The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 17 (2 of 2) (My Original Novel)
Chapter 17 (2 of 2)
They had both gotten to understand Marv by now. Within the short period of time they had spent together, one of the most glaring characteristics had to be his quick “about-turn” of personality. One second, he would be full of smiles and niceties, yet the next you’d be forgiven for thinking be was a stern leader of some rag-tag military platoon. Hard-faced and tough, now was most definitely a case of the latter. He placed two hands upon his wide, firm torso indicating he meant business. A trait most likely picked up from his time spent working at the Rekwell army base.
”As I explained before, I built up my reputation as being a highly regarded workforce member for the time I spent at Rekwell. Of course, I made useful connections and got quite familiar with the guys I'd liaise with on a daily basis. One such guy was Orson. Genuine, down-to-earth and very reliable. He helped out of many a troublesome fix during my employment there. Anyways, as I got to know him a little better, it became evident to me his own personal disgust at the treatment of those anomalies. He could see, just as we do, how unjust and despicable the whole damn thing was. We talked for hours in private about how, if we had the means to help out in any way, we would... and should do what we can.”
Marv had never mentioned of his dealings with this new associate before, managing to somewhat irk Dee. She grimaced at him.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
”Well, actually, yes. There is. Who is this new guy?” she blurted out. Sy could not help but feel a smidgeon of satisfaction that for once, he was not the only one in the dark. He glanced round at the boy who was now wide-eyed, watching them lock horns. He seemed to have regained some level of attentiveness that had been all but missing since his abduction a few days ago. A giant leap forward through one tiny action, he thought.
”If you just let me finish, you’ll find out soon enough.” he barked back. ”Sy, you listening too?”
”Yeah, sure.” he replied as his head spun back toward him. Marv was only too aware of how laborious it had been to persuade Sy into their way of thinking. A glimmer of uncertainty exhibited from Dee, at this stage, may push the whole plan back a considerable number of steps. Something he would have zero tolerance for.
”So, as I was saying.” he continued, glowering down at Dee in annoyance. “Orson. I trust this guy. I know almost everything about him. His background, his loyalties in life, the way he thinks. We need him if we’re to get out of this mess once and for all. Now, I know you’re not going to like what you hear next. Especially you, Dee. But it’s for all our best interests. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that we at present have no other choice.”
She fought hard at the urge not to retort back in some way or manner. A little while earlier, she confessed to him that he was their support mechanism and how much she relied upon that. There was no choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt now.
”I’ve arrange a rendezvous with him. Due north from here at the edge of the forest. About a good seven miles away.” he continued. ”He’ll be driving a Rekwell convoy truck so it'll be real easy to spot. This will take place tonight at exactly 0200 hours.”
Sy nodded his head as if assessing the pros and cons of this strange new unscheduled meeting, however Dee could not hold her voice any longer.
”What are you doing, Marv?” she piped up. ”He’s a complete stranger to us. I had no idea there would be an outsider involved in our operation.”
”He’s not just anyone, Dee. I know this man. Extremely well and long enough to realise that he can be trusted. He’s not just some complete stranger, as you say.” he answered.
”He is a stranger.” she snapped, rising up from her seat. Sy felt an unsettling panic kick in. He whisked his neck round to check on the boy next to him. Marv jumped straight on the defensive.
”Maybe not to you.” she prodded. ”But you’ve said so many times over. We’re a conjoined unit now. Working together as one. So, it goes without saying that even if one of us doesn’t personally know any additional party members, then it’s just as good as all of us not knowing them either. Make sense?”
”Right, Dee.” Marv boomed. ”So you tell me. We’ve got a small kidnapped infant with us, blood on our hands from the gas station incident and the entire country looking for us right at this very moment. What do you suggest we do? I mean, how exactly are we going to get out of this mess we’re in and where's the next stop-off point from here? Come on. Let’s hear your master plan.”
The fact Marv had the audacity to bring up the sensitive topic of the dead boy at the gas station caused her fists to curl and eyes to flare. Her red, fiery hair drooped unevenly over each shoulder as the anger rose like flames. Marv shifted his gaze to her hands.
