The chalk squeaked. It was annoying, and not just to Adrian's sensitive hearing. The class groaned at the sound, but he said nothing as he scribbled out "H-A-M-L-E-T."
"Our next unit will be on Hamlet. Now, what can you tell me about this play?"
Silence.
"Come on, come on. Anyone? You've never heard of Hamlet?"
A kid with half his head shaved and the other half dyed purple raised his hand lazily. "Wasn't he the 'to be or not to be' guy?"
Adrian made an encouraging gesture. "Good, good! I'm glad you're familiar with it. Yes, that soliloquy in which is possibly the most famous bit in the entire play. I'm rather fond of this play myself.. I think it captures well the spirit and the agony of the protagonist, Hamlet, who must kill the murderer of his father, who is his uncle. That's all I'm going to say for now, I don't want to ruin the entire play for you!"
Lori ignored her teacher's chatter. She was drawing aimless circles on her desk. Her desk was still covered with the faint scribbles of her foolish youth: "LORI+ADRIAN, MRS. ADRIAN SEIDELMAN, I LOVE ADRIAN".
Her face burned at the thought. Adrian. Not Adrian. There was no such person as Adrian.
"Lori?"
She looked up startled, her face still as red as her hair. "Y-yes, Mr. Seidelman... sir?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Is anything wrong?"
"No. Of course..not.. I- I have to go."
Biting her lip, she rose from her seat and fled the room.
Adrian watched her go and said nothing.
"I think she's embarrassed."
Lucas looked down at his best friend and lover. "Why do you think that?" he smiled.
Adrian's eyes lowered to the ground. "You know why," she said softly, her voice distinctly more feminine. "She knows who I am, Lucas. I'm afraid."
Lucas chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Adrian. Your secret is safe with her... frankly, she's too embarrassed to tell anyone that the man she was in love with is really a woman. You know how homophobic kids are."
Adrian sighed. "Yes, I know," she said, "But still..."
"Hey," he said. "Don't worry about it. Besides... we've still got that other matter to attend to-"
"I know." Adrian looked up. Her eyes were glazed with tears. "Kayla."
"Yes. I'm taking Marryn's journal to Dr. Zack. He knows German, better than I do; it was a requirement for his Ph.D."
"Can we trust him?"
Lucas looked at her. "I'm sure you, of all people, should know. After all, he didn't tell your little secret, even without knowing...you know." Her cheeks turned pink.
Lucas hugged her, much to the curiosity of passing students. Embarrassed, Lucas patted her on the back as if they were chums. "I'll talk to Lori," he said gruffly, "Don't you worry about a thing."
They quickly walked away. One student turned to the other. "See?" he said, "I told you they were gay."
Lucas was true to his word. He met Dr. Zacharias, who taught math and physics at the high school, in the library the very next day.
"What seems to be the problem, my friend?"
Lucas showed him Marryn's lab notes. "I want you to translate this. No questions."
The scientist took the book and read it. His face paled but we wisely said nothing. "If you are planning to do this, you'll need some equipment."
"What kind of equipment?" Lucas was determined.
"Hard to get equipment. You'll need a tank, and some hospital monitors. You also need an electrical generator. I'll make you a list. You also need... something called sustenance. This person mentions it a lot."
"Leave it to me."*
Cybersix and Lucas were talking about it again that night.
Cybersix was so uncertain. There were so many things that could go wrong.
"It worked once before, didn't it? And we have instructions.. all written out for us, all translated." Lucas patted his shirt pocket.
But Cybersix was not assured. "The first experiment happened, when Kayla was only dead for a few days, two weeks at most. She died two years ago," she said,
"What if..."
"Shhh," said Lucas, soothingly, as if Cybersix were a child.
"But what if... what if she was... if she decomposed? Oh, I'm so afraid.."
Lucas hugged her tightly, stroking her short black hair. "She means so much to you," said Lucas, "We have to at least try."
"Lori?"
Lori Anderson looked up to see her biology teacher running to her. "Yeah? You want something?" she demanded harshly.
"I want to talk to you about something." He led her to his classroom.
Lori leaned casually on his desk. "You got somethin' to say to me, or you just wastin' my time? I'm really busy, y'know."
Lucas exhaled. "Look, Lori, I know you're embarrassed. And angry. But you shouldn't be. You didn't know... none of us knew."
Lori's demeanor softened slightly. "I have nothing to be embarrassed about."
"I'm glad you believe that, Lori." Now Lucas looked away, fidgeting. "I- We also have something to ask you."
"Shoot."
