Chapter Twenty-Four

Wrath swam through the darkness once again, but it was different this time. Previously he had encountered scenarios planted by Rachel. This blackness was silent and peaceful. He embraced it and was grateful for a rest.

The next time he opened his eyes he didn’t see the desert or the inside of a helicopter. He furiously blinked when he saw the bright white ceiling set with rows of lights. A smaller round light hovered over his face.

A new human’s face appeared in front of him. A hand pushed the small light out of the way, letting Wrath clearly see the man’s features. He had sandy brown hair that receded from his forehead, accentuating worry lines creased into the skin. His eyes were dark brown, kind, and curious as they looked down at Wrath. The man wore a sea green scrub top.

“Hi, there. Everything is okay. I’m a surgeon.” The doctor moved his hands quickly and confidently, adjusting some tubes attached to the cyborg.

“Where am I?” Wrath wanted to know where the other cyborgs were, but he had used all his energy asking that single question. His body felt like it was full of concrete and he couldn’t move his arms or legs.

“You’re in Cyborg Sector. We’ve had to do a bit of work on you, but you’re stable for now.”

The sentences barely made sense to Wrath. He tried activating his cybernetic implant to help process the information, but it wouldn’t turn on. There were no orders to access. He couldn’t even look up the records on the doctor in front of him. “What did you do to me?”

“You were in bad shape when they brought you in here. Your biochip and its connection to your brain were both severely disintegrated. I had to remove some of it. That can be risky, but it was going to be worse for you if I left everything connected. I upgraded the software in your biochip while I was poking around in there. If you hadn’t been in the desert, you would have received the update a long time ago.”

The doctor’s voice faded out as Wrath began exploring his mind. He had relied on the biochip the entire time he had been a cyborg. He missed his computers but realized he now had access to many things he had never known about before. Rachel hadn’t made up anything. The visions he had seen and the images in his mind when the pain burst through his head had been real.

Weren’t they? Did remembering something make it real? Or was this another part of what Rachel had done to him? She had already forced him to surrender to Cyborg Sector. There was little reason to continue her assault on his mind. Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“I had to reroute your neural pathways too. It’s part of the standard procedure. It lets you access all the memories we blocked off. You might be scared at first. You’re going to see and remember things that don’t make sense to you. Everything you’re going through is perfectly normal.”

Wrath wanted to laugh. The poor doctor had no idea what thoughts were filling the cyborg’s head. He had been through a lot of pain and unable to understand why until now.

“We have an expert team of psychiatrists and other specialists who will help you. We’ll start scheduling the appointments as soon as you’ve recovered from surgery.” The doctor called for an orderly to transfer Wrath to a recovery room. The cyborg waved him off.

“I can get there myself,” he insisted.

The doctor looked at him critically. “I don’t think we can allow that. You’ve just had major brain surgery. Your body is fine, but if you were to fall, we would be negligent.”

“I’ll be fine.” The cyborg slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, hoping he could keep the dizziness from coming back. He rested for a moment before swinging his legs off the table and standing up.

The orderly entered the room and rushed to Wrath’s side with a horrified expression on his face. “I’ll get you a wheelchair, sir. Don’t move.”

“I don’t need your assistance.” Wrath was aware that his voice was gruff, but the young orderly didn’t seem bothered by the tone. He was used to being around irritated cyborgs. “All you have to do is tell me where to go.”

“Right this way.”

The orderly led him out of the surgery room. Wrath tried to avoid looking at anything on the way out. He didn’t enjoy seeing the steel tables or the sterile environment. It was probably the same room where they had installed his biochip. They had saved his life but hadn’t necessarily made it better.

They walked down a long, pale hallway lined with doors on either side. Each room was labeled clearly with a small tag. The orderly opened one that read Recovery 147. Behind the door was a standard hospital room. Inside were a bed with rails and white sheets, several monitors, and an IV stand. A flat-screen television hung on the opposite wall with a small cabinet underneath it.

