Cryo-Man (Cryo-Man series, #1) (27 page)

             
“Not as bad as doing whatever else you force me,” I say.

             
“I guess we’ll see about that.”

             
37 sends me well ahead of him, a long slow walk through the forest, during which time I wonder if he’ll yank the wires from the back of my head. I think of my sons and nearly apologize to 37 several times. But no matter how badly I want to reach the Heaven Box and remember my past, I can’t hunt and kill more humans on the slim chance of satiating my own curiosity. I might not have known what kind of men my boys turned into, but I doubt they’d want their father to make such a disgusting trade-off. For that reason, I don’t say another word to 37, don’t beg him to spare me or let me go. He’s going to do what he’s going to do and I refuse to stoop to his level by begging for a life no longer worth living.

37 leads me into the stadium and leaves me near the front row of seats.

“Wait here so I can finally put an end to my biggest annoyance,” 37 says.

He leaves me alone in the stadium, where I’ve spent so many countless hours over the years. The sun shines brightly onto my face. I see my surroundings in a whole new way, probably because I know it’ll be the last time I see this place, the last time I see anything. It’s liberating to know my life’s about to end, to know that 37 will never again force me to kill. Still, I can’t stop thinking about my sons. I look toward the beautiful blue sky.

“I’m sorry Henry, Jeremy,” I say aloud, the robotic tone of my voice annoying me more than ever.

I don’t know what the afterlife holds. I’ve gone into shutdown mode enough times to know what it’s like to fade to black. I hope death isn’t an infinite fade to black, I hope there’s some sort of Heaven or other place or existence where I’ll be with my sons and wife once more.

The crowd begins to file in, the line of 37’s grimy sons heading to their seats. They’re usually excited and hyper for these stadium battles but not today. Their heads are down, somber, avoiding eye contact with me. I’ve had limited interactions with them over the years but they seem sad enough that it makes me wonder if they’re actually mourning me.

Nej walks in last and his eyes meet mine. I can tell he senses trouble. I should be angry with him – I want to scream out that he could’ve given me a different fate – but he’s still just a kid living in a world – and with a father – that nobody should have to deal with. It’s amazing that he turned out as well as he did and I’m sad to be leaving him alone with the rest of these monsters.

37’s absence is noticed by all and it’s strange to see Claudette and Aliciana’s seats empty. Somewhere in the distance I hear screaming, which means 37 can’t be far. The rest of the men turn toward the stadium’s entrance but it’s not until 37 gets closer that I see him out of the corner of my eye. He’s not alone. A pair of robots follows, each holding an arm of the beautiful young princess, who’s dragged into the stadium, kicking and screaming the entire time. When they carry her past me, she stares at me with a hatred so intense that her eyes seem like they might catch fire.

37 stops in front of the small crowd and clears his throat, not that he needs to do anything to get their attention.

“There are going to be some major changes around here,” he says. “Starting with our new visitor.”

37 snaps his finger and the robots carry the princess next to him. Her feet dangle inches off the ground as she continues to try wiggling free.

“Let me go,” she says, her face turning beet red.

“If they do, will you stand still?”

There’s a hint of friendliness in his voice. I glance at Nej, who raises an eyebrow; he must also hear the unusually kind tone from 37.

“Yes,” the princess snaps.

“Because if you try to run, they will catch you. I can tell my robots what to do but I can’t always control how rough they are,” 37 says.

The princess looks up at her metallic captors and seems to consider the warning.

“I won’t run,” she says a bit more calmly.

“Release her.”

The robots listen right away and drop her. Though she only falls a few inches, she stumbles and falls to the ground. 37 offers a hand but the princess refuses to be helped to her feet.

“This is Princess Regina. She comes to us from… what was the place called?”

The princess glares at 37, as well as the rest of her all-male audience.

“The city of Dearborn,” she finally says.

“Sure, whatever that is,” 37 says dismissively. “She and her family were on their way to the magical River City, where they hoped to forge an alliance to defeat the robots.”

37 chuckles and the rest of the men – minus Nej – follow suit.

“What’s so funny?” she asks.

“As much as I hate the robots – except for the ones under my control – there’s no way you silly humans will ever stop them. It’s lucky you slowed them down in the first place,” 37 says. “No, passing through my territory and being caught was the luckiest thing that ever happened to you.”

“Lucky?” the princess snaps, taking a few threatening steps toward the older man. “Your robot killed my father and brother; it killed my friends and protectors. My mother’s forces are losing the battle with the robots and unless I reach River City and get reinforcements, Dearborn won’t stand much longer.”

“No city will survive forever,” 37 says. “The final safe place is here, in my forest, where I control any robot that wanders into my lands. I would like to offer you the opportunity to stay here with us.” 37 slowly makes his way into the stands, stopping in front of the one seat larger than the others. “Not just as a visitor, but as my wife.”

He sits down and crosses his arms, awaiting her response. He doesn’t have long to wait.

“Never,” she says, looking even more disgusted than when she glared at me.

“Wrong answer.”

37’s jaw clenches and his face turns red. He begins to push button on his remote. The princess finally tries to run but the two robots snag her before she takes a step. 37 moves me forward and the girl’s eyes lock with mine. At first she looks defiant but she can’t keep her fear at bay for long. I close my eyes to avoid seeing the carnage certain to come.

I hear parts of my body moving but when the girl screams, she calls out words, not groans of pain.

“Let go of me!”

I open my eyes to see that I’ve lifted her up and carry her toward the crowd.

“Just kill me already if that’s what you’re going to do!” she yells.

