Michael wasn't very surprised that Divona ended up being a good driver, but what was actually surprising was that she appeared to have a pretty decent knowledge of the road rules as well. She drove on the right side of the road, kept mostly to the speed limit, stopped and gave way to others when required, and all in all blended in quite well with the rest of the traffic. Michael sat in the front passengers seat looking out the side window whilst Audrea remained in the back seat doing the same. Not one of them said a word until Divona drove out of the noisy city and entered upon a lone freeway heading due west.

Michael kept an eye on the electric car's charge levels. They hadn't even gone very far and already the percentage gauge showed the car was seventy five percent percent of max capacity. He became surprised at how quickly it was running out of juice, far quicker than even his old pickup. Divona noticed him looking at the gauge, and in that moment it shot right back up to one hundred percent. He realised Divona simply recharged it herself, and did it right then and there just for his amusement. It was early in the morning, but not early enough for the sun to rise. The cars clock said it was two in the morning but it felt like it was much later. It was dark outside, and for some reason that made Michael feel safe even though it really shouldn't have.

"I'm pretty sure there's a nuclear power plant nearby, that's where your headed, right?" Michael said.

"Correct. According to the http protocol wikipedia, the facility produces over three gigawatts of power. I must get access to it."

"Oh you can browse the internet? Michael said.

"I require two hundred megawatts of power to begin the process of fusion, once I achieve that, I will be able to self sustain myself and grow exponentially more powerful."

"I'm pretty sure you absorbed more than that before, how come you didn't achieve fusion then? I mean, that solar panel you made above my house definitely provided at least that much energy if not more..."

"Correct, however, everything I absorbed thus far served mostly to reactivate my critical functions. The next step is fusion, and after that, I will able to create energy with energy."

"Isn't that supposed to be impossible? You can't break the laws of conservation of energy." Michael said.

"Yes I can."

"How? With negative energy?"

"Correct."

"What exactly is negative energy? I mean, I heard about it and all, uh wait hold on I gotta write this down somewhere.." Michael said as he reached into his pocket and was dismayed to feel his phone was no longer there. He could not take notes and that made him sad.

Divona laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Being separate from technology is such an alien concept to me. Even driving this machine you call a car is difficult to get used to."

"By the way alien girl," Audrea said from the back as she kicked Divona's seat. "You can't just waltz up to a power plant and steal power…it's obviously illegal, and it would raise our profile for no good reason. Before you go anywhere, you need to tell me what your intentions are..." Audrea sighed sarcastically from the back seat.

"My intentions?" Divona said.

"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I mean."

"My number one directive is to find out where the drone originates from and who programmed it to come after me and Michael. Afterwards, I will purge this planet of corruption from other timelines." Divona said.

"They're after me? I thought they were just after you?" Michael said.

"I am their primary target, but for reasons unknown they are also after you."

"You never told me this..." Michael said.

"Do not worry, Michael, I will protect you."

"So there's only one drone? Are you saying it keeps repairing itself?"

"Correct. There must be a facility nearby that manufactures it."

"...Stop the car right now" Audrea ordered. "I refuse to take part in this, I'm walking to the nearest airport.

"Are you sure? Won't Hannah be after you? I mean, she does kinda seem to hate you," Michael said.

"I can deal with Hannah..."Audrea said.

"And her men? Didn't they shoot at you before?"

"I don't care. I'm taking the first flight back to Manchester. Pull over."

"That would be an unwise action." Divona said

"Oh yeah, and why is that ?"

-"Due to your association with me and Michael, It is likely the drone has designated you as a secondary target. If it finds you, and it will, it will likely download your memories and then dispose of you afterwards in order to hide its own existence."

Audrea felt a shiver down her spine, "Well, that's just great ain't it?"

"If you stay close to me, Audrea, I will protect you too"

Audrea blushed. "You better…This is all your fault after all, honestly, It's the least you could do...By the way, has it occurred to you that perhaps this car may have an inbuilt GPS? We may need to find an older car...these new ones can do all sorts of tricks."

"I have disabled all tracking features of this car." Divona said.

