Reboot

There were only about a couple of hundred people in Veneta during the race. Almost everyone had gone to Eugene to see it, and like us, had lingered there. As they trickled back in, they were stripped of their possessions and sent to questioning. Everyone was processed. Meaning interrogated by Millikan or a member of his team. They were questioned about me. Had they seen me, had they heard of me. Everyone said no.

Now I’d literally put the entire town in danger. The all lied for me. So I was not going to let them down. I walked into that office fully confident that I could stare anyone down.

Then I went in and came face to face with Eric and completely lost it.

My brother Eric was one of the members of the team of marines that took the town of Veneta and he was standing right behind Millikan. I was shocked and overjoyed. I completely forgot about my presumed identity.

“Eric!” I shouted happily. “I don’t believe this, ERIC!” I rushed up to him. He held out his arms and we hugged. Then he pushed me away, smiled and put handcuffs on me. Millikan lost his composure and looked completely shocked for a moment. Eric didn’t say a word and showed no emotion whatsoever.

Millikan snapped his fingers and got another marine’s attention.

“This is the man we’re looking for?” asked Millikan. “Doesn’t seem like much. He’s just a child.”

“Heeeyy...” I complained. I tore myself away from looking at Eric for a second and stared at Millikan. “No need to get personal.”

“Take him away, lock ’im up. I’ll be in later to interview him.”

I was completely confused. I had a brief moment of “this can’t be right, must be a joke, or maybe some kind of ploy to help me out… but one longer look at his face and I knew. I had lost my brother. It wasn’t him anymore.

I was led to a small room with no windows in the lower levels of the Mayor’s building and dumped unceremoniously in it. A single 8-watt light bulb kept me from being completely in the dark. Good. I could use a little time alone to think.

What had just happened? It went so fast.

Obviously, Mooney had been looking for me. And somehow, Eric had found out and

volunteered to help out. But Eric was my brother… We didn’t like each other, fine, but we were family. I cared for him. I thought he cared for me too, a little bit anyway. We were family. How many people had any family left? They kept me in there for four hours before a jingle in the lock popped me out of a semiconscious doze. Eric walked in. He was expressionless. Maybe a tiny smile on one side of his mouth. I couldn’t read him.

“How could you do this”? I started…

“Easy.” He stood straight, at attention almost. But he wasn’t worried about me.

“Why?”

“I just skipped three promotions.”

“But I’m your brother.” I wheezed. My chest was constricting. I knew, as the words came out that it would be useless. And I felt angry for letting him see me this way.

“Yes?” He seemed to wait for me to say something surprising. There was nothing there. No connection. He couldn’t care less that I was his brother. I felt like a piece of furniture. A sponge. Something you use and throw away when it wears out. Otherwise, Eric hadn’t changed. He looked the same as he did last time I’d seen him. Just like me, except a bit shorter. He was older than me by four years. He had a streak of white hair on his left side. As if he’d been hit by lightning.

“Whatever I did to you Eric, musta been bad.”

“Nothing. You’re just nothing Robert.” He had an exasperated look about him, as if it was a waste of time to be there. “You run away, you take no responsibility, no discipline, you have no sense of duty, nothing to offer, and yet you survive when so many deserving people died? That’s just not right. You have no right. So if you can serve one purpose then I’m glad to help you follow that road.”

“What purpose?”

“Help my career of course. Rest assured brother, I will do great things so your life will have actually meant something.” He smiled. I’ll never forget that dead smile. It cemented our new relationship: enemies. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll put it to good use.” Then I turned off. This wasn’t my brother anymore, so I refused to play this game. All it did was to comfort him.

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“You’ll be judged.”

“For what?”

“Treason.”

“You know that’s ridiculous.”

“Yes.” He spoke matter-of-factly. No emotion.

“And you’re just going to go ahead with it?

“Yes.” With that, He smiled again and walked out. Like I wasn’t worth wasting words on.

“Wait. When? When will this court thing happen?”

“As soon as possible. Couple of days. Enjoy your time with my friends. I’ll be leaving now. I have a prize to go collect.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. Going back East. Talk to my boss.”

“You can’t trust ’im you know.. You know what he did..”

“So you say.” He sounded bored.

And with that, my brother walked out of my life. But he wasn’t my brother anymore. He’d changed.

For a second there I thought I still had family, a burst of hot joy had threatened to pop out of my chest, and then suddenly, instead, there was a deadly enemy. The only thing I was happy about is that my friends were still out there. Dutch and William were going to try and save me. I knew that. But I was worried they’d get hurt. They were dealing with a team of highly trained marines who were probably waiting for them.

My brother had died. Again. I’d lost him twice.

What a shitty day.