Sixteen: Remembrance 3.0

We still weren't able to see people and were still in the desert. Discovering that Nathan couldn't function without food nor water nor rest, Elliot made several detours to get him food—namely a cactus and water—from an unknown source. 'Something's not right." Elliot's smooth face frowned. My guard was automatically up, my eyes searching for anything moving. 'What?" 'I've been hearing a warning ping ever since we got out." He looked behind us. Nathan was sleeping on his back. 'What ping?" 'A bomb ping, my system is warning me that I am close to a bomb. I checked several times if we were being followed but I got none...unless." He eyed me sharply. What? I looked back at him. 'T, may I inspect you?" I nodded. 'Sure?" Dang, a bomb was planted in me? He stopped talking and proceeded to just stare at me. How was he going to do that? Elliot was so still that I thought he shut down but after a while his eyes blinked. 'Don't freak out, okay?" Okay? I stared and waited for his next words. 'You got a mini bomb in your nape and I think it started its detonation time when you left the facility." I was not freaking out, not even an ounce nerve-wrecked but I continued to stare at my friend. 'And you got fifteen minutes left before it separates your head from the rest of your body." 'Can you do anything about it?" Will this be able to kill me this time? Might, might not. 'Yes, my friend, I hold every recorded intelligence in the planet so there's no need to worry. We just have to find a suitable place and nice, sharp knives to operate you with. Fast." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. 'News flash, we're in the middle of nowhere." I looked up and the blue sky began to harbor orange tinges and pink clouds. He nodded and his face contemplating. 'Uh-huh?" 'So, where Elliot?" 'If we run, fast will this kid's skin come off?" I frowned. 'I don't think so. I think." And so we did. We ran as fast as we could hoping to find civilization before I get decapitated. Nathan probably woke up because I heard screaming in the middle of the run, right at Elliot's direction. I saw lights just ahead and had to signal my friend to slow down. There was a road! And right across it was a lone house..? I couldn't tell what it was at the distance we were in but it had a roof, so probably a house. As we got closer, Nathan was gagging, I got a clearer view of the building. It was like one of those in the dreams that they projected. 'A convenience store?" I asked Elliot, looking at him and his carry. 'Yes." He continued to trudge on to the black—asphalted—road. 'You never saw a convenience store before?" Nathan asked as they passed by me, he was looking pale, like he was drained of blood. 'I have." Just not the real thing, just felt like one. I followed them, the hard leveled path was a foreign feeling under my feet because of the sand I had walked on for hours. There was a gasoline station in front of the store. 'There's a person inside." I caught a glimpse of a man walking in the store. 'Of course, it doesn't run by itself." Nathan's tone was sarcastic and I wanted to flick his head. 'Shut up, kid." That was Elliot. We entered like it was the most normal thing—at least for us. The man I saw was standing behind what looked like a paying counter when we were inside. He didn't seem fazed by our appearances. I guess a girl in an underwear-looking clothes with a laboratory gown as a topper, and a beautiful man carrying a child-sized teenage boy in a large shirt was nothing to what he must've seen. 'We don't have money." I whispered to my friend as we browsed the racks. Elliot just smiled and slowly nod, 'We have to thank the presence of an ATM, then." He let Nathan down and was holding him by the hand. 'Grab anything you need, but no candies nor chocolates." He told him. Nathan grumbled and stomped as he walked to a different aisle. 'You as well, T. Get disinfectants, knife or any blade, and adhesives." 'No, I'll go with you." I could take care of myself, but not seeing Elliot even for a short while made me uneasy, it was like I wouldn't be able to know what to do without him. 'Okay," He nodded, 'We have to make it fast, we only have eleven minutes left." We walked to the machine near the counter of the man. Elliot grabbed something out of his back-pocket, but I was confused when he inserted nothing in the card slot. My brows shot up when a wad of cash was spat out of the ATM. 'Let's go." I tailed after him, watching his back as he grabbed things. 'Seriously, you're not nervous at all?" 'No," I picked a deodorant from the rack. They used to give me this in the facility so I knew. I couldn't remember if I did in the conditioning, though. 'I know I won't die." 'You cannot be that sure." I was not. If I die then good, I wasn't supposed to be in this world anyway, if not then also good, I just have to constantly watch out for people trying to bring me back to a laboratory though. Nathan met us at the counter with his assortment of junk foods and change of clothes. 