Killing Time OST – 14c – Sickness

<< 14b – Sickness

“Get them out!” I screamed for the fifth time, between two convulsions and through the intense shiver. My voice broke on the last syllable.
“Lor,” Vexx said again as he fumbled to shut down the blood analysis machine which beeped its disapprobation of the neurochemical mix in my veins. “Calm down and think about this.”
“Calm down?” I retched again and bowed to the garbage can cradled on my lap by reflex; all the nutrients had long been expelled from my stomach. “Dad programmed me to be a killer. Which part of that sentence should induce peace of mind?”
“It’s awful but you’ll have to get over it.” He managed to shut the machine, thus turning off a part of my anger. He leaned against the counter to face me in a weird mix of “squarely” and “tenderly”. His bedside manners sucked.
“You do realize you’re asking the girl who has vivid nightmares about tech taking over her life to get over the fact that it did.” Damn, I couldn’t live like this. Not in a gazillion years.
“You were programmed for that too.”
That argument actually hit home, no matter how much I refused to admit it. Going against the dreams to accept the tech in my head just didn’t seem a fruitful use of my rebellious energy.
“I don’t know anything anymore,” my voice had lost its harshness but my resolve remained strong. “Except, maybe, that the tech doesn’t want me to take it out.” I locked my gaze to his. “So I have to get it done.” I battled both Vexx and my own body and couldn’t bear to let either win.
“I get that.” Vexx said. I must have looked like a pufferfish, filling up my lungs to yell at him, because he cut his pause short. “I do! I wish I could tap a Phoenix Down and cure all your ailments.” Oh great! Dork metaphors were just what I needed. “I can’t take them out, Lor.”
“Don’t say that.” I put the can on the counter by my side and pushed myself up. My legs shook violently. “You don’t get to drop a bomb like that and say there’s no shelter.”
“That’s not true.” Vexx stretched to grab me when my legs gave way. Even the Taser hadn’t hurt this much. “We’ll ran more tests, figure out what makes it tic and then you’ll know when to trust your feelings or not.”
I chuckled as Vexx lowered me into the bean bag he kept in a corner ‘for brainstorming purposes’. “Awesome. I get to second guess myself for the next eighty years and have my reflex betray me if I let my control slip. And I can’t go against Merrilyn Tech in case a trigger we haven’t found yet gets me in trouble when I’m about to blow up the building.”
Vexx’s expression changed at the last part of my monologue; he hadn’t thought about that.
Yep, techie boy, your revenge just got pawned by your life’s work.
“Get them out, Vexx.” The migraine complicated coherent speech. It was like my body went through various types of pain to find which one would drive me to give up. Soon, it would sic them all on me at once.
“I can’t.” Vexx’s defeatist tone burned through my headache.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a genius? Just pluck them out!”
“They’re round and white, Lor, but it isn’t lice. A fine toothed comb ain’t gonna cut it.” His voice boomed with anger at a volume that made me wince. “Taking them out is doable. It’s the hormonal imbalance that’ll follow that makes it impossible.”
“That’s it?”
“I’m not talking PMS, take a pill and all better.” I glared at him; now wasn’t the time to make fun of my hormones. He softened his approach. “Your body has never been autonomous in the production of its neurochemicals. We can’t risk it not adapting to the absence of nanobots.”
We?
“That’s not a ‘we’ concern. It’s a ‘you’.” I tried to pull myself out of the bean bag. I had to stop thinking about quashing nanobots if I hoped to drive. “Given the proper monetary incentive, Djeb will do it.”
Vexx shoved me back down. He towered over me with more resolve I had ever seen on his face.
“You really don’t want to get it!” His yell ricocheted within my skull, sparking pain anew in its wake. “You might end up dead!”
“Well, I’d rather be!” Saliva flew with my words. There. The truth was out. I felt oddly liberated. Sweet, sweet relief.“
You don’t mean that,” Vexx murmured. I didn’t even have to argue back; he knew he was wrong. I sighed.
“I can’t live like this.” I had thought it before but it felt good to let the idea pass my lips. Was the weird circuitry in my head in love with the reaper? “You can keep the house.”
I chuckled. He shook his head and kneeled by the bean bag, resting his arms on an unoccupied part of it. We were good, agreeing.
“We have to do it here. Where you’re surrounded by your things.”
“Not a problem. I’ll order the material. We can sterilize one of the vacant rooms. Convalescence?”
“Long.” He paused, deep in thought. “Can’t evaluate. You’ll need an excuse.”
“We’ll hitch a commercial plane to sunshine land and come back on Alice’s private jet. Excuse for Dad and Naomi, paper trail and witnesses for the authorities and gossip potential for the paparazzi.” Planning lies apparently didn’t hurt my hormones; I breathed more easily and the pain dulled slowly. I didn’t need to think directly about getting rid of the nanobots now that Vexx was on board.
I could do this.
Vexx nodded. “We’ll need to pack up on food.”
“Done! There’s enough in the bunker to last five years, so we can use that if need be.”
“You have a bunker? Never mind.” He rose and stretched his hand toward me. “Be it known that I strongly disagree with the procedure and won’t tolerate you haunting me if it fails.”
“Deal.”
I took his hand and he helped me up.

15a – iPlay Brain Surgeon >>