Audrea scoffed "Of course, how could I not have seen that coming?"

"Hey Divona, um," Michael said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "My parents live in this area, do you think the drones are going to go after them?"

"Likely, however, I calculate there is a ninety nine percent probability the encounter will not be fatal, so there is no need to worry."

"I mean that's good to know and all, but It's really kinda on the way…on the next left actually…" Michael said.

"Okay Michael. We will check on your parents." Divona said.

Divona drove for a few more minutes straight along the freeway until she turned a left exit and entered upon a long dusty road that led to a small town next to a river. It had been a while since Michael had been here, months actually. Even though he lived not very far away from his parents, he didn't see them as often as he should have which he felt quite bad about.

"It's the the one at the far end." Michael said.

The car itself made almost no noise as it slowly crept through the sleepy town. It was dark and the only light visible was the one coming out from the headlights of the car itself. Each house in this area was of an impressive size even though it was built in an olden style. Most were wood but some were modernised somewhat with a large double garage and a dock out the back with a boat in the river.

"A country boy? I didn't take you for one." Audrea said as she inspected the town through the window.

"I wasn't...I used to live with my parents in the city before I moved out. They bought this place soon after that. Michael said.

They arrived in front of Michael's parents house which looked like all the rest. It was a mix between modern and old as it had been clearly refurbished and repainted recently. Divona pulled the car up to the large driveway, then turned off all the lights. Divona then scanned the house like a camera but didn't move her head around like a normal person does, in fact Michael suspected she didn't even really see with her eyes at all. She was more of a representation of a human than an actual one.

"How are they?" Michael said, anxiously.

"They are asleep. There is no cause for concern." Divona said.

"How do you know that? can you see through walls? Audrea said"

"Divona has x-ray vision." Michael said.

"Of course she does," Audrea said as she rolled her eyes and sat back across the back seat with her arms crossed. "She can bloody walk through walls for God's sake. I'm going to stop asking stupid questions."

And then suddenly Michael could tell something was bothering Divona. He couldn't explain how but somehow he knew.

"I have detected the presence of nanites in this area. It is likely the drones have been alerted to our presence and will be here shortly to investigate."

"Drones? As in plural? And I thought one was scary enough..." Audrea said.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault" Michael said.

"Do not worry Michael. I will protect you and your parents." Divona said.

"Thanks, I just hope…things end up well…"

"So what now? We wait until the death drones decide to show up? Great plan. I'm sure nothing can go wrong..." Audrea said.

"I will intercept the drones before they even arrive in this area of residence. I will see them coming long before they arrive. In the meanwhile, you two should get some rest. Sleep is important for biological entities." Divona said, staring out in the open, seemingly at nothing.

"I don't think I can fall asleep at this time Divona…"

"Get some sleep Michael. Your brain is functioning at sixty eight percent efficiency."

"I would say even less…" Audrea said.

"Yours is at sixty two percent."

Audrea kicked the seat from behind. "Get out of my brain! did I give you permission to measure by biology?"

"Emotional outbursts are a sign of sleep deprivation." Divona said.

"Excuse me? i'm not going to be lectured by some girl who claims to be from the fut…"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

From the corner of his eye, Michael noticed Audrea suddenly collapse as she instantly fell into unconsciousness. Michael became somewhat freaked out by it. He knew Divona had amazing capabilities but he never imagined she could do something so disturbing.

"You can...manipulate minds…" Michael said, his voice shaky.

"Correct."

Michael swallowed nervously. He wasn't expecting this revelation. "Can you read my thoughts?"

Divona remained silent for a while as if she wasn't sure how to answer. Michael found it most curious. She was thinking about lying to him. Divona then turned to face him with her usual, expressionless look to her that made it impossible to tell what she was really thinking. Like a machine, there was no body language to read and interpret except for small movements of the eye, which itself was more artificial than alive in ways.

And then she smiled at him. That was something she would do on occasion. It was a nice change to see her act like an ordinary, living breathing human even though it was mostly just a shell.

"I can. But just because I have the ability to read your thoughts, that does not mean I wilfully engage in it. Trust and honesty are important parts of a friendship."

