Phoenix - the Insilico tales - chapter 4 - "A Flip of the Coin"
(originally posted 6/6/2011)
It was a challenge to get Cervantes patched up. Phoenix had the skills as an EMT, but her barely 2 day old cyborg body was nearly impossible to control. When she was bot through and through, a few days earlier, controlling a droid chassis was easy - the subprocessors did everything. But a human brain squeezed into a droid chassis modified with a life support system - that was another thing altogether. Caitlin was a chemist, but she'd had 8 months to perfect using her body. With no one else available to assist, it fell to them to care for the wounded warrior when he hobbled into medlab a few hours earlier. Phoenix provided what care she could, and Caitlin provided the hands. Caitlin returned to their apartment, and Phoenix agreed to sit with Cervantes until the doctor arrived in the morning.
Phoenix tried the coin flip trick one more time. Failure. It was an exercise they'd been working on earlier that day. Cervantes insisted that Phoenix keep practicing as she sat with him. So she laid a towel across one of the equipment trays to keep the muffle the sound of her dropping the coin, jacked herself into a recharge line for the night, and settled in.
Cervantes smiled "A martial arts master once said, 'I would fear much less a man who practiced 1000 kicks one time, than a man who practices one kick 1000 times."
"Well let me tell you, I am well on my way to 1000 on this particular kick." Phoenix tries the trick, but drops the coin again. She shakes her head, but keeps trying.
Cervantes watches her go as the coin flips from finger to finger. "Could you imagine when you have full control over both your hands, arms, shoulders...body...and wouldn't have to think to move it?"
"With the strength and sensation I have now? That would be amazing." Phoenix gasps as she almost gets it, but drops the coin again.
Cervantes chuckles at her reaction. "You'd be a force."
Phoenix tries again nearly succeeds. her eyes brighten, smelling blood.
Cervantes mused "And if you were taught what I know, with your strength..."
"I would be able to protect just about anyone."
"I wouldn't want you as an enemy, that's for damn sure.."
Phoenix smiled, and kept practicing.
"Fighting..pain...death..all of these things hang around me.. It's hard to get close to people, because so many of the people I was closest to have died, either because someone was after me and got them to get to me, or it's been right infront of my eyes and I couldn't stop it..."
"Cervantes, listen. You are the warrior, not the fight. You know the fight is death and chaos, but that doesn't make you death and chaos. The fact that you can still see the fight as something negative means you are not lost, and means your heart is still good."
"That's why I cam here..to this place.."
Phoenix looked at the coin for a long moment, visualizing the trick working. She Takes a breath, and moves. The coin skitters across the tray. "Why did you?"
"I could use my abilities, my knowledge to do...something different than what I was doing...not for glory, but for honor..I wanted to win back my honor...to do what I did because I wanted to, not because I was threatened to.."
"Cervantes, do you know why I can do this all night long, failing over and over again, and keep trying?"
"because you're determined to be better..."
"Because you believe in me."
Phoenix flips her hand, and the coin comes to rest exactly as it should. She says nothing, but holds out her hand.
Cervantes Rexen smiles genuine and warm. "Thank you for that."
"What does that say about you?"
"I haven't really given it much thought..."
It says that what is in you is worthy. It is valuable. You're an inspiration to everyone around you, and you're worth it. You're worth getting close to. Even if it means touching the edge of the fight. You're worth it to me. You're worth it to everyone down here in West. And you are worth it to Joah."
Phoenix resets the coin, and tries again, failing.
Cervantes is for once caught speechless...perhaps it was the morphine, perhaps he just couldn't think of a good way to respond to such high praise..
The tear gas grenades clattered across the floor and hissed angrily, filling the room suddenly with acrid, dense smoke. Phoenix whirled around, the smoke passing harmlessly across her metal face, but she could not see the source of the woman's voice
"Right tin can step aside tall dark and handsome is coming with me."
It was enough to get a sonar fix to within a few meters, but she needed better than that with this clumsy body. She had to keep the woman talking.
"This man is under my care. Leave at once."
"I said move over he's coming with me or one of his runners is going to be killed"
Phoenix smiled. Half a meter. Don't miss. The borg launched herself across the room toward the attacker, counting on speed to overcome her lack of dexterity. Servos whining at their breaking point, a blur of silver arced toward the woman. There was a sound - a shield coming up? Then something seemed to shove Phoenix to one side, but not doing anything to slow her down. She tumbled helplessly through the air, crashed through the front doors, and embedded in the side of the front reception desk.
"FUCK" Phoenix spat. She was still struggling to extricate herself from the desk when she saw a woman in black outfit and black hair, marching Cervantes out at gunpoint. As long as the gun was pointed at her, she had a chance, but now the game was over. She froze.
Cervantes stopped just in front of Phoenix....his eyes full of apology...This is exactly what he had been talking about.
