WHAT LIES BEYOND
Chapter 6- Transitions
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Visions of another day
Are far from the sublime
There's nothing left for me to say
It's just a waste of time
"Waste of Time" by Circle of Dust
Are far from the sublime
There's nothing left for me to say
It's just a waste of time
"Waste of Time" by Circle of Dust
Day 10
"Ugh! I'm so stupid!" Kai pounded the console with a grunt of frustration.
Adam leaned onto his elbow, relaxing against the console. "I thought we'd agreed you weren't gonna beat yourself up over this," he remarked.
"I wasn't beating myself; I was beating the desk," snarled Kai. "And seriously, guys. I know you agree. You both think I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot, Kai," said Mira. "Naive and impulsive, sure... maybe not the wisest guy ever... but not an idiot."
"Sure I am," Kai argued. He sprang from his seat and stormed across the room toward some storage compartments. "I'd have to be to not notice the holoprojector needs to be physically plugged into the computer to work. It's not wireless, y'know. Why do they have all this high-tech stuff up here, but somehow still need a cord to sync up two machines? We've had this figured out for decades." He opened a storage unit and began to rifle through its contents.
"I just wanna know why you waited a week before you tried to access that Complex Map," said Adam.
"I was kind of busy!" Kai shouted.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Fixing a food generator that wasn't broken in the first place?"
"Hey! Well, yeah... that and trying to dig up clues. Besides! I got that thing to make a meat substitute," Kai retorted. "We could still be eating nothing but fruit right now if it wasn't for me. The least you can do is thank me."
Yeah... no. He could still taste that stuff days later. "A barely passable meat substitute," said Adam.
"That's cause it was undercooked," argued Kai. He tossed aside a box of metal clamps. "It tastes better now that I've figured out how long to cook it for."
Adam frowned. "I'll still pass." He glanced at Mira.
Mira shrugged and smiled apologetically. "Actually, he's right. It's really not that bad."
Kai shot Adam a quizzical smirk. "You really don't wanna miss those cheeseburgers."
"Yeah, I really do."
"The point is I haven't just been wasting my time," argued Kai. "And for the record, dude? I haven't seen you do anything but check up on me this whole time."
Adam sighed, unoffended by Kai's blatant accusation of laziness. He began to count off on his fingers. "Exploring, helping you, cleaning up after meals, washing our dirty laundry..."
"OK! I get it," huffed Kai. He squinted into a shoebox full of various short cords. He grunted and tossed it aside, then slammed the compartment shut. "There's nothing here. Oo! I think I saw a longer cord in one of those offices the other day--- be right back!" With that, he sprang to his feet and sprinted through the room and out the door.
Adam folded his arms, releasing a quiet chuckle. "You'd think he'd have figured that out before he asked us to see it, huh?"
"I wouldn't," said Mira. "Kai isn't exactly known for thinking ahead."
Adam smiled. "Yeah... you're probably right."
Mira looked as if she was about to say something else, but she fell silent and began to pace around the room instead. Adam ambled behind at a distance. "You think he'll ever learn?" he asked.
"It's possible," said Mira, in an all-of-a-sudden awkward tone. Odd. She cleared her throat. "In a place like this, he'll have to." Her voice was normal that time. Adam shrugged off the vocal shift--- maybe Mira just needed to clear her throat. He had to stop worrying so much about every little unusual thing she did just because she'd had one breakdown a week ago.
Seconds later, Kai strode through the door with a long cord looped around his neck and a self-pleased smirk on his face. "Toldja I'd seen one in the offices," he said.
Within a minute, he had hooked up the cord to both the holoprojector and the computer. Then he plunked down into the rolling chair and began to load the program to the projector. After a moment of displayed text which read "Please Wait," a huge three-dimensional map appeared, nearly the whole height of the projector itself. Adam was impressed. He'd known this place was big, but seeing all ninety-five floors stacked before his eyes like this, with a mere yellow square to indicate this room at the top of the complex, made him feel very, very small.
The map rotated at a gentle pace. The structure was transparent, with each wall, room, staircase, elevator shaft and entryway carefully detailed with glowing green linework, save their current location. The complex took on a decagonal shape, and aside from the bottom floor, top floor, and occasional deck level, the hall pattern and room organization was the same on all floors. To no-one's surprise, Adam mused bluntly. So far, he'd seen nothing they hadn't already learned on foot.
As cool as the holographic map was, it had turned out to be utterly useless. Adam was about to voice his frustration, but Kai spoke before he could even open his mouth.
"Oh! No wonder it's not showing all the outages. It's on basic mode right now." Kai tapped something on the keyboard. "Let's go with... current mode." He pressed enter.
At once, the map's display became far more colorful. From about halfway down, the pleasant green lines turned vibrant orange, and nearly the entire lower portion of the complex now glowed a dangerous shade of red. The elevator shafts also turned red. Conversely, the staircases remained mostly green even through the orange floors. They were green through even the red floors, save a lighter orange near the very bottom.
"This place really is a wreck," Adam murmured to himself.
Kai rolled over to the others. He pointed to the red area of the map. "Have you guys made it that far down yet?"
Both Adam and Mira shook their heads. "No," Adam answered. "But I'm willing to bet there's more than just a power outage down there."
"So much for the basement," said Kai.
"Do you think it's safe?" Mira asked. She looked at Kai. "Is there a way to find out?"
"Uh..." Kai rolled back to the computer and thoroughly searched the screen. "Uh, there's a legend. Looks like red means it could be dangerous. Doesn't say why, though." He scoffed. "Orange just means something needs to be repaired. Green means everything's working like it should."
"And yellow means where we are now, right?" Adam guessed.
As if on cue, a flicker of yellow emanated from one of the center rooms. All three teens noticed it.
Mira froze. "What was that?" she questioned. They watched the center of the map for a lengthy moment, waiting for the room to turn yellow again. It never did.
Kai shrugged, spinning back around. "Probably some glitch," he said.
Adam sighed, letting his nerve down. "Yeah." Silly him for worrying about such a thing. If Kai and Mira were right and this wasn't just another simulation (as even he had begun to concur), it couldn't harm them. After all, reality couldn't glitch. The computer system had been ravaged; of course there'd be some glitching involved. Stop being so paranoid, he scolded himself. Next thing he knew he'd be paranoid of his own shadow.
