Chapter 11

Log. 22756.q

We don't know how to react to that. We cannot tell the Government, as we have committed a serious crime. We can't go around and tell people “don’t go to the Workshops!” or “don’t access the Cloud!”. We are distributing the light memory drives with the antidote-code, but that’s nowhere near enough. We don't know what to do. I don't know if we can fight against the whole world alone... Even if we make a serious group whose only function is to fight against the virus.

I don't know if we can prevail.

Yeff was keeping company for Séra during lunch. She was mainly on liquids, but there were some chunks of soft potato in her soup, and being able to chew again was such a delightful experience. Her body was sore from the fight and eating by herself made her arms hurt, but it was so worth it.

— I see you’re enjoying yourself. — Yeff smiled.

— Yah, it ain’t easy, but it’s good. I want to walk around again, maybe once Ganen is back she can give me a hospital tour.

— Maybe; I’m not a physician or a nurse, so I wouldn’t know. — He raised his shoulders in a comical manner, then let them fall. — Maybe I ask you some questions now that you’re feeling better, Séra?

— About last night, I imagine. — She ate a spoonful of soup.

— Yes. We got the idea you know the man who attacked you.

— He’s sick. He’s been sick for a long time. No one knows what he has. Had. — For a moment, she had forgotten Ori was dead. She’d forgotten she killed him. — He believed my aunt stole a piece of his soul somehow.

— Why would he believe that? — Yeff was taking notes.

— My aunt had a camera. He showed up in one of her photographs, got sick a few days later, I think. It was more than ten years ago.

— Cameras can be dangerous. Like the little tech thing with wires. — He pointed to the music device by her side. — Are you certain he didn’t get sick because of the photo?

— Are ya suggesting he had the right to do what he did to me? — She looked at him in disbelief. — I’ve been in a lot of pictures, and I’m fine. I got sick because I had sick water, and I’m hurt because he hurt me.

— Sorry, I misspoke. — He looked confused for a second, thinking of what to say. — I’m not saying he has the right to hurt you, I just wanted to be sure the photo was safe.

— It was safe. — She huffed. — They don’t rip out your soul, it’s like a… What did Ganen say? It’s like a chemical painting. It has no soul involved. Or else ya could only take pictures of people, not trees or rocks or birds.

— You have a point. — Yeff smiled, a bit embarrassed.

— Ori also said something about punishing people around town, traitors like I am. Because I’ve left Sand City. — Séra looked at the man in search of anything; the thought that Ori could have killed more people around town was terrifying.

— Did he say so? — Yeff got serious in an instant. Ahda had shared the same hypothesis. — What else?

— I’m sure ya’ll forgive me for not remembering more, as he spoke whilst slashing my arms and legs. — Her sarcasm didn’t go unnoticed. She was stressed and in pain, the pleasure of eating wasn’t bigger than the annoyance of those questions, and she did not want to talk about last night. That whole situation had escalated to something Séra could have never imagined.

— Yes, I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re tired, is there anything I can do?

— No, just… lemme know when Ganen comes back.

— I’ll do that. — He smiled. — Ahda likes to be very thorough, so she’s probably asking her the same questions I’m asking you. I’ll also be just outside your door, so you can have your privacy whilst still protected. Just call if you need anything, okay?

— Thank ya. — She couldn’t be angry for long though, Yeff was too kind.

Yeff left, and she could hear the man groan as he sat. It was strange how Bridge people could be kind and friendly without knowing anything about her, but maybe she was just too used to Sand people, who loved her in one minute just to hate her in the next. Séra stretched her arm and got the glass of agave juice; it did taste like home.

Log. 22701.e.b

Our hypothesis is that this latter part triggered the virus. We, humans, have memories that make us sad and miserable, but they are part of us, just as the good ones. We believe they created the virus to keep people happy. But it didn't work out quite well.

Ganen was surprised to see Yeff still at their door. Like he suspected, once they were back to the Big Building and Aygo reported about the blood on the wall, Ahda held Ganen a bit longer for some questions. She couldn’t help much, last night was the first time she interacted with Ori and she had no idea who Alid was.

— Have you already had lunch? — Yeff asked.

— Yes, Ahda brought us something. — she answered. — Is Séra awake?

