Friday, May 27, 2011

The Agony and The Irony

There was something missing in his eyes. I couldn't make out the color or the shape. Lucas' might have been green, blue or gray, but they weren't vibrant.

"How long have you been fixed?

Lucas took two steps toward me. I saw his large hands clench his slender waist.

"Six years. I went through some personal issues. I became desperate so I tracked Anson Cluber and Connor Bulas down through my Air Force contacts. The technology is very advanced. I decided to upgrade everything, including my heart and nervous system. My quality of life is impressive."

Lucas' ooze of self satisfaction angered me. Pain shot through my shoulder, My knees buckled and I dropped the folder he had given me. The papers spilled over the asphalt. He didn't try to help me pick them up.

"Caleb, of the other five, you are the best candidate. I tried to get Bruce to get worked on last year. His habits and his stubborness have rendered him to a poor condition. We ceased contact last year."

I got the folder together and gritted my teeth in frustration. I spit my words at him.

"Dude, their are five people involved. We are all worthy of being corrected!"

Lucas didn't change expression as he dropped his hands and shook his head, disapprovingly.

"Don't you think I checked on all of you before deciding who to contact? Lena has female problems stemming from childbirth. Clare is a twice institutionalized bi-polar, and Breann can't...."

My eyes lasered towards his expressionless face.

"Breann can't what?"

Lucas stepped away from me, put his right hand over his mouth and tried to find different words to speak.

"Discretion is important in this situation."

I couldn't tell if Lucas was an actual misogynist or good at pointing out my blind spots with women.

"Breann is a reporter, Lucas. But she wants to live a good life. She deserves that chance."

Lucas turned his back toward me and began to walk away.

"Everything you need to find Cluber and Bulas is in that folder and that drive. My hands are clean now, Caleb. I have a family to get back to."

I suppressed my temper and took one last shot at getting Lucas to explain himself.

"So, you have a wife and kids, Lucas?"

He stopped walking away and turned back to me slightly.

"Yes, I've been married 14 years. My sons are 12 and 9. I called you because of them. Your family needs their leader for as long as they can have him."

It was a weak connection but I reached Lucas. I tried one more question.

"Is it worth it. Being what are you are?"

For the first time since talking to him, he smiled. It was slight, but definitely more than a smirk.

"It feels amazing. Knowing you are better than everyone else is relieving. Caleb, we were experiments. We weren't meant to live. If you go through the surgeries, you'll never get sick. You'll recover from injury quickly. Most of all, you'll be guarenteed to be around for your family for a very long time. The agony of sudden death is turned into the irony of almost eternal life."

Lucas' words were stunning, yet I didn't feel like talking to him anymore. I turned around and walked out of the dark parking deck into the sunshine.

*blogger's note* - This is another episode of the story I am writing. The other ones are here:
1) Synchronicity
10) Drown
11)  Toyed
12) Fever
17) Numb
18) Cage



Today's song reflects the title. The agont and the irony is a great phrase. Harvey Danger is another 1990s one hit wonder band with a kooky looking lead singer. The lyrics of Flagpole Sitta are like a theme song for me since I suffer from anxiety. The voices inside my head, I swear to God they're snoring...here's Flagpole Sitta





6 comments:

  1. I love the direction this seems to be going. I so did not expect this twist.

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  2. "Your family needs their leader" that really makes Lucas sound detached, mechanical. Very good.

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  3. I love it.

    It's Saturday morning and I'm bleary eyed, but I shall definitely read the rest sometime next it.

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  4. By way of ib's I'm dropping in and adding myself as a Follower.

    By the looks of things I've got some reading to catch up on...will need to fill up the glass and settle in!

    Cheers, Jenny

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  5. Hey everyone. This weekend I moved the blog over to wordpress

    http://lancemyblogcanbeatupyourblog.wordpress.com

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  6. I really enjoyed this post. It caught me straight off. Also, bonus points for your song today. It's absolutely one of my favorites. More than boring the voices inside my head, I like the mental amputation. Thanks!

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