Cyborg

The ceremony was disgusting.

Crowds of people gathered at one end of the newly constructed bridge as the Mayor prepared to give his speech.

The suspension bridge was made of white steel, it’s cables taunt, connecting the large central pillars with the earth on either side. On the sides of the road, standing just next to the cables, were two covered figures.

More things to inflate the monster’s ego.

A red ribbon stretched across the stage that was set up in the middle of the road, security lined the entrance to the bridge, guarding both the Mayor and the structure behind them, as much as the team of gun-totting thugs could defend something so large.

A comically large, shiny bronze key sat next to the Mayor on a pedestal.

The key to the city.

His fourth this year.

He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve any of this.

But there we were, standing at the opening of the new Apex Bridge, replacing the Farion Memorial bridge, tragically destroyed when Apex threw Nightshade through three of the bridge’s four supports.

Tragically destroyed during rush hour traffic.

Tragically destroyed, sending hundreds of people to their death in the waters below.

Yet there we were, honoring the man who caused the pain, instead of it’s victims.

The Mayor stepped up to the pedestal and called for silence. Tapping his microphone, he cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens,

“Today is a momentous occasion as we celebrate the grand opening of Apex Bridge, a remarkable addition to our city’s infrastructure.

“I want to extend my gratitude to all those who have contributed to the realization of this project. From the dedicated engineers and architects who meticulously planned every detail to the skilled construction workers who toiled tirelessly to bring this vision to life, and of course, our hero and the namesake of this bridge. Apex”

The “hero,” hearing his name, flew up from his place on the stage and hovered in the air. His white and gold suit shone in the sun as he raised his hands to still the thunderous applause.

“For years,” the Mayor said, “Apex has protected our city from the villainous scum that threatens the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. Words cannot express the thanks that we owe him for his diligent work for our city. He is the true definition of a hero, and today, we honor him through the dedication of —

Hearing the trigger word “hero,” the programming kicked in. raising up from beneath the bridge where they were waiting, thousands of drones assembled into a large screen.

“Hero?” My voice thundered over the crowd, A face appeared on the screen, one half flesh and blood, the other metal and robotic. The face stared down upon the Mayor, Apex, and the crowd with one red robotic eye and one brown, human one.

Apex turned to face the screen, raising his gloved fist at it in a show of “bravery.”

“Cyborg.”

The screen floated closer to the “hero,” the Mayor fled the stage as security flooded in to surround Apex and watch the crowds, as if they could protect any of them from me.

“Apex Bridge is not a dedication to a hero; it’s a dedication to a murderer. Citizens, I ask you, where are the names of the hundreds of people who were killed on Farion Memorial Bridge when Apex destroyed it? Where are their memories? Why must the killer be honored with the dedication of his murder weapon?

“I could do nothing to stop the bridge’s collapse, Cyborg. All the circuitry in your thick metal skull should have recognized that.” Apex said.

“Yet you stand before the people today, people who lost friends, family members, and loved ones on this bridge, and you play the hero.”

More drones rose into the air, moving towards the covered statues on either side of the stage. Pulling the covers, the hulking figure of Apex, chiseled in stone, was revealed.

“Luckily, my dear friend, I’m here to fix the script.”

Lowering down to the statue’s base, the drones began etching into the stone with lasers. The crowds gasped as smoke and bits of debris began chipping off of Apex’s footstool.

“What are you doing?!” Apex exclaimed, spinning to look at the drones doing their work.

“I’m fixing the story that your memorial to vanity was telling.” My voice from the drones responded, “Feel free to stop me.”

Apex flew closer to the drones. Reaching out to grab one of them out of the air when a small voice rose from the crowd.

“That’s my mommy’s name!”

Apex stopped, a look of confusion flickering across his perfectly chiseled face. Across the base of the statues, the drones were etching dozens of names.

“What is this Cyborg?” Apex muttered, quiet enough that only the drones could hear him.

“This,” I responded, “Is what this bridge should have been dedicated to in the first place. The names of your victims, the people on the bridge when you decided it was inevitable that your actions would destroy it.”

Apex hovered, confused and angry. He knew he was backed into a corner. If he let my work continue, he would look unfeeling and cold, needing one of his “villains” to remind him to respect the citizens who idolize him. But if he stops me, he tarnishes the golden reputation he has been clinging to for all these years.

“What are you going to do, hero?” I taunted.

Shaking his head, Apex rose further into the sky.

“Etching these beloved citizens’ names into my statue won’t change anything, Cyborg; you’re still a villain and a coward, using technology to do your dirty work as I face my problems head-on.”

“Using your abilities to your advantage isn’t cowardice, Apex; it’s intelligence,” I responded, stepping out from the crowd. Pressing a button on my neck, the holographic skin covering my face faded, revealing the metal skull and robotic eye that took up half of my head, “But here I am. Where would you like me to stand?”

Apex’s face reddened, and his eyes bulged. The scanners in my bionic eye detected his blood pressure rising.

