"You should walk faster, then." I kept my face straight as I said that. Behind me, through the sound of shuffling, comes the cry of mechanical legs begging to be killed. Even with all of his resources, The Doctor never bothered to fix his legs, why would he? He didn't need to get out of his lair and his legs right now are more than enough for him to go back and forth in there.
To him, maintaining them feels redundant, and I bet he's regretting feeling that way right now. Especially when the redundancy got replaced by the feeling of arthritis- or the mechanical equivalent of it. 'That's what you get for being such an ass, even to yourself.' I thought with a lot of amusement.
"Can't even help an old man out?" He tried to get sympathy and he succeeded since people are looking at me like I'm the second coming of The Five. It's a pity that he didn't get any out of me though. "Come on, everyone's staring at you leaving an old man to rot!" he added with a shaky voice. I kept ignoring him. "I- I'm helping you get registered and this is what you repay me with?"
His words went unheard.
What he said to me earlier wouldn't leave my head, and knowing just what I am (even more than I used to do,) has a lot of implications and for some goddamn reason, my brain won't stop thinking about them. I've thought of all the possible reasons for my creation and why I'm the way I am power wise, and that's already bad enough since there are a lot of why's out there- but then also comes the process of actually creating me.
I started from a surrogate, yes, but that means I've been born and that I didn't get grown inside a vat. Or, at least not until I was actually born- If I still refused the fact I spent most of my life inside a vat even when I woke up as a 16 year old with an entire's life worth of memories then I'm the dumbest fucking guy out there.
I tilted my head slightly so that I can take a peek at The Doctor, 'Just what did you do for me to wake up in your observatory instead of the usual labs?' I wanted to ask that question so badly but again, I decided to hold it back. 'It's too much.'
I don't want to know what kind of reason the man has for taking me out of his cabal. Whatever they are. 'At least I know that he's not actively talking with them.'
I turned away from the old man and scanned the Dam's entrance, we are currently on the right wing of the place and it's here where all the trains and vehicles that take people to the upper parts of Gloria are parked. We walked past one such vehicle, a train with square cabs colored in black and with thin wires of bronze lining its windows. I stared up, just above a whirlpool-like design of bronze is a curtained window filled with shadows blocking the interior's yellow light, more are coming in through the doors and it seems that the train is starting to get packed with people.
I flinched when something hard hit my leg, "Come on, we aren't gonna ride something like that." The Doctor didn't show any signs of noticing my glare as he gawked at the train, "Really?" He asked incredulously, "You know you can pick whatever you want when I'm the one paying for the tickets right?"
"Sure," I waved him off and moved ahead of him to a train with a bullet shaped engine, its smooth design went past the head and down to the body where it looked roughly like a tube with hard edges. The monochrome coloring paired with the dark grey made the thing look futuristic and the blue light that shines from the machinery underneath the metallic surface finished the look.
"See? Now this is a proper train." Again, I don't understand why everyone just ignores this annoying old man's rumblings when they're clearly more offensive than me ignoring him. "Come on, we better get away from all the other people before they talk to us!" Poor. I think he meant poor people when he said that.
I shook my head in confusion and followed after him, we walked through a pair of sliding doors and into the clean looking interior of the vehicle. In terms of pure hygiene and aesthetic, what's on the inside of the train I was looking at and on this one might as well be a difference between night and day. The earth brown carpets we were standing on alone is enough to convince me that this place is clean, and then I see tables with two bowls of snacks and fruits on top, leather seats wrapped in plastic, and tinted windows to keep out the heat and I'm pretty much convinced that this ride is gonna expensive.
For The Doctor, that is. But that just shows how rich he is so I put quickly put the thought at the back of my mind and took a seat directly in front of him. He grabbed a fruit from a bowl and started munching, "You better move right next to the windows kid," he says through a mouth full of food, "People are gonna go in and then there's gonna sit here and you'll be sorry that you didn't take my advice,"
I don't know if it's just an act or this is just how he genuinely acts while in public but for some goddamn reason The Doctor's attitude switches and falls into the same category as an entitled old man. "Really? Wow. I bet I'll regret it soon huh?" Even with that passive-aggressive reply, I still did what he said and sat right next to the window. I looked outside, the crowd looking for a ride didn't seem to get smaller and if anything, it feels like they were getting larger.
But still, "How can you be sure that someone's gonna sit right next to us?" It's not like everyone can just afford this type of luxury.