"I know that your gang has connections everywhere. I also know that you can get things that we can't get with the more... legal methods." Lucas's huge hands disappeared in a drawer and drew out a list. "Do us this favor please. Get all these things on this list, and bring them to the abandoned mansion.. and we'll call it even."
Lori took the list warily. She scanned it. "Hospital equipment?"
Lucas nodded.
Lori smirked. "You're asking me to steal for you?"
"In a manner of speaking," said Lucas grimly.
She was about to scoff something, but stopped. She looked at Lucas, her teacher. Lucas loved her. Just like she loved, no, thought she loved Adrian.
"I'll see what I can do," she said softly.
"Thank you," said Lucas.
"Don't thank me!" she snapped, "Thank your dumbass girlfriend. I would never do this if she didn't save my life, if I didn't... don't ever ask me for anything again!"
It was windy outside and Cybersix hugged her cape around her for warmth. She was waiting for someone, and she hoped he would show up.
He saw her standing on the building near the Angel doing nothing in particular. Curious, he leapt towards her and stood next to her.
"It's a nice night," said Cybersix absently.
"Yes," said Midnight Five, "There are no signs of Fixed Ideas anywhere. It seems as if all traces of Von Reichter has vanished from Meridiana."
"Oh, there still there," parried Cybersix, "Just in hiding. If you are patient, you can see them everywhere."
"Why are you here, sister?"
Cybersix sighed. "Look, I've never asked anything from you, so you must
understand that this is very difficult for me..."
"Yes?"
"Remember our sister I told you about? Kayla?"
"Yes I do. She had survived Von Reichter only to be killed by his successor."
Cybersix resented how he had put it so bluntly, but she let it pass. "I found a way to bring her back," she said, hardly containing the excitement, "And if it works, not only will she be back, but we would have found a way to bring either of us back, as well as any creation of Von Reichter, and we would never fear death again. Think of what a breakthrough it would be!"
Midnight Five was silent. So Cybersix babbled on.
"She is a great fighter and she could help us, and you'd love to meet her... I said it was a shame you came after she died, well now you could meet her after all.. and if it works, we're not sure, but if it worked it would bring life back to her, and she'd be alive again, and oh, I've missed her!"
Midnight Five looked up solemnly at her. "You truly miss her?"
Cybersix nodded and wiped the tears that threatened to spill.
"How do you know that is what she wishes? To be brought back?"
Cybersix was aghast. "But she.. she was shot by Jose! She died at the hands of Jose, and I know that isn't what she wanted-"
"What right," continued Midnight Five, "What right do you have to decide who shall live and who shall not? Perhaps there is a place that exists after death, and she is happy. Perhaps it was her time to leave this world, and we shouldn't meddle in it. We are not Gods, Cybersix. We should not hold power over life or death."
"Von Reichter did!" said Cybersix angrily. "He made life and he took it away! Kayla was not meant to be alive, yes, but she was not meant to die either! I know that!"
"Then you are no better than Von Reichter." Cybersix looked stunned. Midnight Five turned away. "I will help you, with whatever you wish, but I think you should think about my words. It is not my decision to make."
Cybersix fumbled with her words. "Good," she managed, "I- Now, here's what I want you to do. This experiment needs lots of sustenance, gallons. I need your help. I know you don't need sustenance, and that any you find, you always give to me. Well, from this night on, we have to hunt extra hard for sustenance... will you help me?"
"Of course."
Midnight Five turned and jumped off the building. Power radiated from his movements, as he quickly sped away. Cybersix watched him go, still stung by his words.
She and Julian were in the forest again, in the meadow which they had visited many times over the past two years. Just like two years ago, they had shovels in their hands.
"Now Julian, I'm really against you being here..." began Cybersix.
"She was my friend too," said Julian stubbornly.
She sighed, but the boy had a point. She was just afraid of what he might find...
She shuddered again and tried to banish the image.
Look at us, she said bitterly, Like grave robbers.
They had everything now, and they had a place to perform the experiment. They were going to do it in Jose's mansion, which had been abandoned for months now. It was private and it had lots of open space.
The notes were all translated. Cybersix still had no idea who Lucas's friend was, but she had her secrets, and he had his. His friend was also offering to repair Kayla's body... the experiment would bring life back into her, but it would not heal her wounds.
If Kayla is still whole...
Cybersix still had no idea what to expect. She understood that creatures like her and her sister were sustenance based, and she knew that sustenance did not decompose easily. She knew so little though..everything was so uncertain...
She stuck her shovel into the dirt and lifted. Julian began digging also. The grave stone still gleamed in the light, bearing the simple words
