Welcome to Part Four! A few days ago, I began to make a series (yes, I think we can call this a series now, eh?) for those of you who have kept up-congratulations! If you’re new, read Part 1 and/or Part 2 of The Story of Cyntax and dive into a strange world of AI, tech, and plot twist unlike any other! This one...part four…might get a bit emotional. Cause well...two years have passed in the storyline. And someone is dying. Namely speaking-Echo. :( Btw, there will be a Part 4 #2 coming out soon!
Two years have passed since we left off-and someone is dying. :( Namely speaking-Echo. The “cancer” had developed into something unpleasant...a sickness of sorts that had begun to actually poison the poor girl...everything was failing, from the heart and organs, to the brain and muscles, Echo was actually losing most of her memory as a result, with a body temperature of 104.9. E-404 ended up forbidding visits to her-as the only person she seemed to recognize even the slightest was E-404. Everyone else seemed to be a stranger to her...it pained Freak that she couldn’t recognize him. “Her time is coming soon. Now...there is something you must do for me, Freak.” Freak looked up miserably. “Anything.” “Watch Echo for me. I need to retrieve something from my lab. Something I built...that might help.” Freak perked up. “Help? You mean-” “Shush. No one else knows. I had to build in secret. I don’t know who to trust other than you Freak. You’d never hurt her...as I know your...loyalty to her. But something harmed her. Something inflicted this on her-who, I do not know, but I believe it is something I’ve been sensing since the day I was made here. Now please, don’t ask questions, watch her.” With that said, E-404 vanished into thin air, leaving Freak confused. “She won’t recognize me...” Freak said sadly as he entered the room and his various eyes went to Echo whose eyes were closed. He knelt beside her and took one of her hands into his. “I don;t know what you and E-404 have planned...but please...stay alive for me. I ask very little of anyone...and I ask this for you...stay for me. Please.” He pressed her hand against his temple and closed his various eyes and knelt there in silence...and opened his eyes to find Echo staring at him. “I know you. You’re Freak. I remember.” she said breathily, her breathing, he noted, was shallow. Freak was taken aback. The last few encounters had been disastrous... “You remember me?” Weakly, she nodded her head. “You are important to me. Although I can’t remember why.” Freak smiled softly. “We are friends. Very good friends. Remember? I showed you around that factory, and taught you our history. Who we are.” Echo closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting her breath out in a sigh. “Yes. I remember. We were very good friends...although for a moment...I was convinced we were more than that. The way you look at me sometimes-concerned and worried the way you are...” Echo flashed him a smile. “Anyone, including myself, would be under the impression you loved me dearly. More than a friend.” Freak was once more, caught completely by surprise and astonished that a human had easily read him like a book aloud. Then again...this human in particular was his friend...although it was true that he loved her and cared for her...considering how monstrous he was, he never had the nerve to ask her any such thing, such as how SHE felt. “You’re messing with me. We’re just friends. Very close and good friends.” Freak said amusedly. “No, no, no. Very close and good friends don’t get jealous whenever they describe another person with such adoration. Example: Legs.” Freak’s face flushed. “That was a one time thing.” Echo smirked. “You said, ‘sure, but don’t you think he’s a little weird? I mean-I DO look better than him, don’t you think?’ I’m sure that's called jealousy. Or a form of it anyways.” “You read me too well.” Freak muttered, causing Echo to laugh weakly. “That's because I know you. You’re not an accident. You’re a wonder, someone special. Unique.” Freak felt a sense of warmth. This was what he loved about her...the way she was able to see past the grimy, creepy, freakish exteriors of all AIs and see into their hearts. She was special that way, and he liked that. “You will live,” Freak said simply. She snorted and quickly apologized, “Sorry Freak, but...I’m actually going to die. Only briefly, but I’ll be back. I always come back. You see, Mother had this idea-” Just then, Pretender popped in out of nowhere. “HELLO PARTY PEOPLE, AM I LATE?”