Social Order

Part 34

Gathering up the medical supplies, Sean started up the steps only to stop. Setting the medical stuff on the stairs, he went to his room to retrieve his computer tools. Carrying them both up to Mark's bedroom, he hesitated to enter. Mark was laying back across this bed and panting heavily. Amy gestured him inside with a worried expression. Entering quickly, he set the stuff down on the floor by the bed and told her uneasily. "So, how are we going to do this?" Amy bit her lip, telling him honestly. "I can't knock him out... He'll be awake for this. I can monitor his shield and hack the system to try and keep it thinking that he's calmed down... but if it spikes... You'll need to get back quickly." Sean looked down at his shaking hands, mumbling out. "Ya... Doesn't sound too bad then." Amy crossed her arms over her chest, her voice glitching a bit as she shuffled her feet and nervously said. "You don't understand. Mother is monitoring his vitals too. If I tamper with his vital outputs and his emotions spike... It could draw her full attention to him."

Sean opened up the supply boxes, answering dryly. "You'd think she'd be concerned with his vitals now." Amy kneeled beside him, her voice turning motherly as she said softly. "She is. Mother knows the problem... She just can't fix him. And that upsets her deeply. He is her firstborn... Her favorite." Sean removed a set of rubber gloves to put on as he told her seriously. "Well... maybe I can see something she can't." Amy removed a set of medical tools to lay on a towel across the floor by him, lightly replying. "Doubtful. She's a highly sophisticated Artificial Intelligence. You are just a human." Sean narrowed his eyes on her, whispering back playfully. "Hey. Don't underestimate me. Having a high I.Q. doesn't mean you see everything. It just means you over think the little things. Not everything needs rocket science solutions." Amy blushed with a sweet smile, telling him hopefully. "Well, in that case... I hope you do see something that mother and her android doctors missed." Giving her a small smile, he inhaled and asked her calmly. "Alright. Tell me what to do."

Amy took a square piece of plastic. Tearing it open to reveal a sterile cloth, she handed it to him and paused a second. Sean took the cloth while he waited, then she told him casually. "Ok. His shield is down. Wipe that across the back of his arm from wrist to elbow." Mark turned his arm over on the bed for him, his fingers curling over the edge of the bed. While Sean removed the bandages on his arm, he couldn't help locking eyes with Mark. Mark looked so tired. With his shield down, Mark looked like he might just fall asleep. Wiping down the fresh cut along his arm, Amy told him coolly. "This will be a bit easier. Just cut along the same line that is there and go deep until you see bone." Sean swallowed, taking the small silver knife from her. He had never cut into anyone that he didn't want to kill before. Bringing the knife to Mark's skin, his hand shook, just thinking about cutting into another human was messing with his head. Hurting someone was one thing... but watching it happen slowly was worse. He liked things to be quick. This wouldn't be. He could just imagine how painful this was going to be for someone not knocked out.

Amy leaned closer to his ear, whispering to him gently. "The trick is to breathe and not think too much about it. Just focus on what you have to do. Nothing else." Sean locked his jaw and pressed the knife across the redline on his skin. Pressing the knife in, he watched the skin part easily and flinched as Mark began to bleed heavily. Amy pressed white cloth to the blood that was leaking, cooing to him sweetly. "It's ok. That's normal. You're doing great. I got it." Mark's fingers curled tighter on the bed, but he stayed still. Amy took the knife from him and handed him what looked like scissors with weird tongs on the end that kind of made it look like a key. Amy guided his wrist into position, telling him casually. "You want to lower this into the seam and open the ends only enough that you can see the bone. This will keep the skin and muscle out of your way. Just be careful. Take it slow." Sean did as she instructed, noticing the computer vein strips along his bone structure. Sean let out a low whistle. He was almost horrified to think that Mark's bones might be covered in this stuff.