'Do you have a comfort room?" Elliot asked as he was paying our bill. 'Yeah, just at the back." He pointed the direction and gave our receipt along with our goods. As soon as the glass door closes, my friend yanked me to the direction of the said room and walked briskly. 'Eight minutes." He mumbled. I could hear Nathan's foot-stomps as he probably was running after us. Elliot dug in the plastic bag, and pushed me in the comfort room. Outside, I could hear him instructing Nathan about staying put and not to let anyone in. He went in and locked the door after he closed it. 'Tie your hair," I tied my shoulder-length hair with the band he handed. 'Kneel by the bowl." I did, my knees touched the dry, cold tiles and dropped my head. A small towel dangled within my sight and I grabbed it. 'This will be really painful, T. I'm sorry." Those were his last words before he took a seat on the toilet bowl and rested my head on his thigh. That was when I felt it, the sinking of something sharp on my nape. Fuck it hurts! I ground my teeth to prevent myself from screaming and thrashing. Somehow the thing went deeper and it became more painful that my vision blurred. I let out a groan and stuffed the towel Elliot handed me in my mouth. There were clicks and different sensations my fleeting mind sensed but I was mostly out of it because of the extreme pain. 'Elliot." I pleaded that he finish it already because I felt like fucking dying. 'Keep it together, my friend." His voice was far, far away and it was echoing. 'A little bit more." I think it was what he said. I passed out...for like two seconds only to feel that digging pain all over again. My blood probably slid down my face because I tasted it in my mouth. It was so long, so long that the pain itself slowly numbed me. I heard a pop. And then I was out. ●●●●● I came to a low hum, it wasn't annoying albeit comforting. It was like soothing my ears. 'Don't move!" Said a voice. 'She's awake!" A child, a robot, a pixie? Oh, Nathan. 'Where?" Hmm, is my jaw dislocated? I couldn't open it properly. 'You are on my lap, face-down, and duct taped. Don't move." He said. Ah, so I lived through that, still, it didn't any hold any place to my ‘most memorable body-opening-without-anaesthetics' memories. 'Elliot." 'I'm here, my friend." 'He's driving." They talked simultaneously that my brain had difficulty deciphering what each of them said. Driving? I groaned, the pain is coming back. 'Here, drink this." Something was put between my lips—possibly a straw—and I sucked. It was sweet with a fiery feeling as it went down. 'What?" I asked when the straw was taken out of my mouth. 'A cocktail, your friend here, concocted." I couldn't help the groan that escaped my mouth. Dang, it felt like my neck was swollen the size of a human head. 'Where did you get the car?" I murmured to the darkness. 'What?" Nathan asked. I could feel his tiny hand on top of my head doing small pats. 'Rest first, Thirty-Five. You can ask your questions later when you're healed." I heard Elliot. I did what I was told and closed my eyes. I couldn't sleep though, the pain was ever present and was constantly poking my bones. ●●●●● I woke up to murmurs that were slowly getting louder as I gained consciousness. '...we have to keep going or else they'll find us." I slowly got up and came eye to eye with Nathan. His eye-color was really deep red through the limited light source, I thought it was just the trick of light in the lab. 'How are you?" When I cautiously swiveled my head to the direction of the voice, it was Elliot manning the steering wheel. 'I had to sew your wound with a dental floss and duct tape it after." Fascinating. My eyebrows couldn't stop rising upwards as I listened to his story. I lightly poked said cut with my index finger. 'How long was I out?" Who knew that floss wasn't only for picking dirt between the teeth? Probably just me. 'Five hours, but no complains came from the kid with you about numb legs and sorts as you slept." Five hours. Everything might've healed already, I moved to rip the tape off of my nape but Elliot stopped me. He said that he would do it after and that the floss is still stuck in my skin. Okay. There was a click and I turned to see Nathan strapped in his seatbelts. 'For safety. I'm not immortal like you guys." He'd said. 'Where are we?" The surroundings changed, it was now dark and compared to the vast desert we walked on, we were now passing a lot of trees. It was also raining. 'Kansas, we got out of Colorado a few hours ago. We have to keep going, I don't know if they started to track us—" I wasn't able to finish listening to what was Elliot was saying. There was a shake and then my face was somehow smashed into something soft that I bounced back. I stared at the gray ceiling as I tried to blink but my eyes were not following my will. 'Elliot!" I called when I came to and painstakingly got up to check on the driver's seat. Empty. 