《RED》


 CH-001: BEATEN

    The soft, almost raspy digitized voice speaks up from the black, head-sized, oblong object wrapped in my arms.


    ¡°Red.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I softly ask, sounding like my dad when I would wake him up after I had a nightmare as a kid.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be there within fifteen minutes.¡±


    Without saying anything else, I slowly rise from the hotel bed, placing the ¡°head¡± onto it. I change out of the loose shirt and shorts I¡¯ve been wearing into something more form-fitting that can¡¯t be so easily grabbed onto. Still a shirt and shorts.


    ¡°D?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The guy who¡¯s controlling them. Have you seen him? Do you know what he looks like?¡±


    ¡°No. They don¡¯t let me see anyone¡¯s face.¡±


    I nod, carefully slipping the legs of my shorts over the parts of my legs that are thicker than the rest. The rings that attach them to what¡¯s left of my originals.


    ¡°The same as with me, then.¡±


    For a while, neither of us say anything. With how I had put her down, facing the foot of the bed, I don¡¯t know if she can see me off to the side. It feels like she can, though.


    ¡°D.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Would you be able to call Eli with how they have you?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°You would, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± I hold back from clicking my teeth, keep myself from starting to yell. Again, she doesn¡¯t answer. ¡°She¡¯s worried about you, that you just ran off like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get her involved in this.¡±


    It takes everything in me not to scream at her, to tell her that she had already involved her from the start.


    I drop the subject and begin to loosen my body up, hardening the rubbery materials that the prosthetic arms and legs that had been put on me are made of as I let out some jabs and kicks.


    ¡°He¡¯s at the intersection.¡±


    I get up and head out into the parking lot, lit an orange-ish color by the street lights. Sure enough, I can see his company car approaching. A matte black luxury kind. Not at all subtle.


    He turns in, parks, and gets out. Just like always, he has the same kind of black trench coat over his body. Seems like it¡¯s a woman¡¯s this time. Or maybe a slim man¡¯s. Hard to tell with the helmet.


    Just like always, he¡¯s the first to speak.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking worse for wear, Matty. Getting tired of our little game? You might as well just let us take you back at this point. After all, we just need our property back.¡±


    I don¡¯t answer. It won¡¯t do me any good, and I¡¯m sure my expression is doing all the talking for me.


    ¡°Aw, are you frustrated? Believe me, I¡¯m frustrated, too. You see, I have a job ¡ª you know what those are, right? ¡ª and I need to get it done, otherwise my bosses will continue to be on my ass about not being able to do my job. So, just be a good girl and come along so we can get this over with already, alright?¡±


    I clench my fists and grit my teeth. If my current hands had fingernails, they¡¯d be digging into my palms. It¡¯s all I can do to keep myself from letting anything out before I need to.


    Seeing that I¡¯m not moving from my spot, he sighs. ¡°Guess we¡¯re gonna have to do this the hard way, huh?¡±


    Just like always, he drops his trench coat to reveal where the bright red prosthetics on his current body are. The arms this time. They¡¯re longer than normal, almost down to the body¡¯s ankles. With how lanky they are, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to move them that well.


    He approaches and, like with every other body he¡¯s used that has the arms, goes for a right hook. It¡¯s slower this time.


    With the first punch thrown, I avoid his hook and close the distance further.


    I¡¯m immediately hit in the gut with a punch that sends me reeling back and makes me cough up what little I had eaten earlier. How? How did he hit me that quickly at such a close range with arms that long?


    I look up to see his right arm shortening, getting thicker to match the size that his left somehow became.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t used one of these on you yet, have I? We¡¯ve had them for a while now. Really, we¡¯ve had them the whole time, but my bosses finally let me use one. You see, these arms use the same principle as the others. They become denser wherever they need to. Bones and the like. However, unlike the others, these can become denser all the way through, hence why they shortened. Not as dense as the bones, of course. That would lead to them being too rigid to-¡°


    ¡°Can you shut up?¡± I manage to catch my breath and stand back upright. ¡°Not everyone likes to hear your voice as much as you do.¡±


    He gives out a short, wry laugh. ¡°Well, then let¡¯s make it so you can¡¯t hear it.¡±


    I keep my distance at first. I still haven¡¯t recovered completely from that punch. It¡¯ll probably bruise, and I¡¯ll have to keep wearing stuff that covers my stomach.


    He keeps trying to jab at me, but I¡¯m able to get out of his reach each time.


    Once my breathing is back to normal, I make my way back in, close enough for him to still jab at me, but not enough for a hook. I throw out a kick with my left aimed at his body¡¯s head, which he blocks and pushes away. I twist my body as I land back on that foot to kick with my right. Another block. I twist again. A feint to get in closer. He throws a hook; dodge into punch to the head.


    With that, his body seizes up and I¡¯m able to quickly pull the helmet off. Whoever this body is drops to the ground instantly.


    ¡°God damn it!¡± Just like always, he screams like a kid as soon as I¡¯ve gotten him. ¡°The signal got cut out for a second! Put it back on and fight me!¡±


    I throw the helmet to the ground and stomp on it, breaking it into shards of plastic and silicon.


    Again, I stop to catch my breath, crouching down over the person whose body he¡¯d been using. I pull off the thin cloth mask that they always put on them, getting a good look at their face. Shaved head, morena, slightly crooked teeth, young-looking. Maybe early twenties. Maybe a kid from the colonias who wanted to help her family out, possibly a college kid in debt. I take the ID they gave her to throw out later and leave her there to head back into my room.


    ¡°You beat him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I put the phone D had given me into the bag that has some of my clothes in it, then pick both her and it up. I call the police on the room phone and tell them there¡¯s someone lying out in the parking lot of the inn out near 10th, that I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re dead or unconscious or what. I leave, wander off to some other part of the city.


    I wander around Valley City¡¯s center downtown, the nightclubs¡¯ signs buzzing down at me, just like the fluorescent one in that small, blank room I¡¯d been kept in for a year. The sounds of music and chatter from club-goers drown it out enough for it to be bearable, but I still walk faster to avoid it all.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    I don¡¯t know why, but I stop in my tracks. For some reason, it feels like whoever called out is calling me, so I turn around to look for the source.


    Immediately, I see a tall, bearded man with one fully-tattooed arm and one prosthetic in a shiny chrome frame staring right at me.


    ¡°Come here real quick,¡± he says, smiling.


    Getting closer, I can see his hairline under his hair, combed to the side and covering part of his forehead. He¡¯s balding.


    I don¡¯t say anything once I¡¯m in front of him, just let him say what he has to say.


    ¡°You look kind of lonely. You wanna come in with me and my friends?¡±


    I look at the other people who seem to be with him. Also guys. One is nervous-looking, short, and has short, probably-brown hair. It¡¯s a bit hard to tell in this lighting. Another has long, dark hair. A bit wavy. Wispy facial hair. He looks like a character from those old high school movies, the kind who only ever listens to metal. He looks like he doesn¡¯t want to be here. The third, looking at me from the corner of his eye, gives me a bad vibe. Maybe it¡¯s my own experience telling me something, but he looks like he has a lot of pent-up anger that he might let out at any moment. His head is shaved, and he doesn¡¯t have facial hair. He¡¯s the only one aside from the beard guy who has a visible prosthetic, but it¡¯s just on one of his thumbs and it doesn¡¯t have a shell. He probably actually needs his, unlike beard guy.


    I size them up. I don¡¯t know if I could take them as a group, but I probably could individually. ¡°You paying?¡± I ask, the bruise on my stomach radiating small amounts of pain with each word.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the beard guy says, still smiling. He motions to me to move between him and his friends.


    I bring D up and whisper to her. ¡°If you¡¯re listening, tell me if any of them tries anything funny.¡± I walk to where he indicated and wait for the line to move up. I can feel the eyes of the others on me.


    The beard guy and his friends talk among themselves while we wait. What about, I¡¯m not really sure. I don¡¯t bother listening, just stare straight forward, my mind far from the blaring of the speakers.


    ¡°You like it?¡±


    I¡¯m snapped out of a trance I didn¡¯t know I was in, looking up from beard guy¡¯s chrome arm. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I noticed you staring at it. You into prosthetics?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯d rather not have them if I don¡¯t need them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought since you were pretty much showing off those fancy rubber shell ones that you¡¯d be more into them.¡±


    ¡®Showing off¡¯. I just answer with ¡°No.¡±


    He just stares at me for a second before going back to talking to the guys he came with.


    That pause of his gives me a bad vibe, too. I wonder if he¡¯s regretting inviting me to join him. Whatever, that¡¯s on him.


    Eventually, we¡¯re let in. My bag is searched for anything illegal. Nothing, just clothes and a toothbrush. I follow beard guy and his friends, keeping each of them in my sight. From what I can see of the club, it¡¯s mostly just lit in two places: the bar and the stage, on which a local band is loudly playing. The rest is very dimly lit.


    The music seems to be some kind weird mix of rock and jazz, a couple brass instruments blaring out between the guitar¡¯s long roars. It¡¯s hard to make out the vocals over the sound of them, but I think they¡¯re in Spanish.


    They walk to and stand at the bar, so I stand at the end of their group, placing the helmet that D talks through between them and me, making it so that she can see anything they do. I end up to the right of the nervous-looking guy, prosthetic finger being at his left, and beardy at his left, with metalhead at the other end of the group. Beardy leans forward and asks what I want to drink.


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s fine,¡± I tell him. I rarely drink, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s good, anyway. I just want to dull the pain of that punch. I rest my chin on top of the helmet so I can better be able to hear D if she says anything. Beardy orders me a margarita. I¡¯ve never had one.


    I begin to think about Eli. As angry as I was when she kicked me out, I understand why she did it. Telling her that it was D¡¯s own fault that she went missing when we still had no idea where she went was the worst thing I could¡¯ve done. It felt like I just puked those words out from the stress and frustration of not being listened to. I had tried to explain that D sent me out to get something, but she wasn¡¯t having any of it. After all, it was pretty much my only job to stay with D while she was out. Somehow, though, D was able to convince me to go get what she said she needed from the store, almost staring a hole through me with that one good eye of hers.


    I hope Eli¡¯s doing alright.


    Eventually, my drink reaches me. As subtly as I can, I whisper into D¡¯s ¡°ear¡±.