”You really wanna come at me?” he said in a calm, composed manner. ”Try it and let’s see how that’ll improve matters. After all, you never know, right?”
Sy cowered into his chair at the stand-off taking place before him. The thought of defusing the situation by saying the right combination of words had crossed his mind for a split second, but caught in the throes of fear, he rescinded fast.
”Is he one of them or one of us?” she growled, already expecting the answer to that question but requiring confirmation.
”You already know, Dee. Don’t act coy. His name is Orson. Two syllables to his name. So of course he’s a human. But one that we need more than you can ever imagine right now. Regardless of the hatred you carry for their entire species, there are some good people in this world, you know. And it just so happens he is the exception to your rule.”
Her arm began to twitch as a streak of violence and resentment infiltrated her body. The pent–up frustration needed a channelled release and the chosen target stood towering over her. Dee could not think clearly any more. All she wanted to do was attack. Strike out at something, even in the knowledge that she may herself sustain grievous injury. She had a fleeting image of those two huge, powerful hands wrapping around her neck and tearing it clean off. Maybe it’s for the best and we all just end up killing each other here and now, she thought in a blind rage.
“I… want… mummy.”
The thick fog of tension dispersed even faster than it had arrived. All three of them whirled around to look at the boy. His brown eyes glazed over with moisture, flitting between them all. The temporary loss of focus abated and normality came rushing back into the fore. Sy sat unmoving in sheer surprise and shock. Dee hurried over to him and placed two gentle hands upon his round cheeks.
”My darling” she whispered. ”My sweet child. I’m here for you. We all are. I’m so sorry. Are you OK? Please, say something.”
He looked at her again. A tear ran down one side of his face as his cheeks reddened. ”I want my mummy.” he repeated.
“There, there. Mummy’s here.” she comforted. ”Mummy is here for you.” Dee lifted him off the floor and withdrew to the far side of the musty room, murmuring sweet words into his ear.
Sy received an even bigger shock as a heavy hand fell upon his wrist. He twisted around and gasped, only to find Marv bearing down on him with a finger to his lips. The giant figure then shifted in the opposite direction, beckoning to Sy with a hand gesture. He got to his feet and shuffled over to Marv.
”Leave them to it.” he muttered in a soft tone. Sy could only bob his head up and down in agreement as any semblance of verbal communication had been briefly extinguished.
“As I was saying before, I’ve arranged to meet Orson. Listen carefully because I want you personally to explain it to her afterwards. I’m not going through a repetition of that unnecessary drama again. She certainly has a temper, I’ll give her that. Reigned in and honed properly, that may actually work to our advantage. Dee wasn’t in her right mind-set but the boy’s timing couldn’t have been any better.”
Sy turned and glanced over at her. The boy was sitting upright upon her lap. Though Sy was under no false pretences that he would much rather it have been his own biological mother's. But seeing Dee doting on him the way she did, captivated him. The way she brushed his hair with her long, slender fingers. The maternal instincts that seemed to flow in such a natural way from her. It was all she could ever want and that cold truth hurt him more than he could ever have contemplated. She had found her true calling and he could not have felt more alone and isolated at being thrown into this new, harsh world. A sound pushed its way in from some distant, unknown origin.
”Sy, you paying attention.” he heard as Marv’s face loomed up before him and the sound took form of it's true meaning.
”Sorry, I drifted away again.” Sy confessed.
”OK, I’ll start again.” he complained, shaking his head in the process. ”We will all meet him tonight at 0200 hours. He’ll then transport us back to the base where I used to work at. Once there, he’ll help smuggle us into a medical supplies freight container. There’ll be enough room for us all inside. I should know. I’ve loaded and unloaded so many of them in the past.”
”I see.” replied Sy. ”So once we’re in there, what next?”
“Well, it’s all express air freight.” he explained. ”We’ll be positioned up in the cargo hold of the plane and it’s adios muchachos, as my Mexican co-workers used to say.”
