I'm back!
17 wouldn't let me out of his sight for quite some time afterwords. Even after I had fully recovered from the wounds I had acquired from my last battle, he still kept me under tight supervision.
"Where are you going?" he'd ask in an irritable tone every time I wandered over to the windows or the door, looking up from the television as though I was a child who needed constant watching.
I can't say I was grateful. I can't say he was wrong in looking out for me. I don't know what compelled me to allow him to act like my caretaker, but it gave both of us a sense of security we had never thought we'd need.
"No where," I'd snap back, throwing him a disgusted look. "Leave me the hell alone."
"I would," was the usual answer, accompanied by a smirk, "but you've grown so weak I don't think you'd come back if I let you go."
As far as memories go, androids like 17 and I had enough space in our hard drives to last us until we could no longer function. We remembered every detail of every moment, every scent, every touch. It was both a blessing and a curse in disguise, for it would take more than a mere virus to clear my memory base of what events took place the next night.
Relaxing on the couch as my brother watched yet another pathetic television show, I had my legs tucked up near my chest, my head resting against the armrest. I wasn't paying much attention to 17; in fact, I wasn't paying much attention to anything in general. My eyes were heavily unfocused as I stared at the wall. I hadn't left the cliff side lab for over a week, and I felt stiff all over. I had actually caught myself glancing at the television on several occasions, hungry for something that would help pass the time. Disgusted with myself when I realized that I was sinking to my brother's lazy, mind-numbing ways, I would quickly leave the room.
"You look like hell." 17 commented, glancing over at me as a commercial came on. A catchy jingle played out, advertising a new brand of Capsule Corp. Car models. It had been the first thing he'd said to me all day.
Scowling, I continued to stare at the wall. "Fuck you."
He grinned, shaking his head. "You sound like hell, too."
"The only thing that's more repulsing than being stuck here is the amount of television you watch, 17."
"You do your thing, and I'll do mine," he replied, turning up the volume.
I stood, shooting another intense glare his way. I had been able to tolerate him less and less over the last week. Turning to head towards the bathroom, I flicked my hair angrily over my shoulder, growing fond of the idea of a bath.
"Hey," 17 called to my back, looking over at me. "Stop sulking and find something to do with me. Y'know, a little brother/sister bonding time."
With a smirk on my face, I looked back. "I can hardly imagine what that would involve, 17."
He grinned at me, knowing that the proposition of getting out of the lab was too much for me to pass up. He was once again proving that he knew me better than I cared to admit. "There's this new arcade down near the shopping center of a town not too far from here."
I rolled my eyes. "Get real, 17, that's hardly worth my time."
"A little fresh air will get rid of those bags under your eyes," he shot back, relying on me taking the bait. "You look almost a hundred years old. I think you're gathering dust like the toaster in the kitchen."
Narrowing my eyes, I crossed my arms, letting him get the best of me. "So, where's this arcade, you lummox?"
Something about the wind on my face seemed to bring me back to life. I suddenly had energy I didn't know the origins of, but my body tingled as though I'd been sleeping for far too long. The evening was young, but the sun had long set. 17 was amusing himself by shooting random ki blasts at large pine trees that lined the highways leading to and from the town we were heading towards. His laughter echoed across the deserted roads as tree after tree collapsed to the ground amidst an explosion of wood and dirt.
"Timber!!" he shouted, sounding like a little child. He cackled, clutching his sides as he flipped in mid air, flying on his back. So immature.
"Is that all you can do?" I called to him over the wind, and his eyes glinted as a grin spread across his face.
"Think you can do better?" he returned, flinging another energy blast at a particularly large tree. It creaked and groaned loudly as its trunk erupted from the ground, its branches shedding their needles as it hit the road, blocking it off from any traffic that might happen to pass by in the near future.
"Of course," I snapped, fisting my hands and releasing a blinding wave of small blasts, uprooting several trees and sending them flying. My spirits lifted and I felt wonderful for the first time in a week. Taking part in dumb competitions with my brother always seemed to cheer me up.
He laughed, shaking his head. "Nice try, 18, but how about this?" Bringing his hands together, his body glowed as he powered up, aiming for a small group of trees that appeared to be secluded from the rest. In a quick flash of light, the trees were gone.
"Show off." I grumbled, as he began to descend, the small town just below us. Rather than teleporting to save time, I let the wind lift my hair from my shoulders as I dropped in altitude, closing my eyes as my feet touched down on concrete pavement.
The town was just as small as I had imagined, composed of a small street of shops that eventually lead to the suburban area it supported. The arcade wasn't hard to find; it seemed to be the hot spot of the town, or so I gathered, noticing an acute crowd of teenagers standing around. Several were smoking cigarettes, laughing and joking with their friends. 17 and I fit perfectly among the crowd as we pushed our way into the building, but we couldn't have been more different. Oddly enough, I didn't feel out of place.
The only thing 17 loved more than mass destruction and mind rotting television, was arcade games. His favorites were Pac-Man and Galaga, titles that meant nothing to me. I had never played an arcade game before. It had always seemed so childish, so boring. But 17 seemed to be grinning from ear to ear as he made his way towards the nearest game.
