Futuristic Eyris

[free2bealways]

Brooklyn shook her head and groaned. There were too many credits in her account. Zach. Stop making this harder than it already is.

She wiped the screen out of her vision and it disappeared. That was one of the perks of bullets: free feed access. You could also count it as a downside.

The past two months had been a blur of bullet trains that ran underground between cities, metro systems, nightmares and food Brooklyn couldn’t taste. The nightmares that had all but disappeared in Zach’s arms were back and worse than ever.

Fatigue clouded her ability to think and forced her eyes shut. She couldn’t sleep. Her mind wouldn't stop spinning, swirling, taking her a thousand places she didn't want to visit. She rested her head on the window and let the subtle vibrations of the bullet be her world for the moment. Around her, the hum of conversation sounded far away.

She didn’t remember getting off the bullet, didn’t remember walking up into the sunshine. Couldn’t have told you which streets she turned down. Only when someone splashed water from a fountain on her, did her eyes focus. The boy laughed as he sprayed more water at his friend.

The park could’ve been anywhere, for all Brooklyn noticed as she walked the paths curving around trees and green lawns. Flowers were in full bloom, but she didn’t notice them either. Her eyes stared ahead of her, almost unseeing as she kept walking. It was like opening your eyes underwater. Everything is there, but fuzzy. You can’t determine distance.

She turned when she thought she heard someone call her name. She couldn't imagine who would know her here. There was a man running toward her. She was too numb to be afraid, to worry about what his plans might be for her. Besides, she wasn't in any danger, regardless. She watched him flicker as he got closer. He looked almost like…almost like James. But that was impossible.

James shifted in and out of Brooklyn’s view as he ran toward her in flashes that looked like black fog. She stared at him, at his smile, the dark hair whipping around his head. It was impossible that he was here, right here in front of her after all these years. He couldn’t be real. This is what happened to people when they started to crack, wasn’t it?

The ground beneath her was solid. The sun was warm on her face. The branches of the trees around her danced to their own rhythm. James was a thing of shadows, only mostly visible. He couldn’t be real.

She closed her eyes to block out the image. It was because she was here in this city. That had been a mistake. She never should have come back…she couldn’t let herself think the word home. She’d been trying for long to wipe that word from her vocabulary altogether. It was like Narnia, where everyone but her knew where to find the wardrobe. For her, it was always just out of reach.

A wall of warmth collided with her, nearly knocking her to the ground, but strong arms wrapped around her. This. Is. Not. Real.

“Brooklyn!”

James never yelled. This was impossible. The arms pulled her tight against a chest. They swung her around. She kept her eyes closed. When she was back on her feet, a hand lightly touched her chin, tipped her head up far past where James’s face would be, if he were actually here. Which he wasn’t.

“Brooklyn,” the voice said, more urgently. It sounded so much like her James that her chest hurt at the sound of it. This voice was deeper, but there were notes that reminded her so much of him.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me?” the voice asked. There was an edge to it now. “Brooklyn.” The arms around her disappeared abruptly and she staggered. A hand steadied her, then let go.

It wasn't going away. Her eyes snapped opened. The man in front of her was taller than the James in her memory. The lines on his face were more defined. His arms were muscled in a way her James would’ve only been able to dream about.

“You’re not real,” she whispered.

He laughed and pulled her close to him again. “You had me worried for a moment there. I didn’t think you recognized me.” He hesitated. “Or you know, didn’t want to see me…”

“Of course I recognize you. You always know who people are in dreams.”

His smile faltered. “Um...okay. I'm not even going to pretend I know what that means." He paused. "Hey, have you eaten today? There's this great Chin--"

“I don’t know.”

“That’s not a good answer.”

She shrugged.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"If you prefer, I can show you my apartment. You can make whatever you want." He smiled at her.

When a long moment had passed and she still hadn't spoken, just keep starting at him, he said, "You don't have to..." But she didn't respond to that either, so he said, "Brooklyn?" He waited. "Brooklyn are you okay?"

You didn’t always need to answer figments of your imagination, did you? They just knew things. He would already know what was wrong. He was probably asking because some weird part of her wanted to talk about it. Just not the conscious part.

After another long moment of silence, he wrapped an arm around her waist and began moving them in some direction, opposite of where she’d been headed. It was okay. If this was where she lost her mind, if this was…insanity? Death? Then it was welcome. There were only two other people she wanted to see more than James, but she didn’t let herself dwell on it. James was perfect.

He lead her to an apartment in a nicer neighborhood than one where they’d grown up, but a far cry from the nicest part of town. The glass building sparked in the sunshine. With the sun at this angle, it was almost blinding.

“Brooklyn, you’re really scaring me. You haven’t said a word,” James said as they waited for the lift to reach the correct floor. “What’s wrong?”

Brooklyn had her arms wrapped around James’s waist, her face pressed into his chest. She breathed in a scent she knew all too well. If only this could last.

The door to an apartment opened for James as he approached it and he pulled her inside. He pressed her into a chair at the kitchen table and dropped a sandwich in front of her. The window overlooked a park.

“Sorry. I never learned to cook like you. This is what we have,” he said. He dropped down into the seat next to hers.

But she wasn’t hungry. At least, she didn’t think she was. Maybe this fantom knew more than she did.

James wrapped one of her hands in both of his. “Brooklyn, please say something. What’s wrong?”

“Have you really changed so much? Is the girl I knew anywhere in there?” he asked.

When she didn’t answer, he sighed loudly and dropped her hand. She sat there for a moment. He glared at her. But the longer she sat staring, unfocused at the window, the more his glare softened.

“Are you tired?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he said, “Damnit Brooklyn! I can’t read minds!”

She giggled. He sounded so much like the James she remembered just then.

“Yes, it’s hilarious.” He rolled his eyes. He pushed his chair back from the table and the plate in front of her disappeared with a soft squeak of ceramic on glass. Something shattered and James cursed. Then he slammed something.

He pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her again, leading her deeper into his apartment. He passed an open door to a bathroom and a closed door before one at the end of the hall opened for him. He ordered it to lock behind him.

He pushed her into a sitting position on the bed and pulled the faded purple bag off her shoulder and set it on the floor. He slipped off her shoes. When she was lying down, he draped a blanket over her and turned back toward the door.

Don’t go.

He reached the door in three strides.

“Please don’t go,” she said quickly. Figment or not, she didn’t want to be alone. Lying down, wrapped up in soft blankets, Brooklyn had an even harder time focusing. The world was as fuzzy as her head. And she was so tired.

He froze, just in front of the door. He hesitated for a moment, then moved to sit at the foot of the bed.

“Come here?” It was something she used to say when they were younger and having a sleepover in an emergency housing unit [a futuristic tent-like thing] out on his mom’s balcony. Her mom’s boyfriend had the habit of coming into her room after her mom had gone to bed, but with James’s arm wrapped around her, she felt safe. Something she didn’t feel when he wasn’t holding her, even if there was no way for him to get into James’s mom’s apartment. They’d had a lot of sleepovers. His mom used to think they’d get married one day. He used to turn so red when she said that. It always made Brooklyn laugh. Then he'd turn even redder.

James looked at her for what felt like an eternity. She would’ve wondered if he didn’t remember or if maybe he didn’t want to since they weren’t kids anymore if he were really here. But her figment would want this too. It was part of her.

“Brooklyn…I don't think--”

“Please?”

He rolled his eyes. “Scoot over.”

She moved out of the way and he put an arm around her. She rested her head on his chest. He squeezed her tightly for a moment before relaxing.

How very different and much the same it felt. It was stupid since he wasn't real, but it still felt safe in his arms. Figment or not.

Her eyes closed. She was asleep before she could think anything else.

 

[Phsyco]

Glade fumbled around in the dark, muttering curses under his breath. “What. The. Hell?” He growled. “I know I had that wrench around here somewhere.”



He fumbled until he found it, grabbing the wrench and tightening the pipe. He was in the underbelly of the city, working maintenance tickets like he did every day. People didn’t realize how much went on underneath the city to keep the place running. It was like a whole other world. That was part of why he liked his job. It was just him. Away from the hustle and bustle of the bug city above. Aside from the bullet trains, most people stayed above ground the majority of the time.



It made for long hard days, but a hard day of work helped him sleep at night. Anything that did that was a blessing.



As the day moved on he finished the last of his tickets and put up his tools to head home. He crawled up out of the manhole that lead into the underground tunnels where the bullet drove, jumped in a car, and headed home. When he got home, the reflection of the moon was already brimming off the glass high rise building.



At his floor, the lift stopped and let him out. He stepped into the main living area. He glanced around. The place looked dead.



“Honey I’m home,” he mocked sarcastically, barely loud enough for anyone to hear even if they had been there. He shrugged and moved into the kitchen to get a bite to eat. He browsed through the menu on the replicator, selecting several helpings of pie and a shot of whisky.



“You know that stuff will kill you,” a voice half scolded from beyond.



Glade turned to see Talia. She had a plate with an obviously home-cooked meal of vegetables, meat, and a slice of buttered toast.



Glade just raised a brow and stuffed another bite of pie in his mouth. “So you keep telling me.” He chewed and swallowed. “Where is James?”



Talia shrugged. “I just got home an hour ago. His door has been closed ever since I’ve been back and hasn’t opened once.”



Glade hummed. “Odd.”



“I thought so.”



With a shrug, Glade finished his food and stood up from the table. “Well, I’ll see how he is in the morning. I’ve got tomorrow off, so I’m heading to bed early.”



“You realize normal people stay up late on evenings like that,” Talia quipped.



“You stay up late every night.”



“True...”



Glade walked towards his room, hearing her call after him. “Don’t forget tomorrow is game night at supper!”



Glade sighed and opened his bedroom door. “How could I? You’ll remind me another ten times before now and then.”



Talia rolled her eyes and retreated back into her room to eat her food with the absence of companionship.

 

[Phsyco]

The following morning Glade was up early, as usual. When 4 AM rolled around he was awake, whether he wanted to be or not. He enjoyed being the first one up and having that time of solitude before the others joined him.



He brewed an extra strong cup of coffee and flavored it with a shot of Irish whiskey. On days he didn’t have to work, that was his favorite way to start the morning. Drinking it by an open window so he could feel the cool morning air.



An hour later Talia would be up. He could always hear her weights and exercise equipment going from the spare room that they had turned into a game room and/or exercise room. Thirty minutes each morning, then she came out and started cooking breakfast. Glade never understood why she didn’t just use the replicator.



Talia always made enough for everyone, and Glade had to admit... replicator food never was quite as good... but it still wasn’t worth the trouble in his opinion.



Glade closed the window and took a seat at the table. “You know not getting enough sleep will kill you, right?” He picked up the banter immediately.



Talia rolled her eyes. “People are different. I don’t need as much sleep as...” she looked at him with a raised brow as she continued. “Some people.”



“I know, I know...” he conceded and focused on his food with a sigh.



Talia took her food and sat on the couch. She hardly ever ate at the table.

 

[free2bealways]

With Brooklyn asleep on his chest, James leaned his head into her hair and closed his eyes. She smelled like Brooklyn. She looked like Brooklyn: same curly brown hair, same green eyes. Sort of. Their normal fire was missing. She'd even recognized him, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Could someone really change that much?

Yesterday, he'd been so excited to see her at the park by his apartment, he couldn't stop himself from phasing. But she hadn't been anything like the Brooklyn he remembered. She'd been a zombie, barely capable of any normal range of human interaction. Brooklyn wouldn't have been able to hold her thoughts inside that long. To this day, she'd never once beat him at the quiet game.

He squeezed her a little tighter. God. Brooklyn, what happened to you?

