Inside the Fire

Chapter 20: A Favor

The museum is an imposing figure, made entirely out of concrete, sculpted and dyed to look like marble. This planet's natural marble resources were depleted centuries ago, but humans wanted to hold onto the feel the old stone used to give. There's patched cracks where earthquakes have rattled the fo-stone. People mill about on it's wide staircase, undecided if they want to guilt trip themselves down history lane, eat a soggy sandwich on a lunch break, or strip nude and run off into the streets, far away from this place. But, if I were to take off like I want too, I'd have to start over from scratch.
Fai stands resolutely next me, her clenched fists wrapped in her crossed arms. Are friendships always this difficult? Mine might be a special case though. It's not every day you find out your friend is the clone of a creature that inspired your family to relentlessly train their children to fight.
"So, we just, walk in?" I ask.
She turns her head sideways to me, smirking,
"That's the plan for me, you should really locate those guards if we're going to get anywhere though." She quips, and starts up the stairs.
Oh jeez, locating some unknown mind while moving? I rush to keep up with her. I push out in a wide cone in front of us, watching intently for anyone focused on a screen. Words are the easiest to find, but who thinks to themselves 'I'm looking at security footage right now.' ridiculous. Either by dumb luck or being failed as a child, I do successfully find a guard watching their camera. But this guard shouldn't be particularly difficult to suppress, they're zooming in on every breast and butt that catches their eye. This pervert hadn't been able to gain a full erection since moving in with their sexually active elderly mother. So peeping on the people wandering into the museum was the closest they'd gotten. They're nursing one now, hoping their coworker reading a book doesn't notice. Ugh, gross.
"We're good on the guards." With Disgust, I touch the horny guard's mind, and implant a single word.
The guard, now with a full erection nervously glances at their coworker. I switch gears to the other guard. They absolutely noticed what's going on with the other and is... enjoying it? What the..? This is no time to question kinks, and make it very difficult for them to pay attention to their book. With that I keep an eye on the watch station, with some fuel for their distractions when they need it. A peeping tom and voyeurist, what a pair they make.
Can't be surprised though, looking at the nature of their job. They both chose something they'd enjoy, respectively.
"How's the hallway?" I ask. Glancing at Fai.
"Everything looks clear so far, not too many people here today." She murmurs.
With both my mind open and ears perked, I'd have to agree. This looks good for us, our luck may save us from an embarrassing stay in a underground prison. Assuming I'd be treated and contained like a human. One health scan during intake and the arresting officers would likely lose their right to live, my existence being confidential and all. Fai throws me a sideways glance when I sigh, but refocuses on listening to shoes on polished concrete.
After awhile, we approach a velvet rope with a yellow sign that read, 'EMPLOYEES ONLY'. Fai deftly ducks under it,
"Act like we're supposed to be here." She whispers.
I nod and swiftly slide on a knee under, standing up from it in one fluid motion. Her eyes are wide in shock, but Fai doesn't comment. My face feels hot. Maybe I shouldn't have shown off like that, too soon? Is that the right phrase? I focus back in on the video surveillance guards. Ugnh, still very preoccupied, I shake their mental images from my mind.
Fai drops down into a crouch, which feels unnecessary, but I mirror her movements. We pass through a changing room for museum staff, there's a stand off between two humans in bathroom stalls, both really needing to shut, neither one wanting the other to hear themselves. There's a crossroads, elevator or stairs? I watch Fai for any indication, she rolls from one wall to the adjacent one, avoiding the slow walk pass another hallway opening.
Stairs it is then. She pulls the door open to the stairs, her teeth gritting. When no alarm goes off, she slips in. Once on the stairs, we straighten up and jog down.
"Anything from the security guards?" Fai's tone lacks any sort of interest.
"Their fine." I answer, exasperation leaking into my voice.
Book guard wants to get involved with what Peeping guard has going on. I cringe away from whatever THAT was. "Very distracted."
