Reception

Chapter 20 - Explaining Terms & Conditions

Sarah's footsteps faded as she climbed. Left alone, Damien and Alice gave each other a small glance before both of them looked to the ground.

"Thanks for helping me."

"Don't mention it," Damien said, smiling softly. He walked over to her and took up a seat on the couch on her left. "How's it feel?"

"Sore," she grumbled.

"I'd imagine. What does it feel like to be hit with a bullet?"

Alice thought a moment, her mouth gaping open, then shut, and open once more, "Imagine somebody has a knife. They walk right up to you, and giving it a solid stab. You imagining that?" Damien nodded, "Multiply it by like, a billion, and that's sort of what it feels like."

"Ouch," he winced.

Alice gave a nod with a grin, "But I'm a tough one."

He nodded, giving a hearty chuckle, "That you are."

The room fell silent once more. Alice looked up to Damien and reached over with her right hand - as her left was clearly unusable at the moment - and clasped his arm, "I'm sorry about all the trouble I've caused. Also, thank you for the date." Damien just shook his head, smiling. "No, really, I mean it."

Damien paused before he spoke, "Alice? Before you had said you'd tell me what you and The Holos are planning to do with Michael's code."

Alice nodded, putting her hand back in her lap, "Yes. Yes, I did." There was a long pause, Alice clearly in thought. "I have one more condition before I tell you what we're going to do with it." Damien's eyebrows lifted. Alice quickly spoke before he could, "I know I said I would tell you after the date, but I really want to know something," her urgency kept him quiet, and after his nodding she continued, "How do you feel about me?"

Damien's eyes widened, "Well, aren't you just a bold little ray of sunshine?"

"Damien, please, I want to know," she urged, "Sarah's obviously pining over you, and I think you're a brilliant mess! I absolutely can't hold it back anymore. Hell, Damien, I took a bullet for you! I don't know many girls who would do that!"

Damien whistled, "You've got a point, I don't know of any, either." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat for several moments before his mouth opened to speak, "Alice, don't get me wrong, you're really, really something. And I mean that in a good way. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

"Look, Sulivan," Alice sharply interrupted, "I don't care about who you have to choose. I want you to tell me how you feel about me. Do you even like me?"

"Of course I do!" he snapped, "I just don't think you realize that I'm caught in some sort of weird stalemate between you and Sarah."

Alice fell silent for a few moments before flinging a few rebellious locks of auburn hair back behind her shoulder, "I understand, Damien. I've already told Sarah we'll fight over you til someone wins. I just wanted to confirm that I even had a shot."

Damien snorted, "As if you didn't. You're kind of a terrorist babe."

Alice flushed immediately, her heart threatening to explode in her chest, "Wow. I really need to stop having heart attacks near you."

Damien nodded, "I would make a mental note for sure, as we spent quite a while removing that bullet." He paused and looked at her shoulder, "How is that, by the way? Any better?"

Alice nodded, "Once I get back to headquarters they'll give me some additional medicine not on the government books that will remove the scar and repair most of the tissue. Most of the healing will just take time."

"Wonder of technology, huh?"

Alice nodded, "Definitely." After sucking in a large gulp of air, she began, "Right. So, what we're going to do with Michael's code, right?" She was met with a quiet nod, "We're going to fight the government and take back this city-state and restore everyone's freedom."

"Everyone's freedom?" he questioned, fully intrigued.

"Yes. Quite frankly, Damien, the government is holding everyone hostage and the majority of the populace are unawares. You know most of the old-world history, I assume?" Again, a simple, quiet nod. "Good, then you know that the government claims that we're some sort of crazy terrorist group that killed a boat-load of people. The truth of the matter is we successfully saved them. That day was called 'The Holo Day'." Damien's face was painted with disbelief. "I know that you think I sound insane, but I the reason I know that we're the good guys is because we are the 'massacred' people from the British Massacre."

Damien's eyes widened more than he thought possible, "Wait, you are those killed people?"

Alice nodded, "Maybe not myself, but my parents are. They, with the help of The Holos, retreated to the underground bases that cover most of the underbelly of our fair city."

"Then, tell me this," Damien questioned hesitantly, "who tried to kill those four-thousand people?"

Alice shrugged off the question, wincing as she remembered shrugging was currently a bad idea, "Who else would be left, Damien? The government. See, the four-thousand people were actually rebels in their own right. Not that they actively stood against the government themselves, but they stood for an ideal that didn't quite mesh with this perfect, Utopian society of ours." Alice stretched a bit and stood up, pacing the room on her feet, her heels absent, "The government, with their beloved Enforcers, took this city-state from other countries during the last war. It's been in their grasp because anything that remotely resembles rebellion or anti-government is immediately smothered and stomped out."

Damien tried to let the information sink in, but Alice continued, "Usually it's just paying off some judge or bribing some politician. You know, real sleaze-ball moves. It goes unnoticed and doesn't affect the city-state as a whole. However, on one fateful day, four-thousand people defected from Great Britain. At least, that's what it was called then. It's long since been demolished and is currently being rebuilt to meet government standards," Alice grabbed another gulp of breath, her hair bobbing and weaving as she paced, "They were used to a different lifestyle. Understandable, right? I mean, they came from another country at the time!" Damien nodded, "When they were forced to sign over their rights for the good of the government and city-state, the majority of them didn't like it. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't people screaming and throwing fits or anything crazy like that, but they did murmur a bit, grumble here and there."

Alice turned on heel to face Damien, "Of course, speaking your mind is fine as long as it doesn't incite unrest, right? At least, that's what they tout and claim. The four-thousand were hurried off to some remote part of what was then known as 'Florida'. The cover-story to their sudden disappearance hadn't been created yet. They were in the process of finding a way to eliminate these poor people. The Holos, luckily, had caught wind of this scheme, and started and open fight with the government to cause a distraction, and allowing extraction of those British people."

Damien looked down, trying to absorb everything he had just heard.

"Of course," continued Alice, "this was a great story title, right? 'Holos kill thousands' and whatnot?"

"It's all true, isn't it? That's why none of the stories match," said Damien simply.

Alice nodded, "And it's not just this. There are several other bits of history that don't make sense."

With lithe grace Alice approached the couch and placed herself to the left of him. She looked deep into his brown eyes, "Damien, we're not the bad guys."

And with that, leaned in for a kiss.