The sun was still shining outside his window. How on earth was he going to sleep now? He thought about getting up, but he couldn't get past the look she'd given him when she'd said please. He hadn't promised her he wouldn't move after she fell asleep, but he couldn't stand the idea of her waking up alone. Not with whatever was going on with her. He'd never seen her look so...dead? Vulnerable? Something not good. His chest hurt thinking about it. The Brooklyn he knew never let anything get her down. He couldn't imagine what she must have gone through to break her like that.

It was a long evening. He spend it staring at the ceiling and worrying about her. Dinner time came and went, but he ignored the ache in his gut. She was worth it.

He wasn't sure exactly when he finally fell asleep, but when he woke up, it was dark, just the way he liked it in the morning. Thank god for modern technology. Brooklyn was still unconscious in his arms. That too, was less than reassuring. Brooklyn was always up before the sun. She liked to watch it rise. She liked to go for a run before the world started moving. Before he thought was an even remotely reasonable time to be awake. He sighed, wondering how much was left of the girl he'd thought he'd known better than himself.

His stomach was killing him by this point. He couldn't put off eating any longer. Plus, he really had to pee. He gently extricated himself from her arms. He excepted that would wake her up anyway. She used to be a light sleeper, but she didn't even twitch. He stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. He finally realized he wouldn't be far. And it's not like she could sneak out without saying goodbye.

He hit the bathroom quickly before making his way into the kitchen. Whatever Talia had made smelled amazing.

He waved to her as he passed her on the couch, then again to Glade. He grabbed himself a plate and dropped into the seat next to Glade. Talia was entirely too chatty this early in the morning. He closed his eyes while he took a big sip of coffee.

The room was dark when Brooklyn opened her eyes. She couldn’t remember where she was. A motel? Or in which city she’d finally stopped. Her head felt clearer than it had in a while. Maybe she’d actually gotten some sleep last night. That would be a first since she’d left Zach's.

The window had been set to blackout mode. That explained the darkness, but didn’t tell her what time of day it was. The furnishings looked too mismatched to be a motel. She must’ve met someone last night. Brooklyn hoped it was a girl, but based on the navy and charcoal color scheme, it didn't seem likely.

It was quiet when she stepped out in the hall. Was anyone even here? She finally heard something like dishes being set down. Someone was definitely here. Would she recognize the person who shared his room last night? She hoped so.

"What'd I miss?" she asked, stepping around the corner. There were three people: a girl and two guys. Her mouth dropped open as she recognized one of them.

“James!” she shouted. She raced over to him and collided full force with his chair, but it barely moved. She wrapped her arms tightly around him.

After a moment’s hesitation, James’s arms slowly circled her. Did he not want to hug her? No, James didn’t do anything he didn’t want to do. She let it go.

“I can’t believe this!” Her eyes sparkled with their usual fire. "What are you doing here?"

"This is my apartment," he said flatly.

She laughed.

He tipped her chin up to meet his eyes with one of his hands, “Are you okay?” Worry creased his brow.

She laughed again and pushed his hand away. “You look so different now! Is it really you?”

He frowned. “Y-e-s.” He drew the word out. Was there something he wasn’t saying?

“You’ve gotten so tall! I can’t believe it!” She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She squeezed one of his arms, “And look at these!”

He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

Then she looked around at the others. “Since it doesn't seem like James is going introducing us, hi! I’m Brooklyn! You must be James’s friends?” While she was talking, she raced around and gave both of them a quick hug before stopping next to James’s chair.

"Oh my God! That smells so good!" she said.

James was still staring at her.

“What?” she asked. “Did you draw something on my face while I was asleep?” Turning to the others, she said, "He didn't, did he?"

"Of course not." James didn't know what to make of her 180. This was the Brooklyn he remembered. But why did she seem so surprised to see him? Like yesterday had never happened.

James grunted as Brooklyn collided with him again.

“I’m so happy! I thought I’d never see you again!” she said.

James tried to keep his expression in check as he returned her tight hug. She had just said a lot of things that was going to invite a lot of questions he didn’t feel like dealing with. Not so early in the morning. Maybe not ever. It was hard to be mad at Brooklyn though. In general, but especially when she was back from the dead.

 

[Phsyco]

Talia looked up from her plate of hash browns, sausage, and an egg when she noticed James emerge from his room for the first time that morning.

“Hey, breakfast is getting cold,” she poked fun at his late arrival. “I’ve gotta head to work here in fifteen minutes, but you guys don’t forget about game night tonight. I’m stopping by the liquor store on my way home, so if there is anything you guys need, let me know.”

As he passed by and took his seat at the table she stuck her nose back in the book she was reading as she took the time to enjoy her meal.


Glade just sighed, but chuckled. It was too early for James. He could tell. He slid a cup of coffee bis way while calling back to Talia.

“Irish Whiskey, please. Not the cheap stuff.”

He turned back to James, then. “You feeling ok? You were in your room all evening. You went to bed before I did... that’s not normal.”

He was waiting for James to reply when a fourth voice entered the mix.

"What'd I miss?" a woman’s voice asked. Glade looked up to see a young woman with curly brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. His eyes widened and his jaw even hung open a bit as his head turned slowly back to James. He had to admit, James knew how to pick them. She was drop dead gorgeous.

“Uh... wow, James...” was all he got out before the chipper young woman suddenly raced over to James as if she hadn’t seen him since childhood.

At that point Glade watched in confusion. By the look on his face James was almost as confused as he was.


From across the room on the couch Talia perked up at the commotion. Seeing the newcomer, she immediately set down her book and food and stood. “Hey, hi,” she greeted, but soon watched with a furrowed brow at the exchange between the young woman and James.

When she introduced herself Talia walked over. “Any friend of James is a friend of ours. I’m Talia, and the man in black over there is Glade. Come on, sit down and have some breakfast!”

Talia moved over to the kitchen and grabbed a fourth plate, filling it with a generous helpings of food and bringing it to the table.

Glade shook his head at Talia’s comment. He liked black. It’s not like he was going goth.

