Beginning Note/ Went on a nice whole month vacation, returned to writing on August first, while suffering from a nasty sunburn.. -peels a bit of skin off her nose-
Seven years she would have to tag along with the programs. It was like a prison sentence when she thought about it. Yet so far, it wasn't all that bad. Five of the allotted time had passed, not slowly, nor quickly. She learned to watch for signs of the Matrix at work, in fact she learned more than she had orginally expected. She'd seen several glimpses of rebels and even a few potentials, and she'd encountered more than she'd like of the agents. Twice she had been near death at their hands. Beaten so badly, bloody and bruised and even shot three different times in, thankfully, none in lethal places. Her heart beat faster when she thought about it. Where before she had nightmares of scary creatures in her closet, now she dreamed of agents and more often than not, the death of Lute. She would awaken, panting loudly, to find one, or both, of the twins in her doorway, most likely summoned by the assortment of noises she had uttered whilst in the midst of the dream.
The twins hadn't changed in a single way. Tall, albino, and silent, they still rarely answered her questions, and when they did, it usually wasn't in such a way that she was satisified. Like the Chesire cat they were. At times she would entertain herself with that thought, for it was the most amusement she had while in the company of the twins. They apparently had no sense of humor, except what they got from her misfortune. Sadistic ones they were.
Yossi now had several different types of guns she carried along with her from place to place. A Browning was almost always somewhere hidden on her body. The twins were right, death had lost it's prominance and she had no problem pulling the trigger. Only a few people had ever been killed by her bullet and only two other rebels. She had yet to ever destroy an agent, however. She was certain it was impossible. This didn't bother her so much, however, the twins were always there, except on those two near-death occassions.
---
For five years Yossi had survived on take-out Chinese and plain sandwiches. She hated cooking, and didn't even think about asking one of the twins to make dinner, and so her menu was very limited. Breakfast was usually had at the hotel if they provided, in which she would happily rise early enough just for that. And the current hotel they were inhabiting had obliged to take the wake-up call Yossi had scheduled at seven a.m. She slowly dressed, took note that the twins had left sometime earlier, and followed the scent of donuts, muffins, and eggs. A sparse dinner the night before had left her stomach aching. Consequently, she was ravenous when she made it to the breakfast area. A few people found her entertaining enough to watch, these must have been tourists, getting an early rise to miss the morning traffic. Crowded around them were their yawning children who prodded their eggs with their silver forks. They must have been too exhausted to watch as Yossi wolfed down her several donuts, two plates of eggs, and finally nibbled at her muffin and left the lone biscut only half eaten. Finally she sat back and peered over the shoulders of her audience at the morning news on the t.v. in the sitting area. The normal world is what it represented, and how drawl and boring it seemed now. Honestly it had bored her from the beginning, she rarely even watched t.v. when she lived in her tiny apartment, and only watched cartoons before then. She was seventeen now, and hardly missed the animated features of what little childhood she had had.
Stretching, she rubbed her full stomach and noisly pushed her chair from the small round table and threw her trash away on her route back to the hotel room. She didn't make it further than the lobby when she caught sight of the twins walking in and heading in her direction. She faintly smiled and waited for them, by the time they made it to her side she quietly burped and yawned loudly.
"They have a nice breakfast here, you guys should try it," she had never stopped asking them to eat, even when they repeatedly declined. It was just something to fill the void of conversation. Despite her quiet disposition, she had grown used to the company of the twins. Normally in a crowd she would sit quietly, it wasn't hard to over look her all together. "I enjoyed it, at least.." she said while sighing contentedly.
"We need to leave early today," the twins statement surprised Yossi, and she remembered the tourist family in the breakfast room. She didn't question their decision though.
Instead she turned quiet and stood behind both in the back of the elevator, where she couldn't repress a yawn. After eating she was typically drowsy. The elevator chimed, alerting it's occupants that they had arrived at their destination, where a small family was awaiting to enter. The twins passed by unnoticed, followed by Yossi. The family stepped into the elevator without a second glance. Yossi had grown used to it, and preferred this treatment over anything after she'd given it only a little thought.