Kai loosed a weighty sigh and leaned back in his chair. "I hope this was worth looking at," he said, beginning a slow spin.
Adam shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I'm just glad the thing's still intact. But it doesn't answer any questions. We still don't know what happened here, or... what here even is..."
"Or how we got here," Mira added.
"But it's something that works. That's worth something," Adam finished. "Any luck with your project, Kai?"
"No," Kai snorted. "I haven't even figured out what caused the data wipe. I mean, a virus did, obviously, but... I can't even figure out how the virus works. If I can figure that out I think I could at least start to recover some stuff." His mouth dipped into a discouraged frown.
Adam smiled softly. "You'll figure it out," he said. Kai sniffed a thank-you. "Have you figured out which ones can get us moving?"
"Uh-uh." Kai shook his head. "Not yet. The machines that look like pilot consoles won't even boot. They just sit there and cycle their start-up screens." He was bursting with furious energy. "Stupid virus. It's like it wants us to be stuck here!" He growled. "And people wonder why I like mechanical things better than computers. Broken mechanical things are easier to fix. I can use my hands instead of my brain." He slumped.
"You'll figure it out," Mira encouraged him. "You've got a real knack for this stuff. Mechanical or not."
"Well... thanks for the vote of confidence," said Kai in a flat tone.
"Just keep working at it," said Adam. He peered sullenly out the control room's window, out into the starfield. A starfield which kept them from home--- a place which lay beyond, just out of reach. Right now, Kai was his only hope to get there. For now, there was nothing Adam could do but stand back and trust that the guy could work something out. As much as he hated leaving this in someone else's hands, it was the only way home. And anything that could get them home was the best path to take.
"We've got all the time in the world."
Adam leaned onto his elbow, relaxing against the console. "I thought we'd agreed you weren't gonna beat yourself up over this," he remarked.
"I wasn't beating myself; I was beating the desk," snarled Kai. "And seriously, guys. I know you agree. You both think I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot, Kai," said Mira. "Naive and impulsive, sure... maybe not the wisest guy ever... but not an idiot."
"Sure I am," Kai argued. He sprang from his seat and stormed across the room toward some storage compartments. "I'd have to be to not notice the holoprojector needs to be physically plugged into the computer to work. It's not wireless, y'know. Why do they have all this high-tech stuff up here, but somehow still need a cord to sync up two machines? We've had this figured out for decades." He opened a storage unit and began to rifle through its contents.
"I just wanna know why you waited a week before you tried to access that Complex Map," said Adam.
"I was kind of busy!" Kai shouted.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Fixing a food generator that wasn't broken in the first place?"
"Hey! Well, yeah... that and trying to dig up clues. Besides! I got that thing to make a meat substitute," Kai retorted. "We could still be eating nothing but fruit right now if it wasn't for me. The least you can do is thank me."
Yeah... no. He could still taste that stuff days later. "A barely passable meat substitute," said Adam.
"That's cause it was undercooked," argued Kai. He tossed aside a box of metal clamps. "It tastes better now that I've figured out how long to cook it for."
Adam frowned. "I'll still pass." He glanced at Mira.
Mira shrugged and smiled apologetically. "Actually, he's right. It's really not that bad."
Kai shot Adam a quizzical smirk. "You really don't wanna miss those cheeseburgers."
"Yeah, I really do."
"The point is I haven't just been wasting my time," argued Kai. "And for the record, dude? I haven't seen you do anything but check up on me this whole time."
Adam sighed, unoffended by Kai's blatant accusation of laziness. He began to count off on his fingers. "Exploring, helping you, cleaning up after meals, washing our dirty laundry..."
"OK! I get it," huffed Kai. He squinted into a shoebox full of various short cords. He grunted and tossed it aside, then slammed the compartment shut. "There's nothing here. Oo! I think I saw a longer cord in one of those offices the other day--- be right back!" With that, he sprang to his feet and sprinted through the room and out the door.
Adam folded his arms, releasing a quiet chuckle. "You'd think he'd have figured that out before he asked us to see it, huh?"
"I wouldn't," said Mira. "Kai isn't exactly known for thinking ahead."
Adam smiled. "Yeah... you're probably right."
Mira looked as if she was about to say something else, but she fell silent and began to pace around the room instead. Adam ambled behind at a distance. "You think he'll ever learn?" he asked.
"It's possible," said Mira, in an all-of-a-sudden awkward tone. Odd. She cleared her throat. "In a place like this, he'll have to." Her voice was normal that time. Adam shrugged off the vocal shift--- maybe Mira just needed to clear her throat. He had to stop worrying so much about every little unusual thing she did just because she'd had one breakdown a week ago.
Seconds later, Kai strode through the door with a long cord looped around his neck and a self-pleased smirk on his face. "Toldja I'd seen one in the offices," he said.
Within a minute, he had hooked up the cord to both the holoprojector and the computer. Then he plunked down into the rolling chair and began to load the program to the projector. After a moment of displayed text which read "Please Wait," a huge three-dimensional map appeared, nearly the whole height of the projector itself. Adam was impressed. He'd known this place was big, but seeing all ninety-five floors stacked before his eyes like this, with a mere yellow square to indicate this room at the top of the complex, made him feel very, very small.
The map rotated at a gentle pace. The structure was transparent, with each wall, room, staircase, elevator shaft and entryway carefully detailed with glowing green linework, save their current location. The complex took on a decagonal shape, and aside from the bottom floor, top floor, and occasional deck level, the hall pattern and room organization was the same on all floors. To no-one's surprise, Adam mused bluntly. So far, he'd seen nothing they hadn't already learned on foot.
As cool as the holographic map was, it had turned out to be utterly useless. Adam was about to voice his frustration, but Kai spoke before he could even open his mouth.
"Oh! No wonder it's not showing all the outages. It's on basic mode right now." Kai tapped something on the keyboard. "Let's go with... current mode." He pressed enter.
At once, the map's display became far more colorful. From about halfway down, the pleasant green lines turned vibrant orange, and nearly the entire lower portion of the complex now glowed a dangerous shade of red. The elevator shafts also turned red. Conversely, the staircases remained mostly green even through the orange floors. They were green through even the red floors, save a lighter orange near the very bottom.
