MACHINE LUNGS: rewrite

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Whistling, I push through the crowd of terrified civilians. I pull my now ruined hair from its ponytail, and let it fall- covering my face. I roll my eyes at the doomsday-esque chattering coming from the pyjama clad peanut gallery. A building collapsed- big woop.

I run my fingers through my jagged edges of hair. My strands barely reach past my shoulder, now. I groan, and rip off my bullet holed jacket as I stalk down the sidewalk, throwing it on the trash adorned sidewalk. First the jacket, then the hair. Tonight simply is not my night.

It will take ages for my hair to grow out again.

A lone girl sits on a park bench, her headphones blocking out the world. I take a look at the smoking remains of the building behind me and then glance back at her clueless form. The ignorance is real. As I walk behind her on the bench, I swipe the sweatshirt sitting beside her. It's black, forgettable, and I am running out of time before Lillian the Reckless is discovered. I slip it on and pull the hood up over my head. I stare at my feet as I begin jogging down the cracked concrete.

A few more blocks, and I'd be on my way back to base. I'd perform a few conniving conversations, forge a passport, and be on a plane towards Australia by the end of the week.

My hands twitch, and I fold them over my chest. Australia. So that's where he's been hiding all this time with his tail tucked between his legs? Well, no matter. I had him pinned down to a continent- it will only be a matter of time before I have him fervently begging for his life.

I stop, and squeeze my eyes shut. Shaking my head I try to calm down and reign the inhumane part of me back in. I've already flattened a skyscraper- no need for any more slightly over venturesome activities tonight.

A line of emergency vehicles come rushing down the deserted road, and I angle my face away as I regain my composure.

"Bavs," I murmur and immediately I feel the once dormant presence in my mind perk up. "Get me the coordinates of all police force and paramedics in the area." The view of the concrete and terrified city slowly shrinks until it's taking up only half of my vision, much like when you shrink a program on a computer to make room for another website or virtual destination so you can view both simultaneously. The other side of my vision is a detailed map of the area with various dots representing the government hired emergency personnel.

"Thanks Bavs." I turn down an alleyway to avoid a collision with a few officers. They are, no doubt, on the lookout for anyone disregarding the curfew that was imposed on New York City only minutes after the building collapsed. My focus shifts between the map on my right, and my immediate vision on the left. Don't try this at home, kids. Only a true professional, such as myself, can pull off switching views without a hitch.

I smile as I round the last corner and come to a stop in the secluded alleyway. I walk towards the bricked dead end, my boots crushing the trash underneath my feet. In the corner, hidden underneath a few pieces of cardboard, was a sleek black motorcycle. I don't bother much with labels and specifics. As long as it is fast, I have no objections. As I begin rolling it away from its hiding spot, I know notice the front tire is completely devoid of air.

I curse under my breath and lean down towards the deflated rubber. I gingerly touch the nail shoved into the tire. "Seriously?" I groan.

"Seriously." I whip around to face the newcomer, and I know my eyes are beginning to glow a brighter green. He holds his hands up in surrender. His lips are molded into a smirk, but the frustration in his eyes better betrays his true feelings. I reach up and pull my hood down.

I smile. "Oh, hey Carson! Fancy seeing you here. Do you by any chance have a spare tire?" I gesture towards my ruined bike, know full well that he was the one to ruin it in the first place.

He runs his hands his hair in frustration. "Lillian, you are so screwed- the department heads- they are absolutely livid." His Welsh accent is beginning to thicken as his words get angrier. "The bloody president called! The president, Lillian!"

"I hope whoever talked to him mentioned raising our pay."

He stares at me. The soft glow from the streetlights a few feet down at the end of the alleyway reflect off the side of his face. His jaw is hard, nose crooked, but eyes defeated. He has high cheek bones covered in pale flesh. His left eye is a lovely hazel, while his right is a sharp shade of blue. His hair falls on his forehead in auburn tufts.

"They've placed you on probation, Lil."

"Probation? They can't! I've just narrowed down that my guy is in Australia. I can finally-"

He cuts me off. "No. You just flattened the third largest building in the continental USA on personal impulse, costing the government thousands of dollars in repair and staging a proper cover." He walks towards me, and gently grabs a strand of my butchered hair. "You're lucky it's just probation, Lil." Carson's eyes grow distant, and he pulls his hand away. "They wanted to pull your plug. If it wasn't for White's ability to spin words into gold, I'd be dragging you back to base in handcuffs."

The world stops. Then takes off fast forward, my pounding heart setting the pace. "Pull my plug? I have just as much right to live as anyone else does!"

"They see you as a danger- unpredictable." He runs his calloused hand through his hair. "You aren't the easiest to pin down and, news flash, you aren't like everyone else, Lil." A flash of betrayal shocks my bones, and I have to swallow to keep from saying something stupid.

"So what are you saying? That since I'm a bit on the reckless side I should be put down? Like some blood crazed pitbull who can't keep it's jaws to itself?" I narrow my eyes, taking a step back when he reaches towards me. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours!" He shouts then continues on, much quieter. "I've always been on yours. But White and I can only protect you for so long, Lil."

"I'm not a little girl. I don't need protecting."

"Then stop acting like one!" He turns around and sets his head on the wall. Carson breaths for a few seconds before spinning back around to face me, his face livid. "Is this all a game to you?" He hisses. "Is this you trying to see how many mistakes you can make before the corner offices put you out of your misery and six feet under?"

He knows the answer- he doesn't need to ask. I have wanted to die-let Lillian Hale drift away into depthless oblivion- since I woke up with a computer in my brain and wires in my eyes. I'm an abomination. Not normal. A freak. I know this, Secretary of Defense knows this, White knows this, and so does Carson.

My skin shouldn't regenerate like a starfish. I shouldn't be able to glance at any stranger and instantaneously have access to their deepest, and darkest secrets. I shouldn't exist. And that's the end goal- always been the end goal- to cease existing.

But I can not cease existing- not while the man who ruined me breathes. No, he will cease existing as well- his life snuffed out by his own twisted creation.

Australia.

The beginning of the end found in the land of Kangaroos. It's almost poetic.

"Don't ask questions when you know the answer, Wulf." My tone is flat and I avoid his gaze. He stalks towards me so that his face is directly in front of mine, his nose almost brushing mine. I stand my ground. He doesn't speak until I meet his double colored gaze.

"You are selfish, Hale." Carson's words were heavy, and his tone was sharp. I felt it cut me where my skin couldn't regrow. "Terminally selfish."

With that he spins around and stalks out of the alleyway. I lock my regret away, and follow after him. We are silent as we ghost through the quiet city, towards Department A's isolated base and my increasingly dark future.

When I hope that death is not silent, I realize that Carson is right. The very bones wound into my flesh are selfish.

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Chapter 2 is finally up. This is not very action packed but it helping you get a better view of Lillian and her existence. Let know if there are any mistakes. I'm sorry for how short this is. I love you all!
-Victoria