Sy paused for a quick timeout to take it all in before continuing. ”So where are we headed?”
”East. As far away from here as we can get. Then we can finally make a proper start. No more of this temporary accommodation crap.” He scoured the room, visibly repulsed by the dreary conditions they dwelled in.
”I know Dee shouldn’t have flipped out back there, but I also have my concerns about this guy, Orson.” Sy whispered, purposefully out of earshot of Dee. ”You really sure you can trust him? And how have you been communicating with him all this time? You know broadcasting may be putting us all in danger, right?”
”I’m well aware of that, Sy.” he replied whilst watching Dee pampering the young boy. ”I told you beforehand. I am able to scan the area on the outside. But if done for only a few seconds, we’re literally untraceable. And that’s assuming people are actually looking for us in the nearby vicinity, which they are not. I can assure you.”.
Sy looked back at Dee, as she attempted to feed him some scraps out of an old baked bean tin.
”Yeah, Sy.” Marv concluded. ”This time tomorrow, we’ll be on that plane and headed home for good. Because where we’re going, nobody will ever find us…ever.”
Hope you enjoyed this chapter of my novel, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Prologue
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 1
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 2
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 3
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 4
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 5
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 6
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 7
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 8
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 9
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 10
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 11
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 12
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 13
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 14 (1 of 2)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 14 (2 of 2)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 15 (1 of 2)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 15 (2 of 2)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 16 (1 of 2)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 16 (2 of 2)
The Symbiotic Protocol - Chapter 17 (1 of 2)
Just posted Ch 7. :) Keep up the great work, I refuse to read ahead and ruin the journey for myself, but good to see you on a roll! Upvoted
Hey buddy! Wow, you're on fire, lol! Well, a few more chapters and this one's a wrap. Thanks again and look forward to checking out the awesome audio dub! :)
Hey broo, I gotta keep good on my word, and I must be on fire because you are blazing forward like an overspill of scorching lava down the slantways of Mt. Helen, you pave the path, and I burn up the leftovers. I'm powering through as best as I can, but never too fast as to avoid lowering quality!
Oh man, they're making a break for it. Drucker is heading to their hiding spot, will he make it in time? Only @ezzy knows :)
Hey, my bro! Yep, the next chapter is a big one and I'm looking forward to putting it together. Love seeing you here as always. Thanks so much, my brother! :)
I'm finally certain why I find myself always rooting for Marv's character -- it's because I am him. I am Marv. Well, at least in most cases. He surely has some ups and downs, but his pragmatism is what I relate to the most. While his choices aren't popular most of the time, he still stands as the only one who has a solid plan. It may lead him to come to blows with his group, but no one's really offering up a better solution to their problem. That's why you've been hitting all my feels with every chapter concerning the synthetics, my brother. My heartstrings have been tugged to the point of breaking, which is something that I seldomly experience while reading. The way you write is a gift that simply keeps on giving. "Marv" is definitely on my name queue of my robotic creations, I'll make sure I name it to a heavy-lifting variant.
While I've had my theories (several, in fact) how this story would end, I've thrown them out the window (adios muchachos) and learned to trust your better judgement. Introducing a pivotal character this late in the story is very risky, but I'm just trusting your process. I have no doubt that you'll fit Orson in splendidly. You've really shown a great command over your story the entire time, and you've proven that you're the best captain for this journey. The tension throughout this chapter was so palpable, you can cut it with a knife, and your strength in scripting conversations really shown from the first word to the last.
You just keep on impressing with every new installment, and, suffice to say, I'm firmly cemented as a fan of your for life. Bring it home, captain! :D
Hey, my brother! Literally checked my post first thing this morning to see if you were there. Happy to see that I was right!
