Chapter Text
“...Wake up! Melinda, wake up!”
Melinda willed herself up into a sitting position on the subway in spite of the aches and pains reverberating through her body. She had no idea how long Vera had been trying to contact them.
“We thought we’d lost you! What happened? Did you pass out again!?”
“Jeez, take a chill pill, we were just sleeping!” Sylvie butted in. “You know, that thing everyone does when they’re tired?”
“…I see, erm, my apologies. I should have guessed.” Vera responded. “We… haven’t actually tested what happens when people go to sleep in FINE, so I assumed the worst. Suffice it to say our feedback gave us a false positive that you’d been incapacitated.”
“It’s… fine.” Melinda said, rubbing her back and shoulders. “I just… really need a proper bed. Maybe something to eat, too.”
“In that case, you’re in luck!” Vera told her. “You’ve just reached the part of the simulation mapped by your Limbic System! There’s plenty of familiar places and people waiting for you here. There’s a copy of your parent’s house!”
Melinda perked up. Ignoring the jolt of pain in her back, she got up and helped Sylvie to her feet. “That’s all I needed to hear. Thanks, Vera.” she said. Vera signed off and the two of them were alone.
“Well, that got you moving,” Sylvie commented. “Not that I’m surprised. A comfy bed and a bite to eat sound really nice, even in a simulation...”
“I’m just running on fumes at this point. Once we reach my parent’s house, I’m crashing for a couple hours…” Melinda told her.
Sylvie shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, do what you gotta do. I got enough sleep already, but it’ll be nice to see your family again!”
Sure enough, the sight at the top of the stairs to the subway station was Melinda’s hometown, just as she’d remembered it. There were only two exceptions; Sylvie’s house had been magically transported to the edge of the street she’d grown up on, and across from it was Alice’s house, likewise placed in a location of convenience. It was otherwise a faithful recreation of her childhood memories down to the minute details; several houses weren’t compliant to regulations that had just been set by the Dismantling, and more than a few trees and grassy sidewalks were still a work in progress.
“It’s so weird, seeing all this old tech,” Sylvie said, “I never thought about it at the time, but everything was so ugly before the Dismantling forced everyone to fix the environment by putting plants and pools everywhere.”
Melinda agreed, wincing at the thought of all the harmful fumes some of those old houses produced. The old ways of structuring society (industrialization, it had been called) had made humans wealthy and efficient, but she’d never seen it as the logical decision her ancestors had insisted it was. So much environmental damage, so much thrown away… and they’d all been too blinded by greed to see it. There was nothing logical about burning your home down to make a profit.
They kept moving toward Melinda’s childhood home. The simulated space was bigger than the others, but being teleported from one glowing arrow to the next cut down on a lot of commute. Even so, Melinda felt like she was gonna collapse by the time they reached home.
Structurally, the house Melinda grew up in didn’t stick out much alongside its neighbors, but the fresh coat of yellow paint certainly helped. Her father, Zach, was actually in the yard putting on a second coat as they approached the house. He turned around and ran to greet them with a beaming smile.
“Woah! Hey, kiddo!” he said, hugging Melinda. “Good to see ya! You too, Sylvie!” He pulled back and looked her over, raising an eyebrow. “You uh, doing alright? No offense, but you look rough around the edges.”
“Could use a bed… or any place to lie down…” Melinda murmured. Her dad propped her up as she started to groan.
“Sure thing! Mind giving me a hand Sylvie?” Zach asked. Sylvie took Melinda’s other arm and they walked her into the house together.
They brought her to a couch in the living room and let her rest there. Melinda could hear the voice of her mother and grandfather (Ramona and Max) as they rushed in to check on her.
“Melinda! What on Earth happened to you!?” Ramona asked, checking her forehead. “Did you overwork yourself? Have you been eating healthy?...You didn’t have a problem with a girl, did you?”
Melinda opened her eyes to see her grandfather put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Let’s give her some space to breathe for now,” Max counseled her. “Sylvie can explain what’s going on while Melinda recovers in her old room.”
Ramona stood up and looked at Max. “...Of course. I’ll take Melinda to her room and get her settled. Could you and Zach see to Sylvie while I’m away?”
