//------------------------------// // Moving Forward - Options // Story: Legacy // by NFire //------------------------------// “No..no, wait..there is something...” Wyatt kept peering at Athena as she leaned forward eagerly. “Oh, no, just something in my eye, sorry.” “You jerk!” The tall human shrugged, “Hey, coulda been something.” “Teasing her for very much longer is not going to end well for you, Wyatt.” Calliope was sounding merry in his ear. “Oh, she’ll be..” He noticed the lavender eyes narrowing, staring at him with an intensity he started to find a little disturbing, “Uh, you’re right. Sorry ‘bout that.” They had been discussing the new development, what it might mean when Athena had asked if he’d seen any hint of magic about her. Never one to pass up an opportunity, he proceeded to tug her chain unmercifully about the whole thing. Implying that maybe he’d seen something, then retract it, coming up with some obviously lame excuse. This had gone on for an hour, now she looked ready to do to him what she’d done to so many creatures outside during the battle. He held up a hand in a peaceful gesture, “Calm down, just pulling your leg for a while. Calm down.” The sable pony stopped moving forward, stamping a hoof with a toss of her mane, “You’re still a jerk!” “I am. Yes, yes I am.” He laughed, giving her a lopsided smile, “Maybe one day, huh?” She sighed, “No, probably not. I should stop hoping.” He walked over to her, laying a calloused hand gently on a firm shoulder, “Never give up hope, that’s not very Bolo-like now is it?” She didn’t bother looking up at him, replying in a soft voice, “It won’t change. It’ll never change.” “What about that spell Twilight can use?” He’d been told about the spell that allowed a hopeful Athena to actually fly, but it was of very short duration. Nothing they’d done could make it last longer without the expenditure of tremendous power. “It’s not the same.” “I understand. But you’re the one that keeps telling me odd things happen here. You never know.” The sable form remained silent for a brief second before reluctantly nodding. “Tell you what, let’s go searching some more and find something to kill. That’ll make you feel better, right?” The sable head swiveled like the leveling of a gun turret, eyes focusing directly, and only, upon him, “Don’t be patronizing.” “Got it.” He nodded to her, “Sorry, always going for a little humor.” “I know,” the sable pegasus sat down heavily on a nearby cushion, “I know.” She sighed, “I did not mean to be so short with you.” He sat across from her, looking at the sad lavender eyes, “I understand, touchy subject.” “Speaking of such,” They both turned, hearing Crusader’s calm voice, “We must talk.” ----- “Are you sure?” Crusader eyed the tall human sitting across from him, giving a curt nod for the fifth time, “As I have said before, I am.” “I wondered why I was feeling a little dull around the edges.” He rubbed his hands together, slapping the palms against each other to see if anything had changed. Nothing. “We are suppressing your pain receptors, this is not a good thing Sergeant. Your disease is progressing as it always has, but your recent exertions have exacerbated the problem.” An umber hoof raised, making a vague gesture. “We cannot stave this off without rebuilding a few pathways. But once we do so, it is a race against time.” Brown eyes sought blue ones, “And it’ll be worse.” “Very much so.” “Could you, in the end, suppress the pain?” “We can, and could. But it would not stop the disease from ravaging what is left. You would not have any sense of touch, or be able to feel much.” Wyatt could swear he saw sadness in those blue eyes, a softening of the look that was always calm, placid. He looked down at the hands before him, calloused from recent days, holding a weapon once more in the battles that almost claimed an empire. They felt like cotton, soft, dull. Tightening them into fists, he looked up at the two representations of Bolos. “Do it.” “You understand, that once we begin, we cannot stop?” “What else is there?” Athena’s eyes were bright, “We have a few possibilities.” Wyatt’s eyebrows went up, “Oh?” Crusader lifted a hoof again, “They are possibilities, nothing more.” Wyatt leaned back on the cushion, the wall supporting him as he waved a hand in a ‘go on’ gesture. The two faux ponies looked at each other, Athena starting. “We can put you and Calliope in stasis once more. Using the backup generating batteries, we might be able to use one of our kinetic field projectors to keep magic out of the area. This would allow us to maybe develop a cure, for both of you.” Calliope was getting worse. Her code