"Because, Tyler, even when they're not rich, mercenaries and other mutants can afford to ride this thing," is The Doctor's blunt reply, "And take off your masks too, it looks ugly." I didn't at first but eventually gave in.
Someone did take a seat right next to me eventually, and he the only guy from a group of three, the seat was big enough that there are three of us on the same seat while the remaining girl from their group sat right next to The Doctor. Another guy soon came to our table and she got sandwiched between a scruffy old man and a stressed-looking dude with gaunt cheeks who looked like he spends his weekends on his workplace.
She did not look happy.
Then it was only silence for a while, it kept going until the train ran and persevered for a bit more than that. I didn't really mind and I was more than happy to watch the scenery outside blur by, I experimented with Theikos too, trying to see if I can catch glimpses of anything that isn't a blurry smudge in my line of sight.
I succeeded somewhat and managed to catch a flying mutant as we passed her by, I tried to remember her features; a green cape and long blonde hair flowing behind her, a green domino mask, and a white and green costume. My best guess when I saw her clothes is that she is a hero and it honestly surprised me that they can even be seen here.
"You caught that didn't you?" Ah. It seems that The Doctor decided to stop chewing on fruits and start a conversation. My hand was still on my chin and my head was locked on facing the window, I only moved my eyes to look at him, "The Hero. Dipshit."
"The green one?" I asked.
"No? There was a green one?" I nodded, "Yeah, well, whatever, there was also that other one that we passed by, the one with all those balls floating around him."
Oh, so they were being controlled. "I only saw the balls."
He smirked, "Like always."
I shook my head and didn't bother to reply. It's always times like this that make me wonder if he's actually kinder than he looks, it makes me think that if only I weren't an experiment, a clone- would he have treated me this way every day instead of acting distant? Would he have stopped staring at me with a sick detachment because, to him, I was nothing more than a lab rat?
I didn't know and I would never find out. "You're fucking vulgar," I replied after a while.
"That doesn't count- Saying that doesn't count if you swear too!" Exasperated, I slowly turned my head toward the office worker, "What?" He stood his ground and puffed his chest, "I'm right aren't I?!" he faced the girl right next to him.
"You should stop drinking coffee," was all she said.
"No!- Wait, I mean that you can't just do that!" I shook my head in disappointment, the guy's stuttering may have stopped but then his brain just went offline the next moment.
"Well, they can can't they?" The girl who was on my side of the seat spoke and if she's referring to the guy's words just now, then I'm assuming she doesn't know that the guy was talking about her friend. As for what the guy actually meant when he said that? Who knows? This conversation is already confusing enough.
"I'm gonna go somewhere." The Doctor stood up and just... left.
I can't even blame him.
"You're both capes though right?" She asked just before The Doctor left and he and I nodded, "What kind?"
"That question is a bit too personal don't you think?" The guy- who I assume is her boyfriend, - says through an audible whisper. "These people look dangerous, you should be careful." He further added, which, again, I can hear.
"You know they can hear you right?" I nodded internally. We can hear them, yes. Oblivious to my bored look that said how I felt about this entire thing, the office guy continued with his tirade, "You should whisper properly."
"Uhuh," I said. God, even my tone is bored. "How the hell did we even come to this?"
"Well, the old man started it!" The girl who has now taken the seat of said old man chimed in. Similarly, she's staring at the window while squinting, as if it would somehow help her see through the train's speed.
I shrugged, guess I'll just ignore them all then. "Fair enough-"
"Hey, you haven't answered my question earlier." I faced the girl with raised eyebrows. 'Why is she so interested?' I thought for a split second before a childish part my mind just assumed she likes me and that led me to looking at her face with too much... enthusiasm- Strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and features that'll make anyone think that she's gorgeous.
I quickly looked away. "Listen to your boyfriend," I replied aggressively.
"No." If she noticed my stare, her tone didn't tell me anything.
"Be careful. They were probably just bragging." says the boyfriend in question.
"He has a point. Seriously, how do we know that he and the old man are capes? They only claimed that they saw something on the windows." Says the girl currently trying to peer through it. "So how can we take your word for it?" She faced me with narrowed eyes, "So?"
"I'm not obligated to prove anything." I slumped into the seat and took out a bar of chocolate from the snack bar, "You guys can wonder for the rest of your lives for all I care." I shrugged and picked up a packet of crackers. Everyone stayed silent and eyed me like me getting stacks and eating is the most interesting thing in the world. I think they're expecting something to happen so you know what?