“Let’s get you into bed.” The orderly pulled back the sheets and patted the mattress. He was so skinny that his white scrubs hung off him like clothes on a scarecrow. “You have access to all the cable channels, and we recommend that you watch as much television as you can handle. It can help you access and understand your memories.”

Wrath glared at the orderly. “I don’t feel like getting in bed.”

The orderly shrugged, unaffected by the cyborg’s complaints. “Well, you’ll be here for a few days until we can move you into a permanent room. You can keep standing if that’s what you want.” He left the room with a smile, unintimidated by the angry cyborg standing in the doorway.

Wrath had to admit to himself that Cyborg Sector was nothing like what he had expected. They had operated on him and told him they would assimilate him into life with humans, as he had thought they would, but they hadn’t completely changed who he was.

In the morning, someone fetched him and brought him to a gym for physical therapy. The therapists were two women who were wiry, tanned and athletic. At first, they attempted to guide him through all the exercise equipment and machinery. It became apparent to everyone that he didn’t need help or any physical therapy at all. After a couple of hours, they sat back and let him use the gym however he wanted.

Innumerable people came to his room and filled out paperwork with Wrath. They told him they would make living arrangements, help him obtain all the identification a citizen might need, and even help him find a job. Wrath knew that they were doing their jobs and that he should be grateful for their help. After all, he had no idea how to do these things on his own. But he didn’t like feeling helpless. He had been the leader of a team of cyborgs. He had never needed help from anyone else before.

“Where is the rest of Green Squad?” he asked the unfortunate nurse who happened to popped her head into his room next. “I want to see them immediately.”

The girl had short red hair and wide green eyes. Wrath might have found the nurse attractive if they had met in a different place. “If you want to see them, you need approval from your doctor. I can help you make the request, but—”

“But what?” he barked. “They came in here with me, didn’t they? What did you do with them?”

The nurse cringed but didn’t back down or run off to find someone else. “Meeting the other cyborgs will be part of your therapy,” she explained, “but all of you have to be ready for it first. You’re close, I’m sure, but it’s not part of my duties here. It’s up to your psychiatrist.”

Wrath didn’t like her excuses. There was no reason why he couldn’t see Green Squad. Before they came here, the other soldiers had been doing better than him. They were surely healthy enough to withstand a visit from their former leader. Wrath deserved to know if they were okay. “I want to see her immediately.”

“That’s what I’m here for, sir. It’s time for your appointment.” She led him down the hall to a different room. It didn’t look like the other rooms in the hospital. Instead of white walls and drab gray furniture, the warm colors of the room gave it an inviting feeling. The floor was wood with a large, brown rug. On top of the carpet sat an overstuffed leather couch, a little coffee table, and a tan armchair. The psychiatrist sat in the armchair, but she stood to greet the cyborg when he entered.

“It’s good to see you, Wrath. Are you doing well?” She had gray hair that came down to her soft, lightly lined face. Dr. Kendrick gestured to the couch as she sat down in the armchair again. The nurse left and closed the door behind her.

Wrath had participated in several sessions with Dr. Kendrick already. He didn’t like them. Even though everything about the room was designed to make him feel comfortable, including the soft music playing in the background, he hated being there. He refused to lie down on the couch, choosing to sit up and face the doctor instead.

“Have you been sleeping well?” She kept a tablet at her side and a slim stylus in her hand for making notes.

“Yes, Sheila.” He didn’t like calling Dr. Kendrick by her first name. Even though he no longer had access to his recognition protocols, it implied a sense of familiarity that he didn’t think existed. But she had certain requirements he needed to follow if he wanted to pass the tests. “I want to see the rest of Green Squad. The nurse said I need your approval first.”

Sheila slowly nodded while she scribbled on the tablet. “You’ll have to stop thinking about them that way. I know that’s how you lived for a long time, but Green Squad doesn’t exist anymore. You are individual men now with personal lives and your own thoughts. I know it’s going to take some time to get used to the concept.”

