When The Night Fades

As I lie in my bed on that cold November morning, I couldn't help but have feeling of ambiguity towards the day that awaited. I felt as if I were no more then a mire visitor inside the vaguency of which was my mind. As if it were no longer me who was in control of my every motivation, every breath. Every word. At least I can still think. But how long until my thoughts are no longer mine? Or were they ever really? "Good morning Barbara." I said before I had even realized I was no longer in my bed. Think Charles. Think. What exactly happened yesterday that could have caused such an unfathomable misfortune? No! The rumors couldn't be true. Could they? From what I was told the government was developing a new mosquito looking robot, completely AI controlled. It would infect control groups within a population with tracker cells. Essentially, these "Tracker Cells" are artificial blood cells which form to the host's blood type; and are infused with starter DNA and possibly RNA of a new, more fireable humanoid to take over the host body. Great. Just great. But now what? Is there a way to stop this? And am I supposed to be able to see? Focus. Where are you going now? I watched what my eyes would allow me to see and heard all that I could hear. A call. He? No I, was on the phone. "Subject seven, your orders are as follows." This definitely confirmed the rumors. "Track and follow the leader of Astro Corp. Your assigned name is Charles F. Wallace. You are 43, from Hannover, Maryland." I turned to face a mirror in the hallway by the dinning room entrance. "Yes maste Caine." The phone call promptly ended and I headed to work. How this "Caine" knew I was from Maryland was as fascinating as it was infuriatingly frightening. We walked into the main building at the Astro Courp Technology Center. "Ah yes, Charles. Right this way." The owner of the company, Mack Alpine, leads me… Us?… To a half completed design for a "space car". "I need your brilliant eye to look over this and see how the layout is so far." No! No, no, no, no, no! He leaves me to it. And now I am alone. Me and this shell of a body which I've become. "Hey! Quit fighting me!" Wait, he noticed me? "Yes I'm talking to you Charles. I'm trying to help you. Once my mission is complete we will both be set free." If anyone would have been around they would have thought me crazy. "Is that so? What exactly do you think will happen to US? Once you've done your job, they will dispose of not only you but me as well. No whitness, no crime." He, I? gasped. "How can you be sure of this?" "Seven, or if you prefer I can call you Sven so you have a name, I have seen how our government works. If you work with me instead of against me I will do my best to insure not only I survive but you do too. And can have your own life." He jumped in the air and pulled down his first. "Yes! Does this mean we're friends now?" I then realized I was dealing with an adult sized child genius. "Yes Sven. Now you have to listen to me. You see that table at the far left of the room?" He turned his head "Good exactly that one. I need you to walk over to it." He did exactly as I asked. "Now what?" He asked, confused. "I need you to take the light blue bottle of liquid, the red bottle and the orange one and sit them in front of you." He listens pretty well. "Ok got it. I think." If I could smile I would have. "Good, now walk over and choose one of the android bodies. Whatever one you feel looks like you." Unsure of what he was going to choose I watched as he carefully looked at all ten of them. He chose one which looked to be a young boy, roughly around age 7, with medium length curly brownish blond hair and olive skin. "Okay, now when you're ready bring your body to the table." He hurried to the table. "Charles?" Sven said, "Yes, Sven?" He was looking at the android, brushing tha hair out of its eyes. "Where did these bodies come from?" I wanted to hug him to insure him it was ok. "We made them here. Mostly out of robotic copies of human cells." He smiled."Okay." He stood there waiting for me to tell him what to do. "Sven, do you see that clear container with two tubes sticking off with needles at the end?" He nodded. "I need you to grab it and add two drops of the red six of the blue and four of the orange. " As he added the last drop and closed the lid he looked at the body once more. "What do I do now?" I carefully decide how to tell him what to do. "Take the green tube and stick the needle in the arm of the android " after he did that I said, "good now when you're ready slowly put the blue one in your arm." I felt a tear run down my cheek just before he did it. What happened next was so undescribingly painful I almost can't explain it. I hope he didn't feel nearly as much of the razors edge grinding our souls apart as I did. I physically felt him separate from me and slowly regained myself. Please wake up Sven. Open your eyes. At that moment his eye thrusted open and he gasped in his first breath as himself. I pulled out our IVs. First his then mine. "Ch.. Charles?" He said. Then pushed himself into a hug around me. "Sven, I'm so happy you're okay." About this time Mack came running in. "Charles! Are you okay?" He said realizing I had figured out how to separate us. "So it's true? They infected you?" We looked at him, Sven and I. "Yes, but how did you know?" He looked at Sven the at me "Because it's all over the news! Caine F. Lewis, Head Corporal of our military's space force drugged you last night. He then injected you with something he called JRX7. That must be your friend here?" Sven his behind my arm. "It's ok Sven he won't hurt you. Yes. That explains who that 'Caine' guy was. So no misquotes?" He laughed "misquoted? What are you talking about?" Sven stopped hiding. "Never mind that. So we're safe now?" He smiled, "Yes. And congratulations. Looks like you and Barbara are parents now." Sven looks up at me, "Sven, would you like that? Would you like to be my son?" He smiled and squealed with excitement. "Can we still be friends too?" I smiled. "Of course, son. The best." And Mack was right. Life went on well. It's been 5 years, and interestingly enough, Sven has grown. He is a happy, healthy twelve year old. And it seems he's quite the ladies man. Rather, boy.