This is actually a third story about my favourite set of characters : Lavi, Yuu, Leo, Sharon, Alice, Elliot (first two are still under proofreading but will be posted one day =))
AU : internet super-development and apocalypse. Prologue includes three short parts about the past, present and future of the world I created and the characters.
All characters belong to their authors. Story is mine.
Comments are greatly appreciated.
000.00011 I was
The tiny room of a small flat was filled with all kinds of emergency provisions. The heavily pregnant woman had quite some difficulty maneuvering between the boxes of canned food and first aid kits. She found it both extremely annoying and unbelievably sweet that her husband gathered all the stuff in their very limited space. With the baby coming we can't leave it all to chance, he said, we have to be prepared.
She huffed irritated when she pushed one of the smaller boxes off to the floor. She crouched down slowly to lift it up and then moved up, breathing deeply. Damn, it was getting tiresome, she mused and stroked her belly, feeling the baby move under her skin.
She glanced at the widescreen on the wall and frowned. The news lady was all smiles and sunshine, saying how the world was the best place to live in and how the times were fine and beautiful.
'How stupid you think we are,' the woman muttered with a shake of her head and went to the kitchen, trying her best to ignore the ceaseless noise of the TV that could not be switched off.
The world was brewing, this she knew without getting too much into details of what was happening. There was something going on and you could feel it in the air. The uneasiness and anxiety were thick and sticky, digital and physical outbursts of discontent more and more frequent. The world was shaking in all possible dimensions and the silly talk from worldwide media was only fueling it all up. In the world where you could find everything and everyone without much effort the soothing and idyllic talk was like a fairy tale for the biggest blockheads. Or those who chose not to know. She, however, was pretty much aware of how the media was slowly but surely taking away their freedom and privacy. How they were influencing them and brainwashing the weakest ones. She knew because her husband was trying to stop it with his computer skill and net of people alike. That's why they were ready at any time to leave and hide.
The woman shook away the troubling thoughts and busied herself with preparing whatever she could for the dinner. She made her work swift and was about to finish when she heard heavy, rushed footsteps on the staircase. In no time, her husband burst into the flat, breathless, anxious.
'Shelly, honey, we're going,' he panted out and grabbed her hand. She twisted it away.
'What are you talking about?' she demanded and stood up to his burning gaze. He sighted exasperated, took a deep breath to calm himself and waved towards the East.
'They are coming, the army or however you call it. They're coming fast and we need to get to the safe place now,' he explained patiently. She watched him for a moment and then glanced at the widescreen where the lady was talking about the rebirth of natural environment in the peaceful times of high awareness. She sighted and made to follow her husband, who was already standing by the doors, emergency bag in his hand. This was ridiculous, she mused, and then stopped rooted to the spot when she felt a strong contraction. She took a few deep breaths under the panicked gaze of her husband. She looked up at him and smiled lightly and made to move on.
She stopped again with a pained gasp as a stronger contraction squeezed her from the inside.
'Honey, will you bear till the safe place?' the man asked extremely worried. She wanted to answer but what left her mouth was another gasp. She felt her legs give in momentarily and he caught her falling. She was breathing heavily now.
After what felt like eternity she calmed down and looked up at her husband apologetically. She asked for a bit more to be able to get up and he assured her that they would probably be fine in their flat anyway. She wanted to add something more but then a sudden thought hit her: it was silent.
She looked around and saw the widescreen transmission frozen and blinking. And then it disappeared. For a moment the only sound was their breaths. They looked at each with wide eyes, with a mix of worry and anxiety.
Then, an unidentified noise started and it was getting louder with every quickening heartbeat. Soon enough, both of them were trying to block out their ears, screaming to minimize the influence of the high, constant screeching sound. It did not take long before they both passed out.
The woman came back to her senses to the annoying, constant ringing in her ears. She whimpered as she lifted herself up from the floor, feeling the pulsating headache dull her senses. She tried covering her ears in the silly attempt at blocking the sounds but it changed nothing.
She stopped abruptly when she felt her hand wet and sticky. She looked at her shaking hand and hasped panicked, seeing it all covered in blood. What the hell happened?
She turned sharply to her husband, panic rising in her, breathing coming in short gasps. She saw him, lying motionless on the floor, blood trailing down his skin from ears, nose, mouth and eyes. She screamed helplessly and bitter tears fell down her cheeks. She moved over to him and hugged his still figure, crying herself into exhaustion.
She was out of tears and energy when she felt her contractions start once again. Despite her fatigue she cried in sudden pain and protest. Her voice sounded strangely muffled by the static in her ears but she couldn't care less as her baby girl chose that most inconvenient moment to be born.
000.00010 I am
The darkness was surrounding him, filling his mind and senses. It was the thick cocoon around his whole self-awareness and it was wrapped tightly around him.