I snapped off a piece of chocolate and sandwiched it between two crackers, with a thought, lightning started writhing inside my chest, it moved, climbing up through my spine and then down my arm before settling into my index finger and thumb, the chocolate started to melt and the crackers started to heat up. I squished and the chocolate gave in, flattening and mixing with the crackers into a union.
I threw the thing into my mouth and ate it before I set off any alarms inside the train. "Happy?" I asked and got a chorus of 'Yes' in reply.
"So I'm guessing that you put electricity in your eyes to see through the speed right?" Questioned the girl again but I ignored her in favor of simply eating my crackers and chocolate in peace. She kept looking at me for a whole minute before she gave up, "I'll take that as a yes."
The sweet quiet of our table came back after that and I couldn't be more happier. Then The Doctor came back and my mood turned sour, "Oh, guess you all went quiet huh?" He smirked as he took the only open seat on the bench in front of us. "So I guess we can all just enjoy our relative peace and quiet now?"
I purposefully chewed a cracker loudly, giving its namesake the respect it deserves. "Heh."
"We're now stopping at-" I tuned the announcer's out and got up. Patiently waiting for the couple had been a pain because the girl kept looking back at me and blocking her boyfriend from moving out of the seat.
"Uh, do you guys have contacts?" She asked once she let her boyfriend pass and I looked at The Doctor. He simply gave me a nod.
"Yeah, why?" I answered.
"I just want to know more about you I guess?" She smiled sheepishly before digging a phone out of her pocket, "Here's mine?" She shoved it in my face after unlocking it. I stared at the QR code, then at Doc. "Hello?" Her eyes moved to stare at him too, "Are you his boss?"
"Yep." I took the opportunity and threw on my mask.
The Doctor took out his own phone and scanned the girl's screen, "There," he said.
"Thank you~~~"
The Doctor and I walked out of the train last, when everyone else is nowhere to be seen. I felt something tap my shoulders and I saw the Doc patting me in sympathy, "I know you have burner phones and all but we really need to get you an actual phone."
"You should walk faster, then." I kept my face straight as I said that. Behind me, through the sound of shuffling, comes the cry of mechanical legs begging to be killed. Even with all of his resources, The Doctor never bothered to fix his legs, why would he? He didn't need to get out of his lair and his legs right now are more than enough for him to go back and forth in there.
To him, maintaining them feels redundant, and I bet he's regretting feeling that way right now. Especially when the redundancy got replaced by the feeling of arthritis- or the mechanical equivalent of it. 'That's what you get for being such an ass, even to yourself.' I thought with a lot of amusement.
"Can't even help an old man out?" He tried to get sympathy and he succeeded since people are looking at me like I'm the second coming of The Five. It's a pity that he didn't get any out of me though. "Come on, everyone's staring at you leaving an old man to rot!" he added with a shaky voice. I kept ignoring him. "I- I'm helping you get registered and this is what you repay me with?"
His words went unheard.
What he said to me earlier wouldn't leave my head, and knowing just what I am (even more than I used to do,) has a lot of implications and for some goddamn reason, my brain won't stop thinking about them. I've thought of all the possible reasons for my creation and why I'm the way I am power wise, and that's already bad enough since there are a lot of why's out there- but then also comes the process of actually creating me.
I started from a surrogate, yes, but that means I've been born and that I didn't get grown inside a vat. Or, at least not until I was actually born- If I still refused the fact I spent most of my life inside a vat even when I woke up as a 16 year old with an entire's life worth of memories then I'm the dumbest fucking guy out there.
I tilted my head slightly so that I can take a peek at The Doctor, 'Just what did you do for me to wake up in your observatory instead of the usual labs?' I wanted to ask that question so badly but again, I decided to hold it back. 'It's too much.'
I don't want to know what kind of reason the man has for taking me out of his cabal. Whatever they are. 'At least I know that he's not actively talking with them.'
I turned away from the old man and scanned the Dam's entrance, we are currently on the right wing of the place and it's here where all the trains and vehicles that take people to the upper parts of Gloria are parked. We walked past one such vehicle, a train with square cabs colored in black and with thin wires of bronze lining its windows. I stared up, just above a whirlpool-like design of bronze is a curtained window filled with shadows blocking the interior's yellow light, more are coming in through the doors and it seems that the train is starting to get packed with people.