The men nodded and turned their attention to Sylvie, who started to explain the whole situation to them. Melinda barely registered the details as her mother guided her through the house and to her room. “Take your shoes off and lay down for a bit. I’ll be back with something to eat in a bit. Do you need anything else?”
Melinda shook her head as she lay down. “Just need to sleep off the aches and pains from sleeping on a subway bench. Twice.” She replied. Her mother shook her head and pursed her lips. “I won’t asked what happened to you right now… but there better be a good reason for-” She stopped herself. “...no, you’re an adult now, I don’t need to lecture you. That being said, as a concerned mother I do want the full story when you’re ready.”
Smiling, Melinda looked back up at her mom and nodded before closing her eyes; her eyelids were already too heavy to keep open. “Let Sylvie know… I’m doin’ alright…” she asked, and her mom promised to relay the message. Melinda was asleep before her mother even left the room.
---
“So… that’s the gist of it. I know it’s a lot to take in,” Sylvie concluded her explanation of the situation to Melinda’s family. Ramona and Max looked serious and contemplative, while Zach was a bit giddy.
“I don’t wanna ignore the gravity of the situation or anything, I just think this would make a great sci-fi novel.” He explained, “You think the government minds if I write a story about this after we leave, or would they get pissed?”
“I can assure you that WON’T be allowed!”
Melinda’s family jumped and Zach swore. Sylvie wasn’t bothered by Vera’s interjections at this point, but she wished their eye in the sky would take the responsibility of explaining things more often.
“I wanted to verify a few things that Sylvie rather… prudently omitted. Hidden Powers will very likely be out of reach for the three of you due to… unexpected developments with the meta-simulation. Please refrain from taking this personally, but I must INSIST that none of you pursue getting an HP. Especially Ramona.”
Sylvie tried not to gag in front of everyone at what she knew Vera was insinuating, not that the extra warning directed at Ramona was warranted. The others remained blissfully unaware while Sylvie grit her teeth.
“Suffice it to say you will need to run from any Nanomachine encounters.” Vera continued. “Fortunately, I’m not detecting any unusual activity in this area, so you’ll have plenty of time to develop a workaround for this mild inconvenience. Don’t let this Nanomachine get the jump on you, and everything will work out fine. As always, I’ll be available if needed. Good luck out there!”
It was quiet for a moment as Vera’s voice faded away. “…Is it weird to think that Vera lady is full of it?” Zach asked, “or is that just me?”
“It’s definitely not just you,” Sylvie affirmed. Max and Ramona nodded in agreement.
“You two have been quiet so far. Anything you want to share?” Zach asked, looking at Ramona and Max. The latter rubbed his chin and sighed.
“I’ve seen a lot of cons in the pharmacy business,” he explained. “This is… different. Vera’s not looking for profit or running some sort of scam; con artists don’t give you time to make decisions or provide you a lot of options. It’s all about rushing you to do something stupid.”
Ramona agreed. “This reminds me more of a misdirection. We’re having our gaze fixed on one thing to distract us from another. We need to keep our eyes peeled.”
“That’s actually how the three of you can help,” Sylvie said. “The Nanomachines might not be the only enemy, but they’re still deadly. Let Melinda and I focus on taking them out; we need you three to sniff out any trouble Vera might be causing.”
Zach grinned. “You can count on us!” he replied.
With the plan set, the topic changed to Sylvie and Melinda’s well-being. Melinda was still resting, but her family wanted to make sure Sylvie was also holding up alright.
“Can I get you something to eat?” Ramona asked, “I know this is a simulation, but…”
Sylvie put her hand to her chin as she pondered her options. “Actually, while Melina’s still asleep, can we just kind of… hang out? A snack might be nice, too.”
Max smiled at her. “There’s nothing wrong with a mental health break. Make yourself comfortable, we can talk while my granddaughter rests.”
Ramona guided them to the kitchen and began pulling out something to eat while the others talked at the kitchen table. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to talk to either of you, come to think of it,” Max said, “How’s everything going with you and Melinda?”
“Oh, same as usual! Just keeping each other sane and uncynical…” Sylvie replied. “It’s good to see you! I saw Ramona and Zach less than a month ago, but it’s been what… two or three years since we got to talk?”