“So... James,” he started slowly while Talia was getting Brooklyn’s food. “You never mentioned a girl. This is new. When were you planning on introducing her to us?”

 

[free2bealways]

James forced a smile and nodded to Talia in response to her statement about breakfast. He didn’t want to be rude, but he really didn’t do people in the morning.

Oh right. Game night. He had completely forgotten.

“Whatever is fine. Something strong,” he said in response to her question about liquor. Something very strong. He figured Glade would want whiskey and it was his favorite anyway.

When he sat down, Glade slide him a coffee and he said, “Thanks.”

James hesitated. He didn’t know how to answer how he’d spent last night. All of his attention had been centered around Brooklyn and whatever was wrong with her. Couldn’t they have this conversation in an hour when he was awake?

James’s neck heated at Glade’s comment when Brooklyn entered the room.

Fantastic. This was not going to be fun.

Two very conflicting thoughts ran through his head. He didn’t want them thinking he’d slept with her. Not for his sake, but for hers. Even if she still didn’t care what people thought of her, he did. But you also had to be blind not see how great she was and he didn’t want anyone doing anything about it, especially when she was clearly so vulnerable.

He scrambled for a way to protect her, at least temporarily. He hadn’t missed the too focused gaze of Glade’s when Brooklyn appeared. Maybe if Glade thought they were together, he’d leave her alone? Could he get Brooklyn to go along with that? Maybe. She liked messing with people, but she would say no if she knew the real reason he was asking. She was very much her own person.

Brooklyn sat down next to James while Talia fixed her a plate.

“Thank you Talia!” It was so nice. Nice being back with James, nice being somewhere welcoming. Somewhere she could fit for a while. She took a large bite of egg and groaned. When was the last time I ate?

Of course if he did pretend they were together and Brooklyn didn’t ruin it, things would get very complicated. Especially if he actually wanted to date someone. James didn’t like complicated.

Could he just ask Glade to leave her alone? They were friends, right?

“Yeah, James, when were you going to tell them about me?” She leaned toward him, positively beaming.

She traced a circle on the back of his hand and he felt the corners of his mouth turn up. This was so Brooklyn. Normally, he’d play along but these weren’t strangers at the preserve. These were his friends.

“I’m introducing you now." He still couldn’t believe she was here. If he looked away for a moment, would she disappear? “Don’t you have work, Talia?” He couldn't get rid of Glade, but maybe it would be easier if they both weren't staring at him firs thing in the morning.

Brooklyn hit James lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t be rude.”

He glared at her, but she just smiled back at him. Oh yes, this was fun.

 

[Phsyco]

“Hey, you are welcome to join us any time,” Talia insisted after Brooklyn thanked her for the food.

Talia took a seat at the table to finish her food, which was unusual. It wasn’t long, though, before James promptly reminded her that she needed to get to work.

Talia scoffed, playfully leaving her mouth agape on mock offense.

“Ouch, James.” She had to chuckle a bit, though, as she stood up and carried her plate to the dishwasher.



“You’ve got like... at least fifteen minutes.”


Talia just laughed as she clipped her gun on her belt and hung her badge around her neck, dangling from a chain. “I can take a hint.”


Glade wanted to say, “Please don’t leave me here alone with these two.” However, he didn’t want to offend Brooklyn. He wasn’t sure why he cared. She was obviously with James. He was happy for James, though. She seemed like a really nice woman. She obviously cared for him a lot.

Glade watched Talia walk out the door, then glanced at James with a single raised eyebrow. “Hey, don’t you... you know, have to go to work or something? Also..?”

 

[free2bealways]

James pressed his lips firmly together. "No." He didn't want to leave her. Would she even be here when he got home?

Brooklyn leaned dramatically toward Glade and whispered very loudly, "I think he's lying!" She giggle and leaned back in her chair. She had missed this. A lot. A lot more than she'd realized. Being here was like coming home and she wanted more than anything to pretend it could last.

"I'm taking a vacation day," he said.

"Why? What's special about this particular Friday?" Brooklyn wrinkled her nose.

"Well, you're here, for one." He rolled his eyes like he was making a joke, but this wasn't funny yet. Not really. Not with yesterday still hanging over him unexplained. Was she pretending? For Glade and Talia? Was she pretending for him too? He needed to ask her. Alone.

"I'm not going anywhere silly. We can do something when you get off. Game night sounds like fun!" Brooklyn grabbed the empty dishes from the table and dropped them in the recycler. There was a clatter then a brief hum as Brooklyn walked back toward the table.

"I have plenty of vacation days." The truth was he had a lot of vacation days. Too many. He rarely used them.

"I'm not a reason to miss work." She folded her arms across her chest.

Yes, you are. Didn't she have a million questions she wanted to ask him? Had she missed him too? It was obvious she was happy to see him, but she was acting like it'd been a few months, not over a decade. They could spend the day doing anything and she wanted him to go to work?

"It's not a big deal," he said.

"I'll be fine. I've got Glade here to keep me company. He looks friendly enough." She winked at Glade and James couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

"Fine. I'll go. But only if you help me get ready." His lips turned up in a mischievous smile. She was going to talk to him if it killed her.

"Deal!" Brooklyn grabbed his hand and practically danced them both down the hall toward his bedroom.

When the door shut behind them, James leaned against it and cross his arms.

"Why did you do that?" he asked. Why is that my first question? There were so many other, more important questions.

"What?" Brooklyn dropped on the bed and tossed him her best innocent expression. It had been a long time since she'd had this much fun. Not since... But she wouldn't let herself finish the thought.

"Why did you make it seem like we're a couple out there?"

"I didn't see you correcting me."

"That is beside the point."

"That's exactly the point," she said, moving toward him and squeezing him tightly. "Is that why you brought me in here just now?"

He sighed. "No." He dropped an arm around her.

She was pretty sure now she didn't want to know why he'd brought her back here with him. That heavy sigh couldn't mean anything good.

"What happened yesterday?" he asked softly.