37 steers me toward the front row and has me place the princess gently into the seat beside him. As I do, I look to Nej and open my eyes wider, as if to say ‘I told you so.’ When the princess tries to stand again, 37 moves even quicker, slapping her so hard that she falls to the floor. But she doesn’t stay down as Claudette did. She tries to jump up to attack but 37 has me intercept her. I force her hands together and one of 37’s older sons ties her up and pushes her back into the seat.

“You’ll learn to respect me,” 37 tells her. “You may have been a princess once but you’re a long way from Dearborn and even farther from River City.
I
am in charge of these parts, you’d do well to remember that and treat me… accordingly. The binds stay on until then.”

The princess continues to glare at him but she’s smart enough to stay quiet. 37 smiles, taking her silence as obedience. He turns to the rest of his sons and raises both arms.

“Now it’s time for the
real
show!” he says enthusiastically. He turns toward the field and looks at me. “Let’s meet our fighters for today! Everyone knows the Robot Man!”

The men turn to me, the look of dread once again on their faces. They must sense something bad is about to happen. I hope for the best for the princess but I’m about to face my own problem. 37 turns me just enough to see a line of robots approaching from the stadium’s concourse. I wonder which one will be my opponent but then I hear more female screaming. This time, it’s not the princess.

              “Let me go or I’ll have you turned into a pile of scrap,” Claudette yells as she’s dragged into the stadium. “Where’s my daughter? Where’s Aliciana? You’re making a big mistake.”

             
I suddenly realize which ‘annoyance’ 37 was referring to. I can’t believe what he’s about to do to his wife, though it shouldn’t surprise me considering what he did to his daughter. Still, I look toward Nej instead of Claudette. The young man’s face turns white, pitying a woman he does not even like.

             
“This is the exact attitude that makes you expendable,” 37 calls out to her. “You’ve only produced one child for me and it was a worthless female.”

             
“Where’s Aliciana?” Claudette asks, frantically looking around. “What did you do to her?”

             
“Don’t worry, she won’t be facing the stadium. I’ve set her free,” 37 says. “It’s one of several changes I’m making around here.”

             
37 leers at the young princess. Claudette looks sickened but not angry or surprised.

             
“I always figured this day would come,” she says.

             
“I can’t have you blabbing my secrets to those that might harm me,” 37 says. “If you want to run or hide, now is the time. I will give you the same sporting chance I give the others I capture.”

             
She shakes her head. At one time, I would’ve wondered why a person wouldn’t at least
try
to survive but living under 37’s rule for so long is exhausting to the point where death doesn’t seem like the worst fate. Claudette doesn’t look at her husband but instead focuses on Princess Regina.

             
“He won’t make it easy but you must try to escape the first opportunity you can,” she tells the young princess.

             
37 doesn’t like this and moves me toward the woman.

             
“Run away already or you’ll die,” the princess urges her.

             
Claudette smiles sadly. “I was dead the moment he captured me.”

             
I don’t know if instinct or fear takes hold on Claudette but she finally backs away when I get closer. She stares up at me, eyes wide, frowning with acceptance. She’s seen me do this plenty of times but I’m sure she’s still in shock to be on this side of the deadly performance.

             
“What are you doing, Father?” a lone voice yells from the crowd. “You can’t do this to her, we’re all family.”

             
37’s older sons turn toward their youngest brother in shock. Nej’s interference surprises the old man enough so I momentarily stop stalking Claudette. 37 seethes, his face turning bright red.

             
“Power is more important than family and letting her live could endanger my power,” 37 snaps at the young man. “Now sit down and shut up or I’ll make sure you’re next.”

             
Nej remains standing, defiantly, for an extra moment but eventually sits back down. His eyes meet mine a split second before he lowers his head in shame.

             
“I knew this day would come after I saw him do the same thing to
your
mother, Nej,” Claudette says. “And I’m sure he’ll do it to – ”

             
37 acts quickly, which means I do, too. I cover the space between Claudette and me with a single leap, swinging both hands down atop her head. Her skull crunches and she drops, dead. Though the audience knew this would happen, the suddenness shocks them, the young princess most of all, whose mouth remains agape long after the woman’s death.

             
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” 37 says matter-of-factly. He stands and begins to walk away without any of his usual gloating or post-kill pageantry. “Nej, get rid of the body.”

             
The young man hesitates only a moment before nodding. 37 suddenly stops in front of a robot and whispers something to it. The robot immediately turns and walks over to me, striking me in the face with its metallic hand. I’ve never felt such pain. I hear the crunch of bones and the beginning of my scream but then nothing, as the rest of my hearing cuts off, plunging me into silence. I expect more of an assault but when my vision stops flickering, I see the robot walking away.

             
Several of 37’s older sons drag away the princess, who tries unsuccessfully to free herself from their grasp. My eyes lock with hers for a second; her fire and hatred has been replaced by desperation. Her mouth is open in a scream but I still hear nothing as she’s pulled through the stadium.

             
Nej approaches the dead woman near my feet. I try to make eye contact with him but he looks anywhere except toward me. I want to talk to Nej about his father, tell him how I was right, but there’s no use. Nej knows the truth and I wouldn’t be able to hear anything he’d say anyway. I hope my auditory wires are just loose and my eardrums didn’t burst from the robot’s strike.

             
Silence remains, even as Nej begins to drag the woman away, leaving a streak of blood in her wake. I’d thought my suffering was coming to an end – I thought I’d never have to kill again – but 37 continues to teach me that the depths of his cruelty have no bottom. As Nej passes me, he lets go of Claudette long enough to reach up and open a part of my core, flipping my shutdown button.