Okay. I'm posting this... Hopefully people will understand the purpose of my rant and be kind enough to appreciate the author?
REPLIES
IdrewAcow- Okay, okay. Thank you! I LIVE for readers like you! You kept me from discontinuing this story twice now ;A;
yuukimoko- Thank you for your forgiveness and understanding. Enjoy the update.
Jak656- Yes, mystery indeed! Enjoy.
Awesomesaucelv8- Hooray! I like cliffies ;P Enjoy!
TheLastOne- Yes, I understand, but if I have to be a... Well, a "mean person" so that people actually understand my frustration, then so be it. Thank you for your time.
Utopia
Chapter 4: Reunion
"What the... What's going on? Miku?"
The ground looks perfectly normal, so how did she fall into it? I reach out a shaky hand to touch the grass, only to find that the green blades aren't grass. My fingers go through the ground and grasp nothing but the cool air beneath the surface. Curious, I lean in more. Unfortunately, I lean in just a bit too far and plummet into the gaps of darkness, just as Miku had.
Man, I really should've been more careful, really should've thought this out more. But, I guess I can't just leave Miku here anyway. What else would I have done?
I'm falling deeper and deeper into the void, cool air embracing my skin, and the only light comes from the faint red pulse from my abdomen. It flashes through the fabric of my shirt and gently illuminates my skin.
Isn't this a good metaphor for life? I find myself laughing at my strange comparison.
For a moment, I am Alice, hoping there is something truly wonderful at the end of the hole rather than almost certain death.
"Miku?" I find myself calling out, snapping out of my reveries. "Are you there?"
"Luka?" An incredulous voice answers back.
But I don't have time to answer, because, in a nearly bone- shattering impact, I land on a semi- firm material, like a mattress. Miraculously, I am unhurt from the fall. I'll just count that as a blessing, I suppose. Someone in the darkness helps me up. I count two- no, three- hands.
"Miku?" I repeat.
"Yeah. I'm right here in front of you."
"I can't see you. I can't see anything."
"Just trust me. This way, okay?"
"'Kay."
Several minutes later, we emerge into a room of whirring machinery. In the center are two blonde people, several tools, and a blanket covering some sort of project on the table.
But I'm focused on the blondes. Twins.
"Rin? Len?" Miku inquires aloud. "Whatcha got there?"
"Oh, hey, Miku!" Len turns and smiles. "Who's your... L-Luka?" Rin spins at the mention of my name.
"Luka?"she exclaims, eyes growing wide. "You're okay! We thought you got lost all that time ago! We thought you were captured!"
I am pulled into a tight hug as the girl rushes towards me. "You have absolutely no idea how long we've been looking for you!"
Wait. They weren't trying to kill me? Even though they're androids?
Note to self: Don't judge a book by its cover.
"What's this...?" Miku has moved towards the table and takes a corner of the white blanket, tugging it off. "What... Haku?"
Haku's still form lays across the table, and her chest is wide open. I can see the inner mechanisms of her body: the flashes, the chords, the buttons, the gears. It's a bit of an awe- inspiring sight.
"Yeah, we're working on fixing her," Len calls, rummaging through a drawer to produce a wrench. I turn to find Rin staring at me oddly.
"Is something wrong, Rin?"
"Eh? Ah, no, Luka. Everything's fine. Eh heh. Len, can I, uh, talk to you for just two seconds?"
"Sure Rin. Miku, how about you take a look inside Haku. See if you can find the problem?"
"'Kay."
Rin ushers her brother out into the hall. The teal- haired girl turns to the other android and begins examining her.
"Hm... Uh huh... AH!"
Her outburst is loud enough to throw me off balance. I half- crawl, half- slide to the table and stand back up. "What? What is it?" I exhale.
"I found the issue! Here, look!" She gestures to a hole in the interface of wires and steel. "Her key is missing!"
"Oh, um. Okay. What do we do?"
"We'll either have to find her old key or make a new one."
"I see."
We stand around and talk about machinery and the HRP for a little bit longer before the twins reenter the room. Len glances quickly, almost imperceptibly, at my back and I just barely catch his gaze. "What's up with you two?"
"Hm?"
"Well, if you guys wanted to know about the conductor plate, you only have to ask," I explain with a knowing grin.
"O-oh," Rin scratches her head sheepishly, knowing she's been found out. "Erm, Luka? Are you up for telling us why there's a metal plate in your back?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, Miku can probably explain better than I can. Miku?"
"Hm. Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning. Or, at least when I met Luka. You see, I was hiding form Kaito- you guys remember him- in an old coffee shop..."