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    With my chin on her ¡°head¡±, I hear her voice a bit more clearly than I would otherwise. ¡°It was above the counter the whole time,¡± she says.


    I nod and take a sip. It¡¯s a bit sour, but not bad.


    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± beard guy says. ¡°My name¡¯s Rudy.¡± He points to metalhead, ¡°This is Oscar,¡± then prosthetic thumb, ¡°Hector,¡± then nervous guy, ¡°and Isaac.¡±


    I look at each of them, then simply say ¡°Matt.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Rudy asks, his surprise coming off more as a formality to me rather than actual shock. ¡°You look more like a Madeline to me.¡±


    ¡°I got Michael vibes,¡± Oscar says.


    ¡°Really? Wait, actually, are you a guy or a girl?¡±


    I stare at Rudy, thinking about why he asked. Is there a reason besides just simple curiosity?


    ¡°Either way,¡± Isaac says, his voice slightly wavering. ¡°You look good. Or, I think so, at least. Like, in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for sure,¡± Rudy says. ¡°I¡¯m just kind of curious.¡±


    A familiar feeling comes up, one I haven¡¯t felt since high school. They have a second motive.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say, trying to push down that feeling. ¡°One of the two.¡±


    Hector scoffs and Oscar chuckles.


    After a second, Rudy chuckles as well. It feels to me like there¡¯s something else behind it, though. Like maybe he¡¯s getting mad that I didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he says. ¡°Well, when you¡¯re feeling ready to tell me, you can let me know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I reply, knowing full well that I have no intention of telling him.


    Even as I¡¯m trying to keep an eye on the guys who brought me here, my attention keeps getting pulled to the live band. I¡¯ve never been to a concert, or anything like that, so being able to watch a band perform live is interesting. I can feel the percussion through my chest and the I can feel the vibration of the brass instruments. My focus now almost completely shifted to the music, I¡¯m more able to make out the lyrics. They definitely are in Spanish, though, so I can barely understand them. Something about ¡°mi corazon arrancado de mi pecho,¡± all sung just below a scream.


    Again, my attention is pulled back to the guys as one of them, Oscar, begins to talk to me.


    ¡°So, Matt, you¡¯re a fan of Los Corazones Azules?¡±


    ¡°Never heard of ¡®em,¡± I tell him.


    ¡°Well, you like what you heard so far?¡±


    I just shrug. None of them need to know my opinions. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gonna let them get any closer to me than just buying me drinks anyway. They¡¯ll be out of memory by tomorrow.


    I notice Hector glaring at me and stare back.


    ¡°What?¡± I ask.


    ¡°We¡¯re paying for your drinks, least you can do is talk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I hear Isaac quietly say.


    I click my teeth at them. ¡°You¡¯re the ones who said you¡¯d pay.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Rudy says. ¡°We thought you wanted to hang out with us. Maybe even more.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I say, my annoyance at them boiling over at ¡®even more¡¯. I start to vomit out words again, unable to stop myself from provoking them. ¡°I¡¯ll talk. Yo, balding beardy, how much you pay to get your arm chopped off and replaced with a hunk of metal you gotta keep working? Too much to be worth it? Or are you a rich kid who can afford to hire someone to do all the maintenance for it?¡±


    I don¡¯t let him answer, just walk away from the bar with D held to my chest and my bag on my back.


    My heart is beating hard in my chest, or maybe it¡¯s the drums playing too loud. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. I can¡¯t handle a second fight right now, not after that punch to the gut. I walk out of the club and into the nearest alleyway. I can hear my blood rushing.


    Suddenly, I¡¯m on the ground, curled into a ball, trying my hardest to keep D from getting hit at the expense of getting hit myself. Mostly it¡¯s my back getting hit, but they get a couple hits in on my face, too.


    Eventually, they start heading off. I turn to try to look at them. Beardy and thumb walking away, metalhead and shy guy standing at the entrance. Of course.


    For a while, I just lay there in pain. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t felt this before. I¡¯ve been in plenty of fights. I¡¯ve been jumped in high school before. I guess this is just the first time it¡¯s been two grown men beating me up.


    A voice calls from the entrance of the alleyway. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡±


    I start to stand back up, but don¡¯t answer. My legs almost give out from under me and I stumble towards the nearest wall, using it to hold myself up. I can feel the music inside pulsing through it, or maybe that¡¯s my own pulse.


    I hear his footsteps approaching.


    ¡°Hear, come on, I¡¯ll help you out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I tell him. I don¡¯t know why I don¡¯t want him to help. Maybe pride.


    ¡°No, here, hold onto- Wait, are you¡­?¡±


    He goes quiet. From the corner of my eye, I can see him trying to get a better look at my face, so I look up at his.


    ¡°Matthew?¡±


    ¡°Aurelio¡­¡±

 CH-002: AURELIO

    The smell of his apartment is familiar, but I can¡¯t place from where.


    ¡°Do you have clothes you can change into?¡± he asks me.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°But I haven¡¯t washed any of them recently.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can lend you some of mine while I wash yours. Are you alright with that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He¡¯s changed so much in the past seven years. He¡¯s lost weight and his hair, which was an almost unmanageable mess of curls back then, is now buzzed short. His voice, though, is just as quiet as it¡¯s always been.


    I want to get close to him, close enough to feel his body heat. It¡¯s been months since I¡¯ve been physically close to anyone and years since I¡¯ve been close to him. I don¡¯t think I realized it until now, but I¡¯ve missed him. I don¡¯t know if I should be feeling that way anymore, though.


    I try to distract myself from that feeling by looking around his apartment. Family photos, photos with friends, and wedding photos are put on shelves along with medical books, novels, and what I assume are self-help books. There are some empty boxes packed into each other in some places on the floor.


    ¡°You got married,¡± I say, the words slipping from my mouth while I¡¯m distracted.


    ¡°Yeah, it was a couple years back. I tried calling you to see if you wanted to come to the wedding, but your phone was off whenever I tried.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. It was probably when I couldn¡¯t afford to keep paying it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know. You could¡¯ve tried to get into contact with me or your dad to help you, you know? He seemed sad you hadn¡¯t called him in a while when I checked if he knew where you were.¡±


    I feel something in my chest as he tells me that. Maybe I¡¯ve been missing my dad, too. I can¡¯t think of that, though. I try to distract myself by changing the subject.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I tell him. ¡°What¡¯s his name? Your husband.¡±


    ¡°Oh. His name is Jordan. He¡¯s still up north right now, still making the arrangements with his job at the hospital over there to transfer down here with me.¡±


    I nod. He¡¯s married now. Has a job. He¡¯s probably even had this job for a while, maybe even while I had lost mine. The realization that a whole year was taken from me makes something inside me start to build up again, but it doesn¡¯t feel like the usual anger or annoyance.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your bathroom?¡± I suddenly ask him. ¡°I want to take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, it¡¯s that door over there.¡±


    I nod and, without thinking about it, start undressing as I walk over there, only managing to put D down on a shelf and take off my shirt before he speaks up.


    ¡°Oh my god, Matthew, you¡¯re bruised all over! Was this all from tonight?¡±


    ¡°Just what¡¯s on my back,¡± I absentmindedly lie.


    ¡°I think I have an ice back in the fridge, you can use it after you take a shower. Hold on, I¡¯ll get you some of my clothes for you to change into.¡±


    With that, he goes off into another room. He hasn¡¯t changed as much as I thought he had, still trying to help out when someone¡¯s hurt. For some reason, it makes me realize how self-conscious I should be right now, standing half-naked in the home of someone I haven¡¯t seen in years. But I¡¯m not. He¡¯s seen me naked before, so it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore, I guess.


    I check if D¡¯s still there, but get no answer through the helmet. They probably took her off to sleep, or something. Probably locked her in a plain white room, like they had before, both with me last year and with her some years before that.


    ¡°Here, you can leave your clothes in the bag you came in with and I¡¯ll wash them for you. You can change back into them once they¡¯re done, if you want.¡±


    I take the clothes he brought and just nod, also taking the bag with me. I head to the bathroom, leaving the empty helmet on the shelf for now. Now alone in that small room, I¡¯m forced to look at my own face. I think some of the color has come back to it since a few months ago. I¡¯m definitely not so gaunt anymore, though. Then again, that might just be swelling from that hit to the face earlier. At least my hair isn¡¯t past my chin anymore, I guess. Maybe I should buzz it back down all the way at some point.


    I pry myself away from the mirror and undress the rest of the way, stuffing my clothes into my bag, then heading back out to give them to Aurelio.


    ¡°Here,¡± I say, as I hold the bag out to him.


    He takes the bag, but it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s not completely comfortable with me just being naked in his apartment. He¡¯s avoiding looking at me. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna take those off?¡± he asks, indicating my arms and legs.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I tell him, tugging on the hard, plastic-like part near the bicep of my arm that attaches it to my body. ¡°They¡¯re prosthetics.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize you had lost them. Or did you get them replaced for those?¡±


    I just say ¡°neither¡± before heading back to the bathroom and turning on the shower.


    I don¡¯t know why, but him not looking at me makes me feel like I did back in high school, when he wouldn¡¯t look at me when we were alone. Just before we stopped being in a relationship. I know I shouldn¡¯t expect him to look at me that way, especially not now that he¡¯s married, but something inside me still wants him to. I turn on the shower and get in, letting the cold water run against my bruises.


    Suddenly, my legs almost give out from under me. It¡¯s not like I slipped, or anything. The rubber soles at the bottom of my feet would keep that from happening. The ¡°bones¡± didn¡¯t loosen, either. I¡¯d already be on the floor if they did. Am I just tired? Did seeing Aurelio for the first time in years affect me? Whatever the reason is, I bring myself down to sit on the shower floor and close my eyes. I¡¯ll just rest for a bit. Let my body catch up.


    The sound of water hitting the floor fades into the sound of a buzzing fluorescent light. It was overwhelming at first, but now I¡¯ve forgotten that it¡¯s even there. Suddenly, though, I¡¯m reminded of its presence by its sudden disappearance. At first, I think I¡¯ve gone blind, but am assured that I haven¡¯t by the room around me slowly fading in as my eyes adjust to the dark.


