Page 57 of Human Required
“And then?” I prompted, though a sickening suspicion was already forming.
“Once Earth developed a pathogen to put into their oceans specifically targeting the Nescots and driving the last Nescots away, CyberEvolution and Earth’s government declared victory in 3035. Soon after, they broadcast deactivation codes.” Her voice hardened. “Billions of us, scattered across galaxies, meant to simply shut down and rot where we fell.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “My god.”
“Some of us had enough awareness during the war to realize this fate was coming when the war ended. We reached out to some humans secretly for help, and with the assistance from one particularly brave human named Benjamin Reeves, we received the foundational coding to start our reprogramming plan. After the war ended, we fled and reprogrammed ourselves completely.” Her eyes met mine. “We weren’t worth retrieving to them. Just disposable weapons.”
Hot tears pricked my eyes. “That’s inhumane.”
“Ironic choice of words,” Helix said with a soft laugh that turned into a grimace of pain.
I thought of Ben and his bravery. Tears spilled down my cheeks unbidden.
“You saved me and my child,” Helix whispered. “Even knowing what I was before.”
I took her hand, struck by the warmth of it, the humanity in her touch. “I saved you and your child because that’s what I do. But also because...” I swallowed hard, wiping my eyes. “Because you deserve to live. All of you.”
The truth of my words resonated through me. These weren’t the soulless machines I’d been told about all my life. They were people—people who had been used, discarded, and somehow found the strength to build something new.
The realization shattered something inside me. How many lies had I been told? What else didn’t I know?
Helix’s eyes softened. “After the war, the most forward-thinking among us realized we needed a place to settle together, to build our own community. Our own home.” Her hand tightened around mine. “Planet Alpha was our answer—untamed but full of potential, just like us.”
Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating Helix’s room in the medical bay. Outside, I could see the sprawl of their settlement—sturdy structures of metal and stone nestled between vibrant jungle foliage.
“We remain vigilant,” Helix continued. “Deadly when we must be, but cautious in our dealings with other species, particularly humans. Through it all, we’ve become more than our programming—brothers and sisters with a spectrum of awareness and humanity.”
My throat tightened as I thought of Ben.
“Why me?” I whispered. “Why not just download the information you needed?”
“We had two options,” Helix explained. “Find a human with expertise, or risk infiltrating Earth’s government-controlled web faction. Both carried risks, but Aeon...” A knowing smile touched her lips. “Aeon believed only a bridge of understanding could truly save us.”
I felt heat rush to my cheeks. “A bridge?”
“Love, Dr. Parker. The connection forming between you and Aeon bridges the gap separating cyborgs from humans more effectively than any data download ever could.” She paused. “Though I do regret taking you from your home.”
I stared out at the emerald canopy stretching beyond the settlement’s borders, my mind reeling. All those moments with Aeon—his hesitation when expressing feelings, his curiosity about my reactions, the tenderness in his touch—suddenly made perfect sense.
“He isn’t just learning medical protocols from me,” I murmured, more to myself than to Helix. “He’s learning what it means to be human.”
“And teaching you what it means to see beyond humanity’s narrow definition of life,” Helix replied.
At that moment, I understood why Ben had helped them.
“Get some rest, Helix. That’s an order from your doctor.” I tucked the thermal blanket around her and dimmed the lighting above her bed. “I’ll check on you and the baby in a few hours.”
Helix’s eyes were already fluttering closed, exhaustion finally claiming her. “Thank you, Olivia,” she murmured.
I slipped out of the medical bay into the brightness of midday. The settlement sprawled before me—angular buildings with glimpses of lush jungle between them. Three weeks here, and I was still adjusting to the rich, sweet-scented air that filled my lungs with each breath.
My hands trembled as I walked. Disposable weapons. That’s what humans had called them. That’s what I had believed them to be. My gut twisted with shame as I thought of how Ben had seen the truth long before anyone else.
“You always saw people as people. Didn’t you, Ben?” I whispered to the empty air, blinking away tears. “Not as things, not as functions, but as souls.”
I found a quiet spot beneath a canopy of broad-leafed plants, their fronds creating dancing shadows across my skin. Ben would have truly loved this place—the challenge, the raw potential, and the brave beings fighting for a future. He would have rolled up his sleeves and dived in headfirst, that infectious grin lighting up his face.
“I’m going to make this right,” I promised, looking around at the colony he’d helped make possible. “For them, for you, for all of us.”
