Chapter Nineteen
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Dr. Gold asked for what seemed like the millionth time.
Amanda looked over her shoulder. She could see his reflection in the mirror over the sink in the hospital room bathroom. It was hell trying to put makeup on using a tiny mirror and fluorescent lights. Dr. Feldman hadn’t let up his guard on her, keeping her restricted to her room for anything except for media events. If he had any idea of what she had planned today, he would have prevented her from talking to reporters too.
“Of course not. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. I’ve already done plenty of interviews, and this press conference is going to be under my control, at least. But the process is nerve-wracking.” Amanda had cobbled together a small bag of makeup since her arrival at the hospital. She pulled out a tube of lipstick and swiped it slowly across her lips.
“I’m sure it is. You don’t see me out there. I don’t think the media would go as crazy for this ugly old mug as they do for you.” His lips parted in a deprecating smile. “I’m worried about you.”
Amanda smiled back. “I don’t think you’ve done anything else since the incident with Blue Squad.” Dr. Gold had been the only person who came to see her, or at least the only person Dr. Feldman had allowed. It would be hard for anyone to deny him since he had worked for Cyborg Sector for over twenty years, but Amanda could no longer predict Dr. Feldman’s erratic behavior. She was suspicious that keeping her in the military hospital wasn’t about her protection at all. As for Dr. Feldman, he had been surprisingly absent from her life despite the fact that he was the one currently in charge of her welfare. It might have been because of the satisfying punch she landed square in the middle of his handsome face.
Dr. Gold had also given her plenty of reports about odd happenings at Cyborg Sector. New cyborgs were being created more rapidly than before. Dr. Gold wasn’t privy to who authorized their surgeries or the reason for the ramp-up.
“Something is wrong,” Dr. Gold insisted. “I have a bad feeling, but I can’t quite put my finger on the problem. I understand that Sector wants to get Blue Squad back. We can’t leave them out there to fend for themselves. It’s irresponsible of us.”
Amanda nodded as she placed the cap on the lipstick and reached for her mascara. She worried desperately about what would happen to Blue Squad once they returned, AD-214 in particular. “I know,” she said. “I don’t think I can change what’s going to happen. My hope is that I can affect people’s perspective on cyborgs. I’ve thought a lot about how helpless I feel trapped in this hospital, but the truth is that I wouldn’t be any more capable of changing things back in the lab. I have the opportunity to do something here, and I’m going to take it.”
She finished applying her makeup, zipped up the bag and turned back toward the bar room. On an impulse, she jumped up and grabbed the thick curtain rod separating her bed from the rest of the room.
“If you discover anything I can do to help you, let me know. I admire you for your convictions. You are an inspiring person, Amanda Conrad.” He watched with rheumy eyes as she pulled her chin up to the bar repeatedly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do a single pull-up.”
Amanda laughed despite the fact that her abs were heavily engaged. She reveled in the feeling of her muscles stretching and pulling to lift her weight repeatedly. Dr. Feldman hadn’t allowed her to use any of the numerous gyms that were in the government compound, but she wasn’t going to let that a couple of pointless rules stop her from staying in shape. Besides, lying around in a hospital bed only made her feel sick. She knew she must look like a mess right now as she attempted to exercise with her blonde hair blow-dried smooth, full makeup, and a skirted business suit. It wouldn’t have been her first choice for regular workout attire, but nothing was normal at the moment.
A brief knock came at the door. “It’s time, Ms. Conrad,” said the guard.
Amanda dropped to the floor and reached out for Dr. Gold’s hand. “You can help by coming with me right now.”
They descended through the numerous indistinguishable corridors of the hospital with a swarm of guards around them. Amanda made a point to ignore them as best as she could. These clones were not her cyborgs, and she had seen enough of their identical faces. Instead, she marched through the building as though she knew what she was doing.
When she emerged into the sunlight, Amanda was taken aback by the huge crowd amassed in the parking lot. News reporters with flashing cameras swarmed the bottom of the steps just below the podium, but the hoi polloi were present as well. She could see nothing but a sea of people stretching all the way to the back of the lot. The crowd was so deep that she wasn’t sure the announcement system would reach to the back. Even if they couldn’t hear her now, they would listen to her news again over the news or Internet broadcasts. It made her stomach swirl to know that so many people were listening to her, but it also gave her needed encouragement.
Amanda had changed what she wanted to say more times than she could count. But as she stepped up to the microphone, she found the words easily came when she didn’t obsess over each sentence.
“Ladies and gentleman, I want to thank you for showing up here today. It means a great deal to me that you would take time out of your day to hear what I have to say.”
The crowd didn’t react. The people patiently watched Amanda.
“As you already know, I have been heavily involved with Cyborg Program since its inception. I’ve worked with cyborgs in the lab for several years, but I learned more about cyborgs in the single day I spent with them in the warehouse than I did in all my years in the office. I understand how they work physically, but I want you to know that there is more to them than even the best scientists can understand.”
She flinched involuntarily, waiting for someone to react. Up until this point, the crowd didn’t think much of her speech. It was time to get down to the essence of what she wanted to say.
“The government has painted a picture for you of cyborgs as nothing more than mindless killing machines. I’ll be the first to admit that this concept is close to their initial purpose. The military thought they would be a good alternative to human soldiers risking their lives for our country. These cyborgs are not mere robots any longer. I want to ask you something today. Let me rephrase that. I beg you to remember that they are still human at their core. They look human, and yet we’ve been able to justify treating them like they are something else. I have first-hand knowledge about the cyborgs. They can think, feel, and remember, just like you and everyone else you know.”
The crowd was stunned for a moment, but murmurs of dissent began to spread down its lines. Amanda knew she might start a riot, but it was too late to go back.
“The years I spent in Cyborg Sector were nothing compared with the time I spent with them while they were in hiding. They showed me their human sides and didn’t hold anything back. It is my sincere hope that you will listen to me and understand that these beings are as capable of sadness, anger, and even love as you or me.”
The audience was thoroughly worked up now. There were cheers from the back, but there were pockets of anger as well. Amanda could hear people booing, yelling, and calling her rude names. She smiled. People didn’t like the truth, and their reactions showed they understood her message.
She gestured behind her, where she knew a squad of soldiers had assembled on the steps of the building. “Even the cyborg clones that are present with us today, acting as security and keeping all of us safe, are still human. We grew them in a laboratory, but I believe they are as capable of laughing and crying as we are.”
Amanda had churned the spectators to a full froth. Though they had stood still and attentive at the beginning, they were now thrashing out against each other as the different factions collided. Some people obviously disagreed with her, those who only wanted the threat of the rogue cyborgs to be eliminated by deadly force. But there were others who understood what she was saying, and those were the ones she was trying to reach. Most importantly, they were willing to believe her.
Strong arms clamped around her elbows and began dragging her back toward the doors. Her time here was over, but she wasn’t upset. Instead, she pulled forward, so she was just within the microphone’s range. She wrapped the fingers of her right hand around it firmly, determined to get the last word. “They’re people, too!” she shouted.
A roar of cheers came up from the back of the crowd. The soldiers pulled at her again, causing the microphone to fall to the ground. Amanda allowed herself to be taken away, knowing she had accomplished everything she wanted.