Metalized Dusk

-” Semil, go at a slower pace. You are finishing more rows than us, but also spreading the weeds around”. Billy didn’t even need to look back to know how chaotically his friend was working the fields. On the other hand, he didn’t know how to tell Four-Two to pick up the pace a bit. They were meticulous, too meticulous about how deep they should dig into the ground, and how to remove the unwanted plants.

The clopy noticed that the cyborg was eyeing them from time to time, figuring out what his issue might be. “Hey, it’s a byproduct of how I was created, don’t blame it on me. Besides, it’s not like we have a deadline or anything, this is your personal acre, right?”

Billy felt a bit stung by the remark, even though he knew that Four didn’t mean it as an insult. It was true, though, the only reason they were doing the farming manually was because of a whim of his. At first, he started doing it on his own, alone, before Savan brought the other two to help him out. “We’ve also been having trouble finding some proper places for them, so what do you say Billy?”

It took a while, but he understood a bit what Savan meant by that. Four, like all the other clopies, was a hard and efficient worker; a bit too efficient though, as their attention to detail was in a higher gear than the rest and, since they left the County, got a rebel streak. “ Pace issues, huh”, simplified it Billy in his mind.

As for Semil, the boy “ is a bit different from when I first met him”, mentioned Savan. “ He seemed more polite and withdrawn, but I guess that losing his little brother left a number on him.” Still, Billy managed to strike up a bond with the two even though it took a while; besides Semil, both the cyborg and clopy weren’t too keen on striking up a conversation besides what was needed to work the field.

It took them a while, but slowly but surely the three ended up forming a bond, one significant enough to make Billy overthink what he should do while in their company. “ I just have to order them around nicely and we’re good?”, thought the C.T.D. It went for a while, until a presence that overwhelmed even him came into their little group.

-” It is quite a pleasure to meet all of you, especially the esteemed, almost unbeaten, champion of the R.O.C competitions”, said the man gesturing a little bow to Billy. He then extended out his hand towards Semil, and to Four-Two's surprise, them as well for a gentle handshake. It was slow and not tight at all, especially if you saw the stranger’s tree trunk of an arm. “ My name is Fabius, a current prisoner of war(?) of this settlement.”

-” I see…” replied Billy with a bit of suspicion. A lot he has learned since being liberated from the C.T.D programming, among being how the security forces in the Commune worked. He knew that the man in front of him was a top name in the ranks, and an efficient working hand in the hierarchy. “ You’re Marco’s second father, right? And one of the people who tried, and failed, to stop Savan and the others. I knew about you, L-Father, so what are you doing here?” Billy stood up straight, looking down on the man, imposing himself as much as possible.

Fabius stared at him silently, unflinching facial muscles and steadfast eyes…except for the sweat that started to drip down his hairless scalp. The man managed to keep his composure for a few seconds, and Billy’s intimidating posture made him forget to breathe. He finally broke down when his red cheeks became more purplish in hue.

Billy never expected his strategy actually to work, and he got genuinely concerned for the prisoner. “ Ugh, what should…”, he turned around frantically to ask his crew.

Four-Two looked at him annoyed and yelled to “inspire- expire: what the hell is wrong with both of you?”. Just as commanded by the clopy, Fabius remembered how to catch his breath again and after 5 or so deep breaths, he calmed down. “ I’m sorry, I was thinking that I might have to wrestle down with the champion. That scarred me more than I expected.”

-” I know, right? Billy is just the toughest C.T.D. there is”, exclaimed Semil while handing the frightened man a glass of water. “ But he’s just like a harmless teddy bear now, he wouldn’t hurt a weed.”

-You know about teddy bears, but not pandas?

-” Right, as he said…I think. So, mister Fabius, back on track. What are you doing here?”

-” Oh, oh, my bad. I’m here for my…punishment? I don’t really understand how you people treat prisoners here, but apparently, this is how? Anyway, that silver C.T.D. asked me to pick a place and I asked to be sent here.”

Billy, while a bit of his guard was let down, he was still eyeing the man. “ Uhu. I’ve been told of something like this and wasn’t expecting to see one of you here. Sure, whatever, if Angie was fine with it, I’ll accept this for now. Tell me, Fabius, do you know what a plant is?”

….

Savan sneaked away from the rest of the people from the settlement and found himself a big tree on the outskirts under which to take their respite. It cast a large shadow, and the branches fell low enough to be visible at first sight.

-” Perfect”, said the clopy.

They pulled on a branch to see how low it could get and stomped on the grassless ground underneath it to make it more comfortable for themselves.

-” Perfect”, thought Savan as their body slowly became a gelatinous mass shaping into the form of a spread-out puddle. The soil underneath was cold and not too hard, the air breezed gently on their cheeks and the sound of a crowded road was soothing to their ears. Everything seemed like it was made for the clopy’s serenity. For a few moments only, though, as when Savan turned around on their left side, their flappy hand didn’t hit the thick root of the tree, but instead the thick head of a person.

-” Au”, cried out the voice after being slapped on the face out of nowhere. “What is going on, who did that?”, asked the confused girl while trying to wake up from her sleep.

-” Oh jeez!” a spooked Savan let out, trying to crawl backward a bit before realizing what happened. “ I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

-” So what, you were smacking the ground for fun?”

-” What? No, it was by mistake, my hand just happened to lie down while I was turning around, that’s all.”

-” There’s a difference between a lazy palm falling and putting some force into your smacks! I should know, I just felt it, and there’s probably a mark on my face to prove it.”

The girl was correct, a red shape of a palm marked her face, left there by a quick burst from the clopy. Unbeknownst to them, Savan’s nerves responded without them even noticing.

-” I, I…You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll make it right to you! Somehow…is there anything I can do? And don’t say your freedom or something, I know who you are”, they added, to not let the prisoner try anything out of hand with them.

-” No, clone”, spitted the girl, “you and your entire group have already humiliated me for the past two years, this is nothing compared to that. To be honest, I would rather prefer corporal punishment than whatever games you’re trying to play with us”, she added, trying to mock all of their attempts to rehabilitate her.

-”...You have the same eyes as them”, Savan blurted out of nowhere.” I meant Marcos and your aunt. I’m guessing it’s a Zin family genetic thing or is it engineered?”

-” What in the…”, the girl was now confused, unsure of how to even reply. The shock even made her miss a follow-up question for a moment. “Wait, aunt? You mean-”

-” Yes, aunt Dilena. Or the C.T.D Azin, as you might have known her. This has always been on my mind since you were brought here. Tell me, did you know? Did you know what the Zin’s have done to her?”