We escaped down an elevator shaft to a secured floor below. These "Insectiants", as we've started calling them, were almost no match for the two of us. Giant insects, you know? Even four or five wouldn't have the time to realize we were there before they were torn apart. You can't fight back against something in your past. Rather than run, now we faced them with courage. It seemed that danger was the trigger for the phenomenon that brought on the confidence and courage, as well as the burning away of our fears and inhibitions, but I knew better. With what had happened earlier, I knew the trigger was "excitement". For Coda, that was a challenge, for me it came with a duty to protect, and for both of us it was each other. Honestly, it was addicting. I almost wanted to feel that way all the time.
The more we entered the time-slip state, the more I felt my fate tangled with Coda's and the more I came to understand him. Despite my earlier questions, it wasn't like I had the opportunity to work it out right now. If I'm not sure how I really feel, I may as well enjoy it for now whether it is fabricated or not. Our teamwork was fearsome, and every time we came down off the high of the moment I would begin to wonder if some of the things we just did were even possible.
False memories of action films I had never seen filled my mind, and even those choreographed fights were too slow to keep up with what we were. It was only now that I realized how tuned and fit our bodies were, moving faster than these creatures could react. We killed them with no remorse, before they knew anything happened. The same creatures would easily do the same to Lily, who sheepishly followed behind us while pointing us in the right direction. She thought it would be a good idea to arm ourselves before escaping this place. These creatures that didn't pose a threat to Coda and I were only a precursor to the ones that could.
"We're not exactly the good guys." Lily began to say with an averted gaze as we exited the elevator shaft, several floors lower than we had started.
She says this now. Coda doesn't seem to be shocked though, the cool on his face almost makes me shiver sometimes. The panic was starting to set off in my mind at the thought that we were deep in the headquarters of these psychos. He's so calm, how can he be... Wait. Focus. I could feel the uneasy calmness about to set in, and I was learning to keep myself in check to avoid it. I wanted my emotions to be authentic, even if I was the one keeping them in check it was better than the forced feeling.
"In fact, most people would call us terrorists. We've been the number one target for most corporations and governments for some time now. We tried hiding to escape, but clearly that isn't working out. They want you, they want our research, and mostly they want to stop us from accomplishing our goal." She led the way to the arms and munitions research area. We weren't sure if we were walking into danger or a safe zone.
"Goal?"
Coda was the first to chime in, but it was looming on both of our minds.
"Yes. To rewrite history."
I can see how that would be a concern for people who had money. After all, who said your dollar would still be yours when someone knew where to get it before you came along? But, more importantly...
"Rewrite it how, exactly?"
"I'm not sure. They only tell me so much. Honestly, we... Allan and I weren't even sure it's possible. You are our trial run. Traveling backwards in time is... Tricky." She seemed to be handling Allan's demise remarkably well. There was a tinge of hope in her voice still, as if what Allan and her had been working toward all these years was finally paying off.
"So, does us doing our time-thing mean it was a success?" Coda said, brimming with hope. I bet he likes feeling like the answer to a problem.
"Not quite. Not yet at least. You two are very unique, but the math still doesn't check out. I don't think you'll be able to travel back to the time before we made you. We still haven't worked out the final step. It's the same limitation as time travel machines, and exactly why they aren't as dangerous as you'd think. They're only good for preventing things from happening in the future rather than what has already happened. We want to go farther back than that."
"How far?"
"Far enough to make a difference."
"You were trying to..."
"Many different motivations got us to where we are now." The bitter look on her face tensed up. As if giving up she continued, "If I'm being honest here, I'm in the same boat as you two. GenTech only picks the brightest minds to work with, and by pick, I mean harvest. We didn't have an option. I've spent all of my time in these labs since birth. Even speaking against them is grounds for punishment, but you two have given me hope of leaving here. They never told us what they intend to do with you, only that we had to succeed. We weren't the only ones working on this experiment, but because we showed results, we are some of the few that are… were… left alive." She started to choke on her words.
The Insectiants were a product of research from one of the other branches. An internal conflict had released them from their cages, and they weren't exactly tame. Although this kind of thing was considered small scale for their operations as a whole, it wasn't without its costs. Apparently, they're kind of the ideal weapon against Undying because of their durable bodies and ability to digest enhanced biology and evolve from it. One way to solve a problem is to eat it, I guess? Either way, they locked down the whole genetic research block and evacuated everyone inside. The only reason Lily and Allan were still here were for us, we were more than just a project for them. As long as the lock down was in effect, we wouldn't be able to leave. The evacuation ended well before Allan and Lily woke us up, they weren't supposed to be here.
"They are the bad guys." I couldn't help but be disappointed. My body was the property of people willing to go so far to destroy what others had built for their own gains. As I was busy clenching my fists, Coda was the first to speak up. "I hope they get what's coming for them."
"If they don't kill us first." Lily said, now not daring to break eye contact. "They just might." She was serious about this. There was a hope that anchored her. It felt heavy. I could feel it on my shoulders. Maybe I don't want to fight for either side here. I look to Coda to see his reaction and he met my gaze. For a second, I could see a fire in the ocean of his eyes that wasn't there before.
The thoughts on my bones shushed my fears, "I'm on your side."
We arrived at a door. Specifically, the door that leads to the most dangerous bio-tech weapons a group of terrorists could wrap their brains around. Coda began to confidently piddle away with the lock on the door. Even though he and I had no actual memories from before today, we had all sorts of skills and knowledge built into our genes. Lily had called them Virtuories. They were actually really convenient.
Beyond here was the vault, and in it were weapons designed for us. More specifically, to kill us. It seems they always had a back up plan in mind. Lily was hoping to have something to protect herself and warned us we shouldn't stay here long. If we accidentally activated any of the autonomous weapons here, it could mean trouble.
Although we had come this far, because of what was inside we had to be careful. There was no telling if anyone was holed up in here or if it would be safe. Even if Coda and I could handle Insectiants, we've never tried to dodge a bullet. We took our time and proceeded with caution, giving Coda all the time he needed to safely disable the alarm on the door.