PHOTO DESCRIPTION:
A cyborg stands in a ruined city, dressed in a thin robe, with his face lifted towards the stars. His hands are outstretched, as if in supplication, and his whole pose suggests sorrow.
STORY LETTER:
Dear Author,
Medical Explorer MEx Juniper, internal report #014/case028:
“Dr. Cooper reporting, 14 days after the destruction of Caelestia-1:The sole survivor we’ve taken on board, a TC4 Cyborg, still can’t provide any information about what happened there. Examination showed severe damage to the memory chips holding his short-term recollection, making any data on the onslaught inaccessible to him. Reconstruction is in process, so far without results. The TC4 has shown uncharacteristic violent behaviour― maybe caused by irritation about his memory-loss. To prevent further damage we keep him shut down most of the time.”
I stop the recording. What a clusterfuck! Caelestia-1, the largest of the New Orbital Cities destroyed, 1.3 million inhabitants dead, no clue who or what did it. Some charred memory chips, probably holding our only leads. Two weeks of trying to restore the data, with no breakthrough in sight. And here I am, not able to stop thinking about that damned hunk of a Cyborg. A TC4, supposed to store the whole cultural and historical knowledge of Old Earth on his hard drive; a damaged memory-machine throwing temper tantrums. But what keep haunting me are his eyes, so human, so confused. His eyes, and his words I fear to include in my reports: “It’ll happen again.”
Sincerely,
Wintermute
STORY INFO:
Genre: science fiction
Tags: cyborg, doctor, transformation, interspecies, redemption, other world, action, medical rescue, past issues/history, mild violence, quotations, tearjerker
Word Count: 37,768
EVENT: Love is an Open Road