"This place really is a wreck," Adam murmured to himself.
Kai rolled over to the others. He pointed to the red area of the map. "Have you guys made it that far down yet?"
Both Adam and Mira shook their heads. "No," Adam answered. "But I'm willing to bet there's more than just a power outage down there."
"So much for the basement," said Kai.
"Do you think it's safe?" Mira asked. She looked at Kai. "Is there a way to find out?"
"Uh..." Kai rolled back to the computer and thoroughly searched the screen. "Uh, there's a legend. Looks like red means it could be dangerous. Doesn't say why, though." He scoffed. "Orange just means something needs to be repaired. Green means everything's working like it should."
"And yellow means where we are now, right?" Adam guessed.
As if on cue, a flicker of yellow emanated from one of the center rooms. All three teens noticed it.
Mira froze. "What was that?" she questioned. They watched the center of the map for a lengthy moment, waiting for the room to turn yellow again. It never did.
Kai shrugged, spinning back around. "Probably some glitch," he said.
Adam sighed, letting his nerve down. "Yeah." Silly him for worrying about such a thing. If Kai and Mira were right and this wasn't just another simulation (as even he had begun to concur), it couldn't harm them. After all, reality couldn't glitch. The computer system had been ravaged; of course there'd be some glitching involved. Stop being so paranoid, he scolded himself. Next thing he knew he'd be paranoid of his own shadow.
Kai loosed a weighty sigh and leaned back in his chair. "I hope this was worth looking at," he said, beginning a slow spin.
Adam shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I'm just glad the thing's still intact. But it doesn't answer any questions. We still don't know what happened here, or... what here even is..."
"Or how we got here," Mira added.
"But it's something that works. That's worth something," Adam finished. "Any luck with your project, Kai?"
"No," Kai snorted. "I haven't even figured out what caused the data wipe. I mean, a virus did, obviously, but... I can't even figure out how the virus works. If I can figure that out I think I could at least start to recover some stuff." His mouth dipped into a discouraged frown.
Adam smiled softly. "You'll figure it out," he said. Kai sniffed a thank-you. "Have you figured out which ones can get us moving?"
"Uh-uh." Kai shook his head. "Not yet. The machines that look like pilot consoles won't even boot. They just sit there and cycle their start-up screens." He was bursting with furious energy. "Stupid virus. It's like it wants us to be stuck here!" He growled. "And people wonder why I like mechanical things better than computers. Broken mechanical things are easier to fix. I can use my hands instead of my brain." He slumped.
"You'll figure it out," Mira encouraged him. "You've got a real knack for this stuff. Mechanical or not."
"Well... thanks for the vote of confidence," said Kai in a flat tone.
"Just keep working at it," said Adam. He peered sullenly out the control room's window, out into the starfield. A starfield which kept them from home--- a place which lay beyond, just out of reach. Right now, Kai was his only hope to get there. For now, there was nothing Adam could do but stand back and trust that the guy could work something out. As much as he hated leaving this in someone else's hands, it was the only way home. And anything that could get them home was the best path to take.
"We've got all the time in the world."
Day 15
"All right, guys. Here's the plan." Kai slammed a technical diagram down onto the island and spread it open with both hands. He felt like a cool action hero about to reveal his epic plan to save the world. He hid his cheeky smile. "While I'm figuring out the computers, you guys can work on this. It'll help us get out faster. Y'know, when I actually get this thing up and running."
Kai had summoned both Adam and Mira to the kitchen to discuss his latest idea--- a brilliant plan if Kai said so himself! Pristine little cardboard boxes full of spare parts and brand-new wires, along with every kind of rewiring tool he could find, lay stacked to the side of the island.
He planted one skinny finger atop the diagram's title. The side of the sheet rolled up, no longer held down. Kai grunted and pushed it back into place, then weighted it with one of the wire boxes. "So there's power panels along the walls on all the floors we've looked at, right? Well, these are the standard layouts. They show you how all the stuff works, what things go where, and so-on," he explained.
"Never would've guessed," Adam deadpanned.
Kai ignored the sarcastic jibe, choosing instead to relish in the spotlight. For once, he knew what he was doing, and Adam was just along for the ride. "If you guys can get the rest of the AARC powered up again, there's a better chance of things actually working once I figure everything out." Huh... That sounded way smarter and more thought-out in his head. Kai shrugged. "I'll admit, it's still a plan-in-progress."
"O...K." Adam picked up the diagram and turned it over to get a better look. "It makes sense. But... you're the jury-rig guy around here. Why have us do it?"
A flame lit in Kai's stomach. "Um, do you want to try messing with those computers?"
Adam seemed poised to respond, but something held him back. After some consideration, he nodded. "Good point," he admitted.
"It'll be easy!" Kai burst with a proud smile. He snatched back the diagram and held it high. "Here's your guide. Just make sure when you're done, all the parts you fix look like this." He shoved the paper back into unsure Adam's chest. "You'll be fine! Just follow the diagram. I'll even show you around one of the panels." Adam and Mira simply exchanged raised eyebrows, mirroring one another's confusion. Kai frowned. Such an unenthused reaction! "Come on, guys. This is super simple and..." He bit his lip. "I need help," he admitted. "I can't work at the computers and fix this place up all at once. We'd be here forever!"
Mira took the diagram and examined it with a thoughtful eye. "OK. So, what if one of these things is messed up so badly it needs to be wired differently to work?"
Kai huffed, beginning to lose his patience. "Just stick the wire in---" he cut himself off. Now that he thought about it, that probably wasn't going to be too obvious a solution to a beginner. Mira was good at problem-solving, but when it came to screwing with electricity, it was better to be safe than sorry. "OK. Um... just com me if you need help. I'm gonna be in the control room." He patted the boxes. "You've got plenty of extras. I'll show you what all the tools do. Super basic stuff. C'mon, guys. I learned to do this when I was like, six."