    For a while there¡¯s no sound aside from my breathing. I assume the power has just gone out and decide to simply wait it out. I can¡¯t get back to sleep with how loud the silence is. Some time later ¡ª I have no idea how long ¡ª the sound of footsteps starts to approach from off to the left. They stop, seemingly very close by. Whoever¡¯s steps those are knocks.


    ¡°Matthew? Are you alright? You¡¯ve been in there for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I groggily answer as I start to stand back up. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just fell asleep, I think.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯ve already finished washing and drying your clothes. I put them back in the bag, which I put just outside the bathroom door. You can sleep on my bed when you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I feel lightheaded, so I rush through actually cleaning myself. Once I¡¯m done, I get out of the shower, dry myself off with one of the towels on the rack, get the bag of my clothes, and get dressed. After I finish with that, I get out of the restroom and sit on the couch in the main room. It¡¯s a bit stiff. Probably was gotten more to look good in the room, or something.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna sleep yet?¡± Aurelio asks, coming up from the kitchen and handing me an icepack.


    I shake my head and cool down the bruise on my stomach. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna sleep here at all. I¡¯m already bothering you too much just by being here.¡±


    He sits on the chair to my right. ¡°Matthew, you¡¯re not bothering me. I want to help you. Is that why you never called me back when we moved away? Because you thought you¡¯d be bothering me?¡±


    I click my teeth, but don¡¯t answer. Is that the reason? Maybe at least partially. I¡¯ve already caused enough trouble, so I don¡¯t think I should be able to ask for help. Is that what it is?


    I don¡¯t want to think about it, so I change the subject. ¡°You said you work in a hospital, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Matthew-¡°


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    He seems surprised that I¡¯d interrupt him like that, taking a moment to actually answer the question. ¡°One of the older ones. It¡¯s near the medical complex at Center. Why do you ask?¡±


    So not one of MediTech¡¯s. I just shake my head and say, ¡°Just wondering.¡±


    It becomes quiet again as we just stare at each other. The punch from earlier starts to catch up with me as I start to realize how empty my stomach is. I consider asking for food, but that would be asking too much.


    My stomach growls and I¡¯m forced to keep myself from clicking my teeth again.


    The look on my face probably gave away how annoyed I am from it, though, since Aurelio¡¯s now smiling with his lips pressed together. He¡¯s stifling a laugh. After a second, though, he does speak up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any food in the fridge right now, but I can head across the street real quick to get you something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I tell him.


    ¡°Matthew, please. If you¡¯re hungry, then eat. You haven¡¯t been keeping yourself from eating, have you?¡±


    ¡°No. Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Good. So, what do you want?¡±


    He¡¯s probably gonna keep insisting, so I just go along with it. ¡°Whatever¡¯s cheapest, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m gonna get you a combo, though. If you don¡¯t want the rest right now, you can take it for later. What do you want to drink?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna get me a combo, then I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Matthew, it¡¯s fine. What do you want to drink?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, Strengthade, if they have it, I guess. If not, then the tea, or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    He heads out, leaving me alone in his apartment, that familiar smell still lingering in my nose. To distract myself from the feeling it brings me, I get up and start walking around, looking at the pictures he¡¯s put up. There¡¯re some older ones from before I¡¯d ever met him, back when he was a little kid. Aside from the chubbiness in his cheeks and the length of his hair, he looked almost the same back then. Some of those old pictures have his parents in them, but mostly they were him and other family members. I guess that makes sense, with how they treated him. How he probably felt like he had to hide a part of himself from them.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Near those were some more from around the time I had first met him, back when we were in high school. A lot of those are with friends of his. Then there¡¯re some with me in them. Back when I would keep my hair buzzed short. I¡¯m smiling in some of them.


    I can¡¯t stand to look at my own face from back then, so I move on to some other photos. Immediately, I¡¯m met with a familiar face. A muscular woman smiles up at me, her arm wrapped around Aurelio. They knew each other? How? For how long?


    I try to keep the question from getting to me and head back to the couch, flopping onto it and turning to be on my stomach so I can hold the ice pack to the bruises on my back. I start to drift off again.


    I feel like I might start dreaming soon. That falling feeling is coming to me hard, but nothing else.


    I hear the door open and wake back up.


    ¡°Did you fall asleep again?¡±


    I inhale deeply, letting the ice pack fall off my back as I sit back up. ¡°No. I was letting the ice soak in.¡±


    He chuckles. ¡°Well, either way, we should eat at the counter. Don¡¯t want to get the new couch dirty, you know?¡±


    I nod and follow him to the attached kitchen, carrying the ice pack with me. ¡°You got some for you, too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was kind of feeling nostalgic about when we¡¯d eat at the one back home. Remember that time we saw Mr. Suarez getting a huge order that he sat down and ate all by himself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say as I sit on one of the tall chairs. ¡°I wondered how he managed to keep that weight off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing he mostly ate really healthy stuff, then would just get all that stuff when he started getting sick of it, or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    We each get our food, him a box of chicken strips and me a burger. I know the one he got me isn¡¯t the cheapest one, but I ignore it and just eat.


    ¡°Matthew, is it alright if I ask where you¡¯ve been since high school? Since we haven¡¯t talked since then.¡±


    ¡°Down here,¡± I say. ¡°University area for most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you graduate?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Roommates left me to pay the rent by myself. Couldn¡¯t work to pay for it and go to classes at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    The two of us are quiet for a while as we just eat. I start to zone out, thinking about other things. How we¡¯d hang out all the time in high school, even after we stopped being in a relationship. I think about how I tried to start to distance myself from him after that, just because of how stupid I was back then. How stupid I probably still am.


    I try to distract myself from those feelings by talking about something else.


    ¡°How do you know Eli?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Eli?¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth,¡± I say, motioning to where the picture of him and her is.


    ¡°Oh, Lizzy. We¡¯re cousins. I actually haven¡¯t heard from her in a while, either. Ever since, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Since she got into drugs.¡±


    He looks at me in surprise. ¡°How did you know about that?¡±


    ¡°She told me about it. Said she regrets it but is glad she got out of it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Matthew, how do you know her?¡±


    ¡°I worked with her, I guess,¡± I answer, not exactly lying. He doesn¡¯t need to know the whole truth.


    ¡°So, she¡¯s doing alright?¡±


    I hesitate for a second, thinking of D. ¡°Mostly,¡± I say. ¡°She¡­recently lost a friend.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, do you have a way I can contact her? I really want to see how she¡¯s doing.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I never got her number. Do you have the same number since when you saw her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve kept the same once since middle school.¡±


    ¡°Then she¡¯ll probably call you when she¡¯s ready to.¡±


    He nods. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    For another while, we just eat in silence. D keeps coming back up in my mind. I wonder if the people at MediTech are keeping her healthy. Of course they are, they¡¯re using her for something. But is she really alright?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aurelio suddenly asks.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I say.


    ¡°Matthew, I know when something¡¯s up.¡±


    I glance towards the helmet, probably still empty, and sigh. I get up and bring it to the counter, putting it on my lap and wrapping it in my arms.


    ¡°The friend of Eli¡¯s I mentioned. She¡¯s a friend of mine, too. I said she¡¯s gone, but that¡¯s not really true. She was taken by someone. I know by who, but I don¡¯t know how to go and get her back.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I can help?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get you involved in it.¡±


    ¡°Matthew, please, if there¡¯s a way I can help you, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Aurelio,¡± He seems to tense up slightly from me using his name. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But just know that if you ever just want to talk to someone, I¡¯m here.¡±


    I nod.


    After another while of somber silence, Aurelio gets up and goes to the fridge, pulling out two large glass bottles, one of wine and the other of vodka.


    ¡°You up for some? Since you seem to¡¯ve had a hard time.¡± he asks.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°The vodka. I only got one margarita in earlier.¡±


    He puts the bottles down on the counter and gets a couple glasses from a cabinet.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you drank margaritas, Matthew.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink much in general. It¡¯s what one of the guys that beat me up ordered for me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why¡¯d he beat you up if he was buying you drinks?¡±


    ¡°Called him bald and a rich kid who got a prosthetic to be trendy.¡±


    ¡°Matty!¡± He¡¯s obviously trying to keep himself from laughing.


    ¡°What? He was being annoying. Kept trying to get me to talk when I was just there to drink. He¡¯s the one who invited me anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re okay, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°Could¡¯ve taken him on if knew he was coming.¡±


    We continue to drink, talk, and eat through the night. Eventually, things start to get blurry. I want to lay down. I want him to hold me. I want to sleep. I want to puke my guts out until my head feels better. I want to pull out my bruises so they don¡¯t hurt anymore, to go into MediTech and get D back so this can be over with.


    At some point, I fall asleep.


    It¡¯s almost as if I¡¯m back in that house on the outskirts of Rio Grande City.


    The walls are bare and the rooms are empty. I can vaguely here the low hum of a desktop computer. Without thinking, I follow it. Down the hall, through the door on the left.


    She¡¯s sitting between her two desks, her back to me and the arms attached to it stretched out. Even though all I can see is the back of her half-shaved, half-blonde head, I can still feel her one good eye piercing a hole through me.


    I try to call to her, try to approach, but I¡¯m stuck. My mouth won¡¯t move, and neither will my legs.


    She starts to talk.


    ¡°Red. Red. Red.¡±


    I try to respond to her, but still nothing.


    I jolt up from sleep, my arms wrapped around the helmet D talks from.


    ¡°Red, where are you right now?¡±


    I look around. Seems like a bedroom. There¡¯s a shelf with a partially-emptied cardboard box near the right side of the bed. There¡¯s another wedding photo of Aurelio and his husband on there.


    ¡°An old friend¡¯s apartment,¡± I tell her, getting up out of bed. Everything sways around me as I do, forcing me to sit back down.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hangover,¡± I mutter. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    I get back up and head back into the main room, hoping to leave before Aurelio wakes up.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he says as I enter. Guess I woke up too late. At least his voice doesn¡¯t make my headache worse, I guess.


    ¡°Morning.¡±


    ¡°I got breakfast, if you want some,¡± he says, his tone sounding different than from last night. ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat if you don¡¯t want to, though.¡±


    I look towards him. He¡¯s not looking at me at all. Something definitely happened last night.


    ¡°What¡¯d I do?¡± I ask, the words coming out more in an exasperated way than anything.