Walking into the room, Yossi half expected for something unpleasant to be waiting, yet everything was in it's place, perfectly normal. She couldn't help but wonder about what brought them to want to leave so early. Typically they at least waited till the middle of the day to find a new hotel, sometimes deeper into the city, other times nearly into the next county. A couple of the best hotels they'd stayed in multiple times already, not that Yossi would ever complain.
Walking over to the rooms closet, she picked out the only piece of clothing she ever kept, the rest were brought to her by the special key the twins long ago entrusted to her pocket. The gesture wasn't lost on Yossi. Out of the closet, she pulled the twins second gift, a long coat, whose hem only reached to her knees. Monotone grey with a multitude of buckles, it was industrial and stylish and made her feel as if she were an apprentice to the twins. She couldn't surpress a small, warm smile when she laid her hands upon the shiny material. She always wore it when they were out heading for a new place to stay, but often in the mornings she would slip it on when the Twins were gone and wander about the house in her best impersonations of the brothers. Once or twice the ritual was held in the nude. Next was the small shoulder bag that held the few guns she kept, which fell comfortably at her side.
Over the years she schooled herself into withholding the more menial questions, but this time she felt the question was warrented, "is there a special reason why we are leaving earlier than normal?" she said as she slipped an arm into the last empty sleeve.
Both were waiting for her to don her coat, watching her patiently by the door, "today they are closer than normal. The scanning programs caught our trail sooner than we expected," though the tone of his voice was placid and monotone, the twin's words were worrisome.
"Does that mean that agents will be coming?" Yossi said as she walked towards the door.
"We don't know, perhaps. The scanners might not even care that we are here," the twin nearest the door said as he walked through, Yossi following and the last right behind, closing the door and following at Yossi's heels.
A new car was parked in the drop off area right in front of the lobby's entrance, a new model that gave the idea that it could drive faster than any other model of sports car. Yossi was fond of these, especially the leather scent of the interior. She climbed behind the passenger seat and listened as her coat squelched against the back seat. As they pulled from the hotel, a large black s.u.v squeeled its tires as they peeled into the parking area. After a stop that nearly sent the vehicle rolling onto the cars parked neatly in a line, five people in nearly matching overcoats hopped out and sprinted to the building. Yossi watched this with a curious eye, yet the twins simply ignored it, turning in the opposite direction that the s.u.v. came from.
"I suppose that would be why the programs found our trails so quickly," Yossi spoke more to herself, not expecting an answer.
"No, they had been on the lookout for us, those rebels are just going to get a surprise," the driver seated twin peered into the rearview mirror at the quickly disappearing hotel with a crooked grin. Yossi only caught a glimpse of his expression as she turned around after watching through the back window for any agents on the rebels tail. She faintly grinned as well, amused at the morbid sense of humor of the program more than the situtation.
---
The hotel was less than favorable. They had the most expensive room available and it still failed to satisfy even a poupers dreams. The air outside was cool, winters breath was on the air. Yossi stepped from a steamy bathroom, a towl around her body and another used to rub the excess water from her hair. The twins were watching a dog in the parking lot, it's breath steaming on the frigid air. Goose bumps marched down Yossi's skin as she dug into her old pants pocket for the key to use on the small closets door. One turned when he heard the click and watched as she grabbed a plain shirt and loose pants and then stooped for under garments. Yossi felt the familiar weight of his hidden eyes and returned the gaze, curious.
When he said nothing she returned to the bathroom and dressed. After donning her new clothes, she accompanied the twins at their table, placed by the window. Both were yet again watching the scenery. From the window, most color was bleached and the dog had wandered elsewhere. It wasn't a nice view in the least. The sky seemed polluted, though it promised that the cleansing snow would soon follow. Yossi sighed at this, and yet again one of them turned their attention upon her.
"Is there something I should know? Have the scanners followed us again?"
"We won't be able to stay the night."
Yossi rose a brow at this and nodded slowly, "ok then. Do you know why they are so hard on us now?"