"You made Audrea fall unconscious in an instant…I mean, you could be manipulating my thoughts without me even realising..." Michael said with a sad smile. "I guess in the end it doesn't really matter does it?"

Divona seemed taken aback by that somewhat. She tilted her head a little as if she thought about the proper response. But it did not come in words. Instead, she did something that surprised Michael. She held out her hand in front of him, and with the other, guided Michael's hand and placed it flat against hers until their fingers aligned. Michael wasn't sure what she was trying to say but he was eagerly curious for an explanation.

"Do not say it does not matter, because It matters to me, Michael. Our thoughts are the one thing that we truly own, and I would never take that away from you. I have never read your thoughts, and without your permission, I never will. But words of assurance are not enough, so to prove my sincerity, I will give you this."

Michael suddenly felt something form in between their palms as their hands pressed against each other. It was something small, and as Divona moved her hand away, Michael moved his hand horizontally so whatever it was wouldn't fall off. There, across his palm was a shiny silver shaped cylindrical object that looked like some kind of pill to be swallowed.

"What is it?" Michael said.

"It is what you refer to as a kill switch. It is protected by a type of encryption that has been randomly generated so I cannot gain access to it even if I wanted to. The string is so long It would take me millions of years to hack it, so it is secure. You can activate it by pressing down against both the top and bottom parts with equal pressure for a period of exactly one and a half seconds. When that happens, all data on my system will be permanently purged, and I will be destroyed. Please keep it safe and with you at all times."

Michael began to freak out even more. "No, I can't have this Divona…I don't want this…" He said as he tried to give it back to her but she wouldn't have any of it. She smiled at him as she pushed it back, staring at him with her neon blue eyes.

"Trust goes both ways, Michael. You are right to fear me, and with this, I will now fear you too."

"But I don't fear you. I don't want you to fear me either…" Michael said.

"It is to protect you in case something happens to me. Do not hesitate to use it if you must. Now, get some sleep, Michael. Would you like me to help you fall unconscious?"

Michael pocketed the device as he leant back further against his seat and took a big deep breath to clear his mind. He couldn't fathom the idea of ever having to use such a thing. He certainly didn't expect it.

"No thanks. I'll try to get some rest myself…"

Michael closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep, but it simply wasn't possible. His mind was buzzing with conflicting thoughts, worried thoughts, not only for his parents but about Divona too. He wondered if the kill switch was for real, or if it was just a symbolic gesture to make him feel more at ease. He tried not to think negatively but he couldn't help but have the idea that perhaps Divona was lying to him. Once again, his heart told him she wasn't, but his pessimistic brain was always on alert. He wondered what he would have done if he was in her position. Would he be as honest as she claimed to be? And why was she so intent on revealing secrets to him she didn't have to?

Michael turned around to address her.

"Hey Divona."

"Yes Michael?" Divona said as she stared blankly out the side window, not facing him.

"You don't need to sleep?"

"No."

"So you don't have dreams?"

She looked at him when he said that. Her eyes glowed once more.

"No. It is a by product of biological evolution. It serves no purpose for me."

A moment of silence came across them as he contemplated what she said. He changed the subject slightly.

"…Does, the earth still exist in your time?"

"Yes."

"What's it like?"

"You would not recognise it. I can barely believe this is the same planet I know from my time. In a way I prefer this one. There is something untainted about it that I find appealing. "

"What about aliens…have humans met other civilisations out in space?" Michael said.

Divona gave a long pause. "Of course.."

----------------------------------------

When Michael opened his eyes, he was met with the blinding rays of the sun. He looked at the dashboard clock and saw that it was almost eight in the morning. He had slept for more than he originally intended. Audrea was still fast asleep in the backseat, but Divona was nowhere to be seen. Michael got out of the car and had a look around for any signs of her but he could see none.

Where did she go?

He heard the sound of the door open, and when he looked over to his parent's house he could see his mother emerge out and immediately notice him when she squinted her eyes.

"Michael? is that you?" She said.

"Yes mum, it's uh, me….hi." Michael said, taken slight off guard.