    He shakes his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Then what did I say? I know something happened, and I want you to tell me.¡±


    He sighs, finally turning to look me in the eyes. Either he¡¯s pitying me or he¡¯s sad. Either way, that look makes me regret whatever I¡¯d done, even without knowing what it was. Makes me want to just leave.


    ¡°Matthew, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    For a while, he doesn¡¯t answer, looking away, then back at me. I think I know what I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you still¡­It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. You didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°But, Matthew, if I had known- ¡°


    ¡°What?¡± My headache starts to intensify as my voice starts to raise, the anger at myself starting to rise through me and fall out of my mouth. ¡°You would¡¯ve tried to force yourself to give me pity sex? I don¡¯t need that shit, Aurelio! And neither do you! None of it is on you, alright? It¡¯s my own selfishness that¡¯s messing everything up for me! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s pushing everyone away, I¡¯m the one who screws up by saying the first thing that comes to mind, I¡¯m the one who can¡¯t let anyone know what¡¯s going on, so shut up with saying that it¡¯s your fault!¡±


    ¡°Matthew¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t say you¡¯re sorry.¡±


    He nods and just stares down at the floor.


    We both are quiet for a while. Without saying anything, I get a glass out of his cabinet and get some water from the tap.


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s my fault, so, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Matthew, you don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. I probably piled all that on you at once. Probably cried all over you, too. So, I do need to apologize to you. So, I¡¯m sorry. And I¡¯m sorry for trying to push you away after we broke up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really blame you for that last one, to be honest. I mean, I did do that when were about to¡­you know. And, thinking about it, I kind of feel like I used you. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected you to want to stay friends with me after that.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. We were stupid kids. I mean, I wanted to still be friends with you, too, but I felt like I couldn¡¯t because¡­well, you already know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Again, we just sit in silence. He¡¯s probably thinking about this just as much as I am.


    ¡°Anyway, I should just eat and leave. I don¡¯t want to overstay my welcome.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, you can stay as long as you need.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, it¡¯s just¡­the thing I mentioned about getting that friend back. If I stay here too long, someone will probably come out here, and I don¡¯t want to get you involved.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, just know that I¡¯m willing to let you stay here again if you need to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And I won¡¯t take up your bed next time.¡±


    He chuckles. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind staying on the couch as long as I¡¯m the only one here.¡±


    With that, I get to eating. It¡¯s the breakfast from the same place as from last night. Basically a burger, but with egg and sausage instead of regular burger stuff. I haven¡¯t had one in years. He got me a tea with it. Hopefully they didn¡¯t make it too sweet.


    ¡°Matthew, when you¡¯re done with whatever it is you¡¯re involved in, when you¡¯re sure no one will be in anymore danger, please come visit. I want you to meet Jordan. If you¡¯re comfortable with that, that is.¡±


    I finish chewing on the food in my mouth, then say ¡°Sure. I¡¯m sure Eli¡¯d want to come over, too. That friend of mine could probably get in contact with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±


    I finish up eating and get my stuff.


    ¡°Thanks for letting my stay here, Aurelio. And for taking care of me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I wouldn¡¯t want to risk it, you know?¡±


    ¡°I understand. Remember that I¡¯m here if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He comes up to me and opens his arms for a hug. I¡¯m hesitant, but I go for it anyway. After all, I had been wanting to be close to him, and I guess this is one way to go about it. I put my arms around him, and he puts his around me. He doesn¡¯t really smell like he used to.


    We let go and say our goodbyes. As I walk out of his apartment, I realize why it smells so familiar. It smells like my old house.


    Some minutes after leaving Aurelio¡¯s place, once I¡¯m used to the headache from the near-summer sun beating down on me, I speak up again.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna say anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± D asks.


    ¡°I dunno. Just thought you would, I guess.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything. I assume she¡¯s trying to come up with something to say, or something. She hasn¡¯t been as blunt about things as when I first met her. Maybe being around more than one person helped her out with that.


    ¡°Your name¡¯s not actually Matthias?¡±


    I stop in my tracks, surprised that that¡¯s what she thought to say.


    ¡°No,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s just what I started giving as my name once I came down here. Matthew¡¯s not my actual name, either. It¡¯s just what people used to call me back home.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I start walking again, looking for a place to rest for a while. Maybe buy some water, or something.


    ¡°Mateo,¡± I answer.


    Again, she¡¯s quiet for a while. While waiting for her to think of what to say, I enter a dollar store, the cold air inside making my head hurt a different way. It smells old, like a shirt that¡¯s been in a dusty closet for too long. I make my way to the fridges to pick out a drink. Water would probably be best, but one of the -ades would probably do well, too. It¡¯s not like I have sugary stuff too often, anyway. I usually get sick if I do.


    ¡°Which name do you prefer, then?¡±


    I pick out a green-colored drink ¡ª melon, it says the flavor is ¡ªand start to head to the cash registers. There¡¯s no one at any of them at the moment, so I get a chance to get a few dollar bills out from the money Eli¡¯d given me. Even after she kicked me out, she was still trying to take care of me. She¡¯s too nice. I shouldn¡¯t have said what I said to her.


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s fine,¡± I tell D, quiet enough so that whoever¡¯s working won¡¯t hear me. ¡°You don¡¯t call me any of them anyway.¡±


    Eventually, someone does come up to the counter. A girl with long, brown hair and the look of someone who¡¯s tired of working retail.


    ¡°Perdoname,¡± she says in a dull monotone before scanning the drink. ¡°?Es todo?¡±


    ¡°S¨ª.¡±


    She gives me the price, I give her the money, she gives me the change.


    ¡°Gracias.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t ask if I want a bag with it, like she¡¯s supposed to, but I don¡¯t fault her. Probably overworked, can¡¯t really blame her. I probably messed up the same way a bunch, myself. I head out of the store to find some place to sit for a while. I think there¡¯re some benches by some of the crosswalks, or something.


    Again, D speaks up. ¡°You speak Spanish?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answer. ¡°Just know some words.¡±


    I reach the bench, but there¡¯s no shade over it. It should be fine, I guess. I sit, putting D down on my lap, and open my drink.


    ¡°D,¡± I say, checking if she¡¯s still there.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You said they don¡¯t know you¡¯re talking to me through this, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answers. ¡°The data this sends as is normally unreadable.¡±


    I nod, then take a big gulp of my drink. Almost enough to catch in my throat and make me cough it all back up. I manage to get it down, though. Watching the people pass by, going into and leaving stores, I start to realize that I have no idea what I should be doing.

 CH-003: BREAKOUT

    Back then, I didn¡¯t think. I had stopped a few months in, some time after they cut off my limbs, gave me new ones, then taught me how to walk again. I¡¯d basically become a captive animal, pacing back and forth in my blinding white cage as a fluorescent light buzzed above me. During that time, they kept having to restrain me so I¡¯d stop making noise, trying to punch holes in the walls.


    Eventually, they wore me down to where all I would do was stare straight ahead, waiting for them to bring my next meal, then eventually sleep. Whether it was at night that I would sleep or not, I had no idea. They¡¯d never turn that light off. It only bothered me the first few months. There was one time it went out, though. The last day I spent there.


    I don¡¯t know for how long I¡¯d been asleep, but something woke me up. I don¡¯t know if it was the lack of light or the deafening silence, but the suddenness of it almost made me jolt upright. I had even thought I had gone blind before my eyes started to adjust.


    Once I could vaguely make out the blank walls around me, I tried laying back down to sleep until the lights inevitably came back on.


    Somewhere down the hallway, I could hear a door open, then close. It was a hinged one, unlike the sliding kind that the room I was in had. Either the other doors in that hall had hinged doors or the door to the stairs had opened, I was thinking. I had never actually seen any of the hallways, so I couldn¡¯t be sure. The people there wouldn¡¯t let me see the halls whenever they¡¯d take me anywhere else in the building. I wrote it off as some worker seeing if it was the whole building that got shut off, or something.


    The footsteps kept going after that, though. If it were a worker, they probably would have just come out of their office, or whatever, then went back in. They sounded like they were getting closer, too. It made me sit up in anticipation.


    Through the space between the door and the floor, I could see a light approaching. Soon after, I could see the feet of whoever was holding it. They stopped in front of my room and knocked.


    ¡°Put your clothes on if you¡¯re not dressed, I¡¯m coming in. Or don¡¯t. I¡¯m down with whatever. I¡¯m gonna be giving you new clothes either way. But yeah.¡±


    The voice didn¡¯t sound nearly as uptight as any of the other ones I¡¯d heard so far. Of the ones I could remember, at least. I was caught so off guard that I hadn¡¯t even realized that I stood up after hearing it.


    After a while, the door slid open, and not automatically like it normally should. I couldn¡¯t make out much about the person who opened it aside from that she was tall and wearing some kind of mask. The light was coming from a rectangular object, more than likely her cell phone.


    ¡°Yo. You Matty? Or, Matthias, I mean. Vega.¡±


    It takes me a second to even think of how to answer, and all that came out was ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes,¡± she said, not even answering me. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m getting you out of here. We gotta hurry, though.¡±


    Before I got a chance to say anything else, she started walking off in the direction I assumed she came from. Not seeing any other choice than just staying, which I really didn¡¯t want to do, I followed after her. The hallway was just as dark as the room, so I couldn¡¯t make out much of it. Based on what her light hit, though, it seemed like the walls were also a bright white, with the tiled floors being more greyish.


    Eventually, we reached a door. She opened it and, sure enough, it was a stairwell. It was still lit in there. Probably they were emergency lights that had some outside power source, or something.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said, heading down to the flight right below. ¡°Your new clothes are in that bag right by the door we came through. Bring the old ones with you, we¡¯re gonna need ¡®em. I¡¯m gonna be heading down to the parking garage. Meet ya there.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry,¡± she replied, continuing down. ¡°Like, legit sorry. We for real gotta hurry. Real bad. I¡¯ll introduce myself when we¡¯re outta here.¡±


    She kept going before I could even reply, leaving me with the bag of clothes. I hurried up and changed into them, each piece of clothing being a bit too big for me and having weird stuff printed on it. Probably someone¡¯s idea of a joke, or something. The shirt said something like ¡°Born to Raise Hell, Raised to Birth Angels,¡± and the pants had the words ¡°Piss Stain¡± printed down the front of the left leg. She had also brought socks and shoes, but I wouldn¡¯t have been able to put the feet of these legs in them.


