Vera almost counted every second it took for the door to open in front of her. She glanced back but for only a moment to see how the rainy weather was only getting worse. Finally, she heard the door unlock before opening.
"Can I hel-" Vera's father spoke in Russian. He choked on his words when Vera lowered her hood so her father could see her whole face. He looked the exact same, just a tad bit older. He was clean shaven, had brown eyes- her blue eyes were from her mother- and he had short, jet black hair.
"H-hey dad…," Vera smiled sadly. "It's me."
Artyom stood in utter shock and disbelief. He couldn't find words to say. The only thing that managed to come out of his mouth was, Wh-who are you?"
"It's me," Vera said again, placing her shaky hands over her chest. "Dad, it's me, Vera."
Artyom shook his head, the door was wide open now as he took several steps back, "No, no. M-my Vera died- she- She died in a bombing."
"I didn't die dad," Vera said. She took a few steps forwards until she was inside the house too. Her father didn't object. "I was caught in the bombing but I lived." She noticed how her father was still highly unsure but also how he continued to stare at her eye.
"No," he spoke again. "My daughter isn't a hanzer."
Vera frowned. "I was made like this…," she pointed at her eye briefly then held out her hands, palms up, "It was how I could live. I-I don't like it either but I'm able to see you again; it's the reason why I'm able to come home."
Artyom looked down at Vera's hands that were still shaking badly. His eyes drifted to her pale face and baggy eyes, "Are you on drugs?"
Vera shook her head quickly, hesitated, then shrugged shortly, "I was.. but not anymore! I'm quitting. I haven't had a hit in a while now… i-it's the only reason why I'm shaking b-but I'll be better soon. I promise dad."
Artyom immediately threw his hand up, "Don't call me that."
"What?" Vera quickly said, taken aback. "But da- it really is me, Vera, your daughter. …. I was going to Florida to live with mom and go to the best university I could find for my art. … I talked to you right before the attack."
Artyom had paled dramatically. It seemed as though he did believe her, he just didn't like what he was hearing. "But you're…. You're a freak now. You're worse off than dead now.."
His words hurt far more than she thought they would. Her fears began to plague her mind at the thought of his rejection. "It's okay… I'm learning to live with it. You can too-"
"I will not!" Artyom voice quickly rose and he pointed at the photo of Vera on the mantle. "That is my daughter! Not some strung out hanzer! Why-" He was so hyped from his turmoil of emotions that he almost couldn't talk, "Why- why would you come here?! Why would you do this to me?!"
Vera wanted to faint from how her father was talking to her, "D-d-do what? I just wanted to come home- I just wanted to see you! I love you dad! I miss you! I fucking hate what's become of me and all I've been wanting to do is to run home to you! If anyone could make me accept this- accept myself, it would be you!"
"Why would you," he seemed to ignore her words, "come back?! Why couldn't you just let me believe you to be dead? You had to let me see you again?! Let me see what you've become?!" Artyom immediately turned away and began pacing angrily. He turned on her again, "You are not my daughter! My daughter isn't some fucking hanzer! Augs are the ones who did this attack and they didn't even have enough fucking dignity to let you die human?!" He pointed at her, "Did they turn you into this? This freak? This monster!"
Vera stepped back, she was already crying but she didn't sob before her father. She thought of Adam's words. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of Adam… she needed him right now, "I am human. We all are."
"Shut up," her father spat in disgust. "Don't you dare compare yourself to me!" He then changed the subject, "Do you even have a passport? How are you still here?! You should be in the Utulek Complex with all the other fucking abominations!"
Vera tightened her hand into a fist and looked down, tears falling to the floor as she tried to wake up. She had to be dreaming, right? Otar accepted her. She knew that her father deeply despised augs but she didn't think it'd go this far. She was his own flesh and fucking blood.
"Get out," Artyom's voice sounded broken now. "Leave before I arrest you."
Vera still didn't look up. As she began making her way out of the house, she noticed her father walk to the mantle with her photo.
"You should have stayed dead, Vera…," Artyom said lowly as he took his daughter's photo into his hands. He was crying heavily now. "My sweet girl…."
Vera was gone and even shut the door behind her. She flinched when she heard the photo shatter from the impact of it being thrown against a wall. She stepped off the porch and into the streets, not even putting her hood back up and instead letting the rain hit her directly. She was in shock. She was angry, miserable, depressed, sick, and just wanted to die.
She only made it to the same alley she originally came from when the pain hit her again and she dropped to her hands and knees. Gasping and gagging, Vera sobbed now. She couldn't believe it. The harsh reality was too much and she quickly threw up the muffin she had eaten in the morning.
After several long minutes, Vera was able to stand again and she moved. She didn't know where she was going but she walked slow and weak to wherever she wanted. She neared another alley and saw a man buying Neon from a dealer before running off.
Vera stared like a deer in the headlights at the dealer that didn't notice her. The longer she stared, the more she swore the pain hurt. Fuck it. She was nothing but a strung out hanzer so why not live it. Vera immediately walked towards the other man, getting his attention.
"Get lost," the dealer spat.
"Got color?" Vera asked quickly. She dug in her bag and pulled out some credits.
The dealer looked at her money then back at her in disbelief. "Neon's not for you, hanzer."
Vera was pissed and shook her head, "I'm not fucking around here. I know you have it and I'm willing to buy. I need another hit."