"I was just tired."

"That's a lie and you know it," he said. "We used to tell each other everything. You still can, you know."

"James, I'm here. I'm only here for a little while. Why can't we just enjoy the time we have together?" She looked up into his gray eyes, her chin pressed against his chest. She didn't want to break what had been such a perfect moment. Couldn't he see that?

So much was the same, but here, he could feel it. Some things were different too. There was a distance that hadn't ever been there before. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. It had been a long time. But it's like going back and visiting your childhood home and everything's the same except they've changed the color of the walls. It's such a small difference, but it's no longer yours. Brooklyn wasn't his anymore either.

"You...you don't live here? In the city?" he asked. He's just assumed she did, that she'd moved back or maybe she'd always been here and their paths had never crossed.

Her face changed then. He couldn't read her expression, but he didn't like it.

"Brooklyn, talk to me. Maybe I can help."

"Everything's fine." She pulled away from him. "I just need a place to crash for a while. I'll find something. Don't worry." Her tone was breezier than she felt. She'd gotten so good at pretending. She wasn't sure she remembered how to be vulnerable, like when they were friends. It's not like he'd want her around if he knew the truth. That thought burned. She needed something else to talk about. Anything else.

"Here. You can stay here. I'll clear it with my friends."

His voice was almost pleading and it broke her resolve.

"Perfect!" she said. She forced a brilliant smile to her face. "Can I use your ion?"

"Sure," he said, then instantly regretted it because she started pulling off her shirt and he had to turn around quickly. "I need to change too."

"No one is stopping you," Brooklyn sang out. "Do you have a robe?"

"Closet." James glowered at the smooth surface of the door for a moment. Why wouldn't she talk to him? They used to tell each other everything.

He grabbed the only article of clothing he could see that he hadn't been wearing yesterday, swapped it for his current shirt and walked out the door without turning around. Hopefully it smelled okay.

The door closed behind him with the whoosh. That hadn't gone as planned. He was still glaring when he suddenly remember the story they'd given Glade about what they were doing in his room and wished he could shift as quickly between emotions as Brooklyn could. She had to be pretending, but he didn't think he could pull off a smile right now if his life depended on it. Luckily, no one expected him to sparkle like Brooklyn, so maybe it didn't matter.

James took a deep breath before rounding the corner.

"Hey Glade, is it cool with you if Brooklyn crashes here for a bit?" He could ask Talia later.

 

[Phsyco]

Glade sipped at his coffee while the two went at it, his eyes sliding back and forth between them as they took turns. James had insisted he was taking a vacation day, but Brooklyn seemed to think it was ridiculous of him to do so.

"Lovers quarrel," he mumbled into his coffee cup before taking a long sip. It was a good thing he had put some whisky in it, otherwise he'd not be enjoying this quite so much. James wasn't a morning person, but he wasn't the only one who wanted to be left alone in the mornings. Glade liked being up early, but he liked being alone early. Most of the time. Then... maybe he only liked it because he felt like he was always on the outside looking in? Talia and James had changed that for him in a lot of ways. They were the only two people with whom he ever really felt like he was part of the "in crowd."

When they finally settled on a compromise Glade called out after them on their way to James' bedroom. "It's all good! You guys figure out..." he shrugged. "Whatever the hell it is you need to figure out." It might have seemed rude to some people, but that was Glade's way of teasing or joking around. James would be used to it, but he was a little out of sorts this morning. After they disappeared around the corner he mumbled to himself. "I need another shot of whisky."

When James reemerged he was alone.

"Hey, Glade, is it cool with you if Brooklyn crashes here for a bit?"

"Uh... like... until you get off work?" Glade asked. Not that he minded having people over, but when it was one of his best friend's girlfriends and it was the two of them alone... it just seemed a bit awkward. It didn't help how good looking she was, either. "Yeah," he shrugged it off. "Sure, why not. I've got a few errands to run. Is she cool by herself for a while?"

 

[free2bealways]

James rubbed the back of his neck. It was still too early for this conversation, but it wasn't going to get easier later.

"Actually, I was hoping for a little longer than that." How to phrase it? Brooklyn hadn't mentioned how long she'd be in town. That didn't help. "And yeah, Brooklyn knows how to entertain herself." Though she'll probably follow you on your errands if you don't stop her, James thought with a smile.

 

[Phsyco]

"Oh," Glade eyed him for a bit and gave an almost approving nod. "You mean like- like move in kind of crash? You two that serious? Dang... how do you get to know a girl so well and we know nothing about her, James?"

 

[free2bealways]

"It's my charm." James smirked. "Think about it. I have to get to work." James walked out the door and it closed behind him.

He should've told Brooklyn no. There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to concentrate at work now. Not with all these questions hanging around. Something was obviously very wrong and even after all these years, it still felt like his job to protect her.

~

Brooklyn was still laughing about the look on James's face when she'd began to lift her shirt as she dressed after her shower. She wondered if James would let her borrow the replicator in his bedroom to get some new clothes. There wasn't much that fit in her backpack. And she loved new clothes.

She wandered into the living room and found Glade still sipping something from a mug, but he was sitting by the window staring into space.

She moved silently toward him, coming up from behind. When she reached him, she poked him in the back and whispered, "Boo!"

"So what should we do today?" she asked brightly. She hoped he didn't have to work too. Being alone with her thoughts was...not an option.

 

[Phsyco]

Glade blinked at James' abrupt exit and shrugged, calling after him as he shut the door. "Have a good day... don't do anything I would." He shrugged and tipped his cup back to his lips for another long sip of his whiskey-coffee brew. One of the great things about public transportation was no DUI. Then again... you only get those if you get caught. He smirked at the thought and meandered over to the window to watch the city life pass him by. He would have to join the busy people below eventually, but for now he was enjoying watching from the outside looking in.

