Chapter 60: Am I truly Lost?
Several days passed. NB14572 seemed defeated. She no longer bothered to even shapeshift her eyes to brown. A part of her had died in the woods that day. It was unclear how much of her was left. She spoke to no one. She would eat and drink but had no energy for anything else. The confidence she gave the others had gone. Even Melandria wept for her.
One day, to everyone’s surprise, she had escaped again. This time, Melandria stopped any of the staff from informing the guards. NB14572 had run off to find NB14564. After several hours of running, she reached the place where he had been attacked by the guards. Before he died, he had managed to drag himself a short distance from the spot where he had been attacked. She rested her head on his body as she wept.
‘Come back or take me with you, but not this,’ she sobbed.
She closed her eyes and lied next to him for hours. Snow began to fall, but she refused to move. She wanted him to rise or for her to die with him. Eventually, she closed her eyes. She began to dream. In her dream, NB14564 came to her. He hovered over her. He glowed brilliantly, and his eyes shone blue.
‘It is not your time,’ he called out to her. ‘Cowardly evil cannot walk in the face of true courage. You were born to break the cycle. You must carry on without me. I’ll be here for you once you’ve won. Then, our lives will truly begin, and you shall be named.’
NB14564 rose up above her, and then he vanished.
NB14572 abruptly woke up. She got to her feet. She looked down at NB14564. Then she started digging into the cold, hard ground. After several hours of digging, she managed to make a shallow grave. She pulled NB14564 into the grave and covered him with dirt. On top of that, she placed several rocks she had found in the area.
NB14572 decided she was going to live. She could not return to the orphanage. Neither could she leave the North. She had to find some way of surviving in this harsh environment. She intended to live off the land.
She chose to eat wild berries. Some days she found plenty and other days none. She began by sleeping in caves and abandoned mines, but they were too cold. Therefore, she moved closer to town to live in abandoned buildings. They offered better protection from the cold, but they were not great.
One day, when she was eating a small handful of berries inside an old warehouse, she saw a girl having a picnic with her stuffed spotted Sape toy. She was eating cupcakes. NB14572’s hunger pains were so overwhelming that she decided she would approach the girl.
She slowly walked towards the girl. The girl looked up at her.
‘Oh, hello,’ she said. ‘Would you like to join me and Miss Spots for some tea?’
NB14572 nodded her head and sat down opposite the girl.
The girl handed her a pink cupcake and asked, ‘What brings you here? Do you like having picnics in the cold too?’
‘Yes, I like the cold very much,’ replied NB14572 as she gobbled down the cupcake.
‘You really must, since you’re not even wearing a jumper or a cardy,’ said the girl.
She handed NB14572 another cupcake. She gobbled it down as quickly as the first.
‘My name is Noilemac,’ said Noilemac as she held her hand out to NB14572. ‘It’s very nice to meet you.’
NB14572 shook her hand quickly and said, ‘Nice to meet you too.’
‘Do you have a name?’ asked Noilemac.
‘No, sorry, I don’t,’ replied NB14572.
‘That is very peculiar,’ said Noilemac as she turned to Miss Spotty. ‘Even you have a name.’
‘I will have a name,’ said NB14572. ‘My true love will name me.’
‘That’s lovely,’ said Noilemac. ‘Everyone deserves a name.’
The two chatted for a while. Noilemac dominated the conversation.
‘I’ll have to leave you now,’ said Noilemac as she picked up her picnic basket and Miss Spotty. ‘I’ll be back in two days for another picnic. You are more than welcome to join us again.’
‘Thank you,’ said NB14572.
Over the next few weeks, NB14572 met up with Noilemac several times a week. They had become good friends.
During this time, Tiberius had switched his attention to catching the remaining gang members. Crime in the North District was now at an all-time low. However, this had more to do with Alset’s recruiting of technicians. Patricia’s ‘health’ jab, which was causing brain damage in a particular way that made ‘volunteers’ more focused and compliant.
Tiberius noticed the difference in the jabbed guards. He had also become suspicious of the sudden advancements made by Alset Company and the apparent jump in the intelligence of the Alset family members. Since his guards were responsible for the security of the facility, Tiberius took the opportunity to explore what was going on inside. He walked down the corridors, randomly checking rooms.
Some of the staff were startled by the guards’ presence. They ran off and informed Patricia. Patricia, out of frustration, confronted Tiberius in the corridor.
‘What do you think you’re doing here?’ demanded Patricia.
‘I’m making sure your facility is safe,’ replied Tiberius smugly. ‘I thought you wanted my presence here.’
‘When there’s a problem, yes,’ responded Patricia firmly. ‘Any time you feel like, no.’
‘There is a problem,’ said Tiberius. ‘You lot have become a little too smart for my liking. Look at all this technology.’
‘It is amazing, but you shouldn’t complain,’ remarked Patricia in a rather haughty voice. ‘We are sharing plenty of it with you.’
‘You gave something to my guys, and it worked very nicely,’ remarked Tiberius. ‘I have a feeling you might have given something to yourselves. Something a little less restricting.’
