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THE SUNSET
* 13 *
As the distant nighttime rumble of a single horse approached them from the southeast, Captain Helios and Senior Operator Unicorn stood armed and ready before the tremendous tepee-inspired tent.
The rumble grew louder.
And louder.
When the horse appeared from the shadowy edges of the southern woodlands, two black figures sprung from it and landed with acrobatic ease.
Immediately, the oncoming figures aimed their handguns.
And just as immediately, the captain and his senior operator each aimed their twin automatic pistols at the figures.
Within earshot of each other, the first Agent called out, "I believe I recognize the two of you!"
"So what?" Unicorn uttered, his shining silver weapons trembling but ready.
The Agent pointed his weapon at Unicorn. "So I can make your deaths more painful... and my victory more enjoyable... Right, Mr. Whitehead?"
Unicorn stammered, "What-Whatever!"
The Agent quickly pointed his weapon at Helios. "Don't you agree, Mr. Osbourne?"
"Go to hell!" Helios shouted.
The Agent laughed wickedly, "But I'm already in hell! YOUR hell!... And now, Mr. Osbourne, it's time for you and Mr. Whitehead to burn in it!"
"Not just yet!"
Helios opened fire at the first Agent! Brat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
And Unicorn opened fire at the second Agent! Brat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Instantly, the Agents dodged, twisted, and leapt from the streams of bullets, as they returned fire!
Brack! Brack! Brack! Brack!
Avoiding the shots, Unicorn sprung to his right into a semi-tucked sideflip through the air.
The first shot whizzed past his shoulder.
His heels spun over his head through the air.
The second shot zipped past his ear.
As his heels spun down in a feetfirst landing, Unicorn couldn't avoid the next one as it pierced his silver-covered chest and sliced his fast-beating heart. His body twisting backwards in seeming slow-motion, his brilliant white coat billowed and descended like a heavenly cloud upon the earth.
As he descended, Unicorn wished he could tell Helios how much he admired him, looked up to him... He wished he could tell Hitchhiker how proud he was of him, how far he had come... And he wished he could be a real knight in shining armor...
"Unicorn!" the captain cried out in sudden anguish.
Sprinting then soaring towards the Agents in eye-watering rage, Helios dove towards the first Agent, aimed his automatic pistols, and unleashed his full firepower!
Brat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Brat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Seeing several lucky shots strike the Agent in the head and chest, Helios landed lightly and contentedly. As the Agent fell backward into the starlit dirt, the lightning flash of cyber-transition blinded Helios briefly.
Just briefly.
But it was long enough for the remaining Agent to retaliate. He aimed his semi-automatic pistol, and opened fire!
Brack! Brack! Brack!
The unseen shots piercing him from behind, Helios felt the strange sensation of simultaneous heat and coldness... an odd draining warmth within his chest and back... and an eerie iciness flowing up his arms and legs... His large body twisting forwards in seeming slow-motion, his bright-orange tie and his long black coat rose above him then spread out wide before descending like a tumbling autumn leaf in the wind.
As he descended, Helios heard the soothing splashes of the ocean waves and the echoing cries of seagulls gliding towards the setting sun... He saw the watercolor mixture of blues and oranges in the distant strands of clouds along the horizon... He saw the piercing dark eyes and enticing dark skin of Aurora, his wife, the woman he loved, her lovely warm-brown face, her wide soft-lipped smile...
He saw his son Hitchhiker at an earlier age, in an earlier time... running around the community cave fires of Zion... running with other children, both Matrix-born and Zion-born, in some odd little game they made up... while he and his wife Aurora looked on, looked at each other, and despite the Man-Machine war, looked brightly at the future...
All the while, he heard the tune 'Sittin' on The Dock of the Bay' playing in the back of his mind...
Just to make sure, the Agent fired his last bullet.
Brack!
"NOOO!" Hitchhiker cried as the heart monitor above the captain's plugged-in body flatlined with a single electronic tone. "No!"
In utter disbelief, he began to weep from behind his trembling hands.
"I'm sorry," Million sniffled then hugged him, as she too began to cry, the physical pain of her bandaged arm meaning nothing compared to their loss of Helios and Unicorn... their crewmates, their friends, their family.
"Why couldn't I stabilize the fire?" he blamed himself.
"It's not your fault."
"Of course it's my fault!" Hitchhiker broke away from Million. "I was their operator! They depended on me! And now they're dead!"
"The fire couldn't be stabilized, by you, by Unicorn, by anyone."
"Why not? I wasn't fast enough... or smart enough."
Million shook her red-haired head, "No, that's not true... You saved those kids! THAT was the mission!"
Hitchhiker paused, his soul descending into desolation.
Then he added softly, "I hope it was worth it."
Running through the central corridor of the hovercraft, from the Infirmary to the operator station, Threads appeared.
"What's wrong?" Hitchhiker grew concerned.
Threads urged, "I think it's time you took a look at the kids!"
Rushing down the corridor, Threads led the others to the Infirmary. Along one wall, Aaron slept in one medical bed. Along the opposite wall, Miriam slept in another bed.
"As best as I could," Threads began, "I've stabilized Miriam's vital signs."
"Good," Hitchhiker nodded.
"But take a look at this."
Standing beside Miriam, Threads lifted the left side of her blanket and revealed her left arm... Lined with sockets, her arm ended with her elbow... She had no forearm or hand.
Million gasped, "What?"
"As far as I can tell," Threads explained as he lowered the blanket, "Miriam was born this way in the real world... But in the Matrix, her deformity was re-imaged into a fully-functional forearm and hand."
Hitchhiker nodded slowly, "That would explain why her markings appeared along her left forearm... And Aaron?"
"Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky."
Standing beside Aaron, Threads lifted the top of his blanket and revealed his bare chest... The left-center area of his chest was covered with a multi-socketed metal plate.
"What's this?" Million pointed.
"In Aaron's case," Threads explained, "he was born without a heart, or at least, not a fully-functional heart... I can't be sure, because it's been entirely replaced with a mechanical one."
"Unbelievable," Hitchhiker whispered.
Million noted, "That would explain the markings across his chest."
"And why he's dying," Threads added.
"What?" Hitchhiker jumped.
Threads lowered the blanket. "While Aaron was plugged into the Matrix, his mechanical heart could be powered indefinitely... But once unplugged, his heart can only draw from a limited power supply... maybe no more than a few days... or a few hours."
Hitchhiker stumbled, his soul descending deeper and deeper into desolation.
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