— She was until a few minutes ago, I believe she still is. And… — He frowned a bit while choosing the right words. — Be careful with your technology around here. It’s not Sand City, but most people will still be afraid of cameras and the music thingy. You can’t see how it works, you know? If it goes awry, we don’t know how to stop it.

— Yeah, Aygo asked me if he had to brace himself to engage with the tech I have. But don’t worry, we’ll keep it to ourselves. — She didn’t like it, but it was okay. Those people had been so nice to her, and she could live without flashing her datapad in front of others.

— Thank you.

What he didn’t know was that the foldable datapad was in her bag. She imagined Séra was super bored of staying in that room for so long — barely a day — and she had an amazing library between those two thin pieces of metal.

— Hello there, love. — Séra smiled as the door was opened.

— Hey, hun. You won’t believe what we found in the house.

— Is it dangerous? — She was serious in a second.

— I don’t think so. — Ganen laughed and sat by her side. — There was a blood drawing on the wall.

— That’s so gross. — Séra seemed embarrassed. — They’re from my city, ya know?

— But our stuff was safe and it — Ganen blinked one eye. — is still in the boot.

— That’s good. — She had gone pale for a moment; no one would help them if they found the Machine. — Oh! I don’t need the IV bag anymore, the nurse said I’m hydrated enough. So I just gotta get my muscle back, which I hope is not so boring. — She laughed; her main source of exercise had been the garage, and she couldn’t use it now.

— You can do some Ganen-lifting, if you want. — Her fingers hid under the blanket, resting on Séra’s thigh.

Séra smiled as she blushed; it didn’t sound so bad. She could imagine a lot of ways to exercise with Ganen, and none of them could be done in public. Once she heard that going through nerve-wrecking and life-threatening situations could made one’s libido act a little bit crazy. Maybe it was true, after all.

— I imagined you would feel bored, so… — Ganen interrupted her thoughts: — I’ve brought you my books. — She put the datapad on her legs.

— Books? — Séra was thrown so off-kilter she didn’t know if she could come back into it. — Books ain’t bad.

Ganen leaned on Séra’s shoulder and whispered sweet naughty nothings. The woman smiled, embarrassed, her face as red as an apple, and decided she could wait until they left the hospital.

— You’re very silly, but I’m glad I had ya looking after me. — Séra smiled, happy to be alive and getting healthy, happy she wasn’t alone.

— How could I not? — And Ganen couldn’t be more in love; the happiness in her eyes, the little embarrassment as she bit her lip. — You’re important to me. I wouldn’t just give up or something.

— I’d do the same for ya. Rip a knife out of my arm and everything. — Séra started serious, but she couldn’t help laughing. — And there was something we were going to talk about. Before last bloody night.

— Oh! — The embarrassment took over her face and Ganen looked away. — It’s so silly and stupid and… It’s really not important.

— Ganen. — Séra held her hands and brought them to her own lips. — Talk to me. It ain’t silly if it’s been in your mind that long.

The woman took a deep breath; Séra was right, maybe it wasn’t silly and stupid — like that 5-letter word starting with N for “tough as nails” —, but there was more to it. She had never told anyone, she suddenly had to decide whether or not to tell. That could ruin Séra’s future, and Ganen loved her too much to put her through that.

On the other hand, Ganen also loved her too much to let her go. She felt like everything was possible with Séra. It was true they had a few horrible days and nights, but they always won in the end.

And Séra insisted, always so kind, so Ganen decided it was worth saying. The future was still far away, so much could change between now and then, and maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to run away from her fate before it came.

— I love you. — Ganen broke the silence. — Not only in a we’re friends kind of way.

— And I love ya too, ya know that.

— I do. And I really can’t, no, I-I don’t want to imagine my life without you, I don’t want to fathom this journey alone. But it’ll eventually end, we’ll get to the Underground City and go on with our lives. But… it would be so lovely, so amazing if we could stay together after that.

— We’re on the same page there, love.

— Yeah, but, like, how can I say this, we always refer to each other as friends, and I think we’re not only friends? We’re also something more? — Her eyes couldn’t focus on Séra, they were darting everywhere.

— Oh! Ya mean settling down?

— Not exactly, oh gosh, I mean we’re, like, I think I could say we’re… — The word was on the tip of her tongue, and yet, she had to force it out so overwhelming her fear was. — lovers?