‘I can give the rest of them a dose,’ replied Patricia. ‘They’ll all be extra focused.’
‘Did you know that changing the topic is a common tactic to disguise dishonesty?’ retorted Tiberius.
‘No, it’s a polite way of telling someone to shut up,’ replied Patricia firmly.
‘Listen, smart arse,’ snapped Tiberius as he grabbed Patricia by the throat. ‘What are you taking to make your small brain into a biggish brain?’
Patricia spluttered inaudibly. Tiberius shook her hard before releasing her. She dropped down hard onto the floor.
‘Well?’ barked Tiberius.
‘There is something we take,’ gasped Patricia. ‘It won’t help you. It only works on an Alset.’
‘That’s not a problem,’ replied Tiberius. ‘Our families have crossbred on many occasions. Thinking about it, I wouldn’t be surprised if half of the North were distant relatives of yours.’
‘It’s a very precise science,’ gasped Patricia.
‘Then precisely cater it for me,’ chuckled Tiberius.
Patricia looked up at Tiberius. She was still breathing heavily.
‘Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,’ said Tiberius as he grinned. ‘I want this upgrade to be exclusive as much as you do.’
‘Okay, I’ll prepare some for you,’ replied Patricia. ‘The administration needs to be precise. The right quantity at the right intervals. Otherwise, there could be problems.’
‘Fantastic,’ replied Tiberius. ‘While we’re on the topic of you giving me stuff. I want this amazing power source that is used to light up this whole place.’
‘Sure, I’ll get the technicians to fast-track the infrastructure to make this possible,’ said Patricia.
‘That’s great,’ said Tiberius as he rubbed Patricia on the head. ‘I just wish every encounter could be this productive.’
Tiberius turned and walked off down the corridor. Patricia rested her head against the wall and sighed. A few moments later, Hadrian appeared. He ran over to check on Patricia.
‘Are you okay, little sister?’ he asked as he offered his hand to help her up.
Patricia slapped his hand away.
‘Where were you? Hiding around the corner,’ griped Patricia.
No... no. I just arrived,’ stuttered Hadrian.
‘You’re nothing more than a pathetic coward,’ said Patricia as she got to her feet.
‘I’ve spent years in the North,’ replied Hadrian. ‘I have sacrificed precious time with my wife and son. Our Alset Empire is growing because of the work I’ve done.’
‘The Alset Empire is growing because of the “blue juice” invented by our father,’ shouted Patricia. ‘Before that, you couldn’t even run the mines.’
‘Listen, I’ll hire our own guards,’ said Hadrian. ‘You need to feel safe in our own compound.’
‘Isn’t that going to hurt your precious bottom line?’ asked Patricia indignantly.
‘My desire for wealth is based on my love for my family,’ said Hadrian. ‘I’m sorry if I haven’t made that obvious.’
‘I hate it here,’ said Patricia as she bowed her head slightly. ‘It’s so cold, and everything is awful.’
‘It’s father’s wishes that we all spend some time in our home district,’ said Hadrian as he put his arm around Patricia.
‘Would a few days break in the Capital be too much to ask for?’ asked Patricia as she looked up at her brother.
‘You deserve it,’ said Hadrian. ‘Nobody has the right to touch you like that.’
‘Marvellous,’ said Patricia in an instantly more upbeat tone. ‘I’ll see you in a week,’ she continued as she skipped off down the corridor.
NB14572’s and Noilemac’s friendship continued to grow. Noilemac gave NB14572 more substantial food than just cupcakes, as well as warmer clothes to wear. She even let her try on some of her mother’s fancy hats. Some days, the girls danced and played for hours. It enabled NB14572 to escape her grim reality.
One of the staff members who worked at the orphanage also worked part-time for the Carvaress family. She was walking back to the orphanage when she saw the two girls playing in the field together. She knew Melandria did not want anyone to report her missing, but now she might be a threat to the child she was looking after.
The staff member walked to the nearest guard post. She informed them that NB14572 had run away from the orphanage and told them that she was playing in the field with the Carvaress child.
The guard immediately radioed Tiberius. Tiberius sent over his two most stealthy guards. They were able to become invisible for short periods without detection. They knew their best chance of catching NB14572 would be if they could get close enough to her without being noticed.
NB14572 and Noilemac were sitting on a large picnic mat. They were wearing thick winter coats with the hoods pulled up. They were eating chocolate mousse and drinking pretend tea together under a large tree at the back of the clearing.
The guards quietly snuck up behind them. They could not tell the girls apart because of the coats they were wearing. One guard grabbed each child. NB14572 instinctively grabbed Noilemac’s hand. Out of fear, she shapeshifted into Noilemac and shapeshifted Noilemac into herself. The guards pulled their hoods down to reveal their faces. Noilemac gazed in shock at her own face, looking back at her.
‘Gotcha,’ whispered the guard into Noilemac’s ear.
NB14572 held onto Noilemac as hard as she could.
