Robotic Vampires 5

Ria and Easton had enough for two days after they arrived in heaven. The high level intelligence of Norman got Easton his first fever, "hey you're needed in your department," Ria told Easton working majestically into their spacious room with their beds stacked as bunk,

"Hey you're needed in your department," Easton mimicked Ria folding even more into the widely spread bedsheets,

"The punishment of not participating is not being stucked behind a box, it's much worse. It's your head being plucked out by a very fine metal," she said, "you don't want that to be your story,"

"But I'm I'll," Easton exclaimed,

"We all were when we first came, trust me," she tries filling her hands below the upper bed, "...but that's not an excuse. Norman don't know I'll,"

"You're not being serious,"

"A woman had critical cancer and worked till her last breath. You're no exception,"

"It's easy for you to say because you've settled with your old boss I'm sure,"

"Stop belayching and get on with the job," Ria anticipated and casted around the second time back and forth the side of the bed

Easton kept silent a while, not long his little square like phone beeped thrice, and he ignored. "I said I'm having fever, don't you guys get it,"

"How many times has that phone rang, E,"

"Twice and I don't intend on picking the third time," he yells this one, "so they should go to hell,"

"You better should, because the third would see your head separate from your neck, quite an awful thing I'd say," Ria said "Oh thank God," she feels her reports paper and moves towards the threshold, "good bye,"

"Let's go then, the last thing I want is to get my head shoved out by a worthless machine,"

"I'm not in your department, so…"

"Ohh, that's not good, guess I'll get to meet new friends then,"

"Good luck with that,"

Ria walked out of the room turned after she had moved past the threshold and waved leaving helplessly Easton to settle for the best - after all this is heaven, she muttered inside.

• • • •

Being a distraction to herself Ria found her way through to the seventh heaven. This is where the real stuff is being carried out, the fixing and mixing of all kinds of stuff to form the end product. Moving closer to what she would call her old home, throws her head first, then her two shaky legs, before accepting her fate and moving in full body.

Walking closer to the first machine positioned just in front of the threshold she blushed as her hand slipped and pushed a spatula - in a split of seconds everyone had turned - "look who's here?" Norman raised his voice a little above normal, "our one time best software engineer has finally returned home. Lets give her a hand, shall we,"

Everyone looking furious wears a hard smile and puts on a deafening loud clap which makes Ria panicked even instinctively taking her hands to her ear, "c'mon Ria, you know the rules, you even set them yourself, so no need for faulty introduction," Norman from one corner flings his hands and welcomes Ria, "there are only few changes, two to be precise," he moves closer to Ria, "one is that we've moved out all offices and walls dividing each section to improve communication," he says

"And the second is I'm no more head of department," Ria cuts in immediately,

"You did your homework, I'm impressed, I'm always impressed,"

"As long I hate to work with you and your dump ass engineers, please don't make me work in the same section with Shawn,"

"Funny how you keep using that trick on me knowing I'm gonna say the direct opposite. You can go work with the dump ass phsycopath,"

"I'll take that as the most interesting thing you've said since I came back,"

"Just go do the work. And know you're not the boss around here anymore, many eyes would be watching. If you're being reported your punishment will be carried out accordingly,"

"Aye aye captain,"

"And Ria," she already moved a few steps and stops without turning, and Norman seemed serious this time, "next time ask me straight forward questions,"

"Yes boss,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holland had handled a huge chunk of the safe heaven in the sky news, but had a slight but disturbing issue to settle with the command center in the sky. Having bridge thier security system without clearance.

He stands in Flynn's officer hands bolted behind his lower back, "I was chuffed with how you handled Issues over the past few years you've been given Captain, but you need to slow down if you have to catch this guy,"

"We need to push through Officer, we need to call the safe heaven in the sky and ask to state their business, we need to…"

Flynn gets up and slams the table, "we need to understand what's going on here, and search ahead," he yells

"What do you think is going on here, sir? Nothing but factions? We estimate that over a million people will turn into raw materials in six months if this drunken Norman is not stopped," Holland said

Flynn whispers into Holland's face, "then we have to be more careful than ever,"

Holland shrugged, "whatever you say boss,"

"We will be patient with Norman, allow him to play his uniqueness and dissidence all in the name of tolerance, but the day is closing where he would be begging for his life," he shuffles his fingers on the desk, "but until that day," Holland looked away right for a moment, "look at me Captain," Flynn says. He returns to his former posture, chest up, hands behind his back and eyes planted on Flynn's forehead, "we have to stay closer to each other than ever and…" Flynn looks down, "I know this is the last thing you want to hear from me but we have to be patient,"

"Is that an order sir,"

"It's an advice,"

Holland sauntered in his head looking as if he had all the time in the world, "I'll take it to heart then," Holland wore a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Just after a while Shae runs into Flynn's office stares at both of them from outside the threshold, "Sir we have a problem,"

"If I'm needed in a zoom meeting with the Command center, tell them I'll be there I a minute," Flynn siffed in air,

"No sir, it much worse and beneficial somehow to Norman's case,"

"What do you mean?" Holland rushes and stops after a few lapse, "I'm sorry boss"

"Go on, Shae," Flynn says

"it's better seen than told," Shea says

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seven separate generators sits on the basement of heaven. The ground squelched as Easton walked in sumptuously after being handed his tool box from the entrance. The squiffy engineers with thier squidgy short jeans turned around and spotted Easton, "look who's here," one shouted jumping off his seat towards Easton,

"Thank you," Easton waved and they all chuckled, "hahaha, what's this Mama boy doing here,"

"He was abducted," one jokingly says, "I hate to know this is how I was when I first came into the new world of less work and more wines,"

"Yeah yeah," they all echoed,

"So…what brings you here," the head of the department said,

"Mission gone wrong lets just say so,"

"Ahh we totally understand, we ourselves were SEALS, bet the latest headlines when we disappeared was exquisite,"

Easton spruned over thier squabbling conversation for a while before his head clinched to the news of the missing high tier operators three years ago, "you're the SEALS that went missing three years ago in Aftaghistan. What are you doing here?"

