HAWK

CHAPTER THIRTY: GENESIS (2/4)

Lor's first steps around the apartment were a little wobbly, to say the least.

While Kas had filled him in on his unwitting adventure, Worm made a few adjustments to his makeshift body to give him better control of his limbs. When it came time for him to try to walk, however, he barely managed to lift one foot off the ground before falling head first into a wall. Kas and Worm quickly helped him upright and aided him in trying again, but after a full hour (and many more tumbles), he wasn't looking any better.

'It's no good,' he said after the umpteenth fall. 'The suit is simply not calibrated for my computer.'

Worm's hand immediately shot up as she signed with a grouchy expression.

'It may have worked fine with your remote control system,' Lor replied, 'but X1 computers are a little more complicated. We will need to fetch my equipment from my house.'

'Uh, I don't think that's gonna happen,' Kas replied.

'Why not?'

'Your house was kinda emptied following your death. It's already up for sale.'

'For sale?! What has happened to all my equipment?'

'Last I heard it was being auctioned off. Apparently, you didn't leave a will.'

Lor made a noise which might have been a scream.

'But hey,' Kas added, 'now you can just go to the police and tell them who you are.'

'No,' Lor replied in a dejected tone. 'I am not the same Sae-quin Lor who was murdered; I am something else - a sentient being transcended from another. I'm a dead man trapped inside a robot's body. I'll either be treated as a monster and destroyed or hailed as a miracle and studied for centuries to come. Oh, Sae-quin, you stupid boy. What mess have you made for yourself now?'

Kas and Worm exchanged glances, each unsure how to respond. Kas cleared her throat and gave it a go.

'Have you got any friends who can help you?'

'The only friends I trusted were on Selva,' Lor replied. 'Except for you two, of course. I know I can trust you.'

'Well... you're welcome to stay here as long as you need until you work out what to do.'

The X1 called Lor looked up at Kas and she thought she detected a trace of hope in his posture.

'Are you sure?' he asked. 'Wouldn't I be an inconvenience?'

'No more than you haven't been already,' Kas replied. 'Believe me, after the last few weeks I've just had, this is nothing.'

'Then if that's alright, that would be very kind of you. Thank you, Kas.'

Kas shrugged like it was nothing, but secretly, she was quite pleased. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to Worm just yet and this provided the perfect excuse for her to stay.

'I wonder if I might ask one more favour of you?' Lor added.

'Uh... sure, I guess...' Kas replied.

'Without my equipment, I will need to purchase a few things in order to repair myself. I wonder if I might borrow some money? I promise to pay it back.'

Kas didn't know what to say. She looked at Worm and saw a small smile on her lips.

'Is that not alright?' Lor asked. Kas looked back at him and started laughing.