‘You have to let her go,’ said the guard to NB14572. ‘She’s a dangerous escaped orphan.’
Neither girl spoke.
The guards slowly pried her hands off Noilemac. Finally, they released her grip. At that moment, Noilemac shapeshifted back into herself.
‘It’s too late now,’ chuckled the guard as he slung her over his shoulder. ‘We know who you are.’
NB14572 fell onto her back. Tears rolled down her face as she stared up at the sky. ‘What have I done? Oh, what have I done?’ she wept.
Later that day, NB14572 walked to the Carvaress Mansion. Malcolm Carvaress, Noilemac’s father, had just finished cooking dinner.
‘You’re back,’ he cried out to her as she walked through the door. ‘I was worried you were going to miss dinner. It’s one of your favourites. Mashed root vegetables covered with Noink sauce.’
‘Oh, that sounds lovely,’ said NB14572 softly.
‘Everything okay, cupcake?’ asked Malcolm. ‘You sound a little perturbed.’
‘I’m so lost,’ replied NB14572.
‘Well, you won’t be after dessert,’ said Malcolm. ‘We have something amazing. Down south, they call it a pineapple. It has the most heavenly nectar.’
NB14572 went into the dining room. She sat at the table; she put on the bravest face she possibly could.
Meanwhile, at the orphanage, Melandria and the guards were with Noilemac.
‘This ain’t NB14572,’ said Melandria firmly to the guards.
‘Yes, listen to this fine lady,’ said Noilemac. ‘A huge mistake has been made. I have both a Daddy and a Mummy. They are Malcolm and Teahena Carvaress.’
‘We saw her shapeshift into her,’ said one of the guards. ‘She’s trying to pull a con to get out of here.’
‘I’ve known NB14572 her whole life, and this ain’t her,’ said Melandria angrily.
‘We’ll settle this once and for all,’ said a guard. ‘I’ll radio the captain.’
Melandria sighed in disbelief.
‘Sir, we need your expert opinion on something,’ said the guard into the radio.
‘I fully counted on your stupidity,’ replied Tiberius into his radio. ‘I’m on my bicycle now. I’ll be there in a few minutes.’
The guard put down his handset. He looked over at Melandria while grinning slightly maniacally.
Tiberius rushed into the orphanage. He entered the room where Noilemac, Melandria, and the two guards were.
‘This girl is NB14572,’ said the guard to Tiberius. ‘I saw her shapeshift into her.’
‘Sounds convincing to me,’ said Tiberius.
‘Dear captain, you know who I am,’ said Noilemac. ‘You have been over to the mansion many times for scones and tea with Mummy and Daddy.’
‘That is true,’ said Tiberius as he rubbed his chin.
‘She has spent time with the Carvaress girl,’ said a guard. ‘She learnt about her life so she could steal it.’
‘It’s not her, damn it,’ said Melandria forcefully.
‘Well, there’s only one way to find out for sure,’ said Tiberius as he pulled out his dagger. He walked over to Noilemac and slit her throat.
Noilemac fell to the ground, frantically gasping.
‘You mad fuck,’ shouted Melandria. ‘You just killed a noble girl.’
The two guards grabbed Melandria as she became hysterical.
‘Just watch. She’ll turn,’ said Tiberius as he stood over Noilemac.
After desperately trying to breathe for about a minute, Noilemac died. However, she did not shapeshift back.
‘Oops,’ said Tiberius as he looked over at his guards.
‘I heard it is possible to remain shapeshifted up to a day after death,’ said one of the guards. ‘She was better than anyone else at it.’
‘I think we should burn her body tonight,’ said Tiberius. ‘I’ll tell her parents the bad news.’
They went behind the orphanage and built a small fire out of sticks. They tossed Noilemac’s body onto it.
They stood back and watched the flames. After a few minutes, Tiberius looked over at Melandria, who was being held by one of the guards.
‘I’ve tolerated you for far too long,’ he said to her. He looked at the guard holding her and said, ‘Give her a good beating.’
The guard slammed her to the ground and started hitting her. The other joined in by kicking her.
‘Stop!’ called out Tiberius. He turned to Melandria and said, ‘Come on, beg for forgiveness. I want to hear you whine one more time.’
‘I’m sorry. Please, I can’t take any more,’ pleaded Melandria.
‘This is pathetic, even by your standards,’ replied Tiberius. ‘Throw her on the fire,’ he said as he turned to the guards.
The two guards grabbed Melandria. She struggled and screamed. Then they tossed her on the fire. She continued to scream as fire engulfed her. She pushed herself off the fire. She walked a few steps away from the fire and dropped to the snow-covered ground. She rolled to put out the flames.
‘Again,’ shouted Tiberius.
The guards threw her back on the fire. This time she did not get off.
‘Sort out this mess,’ said Tiberius to his guards. ‘I’m off to break the tragic news to the Carvaress family.
Sapien Loop: End of an Era
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my @spectrumecons account, and in individual chapters in my @captainhive account.
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