Dying… I’m really going to die? My legs won’t move nor will my hands rise from the ground.
There is aching pain in my back as if someone had hit me with a whip but my legs are totally numb.
There is a lot of blood around me.
My eyes are fuzzy; my head is aching as I try to look what is wrong with me.
My vision starts to swim as I try harder and then I see nothing at all. I feel all of it though.
I feel my shredded body turning colder on the ground.
I feel my blood leaving its shell speeding my departure.
It’s so cold now; my teeth start to chatter and finally the tears come from my unseeing eyes.
I hear myself whispering “I don’t want to die” so many times that I lose count. Or maybe it’s not my mouth saying these words as it’s filled with blood. Maybe I’m just imagining it.
I really don’t want to die…
A shudder runs along my spine and disappears just as it reaches my waist. Every sensation stops there. Is there something wrong with my waist? Maybe my back is broken…
I have no means to check it so I let it be. I think I’m lucky not feeling anything there as it’s hurting too much to the parts of my body I still feel.
My mind is starting to turn fuzzy like my eyes did before.
It seems it’s time for me to go…
My only regret is that I never told him I loved him. I never will…
Oh, that’s pity… He was so…so very…very warm…
***
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!!!!!”
Somebody is screaming in such blood chilling way that my ears start to hurt.
I listen the scream for a moment and then I realize something… It’s me who is screaming like there is no tomorrow.
Oh, how do I stop it? It seems that I no longer have any control over my body.
Ah, that’s right. I died.
But if I died, how I am still thinking, how is my body screaming in such painful way?
My head is hurting… Oh great. Is it going to pester me even post mortem?
I open my eyes and see nothing. I try to move my arms but nothing happens. I don’t even try to do anything with my legs. I know they are gone.
Why my body keeps torturing me even it’s quite sure it’s gone? Why am I screaming if I’m a goner?
Oh, what’s this? I feel a touch. Without body that’s impossible so maybe I’m not dead after all...
Somebody caresses my face and then puts something over my nose and mouth.
The screaming subsides. My body is silent once more. I also don’t feel anything else.
So I’m not dead, yet… I’m being treated or something…
Maybe he’s alive too and nursed back to health. I don’t care so much what happens to me but it would be nice if he would survive.
My mind is going numb too…
It must have been some kind of sedative I was given…or maybe I’m going to die after all.
***
“Bloody Hell! Make it shut the fuck up!”
“He, not it. He’s still a human, you know…”
“I don’t care what this bloody corpse is as long as it’s quiet.”
“He’s suffering… So would be you too if both of your legs had been torn off.”
“Yes, yes… Make it stop screaming, will you? I can’t focus on this.”
“I’m doing this for him, not for you. He doesn’t need to suffer like this…”
“Oh cut the crap already! You’re just playing the saint, you hypocrite bastard. It was you who chose this corpse.”
“Yes, isn’t he perfect?”
“No, this is a mess. We need to change anything. I still don’t understand why you had to choose the corpse in most horrible shape of all of them…”
“This one got my eye. Call it destiny...”
“Like you believe in that shit.”
“Oh, you think so? You have to believe in destiny if you’re going to change it.”
“Be quiet. We have a job to do.”
“What a sunshine you are. Just be gentle with him. I want him to be sane.”
“When I haven’t succeeded in this?”
“Never mind… I leave the mask on. He might wake up otherwise.”
“That’s the last thing we need right now…”
***
It’s warm. I feel like floating.
My head is still fuzzy but I don’t feel the pain anymore.
I’m definitely alive.
I feel my body but I dare not to move. The pain might come back if I make sudden moves...
I open my eyes and something washes against them. It feels uncomfortable but it doesn’t hurt. Am I in the water?
Why can I still breathe if I am?
I concentrate my senses to my new situation and I can feel it. There is a mask on my face covering my nose and mouth offering fresh air for me to breathe.
Finally my eyes are adapting to the liquid in them and I see a glass wall right in front of me.
So I’m in some sort of tank full of liquid… Why?
My hands won’t move when I try to pull them closer to my body and my legs are heavy. Am I paralyzed? I don’t know anything anymore… This is so confusing…
“Please, calm down… There is nothing to be afraid off.”
Who is that? How did he know I’m nervous? I haven’t moved or anything…
“It’s messing all our hard work. The system is going crazy. I sure as hell won’t fix it if it breaks down.”