Wrath scowled at her. The doctor always questioned his memories and talked in circles. Their conversations never went anywhere.

“Don’t worry, they’re fine, and you’ll get a chance to see them. Right now, you need to worry about yourself.”

“What about Rachel?” he asked, ignoring her last sentence. “Where is she?”

“Are you talking about the woman you imprisoned? Are her whereabouts important to you?”

“Why does that matter? I want to know where she is.”

The doctor looked at Wrath thoughtfully, leaning forward and putting her chin in her hands. “She’s going through the same evaluation as you. Being the captive of a group of cyborgs isn’t an easy thing for anyone to experience or understand.”

“And when can I see her?” Thoughts of Rachel still took up space in his head, forming a combination of memories from when he was a human as well as a cyborg. If nothing else, he wanted closure.

Dr. Kendrick shook her head. “I’m afraid that isn’t something I can authorize right now. I doubt it would be safe for either of you. As I said, you should worry about yourself for now. Once you’ve fully recovered, we can focus on your former comrades, and then on your family. It’s a slow process.”

“You’re saying I can’t see her.” He didn’t ask a question.

“I’m saying maybe someday, but not now. I would have to consult with Rachel’s therapist and get his opinion as well. These things take time. I understand that she’ll be flying back home soon.”

Wrath folded his arms over his chest. The psychiatrist was evasive. Was she keeping Rachel apart from him on purpose? He had been part of Cyborg Sector; he wouldn’t let a human’s mysterious agenda get in his way.

When she had finished reassuring him about the beginning stages of his rehabilitation and questioning him about his eating habits in the cafeteria, she allowed Wrath to return to his room. It wasn’t empty. A small man with big glasses and a balding head waited for him.

He nervously jumped out of his chair when the cyborg entered. “Hi. I’m Paul. My job is to get you set up with an apartment. You’ve been cleared to leave the hospital. We have a magnificent building designed specifically for men in your position. There’s a counselor around at all times and staff who will come and help you with everything you might need.”

“Help me with what?” Wrath couldn’t share the man’s excitement. He hadn’t enjoyed the time in the hospital, but leaving it and beginning a new life made him wonder if he weren’t better off with the psychiatrist. Every person he met reinforced the fact that he was becoming a new person and was no longer a soldier. He needed Rachel — would someone help him find her?

The man gestured for Wrath to sit down and talk. “Lots of things! It’s remarkable what you can forget after multiple brain surgeries. Our rehab specialists will show you how to cook, clean, do laundry, go shopping for groceries, drive a car, balance a checkbook...everything you need to survive.”

Wrath nodded, but he had stopped listening after Paul mentioned cooking. Nothing the man said sounded very exciting. Everything he had imagined would happen at Cyborg Sector was coming true. They wanted to turn him into a dull, soft human. “What about a job? Someone said they would take care of that too.”

“Right, I can’t believe I forgot about that!” There seemed to be no end to Paul’s excitement. He rapidly flipped through some paperwork attached to a clipboard. “Do you have an idea of what kind of job you might want? Employers are just starting to become comfortable with the notion of hiring cyborgs, especially in security. There was some prejudice at first, but there are few obstacles these days other than education. We can send you to college if necessary.”

Wrath knew what he wanted to do. The memories that came to him didn’t change who he was now and what would keep him satisfied. He hesitated before answering Paul’s question. What if there were some things he wasn’t allowed to do? What would he do with his life?

“I want to be in the military,” he said. “I want to be a soldier again.” He held his breath as he waited to discover if Paul would deny him and recommend he find a job as a mechanic or grocery clerk.

Paul smiled and nodded his head. “That’s not an unusual request. Many cyborgs want to return to what they know. It will take a little time. You’ll have to start at a lower rank while you’re going through the rest of rehabilitation. After a year or so, you’ll be back out in uniform again.”

He went on to explain what the apartments looked like and the process for moving, but Wrath wasn’t listening. Something was finally going his way, and he didn’t want to stop thinking about it.