It had been eight hours since Mira and Adam had begun their quest to restore power to the lower levels of the AARC. The project had started off a bit bumpy, but once they'd gotten into the flow of things, the work had begun to move much faster. Of course, that didn't stop it from being repetitive and tedious. They'd taken a brief lunch break three hours into the job and many more bathroom breaks between then and now, but other than that, it was the same cutting, crimping, and patching the wires together over and over again, with variations being minor at best. Mira's hands were cramping and Adam was beginning to grumble about his back.
Mira had managed to hold herself together throughout the entire day, often too focused on the task at hand to worry about her random anxiety or her resurfaced feelings. That was the best she could have hoped for, and she was grateful for the respite. Her brain had been giving her hell about him for the past two weeks, and it was great to interact with Adam like a normal friend again, free from such stupid thoughts.
After they wrapped up the final panel of floor 50 and turned on the lights, Adam heaved an exhausted sigh and leaned against the wall. "I think... that's enough for one day."
"Agreed," breathed Mira, joining him.
Adam shifted to his other foot and folded his arms, frowning down at his feet. He glanced up at Mira. "Think it'll help us?"
He sounded, for lack of a better word, disenchanted. There was exhaustion on his face, faint circles beneath his dark eyes, and a tired frown on his lips. Mira wanted to encourage him, but her own tiredness had worn down her usual optimism.
"Who knows?" she sighed.
Adam managed a wry smile. "I'm starting to think Kai just wanted us out of the way for a while," he said. His kind brown eyes melted into hers like chocolate chips into a freshly-baked cookie. She grounded her gaze and mentally slapped herself. "I hope he's made some progress," Adam continued. "I'm surprised he hasn't commed us yet. Hopefully no news is good news, but I doubt it."
The creaking metal moaned from below. An anxious hand clutched Mira's heart. She laid her hand on her chest to calm the pulse, scolding herself for the overreaction. Not like we haven't been hearing that every single day, she thought. She breathed a shaky sigh.
"Hey... Mira?" Bracing herself, Mira looked back into Adam's eyes. They now radiated with that dreaded misplaced concern. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah! I'm fine." The Kai-like squeak in her voice was definitely not convincing. She cleared her throat.
"You sound like you're getting sick."
"Sick of fixing panels, yeah." She laughed. "I feel fine, Adam."
"You sure? You look pretty warm." His brow furrowed with worry. "Do you think you might have a fever?"
Wonderful! She must have been blushing. Mira shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
Adam raised his hand to her face, then drew it back, hesitant. "Can I check?"
"No." Yikes... that sounded harsher than she'd intended.
Adam's hand dropped to his side. "OK."
Mira bit down hard on her lip. Couldn't her traitorous hormones have held off until she was asleep tonight? She couldn't take this much longer. She was slowly sliding back into a fruitless crush, and Adam's concern over her skittish behavior was not helping her get a grip. She needed a distraction--- and a confidant. With a sharp sigh and not a word of explanation, Mira took off down the hall toward the stairs.
"Mira? Where are you going?"
Mira swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. "I'm just going to see what Kai's up to. See ya later!" She jogged down the hall.
She got the sense that Adam was watching her go. "OK... See ya." Mira couldn't ignore the reserved disappointment in his tone.
Kai heard a pair of footsteps enter the control room--- too gentle to be Adam's, for sure. A smile stretched across his face. "Hey, Mira," he greeted without looking. "How's the power thing going?"
"It's good."
Kai frowned when he heard Mira's sad tone. She sounded beaten down and exhausted, and not just from the stairs. He spun around in his chair to see his friend approaching. Her tightly folded arms and the sullen dip in her brow told Kai that something was definitely bothering her. "What's up?" he asked. "Is Adam bugging you?"
Mira looked away and shrugged. "Yeah... sort of." She sounded unsure. Very un-Mira of her.
"Need me to chew him out for you?"
"No. It isn't his fault," answered Mira. She drew a sharp intake of breath before speaking again. "Kai, can I... talk to you for a minute?"
Oh no. This could only mean a serious conversation. Kai didn't much care for those. He shifted in an attempt to make himself more comfortable for the oncoming storm. "Uh... sure." That's what good men did, right? They listened to girls talk about stuff.
Mira grabbed a chair from one of the computer stations and rolled it over so she could sit beside Kai. She plunked down and brushed a few loose raven locks from her face. "So," she began, "I'm really, really annoyed with myself right now."
Mira was bothering herself? And here he'd thought she'd said that Adam was the one bugging her. Kai leaned his elbows onto his knees, then rested his chin in his palms. "Why?"
"I was getting to that," said Mira. "So, you... do know that while we were separated from you in the Hollow, Adam and I, we..."
"Kissed." Kai fought back the pang of Adam-envy which kicked him in the gut. "Yeah. I heard about it through the grapevine. I didn't wanna talk about it." He'd had enough problems with Adam at the time to even care about that. Much less talk about it.
"OK. Good. The less bombshells, the better." She let out a shaky breath. "Well, he... rejected me. Obviously, you... probably knew that too. And when we got out of the game I thought I'd gotten over it. I was dead sure we were past it." She shifted violently in her seat. "But ever since we got here and started being around each other all the time again, I... started thinking about it. Again." She bit her lip. "And I..." She hesitated a moment before blurting out the rest of her sentence as quickly as possible.
"IthinkIfellforhimagain!"
Kai's heart sank. He should have known that was where this conversation would end up. He didn't want to listen anymore. If he listened or ruminated on this too much longer, he was afraid his former burning jealousy of Adam would return in full force. And now was definitely not the time to get jealous.
"And I really, really hate to feel this way again because I've been through it twice before, and I got best-friend-zoned both times. It's what he wants, and... I respect that." Her voice had become shakier and more nervous the entire time she'd been speaking. "I don't want to have feelings for him. But I just can't stop myself!" She buried her face in her hands.
"Well. You know. Stressful situation," Kai rushed. He chuckled nervously as Mira looked back up at him. "Hormones, you know... One of us was bound to fall for... one of us." He smiled at her.
Mira held Kai's hopeful gaze for a good three seconds. She seemed to relax, and a small but genuine smile appeared on her pretty face. "Well... I don't know how much better I feel, but thanks for the effort," she said.
