[10] <You can call me Lo.>
My heart was pounding in my chest while I waited for an answer, if it was really Twelve who wrote back, I would have succeeded better than both Carl and I had hoped for.
[12] <Lo? Not 10?>
I frowned and read the sentence over and over, what the hell should I answer? The hands trembled over the keys.
[10] <10 is my alias.>
It had taken about eight tormenting minutes between each answer, I realized restlessly, when I glanced at the clock. Four minutes for my answer to be received and four minutes for Twelve to answer? This meant that whoever it is, was really far away. Or in the middle of a storm, or it had a terribly bad connection.
[12] <How did you find me Lo?>
<username changed to Lo>
[Lo] <I found your chip.>
After a quarter of an hour I gave up, I had probably scared it away.
Whatever it was.
Probably a very smart AI that was forgotten in some box with a small spare generator or something.
Probably not a person.
Fuck, I had been so close!
I stretched my arms over my head and yawned loudly, I had been connected for four hours straight again. It was time for something to eat.
I took off my glasses and looked around for the protein cookie I had placed somewhere among the clutter on the desk.
I really should check with Carl if he knew anything more, but I did not have time to think more of it before blue text appeared on the screen again and my heart felt a shot of joy.
[12] <What do you want from me?>
I stared at the screen and thought about what I should write back. I didn't want to scare him off.
[Lo] <Just talk.>
[12] <Why?>
[Lo] <Because I feel lonely.>
I grabbed the cookie and started nibbling on the dry ration while waiting for an answer.
[12] <You and me both then.>
I leaned back in my chair and ran my fingers through my hair. It was a human being, it must be. My heart beat a little faster again, it had been crazy long since I talked to someone outside our family, someone who didn't want to kill me, or sell me, or eat me.
[Lo] <I thought you were a program.>
[12] <Why'd you think that?>
[Lo] <Or an AI, it's quite advanced tech you've got there.>
[12] <I'm not.>
[Lo] <Good to know, so what are you?>
[12] <How did you find me?> he asked, clearly avoiding my question.
I rubbed my forehead, how did you find me? Did that mean this was a direct link to Twelve's software? I wanted more answers, but I needed to be careful, this was a potential enemy.
[Lo] <I can't say, yet.>
[12] <Smart, one should not trust strangers.>
[Lo] <Exactly.>
The door slammed open and Hannes dragged his tired body towards my thin old mattress.
"Get off my bed!" I yelled at him.
"Why?" he grinned and fell straight down on his back.
"Because you have your own?"
He sighed and rubbed the root of his nose with his thumb and forefinger "I can't share a room with Carl right now."
[12] <Are you still there?>
[Lo] <I have to go, can we talk later?>
[12] <If you dare ;)>
I broke the connection and pulled the link out of my neck before spinning around on the squeaky old chair.
"Did you find anything?" my brother asked curiously, glancing at the screen before handing me a bag.
"I don't know yet."
"Don't lie," he laughed, and tore off his shoes.
I searched through the bag and looked approvingly at the various components that Hannes had found for me. "Say nothing to Carl and the others, not yet."
He took a deep breath and nodded "on one condition" I raised an eyebrow and his green eyes met mine, they had almost identical color "let me sleep here."
I nodded and got up "food?"
"Check with Fia."
I walked towards the door, but turned anxiously about "touch nothing, okay?"
He innocently stretched out his hands in the air and rolled his eyes "I promise!"
Hesitantly, I left the room and began to move towards the kitchen. I still had some questions I wanted to ask Carl, but I wasn't sure if the time was right.
The heat immediately hit me when I stepped outside the tent and I protected my eyes with my hand.
Hannes was right, Sofia was stirring in one of the dented pots in the kitchen, which was really nothing more than a windbreak and an open fire. But the word kitchen sounded nice somehow, like something you have in a home.
"Are you done with your mission?"
The question was a bit strange I thought, how did she even know what I was doing? "My what now?"
She stuck out her pink little tongue at me before she kissed me on the cheek "whatever Carl asked you to do."
I shrugged and looked down at the casserole with protein porridge "I don't know what I'm looking for."
"You will find it I'm sure " she said with her beautiful white smile which was such a nice contrast to her dark skin.
Sofia was cool, a bit of a loner who loved to tinker with engines instead of being social, but when it really mattered, she was a real friend. Or rather a sister.
"Don't work to hard though."
I scooped up some porridge, which was nothing more than protein cookies in water that was heated, in a bowl and looked at her "you know I like it."
"I know you get stuck in there, and when you do, you're forgetting the real world."
"That's why I have you and Hannes" I grinned and gave her a quick hug before I strolled back to the caravan.
Carl could wait, I felt I needed to go back. It was something that drew me there, call it curiosity or the longing to get to know a new person. Whatever it was, I could not stop thinking about it, he'll, I longed to talk to Twelve again.
With the bowl in my hand, I jogged back to the caravan again, I took a quick look at Hannes who was sleeping heavily on the mattress before I sat down in front of the screen again and typed,
[Lo] <are you there?>
(Lo and Hannes ☺️)