— Of course! — Séra smiled, she finally understood what was going on. — If I tell people around me you’re my lover, we’re a couple, will that make ya more confident?

— Yes, gosh, see? — She was embarrassed to her core. — So silly!

— It’s a bit, but it’s sweet! It’s cute. — Séra kissed her hands and pulled her closer. — I never think about these things, I just do them. Feel the feelings, ya know? — She laughed, glad it was something so simple. — Normally I ain’t the one bringing it up. But that doesn’t make it less important, love, because I would love keeping ya as my lover once this adventure of ours is over. I mean, I’m taking ya to meet my family and everything. I’d say we’re pretty serious.

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— I love you, you know that, hun?

— I love ya too. You’re special to me. And I don’t wanna let ya go. I want to keep ya with me, I want to be with ya. If ya’ll have me.

— Of course I’ll have you!

— Medium rare or well done? — Séra joked.

— Raw and naked. — Ganen winked.

— Oh my, Yeff is right behind that door! — she said as her face burned.

All the happiness in the world could be found in Ganen’s smile; she hugged Séra carefully and rested her head on the woman’s chest. The fear of forcing a difficult future onto Séra was still in her head, it would never leave, but she decided to have hope, just for that moment. If her plan worked, all would be swell.

Log. 22701.e.a

Well. The Robot Physician programming is much simpler than we expected, though there were some struggles, like getting around the uploading of daily reports — but we have creative people in the Group. Fixing damage and keeping human beings happy are the most important things they’re programmed to do. Also, if there is any damage to the human system, they are allowed to create and distribute programs.

The days went by slowly, one at a time. Alid was never found and Ori was buried in a shallow grave outside of town. Ahda had been busy making a report for Sand City; their people caused so many deaths on purpose, and someone had to be responsible for that. It was a long shot, Sand City wasn’t known for being nice with its neighbours, but maybe they could get something.

Although Séra and Ganen were feeling much better, they decided to stay one more week, make sure they were both healthy, then leave the city. Séra said she wanted to write Koira a letter, it would most probably arrive before them and her aunt would have enough time to prepare for their arrival.

Once things calmed down, Ganen remembered she didn’t know the 5-letter word for “tough as nails”, so when Séra mentioned the letter, she thought it was a good opportunity to check if the city had a thesaurus. It was a shame there wasn’t one in her datapad.

Surprisingly, the mail system worked well amongst the cities, farms and villages around Gaya. They travelled on off road motorcycles throughout plains, forests, and deserts, nothing could stop them — unless the package was too big to be carried on a bike, that could stop them.

There were three main Post Offices, one up north, one down south, and a central one, and each was responsible for an area. In larger cities, there was also a small Post Office, where Mail Bikers would go to get letters and small packages.

So once the physicians let Séra leave her bed, her first task was finding a post office. Yeff offered to drive them there, and the ladies didn’t refuse. The Post Office was nothing more than a room inside the Big Building; about once a week, a Mail Biker would stop by, get the letters, and have them delivered. And what was Séra’s surprise when she saw one of them parking their motorcycle right in front of the building.

Even Ganen, who didn’t understand much about vehicles, was in awe. She had never seen a motorcycle like that so close — in Tree City, the best way to move around was on foot, and the Mail Bikers never ventured too deep in the forest.

— Well, I need to take some letters inside — Yeff said to Séra; it wasn’t hard to see her excitement. — I can take yours too, if you don’t mind.

— I don’t, not at all. How much is it?

Yeff looked at the address — the Underground City — and furrowed his brows; he wasn’t sure.

— I’ll ask inside, then you can pay me back, is that okay?

— Yah, no problem. Thanks. — She only had focus for one thing: that motorcycle.

— Bobbie is a nice lass, if you ask her to take a look at her vehicle, I’m sure it won’t be a problem.

Flabbergasted, Séra looked at Ganen with the biggest of smiles, took her hand and walked as fast as she could — which was still a bit slow — to the bike, before the rider got into the Big Building.

— That is a monster! — she couldn’t help but say it.

— Enormous and as fast as lightning. — The Mail Biker took off her helmet in a dramatic and theatrical way, and bright blue waves cascaded down her shoulders. Séra could be very interested in the bike, but it was Bobbie who caught Ganen’s attention; the slit in her eyebrow, the discrete undercut, the confident and adorable smile. The woman was gorgeous. — This baby is ready for any terrain, 100% solar powered with wind power support, and soooo comfortable to ride. And you two are?