She nods absent-mindedly,
"We're nearing the floor, based on my research, it's held in a mock gymnasium from an ancient school."
"Mmm." What does she mean by 'Ancient'?
"Right," she sighs, "You never learned about the old ways, did you?"
I shrug,
"What I know, I got from a dying scientist bent on revenge."
Her mouth hangs open,
"Sorry, what?!"
That's right, I don't think I've told her. On our descent, I give her a brief history of me. From the moment I was sentient to my escape. Glossing over the crooked female scientist and the horror of the animals I'd been forced to encounter. Fai guffaws.
"What, Fai?" I snap.
She shrugs,
"Nothing, except that after everything this Tom did to free you, you didn't give him the one thing he wanted?"
"Murder?" I hiss, "Incase you forgot, I don't want to be a killing machine, but-" I trail off, my voice becoming softer, "I'm starting to think that I don't have a choice in that."
How do I tell her about what's kept me from Tom's wishes? Oh, by the way, I was going to go find the people running my cloning program and lead them to justice. But the small issue of someone attempting to assassinate you delayed me leaving to attain that justice on his behalf. Sorry that's my bad. She's not in a place to hear it, she may never be in a place to hear it. Fai has become so cruel since learning my identity, I'd do anything to erase her mind. Bring us back to a month ago when we could hang out, as people.
Things are heating up in the security room, Fai and I reach the floor she was looking for.
"'Eagle middle school'," Fai reads the plac aloud, "Now why did they recreate an entire school 50 floors below ground level? Who knows." She complains. "If the guards don't kill you, maybe your legs will?"
"Brave words for someone with robotic legs." I tease, "Besides, most people would use the elevators."
Fai shoots me a glare, if looks could kill...
"It's not much farther along." She throws over her shoulder.
Crouching back down, I can't help but look around. Every wall is full of red and black lockers. I thought the name was Eagle? Did they get confused between an Eagle and a Red Tailed hawk? Tom had a aviary phase, he'd meant to pick up bird watching as a hobby, but was always too busy to do any of the 'watching' part. Not that there are many birds left within a hundred mile radius. Just your common crow and its' hybrids.
The school is massive, with amphitheaters where classrooms were, and exhibits of shooter drills. A podium is posted outside of one of the doors, with a menacing wax student, book bag and all, holding an impressive amount of weaponry. I grimace, guns. Not very effective but still painful. Kids these days have too much mental trauma towards guns to ever use them. Well, except for that one final time, where using one would make it so they never had to again. Was that societies solution to this particular pandemic? I'm seeing so many examples of horrid visions of past evils, but where are their solutions? How did society save kids from themselves? For their sake, I hope it was more than forcing them to kill eachother for resources they'd never see.
That's one good thing the decade wars gave them, more access to resources. With everyone you know dead, from war or suicide, of course there's more to go around. What a bleak existence humans have to live, stripped of culture and art. I don't think the sculptures lining the streets are enough to fill the crater that was left by the loss of their individuality.
With hesitation, I check back in with the security guards. I guess humans found other ways to let out their creativity. Wait, who am I to question their originality? I don't think I've ever had an original thought. My heart falls, everything I've wanted, someone else wanted first. I look at Fai, her face tense, I could really use a friend right about now. Someone to tell me it's okay I'm not original, that it's something I have to find for myself. At least some version of that.
What am I doing here? This is making me miserable! Fai plans on using the sword to kill me, has me spying on a couple of lusty guards and low-key wants us to get caught.
"Fai?" I whisper.
She continues looking ahead, listening for guards that aren't there.
"Why do you need me here?" I ask.
I think she's... ignoring me? "Fai." I say, louder.
She turns to me to shush me and freezes in her tracks, her eyes widening with knee-jerk worry.
"Uh, wha-what is it?" She whispers.
"Why am I here?" I repeat.
Her face is a war of emotions, anger, pity, fear, worry, and loathing.