“Careful, hero,” I called out. “You may blow a blood vessel.”

Stepping up onto the Mayor’s podium, I approached the microphone. The guards moved towards me, but were blocked by my drones as the now-redundant screen broke apart.

“This, dear citizens, is your hero Apex. A man so self-absorbed and self-righteous that he allows the cowards who run this city to ignore the dead and honor him. A man so self-absorbed that he cannot decide between stopping me from honoring his victims or claiming it was his idea. This is your hero.”

Apex landed behind me and to my right. His gloved hand clamped down on my robotic shoulder, and he smiled at the crowd. Suddenly, he flew me into the air. Hovering 500 feet above the ground, he smiled at me with hatred.

“That’s quite enough, Cyborg; call off your drones and go home.”

I tried to keep a cool head. I had prepared for this.

“Did you have to bring me up here to say that?” I asked. “You could have asked me down on stage. Or were you embarrassed?”

Apex stared me down, his eyes boring holes into my skull.

“The city needs me, Cyborg. They need a figure they can believe in. If not me, then who? You?”

“They can believe in themselves, Apex. They can believe in their leaders and their friends. They don’t need a golden god walking among them and making them bow down at his feet,” I responded.

“Well, old friend,” Apex said, smiling, “if you believe that. I’ll cut you a deal.”

He extended his arm, holding me out over the river flowing under Apex Bridge.

“Stop the drones, or the city will be convinced you were suicidal by next week.”

I grabbed the “hero’s” arms, trying to put on a brave face as I faced a five-hundred-foot drop into rapidly flowing water. Though I knew my drones were ready to catch me, I wasn’t sure if I could get enough of them together in time to truly break my fall. Below us, the crowds were pointing, cell phones out, and recording.

“It’s too late for that Apex, No matter what you do to me, the people down there will see it. the seed of doubt is already planted. It may not be everyone at first, but slowly, your pedestal will crumble, and you will fall away.”

“Why are you doing this?” Apex asked. I smiled as I felt a tinge of fear enter his voice.

“To destroy you, you have hindered the growth and progress of our city, you’ve cost the taxpayers millions of dollars with your destructive fights, you’ve forced the city to budget cut and squeeze programs that we needed to improve the lives of the citizens, all so you can play the hero. Now, our cops are cowards, and our leadership is spineless, all bowing at your feet and venerating you as a god. For some reason, everyone who can see you for what you really are is labeled villains that you punch through walls and leave half dead on the side of the road.”

I smiled at the “hero” as I continued.

“So I put you in an unwinnable situation. I took the moral high ground and left you stuck in a corner. Even now, as you have me by my collar hundreds of feet in the air, you can’t do anything. If you drop me, they’ll know you don’t care about the people you killed by destroying that bridge. But if you bring me down gently, they’ll know that I was the one who reminded you to care. For the first time since we met, Apex, no matter what you do, I will leave this situation the hero, and you will leave it the villain.”

Apex looked confused, turning my words around as he processed his situation. I saw dozens of emotions flit across his facial features, from fear to anger to hatred. But soon, he sighed and said the words I had been dreaming of hearing since the day I first met him face to face.

“Fine, you win.”

We descended back to the ground, landing softly on the podium. The drones tirelessly etched names into the base of Apex’s statues, watched by crowds, the Mayor, and the security teams. Picking up the microphone, the “hero” glared at me before addressing the crowd.

“I would like to thank Cyborg here for reminding me of the most important part of being a hero; when I was approached by the leadership of our fair city, including the names of those who died in the tragic accident on Farion Memorial Bridge slipped my mind. I let my pride get in the way of my values, and for that, I am sorry.”

He looked at me with a smile, but rage boiling in his eyes.

“Cyborg, though we have had our differences in the past, and I’m almost certain we will fight again, today I am grateful for you putting my head on right again. Thank you, Cyborg.”

It pained him to utter those words, and it was music to my ears. I knew reaching for the mic would be too far, so I nodded and waved at the crowd. The drones finished their work and returned to their positions behind me, forming the dark cloud of technology that normally caused the city so much fear.

There was no applause, not a sound came from the crowd. Seeing their hero bend the knee, metaphorically for now, to one of his greatest adversaries had shocked them into silence. I bowed to the audience and leaned back into the mass of drones, which began rising into the air.

“Cyborg,” Apex said, following me into the sky, “One more thing.”

Grabbing one of my drones, he crushed it between his hands, blocking the vision of the watching audience from below. Handing me its broken remains, he spoke with more anger and hatred in his voice than I had ever heard before.

“If you try a stunt like that again, I’ll make you wish you got an EMP instead.”

I gave him a smile.

“My hero.”

Apex flew away, brushing the metallic dust that coated his hands on his uniform. The remaining drones carried me off in the other direction, leaving the newly opened Apex bridge between us.

How Ironic that it had so powerfully strengthened our division.