VARIANT DETECTED

“Did you know my eyes were as blue as the Colorado sky? That’s what Mamma said. Mamma told me they were bright blue, like crystals and special too. She said that I was afraid to open my eyes when I was a babe. You held them closed so tight for so long, love bug, it coulda been a world record, she said to me. You reckon it was a world record, Vail?”

Vail, kneeling in front of a tree stump, ignored the question. His fingers stirred the mud like a stew, and he checked the consistency between them before taking a quick sniff. Boone hated sniffing mud. He was never good at it and hoped he would have learned to smell better by the time he was thirteen. Vail had the nose of a hound and could tell the mud smelled right.

“Vail, you reckon it was a world record?” Boone asked again.

“You best stop that yapping and pay attention, or we’re not going to eat tonight. Come here and tell me what you smell.”

Vail was the best hunter in the Colony. He was tall and strong and Boone knew he had been hunting north of 25 years. Vail’s face had a strong nose and scratchy cheeks like his daddy’s did, at least, from what he could remember. He promised to whip him into shape, which was also something his daddy used to say. He knew Vail wasn’t going to quit until he fixed up his weak senses.

As Boone kneeled beside him, Vail smashed his muddy fingers into Boone’s face. He grimaced and swatted away Vail’s hand like a giant mosquito. “I told you, I’m not good at it,” he said. Boone wiped the mud off his nose with his sleeve, but his pout stayed put.

“You better get good at it soon. You can’t solely rely on those peepers if you’re going to last out here. You got to use all the senses together, Booney.”

As Vail hiked ahead, he lifted the brim of his hat and scoured the terrain for tracks, droppings, or anything else to dictate their next steps. The ground was dark and dense, conspiring against them to hide all evidence of critters and catch. Finally, he waved for Boone, who picked up his feet to meet his mentor between two fat oaks. Boone could tell he was frustrated.

“I need your eyes, Booney. What do you see up yonder between those stones and that tall tree?” asked Vail. He was cold and focused. The light was getting scarce, and there wasn’t much time left before they needed to get home.

Boone stepped forward and took off his glasses. He kickstarted his mechanics with a hard blink. The micro-gears hissed behind his reconstructed retinas, spinning inward to limit light exposure. As his vision tunneled, his sight magnified and scanned the area. Ocular-telephoto lenses captured several still frames with each blink while the optic nerve sent the data to his brain for analysis. He performed instant diagnostics, looking for any subtle changes in the environment. Finally, he found one. It was a well-camouflaged, wiggling grey ear behind the far rock.

“You were right. There is a bunny rabbit out there, Vail,” he whispered.

“Alright, can you light it up for me?”

Vail quietly pulled his bow from his shoulder and nocked his arrow. Then, he flanked outward to position himself for a better shot.

Boone closed his left eye, activating a single red laser from his right. He marked his target above the ear. In less than a second, Vail fired his arrow, causing the Bunny’s lights to go out for good.

“Good shot.”

“Nice find, Booney, now let’s get her back to the Colony lickity-split before things get nasty out here. Can’t wait to see the look on Boulder’s face when he hears how you got us some meat.”

Vail smiled and patted Boone on the back. He could tell that Vail was proud of him. Boone, however, felt nervous any time Boulder’s name came up. Boulder was mean and yelled all the time. As leader of the Colony, he hated mods and that means he hated Boone. If it weren’t for Vail and his friend Aspen’s promise to take on all responsibility for him, he’d likely be dead by now. It’s been three years since his mamma died, and Vail and Aspen were the only people he had in the entire world.

As they walked back towards the Colony, Vail put his arm around Boone, who was noticeably quiet.

“Booney, you did good today. Real good, and I am sorry about the mud in the nose thing.”

Boone nodded.

“I am hard on you sometimes because I care about you, and I want you to be ok. But, the more you do things like the rest of us the more people will see that you are just like them.”

“But I am just like them. It’s just my eyes that are different.”

“I know that. But after the uprising, when the bots started hunting us, anything technological became very scary. Do you understand that? I know you’re all skin and bones behind those peepers of yours, but when people are scared, they can only see the thing that scares them.”

Boone kicked a rock a few yards ahead of him.

“I remember when I first read about them modifying actual people with tech. I thought it was some Star Trek shit. But I guess it helped you see, didn’t it? I bet you’re greatful for that.”

Boone stayed quiet.

“Whatcha’ thinking about, kid?”

Boone stopped walking and put his hands in his pocket. When Vail turned back, they finally locked eyes.

“What if I tell them my real name? Only people have names, and then they will know I am just like them.”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Why won’t you tell me your name?”

“You know my name.”

“Your real one.”

“You’re Boone, and I am Vail. That’s the end of it.”

“I hate that name,” he shot back.

“We all lost people, kid, like your mom and my…,” he paused, grabbing hold of the gold heart-shaped locket around his neck. “We lost them hard and fast when the bots cut them down. Millions of people gone and their names forgotten. It all hurt so goddamn much.” Vail bit the wind, trying to hold it together. “Thats why we go by where we’re from. It helps it hurt a little less when people die— but, it sure as hell doesn’t get easier.” He paused, corking up his emotions before they could pour through. “So, no, I can't tell you anymore because... I actually like you. It’s for both our benefits. Trust me, kid.”