Is he speaking of me? Fix? I’m not a machine…
“Not it, I told you already. He, he’s a human being…”
I like this one better. He sounds kind…
“It’s same to me. I made the shell.”
“I know, I know. But he’s awake now…”
What are they talking about…? The shell? It? I’m afraid… What have they done to me?
“Please calm down… The stress is not good for your body. I’ll tell you everything as soon as it’s possible to take you out of there…”
I try to listen to this kind voice and I take few deep breaths. My heart is settling down…
“That’s it… Just take is easy… You’re completely safe here.”
His voice is so nice. He reminds me about… Oh, my eyes stings… Am I crying…?
“I give you something to help you sleep a bit more.”
No!! I don’t want to sleep! I try to move my arms but they are tightly secured.
“Please, settle down… You don’t want to sleep?”
I shook my head. I don’t want to sleep now. I might not wake up…
“I understand that this experience was a frightening one but I assure you that you are not going to die.”
I nod a little and then stay still. Maybe I can trust him.
“That’s it… Just calm yourself and take few deep breaths... You will fall asleep shortly…”
I do as I’m told and my eye lids start to feel heavy. I’m going to sleep again…
“Sleep tight… When you wake up everything is better.”
I wish that is true…
***
“I wonder what he was remembering… He was crying…”
“So what? This wasn’t anything new.”
“I know… It’s just that he seemed so sad…”
“You’re not that sentimental, so stop acting. You’re just a twisted being playing a scientist.”
“I’m hurt… I do care of all our projects, especially this one.”
“I don’t get it. What is it that makes this one so fucking important? You ended lots of projects going much better and had no problems with it… And now you want to keep this one alive even if it took all of our resources.”
“I have a feeling that this one is going to be the best of them all. The earlier models weren’t so lively and they had constant pain strokes… It was only merciful to let them go.”
“Still it was you who killed them.”
“That I won’t deny but can you please keep it from him. He might be frightened…”
“He would be fucking terrified. He is already near of nervous breakdown.”
“That is the reason I would like to keep our other projects as a secret until he has recovered enough.”
“Do as you want. I’m not going to rehabilitate him anyway. Not my job.”
“I will do it little by little. I’ll show you, this one is the best.”
***
When I wake up it is dark. I’m still in the liquid tank and for now I feel safe. Maybe it’s night time outside and that’s the reason why there are no lights.
I hear a low humming of the machines outside the glass and stay still in my bonds. I feel so much better now than I felt when I last time woke up.
I can feel the soft yet firm bindings in my ankles and wrists that are keeping me unmoving. Now that doesn’t feel so uncomfortable, it’s reassuring even.
I can’t do anything and I just shut my eyes again. I can tell that this liquid I’m floating in is not water. It is softer and thicker. I’m used to it already. I should get some more sleep.
Maybe the two who spoke to me earlier will come back when the morning comes.
***
“AF06 has fallen ill again… Maybe we should let her go…”
“It is our best female for Christ sake! If you go and kill it then we have to make a new one.”
“But the problem is in her own organs, they are rejecting the shell.”
“So the transplanted organs are fine. We could change all its organs to transplants.”
“It could work as long as her brain won’t start to reject her shell.”
“Then we should fix it as soon as possible. We need the income we get from it.”
“She, not it. And yes, I take her to the operation theater tomorrow morning.”
“What about that one in the tank. It might get upset again if it wakes alone.”
“I think he’s alright. His vital signs are great and there’s no stress in his brain functions.”
“If you say so. We need to take it out of the tank for a while tomorrow or he gets used to the maintaining fluid too well.”
“I’ll do it. You will just agitate him if you and your nasty comments are present. I think he has all his memories intact so we need to be careful or he will brake down.”
“It’s a bloody pain in the ass. We just should erase all the memories from the Geishas. It would be much easier to train them. And no difficult personalities either.”
“That would be inhuman. Their emotions and memories make them the enchanting beings they are.”
“Inhuman? You say that erasing memories would be inhuman after we fucking rip their body apart and change it in artificial shell without asking their consent. Two first projects went fucking insane after they looked at the mirror and didn’t know their faces.”
“That was unfortunate thing to happen. Now we know how to tell them and they do accept the changes. They are glad to be alive.”
“They wouldn’t know anything if they had died as they should have. This newest one was a goner when we found it. I can’t believe it that it even woke up.”
“He’s strong and I know he will be great geisha when he’s ready.”
