Chap. 74 - Farewell

It seemed to be a quiet autumn afternoon in Gwori. The temperatures were not very low, but the breeze that entered the interior of the underground shelter forced some to wear light coats.

As usual, each member of the planet's rebel cell fulfilled their designated functions.

Numa and Bly continued to recruit recruits, and their efforts were already showing results. The applicants already mastered the use of various firearms and were capable of fighting in squads. They usually trained in guerrilla warfare, knowing that a direct confrontation with the Imperial army would be crazy, but one can never be prepared enough.

Toba was never missing in his training sections, who, although he did not participate, was always aware of every detail. And even more so now that Li Mu and the doshan commandos joined the rest.

Miraj is in charge of organizing and managing the Oasis so that everyone has what they need to live comfortably. But don't be fooled by her pretty face, because the only condition to live in the Oasis was to work, something that absolutely everyone had to comply with... And to tell the truth, no one dared to ask what happened to the lazy or those who had ideas different from resistance. Something that Icarus himself supported and... increased.

And as was customary, the droid spent the days computing options, analyzing variables and possible strategies to follow. Each of his plans had millions of different outcomes, and each outcome had backup plans. Icarus may not have known it, but apparently the organic part of him developed an obsessive disorder after what happened on the last mission to Abafar. Then... his communicator rang.

Icarus: - Doctor Humkboll? What happen? -He asked, scared when he saw the silhouette of the Skakoan in his holo-projector.

Humkboll: He's waking up.

Nothing more had to be said. As soon as he heard those words, Icarus stood up immediately, abruptly disconnecting all the cables that linked him to his super-computer.

His walk was so hurried and disastrous, and his footsteps on the ground were so heavy, that many were frightened when they saw him coming from the front, standing aside so that he would not pass over them. What the hell was wrong with him?

His arrival at the hospital was a surprise to many, but no one dared to interrupt his hurried walk through the hallways. Besides... Everyone had some idea of where he was going. Only Humkball had the will to stand in his way, stopping him in his tracks a few steps before reaching his destination. Something that almost cost him a dislocated shoulder trying to stop the pristine metal.

Icarus: - Doctor? -

Hunkball: - General... I think... you should come to the hospital... as soon as possible. -

The Skakoan's words were...unforgiving to the droid. Something inside him felt very similar to a glass vase breaking into a thousand pieces. Even though he based most of his reasoning on calculations, the mere idea of ​​imagining what the Skakoan had told him made his metal body experience the equivalent of shivers.

Icarus wasted no time. He left his tiny, dark office and headed towards the hospital as fast as he could. His walk was hurried, but not enough to not arouse suspicion. The way Humkball spoke to him was not very cheerful, so he had to keep as low a profile as possible so as not to arouse suspicion.

On his way, he ran into several acquaintances who did more than just greet him, and the droid had to make a great effort to remain calm and not show desperation. Even so, excusing himself from matters of vital importance that he had to attend to, he managed to say goodbye politely and continue on his way.

Once he arrived at the hospital, the workers greeted him as usual, since it was not the first time that the droid was going to check the development of the clone and, judging by their happy faces when they saw him, it was possible that Hunkball had not notified nothing yet. And it was better that way.

The hospital hallways became endless. Each step the droid took felt even heavier than the last, as if a code was generated inside it warning it to avoid moving forward. The walls of the corridors became increasingly narrower, but that was impossible. Perhaps a malfunction of its optical sensors, but no matter how many times it ran a diagnostic, they simply showed no error.

Its malfunction was not a consequence of a breakdown. Apparently, its strange core was behaving in a way that was not normal, and it was a sensation that the droid did not find pleasant at all. A sensation that was similar to experiencing chills run through your entire body.

Icarus did not want to continue. I did not want to do it. Despite figuring otherwise, a part of him told him to turn around. Let him ignore reality and forget about it, but that was something he simply couldn't do. He couldn't afford to assume the inevitable. That wasn't his way of doing things. If he wanted to know the truth, he had to take another step forward, even if this was much more painful to do than to compute.

Hunkboll: - ¿General? -

The droid had not noticed. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that he had already crossed the entire building and was now just two steps away from the Skakoan. Humkball, despite his always emotionless gaze, could not help but show sadness and concern. Something that did not go unnoticed by the droid.