The next thing he knew felt a finger in his back. He jumped a bit and spun around, having almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. "Damn," he exclaimed, but at her bubbly attitude he couldn't help but chuckle a little. He looked over to her but immediately felt like he should avert his eyes. It was honestly that hard not to be attracted to her. She was with James, though. He might be a lot of things, but he wasn't one to go behind the backs of his friends.

He glanced distractedly down at a spot on the floor where he had spilt a bit of his coffee when he jumped. "First things first," he answered her question, still gazing at the spot. "I'm cleaning that up. If Talia comes home and finds it, I'll never hear the end of it."

He walked over to the kitchen to get a disposable towel. "You drink coffee?" he called back to her. "Whiskey?" He shrugged, then wondered how mad James would be if he got her drunk. Not that he would do that intentionally.

 

[free2bealways]

"Of course!" she called into the kitchen. She watched Glade from his former spot by the window. Everything was so normal here. Everything was so normal everywhere...so long as she didn't stay too long.

Stop it. She forced away the thoughts. Beautiful moments were like water seeping through the cracks in cupped hands. She was determined to hold onto them for as long as she could.

"It's nine in the morning..." She laughed when he added the part about the whiskey. "Can you add cream and caramel to mine? Pretty please? Hold the whiskey."

She looked out at the beautiful view. She'd missed the sunrise, but there was still so much glorious sunshine left. And she hadn't been back to this city in...years.

"How about we take the metro to the preserve?"

The preserve was a section of designated wilderness. People were only allowed through in bubble shuttles, which were a little smaller than regular shuttles, but you could see all kinds of plants and animals. They hovered about five feet off the ground unless you were lucky enough to get one that needed to be serviced, then they could almost land. The doors wouldn't open though. Not inside the preserve. For safety reasons. It was like another world. She and James used to go all the time. She wanted to sneak in there at night when nobody was looking, but he hadn't wanted to get eaten by something...for some reason.

 

[Phsyco]

"Caramel and cream it is, then," he conceded and fingered through the coffee cups until he reached one of Talia's in the back. All the others looked like a guy's cup... because they were. Talia liked anything purple or red with intricate or ornate designs. He plucked one of her three cups out of the mix and poured some coffee, mixed in a healthy amount of caramel and cream and headed back with two cups of coffee and a towel wadded in his left palm. He reached his right hand out to offer Brooklyn the cup as she suggested going to the preserve. "I like the preserve. It gets me away from all the hoards of people." He chuckled a bit, bending down to clean up his mess. "Might not be the best idea, though. James kind of gets a bit ticked when I go. Well... I guess if we just took the bubble shuttle he probably wouldn't have a problem with it, but that's kind of boring."

He set the disposable towel down on the mess and the micro fibers leached the coffee stain off the floor without so much as a touch. It left the floor looking clean and spotless. Standing back up he gave the towel an underhanded toss across the room to land in the trash incinerator. "I do have a few errands to run," he continued, looking back to Brooklyn. "Maybe we could stop by on the way."

 

[free2bealways]

Brooklyn's eyes snapped to Glade. He suddenly had all of her attention.

"How'd you get in?" she asked.

In addition to being illegal, the preserve was surrounded by a very high wall, not to mention the forcefield and other security measures. They were there just as much to protect the public from the preserve as they were to protect the preserve from the public. It wasn't an exaggeration to say things could eat you in there. She'd never been inside, not just because James was worried about safety.

"Absolutely. What's our first stop?" Brooklyn was actively trying not to stare now. Who was this guy?

 

[Phsyco]

Glade couldn't stop the devious smile that slid across his face. "I work contract jobs for the city maintenance. Most of my jobs are all underground. It's like a whole nother city down there." He almost sounded passionate about it as he continued. "It's crazy, but there is so much down there that the people up here... they don't even have clue it exists. But... a lot of those tunnels run under the preserve. They have a few access tunnels for various reasons. Even the preserve needs maintenance from time to time."

By now his grin was a full-blown smile. There were few things he was truly passionate about, but getting away from masses of strange people and breaking the rules were two of them. Add the two together, and the only thing it lacked was a cup off strong coffee with a shot of whiskey.

As he rambled, he noticed the intent look she was giving him, and it was hard not to stare back. He blinked and glanced back into his cup of coffee as he took a sip to distract his eyes.

"Any-who," he said with a shrug. "I just need to do a bit of shopping. Stop by and pick up some snacks for tonight. Talia is getting the alcohol, so I think we got everything else covered."

 

[free2bealways]

Brooklyn listened intently. She noticed the more he talked about his job, the more animated he became. And it honestly sounded really cool. Walking around beneath the city, going wherever you wanted and no one ever knowing where you were. Like his own private maze that took him wherever he wanted.

"You have to show me!" she said. "All of it. The preserve, your magical underground city. I can't believe how long I lived here and never knew about any of it."

She took another sip of her coffee. It was the perfect blend of caramel and cream. Her own liquid candy treat.

"Let's go!" She dropped her cup in the recycler and headed for the door. When he didn't immediately follow her, she turned around and winked at him. "I thought you had errands to run."

 

[free2bealways]

James punched through the monitor in front of him. His hand turned into black smoke just before impact and sailed right through, no damage. He was right. He should have stayed home. He'd been staring at the same line of code for the last hour and could not find the error to save his life. All he could think about was that look on Brooklyn's face when he'd found her in the park and all the distance he felt between them now. It was like...like something had died. He needed to know what had happened to her. Was she running from someone? Had someone hurt her? And she had never told him what happened all those years ago. Why she disappeared.

"Look alive James! We've got incoming!" Kasey yelled from across the room.

"What?" James pulled his hand out of the monitor and it turned back to flesh. He glanced in her direction, but she was furiously typing.

"GET MOVING!" she yelled.

He was temped to tell her she wasn't his boss, when the edges of his monitor flashed red a few times to punctuate her point. Someone was hacking them. Someone with a lot of computing power.

 

[Phsyco]

Glade hesitated. He wanted to go. He wanted to show her everything. But he had to do that while keeping in mind she was off limits.