Max closed his eyes and chuckled. “It really has. I’ve forgiven myself for a lot of things since then. It hasn’t been easy…”
“Nothing a good man-to-man talk can’t fix!” Zach chimed in. Max nodded in agreement as Zach put his arm around him. “Me and Max got really close these past few years!”
“That’s wonderful!” Sylvie said with a smile. “I know your family has been through… a lot, and we all know how much it’s affected Melinda. I’m glad things are continuing to get better.”
Max smiled back at Sylvie. “You’re as kind as always. And I’m sure you’re a great help to Melinda.”
“She’s still working through things,” Sylvie replied “...but as strange as it is, I think her time here is really helping. Especially when we saw Lorraine.”
Ramona brought a tray of sweets and chocolates to the table. “I know how silly this looks,” she began, “but please humor me. I can’t stand to have a guest over without giving them something to eat.” Sylvie tried one of the cookies, and weirdly enough, eating felt… normal? The cookie still had taste and texture the way it should. She tried not to think about it too hard as Ramona continued.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about those years,” Ramona said, “I still remember my pain like it was yesterday. All our money… gone. Debt collectors contacting us daily. The people I was closest to started blaming themselves and drifting away from me…” she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Max. “Words can’t describe how good it feels to have everyone back.”
“Losing all our money challenged us, but it made us stronger in the end,” Zach added. “My father in law is now my best friend, my wife and I learned how to be better for Melinda by being less overbearing…” he paused. “...Not that I’m glad it happened! But it makes me proud to see how we bounced back, ya know?”
“I get what you mean!” Sylvie assured him, “And I really think Melinda is having a major breakthrough right now. She isn’t so rigid and logical all the time! I’m really proud of her, actually.”
It occurred to Sylvie that something else was changing about Melinda, or rather, something was changing between them. All the growth Melinda was experiencing while they were in FINE… Sylvie had been a part of that. They weren’t just growing as people; they were growing together and making a relationship that was different, more intimate. She’d never felt anything like it before!
They talked for a while longer as Sylvie reflected on her feelings, until eventually a stirring in the hallway signaled that Melinda was waking up. She appeared in the doorway a moment later looking much more like her usual self.
Maybe it was just all those feelings in Sylvie’s head, but seeing Melinda in the kitchen doorway felt… different. She was always happy to see her friend of course, but now, there was this new urge to hug and hold Melinda. To make her feel appreciated and special. It was a yearning that retroactively imprinted on her every memory of Melinda, as if to say everything else was just the buildup to this.
Sylvie shook her head. This wasn’t the time to get lost in her thoughts, she could talk to Melinda about all of this later.
Melinda took a seat next to Sylvie and joined the conversation. They talked for a while longer about the situation and life in general, and to Sylvie it all felt pleasantly normal. Even Melinda was relaxed in a way their journey through the FINE simulation hadn’t allowed before. It was actually dark outside once the conversation had wound down.
“That’s different…” Melinda said, looking out the window. “I’ve never seen the sun go down in the simulation before…”
“Maybe this area is different?” Sylvie posited. “Think about it. The memories in this part of your brain are really well preserved, and there’s lots of them. That means FINE has enough info on your neighborhood to simulate what it looks like at night.”
Melinda put a finger to her chin. “I have to admit, that’s pretty cool. It probably means we should get going though, especially if we’ve been here for hours.”
Ramona and Zach tried to get them to stay, but Max intervened on their behalf. “It’d be dangerous to keep us all in one place. The Nanomachines are looking for Melinda, not us, and that’s not a fight we can help with.” Melinda’s parents reluctantly agreed, sending them off with a few more cookies at Ramona’s insistence.
“We’ll be fine, I promise!” Sylvie assured them, pulling her keys out of her pocket. “We’ll stay at my house, it’s just down the road.” She pressed a button on her car fob, and within a few minutes, her car had turned and parked itself in the driveway to Melinda’s house.
Zach whistled at the sight of the vehicle. “Don’t ask how Sylvie got her car in here,” Melinda told them, “we have no idea.”
“Obviously it’s because FINE knows me and my car are inseparable.” Sylvie joked, pushing up her glasses. She opened the door for Melinda and hopped into the driver seat. “We’ll be back in the morning!” Melinda called out as Sylvie started the engine. They both waved goodbye for now, and Sylvie drove off into the night.