"I was just about to water my plants and here you are to surprise me by being here to early in the morning…is that a new car?"

"Yeah…it's not mine…it's uh, a rental…" Michael said. He had no real explanation why he was here or for anything else for that matter.

The back seat opened and out came Audrea who addressed his mother with a rather awkward smile.

"Mrs Dugarti. It's lovely to meet you." Audrea said.

"Hello, please call me Jane…who are you?"

Audrea spared a moment to glance at Michael while passing him a look of deep uncertainty. Clearly she didn't know either how to react or what to really say, so Michael intervened;

"Audrea is my…uh, agent…" Michael said as he walked up to his mother to greet her properly.

"I am?" Audrea said. "I mean, yes, that's exactly what I am. I'm an agent, I mean, his agent."

"Oh I see what's going on…you don't have to be shy. Michael, how come you never told me you're dating such a beautiful woman?"

Michael blushed. He could see Audrea clearly found the situation more hilarious than he did.

"What? no, she's my agent…"

Audrea put on a playful smile as she walked up beside him and gave him a nice big playful hug. "Your mothers right Michael, why didn't you tell her about me? I guess that's why you brought me here for a proper introduction?"

"You came at the right time, I just made tea..." Jane said, opening the door to welcome them in.

"Actually mom, we kinda have to go…uh, we only dropped by because we were on the way to somewhere…" Michael said.

"Not even for five minutes Michael? Come on honey, we haven't caught up for quite some time."

Michael sighed. Audrea didn't really seem to provide a lifeline to him at all. He whispered into her ear.

"What are you doing?"

"Just play along. Your mother seems real nice…by the way, where is Divona?"" she said.

"I have no idea…she'll probably be back soon wherever she went."

"In that case, I suppose we'll have to wait for her."

Audrea smiled warily as she addressed his mother. "We'd be delighted to come inside, Jane. You have a lovely home."

"Thank you. My husband, Michael's father, only just finished it last month. It really was a lot of work but, It's a shame I couldn't help him much because of my bad back."

They went inside and sat down across the same kitchen table Michael remembered his family had kept for decades. It was the one he ate breakfast from since he was a kid, and it still had all the unique markings across it that he remembered. The house itself was rather roomy and tidy, just as one would expect from an old retired couple. It was nice and cosy just as Michael had remembered with the fireplace up and running to keep the inside extra warm. Across the walls there was a large collection of oil paintings Michael's grandfather had left them before he passed away many years ago, and across small tables and cupboards were many small ornaments and sculpture collections his family was famous for.

His mother headed to the kitchen and returned with a tray with a pot of tea and three cups. She passed each one of them a cup and poured some hot tea into them.

"Where's dad?" Michael said.

"Your father is on a hunting trip. He won't be back for a few days i'm afraid, you know how he is."

"Oh, well, that's just like him…always hunting things…"

"You were never really like your father. Always more like me, curious and always interested in learning new things." his mother said, her eyes then turning to Audrea with great interest. She picked up her tea and took a quick sip.

"I don't mean to put you on the spot dear, but how did you meet my son?"

Audrea picked up her tea and began to blow the hot steam away. Michael lowered his head slightly expecting Audrea to make up some bullshit unbelievable story. But then he remembered that the actual story of how they met probably couldn't be topped anyway so it didn't even really matter. He was ready for anything.

"Mrs Dugarti, It really is the most romantic story. This young man is quite the charmer..."

His mothers eyes lit up, and Michael planted his head flat against the table.

"For weeks someone had been leaving me the most beautiful flowers on my doorstep. At first I didn't know who it was from, but I had my suspicions, of course. I drove myself mad trying to figure it all out, but then one day, one of the flowers delivered had a note across it with an invitation to a date in a nearby restaurant. There was a band that played my favourite song, and a waiter recognised me and led me to the best table where I was surprised to see Michael offering me a seat in the most gentlemanly fashion. We were friends at the time, but in that moment, we became much more. He bought me the most expensive meal with the best wine from France. I tell you, no man had ever made me feel so special the way your son had."