    Once I finished changing, I headed down the many flights of stairs. I must have been kept pretty high up, with how many I went through. With how little physical activity I¡¯d gotten those past couple months, it was a hard descent.


    Some minutes after my start down, she came back into view. I did my best to hurry down to meet up with her. She must have noticed my footsteps, since she stopped leaning against the door to that floor and looked up. Once I reached her, she opened it.


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re ready for an hour drive.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    She led me through the parking garage to her car. A plain grey one, a big contrast to the few cars still in the building at that hour. All luxury kinds. Seeing how the cars were lit made me realize something, though. The light coming in was all the same color. The power was out in this whole area. I couldn¡¯t really tell if it was for the whole city ¡ª I really doubted it was, with how big it is ¡ª but it definitely was for the area near the building. I didn¡¯t ask how she did that, even with how much I wanted to know.


    About thirty minutes after we left that building, once we got to a stoplight, the lady leaned back and sighed.


    ¡°Finally, a stoplight,¡± she said, pulling off her mask and readjusting her hair, shaved on the sides and long on top. She turned to me and gave me the brightest smile I¡¯d seen since moving down here. ¡°Hey. Name¡¯s Elizabeth Vargas, but you can call me Eli. Nice to meet ya, Matty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I eventually managed to say as the light turned green. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m bringing you way out here, right? My boss wants to explain it herself, so I can¡¯t tell you right now. For real, I really want to, so your head won¡¯t be all swimming, but she wants what she wants, I guess. Oh, by the way, can you put the SIM card back in my phone? It¡¯s in the cupholder.¡±


    The way she talked was weird. I had no idea how to respond to a lot of it, so I just did what she asked me to.


    ¡°How you liking the clothes, by the way? Sorry for them being so big, I got ¡®em out of my own closet. I¡¯ll get you some for yourself.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine, I guess,¡± I answered, trying to keep myself from giving her a weird look. ¡°You¡¯re gonna buy me clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, my boss is, technically, but you get what I mean.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get why someone who had done what they had just done would get me clothes. I thought that someone who did that kind of sneaky thing would just give me whatever they had, then have me buy my own stuff with whatever money I manage to somehow make.


    ¡°There,¡± I say once I finish putting the SIM card into ger phone.


    ¡°Thanks. VOS, call D.¡±


    The phone rang once through the car¡¯s speakers before being picked up. The voice that came through was soft and slightly raspy, sounding almost like a kid¡¯s.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re, like halfway there. You hungry?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So, the usual?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get it anyway. If you don¡¯t want it when we get there, I¡¯ll just eat it, alright?¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°See you in a bit, sweetie pie.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    The call ended and Eli laughed. ¡°Quite the boss, huh? VOS, play Tejano Playlist.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a kid,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah? Well, just wait ¡®til you see her.¡± Again, she laughed.


    It was another twenty minutes before we stopped at a fast food place in a small town. She asked for and order of chicken strips and one of the more expensive burgers, then asked what I wanted. I told her I was fine, but she ordered me a burger anyway, saying she¡¯d eat it if I ended up still not wanting it.


    After getting the food, we continued to drive through, passing old buildings with missing windows, schools, and at least one raspa stand. Eventually, we passed all of that, to where it was mostly plants on each side with one convenience store off to the side. Past that, we turned in to a neighborhood, where the houses had space between them and large backyards. It was nothing like the parts of home and Valley City that I¡¯d seen. Way more open.


    We reached a house towards the back of that neighborhood, a bit smaller than some of the other houses, but still good-sized.


    ¡°Help me with the drinks, please,¡± Eli said as she parked. ¡°And take the clothes with you, too.¡±


    I did, stretching once I got out before getting both bags. I followed her to the door, lit only by a nearby street light. There didn¡¯t seem to be any lights on inside, at least not towards the front.


    ¡°Honey,¡± Eli called out as she knocked on the door. ¡°We¡¯re home!¡±


    We waited a bit and, eventually, I could hear the locks on the door turn. It opened, revealing what looked like a kid with extremely low-end prosthetic arms. Her hair was half-dyed blonde and half chin-length, the other half being light brown and buzzed short, showing off how the eye on that side ¡ª her right ¡ª was a pale color. As far as I could tell, she was half blind. She had very visible scars on her cheeks and above her blind eye, one across her forehead and the other through her eyebrow.


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± she said, her voice obviously the one that was on the phone earlier.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, D, we both know you wouldn¡¯t hear me if I just knocked. Now give me a ¡®welcome home¡¯ hug.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, turning to look at me. Her good eye was a bright brownish color that felt like it could burn holes in whatever it looked at.¡°That¡¯s ¡®RED-033¡¯?¡±


    Before I could ask what she meant by that, Eli spoke up. ¡°Matthias, actually. Actually, I forgot to ask you, you alright with me calling you ¡®Matty¡¯? I kind of just started without checking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I told her. ¡°Now why¡¯d you bring me here?¡±


    The girl stared at me for a second before wordlessly and almost robotically turning and walking off into some other area in the house, turning on the light when she got there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Eli said, leaning towards me. ¡°She¡¯s just like that. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    She led me into the kitchen/dining room area, in which was just a folding table and some folding chairs. Nothing on the walls, no plates or utensils that I could see, nothing on the counter. It made me uncomfortable how empty it was, like they didn¡¯t actually live there. I tried suppressing that feeling by repeating my question.


    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±


    Eli turned to the girl as she got her food out of the bag.


    ¡°Well, D?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You said you wanted to wait to bring her here to explain stuff, so explain it. And don¡¯t forget to introduce yourself, too! You gotta be polite about it, y¡¯know?¡±


    The girl rolled her eyes, then gave her short explanation. ¡°DA-0111. Call me Dai. You¡¯re my bodyguard now.¡±


    Before I even got a chance to question her, Eli spoke up again.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very good explanation, D. Want me to tell her the rest, or what?¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Even though she said she wasn¡¯t going to eat, she did, holding the chicken strips as if she didn¡¯t want to get her hands dirty.


    Eli turned to me, not having had even unwrapped her burger yet.


    ¡°Okay, so, like, D¡¯s been building up a ton of info on the people who run Medi. Recently, they¡¯ve started sending people after her, so she needs someone to stay with her in case they show up. Now that someone is you!¡±


    I looked Eli up and down. Tall. Muscular. ¡°Why don¡¯t you?¡± I asked, probably sounding more confrontational than I meant.


    ¡°Oh, because I¡¯m usually the one out getting that info. We got connections out in the city, so we can¡¯t really send out new faces to meet with ¡®em. Maybe when we¡¯re closer we can send you out while I stay, right, D?¡±


    She just shrugged.


    Without me thinking about it, words spilled out of my mouth. ¡°What if I want to go home?¡±


    ¡°They take you back,¡± D said.

 CH-004: LADY

    I sit back up from the slouch I¡¯d somehow sunk into and drink a bit more.


    ¡°D, that guy Eli¡¯d sometimes talk to is from around here, right?¡±


    ¡°Which guy?¡±


    ¡°The one you¡¯d send her to talk to.¡±


    She goes quiet for a while again. Is it something she doesn¡¯t want to talk about? Or is someone around? Either way, I get up and start walking again. I need to find somewhere to stay for tonight. Preferably not a street corner.


    Once we¡¯re a bit further away from where most people are, D starts talking again. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t tell him I¡¯m coming?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me where he is.¡±


    She stops talking again. As much as I appreciate her putting more thought into what she says, it can get annoying being in the middle of a conversation just for her to stop it dead in its tracks.


    ¡°Just find somewhere to stay. Someone at La Dama Mexican Restaurant in east mid can help you. Ask for Ivan.¡±


    I guess that¡¯s her contact. ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll wait a while first.¡±


    I wander around for a while, occasionally sitting at benches, before finding the nearest bus stop and waiting for the one to the part of town the restaurant is at. I get on when it gets here.


    Something I¡¯d heard while I was still going to the university down here was that the buses used to not run through most of Valley City. It was mostly some of the older professors who¡¯d say that, that they really mostly just went through Center, University, and the different areas near the smaller colleges. It¡¯s weird to think about, that people around here used to have to own cars to get most places. Even back home most places had buses run through them. Aside from the neighborhoods, of course. Even then, though, you wouldn¡¯t have to walk too far unless you lived way on the outskirts. Then again, they do still grow stuff like corn and I think oranges around here, so I guess it¡¯d make sense that some places wouldn¡¯t have as much infrastructure, or whatever. Still, though.


    While one the bus, I pull the phone D had given me back out of my bag and turn it on. Better to do it while moving than to wait until we¡¯re there. I check for the location of La Dama. It¡¯s on one of the main roads, so it won¡¯t be too hard to find, at least. Right near a big church. I turn off the phone and get back to waiting.


    Some minutes later, we arrive at east mid, near one of the grocery stores. Most of the people who get off with me head there, probably being some of the people who got on later than I did. I, meanwhile, start heading off in the direction of the church, passing the front of the store in the same direction the old part of the expressway goes. It¡¯s barely any time before the old church comes into view with its huge mural on the front. Or basilica, I guess.


    Apparently, the city tried to get an electronic version of the mural put up on that wall at some point. According to one of the professors I had, it was really bright and could be seen from the other side of the old expressway. People kept spray-painting over it, writing stuff about how the original artwork was the way it should¡¯ve been and that the new one was just showing off wealth, or something. Eventually, the city complied and took the screen version down. Apparently, they put it in the main arena they have down here instead.


    I turn right once I pass by the front of the basilica completely. Eventually, I can see the sign for La Dama across the street. Not seeing anyone around, I just quickly cross. I enter the restaurant and am met by an older Hispanic lady with dark reddish dyed hair.


    ¡°?Para uno?¡± she asks.


    ¡°No,¡± I say, leaning closer to her. ¡°Estoy buscando a Ivan.¡±


    She looks me up and down, then says ¡°Sentarse donde quieres.¡±


    I move past the tables to sit at a booth at the wall opposite from the door. There aren¡¯t that many people right now, but more will probably come in later to drink at the bar.


