Artificial Heart
41

Several men filed in. Big men. All carrying some kind of weapon. Batons. Guns. Maybe knives. Ralph wasn’t there. She recognised a few from the alley. A black man stood ahead.

Alf stiffened beside her. He quickly replaced his mask.

‘We need you to come with us,’ the black man ordered Prisha in a deep voice.

‘W-why?’ Prisha asked.

His dark eyes shot towards Alf, sizing him up.

‘What does he say?’ Alf said.

‘He wants me to come with them.’

‘Look into my eye. I cannot understand you.’

Prisha repeated her question.

‘No. You stay with me.’ He shifted his grip from her hand to her wrist.

‘Don’t hurt him,’ she told the men. ‘He might look … off-putting. But he’s a good guy.’ She swallowed. ‘He wants us to stay together.’

‘I don’t make the rules. You must come with us. We don’t want things to turn badly.’

‘I-I would, but he won’t let me.’

The man’s eyes dropped to Alf’s grip on her wrist.

‘Please, just let us be,’ she begged. ‘Anything that needs to be done can be done together.’

‘No.’

Prisha sucked in a breath as he pulled out a gun. ‘Tell him he must let you go,’ he told her.

The men behind him lifted their own weapons.

She turned to Alf desperately. ‘Alf, let me go. They’re going to kill you!’

‘You stay with me. You tell them that.’

‘I have!’

‘Release her!’ the black man boomed.

Alf frowned. His forehead puckered. Something changed in his face. The smoothness was gone. The calm and patience. It was almost ugly. Made worse by his mask. Made worse by his red glowing eye and the cold metal in his face.

Slowly, he stood. Towering over her. Towering over all the men in the room. The black man shot, two loud pops that made Prisha’s ears ring. She jerked back with a yell. Alf just stood there, apparently unhurt. Two long wiry cords connected the two “bullets” lodged in his chest to the gun. Prisha felt a rush of relief. No. Not a gun. A taser.

They weren’t going to kill him. Of course not!

‘Alf, stop! They’re going to hurt you.’

‘They cannot hurt me.’ And he ripped the cords out of his chest.

More tasers went off. He charged.

He was terrifying. He was snarling and roaring behind his mask like a monster. He looked like a monster. He certainly had the strength of one. She shouldn’t be surprised, he was mostly metal. The tasers did nothing. There were wires all over him. Pop! Pop! Pop!

The men were shouting, then screaming as he swept through them like a juggernaut. His punches were hard. He shoved one of the men with such power he was thrown into the wall. He banged two of the men’s heads together. He gripped the throat of another and managed to haul him off his feet with one arm. The man turned purple as he struggled against his unbelievable grip.

Prisha kept back, utterly speechless, utterly useless.

‘Leave,’ Alf growled. ‘Leave!’

‘He’s telling you to leave!’ Prisha cried.

This time, the men listened.

Alf dropped the man he was holding. He fell to his knees as the rest fled. Coughing and spluttering, the man lurched to his feet and staggered through the door. Prisha heard him fall again outside. The heavy metal door snapped shut and locked with a beep.

Alf’s fists were clenched at his sides. He looked at Prisha. ‘Are you satisfactory?’

Prisha nodded. He ripped the remaining cords out of him. He wasn’t bleeding. The limp from his leg had vanished. He came over and Prisha instinctively sidled away. He stopped.

‘I will not hurt you.’ He sounded angry. He held out his hand. ‘Prisha …’

Gradually, the uncharacteristic rage died from his eyes, and he was looking much more Alf-like again. Slowly, Prisha went over and took his hand.

’Are you okay? You’re not hurt?’ she asked.

‘I told you. They cannot hurt me.’

Prisha was starting to wonder if he was actually right. Perhaps it wasn’t just bravado or naiveté, after all. She looked down at the blood on the floor. He’d broken one of the men’s noses, for sure. She’d seen the blood gush down over his lips.

’I didn’t know you could … be like that,’ she said a little shakily.

‘Sometimes I must.’

He looked towards the door. Releasing Prisha’s hand, he went over. Prisha watched, astounded, as he grabbed onto the edge and leaned his whole weight against it, trying to push it open. There were some dull thuds somewhere in the mechanics of the door, but it didn’t budge, except to tremble slightly in his grip.

He let go. He looked around the room. The walls were hard stone. The ceiling was too. He glared at the nearest camera. One by one, he leapt up and smashed them with his fist.

‘They’re not going to like that,’ Prisha said.

She could tell he was smiling under his mask.

’Are you enjoying this?’ she said.

‘Get on the bed.’

’What?! We can’t do that! What if they walk in!’

‘I must analyse you.’

‘O-oh.’

She climbed onto the bed and lay down, glancing at the door. ‘They’re going to hurt you when they come in.’

Alf was unconcerned. His red eye flashed over her body. ‘Have you been consuming my nutrient sachets?’

‘I’ve tried to. I’ve forgotten a few. I’ve run out.’

‘Are you unwell?’

‘I’ve been feeling dizzy. I’ve had blackouts again. And I’m so hungry, Alf! I’m hungry right now, actually.’ Prisha grimaced. Now that the worst of the excitement was over, she could really feel it. It was like a knife carving through her belly.

He leaned over to check her eyes more closely. ‘Poke out your tongue.’ He checked her gums and her teeth. Then he looked through her hair, studied her fingernails. Then he was scanning the rest of her body.

‘Is everything okay?’ she asked nervously.

‘You are … adequate.’ There was a furrow in his brow she didn’t like.

‘Doesn’t sound encouraging.’

Prisha’s hips buzzed as he laid his hand down upon her belly. It felt warm and big and wonderful—and right. He smoothed his hand over it.

‘Are you happy?’ she croaked, her throat thick.

‘I am worried.’

‘You can be worried and happy.’

‘I am happy if you are happy.’

‘It is big,’ she said. ‘And growing really quickly. Is it supposed to do that?’

‘Our gestation is short,’ he confirmed.

‘Is it dangerous?’

‘Potentially. You are a different life form. I cannot know what to expect. It is why we must leave from here. I can take care of you.’

’I’m hungry. I’m really hungry.’ She shifted uncomfortably, then sat up. Alf pulled away as she sat on the side of the bed, holding herself. ’I really, really need something to eat.’ She squeezed her shaking hands between her knees.

Alf went over to the door. Again and again, he tried to shift it. The muscles bulged in his arms and legs. His eyes narrowed and his face creased with the effort. All to no avail. Then he started punching it. Literally punching it.

‘What are you doing?’ Prisha leapt to her feet and rushed over. ‘You’re going to hurt yourself!’ She grabbed his arm. ‘Just leave it. I’m fine. I’m hungry not dying.’

The steady look Alf gave her suggested otherwise.

Prisha turned with a start as the door began to open. They both backed up, Alf pulling her behind him.

There were several thuds, followed by an ominous whining as it slowly opened. There were several dents from Alf’s fists.

‘What the hell happened to the door?’ somebody spoke from behind.

It opened halfway and stopped. ‘Keep back!’ cried a man’s voice.

And then they were filing in. So many of them. Too many of them. Over a dozen. This time they were all bearing weapons. Real guns this time. There was one who looked like he was holding a fucking rocket launcher. Alf didn’t move.

‘Lower you weapons,’ came a familiar voice.

Tobias.