— A couple. — Séra answered without even thinking, then Bobbie raised her eyebrows waiting for something else and Ganen intervened.

— Sorry, she gets very excited with, ahn, means of transportation. — She laughed a bit embarrassed. — I’m Ganen, she’s Séra.

— Yah, I’m a mechanic, I build and repair cars, engines, motors, this kind of stuff. Once a Mail Biker had some sand in the engine, by Sand City, which is super normal, I mean, it’s in the middle of the desert, and we had to take the whole thing apart, clean it thoroughly, then put it all back, it was so exciting! — she said it all without stopping to breathe at least once.

— That’s cool! — Bobbie was surprised. — Bridge City is as far north as I go, the sand is one of the issues. The other, you’ll have to forgive me because you look pretty cool, but the other issue is the people.

— Eh, Sand people can be difficult. — Séra made the shortest of pauses. — Can I see your bike? We came here by car, solar powered too, but I’ll be honest, we don’t have how to make the parts in Sand City, so it’s all repurposed.

— It works, it brought us here. — Ganen was proud of her girl anyway.

— You can take a look if you want, while I let them know I’ve arrived. — Bobbie started getting out of her synth-leather jacket; Bridge City was hot. — Just don’t take it apart, alright?

— Yes, ma’am, I will not. — Séra’s eyes were sparkling.

Bobbie got in and Séra crouched beside the bike; there were high quality solar panels on top of the luggage and wind turbines around the front suspension and windshield; the cables connecting them to the battery were thick. She wondered how much energy they could generate once the bike was in motion.

The hind wheel was different from everything she had ever seen: it didn’t have a common axle, it was hollow. The traction seemed to come from the metal ring within the wheel, which was connected to the rest of the bike. It was a revolutionary work of art.

— The motor is actually in the wheel. — Bobbie walked out of the building beside Yeff, and she was surprised to see Séra so interested still. — The body is mostly battery.

— That’s so awesome!

— It is. You know, us, Mail Bikers, are known for designing and building our own bikes.

Séra stopped for a moment, and turned slowly to Bobbie:

— Ya built this?

— We’re far more advanced than what you’ll find around here. — She winked. — But let’s not talk much about it, we don’t want to upset our dear Yeff, right?

The man grunted and denied; it was true he didn’t like such advanced tech. He told Séra the letter was ten coins, and the woman almost gagged. Ganen gave her a pet on the head, then got her coin purse and put the money on Yeff’s hand.

— We still have enough to get some food for the trip, but we might have to stop somewhere in the middle of the way. Or hunt. — Ganen added. — I can make some good traps.

— I’ve always wanted to try making a bow. — Séra mumbled, trying to find a silver lining.

— Where are you girls going? — Bobbie asked.

They exchanged a look; there was no point in hiding it.

— We’re going to the Underground City.

— Wow. I’ve never been there; I’ve been around there, but never in the city proper.

— Neither have we, but… — Ganen shrugged. — Well, we’ll get in there somehow.

— How about we have a drink and I tell you the safest route from here? — Bobbie suggested.

— I ain’t sure I can have alcohol yet, but no nurse told me I can’t have fun. — Séra looked at Ganen, and the woman smiled.

— It’s not like I have anything else to do. — Then she remembered the 5-letter word. — No, wait, I do! I need to look for a thesaurus!

Séra widened her eyes as she just now noticed she’d been forgetting something. Yeff — whose presence had also been forgotten — mentioned he knew a bookshop not too far from there. He pointed to the car and invited Bobbie to join, if their vehicle wasn’t a problem. The tiniest of laughs left his mouth, and the Mail Biker gave him a tap on the back.

— As Ganen said, right now it’s not like I have anything else to do!

All four of them got into the car, and Yeff drove to the bookshop. It was a small one-room place in the market, almost hidden within the tents of vegetables, fruits and meat. Yeff would rather wait in the car, but he was their bodyguard for the day, so he followed all the women into the shop.

It was filled with books from floor to ceiling, old dusty books from the past, recent prints, new and used, that was Ganen’s dream world. The clerk, an old man with a full white moustache, told them to browse and call him if they needed anything, and the woman couldn’t have been happier.