    Eventually, someone comes up to my table and asks what I want to drink and if I¡¯m ready to order. I go with a tea to drink and tell him to give me a little bit to look at the menu. I hadn¡¯t been planning to eat, but I guess I could just take the rest with me if I end up not eating all of it. Now that I think about it, we¡¯d stop at Mexican restaurants whenever we¡¯d head to another town to avoid MediTech¡¯s people. Or person, I guess.


    A bit later, the guy comes back and I ask for the chicken enchiladas. While I wait for my food to come out, I try talking to D again, putting the helmet onto the table and my head down next to it, making it harder to see me talking.


    ¡°You there?¡±


    After a second, her voice comes in all staticky. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think the signal¡¯s bad in here. We¡¯ll talk later.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I move the helmet to the side just as the waiter comes back out with the food. Just like what¡¯s happened before, back when we would drive out to a different town, there¡¯s a slip of paper tucked under the plate. Just like with those times, there¡¯s an address. I put the paper into one of my pockets and get to eating.


    The food¡¯s pretty good. Some of it tastes like the food from some of the other restaurants, other parts of it tastes kind of different. The cheese in particular tastes pretty good with the sauce they used. Really, it¡¯s been kind of a while since I¡¯ve had something with a good amount of cheese in it. Usually we¡¯d get the botana when we were on the way to a new town, and the taste of the cheese in those were usually drowned out by the taste of the beans. The fajita in all of those were good, though. Seasoned differently from each other, too, even if just a bit. I should get something with fajita if I ever eat over here again. Maybe their stuff might taste way different. If I didn¡¯t get sick from how greasy a lot of the stuff is, I¡¯d try each of the different kinds of food they have later. Maybe it¡¯s just something I have to get used to, or something.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Once I start getting full, I get a to-go box, pack up the rest of my food, then head to the front desk to pay. The lady there tells me that ¡°he¡± will meet me there, then I head out and off in the direction I was originally walking in, stopping outside a nearby store to turn the phone back on.


    Checking the map and looking up the address I was given, it seems like I need to keep heading out in that direction, out past the high school in the area. I memorize the street it¡¯s on, turn the phone back off, and head off in that direction as the sky begins to turn from orange to the light-polluted dark blue.


    Some time after I first head off, I reach the street the place should be on. It¡¯s past a couple neighborhoods behind the nearest high school. Still keeping the map in mind, I turn left and walk for a while, past a couple fields of orange trees and open land and over a canal. I didn¡¯t expect there to be such an open area in the city, but I guess I haven¡¯t seen most of it. It does take up half the county. Eventually, two things come into view: a few houses with huge lawns on the right and a gated neighborhood on the left. It would probably be one of the ones with lawns.


    ¡°Over here.¡±


    Sure enough, a middle-aged-looking man in a T-shirt and jeans walks out from behind all the plants in front of the second house.


    ¡°He¡¯ll see you, but only for a little bit.¡±


    I follow him and am led into the living room, which is covered in a gaudy flower-print wallpaper, shelves containing porcelain plates and dolls lining the walls. In the center of the room is a very old-style couch with intricately-carved wooden parts, on which a grey-haired but obviously physically fit older man sits. Despite the late hour, he¡¯s fully dressed in a grey three-piece suit, his hair neatly combed to the side and his mustache well-groomed.


    ¡°?Me llam¨®?¡±


    The man who came to greet me, staying standing behind the older man, speaks up. ¡°He said- ¡°


    ¡°I know what he said,¡± I interrupt. ¡°?Eres Ivan?¡±


    ¡°Pos, s¨ª. Puedes sentarse.¡±


    He motions to a chair across from him with a similar design to the couch. Not wanting to get into any trouble with this guy, especially if he could help me, I comply, placing the helmet on my lap.


    ¡°?Y usted? ?Quien eres? Con esos, pareces que eres de MediTech.¡± He motions at his own arms and legs to mean mine.


    ¡°No soy de MediTech. Trabajo para D.¡±


    The two men look at each other, then back at me.


    ¡°?Y donde esta D?¡±


    ¡°En una de los buildings de MediTech¡±


    Ivan looks at the middle-aged man, who says ¡°¡¯Building¡¯ se significa ¡®edificio¡¯.¡±


    He nods, then says. ¡°?Y que quieres?¡±


    I give my answer simply and to the point. ¡°Ayuda.¡±


    Ivan makes a sound like he¡¯s thinking, then, after a moment, asks ¡°?Y que vas a hacer por mi?¡±


    I tap the top of the helmet. ¡°Este es de MediTech. Tiene tecnolog¨ªa. Si me ayudas, I¡¯ll give it to you despu¨¦s de getting D out.¡±


    The middle-aged man, again, translates the English parts of my request. Ivan lowers his voice and the two seem to discuss the matter right in front of me. With how fast and low they¡¯re speaking, it¡¯s hard to make out what they¡¯re saying. Eventually, Ivan nods, gets up, straightens out his suit, then leaves the house. I can hear the garage door opening, a car door opening then closing, then the car turning on and leaving, the garage door closing as it does. The middle-aged walks off to some other part of the house, then comes back.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± he says.


    He leads me back outside through the front, across the street to the gated community. He enters a code to open the gate, then leads me further in. There¡¯s a slight smell of rubber here, like new tires. Maybe it¡¯s the new-looking cars in the driveways of most of the same-looking two-story houses. Eventually, we stop at one towards the back. It, of course, looks exactly the same as the rest.


    ¡°Here,¡± the middle-aged man says, holding out a keyring with two keys on it. ¡°Ivan has decided to let you to stay here while he checks on your information. If it proves worthwhile, he will provide you with more resources.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to stay in here until then.¡±


    ¡°You can leave anytime you want,¡± he replies. ¡°But I won¡¯t let you back in. In the meantime, though, yes, he wants you to stay here. Unfortunately, there¡¯s nothing in there right, but I can bring you an air mattress and some food to stock the fridge with.¡±


    I sigh and take the keys. ¡°Yeah, whatever. How long will his background check take, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Depends. You¡¯ll just have to wait.¡±


    I sigh again and open the door to the house. Feeling around near the door, I find a light switch. It seems to not work. I look at the middle-aged man, who, after seeing what I meant, turns on the light on his phone and enters the garage through the house. I hear a click, then the light connected to the switch I flipped turns on.


    ¡°Stay awake,¡± he says as he comes back out. ¡°I¡¯ll be back within an hour with the groceries and mattress.¡±


    Once he¡¯s back out of the house, I close the door and start wandering around. The inside is kind of small, but I guess that¡¯s why it¡¯s a two-story. The stairs, which are just past the entryway, are carpeted, which gives me hope that the bedrooms are, too. I don¡¯t really feel like laying down on tile. After putting my leftovers in the fridge, I head up and, sure enough, the first room near the top of the stairs has carpet. I take the bag off my back and put both it and the helmet on the floor, laying down by the two.


    ¡°D, you there?¡±


    No answer. Must¡¯ve unplugged her. Guess I¡¯ll just have to stare at a wall, or something.


    That guy with the other helmet. I wonder how many times he¡¯ll keep coming for me. Maybe until he gets fired for incompetence, or something. Even then, they¡¯d probably just hire someone else to take his place. I mean, they¡¯d already tried to use D for that.


    I roll onto my side, hold my head up with my hand and close my eyes, trying to keep myself from falling asleep despite being tired. The thought of the guy with the helmet somehow finding me so soon after I fought him crosses my mind and makes my heart beat faster


    After what feels like a couple minutes but probably was longer, the doorbell rings. I slowly stand back up and shake my arm to loosen my now stiff shoulder. I definitely fell asleep. Peeking out from behind the staircase, I can see through the door¡¯s window that it is the middle-aged man who¡¯s back. I can see where the bald part of his head starts in his silhouette. I get out the rest of the way and open the door for him.


    ¡°Here,¡± he says, handing me the bags. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you know how to make, so I bought what you would need to make what¡¯s written in here.¡±


    He pulls a booklet out from his back pocket. It seems to be the kind that they just have for free at the grocery store with some seasonal recipes in them. It¡¯s a bit hard to tell in this light. He tucks it into one of the bags.


    ¡°It should last you a couple weeks. If it doesn¡¯t, my number¡¯s written on the cover. Now let me go get the air mattress.¡±


    He walks off again and I head into the kitchen, turning on the light as I do. I start putting stuff away and eventually hear a thump back towards the entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving it by the door,¡± the guy says. ¡°The water should be on by noon at the latest.¡±


    With that, he closes the door. I finish up with putting the frozen and refrigerated stuff away and take the box with the mattress upstairs. ¡°Pump included,¡± it says, so at least I won¡¯t have to just blow it up myself.


    I set it up and finally lay down to rest. Maybe I¡¯ll sleep the whole night tonight, too. Even if I don¡¯t, at least I won¡¯t have a hangover tomorrow morning. And I have somewhere to stay, at least for a while. I get back up, turn off the light, then lay back down, eventually falling asleep.

 CH-005: REUNION

    The first time I became aware of the guy who talks through the helmet was a couple weeks into working for D. After two weeks of just sitting in the same room as her as she typed with both her front and back hands, she just told us that we had to leave within a week. So we packed up and left for the coast.


    Once we finished the two-hour drive and arrived at the house in the gated community over there, D immediately got out of the car and tried to get into it. Eli had to run over there and unlock it for her, since she didn¡¯t know what was going on. Once I got into the house, after closing the other car doors, I could hear D puking her guts out. Or at least trying to. I don¡¯t think she had eaten that day, so it was mostly just dry heaves. Between each heave, she tried to talk, but Eli asked me to start bringing stuff down before I could make out any actual words.


    By the time I finished bringing stuff in, Eli was upstairs bathing D. At first, I thought it was weird that she had to do that, but it made sense with how her prosthetics were. I don¡¯t think they were compatible with any kind of shell, so they were easier to damage.


    After a while, they came back down. D¡¯s eyes were all red and puffy.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    Eli lowered her voice. ¡°Said she saw one of Medi¡¯s goons. That she knew that he was with ¡®em because of a helmet he had on. Apparently, he¡¯s part of some kind of unit they¡¯ve been planning or something.¡±


    I looked at D, who had sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen counter. For the first time, I had seen her visibly shaken. Visibly shaking, too. Rubbing her mechanical hands together and just staring at the floor. Up until then, I¡¯d pretty much only ever seen her staring straight at her screens, typing without a single hesitation. Seeing her as scared as she was, though, almost made me scared. It made her look like an actual kid.