He heard a sound. It punctured the deep silence painfully. It brought sharp and sudden pain, piercing his skull through and filling it to the brim. He wanted to scream but he couldn't find his voice.
He felt he was hyperventilating and he looked up panicked.
The blackness cleared with a blink or two and he saw the urban night stretch before him. He saw countless lights gleaming and glittering below and in front of him. He saw black towers against the desaturated sky that never becomes completely black, instead carrying a cold, artificial glow. He heard the constant buzz of life and existence flow around him and drown him inside.
There was a giggle against the noise.
A shadow entered his field of vision and it swayed as if dancing. There was another giggle and he blinked the silhouette into focus. A girl stopped in front of him and looked down on him. Was he sitting? No, he was kneeling on the cold, wet rooftop.
The girl bounced over to him and crouched to even their eye levels. She tilted her head to the side playfully and watched him for a moment completely still.
She reached out with her hand and he tried to back away in reflex, however, he hasn't moved an inch. He was restrained and he realized it only then. The girl smiled widely and insanely. She caressed his cheek eerily, her nails grazing his skin ever so slightly. Why the hell did he feel it?
She jumped away as suddenly as she neared him. She went to the edge of the roof and started walking there and back again, swaying, dancing. She started humming some merry melody as she dared the wind to push her over. There was no wind, damn it!
She did a dangerous pirouette and, in the reflex of grabbing her, he stretched his muscles against his momentarily forgotten restraints. However, he stayed pinned to his place and she never lost her balance. She stood there with her back to him, her arms spread to the sides as if she wanted to embrace the whole dirty, noisy city beneath her.
'You said you never wanted to die a plain death,' she sang in a quiet and soft voice. 'You said you wanna die like movie starts with a bang and blaze and blast.' She gazed at him over her shoulder and smiled widely. It was only then that he registered her pale, fair skin reflecting the city lights around. It was only then that he noticed her dark hair gleaming against the black buildings, flowing as if on the night wind. And he saw her eyes, myriads of golden specs dancing in them, contrasting with deep violet irises.
She turned around, amused by his careful gaze. She laughed out loud and clear and danced a few steps along the edge. And then she screamed at the top of her lungs.
'You said you wanna die like stars, shine brightly and explode in millions of lights! You wanna die falling, crashing down like a comet, burning and destroying as you go!' She stopped on the spot and turned to him, her gleaming eyes catching his mind, her mischievous grin making him anxious.
'Watch me fall as you always wished to!' she sang quietly in a ringing voice, delighted and cheerful, she laughed spreading her arms and staring to the sky and screamed. 'Watch me dance in the countless lights as your dreams shatter and scatter around me! Watch me shine brightly in the unstopping light of the never sleeping city of despair and lies! Watch me explode in millions of shards that rain down on those watching, remembering!' With that she took a step backwards.
He jumped up with a soundless cry. Velvet restraints bruised his skin painfully and they slid down his wrists. He fell forward with the unexpected speed, watching mesmerized as the girl was slowly disappearing behind the edge. She was smiling widely, watching him fly towards her.
He woke up with a jolt as he fell painfully from his bed. The heavy collision with the floor drew air from his lungs and for a moment he lay there breathless, his body trembling and fighting for oxygen. Tears fell down his cheek and his heart was racing heavily, unpleasantly. He squeezed his eye shut.
It took him quite some time to calm down enough to get up. On trembling legs he went to his bathroom and washed his face with cold water to help his mind clear away the disturbing images. His head was throbbing mercilessly and the pain originated from the same place as usual - his right eye socket.
He had to fight the urge to scratch away what was there, winning over the instincts only because he knew it'd just make things worse, he'd make it bleed again.
Fucking dream, he thought angrily and smashed his fist into the wall. Fucking dream that strangely always made him wonder if it really is only this. After all, some dreams and nightmares were real in this freaking world, he knew that.
He looked up at his tired reflection in the mirror.
Should I know this girl? He mused and let a string of curses leave his mouth. Like hell he should! He never met her. She was the sick projection of his mind that existed only to torment him into madness. To make him lose it one day.
He closed the water angrily and went back to his bedroom, taking painkillers and a glass of water on his way.
Wonder where the dream will end next time, he thought mockingly as he fell onto his bed, aching all over his goddamn body. That, however, did not stop him from falling asleep almost immediately, the violet brilliant eyes still in the back of his mind.
000.00001 I will be
The girl logged off immediately from her master machine and checked the time: it was just perfect to go to the club. She changed quickly into some fitting clothes and went about the flat switching off all the equipment. On her quick way she grabbed a powerful but rather small headgear and put it on as she sped down the stairs. She mounted her motorbike and rushed through the City and outside the Wall. Would she be able to find the fleeting light?
But then another thought appeared in her head: what if They were trying to lure her out?
What if Leo, whatever his group was, was trying to pull her deeper, even in real life?
