BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM - Chapter 920: A short rest

Erik cracked open one eye, then the other, a groan escaping his lips. Stiffness radiated from his limbs, a familiar ache from nights spent on unforgiving terrain.

He emerged from his room the next morning, his mind already fully operational. After weeks of travel and sleeping outside, doing so on a bed looked like a dream.

“That was great,” the man said.

He made his way downstairs to grab something to eat and found June and the other clones standing watch around the house.

“Did you stand guard all night?”

June turned to face him. “Yes, we wanted to make sure you were all safe while you slept. We are in enemy territory; we couldn’t leave the place unguarded.”

Erik appreciated his clones for what they did and nodded. “You’ve done well. But go rest now; I’ll keep watch until the others wake up.”

The clones’ eyes showed visible exhaustion, but they were firm and focused. In fact, there was also a bit of reluctance. Now that was weird, especially since June.

When Erik and his clone were alone, June didn’t think twice about jumping on an opportunity like that to rest. But now he didn’t want to; maybe the reason were the three beautiful women within the house.

“That’s an order, June. All of you, go get some rest. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

June hesitated, then finally nodded. “Thank you, master. We could use some rest.” That’s what he said, but he was also a little annoyed. Though, for no reason in the world, he wouldn’t obey Erik’s orders.

The clones followed June upstairs to the room they would share. Erik could hear them dropping onto the beds. Barely 2 minutes later, a snoring sound could be heard throughout the house, followed by their labored breathing.

“Fucking idiots…”

Erik sighed and went to sit on the porch. He completely forgot to eat because of his stupid clones.

He took in the overgrown fields and cloud-painted skies. The air was stale, robbed of movement by the long abandonment of the farm. Yet, bird songs still carried across the land, untroubled by human affairs.

Erik sat in silence, keeping a steady gaze across the land as his clones rested. For now, this was peace, one Erik knew would not last for long. There was a lot to do and a lot to find out.

While sitting and observing the overgrown fields spread out before him, Erik remained silent.

A lone scarecrow stood guard at the edge of the cornfield, its tattered clothes flapping in the breeze.

Erik wondered if it ever felt lonely, too-standing there day after day, watching over the crops. He also remembered when Mr. Fox built it.

A smile tugged at Erik’s lips as he drifted back to that summer afternoon. Mr. Fox asked Erik’s help to make the scarecrow.

Erik had been tasked with stuffing the scarecrow’s body with hay. Mr. Fox had gotten a little too enthusiastic with the hayfork, sending a billowing cloud of hay skyward.

Erik, caught in the explosion, emerged coughing and spluttering, looking more like a scarecrow himself than the thing they were working on.

Mr. Fox acted as if nothing happened. Then they fashioned a rather lopsided but undeniably cheerful scarecrow.

The peacefulness of the old farm was interrupted only by birdsong carrying across the land.

It was at that moment that Amber came downstairs and saw Erik’s lonely form.

“Hey…” she said, and Erik turned to look at her.

“Hey…”

Amber slowly approached Erik and then sat down beside him on the porch. For a while, they remained silent, taking in the farm’s beauty even in its current state of disrepair. Then Amber spoke.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. Erik nodded, his eyes still fixed ahead, toward a place where he had been taken advantage of but where he still had an opportunity.

Erik always wondered why Mr. Fox decided to take him in. Was it pity? Most likely, yes, given the state Erik was living in back then.

“You had to see it when there were people working here. Mr. Fox gave work to many people. They tended these fields,” he said. “I wonder what became of them, if any are still alive.”

Amber’s hand, warm and slightly calloused, rested on Erik’s shoulder. She leaned in, her lips brushing against his cheek.

The kiss was soft, a fleeting connection that held years of shared memories. The kiss lingered for a beat too long. Mira rounded the corner of the house and froze. Her eyes darted between them, taking in the kiss’s intimacy and Amber’s lingering hand on Erik’s arm.

“I bet they are.”

At that moment, Mira walked onto the porch. She saw Amber and Erik, but said nothing. But Erik knew there was something in her. A flicker of something – hurt, anger, surprise? – crossed her face for a second. It was instantly schooled into a mask of indifference.

She pursed her lips slightly, the only telltale sign of the storm brewing beneath the calm exterior.

Erik knew she had seen them, for he could read her mind. However, he quickly stopped doing that, since it would be disrespectful to her.

Though he wondered what she was thinking exactly, hoping it wasn’t anything bad. But that had to remain something for Mira alone to know.

Mira had no intention of letting Amber alone with Erik since she was being very aggressive.

They sat in silence for a time, listening to the breeze through the tall grasses and the birdsong that filled the air. For now, there was peace.

“Should we eat something?” Mira said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, that would be good,” Erik said.

Erik watched as Mira strode into the kitchen. Amber rose and followed her. It was clear the two went there to talk rather than prepare breakfast because Erik knew there was nothing that could be cooked inside the kitchen, aside from the rations the group brought with them, and those had already been cooked.

The two women remained inside the kitchen for some time. Erik’s eyes drifted to the overgrown fields once more.

He couldn’t think of anything else right now, and adding these futile problems to the many he already had would not help. Whatever Amber and Mira decided to do, he would be okay with

it.

Before long, Mira and Amber returned with plates of food; where they found them, Erik did not know. They sat down beside Erik and handed him his share.

Emily soon joined them, still bleary-eyed from sleep but roused by the aroma of breakfast.

The four ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the simple pleasure of a hot meal and each other’s company after weeks of restless traveling.

Erik savored each bite, thankful for this respite, however brief it may be. As they finished eating, he spoke up.

“I must go into the city,” he said. “I need to contact our allies and gather news of the

resistance.”

The women nodded in understanding. Before they could set foot in the city, they needed to

find a way to do so.

The members of the resistance were notorious, and yet they found a way to move within the city undisturbed. This meant there was a way for them to do the same, at least in theory.

“Where are you planning to go, exactly?”

Erik paused for a second. “The last time I saw the resistance members, they hid inside a building near the Red Palace. So, I will go there first.”

“What if they are not there? What if they have all been killed?” Mira said. It was a reasonable assumption, considering the situation.

“I doubt it. Their leader, Major Fischer, is not a simple man. He knew what he was doing.”

The three women didn’t reply. Amber was worried; Mira was pensive; but Emily was in

distress.

Her father was being held captive somewhere within the city, but the group wasn’t even sure

about that.

Volkov and his weird taste for torture were well known, and she was scared that they would be late to save him. Erik’s acting the day after they arrived was good for her.

Erik rose from the worn wooden chair, his expression resolute. After weeks on the road, it was

time to take action.

Amber, Mira, and Emily sat up as he entered, sensing his purposeful stride.

“I’m leaving for the city now,” Erik said. “I will go alone.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to bring the clones?” Amber asked.

Erik shook his head. “They stood guard the whole night; let them rest. Besides, it is not like I

need protection.”

The women exchanged wary glances, but nodded in understanding. Amber rose and reached

for Erik’s hand. “Be careful,” she said.

Erik squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I will.”

He turned and left the room. His mind was focused on the task ahead, altering his facial

features using his brain crystal powers to mask his identity.

Minutes later, he began the trek towards the train station.