Kai dropped his gaze. "I'm just saying," he said, "Don't feel so bad about it. It was gonna happen. You're not the only person who's ever had an unrequited crush on a friend." He looked up at her again and threw a big, reassuring smile onto his face. "Besides, you're Mira! Moping really doesn't suit you. Leave that angsty stuff to Adam. That's his gig."
Mira's eyes lit up, followed by a burst of laughter. "OK. Maybe I do feel a bit better now."
Kai grinned for real this time. "Glad I could help!" He loved it when he could make her laugh. The two friends sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Mira spoke again.
"So, Kai. Have you eaten recently?"
Kai shrugged off the randomness of the question, glad to change the subject. "No... not since we got up."
Mira coughed a disbelieving laugh. "Geez. Really? That was nine hours ago."
That stunned Kai. "It was?" He narrowed his eyes. "Oof. Guess I was really in the zone."
Mira leaned over and patted Kai on the knee. "Well, come on then." She rose from her chair, stretched, and straightened her shoulders. "Sounds like you could use a break."
"Yeah," said Kai. He hadn't felt hungry since before breakfast. He still didn't feel particularly hungry, even after learning how long it had been since that meal. He'd been far too into his work and was still in that hyper-focus mode. Still, he knew he should eat something before getting back to work. He punched a few buttons on the console to shut down a few open programs. "I didn't realize it was getting so late. Just let me finish up; I'll get something in a few minutes."
"No, you're getting something now," Mira insisted. Kai turned back toward her to see her standing above him, her arms folded. Gentle, yet stern.
"Come on, Mira. I still have some stuff to finish. What difference does a few minutes make?" Kai whined.
"For you, that could be another hour." She sighed. "Besides. I don't want to eat by myself, and... I need to get away from Adam for a while."
Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. She'd just confessed to him that her feelings for Adam had come back, and she was choosing to spend her time with him instead? He let out a good-natured groan. "OK. Fine," he agreed at last and stood up to join Mira. Because suddenly, he had a crazy appetite. "Let's go eat."
It had been some time since Mira had last taken a good look at Kai. He'd been shut up in that lonely old control room for most of the past two weeks, or was otherwise working on some other project, out of sight and out of mind. On one hand, Mira was excited to spend some time with her other best friend--- the one she didn't currently have a crush on. On the other hand, she felt awful about how they'd left him to his own devices for so long. They should have been checking on him more than they had been. Who knew how many other days he'd neglected to take a lunch break?
He seemed to be fine, though. More than fine, with a happy grin on his freckled face while they talked. The stairs didn't even seem to bother him too badly at this point. He stood straighter and more confident, bursting with uncontrolled excitement. Somehow, despite being in this unknown place, Kai was surrounded by the thing he loved best--- and that had done wonders for his self-confidence.
She also noticed she had to peek a bit higher to look him in the eye--- something that had escaped her until now, since Kai spent so much of his time sitting. Perhaps he only seemed taller due to his new posture. But judging by how much lankier he looked, he'd likely grown an inch or two. So had his hair, which was a bigger auburn mess than ever. Still no semblance of facial hair, Mira noted with amusement.
The two friends chatted over Kai's experimental peanut butter sandwiches, seated on the chairs Kai had found in the back room. Kai chattered about his current operation, but Mira was too distracted to pay attention to him. She kept shooting glances toward the doorway, spellbound with a mix of hope and dread that Adam might walk through and join them. He never did. Mira resisted the urge to punch herself.
"Yuck!" The interjection yanked Mira's attention back to Kai. He dropped the remaining half of his sandwich onto the island, nose scrunched. "Still too runny."
"Maybe the compartment you're keeping it in is broken," Mira suggested.
"It's plenty cold in there," Kai grumbled. "I'll need to try a different recipe. Pff. More things for me to do." He laughed bitterly. Then he showed Mira a genuine smile. "Thanks for helping me out. How far did you guys get?"
"All the way down to floor 50," said Mira with a confident tilt of her chin.
"Great! That's... actually further than I thought you'd get." He clenched both fists, flustered. "I'm behind. I gotta get moving!" He bounced up and headed straight for the door. Mira grabbed his wrist. He halted in his tracks, then teetered back a few steps before tottering to an awkward stop.
"You spent eight hours in front of that screen. Give it a rest, Kai."
Kai wrested his arm away from Mira. "But I can still get at least another three hours in!" he insisted. "You want to go home, right?"
"You've been at it all day," said Mira. "All week. We've barely seen you."
"You guys can come see me any time you want!" Kai declared. "I just wanna get something out of those machines as soon as I can."
"You've been working at it for days now," said Mira. "If you haven't gotten very far in all that time, you're probably not gonna solve it tonight."
Kai groaned in mock annoyance and plopped back down into his chair. "Fine. I guess a nice, long break won't hurt." He gave Mira a cheeky smirk. "Besides. Somebody's gotta help you out of your Adam rut."
Mira sighed and sank into her palms. "That's great, because I'd almost forgotten about him before you brought him up again."
Kai deflated. "Oh." He shoved the runny peanut butter half-a-sandwich back into his mouth with a frustrated chomp.
Mira sighed and began to twirl a lock of raven hair. "It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't already know it was hopeless. I don't want to like him."
Kai leaned forward against the island. A quirk in his brow indicated he was considering something. Mischief sparkled in his bloodshot baby blues. "You're sure?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Sure sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
"Absolutely positively sure? With a cherry on top?" Kai flashed a goofy grin.
Mira rolled her eyes and gave his arm a friendly fist-knock. "Sure means sure," she said. "It's never gonna work. He doesn't like me that way. And that's that. As much as I hate to say it..."
"I like you," Kai piped. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.
Mira blinked. "What?" Kai let out that nervous giggle of his, confirming what Mira had just heard. "You... like me?" And she'd thought this feelings situation couldn't get any more complicated.
Kai was clearly still mortified. "Yeah. So... I mean, if you'd consider it. I... um... well. Maybe... try to see if maybe... just maybe... we could..."
Oh... oh. Is he really going there? Mira held up a hand. "Kai."
His eyes blew up to twice their size and his jaws clamped shut. All the remaining blood had drained from his already-pale face. "Yes?"
Mira shook her head. How was she going to say this without upsetting him? "Don't get me wrong. You're a good guy. But... I don't do rebounds. And if I decided to be with you solely out of spite for Adam, that's not really fair to you, is it?"