I flinched when something hard hit my leg, "Come on, we aren't gonna ride something like that." The Doctor didn't show any signs of noticing my glare as he gawked at the train, "Really?" He asked incredulously, "You know you can pick whatever you want when I'm the one paying for the tickets right?"
"Sure," I waved him off and moved ahead of him to a train with a bullet shaped engine, its smooth design went past the head and down to the body where it looked roughly like a tube with hard edges. The monochrome coloring paired with the dark grey made the thing look futuristic and the blue light that shines from the machinery underneath the metallic surface finished the look.
"See? Now this is a proper train." Again, I don't understand why everyone just ignores this annoying old man's rumblings when they're clearly more offensive than me ignoring him. "Come on, we better get away from all the other people before they talk to us!" Poor. I think he meant poor people when he said that.
I shook my head in confusion and followed after him, we walked through a pair of sliding doors and into the clean looking interior of the vehicle. In terms of pure hygiene and aesthetic, what's on the inside of the train I was looking at and on this one might as well be a difference between night and day. The earth brown carpets we were standing on alone is enough to convince me that this place is clean, and then I see tables with two bowls of snacks and fruits on top, leather seats wrapped in plastic, and tinted windows to keep out the heat and I'm pretty much convinced that this ride is gonna expensive.
For The Doctor, that is. But that just shows how rich he is so I put quickly put the thought at the back of my mind and took a seat directly in front of him. He grabbed a fruit from a bowl and started munching, "You better move right next to the windows kid," he says through a mouth full of food, "People are gonna go in and then there's gonna sit here and you'll be sorry that you didn't take my advice,"
I don't know if it's just an act or this is just how he genuinely acts while in public but for some goddamn reason The Doctor's attitude switches and falls into the same category as an entitled old man. "Really? Wow. I bet I'll regret it soon huh?" Even with that passive-aggressive reply, I still did what he said and sat right next to the window. I looked outside, the crowd looking for a ride didn't seem to get smaller and if anything, it feels like they were getting larger.
But still, "How can you be sure that someone's gonna sit right next to us?" It's not like everyone can just afford this type of luxury.
"Because, Tyler, even when they're not rich, mercenaries and other mutants can afford to ride this thing," is The Doctor's blunt reply, "And take off your masks too, it looks ugly." I didn't at first but eventually gave in.
Someone did take a seat right next to me eventually, and he the only guy from a group of three, the seat was big enough that there are three of us on the same seat while the remaining girl from their group sat right next to The Doctor. Another guy soon came to our table and she got sandwiched between a scruffy old man and a stressed-looking dude with gaunt cheeks who looked like he spends his weekends on his workplace.
She did not look happy.
Then it was only silence for a while, it kept going until the train ran and persevered for a bit more than that. I didn't really mind and I was more than happy to watch the scenery outside blur by, I experimented with Theikos too, trying to see if I can catch glimpses of anything that isn't a blurry smudge in my line of sight.
I succeeded somewhat and managed to catch a flying mutant as we passed her by, I tried to remember her features; a green cape and long blonde hair flowing behind her, a green domino mask, and a white and green costume. My best guess when I saw her clothes is that she is a hero and it honestly surprised me that they can even be seen here.
"You caught that didn't you?" Ah. It seems that The Doctor decided to stop chewing on fruits and start a conversation. My hand was still on my chin and my head was locked on facing the window, I only moved my eyes to look at him, "The Hero. Dipshit."
"The green one?" I asked.
"No? There was a green one?" I nodded, "Yeah, well, whatever, there was also that other one that we passed by, the one with all those balls floating around him."
Oh, so they were being controlled. "I only saw the balls."
He smirked, "Like always."
I shook my head and didn't bother to reply. It's always times like this that make me wonder if he's actually kinder than he looks, it makes me think that if only I weren't an experiment, a clone- would he have treated me this way every day instead of acting distant? Would he have stopped staring at me with a sick detachment because, to him, I was nothing more than a lab rat?
I didn't know and I would never find out. "You're fucking vulgar," I replied after a while.
"That doesn't count- Saying that doesn't count if you swear too!" Exasperated, I slowly turned my head toward the office worker, "What?" He stood his ground and puffed his chest, "I'm right aren't I?!" he faced the girl right next to him.