'Elliot!" I wasn't afraid to die or to be decapitated, but losing my friend again was like jumping in a body of ice-cold water. Panic drowned me that my throat started constricting. I grabbed the door handle and pushed, nothing happened. When I rotated to try the other door, I saw that Nathan was still in his seat, unmoving. He didn't talk but he was staring at me. 'Are you okay?" I asked and tried the door on his side. It opened! I didn't hear his answer—if he ever answered. I stumbled out of the car and ran to the driver's side. There were no street lights and the only source of brightness was the car's headlights and roof-lights, so I crept my way to my friend, but gradually my vision adjusted. The first thing that registered was the open door and right beside it was my friend, lying on the pavement, unmoving. 'Elliot!" I rushed to him, pat his cheeks, and stupidly listened to his breathing and heart. 'Wake up!" No response. His eyes were open but he didn't even blink. And then there was a noise. It was just brief but I heard it. 'Target located." They found us. I hadn't notice earlier but there were holes in Elliot's body. Was he dead? No, he can't die! He was a fucking Artificial Intelligence for fuck's sake! I heard the sound again, like falling heavy rocks. I ran my hand on his face to close his eyes, I couldn't help but sob as I stared at my unresponsive friend. I looked up and surely the chrome robots stood a few meters from us. Fuck, Elliot can't die! I cried silently as I stood up. We thought we escaped—at least for more than a day, but it looked like they just let us run away only to enjoy chasing us in the end. Well, fuck them and their metallic asses. I stepped away from my friend and walked closer to them. They were poised to shoot and all their heavy-looking guns were pointed at me. I didn't know how much hotness was needed to melt metals but I started projecting heat from my hands. Higher, bigger, until it started to physicalize. A fucking force-field of heat hotter than your fucking heads and as wide as the road, motherfuckers. We've gone this far, I wouldn't let them drag us back to another laboratory to be experimented on again. I went hotter, took a step and then another. They started shooting and I could only snicker, their bullets would melt before they even touch me. I was walking towards them, my hands held out. The road was turning into black water, boiling and drying up. The first robots that were touched by the field were reduced to non-existence and then the others started backing away. One of them stumbled and hit its head, the piece of honed metal rolled and a pair of human eyes stared at me in fear. What? No, they're robots. I continued to walk. 'Please." He mouthed. I dropped my hands. I looked back, the road was carbonized, and no traces of those who were there shooting at me earlier could be found. I looked at the pleading man again, he stayed slumped on the road. I trudged on, I needed to clean them up to clear a pathway for us. I felt the sting before I even heard it. I was shot at the back of my leg—the force-field evaporated in an instant—when I turned to see, I felt another pain on my stomach and sure enough I was shot there too as I saw the blood leaking out of the hole the bullet made. I didn't know if I'd laugh or be angry at the person holding the gun. The last individual I expected to have the guts to wield a pistol. Fucking Nathan. So, I did the former and guffawed. 'Be careful with that it's not a toy, kid." I shouted. I saw him pull the trigger, but I wasn't fast enough to dodge that the bullet still grazed my arm. He didn't talk. He seemed different, he seemed void of emotions. I heard a couple more gun fires after, however I was ready and despite the pain, I was able to move out of the range. The blood-loss was turning my vision blurry though and dropped me on my knees which fucking hurt as my leg-wound was disturbed. 'Was this your plan all along?" I should have left him in there and burned. 'Too bad you have nowhere to return to." I didn't see him move and he was instantly in front of me, his gun on my head. My eyes slid to Elliot's body but he was in the same state I left him. 'I'm not a kid." Were his last words before I saw his finger began to squeeze the trigger, to which I tilted my head to the side to avoid the shot. Fucking moron. 'If you think I would just let you shoot me—" I wasn't able to finish my sentence when he decided to smash my jaw with the butt of the gun instead. My vision tripled. It was surprising how much strength he had as he was small. He could even handle the kick of the gun when firing it. Another gun-slap to the other side of my face had me toppling down the ground and I was seeing black spots. My darkening sight managed to distinguish his baby-back that was getting farther before feeling the familiar bite of electricity in my body. A four-foot tall kid managed to fool us over and overpower me. Fuck.