The gears in Kai's head turned. Then he looked down, wringing his hands nervously. "No... I guess not." There was heavy disappointment in his tone.
"Besides. Considering the situation..." Mira stopped twirling her hair and looked Kai directly in the eyes. "I think we should stay away from relationships altogether."
Kai was silent.
"It just wouldn't be right. I mean, we're trapped in outer space. We have no idea how close, or... how far away we are from earth. We all have bigger things to think about."
"Easy for you to say," Kai muttered. He threw up his hands. "I get what you're saying. But I can't just... turn off my feelings like a lightswitch. You should know that too." He snorted. "We can't all be Adam."
Mira sighed. "I feel that," she said softly. "If only it were as easy as he makes it look." Kai barked a laugh. Mira raised an eyebrow. "What? What's so funny?"
"Sorry, but..." Kai grinned. "I feel a lot better since you know now. Even if it didn't work out. And... yeah, it... probably wasn't going to. Especially right now." His frown slumped back onto his face. "Sorry for bothering you. You're right. It was a stupid time and place to---"
"No, it's fine," said Mira, smiling back to encourage him. "I'm glad you told me." Although this could make things more complicated, Kai had just shown surprising maturity in letting the matter go. At least... that's how he'd made it seem. For all she knew he could be deeply upset on the inside, and as much as she hated to hurt her friend like this (after all, she could relate to the friendzone experience), she knew it was for the best. For everyone.
Kai smiled gratefully. The two friends sat in silence for a few minutes and finished their sandwiches. Then Mira spoke. "Hey Kai?"
Kai looked up. "Hmm?"
"Let's not tell Adam about this conversation."
Kai threw up a mock-salute, beaming from ear to ear. "You have my word, cap'n!"
Kai had summoned both Adam and Mira to the kitchen to discuss his latest idea--- a brilliant plan if Kai said so himself! Pristine little cardboard boxes full of spare parts and brand-new wires, along with every kind of rewiring tool he could find, lay stacked to the side of the island.
He planted one skinny finger atop the diagram's title. The side of the sheet rolled up, no longer held down. Kai grunted and pushed it back into place, then weighted it with one of the wire boxes. "So there's power panels along the walls on all the floors we've looked at, right? Well, these are the standard layouts. They show you how all the stuff works, what things go where, and so-on," he explained.
"Never would've guessed," Adam deadpanned.
Kai ignored the sarcastic jibe, choosing instead to relish in the spotlight. For once, he knew what he was doing, and Adam was just along for the ride. "If you guys can get the rest of the AARC powered up again, there's a better chance of things actually working once I figure everything out." Huh... That sounded way smarter and more thought-out in his head. Kai shrugged. "I'll admit, it's still a plan-in-progress."
"O...K." Adam picked up the diagram and turned it over to get a better look. "It makes sense. But... you're the jury-rig guy around here. Why have us do it?"
A flame lit in Kai's stomach. "Um, do you want to try messing with those computers?"
Adam seemed poised to respond, but something held him back. After some consideration, he nodded. "Good point," he admitted.
"It'll be easy!" Kai burst with a proud smile. He snatched back the diagram and held it high. "Here's your guide. Just make sure when you're done, all the parts you fix look like this." He shoved the paper back into unsure Adam's chest. "You'll be fine! Just follow the diagram. I'll even show you around one of the panels." Adam and Mira simply exchanged raised eyebrows, mirroring one another's confusion. Kai frowned. Such an unenthused reaction! "Come on, guys. This is super simple and..." He bit his lip. "I need help," he admitted. "I can't work at the computers and fix this place up all at once. We'd be here forever!"
Mira took the diagram and examined it with a thoughtful eye. "OK. So, what if one of these things is messed up so badly it needs to be wired differently to work?"
Kai huffed, beginning to lose his patience. "Just stick the wire in---" he cut himself off. Now that he thought about it, that probably wasn't going to be too obvious a solution to a beginner. Mira was good at problem-solving, but when it came to screwing with electricity, it was better to be safe than sorry. "OK. Um... just com me if you need help. I'm gonna be in the control room." He patted the boxes. "You've got plenty of extras. I'll show you what all the tools do. Super basic stuff. C'mon, guys. I learned to do this when I was like, six."
It had been eight hours since Mira and Adam had begun their quest to restore power to the lower levels of the AARC. The project had started off a bit bumpy, but once they'd gotten into the flow of things, the work had begun to move much faster. Of course, that didn't stop it from being repetitive and tedious. They'd taken a brief lunch break three hours into the job and many more bathroom breaks between then and now, but other than that, it was the same cutting, crimping, and patching the wires together over and over again, with variations being minor at best. Mira's hands were cramping and Adam was beginning to grumble about his back.
Mira had managed to hold herself together throughout the entire day, often too focused on the task at hand to worry about her random anxiety or her resurfaced feelings. That was the best she could have hoped for, and she was grateful for the respite. Her brain had been giving her hell about him for the past two weeks, and it was great to interact with Adam like a normal friend again, free from such stupid thoughts.
After they wrapped up the final panel of floor 50 and turned on the lights, Adam heaved an exhausted sigh and leaned against the wall. "I think... that's enough for one day."
"Agreed," breathed Mira, joining him.
Adam shifted to his other foot and folded his arms, frowning down at his feet. He glanced up at Mira. "Think it'll help us?"
He sounded, for lack of a better word, disenchanted. There was exhaustion on his face, faint circles beneath his dark eyes, and a tired frown on his lips. Mira wanted to encourage him, but her own tiredness had worn down her usual optimism.
"Who knows?" she sighed.
Adam managed a wry smile. "I'm starting to think Kai just wanted us out of the way for a while," he said. His kind brown eyes melted into hers like chocolate chips into a freshly-baked cookie. She grounded her gaze and mentally slapped herself. "I hope he's made some progress," Adam continued. "I'm surprised he hasn't commed us yet. Hopefully no news is good news, but I doubt it."
The creaking metal moaned from below. An anxious hand clutched Mira's heart. She laid her hand on her chest to calm the pulse, scolding herself for the overreaction. Not like we haven't been hearing that every single day, she thought. She breathed a shaky sigh.