One of them shook their head, his white locks falling over his shoulder, both of them watched her closely. Yossi shifted in her seat, the wood feeling more and more uncomfortable as she sat under their gaze.
She cleared her throat, "when will we leave then?"
"It'd be best if we left an hour from now."
Yossi peered out the window and ran a hand through her still dripping hair, missing a smirk from one of the twins while his brother turned his gaze to the window as well. Near the glass, the temperature was at it's coolest in the whole room. Goosebumps rose the hair on her arms and the back of her neck, yet there was no where else to sit and she loathed to get comfortable on the bed. She was restless after rising early this morning and the chair was doing a good job at keeping her from feeling drowsy.
The silence had never felt so awkward. Her hair dried faster than normal as she ran her hands through it and fidgeted. The wooden chair squeaked and groaned as she repositioned herself over and over. Finally, with a loud sigh she stood, her hand in her hair yet again.
"I..have to use the bathroom," she pushed the chair back to the table and did as she said, only realizing that she didn't actually have to use it when she got to the door. Her hand was on the cool wood of the bathroom entrance when a shadow over came her. She blinked, confused, and felt as if she would choke on her heart when she felt the gaze upon the back of her head. She slowly turned, not surprised to see one of the twins standing much too closely to her. She couldn't see over his shoulder, but after peering around him, Yossi could see his brother idly peering out the window, unperturbed.
Yossi shrank into the door, "what?" her voice felt smaller than herself compared to the ivory program. Though he was silent, he didn't keep her in the dark.
The twin reached for her, putting a pale hand upon the side of Yossi's face, tilting her chin upwards after Yossi had suddenly found his coat buttons very intriguing. Another hand snaked its way behind her back, finding the curve, which she quickly arched as if she would escape his arm by moving closer to his body. He lifted Yossi till she was just the right height and pressed her against the door. Unfamiliar butterflies invaded Yossi's stomach as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her gaze fastened upon the brother, who sat just the same, appearing a pale statue and out of place in the dingy hotel room. An arm found it's way around the twins neck, the other upon his chest. Her breath came fast and warm and she wasn't surprised that his was frigid. He leaned for her lips and Yossi bumped her head against the bathroom door, realizing again how solid it was.
The twin grinned, his face so close that for a moment Yossi believed she would see his eyes behind the sunglasses. Yet abruptly, he dropped her. Yossi steadied herself by gripping his shoulders, but he left her there, still standing so close to the door that she was afraid it would fall in. She watched as the program sat once again at the table, in the lone chair that she had just vacated. As his gaze followed his brothers, Yossi escaped into the bathroom, and would stay there, sitting upon the toilet lid for the full hour they had scheduled.
---
A knock on the bathroom door alerted Yossi that it was time to go. She felt weak when she opened the door, and foolish for hiding for so long. She followed one of the twins out the door, and all the way to the same car. Everything was normal again and for a moment she considered the possibility that she had imagined the scenerio in her head. She could be very creative when she needed to be. But she hadn't bothered thinking of the twins in such a way. If she had, she would have certainly felt awkward, just like she did now as she watched the backs of the twin's heads. She barely surpressed the frustrated sigh.
A new apartment, barely in better condition than the place they had left behind. She looked it over, then sat upon the dusty couch, feeling sullen and misplaced all of a sudden. Shrugging the coat off, she dropped the bag that held her weapons upon the floor at her feet, which fell with a muffled thump. She yawned again and let her head rest back upon the couch. The large window by the front door let in grey light, which fell upon her side that faced it. The blank t.v. wasn't even mildly amusing, yet she peered at it nonetheless.
A quick shadow crossed the window suddenly. Yossi blinked and turned her head just the slightest when an identical one flashed across the window again. The blinds were down yet opened, and Yossi crossed the short space between the window and couch to pull one of the dusty plastic shutters down. The twins were there and pulling her away from the window when a bullet blew the door's lock to pieces. Yossi stumbled back, trying to get away but only falling into the twins body that held her. He pushed her behind the small t.v. as an agent kicked the door with one other right behind him. Guns were drawn and shot several times in the twins direction as they crossed the room, phasing and easily dodging the bullets.