The twins- and I myself, I must admit- listen in a sort of awe-struck silence as Miku spins the tale in its entirety. If you've never seen Miku tell a story, I'll put it this way: she enacts some with her voice, some with her hands, and the rest in her facial expressions. I can't help but realize how good at acting she is and my eyes must be transfixed onto her. It is only when she gives me a funny look and waves a hand in front of my face when I notice that I'm staring at her, even after she's finished speaking. A scarlet blush coats my cheeks and she giggles.
Why am I reacting this way?
Rin and Len begin to grin and wink knowingly at us. This time, Miku flushes and playfully shoves them off the table, exclaiming, "Stop it, you two!"
After our fits of laughter die out, Rin asks if she can take a "gander" at the plate.
"Sure," I reply with a shrug, and without thinking I start to pull my shirt up.
"AUGH!" Len's hands fly to cover his eyes and I come to my senses.
"O-oops! Sorry, Len!" I tug the shirt back down over my stomach again. He shakes his head, turns, and moves to the door.
"Pardon me..." He excuses himself politely and closes the door behind him.
Once Len is safely out of range, Rin pulls up the shirt again and traces her fingers along the steel. "Hm. I've actually seen this model a couple of times before. V3. It's slightly mere advanced than mine or Miku's- CV02 and 01, respectively." She fumbles for a screwdriver. "May I?"
I'm not incredibly thrilled about the idea of someone opening my back and poking around with sharp metal objects, but how can I pass up an opportunity to find out what's going on? I take a deep breath and nod.
Miku watches from behind as Rin unscrews the top of the panel and folds it down. "Alrighty then, Luka," the blonde begins. "Let's see what we have here, hm?"
The examination is strange. Every move is an odd sort of poke, not like if someone were to directly poke another in the arm, but as like someone was poking the back of my mind. I squirm a bit beneath Rin's touch.
"Are you okay, Luka?" Miku asks, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and giving a soft squeeze of reassurance.
"Yeah, it's just a strange feeling."
"Luka? Do you know anything about this light?" Rin interrupts, voice almost... Concerned.
"No. Is anything the matter with it?"
"I'm not sure. I don't exactly know what it's for. Never mind, don't worry about it. Here, I'm going to try something out over here, so you just hold still for a second."
She shifts her incessant prodding to the other side of the panel and runs her fingers along some cables.
"Rin, have you seen Haku's key?" Miku asks, as if remembering her friend's predicament.
"Eh? Ah, no I haven't. Is it out?"
"Yeah. Think Len has any extras?"
"Most likely. I'll ask him when he returns- AHA!"
"What is it?" I inquire anxiously.
"Here's one of your problems, Luka!" She waves a red wire over my shoulder. "Hold still, I have to cut this really quick, okay?"
"Cut it? Why do you- AH!"
With a snip, I feel something unwind inside my body. My shoulder blades relax and I slump over a bit, not expecting a sudden slack.
"That there's a B-17 wire. I wouldn't go around cutting too many of those if I were you, but I could tell this one was causing some discomfort."
"B-17?"
"It stands for 'Basic 17'. Basic 17 wires are what holds us androids upright. Strong little buggers, these are. Unfortunately for you, this one was knotted up around stuff pretty well."
"There are lots of B wires," Miku explains. "B-10 for sight, B-3 for speech, even B-75 for balance in combat."
Did I catch any of that? Nope. Rin closes the panel and I jolt a bit. "Here, pull your shirt back down. I'm gonna help Lenners find a key. Model..." she trails off, glancing into Haku's open chest cavity. "... 001-VOYAK."
Len returns with a tarnished silver key in his palm. He inserts it into the hole and, with fingers crossed, he gives it a turn. The room stands in silence as nothing happens.
"Did it work?"
"No, I don't think so- hey, look!"
Haku's familiar red eyes flash open. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" She yells out. "Wha... Miku!" She flings herself into the tealette's arms and begins to sob into her shoulder. "You're okay!"
Miku is equally tearful as she returns the embrace. "Haku, It's great to see you again!"
Haku lets go with a final squeeze and turns to me, ruby eyes shimmering in the dim light. "Luka... I'm so sorry, this is all my fault! If I had stopped them..."
"No Haku, it wasn't you who did it, it was those scientists. You're perfectly clean in my book."
"And Rin, Len, thank you so much!" She pulls the twins into a hug and kisses Len on the cheek. He replies with a slight blush. (A/N: LENxHAKU, anyone? :P /shot/) Miku giggles at his expression.
After much hugging and rejoicing, et cetera, Haku calms down and turns to face all of us.
"Okay. You HAVE to fill me in
1 What's going on? Why am I here? And why does my key feel different?" I glance at Miku and the twins. This is going to be another long- winded explanation, I can already tell.
On the upside, maybe I can watch Miku tell it again?
IT IS DONE. Next chapter soon-ish. We'll have to see if inspiration hits.
Until then, I love all of my loyal fans! (And also you others. I don't bite! Go on and review! Please?)
