Freak Show

"But this is just a simple fucking abandoned factory like all the others, did he really not have a better place to set up his lab?"

"Well, in the center for sure it would have been discovered, and almost all the suburbs are inhabited by Machine Men, apart from the industries still in operation, the only safe place was here."

"This factory is tiny though, and there doesn't seem to be anything suspicious looking at it like this, are you sure this is the place?"

Sophie pointed her finger to the ground and said: "In the basement, Kei; this particular company is known to have a very large basement department, so it's obvious he chose it, after all, we're talking about a scientist, not just any fool."

"I get it, I get it, let's go inside."

"Where do you think you're going sorry?"

"Inside to dig up that guy, isn't it obvious?"

"He will surely have set traps to thwart intruders, let me go ahead, with my eyes I can see everything."

The two entered the building, and near some ditches containing spent material, they found a staircase going downward, with a closed door at the end.

"Well, it's pretty creepy" said K-111.

"What? Are you shitting yourself?"

"What do you take me for? Mine was just an objective observation."

"Objective observation... Ahahaha what are you talking about? You sound like some kind of professor."

"Stop wasting time talking and let's get on with it."

They opened the door, and behind it they found a very long corridor that was completely dark and flooded.

They began to walk, finding themselves several times in front of an interchange.

But Sophie thanks to her eyesight knew perfectly well where to go, and they didn't risk getting lost even once.

They continued in this way for quite a while, until turning for the umpteenth time they saw it.

A bright door at the end of the tunnel, with a neon sign that read "LAB."

"We're almost there Kei, be very careful, there could be all kinds of traps."

"Do you see anything?"

"Absolutely nothing, there doesn't seem to be anything behind the door either.

He must have used some kind of barrier that resists even my sight.

What do we do now?"

"We break down the door, go inside, and make that guy talk."

"Your methods are…how shall we say, "peculiar."

"Come on, let's go."

Arriving in front of the door, K-111 unsheathed his knife, and pulling the safety catch, activated the red-hot mode, ready to melt the door.

However, after a few seconds, it opened completely, disappearing into the upper part of the ceiling.

The two looked at each other quite shocked, then someone spoke.

"Come on in."

As they entered they saw a man sitting on a crumbling wheelchair, intent on handling screwdrivers and other tools on a work table.

He had a tuft of curly, dead-blond hair that was quite neglected and greasy, a short, almost invisible patchy beard, and he was short and slightly overweight, although it was probably just a beer belly.

The worst thing, however, was his clothing.

He had on terrible, dirty, rotten sandals that stunk the whole room with an absolutely disgusting corpse smell.

A pair of bell-bottom pants, tight at the waist, definitely the wrong size, ripped and stained with an unidentified substance.

Then a red-checked shirt typical of the common image one has of the woodsman, covered by a filthy smock that was originally supposed to be white but had now turned a suspicious dark brown.

This was then concluded with a pair of old, broken glasses with lenses that were always fogged up.

K-111 leaned close to Sophie's ear and began to whisper something.

"Ehy, don't tell me that's the guy we're looking for."

"I warned you he was a freak, what are you surprised about?"

"That's not a freak, that's a stinker!

Come on, look at him, he looks like he slipped in a shit pool 15 years ago and hasn't take a shower since that day."

"Now stop it, the man in front of you is one of the most brilliant scientists of our time!

He is the inventor of most of the technologies you see today, award-winning and with IQs over 200!"

"That asshole?"

Then the scientist interrupted them.

"Excuse me, how can I be of service to you?

Oh, wait, are you maybe S-352?

Good to see you dear, how are you?"

"I'm fine thank you… And you?"

"As usual I would say, by the way how are your eyes, are they working well?"

The girl fell silent.

"Hear me out, you nerdy-mountain-shirted jerk, how dare you ask her how her eyes are doing, after you stole them from her?"

"Stole them? I simply replaced them, made them better.

If I hadn't done that, he would surely have developed severe nearsightedness over the years, instead so he will have perfect vision, forever."

Sophie replied.

"I hadn't given my consent, it was my choice to decide whether to keep my eyes or not, and you decided for me."

"You are a Machine Woman dear, you can't decide on your own.

In any case I'll ask the question again, what did you come here for today?"

"We are here for him."

The scientist looked at K-111.

"And tell me, what would you need?"

"First of all, I want to know who you are and what you're up to in this kind of dump."

"And why would I tell you that?"

K-111 pulled out the knife, and after handling it a bit said: "I don't know… What do you think?"

"Very interesting, the secret section developed that one didn't they? Since I left they've been going crazy I see."

"Do you know the secret section?"

"That's natural, since I was a member of them once.

My name is Dexter and I'm one of the smartest scientists there is and a former member of the secret section of Big Government.

I had to escape here because they wanted to force me to create a dangerous weapon of mass destruction.

I may be a freak as many call me, but I'm not that cruel.

Despite the fact that I abandoned them, I can see with extreme sadness that even without me they still succeeded in their intent, and that knife is a proof of that.

It has frightening functions doesn't it?"

"The only frightening thing here is your breath buddy, I think if I bottled it and diluted it, I could get a shot of pure alcohol."

"That process is called condensation actually."

"I don't give a shit what the process is called, you bloody alcoholic, we came here to you because there is something wrong with my Machine Heart."

This sentence aroused interest in the scientist, who, after adjusting his glasses, eagerly asked what it was.

"Recently I hear like a voice in my head talking to me, and sometimes I'm able to violate the Machine Men's protocols.

Could you tell me what it is?"

At that point the guy smiled, showing teeth that are seriously better not to describe.

"Of course, follow me."

The man dragged himself in his wheelchair and arrived at a door leading to another hallway, this time, however, it was clean and lighted.

As they walked to another part of the lab, Sophie asked him a question.

"Did you happen to know we were coming? Is that why you hid the traps?"

"Traps? What are you talking about dear? I have a lot of customers every day, setting traps would be quite counterproductive, don't you think?"

K-111 whispering again said: "As I was saying, an asshole.

Listen scientist, can we know where are you taking us?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"I'd be more interested in knowing when was the last time you actually took a shower, but maybe it's better not to know."

"You see I am an expert in Machine Heart.

I am not only a famous scientist, but I am also a direct descendant of one of its creators."

"You mean a relative of yours created the Machine Heart?!"

"That's right, and that's why I'm definitely the right person to turn to when it comes to malfunctions."

The three finally arrived at the door, and walked through it.

They entered a room full of strange devices filled with buttons and lights, and a hospital crib in the center.

"Here we are, here you will find the solution to your problem."

"And what would that be?"

"Simple.

I will deactivate your Machine Heart."