139 Years to the End of the World

Cyborg People, Part Seven

At first, they struggled to hook up the ECG pads and the other medical instruments to me. That was until I told them to forget it, since there would not be any doctors left to watch over my progress.

"Alright," John said. "Just give us a moment then to figure out how this stupid software works."

I stepped back out of the Cryo-Tube. Clover and Amelia stood on opposite end of the room, minding their own businesses as far from each other as possible.

Lindsey approached me, and apparently, sensing something bothering me, asked, "What's wrong?"

I nudged my head at Clover and Amelia. "Those two. I don't know. Some sort of tension between them."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Intense. I know."

"No, what I mean is that it's about to be your last few hours alive and you can still think of other people? That's kind of amazing."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

I said, "I'm just weird I guess." She nodded, though in the darkness, I could not tell if it was as an agreement to my statement, or a nod of approval of my actions. "Listen, could you go talk to Clover for me? See if you can get her to go easy on Amelia?"

She raised her brow quizzically. "You want me to give life advice? How old do you think I am?"

"Um..." I realized that Lindsey had been such a mature minded woman that I had not thought of her age as anything but that. After all, she was able to forgive me for her brother's death, or at the very least, not blame me for it. "Thirty?" I shot randomly.

"I'm twenty-five!" she waited with bated breaths as I struggled to find a reply that couldn't be interpreted as an insult. When she realized that wasn't happening anytime soon, she shook her head disappointingly. "Fine, I'll go talk to her. You just get yourself ready to go under." She turned away.

"Wait!" I stopped her. From my pocket, I retrieved her brother's watch. "You should have this," I said, holding it out.

She stopped in her tracks, bit her lower lips in thought, then held out her hands. Not to take the watch though, but to close my hand around it and pushing the gesture away. "Keep it. Remember where you've been. Remember all those that helped you." Before I could reply, she walked away.

I muttered, "Thanks," under my breath. She was indeed a woman beyond her years.

As if having read my mind, Amelia came walking up to me. Trying to act calm and cool, I leaned my hand against the Cryo-Tube, no doubt looking like a cheesy movie hero, minus the sunglasses, famously toned body, or anything that might give a view of pleasure. So more like a creepy man at the bus station actually, selling candies to kids.

She asked, "You ready?"

"Not yet," I replied. If there's one thing I've learned over the last two days was that the best way to deal with hard-headed people like my granddaughter was to be as direct as possible. I had Jason and Clover to thank for that epiphany. "Still have to settle this whole thing with you and Clover."

"Settle this whole thing?" she scoffed. "What are you? My father?"

"Grandfather," I corrected.

"Old man," she insisted.

I let out a sigh, "Listen kid, you're going to lose a lot of people in life. And it's not often you get a second chance with them." I nudged my head over in the direction of Clover, who surprisingly, seemed to be having a calm discussion with Lindsey instead of the heated one I had expected of her. "Don't let her slip out of your grasp just because of pride."