"Didn't you want to be here." Not a question, a statement.
"I'm here, because I'm your friend, or I'd like to continue to be." I avert my eyes, not wanting to see the distrust in her eyes.
"We were never friends," she explains, "You can't be friends with a lie."
"Not all of it was a lie, I tried to tell you the truth where I could." I chew on the inside of my cheek, careful not to lacerate it. "I wanted to leave all this," I gesture around us, "Behind, and live like a human being. I couldn't do that if anyone knew the truth." I reason.
"Is it really realistic that I'd tell the first person I met outside of the lab that made me? Use the mentality that was trained into you, you never told me you come from a family of monster hunters."
She grimaces,
"That was never relevent." There, I can see it reach her eyes.
I take a steadying breath,
"If I'm living as a human, when would it be relevant to disclose that I'm not?"
Fai is stumped, she'd wanted to get this over with, to be free of the very thing she'd been raised to fear and now. She doesn't know what to think. Does she continue with this? She still wants the sword, but, can she blame me for not telling her? Her breath is getting ragged. Wasn't her reaction to the truth exactly what her family had trained her to think and feel? She's facilitating between her learned response and what she's observed these last couple months.
"Let's assume you're right, and I'm overreacting, " she holds up a hand to keep me from interrupting, "For arguments sake, let's say I'm overreacting. What would you have me do? Trust you blindly?"
"That's what I'd be doing, if we left here without the sword and tried to go back to the way things were," she shrugs,"I need something, some form of insurance to help me feel safe around you again."
"And the sword will give you that?" I clarify.
She smiles sadly,
"How else can I live next to a dragon?"
Hearing the word shakes me. Being it is one thing, being called it is another.
    Her eyes turn serious,
    "I know this isn't the time, but... you said you can influence minds right?"
    I shrug,
    "More or less."
    "Does that mean you can read them?" Fai's mouth turns down at the corners, her eyebrows bunched up.
    Ah, I've walked right into another scary conversation.
    "Well yes," I start, then let the words rush out,"But it doesn't happen all the time, I have to try to do it. I'm not a radio tower, it's closer to talking then you would think, I just have to listen." I follow it up with a sheepish grin.
    Fai grimaces,
    "So, then," she clears her throat, "How much have you heard from me?"
    Avoiding her eyes,
    "Enough to know that you're undecided about killing me," my voice cracks, "I won't lie and say I rarely do it, even though doing it is a choice, I choose to do it and not just to you."
    Fai shuts her eyes and turns away from me,
    "That doesn't exactly help my opinion of you."
    "I know," I reply, "I promised myself I'd be honest with you."
    "If your being honest, then, what are the guards doing?" Fai asks slyly.
    My face becomes red hot,
    "Uh, we're almost there right?"
    "Avoiding the question?" Fai snickers, "I've noticed your temperature spiking every once in awhile and that got me thinking-"
    "About how great it'd be to get your hands on that sword I hope." I mutter.
    "No more dodging, what's going through their minds? Is it spicy?" Her eyebrow arches.
    Just now I'm remembering a conversation about dating we had, one where I declared my Disgust for sex. I wish she'd go back to ignoring me.
    "They aren't thinking all the much right now." I complain.
    She tilts her head,
    "Please, continue."
    "No." I state resolutely.
    "That's unfair," Fai declares, "Not sharing what you know."
    I frown,
    "They're doing sex." I hiss.
    "There," she smirks, "That wasn't so hard, right?"
    "Sure sure," I wave at her dismissively.
    Ignores, accuses, and teases me. What is she on today? Is her mental state fraying? Since she knows, she never forbade me from doing it... I read her mind, poking around the edges. And to my not surprise, it is falling apart. Just at the edges, she learned a myth was true. She'd caused it's resurface too. Nothing feels really real to her, it's all a dream. At the center of her thoughts, she's still in denial. Maybe when she holds the sword in her hand, she'll wake up. It's only if this all turns out to be real, that she'll have to kill me. To her it's a real big if. A mind reading dragon? Be serious, she knows reality wouldn't support such a thing.