---
Melinda got out of the car and followed Sylvie to the front door. She’d been quiet on the short trip up here, and Melinda noticed her hands were trembling a bit as she unlocked the front door, but she dismissed it as Sylvie being tired. They’d been in this house together plenty of times, and Melinda didn’t feel uncomfortable sharing space for the night.
“I’ll crash on the sofa, since it’s your house and all,” Melinda said, making her way to where she knew the blankets were stored.
“Don’t do that!” Sylvie blurted out. Melinda turned around to see Sylvie standing there, fidgeting with the keys still in her hands. “I mean, you don’t need to do that. Sleeping on the subway made you really sore, and I don’t want that happening again.”
Melinda cocked her head. “Well, I guess that makes sense. In that case…” she looked around, “do you want to sleep on the couch? I don’t think there’s enough of space on your bed for both of us.”
Sylvie turned a bright shade of red. “Can we, uh, sit down for a moment?” Melinda looked at her for a moment, but took a seat.
“Something’s gotten into you, Syl,” Melinda said. “What’s up?” Sylvie fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. “C’mon, you know you can talk to me…” Melinda assured her.
Sylvie looked Melinda dead in the eye. “...I want to get my Hidden Power now.” she said.
Melinda was taken completely off guard, but tried not to show it. Solemnly nodding, she took a deep breath. “I don’t know exactly what Vera told you while I was asleep, but I have the gist of it, and-”
“It’s not about Vera!” Sylvie interjected. “It’s not about her, or protecting your parents, or anyone else.” She stood up without taking her eyes off Melinda. “I want you to give me my Hidden power, just like you did with Alice and Jamie.”
Melinda started to speak, but Sylvie held up her hand. “Wait. I know we don’t have to… do things that way. I know we have other options. But I don’t want to do things like you did with Cadenia, or even Ellie.” Her resolve fizzled out, and her eyes went to the floor.
“Sylvie, whatever you choose is valid, and you know I’m willing to talk about whatever you’re feeling,” Melinda said slowly. “But before we make up our minds, I need to know why you want this,” she said.
“...I was just thinking, when I saw you at your parents house earlier,” Sylvie said, “you were standing there in the doorway, and I felt… different... looking at you. You weren’t just my friend anymore. I wanted to hold you and tell you I missed you even though you were barely gone and-” She stopped herself and took a deep breath. “...Something has changed between us. You mean something else to me now, Melinda. And I…” She took another deep breath. “I want to find out what we’ve become.”
They were both quiet for a moment.
“If that’s why you want it, then that’s fine by me,” Melinda said. Sylvie’s eyes widened. “What about you, though? I want your consent just as much as you want mine,” she said.
Melinda thought for a moment. “I mean…” she started, “I’d been thinking for a while about us. When we were in high school, we hung out because I liked having you around. After everything we’ve been through here it’s like… I want to share more of myself with you. I want you to see more of me, and I don’t want to hold back because it’s ‘illogical’ or ‘unwise’ to want you.” She reached forward and took Sylvie’s hands in hers. “I want to find out what our relationship is becoming, too. And I’d be more than happy to try this and see what happens.”
Melinda looked into Sylvie’s eyes. Neither of them were ashamed or unsure, even if they were both a bit anxious. “Let’s set some ground rules first,” Melinda told her. “First: if either of us wants to stop, we can stop at any time. Second: it’s okay to make mistakes, so neither of us is going to take it personally if we do something wrong and need to change technique or something.” Sylvie frowned slightly at the second rule, but nodded in agreement.
“Well, in that case…” Melinda said, “I’m ready if you are.” Still clasping hands, Sylvie gulped and led Melinda to her room. They were both anxious as they walked in and Sylvie closed the door behind them; It occurred to Melinda again that this might even be her first time, but she didn’t ask.
“Let’s go ahead and get undressed, then?” Melinda suggested, taking initiative. Sylvie nodded, taking off her blouse and shoes while Melinda did the same. They didn’t make eye contact again until they were both fully undressed.
Melinda hadn’t really looked at Sylvie like this before, but truth be told, it wasn’t so awkward to see each other naked like this. It was actually kind of funny the way their bodies complemented each other; Melinda was thin and tall, while Sylvie was shorter… and much, much curvier. She bit her lower lip as her eyes took in the sight of Sylvie’s thighs and hips.