The man stayed as he was for a few moments before looking behind her then back at her. He grinned and his eyes basically turned to dollar signs.
Vera didn't hear the other two men walk up behind her.
"For you, beautiful." The man said as he took out a full capsule of Neon from his pocket. He looked over her credits and nodded as he took them, handing her her purchase in return.
Vera didn't thank him as she turned around to leave but she ran into another man and froze.
The man was tall, taller than Adam as he held a hand up to halt her, "Whoa now. … you know that we can't just let you go off and commit suicide. There's so much of you that we could use…"
Vera looked at the man and then at the other as she backed up into the dealer. She was triangled in by the three and she slipped the Neon in her bag as she glanced between them.
"What do you want from me?" Vera asked.
The second man, a short man, chuckled, "What do you think, sweety?"
Before Vera could move, the dealer snatched her bag strap and threw it off over her head and onto the wet alleyway ground then snatched her coat and tossed her back to hit the wall.
Vera gasped and put her hands out to defend herself as the tall man quickly pressed himself against her and hoisted her off the ground, getting between her legs.
"This will hurt," the tall man promised.
"Not as much as it will you," Vera swore as she grabbed the man by the side of his head, her right hand going from his cheekbone to his ear, and her having a sudden urge to fight. Before the man could go further, she activated the electrical charges in her hand and the man immediately screamed until he fell to the ground in a rough thud.
The man falling forced Vera to fall too due to him holding her and her leg was caught under him.
"The fuck?! What did you do, hanzer?!" The dealer yelled as he was stunned for a moment. Shaking away his hesitation, he and the short man quickly rushed to her, the short man grabbing her free leg and the dealer grabbing her arms and straddling her stomach.
"I guess we can skip that part," the dealer said and grinned, "And we'll skip right to the money maker." he let go of her left hand, not the one she needed free, and casually moved his head away as Vera reached up to shove his face away. With his free hand, he pulled out a switchblade and got it ready.
"How much," he began wickedly, "will that pretty eye of yours go for?"
Vera's eyes widened as the man moved the blade closer to her face. Reacting by immediately closing her eyes and moving her head away, she also swatted at his hand.
"It'll make it worse," the man spoke with amusement. Vera struggled violently, kicking and squirming as she felt the sharp tip touch the corner of her eye lid. She screamed and managed to loosen up her right hand just enough to slip her fingers in a puddle that she lay in, as well as the dealer's leg. Immediately activating the charges, Vera felt her whole body tingle with the current and the man jumped instantly, the blade jerking in his hand and cutting up the side of her head, slicing the link in her forehead that wired to her eye. The result being the glowing gold going out and Vera losing sight in one eye.
"Ah!" The dealer yelped and stood up over her; he had dropped his knife by her head. "The fucking bitch can shock people!"
Vera taking this as the only chance she had, she quickly grabbed the knife by her head and stabbed the dealer in the foot, making his scream in pain. The short man loosened his grip enough for Vera to slide herself out of both his grasp and the weight of the tall man's body.
Vera slid back and stood up as the dealer dealt with his problem while the short man ran at her. Vera was against the wall and waited for the short man to get close. When he did, Vera quickly stepped to the side, grabbing the man by the back of the head and slamming it into the wall, knocking him out immediately. When she whipped her head around to the dealer, he was already charging at her with the knife. Vera stayed put as she grabbed the man's neck on the side and released the charges again.
The knife was lodged deep into Vera's left shoulder as the man was basically cooked under her hand. She didn't let up until she knew he was done.
The dealer hit the ground hard and didn't move at all. Vera was panting and took several steps back, groaning loudly as she had to pull the knife out of her shoulder and dropped it to the ground. She looked at the sight of three men lying before her but not for long as she snatched her bag and ran.
She didn't know how long she had ran but she finally couldn't anymore as she hit her back to a wall and slid to the ground. She cried and looked up, the cold rain hitting her in the face. The realization was hard and terrible as it began to sink in. She just almost got raped and harvested but worse than that, her father had actually disowned her. He would rather her be dead than be augmented. What the fuck had happened to her life?
Vera looked down in defeat. She couldn't stop shaking, her shoulder hurt terribly and she couldn't see out of one eye. She glanced over at her bag and hastily dug through it to retrieve her hit of Neon. She looked at the glowing blue contents and hesitated. Is this all she was now? Vera took a deep breath and moved the capsule to her lips, just to get hit even harder by the pain that continued to get her. She grunted out and her hands shook so much she ended up dropping the Neon.
"Fuck!" Vera cried out loudly and punched the capsule that lay on the ground with her right fist. The plastic capsule immediately shattered under her attack, spreading the contents all over her knuckles and fingers as well as the plastic cutting into her skin.
"Why me?" Vera lowly breathed. "Why did it have to be me- ugh!" she hunched over from another surge. As she squeezed her eyes shut and held her torso, she saw flashes of her life now. She saw Otar, Interpol, Koller, but what drew her the most was Adam. Adam was the last thing that had given her light in her new life. She opened her eyes and looked at her Neon covered hand. She was better than this.
When Vera tried to make herself stand, she found that it became near impossible as she screamed shortly in agony and almost fell again. She didn't realize that the withdrawals would be this harsh; this cruel. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed help.