Why the hell is that so hard to convince myself of this time around. I've never had this much trouble ignoring a girl before.

With that wink, however, he couldn't hardly say no. Something about her seemed to just pull him into whatever direction she wished. That, however, sounded incredibly sappy and he wasn't one for that sort of nonsense, so he dismissed the thought and at last headed to the door.

"That I do," he admitted, trying to act as casual as he could. "I guess you'll be joining in tonight, you might as well come pick out some snacks and whatever you want for the meal. I kind of know what everyone else likes already." He followed her into the lift and waited for the door to close them in. He could hardly feel the motion of their descent, but when they reached the bottom the doors opened into the wide world beyond. He stepped out and headed down the walk towards the shuttle bay. For a short ride to the shops it was quicker just to catch a shuttle rather than the bullet tram.

"So," Glade spoke as they climbed into the shuttle, pressed in their location, and sat back to enjoy the ride. "How did you and James meet?"

 

[free2bealways]

The sun was bright and the air smelled like spring time. Everything was green in the park across the street. In short, it was a truly glorious day. Brooklyn raised her arms and twirled just outside the door to James's building, her face towards the sky.

She took a deep breath before she glanced around noticed Glade was already striding toward the shuttle bay. Glass orbs with with white and green (the city's colors) whirled around the city. One seemed to appear almost as quickly as a person stepped on the platform. They didn't always come that quickly in smaller towns. But here, everything was buzzing and humming and alive.

Brooklyn settled into their car and watched the park whizz by. She put her hand on the glass, wanting touch it. Skim her fingers along the water and hold that bird in her hand.

Brooklyn turned back to Glade and couldn't keep the smile off her face at his question.

"Oh, we've known each other forever. We grew up together. We were best friends from like birth! I spent more time at his house than I did at my own." Brooklyn pushed past the why. There was a lot of great things she could look back on from that time. Nobody could ruin that if she didn't let them. "I mean I guess that's not completely true. We lived in the same building. On the same floor. So it wasn't that hard to see each other. Going to the same school and stuff. But even without that, his mom made him bring us cookies when we moved into the building. She said, 'If there's a new kid in there, she needs cookies.' She was sweet like that."

Brooklyn wondered how his mom was doing now. It would be good to see her. She wondered if she still lived in the same apartment. She couldn't imagine James leaving his mom there though, not if he lived in as nice of an apartment as he did.

It seemed like mere moments and they were stepping back out into the sunshine.

"How'd you meet James and Talia?" she asked.

 

[Phsyco]

Glade raised an eyebrow. "Dang," he scoffed, but lightheartedly and in jest. "Just when you think you know a guy. I've never heard anything about you from him." It made sense, though, why she had been so excited when she fist saw him. Well... other than the fact that they clearly spent the night together, so it wasn't like it was actually the first time she had seen him. He shrugged it off. She seemed to be a very expressive person, maybe that was just the way she was.

Stepping out of the shuttle, Glade took a moment to let Brooklyn fall in stride. Everything seemed so doldrum to him, but she seemed to appreciate the very sunlight that fell down on her face. He glanced around at the other faces around him. He hated to admit it, but he was a lot like them. They had all grown accustomed to the city and everything in it. They no longer appreciated things like Brooklyn seemed to. He was contemplating that fact when she asked him how he had met James and Talia.

He glanced up at her, lifting his eyes from his feet. "Talia and I grew up together... sort of. Her dad was the district sheriff in our area and I was the local troublemaker. So... we had our fair share of run-ins. Went to the same school too. She kind of helped keep me out of trouble -- and fun -- but mostly trouble. I think her dad told her to adopt me as her own personal project. She's hardly stopped mothering me ever since." He laughed a bit, turning into the small food vendor that he liked. "James and I met through Talia. Her and him roomed together in college. They had another friend rooming with them where we all live now, but he bailed and they needed someone else to split the rent with, so Talia gave me an invite. I had been looking for a place for a while."

Inside the shop was bright, white walls and floors, off-white ceilings, and light silver computer screens lining the walls all up and down the isles. Glade walked down an isle until he found an open screen where he could flip through a menu that would probably take a lifetime to read. You pretty much had to already know what you wanted, or just try something new each time. Glade thumbed through a couple options on the digital screen, adding them to his cart.

"If you see something you like, add it to the cart," he told Brooklyn. "I'm buying, so don't worry about the price." He gave that ornery grin again, then added. "I'll hit James up for some extra spending cash later."

 

[free2bealways]

"I'm actually a little offended he's never mentioned me," Brooklyn said. James was incredibly private, but she couldn't imagine not talking about someone that mattered. Zach knew about James. "All those years together. I never once told his mom about all the times he snuck out of the house to go hang out on the roof in the middle of the night and this is the thanks I get."

"Yeah, James was always mothering me too. It was all 'Brooklyn, don't break into the preserve, you'll get eaten.' and 'Brooklyn, get away from the ledge, you're not wearing the harness.'" Brooklyn laughed. She knew it wasn't mothering. James was just an amazing friend. "He was always watching out for me. I could always count on him."

As they stepped toward the store, Brooklyn asked, "Knowing each other so long, did you and Talia ever date?" When he didn't answer immediately, she added, "Or maybe one of you had secret, unconfessed feelings that he still harbors to this day? But his pride won't permit him to be the first to admit it? No wait! You were betroth at the age of three but you wanted to make sure you knew each other reeeeally well before getting married, which everyone knows takes about 20 years, give or take." Brooklyn laughed. "You don't have to answer."

"Oh God! My eyes!" Brooklyn said as she entered the shop, waving her hands in front of her and blinking like the shop had blinded her. The shop could really use some color. Any color. She bounded up to a screen and scrolled through the options. Just because. She didn't need anything and she didn't want to waste her credits. They wouldn't last forever.

"Oh...you don't have to do that. I'm fine." She was already barging in on his life and taking over his room, James didn't need to buy her random snacks too.