Then again, finding someone's digital imprint and connecting it to a physical body was impossible, right?. Even if They noticed her doings in Connex They would never possibly know who she was. Neither would Leo.
Did she, by any chance, let it slip where she was working? She tried hard to go through all the parties she had, but damn it, the alcohol was always too much as the nights progressed. She was sure, however, that she'd never rant about her work or anything. Not even to the certain redhead bartender who was always so eagerly serving her drinks.
Was he doing that on purpose?
Could he possibly know what she was digging into?
But she was only doing it for a short time and the guy was acting the same ever since she saw him first a few years before. Back then she did nothing suspicious. Was it a trap set ever since she started her work? Was he in league with Leo?
The weirdo guy from Wall once said that it was all visible in the eyes and then pinned her with his sparkling, violet ones. But the redhead looked perfectly normal! Despite the eyepatch, she remembered and wondered, not for the first time, what it was hiding. Always, when she stared at him for a fraction too long or too curiously he diverted her attention quite efficiently. He was really good at that. Maybe she could try asking outright? But then, if he was with Them she'd be in real danger, showing her interest. Shit.
However, all her grand plans went to hell when, arriving to Batcave Industries, she learned that the redhead was not there. She cursed her bad luck but decided to stay nevertheless. She ordered her drink and scanned the room for any signs of Them. The night looked like it'd be long.
Few drinks and lots of empty talk later she finally caught an interesting sight. There was a small mixed group in the lounge that had a strange aura around them. They never moved from the spot just sat there, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. They looked suspiciously calm and twitchy at the same time, strangely present and absent. She saw them all wearing Connex plugins on their heads, poorly hidden in their hair or under their clothes. Their minds were probably not there anyway.
And then one of them moved.
One of the guys blinked and frowned and then looked up straight at her.
She stood there frozen to the spot, returning the careful gaze, although where he was frowning, she was starting to panic. How was that possible?
The man smirked slightly and then three of his companions twitched and got up from their seats. With no delay they moved through the crowd straight at her.
She acted out of reflex, completely without thinking. She turned on the spot and made it fast for the back exit she frequently used. She all but run through the parking lot and jumped onto her motorbike. She set off to the sound of fired guns and sped down the empty street not looking back and it was only just before the Outer Wall East Gate that she realized they followed. She cursed against the blowing wind and took the long and twisted route around the City. The maze of turns made them all slow down but it also prevented them from shooting at her and she disappeared behind the corners before they could aim. But damn they kept to her tail!
A thousand thoughts swirled inside of her head as she rode. A thousand questions without answers. What actually did They want from her? Did They know somehow that she was digging around? What did They want from her?
She almost lost control over the bike when she suddenly realized one thing. The Wall weirdo knew she was digging around. Even if she never told him she was actually sniffing around, he was constantly taunting her with strange questions and disturbing facts. He sure goddamn knew she'd catch the bait. Asshole.
She turned yet another corner and passed the Inner Wall, furious with her naïveté. The freaking idiot played her like a puppet and she did what he wanted.
Was the redhead also in this?
She almost fell out from the sharp turn when the streets were becoming narrower and narrower. Damn she went too deep into the Centre. If she continued on she'd step into the most inner zone of the City in no time and people say strange things about the area. She never went there, not wanting to prove the stories true or wrong on her own skin. And now, now she was heading straight into it, she realized with a curse. And with the chase on her tail she had no real choice.
She turned one last time and sped down the street straight into the Old Market Square. She stopped right before the buildings there and turned around to face her opponents. She took out the gun she carried with herself but never used outside the training room. She aimed at them and watched them stop uncertain right before the area's agreed border.
They looked sideways at each other and with no more delay neared her.
She took in a deep breath and aimed.
A high, metallic screech resounded around them and there was long, low rumble that bounced from the walls. For a few seconds they all stood surprised, in a complete silence. And when They turned around to flee, They all stopped abruptly, their bodies bent backwards and they screamed terrifyingly. Their voiced mingled with the sound of electric discharge and they all fell to the ground motionless.
The hell was that, she thought as she watched the scene stunned. She hasn't budged in inch, too afraid the same thing would happen to her. However, when the pitiful cries stopped, silence reigned again, with even the wind absent.
'So you came here finally,' a voice said way too close behind her and she couldn't suppress a shiver. She didn't recognize its cold and steel-sharp timbre and she knew it did not bring anything good.
She wanted to say something to that but what left her mouth was a terrible cry as electricity passed through her body. The pain was unbelievable and she knew she would not be able to withstand it long. She felt every bit of her body burning and freezing in the same moment, she felt all her cells vibrate ceaselessly. And it hurt, it hurt so goddamn much. Blinding light filled her eyes and the only sound left was her own scream.
It all stopped as suddenly as it started, but when it did, the darkness took her.