Drifting Chapter Part 4 (Ch. 13)

Morning came slowly. I let IA think that I had fallen asleep so that she could actually get some rest. She was a real mother hen, that girl, even though she was probably only a little bit older than me. I watched both of them sleep while I checked up on the damage to my system. Mostly the extra programs that Len put in and my memories were untouched. The heat scan sensors, though, were very glitchy. Sometimes VY2 and IA showed up on them and other times it completely shut down. I wouldn't be able to rely on that anymore.

The virus seemed to be attacking my control. When Piko and the virus had free access, they had completely controlled me, and now that the virus was slowed and Piko trapped, it was meticulously working on breaking my control again. That was why my voice kept skipping and repeating. I desperately hoped I wouldn't lose it altogether, but things weren't looking good. Even now, I could tell that my left hand was the next to go.

And I couldn't forget about the orders Piko said were still in effect. The biggest problem was that I didn't know what they were. Piko refused to tell me and when I continuously badgered him about it he threw some memories of Len dying at me. I gave up after that. The only one I did know about was the order that activated when VY2 attacked me: If I didn't fight back on my own I would be forced to.

Was there anyway to fix me? What could I even do to find out?

I couldn't answer those questions. Instead of sleeping I struggled with all these impossibilities and finally just gave up altogether. What would the point be? To miraculously stop the virus and go back to Miku and the rest? Would they even want me there? But if things were left as they are, eventually the virus or Piko would take over and then I'd have no choice but to go back and finish the job.

There might not even be any way to stop the virus and Piko. Then the only option would be to destroy myself so that I couldn't kill anyone else, but... could I break my promise to Len? Even though he was already dead? Wouldn't he rather I join him up in heaven?

[Who says you'll even go to heaven?] Piko sneered, starting me out of my reverie.

"Time to get up already?" yawned IA, woken up by me moving so quickly. VY2 also sat up, looking around as if he didn't know where he was. I tried not to laugh as he forcefully rubbed at his eyes.

"We might as well," VY2 said as he began stretching. I watched as they both got up and started getting ready for the day. With a start I realized that I should be, too.

Jeez, I was so jumpy today.

I tried to comb through, or at least smooth down, my hair. Before long, IA took pity on me and after she brushed out her hair she brushed mine and helped me put my hair ribbon back in.

"There! You look great!" IA said with satisfaction as she rolled up the black sleeve on my right arm so that it was just below the jagged metal.

"Thank you," I replied, trying not to look as embarrassed as I felt. I tried to help them with packing up but I soon realized how much of a handicap one arm was going to be. VY2 ended up folding the blanket for me and put it on my left arm to carry out to the truck.

The sun was up but it was still cool outside. I looked out across the empty town as I put away the blanket. If anyone was still here, they weren't about to show themselves to us.

"I think that's everything," VY2 said, causing me to jump again. I hadn't even heard him come up behind me. He ignored me and instead glanced back at the gas station. IA came out, locking the door behind her. VY2 filled up the truck from the unattended gas tanks, making IA giggle as he acted like stealing gas made him nervous. I couldn't help but smile as they both started laughing. Just being with these two made me feel as if we didn't have to be afraid of anything. They were still laughing as we all slid into the truck, me in the middle again.

VY2 started the truck and off we went out of the town. They chatted while I worked up the courage to ask them a question that had been nagging at me as we packed this morning.

"Where are we going?" I asked during a lull in the conversation. When they remained quiet I quickly added, "O-or doing? What ex-actly do you guys... do?"

"Well," started VY2, "We've mostly been helping people survive the soldiers, like we did with you. We have guns and we know how to use them, unlike a lot of people. So, we decided to fight back until..." VY2 hesitated, but really, who wouldn't? What was there to do but fight back or die? "Well, until another country steps in or Exeria gets an organized resistance."

I nodded. I liked that he didn't have a "dying" option. A resistance actually sounded very appealing to me. It reminded me of my... well, Len's... no, Miku's group at the lab. If we could get all the survivors together and armed...

