Buying Off the Weenie Award

[smallscale_mind_games]

All right, here's a little story. I wrote it a while ago, and I hope it's still as decent as it was then. Hope it's good enough! Without further ado:

The Conviction

“Guilty as charged,” the judge intoned, his voice wooden. Perhaps the most infuriating thing about that calm old voice was the absolute lack of malice.

We’re being sentenced to death, Surgeon thought dully, it would be a bit more tolerable if he at least hated us... Sentenced to death…the thought washed over him like cold water, but he didn’t move. He remained still, his eyes lowered to look at his reflection in the glass of water. Blue-green eyes, almost bored-looking, stared back at him through a translucent curtain of dusty blonde bangs.

“Hanged until dead,” a childish whisper rang across the long table, causing the six people seated there to jump, their handcuffs rattling. “How barbaric,” young Elizabeth continued, her tone morbidly cheerful. Surgeon shuddered…what a frightening child! It was as if she felt no fear. He chanced a quick sideways glance at his companions, and saw that their faces were blank…fearless. He locked his eyes back on his water glass. Alone in cowardice; he knew that he, at least, was frightened of the death that awaited in the morning.

The balding man seated at the far end of the table sighed, rather sadly…but with no more importance to the sound than if he’d stopped at a convenience shop and found them out of donuts.

“Amazingman, are you okay?” the dark-haired, pale-eyed boy to his left nudged the aging superhero in his well-padded ribs. The guards rustled suspiciously at the noises, their mechanical gun-arms clicking in unison as they switched off the safety. Surgeon shuddered again—Elizabeth was at least human! But these…these things! They were what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. For the first time in his life, he’d made the mistake of feeling strongly about something. What he felt strongly about was that man should never be mated with machine…and also, as a side-issue, that King Thormond was a cruel and totalitarian ruler.

They all had their own reasons for joining in this mad crusade, but Surgeon’s were probably the worst of all. He’d simply gotten involved out of boredom, whereas Amazingman was doing it for one last stab at fighting crime. Valeria, who sat to Surgeon’s right was doing it because she’d seen her husband killed out of hand…and his murderers gone unpunished because of a technicality so obviously false that the killing had to have been government-sanctioned. Elizabeth was in because it was better than prostitution. Johnny, the pale-eyed boy next to Amazingman had gotten involved for revenge: he came from a poor family, and Thormond’s Parliament had funded a program offering large amounts of money for test subjects…Johnny’s parents couldn’t pass it up, and as a result, were now something far less than human.

And then there was Mikhail. Mikhail who was dead. Oh yes, there were no doubts that he was dead, in spite of the fact that he sat between Valeria and Elizabeth, his breathing even and calm…there was nothing in his body. A large white bandage wrapped around his head covered most of his long, straight black hair, and also the grievous head wound that had taken his mind. Mikhail had never revealed his motives, or much of anything for that matter, remaining quiet and withdrawn for the duration of that mad resistance. But in spite of that, or perhaps because of it, Surgeon had found himself drawn to the man, and through patient, gentle prodding had discovered behind those walls a person to whom the world had been very unkind.

The six of them had started optimistically, with high hopes of using their programming skills to mess with the cyborgs’ internal coding…but it was a belated effort. It turned from six fierce rebels fighting a war to six disappointed programmers, trying forlornly to hack the brain of just one of the cyborgs. Still, they must have been getting close, for it had been enough to draw Thormond’s attention. It had been a woefully short amount of time before they were captured and put to trial for high treason…but what could they expect? With the exception of Amazingman, none of them were trained fighters, and the aforementioned superhero was in the process of going to seed.

The guards led them out, and, in an unexpected display of compassion, their captors allowed them to stay the night in the same cell. Surgeon glared around at his companions, all of whom met him with a dull-eyed stare. He couldn’t stand it.

“What’s the matter with all of you?” he shouted, suddenly leaping to his feet. His face reddened, and he was humiliated to feel tears burning in his eyes. “We’re going to die tomorrow, don’t you even care?! Am I the only one who is the least bit troubled by this?! I hate all of you!” he ended with a snarl, and then having nothing better to do, sat down cross-legged with his arms folded. Valeria sighed, turning her hazel eyes toward the ceiling.

“There isn’t anything we can do about it,” she said softly. “Why bother getting worked up?” With a resigned sigh, she resumed her earlier examination of her fingernails. Surgeon stared at her, astonished. He opened his mouth to begin another tirade, but was interrupted by Johnny.

“Don’t be stupid, we’re all terrified.” He glanced sideways at Valeria. “Even Val. It’s just…too enormous to even feel. Anyway, we should…figure out…who goes first.”

“I will!” Elizabeth piped eagerly, her green eyes sparkling in anticipation of a new adventure. “I’ll go first, and I’ll meet the rest of you there. I’ll tell you if it’s nice or not.”

Surgeon shook his head mutely, wondering why it would even matter. He refused to take part in the discussion, finding it far too macabre. It was decided without him that first would be Elizabeth, then Johnny, then Valeria, then Amazingman, then Surgeon, and finally Mikhail.

“Mikhail…” Surgeon murmured, turning to look at him. Mikhail sat slumped against the wall, his hands limp in his lap. “Don’t be frightened,” Surgeon continued, “everything will be fine.” But Mikhail’s gaze never shifted, and he gave no sign that he had heard.

Despite all of Johnny’s assurances that the world would have ended by morning anyway, the dawn came in the most glorious sunrise that Surgeon had ever seen. Last sunrise. He shook his head. It would only be a couple hours before the six of them were led to the gallows.

It all went too fast, Surgeon thought numbly as he waited his turn. Little Elizabeth’s body already taken away, and now it was Johnny’s turn. It was all too quick…the boy only had time for a quick wink to his remaining companions before his neck was snapped. Valeria proudly stepped to the platform without help from her executioner, placing the noose around her own neck. Then she was gone too.

“Shit,” he whispered, turning to look at blank-faced Mikhail. Amazingman made a speech before he went, probably directed at Surgeon, but the blonde man heard none of it. The closest thing he’d had to family, all these years, and they were all gone now…with the exception of Mikhail, who’d been gone for a week already.

And then it was his turn. Surgeon shook off the guard’s arm as he mounted the steps of the gallows, distantly surprised at how he wasn’t shaking at all. The rope was rough around his neck, and it was the most poignant, most there thing he’d ever felt. One last time he turned his head to look at Mikhail, technicolor Mikhail with his long black hair, his brown eyes, his giant fur coat…

Mikhail blinked, looked up, meeting Surgeon’s eyes. “Surgeon?” he asked softly.

Surgeon had the sickening feeling of the floor dropping from beneath his feet.

[Gyrfalcon]

An interesting story, you give a lot of hints to the universe behind the characters... cyborgs and superheroes, oh my!

 

Otherwise, congratulations on the loss of a certain Weenie-ness around your title.