“That day never comes. I can tell you that this one will not let rich men fuck him in the ass without fight. Not for money, not for you. Did you see how the corpse was dressed or the other corpses around it? The man he was while living lived a hard life with no money or place to stay. Still his corpse was a virgin.”
“Are you getting somewhere with this…? You’re unusually emotional…”
“I’m just saying that the man you claim it still is has his pride. It’s not going to bend over and take it from anyone.”
“Ah, that may be the truth... But he’s such a looker. If I can’t make him work for us I think I might keep him as my personal geisha.”
“You got to be fucking kidding me! The most expensive model in private use! You’re not hogging it all by yourself if it comes to that; keep that in your mind.”
“As you wish but then you must learn to be nicer. If he is as prideful as you say he’s not going to give any to you if you treat him like trash. First learn to call him as him. We have to ask him about his name… We might to have to change it if he’s reported as dead.”
“I might do that. So why won’t we operate the AF06 right now? We have all night to do it.”
***
This time there is light everywhere when I wake up. My eyes hurt a little but the liquid soothes it right away. I try to see through the glass and finally I manage to see two figures. I so wish to ask about my situation.
“Ah, you’re awake. Good timing. Let me get you out of there.”
I feel how the liquid starts to flow away and I’m left to hang in my bonds. It hurts and I close my eyes trying to breathe evenly.
“Are you an idiot? Lower it at the same time or the shoulders will pop out in their sockets.”
That was the one who seems to be always angry. I make a mental note to not agitate him even more.
“I’m sorry...”
I feel how my body is lowered too and soon my feet touch the floor. They don’t carry my weight and I’m lowered to the tank floor.
Then air rushes to the tank and I feel hands on my shoulders.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Chael Dreamsea and the angry troll behind me is Lyez Deathscout. May I inquire your name?”
I open my eyes and see the warmly smiling yellow eyes in pale face that is about my own age. His light green longish hair is tied in little ponytail but still few strand escapes from it. Behind him stands also a young man who has dark brown skin and nearly black eyes. His hair is short and black.
He notices my gaze and nods lightly.
“Are you sane enough to answer his question?”
I raise my hand to my mask and Chael reaches to open the straps keeping it in place. I take a deep breath before I answer them.
“My name is Adairia Stormbringer… You might have heard of me.”
I see surprise and recognition on their faces. My name causes that a lot.
There is doubt in Lyez’s voice. “Are you saying that you are the crown prince of Eryia?”
Chael closes his eyes and makes a tiny noise of distress. “If it is so then we have committed a grave crime against the crown...”
I open my mouth to ask what they have done to me but suddenly I can’t breathe. I gasp for air but it seems to be too little.
I’m eased to rest on my back and the mask is put back on my face. The air in it seems to fit me better and the oxygen fills my lungs again. I keep my eyes closed for a while and as I open them I see Chael’s concerned face.
“I’m so sorry your highness... Your new body has yet to learn to breathe the normal air.”
Lyez rakes his hand over his face and turns to leave. “Great! Just so bloody fucking great! We’ve got ourselves a life time sentence if they don’t execute us in public execution!”
I’m confused and reach for my mask to take it away. Why are they behaving like they had killed me? And what was the talk about my new body?
Immediately Chael’s hands come to stop me. “Please let the mask be your highness. You might suffocate without it.”
I shake my head and take the mask away anyway. “Why are you two so upset? What have you done to me?”
Chael puts the mask back over my nose and mouth and looks at me apologetically. “I’m really sorry about this your highness… We found your body when you were nearly dead and we…”
He keeps a little pause in his story and I already see where this is coming. When he continues my suspicions are confirmed.
“We took your body and changed it to artificial one as a part of Geisha project. Your brain and heart are original. All other is made by Lyez.”
I stare at him. I’m a…what? What it makes me?
Once again I move the mask away. “Geisha project, I’ve heard of it. It provides rich men with geishas both female and male... So you make them from dying humans?”
Chael nods nervously. “Yes. We give our Geishas new identities if they are already registered as dead.”
I feel like laughing. This is perfect opportunity for me. I start to feel dizzy and say what I want as shortly as possible. “Then give me a new identity as well and carry on with your project.”
Chael seems to notice the lack of oxygen and once again puts the mask back. “What are you saying your highness?! We can’t do that to our next king! …Please keep the mask on…”
I close my eyes for a moment. I feel so dizzy and my head is spinning. I think I’m going to faint.
***
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