“I’m guessing you like what you see?” Sylvie teased nervously. She reached to push her glasses up but awkwardly realized she’d already taken them off, eliciting a laugh from Melinda.
“How about we get on this bed and see if you know how to use those legs…” Melinda replied, causing Sylvie to blush. They climbed onto the bed, Sylvie sitting spread-eagle at the head and Melinda opposite her. Sliding closer, she interlocked her legs with Sylvie’s and brought their hips together, Sylvie gasping a bit when her sensitive lower lips connected with Melinda’s.
“This feels like a good position for our first time,” Melinda explained. “Do you know how scissoring works?”
Sylvie nodded and tried to keep her composure. “I… rub myself against you, right? I think we have to coordinate movement, too, or it doesn’t work.”
“That’s the basics of it, yeah.” Melinda smiled. “I want to do something we can both enjoy at the same time, so let’s give it a try. I’ll start moving, and you match my pace…”
It took a bit of work, but Sylvie was patient and allowed herself to make mistakes. Soon enough they both picked up on a rhythm that worked.
They began to move in tandem, Sylvie’s thighs sliding and clapping against Melinda’s as they rubbed their vulva against each other. Even though Melinda didn’t usually enjoy scissoring, Sylvie was a natural; each time she pressed into Melinda and brought their clits into contact it sent a shock of pleasure up her spine. “How are you- ngh!- so good at this?” Melinda asked.
“It’s… haaah… all about the math,” Sylvie explained. “Calculating the… angle necessary tohnngh… maximize pleasure for both of us just… comes easily to me!”
“That’s not the only thiiiing that’s gonna be coming to you before long!” Melinda tried to quip back. Sylvie grinned and clenched her teeth, then lowered Melinda onto her back and grabbed one of her legs to keep herself upright. Sylvie was now effectively on top of Melinda, grinding her clit into Melinda’s with fervor and digging her nails into her leg. Melinda could no longer keep her eyes on Sylvie and threw her head back to moan.
“Almost… thereee…!” Sylvie said between gritted teeth. She flexed her hips, driving her clit abreast the base of Melinda’s and grazing on the plethora of nerve endings there. Melinda gasped and moaned, trying her best to stay still and make the sensation last as long as possible.
Their eyes met for a brief period, and Melinda felt her heart flutter. In that moment everything felt right, and she knew Sylvie felt the same way. She wasn’t just glad they were doing this, she was ecstatic that they were finally doing this. Sex with Sylvie was everything she never knew she wanted; it didn’t just feel great, it was beautiful.
Melinda came first, and Sylvie followed quickly afterward. Hips bucking together as they lost control of their bodies, Sylvie desperately threw herself onto Melinda and pressed her body against hers. Faces close together and holding each other close, Melinda acted on pure instinct and kissed Sylvie deeply. Sylvie’s eye’s widened but she reciprocated the kiss as the orgasm rolled over them. They didn’t stop until it receded.
Breathing heavily, Melinda looked back at Sylvie. Neither of them had been expecting a kiss like that, and while it didn’t seem to have angered her, Melinda could tell Sylvie’s mind was racing. “Hey…” she said, cupping Sylvie’s cheek in her hand. “...sorry I caught you off guard there.”
“No, it’s okay! Really okay!” Sylvie assured her. “I just uh, didn’t expect that to happen!” She looked askance and smiled. “...Didn’t expect to enjoy that, either.”
“Hey, same here,” Melinda told her, “but I don’t want to think about it too much right now. Let’s just… enjoy the moment.”
Sylvie nodded, resting her head on Melinda’s chest. “Sounds good t’me” she murmured. They settled under the covers and before long, Sylvie was fast asleep.
There was a lot to process after having sex with her best friend, but none of it distracted Melinda from the bliss of the moment as she ran her hand over Sylvie’s features. She gently traced the outlines of Sylvie’s face with her fingertips, appreciating how pretty she was. It didn’t feel weird or wrong to think that way, it just felt… valid. The mutual consent was valid, the passion they’d shared was valid, all of it was valid and that was enough. Logic didn’t have any place in the way they expressed their feelings… and it never would.
Melinda smiled. It felt like aches she didn’t even know she had were leaving her body as she nuzzled against Sylvie. She gave her one last kiss, then drifted off to sleep.
