Hilargi paced inside the building while all the women were fighting outside. She was paralyzed with fear that her precious creation might get destroyed by the Lionesses. The sound of gunfire outside was not encouraging. All she could do was pray that the Nymphs were winning.
There must be something I can do to distract myself. Hilargi thought to herself. She decided that the best thing to do would be to retire to her bedroom and read the Bible. She marched out of the lab and headed there directly. For the first time in her life, she found herself wanting to join the women on the battlefield. Not because she necessarily cared very much about her tribe—to her, they were little more than her kidnappers, even if they were benevolent kidnappers—but because she wanted to make sure Yair was okay.
When Hilargi arrived at her room with the wooden door, she creaked it open with a trembling hand and forced her legs to move her over to her shelf where she found the Bible and then sat down on her bed.
She flipped to a random page and began reading. As she read, her eyes became glassy when she read about Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son because he obeyed God unquestioningly and knew he wouldn’t betray him. Hilargi wiped her eyes, closing the book.
She knelt before her bed and clasped her hands together on top of it.
Please God, keep my only son safe. Grant me this one boon… Hilargi begged, sniffling sadly.
When she sniffled, she smelled fire. She turned around and saw a picture she had hung on the wall was burning. She couldn’t remember when she had lit the candle beneath it that sat on her dressed, but the flames were slowly consuming the picture from the corner. Hilargi approached, eying it curiously. Her eyes widened.
The picture was one she had kept since she was a girl—one of the only possessions Ellia let her keep—it depicted Hilargi and her family, holding hands in front of a giant sun. The flame was only consuming Hilargi in the photo, and would not travel any further.
Hilargi gasped, “Yair!” she dashed from her room and headed up the stairs. When she arrived at the main hall, she was about to slam her hand on the handprint reader when a familiar voice called, “Wait!”
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Hilargi turned around. Her gaze met Nikodemus’. She said to him, “I have to go help Yair! He’s in danger—I can feel it!”
Nikodemus gripped her wrist. “That would be suicide. Stay inside with me. Help me clean up—it will distract you. Besides, Yair is the most sophisticated robot I’ve ever seen—he should be fine out there.”
Hilargi shook her head, tears flying from her eyes. “You don’t understand—I’ve seen a sign from god that he’s in trouble! I have to help him somehow!”
Nikodemus’ grip on her wrist tightened. “What could you possibly hope to do?”
Hilargi was in tears. “I don’t know! I just… I can’t stand to lose him!”
Nikodemus’ eyes narrowed. “Why? He’s just a piece of equipment. You can just make another one. I’m sure you’re planning to already.”
Hilargi closed her eyes bitterly. “I am planning to! I have to keep advancing the technology or else Ellia will punish me! But… but…” Hilargi collapsed on her knees. “You don’t understand… I don’t want to. When I met Yair… I saw something inside him that I knew couldn’t be replicated in anything else I created. When I looked into his eyes, I could see something shining in them. It was his soul. He’s my boy—the only one I’ll ever have.” Hilargi cried.
Nikodemus looked down at her ineffectually for a moment. “You think god has blessed this abomination with a soul? Where do you get off being so arrogant? I like him, too, but to think him anything other than a monstrosity built by human hands, is—”
Hilargi launched to her feet, looming over Nikodemus with the harshest look he had ever seen on her otherwise kind face. “He is God’s grandchild! He is not a monstrosity! God guided me to make him with his own hands. How else could you explain the warmth I felt while crafting him? The—passion—that was dripping from my fingers? Besides… even if he is a monstrosity… I’m still going to try to save him!” Hilargi began dashing toward the entrance of the building.
Nikodemus held her still with his powers—causing her shoes to screech against the floor beneath them. “You will not go. I will go.”
Hilargi, who still couldn’t move, looked at him in shock. “You? But you’re the Last Man! If you die—”
“Then it will be proof that I’ve lived long enough. Otherwise, I will be protected.” Nikodemus said firmly. “You must let me outside.”
Hilargi glared at him defiantly as he walked toward her and reached her side. She spat, “Never. I will not be responsible for your death.”
“I’m not asking.” Nikodemus muttered. He dragged Hilargi with him to the entrance—wrapping her in his powers--and then she felt something alien entering her arm. It felt like a worm snaking its way into her muscles. Her arm lifted without her permission, and her palm pressed the reader next to the door. “Stop! I will not be responsible for your--!”Nikodemus reached into her mind and pressed a section of it to knock her out, and then he let her crumple to the floor. Nikodemus marched out the open door and onto the battlefield.