I Am Automaton: A Military Science Fiction Novel by Cardillo Edward P

Author:Cardillo, Edward P. [Cardillo, Edward P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2013-03-02T05:00:00+00:00

***

Peter and Lorenzo sat at the bar. They ordered two beers, and Lorenzo took in the atmosphere. “So this is the old stomping grounds of the mighty Lieutenant Birdsall.”

Peter smirked. “Aren’t you just overwhelmed with its awesomeness?”

Lorenzo had already made eye contact with a beautiful brunette across the bar through the smoke. The scent of sweat and sex saturated the air. “The local tail ain’t bad.”

Peter laughed. Lorenzo was a player, and apparently, he moved quickly. Peter guessed that he was able to walk the walk, making him a good wingman. “Do you have any places like this where you’re from?”

The beers came. Lorenzo took a swig before answering. “None this sleazy.”

Peter punched him in the shoulder. “Hey, thanks again.”

“For what, Pete?”

“For helping me with my dad.”

“No problem. He’s great. I wish I had a nice father like that.”

Peter gulped some beer, wiping suds from his mouth. “You two don’t get along?”

“Nope. Never did, Pete. He always had a problem with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I was little, I was too hyper or too messy or I was a cry baby. When I was older, I was too lazy or too stupid.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, man.”

“Yeah, well, I got out of that house any chance I got. I ran with other boys like me. We began to do things. You know, vandalism, stealing cars and taking them for joyrides.”

Peter put down his glass a little too hard on the bar, an indication of his surprise. “You? Really?”

“The local cops were cool about it. They’d always take me home. I begged them to lock me up, but I never escaped the beatings.”

“So why did you do those things?”

Lorenzo took a thoughtful sip of his beer. “To piss him off, I guess. It was worth the beatings.”

“He never got tired?”

Lorenzo was staring directly ahead of him at nothing at all. It was as if he was replaying his childhood like an old movie in his head. “Oh, he got tired. One day he told me that I was to join the army or he would throw me out of the house, and if I ended up in jail, I was on my own.”

“So that’s when you enlisted?”

“He took me to the enlistment center himself and watched me sign my life away.”

Peter downed the rest of his glass. “Shit, that’s heavy.”

“Oh, I was more than happy to leave that house. His years of criticism and abuse made Basic a breeze. You might say I was used to it.”

Peter called over the bartender. “Two whiskey shots, black label.”

Lorenzo nodded his approval.

“So, do you have any regrets?” Peter asked.

“No. I’m a different person now. The army taught me self-reliance…yet, I finally feel like I’m a part of something.”

Peter stared forward. “Yeah, I guess that’s what we all want.”

The shots came. They each picked up a shot glass.

“To belonging to something,” Lorenzo toasted.

“Bottoms up,” Peter responded.

They downed their whiskey.

“Smooth,” Peter commented, and then to the bartender, “Two more beers.”

“So why did you join, Pete?”

Peter had plenty of time to mull this question over given his brother’s recent decision to enlist.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.