was breaking down and nothing, not even the mighty brains of two of the Concordiat’s finest war machines, would win that battle. “I hear a lot of ‘maybes’ there.” “Nothing is absolute.” He leaned forward again, placing hands on the table, “How long do you think it would take?” Crusader was honest, “Unknown. We may never find a cure as we have no other examples to work with. Everything we do would be in simulation.” “Tanaba-Yau is unpredictable, and it is something that no one, not even medical AI’s, found any reason at all for it to exist. All the connection they discovered was anti-matter exposure caused it. Maybe. Even then they were never sure.” Athena looked across the table at him, “Calliope’s code is beyond unique, it is a singular item that was never copied. We would be studying it for years before attempting to replace or build a new version.” Wyatt nodded, “All right, anything else?” “We can attempt suspended animation instead of stasis, though the risk is higher.” “How much higher?” “A thirty-eight percent chance you would not survive long-term suspension.” Athena was blunt, placing a hoof on the table and slowly circling it while she talked, “Colony ships used hibernation, but it was short term only. We could be talking centuries here, and the risk goes up every passing year with our assessments.” The sergeant tilted his head, frowning a bit and shrugging, “Well, good ideas though. Anything else?” “One more..” “Athena.” “We have to tell him!” Crusader’s eyes went downward, thinking for a split second before nodding, “Understand, it is not much of an option.” His voice was somehow..sad. Wyatt was agreeable, “Please, tell me.” Athena continued, “We can try a cyborging.” Now that got his attention, “A what?” Crusader kept quiet, his thoughts not apparent as Athena kept going. “We can suspend your brain and part of your CNS, those parts not yet overcome by Tanaba-Yau. Using that, and raw materials, we can slowly replace your body with artificial parts. Like they did with Concordiat Marines and Special Operatives, but only more fully. Like..some very black-class soldiers were made into.” Wyatt looked puzzled, “They did this? Soliders underwent this process?” “Correct. We have the specs, we know what to do...” “But?” Crusader cut in, “You would lose what made you..you. Your emotions, feelings, all the things that made you human would be gone. You would be alive, but it would be a very simple existence. There would be no joy, no wonder, nothing but being in the moment.” He raised his eyes to meet Wyatt’s, “And there is absolutely no guarantee the disease would not come back.” A blink, then a slow nodding of the grey-haired head. “I understand. Would I have time to think about all this?” “Twenty-four hours, then we must begin one of the procedures.” Wyatt stood up, easier since nanites were boosting him, grabbed his cane, an affectation now, “It’ll be short, I promise.” The two Bolos were silent as he exited the room, walking slowly towards the stairway to the lower areas. ----- Sitting in the old chair, Wyatt looked at his desk. The place where he had sat many an hour drawing, thinking, reading something printed out for him. A place where he considered ponderous things some days, and other times, just stared off into nothing and let his mind wander. He looked over to the doorway, leading to the empty magazine where weapons that would have cracked the planet once were. Gone now, due to diligence and work by two machines he had come to consider his friends, battle mates, almost family. The magazine was empty, stripped to the walls by the efficient Bolos, needing the processed metals for themselves to perform maintenance, to keep themselves healthy and working. Good on them, he thought. Use whatever you need. Use it and keep this planet safe. He thought of the people..no..that’s not right, ponies. The ponies. Beautiful was the wrong word, but..special came close. The magic that swirled about them, the colors, and with the Empire ponies, the crystalline look they carried. He’d never seen anything like it before, in all his travels nothing came close. The pictures that had hung here for so long were gone. Leaving a few things, drawing pad, some pencils and markers, various things. The rest were stored, as he had asked, by Athena and Twilight in an archive in the castle in Ponyville. He was glad. All the history of those he’d taken the time and dictated to her, making sure the story behind each picture was known and understood. The other art, the museum pieces, were gone as well. He’d watched as ponies packed them so carefully he thought they’d take forever. Each piece wrapped