"The world is a small place, I suppose,"

"If you were sent to serve in Aftaghistan why then are you in this hole,"

One tossed around and ask the other newbie, "Ray can you tell him please, I've forgotten,"

"Mr.?" Ray - short hair, stunded Northern American, with widen front teeth

"Easton McRae," Easton parroted

Ray moved out from one of the generators and walked closer to Easton, "alot happened that day. After the operation was carried out on Afghanistan soil, we were heading back to base when…"

"When what?"

"I can't say, but after a while we found ourselves here,"

Easton walked closer and grabbed Ray by the face, "I'm sorry, I know government has failed you but I will find a way out,"

"No need for that," Ray smiled, "we've found peace in it. The only thing we pray for is a worthful compensation to our families,"

"I pray so myself," both giggled. Easton said, "you don't look like SEAL to me, sincerely,"

"I know, the flat chest, the military vibes, and all that…when I said we found peace, I mean we stopped leaving that life, we are ordinary people now,"

"You guys didn't plan to escape," Easton looked suprised, "I mean, you guys are SEALS and as a Green Beret I understand the urge to act"

"Yeah, we actually tried thrice. The last time was a total massacre, three of our men had a bad shoulder sprain and died after some struggle in the operating room,"

"I'm sorry, that's more than enough for you to bear,"

"I can handle myself,"

"Sure, I can see that," Ray laughed, as Easton said, "if you guys tried thrice to get away and didn't where's the door to get outside,"

"There's no door," Ray wore a hard smiled,

"no door? Are you sure?"

"No door. So how does Norman get out,"

"He doesn't, at least not since I came in here,"

"What about his vampire soldiers? I saw them outside when I came,"

"We have work to do? I'll show you the only way out later,"

"I want to see it, now"

Ray trots out the long spanner from the tool box, "we have work to do," he hands it over to Easton,

Easton seemed furious for a moment, then collected, "where do you want me?"

"Over here," one of the drunken folks says,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Doctor Murphy or is it Shawn," Ria said robbing her hands together, "Fair, tall, and intelligent, is it not," she continued,

"What do you want Ria?"

"I'm here to work,"

"They're are 26 sections in software engineering, you ditched 25 to work with me. My sense of humor tells me otherwise," The autistic Murphy says,

"I wanted to know if any changes has occurred in the system, so I can be more effective than ever,"

"Haven't you seen that the update has been initiated and that we have to wear," he picks up a plastic nose mask, "nose mask," he gives Ria,

"You've not changed, still the Murphy I knew,"

"Alot has happened since you left,"

"Like…"

"Freedom of movement, you can enter any where you desire. Well, except the seventh heaven where Norman stays with his investor friends,"

"That's quite an update,"

"Yeah, but it's detrimental effects is always my concern you know,"

Ria lost focus a bit and locked eyes with her former assistant, "are you even listening. I said a greater portion of the western end of this dry place is now carrying out the symptoms we discussed,"

"Ohh, that's not good. What has Norman done about it,"

"The old Norman or the new one,"

"You should have noticed that he resons more and issues more complicated answers to simple questions asked,"

"Well, minus him telling me the number of times I've called him a bitch. I wasnt counting though but it surprised me,"

"Norman is many things now, I can't say,"

"He should do something about the effect or it would spread more than we anticipated,"

"He eventually can't stop people from exploring the Sahara desert so…"

"What about a counter gas, maybe qench the smell or something,"

"I'm not in biological, I can't say,"

Murphy points at a soldering iron, "pass me that, would you,"

"Sure," Ria said, "hear anything about the red button,"

"Ria, don't start to sell your course like you did the other time. People are scared of the outer world, they prefer to stay inside as long as life is guaranteed than wander around," Murphy plugs the soldering iron on on part of the suit, "because outside if you die, you turn, it's that bad"

"Ohh that's not good,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ray takes Easton to one level on the sixth heaven, built like a cliff, "I smell fresh air," Easton runs towards a large open space without Window, "oh my God," he says muted. The fresh breath ran down his chest. Staggered twice then recovered, "what's this?"

"There's no way out, not for me, not for you, not for anyone" Norman squeezed out of the dark.

He turns around and shockingly meets Norman, "what have you done?" Easton says

"Built a new world for all of us. You don't need to miss the outside world, here in heaven there's plenty of enjoyment,"

"If you don't go out, then how do the Robots get out,"

"They jump, unlike me and you, they don't get busted by wind and the bumpy soil," Norman walks closer to Easton and holds him by the shoulder, "I'd say this for the last time, fighting here is more physiological than physical,"