Unplugged: The Hidden World (#2, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Thirty Five

"RoboMed cannot let you leave," the droid's monotone voice repeats for the nth time. "Keep still, patient." I sigh deeply.

"If I don't do anything wrong, will you let me leave when you're done?" I ask, biting my lip. I'd already tried to slip out of my room twice. Both times the RoboMed had caught me and sent wires crisscrossing the bed to keep me in place. I listen nervously as the robot's inner mechanisms grind and whir as it decides how best to answer my request.

"That can be arranged," the metallic voice mutters. A burst of relief and joy rains down my spine. "Keep still, patient."

I keep myself as still as possible when the droid gets to work: it scans my body for bruises and broken bones, checks my blood pressure, measures my brain activity, listens to my heart, observes my reflexes, and performs countless other tests before its lights grow bright and it utters a dinging sound not unlike a toaster.

"You are free to go, human. Make sure you eat healthy fruits and vegetables. Don't forget to--" The rest of the droid's words are cut short as I leap up from the bed and enter a long hallway. I whistle, amazed. A seamless glass window reaches from the carpeted floor and bends up as over me, forming the ceiling as well as reaching over to form the wall on the other side of the aircraft. The view of the setting sun--purple, red and yellow--is absolutely breathtaking. Is this really how the Elite live their day-to-day lives? Pampered by robots in a flying penthouse?

Shaking my head, I continue down the posh hallway, searching in vain for Matthew's room. After a while my legs grow weary and I think I may never find him. What if I get lost? But then I can hear voices from up ahead, and I speed up my search. It doesn't take long for me to recognize Matthew's voice, shouting at a robo-droid.

"Come on!" He snaps, exasperated. "I've sat here for four days, doing everything you told me! It's just a broken rib, it's not like I'm on death row!"

"Patient needs to calm down for accurate test results. RoboMed suggests--"

"Oh, yeah? Here's what I suggest--"

Barely holding back my laughter, I push open the door and peer inside. Matthew reclines in a bed not unlike the one I just left, face and neck peppered with healing bruises and cuts. Long, gauze-like bandages are wrapped around his chest and torso.

"Just a broken rib, huh?" I ask, a smile sneaking its way onto my lips. When Matthew spots me he instantly stops struggling and a wide grin replaces his scowl. The droid utilizes his stillness, and starts to get to work on him.

"Keep still, patient." Matthew rolls his eyes and succumbs to the robot's treatment. It doesn't take long until the all-clear, and I rush over to the side of Matthew's bed, ignoring the incessant droning of the RoboMed.

"Those things are annoying, aren't they?" He asks, taking my hand. I shrug good-naturedly.

"They kept us alive. You have to give them that."

"Yeah."

A deep, contemplative silence falls over us both and we stare at the glorious colors of the sky: purples, reds, oranges, golden yellows... I can't help but think of all the people who should be here with us, enjoying the sight.

"I would kiss you right now," Matthew mutters, tearing me away from my thoughts. "But I can't... you know... move." I smile at him for a moment, then I lean down and touch my lips to his. Even though we both smell of sweat and blood, it's the sweetest thing I've ever experienced. After pulling away, Matthew runs his fingers down my scarred neck. His eyes glaze over, and he blinks a few times before speaking.

"I was so scared..." He whispers, throat pulling taught.

"Me too," I reply, throat tightening. "I mean, about you." We stare at each other for a while longer, and I try to think about something happy, something cheerful, but all the while my mind keeps recalling the dread that filled every inch of my being when I held his lifeless body.

"What happened?" I ask, sadness entering my words. "I mean... That's not possible, what happened." Matthew wipes away the tears that had barely escaped my eyelids, shaking his head.

"I didn't want to say in front of Victoria or Gale. They'd think I'd gone crazy." He pauses and I nod, urging him onward. "First there was just this blackness, and I felt completely numb. A moment later, the black started turning to a blinding whiteness, and then I felt this peace. Like... I don't know. Like everything was going to work out. I heard someone say, 'Not yet'. Very clearly. And then I fell back into the blackness and... woke up." I pause, turning each detail over and over in my mind, utterly confused. Matthew shrugs and laughs a little.

"I know it sounds crazy, I know."

"No, it doesn't," I say slowly, thinking furiously. "Was the voice by chance... a male? Kind of gruff, deep?" Matthew closes his eyes, trying to remember. I give him a few moments, but he sets his jaw, shaking his head in annoyance.

"I can't remember..."

Could we both be hearing the same Voice? Did the same power that's been guiding me somehow save Matthew's life? Growing weary, I take a seat in the chair next to Matthew's bed, holding his hand until his exhaustion catches up to him. His hand slackens as he falls into deep sleep, and his own words keep playing through my mind.

Not yet.