in soft swaddling, surrounded with a magic aura that would keep even the slightest bump from coming through to damage the irreplaceable things of beauty. The auto-doc he’d spent his time in was behind him, refurbished through careful handling by Athena and Crusader. Bringing it up to spec again in case it was needed. In case it was needed. He rubbed his chin, leaning back in the chair and running a hand through short-cropped hair. No, he couldn’t make this decision alone. The circlet still fit, one he’d used so many times before, as he leaned back, resting himself in the long chair and sunk into the depths of a neural connection. ----- The moon was full on this sultry night. A warm breeze but through the pine trees as the whispering of ground cars far off in the distance came to the ears. Stars shimmered and winked, light from millions of years now only arriving and making its’ way through the atmosphere to receptors in the eyes. The grass felt soft and comfortable beneath boots as he walked across the yard. Seeing a light on a table near the edge of the treeline. Sparsely spaced pines straight and tall making an airy fence against harsh winds, as if there would ever be any here. She was there. Standing and looking upward into the brilliant skies, watching each wink and flare of stars light years away. Her tilted eyes taking in each and every thing they could. Her hand held a drink, cold and refreshing it was probably a juice blend, or something smooth and sweet if he knew anything at all about her. A sarong covered her hips, draping over legs that were strong underneath, her torso covered in another band of fabric that was perfect for the warm climate, allowing a hint of skin to breathe in the summer scents. Dark hair fell in a shining wave, silvery in the moonlight that covered everything in a blanket of softness, making it all that much more magical. He loved her. He loved her with a bright shining fierceness that belied everything he’d ever known. Cynical, snarky, some times outright angry at himself for feeling this way for a construct, someone who only existed in here as digital bits and petaflops of data. But the years had passed and he fell for her spirit, her way of arguing when he was being obtuse, or just stubborn. Aoide and Thalia saw it and approved, but no one ever mentioned it out loud. Never once had he abused the relationship, always treating her and her sisters as if they were the most precious thing in the world. Respect, devotion, he made it work. A touch, a slight hug, a peck on the cheek was all that was ever needed. Nothing more was ever shared except a deep and abiding emotion he couldn’t stop. But he needed something now, a voice in this dilemma, comfort in the time ahead. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she leaned back with a happy sigh, nestling into his embrace. “I know, Wyatt. I always have, you know.” Her voice was quiet. “Couldn’t hide anything from you.” “Aoide and...and Thalia thought it was romantic.” Anger rose in him, unbidden, “You should have awakened me.” Not at her, at the thing which had destroyed her as surely as he did her sisters. “I..we were lonely, and we just wanted to help. We didn’t realize..” Her breath hitched in a slight sob. “It’s not your fault.” She flipped around, shoving him away, “It was! I convinced them to make contact! I pushed them into talking and opening the files..I did it! It’s MY fault they’re gone!” She threw the glass, spilling the cold drink over the grassy area, clenching her fists tightly, “I was the one that got them killed!” Her lovely eyes teared up, silvery streams running down her face, “Me. I was the one. Because I thought maybe that we’d have a chance to cure you, bring you back, just so..so I could see you again.” “I was so damn selfish!” Anything he said would be trite, he knew that. Nothing could take that pain away, but he tried, as best he ever could. Gathering her to him and holding her tight while she sobbed, heaving in great gulps of air and blaming herself for it all. “They would forgive you, I forgive you, it’s all we can do, Calliope.” If only she’d awakened him, let him see and talk with that monster. He would have known, just as sure as the day is long. Skills don’t go away they just lie hidden for a while, and he would have sussed out that scumbags’ intentions. A powergun from the armory and it could have saved a thousand years of pain. If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, his mother always said. There was nothing anyone could do now. “They knew, they had to know. They were a part of you and they had to have understood your wish. You three had no