    The way she's thinking, feels like deja vu. Someone in complete denial of their current circumstances, but when was this? I don't remember Tom and I talking about this. Perhapse it was one of the many human's whose lives I've followed. But which one?
    "Over there!" Fai excitedly whispers, pointing the double door to the gym.
    "How does it feel, being this close to it again?" I ask grimly.
    "Like it can't be over soon enough." She answers, glib.
    Okay, here goes nothing. We open the doors and Fai pauses, her body going rigid. I look to see what she sees. The doors only open from the outside.
    "We could find something to hold them-" I start.
    "No No, ill do it." She snaps. "You go grab the sword, I'll hold the door."
    "That doesn't make sense!" I urge, "You want The sword, you go get it, I'll hold the door!"
    "And let you trap me inside?" She shakes her head, "No thanks."
    "You trust me enough to grab the sword, but not to keep the door open?" I ask incredulous.
    Fai nods,
    "One wrong move from you, and I can escape this way."
    Is she really that scared of being trapped? My head tilts, quizzical. Whatever reality she's living, it's not this one. Even thinking about touching the sword terrifies me. The object of my past destruction. Though... Fai is having a mental breakdown. I don't want to make it worse than it already is. And this way... I can keep the sword away from her long enough to keep her from sticking the pointy end into me. My chest aches ever so slightly at the thought of being reacquainted with the sword that way.
    "Fine." I hiss, "Have it your way, just keep it open please."
    The door isn't anything special either, with those glass widows I think I can break them to let myself out that way. Fai firms up her stance at the door, her pose balanced between holding it and legs at the ready to take off at any sign of danger.
    I look around the gym, it's dark except for small auxiliary lights around the corners of the room. Weapons of ever kind around the ages are encased in glass boxes. Guns, knives, swords and every kind of dangerous instrument humanity had thought of over the years. Jeez, how will I know which one is the righ one?
    There's a raised platform at the center of the room, I don't let myself look at it, choosing to peruse the other exhibits first. Only when I back up into the velvet rope separating it from the rest of the room, do I commit to look.
    A sword of intricat make is held with glass prongs, showcasing alien language written along the length of it's blade. The words have an ominous red glow to them. It feels like it's staring at me, following my movement when I duck under the partition. I know this is the right one, I recognize it's shape, the hilt, and opposite the blade on the hilt, a blunt heavy end for bashing in skulls when the sharp part wasn't enough. The blade is designed for cruelty, serated edges leading up from the hilt to midway up the blade on one side. Every time I'd felt it in my chest, I had been wrong about it's make. The sword isn't made of metal at all. It's a tooth, the leather bound on the hilt was on the root of the tooth. Someone had changed the tooth only slightly, making it slimmer, shaping it to be flat down the center.
    It was never my remains that they removed from the sword, the sword is my remains! Something about this doesn't feel right, I glance back where Fai is. I can't touch this thing, she needs to get it, this is wrong. I take a step back and every muscle in my body freezes. My head snaps back to the sword. The words are glowing brighter, and shimering bright red blood drips from them. I try to jerk away from it, and I lurch toward ir instead, stepping forward to keep from falling on my face.
    My hand raises against Mt will. I continue to fight against the pull. I don't want this, I don't this sword, no no no no no. I grit my teeth, I still have my face it seems. But everything necessary for moving is now at the end of a puppeteer's strings. She needs to leave, Fai needs to get out! I open my mouth only to have it shut tight again. No! I wrestle with just getting my mouth again. If I can warn her, at least she can get a head start! Fuck! What is even happening! My hand grips the hilt, and now I know. Everything in bur my arm relaxes, I look to Fai once more as the muscles in my move to have the sword pointing straight at my heart.
    "FAI!" at last the words burst out, "RUN!" I scream as I plunge the sword, or me, back into myself.