"Hey... Mira?" Bracing herself, Mira looked back into Adam's eyes. They now radiated with that dreaded misplaced concern. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah! I'm fine." The Kai-like squeak in her voice was definitely not convincing. She cleared her throat.
"You sound like you're getting sick."
"Sick of fixing panels, yeah." She laughed. "I feel fine, Adam."
"You sure? You look pretty warm." His brow furrowed with worry. "Do you think you might have a fever?"
Wonderful! She must have been blushing. Mira shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
Adam raised his hand to her face, then drew it back, hesitant. "Can I check?"
"No." Yikes... that sounded harsher than she'd intended.
Adam's hand dropped to his side. "OK."
Mira bit down hard on her lip. Couldn't her traitorous hormones have held off until she was asleep tonight? She couldn't take this much longer. She was slowly sliding back into a fruitless crush, and Adam's concern over her skittish behavior was not helping her get a grip. She needed a distraction--- and a confidant. With a sharp sigh and not a word of explanation, Mira took off down the hall toward the stairs.
"Mira? Where are you going?"
Mira swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. "I'm just going to see what Kai's up to. See ya later!" She jogged down the hall.
She got the sense that Adam was watching her go. "OK... See ya." Mira couldn't ignore the reserved disappointment in his tone.
Kai heard a pair of footsteps enter the control room--- too gentle to be Adam's, for sure. A smile stretched across his face. "Hey, Mira," he greeted without looking. "How's the power thing going?"
"It's good."
Kai frowned when he heard Mira's sad tone. She sounded beaten down and exhausted, and not just from the stairs. He spun around in his chair to see his friend approaching. Her tightly folded arms and the sullen dip in her brow told Kai that something was definitely bothering her. "What's up?" he asked. "Is Adam bugging you?"
Mira looked away and shrugged. "Yeah... sort of." She sounded unsure. Very un-Mira of her.
"Need me to chew him out for you?"
"No. It isn't his fault," answered Mira. She drew a sharp intake of breath before speaking again. "Kai, can I... talk to you for a minute?"
Oh no. This could only mean a serious conversation. Kai didn't much care for those. He shifted in an attempt to make himself more comfortable for the oncoming storm. "Uh... sure." That's what good men did, right? They listened to girls talk about stuff.
Mira grabbed a chair from one of the computer stations and rolled it over so she could sit beside Kai. She plunked down and brushed a few loose raven locks from her face. "So," she began, "I'm really, really annoyed with myself right now."
Mira was bothering herself? And here he'd thought she'd said that Adam was the one bugging her. Kai leaned his elbows onto his knees, then rested his chin in his palms. "Why?"
"I was getting to that," said Mira. "So, you... do know that while we were separated from you in the Hollow, Adam and I, we..."
"Kissed." Kai fought back the pang of Adam-envy which kicked him in the gut. "Yeah. I heard about it through the grapevine. I didn't wanna talk about it." He'd had enough problems with Adam at the time to even care about that. Much less talk about it.
"OK. Good. The less bombshells, the better." She let out a shaky breath. "Well, he... rejected me. Obviously, you... probably knew that too. And when we got out of the game I thought I'd gotten over it. I was dead sure we were past it." She shifted violently in her seat. "But ever since we got here and started being around each other all the time again, I... started thinking about it. Again." She bit her lip. "And I..." She hesitated a moment before blurting out the rest of her sentence as quickly as possible.
"IthinkIfellforhimagain!"
Kai's heart sank. He should have known that was where this conversation would end up. He didn't want to listen anymore. If he listened or ruminated on this too much longer, he was afraid his former burning jealousy of Adam would return in full force. And now was definitely not the time to get jealous.
"And I really, really hate to feel this way again because I've been through it twice before, and I got best-friend-zoned both times. It's what he wants, and... I respect that." Her voice had become shakier and more nervous the entire time she'd been speaking. "I don't want to have feelings for him. But I just can't stop myself!" She buried her face in her hands.
"Well. You know. Stressful situation," Kai rushed. He chuckled nervously as Mira looked back up at him. "Hormones, you know... One of us was bound to fall for... one of us." He smiled at her.
Mira held Kai's hopeful gaze for a good three seconds. She seemed to relax, and a small but genuine smile appeared on her pretty face. "Well... I don't know how much better I feel, but thanks for the effort," she said.
Kai dropped his gaze. "I'm just saying," he said, "Don't feel so bad about it. It was gonna happen. You're not the only person who's ever had an unrequited crush on a friend." He looked up at her again and threw a big, reassuring smile onto his face. "Besides, you're Mira! Moping really doesn't suit you. Leave that angsty stuff to Adam. That's his gig."
Mira's eyes lit up, followed by a burst of laughter. "OK. Maybe I do feel a bit better now."
Kai grinned for real this time. "Glad I could help!" He loved it when he could make her laugh. The two friends sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Mira spoke again.
"So, Kai. Have you eaten recently?"
Kai shrugged off the randomness of the question, glad to change the subject. "No... not since we got up."
Mira coughed a disbelieving laugh. "Geez. Really? That was nine hours ago."
That stunned Kai. "It was?" He narrowed his eyes. "Oof. Guess I was really in the zone."
Mira leaned over and patted Kai on the knee. "Well, come on then." She rose from her chair, stretched, and straightened her shoulders. "Sounds like you could use a break."
"Yeah," said Kai. He hadn't felt hungry since before breakfast. He still didn't feel particularly hungry, even after learning how long it had been since that meal. He'd been far too into his work and was still in that hyper-focus mode. Still, he knew he should eat something before getting back to work. He punched a few buttons on the console to shut down a few open programs. "I didn't realize it was getting so late. Just let me finish up; I'll get something in a few minutes."
"No, you're getting something now," Mira insisted. Kai turned back toward her to see her standing above him, her arms folded. Gentle, yet stern.
"Come on, Mira. I still have some stuff to finish. What difference does a few minutes make?" Kai whined.
"For you, that could be another hour." She sighed. "Besides. I don't want to eat by myself, and... I need to get away from Adam for a while."
Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. She'd just confessed to him that her feelings for Adam had come back, and she was choosing to spend her time with him instead? He let out a good-natured groan. "OK. Fine," he agreed at last and stood up to join Mira. Because suddenly, he had a crazy appetite. "Let's go eat."