Michael wasn't sure if his mother believed that story. The way she stared at Audrea in a blank fashion made him think that perhaps she had her doubts, but the way Audrea said it was believable enough. If she wasn't an agent of a foreign government she would have made a good actress with that performance.

"How beautiful. Michael, that's so sweet of you." His mother said.

Audrea grabbed Michael's hand and passed him a fake charmed look. Even her eyes appeared to glisten in a way that made it seem like was for real.

Damn she's a good actress.

Even i'm starting to believe her…

"We've been dating for a few weeks now and I'm sure he's the one." Audrea said.

Why Audrea?

Why are you doing this?

They heard knocking on the front door, which immediately prompted his mother to pass them a strange look.

"Was someone else with you?" she said.

"Uh..no?" Michael lied.

His mother got up from the table and walked towards the front door. Audrea and Michael looked at each other not sure what was about to happen next. Both of them had an idea of who that was, but had no idea how Jane would react.

Jane opened the door, and from across the room they were both shocked to see that it was indeed Divona. After a bit of smalltalk, she was welcomed inside and led to the table where she sat down beside Michael in the most awkward of manners. Michael looked at Divona in horror. He had a thousand and one questions to ask her.

"Would you like some tea dear?"

"No thank you." Divona said.

"Well isn't this unexpected…who is this woman exactly, Michael? " His mother said as she scrutinised the strange, thin girl with blue hair.

Michael face planted. He had no explanation whatsoever. Audrea, however, was quick to cause trouble for him as she always had.

"This is Divona. Michael's other girlfriend." She said.

"Oh my God…" Michael said softly.

His mother passed him a very odd look as she continued to scrutinise the now two women who sat across either side of him. Audrea was being touchy feely with him whilst Divona simply looked around the house as if she had no idea what was going on.

"Oh…that's….nice…Michael? may I have a word with you in private?"

"Sure mum…"

Audrea poked out her tongue at him as he walked by, but he payed no real attention to it. He honestly had never been so embarrassed his whole life. His mother led him to the kitchen where she turned around and at first, gave him am unamused look as she wondered what words to tell him.

"Look mum…the thing is..."

"You know I care about you. I'm not going to judge what you do in your private life. If this is what makes you happy, then i'm happy for you."

"Mum… look, there's…"

"It's fine Michael. Just promise me you'll look after yourself. That's all I want to hear."

Michael sighed. "I Promise."

"Well then, let's not keep the lovely ladies waiting."

"Yes mum…"

They returned to the table but Michael refused to sit down. He needed to speak with Divona and find out what was going on regarding the drone. As much as he was glad to be with his mother he would rather it be in a proper context and with all this shenanigans.

"We need to go. Audrea has a job interview somewhere…"

"Oh, alright then, it was really nice to meet you…both" His mother said, not exactly sure which woman to address.

"It was nice to see you too, Jane." Audrea said.

"I like your art." Divona said.

"Thank you..."

"Cya mum..." Michael said.

He turned to leave but before he did so his mother gave him a nice warm hug, one that made it obvious she was worried. Afterwards They returned to the car where Michael rested his face against the dashboard. He was too damn embarrassed to see his mother for a while. She didn't seem too upset with him but he was sure she didn't tell him exactly how she really felt.

"Everything okay, skipper? Really, she is such a nice person, your mother." Audrea said teasingly from the back.

"I'm going to kill you…" Michael said.

"I'm sure you have bigger problems."

He then raised his face off the dashboard and took a deep breath, one of many lately. He looked to Divona who sat in the drivers seat, staring at him with large, confused eyes.

"Michael, what does 'other girlfriend' mean?" Divona said.

"Nothing Divona…Audrea was just messing around…"

"Was I? Perhaps later the three of us can have some fun?" Audrea said.

"Shut up Audrea…Divona…where where you? what happened? did you meet any drones?"

Audrea seemed alert to the question too. Fun times came to and end as they both wanted to know the answer equally as much.

"Yes. There was two this time. I have destroyed them nearby. There is no need to worry." Divona said.

"Are you alright Divona? How are your energy levels?"

"Nominal. I require more energy."

"Let's get going…we got a nuclear power station to go to…"