clue, none. That thing gave you nothing to go on.” he held her away from him for a moment, “And no matter what, I love you.” The elvish eyes looked at him for a long moment, tears still rolling freely down her face, but with a smile blossoming underneath the sadness, “You’ve never...” “I know. I’m stupid that way. I should have said it years ago, decades ago, but I was just..being human.” Strong hands reached up and pulled his face downward, soft lips pressed against his for a moment in time that lasted forever to them both. She pulled away, still holding him, her hands warm and comforting. “What will we do? My code is disintegrating, I will not be able to be myself much longer. The Bolos..” She stopped, “Crusader and Athena say they can keep patching as long as it’s needed, but eventually it too will fail.” He stuttered for a second, “I..I don’t know. I came to you to help me decide. The options they gave are not much, but...not without you.” She looked at him carefully, the neural interface hiding nothing from her, “You’ve already decided haven’t you?” “I..think I did the first day after I woke.” “Then why come to me?” He smiled, “Because it was far past time to tell you how I felt. I’m old, stubborn and stupid, but I will not go without having said so.” “And then..?” He gathered her close, “Then, we’ll take that journey together. You and I. I don’t know if it’s what others have said, but here, in this land, they call it a journey.” She nodded against his chest, “I can think of no one finer to journey with then.” “I’ll tell them in the morning.” Meaning Crusader and Athena. Two AI’s of the finest caliber he had ever known. He would miss them more than he thought he would. “They know, I have informed them of the decision. They are patched into my systems and it is only fair. Bolos grieve deeply, they should be prepared.” “Thank you.” He looked up at the brilliant night, “I..I guess I should..” Hands tightened on his cheeks, lovely eyes met his with an impish look in them, “You will go nowhere tonight.” Under a moon that gazed upon the landscape with a silvery eye, love was shared. A love that had bloomed and kept going through an eon of time, and through whatever travails had tried to assault it. A world which had never known war, hunger or despair belonged only to the two of them, and they filled it with whispers of hopes, dreams, longings and whatever came to mind as they gave of themselves. ----- “Are you really surprised?” Crusader was staring at the table once more as Athena looked out over the starlit night. The moon had risen and lit up the Empire with its’ glow. “No. But..we could have tried..” She sighed, lifting up to the railing and leaning a cheek on one hoof, “We can’t force him, and I will abide.” “As will I.” She dropped down and trotted out of the room, “I..I have to go ..I..” “I understand.” His voice was soft and made her glance his way, seeing an expression of grief like she never had before on the umber face. She knew, without thought, word or a gesture from the silent figure, he wanted the time alone. It was his way. His eyes were closed, body still as she nodded to herself, making her exit. “I’ll..be back.” She tore out of the castle, heading for the garden and climbing up on the bench she now thought of as his. Unfocused eyes looked upwards as she sat tall, thinking and wanting to do something, anything, to make this feeling go away. She felt the tears flow, running down her cheeks to gently drop upon the crystalline fragments that made up the walkway. They made prisms of silvery light under the sky, splashing into sparkling fireworks of sadness as she silently added more. A movement of the bench as another form sat beside her, making her glance, then double take as Crusader settled quietly near. She looked back up into the sky, “Do..do you think wishes come true?” The umber form sat for a moment before speaking, “Perhaps, if one believes the multiverse theory, there is a place where they do.” “We didn’t get that lucky, did we?” “I am afraid not, my sister.” “Why do we grieve? Why did they make us this way?” Her voice sounded almost helpless, surprising when considering the power at her command. “There are many answers, and none I could give you with surety, Athena.” A strong fore leg slipped over her shoulders, the strength comforting, the integument warm as she was pulled close, “I promise, we will make it through. No matter what comes.” A wing unfurled, wrapping around rock-like shoulders, “I’ll hold you to that.” “I would expect nothing less.” Both of them gazed into the night sky, silently, seeing if wishes would actually work. To be continued.....