Chapter Three: Missed Connections (cuz I can't come up with a Hamilton reference)
A.N. Angelica, never ever ask that question. It doesn't end well. And well, um, there's an unintentional Hamilton joke in here. Not even a joke really. More like bad word choice. But anyway, a warning, I prefer a lot of short chapters to a few long ones so most chapters will only be like five or six paragraphs. But there's gonna be quite a few of them. (I don't own Hamilton. Never have, never will. Also there are 20 chapters planned for Shatter with a sequel currently in planning. Tomorrow is going to be the reveal for the second sphere, so if you want to guess, guess now.)
Eliza hauled Alex to his feet. "Do you think you can stand and not fall over?" Alex took a small step. It was shaky, but he didn't fall over. "I- I think I'm good." Alex said and Angelica frowned. She had heard his voice somewhere, but she couldn't remember where.
Angelica and Eliza walked Alex back up to the house, Angelica lost in thought. She knew that she had heard his voice before but... The three hid from Peggy in a room on the first floor. Angelica turned on the radio, checking in on the station that, though hard to find, seemed to come from the SciTeK supercomputer, the last project SciTeK had started before the founder, Jefferson, had withdrawn from the public. She didn't trust whatever was going on in there. But there was something different about today. Instead of their usual talk about math and the other things they dealt with, the voices seemed panicked.
A French accent emanated from the radio. "Alex? Alex? Mon ami, are you there?" Angelica and Eliza turned to stare at Alex who had gone pale. "Laf?" he said. "Laf!" Another voice joined the first, this time with a commanding Virginian accent. "Laf, son, calm down. Alex will talk to us when he's ready."
Alex was, if possible, even paler. "W-Washington?" he cried. "They can't hear me? I'm truly not in the computer anymore?" Angelica turned almost as pale as Alex. "I've heard you." she gasped. "On here. With the others. Y-you're from SciTeK."
Eliza rubbed her temples. All of the commotion was starting to give her a headache. She stopped when she heard the angry voice of Angelica. "You were working with them. I don't trust SciTeK and I sure as hell don't trust you." Alex was cracking under the verbal onslaught. "I don't work with them!" Alex protested. "Just because I'm in their computer that doesn't mean that I'm quote on quote working with them." Angelica scowled at Alex. Eliza took a deep breath and braced herself. "Shut up both of you!" she commanded in her strongest voice. "I believe Alex. He isn't working with SciTeK, he was just following his programming. Now stop with the arguing!"
Angelica stepped away from Alex who was no longer wobbling with every step. Eliza gave a satisfied smile. Then it hit her. "Wait." she said and the other two turned to look at her. "If Alex was drawn from the computer when I smashed that sphere, what happens if I smash the other one?"
"Don't." Alex and Angelica responded at the same time. "I don't want any of my friends to go through this without warning." Alex explained as Angelica attempted to talk over him. "We have enough to worry about with one computer creep here. We don't need a second one."
Peggy's voice came from outside the room. "Angelica? Eliza? I found something cool!" Angelica got up to go look at whatever her youngest sister had found.