The books weren’t expensive and now she had a car to carry them, not only her bag and back. When Ganen walked into a corridor and met Bobbie, she had already five books on her arms; she didn’t have more because her left arm was already hurting because of the weight.

— Do you need help with those? — Bobbie offered her own arms.

— Thanks, I kinda do. — Ganen smiled a bit embarrassed. — My forearm’s not liking this adventure!

— What happened? Your girlfriend is all bandaged up as well.

— Ah! — Hearing that Séra was her girlfriend made her heart skip a beat and she needed some time to continue talking: — A guy tried to kill us, so we fought him.

— What?! — The Mail Biker was shocked.

— Yeah, I walked into the room and he was hurting Séra, so… — Ganen thought carefully about her words, she didn’t want to mention Séra smashed the guy’s head in the floor a few times. — Well, we fought and won.

— That’s so fierce, wow.

— Yeah… It was very scary, though, I really don’t want to go through something like that again.

Bobbie nodded; the most dangerous thing she had been through was when her bike malfunctioned in the garage and took off by itself. No one was hurt and she learnt the importance of ratchet straps.

Séra almost bumped into them, she had a thick thesaurus in hand and a huge smile on her face; Ganen was surprised she found one, and Séra admitted having the clerk’s help. After browsing a bit more, they walked to the counter and left a few coins as payment.

Once back in the car, Yeff mentioned their house had been cleaned and they were free to return to it if they were feeling better. There hadn’t been any trouble in town since Ori’s death, so he doubted someone would try to kill them again.

— But we can keep a guard around, just in case.

— We would like that, thank you, Yeff. — Ganen answered.

After a quick stop at the hospital, Yeff dropped the girls home and said he would wait until the guard arrived; the poor man looked exhausted, the last few weeks had been tough, but it was finally settling down.

Bobbie didn’t know about the grain water wasting and was surprised to hear such an epidemic happened in Bridge City, where people were always careful with their water, but once Séra told her the whole story, she stayed in silence for a moment, trying to process all she’d heard. After a minute, she let out a Damn.

Ganen asked if she wanted to see her tech, afterall according to Séra, her bike was a technological dream. Bobbie couldn’t had been more surprised. The three main Post Offices had datapads — it was easier than keeping a paper-log —, so she knew what one of those things were.

She adored the music device; riding with music on her ears sounded like the best thing ever. She was surprised to see a camera so small and Ganen’s greatest pride: her book collection.

— I think you can spend your whole life reading and never finish these. — Bobbie was stunned.

— Depends on how fast you read. — Ganen shrugged.

— Is your car full of gadgets too? — she asked, a mix of curious and hesitant.

— Nah, don’t ya worry. — Séra got into the conversation. — The car is rather normal, full on solar power, though I’ve been recently inspired to add some wind turbines in there.

Bobbie laughed and asked to see the car, however, in the middle of that car-tour, she opened the boot before someone could stop her. She looked at the wooden board, the broken hasp, and her first instinct, before she could even think, was lifting it.

For a long moment Bobbie stared at that metallic body, those ball joints on elbows and knees, the daintiness of its features. She couldn’t understand what that was, it was too uncanny, too real to be truth. Then the boot was closed and it disappeared.

— Is that… — Bobbie started.

— It’s off. — Ganen cut her. — It’s broken, it won’t turn on, I promise.

— So it is. — She looked from Ganen to Séra, her voice got angrier and quieter as she spoke: — Why do you have a fucking Machine in your car?! Are you insane??

— Bobbie, calm down. — Ganen held one of her hands. — As I said, it is off. It will not turn on, it’s broken, I can show you, if you want.

— Are you sure?

— Absolutely. — Séra locked the boot. — It wouldn’t be here if we thought it was dangerous.

— Why do you even want something like this?

— To study it; we need to understand because if it happened once, it could happen again. — Ganen said. — We need to know how to fight it. — She had been rehearsing that excuse for days.

Bobbie looked at the closed boot once again, a chill ran down her spine.

— Okay, I trust you. It kinda makes sense. And, you know, I have also found some weird stuff out in the world, but never a complete one like this. It’s terrifying. — Then she looked at Séra: — You gotta fix that hasp, girl.

— I will, first thing in the morning.

— I don’t care if you’re not drinking, I need a drink. — Bobbie started to walk back inside, still a bit shocked; she could have never imagined that.