"Sorry, Cervantes. I missed again."
The pair stepped away into the night.
It was a challenge to get Cervantes patched up. Phoenix had the skills as an EMT, but her barely 2 day old cyborg body was nearly impossible to control. When she was bot through and through, a few days earlier, controlling a droid chassis was easy - the subprocessors did everything. But a human brain squeezed into a droid chassis modified with a life support system - that was another thing altogether. Caitlin was a chemist, but she'd had 8 months to perfect using her body. With no one else available to assist, it fell to them to care for the wounded warrior when he hobbled into medlab a few hours earlier. Phoenix provided what care she could, and Caitlin provided the hands. Caitlin returned to their apartment, and Phoenix agreed to sit with Cervantes until the doctor arrived in the morning.
Phoenix tried the coin flip trick one more time. Failure. It was an exercise they'd been working on earlier that day. Cervantes insisted that Phoenix keep practicing as she sat with him. So she laid a towel across one of the equipment trays to keep the muffle the sound of her dropping the coin, jacked herself into a recharge line for the night, and settled in.
Cervantes smiled "A martial arts master once said, 'I would fear much less a man who practiced 1000 kicks one time, than a man who practices one kick 1000 times."
"Well let me tell you, I am well on my way to 1000 on this particular kick." Phoenix tries the trick, but drops the coin again. She shakes her head, but keeps trying.
Cervantes watches her go as the coin flips from finger to finger. "Could you imagine when you have full control over both your hands, arms, shoulders...body...and wouldn't have to think to move it?"
"With the strength and sensation I have now? That would be amazing." Phoenix gasps as she almost gets it, but drops the coin again.
Cervantes chuckles at her reaction. "You'd be a force."
Phoenix tries again nearly succeeds. her eyes brighten, smelling blood.
Cervantes mused "And if you were taught what I know, with your strength..."
"I would be able to protect just about anyone."
"I wouldn't want you as an enemy, that's for damn sure.."
Phoenix smiled, and kept practicing.
"Fighting..pain...death..all of these things hang around me.. It's hard to get close to people, because so many of the people I was closest to have died, either because someone was after me and got them to get to me, or it's been right infront of my eyes and I couldn't stop it..."
"Cervantes, listen. You are the warrior, not the fight. You know the fight is death and chaos, but that doesn't make you death and chaos. The fact that you can still see the fight as something negative means you are not lost, and means your heart is still good."
"That's why I cam here..to this place.."
Phoenix looked at the coin for a long moment, visualizing the trick working. She Takes a breath, and moves. The coin skitters across the tray. "Why did you?"
"I could use my abilities, my knowledge to do...something different than what I was doing...not for glory, but for honor..I wanted to win back my honor...to do what I did because I wanted to, not because I was threatened to.."
"Cervantes, do you know why I can do this all night long, failing over and over again, and keep trying?"
"because you're determined to be better..."
"Because you believe in me."
Phoenix flips her hand, and the coin comes to rest exactly as it should. She says nothing, but holds out her hand.
Cervantes Rexen smiles genuine and warm. "Thank you for that."
"What does that say about you?"
"I haven't really given it much thought..."
It says that what is in you is worthy. It is valuable. You're an inspiration to everyone around you, and you're worth it. You're worth getting close to. Even if it means touching the edge of the fight. You're worth it to me. You're worth it to everyone down here in West. And you are worth it to Joah."
Phoenix resets the coin, and tries again, failing.
Cervantes is for once caught speechless...perhaps it was the morphine, perhaps he just couldn't think of a good way to respond to such high praise..
The tear gas grenades clattered across the floor and hissed angrily, filling the room suddenly with acrid, dense smoke. Phoenix whirled around, the smoke passing harmlessly across her metal face, but she could not see the source of the woman's voice
"Right tin can step aside tall dark and handsome is coming with me."
It was enough to get a sonar fix to within a few meters, but she needed better than that with this clumsy body. She had to keep the woman talking.
"This man is under my care. Leave at once."
"I said move over he's coming with me or one of his runners is going to be killed"
Phoenix smiled. Half a meter. Don't miss. The borg launched herself across the room toward the attacker, counting on speed to overcome her lack of dexterity. Servos whining at their breaking point, a blur of silver arced toward the woman. There was a sound - a shield coming up? Then something seemed to shove Phoenix to one side, but not doing anything to slow her down. She tumbled helplessly through the air, crashed through the front doors, and embedded in the side of the front reception desk.
"FUCK" Phoenix spat. She was still struggling to extricate herself from the desk when she saw a woman in black outfit and black hair, marching Cervantes out at gunpoint. As long as the gun was pointed at her, she had a chance, but now the game was over. She froze.
Cervantes stopped just in front of Phoenix....his eyes full of apology...This is exactly what he had been talking about.
"Sorry, Cervantes. I missed again."
The pair stepped away into the night.
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