When the snacks were ordered and on in queue for delivery, they headed back outside. The scent of spring was just as magical and the day had barely started. This was perfect.

"Where to now?" she asked, turning to Glade. "Is it time for our secret mission?" She wiggled her eye brows at him.

 

[Phsyco]

Glade looked at her like she had grown a second head, then laughed with a, “Oh, heaven help me,” sort of look on his face.

“Me and Talia? Hell no! Her dad was a cop, she’s a PI, and redheads really aren’t my thing anyways. Don’t get me wrong, Talia is a great person, even with her constant nagging on me to stop eating junk food, but she’s probably the only law enforcement-type person I’d ever trust, and her family is full of them. I’d feel like a fox in the hen house joining that group.”

He continued sifting through the options and quickly sorted out the items he was looking for. Of course they could have just used the replicator at home, but as things usually worked, the companies with the big bucks had the best technology, and the snacks their replicators produced just tasted better. It was like name-brand versus an off-brand.

Once they were outside, he glanced around, taking in the sunshine and their surroundings — but really only because Brooklyn prompted it with how much she was enjoying things. Glade tried to hide the ornery grin that answered her question. Not very hard, but he tried.

“A short ride to the maintenance hub downtown and we’ll be good to go,” he told her.






Talia pinched the bridge of her nose as she watched the man she was supposed to be following.

“Dear God, please tell me there is more to this scenario,” she mumbled.

She was supposed to be following the man, because his wife was certain he was cheating. She needed proof before she filed for divorce. For the third time in a row, however, his “secret rendezvous” had been gambling. Not that gambling was a good thing, but it certainly wasn’t as scandalous as his wife had foreseen.

Sitting on the park bench “reading a book” was getting old. About then her earpiece sounded with an incoming call. She tapped the controls on her wrist. “Talia Reed.”

“Hey, are you James’ friend? I’m from his work,” a pit formed in her stomach. Years of having family members in lines of work like she had, personal calls from work were usually followed by a funeral. The person on the other end must have sensed something in the awkward silence that followed, because they quickly added, “James is fine. A bit out of sorts today, but he’s fine. I’d heard him mention you were a private investigator?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” she regained her composure. “What’s up?”

“We’ve had a security breach and my boss wants me to find a little outside perspective. Since you know James, I thought maybe you would be a good option.”

“Well, I’m not up on all the tech stuff, but I can definitely do some consulting.”

“Perfect! Let me clear your credentials with the company, and if it goes through, I’ll give you a call back at some point.”

Talia finished the conversation and looked up. The man was still in there, still alone. In fact he hadn’t even moved from the machine he was on the entire time.

She sighed. “I need a real case or I’m going to go insane.” She walked off, leaving a small camera on the bench in her place. It couldn’t follow him if he left, but if he did the same as before, when he left he went straight home.

She road the bullet back across town and stopped by the woman’s house who had hired her. She was a bit early, but she didn’t figure that would be an issue. Heading towards the woman’s home, she passed a man heading out. She eyed him cautiously. She didn’t recognize him. The woman who had hired her was standing at the door, and was clearly flustered when she saw Talia coming.

“Oh, you’re early!”

“A little bit,” Talia replied. She ignored the situation with the man for a moment and showed the woman the monitor image of her husband. “I think your marriage is safe, ma’am. Your bank account... maybe not so much. But your marriage should be... or would have been.” She glanced back in the direction of the man who had left.

“Uh, n- no, that- that was my landlord!”

Talia winced almost as if she was in physical pain. “Ma’am unless your husband hires me, it’s none of my concern. You’re safe, though... after he’s done, he won’t be able to afford me.”

“Really, it’s not what it looks like.”

“It looks like a man walked out of your house with lipstick stains on his neck and your makeup is a little... soiled... shall we say?”

The woman started to reply, but Talia held up a hand to stop her. “Like I said. Not my concern. I’ll send you the bill for my hours. I’m pretty confident I’ve got this case figured.”

With that she walked away.

 

[free2bealways]

"The more you try to deny it, the more I know I'm right," Brooklyn sang, beaming.

~

The maintenance hub was a squat building in the lower rent part of downtown, a mere two minute ride in a shuttle. She was more used to taking the underground metro. It was cheaper, but you definitely missed the views.

It was weird. Being back near her neighborhood again. She could almost picture herself racing James down the street after school. She smiled to herself. That felt like a lifetime ago. She'd been a totally different person then. A lot had been hard, but a lot had been easier too. She hadn't had the weight of her curse back then. Her whole life revolved around it now. And the worst part was that no one every really knew her. Not even Zach. Who could accept her if they knew?

She squinted in the sunlight, looking around for a familiar street. Glade lead the way.

"So...we're just...walking in the front doors? Will then even let me in?" Brooklyn had never worked for the city or held any job that could have been considered important, but even restaurants had "employees only" areas and the maintenance hub sounded like that might apply to the whole building. "What do they do here?"

It took three hours and seven of their best hackers to fend off the cyberattack and the attacker still managed to get away with 0.3% of their data. That may not sound like much to an outsider, but the company James worked for had contracts with the government. Some of their data was boring stuff like medical that nobody cares about except whoever owns the data, but some of it was important. You needed top clearance to access it. Luckily, most of what they'd lost appeared to be that useless, medical data. But this still wouldn't reflect well on the company. Their reputation hinged on their security. The building where James worked was one of the more secure building in the city.

James's boss wanted to see if they could find out what happened , recover the data and basically have the whole thing wrapped up with a little bow on it before they had to make any public statements. A coworker had called a PI, but James wasn't sure how a PI could help. Unless this PI knew more than he did about computers. There wasn't much to go on. Except that during the attack, it had seemed like one of the attackers had been working from inside the building. That's the only way the first part of the hack would've been possible. So they either had a leak, or someone had broken in. Both of those things were very bad for business. Unless the goal had been to take a large chunk of data to keep the real target a secret, it seemed like a lot of trouble to go through for a bunch of random people's blood work and stress tests.