Vail took a few steps forward, expecting Boone to follow. Even though their light was almost gone, Boone didn’t move. Vail pressed on for a few more steps before backtracking to comfort Boone.

“I’ll promise you something: you, me and Aspen, we are not going to stay in the Colony forever. We just need to sit tight for a little while until we know it’s safe to travel. I hear Black Hawk said this morning there were more drone sightings in the area. And after they pass, we are going to head south to Mexico. Together. I heard there was a mod camp, a safe haven, near Loma Blanca. When we get there, we can all pick new names. You can pick any one you like. Does that sound good,” Vail said, looking at Boone for a reaction. He extended his hand.

Boone stared at the ground for a few more seconds before accepting it.

“Hey, pop quiz, what do we do when we see or hear a drone?” Boone didn’t mind when Vail asked the same questions over again. His tone was elevated and playful. It felt very dad-like, and he liked that.

“Hide. Always Hide.”

Vail’s fingers combed his hair in approval.

A shriek of steel and grease echoed in the distance. The natural sounds of the forest fell silent to the roaring friction of fulcrums and ore. Its cry concussed through the canopy distorting its direction and proximity. Vail grabbed Boone’s shoulder and digged his nails into it to stop.

“Boone, It’s too dark! I can’t see anything. I need you to look for me, do you see them? Look quick!” he said in a panicked whisper as Vail and Boone crouched down low.

A sharp screech hit the air. It was a pitch so high it made them flinch. Boone quickly shook it off and activated his lenses again. His night vision scanned the landscape. Silhouetted trees and branches showed him nature’s inverse but no signs of artificial life.

“I don’t see anything,” he said nervously.

“Damn it, damn it, ok. We’re close to the tunnels. We’re going to try and run. Don’t stop for anything. Anything! Do you hear me?” Vail was holding him tight. Boone nodded.

“Keep your eyes on, Booney. I’ll follow you; I can’t see shit. Don’t stop until you get to the tunnels, and don’t look back. Go!”

They weaved through the forest. Boone’s eyes allowed him to traverse the dimly lit landscape with heightened precision. Only thinking of what Vail said, he doesn’t stop or look back, hearing Vail’s voice from behind, urging him forward. Boone jumped over a log, dug his toe into the ground, and pivoted left. He was almost to the secure drop point to the Colony when a massive anvil cut him off. The clang from the cold steel against the hard earth knocked Boone off his feet.

The drone towering over him was massive. With silver armor cocooned around its limbs, its body was impenetrable; and the screeches of its joints matched the sounds heard earlier. Florescent green sensors around its eyes and laced across its abdomen bathed their immediate area in a ghostly green light.

“VARIANT DETECTED,” said the bot, in a modulated and artificial voice. The bot reached for Boone. Its fingertips extended outward, completely encasing his torso and lifting his body in the air.

Boone heard Vail scream but couldn’t make out what he was saying. He came face to face with the mechanical goliath, whose titanium grip made it harder and harder to breathe.

“COMMENCING RETINAL SCAN.”

A bright green beam of light shined directly into Boone’s eyes and across his brow. His chest tightened. He knew he was trapped and could hear Vail pleading with the giant to let him go.

“ARTIFICIAL MECHANICS DETECTED. VARIANT APPROVED.”

The drone's hand opened and released Boone. He fell back to earth, free from the clutches of the artificial demon. Boone got to his knees and found a stunned Vail. He looked relieved Boone was ok though his face made it clear he didn’t understand why.

The drone’s attention shifted to Vail. Its extending arm firmly secured him and forced him to the sky. He screamed, screamed for Boone to run.

“VARIANT DETECTED. COMMENCING RETINAL SCAN.”

Boone watched as the same green light flashed before his friend’s face. The blazing beam was so intense that it blinded Vail on the spot. He screamed louder.

“ORGANICS DETECTED. TERMINATING.”

Two singular beams of green light hollowed out Vail’s eyes sockets muting his screams. The drone released him. His lifeless body fell beside Boone.

The drone’s propulsion system activated, and the golem flew into the night sky.

Boone crawled to the lifeless body, collapsing on his chest. He begged Vail to wake up, slamming his fist against his heart, but Vail remained still. Boone let out a billowing cry, gripping his friend’s vest between his fingers and trying to shake his body to life, but he was gone.

Boone stood over Vail’s body and wiped away his tears. He knew he wasn’t safe in the woods but, without his protector, he was afraid to go back to the Colony. He needed to get to Aspen.

His mechanical gaze surveyed the area through puffy, tear stained eyes. He checked around for any trace of metal before picking up a faint signature below him. Boone pulled open Vail’s collar exposing his gold locket. He held it between his fingers, and read the inscription: VAIL+ERIC. He cried.

Boone sat with his legs spread wide digging his fingers in the mud. Regardless of all the times Vail was right, he was wrong about one thing. It didn’t matter if your name was the one your mamma gave you or if you went by where you were from. Heck, it could even be one in the same. The real truth for Boone was it all hurt bad, just bad, not less.

Boone unclipped the gold chain and put it around his neck. Before saying goodbye, Boone smeared his muddy fingers across Vail’s nose as a promise to never stop trying to be human.