Icarus: - Doctor... What's happening? -

Humkboll: - Here... Follow me. -

So much secrecy definitely couldn't be good. That area of ​​the hospital was almost impassable by the general public, and if Humkboll himself did not want anyone to hear him, it was because he did not have good news. Worst of all, they were heading to the secluded room where Boil lay... Or what was left of him.

The doctor opened the door, allowing him and the droid to step inside, and then closed it tightly. Now, before his eyes, was what was left of who was once his friend. Icarus couldn't help but feel like a blaster pierced his chest when he saw him in that state, and the agitated beeps of the life support machine on one side of the patient's bed did not give good signs.

Icarus: - Doctor... What's happening? -

Humkboll: - General... It's been too long... Your... pulse... So to speak... It's getting weaker and weaker. No... There's nothing I can do to save him. -

Icarus: - But... You said you could save him. -

Humkboll: - General... I don't want to contradict myself... But... to save him... I can do it but... At what cost? -

Icarus: - No... I don't understand what you mean. -

Humkboll: - He is suffering... general. -

Icarus immediately turned his head towards the Skakoan upon hearing the words. He didn't want to hear that... he didn't want to make the reality he was so aware of... He felt so stupid at that moment. He knew... He had computed and was sure of reality... but those shreds of hope urged him to continue. But the doctor's words only affirmed what he already knew.

Icarus then... experienced something new. Something much worse than guilt or anger. Icarus experienced regret.

The droid knew it, because he more than anyone, who was connected to every machine in the Oasis, knew how much the clone was suffering. He may not have been able to imagine it since he was not a human being, but the high levels of leukotrienes, bradykinins and other chemicals that saturated the clone's organic arts was irrefutable medical proof of it. Chemical substance that the organic body releases in the presence of pain, and Boil's body was saturated with them. And it had been a month since then.

Icarus did not know pain. I wasn't able to do it. But at that moment I was doing my best to understand it. Understand its purpose. He wanted to understand why he had denied reality so much. Was it your own decision? The shock you experienced when you saw everything that happened when you returned to Abafar? Why was he so blind?

Humkboll was no mere Skakoan. Icarus knew everything about him. He was Wag Tambor's right-hand man, and was involved in hundreds of experiments related to biological manipulation and experimentation with bioengineering and cybernetic prosthetics. He was part of the project to transform Nelvaanian males into those aberrations he encountered, and was at the head of the project that turned clone CT-1409, known as Echo, into a cyborg. And if that same Skakoan was advising Icarus to let the clone rest... he should listen to him.

Icarus: - Will he suffer? - He asked with an almost empty voice.

Humpball: - No. -

Icarus really wanted to shove his hand into his chest and rip out that damn core once and for all. He was fed up with that feeling of agony he felt, which was getting stronger and stronger. The droid approached the clone, who lay with his body charred, full of cables, metal parts and life support conduits connected to every region that was still alive. He saw it one last time... and without sinning, he let out an agonizing beep that he was not able to control... or understand.

Icarus: - I'm sorry... My friend. -

Was the last thing he said, before turning around and nodding at the Skakoan. Icarus had to leave the place. I just couldn't be in there. His core seemed like it wanted to explode inside his chest, or seemed to be generating so much heat that it would make his plates melt. But the truth is, it only sent codes through all its circuits. Code of pain and agony.

Icarus leaned against a wall, unable to control himself. For a droid that was impossible, but there was nothing more he could do. The only thing he could do was listen to the Skakoan's footsteps inside the room, opening drawers and taking different utensils that Icarus was unable to imagine.

In the background, you could hear that overwhelming repetitive beeping of the life support machine, which resonated with a constant and uninterrupted frequency. Then... Humkboll's footsteps stopped and an agonizing silence took over the place. And suddenly... the repetitive sound of life support became a constant one, implying that Boil had finally left all that suffering behind.

Hump ​​Ball:-"The patient reached a critical point. Unfortunately we could not save him. His condition was too unstable. Cause of death... Heart failure. Time of death... 35 hours and thirteen minutes Gwori hours. I hope the commander found rest once and for all."

Apparently, Hunkboll was giving a report of Boil's death, and as he heard, he had lied in the report. Safe to avoid problems with those who would be more susceptible to his death like Numa or Mirana. Icarus was aware of what the Skakoan had done to save peace in the Oasis, but that did not prevent an oil stain from spreading in the shape of a tear across one of the droid's optical sensors.