"But we do have a destination," added IA. I turned towards her to see a sad smile on her face. "We're going back to our hometown. VY2 and I, we're cousins. Our families both lived in the same town, but... we were the only ones to make it out. We were on the run for a long time, until we realized that it wasn't just our town and there was no 'safe place' left..." IA trailed off and tried to smile, to show that she was all right, but it slipped off her face. She instead looked out the window. VY2 made a move, as if to put a hand on IA's shoulder, but he realized I was in between them and he put his hand back on the steering wheel.

"We're going back to see if anyone is still alive," VY2 stated, "When we left... I noticed weeks before anything happened that our parents were acting strange. They packed up this truck with most of the supplies you already saw. We learned how to use the guns my father owned. They started telling us that we had to be ready, but they didn't want to tell us why. I thought they were just being weird or were turning into those people who though the end of the world was near. But then... Lacov attacked," VY2 hesitated again. His eyes shifted to IA and then back to the road. He steeled himself and continued, "Most of our family was over at my parent's house. They wanted to talk about something important... I'm sure it must have been about Lacov. I don't know how they knew or maybe just suspected... maybe more of us would've known if we'd pay attention or noticed how the changes in Lacov were going to affect the world." I didn't add or contradict anything VY2 was saying. It was true. Before I died I hadn't paid any attention to politics or what was happening with other countries. I nodded, letting VY2 see I understood. He took up where he'd left off, "We all tried to escape, but they were on our streets, shooting into our houses, breaking into some of them. They were even recording it," I felt IA tremble beside me as I stared, agape, at VY2.

"Reco-rding it?!" I exclaimed.

"They probably wanted other countries to see how powerful they were. Show them what they would do to them," IA supplied this time, still looking out the window instead of at me.

"We tried to cross the border once. Escape to a different country, but they wouldn't let us. They were supposed to kill us, but the soldier there took pity on us and just turned us away. At least we found out a little bit of Lacov's plan. They used Exeria as an example. Basically destroying out country to show all the others what will happen to them if they try to interfere," VY2 explained, rubbing his eyes as if talking about all of this was giving him a headache. They both fell silent and I turned my attention to my left hand which was twitching. I was trying to decide how to ask what happened next when IA did it for me.

"You haven't finished the story yet," IA said. VY2 stopped rubbing his eyes and sighed.

"Our parents had us two and IA's two sisters run for the truck while they tried to hold off the soldiers. I had one of my dad's handguns and I killed a man that came after us. The air seemed filled with bullets. I picked up Stacey when she stumbled. I didn't even realize she had been shot and killed until we got to the truck. I shoved IA into the truck and was trying to get their older sister, Leah, in as well, but... she was hysterical about Stacey dying. I had... left Stacey on the ground and Leah was trying to get to her when another soldier came by... and killed her before I could kill him. My mother was screaming out the window for us to leave... I'm not really sure how we made it out of there in one piece. Somehow we made it to our family's cabin and we found more supplies there. It was the only place I could think of and it turned out to be where our parents were expecting us to go," VY2 took a deep breath, "So, now we're going back, hoping that... some of our family might be alive there."

IA was crying; VY2 was just grinding his teeth. Maybe trying to stop himself from crying. I awkwardly put my left arm around IA and she gratefully put her arms around me. I couldn't help but remember when Meiko and I had gone alone to our house. It was something we had to see for ourselves, to make sure. Seeing the broken forms of our parents made what had happened so much more real than anything else had. I couldn't stop myself from remembering how Len waited nervously back at the lab for us to return and how after one look at my face had him holding me and kissing my eyes that couldn't cry. I had to force myself not to cringe while IA was clinging to me.

[I don't understand...] I heard Piko whisper in the back of my mind, a weariness filled his voice that I've never heard from him before. Suddenly, I realized not once had Piko interrupted. Had he been listening, too?

He didn't bother to answer as I turned my attention back to VY2 and IA.

"Thank you, g-uys, for telling me," I started as IA tried to wipe away her tears, "Now, I-I'll tell you mine." IA sat up, letting me put my arm back down and smiled encouragingly at me. VY2 even patted my shoulder. Feeling stronger, I started my story with the day I died.