” Oh I said that aloud. I snapped back to focus. “What do you think you’re doing calling the Basilica?!”

“You’re a Hacker. It should be pretty obvious. You’re the one that’s a fool for thinking you can just run around society thinking no one would figure it out.”

“Hey now, don’t go thinking too highly of your deduction skills. I’ve been here for nearly a week and you knew nothing.”

“So you admit that you are.”

“No, of course not! That was a hundred years ago. All the people from back then are dead. You planning on holding me accountable for something I wasn’t even born yet?” I stared back at both of them. Though I could see that I wasn’t getting far either of them. Damn Orthodox! They’re the worst to deal with. “I helped you keep Louise from hurting herself or either one of you!” I tried to move my arms for the words, but I was tied up. “With my obvious disadvantages and risk to my life.”

Still more intense pressure as though I was a demon. Which I guess to their doctrine I was more or less painted at the way. We didn’t really leave our little part of the world. So they had never seen anyone like me before. Apart from the rather obvious clue if you strip us down, we were completely invisible to them.

C’mon, I needed something. The Clergy was going to be here and carry me off to kill me! I didn’t do anything wrong you bastards! Should have just listened to B and not tried to help Louise. I turned to scan the room. It was the living room, but no sign of her. “Is Louise safe? Has she calmed down?”

Mrs. Lalonde stepped forward. I tried to pull back, but the wall didn’t let me. Wrong question. “I’m not letting you anywhere near her again!”

Dammit, I can’t do anything like this! They could kill me themselves if they wanted. C’mon Heva, think, what can I say to get them to think straight? “You gonna be feeling the same way when your daughter’s dead because you refused my help?”

“What you—devil bitch!”

I ground my teeth together to face it all. “Did I touch a nerve, Mrs. Lalonde? You already said you don’t plan to do anything about her cough, but I know where the end is! I’ve seen it and it’s just a miserable and painful death.”

“You know nothing but lies and deceit!”

Rolling my shoulders over the wall, I braced myself to stand up. A fire was in my stomach and she was going to hear it all. Maybe B was right. I didn’t give a damn! “Like the lies you tell yourself and your daughter. You’re just sticking your head in the ground pretending! Have you even been out in your town? I have! It’s not just you or daughter, hundreds, maybe even thousands of people have the same thing as you!

“This isn’t some punishment by Sol for some sin you committed. It’s not because you’re not praying Soldamn hard enough everyday at the Basilica. It's just science, cold hard science you stubborn ignorant zealot! Maybe ask your husband before you start looking to the Sol for advice on how to take care of yourself!

“Or have you forgotten that Scien is about knowledge and reason, not emotional nonsense. Maybe if you could remember your history you’d know how to actually use the last piece of real humanity left behind that thick bone you call a skull!” I panted out hot air feeling like it was the only way to cool me off. I just began muttering, unable to control my words. “And I was actually trying to cure Louise, damn Orthodox assholes…”

How much longer did I have? Was I out for minutes? Hours? Can’t have been hours, right? I’d already be in the Basilica being ritualistically burned in front of a mob. Why can’t either of them use that tiny peanut to actually think?

“What do you mean cure Louise?”

I pulled back seeing I had Leonce’s attention. Was there finally hope? C’mon don’t be an idiot, please! “Ask your wife if you need. She’s seen me leave for hours. I had my suspicions for a while now that it’s not just some hardware bug. So I’ve been going out lookin’ into it. I seem to be the only one that thinks so. Since all the Basilica’s doing is trying to cover it up by the looks of it.”

“Were you lying about saying Louise is going to die?”

I step forward staring up at him. “See my neck? I was choked out by someone that went berserk just like Louise. They were further gone than your daughter. But the next time I saw them, they were dead on a Basilica exam table, every augment completely fired down to the last superconductor.”

“Semiconductor.”

“I’m not a mechanic, I don’t build things. But I know my way around augments and the network a good bit to know what’s normal and not. Have you looked at your daughter? Or your wife over there convinced you that she’s perfectly healthy? Are you a man of reason or faith? If your daughter’s dying and you could change that, which are you going to rely on? Sol or yourself?”

What’s it going to be? Please listen to your head and not your heart! I looked over towards the hall thinking I heard something. Then it suddenly became true as there was a knocking at the door. Dammit, I'm out of time!

Rapidly, I looked back to him for an answer. “You need to make a decision! They’re going to kill me and let your daughter die while telling you nothing’s wrong! I’ve seen them just turn people away! I actually want to help her! Do you want your wife or daughter to die?! Do you? Do you want to save them?”

His eyes looked towards the knocking. His wife started to move, but he grabbed her hand. She began to protest, but I could see him fighting his two devils. “What have I actually done to you? Any of you? I played with Louise, she’s a great kid. I just wanted to help her! Are you going to send me to burn because of something that happened a century ago? Is that the logical thing that Sol preaches to you? Is it?”

I tapped my foot hurriedly feeling the sweat from the noose approaching. Make a decision now!