Giving the machine a kick to start it up and avoid popping quarters into the slot, my brother grabbed the joystick and proceeded to play the game. I leaned against it, my arms crossed as I looked up at the ceiling. Music blared from speakers that were hooked up with far too many wires, and the smell of smoke was heavy in the air. I sighed. This hadn't been my idea of a good time. 17 cursed under his breath as the game beeped, signaling a game over. Kicking the machine again, he started up a new game, the screen reflected in his eyes.
"Hey, gorgeous," came a voice, and I glanced over to see a boy walking towards me, a pair of shady sunglasses pulled halfway down his nose. "Wanna get a drink with me?"
"Get lost." I waved him off, scowling. His breath smelled heavily of alcohol. He laughed, leaning against the wall, stopping me from getting away. 17 didn't move, still pressing buttons and jerking the joystick back and forth, but I saw his eyes flick to the boy, narrowing in suspicion.
"Aw, c'mon, babe, just one," the stranger tried again, grinning lopsidedly. "I'm not such a bad guy once you get to know me."
"She said get lost, imbecile." my brother grumbled, losing his concentration in the game, causing the screen to flash the words, 'game over' once more. He turned to face the boy, his eyes still narrowed.
"Who do you think you are, huh, pal? Let the lady make her own decisions." the boy snapped at 17, eyeing him up and down. "Don't be such a punk."
Before the boy could turn to me again, 17 had grabbed him around the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air. The boy's sunglasses clattered to the floor as he struggled helplessly to get free. "Hey!? Let go of me!" I merely watched, still leaning against the machine. A few bystanders looked over, excited at the prospect of a fight. Soon a small crowd was gathered around the three of us, and people were cheering.
"Perhaps I should teach you a little respect, you drunken fool," 17 smirked, tightening his grip on the boy's shirt. With a flick of his wrist, my brother easily sent him flying into the opposite wall. A sickening crunch sounded throughout the room as the boy hit the concrete at an odd angle, sliding down to the floor in a drunken heap. By now the other people in the arcade had put two and two together and were well aware of what was going on and who 17 and I were.
"Someone call the police!" came a brave human's voice, breaking the terrified silence. At the sound of the cry, several people screamed, and there was a mad dash for the door. There were more panicked screams as 17 began to laugh. "It's the androids!"
Standing straight, I exchanged glances with my brother.
"Nice job," I snapped, looking over at the lifeless body of the womanizing boy. A dribble of blood coming from his parted lips stood out against his now pale skin. "You scared them off."
"We'll just have to hunt them down, then--" he began to answer, but suddenly caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the owner of the arcade making a horrified run for the exit. "Hey, you!"
Not looking back, the owner picked up his pace, trying desperately to get away. 17 phased out and reappeared before the man, stopping him in his tracks. The owner was a short, middle aged human who seemed to be suffering from male-pattern baldness. He whimpered frantically, falling backwards onto the ground. He scooted away, yelping loudly. "You own this place, right?" 17 asked, looking amused at the man's terrified expression. "I'm talking to you, human; answer me!"
The owner of the arcade nodded quickly, scrambling to his feet. I could see him shivering. I shook my head.
"Then you'd be willing to give me some tokens for a free game, wouldn't you?" my brother continued, walking towards the man, backing him up against the far wall. The balding human cried out as his back pressed against the concrete.
"Of course! Anything you say, anything at all! Just please don't hurt me, please!!"
"There's nothing that disgusts me more than a useless human pleading for his life." 17 spat, looking down at the owner. He motioned to the boy's lifeless body. "You want to end up like that? Hm?"
"N-no! I'll give you as many free games as you'd like--I'll give you anything you want! Please--!" The man shook his head, burying his face in his hands as he began to sob out of pure terror. 17 clicked his tongue, looking unamused.
"Hey, 17, watch this." I said, reaching out my hand and pushing against the nearest arcade game. It fell to the floor easily, the chord that plugged it into the wall straining heavily as the machine smashed against the ground. Sparks flew in all directions, until finally the machine exploded in an array of colors. "Looks like these games are more amusing than they seem."
My brother laughed, glancing at the owner of the arcade, who was still crying into his palms. "Do it again, 18."
Stepping closer to another machine, I tipped it over gently until it, too, crashed to the floor and erupted in sparks until it exploded, lighting up the building momentarily. 17 grabbed yet another machine and pulled it from the wall, tossing it into the air and tossing a ki blast straight for it, causing it to explode in a new way. Grinning at each other, we set out to put on a show, destroying machines and marveling at the sparks it caused.
Somewhere in all the fun, the man slipped away, running faster than he'd probably ever run in his life. He left 17 and me to demolish his new business, never once looking back.
Soon after, we left the arcarde in rubble, setting out to find a new source of fun. We found the streets deserted, shops left abandoned as their keepers had run for safety. 17 and I were quite alone. I glanced over to see a clothing store; it's door had been left wide open, the lights still on. Letting my love for fashion get the best of me, I headed over to look for something new to wear. It was about time I treated myself. 17 rolled his eyes in irritation, sighing loudly.
"Christ, 18, not more clothes?"
"I didn't ask you to come with me, idiot," I called back, entering the store and looking around. It smelled of cotton and polyester, and I ran my hands along the racks of new shirts.
And as I was trying on a new pair of suede sandals, I looked up just in time to see the night sky ignite with sudden blasts of light, causing a massive explosion that shattered the windows of the clothing store. Shielding my eyes from the shards of glass flying through the air, I let my vision adjust as I struggled to see.
He had arrived.