The couch wasn't far from the t.v., so her bag with the guns were near. A fight with agents wasn't something to become tangled in, but she didn't plan on fighting, just escaping. She'd learned quickly that running from a fight that included agents was the best alternative.
The twins had gotten close enough to use their razors and the agents dropped their guns, trading them for hand to hand combat. Both were engrossed in the battle and Yossi took the chance to roll over to the bag and sprint out of the splintered door. She quickly remembered the first time she had vaulted a door to escape agents, only that time there were plenty more at her heels. The apartment was on the second floor in the middle of the building, she turned left, crossing the window when a bullet smashed a small hole in the glass, barely missing her. The agents were attempting to follow her. She looked over her shoulder as one shouldered his way through the window, one of the twins leaping right after. Both toppled over the railing. Yossi's eyes widened and she would have stopped if the second pair hadn't made their way through the door. The twin sliced his back, causing the agent to turn and fight him back.
Yossi stumbled down the stairs, cautious to see if the agent had survived the fall. The car wasn't far from the stairs, but as she searched for it, she could see both agent and twin were battling right near. The agent hadn't noticed her yet. Fumbling for just a moment with her bag, she drew the browning, aimed and fired. The twin phased and the bullet hit the agent in the neck. Yossi quickly dived behind the nearest car. The twin and agent were adjacent on the other side of the small parking lot.
The agent fell and jerked about till he transformed into a young man. The twin peered up at his brother, who lept over the railing and sprinted for the car, Yossi followed his example. The agent was at their heels, but was too late as Yossi barely made it into the car before they peeled away. The agent unsuccessfully fired at the car, but with his comrad fallen, he simply walked away.
---
They were driving well past dark, far from the city. Never had Yossi been in this direction. Only when they were in the most danger did the twins venture this far, though Yossi was certain they had gone into similiar regions. It seemed to have been the upper middle class area, for those who wanted privacy that lived here. Techniquely, it was like the city with biggers yards and fewer neighbors. Yossi found it a bit sad and lonely, but was happy to see that the newest apartment was favorable.
The loss of Yossi's overcoat plagued her mind the rest of the night. She held her head in her hands at the dinner table with a half-heartedly chewed upon sandwich below her chin. The twins seemed unconcerned as they sat on opposite ends of the couch. Yossi's back was turned to them, she hadn't forgotten that morning in the least.
When sleep came, it was only after much tossing and turning. She had taken the master bedroom with it's king size bed, decorated in hues of pale green and dark blue. The room had it's own bathroom, and the first time she visited it in the early morning hours, she couldn't help the memory the dark wooden door stirred. Bathroom doors had a whole new meaning.
Though she had trouble falling asleep, once she was deep in it's recesses, she slept for quite a long while. It was hunger that woke her in the middle of the afternoon. Both brothers were present, seated at the dining table. Both sets of eyes turned to her when she walked in, clad still in her pajamas. The kitchen was pleasantly fully furnished, and she idly pondered when they had gotten the groceries. She had never accompanied them when they fetched her necessities, but the image it conjured never failed to make her smile.
Bright light made her squint when she opened the door and pulled the tea from the depths of the refrrigorator. Setting it upon the table, she rummaged into the cupboard to search to see if cereal had been provided. As she went to close the wooden door, a familiar presence was at her side. All the same afflicitions overcame her. A hand on her shoulder led her to the island, another was at her back. The tea was pushed aside and the twin lightly touched her chin as she was lent back. She gripped the island for support. The twins hand kept the corner of the island from pressing into her, cradling her against his body. Yossi's eyes closed and her head tilted upwards, her hair brushed the counter top. The butterflies tickled her stomach as she felt the twins icy breath upon her neck. He felt different this time, perhaps it was the same brother that sat at the table peering out the window this time. Were they taking turns?