It had been some time since Mira had last taken a good look at Kai. He'd been shut up in that lonely old control room for most of the past two weeks, or was otherwise working on some other project, out of sight and out of mind. On one hand, Mira was excited to spend some time with her other best friend--- the one she didn't currently have a crush on. On the other hand, she felt awful about how they'd left him to his own devices for so long. They should have been checking on him more than they had been. Who knew how many other days he'd neglected to take a lunch break?
He seemed to be fine, though. More than fine, with a happy grin on his freckled face while they talked. The stairs didn't even seem to bother him too badly at this point. He stood straighter and more confident, bursting with uncontrolled excitement. Somehow, despite being in this unknown place, Kai was surrounded by the thing he loved best--- and that had done wonders for his self-confidence.
She also noticed she had to peek a bit higher to look him in the eye--- something that had escaped her until now, since Kai spent so much of his time sitting. Perhaps he only seemed taller due to his new posture. But judging by how much lankier he looked, he'd likely grown an inch or two. So had his hair, which was a bigger auburn mess than ever. Still no semblance of facial hair, Mira noted with amusement.
The two friends chatted over Kai's experimental peanut butter sandwiches, seated on the chairs Kai had found in the back room. Kai chattered about his current operation, but Mira was too distracted to pay attention to him. She kept shooting glances toward the doorway, spellbound with a mix of hope and dread that Adam might walk through and join them. He never did. Mira resisted the urge to punch herself.
"Yuck!" The interjection yanked Mira's attention back to Kai. He dropped the remaining half of his sandwich onto the island, nose scrunched. "Still too runny."
"Maybe the compartment you're keeping it in is broken," Mira suggested.
"It's plenty cold in there," Kai grumbled. "I'll need to try a different recipe. Pff. More things for me to do." He laughed bitterly. Then he showed Mira a genuine smile. "Thanks for helping me out. How far did you guys get?"
"All the way down to floor 50," said Mira with a confident tilt of her chin.
"Great! That's... actually further than I thought you'd get." He clenched both fists, flustered. "I'm behind. I gotta get moving!" He bounced up and headed straight for the door. Mira grabbed his wrist. He halted in his tracks, then teetered back a few steps before tottering to an awkward stop.
"You spent eight hours in front of that screen. Give it a rest, Kai."
Kai wrested his arm away from Mira. "But I can still get at least another three hours in!" he insisted. "You want to go home, right?"
"You've been at it all day," said Mira. "All week. We've barely seen you."
"You guys can come see me any time you want!" Kai declared. "I just wanna get something out of those machines as soon as I can."
"You've been working at it for days now," said Mira. "If you haven't gotten very far in all that time, you're probably not gonna solve it tonight."
Kai groaned in mock annoyance and plopped back down into his chair. "Fine. I guess a nice, long break won't hurt." He gave Mira a cheeky smirk. "Besides. Somebody's gotta help you out of your Adam rut."
Mira sighed and sank into her palms. "That's great, because I'd almost forgotten about him before you brought him up again."
Kai deflated. "Oh." He shoved the runny peanut butter half-a-sandwich back into his mouth with a frustrated chomp.
Mira sighed and began to twirl a lock of raven hair. "It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't already know it was hopeless. I don't want to like him."
Kai leaned forward against the island. A quirk in his brow indicated he was considering something. Mischief sparkled in his bloodshot baby blues. "You're sure?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Sure sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
"Absolutely positively sure? With a cherry on top?" Kai flashed a goofy grin.
Mira rolled her eyes and gave his arm a friendly fist-knock. "Sure means sure," she said. "It's never gonna work. He doesn't like me that way. And that's that. As much as I hate to say it..."
"I like you," Kai piped. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.
Mira blinked. "What?" Kai let out that nervous giggle of his, confirming what Mira had just heard. "You... like me?" And she'd thought this feelings situation couldn't get any more complicated.
Kai was clearly still mortified. "Yeah. So... I mean, if you'd consider it. I... um... well. Maybe... try to see if maybe... just maybe... we could..."
Oh... oh. Is he really going there? Mira held up a hand. "Kai."
His eyes blew up to twice their size and his jaws clamped shut. All the remaining blood had drained from his already-pale face. "Yes?"
Mira shook her head. How was she going to say this without upsetting him? "Don't get me wrong. You're a good guy. But... I don't do rebounds. And if I decided to be with you solely out of spite for Adam, that's not really fair to you, is it?"
The gears in Kai's head turned. Then he looked down, wringing his hands nervously. "No... I guess not." There was heavy disappointment in his tone.
"Besides. Considering the situation..." Mira stopped twirling her hair and looked Kai directly in the eyes. "I think we should stay away from relationships altogether."
Kai was silent.
"It just wouldn't be right. I mean, we're trapped in outer space. We have no idea how close, or... how far away we are from earth. We all have bigger things to think about."
"Easy for you to say," Kai muttered. He threw up his hands. "I get what you're saying. But I can't just... turn off my feelings like a lightswitch. You should know that too." He snorted. "We can't all be Adam."
Mira sighed. "I feel that," she said softly. "If only it were as easy as he makes it look." Kai barked a laugh. Mira raised an eyebrow. "What? What's so funny?"
"Sorry, but..." Kai grinned. "I feel a lot better since you know now. Even if it didn't work out. And... yeah, it... probably wasn't going to. Especially right now." His frown slumped back onto his face. "Sorry for bothering you. You're right. It was a stupid time and place to---"
"No, it's fine," said Mira, smiling back to encourage him. "I'm glad you told me." Although this could make things more complicated, Kai had just shown surprising maturity in letting the matter go. At least... that's how he'd made it seem. For all she knew he could be deeply upset on the inside, and as much as she hated to hurt her friend like this (after all, she could relate to the friendzone experience), she knew it was for the best. For everyone.
Kai smiled gratefully. The two friends sat in silence for a few minutes and finished their sandwiches. Then Mira spoke. "Hey Kai?"
Kai looked up. "Hmm?"
"Let's not tell Adam about this conversation."
Kai threw up a mock-salute, beaming from ear to ear. "You have my word, cap'n!"