"You should stop drinking coffee," was all she said.
"No!- Wait, I mean that you can't just do that!" I shook my head in disappointment, the guy's stuttering may have stopped but then his brain just went offline the next moment.
"Well, they can can't they?" The girl who was on my side of the seat spoke and if she's referring to the guy's words just now, then I'm assuming she doesn't know that the guy was talking about her friend. As for what the guy actually meant when he said that? Who knows? This conversation is already confusing enough.
"I'm gonna go somewhere." The Doctor stood up and just... left.
I can't even blame him.
"You're both capes though right?" She asked just before The Doctor left and he and I nodded, "What kind?"
"That question is a bit too personal don't you think?" The guy- who I assume is her boyfriend, - says through an audible whisper. "These people look dangerous, you should be careful." He further added, which, again, I can hear.
"You know they can hear you right?" I nodded internally. We can hear them, yes. Oblivious to my bored look that said how I felt about this entire thing, the office guy continued with his tirade, "You should whisper properly."
"Uhuh," I said. God, even my tone is bored. "How the hell did we even come to this?"
"Well, the old man started it!" The girl who has now taken the seat of said old man chimed in. Similarly, she's staring at the window while squinting, as if it would somehow help her see through the train's speed.
I shrugged, guess I'll just ignore them all then. "Fair enough-"
"Hey, you haven't answered my question earlier." I faced the girl with raised eyebrows. 'Why is she so interested?' I thought for a split second before a childish part my mind just assumed she likes me and that led me to looking at her face with too much... enthusiasm- Strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and features that'll make anyone think that she's gorgeous.
I quickly looked away. "Listen to your boyfriend," I replied aggressively.
"No." If she noticed my stare, her tone didn't tell me anything.
"Be careful. They were probably just bragging." says the boyfriend in question.
"He has a point. Seriously, how do we know that he and the old man are capes? They only claimed that they saw something on the windows." Says the girl currently trying to peer through it. "So how can we take your word for it?" She faced me with narrowed eyes, "So?"
"I'm not obligated to prove anything." I slumped into the seat and took out a bar of chocolate from the snack bar, "You guys can wonder for the rest of your lives for all I care." I shrugged and picked up a packet of crackers. Everyone stayed silent and eyed me like me getting stacks and eating is the most interesting thing in the world. I think they're expecting something to happen so you know what?
I snapped off a piece of chocolate and sandwiched it between two crackers, with a thought, lightning started writhing inside my chest, it moved, climbing up through my spine and then down my arm before settling into my index finger and thumb, the chocolate started to melt and the crackers started to heat up. I squished and the chocolate gave in, flattening and mixing with the crackers into a union.
I threw the thing into my mouth and ate it before I set off any alarms inside the train. "Happy?" I asked and got a chorus of 'Yes' in reply.
"So I'm guessing that you put electricity in your eyes to see through the speed right?" Questioned the girl again but I ignored her in favor of simply eating my crackers and chocolate in peace. She kept looking at me for a whole minute before she gave up, "I'll take that as a yes."
The sweet quiet of our table came back after that and I couldn't be more happier. Then The Doctor came back and my mood turned sour, "Oh, guess you all went quiet huh?" He smirked as he took the only open seat on the bench in front of us. "So I guess we can all just enjoy our relative peace and quiet now?"
I purposefully chewed a cracker loudly, giving its namesake the respect it deserves. "Heh."
"We're now stopping at-" I tuned the announcer's out and got up. Patiently waiting for the couple had been a pain because the girl kept looking back at me and blocking her boyfriend from moving out of the seat.
"Uh, do you guys have contacts?" She asked once she let her boyfriend pass and I looked at The Doctor. He simply gave me a nod.
"Yeah, why?" I answered.
"I just want to know more about you I guess?" She smiled sheepishly before digging a phone out of her pocket, "Here's mine?" She shoved it in my face after unlocking it. I stared at the QR code, then at Doc. "Hello?" Her eyes moved to stare at him too, "Are you his boss?"
"Yep." I took the opportunity and threw on my mask.
The Doctor took out his own phone and scanned the girl's screen, "There," he said.
"Thank you~~~"
The Doctor and I walked out of the train last, when everyone else is nowhere to be seen. I felt something tap my shoulders and I saw the Doc patting me in sympathy, "I know you have burner phones and all but we really need to get you an actual phone."