Yossi's breath caught in her throat when she felt his lips grinning against her skin. It wasn't a kiss, he was playing. Her eyes opened when he lifted her up and left her, she watched him, confused and surprised like the first time. His brother was at the door, a grin upon his lips as he watched his brother approaching, leaving Yossi alone in the kitchen.
"We'll be back shortly," he said as he opened the door and walked through. Yossi glared lightly then went to making her cereal, feeling awkward yet again.
As she sat at the dining table, emotionlessly eating her very late breakfast, she thought that she was certain she wasn't going crazy and imagining their adventerous ways. Were they exploring her? Surely they didn't often accompany a human for so long. It had been five years, she never bothered to ask if they had humans often for companionship. She was quite sure that if she did, no answer would be returned. She quietly cleaned the milk from her bowl and returned that and the spoon back to their places.
It was only ten minutes afterwards that the twins had returned. She watched closey as they walked in, and beside her was deposited a large bag. Yossi eyed it closely before peering in. Whatever it was, tissue paper was wrapped gingerly about it. Peering upwards, both twins were standing there, yet while she was emptying the sack of it's contents one had sat in the recliner where he would view her with a foot resting upon the other knee.
An indentical coat to the one she had left behind in the last apartment was pulled from the sack. Yossi's eyes lit up as she stood and put it on. She grinned and thanked them profusely, then sighed and sat back down, the last standing twin sat on the opposite end of the couch. There was silence till Yossi decided that then would be the best time to ask a question.
"So...how..Have you kept many..humans like me..like this?" she knew she hadn't worded it right, she blamed her nervousness about asking such a strange question.
"You speak as if you think you were our pet," one of them said with a strange smile.
"You..know what I mean," Yossi replied with a glare casted away from them both, her face warming.
"Then no, we don't keep company with humans, it has only been you," his brother answered, the twin sitting with her on the couch. Yossi knew he must have had the same smile on his face.
"Why, were you becoming jealous?" he purred, watching her curiously.
"No, I was just asking," Yossi spoke quickly, stuttering just a bit as she quickly returned the gaze of the twin sitting on the recliner. He grinned like a cat back at her, Yossi was certain he needed little fangs to complete the look.
"I'm sure you were," he said, still grinning broadly, folding his hands in his lap.
Yossi was outraged to say the least, taken aback by his juvenile implications and she knew anything else she would say would only amuse him further. She wasn't the twelve year old they had kidnapped anymore. She wouldn't be chased back to her room and let them enjoy a little victory. She stood then, the coat making her feel a little braver she believed, and stalked to the reclining twin, who watched her, obviously intrigued. She could have slapped the smug expression off his face, but believed that that was exactly what he wanted. Instead, she gripped the arms of the chair and bent to steal a kiss.
She was surprised when he opened his mouth to take her's instead. His hands unfolded and grabbed her waist, pulling her atop him. She climbed into the chair, her legs fitting neatly on either side of him. She cupped his ivory cheeks, then let her hands slide till she could run them into his coat, hugging the pale program close. It wasn't as odd as she thought it might have been, kissing the twins who were just part of the Matrix. But her mind didn't stay long on that topic, his hands quickly distracted her as they ventured over her body.
Never did she have the chance to experience anything relatively close to even a kiss. There was never the oppertunity, and so she was kept innocent. Now that she thought about it, perhaps the twins were the only outlet for those pent up emotions. It was the obvious choice, after all. She wouldn't worry herself about the techinquel things, instead she simply enjoyed the twin's free roaming hands.
She was situated in a position that she couldn't see the brother. It bothered her somewhat, and she wasn't in the mood to be distracted. Her heart was racing and not enough air was reaching her lungs, so she returned her hands to his cheeks and held his head still while she pulled away, resting her forehead upon his. He grinned as Yossi turned to peer over her shoulder at his brother, who turned his head just slightly to gaze back with a grin identical to his busy brothers. His attention had been elsewhere, so Yossi returned, pleased to have known that much, to her endeavors.
---
End Note/ I suppose programs do go in heat. :D Perhaps I should get my computer a mate.