Yeh, Marv has in some ways become the leader of the group (maybe he always was) as Dee is taking some time out from the trauma of that kid. He's a no messing around synthetic who believes in logic before emotions. So saying you see yourself in that character is a big compliment, that I think fits you perfectly! Logic, analytical and thoughtful. That's you all over, brother! :)
The stand off between Dee and himself was in some ways a suicide attempt on the part of Dee. Even with this new powered up form of Dee, Marv could literally rip her to shreds (in theory, anyways, lol) so it was her way of taking the easy way out when tempers got out of control, seeing as the whole plan and her lifes mission was going out the window. Her connection with Sy is strong and she does love him in her own way, but his weak personality and indecisive have whittled away any respect she once carried for him. Sad, but that's usually how life works. Even for the synth's, lol...
Orson is another character coming into this world late in the game. Believe me, I want to say something about him but really can't say any more for now, lol. Watch this space, buddy! :)
Just want to add again what I've mentioned a few comments ago. This is the final stretch and massive revelations are coming up in the next two chapters that will turn the story on it's head. However, I've thought long and hard (maybe too long) about several different possible paths to take, but the one I'm going with is the one a personally liked the best. But can elaborate on this more only when the book is done, lol! All I can say is it's the riskier of choices but I'm well up for the challenge. Fingers crossed, lol!
You're like a superhero in my book, a real part of me in my life on Steemit. Without you, it would be ten times harder to get this book done so as always, words cannot express my gratitude to you!
The one and only, @jedau! :)
That's so thoughtful of you to say, brother. I feel the same way about you, that's why I'm so grateful I stumbled upon you when I did! I have full trust that you're going to make the best decision for the story, and I'm on board to wherever your tale takes us. A lot of readers are missing out when they don't converse with the author. The exposition you just did really answered a lot of lingering questions. I really wish other people participated in the conversation more. There's so much potential being wasted.
It's been a long journey (which I realized when I listened to @verbal-d's audiobook rendition of the earlier chapters) and I'm happy that I was able to contribute! Trust me when I say that I cannot wait for those huge revelations! :D
So right, he's extraordinary :) I've never known anyone who could analyze a story, especially break it down, in such a way that it adds a dimension to it and doesn't take anything away from it. A beautiful mind is our friend @jedau. You guys...so great to know you, so glad I came to steemit :)
I told you that my husband has been reading your comments, right? He thinks they're beautiful, that they enhance my stories for anyone who reads them :) I feel the same way, just as @ezzy expressed, I look forward to your input so much now, starting to rely on it! It was your comments to ezzy that caused me to notice you for the same reason, extra insight into the story from your perspective, it's really cool!
That's so nice for him to say! :) It's a pleasure and a privilege for me, I just try to do the same things I want done for me. It really means a lot to me that my efforts aren't going unnoticed. I mean, I really take some time to write them, so I appreciate the, well, appreciation haha!
Just read your new chapter! The tension between Dee and Marv became real for a second. I actually wonder who would win in a standoff. Probably Marv but Dee with her new mother instincts and no samson chip..who knows...don't mess with that. I do feel that Sy needs to man up and somehow I feel that he will at some point later on.
Like getontrain I also wonder if Drucker will make it! Can't wait for that big chapter! Your book is wonderful man!
Hey my bro! Thanks for the awesome comments! Yeah, a stand-off between those two titans. I think Dee knew she'd never win though. More like she was looking for an easy way out and end her own life at his hands.
The next chapter will change everything so I pray you like it! :)
Bless you, my brother! :)
NO, how did I miss this!!! I'm sorry, I almost always check your page a couple times a day to make sure that doesn't happen, especially since I want to know what happens next! I really love trying to guess what you're going to do...and being wrong! I mean that, predictable stories lose my attention, this is anything but :) I LOVE that you're involving a human in helping them, it's funny because I thought you might way early on and then changed my mind, and so it surprised me, ha! Great chapter, may be my favorite so far!
Hey lovely @dreemit!
Hey, don't worry about the delay! Thanks for the great feedback! Yeah, I'm definitely not one to be predictable but also not "jump the shark"! Your awesome guess was right, just a little further in than expected. But a great writer like yourself would think that way!
Bless you, @dreemit! Thanks once again! :)