The Deathless Trilogy

2.6. The Last Deathless

A man emerges from the doorway at the top of the stairs, surrounded in a metal exoskeleton and suspended from the ceiling by straps. I see now that there is a track along the ceiling from the top of the stairs, all the way through the ballroom, stopping just before the dining area alcove.

The body of his suit makes him look like a Prowler, but with the head of an old man, wincing through a forced smile. Brackets of metal and fabric wrap around his legs, connected and supported by stilts on either side. A strap wraps his waist and connects to a pack that pokes up over his shoulders. Metal brackets weave down his arms, and a cap fits over his skull, connecting hundreds of hair-like wires from the top of his bald head to the pack on his back.

"Good evening," he calls, his voice reverberating through the room in echoed waves. "Tonight we are celebrating a myriad of triumphs." His eyes scan the room like the Prowlers' lasers over land. "Our first, for which we celebrate each day, is our continued survival. As you know, the old world spun into chaos, and our organization Roberts and Cooper saved you from this. Now, we have resources for all. Now, we have control over the future. Now, is our time to be Founding Fathers of this world. That is why we have our Leaders, guiding us into the future; our Scientists, creating new technologies for us; our Soldiers, protecting us from those who would threaten our survival; and our Workers, building what we need to thrive. Let us applaud their accomplishments now."

The room fills with applause, but my hands never move from Daniel's body.

Cooper's round face, slashed with deep wrinkles, remains stoic, and scans the crowd until he apparently has found their show of pride sufficient. He holds up his mechanical arms to hush the room, and within a moment, silence returns to the hall.

"The second triumph for which we celebrate tonight is the development and preparation of gamma ray detectors, by our own Daniel Crowley. Daniel, please join us at the top of the stairs."

The crowd applauds, and he leaves to join Gunther and Cooper on the second floor, leaving me hanging on to the ghost of his presence.

As Daniel walks away from me, Alexander appears at my side. "I'm going to make this right," he says under the lull of clapping hands.

"You said that you wanted to remind Gunther he's a good man. Would a good man do that to Phoebe?" I ask, pointing my chin at her as she dances without music in the corner.

"He can be good. He wants to be better."

"Why are you so loyal to him?" I ask, but by now Daniel has reached the top of the stairs, and George Cooper begins to address us again.

"With his invention, Daniel Crowley has given us a gift. He has created a way to reverse the damage done to the earth through our defensive strategy."

Does he mean their nuclear war?

"This instrument will also be able to provide an energy source for us, so that we are no longer solely dependent on Dr. O'Neil's geothermic devices, which will allow for future growth. Again, let us applaud this triumph."

Everyone begins clapping again, and Alexander continues, "Gunther and I grew up together. We are like brothers. Can you imagine if Daniel were in Gunther's shoes? How long did it take you to forgive him for his association with the government? I can't imagine very long. Why? Because you know him, and you know he isn't bad."

"There's a line, Alexander," I say, feeling my chest fill with heat. Daniel is nothing like Gunther. "At some point, you need to give up, and stop defending him."