The Know 7

   I ran with him around to the back of the trolley, and not a second too soon. Just as we reached the curb a black car with tinted windows came rolling slowly down the street. A light almost unnoticeable fog lingered around the vehicle like an invisible mist that blurred the very image of reality. Both Riley and I were crouching behind the trolley peering through the windows to get a better look at the oddity that passed by us... or through our world. Suddenly it lurched forward about a foot. Moving forward so quickly that for a moment there seemed to be two cars. It was almost like a glitch you would see in a computer program. The car sped up, the engine getting louder and then soft again as it disappeared down the chrome glazed street.

   "What was that?" Riley said not really expecting an answer.

   "How did you know it was coming?" I said taking one last glance down the street to make sure I could stop crouching.

   "I’m not sure, I just… did."

   "…and what was up with the mist?" I said expecting him to agree, but instead I received a confused stare.

   "Mist? I didn’t see any mist, just a car driving down the street." He said standing up from his position behind the trolley as well.

   I chose not to respond and he seemed to let it the question fade away. I know whatever I just saw was important, I have always been one to believe that everything happens for a reason. There was a reason he knew danger was coming, and there was a reason I saw this mist like object. Something in the air seemed to have changed since this morning, a new feeling, a new emotion, you could say, had wrapped its arms around me. I now felt a new sense of purpose and knowledge engulf my soul. Thoughts and images seemed more clear in my mind as if something had erased a block inside me that was preventing me from seeing the truth.

   "What do we do now." Riley said, bringing me back to this reality.

   I looked around at the city with my new eyes. I looked across the street over at the hotel. Immediately I noticed a gold beam reaching down from the sky and landing upon the building.

   "Come with me." I said not bothering to mention the golden beam.

   I briskly walked into the street towards the hotel. He remained standing there for a minute. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was giving me one of those weird looks.

   "Hey wait up." He yelled after me.

   We walked over to the elevator. I placed my hand on the scanner, praying that it would work this time. It flashed red and I felt my stomach drop in disappointment, but then as if something had overwritten the system it changed to green.

   "Whoa how’d you do that?" Riley said, his already confused look intensifying as he began thinking.

   "I wouldn’t be so sure that I did that." I replied slowly.

   The elevator door slid open and we got into it. An awkward silence filled the air as we watched the floor number keep going up.

   "So… what floor are you on?"

   "111^th" I said.

   Another long silence followed. My mind raced to think of something to ask him, anything to break the constant silence that I had lived with.

   "Oh… I don’t think you ever told me your name, and I think that would be good to know, since I have a feeling we will be with each other for a while."

   "My name is… well… they call me Acala."

   "Well its nice to meet you Acala." He said extending his arm out for a handshake.

   When I didn’t shake his hand, he let it fall to his side embarrassed.

   "Your one of those germ-a-phoebes, right?" He said looking at my glove covered hands and then back up at the floor numbers.

   "N...no… I just… don’t like to be touched." It wasn’t a lie, I truly do not like to be touched but the way I said it made it appear like a lie.

   Finally the doors opened up and we stepped directly into my room. The glass doors to my room closed and the elevator zipped off down the hall and then back down to a different floor. We went further into my suite. I walked over to my ocean blue couch and let myself fall into its warmth.

   "Wow, how can you afford this?" Riley asked looking around my modern pad.

   "You like it?" I said avoiding the question.

   "Yeah it’s tight!"

   "Then you’ll like this." I said pushing one of the buttons built into the armrest of the couch.

   The chrome wall behind me slid open revealing a large window that extended across the entire wall. I press another one and the wall to my left opened up into a window as well. Riley walked over to the corner of the window and looked out at the amazing view.

   "Wow you can see everything from up here, it feels like your standing on the edge of a cliff."

   "So is this just a four wall suite or is there more?"

   "Oh there’s more." I clicked another button and the wall to my right opened up into my bedroom. Which also had window walls surrounding my bed.

   "Haha a circle bed."

   "What’s wrong with a circle bed?" I said smiling.

   "Nothing, nothing at all, you just don’t see that anymore." He put his hand to his stomach and walked over to the only remaining wall with no window.

   "You got a kitchen in here?" He asked putting his hand to his stomach.

   "Oh yeah I almost forgot." I pressed the last button on the armrest, and the wall across the room opened up revealing a refrigerator that was built into the wall and a whole other set of buttons.

   "If there isn’t anything in the fridge that you want feel free to order from the wall menu."

   He didn’t bother opening the fridge, he took a menu remote from the wall and came over to sit next to me. He clicked the green start button and the large built in TV screen near the fridge began to display the specials. Various desserts scrolled across the screen.

   "You don’t think the GSS caught us on tape do you?" He said as he continued to look through the hundreds of desserts.

   "I doubt it, their systems seem to have shut down, because the trolley is still there." I said turning my head back out the window to look down at the street.

   "Yeah, you’re probably right, why would they be after us anyway… maybe I’m just paranoid."

   "I don’t think you are. Why else would that car have driven by so slowly."

   Something was on his mind, and I could tell it was about me. He set the remote down on the couch and pulled his leg up so he could face me. He stared into my eyes for a moment before looking away.

   "I think we have to talk about some things, I know you’re holding information from me, and I feel… no I know… that you’re… secrets are going to help me understand some of what’s going on."

   His "knowing things" was starting to bug me already and he only recently seems to have found this… power. I know my expression changed because I could feel the anger inside me rise, as I remembered.

   "Tell me." He said in a softer voice.

   "Alright, but it will only confuse you further." I sighed.

   "First off, my name is 11."

   "Like on the trolley?"

   "Yes like on the trolley." I let him think about it for a second, so maybe I wouldn't have to explain so much.

   "Why?" He said slowly.

   "Do you remember "the experiment"?" I said, annoyed.

   His eyes, widened. "They actually did it? Your one of... them..."

   "Yes and no." I said, knowing the word them had double meaning.

   "Yes I was created by twisted science, and no I am not working for the government."

   Behind his eyes I could see there was a swelling fear. Slowly he, reached out and touched my hand. Then he pulled off the glove. I didn't move and I allowed him see the world for what it was... sick. He picked up my hand to examine it. It was glowing blue with wires and metal. I moved my fingers slightly and he let go of my hand quickly.

   "Your fake, your not even a real person."

   "Your wrong!" I said quickly.

   "I have a real brain and a real heart!" I snatched the glove off the couch and pulled it back on.

   "You were created by man... they played God." He said covering his mouth with his shaking hand.

   "Thats why they want you, their not after us, their after you. But now they're going to be after me too, because I know!"

   "Did they pay for all of this?" He yelled jumping up from the couch.

   "Yes."

   "Then wouldn't they know we are here!?"

   "No because something changed the system, you saw it turn red downstairs." I said, remembering the gold light.

   "Now what?" He said falling back onto the couch.

   "We are going to the new capital building tomorrow."

   "Why?"

   "They want to meet with me for my good deeds, but even if I didn't do anything good I know they would get me there anyway, because thats the next step in their experiment."

   "Your coming your in too deep to back out now."

   "Okay start from the beginning and tell me everything..."