---
Once they’d both woken up the next morning, Melinda’s contentment with herself and Sylvie was still there, even when Sylvie got embarrassed and hopped out of bed to put her clothes back on. Melinda smirked as she watched her scurry off to the living room, but decided not to tease her just yet as she got up and dressed herself. When Melinda got to the living room, Sylvie was distracted by the readouts on her glasses.
“Still no signs of that Nanomachine…” Sylvie murmured. She turned her attention to Melinda. “Um… G-good morning!” she blurted.
“Good morning to you too!” Melinda said. Sylvie couldn’t make eye contact as Melinda casually took a seat next to her on the couch. “Did ya sleep well last night?”
Sylvie crossed her arms and smirked. “Naturally. Our little experiment was effective at releasing a lot of negative stress, and I feel completely rested this morning.”
Melinda chuckled and leaned close to Sylvie. “Y'know, you can turn on that dorky personality of yours almost as well as you can turn me on...” She whispered. Sylvie sputtered and pouted.
“I’m just teasing!” Melinda clarified. “You did a really good job! We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I gotta to say-”
“That was fucking amazing!!” Sylvie shouted, turning to look right at Melinda. “I’ve never done something like that before!! Like, holy shit!! I didn’t know I could fuck that good with the same skills I use to drive!! It’s like I fucked you with math or something!!”
Melinda laughed. “I’m sorry if this is too much, but I’ve gotta say it,” she pulled Sylvie in for a hug. “You are so fucking adorable!”
Sylvie gave no resistance, even nuzzling her head against Melinda’s chest as she hugged her. “On an unrelated note…” Sylvie said, “your boobs are really nice on my face.”
Melinda laughed again and smothered Sylvie harder. “Good to know, because you’re gonna be seeing a lot of ‘em!” She quipped.
There wasn’t much else to do at Sylvie’s house, so they started to think about what to do about the still-missing Nanomachine. Melinda used her own UI to look at a map of the area, and discovered that Alice’s house was the only other place available to them.
“I… guess we should check Alice’s house?” Sylvie asked. “I mean, you can stay here if that’d be… y’know…”
Melinda shook her head. “It’s not a problem. What I’ve had with Alice doesn’t affect how I feel about us. Same goes for Jamie, by the way.” It really didn’t feel like any one relationship ruled out the others, which reminded Melinda of something. “The first time we were on the subway, you mentioned that Alice might want me to start a polycule. What do you think about that?”
Sylvie put a finger to her chin. “I mean, it sounds like something Alice would suggest. Do you, uh, think she’s gonna invite us into one or something?”
“I dunno about that,” Melinda said, “I just asked because… I think I’m coming around to the idea of one? I’m honestly not sure.”
Sylvie gave a shrug and took Melinda’s hand. “We’ll have plenty of time to figure it out once we get out of here. The best thing to do right now is just enjoy having each other…” she looked Melinda in the eyes and wiggled her eyebrows. “...especially now that we… had each other!” Melinda rolled her eyes at Sylvie, who giggled at herself.
It was a short walk to Alice’s place across the street; in reality Alice lived in another town, but either FINE or her own brain had decided to transplant it here. It was an interesting but understandable bit of corner-cutting that saved them the time of driving several miles to visit a single place.
Why not just use those arrows that move you from place to place, then?
...Huh. Melinda hadn’t thought of it before, but FINE was really inconsistent with placing glowing arrows to facilitate travel. Not that FINE had ever struck her as having consistency, but this just seemed like a gross waste of a feature. Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached out to Vera as they made their way into Alice’s house.
“I must say, you really are being thorough in your search for the Nanomachine,” Vera said. “I didn’t think you’d want to visit Alice’s house. Is there something you needed to ask?”
“I was just wondering, why is Alice’s house right here?” Melinda asked. “Why did FINE place it next to Sylvie’s house instead of using one of those glowing arrows so we can travel to its real life location?”
“...Seriously? Did you just contact me to tell me my experimental, untested simulation makes illogical decisions?” Vera growled.
“Ok, I get it! Bad question, sheesh!” Melinda replied.
“That being said…” Vera continued, “I suppose it’s a curiosity worth bugtesting. We’ll look into it in the future. While we’re talking though, I have a few questions for you and Sylvie.”