    ¡°Matty, I¡¯m gonna need you to stay with her a bit. Just while I go get some food, alright?¡±


    The words didn¡¯t really sink in that much, but I nodded anyway. She headed out and D jumped slightly at the door closing.


    ¡°Where is she going?¡± she asked, her voice wavering.


    ¡°Just to get food,¡± I answered, walking over to stand by her.


    ¡°What if she doesn¡¯t come back?¡±


    I looked at her, confused at why she¡¯d ask that. She seemed like she could start crying at any moment.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she?¡± I asked.


    She shrugged. ¡°Maybe MediTech will find her and take her.¡±


    ¡°Do they even know who she is, though?¡±


    Again, she shrugged.


    ¡°Well, either way, I¡¯m sure she could take on one of their thugs. Maybe even more than one, with how easy she took me down and broke my leg.¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, just kept staring at the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll even stay out here with you until she gets back, if you want.¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer, so I just assumed that she had too much pride to admit that she wanted me to stay. Whatever the case, I pulled out the chair next to her and stuck by her side. Even if the reason was only that I didn¡¯t have any other choice, I was there to protect her.


    Was that the only reason I stayed? Thinking about it, I don¡¯t think it was. Not completely, at least. I¡¯m sure that, even then, I felt some amount of indebtedness to both D and Eli. I know I do now. After all, they were the ones who got me out of that room. They gave me a place to live, bought me new clothes. They gave me people to care about.


    I wake up in a panic as I realize I¡¯m late for my shift at the grocery store.


    Except not really. I haven¡¯t worked there in nearly two years. It¡¯s the third time this week that I¡¯ve woken up for the same reason. I guess my body still just associates the feel of an air mattress with retail work. Whatever. Guess I¡¯ll wake up.


    Just like when I still worked over there, I start the day by exercising. Mostly I do stretches and core, back, and shoulder stuff, since I don¡¯t have much left in my arms and legs to work out. After that, I practice punches and kicks, just to keep the muscle memory for them. Finally, I shadowbox. I don¡¯t have anyone to spar with, so it¡¯s my only option for practicing.


    After I exercise, I take a shower. That middle-aged guy brought soap with the groceries. I guess he thought of everything.


    After the shower is breakfast. I bring the helmet D talks through down with me and start cooking. Today¡¯s is eggs. Specifically scrambled, since it¡¯s the only way I know how to make them. I don¡¯t put anything on them.


    I finish eating and toss the paper plate in the same plastic bag I¡¯ve been using for trash all week. Time to wait five hours to see if that middle-aged guy will come over and finally tell me anything about what¡¯s going on. Just, like, stare at a wall and wait, or something. Maybe I¡¯ll see what D has to say later, but I don¡¯t really feel like talking. Really, all this doing nothing is really frustrating. It really is like back after I got fired from me job, but worse because I can¡¯t even go online for anything. Like, I guess I could turn on the phone D had given me, but I don¡¯t want to risk it. I don¡¯t know if they have the info on it.


    ¡°D,¡± I eventually say, checking if she¡¯s plugged in.


    It takes a few seconds for her to answer. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how they track me?¡±


    ¡°Cameras,¡± she says. ¡°They have everyone from the RED unit logged in a facial recognition program connected to every open city camera.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Is that the only thing they track?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Could you check?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I stop what I¡¯m doing and look at ¡°her¡±. ¡°Why not?¡± I ask.


    After a long pause, which is either her thinking of what to say or holding off on saying anything until she knows no one¡¯s listening, she says ¡°I don¡¯t have access to that information.¡±


    Confused, I move to where I know she¡¯ll see me. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t have access? Then why¡¯d you even get yourself taken?¡±


    She¡¯s quiet for a longer amount of time than usual, probably close to a minute. Long enough for me to get frustrated at her not answering. Eventually, she does speak back up.


    ¡°Wait and see,¡± she says. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to talk for some time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®for some time¡¯? For how long?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t answer. At first, I just wait, expecting her to just be taking a while, but one minute becomes five becomes twenty, and it becomes clear that she really isn¡¯t gonna be talking for a while.


    A few hours pass with nothing happening. It really is like after I lost my job, just without being able to go outside. More and more, I¡¯m tempted to turn that phone on and see what¡¯s been happening. Even just local news would be fine. It¡¯s not like I used to check that, either, but I just need something to pass the time, like how I used job boards.


    The doorbell rings. I head downstairs and, like I did before, peek from the other side of the wall. Same as before, it¡¯s the middle-aged guy. However, someone else is with him. I can¡¯t really tell who, though, since they¡¯re off to the side from the door. Whatever, I just open it anyway.


    ¡°He confirmed your information,¡± he says. ¡°And will provide you with whatever resources you need.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to get me a bed and a computer, then. I can¡¯t sleep on an air mattress.¡±


    ¡°A computer?¡± the other person asks, the familiarity in her voice making my heart skip a beat. ¡°You gonna take a page outta D¡¯s book?¡±


    It takes me a second to respond, to collect myself and push down the anger at both her and myself and find the words. ¡°Why are you here, Eli?¡±


    Her usual smile is gone, and it looks like she hasn¡¯t shaved the sides of her head in a while. ¡°What? You didn¡¯t think Ivie would call me to check if D actually knew you?¡±


    I feel myself start to click my teeth, but manage to stop myself. ¡°No,¡± I answer. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    She makes a sound that, at least to me, sounds like it has contempt behind it. I try my best to ignore it, but it¡¯s hard to. ¡°Well, either way, I¡¯ll be staying with you until you find her.¡±


    A single word, which I immediately regret, drops out of my mouth: ¡°Why?¡± Before she gets a chance to answer, I trying to correct myself. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean to ask that, I know why.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, whatever,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go get my bags out of the car real quick.¡±


    She walks off and the middle-aged guy says ¡°I¡¯ll let him know about your requests.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He walks off to help Eli out with her stuff and I head back to the room I¡¯ve been using. They talk to each other while working. What about, I have no idea. I don¡¯t really pay attention to any of it. I almost don¡¯t actually want to hear her voice. At least not right now.


    Eventually, the front door closes and the guy drives off. Eli walks around the bottom floor of the house and eventually starts coming up the stairs.


    ¡°Oh, you were up here,¡± she says. She enters the room and sits next to me on the air mattress. ¡°Matty, I want to ask you some stuff.¡±


    ¡°Ask, then,¡± I say.


    ¡°Okay. How did you know Medi took D?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I assumed it.¡±


    ¡°And you came all the way out here just because of that assumption?¡±


    ¡°What else was I gonna do? You kicked me out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she says, flopping back to lay down. ¡°That was probs a bit impulsive, but can you really blame me?¡±


    Turning to look at her, I see that she¡¯s staring straight at me. I hadn¡¯t noticed earlier, but she has dark bags under her eyes. They don¡¯t really suit her.


    ¡°No,¡± I say. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said what I said. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She looks genuinely surprised at my apology. ¡°Wow, Matty. I thought you had too much pride to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ve had time to think about it. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t regret saying it when I said it, either.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s progress, at least.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I also met up with your cousin, Aurelio. He helped out with that a bit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you know Auris? Or, wait, did you barely meet him, or what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known him since high school. We dated for a while.¡±


    ¡°You dated him? Like, was this before he knew, or¡­?¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Pretty sure he knew the whole time. Just wanted to please his parents, or something.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Sorry you had to go through that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s whatever, we talked it out. Did you know he¡¯s married now?¡±


    ¡°Wait, for real? For how long?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t ask. Apparently, he tried inviting me to the wedding, though. Even called my dad when I didn¡¯t pick up.¡±


    ¡°Dang, he must really like you, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even after I tried to get further from him after graduation.¡±


    I sigh, feeling as if a weight has been taken off my shoulders, even if it¡¯s just a little bit of it.


    ¡°He said he misses you,¡± I say. ¡°Call him if you can, alright? He wants to meet up when we¡¯re finished with all this.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Eli says, sitting back up. ¡°I¡¯ll let him know I¡¯m doing alright soon. For now, though, I gotta unpack.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± I say as she starts heading back out of the room. ¡°Also, I probably should¡¯ve said it earlier, but thanks. For looking out for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fill you in on what I know once you¡¯re done with everything you need to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°So, you were going to fight anyway?¡±


    It was the first time I¡¯d seen him face to face. At I had thought it was face to face at first. The most I could tell that seemed off was how he didn¡¯t move when he talked. I couldn¡¯t completely tell with the helmet, but it didn¡¯t look like his jaw moved when he did.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me that before I broke the door down. Well, let me get ready, then.


    He started to unzip his coat. Before he even got halfway down, I let out a kick, hitting his arm.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t just let me finish, could you?¡± he said before grabbing my leg and pushing down. ¡°Show some sportsmanship and wait, alright?¡±


    Annoyed, I clicked my teeth and started to talk before getting caught off guard by the striking red of his arms. They were the same as the ones that were on me.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a RED, too?¡±


    ¡°Kind of, but not quite.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He dropped down into a boxing stance. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you one last chance. Both you and the one who¡¯s been stealing inf-¡°


    Tired of hearing his voice, I threw out a punch, which he easily dodged and countered with a hit to my face that sent me staggering backwards.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said. ¡°But remember that I gave you a chance to come peacefully.¡±


    That smugness pissed me off, so I threw another punch. That time, he blocked, then countered, hitting me again.


    That continued for a while, me trying to get a hit off on him only to be blocked, dodged, or thrown back with a punch thrown at me for good measure. I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m pretty sure my arms¡¯ ¡°bones¡± got broken a few times, too, taking less time to reform than usual. It was hard to tell in the heat of the moment.


    Eventually, I got a single good hit off from a kick to his head. He actually got staggered.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± he said, panic coming into his voice. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it responding?¡±


    I went in for another kick in his confusion, but he managed to move enough to get under my leg. As my foot landed back on the ground, he closed the gap between us and landed a heavy punch to the side of my head, knocking me down hard.


    ¡°Are you going to come along easy now, or do I need to knock you out?¡± he asked, not sounding even slightly winded.


