Chapter 38: No Longer Human
The three leave the apartment and make their way back to Above.
Henry: “Hey, Mythril?”
Mythril: “Hm?”
Henry: “Did you just say fuck for the first time today?”
Mythril: “Oh, I guess I did. I was terrified, so that’s the only thing I could think of at the time.”
Jace’s eyes light up as he grabs and hugs Mythril.
Jace: “I’m so proud of you! We’re teaching you so poorly!”
The three laugh and continue to walk until they’re back at the entranceway to what used to be Rozay. The colosseum that once stood there, was gone within a matter of days.
Henry: “My feet hurt.”
Mythril: “Mine too.”
Jace: “That’s right, you guys don’t have infinite stamina like I do.”
Henry: “Showoff.”
Jace: “That’s not what I was implying…”
Mythril: “Should we take a break?”
Jace: “If y’all need it, sure.”
The two stop and take a second to catch their breath. Jace stops as well, but continues to look forward. A soft fog begins to roll in near the entrance of what used to be Rozay. Suddenly, they hear footsteps in front of them. They all enter battle stances.
Jace: “Who are you?!”
???: “There’s no need to yell. You know who I am.”
From within the fog, a figure begins to fade into view. Before long, the figure is fully visible. Their right arm is covered in fresh scars, likely from a few days ago. Their right eye has a patch over it and their hair looks like it’s been cleaved off. They stand in front of everyone as the group looks in confusion.
Henry: “Are you…?”
Mythril: “What happened?”
Jace: “Luke? Is that you?”
Luke smiles and stays silent.
Jace: “Why are you here?”
Luke: “That much is simple. I’m here for you, Jace. I’m here to kill you.”
Jace: “Could’ve guessed that one. What’s your motivation?”
Luke: “Isn’t it obvious? I’m shocked you haven’t noticed it either.”
Jace: “What?”
Henry: “Can you stop talking fucking crazy?”
Luke: “Jace, why did we become friends in the first place?”
Jace: “Because we lost our families to androids?”
Luke: “Correct. Now, who touched your arm a week or so ago while we were in Ben Jr’s room?”
Jace: “That one android dressed in red. Rayne, or something like that.”
Luke: “Right, an android touched your arm. What power did you get afterwards?”
It finally hits Jace.
Jace: “A-Are you implying that I’m part-android now?”
Luke: “Implying? It’s true! You have the abilities of an android!”
Jace: “I’m still as human as ever. Just like you.”
Luke: “You see, that’s the thing, Jace. I don’t feel human. I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin. As you can see, I’ve tried to break out of that skin numerous times, but to no avail.”
Jace: “You are human, Luke. Everyone here is.”
Luke: “Nonsense! We’ll decide who has more humanity here and now!”
Mythril: “I don’t like the feel of this.”
Henry: “Tell me about it.”
Luke: “Step forward to accept your fate, Jace. Whoever dies first is declared more human than the other.”
Jace: “I’m not going to kill you.”
Luke: “Then I’ll have to forego my humanity.”
Jace: “Don’t try anything slick. Ren tried to take me out with an explosion that burnt him to ashes. I’m not letting you do anything remotely close to that.”
Luke: “Don’t worry, I have no intention of ending my own life. I’m simply willing to sacrifice myself in order to prove your humanity.”
Jace: “If you’re gonna keep talking that shit, then it’s time to fight.”
Jace steps forwards and the two eye each other down. This is Jace’s final friend he must face. His first friend. What they once bonded over, has now become what has split them apart. To open the fight, Luke manifests a plasma dagger and throws it towards Jace. He catches it and shatters it in his hand. As he takes another step forward, Luke leaps back and begins to throw more plasma daggers. Although the fog is somewhat disrupting Jace’s view, he’s still able to time his dodges and counters perfectly to avoid being grazed. Suddenly, he hears rustling behind him and somersaults forwards to avoid whatever may be ready to attack. He hears Luke’s scythe swish by him above, slashing through the fog before it reconnects. Jace stops and turns himself towards Luke’s direction.
Jace: “You seriously were about to split me in half!”
Luke: “I wanted to test you. No ordinary human would’ve sensed and survived that. You would’ve been declared human and I would’ve had to accept that fact.”
Jace: “So, since I dodged that, I confirmed this idiotic train of thought you’re on.”
Luke: “It’s not idiotic. It’s true. You are part-android now.”
Jace: “Then what was I before that android touched my hand, huh?!”
Luke: “My best friend.”
The arena falls silent.
Jace: “You had those feelings even before you became what you are now?”
Luke: “Correct.”
Jace: “Don’t you fucking lie to me! The real Luke would’ve said something sooner.”
Henry: “Yeah, that’s pretty true.”
Luke: “What if I was too afraid to tell my best friend? What if I didn’t know how he’d feel about me after I said it?”
Jace: “So, you let it boil inside you until it overwhelmed you and caused you to do…that to yourself? You thought that was the better solution?”
Luke: “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings or change your perspective on me.”
Jace: “Seeing you like this is hurting me more than anything you could’ve possibly said to me earlier.”
Luke: “Then you know what to do.”
Jace: “I’m not doing it.”
Luke: “The longer I live, the longer you have to see me like this.”
Jace: “Shut the hell up!”
Jace charges towards Luke in a rageful outburst. Luke opens his arms up, exposing his chest. Jace knows what he wants, but he refuses to give in as Jace twists to the side and slides his shoulder into Luke’s rib cage. He then grabs Luke’s right arm and tucks in towards Luke before shifting his weight to throw Luke over his shoulder. While holding onto Luke’s arm, Jace presses his shoe onto Luke’s chest.
Jace: “Please. Stop.”
Luke: “As soon as one of us drops dead.”
Mythril: “What do we do?”
Henry: “I’m not too sure. I’ve been looking for an opening myself.”
Luke: “You two stay out of this! I’m here to fight Jace and no one else!”
Henry: “I wouldn't be so sure...”
Luke summons a plasma sword to his right hand and goes to stab Jace, but he’s able to move his neck in time to avoid being stabbed. However, Luke uses the opportunity to trip Jace up and make him fall due to the change of focus. He’s able to break free from Jace’s hold as they both return to neutral stances.
Luke: “This is getting us nowhere. Thankfully, I have something new I wanna show you.”
Jace: “Huh?”
Luke chuckles and drops his arms. The aura around his wrists begins to glow before encompassing his entire fist. Suddenly, an aura chainsaw blade shoots out from each of his fists. They begin to whir up as Luke inspects the new manifestation.
Luke: “I never thought about a chainsaw being considered a melee weapon, but turns out it is.”
Jace: “You can’t be serious…”
Luke: “What? Scared you’ll get ripped to shreds? Your body will just heal those shreds back together.”
Jace: “You don’t plan on giving up until I’m dead, aren’t you?”
Luke: “I’ll give up when I know you’re truly human.”