HOMEOSTASIS

Chapter XVIII

"Such a pretty house and such a pretty garden,
With no alarms and no surprises,
(Get me out of here)."

⦻⦻⦻

Kate's eyelids fluttered open, but when she awoke, she felt zero surprise. Yeah, she was expecting to wake up in her room. She was just confused as to why Toby, Tim, and Brian, were there with her.

"How long have I been out?"

"About forty-five minutes or so. We managed to arrange a solution to our problem, in the meanwhile."

""Our" problem?" She deadpanned, "So it's a group thing, now."

"It's always been. We're like a mechanism, working together. You're the head of it." Said Brian, sitting next to her on the bed. They agreed it should be him to do the talking. Tim would let his emotions get the best of him, and would end up influencing her decision. Toby wouldn't even be able to explain the situation right, because much like anybody else, he's still confused. They needed someone impartial. "Look, the Operator is willing to make a deal with us. We decided that... you can choose your fate from now on. You're free."

"I... what?"

"As in, you can do whatever you want with your life. You wanna die? Go ahead. Go to prison? It won't go anywhere. Live your life in peace away from the Operator? Man, you're more than welcome to do that."

"Brian..." Tim sighed but had to contain himself as to not intervene any further. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even mention those first two options, but Kate needs the truth raw, so she can make a raw decision.

"Look, in the end, it's in your hands. But he's willing to let you go. Let you get away from this life. You said it yourself, you're no use to him, he doesn't care where you go. You have the chance to work on yourself and be happy. Trust me, that's what everyone wants except you. Everybody wants you to go out there, and have a career- or a family like you've always wished. And believe me, if Carl and Lauren saw you right now... they'd hate this version of you."

Her hands trembled at the mention of those names, but he's not wrong. What would they think if they saw her now?

"If you choose to go out there and live life as you should, you shouldn't remember them as a mistake, but as happy memories. When you talked about Lauren, earlier, you were so happy- there was a gleam in your eyes!" He chuckled. "You were dancing around with the biggest smile on your face, all because of a beautiful memory you two have together. For the first time, you weren't thinking of their deaths as a product of the Operator's curse, but as worthy memories. You can't let that thing pollute your mind more than it already has. He only keeps you like this because he knows how bad it is for you- how it's destroying you. He loves that. Do you want to let him win? Again? Do you want to prioritize him over your happiness?" He took her cold hands in his, "You have another option, though... You can take profit from it, and the Operator will erase your memory, and you'll forget all about being a proxy. You can forget why they died in the first place, and therefore, be able to live your life."

She blinked. "I can... forget? I won't have to deal with this shit anymore?"

"Yeah. He can do whatever you ask of him. The price to pay for it, you'll leave to us. All we want is for you to be happy, Kate. You've done enough. We all want to put an end to this, and so do you. Deep down, you do."

Tim can't even look. She's not actually thinking about doing it, is she? What's the point this shit's gotten? Not even Toby is so sure why they're getting so worked up over something that doesn't concern the three of them. This is a Kate thing, and as selfish as it sounds, they have nothing to do with it. He gets that she's their friend and all, but come on!