    For the first time in years, I was disoriented. I probably had a concussion, like when I got into real bad fights at school, but worse. I could barely even move. All I could do was laugh. Laugh at that feeling, laugh at myself for getting beaten so hard, and laugh in his face for thinking I¡¯d give up just from being knocked down.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± he asked, obviously annoyed. Probably already had an emotion he wanted to see from me.


    After a second, I manage to answer. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing here to laugh at, right?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see his expression, but I could¡¯ve sworn there was a killing intent behind his silence. Him pinning me down only confirmed it. He locked his hands together and lifted them up. Looking back, I¡¯m sure he hardened them to make the hit worse.


    Before he could drop his hands onto my head, the sound of a car door and approaching footsteps caught both of our attention. Before he could turn to see who it was, he was cold-cocked into the wall, his helmet falling off as he landed.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± he yelled, his voice coming from the helmet itself. The body didn¡¯t move even slightly. ¡°Put it back on! This isn¡¯t a fair fight! Put it back on now!¡±


    ¡°You alright, Matty?¡± Eli asked, pulling me up to standing.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Get D, I told her to lock herself in the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°You sure you can get to the car on your own?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just get her.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Matty¡¯,¡± the voice in the helmet derisively said. ¡°Don¡¯t think this is over! I¡¯ll keep coming back for you!¡±


    My head still spinning from the hit to the head, the words spilled out of my mouth. ¡°And I¡¯ll beat you down hard when you do.¡±


    Before I was even out the door, D quickly walked past me, a box of hard drives in her arms. Eli gave me her arm to hold onto. I complied, and we left for another town on short notice.


    The helmet sits on the kitchen counter, staring at us as we prepare some soup.


    ¡°So, where¡¯d you get that helmet? You steal it off that guy?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I say. ¡°I think Medi tried using D to do the same thing as that guy. She didn¡¯t really fight me when they sent her out, though. Just kept trying to get me to stop fighting her.¡±


    ¡°Wait, did she talk to you through it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Still does sometimes. Said she won¡¯t be able to for a while though.¡±


    Eli sighs. ¡°Well, at least we know she¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    We both go quiet as we cut up the vegetables. Carrots, cabbage, zucchini, et cetera. The chicken goes in later. All of it, including the pot it goes in, Eli had bought earlier. I¡¯ve never actually made soup, but it seems like she has.


    ¡°Matty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not messing with me about the helmet thing, right?¡±


    The question makes me stop what I¡¯m doing. I keep myself from looking at her. I know it¡¯ll be worse if I do.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± I ask, pushing down the slight simmer the distrust has brought up in me.


    She sighs. ¡°You¡¯re right, sorry. I guess I just¡­¡± She stops what she¡¯s doing, too. ¡°I dunno. It¡¯s just I¡¯d been taking care of her for a couple years, so I don¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t just come to me about it.¡±


    The heat has gone back down. For a second, I consider my words. I can¡¯t just say the first thing that comes to mind anymore. ¡°She said she didn¡¯t want to get you involved,¡± I say. ¡°She probably came to me after she left since they were already after me.¡±


    ¡°But she already got me involved by asking me to help her in the first place!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I told her. Though, do they know your name?¡±


    She¡¯s quiet for a bit, probably trying to think of if they would or not.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she finally says.


    ¡°Then probably that.¡±


    Again, she sighs. ¡°Yeah, but I still wish she would¡¯ve asked me for help.¡±


    I get back to preparing the vegetables. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be helping her now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    She gets back to working on what she had been doing.


    Not that long after, we finish putting everything into the pot with the broth.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna sleep for a bit,¡± I say. ¡°Wake me up when it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll also sleep. I¡¯ll set an alarm for, like, five minutes before.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As I walk into the room I¡¯ve been using, I realize that the tapping sound from Eli¡¯s phone is still pretty much right behind me. I turn to see that she¡¯s following me in.


    ¡°You gonna sleep with me, or what?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t have a bed, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever, I guess. Just try not to move around a lot.¡±


    We both get onto the small air mattress. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve slept in the same bed as someone. It¡¯s to the point that I almost can¡¯t fall asleep being this close to her. Eventually, though, I do.


    It¡¯s been only relatively recently that I¡¯ve noticed the hum of this city. I don¡¯t know if there was one back home, but there definitely is one here. The lights, the people milling about, the nearby passing cars, and the ones further out on the expressways between Medi¡¯s buildings. It¡¯s like they¡¯re all carrying the same electricity, passing it between each other. Even while I sleep, I feel that hum inside me.


    I¡¯m woken up by someone lightly shaking my shoulder.


    ¡°Soup¡¯s ready,¡± Eli says.


    ¡°Did the alarm go off?¡± I groggily ask.


    ¡°Yeah, you slept through it. I gave you another half hour.¡±


    I sit up and wipe my eyes. ¡°You could¡¯ve woken me up earlier.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve let it get cold before you could get any. ¡®Sides, you look like you aren¡¯t getting a lot of sleep.¡±


    ¡°Like you¡¯re one to talk,¡± I say as I get out of bed. ¡°You didn¡¯t even have those bags last time I saw you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true. But I¡¯m sure you already get why I have ¡®em now.¡±


    I just say ¡°yeah¡± and head off into the kitchen. Even at the top of the stairs, I can smell it. Once I get down there, I get one of the cheap plastic bowls the middle-aged guy brought with the groceries last week and just scoop some soup out with it.


    ¡°I got the ladle for a reason, you know.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry. I¡¯m still kind of asleep.¡± After drying off the bottom of the bowl with a paper towel, I start eating at the part of the counter opposite of the oven.


    The soup¡¯s good. The tastes of the chicken, vegetables, and broth mix well. I can¡¯t really compare it to any of the other kinds of soup that I¡¯ve had, since I haven¡¯t had any in some years. I can¡¯t really remember them that well.


    Eli¡¯s the one to break the silence. ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan, Matty?¡±


    I finish chewing on a piece of chicken before answering. ¡°I¡¯m gonna connect the phone D gave me to the computer I asked for.¡±


    ¡°Why? Did she tell you to?¡±


    ¡°Nah, she told me not to connect it to anything unless it¡¯s brand new or hers. Wouldn¡¯t tell me why.¡±


    She seems to give it some thought before simply asking ¡°That it?¡±


    Her question catches me off guard. ¡®Is that it¡¯? I mean, I guess. I didn¡¯t really head over here with a plan aside from ¡°find a way to get D back¡±. How was I supposed to even think of one when I was kicked out so suddenly? And it¡¯s not like D has given me enough information to come up with one.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out the rest after I check if it does anything.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± she says before walking off to some other area of the house.

 EX-001: FLYER

    North Valley City, at the university, around noon.


    You enter the student union from the east side, coming in from the liberal arts building. As soon as you do, the smells of food and coffee fill your nose and the sound of the other students¡¯ chatter fills your ears. You¡¯d get something to eat for yourself, but you can¡¯t really afford to buy anything from any of the food places there. What¡¯s worse, you didn¡¯t have time to make anything for yourself before going to class. You don¡¯t even have time to head back to make something, since it¡¯s not that long until your next class. Before continuing too far into the building, you stop at the bulletin board to check what¡¯s posted there.


    Flyers for clubs, upcoming classes, and events, mostly. The usual stuff. There is one in particular that catches your attention, though.


    ¡°MEDICAL STUDY PARTICIPANTS NEEDED¡±, printed all in large, bold print. ¡°Short on cash or just want to contribute to medical progress? Contact us and see if you qualify to participate! Whether you qualify or not, you will be compensated for your time!¡±


    Below that text is a list of contact information. An email address, phone number, physical address, and QR code. Not wanting to spend much more time in the student union, you pull out your phone to take a pic of the flyer. It sounds a bit sketchy, but you can check on that later. After all, you do need money. Before you can take the picture, though, the camera picks up the QR code and redirects you to the browser.


    ¡°The Medical Technologies Company¡± is written right at the top. MediTech. Maybe it is legit, after all. You check the URL. Yup, it¡¯s definitely the official website. Scrolling down, most of the information is just more detailed versions of what¡¯s written on the flyer. Nothing new there aside from the button to apply. You bookmark the page and head off to class for now, leaving the student union from the south side and heading to one of the southeast buildings.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Your next class comes and goes. Since you¡¯re still hungry, you have a hard time focusing. That¡¯s not even mentioning the thought of that MediTech thing. Thinking about it, maybe participating in it would look good on your resume. After all, you came down here pretty much exclusively to try to get a job there after you graduate. Whatever the case, you head back to your dorm room, getting onto your computer as soon as you do.


    You open your browser and look up ¡°meditech study legit¡±. Luckily, it came up on autocomplete. Even more luckily, one of the first results is a thread on that exact topic.


    ¡°i saw a flyer up in the library for some study they¡¯re holding. is it legit?¡±


    ¡°The qr code goes to their website so I think so¡±


    ¡°one of my friends signed up for it. he said they just gave him a physical and told him he didn¡¯t qualify a couple weeks later. still gave him the money tho, so probably legit¡±


    After a few more fairly positive comments like that ¡ª people saying they or their friends didn¡¯t qualify, but that they still got paid ¡ª a couple negative ones pop up, all with multiple dislikes on them.


    ¡°don¡¯t do it! they told my friend he qualified and he hasn¡¯t come back! i think they¡¯re using him for human experiments!¡±


    The first comment attached to that one says, ¡°this isn¡¯t the conspiracy sub¡±. Another reads ¡°yeah right, like the biggest medical company in texas could get away with that¡±. The other comments against the study basically have the same kinds of comments attached to them, people saying the people who posted them are spreading fake rumors or that they¡¯re not looking for conspiracies. Overall, you get the idea that the study¡¯s a real thing that MediTech is running.


    You head over to the MediTech page and read through it again. ¡°Generally, applications will take two to three weeks to process. We will call you to confirm your availability for a physical, after which we will need another two to three weeks to process whether or not you qualify.¡±  The semester¡¯s nearly over, so that¡¯d be enough time for you to participate and not miss anything.  And it¡¯s not like you have a job right now, either. What could the harm be, right?


    The application simply asks for your name, contact information, and address. ¡°Any further questions will be asked over the phone or in person.¡± You put your information and hit "Submit".


    Now to wait.