Sylvie cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.
“First and foremost, I wanted to check in about Hidden Powers. Has anyone in the area shown signs of unlocking theirs? The incidence of HP’s unlocking outside of your meta-simulation has me wondering if anyone is getting theirs at random.” Vera asked.
“Oh!!” Sylvie interjected. She grabbed a potted plant off a nearby counter and chucked it at Melinda. She closed her eyes and flinched, but the pot never reached her. Opening her eyes back up, she saw the pot floating in midair, its outline glowing red and shimmering.
“I forgot to tell you! I can use my Hidden Power to stop things in midair! It actually stores their kinetic energy and releases it whenever I want, so…” Sylvie motioned for Melinda to move out of the way, then planted her feet and punched the suspended flowerpot. It didn’t break or move. Sylvie snapped her fingers and smirked; the red glow disappeared and the potted plant shot across the room far faster than its original velocity, then crashed against the wall.
“Heh, I can even strike things I freeze to make them go faster when I release them. I realized I could do this when I woke up this morning, but I forgot to check it out!” Sylvie crossed her arms and smirked. “So, they’re time control superpowers. Very cool.”
“I mean, you’re not wrong,” Melinda admitted, “But can we not break Alice’s stuff?”
Sylvie grimaced. “Sorry! I just got carried away,” she admitted.
“They’re Hidden Powers, not superpowers. And I’m pleased to see you took my suggestion about biting the bullet and getting your HP to heart.” Vera said. If that was meant to be a dig at Sylvie, she didn’t let it faze her.
“Anyway,” Vera continued, “We’re not picking up any signs of the Nanomachine on our end. Did either of you find any evidence of its whereabouts? Has Sylvie been using her glasses to look for it?”
“No sign of it on our end either,” Melinda confirmed, “and Sylvie did a scan of the area just this morning.”
Vera sighed, “This doesn’t make any sense, there has to be one around here somewhere. Unless…” Melinda heard Vera tapping away at something. “No… it can’t be…” She paused for a moment. “Sylvie, did you do a scan of Melinda’s house when you were there earlier?”
Sylvie’s face went pale. “I’ll take that as a no,” Vera said. “The Nanomachine’s code was there all along. It was literally right underneath you and you didn’t-,”
Melinda didn’t let Vera finish her sentence. She stormed out the door with Sylvie hot on her heels. Hopping into the car, they tore down the street to her parent’s house.
There was still time. They had to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.
The ground started to shake. The street cracked and tiles started falling off houses. Sylvie pushed her car to its limits.
When they got to the house, everything went still for a moment. Melinda held her breath, looking around for her family. “Mom! Dad! Grandpa!” she called out.
Suddenly the tremors started again, shaking them both off their feet. The ground in front of them started to split apart and swallow the house into the earth. Sylvie grabbed Melinda and pulled her away before the fissure belched its contents back into the sky. She used her HP to freeze all the debris headed their way as something enormous emerged from the ruins of her family’s home. The Nanomachine.
This one was like a huge, wilted sunflower made of twisted steel. Dirt, clay, and debris clung to the length of its enormous exterior, which was covered in barbs and thorns. Razor-sharp ‘leaves’ the size of cars hung limp at random places on its metallic trunk. Other stems were tipped with cannons whose laser sights were scanning the area for targets. Its huge, flower-like head didn’t have a normal disc of florets; in its place was a gaping maw lined with teeth.
Melinda hated it like nothing she had ever hated before. She let out a roar, indifferent to the fact that she’d gotten the abomination’s attention, and ran at the monstrosity with intent to kill. It didn’t matter if it was a stupid plan, and it didn’t matter if this thing killed her instantly. She wanted to pour all her feelings into this moment and do as much damage as she could.
Sylvie tried to call out for Melinda, but realized the cannons on the Nanomachine were already locking onto them. Thinking fast, she launched the frozen debris at the stems holding the cannons, tearing them from the trunk. This bought her enough time to run forward, calling out to Melinda desperately before she got herself killed.
“MELINDA!! STOP!!” Sylvie screamed, finally getting Melinda’s attention. Melinda turned around, snapped out of her bloodlust temporarily. “We can stop this thing, but we need to work together!” Sylvie told her. “Get its attention!”
Melinda nodded, then put some distance between herself and the Nanomachine. The remaining cannons directed their attention at her and fired, but she used her own Hidden Power to absorb and reflect the shots, ripping the guns to pieces.
The Nanomachine wasn’t out of options yet. As Sylvie focused her remaining projectiles on the base of the thing’s trunk, it lowered its maw to face Melinda and began to roar. Deep in its throat, Melinda could see something glowing and getting brighter. She kept the Nanomachine’s attention as Sylvie peppered its exterior with holes.
With an earsplitting roar, the Nanomachine fired the light from its maw as a ball of solid, burning radiation. Melinda braced herself and used her HP to try and absorb the projectile while Sylvie kept launching debris. Before it could fire a second shot, the Nanomachine directed its attention to Sylvie, who was seriously damaging its chassis, and began charging again.
“NO!!” Melinda shouted. Holding both hands forward, she redirected the massive energy of the projectile she’d absorbed at the Nanomachine. An enormous flow of power left her body, and everything went white.
From Sylvie’s point of view, it was like a pillar of sunlight had erupted from where Melinda had been standing. It tore across the sky and hit the Nanomachine square in the center of its trunk. There was a horrendous sound as the earth started splitting again, and Sylvie ran for cover as the force of Melinda’s attack began tearing the Nanomachine out of the ground. It let out a roar as it was flung into the sky, but Melinda wasn’t done with it yet.
Leaping high into the air, Melinda powered up her attack again, widening the beam into a torrent of energy that covered the sky. Wave after wave of power ripped at the body of the Nanomachine, tearing away chunks of charred metal that quickly evaporated in the geyser of heat and radiation; soon there was nothing left of it but billowing ashes. The stream of energy dissipated, and Melinda gently returned to the ground.
“MELINDA!! SYLVIE!!”
Melinda turned to see her family running toward her from one of the nearby houses. Sinking to her knees, all the pent up frustration and fear she’d been feeling boiled over. Tears streamed down her face as her gaze fell to the ground in front of her. She didn’t try to stop it from happening, nor did she show any resistance when Ramona knelt down and embraced her.
“The house is all gone… thought you were dead… I was so, so angry…” Melinda confessed between sobs. Ramona listened patiently to her daughter, wiping tears from her eyes and patting her on the back to console her.
“There, there. Nothing to be ashamed of…” Ramona said.
Melinda paused and looked up, giving her mother a shaky smile. “I… I must be getting better. I’m not ashamed… to cry anymore. To show how I feel anymore,” she said. “The old Melinda’s back.”
Ramona smiled at her, tears welling in her own eyes. “My baby girl… she’s finally back…” Ramona said. She sobbed and held onto Melinda tightly. Zach, Max, and Sylvie knelt down and embraced them for a long time.
---
No communication. No replies from Melinda. Comms were dead. Again.
Vera pounded the machinery in front of her with her clenched fists. “Damn it! Damn it all!” She bellowed.
Behind her, Ellie watched cautiously but said nothing.
“My apologies,” Vera said slowly, “Ellie, could you please give me some time alone? I will come get you when I have… collected myself.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ellie replied, walking briskly for the door. Once her footsteps had faded, Vera smashed the machinery in front of her to pieces.
“THIS IS A MESS! A TOTAL, FUCKING MESS!” she screamed.
Her hands stopped and her body relaxed a bit. Looking straight ahead at an invisible audience, her eyes widened. “Now, now… this is nothing new. With a bit of care and misdirection, we can see this through to the end…”
Another pause. Her back straightened and she pursed her lips. “Indeed, cooler heads will prevail. None of our progress has been endangered, and in spite of these machinations our nemesis is plotting, we have plenty of opportunities left to make things interesting…”
She stretched her hands out over the broken machinery. The broken pieces reassembled themselves as time wound backward, until everything was restored to pristine condition. Her hands slid over the surface of the keyboard and began typing again.
“This will do… yes.” With a final tap, Vera executed a program on the screen. “Do try to keep your composure from here on out. It would be a shame if I had to directly interfere… permanently.”
Vera shook her head, as if broken from a trance. She looked down at the computer to see what her hands had wrought, then cursed under her breath.
She really, really hated those pricks.